Chapter 40: Grass
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Welydora
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Barely ten minutes after I was created, I was already hovering over the Village Hidden in the Grass.
Nothing special, really—lots of stone buildings shinobi can slap together fast, worn-out streets, and that's it. Sure, it was way better than the Land of Waves, but it was still nowhere near Konoha.
The country Grass is in sits between the Lands of Fire and Earth. And during one little war—if I remember right—my body's "dad" (the one from before the upgrades) and his genin squad blew up a crucial supply bridge here. Kannabi Bridge. That pretty much put a period on the war.
Also, from my meta-knowledge, there was supposed to be some kind of shinobi prison here with some freaky-ass thing inside… except I never found anything about it in the Leaf's textbooks. No prison. At least, nothing that sticks out.
And now, after flying over the whole damn country, I'm only more convinced there's nothing here from my memories. Just another village like a bunch of others—getting dragged through the Great Villages' wars. This one, specifically, survives by leaning on "diplomacy."
I dropped onto the roof of a prism-shaped building—basically their knockoff Hokage Residence—and the only ninja on duty stared at me like I'd fallen out of the sky.
A guy in the swamp-green uniform they wear here, with a stupid look on his face.
"Uhh…" was all he managed. Truly a master of words.
"I'm an envoy from Konoha. Take me to whoever's in charge. His name's Hayame Juro," I added, remembering who the letter was addressed to.
"Kid, how the hell did you do that?" He pointed at the sky, then dragged his finger down, miming flight.
…
Instead of answering, I just raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're not local, are you? Because you sure as hell don't look like a shinobi from the 'diplomatic village.'"
"Uhh—!" he started to get offended, then finally noticed my Konoha forehead protector. "Huh?! Wait, you're actually from the Leaf?!"
"Yeah. Now move your ass."
Eyes bulging, he spun around, yanked open the door he'd been guarding, and—straight-up forgetting I existed—bolted inside.
Blinking a couple times, I walked in at a normal pace. My sphere-sight sees the whole building anyway; either I'd spot where this weirdo ran, or I'd find someone with a longer attention span on the way.
I didn't. The local chief that shinobi ran to, instead of sending someone to fetch me, started riding his subordinate about what the hell even happened. And when he finally got it on the third try, he immediately started pressing even harder—like, are you sure I'm Uzumaki?
I got there pretty fast and opened the door on the two of them.
A long, skinny old man around sixty, slicked-back gray hair, dressed in the same swampy colors but way neater, was looming over that rooftop guard. The old man's face was pissed as hell.
But the moment I showed up—less than a second—his eyes flicked over my face, went wide like he hadn't actually believed his underling, and then narrowed into flattering little slits.
"Jinchūriki-sama," he said, taking a wide step toward me, away from his shinobi. "What brings you to our humble village?"
"Blood," I snapped.
His eyes widened again for a moment.
Noting the reaction and giving a satisfied little hum, I added, "I'm Uzumaki. I know you've got my relatives living here."
I reached for my bracer, pulled the letter out of a seal, and tossed it onto the floor in front of him.
Those slit-eyes cracked open again.
Yeah. Zero self-control. And this guy calls himself a diplomat.
"Konoha has something to say about this, too."
He lowered his gaze and spotted the Hokage's seal.
Hayame started sweating—half from the irritation of being humiliated like that, half from fear.
As the head of a "diplomatic" village, he understood a lot. Jinchūriki are always dangerous, even the young ones. Yagura became Mizukage around that age, and after getting a tailed beast he should've been even stronger. And on top of that, the kid in front of him was an Uzumaki—whose relatives Grass had apparently been using in a pretty damn inhuman way. If he pissed me off, this could end in a slaughter.
Even scarier: jinchūriki are the balance of the world. Even if Grass somehow managed to get rid of this blond, Konoha would be very likely to start a war Kusa wouldn't survive. They're diplomats; they're used to feeding people bullshit with a smile, not swinging metal around.
Sure, a world war would come later, once the other Great Villages learned a bijū had vanished. But by the time they got moving, Grass would already be ruins.
So, better safe than sorry, the Grass leader decided to fold—he crouched down and picked the letter up off the floor.
