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Naruto: Uzumaki Patriarch
Chapter 9: The Sabotage
The sea around Uzushiogakure was a restless beast, its waves clawing at the rocky shore under a moonless sky. Kazuto Uzumaki crouched on a hidden outcrop, his dark red eyes fixed on the faint silhouette of the Kirigakure ship anchored a mile offshore. The vessel rocked gently, its lanterns casting flickering light across the water. His proximity seals, carried by the scout team, had tracked its position for two days, confirming it hadn't moved. Tonight, that would change.
Beside him, Kaito, a seasoned Uzumaki chunin, adjusted his gear, his face taut with focus. The sabotage team—four shinobi, all handpicked for stealth—waited in silence, their chakra cloaked by Kazuto's obfuscation seals. The plan was simple: disable the ship's mobility, plant a warning seal, and vanish. No bloodshed, no trace. Kazuto's orders were clear: send a message to Kirigakure that Uzushiogakure was not prey.
"Kaito," Kazuto whispered, his voice low but sharp. "You're lead. Stick to the plan. If it goes south, use the flare seal and retreat. No heroics."
Kaito nodded, his eyes flickering to the boy beside him. At ten, Kazuto was their clan head, a prodigy whose fuinjutsu had already saved the village from a Mist raid. But sending a kid to oversee a high-stakes mission? It sat wrong with Kaito, even if Kazuto's glare could freeze a jounin in their tracks. "Understood, Kazuto-sama. You sure you don't want to stay back? We can handle this."
Kazuto's lips twitched, a ghost of a smirk. "I trust you, Kaito. But I don't trust fate. I'm here to make sure this works." He unrolled a small scroll, revealing a seal he'd prepared that afternoon—a Tidebreaker, designed to disrupt chakra-infused mechanisms like the ship's propulsion jutsu. It was untested, but Kazuto's instincts screamed it would work. He handed it to Kaito. "Plant this on the hull. It'll stall them for days."
Kaito tucked the scroll into his vest, signaling the team. They moved like shadows, slipping into the water with barely a ripple. Kazuto stayed behind, his fingers tracing a backup seal etched into the cliff. If the team was compromised, he'd trigger it, creating a chakra surge to mask their escape. He hated relying on contingencies, but he wasn't fool enough to assume perfection. Not yet.
As the team swam toward the ship, Kazuto's mind churned. The Mist's probing was bolder than he'd expected, a sign that their plans were accelerating. Uzushiogakure's fuinjutsu was a prize too tempting for greedy villages, and Konoha's lukewarm alliance—tainted by that Hyuga envoy's snooping—offered no shield. Kazuto's jaw tightened. His Tidebreaker seal, still unstable, was next, and after that, a defensive array to rival the Sage's own.
A faint pulse from his proximity seals snapped him back. The team had reached the ship. Kazuto's eyes narrowed, tracking their chakra signatures—muted but steady. Kaito's team was good, their movements precise as they scaled the hull. Then, a flicker. One signature flared, sharp and sudden. Kazuto's heart skipped. A sensor-nin on the ship had noticed.
"Damn it," he hissed, his fingers hovering over the backup seal. He held back, trusting Kaito to adapt. Seconds stretched into eternity, then the signatures stabilized. The team was moving again, faster now. Kazuto exhaled, his grip loosening. They'd planted the Wavebreaker. Now they just needed to—
A flare of chakra erupted from the ship, followed by a shout. The sensor-nin had raised the alarm. Kazuto's eyes widened. The team was exposed. Without hesitation, he slammed his palm onto the cliff's seal. A pulse of chakra surged through the water, a chaotic wave that scrambled sensory jutsu. It wouldn't last long, but it'd give Kaito's team a window to escape.
The sea churned as the team dove, their signatures darting toward shore. Kazuto scanned the ship, spotting movement—Mist shinobi on deck, their chakra spiking with water jutsu. A massive wave rose, aimed at the fleeing team. Kazuto cursed under his breath, unrolling another scroll. This one held a prototype Redirection Seal, meant to bend enemy jutsu back on itself. It was risky, half-finished, but he had no choice.
"Kai!" he shouted, slapping the scroll onto the ground. Crimson lines flared, spiraling into the air. The wave faltered, its chakra twisting inward, then collapsed, drenching the ship instead. The Mist shinobi staggered, their jutsu disrupted. Kazuto grinned, fierce and fleeting. The seal worked—barely. His chakra reserves dipped dangerously, a reminder of his limits.
The team reached the shore, soaked but unharmed. Kaito hauled himself onto the outcrop, panting. "Kazuto-sama… we planted the seal. Hull's dead. They ain't moving anytime soon." He glanced at the ship, where chaos reigned. "That wave—your doing?"
Kazuto nodded, rolling up the scroll. "Get the team back to the village. I want a full report by dawn." His voice was steady, but his hands trembled slightly, the chakra drain hitting harder than he'd admit. Kaito hesitated, then bowed, leading the team away.
Alone, Kazuto watched the ship, its lanterns flickering as the crew scrambled. The Wavebreaker would keep them stranded, a clear message: Uzushiogakure wasn't weak. But the close call gnawed at him. The Redirection Seal had saved them, but it was sloppy, too costly. He needed to refine it, make it efficient enough for battle. And the Tidebreaker—if he'd had it ready, he could've ended the fight before it started.
He turned back to the village, his mind already on his workshop. The Mist would retaliate, and other villages were surely watching. Uzushiogakure's survival depended on his seals, his plans, his will. He wouldn't falter, no matter how heavy the ink weighed.
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End of Chapter 9
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