Naruto Uzumaki froze at the sight of Kōrei Uzumaki's smile. It was only the second time in his life that he had felt someone's kindness. The first had been from the Third Hokage.
Both his Uzumaki Clan bloodline and his instincts as a jinchūriki told Naruto that the beautiful woman before him meant him nothing but kindness. It was completely different from what he felt from Grandpa Third. Although the old man was kind to him, there was also wariness and something more complicated mixed in. From this woman, however, Naruto felt a warmth and kindness so pure that he was drawn in at once.
After seeing off the workers who had carried in her furniture, Kōrei Uzumaki noticed Naruto Uzumaki still standing awkwardly in his doorway, unsure what to do.
Kōrei Uzumaki smiled, walked over to Naruto Uzumaki, and crouched down, looking at the child before her with pity.
His worn clothes, his little face that had not been washed properly, his dry, unruly hair, his smaller stature compared to other children his age, and the faintly sallow cast of his face all told her that he was a poor little boy with no one to care for him.
In fact, without his Uzumaki Clan bloodline, Naruto Uzumaki might not even have survived long enough to grow up.
Kōrei Uzumaki stroked the child's unruly hair, her expression tender. "Hello, Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kōrei Uzumaki. I hope we'll get along."
Naruto Uzumaki had already flushed with embarrassment when Kōrei Uzumaki touched his hair. At her words, his eyes flew wide. Looking at the beautiful woman before him, he stammered:
"Uzu... Kōrei Uzumaki? Your last name is Uzumaki, just like mine? Are you from the Uzumaki Clan too?"
Naruto Uzumaki did not actually understand what the