"Idiot, idiot, Takeshi is such a big idiot!"
Back at the Senju Clan Grounds, Kushina angrily lay on the large bed, burying her small face under the pillow, her pale little feet kicking up and down in the air.
"Who told you to leave..."
Her slender, jade-like fingers tightly clutched the corner of the pillow. Kushina pulled her flushed, angry face from under the pillow and bit her soft lips.
She rolled over, her pale, lotus-root-like arm resting on her forehead, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
Now that Konoha and Amegakure were at war, many Ninja had gone to the front lines. Tsunade and Nawaki had also left, leaving only Uzumaki Mito and Kushina at home.
At first, she hadn't paid too much attention, as she still had her good friends for company.
Every week, they would go out for a picnic as planned, and today should have been the same. But instead, she received the news that Takeshi was going to the front lines... She lay on her side on the bed, her hands crossed as she hugged the pillow tightly.
Takeshi said that all the Uchiha had to go to the front lines, and Sister Mikoto and the others were also Uchiha, so they would naturally go with him.
Only she would be left behind.
Thinking of this, her body curled up slightly, her rounded buttocks pushing her yukata into a full curve.
"I don't want to be alone anymore."
Was there any way she could go with them?
"Eh?"
Wait!
Kushina's heart stirred, and she suddenly had an idea: "I can secretly follow them!"
Anyway, as long as no one knows, it'll be fine, right?
"Yes, that's it!"
Kushina's eyes filled with the fire of hope, dispelling the previous gloom, and burning brightly!
Time quickly came to the next day.
As the clan leader, Xuan Nai Uchiha had already selected the people to go to the front lines the day before departure.
Fugaku, Takeshi, Minato, and Mikoto naturally had to go with him.
The battlefield was the best place to train Ninja, and for them, it was an opportunity to improve themselves.
At this point, the Uchiha had already left the Village for a while.
"Do you think Kushina will miss us?"
Mikoto felt uneasy on the road. After years of getting along, she had long considered Kushina one of her most important friends and truly cared about her.
"Hmm, she'll most likely miss Takeshi."
Minato said it directly without much thought.
In his eyes, these two had long been a young couple, and they would definitely be thinking of each other.
"Kushina and I are just ordinary friends."
Takeshi subconsciously retorted.
To be honest, he was actually quite worried about Kushina. Tsunade and Nawaki had already gone to the battlefield first, and now with the departure of their friends, Kushina was truly left alone.
He imagined she must feel lonely.
But there was nothing he could do. Nawaki's life was crucial, and he had to save him.
And Kushina's identity was very special; she was both an Uzumaki orphan and the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki. Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow her to leave.
Even if she could leave, Takeshi didn't plan to bring her along.
Because the battlefield was constantly changing, and a slight carelessness could lead to danger. He didn't want Kushina to be in harm's way.
After a brief chat about Kushina, the group stopped thinking about it and began to focus on their journey, heading towards the Land of Rain battlefield.
Xuan Nai was a seasoned Ninja, and he was very thorough in terms of vigilance and reconnaissance, so the journey was relatively peaceful, and the team did not encounter any danger.
They had been traveling for several days, and seeing the sky gradually darken, he ordered the team to stop and rest.
"Phew, we can finally rest a bit."
Minato slumped to the ground.
"You can't relax your guard yet. It wouldn't be good if an enemy launched a sneak attack."
Mikoto reminded him with a smile.
"Shouldn't... be possible."
After she said that, Minato also felt uneasy. This place was actually quite close to the Land of Rain battlefield, and it was possible that enemies might indeed circle around.
"Hmm, maybe they'll attack you first."
Takeshi also began to tease him.
He actually thought that with his father Xuan Nai watching, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
"Who? Who's there!"
At this moment, someone suddenly shouted loudly.
"Holy crap, it can't be such a coincidence!"
Hearing this, Minato immediately jumped up from the ground.
"Are there really assassins?"
Takeshi was startled and immediately became alert.
Mikoto also pulled out a kunai from her Ninja tool pouch, ready for battle.
At the same time, all the Uchiha here activated their red eyes and looked in that direction.
Takeshi could clearly see the clump of grass tremble slightly.
"?"
"Ugh... I... I'm not an enemy."
This voice, why did it sound a little familiar?
Soon, a small figure walked out from the grass.
"Kushina?!"
Seeing that familiar red hair, the group immediately exclaimed in surprise in unison.
