Minato Namikaze, Saving His Sister Under the Moon

Since the mission had already concluded, the return to the village was not as urgent as the journey there, especially since Rasa of Sunagakure had repeatedly stirred up trouble previously.

To avoid further complications, the group decided to take a different route, traveling along the northern borders of the Land of Bears, the Land of Birds, and the Land of Rain—essentially skirting the border of the Land of Earth.

The journey was uneventful until they neared the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.

The weather was excellent today, and the night sky was clear with a bright moon hanging high, without a single dark cloud in sight.

When preparing to set up camp and rest, Genichi performed his usual sensory sweep of the surrounding environment. Four chakra signatures appeared ahead, one of which possessed a remarkably vibrant life force.

Having grown very familiar with Kushina, Genichi was fairly certain that this was a ninja of the Uzumaki Clan.

After clarifying the situation with the others and arranging for the students to hide and maintain a perimeter, Genichi took Minato and moved toward the group of ninjas.

"Wuu wuu wuu, someone, please save me." Karin Uzumaki couldn't help but weep internally. The way things were unfolding was nothing like she had imagined; why was her life so bitter?

When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the members of the Uzumaki Clan had scattered in flight. Karin Uzumaki had retreated into the interior of the Land of Fire with an elder, originally believing they were heading to seek refuge with their ally, Konoha.

To her surprise, that elder had said: "If we stay together, our target is too large. Let us disperse here. The Land of Whirlpools is already in the past, but as long as any of us are still alive, the Uzumaki Clan has not been wiped out.

Also, never go to Konoha. So much time has passed and Konoha has shown no reaction at all. If Lady Mito were still alive, it shouldn't be like this; something must be wrong."

Just like that, wandering and circling, Karin Uzumaki gradually crossed the entire Land of Fire, arriving at the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.

After the Second Ninja World War ended and she had finally enjoyed a few years of stability, the situation in the Ninja World began to grow chaotic again. Karin Uzumaki decided to join a ninja village as a medical ninja to seek protection.

This morning, she encountered a squad of Grass Ninja on a mission passing through the area. She stepped forward to reveal her identity as an Uzumaki and a medical ninja, hoping to join Kusagakure.

The Grass Ninja were very welcoming. After all, Kusagakure was only a small village that constantly swayed between the major powers, surviving in the cracks of the great nations by relying on pirated ninjutsu and selling intelligence.

For Kusagakure, a medical ninja was a scarce resource, let alone one from the renowned Uzumaki Clan.

Thus, Karin Uzumaki joined the Grass Ninja on their way to Kusagakure, the journey initially filled with pleasantries.

It wasn't until Karin, thinking of these people as future village comrades, felt a momentary lapse in judgment and revealed her special ability, Physical Healing, to gain more favor from Kusagakure, that things changed.

Physical Healing was one of the abilities of the Uzumaki Clan. By biting her own skin, she could rapidly restore the chakra and heal the wounds of herself or others.

Instead of the envy or praise she had imagined, the Grass Ninja's expressions turned subtle upon hearing this. They exchanged glances several times, shifted their positions to surround Karin, and continued their trek toward Kusagakure.

Realizing too late, Karin was filled with regret. Sensing their gazes, she felt as though they were no longer looking at a medical ninja, but at a piece of precious medical supply. She wanted to escape, but realized she was completely surrounded and feared she would be unable to leave.

Just as she was filled with anxiety about her future and lamenting her ill-fated life, several kunai suddenly shot in from the distance. A flash of golden light followed, the Grass Ninja collapsed to the ground, and a gentle voice reached her ears:

"Are you alright?"

The time returns to a few minutes prior.

Genichi: "Do you see that, Minato? Three Grass Ninja are holding an Uzumaki Clan ninja hostage."

"What should we do?" Minato asked with a solemn tone.

"Look closely at the swirl pattern on your forehead protector. That is the proof of the friendship between our Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan. These Grass Ninja are kidnapping an Uzumaki ninja right in front of us—how is that any different from kidnapping a Konoha ninja?" Genichi asked candidly.

"Take them out, leave no traces. Go, I choose you, Minato."

Although Minato Namikaze was as warm as a spring breeze to his own people, he was cold and ruthless toward enemies. Finding the right moment, he threw his Flying Thunder God kunai and ended the battle cleanly and efficiently.

"Who are you people?" Karin remained vigilant. Although she was grateful that this ninja had saved her, she still asked.

Minato pointed to the Konoha forehead protector on his head: "We are ninjas from Konoha. You must be a member of the Uzumaki Clan, right? Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan are allies; helping each other is only natural.

What are your plans for the future? The Land of Whirlpools is gone; would you like to come back to Konoha with us?"

