Whirlpool Country, Whirlpool Village.
Minato and his group arrived at the village entrance. Kushina gazed at the scene before her, her eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.
She had known from Minato that Whirlpool Village was the client for this mission, and now, as they neared her ancestral home, she couldn't help but feel a touch of apprehension.
"Wow! So many redheads!" Nawaki exclaimed, marveling at the crowd of Uzumaki Clan members filling the streets.
He pointed to a red-haired woman not far away and grinned. "Kushina, you'll probably look just like her when you grow up, right?"
"I guess so? She's really pretty!" Mikoto replied, curiously observing her surroundings. This was her first time visiting a Ninja Village outside of Konoha.
Missions commissioned by other villages, even from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, were relatively rare.
"Are you Konoha ninjas? Do you have a mission?" A red-haired ninja approached the group. The youth, who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, wore a vest similar to Konoha's and spoke in a friendly tone.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Namikaze Minato. We're here on a mission commissioned by your village," Minato replied, stepping forward and nodding politely.
"Oh—are you the legendary Yellow Flash? You're just as young as the rumors say! I recognized you the moment I saw you—it's really you!"
Hearing Minato's name, the man's eyes lit up. "Nice to meet you! I'm Uzumaki Hiro, and I'm a huge fan!"
"Huh?"
Minato was taken aback by the man's enthusiastic greeting.
"Come with me! I'll take you to meet the Clan Head right away!"
Uzumaki Hiro led the group into the village.
Soon, they met the client for this mission: the current Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan.
"Welcome, Lord Minato. I am Uzumaki Yaname, the leader of Whirlpool Village and the current Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan."
Uzumaki Yaname was a middle-aged man with fiery red hair. He greeted Minato with utmost respect, showing no contempt despite the young man's age.
"Greetings, Lord."
Minato replied politely, considering that Yaname was a senior to Kushina.
Seeing Minato's courtesy, Uzumaki Yaname smiled. His gaze then turned to Kushina.
"It's been so long, Kushina. It seems you're doing well in Konoha."
"Mm—it's alright."
Kushina's cheeks puffed up. At first, she hadn't known she was sent to Konoha as a Candidate Jinchūriki.
To be honest, after learning the truth, she felt betrayed by her own clan.
Though she had accepted the responsibility and mission of becoming a Jinchūriki, the distinction between choosing and being chosen remained stark. Even now, she held this view.
Fortunately, she had met Minato.
So, while a lingering resentment remained, she didn't allow it to fester into bitterness.
Moreover, the village had compensated her generously. For instance, she now possessed nearly all the Uzumaki Clan's legacy of Sealing Techniques.
The Uzumaki Clan's Konoha territory and ancestral shrine would also pass into her hands in the future.
This treatment was almost equivalent to letting her establish a new branch of the clan.
"The clan wronged you back then," Uzumaki Yaname sighed softly, observing Kushina's attitude.
"It's fine! It's all in the past!"
Kushina threw her arm around Minato's: "I was young and don't remember much. As for the future—
I'll always stay by Minato's side. Nothing else matters."
Uzumaki Yaname nodded with satisfaction. "Then let's discuss the recent mission. Whirlpool Village has been repeatedly harassed by various nations lately, mostly through sea invasions."
"The most frequent attackers have been Kirigakure and Kumogakure. Yugakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure have also launched numerous raids against us."
Nawaki asked, "But aren't the Kusagakure our allies? Why would they attack you?"
"A friend of a friend isn't necessarily your friend," Minato explained. "Especially since the alliance between the Grass Village and Konoha was more of a desperate choice under the threat of the Land of Earth. As fellow allies of Konoha, we can't favor one side over the other. Even if Konoha tried to mediate, the Grass Village wouldn't compromise. If we pushed them too far, they might turn to Iwagakure, which would be a real headache for us."
"That's exactly right," Uzumaki Yaname said. "Though you're young, Lord Minato, your insight is remarkable. Speaking of which, the reason these Ninja Villages are acting so recklessly is because Konoha's front-line forces are tied up. If not for your timely contributions, the situation might have been even worse."
"Because the enemy numbers are so overwhelming, we've had to withdraw our forces to prevent them from penetrating too deeply. We simply don't have enough personnel to spare. That's why we're asking for your help—to leverage your reputation to deter these troublemakers."
"You're too kind," Minato replied politely. "I'll take on this mission. After all, this is also Kushina's hometown."
"Heh heh heh..."
Hearing Minato's words, Kushina couldn't suppress a smile.
"Haha, then I'll trouble you, Lord Minato."
Uzumaki Yaname produced a map and began discussing the patrol area with the group.
After a while, they boarded a small steamship and headed toward the northern waters of Whirlpool Country.
To show their respect for Minato, Yaname had specifically chosen a luxurious vessel and assigned Uzumaki Hiro to guide them.
Hiro was thrilled to be assigned to a mission with Minato.
He chattered incessantly along the way, sharing tales of Whirlpool Country's customs and history. Yet he maintained a respectful distance, refraining from prying into Minato's personal affairs. This discretion earned him Minato's approval.
Among the group, Nawaki and Hiro hit it off best.
Both were warm and straightforward, and Nawaki was eager to escape the cloying atmosphere between the other three. Before long, they had become good friends.
"Are you a Chūnin, Brother Hiro?" Nawaki asked.
"Ah! I just got promoted recently. But don't let my rank fool you—I'm quite strong!"
Hiro couldn't help but swell with pride at the mention of his strength. But quickly remembering Minato's presence, he added, "Of course, that's just relative to ordinary people. Everyone knows the Uzumaki Clan has vast chakra reserves. As long as you've mastered chakra control, you'll never be weak."
"My chakra reserves are quite exceptional, even by the standards of the Uzumaki Clan. I just wasn't very skilled at controlling my chakra, which delayed my promotion to Chūnin."
"I see—"
Nawaki said with a hint of envy, "Speaking of which, even though I have the bloodlines of both the Uzumaki and Senju clans, my chakra reserves are rather ordinary."
Uzumaki Hiro exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? Could you be a descendant of Lady Mito?"
"Yes, my grandmother was Uzumaki Mito, and my grandfather was Senju Hashirama," Nawaki nodded solemnly. He then added with a hint of dejection, "But my chakra reserves... well, they're not even as much as Kushina's, let alone Minato's."
"Hmm—"
Uzumaki Hiro's expression was hard to read.
In his perception, while Nawaki's chakra reserves couldn't compare to those of the Uzumaki Clan, they were still quite impressive by normal standards—a solid eight out of ten. Even many Jonin wouldn't necessarily surpass him. For someone of Nawaki's age, this was truly extraordinary talent.
But why must you compare yourself to those two monsters?
One has the Wood Release Bloodline Limit, the other is an Uzumaki prodigy.
Look at their combined power—do they seem like your grandparents?
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