Returning Home

"Third Elder! Is this the Land of Grass?"

A child with red hair gazed at the Land of Grass, which was filled with plants, their bright, watery eyes shifting slightly. Then, they lifted their dirty face, their clear eyes looking up at the Third Elder beside them.

"Now that we're in the Land of Grass, do we not have to run anymore? Can we finally eat and sleep properly?"

As soon as the words fell.

The white-haired elder, whose figure appeared hunched beside them, felt their eyes tremble. Looking at those eyes... a smile appeared on the equally dirty face, and they nodded, "Yes! Hinoka won't have to hide anymore! You can finally sleep soundly! No more going hungry!"

Of course.

These were all just lies to her.

Uzumaki Yangzheng.

That was his name.

Before the Land of Eddies perished, he was the Third Elder of the Uzumaki Clan. When the Land of Eddies was attacked by ninjas from various countries, after resisting for a day and a night, the Clan Head and the First Elder saw that the situation was hopeless. They ordered everyone to scatter, each leading their clan members to leave the Land of Eddies so that the Uzumaki bloodline could continue!

However.

After the Land of Eddies was destroyed, those invaders still refused to let the Uzumaki Clan go, relentlessly hunting down all the Uzumaki clan members who had escaped!

Originally, there were about a hundred Uzumaki clan civilians and ninjas in total. In the end, only a little over twenty of them remained!

Including him... there were less than four ninjas in total, three of whom were Jonin and one Chunin!

However.

This was considered the strength of a Jonin squad, and it was not enough to protect the current Uzumaki clan members.

The prolonged fatigue and hunger had greatly reduced their strength, and now... they were sealed?!

How laughable!

The Uzumaki Clan, who were masters of Sealing Jutsu, had been sealed by others!

And they were sealed using the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique!

That's right!

He could tell!

That sealing pattern was far too familiar!

If it were during the time when the Land of Eddies still existed, it would have been a disgrace to the Uzumaki Clan!

At first, he had also passed through the neighboring Land of Rain... but later, finding the Land of Rain unsafe as well, he led his clan members north, intending to find a place that could accommodate the Uzumaki Clan.

However, a while ago, they unexpectedly encountered slave traders from the Land of Tang.

Then.

Exhausted and hungry, they were captured by the ninjas hired by the slave traders and brought to the Land of Tang, sealed.

However.

Just when they thought they would be sold as slaves, the slave traders, for some unknown reason, put them back on a boat and took them towards the Land of Fire.

Finally, a group of mysterious ninjas suddenly appeared and attacked the merchants from the Land of Soup.

Then.

They brought them here!

To be honest.

After experiencing so much, he no longer believed that anyone could help the Land of Eddies.

After all, even Konoha, who was like a brother to them, had only promised to ensure the continuation of the Uzumaki bloodline and then stopped caring about them!

So, who else could they trust?

Uzumaki Yangzheng sighed inwardly and reached out to gently pat Hinoka's small head.

This was his granddaughter.

As for his son and daughter-in-law... they had sacrificed themselves while fleeing.

He had originally planned for her to jump into the sea and find an opportunity to escape, but unexpectedly, she was discovered by that group of ninjas and brought back as well?!

Now... he didn't know what would happen next?

Although the ninjas hired by the merchants had not reappeared later, the black cloaks, the deliberate concealment of their identities, and the skillful use of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique... all of this gave him a bad feeling!

A cold glint flashed in Yangzheng's eyes, followed by a disheartened sigh.

Even if his suspicions were true, what could they do now?

They could do nothing!

He was aware of the Land of Grass, a small border country, renowned in the Ninja World for its shamelessness and opportunism. It had destroyed countries before, but judging by its current state... it seemed to have been rebuilt!

Uzumaki Yangzheng looked at the Land of Grass citizens working not far away, then at his granddaughter and the Grass Ninjas surrounding them. His heart was filled with worry.

What were these Grass Ninjas, who hadn't harmed them, trying to achieve?

The Uzumaki Clan's physique?

Was it the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique?

But...

