"Yes, I'm Uzumaki Fuso.
May I ask who you are?"
Hearing the young girl's confirmation, Kagura felt a surge of joy.
Just as expected, it was really her!
At this moment, Tsunade finally caught up from behind.
"Kagura, what's wrong with you?"
Still puzzled, she looked at the two young girls in front of her and asked.
Seeing Tsunade arrive, Fuso couldn't help frowning slightly.
Looking at these two strangers clearly not from the Land of Whirlpools, she instinctively became more vigilant.
Because of the Uzumaki Clan's unique traits, many of their clan members had recently been abducted by outsiders.
Especially women with strong abilities—they were the main targets.
Right now, the excited Kagura seemed not to notice her caution and spoke up:
"Hello, Miss Fuso!
We're ninjas from Konoha. We came to the Land of Whirlpools because of a mission."
Upon hearing Kagura mention being from Konoha, Fuso subconsciously relaxed, her earlier wariness disappearing from her eyes.
As Konoha had always been allied with the Uzumaki Clan, they were practically the most trustworthy people outside her own kin.
After finishing the introduction, Kagura appeared somewhat hesitant, but then, as if reaching a decision, spoke again:
"Miss Fuso, please make sure to remember my words.
If...
If you ever encounter difficulties, or find yourself in desperate situations,
please, please come to Konoha and seek our help!
Whether it's you, or your children.
I—or rather, we Konoha—will do everything possible to protect you all!
Please remember what I said today and trust us!"
Fuso: (⊙o⊙) Wow?
Tsunade: (╯°Д°)╯︵ ┻━┻
The bestie standing beside Fuso looked back and forth between them both, visibly thrilled.
?X?X? Hehe, was that a confession?
Behind them, after initial shock, Tsunade quickly turned furious.
Gritting her teeth, she violently threw the unfinished dorayaki on the ground still in her hand, almost in tears as she screamed at Kagura:
"Kagura! You heartless cad!
I misjudged you!"
Then without looking back, she ran off.
It was only now that Kagura realized his previous words might have been misunderstood, panicking as he watched Tsunade flee further away.
He quickly bowed to Fuso:
"Miss Fuso, please definitely remember my words just now."
With that, he chased after Tsunade.
Watching their gradually distant figures, Fuso felt as if she had experienced an unreal dream.
Only when her best friend nudged her did she wake up from her daze.
Her friend stared at her curiously:
"Fuso, where did you meet that boy?
And he even came from Konoha?
Hmm, though he's quite young, seems like a bit of a player and kind of dumb too.
Can't even keep his cheating low-key."
Hearing this, she gazed at her best friend with terror in her eyes and quickly shook her head, denying:
"What are you talking about!
I don't even know that boy. This is the first time I've ever seen him."
After speaking, she struggled to remember what Kagura had said earlier, then muttered in realization:
"No way, is he sick or something!"
Kagura, who had been chasing Tsunade all the way, finally returned to their inn.
Yes, the Land of Whirlpools had already arranged accommodations for them ahead of time, knowing full well that Hiruzen Sarutobi would be visiting.
The two of them had actually come to the inn first to drop off everyone's luggage before heading out for reconnaissance.
Standing in front of Tsunade's room, Kagura helplessly explained:
"Tsunade, just listen to me! It's not what you think.
I wasn't confessing or anything; there was another reason entirely."
Tsunade's muffled voice came from inside the room:
"Then tell me what reason!"
Ugh...
Kagura opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Earlier when he stopped that girl, it indeed was for a reason.
While the name "Uzumaki Fuso" might sound unfamiliar to many people, everyone would surely know her son: Nagato.
That's right—Nagato, the wielder of the Rinnegan who founded the Akatsuki.
Later, he even killed Jiraiya and single-handedly destroyed the entire Konoha Village.
His mother was none other than Uzumaki Fuso.
In the original storyline, after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Uzumaki Fuso's family wandered to the Rain Country.
Then during the Second Ninja War, both her husband Nagare and she were mistakenly killed by Leaf ninjas searching for food supplies, leaving behind an orphaned Nagato.
Later on, due to various events, Nagato gradually became an important enemy along Naruto's growth path.
Exactly because he knew this entire plot thoroughly, Kagura had such an intense reaction upon realizing who Fuso really was.
Although now he still instinctively felt saving the world remained Naruto and Sasuke's responsibility,
if an opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind using his advantage of knowing future events to change certain things and prevent some tragedies.
