A Strange Situation
At Kushina's house, Shirō and Minato sat to the side, watching the two women chat away. It had been an hour since they'd returned from the Third Hokage's office, and neither Kushina nor Katsuki had stopped talking.
Shirō and Minato didn't dare interrupt, nor did they dare excuse themselves. They could only sit there like decorations, listening quietly.
Truthfully, Hiruzen hadn't explained much earlier. Instead, he had leaned on his usual tactic—sympathy and diplomacy. He expressed regret for Katsuki's past and reassured her that she now had a place in Konoha.
Knowing words alone would not be enough, the Hokage also allocated her a plot of land. It wasn't just any land either; it was prime property. She could manage it herself or rent it out for steady income. In addition, he arranged a residence for Katsuki near Kushina's home, strengthening ties between the two Uzumaki.
It was, as the saying goes, killing two birds with one stone.
On top of that, the Hokage promised to arrange a shinobi instructor for her, so she could receive proper ninja education. It was a fair offer—generous enough to show sincerity, but not so excessive that it might stir resentment among the council.
The most valuable thing was the land. It had originally been set aside for the Uzumaki Clan, back when Konoha still hoped survivors of Uzushiogakure would resettle here. But after Uzushiogakure's fall, no word of other survivors had come. Kushina herself had declined the land, not wanting to occupy such a large area alone.
Now, with Katsuki here, the Hokage could officially hand it over without opposition.
As for documents and identity, Hiruzen had already arranged everything in advance. There was no need for extra preparation.
Once Katsuki's situation was settled, Kushina and the others accompanied Shirō's team to the Hokage Building to report their mission.
In truth, there wasn't much to hand over. The team gave a broad recounting of events. Of course, they concealed the battle with the Tailed Beast, merely stating that Takigakure had dispatched a Jinchūriki. Everything else was reported honestly.
Afterward, Shirō, Lu Ming, and Tai Yi were dismissed, leaving only Nakamura with the Hokage for further discussion. Though talented, Shirō's team lacked the experience to sit in on such high-level talks.
Later, Shirō regrouped with Kushina, Minato, and Katsuki. He also told Tai Yi and the others to gather for a meal tomorrow, as thanks for rescuing Katsuki.
The truth was, their mission had been dangerously difficult. From a purely shinobi standpoint, killing Katsuki to prevent enemy capture would have been the most pragmatic option. Nobody in Konoha would have faulted them for it. Instead, they had brought her back safely. That spoke volumes about their character.
Kushina was especially grateful. When she heard about Katsuki's unique abilities, she realized just how vulnerable the girl would have been if captured. Treating the team to a meal was a small gesture, but it carried genuine gratitude.
After parting ways with Tai Yi's team, Shirō and Minato accompanied Kushina and Katsuki around the village for a while, helping her get familiar with the area. Eventually, they returned to Kushina's home, where the conversation dragged on another half hour.
One could imagine how torturous it was for Shirō and Minato to sit through all of it.
Finally, Kushina asked, "Katsuki, what ninjutsu do you know?"
Shirō and Minato immediately perked up. At last—a topic they could join in on!
Katsuki lowered her head. "Me? I only know of Kagura's Mind Eye."
Minato frowned. "Just that? But the Uzumaki have strong chakra reserves. For you to use Kagura's Mind Eye at your age… your chakra control is already excellent. You should at least be able to perform the Clone Technique."
Katsuki shook her head. "I've been hiding for years. Mother didn't have time to teach me. And… my talent isn't great. Other than Kagura's Mind Eye, I can't use even the simplest techniques."
"That doesn't add up," Minato replied, thoughtful. "Kagura's Mind Eye requires precision chakra control far beyond the basics. If you can use that, a Clone Technique should be trivial."
"Talking about it won't help," Kushina said, standing abruptly. "Let's go test it at the training ground."
She pulled Katsuki to her feet. Minato gave a small nod, then blurred forward in a flash of yellow, his hands resting on the two women's shoulders. In the next instant, they vanished in a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Shirō, still halfway to standing, stared blankly at the empty room. "...They didn't take me?"
Before he finished, Minato reappeared behind him, laid a hand on his shoulder, and teleported them as well.
They materialized at a lakeside clearing. Kushina and Katsuki were already waiting there.
Shirō whistled softly. "Tch. Minato-nii, this technique is basically made for lazy people. Fast, convenient—you don't even have to walk. Amazing."
If he had such an ability, he wouldn't have to worry so much about finding secluded places for his magical training. But unfortunately, such things weren't his talent.
Katsuki, who had barely seen ninjutsu before, gazed at Minato in open admiration. Still, she knew better than to dream of mastering such a technique, when she couldn't even control chakra properly.
"Alright," Minato said kindly. "Try the Clone Technique. We'll help figure out what's wrong."
Shirō turned his attention to the field. From the cratered ground and scarred terrain, he could tell this was where Kushina and Minato usually trained.
Katsuki nodded, closing her eyes. Feeling their gazes on her, she steadied her breathing and began forming the hand signs.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof!
A puff of smoke burst forth… but nothing else. Not even a deformed clone. At least Naruto had managed a crude, gray outline in the Academy days. Katsuki produced nothing but empty smoke.
The haze cleared, revealing her crestfallen face.
Meanwhile, Shirō and Minato exchanged uneasy glances.
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