Chapter 121: Karin's Mother
"That's... so cool" Kurenai said, her face a little pale. She had never witnessed such a bloody scene before and wasn't used to it. Rin felt the same, but she had truly understood just how terrifying Tsunade's power was. A regular jōnin was completely helpless in her presence.
But do we still stick to the original plan? she thought.
"Run!" Just then, the three ninjas from Kusagakure finally came to their senses. They had been terrified to the core, and avenging Shun'en was the last thing on their minds. They turned and fled. The red-haired woman was still with them.
"Chase them!" Hoshikawa shouted. His body blurred into an afterimage as he dashed out first. His target was the middle-aged man on the left because he was running the fastest.
The sound of rushing air followed. The middle-aged man was a chūnin, and even while he was running for his life, he had not lost his sense of awareness. He turned around, drew a kunai, and blocked Hoshikawa 's Thunderfire Sword. A piercing screech echoed as sparks flew everywhere. The middle-aged man's eyes widened. A tremendous force sent him staggering backward.
He's definitely not a Genin! He didn't hesitate to let go of his kunai, kicking off the ground and launching into the air. He was about to perform a series of hand seals when the scene before him suddenly turned upside down. A look of terror appeared on his face as his body froze, and he began to fall. The pain brought him back to his senses. He had fallen into a Genjutsu, but he had no idea when. The moment the thought appeared, he plunged back into darkness.
Hoshikawa stepped forward, his Thunderfire Sword flashing as he took the man's life. He couldn't help but feel that using Genjutsu against regular shinobi was just too easy.
Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu! Kurenai quickly closed in on the other young chūnin. She stopped when she was within attack range, performed a series of hand seals, and sent a water dragon hurtling toward him.
A sense of danger rushed over the young chūnin. He was forced to stop, slamming his hands on the ground as an earth wall rose up. The water dragon crashed into the wall, splashing water and kicking up dirt, but the earth wall managed to hold. Kurenai had expected this. After performing the jutsu, her body flickered, and she used the Body Flicker Jutsu to leap onto the wall.
"You're asking for it!" The young chūnin saw her and threw four kunai from his pouch.
Water Release: Water Blade Slash! Kurenai jumped down. The kunai in her hand was covered in flowing water, and she easily sliced all four of his kunai in half.
"Wha—" The reflection of the water-covered kunai filled the young chūnin's eyes just before his neck was sliced open. He fell backward, blood gushing from the wound. Kurenai subconsciously dodged the blood and looked away from the young chūnin. She took a deep breath, suppressing her discomfort. She had killed a ninja from Kusagakure before, but she had used a Water Release jutsu. This was her first time killing someone with her own hands using a kunai.
"How do you feel?" Hoshikawa asked, walking over to her.
"I'm fine," Kurenai said, shaking her head.
Hoshikawa didn't say anything else. He just reached out and held her hand. Kurenai's body stiffened slightly as the paleness on her face was slowly replaced with a blush.
Wait!
Rin quickly caught up to the red-haired woman. Although she was a ninja of the Uzumaki clan, she hadn't learned many jutsu and was of average strength.
"We're Konoha ninja! We're here to save you!" Rin yelled, seeing that the woman was still trying to run.
The red-haired woman froze in place, a look of disbelief on her face. "Really?" she asked.
"Yes, really!" Rin saw the teeth marks on her skin and felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. She stepped forward and extended her hands, performing the Healing Jutsu.
A light green chakra flowed from her hands. The fear in the red-haired woman's heart subsided. If they wanted to kill me, they wouldn't use medical ninjutsu on me, she thought. Am I really getting out of this hellish place? When the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, she was lucky to escape. But her luck ran out shortly after when she was captured by ninjas from Kusagakure. They had kept her alive, but only as a living supply—a portable blood bag. She had tried to escape, but she was too weak and was always recaptured.
"What's your name?" Tsunade asked, looking at the red-haired woman. She had been watching Hoshikawa and Kurenai fight, and she was very satisfied with how quickly and cleanly they had finished them off.
"Miho Uzumaki." The red-haired woman's body trembled as she replied. The scene of Tsunade killing Shun'en with one punch was still fresh in her mind.
"It really is the Uzumaki clan," Tsunade said. She reached out and patted the woman's head. "Do you know Kushina Uzumaki?"
"I've heard her name before," Miho Uzumaki's eyes lit up. "She was chosen by the clan and sent to Konoha."
