I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

If that were the case, Li Mo wouldn't have made such a judgment about Konoha. However, the pawns he had arranged and the ninja souls he had gathered over the years had already revealed many secrets of the Second Shinobi World War and even the First Shinobi World War. For example, after the Uzumaki clan was attacked, their first instinct was to resist while requesting help from Konoha. However, Konoha delayed making a decision for almost half a month, and the Uzumaki clan was directly wiped out by the combined forces of several major ninja villages.

The Uzumaki clan's formidable strength was also demonstrated at this time. Although they were defeated and their clan was wiped out, they were not completely destroyed. A few women and children escaped under the cover of elite clan members. When the troops sent by Konoha finally arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, all that was left was a devastated and broken battlefield and corpses everywhere. They were of no use except for collecting the bodies.

For this reason, even those few Uzumaki clan members who managed to escape, even if they went to other small countries or remote areas to struggle for survival, even if they had to endure harsh treatment, hunger, or being spied on, none of them would choose to seek refuge in Konoha, their former ally.

"...As expected, this place has been thoroughly looted!"

Looking at the obviously poorly maintained burial site of the Uzumaki clan, with even the tombstones incomplete, and the completely ransacked [Vortex Village], which had been dug up to a depth of thirty feet, Li Mo sensed that there would be little to gain. He then released his [Shadow Legion] and ordered, "Then, search thoroughly for any Uzumaki clan relics, such as the [Death Mask], that still exist!"

As Li Mo's shadow stretched out, a dark domain that sunlight could not penetrate, from which appeared one shadowy ninja after another. Their eyes were blood red and they could use some of the ninjutsu or abilities they had in life.

This is one of the development directions for Li Mo to completely integrate the [Power of Shadows] into [Shadow Escape]. It involves absorbing the souls of ninjas from the Naruto world and transforming them. The newly emerged [Shadow Legion] retains more or less of the special abilities of the ninja souls based on their circumstances in life. This does not mean that the [Shadow Legion] is weak compared to ninjas of the same level. These fearless and well-coordinated shadow soldiers have an overwhelming advantage over ordinary ninjas and can also play a role against stronger enemies.

However, what Li Mo needed now was not a battle. These shadow soldiers simply turned into shadows and disappeared. Even the samurai and ninjas following around him couldn't detect how these shadow soldiers left!

……

While the shadow soldiers began their search, Li Mo leisurely examined the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki clan. He then estimated that the Uzumaki clan at its peak numbered around three thousand people, and the Land of Whirlpools was probably around five thousand square kilometers in area.

This number is enormous for a ninja clan. Even if most of them are ordinary ninjas, the elderly, women and children, the Uzumaki clan is skilled in sealing techniques. They can easily seal a tailed beast by sending out dozens of special jonin or jonin-level strongmen to lead the way. Other small ninja villages, even the No.1 ninja village like Amegakure, would probably not dare to fight the Uzumaki clan rashly.

However, the Uzumaki clan was no match for the Five Great Shinobi Villages. They might even be defeated by the weakest village, Sunagakure. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sought an alliance with Konoha. Two of their most outstanding women even married the Hokage. But they didn't expect that Konoha during the Third Hokage's era would betray even such staunch allies as Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan. The little princess Uzumaki Kushina, who had been sent to Konoha beforehand, was detained, and the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, with only a few members escaping.

Needless to say, the Land of Whirlpools was a small country that was very wealthy and enviable when the Uzumaki clan was in charge and the Land of Fire was behind it. However, the Uzumaki clan was wiped out by the allied forces of several major ninja villages, and the wealthy little country of Whirlpools was naturally not left behind. A group of forces bearing the names of "thieves" and "rogue ninjas" appeared one after another, turning the Land of Whirlpools into a poor and chaotic place after the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

Just as Li Mo was gazing at the Land of Whirlpools and sighing, feeling that this situation seemed somewhat familiar, he suddenly received a telepathic message from a shadowy soldier. His spirits lifted, and he immediately led his team to a remote location within the Land of Whirlpools.

"Finally found it! The legacy of the Uzumaki clan!"

Chapter 59 The Legacy of the Uzumaki Clan

In the northern part of the Land of Whirlpools, near an abandoned port that once traded with the Land of Fire, in a desolate and secluded forest, there is an abandoned temple that looks like it was used to worship some god, which doesn't seem strange at all.

In the ninja world, where war raged on and on, religion was definitely something that brought spiritual comfort to the common people. Even though a ninja discovered this abandoned temple, it was completely deserted. Apart from the once majestic and powerful broken statues, there was only a wall covered with different masks, and those masks, which looked like they were used to play the roles of ghosts and gods in some rituals, were still intact.

