Kushina Uzumaki

"I'm home!"*2

"Nawaki and Liuxia are back, huh? Come on in!"

Mito Uzumaki's voice came from inside, calm on the surface, though beneath it seemed to lie a powerful swell of emotion.

After changing into their indoor slippers, the two pushed open the door and stepped inside. They immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere.

Something serious must have happened. From the looks of it, it has something to do with Grandma Mito—and it can't be good.

Feeling the oppressive air around him, Liuxia thought quietly to himself.

Mito Uzumaki sat in the seat of honor. Her expression was as calm and composed as ever.

But a closer look revealed that she had just gone through a great emotional upheaval. Her hands were still clenched tightly, her breathing was a little faster than usual, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

Among the people seated below her, the most conspicuous was the Third Hokage, dressed in his Hokage robes. Beside him were three men and a woman, all middle-aged and apparently members of the Council of Elders.

The man with a cross-shaped scar on his chin had to be Pot Kage Shimura Danzō. The amiable-looking fat man was Torifu Akimichi, the woman with a hairpin was Utatane Koharu, and the cold-faced man with glasses was Mitokado Homura.

"Nawaki, Liuxia, it's been a long time! Do you still remember me? I'm your Uncle Torifu!" He turned to Mito. "Lady Mito, why not let the boys go rest for a while? They've been at the Ninja Academy all day, and they must be exhausted after just getting home. Besides, this isn't something children should hear."

"Hmph! There's no need. Nawaki is my grandson, and he's not only a descendant of the Senju Clan, but of the Uzumaki Clan as well. As for Liuxia, I've long considered him my own grandson. This is a good chance for them to see for themselves how you, who inherited Hashirama and Tobirama's will, have abandoned Konoha's ally!"

Hearing Torifu's attempt to ease the tension, Mito gave none of the Konoha High Command the slightest warmth. Her words even carried a note of mockery.

"Konoha's ally?! So it really does have something to do with Grandma Mito and Nawaki—and the Land of Whirlpools... There's only one thing that could have led to this..."

(Since the protagonist hadn't paid close attention when reading the manga before, and so many years had passed, he could barely remember many of the original story's events.)

Liuxia already had a pretty good idea what had happened. Something must have gone wrong in the Land of Whirlpools. The Uzumaki Clan was simply too powerful. The Sealing Jutsu they wielded had ultimately brought about their destruction.

"Lady Mito! We didn't want to abandon the Uzumaki Clan. It all happened so suddenly. Kirigakure joined forces with other ninja villages and launched a secret operation. Before we could send reinforcements, Uzushiogakure had already fallen!" Utatane Koharu said sorrowfully.

"That's right, Lady Mito. You know Konoha can't afford another war! We did everything for the sake of the village!" Shimura Danzō chimed in.

"Enough. It's my responsibility as Hokage that our ally has suffered this fate!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he lowered himself into a dogeza before Mito Uzumaki. His face was full of guilt and remorse. "Lady Mito, if you must blame someone, blame me. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will take full responsibility!"

Seeing the Third Hokage admit his fault so sincerely, the others stepped forward as well and bowed low before Mito.

"Lady Mito, this incident was caused by the Council of Elders' failure to gather intelligence. Please punish us as you see fit!" one of the council members said.

Mito Uzumaki looked at the people from Konoha before her. She was displeased, but she also understood that Konoha was under tremendous pressure.

She took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Monkey, you all... Forget it. What's done is done, and there's no point in saying more. I know you have your own difficulties. But I hope you'll remember what happened today and never let anything like this happen again!"

Hiruzen and the others felt a weight lift from their shoulders at Mito's words. They quickly nodded. "Yes, Lady Mito. We'll remember your words! Lady Mito, that child will arrive in Konoha soon. How should we arrange things?"

"Kushina Uzumaki? Send her to me. I'll raise her. You needn't concern yourselves with anything else!"

Shimura Danzō and the others seemed to want to say something, but seeing that Mito was still furious, they could only nod in agreement and take their leave.

"Grandma, the Land of Whirlpools... What happened to the Land of Whirlpools? And Uncle...?"

As soon as Nawaki saw the Third Hokage and the others leave, he hurriedly asked. But when he saw Mito's grief-stricken expression, he understood everything.

Mito gathered the two boys into her arms and gently stroked their heads. "Grandma should have gone to join your grandfather long ago, but I've always worried about you."

"This time, I've lost my home. What will I lose next? I only hope you'll grow up safe and healthy..." Mito's voice was filled with boundless sorrow and helplessness.

A few days later, Nawaki and Liuxia returned home to find a red-haired little girl standing beside Grandma Mito.

Mito was gently stroking the girl's hair, her eyes filled with affection.

"Kushina, these are your two older brothers. The round-faced one is Nawaki, and the other is Liuxia. They're both my precious grandsons. You also have an older sister, Tsunade. She's out on a mission right now and will be back in a few days. Don't worry. From today on, this will be your warm home, and we'll all be your family and protect you!"

Hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki timidly raised her head and greeted her two older brothers in a soft voice. "Hello, Brother Nawaki and Brother Liuxia. I'm Kushina Uzumaki." As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head again.

She was nothing like the lively, cheerful, and outgoing Kushina Liuxia remembered.

That brutal massacre had clearly left this child with a wound too deep to bear.

It was no wonder. In a single night, all the loved ones she knew had been slaughtered, and she had been brought by ninja she'd never met to a completely unfamiliar village.

In this strange new land, the only person who could offer her even a little comfort was probably Grandma Mito, who belonged to the same Uzumaki Clan.

Thinking of this, Liuxia couldn't help feeling sorry for her. He gently patted Kushina's little head.

"Hello, little sister Kushina. From today on, we're family! Don't worry, I'm here. I'll protect you! Your red hair is beautiful—just like Grandma Mito's!"

Nawaki loudly chimed in beside him. "That's right, that's right, little sister Kushina. If anyone dares bully you, just tell me, and I'll give them a good thrashing! Oh, and your Brother Liuxia is a great cook! How about he make you something delicious tonight?"

Hearing her brothers' words, Kushina began to feel more at ease. She was especially delighted when Liuxia said her red hair was beautiful.

On the way to Konoha, she'd heard plenty of people make strange remarks and point at her hair.

Liuxia's approval made her feel warm inside.

"Thank you, Brother Liuxia, and Brother Nawaki. I'm really grateful to you both!"

Kushina Uzumaki said happily. She was already looking forward to finding out what delicious food Brother Liuxia would make for her that evening.

Looking at the adorable, innocent little girl before him, Liuxia felt a surge of affection. He silently vowed to take good care of her and make sure she felt the warmth of a family.