"I'll take you to see her," Tsunade said with a smile. "From now on, you're a Konoha ninja."
Miho Uzumaki froze, her eyes welling up with tears. She could no longer hold back and rushed forward, hugging Tsunade and weeping.
Hoshikawa sighed. In his previous life, he always thought the mother and daughter were so miserable. Being able to save them was a dream come true.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Hoshikawa . Will Karin still exist? Karin was around the same age as Sasuke Uchiha, so she hadn't been born yet. Although he didn't know who her father was, he was definitely a ninja from Kusagakure. Now that Miho Uzumaki was joining Konoha, even if she did get married and have a daughter, it wouldn't be the same Karin from the original story. It was a little regrettable, but it was for the best. He couldn't just stand by and watch Miho Uzumaki be abused until she died.
"Hoshikawa ," Tsunade said, gently stroking Miho Uzumaki's back. "Go and destroy the evidence." Although Konoha wasn't afraid of Kusagakure, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflict. As a major ninja village, they had their reputation to uphold.
"Yes," Hoshikawa nodded slightly. He let go of Kurenai's hand and walked toward the bodies of the ninjas from Kusagakure. He piled the three bodies together, found some dry branches and leaves, and set them on fire.
By the time the bodies had burned to ash, Miho Uzumaki's emotions had recovered, or more accurately, she was now filled with the excitement of a new beginning. The five of them made their way back to Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi studied Miho Uzumaki. He never expected a C-rank mission to end with them rescuing a ninja of the Uzumaki clan. In a way, it was quite bizarre. He had always believed that besides Kushina Uzumaki, there were no other Uzumaki survivors.
"Tsunade, what do you think we should do with her?" Hiruzen thought for a moment before asking.
"Let her live with Kushina," Tsunade said, having already made up her mind.
"We'll do as you say," Hiruzen said, nodding slightly. Kushina had been locked inside a barrier, and she had always wanted a friend she could play with. Although Minato Namikaze and Tsunade visited her often, they couldn't be with her every day. Of course, Hiruzen had a more profound reason. The Uzumaki clan was very suitable for becoming jinchūriki. Keeping Miho Uzumaki in the village would be a contingency, just in case.
"Did you leave any traces?" Hiruzen picked up his pipe, but Tsunade glared at him, forcing him to put it back down.
"Of course not," Tsunade said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't need you to teach me how to handle something so simple."
"Let's talk about the mission reward," Hiruzen said, clearing his throat. "One B-rank and one A-rank. How does that sound?"
"Fine," Tsunade said, extending her hand. "Give me the money."
"Haru," Hiruzen called out. "Go get 1.1 million ryō."
A moment later, Haru walked in. Tsunade took the passbook from her, looked at it, and said, "We're leaving, old man." The mission was over, and there was no need to stay. Besides, she still had to take Miho Uzumaki to see Kushina Uzumaki.
"Alright," Hiruzen said. After they left, he instructed, "Haru, have the ANBU keep an eye on Kusagakure's movements."
After they left the Hokage's office, Tsunade casually handed the passbook to Hoshikawa . She was in need of money, but she wouldn't embezzle her students' mission rewards. If it were Hoshikawa , it would be a different story since they were so close, but she couldn't do the same for Rin and Kurenai. As a jōnin of Konoha, Tsunade still had some dignity.
"You've been traveling for a week and must be tired. You'll get two days off," Tsunade said after thinking it over.
"Yes, Sensei," Kurenai and Rin nodded eagerly. They had been either fighting or on the road for the past week and were indeed exhausted.
"You two can head back," Tsunade said, pausing. "Hoshikawa , you're staying with me."
Kurenai and Rin looked at each other, but they didn't ask any questions and left.
"We're going to see Kushina," Tsunade said, looking at Miho Uzumaki, who seemed a little nervous, a feeling of shyness before meeting a new family.
"Don't worry," Tsunade said, holding her hand. "Kushina will be happy to see you."
"Okay!" Miho Uzumaki nodded with all her might.
"Let's go," Tsunade said, pulling her along. Hoshikawa followed close behind. They soon arrived at Kushina Uzumaki's house.
"Tsunade-sama! Hoshikawa !"
