Uzumaki Survival 005

Oden was drinking a cup full of warm tea, and was warming his hands with a small smile on his face. 

The battle had ended, and he was now back at the outer wall to the village. A handful of Chunin were casting ninjutsu to repair the hole in the wall, whilst Genin were going around assessing damage, or picking up discarded weapons. Several thousand civilians-peasants wearing dirty or torn clothes-had returned, and were sifting through damaged homes, or wailing to the sky as they held their loved ones’ remains. 

Oden felt bad for them, but there was nothing he could do to ease their sorrow. Nozomi, however, had begun to move amongst the people, and was offering her healing services for free. Green hands glowing with chakra, she mended sprained ankles, or relieved the fatigue of people who had exhausted themselves from all the running. Unfortunately, there weren't many who had survived a direct attack from the Yukinyudo. Once the yokai got a hand on a regular person, they were as good as dead. Those who did survive, had missing limbs, or large teeth marks on their bodies. 

Koga Kakuyoku was berating some Genin, and repairing the wall with his black-ice jutsu, whilst the polar bear guy-Doiyo Fuyukuma-was using his enhanced muscles to pull apart collapsed buildings. Saiu Roga-the pink haired girl with a penchant for violence-had sent her wolves to sniff at the snow, searching for survivors. 

Meanwhile, Saiu was lounging on a nearby block of ice, idly playing with a kunai. Oden was sitting on a chair, and Suzuki's was standing behind him with folded arms. The busty redhead was not so subtly glaring at the wolf girl. 

Oden had been chatting with Saiu for a while, trying to get a better understanding of the situation he found himself in. 

“So you three belong to the ‘Great Clans’ of Yukigakure, and don't have a ‘Kage’ like other Hidden Villages?” Oden asked between sips. 

“That’s right, pretty face. We decide major decisions via committee. Otherwise, property, missions, it's all decided on a first come, first serve basis.” Saiu idly commented whilst tossing a kunai from one hand to the next. “I don't know much about the Uzumaki, but you don't have a Kage either?” 

“More like our village was dominated by our clan solely.” Oden slowly answered. 

Her hand tossing the kunai paused, and she sharply looked up at him. “Was?” 

Oden crookedly smiled in response. 

“Let's just say a war has broken out, and we are seeking new allies.” Oden plainly stated, not even hinting at Uzushio's demise. 

“The proud Uzumaki, so strong, no one dared challenge them for generations, and you lost. Coming to visit the losers of the north, I'm right, aren't I?” Saiu said with relish, inferring things from his words or body language that he didn't say. 

‘Damned ninja, why can't she just be some idiot who believes everything a stranger says at face value?’ Oden thought to himself, barely stopping his face from twitching at her assertions. 

“Now the prodigal children with a thousand years of tradition have come seeking shelter in the far reaches of nowhere. What's wrong, Konoha stab you in the back?” Saiu continued, and gestured with her kunai. 

Suzuki's fists clenched, and she almost lunged forward, when Oden held up a hand. He accidentally grazed her enormous bust, barely intercepting her in time. 

“The yokai have shown how woefully inadequate your village is. Are you so certain you wish to offend the people best equipped to handle them?” Oden calmly replied in rebuttal, neither confirming nor denying her assertions. 

A vicious grin spread across Saiu's cheeks. “Just because you're pretty, doesn't mean I have to take such lip from you. Of course, we value the aid of the Uzumaki, all three of you.” 

“It seems in the north, strength is the only language that matters. You need not worry about the size of my numbers, you'll find there is more to me than meets the eye.” Oden confidently stated, and stared her down. Choosing to hide the fact that there were 28 more survivors. 

“Of that, I might need to personally verify. You Uzumaki are quite, mm, legendary for your endurance. I'm sure we can find a use for you.” Saiu glanced at his waistband, and then back at his eyes. 

“As you can see, I've got my hands full as it is.” Oden responded with a sardonic grin, as he quite literally was barely holding Suzuki back. 

