After a while, Mizuki's voice came from inside the room.
"It's done."
The Transparent Release puppet turned around. Karin was asleep in her mother's arms now, her face flushed pink and peaceful. Mizuki's expression had softened considerably as well. When she looked at the puppet, there was gratitude in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She could feel that Karin was in good condition. Not at all like a baby who'd gone hungry for an entire day.
The puppet stood there for a moment. Then through it, Kenji made a decision.
"I'm a ninja from Konoha," the puppet said, its tone shifting to something less threatening. "I should have told you that from the start."
Mizuki's eyes went wide. Shock registered across her face, quickly followed by confusion. Of all the things she'd expected to hear, that wasn't on the list. A kidnapper, maybe. A criminal looking to exploit her abilities, definitely. But Konoha? The village that had been allied with the Uzumaki clan before everything fell apart?
She didn't speak, just stared at the puppet trying to process what that meant.
The puppet took her silence as an opening to continue.
"I know what you've been through in Kusa," it said quietly. "I know they've been using you as a living medical kit. Forcing you to heal over and over without giving your body time to recover. If that continues, you'll eventually exhaust your life force completely. You'll die, and Karin will be alone."
The blunt words hit Mizuki. Her arms tightened around Karin instinctively. Her mouth opened but no sound came out at first. When she finally found her voice, it was bitter.
"Using my abilities to heal injured ninjas... that was the condition Kusa set for allowing us to stay in the village. It's the price we pay for having a roof over our heads and food to eat. I don't have a choice."
"You do now," the puppet said. "Come with me to Konoha."
Mizuki's breath caught. Hope flickered in her chest.
"In Konoha, no one will force you to heal anyone," the puppet continued. "You'll have autonomy over your own abilities. And Karin can attend the Academy, make friends, and live a normal life. She can become a real ninja if that's what she wants. Or she can choose something else entirely. It'll be her choice, not something forced on her."
Mizuki looked down at her sleeping daughter. Tears welled up and spilled over, running silently down her cheeks. She didn't care what happened to herself anymore. The constant exhaustion, the gray hairs appearing in her twenties, the way her hands shook now even when she wasn't working. All of that was bearable if it kept Karin safe. But the idea that her daughter could have a real childhood, something better than this...
She raised her head and met the puppet's eyes.
"Thank you, Kenji-sama. I'll go with you to Konoha. Whatever it takes. As long as Karin can grow up properly, I'm willing to do anything."
The light had returned to her eyes.
"You don't need to call me that," the puppet said. Its hand reached up to scratch the back of its head. "Just Kenji is fine. We're going to be in the same village."
Mizuki looked uncertain, like dropping the honorific felt wrong somehow. But she nodded. The puppet seemed to realize she might not fully believe what he was saying. Promises were cheap. Anyone could make them. So it added something concrete.
"My wife, Honoka, is also from the Uzumaki clan. Like you, she has beautiful red hair. You'll meet her soon."
Mizuki's eyes widened. Before she could respond, the puppet kept talking.
"And the Fourth Hokage's wife is also an Uzumaki. She's... well, she's got a strong personality. Very protective of clan members. If you come to Konoha and someone tries to force you to use your abilities against your will, you go straight to her. With her backing you, no one will touch you. I guarantee it."
"Really?" Mizuki's hands were shaking now. "I... I still have clan members in Konoha?"
"Of course you do," the puppet said gently.
Then it reached out with one hand. Space rippled slightly and a picture frame materialized out of thin air, appearing in the puppet's grip. It handed the frame to Mizuki.
"This is a photo of my wife and Kushina together. You'll understand once you see it."
Kenji had just teleported the frame over using Flying Thunder God. He was close enough to Konoha now that transporting small objects was easy. The photo had been taken recently, just a few weeks ago. Honoka and Kushina stood side by side, each holding a baby, at a railing somewhere in Konoha's residential district. Behind them was a view overlooking much of the village's streets, buildings stretching out in every direction under clear blue sky. The location was the same spot where Team Seven would eventually meet Kakashi for the first time in the original timeline. He had chosen it because of that significance.
Mizuki held the frame with both hands, her fingers trembling slightly as they traced over the image. Two red-haired women smiled out from the photo. Both looked happy, healthy, alive in a way that she hadn't felt in years. The babies they held were chubby and well-cared-for, clearly thriving.
More tears fell.
"Thank you," she whispered. Then her voice broke completely. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Earlier, I thought you were... I thought you were going to..."
"Don't," the puppet cut her off. "The one who should be apologizing is me. I barged into your home without explanation. I used Karin to threaten you and scare you. Of course you thought I was a criminal or worse. That's completely reasonable given how I approached this."
It paused, then continued with what sounded like regret.
"But we were still in the Land of Grass at that point. If Kusa ninjas had discovered us, not only would we have been unable to leave, it could have sparked an international incident. Maybe even conflict between our villages. I needed to get you out first, then explain everything once we were safe. I hope you understand why I did it that way."
