A Truly Busy Day

Sakumo and his group hadn't even entered the village when Hiruzen received the news.

Hiruzen was currently in his prime, both in terms of personal strength and his control over the village, at the absolute peak of his power.

He timed it perfectly, opening the window, and the smoke in the room quickly dissipated. Shortly after, a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Hiruzen replied.

"Hokage-sama, apologies for the intrusion."

Sakumo pushed the door open, with Kushina and Katsuki following behind him. The two youngsters' faces were pale, both having been sickened by 'hopscotch,' their stomachs feeling like they'd been turned inside out.

"Sakumo, you're finally back! Thank you for your hard work this time." Hiruzen spoke to Sakumo, but his eyes involuntarily drifted to the two red-haired children. It went without saying that these two were members of the Uzumaki Clan; their red hair, like the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuga's Byakugan, was an iconic trait. "Little ones, what are your names?"

Looking at this energetic Third Hokage, there were many differences compared to the aged image he remembered from the screen. The only similarity was his slender, monkey-like physique. Hiruzen in his prime still maintained a lean, good figure, envied by countless women in the village who struggled to maintain theirs.

Right, if I recall correctly, this 'Ninja Hero' rather enjoys peeping with a crystal ball...

Compared to her brother, whose thoughts were already running wild, Kushina was the first to react. She answered Hiruzen's question crisply. On the way there, Sakumo had instructed them, and the young girl also firmly remembered what the Great Elder had told them: in Konoha, they couldn't cause trouble casually.

After asking a few simple questions, seeing the somewhat distracted Katsuki and the exhausted Kushina, Hiruzen quickly ended the meeting and instructed someone to take the siblings to rest.

Once the two little ones left, Hiruzen put away his gentle smile. "Sakumo, are these two the only remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan?"

"That... I'm not sure. Mist Ninja attacked the Land of Whirlpools. Because I was worried about Kushina and Katsuki, I didn't engage the Mist Ninja for long. After killing a few groups of pursuers, I came back directly. However, I saw that the entire Uzumaki Clan was ready to fight to the death, so I'm afraid..."

Sakumo didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.

Hiruzen sighed, picked up his pipe, and began to pack it with tobacco leaves. He had finished his last one...

The fall of the Uzumaki Clan essentially meant the end of the Land of Whirlpools as a staunch ally, relegating it to mere footnotes in history.

For Konoha, which lacked allies, this was certainly not good news. No matter how small the Land of Whirlpools was, it was a nation recognized by the Five Great Nations. Having such an ally to offer support was often very convenient. At the very least, it could give the villagers confidence: We are not fighting alone; we also have allies and brothers...

What a pity!

As Hokage, Hiruzen had no time for melancholy. He had to deal with the events that might unfold. The destruction of the Land of Whirlpools might embolden some restless individuals to stir up trouble.

Sakumo stood quietly by, like a beautifully posed statue.

His expertise lay in fighting enemies on the battlefield. Political struggles like this were not his forte, so it was best to remain quiet at such times.

While Hiruzen was racking his brain for the future of Konohagakure, Kushina and Katsuki also stepped into the territory of the Senju Clan. They were from the Uzumaki Clan, staunch allies of Konoha, and the two sides shared extremely deep historical ties. Naturally, they couldn't be treated as ordinary guests. In fact, they were relatives of the Senju Clan. As the hosts of Konoha, there was no reason to let their own young ones stay elsewhere.

As soon as the siblings left the Hokage Building, they bumped into a voluptuous blonde beauty with a ponytail.

"You are from the Uzumaki Clan, aren't you?"

Seeing their iconic red hair, the blonde beauty's eyes lit up. She strode over in a few steps, blocking their path.

"May I ask who you are?"

Kushina looked at the beautiful older sister, confused, not knowing who she was. Katsuki, however, recognized her, but he pretended not to.

"Tsunade, a member of the Senju Clan. We should be considered relatives. Grandma Mito sent me to pick you up." The blonde beauty introduced herself frankly.

The outcome was predictable. Using the familial connection to bridge the distance, after a few words, the newly arrived siblings were whisked away by Tsunade and taken directly to the solemn old residence of the Senju Clan.

"The atmosphere here is so heavy..." Katsuki looked around, observing the mysterious dwelling place of the Senju Clan.

Even now, the Senju Clan had long since declined. The First Shinobi World War had led to the death of the Second Hokage, and the Senju Clan had suffered heavy casualties in that war. In recent years, they had gone into hiding, rarely showing themselves, becoming incredibly mysterious.

However, the power in Konoha remained firmly in the hands of the Hokage lineage. Replacing the declining Senju Clan, they had used a master-disciple succession to supplant bloodline inheritance, successfully creating the powerful existence of the Hokage lineage, still suppressing the Uchiha Clan and preventing them from rising.

"Katsuki, don't look around so much, it's very impolite." At this moment, Kushina's every move was proper and orderly. Even when scolding Katsuki, she lacked her usual fierceness.

Katsuki replied with a pained expression and followed his sister obediently, muttering to himself, Today has been so exhausting for us siblings. After a whole day of traveling, we still have to keep meeting with 'important people,' being gawked at like protected animals, with people staring intently at our hair. It's really annoying.

"You don't need to be so nervous. Not many people live in the old residence; it's mainly Grandma Mito who lives here. Relax, it's fine." Tsunade showed no sign of her infamous temper, her smile as bright as the sun.

But it made sense. The Second Shinobi World War hadn't started yet, and Tsunade wasn't yet one of the legendary Sannin. She hadn't experienced those repeated partings and losses, so naturally, she wasn't like her future self. Of course, her gambling habit seemed to be inherited from the First Hokage's nature.

Under Tsunade's comfort, Kushina's overly tense nerves relaxed slightly. However, the thought of meeting a living legend soon made her unconsciously nervous again. Similarly, Katsuki was also a little tense now.

Regarding the name Mito Uzumaki, his memories from his past life were indeed meager, with no useful information at all.

He only knew that she was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, the wife of the First Hokage, and the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He had never heard of any of her life's deeds, so he didn't know what kind of personality she had.