The shadows

ch58

Yurei still remembered those first days clearly. It was all a part of his plan. He knew where to start. After Konoha's team departed from Uzushio, he got to work. He made as many clones as he could. It didn't take him very long to get the village to a semi-habitable state.

He left some clones while he headed for his first destination. One of the only people from his family that still remained. He reached the hidden grass village by midnight. It was easy to pinpoint another Uzumaki when you were a sensor.

Her mother was alive and at the hospital. Not healthy, but alive. Yurei struck when no one was paying attention. It wasn't hard to earn their trust, but he would do everything in his power to ensure the trust wasn't misplaced.

He returned to Uzushio with them. He sent clones hunting and gathering. He was staying at the Kage Tower. There was a small suit for the Kage to stay. He chose a close house for them. They were happy and safe.

Yurei did her best to nurse them both to a healthy state. After all, they were both suffering from malnutrition. After another two weeks, the barrier around the island was up and running. No one could enter without permission.

He was going to improve it, but it would stand for now. His next stops were all over the nations. There were still a few Uzumakis around, and he planned on inviting them all to the new village. It wasn't hard to convince them.

Uzushio was calling to them. A sense of home and belonging. After guiding them all, he started inviting a few others he knew of. He paid a short visit to the hidden star village to save a small family after helping the parents destroy the meteorite. They couldn't stay there since people considered them criminals for the act.

They were happy to find a new home. In the meanwhile, Orochimaru took the liberty of giving him the locations of others. He found the sound four, Jugo, Guren, and so many others.

A shocker for him was finding Kisame. The man had not joined the Akatsuki, and he wasn't hard to convince. The man took a role of a protector of the village. Whenever Yurei was gone, he and Guren were in charge. He was honest about his plans with them, and while he left some parts out with the promise of telling them later, they were easy to convince.

Yurei had so much more to do. Orochimaru had many devoted followers in the previous timeline, and most stayed with him since they were all looking for a home.

Yurei made sure to provide that home. Slowly the village was taking shape. They had fields to grow crops and places to keep livestock. The barriers were improving by the day, and those with experience were working on reconstructing the city.

A few years passed before the following change. He managed to help Fu escape from Taki. It was a shame for a village to admit their jinchuuriki's absence so no one was the wiser. The same thing happened with Utakata.

Their newest additions were Han and Roshi. They came around the same time. And happy to find a home and have some peace. Yurei made sure that all the jinchuurikis were aware of his plans. They were all on board.

By now, Uzushio was an open secret. For those without a home, it was quickly becoming a safe haven. They had a system by now to check for spies and harmful intentions. Only those deemed worthy were let in.

The village was happy and thriving. Children were running around, and sounds of laughter were everywhere. No matter who you were or how you looked, you were treated with the same respect as others.

It was a tiny utopia. A village for misfits.

Some tried to attack, but with so many powerful shinobi, it was futile. Yurei had one more task to do before letting the last act start. He had to deal with the Akatsuki. But for now, he needed to finally face himself.