Who is she?!
A red-haired girl that young?!
Uzumaki… aside from Grandma Mito and me… how could there still be a survivor in Konoha?!
That thought, absurd yet electrifying, erupted in Kushina's chest like long-buried magma, exploding through the calm surface of her heart. Joy, shock, disbelief, and breathless confusion flooded her all at once.
"S-She…" Kushina's lips parted, her throat bobbed, but no full sound came. She jerked her head up toward Ryo, her lovely blue eyes filled with disbelief, searching for an answer she both wanted and feared.
Ryo didn't keep her waiting. His steady voice, like a stabilizing anchor, broke through the silence. "Nawaki, Mikoto."
At once, the frozen convoy started moving again.
"Right!" Nawaki answered, spinning around and shouting at the escort shinobi. "Come on, move it! Easy with the stretchers! Don't jostle our brothers!" His loud voice shattered the awkward air.
Mikoto, quiet as a shadow, moved toward the wounded, her calm eyes scanning each stretcher. She nodded gently to the injured as if nothing had happened at all.
Amid the bustle, Nawaki jogged over to Kaori. Seeing the girl's timid, startled look, he grinned. "Hey, little one, don't be scared! We're home!" His bright smile was clumsy but full of warmth.
Ryo waited until the line was moving properly, then took Kaori's slightly cool hand and led her a step forward toward Kushina. The child instinctively leaned into him like a fledgling seeking shelter. Looking down at the bright red hair catching the sunset light, Ryo spoke calmly, as if confirming the truth.
"Uzumaki Kaori."
Those simple words completed the final piece of the puzzle.
Kushina's body trembled; her eyes instantly filled with tears as her composure collapsed.
"Uzumaki…" She repeated the name, her voice shaking.
Without hesitation, Kushina lunged forward, throwing her arms around the small girl and hugging her tightly. Kaori gave a soft yelp at the sudden embrace.
"Kaori!" Kushina's voice cracked, and hot tears flooded down her face. "I-I'm Kushina… Uzumaki Kushina!" She repeated it again and again, as if etching her name into Kaori's heart.
Kaori froze, overwhelmed. The hug was too warm, too full of a strange familiarity that melted her fear. Slowly, her own small arms wrapped around Kushina's neck, clinging back. Grief, loneliness, and a sudden rush of joy burst out of her as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Uwaaah… big sis…"
The two red-haired figures clung together, crying as one. Grief and joy intertwined into something wordless and immense. After the fall of their clan, this was blood calling to blood, a reunion across time and death itself.
Ryo stood silently aside. Nawaki scratched his head, glancing between the crying pair and Ryo's expressionless calm before grinning awkwardly. Mikoto watched them too, her face serene in the sunset's light. Her lips were pressed together, but her hands, hidden inside her sleeves, had tightened unconsciously until her knuckles whitened.
At the end of the long road, Konoha's gates stood wide open, keeping the front line's darkness outside. The wounded were lifted and carried quickly through the gate into safety.
When the last stretcher disappeared, the golden sunset washed over the towering doors, and the air smelled faintly of medicine and smoke fading away.
Finally, Kushina released Kaori, trembling from the outburst of emotion. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her red, tear-streaked eyes glistened under the light, full of relief and gratitude.
She drew in a deep breath, still unsteady, then looked at Ryo with a heart overflowing.
"Ryo!" Her voice trembled with heat. "I don't even know how to thank you!"
Ryo met her burning gaze calmly. He lifted his hand naturally, brushing his thumb across her cheek to wipe the tears away. His touch was brief but sure, rough from battle yet strangely gentle.
"Kushina," his voice was low and clear, carrying the weight of a promise. "I told you." His eyes were steady, certain. "From now on, your business is my business." He paused, his tone turning firm. "Between us, there's no need to say 'thank you.'"