Supposedly there were "claims" inside… and Hayame was already screwed before he even read a word. Just by showing up, this Uzumaki had put him on all fours—literally. So what the hell was in that letter?!
Tense, the Grass leader started reading.
While the boss was busy, the rooftop guard—seeing I wasn't stopping him—washed himself out of there, and it was just me and this lanky bastard.
As he read, his face got sadder and sadder. Yeah. Makes sense.
In short, Hiruzen—playing the wise, slick-ass leader—first expressed official "joy" and "concern" about the "recently discovered" fact that surviving Uzumaki were living in the Village Hidden in the Grass. Then he immediately appealed to an ancient, unbreakable treaty between Konoha and Uzushio, according to which the Leaf is the official patron and security guarantor for every clan member. So he moved the whole letter from "a simple request" into "a lawful, legally justified demand," basically shoving Hayame's face into the fact he'd violated an international agreement.
That "agreement with the Uzumaki" was heavily exaggerated, same as its legal weight. But the Grass leader swallowed it—and got impressed.
Next, disguising a threat as friendly concern, the Hokage expressed "regret" over the "inhumane" exploitation of the Uzumaki's healing abilities. He subtly hinted that such desperate methods could be seen by neighbors as a sign of military weakness, dealing a crushing blow to Grass's reputation—the most valuable asset for a village of diplomats. That move pressured him psychologically and also showed Konoha knew about Grass's internal problems, making their position even more vulnerable.
Near the end, Hiruzen offered a "civilized" way out: immediately transferring every Uzumaki into Konoha's jurisdiction and paying "compensation" for years of service, letting the incident get resolved without extra publicity. In other words, an ultimatum—a carefully thought-out diplomatic maneuver that left the Grass leader no choice except to obey. Refusing wouldn't just mean losing face and reputation—it would mean a direct conflict with a Great Village that has both "legal" and "moral" high ground. A nice little diplomatic zugzwang.
And at the very end, Hiruzen added he'd like to see his colleagues in Grass show "nobility." That they'd pay for their mistakes out of their own pockets, not out of innocent civilians' taxes. And for that, Hiruzen would be sending inspectors from Konoha.
That last part the old Konoha fossil added at my request, whining that Ibiki has something to learn from me. I told him it was totally fair, and we, like… we should fuck over the people who aren't us.
"Better start getting your property ready, Juro," I noted with a smile when I saw from his doomed face that he'd finished reading.
"Of course, Uzumaki-sama," he mumbled, eyes lowered, still saying it in a tone like he meant it. But his chakra made it crystal clear how miserable he was.
He got hit with such crushing sadness it felt like if I told him to go to the main square, pull his pants down, and chop off his dick, he'd be less upset. Looks like he doesn't have much to his name, and Konoha demanded a lot. After paying it all, someone's gonna end up out on the street with his colleagues—bare ass, and still with debts.
Though yeah, I lied about the "fairness." In the future, I can imagine Karin and I might get closer. And considering what these devils did to my possible—like, if you look really far into a possible future—mother-in-law… after they pay everything, it wouldn't hurt to write numbers on their foreheads.
But that's future shit. And even if it comes to revenge, I won't be first in line, or even second. I'll be third.
After that we clarified details: the inspection schedule for the near future; I, sensing lies, reviewed the full list of "debtors" so I could point out exactly who to check. Later I also walked through their properties to document everything, so Leaf people could track it and make sure it all goes where it's supposed to.
Meanwhile, while we worked… no, Hayame's people didn't bring me Karin's mother or other Uzumaki—because they weren't here. But the events were tied to that woman.
Secret Shadow Clone Uzumaki Naruto's POV
Walking into the Grass leader's place can, in a lot of cases, put the whole village on alert. While the other clone went to Hayame, I—the clone—went to the Uzumaki mother right away. So Grass shinobi wouldn't have a chance to reach her first and, just in case, grab her as a hostage.
Paranoia. But what if?
In front of me stood a small, old house. This was where I felt chakra similar to Karin's. And inside was a woman with very noticeable red hair.
No guards at all. I walked up, knocked, and the door opened soon after.
First confused, then staring in shock at the Konoha forehead protector on my brow, a tall woman appeared—about thirty-five. She wore a white dress and a soft lilac floor-length cloak, tied in a bow at the chest. Gray eyes. Straight hair cut to her chin, parting to either side of her face—kinda like her daughter's. And a tired face.
