Chapter 398 - 83

Chapter 83: UzushiogakureNeji was in no hurry; the little girl before him was his younger sister, and also the person he once had a mission to protect with his life.But starting today, this little girl's identity would simply be his sister. Neji wasn't in a rush, quietly waiting for Hinata to catch her breath.After a while, Hinata finally spoke: "Big brother Neji, inside are all your favorite foods. Time was short, so I only managed to prepare these. Take them to eat on the road!"Neji took the bundle, not knowing what to say, only squeezing out the words "Thank you." Hearing this, Hinata beamed and replied: "What are you thanking me for? This is what a sister should do, isn't it?"At that moment, Hiashi also walked over. He dotedly patted Hinata's head and then said: "Alright, don't make it look like a life-and-death separation. Your brother Neji isn't leaving the Village.He will temporarily stay at the Ninja Academy as a Guest Student. I have already spoken with Hokage-sama; he can still become a Ninja of Konoha Village in the future.It's getting late. I should remove the Cursed Seals for them first; otherwise, if it gets too late, it will be dangerous for your uncle to leave the Village."Hearing this, Hinata immediately left obediently. Hiashi looked at the father and son, Hizashi and Neji, said "Follow me," and turned to leave....Naruto had taken the day off from the Ninja Academy today. He waited quietly at home, knowing that someone would come to visit.Just as the sun was about to set, a knock finally sounded at the door. Naruto quickly opened it, and standing outside were indeed Hizashi and Neji.Naruto first politely called Hizashi 'Uncle' and then greeted Neji. Hizashi looked at Naruto and said in a pleading tone: "Naruto, Lady Tsunade has arranged for Neji to stay here for the time being. We might be bothering you from now on, so I hope you can look after him."Naruto quickly said: "Don't worry, Uncle. We are classmates to begin with, and besides, this is Lady Tsunade's wish. Nothing will happen to Neji while he's here.""Then I'm relieved. It's getting late; if I don't leave now, I won't find a place to stay. Farewell!" Hizashisaid, turning to leave.Seeing this, Naruto hurriedly called out to him, saying: "Uncle Hizashi, do you have a plan for where you're going?"Hizashi stopped his steps, turned around, and slowly shook his head, saying: "Not yet. Because of my status, I have almost never stepped foot outside the Village in my life, and I don't know much about other places.I plan to just walk and see! Once I find a place that suits me, I'll settle there. I should properly taste the flavor of freedom. I've decided to no longer consider myself a Ninja and just end my life this way.""Then what about Neji? Won't he be unable to see his father for the rest of his life? Although the Caged Bird has been removed, isn't this kind of longing just another form of restraint?Furthermore, the Village, the clan, and family ties—can you really cast them all aside? How painful would it be for you to carry all that?" Naruto took the opportunity to use his famous move, "Kotoamatsukuchi," on Hizashi again.This move was indeed effective every time. After hearing his words, Hizashi began to hesitate and asked: "Then... do you have a solution?"Naruto knew his technique had worked, but it was only half successful; the rest would need to be completed by Tsunade. Some things would be hard to believe coming from someone of his current status.Thus, he said: "Uncle, since you don't have any solid plans anyway, why not wait here for a while? Regarding your situation, Hokage-sama has already made some arrangements. She will be back in a moment."As soon as Hizashi heard that Tsunade had something to say to him, he directly chose to agree to Naruto's request, deciding to wait for Tsunadethere.Naruto had Shizune pour him a cup of water and then took Neji to see the bedroom that belonged to him. It was clear Naruto had put a lot of heart into it, tidying the bedroom very decently. Neji was deeply moved upon seeing it, and his heart was slowly being melted by Naruto's warmth.About thirty minutes later, Tsunade returned. Seeing her, Hizashi immediately stood up and gave a deep bow to express his gratitude."Thank you, Hokage-sama, for everything you have done for my son and me. Without you, I'm afraid we would never have escaped our fate in this lifetime."Tsunade quickly helped him up and said: "There's no need for that. These are small matters, and I did this to give others an explanation.Speaking of which, I also have things I regret regarding you—not being able to keep you in the Village. Right, Naruto should have told you just now, right? I have some arrangements for your future."Seeing Hizashi nod, Tsunade continued: "You should have heard of the Uzumaki Clan, right? Naruto's mother, the wife of the Fourth Hokage, was of this clan. My grandfather, the First Hokage's wife, was as well."Although the Uzumaki Clan doesn't have many members now, it was once a very powerful clan. Hizashi had naturally heard of them, but he didn't understand what Tsunade meant by telling him this.Tsunade ignored his reaction and continued to herself: "Back then, Ashina Uzumaki was the leader of the Uzumaki Clan. With his great strength, he established the Land of Whirlpoolsand Uzushiogakure, becoming the Village head.The people of this clan also possess a Sage Body, manifested in having more Chakra than average people and strong vitality. Most clan members were long-lived, which is why Uzushiogakure was also known as the Village of Longevity.Later, under his leadership, the entire clan joined the Hidden Leaf Village and signed a friendship treaty with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.To reflect the generational friendship between the two countries, the Konoha higher-ups printed the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan on the Jonin uniforms. Based on this, the two countries maintained a deep friendship and bond.However, because other clans feared the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques, many nations and clans launched an invasion against the Land of Whirlpools, leading to its tragic destruction. The surviving clan members went into hiding and scattered across the world.However, gold will shine wherever it is. No matter where they are, people of the Uzumaki Clanalways become the focus of attention when they appear.As for our Village, there have been a total of three Nine-Tails Jinchuriki so far, and without exception, all were members of the Uzumaki Clan.Moreover, the location of their Village back then was in the southeast corner of the Land of Fire, possessing a unique geographical advantage with its back to the sea. If the Land of Water hadn't also joined the war back then, causing Uzushiogakureto be attacked from both sides, I believe they wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses.The reason I told you so much today is that I want to rebuild Uzushiogakure, and I'm not afraid to tell you that it's already in the process of being rebuilt.What I meant by having special arrangements for you is that I want you to join this Village. I wonder what you think?"