After all, ninjas have little interest in things that aren't their target. In places involving beliefs, even if ninjas from major ninja villages come, if they're sure everyone inside is just an ordinary person and there's nothing of interest, they naturally have no interest in doing things like destroying mountains and temples. Moreover, in the Naruto world, most people, like those in Japan before Li Mo's transmigration, still hold feudal superstitious beliefs. Naturally, few people would do anything reckless like offending ghosts or gods.

If there were gold, silver, treasures, or food supplies inside the temple, the so-called "thieves" and "traitorous ninjas" who had been to the Land of Whirlpools would probably still make a move. Even those refugees who were starving and willing to do anything would not hesitate to abandon their so-called faith and fear and rush into the temple when their lives were in danger. However, in an abandoned temple that worships ghosts and gods, no one would be so idle as to do anything that would offend the ghosts and gods.

When Li Mo arrived here with the Shadow Soldiers, he was naturally not blinded by appearances. He quickly focused his attention on the Death Mask and the statue, and immediately confirmed that the dilapidated temple did indeed have the goods!

"These... these should be the Shinigami masks used in the sealing technique [Reaper Death Seal], right? Interesting, even a Jonin might overlook them if they didn't know better..."

Upon seeing the dilapidated temple, Li Mo immediately ordered guards to be stationed outside. He walked straight in and picked up a [Death Mask]. He immediately discerned the extremely subtle sealing technique within. Then, looking up at the statue that had stirred his heart, he examined it closely and made a definitive judgment, unable to help but sigh, "This statue is so well-sculpted that only those proficient in sealing techniques would notice its intricacies. It seems to be one of the contingency plans left behind by the Uzumaki clan. It's a pity that after the destruction of [Uzumaki Village], there aren't many Uzumaki clan members left, and no one remains in the Land of Whirlpools!"

Li Mo had already noticed the anomaly of the seemingly ordinary mask and statue with his keen intuition. There was no chakra or unusual traces on them, but only someone who was proficient in sealing techniques or had keen senses could detect the anomaly and know that this was definitely not an ordinary item.

Li Mo's pupils had become as dazzling as gemstones. In some fantasy worlds, his ability would be called "spiritual eyes" because he could see the fine sealing patterns deep inside the material of the "Death Mask".

As for the statues, most of them are made of ordinary materials, except for the forearm near the left hand, which contains a hidden part formed by a sealing technique.

This is clearly not an accident, but something left behind by someone with good intentions!

Without a doubt, there are very few who can do this, and in the Land of Whirlpools, there is only one: the Uzumaki clan, who are the masters, and this is the contingency plan they left behind.

The fact that a few members of the Uzumaki clan managed to escape the combined attack of several major ninja villages shows that those ninja clans that survived the era of war still have a very keen sense of crisis. Even when faced with a desperate situation, they have various backup plans to prevent the annihilation of the entire clan.

what?

Why did you say the Uchiha clan was wiped out?

Sorry, but that was purely a case of the clan leader leading the way in slacking off, being indecisive, and having three mentally ill clan members rebel. They lacked a true understanding of Konoha Village's ruthlessness, and one wrong move nearly wiped out the entire clan, leaving only a few mentally ill and near-mentally ill individuals.

The Uzumaki clan obviously doesn't have any crazy clansmen who would choose to betray their own family. In addition, since they live in the Whirlpool Country established by their own clan, the successive clan leaders naturally consider what to do if they encounter a powerful enemy one day. In addition to the option of resisting to the end, they also prepare a plan to disperse and break out if they are defeated. For example, the survivors of the Uzumaki clan who escaped did so thanks to the escape plan left behind by the Uzumaki clan.

However, the Uzumaki clan never expected that they would one day be besieged by the elite forces of several major ninja villages. Konoha, which had a close relationship with them, dragged its feet and did not send troops, which directly led to the near annihilation of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure. The few Uzumaki clan members who occasionally escaped from the Land of Whirlpools no longer trusted Konoha. In addition, other ninja villages in the ninja world coveted the Uzumaki clan's heritage and bloodline, so no Uzumaki clan survivors ever returned to the Land of Whirlpools.

The Land of Whirlpools had become impoverished. As one of the hidden treasures left behind by the Uzumaki clan, it naturally fell into disrepair and became unknown. All the powerful Uzumaki clan members who knew of this place had died in battle. Although the allied forces of the other major ninja villages did not obtain all of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, they still made a considerable haul and plundered the Land of Whirlpools. The late-arriving Konoha village could only collect the corpses.