[Whoever it is... as long as my granddaughter can live, I will agree to any mission conditions! Even if it's the Book of Seals, or if they trample my body and subject me to any human experimentation, I will have no regrets!]

As for avenging the Uzumaki Clan... he no longer thought about it!

There were too many enemies, and they were too powerful!

The current Uzumaki Clan had no way to get revenge!

[I wonder how the other clan members are doing now?!]

Thinking of this, Uzumaki Yangzheng also remembered Fusang and her husband in the neighboring Land of Rain...

He wondered how they were doing in the Land of Rain?

Had they been discovered?!

He hoped they could live on safely!

Even if they were just ordinary people!

At this moment.

A commotion arose from the surrounding Grass Ninja, and Uzumaki Yangzheng and his clansmen also snapped back to reality. They seemed to understand something and looked up together... their eyes filled with confusion as they gazed forward.

Was the person who specifically brought them here finally going to appear?

Who could it be?!

And what was their purpose?

At this very moment.

Their hearts were filled with both fear and anticipation!

Fear of dashed hopes, anticipation of hope's arrival.

However.

Not long after.

A cheer came from the front.

The civilians who had been working suddenly let out joyous cries.

It seemed that person had great prestige within the Land of Grass!

Just as Yōsei thought this, a figure came into view.

Surrounded by everyone.

A man who looked slightly younger, dressed formally, with a smile on his face, was walking towards them.

What surprised him even more was...

That man was accompanied by three people with fiery red hair!

Two women, and one... child!

Are they from the Uzumaki Clan?!

No, that person is...

As if seeing a familiar figure, Yōsei's pupils widened. Before he could react.

"Welcome home! Everyone!" Kusana walked up to him, smiling and opening his arms. "From today onwards... the Land of Grass will be your home! Here, you will not be bullied! Here, you will not live in fear! Here, you will not suffer from hunger or cold! This is your home!"

Looking deeply at the old man before him, "Thank you for your hard work! You're finally home now! Everyone!"

However.

As soon as he finished speaking.

The situation seemed to be different from what he had imagined!

The Uzumaki Clan before him did not have red eyes from emotion, nor did they burst into tears, and then look at him, their leader who had accepted them, with gratitude and deep affection, shouting, "We've finally found our organization!"

Instead, they stared blankly at the Uzumaki Fusang beside him!

He had even specially changed into more formal clothes, styled his hair, and even touched up his appearance to look more energetic for this moment!

And the result...

It was too quiet!

His enthusiasm immediately waned. The excitement he had felt was gone. Looking at the Uzumaki Clan before him, with dirty faces, not a clean spot on their bodies, looking foolish, like a group of refugees, he sighed and said to Kana and Fusang, who were chuckling beside him, "Never mind, you two can do it. Take them to take a bath, change into clean clothes, eat, and rest!"

As soon as he said this.

Just as Kana and Fusang were about to nod.

"Are you... Fusang?!" Elder Yang Zheng suddenly came back to his senses, looking at Fusang excitedly. "You, you... weren't you in the Land of Rain? How are you here?"

"A lot has happened?" Fusang sighed with emotion, glanced at Kusana, as if remembering something, and smiled sheepishly, directly changing the subject. "We'll talk about it later! For now... welcome home! Third Elder!"

"Go... go home? Is that okay?" The Third Elder was slightly taken aback. He exchanged glances with the other clan members, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at the man beside Fusang.

He could tell that this guy was the real leader here!

Only after seeing him nod did a smile immediately appear on his face… a smile filled with anticipation. "That's right! Home! Let's go home!"

With that said.

"Are we accepted?"

"Is this our home from now on?"

"Do we really not have to wander anymore?"

All the Uzumaki clan members cheered. Just as they tremblingly took a step forward, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

His granddaughter, Hinoka, tugged at his clothes. The Third Elder suppressed his excitement, lowered his head in confusion, and looked at her questioningly.

Hinoka, however, extended her small hand, a naive smile on her cute face. She pointed to a white spot on her right hand with her left index finger. "It looks like it's snowing, Grandpa!"