They heard her voice before they saw her. A gust of wind blew past, and Kushina Uzumaki appeared before them. The Uzumaki clan had an amazing sensory ability. As long as she wasn't communicating with the Nine-Tails in the sealing space, she would be able to sense Tsunade and Hoshikawa ahead of time.
Kushina Uzumaki suddenly gasped. Her eyes were drawn to Miho Uzumaki. Red hair and terrifying chakra... Could she be a member of her clan?
"Her name is Miho Uzumaki," Tsunade said, introducing her.
"Wow!" Kushina Uzumaki's face immediately lit up with excitement. She quickly pulled her forward and looked her up and down. That's when she noticed the bite marks on Miho Uzumaki's skin, and her face darkened.
"What happened?!" Kushina Uzumaki went into a furious rage. An immense amount of chakra surged from her, making her clothes and hair flutter in the wind. Hoshikawa subconsciously took a step back, feeling a sense of suffocation. Her chakra reserves were so immense that it made him drool in envy.
"Kushina!" Tsunade said, trying to stop her.
"I... I'm okay!" Miho Uzumaki said, suppressing her emotions. In Kusagakure, no one cared if she lived or died. But in Konoha, she finally understood what it meant to feel warmth, especially from Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki.
"Who did this?" Kushina Uzumaki took a deep breath, reining in her chakra, and asked. Miho Uzumaki parted her lips, unsure of how to answer.
"It was Kusagakure," Tsunade said, seeing the situation. She briefly explained what had happened. Although Miho Uzumaki hadn't said anything, it was easy to piece together what she had gone through.
"Those bastards!" Kushina Uzumaki clenched her fists, a look of pure rage on her face. "Let's go and wipe them out!"
"Calm down," Tsunade said, a headache forming. Kushina Uzumaki's personality was just as explosive as hers, if not more. In the original story, she had earned the nickname "Red-Hot Habanero" because when she transferred to the Konoha Academy, she beat up every single one of her classmates who had tried to prank her.
"Now's not the best time to do anything. I think we should wait until the war starts and then take care of them quietly," Hoshikawa said, winking.
The three of them immediately turned to him, a look of surprise on their faces.
"Am I wrong?" Hoshikawa asked, clearing his throat.
"That's a great idea!" Kushina Uzumaki immediately agreed. "Then we'll let them off the hook for now!"
"You're a brat that's..." Tsunade said, a thought of Tobirama Senju coming to mind. Hoshikawa was a lot like him. Unlike Hashirama, Tobirama would use both righteous and underhanded methods. Take the Reanimation Jutsu, for example. It would have been impossible to create such a jutsu without human experimentation. In the original series, Tobirama used the Reanimation Jutsu multiple times. The Second Tsuchikage, Chiyo, and the Gold and Silver Brothers all saw him use it. The jutsu required a living person as a vessel. How should she put it? While Tsunade would never use such methods, as Hokage, you couldn't always be so noble.
This kid would be a good Hokage.
"Come on, let's go inside," Kushina Uzumaki said, pulling Miho Uzumaki. "Let Tsunade-sama give you a full check-up."
"Thank you," Miho Uzumaki's eyes welled up with tears again.
"What's there to thank me for?" Kushina Uzumaki said with a serious expression. "I'll beat up anyone who bullies you!" With her personality, she would certainly make good on her promise.
Hoshikawa suddenly thought of Naruto. If Kushina Uzumaki had been alive, he wouldn't have had to endure so much prejudice. He even thought she would have probably beaten up Hiruzen Sarutobi at some point.
Once they were in the living room, Tsunade placed her hand on Miho Uzumaki's forehead. Her chakra flowed into her body, making a complete circuit.
"It's just as I thought. She's fine, just lost a lot of chakra," Tsunade said, seeing the look of worry on Kushina Uzumaki's face. "She'll be back to normal after resting for a while."
"That's great!" Kushina Uzumaki's face broke into a happy smile.
"I'll prescribe some medicine for you to give the old man to buy," Tsunade said after thinking it over. She knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's motives for adopting Miho Uzumaki were not entirely pure. Since that was the case, she would make him pay for it. Tsunade took out a pen and paper and wrote down a long list of expensive medicinal herbs. But she wasn't just trying to scam Hiruzen. It was natural for medicine that restored chakra and vitality to be very expensive.
"The old man said that Miho will be staying here with you from now on," Tsunade said, handing the prescription to her with a smile.
"I'll take good care of her!" Kushina Uzumaki nodded forcefully.
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