The atmosphere in the room was somewhat awkward. Menma stood quietly by the window, while Misaki clasped her hands tightly together. Although the Adamantine Sealing Chains Menma had displayed had indeed proven his Uzumaki Clan heritage, the unease in her eyes had yet to fully fade. Her body remained poised to rise at any moment.
Karin sat obediently beside her mother, kneeling properly. From time to time, she secretly glanced up at Menma, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
Menma completely understood their silence and unease. This woman had joined the Grass Village to seek shelter for her daughter, only to nearly be bitten to death by her so-called "companions." After such an experience, anyone would instinctively become wary of the word "shelter."
Besides that, there was another reason: preconceived impressions...
Standing before them now was the leader of Ashes, the figure feared throughout the Ninja World. The terrifying rumors carefully spread by the Hidden Cloud had long painted "Menma" as a bloodthirsty demon. When a legendary murderous devil suddenly said he wanted to protect you, anyone would suspect it was another trap.
It would take time...
Menma sighed softly to himself. Trust took a long time to build, yet only an instant to destroy.
At last, the paper door was pulled open in haste.
A middle-aged man in a hard hat stood hurriedly at the doorway, clearly having rushed over as soon as he received the news. Dressed in ordinary work clothes, he looked like any construction worker one might see in the Land of Hot Water.
"Tanuma"—a merchant with no surname registered in the Land of Hot Water—stood awkwardly outside the door. After entering the room, he removed his hard hat, and white smoke from the released Transformation Jutsu slowly rose.
Hizashi Hyuga's true