As the Fourth Hokage, with a wife from the Uzumaki clan, one would expect Minato Namikaze's home to be grand. Yet the Namikaze household was modest, more like a small apartment for a family of three. Compared to his title as Hokage, it felt rather humble.
At that moment, Kushina was busy in the kitchen cooking, while Minato had returned to the Hokage's office to handle some matters. In the living room, little Naruto was curiously staring at a red-haired girl.
"Why is your hair the same color as my mom's?"
Karin clutched her mother's hand, glanced at Naruto, and answered, "Because my mom's hair is red, so mine is red too. Yours is yellow, so… are you sure your mom gave birth to you?"
"?!"
Naruto froze, looked toward the kitchen, then tugged at his own hair. A moment later,
"Waaah!"
Crying, Naruto burst into the kitchen, hugging Kushina's leg. "Mom! She said you didn't give birth to me! Where did I come from?!"
Busy with the food, Kushina looked down at her tearful son and chuckled. Offhandedly, she said, "One day, your dad and I went to buy ninja tools. The shopkeeper was running a promotion: spend ten thousand ryō and get a child for free…"
Naruto didn't hear the rest. The words get a child for free echoed in his head.
So… he was a promotional giveaway?!
Feeling even more wronged, his tears flowed even harder.
Uzumaki Ran shot her daughter a glare, then turned to the crying Naruto. "She was only teasing you. Of course, you were born to your mom."
Naruto blinked his tearful eyes and asked, "Then why isn't my hair the same color as hers?"
Ran smiled. "Because you share your father's hair color! Both of you are blond. Didn't you notice? Your mom was just joking."
Just then, Kushina brought out the last dish, smiling. "It's late today, so tomorrow I'll treat you all to barbecue."
She picked Naruto up and set him on a chair. "From now on, you'll call Karin your sister. Starting today, you're good friends."
But Naruto ignored that, tugging at Kushina again. "Mom, did you really give birth to me?"
Kushina flicked his forehead. "Of course. I was just joking."
Hearing this, Naruto finally felt a bit reassured.
After sitting down, Kushina looked at the uneasy mother and daughter across the table.
"Tomorrow, Minato will arrange your official status in Konoha. Thanks to our clan's alliance, there shouldn't be any problems. I'll also see if there are any houses for sale nearby. From tomorrow, this will be your home too."
Ran studied her clanswoman. By all her senses, this woman radiated genuine goodwill.
But… could Konoha be like Kusagakure, exploiting her special body for its own ends?
Kushina, aware of Rin's ability and her concerns, exhaled and spoke firmly: "Don't worry. Konoha won't treat you the way Kusagakure did. If anyone troubles you, come straight to me. Lady Mito always cared about the Uzumaki clan until her final moments. You might be my last living kin."
Her words stirred memories of her own childhood before coming to Konoha. Looking at Karin, who was about the same age she'd been back then, Kushina held the girl's hand.
Feeling the trembling little fingers, Kushina gave a warm smile. "Here, you don't have to be afraid. You can grow up happily."
That line struck Ran deeply. She looked at her daughter with love and pain. As long as Karin could grow up safely, nothing else mattered. And this clanswoman… clearly bore true kindness.
"Thank you… Kushina."
Addressing her by name, Ran received a genuine smile in return. Karin, sensing her mother's feelings, thought for a moment and went over to Naruto, apologizing for her earlier words.
Sometimes, the environment forces children to mature early. Compared to Naruto, Karin was already showing signs of protecting her mother.
Kushina simply stroked both children's heads. "You two must get along well."
After eating a little, the kids went off to play.
Kushina then said to Ran, "Tonight you'll stay here. Tomorrow, I'll find you a new home. But Ran, do you want to live as a Konoha shinobi, or just take up civilian work?"
Ran hesitated, then revealed her arm, showing bite marks. "That Uchiha boy may not have told you, but my body is special. Anyone who bites me can recover stamina and heal injuries; it's tied to my chakra. Perhaps… the medical corps could use me."
"No!"
Before Kushina could speak, Karin rushed to shield her mother, glaring fiercely. "You… you're the same as them?!"
'The same?'
Kushina instantly understood. That memory of abuse had scarred the girl deeply.
"Sweetheart, this is my choice," Ran said gently, holding Karin. "No village will support someone useless. My greatest value is healing others."
But Kushina ruffled Karin's hair. "You misunderstood, little one. Konoha won't ask such things of you. If your mom doesn't have medical ninjutsu talent, she won't be forced into the medical corps."
Karin looked up tearfully. "Really?"
"Believe me," Kushina smiled. "Really."
Sensing the truth, Karin finally relaxed, showing a small smile.
Kushina then looked at Ran's arm with pity. "Here… no one will bite you anymore. I promise. Maybe you could join the Sealing Corps instead. How's your fūinjutsu?"
