Shin Uchiha had guessed correctly. Kushina Uzumaki and Xiangling Uzumaki had indeed grown up together. Before the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, both had been heirs of the Uzumaki Clan's main line.
The fact that Kushina Uzumaki had been chosen as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki showed how pure her Uzumaki bloodline was. Like Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, she descended from the clan's main line.
As for Xiangling Uzumaki, she possessed Stamina Healing, an innate ability rare even within the Uzumaki Clan. Even her daughter Karin had inherited both Stamina Healing and Mind's Eye of the Kagura. If she did not count as a descendant of the clan's main line, then no one did.
As for why she had fallen so far, it could only be chalked up to fate and circumstance. A princess without her country or clan was no longer a princess.
Facing Xiangling Uzumaki's hopeful gaze, Shin Uchiha sighed inwardly. Though he hated to disappoint her, he still told her the truth.
"Kushina Uzumaki was a jōnin of Konoha. But a few years ago, she and her husband both gave their lives to save the village."
Seeing the light fade from Xiangling Uzumaki's eyes once again, Shin Uchiha added:
"But Kushina left behind a son, Naruto Uzumaki. His circumstances aren't very good, though. Naruto grew up without parents to care for him. Right now, he's just an orphan with no one looking after him."
Shin Uchiha paused, then looked into Xiangling Uzumaki's eyes. "If you move to Konoha, you could help look after him, too."
After hearing his words, Xiangling Uzumaki fell silent. Sometimes she looked at her daughter, and sometimes at the wall. He had no idea what she was thinking, but it was clear that she was struggling fiercely with the