In an unknown cave somewhere in the ninja world.
Under dim lighting, an elderly man with a gaunt face sat on a stone platform, beside him a massive scythe belonging to the Shinigami.
"Lord Madara, Nagato has left Konoha."
A face half black and half white slowly emerged from the ground.
It was Zetsu, the sixth strongest in the ninja world.
He had been spying on Nagato ever since he was brought to Konoha.
This time, he finally seized the opportunity and followed them all the way onto the ship before returning to report.
The information was completely accurate.
"Where did he go?"
"Who's with him?"
Madara's only visible eye—a Three-Tomoe Sharingan—stared intensely at Zetsu.
"Land of Water."
"No formidable figures around him."
In Zetsu's eyes, Minato and Nawaki were far from being considered powerhouses.
If revealing his true strength weren't so inconvenient, he could have easily captured Nagato by now.
His role wasn't simply to act as Madara's eyes.
"Land of Water… quite a destination," Madara said with a smile on his aged face. The Land of Water was once his territory.
"Lord Madara, the Rinnegan hasn't matured yet. What are your plans?" Absolute regarded the Rinnegan even more highly than Madara himself.
"Find a quiet place for it to grow. When I die, the task will fall to you." Madara spoke calmly; death in his grand scheme was merely the beginning.
Existing like this—barely clinging to life—was pure torment for him.
After all, he was Madara Uchiha—the terror of the ninja world.
"Yes, Lord Madara."
Black Zetsu concealed himself well. Madara believed he was simply an extension of his own will.
As for White Zetsu, he was an imperfect clone made using Hashirama's cells.
So to Madara, it made perfect sense that Zetsu would bring him back to life.
"There's still one key person missing. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait."
"I'm utterly tired of these times."
Madara reached behind him to touch the tube that sustained his life.
"Lord Madara, I'll take my leave first."
Zetsu knew Madara was just venting his frustration. Trying to comfort someone like Madara would only make things worse.
"Hmm."
Madara nodded slightly, and Zetsu vanished within the cave.
"Land of Water…"
Madara withdrew his hand and murmured softly.
As he closed his eyes, his eye powers flared.
Back in Kiri, inside a room, the Third Mizukage suddenly opened his eyes.
His pupils revealed a Mangekyou Sharingan—one with three tomoe arranged in a circle, each connected by three vertical lines.
Then he closed them again. It was a habit of the Third Mizukage, well-known among all.
"Enter."
At the Mizukage's command, shadow guards appeared inside the room.
"Mizukage-sama."
The guard knelt on one knee, head bowed, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Call the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist to my office."
With that order, the Mizukage rose and made his way to the Kage Building.
Even with his eyes closed, his movement remained unaffected.
On the way, Mist ninja who saw him displayed utmost respect, some trembling slightly in awe.
Once seated in his office, the Third Mizukage waited quietly.
Soon, knocking sounded at the door.
"Enter."
The Third Mizukage uttered just one word, and the door opened.
Seven strangely dressed individuals appeared inside the office.
"Water Shadow–sama."
The seven bowed humbly to greet him.
"Hmm."
"I've summoned you because there's a task for you."
"A Konoha ninja has infiltrated our Land of Water. Go capture a red-headed kid and bring him back."
The Third Mizukage gave them the mission without even providing any intelligence.
"Understood."
The Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist were somewhat confused but had no choice but to agree—they couldn't afford to ask questions.
They weren't worried about failing the mission—they were more concerned about not finding their target at all.
"You're dismissed."
With a wave of his hand, the Third Mizukage sent them away.
As Madara opened his eyes, the Third Mizukage was already back in his room.
After exiting the Kage Building, the Seven Swords wore gloomy expressions.
Being summoned by the Mizukage was annoying enough, but receiving such an ambiguous mission only added to their frustration.
"How exactly are we supposed to carry out this vague mission?"
Kurirai Hōzuki grumbled—he wasn't just some nobody from a minor clan.
His family had produced the Second Mizukage himself, and the secret jutsu of the Hōzuki clan, the Hydrification Technique, was well known throughout the Ninja World.
"Watch your mouth. Do you want us all to suffer together?"
Fuguki Suikazan shot him a warning glance. The Third Mizukage wouldn't care about the Hōzuki's status.
"Well then, tell me how we find the kid!"
Kurirai Hōzuki was getting worked up.
"Calm down. Let's talk it through."
Tenkatsu Kubo stepped in as mediator.
"A Konoha ninja has entered our territory on an unknown mission."
"And we don't know when they arrived either."
"But none of that matters."
"Our job is simply to capture one red-headed kid."
"Land travel isn't an option here—the only way out of the Land of Water is by sea."
"Increase patrols at every harbor. As long as they haven't left yet, we'll hear something soon enough."
Fuguki Suikazan quickly shared his opinion.
He shot Kurirai a challenging look after speaking.
"I admit, you have a point."
Kurirai Hōzuki begrudgingly backed down. Having a plan was better than blindly searching around.
"What if he already left?"
Jinin Akebino inevitably brought up the worst-case scenario, drawing glares from the rest.
"Then we go straight to Konoha and block their gates," Raiga Kurosuki rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"That's suicide—I'm not ready to die yet," Jinton Guren shot back.
"We'll deal with that if it really happens, you guys."
Kushimaru Kuriarare cut in before the argument escalated further.
If the boy had truly escaped, they'd just have to accept it.
Going to Konoha would be like spinning our wheels—pointless.
A quick mental calculation told them there were plenty of people who could easily force them to retreat.
As for whatever punishment the Third Mizukage might give later, they'd just have to accept it.
"Let's move out."
After Fuguki Suikazan spoke, the seven walked toward the village outskirts.
Meanwhile, Minato and his team were still unaware of the danger closing in.
In fact, they hadn't even left the Land of Water yet.
As the group grew larger, their pace inevitably slowed down.
Concealing their movements also became much more difficult.
Some members of the Snow Clan even made multiple trips to nearby towns to purchase food.
They had no choice; they couldn't just let everyone starve.
However, the path they were taking now led them toward the eastern harbor—the far side of the Land of Water.
Trade was nearly nonexistent there, aside from a few fishing villages, which made it much safer.
If not for the Third Mizukage's orders, they probably could have left unnoticed.
"We're already halfway there."
"Hold on a little longer."
Minato encouraged everyone.
The members of the Snow Clan were essentially leaving their homeland behind, so their mood throughout the journey wasn't great.
"Yeah, we understand."
"Finally, we can escape this hell."
The clan leader knew Minato's words were meant for them, but he himself didn't feel nearly as relieved.
This place had been his home for generations!!
"Leaving one's homeland is never easy—we're doing this because we have no choice."
"We get it."
Yahiko's words truly resonated with them.
Still, the Snow Clan probably wouldn't be as fortunate as the three of them.
After all, in Konoha, they wouldn't have received such favorable treatment.
"Sigh~"
The clan leader let out a sigh and offered a bitter smile.
"Don't worry, my sister will treat you well."
After spending so many days together, Nawaki had warmed up to them and stopped acting like the bad guy.
"Thank you, Lord Nawaki."
The clan leader finally perked up slightly—it meant a lot to him knowing that Nawaki was the Hokage's younger brother.
As time passed, the group drew closer and closer to the harbor.
The boat sent to assist them had already docked.
If you're enjoying Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade, feel free to bookmark it: (m.
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