The simple statement hit her heart like a hammer. Kushina's face flushed red; her voice caught in her throat before she finally managed a small nod. "Mm!" Her blue eyes locked on him, unable to look away, full of warmth and trust.
A few meters away, Mikoto stood still, quiet and unmoving. From the moment Ryo had touched Kushina's face, her gaze had lowered to the ground. The evening wind lifted her black hair as her expression stayed calm, almost too calm.
But inside her sleeves, her hands trembled slightly, nails digging into her palms.
"In the end… I still…" The bitter thought circled in her chest. The brief moments at the Ame front—the brushes of fingers, that near kiss—felt suddenly small and meaningless under Kushina's radiant affection.
"Ahem! Ahem-hem!" Nawaki's exaggerated coughing broke through the heavy mood. "Hey! You two!" He put one hand on his hip, the other pointing toward the village. "Shouldn't we handle the important stuff first? Ryo! The mission report! The wounded! And—"
He slapped his forehead dramatically. "The Third Hokage's waiting! Jiraiya-nii told me a hundred times! I still gotta talk to him about Minato's training and that Flying Thunder God!"
Ryo's eyes flicked toward Nawaki, the calm of command returning in an instant.
"Mm." The single syllable was enough. His earlier softness vanished. He didn't linger with Kushina, only took Kaori's small hand firmly. "I'm taking Kaori to see the Third first." He looked at Kushina. "You and Mikoto catch up." Then he turned to Mikoto, giving a short, distant nod. "I'll find you later."
With that, he led Kaori away.
"Mm!" Kushina replied brightly. Watching Kaori walk beside him, she smiled, her expression soft and glowing. "Go on! I'll talk with Mikoto!"
"Hey, Ryo! Wait up!" Nawaki chased after him, still talking nonstop. "Jiraiya-nii's mission, leave it to me! We gotta get Flying Thunder God for Minato!"
Soon, the group at the gate dispersed, leaving only the two girls—Kushina and Mikoto.
Kushina's excitement hadn't faded. She hooked her arm through Mikoto's with a bright grin.
"Mikoto! My bestie!" she said eagerly, her voice brimming with joy and a hint of pride. "Tell me, was Ryo as amazing on the front lines as he is now? I heard he got seriously hurt and Tsunade-sensei had to save him! You were there with him, right? You must know everything! Did he… say he missed me or anything?" Her big eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Right now, Kushina's heart overflowed with gratitude for Mikoto. Thank goodness Mikoto had taken care of Ryo. She clutched her arm affectionately, waiting for the details.
But that simple gesture felt like a whip against Mikoto's already guilty conscience. The memory of her secret closeness with Ryo flashed like a blade. Kushina's bright smile stabbed deep into her heart, filling her with guilt.
Her pulse quickened. Her fingers went cold.
"We… we're best friends, after all!" Mikoto forced a smile, her voice light but tense beneath the surface.
Smoothly, she freed her arm from Kushina's hold, pretending to fix her hair as she turned her gaze toward the market. "Kushina," she said with forced cheer, "it's still early! I haven't had Konoha's three-color dango in forever. Those front-line rations were awful! Just thinking about soldier pills makes me sick! Let's grab some, okay? My treat!"
Without waiting for Kushina's answer, she strode ahead quickly. The sunset caught the edge of her violet skirt as the breeze lifted her hair.
She took a deep breath as she walked, forcing her voice into a lively rhythm. "Oh, and you should've seen Nawaki back there! You won't believe what he did once during a raid…" She launched into a story, hoping to drown out any talk about Ryo.
Kushina followed along, still smiling but slightly puzzled. Something felt… off. Mikoto had pulled away too quickly. Her cheer sounded a little too forced.
As the smell of dango drifted over from the market, the two girls' laughter mingled with the hum of the village. Yet beneath the light chatter, a faint, invisible tension began to stretch between them.
For the first time, Kushina felt a small trace of confusion when looking at her best friend.
The sisterly chat began, already tinged with unspoken unease.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)