[The Other Side]
After parting ways with everyone, Naruto walked toward home with low spirits.
He was still waiting for Uzumaki to return.
But for so long, Uzumaki still hadn't come back.
Soon he arrived at the doorstep.
Opening the door, he subconsciously called out, "I'm back."
["Welcome home, Naruto,"] Uzumaki's voice suddenly appeared in his mind.
Naruto was both surprised and delighted, 'Uzumaki! You're back!'
'That's great! That's great!'
Kushina had a smile on her face, 'It seems Naruto has already become very reliant on me.'
["Have you been doing well lately?"]
Naruto scratched his head, 'Without you here, I can't do a lot of things well.'
["Do it slowly, and you'll eventually get good at it, you must learn to take care of yourself."]
Naruto shook his head, 'I want Uzumaki by my side.'
Kushina was reluctant to leave Naruto, but her chakra was running low, and she still needed to conserve it.
So she hardened her heart and said, ["I came this time to say goodbye to you."]
Naruto's heart suddenly sank, and he felt deeply pained, 'Uzumaki, where are you going?'
Kushina was silent for a moment, ["Going on a long trip."]
Naruto said hopefully, 'Then when will you come back?'
Kushina didn't know if it would be appropriate to answer, but she said, ["Not sure."]
Her tone was full of attachment, ["Take good care of yourself. Don't be picky with food, eat more and grow up fast."]
["Remember to bathe on time every day, soak in the tub to warm your body, and don't stay up late, get enough sleep."]
["Remember to make friends. You don't need many, just a few truly trustworthy ones are enough."]
["Sasuke and the others can be trusted. Mm, Hinata too."]
["Study hard on your academics and ninjutsu. Wait until after you're 20 before drinking alcohol. Excessive drinking is bad for your health, remember to keep things in moderation."]
["Naruto, you'll encounter many difficult things from now on. Stay firm and true to yourself. Don't be deceived by the Third Hokage."]
Uzumaki said a lot in one breath. Naruto's chest felt stuffy, and tears unknowingly reddened his eyes, 'Uzumaki, why are you saying these things, I…'
Kushina cruelly interrupted Naruto's words, ["If I don't come within half a year, then I'm not coming back."]
["I'm leaving,"] As she spoke, Kushina's voice gradually faded.
Naruto was shocked and quickly called out, 'Uzumaki, you must come back, I'll be waiting for you.'
Uzumaki's voice didn't sound again, and tears slowly streamed down from Naruto's reddened eyes.
Next time… when will it be that they meet again?
'Kurama, do you think Uzumaki will come back?'
Naruto subconsciously asked Kurama a question in his mind.
Normally Kurama wouldn't answer this kind of question, but today he did, ["She will."]
Naruto pulled himself together a bit, 'Then why is she uncertain?'
Kurama's lazy voice sounded, ["She's just not sure how long it'll take her to come back."]
["Don't worry. Even if she dies, she won't leave you."]
Naruto quickly said anxiously, 'No way, Uzumaki won't die.'
Kurama let out a laugh full of unclear meaning and didn't speak again.
———
"Clan head."
"Clan head."
Inside the Uchiha clan grounds, wherever Rengoku walked, the clan members all saluted him.
Although Rengoku hadn't officially taken the position of clan head, everyone was already calling him that.
Rengoku nodded to each one, as long as they were combat personnel, they were all Rengoku's assets, so he knew all their names.
This also made the clan members respect Rengoku a lot.
Rengoku first sent Sasuke and Karin home and instructed Karin, "Come to my house after dinner. I'll teach you some basic knowledge about sealing techniques."
"Understood, Shishou."
Sasuke said unhappily, "Shishou, what about me?"
Rengoku flicked Sasuke's forehead with his index finger, "How long do you think your brother can stay around? Next time he goes out, it won't be for a short time."
Sasuke held his forehead and was stunned for a moment before reacting, "Got it, Shishou!"
Gaara watched this scene, his eyes full of emotion.
After Karin and Sasuke left, a fiery red sealing jutsu lit up in Rengoku's hand.
Fire Style: Heavenly Prison!
Then he pressed a palm onto Gaara's chest.
Before Gaara could react, red flame rings began spreading from his body.
In the next moment, fine sand continuously swept in from both sides of the path toward Gaara.
Only then did Gaara realize his abilities had returned.
He waved his hand, and the sand behind him formed into a miniature gourd.
"Why?", Gaara asked in confusion.
Rengoku smiled, "Before, I suppressed your powers because your mind was unstable."
"No one here will test you. No one will assassinate you."
"Tailed beasts, in the eyes of the Uchiha, are nothing at all."
Gaara's mind was chaotic, he didn't know what to think.
Rengoku wasn't in a rush and waved toward nearby clan members, "Have Rinjin take him to eat."
"Yes, Clan Head," The nearby clan member quickly complied.
"Remember to come to the clan gate tomorrow morning. You'll go to school with Sasuke and Karin."
"If you don't go, you can just stay in the clan grounds."
Rengoku gave the order, then walked off toward the place where Kurotsuchi and Deidara were being held.
———
The environment where Kurotsuchi and Deidara were imprisoned wasn't bad.
It was inside a courtyard.
After both of their chakras were sealed by Rengoku, they couldn't dig their way out.
They were just a bit bored.
When Rengoku appeared, Kurotsuchi immediately jumped up.
"Uchiha Rengoku! Let me go! Otherwise, my grandfather won't let you off!"
Rengoku wasn't the least bit annoyed. After all, in his eyes, Kurotsuchi was just a little bean sprout.
"You stay here peacefully for a while. When your grandfather comes to ransom you, you can go."
"Then at least undo the seal for me!", Kurotsuchi waved her little fists, adorably fierce.
Rengoku glared at her, "I don't want you digging into the wall again, just behave."
After her failed escape attempt, Kurotsuchi now had her chakra sealed.
She was somewhat afraid of Rengoku now.
"Damn it!", When Rengoku glared at her, she immediately hid behind Deidara.
Deidara was even worse, not only was his chakra unusable, but even his clay was confiscated.
Recently, without making art, he felt like ants were crawling all over him.
"Hey! Hurry up and give me back my clay!"
Whoosh!
Rengoku took something out of his bag and directly tossed it to Deidara.
Deidara caught it and froze on the spot.
'He really gave it back?'
"Do you know why I captured you?", Rengoku smiled as he looked at Deidara.
Deidara was kneading his clay and said, "Isn't it just to take me as a hostage?"
Rengoku shook his head, "You're not Onoki's grandson. Taking you hostage is just a waste of food."
"Damn it! Stop looking down on me!", Deidara had kneaded the clay, but since his chakra was sealed, he couldn't make bombs.
Hearing Rengoku's words, he was starting to go a little crazy.
Rengoku changed the topic, "But I'm someone who really likes art, and no one in our clan understands art."
"When I was capturing Kurotsuchi, I saw your explosions in Yellow Rock City, very artistic, so I casually captured you too."
In other people's ears, Rengoku's words sounded like complete nonsense.
But to Deidara, it hit his itch spot. After all, no one in Iwagakure understood his art.
His eyes lit up and he asked, "You like art?"
Rengoku looked very serious and said, "Yes, that's right. But no one here understands my art."
Then he formed a seal with his hands, "Let me show you my art piece first."
Fire Style: Ghost Lantern!
Behind Rengoku, a large number of fireballs appeared.
These fireballs were like flying spirits, shifting from yellow to bluish purple, spinning continuously behind Rengoku.
Finally, they exploded into bluish purple light and disappeared.
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