The Next Evening
At Uchiha Fugaku's residence.
"Another bowl!" ×2
The once neatly arranged dining table, adorned with an array of delicious dishes, was now in complete disarray.
Two children, around seven or eight years old, devoured the food in their bowls within seconds, as if locked in an intense competition. In perfect unison, they raised their empty bowls toward Mikoto before turning to glare at their classmate seated across from them.
Zzt!
As their eyes met, an invisible clash of lightning-like sparks erupted between them, neither willing to back down.
Bang! ×2
The tense atmosphere naturally caught the hostess's attention, and before long, the two little troublemakers faced their punishment.
"Ouch! That hurts!" ×2
"You two, cut it out!"
"Don't eat so much that you upset your stomach!"
After delivering a light smack to Naruto's and Sasuke's heads, Mikoto fixed them with a stern yet gentle gaze. The two children clutched their heads, eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Suppressing her frustration, forcing a smile, squinting slightly, and speaking in a calm yet firm tone:
"Overeating is bad for your health!"
Faced with the angry expressions of both her son and Naruto, Mikoto couldn't help but glance at her eldest son beside her.
Recalling how well-behaved Itachi had been as a child, she found it difficult to suppress her frustration when comparing him to these two mischievous troublemakers.
"Sasuke, Naruto—your mother and Kushina are close friends. The two of you should get along and support each other… Do you understand?"
Kushina had left the village early that morning on a mission assigned by Toshiro, entrusting Naruto to Mikoto's care.
Thus, after school, Sasuke and Naruto gathered at Fugaku's house to have dinner together.
However, for reasons unknown, the two boys completely disregarded Mikoto's presence and instead turned dinner into a competitive eating contest.
Despite being visibly exhausted, neither was willing to admit defeat, the stubborn determination in their eyes unwavering.
"Hmph! Who wants to be friends with him?" ×2
Upon hearing Mikoto's advice, both Sasuke and Naruto scoffed in unison, turning their heads away, entirely unfazed by the lingering sting from their earlier punishment.
"Hmm~"
Seeing their defiant attitudes, Mikoto's expression froze momentarily. Then, her smile widened, her voice suddenly taking on an unsettling gentleness.
"What… did you two just say?"
"Uh… She's going to kill us!" ×2
Feeling the sudden drop in temperature around them, Sasuke and Naruto instinctively shrank their necks, turning their heads stiffly.
"A-Aunt Mikoto, don't worry! Sasuke and I are the best of friends!"
Naruto, ever the cheerful one, forced a bright yet awkward smile and threw a quick wink in Sasuke's direction.
"Right… Sasuke?"
"Hmph!"
Sasuke snorted in disdain, prepared to protest.
'Me? Get along with him? Not a chance!'
"Sasuke, is that true?"
Hearing her son's reaction, Mikoto arched an eyebrow and turned her gaze toward him.
Her eyes shimmered with anticipation, her devil's aura practically radiating off her face. The sheer intensity of her expression left Sasuke momentarily dazed.
"…Y-Yeah… that's right."
Sasuke swallowed hard. Was it just his imagination, or did he sense impending doom if his answer didn't satisfy his mother? Reluctantly, he nodded, confirming Naruto's words.
"That's more like it!"
Satisfied with his response, Mikoto's smile faded as she waved them off.
"Alright, Itachi, you're done eating too—take these two with you and help them burn off that meal."
As she watched the three children leave, Mikoto's once-spirited expression dimmed, a hint of weariness settling over her.
"Dear… Do you think these two boys are just naturally incompatible"?
Despite her close friendship with Kushina, their children seemed constantly at odds. It was a mystery Mikoto couldn't quite wrap her head around.
"It's fine. This is normal."
Unfazed by her concerns, Fugaku picked up his cup of hot tea and took a leisurely sip.
"Don't overthink it. Boys roughhouse and compete—it's their way of bonding. Their relationship isn't as bad as it looks."
Even as Fugaku reassured her, Mikoto remained unconvinced.
—
Meanwhile, after accepting her mission from Toshiro, Kushina wasted no time. The moment she left Konoha, she infused chakra into her body and raced toward her destination at full speed.
After a long, dust-covered journey, she finally arrived.
"So… this is the place?"
Kushina gazed ahead at the small village, which was barely a fraction of Konoha's size. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her chakra.
Kagura Mind's Eye: Activate.
Rather than charging in blindly, she stopped at the village outskirts, closed her eyes, and extended her sensory abilities, scanning the area with precision.
"Found it..."
Through her heightened perception, Kushina could clearly detect every chakra signature within the village—an area barely one-fifth the size of Konoha.
The moment she sensed a chakra presence similar to her own, her eyes snapped open, a faint mist clouding her almond-shaped gaze.
"Stay calm. Take things one step at a time."