His companion was radiating fury like a nuclear engine about to explode. If Saiu flirted with him any more than this, she might just end up as a pancake at this rate. 

“Pity, and here I thought we would make such great friends~ oh well.” 

“If capturing yokai isn't impressive enough for you, creating Explosive or Storage scrolls is as easy for me as breathing. I can even make seals that generate warmth. It is as you said when we first met, it is your honor to fight alongside the Uzumaki.” Oden finished his cup of tea, and then held it out to her, silently demanding that she refill it. 

The flirtatious facade she had been maintaining slightly cracked, and a feral bloodlust leaked out of her all-to-wide animalistic grin. “You’re a cheeky little shit, Uzumaki.” 

Throwing her kunai an inch from his toes, she slowly stood, and poured him his tea. “But that's the way I like my cuties.” She then licked her lips like a hungry wolf. However, her eyes went wide, when she caught a fist to the stomach, knocking her back, churning up a trail of snow. 

“Keep your hands off him, bitch.” Suzuki defensively huffed, and cracked her knuckles.

Oden glanced down at his cup, saw that the [Poison Detect] seal he had placed on it remained neutral, and happily sipped at the warm beverage. 

“Don't hurt her too much.” Oden idly commented. 

“I'll only break every bone in her body.” Suzuki worked her shoulder, and then took a fighting pose. 

“Ptah.” Saiu rose from the ground, and spat some blood. 

Her three wolf companions ran to her side, and began to growl. Several dozen nearby Genin stopped what they were doing, and seemed uncertain what to do. 

Koga laughed maniacally at the unfolding scene, and Nozomi ran forward, only to be blocked by Doiyo. 

“Stop! There's been enough bloodshed today!” Nozomi cried out. 

“Let them fight. Little girl.” Doiyo shook his head, and spoke in a deep voice. 

Oden silently agreed with the big man. Suzuki needed to get this out of her system, and these three Yuki-nin appeared to be the very best of their younger generation. The group fight against the Yukinyudo was chaotic, and many people may not be convinced by her strength. Now, however, a few thousand civilians were serving as witnesses, a few more Chunin were present, as well as many Genin. 

With Suzuki showing off her power, a victory here would reinforce the prestige of the Uzumaki. 

Oden saw this clash as instrumental for their future survival. Most of the Genin were probably clanless, cannon fodder losers with zero prospects for advancement. By introducing Explosive tags to them en masse, He foresaw a timeline where the lower class flipped allegiances…

“Go, Suzuki. Kick her ass.” Oden quietly cheered her on. 

That was all the motivation Suzuki needed, and she disappeared in a seal-based Body Flicker. Appearing like a blur, she closed the distance with Saiu at incredible speeds. 

A great flurry of snow was kicked up as the two kunoichi collided.

Suzuki Uzumaki's punches were like falling stars, each one causing the wind to whoosh. 

Saiu barely had time to widen her eyes before Suzuki was already inside her guard. Boots skidding across the packed ice, red hair whipping in the wind, the Uzumaki girl was full of steady confidence as her fist came within inches of Saiu's chin. Adamantine chains erupted from Suzuki’s forearms with a metallic shriek, coiling tight around her hands & forearms, should they collide, this ‘fight’ would be ended in one punch! 

Saiu twisted aside at the last instant, weaving five rapid hand signs in a familiar fashion, she replaced her body with a block of ice, using the Substitution jutsu. 

Suzuki slammed through the clear-blue material, creating a large, blinding cloud. 

The wolf girl burst from the snow underneath. Her pink hair swayed, and her chakra flared, condensing around her fingers. Ice-blue claws formed over her hands, appearing somewhat transparent, a constant stream of chakra flowed inside, reminding Oden somewhat of the Chidori. 

“No!” Nozomi cried out in shock, as the claws stabbed forward towards Suzuki's spine. 

