Kyuushin naturally didn't know about the conversation between Mito and Tsunade. Even if he did, he would only give Tsunade a thumbs-up for her simple, direct thinking. When he had said those words about his dream, he really hadn't given it much thought. For an adult who has been tempered by society, dreams are undoubtedly a luxury. In his heart, having time to talk about dreams was less valuable than doing a few push-ups.
Unconsciously, more than a month had passed since their arrival in Konoha. Life hadn't changed much; every day consisted of school and routine training. The only difference was that Nawaki now joined their morning and evening practice sessions. Occasionally, on holidays, Minato would also join them. Since their last joint training, Minato had become part of their small group. They often exchanged training insights, and their relationship grew increasingly harmonious. Only Kushina still didn't seem to care for him, but she had at least stopped calling him "sissy" to his face, which could be considered progress.
The early selection for this year's Ninja Academy graduates began, but it didn't affect their class, and Kyuushin paid it no mind.
Until one day, a sudden piece of news shattered the peaceful atmosphere of Konoha.
The Land of Whirlpools had been annihilated.
At first, people dismissed it as a joke, but then more and more reports confirmed the tragedy. The Land of Whirlpools, home to Uzushiogakure, had been ambushed at night by the combined forces of the other Four Great Nations. Caught completely off guard, countless people were killed and injured. In a final, desperate act, many Uzumaki clan members used forbidden jutsu to take their enemies with them, but it was still a futile effort against overwhelming numbers. At the last moment, Konoha ninja arrived and, together with the remaining Uzumaki clan members, repelled the enemy. By then, not many people were left in Uzushiogakure.
When the news reached Konoha, the village was in an uproar. Twenty years after the First Great Ninja War, the clouds of conflict once again loomed over Konoha. The Land of Whirlpools was a staunch ally of Konoha and had made great contributions to its establishment. To commemorate this relationship, the First Hokage had even printed the symbol of the Land of Whirlpools on the Konoha ninja uniforms. The fact that such a country was cowardly ambushed by other nations united the entire village against a common enemy. Countless villagers poured into the streets, demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators.
At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was at the Senju Ancestral Home, apologizing to Mito with a look of shame on his face.
Uzumaki Mito's expression was grim, but she remained composed. The Third Hokage lowered his head and said with deep remorse, "Lady Mito, it was my ineffective arrangements that caused the Uzumaki Clan to suffer such a great calamity."
Mito shook her head. "You have already done very well. The Uzumaki Clan was targeted. If not for Konoha's rescue, the situation could only have been worse. Tell me the details of what happened."
"Yes." The Third Hokage organized his thoughts slightly before speaking. "Although it was a joint effort by four nations, Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning was the leader, and there was no unified command. Their target was the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu. According to the prisoners we captured, they originally didn't plan to launch the surprise attack so quickly, but they detected the movement of Konoha's ninja and, fearing reinforcements, hastily launched the attack."
"They attacked with elite squads, composed almost entirely of Jonin. Although their numbers were not large, they caused immense damage."
Mito nodded. "It seems your previous arrangements still played a role. If you had allowed them to gather their full forces, the outcome would have been far worse. Tell me about the losses."
"The Land of Whirlpools suffered immense losses. Among the Uzumaki Clan, including the Clan Head, five of the six elders died in battle; only the Third Elder survived. Almost all middle-aged and young ninja perished, with only a portion escaping in time with their children. About thirty percent of the children survived. As for the Uzumaki Clan's treasures, the enemy did not have time to plunder them, so only a portion was lost."
Mito's face grew even paler. After barely calming herself, she said, "Given Uzushiogakure's current situation, it is no longer suitable to exist as an independent village. Have the Konoha ninja bring the survivors to merge with Konoha. Although the Uzumaki Clan's combat power has been completely wiped out, at least some of our bloodline remains. Let them live and multiply in Konoha from now on."
"Yes. The surviving Uzumaki Elder also agrees. Konoha will send enough troops to protect them, and I will personally welcome them," the Third Hokage nodded in agreement.
Mito sighed again. "When Konoha was first established, Hashirama invited the Uzumaki Clan to join, but they refused. Who would have thought that after decades of twists and turns, they would be reunited in this way."
"Hiruzen, the Uzumaki Clan, living far from conflict and carefree, long ago lost the ferocity of the Warring States period. Konoha must also remember this lesson, to not die in comfort."
"Yes, I will always remember your teachings, Lady Mito!"
Mito nodded, instructed the Third Hokage to quickly provide her with a list of survivors, and then dismissed him. Afterwards, she took a deep breath, suppressing the grief in her heart, and prepared to go to the backyard to see the two children.
Kyuushin and Kushina had not gone to school since the day they received the confirmed news, staying instead in the Ancestral Home. Kushina's eyes were red and swollen, filled with bloodshot veins. These past few days, she had been crying constantly, looking extremely haggard, as if she had lost her soul. Kyuushin, sitting beside her, also had slightly red eyes. Although his soul came from another world, the memories in his mind were real and undeniable. The grief of losing his clansmen spread continuously through his heart.
Mito brought carefully prepared food and entered the room. She silently set out the dishes, and seeing the two unresponsive children, she comforted them. "I just received news that there are still survivors of the Uzumaki Clan. Your relatives might be among them. Kyuushin, your grandfather is still alive."
Kushina looked up, her voice hoarse. "Is that true?"
Mito nodded. "The situation is still very chaotic right now. Konoha is doing its best to rescue them, and a final list isn't available yet. Your relatives held high positions within the clan, so their chances of survival are very high."
Kyuushin nodded but felt a little confused. He remembered that there shouldn't have been many survivors of the Uzumaki Clan. Was Mito lying to them?
The next moment, Mito gave him the answer. "Thanks to the message Kyuushin brought me earlier, Konoha was prepared, which prevented the complete annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan."
Message? What message?
Kyuushin was puzzled. He carefully thought about everything he had said since coming to Konoha. A moment later, he looked up. "Was it the message my grandfather asked me to bring?"
Mito nodded and then told them the whole story, finally comforting them. "In short, this is already the best possible outcome. When your clansmen arrive in Konoha, they will need you, so you must take good care of yourselves, understand?"
Kyuushin hadn't expected that a simple sentence from him would cause such a huge butterfly effect. But even if he had another chance, he would probably still have said it. Uchiha Madara wouldn't abandon his plan just because the Uzumaki Clan hadn't been annihilated, and the Otsutsuki in the universe wouldn't stop coming to the Ninja World because of it. If there was no Nagato, there might be a Shortgate or a Widegate. The main storyline of this world was set. Naturally, he would act in a way that benefited him most.