"Hello. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Can I come in?" I asked, and at the sound of my last name her eyes widened even more.
After a brief pause, she nodded and let me in. The place looked pretty poor.
"My name is Akane," she said, closing the door. "What brings a child from Konoha to this backwater? Uzumaki… I didn't think any of us were still alive."
Pretty soon she led me—friendly, but not quite—to a low table and poured tea. "Not quite," because Karin's mom kept glancing at me with a blank face, while her eyes stayed sharp as hell.
"Family, I guess. And don't call me a child. I'm already an adult."
For a moment something like Yeah, sure flashed in her eyes, but when she noticed my face twitch, she just nodded.
"Fine. I'll take it as given. You wanted to talk?"
"Not only." I shook my head and held my hand out, bending fingers down one by one. "First I wanted to tell you I know your daughter. Then I wanted to brag about my capabilities. And then I wanted to offer you a move to Konoha. Consider it this way: out of pure kindness and attachment, I decided to solve all your problems. All that's left is picking a little house in the Leaf and packing your stuff here."
"Mhm…" After listening, her face turned thoughtful. Not like she was considering the offer—more like she was doubting my mental health.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "Okay. Let's move on to the real arguments."
Focusing for a moment on my link with the clone, under Akane's stunned stare a break opened in space beside me, and a hand stuck out holding a letter.
When I took it and set it on the table in front of her, the break closed.
"That was an S-rank space-time technique," I said calmly. "And I have way more destructive techniques in my arsenal. Also… I'm a jinchūriki."
Akane flinched.
"Y-you said you know my daughter… What do you and Konoha want from us?"
I sighed.
"I didn't want to scare you. But I needed you to take me seriously. And first of all… we're—maybe distant, but family…"
Akane's piercing eyes didn't leave me. But her feelings were a whole storm. She couldn't fully believe me—especially my selfless desire to help. Considering how she lived here, she must've formed the kind of worldview where everyone always wants something from her. Like they wanted her to heal shinobi here. Still, my looks mattered—I didn't look like some hardened politician, I looked like a teen who might actually have some decent feelings.
A faint smile showed on my face.
"Karin wasn't easy to convince either. You raised her well, Akane-san. Read the letter—it's from the Hokage to the local chief."
Her face was still full of contradictions. What exactly I'd convinced her daughter of, and how, wasn't clear, but it was scary anyway. But at the same time, my face, posture—everything was open, like I wasn't about to do anything bad.
She carefully took the letter and read.
While she did, I sipped tea. Tasty, by the way.
"This…" She was practically speechless after finishing.
"Exactly. Grass will pay for your service—and yes, to you specifically. And yeah, I can promise you this: in Konoha nobody will force you to do anything. Same for your daughter. If you want, we can put her through an accelerated course at the Ninja Academy. Or you can stay far away from that craft and just live however you want."
"But… I still don't understand. What's the benefit for you?"
I closed my eyes.
Why is she so damn smart? Always hunting for a catch. I mean, sure—this trait probably helped my relative survive this long. But it makes my life harder. It would be easier if she just believed in my holiness and happily ran after me to Konoha squealing… though honestly, my psyche probably wouldn't have survived that specific kind of cringe.
"I'll repeat it. We're related by blood. And also I… I'm just looking for a circle to hang with. Right now we don't mean much to each other. But in the future that can change."
Her sharp gaze landed on me again, and emotions flickered in it… sympathy and understanding?
"I… understand. Karin needs someone she can just talk to, too. And we accept your offer, Naruto-san."
"Awesome," I said, smiling like a satisfied cat.
Mu-ha-ha-ha! See? Looking like a teenager can actually help. I'm sure she finally saw me as just a kid who lacked companionship. That's a deep enough reason. And it's a reason she gets. Because her daughter, in a strange village, probably didn't make good friends either. So she projected Karin's loneliness onto me.
I waved my hand, and a passage opened next to us. And inside it, under the woman's shocked stare, appeared…
A Little Earlier. Second Shadow Clone Uzumaki Naruto's POV
Walking with Karin holding onto my arm, I felt this kind of tremble coming off her toward me. Still, my relatively plain look seemed to smooth it out. And judging by the looks sliding to our hands, the contact calmed her down.
