Leaf Reinforcements - Tsunade!

"She is Uzumaki Akiko."

Kushina looked at the little girl who had fainted and spoke with some surprise.

"Hmm, do you know her?"

Shin did not recognize the other party, but Kushina seemed to.

"I've met her a few times, but we aren't very close."

Within the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina was only close to Shin; she didn't know the others well, at most just recognizing them.

Before long, this Uzumaki Akiko woke up. At first, she was flustered and panicked, but upon seeing the red hair of Shin and Kushina, she calmed down.

Red hair is basically the standard trademark of the Uzumaki Clan. Of course, it is not as if people from other clans cannot have red hair.

For example, Akimichi Choji's father, Akimichi Choza, has red hair.

However, when most people see red hair, the first thing they think of is the Uzumaki Clan.

"Who are you?"

Uzumaki Akiko did not know Shin and Kushina. Although she guessed they were survivors of the Uzumaki Clan, it was better to ask clearly.

It was actually normal for Uzumaki Akiko not to know Shin and Kushina, because the place where Shin and Kushina lived was far away from the Uzumaki Clan Grounds.

Even when they lived in the clan grounds, they had not met many times; Shin had not even seen Uzumaki Akiko before.

"The same as you," Shin said to Uzumaki Akiko.

Uzumaki Akiko fell silent. Looking at the ruins beside her, a trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes. Thinking of her parents, tears flowed down uncontrollably.

"Should we comfort her?" Kushina looked at the weeping Uzumaki Akiko and asked Shin.

"How do we comfort her? Let her cry. From now on, she has to rely on herself to survive; it's better to be strong."

Shin shook his head, then sat on a rock nearby. He was considering the path ahead.

There were two paths currently laid out before Shin. The first path was to take Kushina and leave, living a wandering life.

The second path was to wait—wait for the reinforcements from Konoha to arrive and then follow them to Konoha.

Shin glanced at Kushina and finally made up his mind: head to Konoha.

This was also for the sake of safety. If he and Kushina were to wander, sporting such conspicuous red hair, they were destined to encounter quite a bit of trouble.

Besides, as two children, where could they even go if they wandered? It would be very inconvenient.

Going to Konoha, however, would first guarantee their safety. As long as they didn't act too conspicuously, it was still very safe in Konoha.

Especially since Uzumaki Mito was still alive; after arriving in Konoha, even the insidious Danzo would not dare to pull any tricks.

In Konoha, Shin could also learn basic ninja knowledge, and this foundation was very important.

Therefore, heading to Konoha was definitely a good choice. However, since he had chosen to go to Konoha, he had to change the fate of Kushina becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Shin did not want Kushina to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Although the power of the Nine-Tails was strong and could be a great help if used well, it was also a ticking time bomb.

Moreover, becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki meant that she could forget about living a peaceful life in the future; at the very least, surveillance by the Anbu would be inevitable.

As for Shin himself, he had never even considered becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It was simple: Shin didn't think much of the Nine-Tails at all.

Shin possessed the Perfect Sage Body; as long as he grew up, beating the Nine-Tails with one hand would be no problem.

He also possessed the Sharingan; he estimated that in the future, a single glance would be enough to make the Nine-Tails grovel.

With the system by his side, how could Shin look up to the mere Nine-Tails?

Of course, the main thing was that Shin did not want something else inside his body; that would make him feel very uncomfortable.

Shin shifted his gaze to Uzumaki Akiko. The Uzumaki Clan members here were not just him and Kushina; there was also an Uzumaki Akiko.

"Kushina, come here for a moment, I have something to tell you." Shin waved at Kushina.

Although Kushina was puzzled, she still walked over to Shin.

"Kushina, perhaps before long, reinforcements from Konoha will arrive here, and they might take us to Konoha. If we go to Konoha, remember: don't act too conspicuously."

Shin instructed Kushina.

When selecting a Jinchuriki, they would certainly choose someone with good talent, and acting too conspicuously might also attract the attention of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as well as the dark-natured Danzo.

If it were Sarutobi Hiruzen, it would be fine, but if it were Danzo, that would be dangerous.

Although Kushina did not understand why Shin said these things, she still nodded and took note of them.

In the blink of an eye, the day was coming to an end. As the sun set, the dim sunlight shone on the Uzumaki Clan Grounds, and the gloomy, bloody environment looked somewhat eerie and terrifying.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Is that... footsteps?"

Shin immediately tensed up, his left hand diving into his ninja tool pouch to grip an explosive tag, while his right hand tightened around a katana.

Because Shin was so short, holding a katana looked quite out of place; he had scavenged the blade here, and though it had a few chips, it was still functional.

Kushina immediately moved closer to Shin, and Uzumaki Akiko, standing nearby, also huddled toward Shin and Kushina in fear.

"Three children."

A woman with golden hair and a stunning face, her eyes carrying a cold, piercing chill, walked toward them.

Although she was very beautiful, her figure was nothing to write home about, and her gaze was intimidatingly cold.

Behind this woman, several other ninjas followed.

"You are from the Uzumaki Clan, aren't you? Don't be afraid, I am a ninja from Konoha. My name is Tsunade."

Tsunade's cold gaze softened. Having witnessed the tragic state of the Uzumaki Clan, her heart was filled with fury, which was why her eyes had seemed so frightening just moments ago.

Upon learning that the person was Tsunade, Shin relaxed, though after secretly sizing her up, he truly couldn't believe this was her.

Is this really Tsunade? She's so flat, you could land a plane on her. It's hard to imagine how she eventually grows into that later version of herself.

"Is this all that's left of the Uzumaki Clan?" Tsunade asked Shin.

"I don't know. Perhaps there are other survivors."

Shin was certain there had to be other survivors of the Uzumaki Clan, though they had likely fled the Land of Whirlpools or gone into hiding.

"Let's search and see if we can find anyone else. Damn it, if I find out who did this, I will definitely..."

A murderous aura radiated from Tsunade. The Uzumaki Clan were the kin of her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and they had been allies with the Senju Clan for generations.

During the Warring States period, the Uzumaki Clan had helped the Senju Clan countless times in their battles against the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade was furious, but anger was useless; she had arrived a step too late. After receiving the news, she had been ordered to rush to the Land of Whirlpools, but it was already too late.

The enemy had wiped out a great clan like the Uzumaki Clan in just one night, which showed just how thoroughly they had prepared.

Shin looked at Tsunade and curled his lip; making empty threats was absolutely the lowest form of behavior.

However, Shin's lip-curling was spotted by Tsunade, and she couldn't help but flare up—this brat in front of her seemed to be looking down on her.

"What was that look for, you little brat?"

"What look? What do you mean?" Shin looked at Tsunade with a confused expression.

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw it. Were you looking at me with disdain just now?"

Shin really wanted to nod, but remembering that Tsunade was a violent woman, he figured she might just beat him up.

"No, that didn't happen. You saw it wrong." Shin denied it three times in a row, firmly refusing to admit it.