"Hmph!"
Kushina appeared a little flustered, her pretty face flushed red, but she was still trying to be tough.
"I... I just accidentally got lost."
Minato subconsciously looked at Takeshi.
What's going on? Are you secretly hiding a lover?
He thought Kushina was secretly brought out by Takeshi, the purpose being to vent his uncontrollable desires.
Takeshi rolled his eyes.
He was even more confused than Minato!
"Wuwuwu, it's really delicious."
Kushina was wolfing down her food. In order to keep up with the Uchiha's travel pace, she hadn't had a normal meal in days.
"Slow down, don't rush, this is all yours."
Mikoto gently stroked her back and said with concern.
"Hahaha, I guess this counts as a belated picnic for us!"
Minato couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, they were sitting around like before, the four of them, with the food Takeshi had prepared earlier in the middle.
The only difference, perhaps, was the change of venue.
"Kushina, were you following us from the beginning?"
Takeshi looked at her with a complex expression.
"Hmph." Kushina's eyes subconsciously darted away, and she turned her head, saying with righteous indignation, "I got lost!"
Seeing her reaction, Takeshi knew he had guessed correctly.
Kushina really had been following them from the beginning. Being so hungry, she must have had a very hard time keeping up, and perhaps her claim of being lost was even true.
After all, Xuan Nai's reconnaissance abilities were very reliable. If Kushina had been following at a not-too-far, not-too-close distance, he wouldn't have failed to notice.
The only plausible explanation was that Kushina truly got lost for a period in the middle.
Meeting them just now was a complete accident.
Thinking of this, Takeshi couldn't help but rub his forehead in exasperation.
Should he call her lucky or unlucky?
Never mind, as long as she was alright.
Takeshi simply changed the subject and asked, "Does Uzumaki Mito know you're out here?"
"Sh-she... should know, right?"
Kushina's body trembled slightly, and her eyes became even more evasive, stammering a bit.
"What do you mean 'should know'..."
A black line appeared on Takeshi's forehead.
Good heavens, so you secretly ran out by yourself?
"So, Hokage-sama is currently frantically searching the entire Village for you?"
"I... I don't know."
Kushina's head dropped lower and lower as she was questioned, and she shook her head guiltily.
The muscles around Takeshi's eyes twitched slightly.
He could almost imagine how anxious Hiruzen Sarutobi would be upon learning of Kushina's disappearance.
He imagined that room would be filled with smoke again.
"Sigh, well, in a few days, you'll have to return to the Village."
Hearing this, Kushina suddenly looked up, her eyes wide, staring at Takeshi with a face full of grievance.
"Why!"
She had gone through so much trouble to escape, why did she have to be sent back again?
"Because you ran away secretly by yourself."
Hiruzen Sarutobi will definitely send people to look for you, and eventually, you'll have to go back with them.
"Bastard! Takeshi, you bastard!"
Kushina angrily stood up, walked forward, stomped hard on his foot, and then ran off.
"Uh... no, you stomped on me again."
Takeshi grimaced in pain; this time, the stomp was even harder than usual.
"Takeshi, can't Kushina come to the front lines with us?"
Mikoto hesitated beside him, then spoke.
"She's special."
Takeshi did not answer her directly.
The fact that Kushina was chosen as the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki was known to almost no one outside of Konoha's upper echelons.
But this was only one reason.
The reason Takeshi didn't want Kushina to come was also because of her Uzumaki Clan identity.
Ever since the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed, the Uzumaki bloodline had become highly coveted.
Many Ninja Villages eagerly sought them out.
Not only because of their strong life force, making them suitable as Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, but also because they possessed a special healing constitution.
They could quickly restore their own or others' Chakra and injuries by biting their skin and flesh.
They were very suitable for use as human medicine.
Like Karin and her mother in their early years, they were used as human medicine by Kumogakure, subjected to their arbitrary biting and humiliation.
There were also Ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, as seen in the original story, who came to Konoha Village to carry out a kidnapping plan in order to obtain Kushina.
All of this proved that the special nature of the Uzumaki bloodline held a strong allure for them.
And Kushina's red hair would be far too conspicuous on the battlefield.
Although currently, Ninja from other Ninja Villages were not officially participating in the war, there was no guarantee that upon seeing Kushina, they wouldn't try to take advantage of the chaos and get involved.
Therefore, for Kushina's safety, staying in the Village was the safest option for her now...