Steadying herself, she took a deep breath before striding toward the village's main gate.
"Who goes there?"
Naturally, her bold approach didn't go unnoticed. The village guards reacted immediately—two ninjas brandished their kunai, their expressions tense with caution.
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina, a shinobi from Konoha. I have urgent business with your village's leader."
As she spoke, Kushina extended an official document confirming her identity.
"This is a letter from the Hokage, addressed to your leader. I must deliver it to him personally."
"…Wait here!"
Examining both the credentials and the familiar green flak vest she wore, the guards hesitated for only a moment before one of them nodded curtly. Without further delay, he turned and disappeared into the village to relay the message.
Before long, a middle-aged man arrived, personally welcoming Kushina inside.
'
I wonder why Lord Hokage has chosen to send a Jonin of the Uzumaki clan to our Kusagakure?'
Rubbing his hands together anxiously, the leader of Kusagakure—a man of medium build with a perpetually weary expression—studied Kushina with wary eyes.
He couldn't help it. The red-haired woman before him exuded an overwhelming presence.
As the leader of Kusagakure, he possessed the strength of an elite Jonin, yet in front of this unexpected visitor, who carried a message directly from the Hokage, he found himself hesitant to speak.
He wasn't a fool. Leading Kusagakure and ensuring its survival between powerful nations required a keen understanding of reality.
And the reality was clear—the sheer intensity of Kushina's chakra aura made it difficult for him to breathe.
Coupled with her identity as a Konoha shinobi, how could he afford to show even a hint of disrespect?
"This is a personal letter from the Hokage-sama." Kushina said, extending the sealed document. "It details the reason for my visit to Kusagakure. Please, read it carefully."
Though he was the leader of Kusagakure, he did not hold the title of Kage. If not for the fact that he represented the Land of Grass, Kushina wouldn't have wasted time speaking with him at all.
Ever since she learned that one of her fellow Uzumaki clansmen had been taken in by Kusagakure—only to be exploited as a living blood bag for healing their wounded—her fury had been simmering just beneath the surface.
After releasing a brief surge of chakra to intimidate her counterpart, Kushina wasted no time and handed over the letter Tushiro had entrusted to her.
"This..."
The Kusagakure leader accepted the letter, carefully reading through its contents. As his eyes scanned the message, his expression darkened slightly.
Still, his face remained composed as he spoke.
"Lord Hokage must be mistaken. Kusagakure has no such person as the one mentioned in this letter."
The Hokage's message was courteous, expressing gratitude toward Kusagakure for providing aid to survivors from the Land of Whirlpools.
However, Kushina wasn't fooled. She could sense the shift in his demeanor the moment he read the letter.
However, since Kusagakure was still considered an ally of Konoha—and even housed an ancestral hall dedicated to the Uzumaki clan—there was hope that they would agree to the request and release the captive.
But the woman mentioned in the letter possessed abilities far too valuable. Simply handing her over to Konoha without compensation was not something the Kusagakure leader was willing to do.
"Are you... refusing to let them go?"
Kushina's almond-shaped eyes narrowed, her patience wearing thin the moment she heard his denial.
If the leader of Kusagakure thought he could simply brush her off, he was sorely mistaken. He needed to understand exactly who he was dealing with.
Even without laying a hand on him, her presence alone was enough to make her point clear. The surrounding furniture—tables, chairs, and benches—began to groan under the weight of her chakra, creaking ominously as the pressure in the room intensified.
"Hokage-sama should have mentioned in his letter that, as compensation for your village, Konoha is offering a team of your medical-nin the opportunity to train and refine their skills at Konoha Hospital. This would allow them to gain invaluable experience and further their studies."
The blue chakra surrounding Kushina flared brighter, streaked with an ominous hint of red. Though her voice remained calm, the look in her eyes grew increasingly dangerous as she fixed her gaze on the Kusagakure leader.
"I am also a survivor of the Land of Whirlpools. Their presence is unmistakable to me. The moment I set foot in this village, I felt them. So if you continue to deny it..."
She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to.
As her chakra surged, an oppressive force filled the room, pressing down like an unseen weight. The very air inside the Kusagakure hall grew thick with tension, suffocating and unrelenting.
"I... I understand!"
The Kusagakure leader swallowed hard, struggling to steady his breath. When Kushina had first released a fraction of her chakra, it had been overwhelming enough.
Now, as her anger flared, he found it almost impossible to breathe. Even forming a coherent sentence became a challenge.
"I-I'll send someone to bring them here immediately!"
His eyes flickered between fear and disbelief as he stared at the swirling energy around Kushina. The sheer, tangible pressure of her chakra defied reason.
How could one person possess such overwhelming power?
Was this woman even human?
"No need!" Kushina snapped. "I'll find them myself."
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