Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      The two men had been fighting each other for the past hour. A young white-haired youth using ice stakes to attack and an old man with the same colour hair easily fending off all the blows of his vis-a-vis. From the outside it looked like a father training his son, but the three people watching from the opposite edge of the edge of the forest were well aware that this was the final exam of the Uzukage's personal apprentice, which the latter wasn't even going to pretend to be. If Ashina had been able to use seals, Mie would have been defeated long ago, but Sensei was well aware of his student's strength level, so he gave him a serious head start in this exam, although he was otherwise adamant about using his blades and wind elemental to the fullest. The wind elemental constantly flowed through the old man's blades, greatly enhancing the cutting properties of the weapons as well as their length. Yuki was unable to block his mentor's attacks due to his weapons simply breaking under the onslaught of the great warrior. At first glance, Uzumaki had a serious advantage because Mie couldn't simply land a single blow on his sensei, but that wasn't really the case. One careless movement on the part of the head of the red-haired clan would cause his student to launch an attack of ice senbon, each of which would explode upon contact with his opponent, so Ashina kept his student at close range, giving him no time to give a mental command to strike. All would have been well, but the experienced warrior did not take into account one of his vis-a-vis's new techniques. Another blade attack from Ashina, yet Mie didn't dodge... didn't take a step back, but simply took the blow in stride.       - What is he doing? - Uzumaki's thoughts raced through his mind before his weapon slammed into his student's flesh, but there was no blood, no heartbreaking screams from Yuki's side. Only a cold chuckle, telling him that he had already won. The Uzukage tried to pull his arm out of his opponent, but the limb was held by the protagonist with a dead grip, a grave coldness coming from the wound.       - "That was a clone made of ice? Where's the original?", a sudden realisation came to Ashina like thunder.       - 'Katz!" he heard Michiko's voice from the side, followed by hundreds of explosive seals lighting up next to his mentor. Isao and Izao got nervous for a second, thinking that their father wouldn't be able to avoid such an attack. The huge explosion blew half of the training ground apart, but the young man taking the exam could feel Uzumaki's presence perfectly inside the blob of dust that rose from the explosion. After a dozen seconds, the dust settled and everyone could see the great head of the red-haired clan standing behind a transparent barrier.       - When did you replace yourself with a clone? - Sensei decided to ask me as he came closer.       - I used the angle of human vision against you. While you were attacking, I separated from my clone by sliding on the ice, coming out of its back. Slid through the ice behind my back to that hole in the ground over there, which I immediately covered with ice as I fell through. - I explained my own cloning technique to sensei, then unfroze the ice nearby where the hole appeared.       - It's all understandable, but you don't own the ground. How were you able to burrow so quickly into the ground then? - Ashina asked another question. He was painfully curious as to how he had been spent.       - ''It's not as it seems at first glance. Throughout the fight, I not only prepared a trap of explosive seals, but I also mentally concentrated on drilling the ground with ice. That's the only reason why our fight took so long. I can't drill the ground quickly with my element. - I answered him a little sadly, putting a smile on my face.       - You did well. Your abilities already deserve high praise. You're the first to pass this test at such an early age. - Sensei tried to cheer me up. He mussed my hair, turning it into a mess, but even though my gut showed that I didn't like it, I was glad to hear praise from such a person.       - Oh-oh, we're mean! - I heard a girl's voice behind me, with a distinctly sarcastic tone to it. When I was about to express my indignation, the girl's delicate arms wrapped around my waist, and Riko's daughter pressed herself tightly against my body so that I could feel her burning breath on my neck. I felt very uncomfortable, because the girl I liked was just provoking me to do something very unchildish in front of everyone. She knew it was too early for us to do something like that. Ashina didn't react in any way to this silent scene, heading off to retrieve his cloak, which he had hung on a tree nearby. My face took on a scarlet hue at this moment. I was starting to panic next to this girl who was using furiously - Yumi-chan, let me go. - I asked the blonde-haired passerby. However, it wasn't that she didn't obey my request, but rather, she pressed herself harder against me, causing me a new storm of embarrassment.       - Yumi-chan, let me go. - I asked the blonde-haired girl. However, it wasn't that she didn't obey my request, but rather, she pressed herself harder against me, causing me a new storm of embarrassment.       - I can't hear the confidence in your words, Mi-kun. - The beast whispered, lightly biting my earlobe. After something like that, the thoughts in my head started to turn into a real tornado.       - Please, Yumi-chan. - I pleaded. A note of panic was already clearly audible in my voice. The girl reluctantly pulled away from me, and then, with a sly glance, went in the direction of Ashina, who was already sitting under a tree, concentrating on the flow of his chakra.       - Ha ha ha ha, how I adore that girl! She's so adorable! - Another female voice was heard on the shutters of my subconscious, making me shudder. These statements I decided to safely ignore. Turning around towards the two brothers, I caught another ridiculous sight that made my left eye twitch nervously: Izao was counting out money from his wallet, handing it to Isao, who was rejoicing at his good fortune.       - Did you guys bet on my reaction? - I decided to calmly clarify, even though I was boiling with resentment inside.       - Yes! I believed in your stress resistance until the very end! - The melee master shouted out to me. This made my eye twitch with a new rhythm already. No, I understand everything, but you still have to be so brazen about it.       - Don't be angry, Mi-kun. It won't be long before you'll be able to take revenge on Yumi-chan for all her sins. - Izao added with a nervous chuckle, which I didn't expect from him.       - Wait! - I was about to do something very wrong, but someone used a shunshin technique on me, transporting me to the Uzukage's apartment. It was Yumiko, who giggled nervously into her fist as she looked at my angry face.       - Calm down, dear, or do you want another bite? - She asked me with that same sly smirk, seeing how I couldn't calm the storm of anger inside me. She even took a step in my direction, starting to pull her hands towards my face.       - Whoa, whoa, I got it! - I shrieked, jumping back like I'd been scalded with boiling water.       - "Ahem!" it was all over the room. This was Ashina's way of showing that we weren't alone in the room, and he also wanted us to get more serious. I realised the latter from the look in his eyes. I adopted a serious expression and my gaze became cold and calm.       - What do you want, Ashina-dono? - I asked, showing the highest degree of respect for my interlocutor that etiquette demanded. Even if in normal circumstances I was limited to the suffixes -sensei or -san, now I was not in the office of my sensei, but, first of all, in the office of the head of the entire ninja settlement. Yumiko became serious, too, and stopped teasing me.       - You recently turned fourteen years old, Mi-kun. You can now take all the rights and responsibilities of the Yuki clan into your own hands. As you know, a treaty of alliance and mutual aid has already been made between us, however, not too long ago we made another agreement. It had to do with trade routes, which for our clan, at the moment, lie only across the water, which is a plus on the one hand and a minus on the other. We can trade with most of the countries on the continent, but we can't trade with the Fire Nation, which has a very good amount of resources we need. On the one hand, we can send resources along the main trade routes, but they are currently unguarded, and allocating a few ninjas each time is a waste of the clan's resources, in my opinion. Your clan has taken a very convenient territorial position for trade, so we will transport goods through your lands, getting directly into the territory of the Fire Country. Your clan must provide security for our caravans, the first of which leaves tomorrow. I want you to escort it personally. If all goes well, we'll have the Senju clan protecting us in the Fire Nation. The goods must be delivered to them. Do you understand? - Ashina issued the task in a commanding tone.       - As I know, the Senju Clan's territory is in the centre of the Fire Country. If the other clans in that country want a piece of the pie, should we get into a fight?" I decided to clarify an important question, because even though I was a political ignoramus, I knew the basics.       - Clan territories change all the time. Some take more, others give in. So I can't say who you might meet on the road, but if they attack first, fight to the last man, otherwise, try to avoid bloodshed. - Uzukage answered my question.       - We understand you, Uzukage-dono! - We stated in sync.       - There is only one thing you should know. My daughter, Mito Uzumaki, will be travelling with you. She will be negotiating trade with the Senju clan. - The grey-haired man added nervously.       - You have a daughter? - Yumiko asked with surprise in her voice. No one had initiated her into the specifics of the clan, so unlike me, she wasn't aware of the existence of Ashina's daughter. Uzumaki twitched slightly at such a harsh question, but still decided to answer.       - Yes, Mito is my daughter, but she has not adopted the best traits of our clan. Unlike her brothers, she chose to learn the art of fuinjutsu without the help of anyone else. She is now eighteen years old, and has recently passed the Seal Master exam. - The old man said with a kind of wistfulness in his voice, staring off into the distance.       - And you knew about it? - Riko's daughter turned to me, noticing that I had not reacted to the news. There was resentment and resentment in her voice.       - I don't know much about her, so I didn't see the point in telling you what I didn't know. All I've learned are rumours. - I spoke in a sort of apologetic tone, already leaving the Uzukage's office.       - Don't humour me, but tell me..." Yumi said demandingly as we left my sensei's residence.