Thus, one of the legacies left behind by the Uzumaki clan—this treasure house containing the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and more than a dozen [Death God Masks]—became a lucky break for Li Mo, a transmigrator who knew the plot and came to the Land of Whirlpools to search for treasure.

"However, as for the Uzumaki clan, I remember there should be a few survivors. The two from Konoha and Amegakure are not worth mentioning, but the one from Kusagakure later..."

Li Mo directly collected the dozen or so different Death God masks and the statue that concealed the inheritance of the Vortex Sealing Technique. After leaving the now worthless temple and cleaning it up, he began to ponder the surviving members of the Vortex clan.

It's obvious that Li Mo knows that among the surviving members of the Uzumaki clan, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha is a given. Trying to poach him would mean going to war with Konoha. Nagato Uzumaki from the Land of Rain could be fooled, but he's probably being used as an important pawn by Madara Uchiha. Even though Li Mo is confident in his strength and believes he can defeat the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, he feels it's best not to directly challenge Madara Uchiha with such a high level of difficulty.

Upon careful consideration, Li Mo set his sights on the Grass Ninja Village. He remembered that in the original Naruto storyline, a girl from the Uzumaki clan appeared as a ninja from the Grass Ninja Village. Moreover, the Grass Ninja Village was not particularly strong, making it a perfect place for him to investigate!

Chapter 60 Breaking into the Grass Ninja Village

Grass Ninja Village!

This ninja village in the Land of Grass may not have a great name, but it was once considered one of the best small ninja villages in the ninja world. However, its geographical location is rather unfortunate, sandwiched between the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it was a war zone where several major powers were at war. After several protracted battles in the Shinobi World War, the five great ninja villages were all fighting to the point of exhaustion. The Grass Village and the Land of Grass were no exception. Their lands were turned into battlefields, and they even occasionally sided with one side, fully demonstrating their fickle nature.

Of course, a closer look at the situation of the Grass Village reveals that their opportunistic behavior was understandable. The Land of Grass was a crucial battleground in the three Shinobi World Wars, and Obito Uchiha died there (actually, he went missing and was used as a tool by Madara). One can imagine the frustration the Grass Village felt. However, they lacked top-tier ninjas like Hanzo of the Salamander from the Rain Village, and even their ninjutsu lineage relied on studying other countries' techniques, lacking any unique or special ninjutsu of their own.

As such, it's easy to imagine that the strength of the Grass Village ninjas is simply not enough to stop the major ninja villages from fighting each other in their own country. They can only use diplomatic means to maneuver between the various powerful countries and keep abreast of the situation in order to protect themselves.

What do you mean by the fighting strength of the Grass Ninja Village?

Haha, the ninjas of Grass Village do have fighting power, but they are definitely not as good as the top ninjas of a small village like Rain Village. They can barely compare with the ninjas of small countries like Waterfall Village and Hot Spring Village. As for the ninjas of the Five Great Ninja Villages, don't even bother comparing them.

Before Li Mo's transmigration, the five giants could criticize each other, but other countries, apart from a few top-tier countries with large populations and advanced industries that could barely rival the two weakest of the five giants, were trash in front of the three strongest giants. The difference was how much the three giants would have to pay to kill those small countries that dared to jump around in front of them.

Therefore, Li Mo, who had long wanted to test his skills, had no intention of wasting words with the Grass Village. After confirming that there was no more profit to be made in the Land of Whirlpools, he did not hesitate to lead his men to the Land of Grass and then directly attack their door!

………………

"Who?!"

"what!"

"Enemy attack..."

Before the sun had set, the grass ninja guarding the village gate noticed Li Mo swaggering in. One of the grass ninjas had just stepped forward to ask a question when he suddenly stopped, his head slid off, and blood gushed out.

The bizarre and brutal scene caused the inexperienced Grass Ninja to gasp in shock. However, apart from the two rookie Grass Ninja, the other Grass Ninja guarding the village gate were all Chunin who had experienced many battles. Among them was a special Jonin-level Grass Ninja, who was there to guard against the arrival of people from the five great ninja villages or some special situation. They reacted immediately and launched an attack.

Several grass ninjas threw kunai and shuriken, creating a covering attack on the area around Li Mo. Two grass ninjas skilled in ninjutsu used fire and wind ninjutsu respectively, combining a B-rank fire ninjutsu and a C-rank wind ninjutsu into an area-of-effect attack ninjutsu that was almost equivalent to an A-rank ninjutsu.