"I cannot go to Konoha." Upon hearing the mention of Konoha, Karin reflexively repeated the elder's instructions.

Minato was left confused. Why couldn't she go to Konoha?

Hearing this, Genichi's face darkened, and he hurriedly explained: "I completely understand your reason for not wanting to go to Konoha. When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the entirety of Konoha stood by and watched.

But there were reasons for this—reasons on many levels. Simply put, at the time, an advisor to the Konoha Hokage intercepted the distress signal from the Land of Whirlpools for his own selfish gain. By the time Konoha realized what was happening, it was already too late to support the Land of Whirlpools."

Although he felt the Third Hokage was also inescapable from blame—perhaps he had coveted his ally's sealing techniques, or perhaps he didn't want the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at the time, Uzumaki Mito, to act impulsively and cause issues with the Nine-Tails—for now, he could only let Danzo suffer a bit more.

"What!" ×2

Minato had not expected the village leadership to be so dark, while Karin Uzumaki was shocked yet half-believing.

Genichi continued: "There are so many people in the village that it is inevitable a few bad apples will appear. Do you know Kushina Uzumaki? She is about your age and lives in Konoha now; we are very close friends.

Also, this is the Four-Symbols Seal. I learned it from Lady Mito of the Uzumaki Clan in my early years." Genichi pressed one hand down, carving a simple prototype of the Four-Symbols Seal into the ground.

Seeing the familiar sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan on the ground, Karin finally felt at ease: "Is Kushina still alive?"

Karin and Kushina were about the same age and had played together as children, but after Kushina was secretly taken to Konoha, the two had never seen each other again.

"Of course. She has missed her clansmen dearly these past few years. Would you like to come back to Konoha with us? We can let Minato, who just saved you, be responsible for your safety," Genichi said.

Karin thought that since she had nowhere else to go, she might as well go see Kushina. She finally nodded and looked at the yellow-haired ninja who had just saved her. Finding that his smile was very bright and gentle, she spoke up to greet him:

"Is it Minato-sama? I haven't thanked you yet for saving me just now. My name is Karin Uzumaki. Please take care of me from now on."

"No need for 'sama,' just call me Minato Namikaze or simply Minato," Minato smiled gently. Looking at Karin's captivating red hair, he couldn't help but be momentarily dazed. And so, the two locked eyes, looking at each other.

"Cough, cough! We should head back, or the little ones will get worried." Genichi broke the somewhat ambiguous atmosphere, thinking to himself:

Judging by his performance in the original story, Minato's tastes lean a bit towards redheads. Add in the hero saving the damsel, tsk tsk, these young folks these days really know how to play.

Finally, after everyone gathered, Genichi briefly recounted the events, and the group of nine slowly made their way back to the village.

Minato was sent ahead to the Hokage's office to report on the mission. Genichi took Karin to find Kushina, briefly introducing them to each other, and watched as they reunited, holding hands and laughing as they reminisced about fun times in the Land of Whirlpools.

Afterward, Genichi also arrived at the Hokage's office.

"Genichi, you completed this mission admirably. I've already heard Minato's report," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle from behind his desk.

"I heard the Shrine Maiden didn't die? What's going on there?"

Genichi feigned helplessness. "Just a beast from a small place, daring to call itself a threat to the Ninja World. Its combat power barely reaches that of a low-tailed beast, and it's clearly inferior in many aspects. With the combined sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan and the Shrine Maiden, I estimate it won't be getting out for the rest of its life."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He didn't know the specifics of Moryo, but Genichi was a genius who had studied sealing jutsu under Lady Mito since childhood. He was even responsible for the daily maintenance of the Nine-Tails' seal on Kushina Uzumaki. Sealing a mere beast from a small place was indeed more than enough.

"I heard you also brought back an Uzumaki Clan ninja?"

"That's right, Lord Hokage. I've already confirmed through genjutsu that Karin Uzumaki's background is clean, and she's not a spy. Furthermore, she has the potential to learn sealing jutsu and become an excellent medical ninja. I've already sent her to find Kushina, and I've come now to apply for Konoha ninja status for Karin," Genichi explained.

Did he interrogate her with genjutsu? Of course not. Genichi sensed Karin's vibrant, life-filled chakra and the situation where she was about to be taken back to Kusagakure by Grass Ninja. He also guessed that Karin was the mother of Karin Uzumaki from the original story.

"Hmm, since you've checked her, granting her Konoha ninja status will be easy. However, according to regulations, I will arrange for Anbu ninja to monitor her for a period." Hiruzen Sarutobi also trusted Genichi's judgment completely.

"Then, I shall take my leave." With the matter settled, Genichi turned and departed.