Naruto Uzumaki stared at Uzumaki Miyuki before him, his mind completely chaotic.
When Uzumaki Miyuki burst into tears saying they had finally met, Naruto bit his lip and rushed forward, throwing his arms around her tightly.
"I've always... really wanted to see you, Mom."
Uzumaki Miyuki hugged Naruto just as tightly. "I'm truly sorry. I failed to protect you and let you suffer so much."
Naruto pulled back from the hug, once again wearing that bright, sunshine-filled smile he used to have as a child. He said to Uzumaki Miyuki, "That's not true at all. I've never blamed you. Because I know you made that decision to protect me back then, and it must've been painful for you too.
Now that I've grown up, I'll become more and more powerful. In the future, it'll be my turn to protect you!"
Uzumaki Miyuki looked at Naruto with an expression filled with guilt.
The more adult-like Naruto behaved, the heavier her heart felt.
Seeing Uzumaki Miyuki's expression, Naruto reached out both hands and smoothed the deep frown lines between her eyebrows. "Mom, when Uncle Chinya-san left Konoha, he used genjutsu to replay all the events in my mind. When I, who thought I was an orphan, found out there was still someone who loved me so much, I was really, really happy.
So... please don't feel sad anymore, okay? Because if you're sad, I'll feel sad too. Just like how you want me to be happy, I also want you to be happy.
And look how well I turned out, right? Mom definitely saw the fight earlier, right? Wasn't I awesome?"
Uzumaki Miyuki showed a genuine smile. "Yes, my Naruto is the strongest."
Just as Uzumaki Miyuki and Naruto were enjoying this precious moment of parent and child reunion, a mood-killing voice interrupted.
Zabuza Momochi, carrying Haku, walked over to stand behind Uzumaki Miyuki. "Hey, Miyuki, could you wait just a little while longer before continuing your chat with your kid? Haku is still injured."
"Oh! Sorry, I almost forgot about her."
Suddenly recalling Haku's presence, Uzumaki Miyuki, the only medical ninja here, immediately began examining Haku's physical condition.
"She's seriously injured. I'll use my ability directly to heal her."
Uzumaki Miyuki rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm toward Haku's mouth. "Haku, bite my arm."
Haku opened her mouth and gently bit down on Uzumaki Miyuki's arm.
Naruto watched this scene with confusion, not understanding what Uzumaki Miyuki was doing.
Noticing Naruto's puzzled gaze, Uzumaki Miyuki explained, "This is one of the abilities of the Uzumaki Clan. By biting our skin, we can rapidly restore another person's chakra and heal injuries. It's one of our clan's most potent techniques."
Naruto now understood, giving Haku lying in Zabuza Momochi's arms an awkward glance.
Everyone was actually on the same side all along.
At the same time, it dawned on Naruto that Haku had been holding back from the very start. Considering Haku's later display of power, she could have easily defeated them right from the beginning.
Zabuza glanced at Naruto Uzumaki sideways and said, "That's just who he is—he dislikes killing and even goes out of his way to avoid it. Plus, he doesn't see you as enemies. I already said before that with a personality like his, he's destined to fail as a ninja. He'd eventually fall—but I didn't expect him to fall to you, especially since you're so weak. Still, there's no need for you to feel embarrassed about it.
Hmph, as an instrument, he's still completely inadequate. Besides loyalty, he's practically useless."
Naruto Uzumaki looked at Zabuza strangely. "Why are you being so cold? You clearly hugged him right after Kakashi-sensei removed the blade from your neck. You obviously care about him, don't you?"
As Zabuza was about to retort, Uzumaki Sōnagi came over to Naruto Uzumaki's side, slung an arm around his neck cheerfully, and said, "Naruto, Zabuza uncle is just this kind of awkward person. He secretly cares a lot about Haku but always pretends not to. According to my dad, he's exactly what they call a tsundere—a character who acts cold or hostile ('tsun') but gradually shows warmth ('dere')."
Zabuza glared murderously at Chinya.
Chinya uncomfortably scratched his face. Come on, kid, who says stuff like that in front of everyone? And he even exposed me!
Naruto suddenly understood, looking at Zabuza with a strange expression.
Zabuza angrily snapped, "What are you staring at!"
Naruto pouted. Yep, definitely awkward.
"Naruto, let me introduce my teammates to you."
Uzumaki Sōnagi introduced Kimimaro Kaguya, Jugo Tenbin, and others to Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto greeted them, saying, "Hi, nice to meet you."
Since Naruto Uzumaki was Uzumaki Miyuki's son and had also received guidance from Chinya, Kimimaro Kaguya and the rest were quite friendly toward him and each briefly introduced themselves.
Naruto's gaze lingered slightly longer on Kidomaru and Sa'kon Ukon, since Kidomaru had six arms while Sa'kon Ukon shared one body between two heads—one mind in each half—startling sights.
Kakashi looked toward Gato and his men and asked Chinya, "You deployed Zabuza to the Land of Waves solely because you wanted his money, right?"
Chinya shrugged. "Actually, Zabuza came here on his own. I no longer run Otogakure—that's Daiki's job now. Coincidentally, Gato approached Zabuza, who then accepted Gato's employment offer for the village and organization's finances."
Kakashi continued, "Then what will you do with them now? Since they've seen your true faces, you surely won't be leaving them alive, right?"
Chinya nodded, replying, "Yeah. Once the Land of Waves' economy improves, our Rice Country can start trading with them. Plus, the Land of Waves has no ninja force—we could cooperate with them in the future and accept missions originating from the Land of Waves. Therefore, improving the situation in the Land of Waves benefits us greatly.
So, taking out Gato—the rotten apple here—not only lands us a fortune but also enables long-term cooperation with the Land of Waves. Doesn't that sound great?"
After explaining everything to Kakashi, Chinya turned toward Zabuza and asked, "So, do you want to deal with them?"
Zabuza looked at Gato and his men, who were all bent over under Chinya's oppressive aura, and scoffed, "Let the younger ones handle it. There's no satisfaction in killing these guys. Oh, and leave Gato alive for now—we need him to access certain assets. Otherwise, I would've had Haku kill him already."
Chinya gave a light clap. "Sound Ninja Seven, time to work. Don't kill that short guy wearing sunglasses. Take care of the rest."
Kimimaro Kaguya stepped forward.
"I'll take care of it," he said. "Miyuki-sama and Naruto probably have a lot to talk about. Getting this done quickly will give Miyuki-sama and Naruto some time to speak freely."
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