Uzushio Village.
Mito Uzumaki and Akina Uzumaki sat facing each other.
"Lady Mito, where... does the Uzumaki Clan's future truly lie?"
Confusion clouded Akina Uzumaki's eyes.
Had the previous clan head, Ashina, made the right choice or the wrong one?
Was founding a village of their own really a good choice?
He had never questioned Clan Head Ashina's wisdom before, but after a crisis that had nearly wiped out the Uzumaki Clan, he could not help doubting it.
Should they have chosen to join Konoha back then?
At least, if they had joined Konoha, the other hidden villages could never have launched a surprise attack on them.
Mito Uzumaki sighed softly. Despite her correcting him many times, Akina Uzumaki still addressed her so formally.
She looked at Akina Uzumaki, who seemed to have aged several years overnight, and could feel just how lost the Uzumaki Clan's head was.
"Akina, stop dwelling on it. This wasn't your fault. I never expected Kumogakure and Kirigakure to do something like this either."
Akina Uzumaki shook his head and chose to voice his doubts.
"Lady Mito, do you think Uzushio Village should join Konoha?"
"Join Konoha?"
Mito Uzumaki froze and fell silent for a long time.
She had never imagined that the pressure of nearly having his clan wiped out would rob Akina Uzumaki of his usual composure so completely.
He had even begun considering joining Konoha.
She gave Akina Uzumaki a conflicted look, recalling the days when Konoha had first been founded.
Hashirama had visited the Uzumaki Clan many times, inviting Uzumaki Ashina to join Konoha.
She had supported the idea as well.
Even though she loved Hashirama, she also hoped to stay with her own clansmen.
But two people had opposed the plan.
The clan head at the time, Uzumaki Ashina, and... Tobirama Senju.
Uzumaki Ashina believed that Konoha had too many ninja clans, large and small. In particular, the hatred between the Senju and the Uchiha had not faded; they merely existed in a delicate balance.
As distant relatives of the Senju, the Uzumaki Clan would likely upset that balance if they joined. Not only could they become everyone's target, they might also cause the newly founded Konoha to fall apart.
Beyond that, Uzumaki Ashina firmly maintained that the Uzumaki were allies of the Senju, not their retainers. He preferred founding a separate village to accepting the Hokage's authority.
Tobirama Senju, meanwhile, believed that Uzushio Village's location would help Konoha keep watch over Kirigakure and defend the Land of Fire's coastline, making it far more valuable than having them join Konoha.
In the end, the plan to join Konoha had come to nothing.
She had deeply regretted it, too.
But now, Akina Uzumaki had actually brought up joining Konoha again...
Knock, knock, knock!
Moonlight Ruyun knocked on the door and entered after receiving permission.
"Grandma Mito, my teacher told me to come find you here."
Mito Uzumaki set her thoughts aside. A warm smile appeared on her face as she stood and drew him over to sit beside her.
She introduced him to Akina Uzumaki. "I haven't had a chance to introduce you yet. This child is Moonlight Ruyun. Didn't you ask how I managed to reach Uzushio Village in time?"
"Moonlight Ruyun? Could it be..." Akina Uzumaki froze.
A possibility occurred to him.
The joint operation planned by Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure should have been top secret.
As Konoha's ally, he knew something about the village and did not believe it had the ability to obtain intelligence like that.
"You guessed right. He deduced Kumogakure and Kirigakure's plan."
Mito Uzumaki briefly explained how he had pieced together the information from Tsunade's mission.
Listening to her, Liu Yun felt a little embarrassed.
The situation had been urgent, and his explanation had been rather far-fetched.
How had Mito managed to make him sound like some legendary intelligence prodigy?
"That's what happened. In short, if it hadn't been for him..."
Mito Uzumaki did not finish.
But all three people present knew exactly what the outcome would have been.
The annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan.
Akina Uzumaki came out of his daze, stood up, and gave Liu Yun a long, searching look.
Thud!
Akina Uzumaki dropped heavily to his knees, then struck his forehead against the floor with a bang, making the floorboards tremble.
His tone was utterly solemn. "Liu Yun, you saved the Uzumaki Clan. From this day forward, you will be our most honored guest!"
Liu Yun: "..."
Wait, this was so sudden. Wasn't this a bit much?
He shook his head. "Please get up. I was only guessing. Grandma Mito was the one who really saved Uzushio Village."
Akina Uzumaki had kept his forehead pressed against the floor.
At those words, he raised his head. Two streams of tears spilled down his face as he could no longer suppress his emotions. "You and Lady Mito saved Uzushio Village together. I truly... have failed Clan Head Ashina's trust..."
Several minutes passed before his sobs finally stopped.
Mito Uzumaki said softly, "Get up, Akina."
Akina Uzumaki wiped away his tears and stood.
"Liu Yun, I'm sorry you had to see that."
Liu Yun said earnestly, "I understand. Holding the Uzumaki Clan together must be very difficult, right?"
Mito Uzumaki pressed a hand to her forehead with a rueful smile.
Seeing that Akina Uzumaki was about to cry again, she hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Akina, you got one thing wrong just now. Liu Yun isn't a guest. We're family."
"Hm?"
Mito Uzumaki prompted him, "Have you forgotten what Liu Yun just called me?"
Akina Uzumaki paused, finally remembering the detail he had overlooked.
Hadn't Liu Yun called her Grandma Mito?
Mito Uzumaki said it outright. "It's Kushina."
"...Oh, so that's how it is. That's wonderful!"
Realization dawned on Akina Uzumaki.
He could not help giving Kushina a mental thumbs-up. Well done, Kushina!
Their families would be joined, bringing them even closer.
The more Akina Uzumaki looked at him, the more pleased he became. He could not resist drawing Liu Yun over to sit beside him.
"Grandma Mito, was there something you wanted me here for?" Liu Yun asked.
Mito Uzumaki thought for a moment. "Originally, I wanted to introduce you to Akina. Now, though, there's something I'd like your opinion on."
Akina Uzumaki nodded repeatedly.
Mito Uzumaki asked, "Do you think the Uzumaki Clan should join Konoha?"
Liu Yun: "..."
Wait, they were opening with a question this big?
If he remembered correctly, he was still a child.
Akina Uzumaki added, "I thought about it all night and still don't know what to do. I'm sure you would have a wiser perspective, Liu Yun."
"...I don't know anything about this."
Mito Uzumaki smiled. "That's all right. Just tell us what you think."
Since Mito had put it that way, Liu Yun began considering it.
Would joining Konoha be a good choice for the Uzumaki Clan?
He thought of Konoha's ninja clans in the original storyline: the Senju, the Uchiha, the Hyuga, the Ino-Shika-Cho...
The strongest among them were undoubtedly the Senju and the Uchiha.
The Senju had chosen to abandon their surname and willingly integrate into the village. Their bloodline had survived, but the Senju name had disappeared.
The Uchiha needed no explanation. They had been wiped out.
The Hyuga, a prestigious Konoha clan second only to the Senju and the Uchiha, had always been excluded from the heart of power.
The Ino-Shika-Cho had chosen to align themselves with the Hokage's faction, becoming something close to its inner circle.
If a major ninja clan like the Uzumaki, whose size rivaled the Hyuga's, joined the village, it would undoubtedly cause a massive shift in the existing balance.
While Mito Uzumaki was around, perhaps everything would be fine.
But if Mito Uzumaki were gone...
Before you continue