This is a recounting of what is known about the life of the nameless shinobi known only as the Ghost of the Whirling Tides.
Little is known about his childhood, born as a member of the Uzumaki Clan during the warring states era he was sent into battle from a young age.
Mito Uzumaki, the Ghost's sister, wrote that he was a kind and shy child, despite being the younger twin she always spoke up and took the lead while he was content to follow her, this behavior is believed to be the reason he was passed by when their parents died and a new clan head had to be chosen.
Unfortunately, most of the texts from that time were either lost or destroyed, and what few remain have Mito referring to him as just 'her Nii-san'.
There are records from other clans that engaged the Uzumaki at the time that speak of a redheaded child with an affinity for water ninjutsu and a skill in fuinjutsu beyond his years, though it is unknown if this child is the Ghost.
Uchiha records at the time reveal that the Ghost engaged Madara Uchiha in battle, and while he lost he managed to impress the legendary shinobi, who at the time couldn't be older than 12, enough to convince Madara to spare him.
Other records state that Hashirama met the Ghost in his teenage years and that he was one of the few people that supported the first Hokage's dream of the Hidden Villages we know today.
Hashirama also once wrote that the Ghost's knowledge and theories about senjutsu were what allowed him to achieve his sage mode, though it is unknown if the Ghost could enter the enhanced state at the time.
The first official record of the Ghost is his presence, alongside his sisters', during the forming of the Uchiha/Senju alliance, Mito wrote that despite his isolationist views he was supporting of the cooperation between the rival clans.
As they reached adulthood it is believed that he was against Mito's marriage with Hashirama, some believe he wanted to keep all Uzumaki inside their island home of Uzushiogakure, others that he was merely acting the part of the overprotective brother.
Mito did end up marrying Hashirama and he refused his sister's request to join her in Konoha, in a never-sent letter Mito questioned him why he was so in favor of the creation of the villages but against her being in Konoha.
In a different letter, one written after the cataclysmic clash between Madara and Hashirama, Mito questions if he didn't respect her choice to do what she did for her husband, sadly the reply, if there even was one, is lost to time.
It is believed that the Ghost delved deep into senjutsu during the First Shinobi War, not much is known about his research but what he was trying to achieve was monumental enough to sustain half the legends about him even nearly a century later.
When the Ghost next resurfaced, it was with tales of immortality, of a man with the skill of an elder and the youth of a teenager, of shrugging off blows that would kill lesser men and healing fatal injuries in seconds.
It is believed that he achieved this through senjutsu, though like much about the Uzumaki any proof was lost to fire and blood.
After this point it is difficult to track what was done by the Ghost, Kiri talks of the very ocean rising up to pull men to their deaths, Kumo talks of a shadow among the clouds that swallowed men whole and vanished before their comrades could even react, even Suna speaks of an evil sand spirit that would lure in tired travelers with oasis' only for the very ground to erupt around them.
This continued into the Second Shinobi War, like many legends time has seen this one grow beyond what is possible, mist choking dozens of experienced jonin dead in seconds, the very blood inside men's veins turning on them, complex seals that would drag men away in a second, never to be seen again.
Many believe this played a great part in what happened next, the union of 4 villages was something never before seen, every great nation but Konoha rose up to pull the Uzumaki down.
While Suna held back Konoha's forces in the Land of Woods the other three villages launched a massive offensive against Uzu, the siege lasted a week, a testament to the strength of Uzu's barriers, but once they fell so did the village.
Kushina Uzumaki wrote that her guard, believed to have been the Ghost, heard the news as soon she did when they came to Konoha, she wrote that he left her with the ANBU and ran back despite her pleas for him not to go.
What happened next was undeniable proof of the Ghost's legend, the Ghost waged a single-person war against the forces sacking Uzu, saving the lives of many a fleeing Uzumaki.
The battle became known as the battle of the red sea, for the sheer amount of blood spilled on the ocean that day.
It ended when the Ghost drowned a hundred ships, though it is possible this account isn't accurate, and dragged the three tailed beasts there to the bottoms of the ocean, their jinchuriki drowning even as they trashed against the Ghost's chains.
The only official record of the Ghost after this battle is a letter, the only letter ever found of him, to his now elderly sister, three simple words, written in his blood, to let her know he was alive.
I told you.
There are still rumors of the Ghost to this day, of a man with hair as red as blood and eyes as cold as the shinigami's breath, of a living force of nature that can only be seen by his victim, of a creature that slaughters anyone attempting to loot his fallen homeland.
He intimidated the Third Raikage into backing off with a snarl, he tore Hanzo of the Salamander in half with his chains, he feeds on the rotten remains of his family and drags innocent sailors to their watery grave, all are stories told about the Ghost, though no evidence points to them being accurate.
His legacy is great, in Mito Uzumaki's last will she apologized to her brother for everything, Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted to regretting requesting the Ghost be the one to escort Kushina, even Orochimaru of the Sannin is known to state that the Ghost is an inspiration to his ambitions as a shinobi.
When questioned about it, Kushina Uzumaki had this to say about the man.
He was a legend, I grew up hearing of the Uzumaki that embodied what an Uzumaki should be the most, I owe the life I led with my children and my late husband to him and I hope that wherever he is, if he is even still alive, he knows that the Uzumaki still exist thanks to him.
Nobody knows what became of him, with the whirlpools around Uzu no civilians can approach, and if any shinobi did they kept it a secret.
Maybe there are shinobi that crossed the ocean, maybe they reached the shores of the lost nation of Uzushio, maybe they saw something there.
Maybe they met the Ghost of the Whirling Tides.
My name is Himawari Uzumaki, a researcher on the lost history of my clan and granddaughter of the woman he saved, and this was my recounting of the life of the most legendary figure of my clan.