Tsunade glared angrily at Shin. This little brat clearly looked down on her, yet he still denied it.
But Tsunade couldn't do anything to Shin. She couldn't just beat him up over something like this. Tsunade might be violent, but she wasn't about to hit a child.
Suddenly, Tsunade chuckled.
"Looks like you've got a pretty good attitude, brat. You managed to emerge from the shadow of your clan's destruction so quickly."
Tsunade put a hand on Shin's head, then vigorously ruffled his hair as if taking revenge.
As she kept ruffling it, Tsunade found that it felt nice. She was starting to get hooked.
Looking at Shin's handsome little face, Tsunade couldn't resist reaching out to pinch his cheek. It was so soft and squishy—adorable!
Seeing Tsunade manhandling Shin, Kushina angrily shouted at her, "How can you act like that?"
Shin was unhappy too. Tsunade might have been enjoying pinching his face, but he found it very uncomfortable.
Having a woman pinch his face like that was downright humiliating.
"Could you let go, please? I don't like men touching me," Shin said to Tsunade, annoyed.
"Men?"
Tsunade froze.
I'm this pretty, and you think I'm a man? I'm a woman!
"You're so young, and your eyesight's already bad. I'm a woman, not a man," Tsunade said fiercely.
"Heh! I may be young, but I know the difference between men and women. What about you looks like a woman?"
Shin's gaze fell on a certain flat part of her body, his eyes full of disdain.
Tsunade's face flushed red with anger. By now, she knew the brat was deliberately looking down on her.
"Princess Tsunade, we found two survivors."
Tsunade, who had been about to teach Shin a lesson, shot him a glare, then looked toward the two survivors.
They were both men. One was about the same age as Shin, and the other was around twenty. Both were survivors of the Uzumaki Clan.
Shin recognized the one who was about his age.
"Uzumaki Kai, long time no see. Is your leg all better now?"
Shin gave Uzumaki Kai a faint smile. Kai glared at him furiously, with a hint of fear in his eyes.
Uzumaki Kai was the son of Uzumaki Yan, the Taijutsu Jonin whose physique Shin had copied.
They'd clashed before, and Shin had broken one of Kai's legs.
He hadn't expected Kai to survive the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan. The kid sure was lucky!
Tsunade's gaze shifted between Shin and Kai. It seemed the two brats had a grudge against each other.
But Tsunade didn't want to get involved in a quarrel between two kids. She turned her attention to the Uzumaki man in his twenties.
"What's your name?"
"I... I'm Uzumaki Hikari, a Chunin of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Do you know who attacked the Uzumaki Clan?"
Tsunade asked Uzumaki Hikari.
"I don't know. I was scared, so I hid as soon as it started. I don't know what happened after that."
Uzumaki Hikari lowered his head in shame, drawing a look of contempt from Tsunade.
This guy was older than her, yet he was such a coward. His clan was in danger, and he'd hidden despite being a ninja.
Tsunade was younger than Uzumaki Hikari. Though she'd called Shin a brat every other word, she was only sixteen herself.
But in the Naruto World, sixteen wasn't that young. During the Sengoku period, people were already getting married and having children by that age.
Tsunade told her subordinates to keep searching for survivors while she investigated which Hidden Village had attacked the Uzumaki Clan.
From the traces left by the rushing water, as well as the damage caused by Lightning Release, Tsunade already had an idea who was responsible.
If her guess was right, there was nothing she could do about it.
"Brat, what's your name?" Tsunade asked Shin.
Being called a brat all the time annoyed Shin, but unfortunately, he couldn't beat Tsunade.
Judging by her current strength, Shin estimated that she was at the Elite Jonin level. She was definitely stronger than him.
"My name is Uzumaki Shin. And don't call me a brat. Watch out—one day I'll get strong enough to take revenge on you."
"Take revenge on me? Heh, I'll be waiting for that day." Tsunade looked at Shin teasingly.
Shin snorted. You look down on my strength now, but don't regret it when I give you a beating someday.
"Shin, I'm hungry," Kushina said, tugging at his sleeve.
Shin immediately took out some provisions and dried meat. They were a little dry and tough, but at least they could fill their stomachs.
Three days later, the bodies of the Uzumaki Clan members had all been buried. Among them was Shin's grandfather in this life, the Grand Elder of the Uzumaki Clan.
Seeing his body left Shin feeling conflicted. He couldn't say he'd been close to him, since they'd barely met.
Still, Shin couldn't help feeling upset.
After burying all the bodies, Shin and the others set off for Konoha with Tsunade.
Shin now had a katana strapped to his back. Its blade was a little over three feet long, and the hilt was decorated with golden patterns. It didn't look particularly ornate.
He'd found it in the Uzumaki Clan's shrine. He'd tested it earlier and found it extremely sharp: one swing could cleave through hard stone, leaving an incredibly smooth cut.
As for whether it could cut through steel, Shin didn't know. He hadn't tested it yet.
Aboard the ship heading for the Land of Fire, Shin stood at the stern, gazing at the Land of Whirlpools as it gradually disappeared into the distance.
Kushina stood beside Shin. After leaving this time, they had no idea when they'd be back.
"Are you feeling reluctant to leave?"
At the voice behind them, Shin and Kushina turned around. It was Tsunade.
When Kushina saw Tsunade, she puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly displeased.
Shin was keeping his distance from Tsunade now, too. He didn't know what was wrong with the woman. Every day, she ruffled his hair and pinched his cheeks.
It annoyed Shin to no end, but he couldn't fight someone stronger than him. He didn't want to reveal his true strength, so he hadn't put up much resistance.
Shin suspected that the woman had awakened some strange quirk.
Kushina's reason for being unhappy was simple, too: she'd never ruffled Shin's hair or pinched his cheek herself.
This woman had gone and done everything Kushina hadn't, which naturally made her unhappy. It felt as if someone had stolen Shin from her.
"Once you get to Konoha, think of it as your home. Given time, you'll naturally forget all the unpleasant things."
"Yeah, right. We don't need you to comfort us. Shin, let's go." Kushina glared at Tsunade with open hostility, then pulled Shin into the cabin. That woman was the most unpleasant thing in front of her.
"What a nasty little girl."
Tsunade had noticed how hostile the little girl was toward her.
Could it be that this little girl likes that brat Shin? Tsunade wondered.
"Kids these days sure grow up fast. That little girl is only five, isn't she?"
Before you continue