Inside Kusagakure's council hall, the atmosphere was heavy.
"…You're saying people from Kumogakure secretly infiltrated our village, abducted Uzumaki Kana, and killed nearly twenty of our ninja?"
An elder with white hair and beard, his face carved with deep wrinkles, spoke in a low voice filled with barely suppressed anger.
"More than that."
The Kusa ninja reporting the incident said quietly.
"What do you mean, more than that?"
"According to the count of bodies and missing personnel at the scene, over thirty Kusa ninja may have been killed by that group of attackers…" the reporting Kusa jōnin said, cold sweat already beading on his forehead.
"Over thirty?!"
At that moment, another burly elder jumped to his feet and slammed a heavy fist onto the thick wooden table with a loud bang.
"This is outright bullying! Those dark-skinned barbarians from Kumogakure really think Kusagakure is made of mud?! This is too arrogant!
"I propose we mobilize the entire village and march straight for the Third Raikage's throne! Let him see that Kusagakure's bones aren't soft!"
Hearing this,
the other Kusagakure elders exchanged looks.
"Ahem… Elder Takeda, aren't you being a little too extreme? What does Kusagakure have to clash head-on with Kumogakure? Their Raikage is known as the 'Strongest Spear.' He alone can punch through an army of a thousand Iwa ninja, let alone us."
"Then what? Are we supposed to just swallow this loss in silence?"
"…There's nothing else we can do. Acting on impulse will only drag the village into disaster. The urgent matter now is to immediately organize manpower and pursue that ninja team with everything we have! Even if we can't get the person back, we must confirm their identities! That is the key to everything!"
After an emergency discussion, the Kusagakure elders made their decision.
On one hand, they would organize multiple elite squads to track Yuu's group. On the other, they would send a messenger to Kumogakure as quickly as possible to deliver an official document to the Raikage, asking whether this matter had anything to do with them.
In addition, the village's internal security had to be strengthened. They could not allow any more accidents to happen to the remaining "resources."
Once the decision was made, the jōnin responsible for the report felt as if he had been pardoned. He immediately accepted the order and left, leaving a room full of elders staring at one another in silence.
Once upon a time, Kusagakure had also been a powerful force capable of dominating a corner of the ninja world. It was said that in ancient times, they had almost gained control over the world. Yet now, they could only survive miserably while squeezed between the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Lightning. Occasionally, even neighboring Amegakure would mess with their mentality. It was truly infuriating.
"Say…"
"If we reactivate that thing, would there be a chance for Kusagakure to regain the glory recorded in the old texts…?"
Someone spoke softly, stirring everyone's thoughts.
…
At the same time, in a hidden forest over a hundred li away from Kusagakure,
Mikami Yuu had Little Green release the five people they had rescued from its stomach. Then he woke the two red-haired ones one after another.
Beside him, Minato coughed lightly and said, "You two are members of the Uzumaki clan, correct? Can you tell me your names?"
"…"
The two red-haired people looked at each other. Then the red-haired woman spoke quietly, her voice hoarse and dull.
"My name is Uzumaki Kana. This is my companion, Uzumaki Naoto… Thank you, honorable Kumo ninja, for saving us. May I ask how we should address you?"
Minato did not answer directly, but instead asked, "How did you end up in Kusagakure's hands?"
"Well… I came to the Land of Grass more than ten years ago and lived here for a while. A year ago, they discovered me and took me to Kusagakure. As for him, he was captured two months ago. Because of his red hair, they discovered that he had Uzumaki blood."
Uzumaki Kana explained a bit more.
As it turned out, she and Uzumaki Naoto did not belong to the same batch of Uzumaki survivors. Naoto was a few years younger. After Uzushiogakure was destroyed, an Uzumaki clansman who had been wandering outside hid their identity, married a local civilian, and had him. So he was not pure-blooded.
Kusagakure had captured Naoto mainly because they wanted to use him and Kana to produce several children with the "physical healing" ability, to serve as new blood packs.
In the original timeline, Kusagakure's goal should have succeeded. Uzumaki Karin had the same constitution as Kana and became Kusagakure's second blood pack after her. However, Uzumaki Naoto, the suspected father, may have died midway for some reason.
As for now…
"Miss Kana, Mr. Naoto, we are actually not from Kumogakure. We are Konoha ninja."
Minato dispelled his Transformation Technique and revealed a reassuring smile.
"From now on, you are safe. Konoha will absolutely not ignore what Kusagakure has done to you. For now, please allow us to treat your injuries first."
The two Uzumaki were clearly still hesitant about Minato's words.
But…
Minato and Yuu's looks were too good, so even though they still had doubts, the two lowered their guard somewhat. Yuu stepped forward, took alcohol and gauze from the medical kit, cleaned their wounds, and then used Healing Technique.
"Um…"
Uzumaki Kana looked at the row of small, not-yet-healed wounds on her wrist, then at Yuu. Gathering her courage, she said, "My blood has a rapid healing effect. If you need it, you can…"
"Don't worry, Miss Kana. In Konoha, we don't have the bad habit of treating injuries by sucking someone else's blood. Your ability is precious, but it should absolutely not be used in that way. Rest and recover. Once we return to the village, I'll arrange for you to meet Lord Hokage and the other Uzumaki clan member."
Minato patted Kana's arm as he spoke.
"Another Uzumaki clan member? Do you mean… Kushina-nee?"
"? You know Kushina?"
"Mm."
Uzumaki Kana nodded hard. A faint light appeared in her dim eyes, as if a bit of hope had returned.
"When Uzushiogakure still existed, I met Kushina-nee several times. Later, I heard she was taken to Konoha… Is she doing well now?"
"She's doing very well! If Kushina learns that another clan member survived, she'll be very, very happy!"
There was joy in Minato's tone.
After all, he was Kushina's boyfriend. For Kushina, as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki whose movements were restricted in many ways, meeting someone she knew, someone from the same homeland, would be an immeasurable comfort.
After some treatment,
Minato signaled Aburame Shiguro to take the two Uzumaki aside. Then he put the Kumogakure forehead protector back on, woke the other three people, and briefly questioned them.
~~~
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