Kinsmen

Mizaki Uzumaki's fingers unconsciously tightened, squeezing Karin's little hand until it turned white. Her back pressed against the hostile gazes of the Grass ninja—those looks were like they were driving away a plague, wishing for them to disappear immediately.

Why... why had Ashes set their sights on us?!

Her throat tightened as terrifying rumors flashed through her mind. The Ember Organization refined living people into puppets, Menma's Nine-Headed Beasts fed on human blood, and no one who entered their base had ever returned alive...

"Men... Menma-sama..." The leading Jonin's voice trembled as he lowered his head. "The Uzumaki bloodline... is here..."

He secretly nudged Misaki's back with his elbow, forcing out a breathy whisper through clenched teeth. "Go! Don't get us all killed!"

But Misaki's feet seemed rooted to the ground. If she went over... what would happen to them?

The horrific stories spread by Hidden Cloud flashed through her mind. Some said Ashes skinned those with Kekkei Genkai alive. Some said they used living people for forbidden jutsu experiments. Some even said Menma ate children...

Each version was more horrifying than the last.

"Mm, very good." Menma's voice came through the mask. "You are far more sensible than the people of Hidden Cloud."

His gaze slowly swept over the trembling Grass ninja before finally settling on the Uzumaki mother and daughter.

"I will keep my promise."

Those words fell like a pardon, and the Grass ninja's tense bodies visibly relaxed. Some collapsed to their knees in relief, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads onto the ground.

"Then..."

Menma raised his hand. The pitch-black Rasenshuriken continued to spin slowly in his palm, radiating a heart-pounding pulse of energy.

That motion instantly made the newly relaxed Grass ninja tense up again. Several of the more timid ones instinctively took half a step back.

"This won't be needed anymore."

Under everyone's horrified gazes, Menma lightly tossed the Rasenshuriken upward—

The black sphere silently rose into the sky like a meteor flying in reverse. The Grass ninja unconsciously tilted their heads back, their eyes following the shrinking black dot, their faces full of confusion and unease.

What was he going to do? Why throw something so dangerous...

"BOOM—!!!!"

A deafening explosion suddenly tore through the heavens. A violent shockwave erupted in the air, and a visible ring of air instantly spread outward. Several nearby Grass ninja were forced back by the blast, while more instinctively covered their ears, all color draining from their faces.

When the blinding light faded—

A nearly hundred-meter-wide "hole" had appeared in the azure sky. The clouds that had floated there were completely vaporized, and sunlight poured down without obstruction, illuminating every pale face with brutal clarity.

Dispersed Chakra control... the results weren't bad.

Naruto evaluated it silently beneath his mask. This Rasenshuriken had less than half the power of the complete version—without Kurama's Chakra to empower it, it was essentially just an extravagant firework. But for these Grass ninja, it was more than shocking enough.

The Grass ninja stared blankly at the "hole" in the sky, then stiffly lowered their heads to look at Menma. When the hand that had formed the Rasenshuriken reached toward the Uzumaki mother and daughter, everyone unconsciously held their breath.

"Come, Uzumaki Clan."

Menma's voice was frighteningly calm as he made an inviting gesture.

"Come with me."

Those words seemed to flip a switch. The Grass ninja immediately began shoving the mother and daughter forward, their voices full of disgust.

"Did you hear him? Hurry up and go!"

"Stop dragging your feet! Do you want to get the whole village killed?"

"Once you leave, don't ever come back!"

Misaki stumbled as she looked back, only to see faces filled with hatred. The mouths that had once greedily bitten into her arms were now spitting the cruelest words. Even after giving them all her Chakra, even after enduring the pain of being bitten... in the end, she still could not earn their protection?

"Got it! We'll go ourselves!"

Karin's sudden shout interrupted her mother's thoughts. The little girl fiercely slapped away the reaching hands and raised her head stubbornly.

"Don't touch my mother!"

She tightly gripped Misaki's fingers and took the initiative to walk forward. Her small back was held straight, as though she intended to use her thin body to shield her mother from all malice.

The world twisted and reassembled in an instant.

The Uzumaki mother and daughter only felt their vision blur as the scenery around them peeled away piece by piece like a shattered mirror. When their vision refocused, both froze in place—the entrance to Grass Village had somehow become an elegant Japanese-style guest room.

The tatami mats gave off a faint rush scent, while the sound of hot spring water flowing could vaguely be heard beyond the paper doors. A wooden plaque on the wall bore the words "Dog's Hot Spring," one of the Land of Hot Water's most renowned hot spring inns.

That just now... was Space-Time Ninjutsu?!

Misaki had heard of such techniques, but this was her first time experiencing one herself.

"Rest for a while first."

Menma's voice suddenly became much more easygoing, utterly unlike the oppressive presence he had exuded in Grass Village. He casually sat beside the low table.

"I've already informed Tanuma to come over. He'll arrange everything for you." Menma pointed at the tea set in the corner of the room. "I won't be staying here long. If you have any questions, ask them now."

Misaki's throat tightened. She shielded Karin behind her and dropped heavily to her knees on the tatami.

"My lord... you need Uzumaki blood, don't you?" Her voice was resolute. "If... if it is for research... then I alone will be enough... Please spare my daughter..."

"Mom?!"

Karin tugged at her mother's sleeve in confusion. Unlike everyone else, she was not afraid of the man before her. Instead, she felt an indescribable sense of closeness toward him.

So strange...

She secretly studied Menma, an inexplicable sense of security rising within her. She had only ever felt this warmth from her mother.

Menma shook his head helplessly. "I think you have misunderstood. You should know that you are among the few of my kind left in this world."

"My... kind?" Misaki's lips trembled slightly. She could not make sense of that term at all.

Menma nodded slightly and spoke in a relaxed tone. "Let me formally introduce myself—I'm Menma." He deliberately drew out the words. "As for my surname..."

"Menma Uzumaki. Pleased to meet you~"

Naruto's tone was cheerful in an effort to lighten the mood, but Misaki remained frozen in place until—

A golden chain suddenly curled out from behind Menma, drawing an elegant arc through the air.

"This is...!"

Misaki's pupils abruptly contracted. As an Uzumaki, she could not have been more familiar with it—that shining chain, that unique Chakra fluctuation...

"Adamantine Sealing Chains..."

She spoke the name of the clan's secret technique. The chain's glow reflected off her pale face, making her wide, shocked eyes gleam brightly.

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