Her claws met an Adamantine Chain that had coiled around Suzuki’s back at the last second. The red headed kunoichi then delivered a roundhouse kick, delivering a brutal strike directly to Saiu's temple. 

The Roga girl ragdolled, and slammed into an already broken building. 

Oden nodded in appreciation, witnessing just how a taijutsu specialist would best use the Adamantine Chains was a treat to behold. 

Especially since she has a crush on you.

Shaking his head at the intrusive thought, he continued his observation. 

Suzuki worked her shoulder, and began to laugh as the three wolves lunged at her. Their fangs gleamed with ice fangs, and two came from her left/right, whilst the final wolf pounced at her center. 

Three wolves blurred into motion, churning up snow. Their movements were so fast, that Oden internally grew solemn. He could easily defeat one, probably take on two, but three at once? He didn't know. 

They moved like shadows over the snow, white-gray fur streaked with chakra, fangs bared. One went low, one high, the last one went in the middle. 

Suzuki stamped on the ground, gathering her chakra, and cracking the ground in the process. 

A chain lashed out, faster than most Genin could track if the gasps were anything to go by, and smashed the first wolf mid-leap. The impact echoed like a hammer on an anvil, and the sound of bones cracking echoed across the frigid air. The animal skidded across the ice and went limp, its breath was weak, and a pained whine left the wolf's snout.

The second wolf clamped down on Suzuki’s arm, determined to avenge its comrade. 

She smirked, and roughly wrapped her chained fist around its muzzle. 

Suzuki then twisted, tightening her hold, and drove her fist straight down. The beast tried to claw at her bountiful chest, but its chakra was drained in a violent pulse, leaving the wolf limp, and defenseless against her retaliation. The wolf hit the ground hard enough to leave a crater and was barely twitching. 

The third never reached her.

Suzuki pivoted and backhanded it with a chain-wrapped punch that snapped its head sideways.

Each wolf had exuded the aura of a peak Chunin, and yet Suzuki had demolished them all one by one, easily dispatching them in one hit. 

Saiu had recovered by this point, and angrily growled as she launched a series of kunai, and shuriken at Suzuki. 

Suzuki scoffed, and looked down on the pink haired girl as if she were an inferior being. Performing several handsigns, Saiu conjured up a dozen snow-based chakra wolves, which ran ahead of her, and went to slam into the busty girl. 

“Weak.” Suzuki uttered one word, then bulldozered her way through the hidden weapons, & chakra constructs with the same ease that a child would run through the bubbles conjured by a bubble blower.

This time, Saiu couldn't get a Substitution off in time her hands made three, four signs…and then her feral aggression from earlier had been replaced by naked shock as Sakazuki closed the distance faster than ever before. 

Ice claws desperately met Adamantine Chains, causing a shockwave to ripple through the air. Saiu skidded backward, boots carving lines in the snow, arms trembling as Suzuki advanced relentlessly. The red head's eyes were burning as she asserted her dominance. 

“You think flirting with my Oden and showing off gets you anything?” Suzuki snarled, driving a brutal straight punch into Saiu’s guard. “You’re not even a warm-up.”

Saiu hissed and felt something crack as chakra left her every time she blocked. Spinning low in desperation, her claws raked across Suzuki’s abdomen, but weren't deep enough. 

Blood bloomed crimson against Suzuki’s cream colored skin, only to heal almost as soon as it had been cut. 

Suzuki froze for exactly one breath.

Then her smile turned grim. 

“That all?”

Out of breath, and losing chakra fast, Saiu began to incoherently mutter. “Poison. Antidote. I have-” 

Suzuki seized Saiu by the collar and slammed her headfirst into the ice. Once. Twice. A third time, cracking the frozen ground beneath them. Saiu screamed, chakra flaring wildly as she tried to retaliate, claws slashing, kicks flying, but none of her desperate attacks landed. 

Suzuki’s punches drained chakra with each impact, ripping the strength out of Saiu’s limbs. Her blows were heavy, methodical, and merciless. Each one a lesson carved in pain.

