Where Does Our Future Lie

Katsuki had seriously considered his future path.

The Ninja World had never been a peaceful era; it was a time of warring factions where human lives were cheap as grass, and death loomed over everyone. Even the Five Kage, who stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World, had fallen one after another. Looking back at the past Kage, almost none had met a peaceful end.

Of course, the Five Kage were still a distant prospect for Katsuki. He had also pondered how the Uzumaki Clan could avoid the impending disaster.

After much thought, Katsuki despaired, realizing how difficult it was to influence the arrival of this great calamity. The Uzumaki Clan, isolated on an island overseas, was a prize the Land of Water was determined to seize. Unfortunately, his own elder brother, the Land of Fire, was too preoccupied to look after its little sibling. A direct confrontation was impossible against the Land of Water, a hungry shark.

As for convincing the clan elders with a few words to pledge allegiance, then rapidly advancing their technology, defeating the Land of Water within a year, subduing the Otsutsuki within three, and embarking on a journey to the stars within five... that was less likely than him strangling himself. Perhaps if he closed his eyes and opened them again, he'd find it was all a dream.

Enough digressions. If a direct confrontation with the Land of Water was impossible, the only other path was to abandon the island and relocate the entire clan to the Land of Fire. However, he soon realized this was also impossible.

The Uzumaki Clan had been rooted on this island since the Warring States period. Generations had been born and buried here. The adult clan members would rather die fighting on this land than relocate elsewhere. After Katsuki tentatively inquired with several elders, he was sternly reprimanded and dared not bring it up again.

His efforts to find a solution were fruitless, leaving him to sigh at the sky. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to try his best, but that he was powerless. From then on, he began to consider how he and his sister could avoid this great calamity together. After much thought, he found only one viable path: sticking close to his sister.

As the only named and known member of the Uzumaki Clan to survive the great calamity, his chances of survival would be greatest by following his sister.

Hence, the conversation with the Great Elder.

Indeed, upon hearing Katsuki's words, the Great Elder nodded and shifted his attention to Kushina. This stubborn girl, much like her father, presented a dilemma for the old man. He couldn't possibly force her to go to Konohagakure! However, as the saying goes, experience makes one wise. The elder noticed the tightly clasped hands of the siblings and suddenly had an idea.

"Kushina, the village... it might not be peaceful lately. You can see that the clan members don't have much energy left to protect it. If those cold-blooded butchers, the Mist Ninja, were to infiltrate, little Katsuki would be in great danger," the elder said earnestly. The mention of 'little Katsuki' made the young boy roll his eyes.

It was common in the Ninja World for children to be sent to the battlefield at the age of ten, and there were even geniuses as young as six or seven who embarked on legendary journeys. Of course, ninety-nine percent of them ended up buried in the earth, rotting and returning to Mother Nature's embrace.

Legends were legends precisely because of their near-impossible uniqueness!

However, the Great Elder's words had clearly struck Kushina's weakness. After her parents' death, her brother, only one year old, was the one she had raised bit by bit. She herself did not fear death and was willing to perish with the village, but she did not want Katsuki to stay with her...

"Then... then... could Katsuki go to the Land of Fire? After all, he's a boy, and he can continue the family bloodline..." Kushina stammered. A seven-year-old girl speaking of continuing the family bloodline was quite embarrassing, and a blush crept onto her fair cheeks.

However, before the Great Elder could say anything, Katsuki was shocked. He had never expected his sister to have such an idea. In fact, out of the hundred or so members of the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina was the only one who truly occupied his heart. It wasn't just because they were full siblings, but more importantly, Kushina had raised him bit by bit over the years. Six years of time would have warmed even a stone, let alone a living, breathing person like himself.

If the other members of the Uzumaki Clan were gone, he might feel sad for a while, and the memories would fade with time. Only with Kushina, the mere thought of her perishing one night in the future made him so depressed he almost wanted to roar. He would never accept such a thing.

"Sis, wherever you go, I go. Don't think about leaving me behind," Katsuki wailed, startling many clan members nearby.

The Great Elder's lips twitched. He subtly waved his hand, and the elders beside him quietly led the clan members out of the ancestral hall. The spacious room soon became empty, leaving only Kushina, Katsuki, and the Great Elder, a total of three people.

However, neither Kushina nor Katsuki noticed the changes around them at this moment, or rather, they noticed but didn't have the mind to care.

"Katsuki, your temper has been growing lately! You even dare to talk back to your sister," Kushina said, glaring with her almond eyes and clenching her fists until they cracked.

But the usual scene of him quickly admitting fault did not reappear. This was a matter of principle, and he absolutely could not back down. Katsuki puffed out his chest, meeting Kushina's gaze without fear, "I said, wherever you go, I go."

Kushina was instantly furious. Feeling her authority as an older sister challenged, she skillfully rolled up her sleeves, formed a palm strike, and was about to discipline her disobedient brother.

However, Katsuki did not take a step back, stubbornly standing his ground and silently conveying his resolve. This put Kushina in a difficult position, and she felt incredibly frustrated. In the past, as soon as she adopted this posture, her brother would immediately cover his head and admit his mistake. She had basically never truly hit Katsuki.

Now, if she were to hit him, she couldn't bear to. But if she didn't, this stubborn brat wouldn't budge an inch.

"Alright, alright, you two little ones, quiet down," the Great Elder had to intervene. The sight of these young children bickering made the old man feel rather melancholic. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

"Kushina, Katsuki, I've watched both of you grow up. Discuss this matter properly when you get back. It will take two more days for the Konoha ninja to arrive. By then, I hope you can give me an answer." The Great Elder dismissed them, not wanting to pressure the two children too much. He wanted them to think for themselves first, and then there would be a way to change Kushina's stubborn thoughts...

Kushina stomped out of the ancestral hall, her small face set in a stern expression. Unlike when she arrived, she wasn't holding Katsuki's hand, and her footsteps made the wooden floor creak.

Scratching his head in distress, Katsuki bowed to the Great Elder and withdrew from the ancestral hall. He then scurried with his short legs to chase after his sister. If he really angered her, what if she didn't give him dinner tonight? He was still growing, after all!