It wasn't just a dozen or so Grass Ninja who launched a very sharp attack; the Special Jonin in command was also on high alert at all times. Their overall performance was quite good even by the standards of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Of course, this wasn't the average level of Grass Ninja; it was purely because of the Third Shinobi World War. Even if Grass Ninja Village tried its best to close its doors and act like a coward, it couldn't possibly refuse visitors from the Five Great Ninja Villages or other distinguished guests. The guards at the village gates were all elite Grass Ninja, either highly experienced ninjas or promising up-and-coming talents!

Unfortunately, the guards assigned by the Grass Ninja Village were four elite Chunin squads, led by a very strong Special Jonin. However, their efforts were completely ineffective, and Li Mo's figure disappeared from their sight in an instant.

The next instant, Li Mo reappeared in front of the group of Grass Ninja. The hilt of the Tang sword in his hand was just retracted. Only those with very good eyesight could notice the fleeting flash of blue light. When Li Mo returned the Tang sword to its sheath, the dozen or so Grass Ninja were stunned on the spot. Bloodstains appeared on their bodies, and they collapsed to the ground, turning into corpses.

Even that special Jonin of the Grass Ninja couldn't see Li Mo's attack clearly. When he instinctively realized something was wrong and tried to use ninjutsu to escape, the sharp sword wind had already beheaded him. He couldn't even use the Body Flicker Technique to escape!

"Tsk tsk, the Wind Sword Technique is indeed impressive, though it was originally intended for dealing with demons!"

Seeing that he had instantly killed more than a dozen grass ninjas with a single move, Li Mo was quite satisfied with his performance. However, looking at the scene that had turned his attack into a slaughterhouse, he felt that his swordsmanship, which incorporated elements from his otherworldly style, appeared somewhat brutal in the Naruto world. But then he thought about the specific targets of his swordsmanship and it became clear: "However, it's also very effective at killing people..."

Although the art style of the otherworld in the review guide is very subtle, it must be said that as a fantasy world with gods, demon kings, dragons and the like, there are quite a few monsters that are completely irrational, and the sword techniques used to deal with these monsters are naturally very brutal.

Anyway, based on his memories from the otherworldly evaluation guide, Li Mo knew that the Wind Sword Technique was entirely for fighting monsters. It was wide-ranging and extremely fast, focusing on killing monsters as quickly as possible. There were no subtle techniques like using softness to overcome hardness. Even against the vast majority of ninjas who were high-attack, high-speed, and fragile, Li Mo's modified version of the Wind Sword Technique was still very ferocious. A single strike would leave grass ninjas lying dead everywhere.

Fortunately, Li Mo doesn't care about the style of his moves. Adhering to pragmatism, he will use the [Seed of Fusion] without hesitation when necessary. There is no need to nitpick about actions like this that test his skills.

"Enemy attack! Kill him!!!"

When Li Mo kicked the gate of the Grass Ninja Village in half, the Grass Ninja who had just received the alarm and rushed over immediately identified Li Mo as the attacking enemy. Looking at the dozen or so mutilated Grass Ninja corpses behind Li Mo, the Grass Ninja who rushed over did not hesitate and attacked Li Mo with all kinds of ninjutsu. Even if 90% of them were very low-level ninjutsu, it was enough to make even a Jonin temporarily avoid his attack.

Seeing that the Grass Ninjas had the courage to launch an attack on him, Li Mo greatly admired their courage and actions. The next second, he disappeared from the spot, and the dazzling blue sword light was like a storm, instantly engulfing a large group of Grass Ninjas!

……

"...We must be patient this time, especially we must hide the captured Uzumaki clan mother and daughter well, otherwise we will definitely get into trouble with Konoha!"

Meanwhile, inside the three-story office building of the Grass Ninja Village, the current leader of the Grass Ninja Village, with a hint of worry and joy on his face, whispered instructions to several high-ranking members of the Grass Ninja Village, who all agreed with the same expression.

The reason is very simple. The Grass Village is now being courted by the Leaf Village and the Rock Village. The Grass Village, which does not want to get involved in the war between the two major ninja villages, is trying to play the ostrich. What makes the Grass Village leaders happy is that more than two months ago, the Grass Village captured a mother and daughter from the Uzumaki clan who were hiding in a remote village in the Land of Grass. Thinking of the Uzumaki clan, which is famous for its sealing techniques and huge chakra reserves, the Grass Village, which was drooling with envy, risked offending the Leaf Village and secretly hid them.

