The Seventh Swordsman

Retribution

(Uzushiogakure: Few Hours Earlier)

Commander Reika Uzumaki had been a veteran of two Great Ninja Wars and through her skill had ensured her elevation to Uzu's top military command. She had now been chosen as the aging Uzukage's successor, it was truly an honor she didn't think herself worthy of but most importantly one she didn't want.

For she had stayed long enough by Hanzo Uzumaki's side to learn many of his questionable decisions that he had taken in the name of protecting their nation.

The most revolting had been his choice to create the Spartan program...she had understood their circumstances during the First Great Ninja War were extremely dire, but to experiment on their clan's young children and turn them into lethal killing machines...

She had been among the minority who had vehemently opposed subjecting those young ones to such a miserable life but one whose opinion was not considered.

An entire generation of their brightest and most powerful children had their innocence stolen away, their bodies forever altered by brutal experiments, and thrust into the most chilling conflicts which even their clan's adults had no hope of winning.

Victory after victory they had won earning glory for their island nation only to meet a tragic fate at the very end.

She had seen those Spartans in action personally, with her past company acting as their opponents in their very first real battle simulation exercise. A task which they had beaten her men by a truly admirable margin, each and everyone of those Spartans fought as a unit and had defended each other's backs.

The battle strategy of their Captain had been efficient and unlike some of the leaders she knew including the Uzukage, the young boy had always fought alongside his men and lead from the front in every battle. It was why she was still unable to accept that he would make decisions for his personal glory that would get his entire company killed in the war.

She had been present at Minato Namikaze's trial, if it could be called as one. He had confessed to his crimes, but she had seen the look in his eyes.

Broken.

He had wanted to die and most of the Uzumaki had wished for it after hearing his testimony only for the Uzukage to deny that demand. As it turned out, the boy took his own life a few days later which put an end to any future conflict between the Uzukage and those that wanted to see the boy punished for getting their village's most capable and youngest shinobi's killed for his personal glory.

It had been one of the reasons as to why she had agreed to become the next Kage of their nation so that she could prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.

She blinked in surprise when she saw Daisuke and Ukina, two of her veteran Jounin's appear outside her apartment's window.

"The Uzukage wishes to see all available Tobeketsu Jounin's and you Commander" said Daisuke seriously,

"All of them?" asked Ukina in surprise, but was already half way across her room to grab her gear.

"We don't know the details, but if he is calling all available Jounin's then whatever this is...could be serious, Commander" replied Ukina calmly,

Reika smiled on seeing the girl's composure and was sure Daisuke was content with the way the newly promoted Jounin carried herself. Like them, Ukina had been a veteran of two great wars with one of her most toughest fights being the Battle of Fujima Mountains where she had fought as a young chunin under Daisuke's command.

The Uzumaki Commander paused briefly as she remembered how their unit had been understaffed by their leadership and would have been annihilated had the Spartans not come to their rescue that day.