Rin shook her head. "My father died early, so I didn't learn much."
"Your sensing ability is strong," Kushina said. "From tomorrow, I'll teach you the Uzumaki sealing arts. With that, you can join the Sealing Corps, or even become a shinobi."
Rin nodded with a smile. She also realized that her clanswoman, radiating goodwill, possessed extraordinary sensory powers too, otherwise she couldn't be so sure.
The next day, at Konoha's park:
"This is Karin, my new friend! She has red hair like my mom's!" Naruto introduced proudly. Red hair was rare in the village, after all.
Shikamaru glanced over, surprised. 'Red hair, glasses, and… a girl?'
Sasuke sneered. "Didn't think you'd like playing with girls, Naruto."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Why can't I? Her mom and your mom are both my mom's friends."
"Tch. Girls aren't fun," Sasuke muttered. "Especially red-haired ones."
Karin glared at him. She had thought he looked kind of nice, but now he was just plain rude.
"I don't play with crybaby girls. When my brother comes back, I'll train with him instead."
"Who are you calling a crybaby?!"
Karin stormed up to him, eyes blazing. "Say that again if you dare!"
Sasuke gulped as she drew closer. He couldn't back down now; he had to keep his pride. But before he could reply, a bag of chips appeared between them.
"Anyone who's Naruto's friend is my friend too. Want some chips?"
Karin turned to see Chōji holding the bag. She hesitated, then took one and nibbled it.
"I don't like chips anyway," Sasuke muttered. "You eat them, Chōji."
The tension dissolved, and Naruto let out a sigh of relief. If they had fought, his mom would definitely scold him later.
"What should we play today? Hide-and-seek? Ninja games? Stealth missions?"
They agreed on "stealth," a fancier name for hide-and-seek.
Six hours later…
"Ugh!" Sasuke threw the demon mask to the ground, glaring at Karin. "Why do you always find me? I even hid in a garbage bin!"
In those six hours, Sasuke had been "it" for at least five and a half, because every time Karin got caught, she always found him first.
"I sensed you," Karin said matter-of-factly, tapping her chest proudly. "It's easy."
Defeated, Sasuke picked up the mask again.
This time, Karin pulled Naruto along to hide together.
In their dark hiding spot, Naruto whispered, "Karin, how do you always know where he's hiding? Teach me!"
"Your sensing isn't strong enough," she answered. "But don't worry, he won't catch you. If he comes, I'll let myself be caught instead. Then in thirty seconds, you'll be free again."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Amazing"
Not far away, perched in the shade of a tree, Uchiha Yun silently watched.
Karin using her sensing powers to toy with Sasuke? In his memories, that was unthinkable. Back then, Karin's loyalty had been forged by a life-saving debt during the Chūnin Exams.
But this way… maybe it was better.
With one last glance, Yun vanished in a flicker.
Meanwhile, in a dark room, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his two old comrades, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. All three wore grave expressions. A fresh intelligence report lay on the table.
"Kusa accuses Iwagakure of abducting one of their kekkei genkai shinobi and slaughtering dozens of their ninja."
Koharu frowned. "Clearly Uchiha Yun's doing. He pinned the blame on Iwa. But if those two Uzumaki women ever leave the village, Kusa will eventually uncover the truth."
Hiruzen nodded. "Kusa is small, but if Konoha clashed with them, the other great villages would act. And the Uchiha… with their current strength, we can't suppress them. Three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, that's unprecedented."
Homura pressed, unwilling to let go: "Didn't the Fourth Hokage listen to you? Those Uzumaki are time bombs waiting to explode."
Hiruzen shook his head. "Since they entered Konoha, there's no choice. Our alliance with the Uzumaki binds us, and Yun's slaughter pointed suspicion toward Iwa. Even if we opposed it, we have no leverage. All we can do now is wait and see."
Koharu then asked carefully, "Could we do what we did with Sakumo back then?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "With Yun's strength, no mission can trap him."
Homura sighed. "I never liked Danzō, but if he were alive, he'd have a plan against the Uchiha."
Koharu frowned. "Our aims differ from Danzō's. If he were alive and tried to crush the Uchiha by force, Konoha might already have been destroyed by now."
She looked at Homura sharply. "Best not to speak of him again. He ran the shadows, but his methods were too extreme."
Homura hesitated, then asked, "So we just let this continue? At this rate, after the Fourth Hokage, the Fifth could well be a Uchiha…"
Hiruzen stayed silent. In his mind surfaced Tobirama's old policies, and the image of that figure, cloaked in Susanoo, wielding the Nine-Tails, laughing wildly.
The Uchiha…
He had never intended to erase them from Konoha. But he had never imagined them rising this high either.
Just how far had Uchiha Yun climbed?
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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