Kushina's gaze shifted down until her bright eyes locked onto me. She blinked, tilting her head as she bent down to meet my level. "Well, hello there. Who might you be?"
I straightened my back, looking directly into her eyes. "I am Hinata. I am a captive of Kumo." And said proudly.
Kushina blinked in surprise, then let out a hearty laugh. "Oh? You really don't seem scared about being a captive. When I was taken, I definitely was angry and terrified."
My ears perked up at her words, and was interested to hear about a fellow captive of Kumo. "You were also a captive of Kumo?"
"Hmm... I used to be," Kushina said, her expression softening into a warm, nostalgic horror and finally a smile. "A long time ago. Now, I am friends with Kumo."
My eyes gleamed with sudden wonder. The thought that this woman being a former captive blew my mind. I thought "I was the only one who was a captive." "Wow... How do I do that? How do I become friends with Kumo?"
Kushina reached out, gently patting my head. "You have to be very strong, Hinata. And you have to feel like Kumo as your home."
Strong. The word ringing in my ear. I looked over at Kaien, who was watching us intently. I thought about the Gentle Fist scroll sitting in my room, and the grueling workouts I had been failing to copy.
"So, that's it," I murmured, a new, fiery resolve igniting inside me. "I have to become strong. Then I will start training right away!"
As the words left my mouth, I caught a sudden shift in Kaien's face. His lips, usually set in a rigid straight line, subtly turned upward at the corners. It was incredibly faint, a micro-expression that anyone else would have missed, but I saw it perfectly.
"You smiled!" I shouted with pure joy, pointing a finger at him. "Aunt Aya, look! He smiled!"
Aunt Aya and Kushina both snapped their heads toward him, catching the tail end of the rarest event in Kumo, for the past three years after what Konoha did... Kaien couldn't show expression or talk. The corners of Kaien's lips lingered just a second longer before returning to his usual stoic mask.
"My goodness," Kushina breathed, turning back to Kaien with a look of deep gratitude. "Now that Orochimaru is completely under my thumb, I'm going to have him take a look at you, Kaien. Maybe his medical expertise can help with your condition."
She began pulling up her sleeve, revealing a pale forearm marked with two or three distinct bite scars. "But until then, think of this as me repaying you for everything you did to bring the Uzumaki clan members back together."
She extended her arm toward him. Kaien stared at it for a moment. Then, stepping forward he leaned down and bit into her arm. Kushina let out a sharp groan, wincing slightly at the pain.
I watched in absolute fascination. As he maintained the bite, drawing into her unique Uzumaki vitality, the lingering fatigue in Kaien's posture vanished from his previous training. His complexion visibly altered, turning vibrant, and brimming with renewed energy. When he finally pulled away, he looked entirely rejuvenated.
Kushina lowered her sleeve, rubbing her arm as she turned her attention back to Aunt Aya. "Where is Dad... I mean, the Raikage? And how did his last attack go?"
Aunt Aya sighed, rubbing her temples. "Dad and brother were teleported directly to far end of Kumo using the Heavenly Transfer Technique. They insisted on launching another revenge on Konoha. Dad couldn't let things slide after what Konoha did to Kaien; he wanted to make them pay dearly for it. But I ordered Renga to change the destination with Mist village attacking, I don't want Kumo in a vulnerable state. It pains me to send them away, when I myself want to get revenge but Konoha currently reanimated the Third Hokage, Sakumo and Dan with already existing Mito and Blue B. Dad and Brother could loss their life so I decided otherwise. Though I will have to listen to their rant for awhile when they return."
She glanced out the window toward the cloud-veiled horizon. "They should be returning in a week. By the way, Kushina, what was the official purpose of your visit today?"
Kushina rubbed the back of her neck, offering a sheepish, defensive grin. "Well... I've come to collect our third financial installment. Rebuilding an entire hidden village from scratch is expensive, Aya! Uzushio's last two billion ryo burned away incredibly quickly. But the good news is, we've officially started our trade businesses, and quite a few new Uzumaki babies have already been born! Looking all those redheads, I can't stop smiling."
She paused, a bright spark of genuine excitement returning to her face. "Oh, and there was one young girl among the kids... Kumo managed to collect who is remarkably talented. Her name is Karin Uzumaki. She's going to be something special."
I listened to them talk about millions of ryo, wars, and reanimated shinobi, but my mind was entirely fixed on one thing. I looked at my hands, clenching them into tight fists. I was going to open that scroll tonight. I was going to train until I couldn't stand. I am going to get strong, make Kaien smile again, and make this village my true home and make friends with Kumo.
~~
A/N: The Raikage and young Ay wants revenge and wants to attack Konoha but they were sent away to random far end mountain place of Kumo.
Konoha has reanimated: Hiruzen, Dan and Sakumo.
Now Konoha has: Danzo, Minato, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mito, Blue B, Hiruzen, Dan, Sakumo, Hiashi, Alienated Fugaku.
Am I forgetting someone important to reanimate?
Upto 20 Advance chapters available @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0