Chapter 42: Returning to the Village and the Red-Haired Loli
The summit of the two Kage ended in a tense compromise. As Dana had predicted, Konoha accepted the compensation method. They not only added new items to the list themselves but also actively tried to prove the value of what they were offering. The point values of some items were negotiated and changed, but the Cloud, following Dana's strategy, carefully and quietly pushed for the things they wanted most, without arousing Konoha's suspicion.
Although the summit was over, the process of paying the reparations would be a long one. Dana estimated it would take at least six months. But with the hostages in their hands, the Cloud was in no hurry. It was just a few more mouths to feed.
The one in a hurry was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Danzo was a high-ranking elder, and Sakumo and Tsunade were rising stars. The longer they were imprisoned, the more their skills would stagnate, or even regress. It was a loss for Konoha's future.
Both villages assigned representatives to handle the follow-up. On Konoha's side, it would likely be one of the advisors. On the Cloud's side, it was Dana, pulling the strings from behind the scenes, though on the surface, Dodai was the one handling everything.
A few days later, after both sides had agreed on the first phase of reparations and the point valuations, the Thunder-Fire Summit officially concluded. Konoha would pay the first 500 points as quickly as possible to get some of their people back. Even if the most important hostages remained, securing the release of the ordinary ninja would ease the internal pressure in the village and show that the Hokage, with his brilliant leadership, was making steady progress.
Dana was finally on his way back to the village, leaving before his father. Arashi stayed behind with the Raikage. At Dana's request, however, their return journey took a slight detour through the Land of Frost, home to a major iron and coal producing region, which was crucial for the future of the "blacksmith's shop" project. When the first batch of trainees graduated, this would be the site of an important "branch office."
Because of this, and Dana's incessant questioning and curiosity about everything, the return trip took nearly half a month. By the time they finally arrived back at the Hidden Cloud Village, the excitement of leaving for the first time felt like a distant memory. He never would have imagined that a two-month trip could be so eventful.
The first thing he did upon returning was to visit his mother, Satomi. After not seeing her youngest son for so long, the worried mother burst into tears. When she had first heard that Dana had been kidnapped, she had been frantic.
After dinner with his mother, Dana returned to his small library for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Ume knelt by his side, meticulously preparing tea. Dana began to organize his notes from his journey, writing in a combination of Chinese characters and Pinyin. He was confident that this time, his notes would not be deciphered. If they were, it would be utterly absurd.
This incident had started to push the world off its original course. Or rather, the deviations had always been there, growing larger and larger, but Dana, cooped up in the village, had never noticed. At the very least, in the original story, Danzo, Tsunade, and Sakumo had never been captured. He wondered what effect this would have on their personalities.
Danzo, in particular, was a special case. In the original story, of all the filth and depravity in the ninja world, Danzo and Black Zetsu probably accounted for eighty percent of it. With a character of that caliber now in the Cloud's hands, Dana couldn't help but think about how he could use him to manipulate Konoha.
He had noticed that the Root curse mark was absent on Danzo's subordinates. He guessed that Danzo had not yet established the Foundation, or at least, not to the extent it would later become. For now, he was likely just an advisor, like Homura and Koharu. There was a lot of room to maneuver there.
The next morning, Dana went to the orphanage. The reforms had been in place for a while now, and he was eager to see the changes.
Sure enough, as he approached, he saw Keiko Morita seeing off a man and a small child at the gate. She was pleasantly surprised to see him.
"Young Master Dana, you're back!" she exclaimed. "How was your trip?" As a low-ranking Genin, detached from the main ninja corps, she hadn't heard about the recent conflict.
Dana just shrugged. "A complete mess. A lot of trouble. But it all worked out in the end."
Keiko covered her mouth and smiled. "That's good to hear. The children have missed you very much."
Dana looked at the departing pair. "Is that a ninja who took the 'babysitting' mission?" "Babysitting" was Dana's own nickname for it; it certainly wasn't called that on the official mission board.
Keiko nodded. "That's Mr. Kuroki. He's been coming almost every day. It seems he was a teammate of Amemaru's father."
Dana nodded. This was what he had hoped for. The bonds. There would be more people like Kuroki. They would become a window for the orphans to open their hearts, and the children, in turn, would become a source of warmth in their lives.
"I'm back!" he shouted, a hint of genuine childlike excitement in his voice as he entered the courtyard. He was immediately swarmed by a group of cheering children.
In the distance, Ume and Keiko exchanged a smile.
After playing with the children all morning, Dana sat down to talk with Keiko.
"Are many people taking the 'babysitting' missions now?"
"At first, it was only one every few days. But lately, it's been every day. Sometimes two or three."
"That's good. We need to promote it a bit more. Once the numbers increase, we can move on to the next phase of the plan."
An orphanage, after all, was just a social institution. Once the children had accepted and identified with the Hidden Cloud, the best place for them was a real home. Only then could they have a complete childhood and a complete future. And it would free up space in the orphanage for more children.
Thinking about the practices of other orphanages in the ninja world, the one Dana had created was a paradise. He had already decided that the Yotsuki clan, with its vast resources and many ninja who had lost children of their own, would lead by example and be the first to adopt, encouraging the rest of the village to follow suit.
The return to his daily routine filled Dana with a renewed sense of energy. That afternoon, he went to look for Uzumaki Hiroto. Not knowing his address, he went straight to the Ninja Academy. Sure enough, he spotted a flash of red hair in the crowd of departing students.
"Dana! What are you doing here? I thought you were out of the village!" Hiroto had gone to the Yotsuki compound a few times, but had always been told that Dana was away.
Dana chatted with him as they walked, telling him about his travels, but he omitted the part about Konoha. That was a burden Hiroto didn't need to carry.
They walked to Hiroto's house. After their arrival, the Cloud had made good on all their promises. They had provided the family with a place to live and a job for Hiroto's father, allowing them to support themselves. Though they were still finding their feet, it was a world away from their previous life as refugees in the Land of Grass. The village even paid for Hiroto's Academy tuition. The family was deeply grateful. For the first time since the destruction of their homeland, they had a home.
"Mom! Kayo! I'm home! And I brought a friend!"
Dana saw a gentle-faced woman with red hair, and a little red-haired loli. The little girl peeked out shyly from behind her mother's legs.
"This is my little sister, Uzumaki Kayo," Hiroto introduced.
"Hello, big brother! Hello, big brother?" the little girl chirped, her limited vocabulary apparently not equipped to distinguish between two different kinds of "big brother."
"You can just call me onii-chan," Dana said, stepping forward with a smile.
Uzumaki Hiroto: "..."
He had a feeling he had just made a terrible mistake.