Chapter 26: Uzumaki Kushina

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Uzumaki Kushina

Inside a Konohagakure barbecue restaurant run by the Akimichi clan.

"Why are you two here?"

In a private room, Tsunade held a cup of sake and looked curiously at Jiraiya and Orochimaru sitting before her.

Just as she and Uchiha Xuan had entered the barbecue restaurant, they had spotted Jiraiya and Orochimaru also walking in.

"I should be the one asking that! You actually got up this early? And you didn’t head straight to the casino after waking up, but instead brought money to eat barbecue??! Wait, do you even have money?? Don’t tell me you robbed Nawaki again? Tsk tsk tsk, I really feel sorry for Nawaki~"

With his opening words, Jiraiya perfectly demonstrated what it meant to ask for trouble.

The next second, Jiraiya was involuntarily introduced to the private room’s wall via a kiss.

"Idiot."

In response, Orochimaru, sitting nearby, calmly took a sip of his drink and studied Uchiha Xuan, who was grilling meat, with curiosity. He was extremely intrigued by this Uchiha who frequently appeared in the Senju Clan Territory.

Having grown accustomed to being hit, Jiraiya calmly peeled himself off the wall, returned to the table, picked up his cup, and downed its contents in one gulp.

"What have you two been up to lately? I haven’t seen either of you around, especially you—I haven’t seen you for a whole year."

Glancing at the meat Uchiha Xuan was grilling and seeing it wasn’t ready yet, Tsunade turned to Orochimaru and asked.

It wasn’t strange for her to be curious about Orochimaru’s whereabouts. After all, Nawaki was Orochimaru’s student, and with Orochimaru gone, Nawaki had lost his teacher’s guidance. He was currently learning from a seasoned jonin Tsunade had helped find for him.

But an ordinary jonin certainly couldn’t match Orochimaru’s level of instruction. Tsunade held Orochimaru’s abilities in high regard, even though she had never fought him herself.

"Frictions between the villages have been growing increasingly serious lately, so I’ve been constantly on missions. As for Nawaki... I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to him."

Orochimaru understood the implication behind Tsunade’s question and could only reply apologetically. War was approaching, and the old man seemed intent on training him, keeping him swamped with assigned missions without pause.

Still, the results were positive. His reputation within the village was fairly solid now.

"Hmph, I’m different. I’ve been guiding Minato through all sorts of training. Kid Xuan, you might not even be a match for Minato as he is now."

Jiraiya spoke with a face full of confidence.

The more he taught Minato, the firmer Jiraiya’s conviction grew: Namikaze Minato was most likely the savior he had been searching for.

During this period of instructing Minato, Jiraiya had witnessed what a true genius looked like—someone who grasped everything instantly, extrapolated from it, and added their own insights.

Being a teacher for the first time, especially to a genius, Jiraiya suddenly understood why old man Sarutobi held Orochimaru in such high regard.

"What kind of promising seedling could someone like you possibly teach?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, you’re wrong about that! Who am I? I’m Jiraiya! The one who..."

As Jiraiya and Tsunade bickered, Orochimaru and Uchiha Xuan simply watched from the sidelines.

The three-person team, who hadn’t gathered together in a long time, drank a lot of wine. Uchiha Xuan, who couldn’t drink, closed his eyes alone after eating his fill and focused on cultivating Qi.

It was very late when the gathering finally ended.

Supporting the drunken Tsunade all the way back to the Senju Clan Territory, as soon as they entered the gate, two red-haired figures—one tall and one short—came into view.

Seeing the additional small red-haired figure, Uchiha Xuan paused while supporting Tsunade and looked toward Uzumaki Mito.

The appearance of Uzumaki Kushina also meant that this elderly woman’s life had begun its final countdown.

"You’re back. This is Kushina, a member of Grandma’s clan. This is Grandma’s granddaughter, Tsunade. You can go to her for anything in the future. This is Xuan, who is the same age as you. You two should be able to become friends."

Seeing the two enter, Uzumaki Mito smiled and introduced them to Uzumaki Kushina, while also introducing Kushina to them.

"H-hello... I’m... Kushina, Uzumaki Kushina, you know."

Upon hearing this, Kushina immediately stepped forward and bowed to the two. However, perhaps due to excessive nervousness, she stuttered a bit and slipped into her verbal tic.

Uzumaki Kushina also noticed that she had exposed her verbal habit, and in an instant, her entire face flushed bright red. Combined with her already vivid red hair, she looked like a little tomato.

"Mhm, she’s drunk. Mito... Grandma, I’ll take her back to her room first."

Looking at Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Xuan nodded calmly before turning to Uzumaki Mito and speaking softly. Without waiting for a response, he supported Tsunade and headed into the inner courtyard.

"This is the first time the child has willingly called me ’Grandma,’ isn’t it? Haha, Kushina, don’t mind it. Xuan’s personality is like that. It’ll get much better once you get to know each other."

Watching Uchiha Xuan leave, Uzumaki Mito wore a gentle smile as she looked down at the somewhat dejected Uzumaki Kushina and spoke softly.

"Mhm."

Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Kushina only lowered her head and responded softly. Having arrived in this unfamiliar place, she felt deeply anxious and uneasy. This unease grew even stronger after reaching out to Uchiha Xuan and receiving no warm response.

"Sigh, I should have told you about Xuan’s personality in advance."

Seeing this, Uzumaki Mito sighed helplessly and reached out to gently ruffle Uzumaki Kushina’s hair, as if trying to make her feel a little better.

.........

"Stop pretending. You can’t fool your grandmother."

In Tsunade’s room, after placing her on the bed, Uchiha Xuan rolled his eyes and spoke softly.

However, the next moment, a pungent smell of alcohol mixed with a faint fragrance suddenly enveloped him.

It was Tsunade, who had wrapped her arms around him in an instant.

"Don’t move. Let me hold you for a while."

Tsunade, holding Uchiha Xuan tightly, pressed her head against his shoulder and spoke in a muffled voice.

A damp sensation spread from his shoulder, but Uchiha Xuan remained motionless.

As for why Uzumaki Kushina had appeared in Konohagakure, Tsunade actually knew everything.

.........

"These two children..."

In the courtyard, Uzumaki Mito, who was gently stroking Uzumaki Kushina’s head, suddenly looked up. Gazing in the direction of Uchiha Xuan and Tsunade, her eyes held a mix of reluctance and acceptance as she shook her head softly.

"Hashirama, I have done all I can. Soon, I will be able to see you again. I just wonder if you, fool that you are, still remember me."

Uzumaki Mito withdrew her gaze and looked up at the full moon in the sky. Her clear eyes reflected a deep longing.