Prelude


Desolation.

A vast and infinite darkness, engulfs a lone boy.

It blankets him, as though to comfort him as he drifts along within this empty sea.

Here there is no pain; no suffering. For there is nothing here at all.

How long has he been within this abyss?

10 months? 10 years? 10 centuries?

The boy does not know, for time holds no meaning here. In a place between life and death.

Flashes of his previous life flicker in his mind.

Beaming Sun. Crashing tide. His family. His friends.

Its hard to picture them now. He's slowly forgetting what they looked like. But he remembers how they called out to him.

What was that name?

"Aisuke... my name is-"

Flames rise. Screams and wails fill the night. Blood soaks into his red hair. A blade carves into his face. A final promise.

"No. I'm all that's left now. I am the last son of The Uzumaki Clan. And I'll be the last face those bastards ever see."


Moon's Landing


"Name?"

"Doesn't it already say that on the-"

"Name! Or do you want to go back on the boat?"

"Geez, alright! It's Aisuke, of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Uzumaki Clan, eh?" The officer notes as he looks over the boy's travel papers. "Haven't heard that name in a long time." He muses, spinning his pen. "That must make you a Moon shinobi wannabe then, huh?" The lawman inquires as his eyes peek out from the paperwork, glancing at the newcomer.

The boy looked like he had just crawled out of a war zone.

Scrapes and bandages lined his arms. Old bruises crossed his knuckles. Dark eyes accompanied by a nasty scar that stretched across his face and over the bridge of his nose. His clothes were worn with the exception being the ornate red beads he wore around his neck, and he carried a faded travel pack hung loosely over his shoulders.

And sure enough, his head was clad in the clan's unmistakable bright red hair.

"So, what of it?" Aisuke asks impatiently.

"Word is that clan of yours went extinct, doesn't exactly bode well for you." The officer tells him with a wry grin, tapping his clipboard with his pen. "Guess those famous 'Sealing Powers' weren't all that they were cracked up to be, eh?"

Anger immediately flares up in the Uzumaki.

"How about I give you a demonstration then..." Aisuke's raises a fist as he begins rushing towards the man. "I'LL START BY MAKING YOU EXTINCT!!"

"AHEM!!" A bystander next in the queue grabs Aisuke arm from behind as he reins him back into the line.

"HEY! Who the hell asked y-MMMPHHH! MPHH!!"

"What my hotheaded acquaintance here was trying to convey," A pony-tailed boy tells the customs agent as he covers Aisuke's mouth while the latter angrily flails about. "Was that topic is a very sore subject for him but nonetheless, I apologize for this outburst on his behalf."

The stranger then forcibly bows Aisuke's head along with his own.

The officer clicks his tongue in annoyance, cursing under his breath as he signs off on the form. "Hmph, his visa checks out, he's free to enter this land."

The mediator breathes a sigh of relief as they lift up their heads with Aisuke retaining a sour look on his face.

The customs officer trails his eyes over to the meddler. "And who exactly are you? His keeper?"

"My name is Ren sir. I serve one of the noble houses of Getsugakure." He promptly replies, brandishing his own passport.

"How about you serve your country then by escorting this agitator out of my sight." The officer then tosses Aisuke's documentation onto the stone pier.

"And if you give the authorities here so much as a hint of trouble boy," The man warns while jabbing a finger at the redhead. "I will personally ensure that you're sent packing so far you'll be in Samurai Country! You get me ya little sh-" Aisuke's foot puts an swift end to the man's threats as its firmly planted into the officer's face before the man topples into the ocean with a loud SPLASH.

Ren's jaw drops, watching in horror at what this foreigner has done before getting shoved out of the way as Aisuke runs towards the bustling seaport.

"Hey wait!" Ren calls out as the other officers begin chasing after him. With a hand sign, the documents on the pier begin to float off of the ground and sail through the air over to Aisuke's hand.

"Tch, brownnoser." Aisuke remarks as he situates his entry forms back into his travel pack and hides himself within the crowd.

"HALT! THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!" The guards call out as they run past by heaps of cargo and clear a way through the crowd.

As the crowd begins to resume to business as usual, one of the crates in the heap shifts as a camouflage tarp falls to the ground, revealing the redhead.

