"Do you have the Bashōsen—the Palm-Leaf Fan?"
Hearing Tutai's words, Uzumaki Aloe's eyes lit up. She immediately asked about the most destructive of the treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths.
Among the five known Hagoromo no Dōgu—the Sage's Ninja Tools—only the Bashōsen is oriented for large-scale destruction. Combined with the immense chakra reserves of the Uzumaki clan, even a single user wielding it can overpower entire battalions.
"I do."
Dodai gave a firm reply. He understood well that granting the Uzumaki access to the Six Paths tools would significantly increase their battlefield power—but this was also a calculated strategy. The goal was to pressure Konoha into revealing its hand.
The Cloud Village needed the Uzumaki clan's help to kill or cripple as many elite forces of the other major villages as possible, so Kumogakure could gain the upper hand in the war's next stage.
Upon receiving confirmation from Tutai, Uzumaki Aloe's smile deepened. She stepped forward, took out two preserved hearts, and raised her hands to form an arcane fūinjutsu diagram in the air.
"Contract Seal—release!"
She tapped each heart with her fingertips. Dark sealing glyphs encircled them as the intricate chakra formula unfurled.
Aloe then smeared a portion of preserved cellular tissue onto the hearts—taken from Kinkaku and Ginkaku—using it as a summoning medium. She activated a unique form of Kuchiyose: Edo Fuin, merging Uzumaki sealing arts with summoning techniques.
A thick mist rolled outward, and four large relics materialized—sealed within were the four remaining Six Paths tools once wielded by the Gold and Silver Brothers.
Aloe Uzumaki immediately grasped the Bashōsen and poured chakra into it. In an instant, five elemental chakra spheres—Wind, Fire, Lightning, Water, and Earth—materialized around her.
"Just as the records said—it can freely conjure all five basic chakra natures."
Aloe Uzumaki nodded with satisfaction. With such a weapon, their odds of surviving the war had drastically improved.
"Take the other three tools back to Kumogakure. I acknowledge your sincerity. Soon, you'll see ours."
She spared only a cursory glance at the other three items. Though powerful, the Benihisago, Kohaku no Jōhei, and Shichiseiken were complex to operate and ultimately inferior to the Uzumaki's own sealing jutsu in practical war usage.
"We'll be waiting."
Dodai sealed the three Six Paths tools and the preserved hearts into a scroll and discussed a few more tactical points before departing.
Their mission was complete—for now, everything depended on the Uzumaki clan's final decision and how the battlefield would shift in the coming days.
"…Where are they?"
Dodai looked around in confusion as he appeared at the village's eastern gate, having been escorted by an Uzumaki guard.
"What about the boy and the other three?"
"They left with the young mistress. She said to let you know they went ahead, and you should follow soon. She warned of ambushes—be cautious."
The Uzumaki gatekeeper relayed the message with a serious tone.
"Young mistress…?"
Tutai frowned. What had that strange boy been up to while he was away?
Despite his confusion, Tutai immediately activated the Shunshin no Jutsu to rush toward their agreed rendezvous point.
Their return route had already been preplanned and deliberately differed from the inbound path. Several veteran Earth Release specialists had carved out an underground tunnel along that return route to obscure their movements and reduce the risk of ambush.
The Uzumaki knew too well—they were being watched by far too many forces right now.
Back at Uzushiogakure, Aloe Uzumaki—now fully attuned to the Bashōsen—walked toward the clan leader's residence. Her nephew, the patriarch Masahiko, was awaiting her.
Today's visitors weren't limited to the Cloud delegation. A group from Konoha had also arrived, likely seeking to secure a future Nine-Tails jinchūriki from the Uzumaki bloodline.
Upon entering, she found the other four elders already gathered. Their expressions were dark and grim.
"Konoha didn't send reinforcements?"
Aloe entered, knelt formally, glanced at her nephew, and posed the inevitable question.
"The four great nations are already advancing on the Land of Fire. Konoha's top clans—the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and even remnants of the Senju—have been mobilized as a vanguard to secure terrain and erect defensive lines. The Senju have been positioned near the Earth Country border.
Hiruzen assured us the main Shinobi forces would support us—they'll arrive tomorrow night."
Uzumaki Masahiko sighed. The truth was harsher than expected.
He hadn't even shared the most alarming intelligence: that Uchiha Madara might still be alive. There was no point in telling the elders; it would only spread despair.
If Madara did appear, no amount of fūinjutsu could stop him. Even with their forbidden techniques, the Uzumaki stood no chance.
"The great nations have already laid out their plans."
The four elders were visibly shaken. Without timely support from Konoha, how could they resist a multi-front siege?
"Hard to say if it's the nations—or that damned 'Sarutobi Monkey'—behind the delay. Showing up tomorrow night isn't support—it's to collect our bodies."
Aloe Uzumaki sneered. The others around her tensed slightly at her words.
Masahiko said nothing. That "kid" from earlier had filled him in on Konoha's internal fractures. Their situation was even worse than he'd feared.
The other elders seemed just as hopeless. They were unsure they'd survive the night, let alone until tomorrow.
Seeing her nephew's silence, Aloe spoke with firm resolve: "I've said this before—Konoha isn't dependable. I've already made contact with Kumogakure. They're the only major village still recruiting talent. Their strength and ambition can at least preserve part of our people.
We elders can die for Uzushio, but the next generation must survive. If we fall, the clan must endure. Our bloodline must continue, or we'll have no face to meet our ancestors in death.
Kumogakure even lent us the Bashōsen to aid our survival."
She revealed the fan and activated it again, forming five glowing elemental spheres. The elders' eyes sparkled in awe.
"It really is the Bashōsen…"
The palm-leaf fan's offensive potential was obvious—especially in the hands of chakra-rich Uzumaki. Though it wasn't ideal against high-tier shinobi, it was a deadly weapon against platoons of ordinary ninjas.
Their greatest threat wasn't elite jōnin—it was the overwhelming numbers fielded by the allied ninja nations. With this fan, they could dramatically reduce enemy forces and tip the scales.
It proved Kumogakure's sincerity.
Given the current geopolitical landscape, the reality was unavoidable: even if Konoha did send reinforcements, they would be too few and too late.
An alliance with Kumogakure was no longer betrayal—it was survival.
But as the elders celebrated this unexpected fortune, Masahiko felt his heart drop, his limbs freezing.
"Just now… the one who came to see you… was from Kumogakure?"
He had assumed the envoy Aloe met earlier was from the Senju—but it turned out the visitor was from the Cloud? Then what clan did that boy belong to?
"He's the Assistant to the Raikage."
Aloe glanced over, puzzled by her nephew's sudden alarm.
BOOM!
"THAT DAMN LITTLE BASTARD!!"
Masahiko's chakra flared in a furious explosion that shook the hall. His face twisted in rage.
He had been tricked—not only had he handed over his granddaughter, but also entrusted all the clan's most valuable secrets.
To be deceived by a boy? The humiliation was unbearable.
What sort of shameless, cunning monster had the Cloud raised!?
Aloe and the others were shocked by the outburst, unable to comprehend the source of Masahiko's fury.
"…What about the battle plans?"
After several moments, Masahiko forced himself to calm down. His tone was grave.
He was still burning with rage—but the alliance was now sealed. For now, they needed to survive. After the dust settled, they would find a way to settle the score with that damnable child.