The room before them was dilapidated, its walls cracked and support beams barely holding the roof above. It looked ready to collapse at any moment.
And yet—within this ruin lived a pair of red-haired mother and daughter. It was obvious at a glance how destitute they were.
The mother lay pale and weak on a straw mat, her skin bearing the marks of countless human bites.
The daughter, slightly better off, wore clothing so tattered it looked like discarded rags.
"Naruto-kun… their hair is red. Yours is golden. You really don't seem like the same clan at all…" Yakumo said softly, confused as she observed the mother and daughter.
Naruto shook his head. "My mother's hair was red. She was the princess of the Uzumaki clan."
"Eh!?" Yakumo gasped.
"A princess!?"
Naruto gave a small nod. "Years ago, the Uzumaki clan had their own country — the Land of Whirlpools, and their village, Uzushiogakure."
"My mother was their princess. She fled to Konoha and became the Second Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Eventually, the clan was wiped out. Those who survived were scattered across the shinobi world…"
As he spoke, the door creaked open — a cold-faced shinobi from the Hidden Grass entered.
His forearm was bleeding from a fresh wound.
He glanced around lazily, and the moment he saw the young red-haired girl, his eyes lit up.
The mother sat up with effort, forcing her trembling arm forward, voice strained:
"Please… my daughter is still young. She doesn't have chakra yet. Let me do it…"
The Grass shinobi scowled. He clearly hated the sight of her scarred skin, full of jagged bite marks. But the pain in his arm was worse.
So he leaned in and bit her.
The woman's face turned deathly pale.
"Naruto-kun… why is he biting her!?" Yakumo asked in horror.
Naruto's eyes flashed with icy cold.
"The Uzumaki clan's purebloods possess a rare kekkei genkai. Not only are they ideal Jinchūriki, but they can also heal others when bitten, by transferring their chakra."
"That's why the Uzumaki are seen as precious resources by the great powers…"
Without another word, Naruto stepped forward and pushed open an air door, calmly stepping into the room. Yakumo quickly followed.
The Grass ninja froze mid-bite, sensing something wrong. He turned—
"Who's there—"
"Open."
With a tap to the man's chest, Naruto opened a door right where his heart was.
Inside, they could see it — still beating.
Without a flicker of hesitation, Naruto jabbed a senbon through the door and into the heart.
"Ghk…"
The man's eyes widened. His mouth opened a few times in shock, but no words came.
He collapsed in a heap, heart still pouring blood through the space-warped door.
The mother and daughter stared, wide-eyed in terror.
"W-Who are you!? Please… please don't hurt my daughter!" the mother cried, shielding Karin with her body.
Naruto didn't react to their fear. Calmly, he said:
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My mother was Uzumaki Kushina."
The woman blinked.
Then her fear began to fade, replaced with shock — and something more.
"Did you say… Kushina-sama!?"
Naruto frowned. "You know my mother?"
The woman nodded quickly, breath hitching.
She explained how, in their childhood, she and Kushina had once been friends. But after Uzushiogakure fell, she'd been taken by the Hidden Grass and turned into a chakra battery.
"…I see," Naruto murmured.
It made sense. The Uzumaki had been few in number. There was no reason these two couldn't have known each other as girls.
And judging by the woman's appearance… she was around thirty.
Had Kushina lived, she would be the same age now.
"Kushina-sama sent you? She's come to rescue us!?" the woman asked, hope blooming in her eyes.
Naruto shook his head.
"My mother is dead. She died six years ago."
The woman's face froze.
"…What? But… but she went to Konoha! She was with Mito-sama! How could she…?"
Naruto didn't answer.
Instead, he looked down at the wide-eyed little girl staring up at him — at Karin.
"Pack your things. Both of you. You're coming with me."
The woman snapped out of her daze. She turned to Karin and pulled her close.
"Karin, this is the child of Kushina-sama… You'll go with him. Do everything he says, understand?"
Karin nodded earnestly.
Then blinked, confused.
"…What about you, Mom?"
The woman smiled bitterly, gesturing to her worn, battered body.
"I can't go anywhere like this. I'll just slow you—"
"Enough."
Naruto frowned and cut her off.
With a wave, he opened a space gate right in front of her.
"I know space-time ninjutsu. I can take both of you. Just decide what you need to bring."
The woman stared in stunned silence.
A boy not yet grown, wielding techniques that only legends could use…
Then, finally, she nodded. "There's nothing here. Just us. We're ready."
But just then—
A loud clamor erupted from outside.
More Grass shinobi, fresh from training, were approaching.
They spotted the open door, the corpse on the ground, and the strangers within.
"Who are you!?"
"What the hell are you doing to those women!?"
"How did you get in here!?"
Panic flared in the woman's eyes. "Go! Quickly! I'll hold them off—"
Naruto didn't even glance at her.
"Yakumo. Kill them. Leave no one alive."
Yakumo grinned, her eyes gleaming.
"Understood!"
(End of Chapter)
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