We'd just left the Konoha department that handles property sales inside the village. With the keys in hand, we were heading to check out a house. I suggested we look at this one first, and my relative agreed.
Most of the time she stayed quiet, gathering her thoughts. Only now did she ask a serious question:
"So… what's going to happen to me and Mom?"
"You'll just live here. Like I said," I shrugged. "We'll buy a house now, maybe. This one looks good."
We walked another dozen meters in silence.
"We don't have that kind of money…" she said.
"Not a problem. I can buy you ten houses. Don't worry."
She looked at me again, still quiet. Then, with resolve, she finally started:
"I don't want to live in debt. How can I be useful to you… or Konoha?"
And she stared at me like: If it won't hurt my mother, and it lets us live here safely, I'll agree to anything.
"Hah." I snorted. "If it's that important to you, you and your mom are already rich enough to buy a few houses and live here your whole lives without working."
"Huh?"
By that point, the first clone had finished the meeting with the Hokage, so I told her how much money her mother was going to get from Grass. So much it'd be enough for grandkids, and even great-great-grandkids, if you don't blow it all like an idiot.
"W-what?!" she blurted, shocked. "But… it hasn't even been half an hour…"
"The power of clones! Ha-ha!"
With my laughter, we reached the place.
"By the way, about why I wanted to check this house first." I pointed with my free hand at a mansion nearby. "My house is right there. You can come over whenever you want. I can even set aside a room for you permanently."
Karin looked where I pointed, then looked back at me.
"Should we go in this one now?" I asked, nodding at a sturdy, reasonably spacious house.
"Yeah…"
I clicked the lock and we stepped into the entryway. Took off our shoes, went into the living room… and with a quiet sound, space split into a diamond shape next to us, then stretched into a doorway about two meters by one and a half.
On the other side, frozen, stood a woman with gray eyes and red hair. The clone, turned into chakra, rushed into me and dispersed.
Slowly turning her head and lifting it a little, Karin asked:
"Naruto… are you a god?"
"More like a shinobi," I answered with a smirk to the younger redhead, then turned to the older one.
She was staring blankly at our joined hands.
"Uh… Akane-san, there's nothing between us. Don't stare like that…"
The woman's eyes widened. She looked back—there was no clone anymore—then looked at us again. Then she stepped uncertainly through the portal, throwing an uncertain glance behind her as it smoothly closed.
Akane looked at her daughter with something like relief.
Karin looked at our hands with a whole cocktail of emotions, then finally loosened her grip, pulled her hand free, and waited with impatience on her face until Akane stepped out fully.
"This…" Akane started, but didn't get to finish.
"Mom!" Karin rushed her and almost knocked her over.
She tried to keep her emotions under control, but here she just snapped.
She jumped onto the woman, clinging tight, and then… relief hit her like a wave. Her mom was here—her own person, someone she could rely on—and it was like a weight fell off her shoulders.
Akane, obviously, hugged her daughter warmly.
They stayed like that for about twenty seconds while I just stood off to the side.
But all good things end, or so Karin probably thought, when Akane finally lifted her head and turned it toward me.
"Sorry, Naruto-san. We're probably holding you up."
"Eh, it's fine." I waved a hand. "I'm a shadow clone, and you're not distracting the original from his exam. Let's check the house—and if you don't like it, we'll go to the next one."
After that… I got hit with a whole flood of gratitude from two Uzumaki. My help before felt unreal to them, but now that they'd reunited, it finally sank in that this was all actually happening.
And then we did what I'd suggested.
The place got approved, and when Karin mentioned I lived nearby, it was bought without much hesitation. Of course, you can't do everything in a day, and Akane would have to mess with paperwork. But with me, it won't take long—we already paid the deposit today, and what's left is just formalities.
Next came the move. Grabbing things with chakra threads and wrapping them in chakra, I worked like a whole crew of movers. So in no time, all their stuff was transferred.
Then we went shopping. Basically, it was work for the whole day and then some. But that was already a few hours later, after they received the first funds from Grass… and for that, like for the earlier help, I got a whole lot of thanks from Akane and Karin.