"No wonder this country needs shinobi. What a bunch of amateurs." Aisuke says as he packs the tarp back into his bag and starts casually leaving the crime scene, traversing through the buzzing harbor.

Strangers glance at him as he walks past, with some staring longer than others. A few even huddled into hushed whispers and point towards him as he passes by. Aisuke noticed the attention but didn't react, he already knew what to expect. The tragic tale of the Uzumaki Clan is known far and wide.

He paused at the edge of the harbor and looked out at the ocean.

Far beyond the horizon, somewhere lost to the tides and time, lay the remains of Uzushiogakure, The Village Hidden in Whirlpools.

His homeland or what's left of it.

People say the whirlpools still guard its ruins. That the ocean itself still mourns the Massacre of the Uzumaki Clan.

People say a lot of things; but few were there and lived to tell the tale. The night Aisuke could never forget for as long as he lives.

The redhead clenched his hand, a faint ripple of dark chakra stirred beneath his fingers.

Untrained, unrefined, but powerful.

The power that made the Uzumaki so dangerous and the power that ultimately sealed their fate.

The world feared what they couldn't control. So they brought it to ruin.

Aisuke turned away from the sea, to find Ren standing right behind him.

"What the hell?!' The redhead exclaims as he nearly jumps into the ocean. "You some kinda stalker?!"

"That was quite brazen of you, you know? I was trying to help you out, and then you attack him after I smoothed things over?? Are you dense?!" He reprimands the scarred boy, wagging his finger in the air like how a parent would scold a child.

Although Aisuke had gotten the impression earlier that Ren was his senior from his formality, getting a better look at him now they seem to actually be around the same age. His hair was brown with most of it kept neatly tied behind his head aside from a few bangs. His face was slender and held a stern disposition which appropriately coincided with his piercing blue eyes. His attire was very traditional, adorned with a dark kimono with an elegant purple sash he wore over one shoulder.

"Whatever." Aisuke scoffs. "I don't remember asking you for any help, and that guy was practically asking to get his ass kicked."

"You could've gotten yourself kicked out of the country and now I imagine you've given us shinobi applicants a pretty bad name. So I think the words you're looking for is: Sorry and Thank you, so you're welcome. Now to repay me I request you accompany me to Getsugakure as I don't want you causing any more incidents."

Aisuke initially thought about declining the offer but after seeing Ren's earnestness he let out a relenting sigh. Guess it can't be helped. He might actually keep me from getting deported, he thought to himself.

"Alright but you better not order me around. Your track record for that isn't looking good so far."

"Well then I'll only strongly advise you then." He says with a smile. "Let's start over. I'm Ren, an aspiring Moon Shinobi." Introducing himself as he extends a hand, the redhead obliges and reaches out his own.

"Aisuke Uzumaki, same here." He says as they shake hands, truly becoming acquainted.


While heading towards the Moon Kingdom's capital city, Aisuke reflects on his dispute with the Law.

"What do you think that guy's problem was anyways?"

"If I had to guess, our arrival marks the beginning of the end for his station in this land. In other words he felt obsolete with the advent of the shinobi and took it out on you." Ren supposes. "Honesty I can't blame him for feeling that way, that narrative isn't entirely false."

As the two get further from the pier, Aisuke starts to take in the new sights this foreign country has to offer as Ren navigates through the crowds.

The harbor smells of salt, spices, and old wood. Ships creak against their ropes while seagulls cry out overhead. Tour guides call out to the fresh arrivals as people pour off the boats while the sailors drink then laugh obnoxiously. Merchants shout out prices, pulleys unload cargo, and the waves cracked against the pier's walls as though endeavoring to reclaim the island back into the sea.

Ren stops for a moment then turns to face his companion "Aisuke, respectfully... if you're truly the last of the Uzumaki, wouldn't that make you the acting head of the clan?"

The sound of the waves and the clamor of people fills the air until Aisuke finally responds "As far as I know, I am. It seems I'm the only known survivor... But one day I will avenge their deaths and restore my clan! I swear it."

Ren immediately bows his head, "Forgive my insolence from earlier! I was unfamiliar with the weight you bear on your shoulders."

"Hey that's enough, you can raise your head! You don't have to be so formal with me ya know, we're about the same age." Aisuke assures him.

