Chapter 28: Ma'am, You and Your Daughter Should Join the Hyūga Clan
The Grass-nin, their vision restored, quickly regrouped around Ryurin.
Ryurin's eyes scanned the area. There was no sign of the enemy.
He immediately led his men into the dango shop. They tore the place apart, but found nothing. Not even a shadow.
"Damn it!"
"Teams Three and Four, guard all the exits! The rest of you, with me!"
Ryurin barked his orders. He led one team back to the "Fruit of the Grass" headquarters, while the other two teams sped toward the various exits of the village.
No one noticed as one of the Grass-nin slipped away from the group, used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a black cat, and vanished into the darkness.
This, of course, was Yugito in disguise. After throwing the situation into chaos with her fire jutsu, she had blended in with the Grass-nin. She had intended to sneak into the dango shop and get Neji out, but he was nowhere to be found.
Yugito hid in the shadows and watched as the chaotic village slowly returned to order.
"Meow."
A thought occurred to her. She shook her head and, with a nimble leap, she was on the rooftops, racing back toward the inn.
Meanwhile, back at the inn, the terrified mother and daughter finally began to breathe a sigh of relief.
Neji first placed the unconscious Karin on the bed, then poured a cup of hot water for her mother. "Ma'am, rest here for the night. We'll leave the Hidden Grass tomorrow."
"Thank you." The woman, whose name Neji still didn't know, took the cup with both hands and took a small sip. Her fragile, delicate appearance was enough to evoke pity in anyone's heart.
"Ma'am, what is your name?"
"Uzumaki Kana," she replied softly. Then, with a worried look, she asked, "Young... sir, what are your plans for my daughter and me?"
"Don't worry about that. I'm not like those people from the Hidden Grass."
"Ma'am, you and your daughter should join the Hyūga clan."
Hearing this, Kana's eyes widened. The Hyūga were a renowned clan, a major power in Konoha. This young man... he was a Hyūga. Of course, she thought. His eyes... I should have realized sooner.
The chance to join the Hyūga clan was something she wouldn't have dared to dream of. But the thought of Konoha left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Sir," she said, her voice hesitant, "could you possibly conceal our identities? I don't want the higher-ups in Konoha to know we exist."
She had been a child of less than ten when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed by the Land of Water. She had witnessed the bloody massacre firsthand. Thousands of her clansmen had been slaughtered, with only a handful of children managing to escape. And throughout it all, the Uzumaki's greatest ally, the most powerful village in the shinobi world, Konoha, had never lifted a finger to help.
At the time, she had been too young to understand the politics, and had assumed there must have been some hidden reason she wasn't privy to. But regardless, as an ally, Konoha had proven to be completely unreliable. That was the main reason why, after so many years of wandering, she had ended up in the Hidden Grass instead of seeking refuge in the Hidden Leaf.
But now, she had to compromise. She was a mother. Even if she didn't think for herself, she had to think of Karin's future.
"You're mistaken," Neji said. "You won't be joining Konoha. You'll be joining the Hidden Cloud."
"?"
Kana was completely bewildered. "What did you say? Join the Hidden Cloud?"
Neji nodded, adjusting his forehead protector. "I'm a shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. Naturally, you'll be joining the Hidden Cloud."
Kana looked at the two clouds on Neji's forehead protector. It was, indeed, the symbol of Kumogakure. Her mind struggled to keep up. How did a Hyūga end up in the Hidden Cloud? A lot must have happened in the shinobi world while I've been here.
"Um... sir, how many members does our Hyūga clan have?"
"Not many."
Neji looked into Kana's watery eyes and said, a little awkwardly, "Including you and your daughter... there are three of us."
"..."
Kana was momentarily stunned, but she didn't know what to say. A family of three... no, a clan of three was fine. She didn't ask for much. A quiet life was all she wanted.
Knock, knock!
The sudden sound made Kana jump, a look of fear on her face. Her first thought was that the Grass-nin had found them.
Neji put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to stay calm.
"Neji, it's me!"
Hearing the familiar female voice, Neji let out a sigh of relief and went to open the door.
It was, of course, Yugito.
"Are you alright?"
"What could possibly..." Yugito began as she walked in, but she stopped short as her eyes swept over the room.
The unconscious Karin on the bed, the full-figured, frightened-looking woman...
Yugito's eyebrows shot up. "What's the situation?"
"I didn't find what I was looking for, and I didn't want to come back empty-handed, so I brought them with me," Neji replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yugito felt a headache coming on. Kidnapping was a time-honored tradition in the Hidden Cloud, but not just anyone was worthy of being kidnapped. She could sense a faint chakra signature from Kana, not even Chūnin level. A woman of such mediocre ability was a dime a dozen in the shinobi world.
Yugito grabbed Neji, pulled him into the bathroom, and slammed the door.
"Sit," she ordered, pushing him down onto the toilet. She stood over him, her hands on her hips. "If you really insist on bringing them back to the village, I won't object. But I hope you won't be so impulsive next time."
"You've got it wrong, Captain." Neji threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not the type to act recklessly just because I have the Raikage's favor."
"Oh, really?" Yugito looked at him skeptically. After a moment, she asked, "Is there something special about that mother and daughter?"
"Do you remember the Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools?"
"The Uzumaki clan?" Yugito's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't been born yet when they were wiped out, but she knew of them.
Their sealing jutsu were the best in the world. Decades ago, the Hidden Cloud had managed to "borrow" some of their techniques. The Iron Armor Seal used to contain the Eight-Tails was developed based on Uzumaki sealing jutsu.
In addition, the Uzumaki were known for their incredible life force and powerful chakra, making them ideal containers for the Tailed Beasts. All of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki had been Uzumaki. The first, Uzumaki Mito, had been powerful enough to subdue the Nine-Tails on her own. The second, Uzumaki Kushina, though not as strong, was still formidable. The third, a suspected descendant of the Uzumaki, was someone the Cloud had little information on.
The Uchiha had their red eyes, the Hyūga their white. The Uzumaki's most distinctive feature was their vibrant red hair.
Yugito recalled the red hair of the mother and daughter and took a deep breath.
"Neji, you've done well."
"I admit," she said, a sheepish look on her face, "I may have been a little loud just now."