Meanwhile, the original was going through the second stage of the exam.
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Nothing special, really—lots of stone buildings shinobi can slap together fast, worn-out streets, and that's it. Sure, it was way better than the Land of Waves, but it was still nowhere near Konoha.
The country Grass is in sits between the Lands of Fire and Earth. And during one little war—if I remember right—my body's "dad" (the one from before the upgrades) and his genin squad blew up a crucial supply bridge here. Kannabi Bridge. That pretty much put a period on the war.
Also, from my meta-knowledge, there was supposed to be some kind of shinobi prison here with some freaky-ass thing inside… except I never found anything about it in the Leaf's textbooks. No prison. At least, nothing that sticks out.
And now, after flying over the whole damn country, I'm only more convinced there's nothing here from my memories. Just another village like a bunch of others—getting dragged through the Great Villages' wars. This one, specifically, survives by leaning on "diplomacy."
I dropped onto the roof of a prism-shaped building—basically their knockoff Hokage Residence—and the only ninja on duty stared at me like I'd fallen out of the sky.
A guy in the swamp-green uniform they wear here, with a stupid look on his face.
"Uhh…" was all he managed. Truly a master of words.
"I'm an envoy from Konoha. Take me to whoever's in charge. His name's Hayame Juro," I added, remembering who the letter was addressed to.
"Kid, how the hell did you do that?" He pointed at the sky, then dragged his finger down, miming flight.
…
Instead of answering, I just raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're not local, are you? Because you sure as hell don't look like a shinobi from the 'diplomatic village.'"
"Uhh—!" he started to get offended, then finally noticed my Konoha forehead protector. "Huh?! Wait, you're actually from the Leaf?!"
"Yeah. Now move your ass."
Eyes bulging, he spun around, yanked open the door he'd been guarding, and—straight-up forgetting I existed—bolted inside.
Blinking a couple times, I walked in at a normal pace. My sphere-sight sees the whole building anyway; either I'd spot where this weirdo ran, or I'd find someone with a longer attention span on the way.
I didn't. The local chief that shinobi ran to, instead of sending someone to fetch me, started riding his subordinate about what the hell even happened. And when he finally got it on the third try, he immediately started pressing even harder—like, are you sure I'm Uzumaki?
I got there pretty fast and opened the door on the two of them.
A long, skinny old man around sixty, slicked-back gray hair, dressed in the same swampy colors but way neater, was looming over that rooftop guard. The old man's face was pissed as hell.
But the moment I showed up—less than a second—his eyes flicked over my face, went wide like he hadn't actually believed his underling, and then narrowed into flattering little slits.
"Jinchūriki-sama," he said, taking a wide step toward me, away from his shinobi. "What brings you to our humble village?"
"Blood," I snapped.
His eyes widened again for a moment.
Noting the reaction and giving a satisfied little hum, I added, "I'm Uzumaki. I know you've got my relatives living here."
I reached for my bracer, pulled the letter out of a seal, and tossed it onto the floor in front of him.
Those slit-eyes cracked open again.
Yeah. Zero self-control. And this guy calls himself a diplomat.
"Konoha has something to say about this, too."
He lowered his gaze and spotted the Hokage's seal.
Hayame started sweating—half from the irritation of being humiliated like that, half from fear.
As the head of a "diplomatic" village, he understood a lot. Jinchūriki are always dangerous, even the young ones. Yagura became Mizukage around that age, and after getting a tailed beast he should've been even stronger. And on top of that, the kid in front of him was an Uzumaki—whose relatives Grass had apparently been using in a pretty damn inhuman way. If he pissed me off, this could end in a slaughter.
Even scarier: jinchūriki are the balance of the world. Even if Grass somehow managed to get rid of this blond, Konoha would be very likely to start a war Kusa wouldn't survive. They're diplomats; they're used to feeding people bullshit with a smile, not swinging metal around.
Sure, a world war would come later, once the other Great Villages learned a bijū had vanished. But by the time they got moving, Grass would already be ruins.
So, better safe than sorry, the Grass leader decided to fold—he crouched down and picked the letter up off the floor.
Supposedly there were "claims" inside… and Hayame was already screwed before he even read a word. Just by showing up, this Uzumaki had put him on all fours—literally. So what the hell was in that letter?!