"If its any consolation, Getsu would be more than happy to accommodate the rebirth of such a renown ninja clan as your own." Ren says after he straightens out.

"Actually... that's one of the reasons I've decided to travel here. There seems to be someone else in Getsugakure with the same jutsu as my clan's."

"I thought you said you were the only known surviving Uzumaki?"

"Well that's the thing, I don't think he is an Uzumaki. His description along with his jutsu's doesn't match my clansmen at all, but I think its possible that somehow... my clan's killers might've stolen our technique and right now its the only lead I've got."

Entering through the large archways that mark the end of the harbor, leads them directly into the Moon Kingdom's capital. Folks from all walks of life could be found in these busy streets: Tourists, Gamblers, Entertainers, Con-artists, and Townspeople fill the road between the shopping centers, forming a sea of people.

Advertisements for tourist spots, gambling halls, restaurants and spas litter the walls and telephone poles, while larger signs are kept on the storefronts.

Lights flash on an electronic billboard, showing the splendor of the island as a jingle plays from a speaker:
"Welcome to The Land of the Moon! Nature's Playground! Home of Surf, Sand and Sun! After a day of fun on our shimmering coral beaches, don't forget to visit our elegant shops and casinos!"

"Quite the place, isn't it? To be scouted by my land is a turn of your fortune, don't you agree?" Ren asks proudly.

"Please tell me we won't be getting gambling ads in the middle of class," Aisuke retorts but he had to admit the country was starting to grow on him.

Ahead of them, beyond the city's road and deep within the mountain ranges, lay their destination.

Getsugakure, The Village Hidden Under the Moon. A fledgling shinobi village.

Not one of the Great Five. Not famous or powerful. But they did accept outsiders; and that was enough.

If Aisuke could become a shinobi there… He could grow stronger. Strong enough that no one could ever burn his home down again.

Ever since that fateful night, the world had been nothing but boats, roads, taverns, and strangers.

Some of them were kind, most however were not.

"Hey~ Uzumaki!" A girl's voice calls out as she waves to draw his attention.

Aisuke turns to see an unfamiliar blonde girl wearing a large red bow and simple black dress with a white blouse carrying loads upon loads of shopping bags. As she sees she got his attention she starts running over to them, bags in hand.

"Do you know her?" Ren asks. "Not in the slightest." Aisuke replies.

The girl dashes over, cutting through the crowd before coming to a screeching halt.

Huff "y-You guys are" Huff "Going to the Hidden Moon right?" Huff "These are heavy." She takes a moment to catch her breath.

She was in fact carrying a lot bags that she then sets on the ground, giving her arms a break except for a steel briefcase she kept by her side.

"I could tell you were a ninja by your hair, that and the swirl patch you have stitched on there. Not very well either, you do it yourself?" She inquires, stretching a bit now that she's been freed by her baggage.

"...Yeah we are and yeah I did. What's it to you?"

"Well I mean you probably should learn how to sew." She says circling around him to inspect the red swirl symbol, holding her chin in judgement. "Maybe like try a running stitch or a back-stitch? Oh wait!" She circles back in front of him. "What I really mean is like can I come with you guys? This guy's a ninja too right? And like can you use your sealing stuff to seal all my stuff into like one suitcase? Oh and like what's your names? I'm Kurayami!" A wide toothy grin crawls over her face as she makes a peace sign.

Aisuke felt a bit flustered by her close inspection of him. He hasn't interacted with many girls his age since Uzushio and he did not remember any of them being this scatterbrained.

"How do you do? My name is Ren and yes I'll be attending the Moon Ninja Academy. I don't see a problem with you joining us, do you?" His attention moves over to the Uzumaki in question.

"Fine by me." He tells Ren.

Haven't talked to girls since... forever ago... play it cool Aisuke... say something cool

"I'm Aisuke, sealer extraordinaire."

Dammit!!

"Oh great! Like that'd help me out a bunch! I knew this was a good idea." She says happy with herself.

...We're so back!, Aisuke tries to hide his relief.

Kurayami closes her eyes and places her fingers on her temples to concentrate. "RenAisukeRenAisukeRenAisuke, Got it!" She exclaims.

After some time Aisuke finishes drawing out multiple sealing formulas along a sprawled out scroll before lining it up in front of Kurayami's baggage.