Saiu’s ice claws shattered, and her knees buckled.

Suzuki finished it with a brutal uppercut, chains flaring bright as they greedily drank Saiu’s chakra. The Yuki-nin flew backward and collapsed into the snow, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Suzuki stood over her, chest heaving. The wolf-nin crawled over to protect their master, and whimpered for mercy. 

She looked down once, snorted, and turned away.

“Suzuki!” Nozomi ran over, and ran green hands over the busty girl's stomach to diagnose the problem. 

“I'm fine. The big mouth was bluffing about the poison. Besides, if my constitution didn't heal it, I know how to pull it out with these.” Suzuki explained, and showed a chain. 

“You worry me with such recklessness.” Nozomi bowed her head, slightly depressed. 

“...you're good people, Nozomi.” Suzuki raised a hand to pat the short, lithe girl on the head. 

However, Nozomi stepped past the raised hand, and went to go tend to the downed girl & her loyal wolves. 

“...” Sazuki stared out at nothing blankly, and held her hand awkwardly in the air, then scratched the back of her head, pretending that that was what she intended to do from the beginning. 

Oden got up from his seat, and offered to share his tea cup. “Three cheers to the champion.” 

Suzuki lowered her hand, and grasped both the cup, and his hand with both of hers. She stared him in the eye, and weakly cracked a smile. “I hope I can help us.” She whispered. 

Oden met her gaze, and knew that this girl was mostly keeping a brave face, but the insanity of the day was catching up to her. 

Closing the distance, he touched noses with her. Her breath hitched, and she closed her eyes. 

“You know…I never realized you were taller than me.” Oden joked. 

Sazuki snapped her eyes open, her red met his blue, and she was about to erupt in fury, when his lips met hers, stunning her into silence. 

“Sorry, you're so beautiful, I can't resist when my knight in shining armor is so valiant.” Oden joked. 

“My prince. I am yours to command.” Suzuki huskily murmured, pulling him ever closer. 

“Eep!” Nozomi covered her eyes, scandalized, yet had left plenty of gaps in her fingers. 

“Get room. You two.” Doiyo chided in a heavy, deeply dialected voice. 

“Now I've seen everything! They said you Uzumaki were savage!” Koga laughed raucously. “I don't like you bastards for stealing my kill earlier, but I think you'll fit right in. My family owns the only means to supply paper & ink in this town. I think we'll see one another soon enough! Besides, teaching that lying Roga bitch a lesson is cause for celebration! Come on men, drinks are on me!” He then left with a group of three fawning Chunin & a dozen+ Genin, flourishing a luxurious robe as he sauntered away. 

Based upon this flashy display, Oden speculated that the white haired teen held a significant amount of wealth. Furthermore, amongst the dozens of followers, he noticed only three people with similar symbols stitched into their clothing as Koga, indicating that a large proportion of the Genin were civilian born. 

Although Koga had made a big scene with his departure, several nearby peasants were still shocked by the aftermath of the fight, and a pair of Chunin who also had wolf companions were hesitating on the sideline. 

Saiu by this point had woken up thanks to Nozomi's healing hands. The first thing she saw was Oden & Suzuki trading tongues. Grinding her teeth, the pink haired girl coughed out a mouthful of blood due to her seething jealousy. 

Oden breathed in Suzuki’s vanilla-like breath with relish. 

Today had been awful on so many levels, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about repopulating his clan anytime soon. 

~~~~~~~~~

AN: So we see one of the nerfs to Substitution this chapter. The jutsu in canon literally requires handsigns, but in the anime they're never shown. Seriously, google the jutsu, and you'll see it has hand signs listed for the technique. In general, most Jutsu will require handsigns in this story, what makes many kekkei genkai & hidden techniques like the Adamantine Chains, Byakugan, etc so OP imo, is that they don't require handsigns (or in Shikamaru's case, only one.)