Regarding Fuso herself, if she could have sought protection from Konoha rather than wandering into the Rain Country,
he believed Nagato's future would completely change.
But right now, the biggest issue was that he couldn't explain any of this to Tsunade.
Was he supposed to say he came from the future and had just tried altering that girl's fate?
Hmph! Even saying it out loud himself sounded unbelievable...
Remaining silent for quite some time, Tsunade finally angrily shouted:
"You're speechless now, aren't you!
Leave!
Get out of here!"
Sigh...
Letting out a helpless sigh, Kagura could only quietly leave.
Once hearing footsteps fading away outside her door, Tsunade sadly buried her face into the pillow, murmuring softly:
"You silly fool, Kagura..."
As night fell, Kagura hadn't expected Orochimaru—not Jiraiya—to return first.
When Orochimaru arrived, his expression seemed entranced, as though he'd gained significant benefits today.
It wasn't until spotting Kagura waiting outside the inn that he snapped back to reality.
Looking at Kagura sitting alone, he seemed to realize something and asked,
"Did you fight with Tsunade again?"
Kagura helplessly nodded.
Seeing this, Orochimaru didn't say anything else, only smiling slightly as he sat beside him.
After a pause, he continued,
"Hmm, Tsunade is actually a very gentle girl. And you know, she likes you. So sometimes she acts a bit spoiled toward you."
Kagura could do nothing but shake his head helplessly.
This time was different. He wanted to explain but couldn't.
Actually, among everyone they had met over the years, Orochimaru was the one who most defied Kagura's original impression.
As the major antagonist running through the entire story in the original novel, Orochimaru had been many children's childhood nightmare.
Yet as one of the rare antagonists who managed to redeem himself later on, he was also someone filled with contradictions.
At least to Kagura, the current Orochimaru was simply a polite, courteous person with a relentless pursuit for ninjutsu.
Without Danzo's influence, he might have become something like a scientific madman.
As for Tsunade's feelings toward Kagura, it wasn't just Kagura who knew; Jiraiya understood them too. Perhaps exactly because of that, Jiraiya rarely expressed his emotions toward Tsunade anymore.
Maybe it was for the best anyway — Kagura knew full well that even without him, things between Jiraiya and Tsunade were never going anywhere.
Looking at Orochimaru before him, Kagura changed the subject.
"It seems today you gained a lot from going along with Sarutobi-sensei?"
When the topic touched upon something he loved, Orochimaru could no longer keep calm and eagerly replied,
"Yes! The Uzumaki Sealing Technique truly lives up to its reputation. Do you know? It differs fundamentally from every Sealing Technique we've studied..."
Orochimaru, unusually talkative, eagerly recounted everything he'd learned today. Kagura listened quietly without interrupting, taking in every word.
Once he finally finished speaking, Kagura remarked,
"It really seems like you're passionate about ninjutsu research."
Looking at the still-enthusiastic Orochimaru, he thought for a moment before asking further,
"I heard from Sarutobi-sensei that... you began taking interest in ninjutsu only after your parents passed away?"
When Kagura asked the question, Orochimaru's expression instantly became calm once more.
He silently nodded.
Witnessing this, Kagura hesitated briefly before voicing his long-held curiosity,
"So, are you so devoted to ninjutsu because you want to develop a jutsu to resurrect them?"
In response, Orochimaru pondered carefully, then slowly shook his head.
"No. They made me realize how fragile human life really is. But humans can gain power through ninjutsu. If we could attain immortality, could humans uncover the secrets of this world by studying ninjutsu?"
Looking into Orochimaru's bright, determined eyes, Kagura didn't oppose his view but instead looked upward toward the starry night sky.
The night sky of this world was unlike the one in his previous life. The clear, unspoiled sky stretched above like a vast black canvas.
Sprinkled across this canvas were countless sparkling stars, and the radiant Milky Way formed the most breathtaking masterpiece.
He took a deep breath before speaking, his voice calm yet firm:
"Humans are frail beings, yet they hold the greatest strength within.
For everything we stand upon today was built through the struggles of countless lives.
A life may not last forever, but a spirit can endure beyond time.
What truly endures is not brute force, but the unyielding spirit of humanity."
He gazed at Orochimaru with sincerity and continued:
"I once came across a saying.
Death is the gods' greatest gift to humankind.
And immortality, their cruelest curse."
With that, he gave Orochimaru a firm pat on the shoulder, then rose and strode into the inn.
Orochimaru watched his retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.
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