Chapter 224: The Ruin of Uzushiogakure
"Minato-kun, so you really were here."
A girl's voice came from behind them, soft and slightly shy.
Minato and Nawaki both turned at once.
Ragnar followed their gaze—and for the briefest moment, his pupils narrowed.
A red-haired girl stood a short distance away.
She looked young, graceful, and delicate, like a flower only just beginning to bloom. Her crimson hair caught the evening light and seemed to glow against the fading sky.
For one instant, Ragnar almost thought—
Kushina?
But the thought disappeared as quickly as it came.
No.
This was someone else.
"Sister Miko?" Nawaki blurted out in surprise.
So he knew her.
Ragnar's eyes sharpened slightly.
Red hair. Uzumaki traits. She had called for Minato the moment she arrived. And Minato's earlier behavior—standing alone under the tree, acting distracted, hiding something—suddenly made much more sense.
Ragnar's gaze shifted between the two of them, and his expression turned faintly strange.
So that was it.
Minato had not been waiting there by accident.
And this girl...
She clearly mattered.
"Who is she?" Ragnar asked.
By then, the girl had already walked closer. She wore a simple light-colored dress that made her red hair stand out even more vividly. Her appearance was fresh and refined, but there was something fragile about her too, as if she had seen too much too early.
Minato coughed lightly.
"This is Uzumaki Miko," he said. "She's a survivor of the Uzumaki clan. Not long ago, I found her in the Land of Rain when some Rain shinobi were harassing her. I brought her back to camp."
Ragnar's eyes changed instantly.
"A survivor... of the Uzumaki clan?"
The words felt heavy the moment they left his mouth.
Then his face darkened.
A terrible possibility rose in his mind, and from the look in Minato's eyes, he already knew the answer before it was spoken.
Minato's voice became quieter.
"You guessed correctly," he said. "During the war, not only did the Land of Rain turn into chaos... Uzushiogakure was also destroyed. A group of shinobi of unknown origin attacked the Uzumaki clan. Most were killed. The remaining survivors were scattered, and many are still missing."
The air around Ragnar changed.
His expression remained still, but the pressure coming from him dropped like a mountain.
Even the temperature in the area seemed to plunge.
Miko's face turned pale.
Instinctively, she took half a step back and moved closer to Minato.
Nawaki's shoulders tightened immediately.
He knew that expression.
Ragnar was truly angry.
Not annoyed.
Not displeased.
Angry.
"Why didn't Konoha stop it?" Ragnar asked, his voice low and cold. "And who did it? Was it Iwa? Suna?"
The killing intent hidden in those few words was enough to make the atmosphere freeze solid.
Minato felt the pressure directly, but he did not retreat.
"No," he answered seriously. "It wasn't the Stone or Sand shinobi, at least not openly. The attackers moved in secret and left almost no evidence behind. When Konoha received the distress signal from the Uzumaki clan, elite jonin were sent immediately. But by the time they arrived... it was already too late."
Ragnar said nothing for a few seconds.
His silence was heavier than shouting.
The Uzumaki clan had once stood as one of Konoha's closest allies. Their sealing arts were feared throughout the world. Their bloodline was powerful, their vitality monstrous, and their legacy ancient.
And now their homeland had been erased.
Not weakened.
Not conquered.
Erased.
When Ragnar finally spoke, his voice had steadied, but that only made it more dangerous.
"I'll investigate this matter myself."
Minato nodded slowly.
Ragnar looked once more at Miko.
His expression softened, though only slightly.
The murderous pressure around him receded.
Then, without saying anything further, he turned and began walking away.
The good mood from earlier was gone completely.
Behind him, the evening wind passed through the broken training ground, carrying silence in its wake.
Only after Ragnar had gone some distance did Miko finally let out the breath she had been holding.
She looked at Minato, then at Ragnar's departing figure.
"That's the senior you talk about so often?" she asked quietly.
Minato gave a small smile.
"Yes. Ragnar cares deeply about people tied to Konoha, and especially those connected to allies he respects. That anger you saw... it wasn't directed at you. So don't misunderstand him. He's actually much easier to get along with than first impressions suggest."
"I see..." Miko murmured.
She looked at Ragnar's back again, thoughtful now rather than fearful.
Then her gaze returned to Minato's face.
For some reason, standing beside him made everything feel calmer.
Safer.
Nawaki, meanwhile, had already returned to being himself.
He clapped his hands behind his head and grinned shamelessly.
"Well then, you two enjoy your date. I'm leaving."
Minato nearly choked.
"Nawaki! What date?!"
Nawaki snorted.
"Come on, don't act innocent. I'm not blind. Why else were you standing under that tree earlier waiting around by yourself?"
