Tsunade leaned forward across the gambling table, her amber eyes narrowing as the chatter of dice and wagers filled the casino hall. Her breath smelled faintly of sake, and her hand tightened around the empty cup. "Who are you?"
Raven tilted her head slightly, her white hair sliding over her shoulder. She did not answer at once. Instead, she turned toward Yumi, who had hopped gracefully onto the edge of the table beside the dice tray. The small fox's tails swished in quiet arcs, her golden eyes steady.
"Do you think I should tell her?" Raven asked softly, her voice pitched low enough that only Yumi and Tsunade could hear.
Yumi flicked her ears, then nodded once, her gaze sharp. "I think you should. After all, she helped raise you."
Raven looked back at Tsunade, her expression calm, her tone measured. "It's me, Kushina. Kushina Uzumaki."
For several seconds Tsunade only stared, the weight of her gaze heavy and unyielding. Then her brow furrowed, suspicion cutting through her haze of drink. "No… you're not. You're a shadow clone."
Raven let out a soft, almost musical whistle. "You can actually tell? Even after all these years, you still haven't lost your edge, have you, Tsunade?"
The Sannin's eyes sharpened, her shoulders tightening as though ready for a fight. "Show me proof," she demanded.
Raven pressed her fingertips against the wooden surface of the gambling table. At once, crimson sealing formulas spiraled outward in delicate, intricate Uzumaki patterns. The lines spread across the wood like veins of light, glowing faintly as they locked into place. Around them, the sounds of shouting gamblers dulled and then vanished, muffled entirely by the containment barrier that thrummed to life.
Tsunade stiffened, the recognition immediate. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Those are… Uzumaki clan seals. Only Kushina could use them."
Raven's voice did not waver. "It really is me, Tsunade. Kushina Uzumaki. I was killed a year and a half ago during the Nine-Tails attack, but I was brought back by a powerful entity who calls himself the Outsider. I never expected to meet you this soon, but I'm alive."
Tsunade leaned closer across the table, scanning Raven's face with the trained eyes of a medic-nin searching for flaws, for trickery, for anything out of place. Her voice dropped, tight with disbelief. "Kushina?"
Raven nodded once, the glow of her Rinnegan shimmering faintly in the lantern light above them. "Yes. That's right. But now I go by the name Raven Kamizaki."
Tsunade's frown deepened. "Why would you change your name?"
Raven allowed a faint smile to touch her lips. "I can hardly go around calling myself Kushina Uzumaki when my new body is only a year and a half old."
Tsunade drew in a sharp breath, shaking her head as though to clear it. "Are you saying your physical body is really just a child's? How were you brought back like that?"
Raven's tone softened. "The Outsider rebirthed me into a new vessel. Not my original body, but this one. I've been adopted by a pizza-loving couple in Konoha—they run a shop called the Krusty Kunai. While my body grows, I train through shadow clones, harvesting natural chakra and refining my strength."
Tsunade scowled, slamming the empty cup down on the table so hard the wood creaked. "Using shadow clones for training like that will warp your mental faculties. You'll damage yourself if you keep at it."
Raven lifted one hand in a dismissive wave. "Don't worry. I have certain gifts that let me bypass the drawbacks. The usual strain doesn't apply to me."
Tsunade exhaled through her nose, clearly unconvinced. "Hmph. Fine. But answer me this—what really happened that night? A Nine-Tails attack doesn't explain everything. There must have been more to it."
Raven's eyes swept briefly over the barrier she had placed, her voice lowering with intent. "This isn't the place to speak of such things. Not here, not with ears pressed to every wall and spies lurking in every shadow. Why don't we continue somewhere more private?"
Tsunade held her gaze, searching her face again, and then gave a single curt nod. "Fine. Lead the way."
Raven stood, Yumi hopping down from the table to pad silently at her side. Together they moved toward the corridor leading off the main hall. Tsunade followed with her sake bottle gripped in one hand, her movements steady now, her mind sharpened by suspicion.
They passed through a side door, leaving behind the din of the casino. The corridor was narrow, lined with paper walls and flickering lanterns that threw long shadows across the floor. A door at the end stood open just enough to reveal a private chamber.
Raven pushed it open and stepped inside, Yumi close behind. Tsunade entered last, her eyes never leaving Raven as the door closed heavily behind them, shutting out the noise of the crowd.
The air was quieter here, heavy with anticipation. Tsunade lowered her sake bottle to the table with a thud and leaned forward, her amber eyes blazing. "Now tell me the truth. If you really are Kushina, then prove it."
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