「SCROLL ART: CONSUMING SEAL」

He slams his hand on the scroll and the jutsu formulas light up with chakra, as the space around the luggage begins to warp into the seals.

Never thought I'd have to use my clan's seals for a girl's shopping spree, Aisuke thinks to himself.

The sealing formulas glow red after all the targets are placed within before it settles back into the black ink it was written in. Aisuke rolls the scroll back up before handing it over to Kurayami.

"Wow super cool! Thanks so much err-Aisuke! Don't worry I'm just like, really bad with names, hehe!" She assures him.

"No, yeah don't worry about it." He says, scratching the back of his head a bit dejected.

"I'll like definitely pay you back sometime! Just give me a sec to put this scroll away. Thanks again!" She says cheerfully, turning away from the boys while she opens her briefcase, tucking the scroll within.

"What happened to not taking orders?" Ren probes with a knowing smile.

Aisuke in turn responds by flipping him off.

"All set boys, let's go!" The blonde announces striking a finger in the air.


The road leading away from the city wound up through a series of steep hills before entering a dense forests but the mountain range that lead to The Hidden Moon still seems just as far away as before. Nevertheless the group all persevere as they venture further into these dark woods.

"I believe there's a clearing up ahead!" Ren says wiping some sweat off of his face, with a bit of distance ahead from the group as he guided the trio.

"Cool that might be a good spot to rest up for a bit! You hear that Kurayami?"

". . ."

"Hello?" Aisuke turns around to find Kurayami had disappeared from the trail.

"Oh crap. Hey Ren, we lost Kurayami! I think she might've passed out from exhaustion a couple miles back!"

"Should we wait for her here? She could've just been resting up for a bit." Ren calls out.

"No I think she would've said something. I'm gonna head back for her, I'll meet you by the clearing!" Aisuke shouts as he ventures back the way they came, further into the forest.

As the two part ways, a shadowy figure watches the pair at a distance away, hidden behind a tree. "Shit, where the hell did that Blonde girl go?"

"~Looking for little old me~?" Kurayami says into his ear.

The man swings his blade directly into the girl's torso, but her unsettling toothy smile oozes black goo as she dissipates into dark slime.

Kurayami sighs, "I thought blending in with those two boys would've shaken you off, but you were quite persistent, Mr. Officer." The real Kurayami steps out from the other side of the tree.

"Funny thing is that Uzumaki brat was originally my mark, that is until I stumbled upon you in the crowd: Keiko! The 2 Billion Ryo Little Girl!" The lawman says as he attempts to pry his sword from the black ooze. "When I'm done with you I intend to pay him back for an earlier encounter."

Kurayami frowns as her eyes go dark, "That's not my name anymore..."

"If you were gonna change your name, you shoulda changed your appearance too. You're gonna make me so rich, I can finally kiss this tourist trap of a country goodbye." He says as he eventually succeeds at ripping the sword out.

"That's why you came alone? To keep the prize to yourself? Dummy, that's gonna be the last mistake you're ever gonna make, hehe~" She says with a wide eerie grin, resting her hands behind her back.

"Don't underestimate adults, you freak!" The assailant yells readying his sword.
Ox → Horse → Hare 「FORBIDDEN ART: CHIMERA TECHNIQUE」

As the lawman raised his sword above his head and charged towards the girl, the black ooze behind him launches out, clinging to his arms, sword, back and legs as it slowly starts to wrap around his entire body.

"RRGHHH! RRRGGHH!!"

"Does it hurt? Are you in pain? Don't worry, it'll all be over soon! Once my jutsu has entered your mouth, it'll slowly fill up your lungs. Your ears and nose will be next, plugging up all the little holes until finally it enters your eye sockets. Lights out~"

"GAK!" The man squirms as the black slime begins to fully envelop his face, his body covered in the ooze with his sword completely dissipated.

"Y'know its funny, all of you would-be assassins are the same. When its your turn to die, you all make the same expression: Regret. Anguish. Despair. Don't you know that's what you were doing to others silly?"

The man's movements become minimal to none.

"If something's too good to be true, it usually is. That's why you can't be so trusting! You're never disappointed if you don't trust anyone in the first place. Remember that for your next life." She tells him as she turns a corner, walking past a tree and disappearing into thin air.