Minato's ears reddened slightly.
Miko's cheeks also warmed, though she turned her head and tried to hide it.
Nawaki pointed at them both with a knowing look.
"See? Exactly!"
Then, before Minato could grab him, he dashed off laughing.
"Brat!" Minato called after him, but all he got in return was Nawaki's obnoxious wave in the distance.
Minato could only rub his forehead helplessly.
That familiar, embarrassed smile returned to his face.
Then he turned back toward Miko.
"There's a ramen shop not far from here," he said. "Would you like to go eat together?"
Miko crossed her arms lightly and gave him a look that was not quite a smile.
"No."
Minato blinked. "No?"
"First explain what just happened."
"It was nothing," Minato said quickly. "Really. Don't overthink it."
Miko tilted her head.
"And how do you know how much I've thought about it?"
Minato froze on the spot.
Somewhere in the distance, Nawaki's laughter seemed almost audible again.
After parting with Ragnar and Minato, Nawaki found an empty corner of the camp and immediately began trying to practice the Rasengan on his own.
He stood in the middle of a patch of open ground, feet planted wide, face full of determination.
Then he thrust out his palm.
"Spiral ball!"
Nothing happened.
Not even a decent flicker of chakra.
Nawaki stared at his hand.
Then he gritted his teeth and tried again.
"Spiral ball!"
Still nothing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Dozens of attempts later, Nawaki finally collapsed to the ground in despair.
His hair was messy, his clothes were dirty, and his face looked as if life had personally betrayed him.
"Why?" he groaned at the sky. "Why can Minato learn it so fast, but I can't do anything at all?!"
This was unbearable.
He was Senju Nawaki!
The direct male descendant of the Senju clan!
Grandson of the First Hokage's line!
A child of legendary blood!
At least, that was how he liked to think of himself when he needed courage.
So why did reality always come crashing down like this?
Minato saw it once and basically understood the theory.
Ragnar created it.
Tsunade could probably do something ridiculous if she saw it once.
And him?
He couldn't even produce a proper ball of chakra.
Nawaki rolled onto his back dramatically.
"Boss is angry, Minato is off dating, and I'm suffering alone... this is too cruel!"
"What exactly are you howling about, brat?"
A displeased voice suddenly came from behind him.
Nawaki shot upright so fast he nearly tripped over himself.
Behind him stood Tsunade.
Arms folded.
Brows raised.
Face full of unmistakable contempt.
It was the exact expression she always wore right before either insulting him or punching him.
Or both.
"Sister!" Nawaki cried. "Why are you here?"
Tsunade snorted.
"I came here for some peace and quiet. Instead I found you screaming like a fool. You're lucky I'm in a decent mood, or my fist would already be on your head."
Nawaki immediately grabbed her arm and put on his most shamelessly pitiful expression.
"Hehe... but you're my dear older sister. How could a sister hit her adorable little brother?"
Tsunade's eyes became even flatter.
"Let go. You only act like this when you want something."
Nawaki released her arm at once and coughed.
"Well... that is true."
Tsunade sighed. "What is it?"
Nawaki straightened immediately.
"I'm trying to learn a ninjutsu, but I can't figure it out at all. Help me, please!"
That caught her attention.
"A ninjutsu?" Tsunade asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "Since when are you this motivated?"
Nawaki ignored the insult.
"It's called the Rasengan," he said seriously. "It doesn't need hand seals. It's fast, powerful, and uses compressed chakra that rotates continuously. Once it forms, it becomes a dense sphere in your palm."
As he spoke, he repeated as much of Minato's explanation as he could remember.
Tsunade listened.
The more she heard, the stranger her expression became.
Because this technique sounded very familiar.
Far too familiar.
She had once discussed a concept exactly like this with Ragnar—compressed chakra, rotation, concentrated impact, destructive force released through shape transformation alone.
At the time, it had only been theory.
Now Nawaki was standing in front of her describing it as a completed technique.
Tsunade slowly raised one hand.
Then she opened her palm.
Chakra gathered instantly.
Dense. Precise. Smooth.
A moment later—
A blue sphere appeared in her hand.
It spun violently, perfectly contained, humming with compressed force.
Nawaki's jaw dropped so hard it looked like it might disconnect from his skull.
"...Huh?"
He stared at the Rasengan in Tsunade's palm, his face going completely blank.
A question mark might as well have appeared above his head.
He had spent half the day suffering.
Minato had used talent to reach the first step.
And Tsunade—
Tsunade had simply heard the description and formed the technique on the spot.
The world was unfair.
Tsunade looked at the Rasengan in her hand, then at Nawaki's shattered expression.
For a moment, she seemed almost amused.
Then she smiled.
And that smile made Nawaki feel even worse.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