Grabbed in an Instant...

"We already gave you food, why are you still following us?"

Tsunade suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at the three children trailing them.

Faced with Tsunade's questioning, the three little ones didn't speak. Instead, the blue-haired girl slowly walked forward and suddenly pulled something out from behind her back!

Driven by ninja instinct, Tsunade immediately wanted to step back and prepare for a potential, unknown danger.

However, Jiraiya pressed down on her shoulder and shook his head at her.

When Tsunade regained her composure and looked at the smiling girl, she realized she had been overly cautious.

"Thank you, this is our gift of gratitude."

Seeing the bouquet in the girl's hands, Tsunade finally let her guard down completely.

"Oh, origami? Did you make this out of the oil paper and biscuit wrappers from earlier? You're truly clever and dexterous! It's a pity we didn't have better paper; it really wastes your craftsmanship~"

After taking the bouquet from the girl, Qi Luna took out a scroll and sealed it away.

"This is very meaningful; I will treasure it well!"

While praising the girl, Qi Luna reached out to pat her head, murmuring to herself:

No wonder Sister Tsunade likes patting my head; this feeling is actually quite nice~

Seeing the atmosphere turn harmonious, the orange-haired boy stepped forward:

"Please teach us ninjutsu! You are ninjas from Konoha, right?"

Hearing the orange-haired boy's words, Jiraiya and Tsunade were slightly taken aback, but Orochimaru, on the other hand, drew a kunai:

"I intend to kill these children."

As soon as these words were spoken, both the orange-haired boy and the blue-haired girl looked terrified, and the orange-haired boy silently shielded the other two behind him.

"I have seen too many orphans in war, yet I still find them utterly miserable. It would be better to kill them all here and now, so they don't end up..."

"Stop it, Orochimaru!"

"I felt it from the chakra that leaked out just now—that child... that red-haired child... is one of my Uzumaki Clan!"

"If you dare to make a move..."

As she spoke, golden chains emerged from behind Qi Luna—it was none other than the Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Hearing Qi Luna's words and the threat in her tone, even Orochimaru, who usually maintained a calm demeanor, could not help but show a look of astonishment.

"That child... actually..."

Tsunade widened her eyes as she looked at the red-haired boy being shielded by the orange-haired one; she felt quite surprised.

Although red hair was a prominent trait of the Uzumaki Clan, the Ninja World was vast, and there were not a few people who possessed red hair. Tsunade had not expected to encounter their clansmen in the Land of Rain.

"Interesting... I understand..."

Feeling the vast, deep-as-an-abyss chakra radiating from Qi Luna, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick the corner of his mouth and silently put away his kunai.

"What do you intend to do, Qi Luna?"

Jiraiya asked at the opportune moment.

Looking at the still-shaken trio, Qi Luna suppressed the smile in her heart and pretended to fall into deep thought.

"Since I know he is a member of the Uzumaki Clan, there is no reason to leave him be. Let's take him back to Konoha for Grandmother to see."

Grasping Qi Luna's intentions, Tsunade offered a suggestion at just the right time.

"Yes!"

Qi Luna nodded, fully agreeing with Tsunade's words, both on the surface and in her heart.

"Didn't you want to learn ninjutsu from us? Would you be willing to come back to Konoha in the Land of Fire with us? Especially you..."

"Nagato. My name is Nagato."

Noticing that Qi Luna was looking at him, the red-haired boy considerately reported his name.

"Alright, Nagato. Do you want to come with me? If I'm not mistaken, you should be from the same clan as I am."

Patting Nagato's head again, Qi Luna offered a warm smile.

"Ah! Is this ninja lady actually a clansman of Nagato's?!"

The blue-haired girl covered her mouth with both hands, looking completely astonished.

At this moment, whether it was Nagato or the other two children, they all felt a subtle sense of excitement at Qi Luna's proposal.

"I..."

"Nagato, what are you still hesitating for? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Didn't we all see it on the hillside? This ninja lady is someone who single-handedly took down the right-hand men of Lord Hanzo! Not to mention, there's a high probability she's your own kin!"

Seeing Nagato still hesitating, the orange-haired boy grew anxious and actually took the initiative to persuade him.

"But I witnessed with my own eyes Konoha ninjas killing my parents. I'm worried..."

Under the pressure of the group, Nagato finally voiced the doubts in his heart.

However, upon hearing Nagato's words, it was Tsunade who grew anxious first.

"Impossible! Our Konoha shinobi never even entered the residential district of Amegakure!"

"But I saw it with my own ey..."

Nagato was weeping, still wanting to argue, but Qi Luna pulled him into an embrace first. As she stroked his hair, she whispered comfortingly:

"It's alright now. No matter what happened in the past, I have found you. From now on, I will protect your safety. I will also investigate your parents' deaths thoroughly; whoever is responsible, I will make them pay in blood!"

Feeling the chakra that flowed into his body along with Qi Luna's warmth, Nagato—who had not felt "love" since his parents died—could no longer hide the suppressed grief in his heart while in her arms. It poured out along with his tears.

He sobbed into Qi Luna's ear with a hoarse voice:

"I... will go with you..."

"Sarutobi, I heard that the Uzumaki brat you secretly placed on the Amegakure battlefield has found another survivor of the Uzumaki Clan, and even adopted two orphans from Amegakure along the way?"

"Hand them over to me! Even if they are spies, I will train them into qualified tools loyal only to Konoha!"

Adopting orphans from an enemy nation was something that naturally had to be reported to the Hokage. However, no one expected that Shimura Danzo's reach had extended into the Anbu, which was under the direct command of the Hokage, and that he held a position high enough to obtain intelligence the moment it arrived!

Qi Luna, meanwhile, had no idea that while they were still on the road back to Konoha, the three little cuties she had worked so hard to abduct... adopt, were already being targeted!

And the fact that the person targeting them was that old schemer Shimura Danzo made it even worse!

"Danzo, I've told you before, knock before you enter!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been immersed in the joy of the Amegakure battlefield essentially being declared a victory and his three disciples earning the title of "Konoha Sannin." But the moment he heard the voice of that "old ghost," especially hearing that he was here to demand people again, all of Sarutobi Hiruzen's good mood was instantly swept away!

"Didn't you just take away several children with good talent from the various clans a while ago? And your Root has already reached its hands into my Anbu! You still want more people! What? In a few days, are you going to replace me as Hokage?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table in anger, nearly shattering it...

"Sarutobi, what do you mean by that? I am merely trying to help you. Besides, you already have two Uzumaki brats in your hands; what would it matter if you gave me one?!"

Shimura Danzo was someone who feared no one, not even Sarutobi!

In the future, he would be the type of person who could act as if nothing had happened even after a failed assassination attempt right to someone's face! How could a man like that be shaken by a few words exposing his schemes?!

"I will not give you anyone else, whether it is the clansmen of Lady Mito or the children who share deep bonds with them! They... are the future of Konoha!"

"Sarutobi, you will definitely regret this!"

"On this matter alone! On the future of Konoha! I will never regret it! Danzo! I! Am the Hokage!"

"Bang--"

Today's outcome:

Shimura Danzo suffered a crushing defeat, Sarutobi Hiruzen won a complete victory! Qi Luna won the MVP by lying down!