Tense, the Grass leader started reading.
While the boss was busy, the rooftop guard—seeing I wasn't stopping him—washed himself out of there, and it was just me and this lanky bastard.
As he read, his face got sadder and sadder. Yeah. Makes sense.
In short, Hiruzen—playing the wise, slick-ass leader—first expressed official "joy" and "concern" about the "recently discovered" fact that surviving Uzumaki were living in the Village Hidden in the Grass. Then he immediately appealed to an ancient, unbreakable treaty between Konoha and Uzushio, according to which the Leaf is the official patron and security guarantor for every clan member. So he moved the whole letter from "a simple request" into "a lawful, legally justified demand," basically shoving Hayame's face into the fact he'd violated an international agreement.
That "agreement with the Uzumaki" was heavily exaggerated, same as its legal weight. But the Grass leader swallowed it—and got impressed.
Next, disguising a threat as friendly concern, the Hokage expressed "regret" over the "inhumane" exploitation of the Uzumaki's healing abilities. He subtly hinted that such desperate methods could be seen by neighbors as a sign of military weakness, dealing a crushing blow to Grass's reputation—the most valuable asset for a village of diplomats. That move pressured him psychologically and also showed Konoha knew about Grass's internal problems, making their position even more vulnerable.
Near the end, Hiruzen offered a "civilized" way out: immediately transferring every Uzumaki into Konoha's jurisdiction and paying "compensation" for years of service, letting the incident get resolved without extra publicity. In other words, an ultimatum—a carefully thought-out diplomatic maneuver that left the Grass leader no choice except to obey. Refusing wouldn't just mean losing face and reputation—it would mean a direct conflict with a Great Village that has both "legal" and "moral" high ground. A nice little diplomatic zugzwang.
And at the very end, Hiruzen added he'd like to see his colleagues in Grass show "nobility." That they'd pay for their mistakes out of their own pockets, not out of innocent civilians' taxes. And for that, Hiruzen would be sending inspectors from Konoha.
That last part the old Konoha fossil added at my request, whining that Ibiki has something to learn from me. I told him it was totally fair, and we, like… we should fuck over the people who aren't us.
"Better start getting your property ready, Juro," I noted with a smile when I saw from his doomed face that he'd finished reading.
"Of course, Uzumaki-sama," he mumbled, eyes lowered, still saying it in a tone like he meant it. But his chakra made it crystal clear how miserable he was.
He got hit with such crushing sadness it felt like if I told him to go to the main square, pull his pants down, and chop off his dick, he'd be less upset. Looks like he doesn't have much to his name, and Konoha demanded a lot. After paying it all, someone's gonna end up out on the street with his colleagues—bare ass, and still with debts.
Though yeah, I lied about the "fairness." In the future, I can imagine Karin and I might get closer. And considering what these devils did to my possible—like, if you look really far into a possible future—mother-in-law… after they pay everything, it wouldn't hurt to write numbers on their foreheads.
But that's future shit. And even if it comes to revenge, I won't be first in line, or even second. I'll be third.
After that we clarified details: the inspection schedule for the near future; I, sensing lies, reviewed the full list of "debtors" so I could point out exactly who to check. Later I also walked through their properties to document everything, so Leaf people could track it and make sure it all goes where it's supposed to.
Meanwhile, while we worked… no, Hayame's people didn't bring me Karin's mother or other Uzumaki—because they weren't here. But the events were tied to that woman.
Secret Shadow Clone Uzumaki Naruto's POV
Walking into the Grass leader's place can, in a lot of cases, put the whole village on alert. While the other clone went to Hayame, I—the clone—went to the Uzumaki mother right away. So Grass shinobi wouldn't have a chance to reach her first and, just in case, grab her as a hostage.
Paranoia. But what if?
In front of me stood a small, old house. This was where I felt chakra similar to Karin's. And inside was a woman with very noticeable red hair.
No guards at all. I walked up, knocked, and the door opened soon after.
First confused, then staring in shock at the Konoha forehead protector on my brow, a tall woman appeared—about thirty-five. She wore a white dress and a soft lilac floor-length cloak, tied in a bow at the chest. Gray eyes. Straight hair cut to her chin, parting to either side of her face—kinda like her daughter's. And a tired face.
