Kushina Uzumaki

"I'm home!"

"It's Nawaki and Liuxia, come on in!"

Mito Uzumaki's voice drifted from inside the room, though a sense of intense turbulence seemed to hide beneath her calm tone.

The two changed into their indoor slippers and pushed the door open, immediately sensing the heavy atmosphere within.

Something major must have happened. It seems to be related to Grandma Mito, and it's certainly nothing good.

Liuxia felt the oppressive air around him and pondered silently.

Mito Uzumaki sat in the seat of honor, her face maintaining its usual calm and dignified expression.

Yet, upon closer observation, one could see that she had just experienced a massive emotional upheaval; her hands were still clenched tight, her breathing was slightly more rapid than usual, and her lips were pressed firmly together.

Among the few people seated below, the most prominent was the Third Hokage in his robes. Beside him were three men and one woman, all middle-aged and clearly members of the Council.

The man with the cross-shaped scar on his chin was undoubtedly the "Pot Shadow" Danzo Shimura; the kindly-looking fat man was Torifu Akimichi; the one with the hairpin was Koharu Utatane; and the cold-faced man with glasses was Homura Mitokado.

"Nawaki, Liuxia, it's been a long time. Do you still remember me? I'm your Uncle Torifu! Lady Mito, why don't we let these two children go and rest? They must be exhausted after a full day at the Ninja Academy. Besides, these matters aren't really suitable for children to hear."

"Hmph! There is no need. Nawaki is my grandson, and he is not only a descendant of the Senju clan but also of our Uzumaki clan. As for Liuxia, I have long regarded him as my own grandson. It is only right that they see for themselves how you, who inherited the will of Hashirama and Tobirama, have abandoned our allies in Konoha!"

Hearing Torifu Akimichi's attempt to ease the tension, Mito didn't give the Konoha higher-ups a pleasant look at all, instead lacing her words with sarcasm.

Konoha's allies?! It sounds like it really is related to Grandma Mito and Nawaki, and the Land of Whirlpools... that only happens when something like that occurs...

(Because he hadn't read the manga very carefully before, and so many years had passed, the protagonist couldn't recall many of the original plot points clearly.)

Liuxia already had a rough idea in his heart. It seemed something had gone wrong in the Land of Whirlpools. After all, the Uzumaki clan was simply too powerful; the sealing techniques they mastered had ultimately brought about their genocide.

"Lady Mito! It is not that we were willing to abandon the Uzumaki clan, but the incident happened so suddenly! Kirigakure actually colluded with other ninja villages to launch a secret operation. Before we could even dispatch reinforcements, Uzushiogakure had already been breached!" Koharu Utatane said with grief.

"That's right! Lady Mito, you know that Konoha can no longer afford a war! Everything we did was for the sake of the village!" Danzo Shimura chimed in immediately.

"Say no more. It is my responsibility as Hokage that our allies have fallen into such a state!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he performed a dogeza before Mito Uzumaki (everyone should know what a dogeza is). His face was filled with guilt and self-reproach. "Lady Mito, if you must blame someone, blame me. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, am willing to bear the burden alone!"

Seeing the Third Hokage admit his fault so sincerely, the others also stepped forward and performed a dogeza before Mito Uzumaki.

"Lady Mito, this incident was caused by our intelligence failure in the Council. Please, punish us!" one of the Council members said.

Mito Uzumaki looked at this group of people from Konoha. Although she felt some dissatisfaction, she understood that Konoha was indeed facing immense pressure.

She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Monkey, you all... forget it, forget it. What's done is done, and there is no use in saying more. I know you have your own difficulties. However, I hope you will remember what happened today and ensure that such a situation never happens again!"

Hearing Mito Uzumaki's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others felt a sense of relief. They nodded hurriedly and replied, "Yes, Lady Mito, we will certainly take your teachings to heart! Lady Mito! That child will arrive in Konoha soon. How should we arrange things?"

"Kushina Uzumaki, is it? Send her to me; I will raise her. You need not concern yourselves with anything else!"

Danzo Shimura and the others wanted to say more after hearing Mito's words, but seeing that her lingering anger had not yet dissipated, they nodded helplessly in agreement and took their leave.

"Grandma, the Land of Whirlpools... what happened to the Land of Whirlpools? Uncle and the others..."

Once the Third and the others had left, Nawaki asked anxiously, but upon seeing Mito's sorrowful expression, he already understood everything.

Mito pulled the two into her arms, gently stroking their heads, and said slowly, "Grandma should have gone to see your grandfather long ago, but I have always been worried about you two."

"This time it was Grandma's home that was lost; what will be lost next? I only hope you can grow up healthy and strong..." Mito's voice was filled with endless sorrow and helplessness.

A few days later, when Nawaki and Liuxia returned home, they saw a little girl with red hair standing beside Grandma Mito.

At that moment, Mito was gently stroking the girl's hair, her eyes revealing a trace of tenderness.

"Kushina, these two are your brothers. The round-faced one is Nawaki, and the other is Liuxia. They are both my most beloved grandsons. You also have a sister named Tsunade; she is out on a mission right now but will be back in a few days. Don't worry, from today on, this is your warm home, and we will all be the family that protects you!"

Hearing these words, Kushina Uzumaki finally raised her head timidly and greeted her two brothers in a soft voice: "Brother Nawaki, Brother Liuxia, hello. I am Kushina Uzumaki." As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head again.

She was a completely different person from the lively, cheerful Kushina Uzumaki in Liuxia's memories.

Clearly, that cruel war of genocide had left this child with unbearable trauma.

It was only natural; overnight, all her familiar relatives had been brutally murdered, and she had been brought to a completely strange village by ninjas she had never met before.

In this unfamiliar land, perhaps the only person who could offer her a shred of comfort was Grandma Mito, who was also of the Uzumaki clan.

Thinking of this, Liuxia couldn't help but feel a sense of pity, and he gently patted Kushina's little head.

"Hello, little sister Kushina. From today on, we are a family! Don't worry, I'm here, and I will definitely protect you well! Your red hair is beautiful! Just like Grandma Mito's!"

Nawaki also chimed in loudly from the side: "That's right, that's right, little sister Kushina! If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me, and watch me teach them a lesson! Oh, and your Brother Liuxia here—he's a master of cooking! How about he shows off his skills tonight and makes you something delicious?"

Kushina Uzumaki felt her heart settle as she listened to her two brothers. Especially when she heard Liuxia praise her red hair as beautiful, she was overjoyed.

You see, on the way to Konoha, she had heard plenty of people pointing at her hair color and making strange remarks.

Being acknowledged by Liuxia at this moment made her feel very warm.

"Thank you, Brother Liuxia, and Brother Nawaki. Thank you both so much!"

Kushina Uzumaki said with great joy. She was already looking forward to what kind of delicious food Brother Liuxia would make for her that evening.

As for Liuxia, looking at this cute and innocent little sister, his heart was filled with affection, and he secretly vowed to take good care of her and let her feel the warmth of a family.