Kushina stood alone in the courtyard.
It had been a while since she and Uchiha Chen had parted.
The courtyard was pitch-black. If the lights had been on, one could have seen that Kushina's face was bright red, and paired with her crimson ponytail, she looked like a tomato.
She patted her cheeks and waited until the heat in her face had subsided before gently pushing open the small gate in front of her.
This little courtyard could be called Konoha's most mysterious place. It was also the place most securely guarded by Konoha.
It was more mysterious than the Hokage Building and most of Konoha's other buildings... only a handful of people were permitted to enter.
Kushina pushed open the gate and entered the small courtyard.
The courtyard was tiny, its walls and corridors covered in the Uzumaki Clan crest. Several red lanterns hung along the corridor.
Yet it gave off a sense of peace and tranquility.
Kushina knocked softly on the door.
After a while, footsteps sounded. A white-haired old woman opened the door.
"...Good evening, Grandma Rei."
Kushina had shed Bloody Habanero's usual nature and behaved as politely as a refined young lady.
The white-haired old woman smiled. "Finished training, Kushina?"
"Mm. Has Grandma gone to sleep?"
"Miss, she hasn't gone to bed yet. She said you would definitely come looking for her tonight. She's still waiting for you."
Kushina nodded. "Excuse me."
Then she slowly walked inside.
A woman sat in a chair.
The woman looked only around twenty years old. Her long crimson hair was tied up, with two long ornaments dangling from it. A diamond-shaped mark rested between her brows, and she wore a traditional white Uzumaki Clan gown.
When she saw Kushina enter, she rose to her feet. The wide hem of her