"Hello. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Can I come in?" I asked, and at the sound of my last name her eyes widened even more.
After a brief pause, she nodded and let me in. The place looked pretty poor.
"My name is Akane," she said, closing the door. "What brings a child from Konoha to this backwater? Uzumaki… I didn't think any of us were still alive."
Pretty soon she led me—friendly, but not quite—to a low table and poured tea. "Not quite," because Karin's mom kept glancing at me with a blank face, while her eyes stayed sharp as hell.
"Family, I guess. And don't call me a child. I'm already an adult."
For a moment something like Yeah, sure flashed in her eyes, but when she noticed my face twitch, she just nodded.
"Fine. I'll take it as given. You wanted to talk?"
"Not only." I shook my head and held my hand out, bending fingers down one by one. "First I wanted to tell you I know your daughter. Then I wanted to brag about my capabilities. And then I wanted to offer you a move to Konoha. Consider it this way: out of pure kindness and attachment, I decided to solve all your problems. All that's left is picking a little house in the Leaf and packing your stuff here."
"Mhm…" After listening, her face turned thoughtful. Not like she was considering the offer—more like she was doubting my mental health.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "Okay. Let's move on to the real arguments."
Focusing for a moment on my link with the clone, under Akane's stunned stare a break opened in space beside me, and a hand stuck out holding a letter.
When I took it and set it on the table in front of her, the break closed.
"That was an S-rank space-time technique," I said calmly. "And I have way more destructive techniques in my arsenal. Also… I'm a jinchūriki."
Akane flinched.
"Y-you said you know my daughter… What do you and Konoha want from us?"
I sighed.
"I didn't want to scare you. But I needed you to take me seriously. And first of all… we're—maybe distant, but family…"
Akane's piercing eyes didn't leave me. But her feelings were a whole storm. She couldn't fully believe me—especially my selfless desire to help. Considering how she lived here, she must've formed the kind of worldview where everyone always wants something from her. Like they wanted her to heal shinobi here. Still, my looks mattered—I didn't look like some hardened politician, I looked like a teen who might actually have some decent feelings.
A faint smile showed on my face.
"Karin wasn't easy to convince either. You raised her well, Akane-san. Read the letter—it's from the Hokage to the local chief."
Her face was still full of contradictions. What exactly I'd convinced her daughter of, and how, wasn't clear, but it was scary anyway. But at the same time, my face, posture—everything was open, like I wasn't about to do anything bad.
She carefully took the letter and read.
While she did, I sipped tea. Tasty, by the way.
"This…" She was practically speechless after finishing.
"Exactly. Grass will pay for your service—and yes, to you specifically. And yeah, I can promise you this: in Konoha nobody will force you to do anything. Same for your daughter. If you want, we can put her through an accelerated course at the Ninja Academy. Or you can stay far away from that craft and just live however you want."
"But… I still don't understand. What's the benefit for you?"
I closed my eyes.
Why is she so damn smart? Always hunting for a catch. I mean, sure—this trait probably helped my relative survive this long. But it makes my life harder. It would be easier if she just believed in my holiness and happily ran after me to Konoha squealing… though honestly, my psyche probably wouldn't have survived that specific kind of cringe.
"I'll repeat it. We're related by blood. And also I… I'm just looking for a circle to hang with. Right now we don't mean much to each other. But in the future that can change."
Her sharp gaze landed on me again, and emotions flickered in it… sympathy and understanding?
"I… understand. Karin needs someone she can just talk to, too. And we accept your offer, Naruto-san."
"Awesome," I said, smiling like a satisfied cat.
Mu-ha-ha-ha! See? Looking like a teenager can actually help. I'm sure she finally saw me as just a kid who lacked companionship. That's a deep enough reason. And it's a reason she gets. Because her daughter, in a strange village, probably didn't make good friends either. So she projected Karin's loneliness onto me.
I waved my hand, and a passage opened next to us. And inside it, under the woman's shocked stare, appeared…
A Little Earlier. Second Shadow Clone Uzumaki Naruto's POV
Walking with Karin holding onto my arm, I felt this kind of tremble coming off her toward me. Still, my relatively plain look seemed to smooth it out. And judging by the looks sliding to our hands, the contact calmed her down.
