"Third Elder, is this really the Land of Grass?" a red-haired child asked, her wide, sparkling eyes taking in the lush greenery and colorful flowers surrounding them.
She wiped the dirt from her face and looked up at the elderly man beside her. "Now that we're here, does that mean we don't have to keep running? That we can finally eat enough and sleep without fear?"
Her question lingered in the air. The old man, hunched and white-haired, blinked and gazed into her hopeful eyes. Slowly, a small smile spread across the child's dirty face as he nodded gently.
"Yes, Hinoka. From now on, you won't have to hide anymore. You'll be able to rest peacefully and never go hungry again."
But of course, that wasn't true.
His name was Youma Uzumaki. Before Uzushiogakure was destroyed, he had been the Third Elder of the Uzumaki Clan. When their homeland was attacked by a coalition of shinobi from various nations, they fought fiercely through a whole day and night.
Yet, when the clan leader and First Elder realized victory was impossible, they ordered the clan to scatter. Small groups of survivors were to flee Uzushiogakure, ensuring the Uzumaki bloodline would live on.
Unfortunately, after their homeland was destroyed, the invaders refused to let the survivors escape. They hunted down every fleeing member without mercy.
Originally, there had been nearly a hundred Uzumaki civilians and shinobi combined; now, only about twenty remained. Among them, fewer than four were shinobi, three jonin and one chunin.
Even the strength of a jonin team wasn't enough to protect the survivors. Exhaustion and hunger had taken their toll, leaving them weak and vulnerable. And now… they were sealed.
It was almost laughable. The Uzumaki Clan, renowned masters of sealing jutsu, had themselves been sealed by others.
Sealed using Uzumaki clan techniques, no less. Youma recognized the patterns all too well. If Uzushiogakure still existed, this would be an unbearable shame.
At first, they had passed through the neighboring Land of Rain, hoping for safety. But when it became clear that wasn't possible, Youma led the clan north, searching for a new place where the Uzumaki could find shelter and rebuild.
Recently, they were unexpectedly caught by slave traders from the Land of Hot Water. Exhausted and starving, they were seized by shinobi hired by these traders, sealed, and taken away to that land. But just when they thought they'd be sold off as slaves, the trader suddenly forced them back onto a ship heading toward the Land of Fire.
Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious group of shinobi appeared and attacked the slave traders from the Land of Hot Water. After that chaos, they ended up here.
Honestly, after everything they'd been through, Youma no longer believed anyone could truly help Uzushiogakure. Even Konoha, their closest ally, had only promised to preserve the Uzumaki bloodline and then left them to fend for themselves.
So who else could they trust? He sighed quietly and gently stroked Hinoka's small head, his granddaughter. His son and daughter-in-law had died during their escape.
He had planned to let Hinoka jump into the sea to try to get away, but those shinobi had found her and brought her back. Now, who knew what would happen next?
Though the trader's shinobi hadn't shown up again, the black-cloaked figures hiding their identities, combined with the familiar Uzumaki sealing techniques they used, gave him a sinking feeling in his gut.
A cold glint flashed in Youma's eyes before he let out a frustrated sigh. Even if things were as bad as he feared, what could they do now? Nothing.
He still knew the Land of Grass well, a small border country, notorious in the shinobi world for being shameless and unpredictable. It had once been destroyed but seemed to have been rebuilt.
Watching the citizens of the Land of Grass working nearby, and seeing his granddaughter surrounded by Kusa shinobi, worry gnawed at his heart. What did these Kusa shinobi want from them? The Uzumaki's unique bloodline? Their sealing techniques? But...
"No matter who it is, as long as it means my granddaughter and I survive, I'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means handing over the Scroll of Seals or letting them experiment on my body, I won't regret it!"
As for revenge for the Uzumaki Clan? He didn't care anymore. There were too many powerful enemies, it was impossible now for the clan to get justice.
"I wonder how the others are doing..." he thought, remembering Fuso and her husband in the Land of Rain. He just hoped they were safe, even if they were living as ordinary people now.
Suddenly, a stir rippled through the Kusa shinobi surrounding them. Youma and his clan snapped out of their thoughts, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked ahead.
Was the person who had summoned them finally arriving? Who could it be? And what did they want?
Their hearts wavered between fear and hope, fear of disappointment, hope for rescue. Soon enough, cheers erupted from the nearby villagers, who had been working quietly until then. It seemed this visitor was someone well-known in the Land of Grass.
Just as Youma was thinking this, a figure emerged from the crowd: a young man, dressed formally, smiling warmly as he approached. But what caught Youma's attention even more were the three red-haired people walking beside him, two women and a child.
'Uzumaki Clan? No, wait... she was...' Recognition hit Youma like a bolt, his pupils widening sharply.
But before he could react, Charlie stepped forward, arms wide open and beaming. "Welcome home, my fellow countrymen!" he declared.
"From today on, the Land of Grass is your home! Here, you won't be bullied. Here, you don't have to live in fear. Here, you won't suffer from hunger or cold. This is your home now!"
He looked sincerely at the elderly man in front of him. "Thank you for all you've endured. You've finally come home, my friends."
Yet, the response wasn't what Charlie expected. The Uzumaki clan members before him didn't shed tears or sob with gratitude. Instead, they stared blankly at the woman beside Charlie, Fuso Uzumaki.
To think he had dressed formally for this moment, fixed his hair, even put on makeup to seem more spirited. But the atmosphere was cold and silent, and his enthusiasm quickly faded.
Seeing the ragged, dirty faces of the Uzumaki, looking more like refugees than proud clan members, he sighed and turned to the two women beside him, Kana and Fuso. "Forget it. You two take them to bathe, change into clean clothes, eat something, and rest."
As Kana and Fuso nodded, the Third Elder suddenly snapped back to attention, eyes shining with emotion as he looked at Fuso. "You're... Fuso?!" he exclaimed. "Weren't you in the Land of Rain? How did you come here?"
Fuso let out a quiet sigh, her cheeks faintly flushed. She glanced at Charlie, as if remembering something, then smiled with a glimmer of hope.
"I'll explain everything later. For now... welcome home, Third Elder!"
"Home? Really? Is that okay?" The Third Elder blinked in surprise, exchanging looks with the others.