Just as the leader of the Grass Village and several high-ranking members were trying their best to prevent the Grass Village from getting involved in the Third Shinobi World War, the door was suddenly smashed open, and a Grass Village ninja wearing a Grass Village headband rushed in!

"Enemy! Enemy attack!!!"

Seeing that the leader of the Grass Ninja Village and several high-ranking members were ready for battle and glaring at him with great anger, the panting Grass Ninja shuddered and quickly delivered the important message he had to report.

"Quick! Go check it out right away!"

Upon discovering that the intruder was one of their own and had revealed crucial information with a fearful expression, the leader of the Grass Ninja Village, who had initially thought something serious had happened, changed his expression. He then exchanged glances with the other high-ranking members and reached a tacit agreement. The group quickly rushed out of the meeting room, all ready for battle.

Although the Grass Ninja Village was forced to stay in its own village and live off its past achievements due to the three consecutive battles between the surrounding major ninja villages, and had to be careful even when going out to buy food or goods, not daring to offend the ninja armies of the major ninja villages, it doesn't mean that the Grass Ninja Village has become a coward who doesn't dare to fight to the death when the enemy comes to their door. They still have a certain amount of courage in this regard. For example, the leader of the Grass Ninja Village couldn't help but get angry and directly led his men out of the meeting room.

Even though he had to swallow his pride and carefully maintain the Grass Village's independence rather than actually submitting to one side, as the leader of the Grass Village, he still had a temper. It was one thing to stay in the Grass Village because he couldn't defeat the Five Great Ninja Villages, but if the enemy came knocking on his door, he couldn't bear it no matter how much he swallowed his pride. In his heart, he was already preparing to defeat the attacking enemy and establish his authority.

When the leader of the Grass Ninja Village arrived at the scene of the battle, he witnessed a flash of blue light that followed, leaving dozens of fleeing Grass Ninjas as corpses, and a horrifying sight of even more Grass Ninja corpses:

"How can this be?!!"

Chapter 61 Chopping melons and vegetables

On the streets of Kusagakure, the corpses of ninjas wearing Kusagakure headbands were scattered all over the streets. The remains of the corpses and blood, which looked as if they had been slashed by sharp weapons, formed a terrifying scene that would make even ordinary ninjas tremble with fear!

Even ninjas who regularly live on the edge don't always get to witness such horrific scenes, let alone the fact that Kusagakure isn't a major ninja village anymore.

When the leader of the Grass Ninja Village led his men out, the horrific scene he witnessed sent a chill down his spine. He immediately realized that the attackers must be powerful, at least near-Kage or even Kage-level experts, otherwise such a one-sided slaughter would not have occurred.

To be fair, the fact that Kusagakure survived three consecutive Shinobi World Wars couldn't have been solely due to its opportunistic behavior. Kusagakure's overall strength was actually quite good among small ninja villages, with over a thousand ninjas. Among the smaller ninja villages, it was only inferior to Amegakure. With its considerable strength and local dominance, it managed to maintain a cautious approach through smooth negotiations and a prickly demeanor, barely preventing Kusagakure from completely siding with a major ninja village.

Compared to the high-ranking members of the Grass Village behind them, the Grass Village leader was clearly more aware of the danger. He realized that he and his companions had only been observing for a few seconds when they witnessed the streak of blue light flying towards them. In an instant, he used the Body Flicker Technique to escape from the spot.

*Sizzle* — *Pfft*!

In the next instant, dozens of streaks of azure light directly enveloped the afterimage left by the leader of the Grass Village. The defensive ninjutsu, substitution jutsu, or body-flickering jutsu used by the Grass Village leaders were all cut through in one swift motion, blood splattered, and several corpses fell to the ground.

It must be admitted that the leaders and high-ranking members of the ninja villages in the Naruto world, at least aside from their personal methods, are certainly not weak... at least within their own villages, they are definitely not weak, or even the strongest. Otherwise, they would not be able to control the ninjas under them who possess extraordinary powers. The situation in the Grass Village is no exception. The leader of the Grass Village escaped in advance thanks to his keen reflexes, and two of the remaining high-ranking members of the Grass Village were injured but managed to survive.

However, the leader of the Grass Village and the two elite Jonin-level Grass Village leaders were not at all relieved. The reason was that Li Mo saw someone escape after he slashed with his sword, and he stopped to look at the three of them with a bit of interest!

"Huh? You've got some skills!"

Upon seeing the leader of the Grass Village and the two injured elite Jonin, Li Mo raised an eyebrow and gave an assessment. He had just used the Wind Sword Technique to fight his way from the Grass Village to where he was now, and he had seen three ninjas who could escape his attacks.