As Aisuke ran down the trail he sees a small figure in the distance.

"Is that her? She looks smaller then I-" Aisuke stops in his tracks as his blood runs cold. There was a strange young boy playing in the woods, pale as a ghost with white hair and dressed in all white, even his eyes were white. Aisuke had always heard legends of spirits from his grandmother but never actually encountered one before.

He approached the boy slowly and carefully before calling out to him,"Hey kid! You lost?"

The boy in white caught the green ball he was bouncing before looking up, "My father taught me not to talk to strangers."

"Oh alright, well I was just looking for my friend. A blonde girl about my age, have you seen her?"

The boy shook his head, he started to turn away before looking back, "You're a shinobi, aren't you?"

Aw man! What do I say? This kid could've died to one!

"Oh uhh, I'm an aspiring one anyways."

The boy in white smiles as a gust of air begins to stir, his long hair fluttering in the wind. "I'll be seeing you again then." He says with his back turned.

"Aisuke? Who are you talking to?"

The redhead turns around to see Kurayami, who seemed to miraculously appear behind him, peeking behind his shoulder to see this mysterious person.

"Oh Kurayami! I was just-" Aisuke turned back to see the boy had vanished, "Never mind that, where have you been?"

"Oh well that's... A girl's gotta have her secrets! ♥" She says with a wink.


It's been a long trek before the travelers found the pathway up the mountain range. The group had been ascending the steps for some time now.

Aisuke adjusted the strap of his travel pack. Inside were only a few things: A stack of sealing parchment, a few scrolls, paper tags, and his ninja tools; as he'd kept the rest of his belongings sealed away with only his essentials on him.

His most precious possession was the one he wore around his neck, a red bead necklace, a keepsake from Uzushio.

It was the last thing his mother had ever given him. He touched it once before tuning back his attention to the group's conversation which was apparently an argument over if the Village or the City had the best food.

"Obviously the city just has more options! And have you BEEN? Like the sushi was to DIE for." Kurayami was explaining, clasping her hands together while she was daydreaming about the meal. "Ahh, I want it so bad now!" She was drooling just thinking about it.

"My point is you haven't even been to Getsugakure, you haven't even given it a chance yet." Ren reasoned with her.

"Annnd? Does that mean I literally can't have an opinion?" She shot back.

"It quite literally does." He states matter of fact.

"Damn, now I'm just really hungry," Aisuke admits to the two.

"How about we grab a bite to eat after we register at the school? Then someone can finally allow my thoughts on the matter!" Kurayami huffs.

"So we're in agreement you currently don't have any thoughts because you simply haven't eaten their yet" Ren rationalizes.

"Maybe you won't be invited. Bleh!" Kurayami sticks her tongue out at Ren who simply pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

They had been walking up these steps for nearly an hour. The road was long but the company did make the time go by a little faster.

"Guys! I think I see the top!!" Kurayami announces excitedly as she begins rushing up the steps, then slows down to catch her breath and repeats this process about three or four more times.

As they finally finish climbing the steps they see the giant red torii archways that signal the entrance of the The Hidden Moon Village.

Ren turns to look at them both, "On behalf of the village I'd like welcome you to Getsugakure, The Village Hidden Under the Moon."

"Its beautiful..." Kurayami remarks. The Sun had started to set and the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, past the gate you could see the meticulously designed traditional style buildings that make up the village. From up here you could see the capitol city, its lights flickering like tiny stars in the night sky, with minuscule ships moving to and from the island.

As they walk through the Torri Gate, Aisuke freezes in place, gripping his travel pack tightly. He hadn't been within another shinobi village since Uzushiogakure.

Aisuke didn't know what waited for him in Getsugakure. He could be rejected from the Academy or kicked out of the country for all he knows.

But one thing was certain. The world thought the Uzumaki were gone. Extinct and soon to be forgotten.

Aisuke lifted his eyes toward the rising moon.

A faint smile crossed his scarred face.

But one Uzumaki was still standing and it was about time he made his mark in the world and remind them why his clan was feared far and wide.

He had decided to become a Moon shinobi.

No matter what it took.

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Pub: 12 Mar 2026 06:26 UTC

Edit: 08 Apr 2026 23:04 UTC

Views: 121