The village gates were gigantic, to say the least, at least ten meters high.
And even with that thickness, it was possible to easily see the buildings that exceeded twenty meters.
The size of the village was probably not even half the size of Konoha, but the structure and the way it was built, with buildings and houses of various sizes and a large river dividing the village in half, gave it a view that was in no way inferior to Konoha.
But what really impressed Hoku was not just this, since he came from Earth with its skyscrapers and constructions completely advanced by Shinobi standards.
What impressed him was the inability to see behind the gates; in fact, he couldn't see through anything related to the village.
And that was disconcerting to say the least, since during the trip he tested the use of his eyes, and there was nothing he couldn't see through and could see the flow of chakra, even the trees had chakra, but the people here weren't visible, not even a wisp of chakra, and you couldn't x-ray anything or anyone.
All he could see were various points scattered everywhere, some forming connections with each other, establishing patterns that when put together had varied effects.
And when he focused his vision on something, everything shone and prevented him from seeing anything.
'These are probably Fuuinjutsu seals,' he reflected on the technique that made the Uzumaki clan so famous and feared in the ninja world.
'It seems that the capabilities of the seals are much more impressive than I imagined,' thought Hoku, while remembering that even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was sealed by fuuinjutsu, showing how terrifying the sealing techniques could be.
As he gazed at the gate, two red-haired guards appeared above the gates and looked at the mother-son duo affectionately after recognizing Kilin.
The guards had the same white glow, which prevented Hoku from seeing through, as the other shinobi he had encountered in the village's surroundings, and the village's structure itself.
"We're finally home, my son," Kilin pointed to the village ahead and said affectionately to Hoku, causing him to turn his attention from the guards to her.
He was even able to see a slight moisture in his mother's eyes as she finally felt safe after arriving home.
"Kilin-san, I see you arrived home safely," said one of the guards, Uzumaki Naki.
"It's so good to see you too, Naki. How is everyone? I know I was only gone for a month, but even so, a lot must have changed." Kilin was already missing the welcoming personality of the Uzumakis, especially after spending a month in harsh Konoha.
"Everyone is fine. After the routine check to enter the village, you will be able to see everyone," commented the other guard, Dirty Uzumaki, as he descended the wall and pointed to the handprint next to the village gate.
Kilin, already familiar with this verification process, removed a glove from her left hand and touched the handprint while channeling chakra into it.
Then the handprint, previously gray, turned a vibrant red, like the characteristic Uzumaki hair.
The glow spread, forming the Uzumaki clan pattern on the gate's surface, and with a click, the gate opened.
Revealing a view impossible to see in the Naruto series.
Several shinobi and ordinary people with red hair circulated to and fro.
Hoku was impressed by the village, as it closely resembled modern cities on Earth, even with the limitations of the current era.
The architecture was convenient and practical, with more two-story buildings and above than normal houses.
What impressed him most was a huge tower-shaped structure that seemed to be in the center of the village; even at the entrance to the village, it was possible to see this magnificent building.
And another, more detailed observation made it possible to see countless symbols never seen before, everywhere. In Hoku's sharp and supernatural vision, he saw some shining and others just there, seemingly harmless.
But he knew they were anything but. Looking around, he was curious about everything he saw.
After the verification, the two walked towards the center of the village, possibly to Kilin's house.
Along the paths they passed, everyone, whether shinobi or civilian, nodded, waved, or greeted the two.
Some even approached to pet Hoku, because a baby with such beautiful royal blue eyes as his, with a curious look at everything, was simply irresistible.
Especially the women who love cute things.
For Hoku, with a mental age of over twenty, it was disconcerting to receive this kind of affection.
But after being breastfed by Kilin, where he had almost choked with embarrassment, these caresses even left him with a certain warmth in his chest.
For a person accustomed to the heat of battle and experiencing death practically every week, whether of his beast companions or his own, this affection and harmony of the Uzumaki clan was comforting, it reminded him of his family.
But he preferred not to think too much about it, because dwelling on the past will only delay his growth and adaptation, he had already accepted that he was no longer Ascher, now he was Hoku Uzumaki.
They headed towards the tallest building in the village, because after the events, Kilin needed to report his return to the leader of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Ashina.
Soon after a short walk, which seemed like an eternity to Hoku, they finally arrived.
'These various Kushinas, have nothing better to do than pinch my cheeks? Go get your Minatos, for all I care!' He was already frustrated with all this attention. As soon as he approached the building in the center of the village, the building that housed the leader of this clan, Hoku momentarily thought he was in front of the old Eiffel Tower that had been destroyed five years ago in his former life, in a fight between an S-rank hunter and a calamity-level beast.
Because when it looked too big from afar, up close it was gigantic to say the least; looking closely, the structure seemed to be about a hundred meters tall.
It was impressively built, optimizing the space for practicality and robustness; it must be very resistant.
Hoku observed that this place had more seals than all the other places he had ever seen combined.
Everything shone from top to bottom, and at the top of the tower there was a very strong glow that burned his vision to the point that he was forced to stop looking.
A guard, the equivalent of an ANBU, guided them silently into the tower towards where the leader would be.
And inside the tower, the seals were as thick as outside.
'What the hell are they using that tower for to have so many seals? It looks like Fujin's house,' Hoku thought.
(Who got the reference?! lol)
But before he could think more about it, they arrived in front of a door and a voice that carried authority and tranquility stemming from the confidence of the power and authority it possessed spoke.
"You can let them in, Hoshiron," commanded his personal guard, one of the people the Uzumaki leader trusted most.
Without saying a word, he opened the door and indicated for the two to enter the room.
Inside stood a man of aged appearance, probably seventy years old, with almost completely white hair, with a few remaining red streaks, a mustache, and a square goatee. He also wore armor reminiscent of the Warring States era.
Underneath this, he wore a long-sleeved black robe, the shoulders of which bore the symbol of Uzushiogakure, which, due to the close relationship, was incorporated into the Konoha shinobi uniform.
Next to his chair, leaning against the wall, were two swords with curved hilts.
And to complement his imposing appearance, he also wore a forehead protector with the Uzumaki symbol engraved on it.
The aura he emitted was clearly that of a leader.
And unlike the Kages of the five great villages, who wore elaborate clothing, with hats and cloaks bearing the Hokage emblem,
Ashina wore none of that; he didn't need to. His mere presence was enough to demonstrate dominance.
Not dominance like Madara's, it was much softer, but to the same extent.
He spent a few moments looking at the two, especially Hoku, whom he lingered on for only a few seconds longer, but long enough for Hoku to notice.
'What an impressive presence, that look is like I've been looked at from the inside out.' Hoku was very uncomfortable, as he only felt this kind of presence when he was near S-rank hunters, and such encounters were rare.
Kilin immediately knelt before him, not out of fear, but out of respect for this man who had led the Uzumaki clan for decades.
"Kilin Uzumaki greets the clan leader," she greeted Ashina, her voice exuding pure respect.
Ashina appreciated this gesture, nodding slightly.
And so their conversation began, and Hoku was introduced to a legendary figure, who in the original series only had a few relevant flashbacks. But in real life, he was completely different.
---
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