"I do," Mizuki said quickly. She shifted Karin slightly in her arms, making sure the baby was comfortable. "I understand. I've rested enough. Let's go to Konoha right now."
The puppet tilted its head slightly.
"You sure you don't want to eat something first? This post town is pretty close to Konoha, and it's got some decent food. I could take you to get something hot before we leave. You still look pale."
"No, thank you," Mizuki said. She stood up and walked to the puppet's side. "I'll eat once we reach Konoha. Let's leave now."
There was urgency in her voice. Like if they delayed even a few minutes, this chance might disappear. Like it was all a dream that could shatter if she didn't move fast enough.
"Alright then," the puppet said. It placed one hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "We're going straight to a restaurant when we arrive. I already spoke with Minato and Kushina. They're waiting for us there."
Before the words had even fully registered, chakra surged. After two seconds, the Flying Thunder God mark activated with a flash of light, and both figures vanished from the post town in an instant.
---
Meanwhile, in a private room at one of Konoha's better restaurants, Kenji sat waiting with Honoka and Daiki. The baby was being held in Honoka's arms, his head turning from side to side as he reacted to all the new sights and sounds. Occasionally his hands would reach out toward the tableware on the table, trying to grab at shiny objects. The private room wasn't huge, but it was comfortable. Traditional low tables with cushions for seating. Paper screens that could slide open to reveal the garden outside. The smell of cooking food drifted in from the restaurant's kitchen, making the space feel warm.
The door slid open and Honoka's face lit up immediately.
"Minato! Kushina! Over here!"
Minato entered carrying Naruto in his arms. Kushina walked beside him. Both of them looked relaxed, clearly taking a break from their usual duties. They settled around the table, Kushina sitting close to Honoka so they could coo over each other's babies. But Kushina's attention kept drifting to the door, obviously waiting for someone else to arrive.
"Kenji," she said, unable to contain her impatience any longer. "Where are Mizuki and Karin? How much longer before they get here?"
"They're at the post town right now," Kenji explained. "But using Flying Thunder God repeatedly to come all the way from the Land of Grass took a toll on their bodies. The spatial jumps can be disorienting if you're not used to them. I had my puppet give them time to rest and recover before making the final jump here."
He glanced at the door as if checking something.
"Should only be a few more minutes now."
"That's fine," Kushina said. "No need to rush them if they're not feeling well." She reached over to gently poke Daiki's chubby cheek, making the baby gurgle happily. "Daiki's gotten even cuter. He's way better behaved than Naruto."
Naruto chose that exact moment to start fussing in Minato's arms, as if offended by the comparison. Minato just smiled and adjusted his hold, bouncing the baby slightly to soothe him.
"You really did it," Minato said to Kenji. "You actually found another Uzumaki clan member and convinced her to come back. That's amazing work."
"Just luck, really," Kenji said with a wry smile. "I managed to extract the information from a Kusa ninja during an interrogation. Right place, right time."
He paused, then added, "By the way, Mizuki has a very special ability. Want to guess what it is?"
Minato thought for a moment, then guessed, "Could it be advanced sealing techniques? The Uzumaki clan is famous for their sealing arts. That would make sense."
But Kushina's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. She leaned forward.
"Don't tell me... is it a healing constitution? The kind that lets others recover..."
She trailed off, looking at Kenji for confirmation.
Kenji nodded, revealing the answer.
"Exactly. Any injured ninja who bites into Mizuki's skin can rapidly recover both chakra and heal their wounds. It's an incredibly powerful regenerative ability."
"I knew it!" Kushina exclaimed. "That kind of ability is extremely rare. I've heard stories about it from the old clan records, but I never thought I'd meet someone who had it!"
"A healing constitution?" Minato shook his head in amazement. "That's extraordinary."
"Our clan has something that special?" Honoka asked, looking surprised. As an Uzumaki who'd grown up separated from the main clan, she was still learning about all the unique traits and abilities that ran in their bloodline.
"The ability is powerful. But it's also brought Mizuki nothing but suffering."
The mood in the room shifted immediately. Everyone could hear the anger underneath Kenji's words.
"The people of Kusa treated her like a living medical supply. They forced her to heal injured ninjas over and over, sometimes for hours without break. They didn't give her time to recover between sessions. And they didn't even care that each use drained her life force. If that had continued much longer, she would have died. Worked to death before she turned thirty."
"What?!" Kushina's face went from happy to furious in an instant. Her chakra flared slightly, making the air in the room feel heavy. "Have they lost their minds? Don't they know the Uzumaki clan are allies of Konoha?"
Her hands clenched into fists on the table. Naruto, sensing his mother's anger through whatever connection babies had with their parents, started crying.
She immediately forced herself to calm down, taking the baby from Minato and soothing him. But her eyes were still blazing.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I just... hearing about what they did to her..."
"I know," Kenji said quietly. "That's why I brought her here."
Kushina knew better than most how hard life had been for Uzumaki clan members after their home country fell. Scattered across the world, vulnerable and alone, often exploited for their unique abilities. Hearing about Mizuki's specific ordeal made her heart ache.
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