We'd just left the Konoha department that handles property sales inside the village. With the keys in hand, we were heading to check out a house. I suggested we look at this one first, and my relative agreed.
Most of the time she stayed quiet, gathering her thoughts. Only now did she ask a serious question:
"So… what's going to happen to me and Mom?"
"You'll just live here. Like I said," I shrugged. "We'll buy a house now, maybe. This one looks good."
We walked another dozen meters in silence.
"We don't have that kind of money…" she said.
"Not a problem. I can buy you ten houses. Don't worry."
She looked at me again, still quiet. Then, with resolve, she finally started:
"I don't want to live in debt. How can I be useful to you… or Konoha?"
And she stared at me like: If it won't hurt my mother, and it lets us live here safely, I'll agree to anything.
"Hah." I snorted. "If it's that important to you, you and your mom are already rich enough to buy a few houses and live here your whole lives without working."
"Huh?"
By that point, the first clone had finished the meeting with the Hokage, so I told her how much money her mother was going to get from Grass. So much it'd be enough for grandkids, and even great-great-grandkids, if you don't blow it all like an idiot.
"W-what?!" she blurted, shocked. "But… it hasn't even been half an hour…"
"The power of clones! Ha-ha!"
With my laughter, we reached the place.
"By the way, about why I wanted to check this house first." I pointed with my free hand at a mansion nearby. "My house is right there. You can come over whenever you want. I can even set aside a room for you permanently."
Karin looked where I pointed, then looked back at me.
"Should we go in this one now?" I asked, nodding at a sturdy, reasonably spacious house.
"Yeah…"
I clicked the lock and we stepped into the entryway. Took off our shoes, went into the living room… and with a quiet sound, space split into a diamond shape next to us, then stretched into a doorway about two meters by one and a half.
On the other side, frozen, stood a woman with gray eyes and red hair. The clone, turned into chakra, rushed into me and dispersed.
Slowly turning her head and lifting it a little, Karin asked:
"Naruto… are you a god?"
"More like a shinobi," I answered with a smirk to the younger redhead, then turned to the older one.
She was staring blankly at our joined hands.
"Uh… Akane-san, there's nothing between us. Don't stare like that…"
The woman's eyes widened. She looked back—there was no clone anymore—then looked at us again. Then she stepped uncertainly through the portal, throwing an uncertain glance behind her as it smoothly closed.
Akane looked at her daughter with something like relief.
Karin looked at our hands with a whole cocktail of emotions, then finally loosened her grip, pulled her hand free, and waited with impatience on her face until Akane stepped out fully.
"This…" Akane started, but didn't get to finish.
"Mom!" Karin rushed her and almost knocked her over.
She tried to keep her emotions under control, but here she just snapped.
She jumped onto the woman, clinging tight, and then… relief hit her like a wave. Her mom was here—her own person, someone she could rely on—and it was like a weight fell off her shoulders.
Akane, obviously, hugged her daughter warmly.
They stayed like that for about twenty seconds while I just stood off to the side.
But all good things end, or so Karin probably thought, when Akane finally lifted her head and turned it toward me.
"Sorry, Naruto-san. We're probably holding you up."
"Eh, it's fine." I waved a hand. "I'm a shadow clone, and you're not distracting the original from his exam. Let's check the house—and if you don't like it, we'll go to the next one."
After that… I got hit with a whole flood of gratitude from two Uzumaki. My help before felt unreal to them, but now that they'd reunited, it finally sank in that this was all actually happening.
And then we did what I'd suggested.
The place got approved, and when Karin mentioned I lived nearby, it was bought without much hesitation. Of course, you can't do everything in a day, and Akane would have to mess with paperwork. But with me, it won't take long—we already paid the deposit today, and what's left is just formalities.
Next came the move. Grabbing things with chakra threads and wrapping them in chakra, I worked like a whole crew of movers. So in no time, all their stuff was transferred.
Then we went shopping. Basically, it was work for the whole day and then some. But that was already a few hours later, after they received the first funds from Grass… and for that, like for the earlier help, I got a whole lot of thanks from Akane and Karin.
Meanwhile, the original was going through the second stage of the exam.
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