In the Red Space, Kurama gazed at the lifeless, silent world around him, a trace of envy in his eyes.
These past few days, with Little Nine by his side, had been the best since he had been sealed.
Another version of himself to talk to—even if the other version was a chirpy little girl.
Every time he saw Seisui interacting with Little Nine, he thought of the Sage of Six Paths, who had started out the same way.
But later, there were only the nine Tailed Beasts in the world.
Thinking this, Kurama muttered to himself, "Maybe… having her around isn't so bad?"
But no sooner had the thought formed than he spat it out, face contorted in horror.
What is wrong with me? Shouldn't I just rip that damn human apart?!
Meanwhile, in the real world, Seisui strolled through the streets holding Little Nine.
At that moment, Minato came running up.
"Seisui! There's a letter for you!"
Surprised, Seisui turned.
"A letter?"
"What letter?"
"I don't know," Minato replied, already at his side.
"You told me before you moved, right? That I should check your mailbox every day?"
"Today, I found one."
Seisui took the letter from him and tore it open.
Inside were just a few characters and a symbol. The spiral was a secret code agreed upon with Kakuzu, and the characters indicated his location.
"Who's it from?" Minato asked curiously.
"Remember the ninja from Amegakure?"
"That's him."
Minato's eyes widened. "Oh, right! You gave him an address—I'd forgotten."
"So he's found the Uzumaki clan, huh?" Minato said, excited.
"Seems like it," Seisui nodded, placing Little Nine atop his head. "Let's go check it out."
"Alright!"
The meeting place Kakuzu had indicated wasn't far, but not too close either. Too near Konoha, and Kakuzu wouldn't dare approach.
Seisui and Minato quickly arrived at the location. Minato scratched his head, glancing around.
"We're here. Come out," Seisui said, activating his Kamui Eye and focusing on a particular spot.
From a hidden corner, Kakuzu stepped out. Alongside him was a red-haired middle-aged man.
"Long time no see," Kakuzu said.
"The person you mentioned—I found one," he continued, pointing to the man.
"This is a survivor of the Uzumaki clan, hiding in a remote village in the Land of Bears. It took me quite some effort to find him."
Seisui glanced at Kakuzu and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll honor what I promised you."
Turning to the middle-aged man, Seisui asked, "Your name?"
The man's voice trembled. "I… I'm Suku."
"And before that?" Seisui prompted.
"Uzumaki Suku."
Seisui didn't react to the name, only stepping forward and gripping his wrist.
Red hair wasn't extremely rare in the ninja world—there were plenty in Sunagakure, for example, like Sasori, Chiyo's grandson. So judging someone by hair color alone was unreliable.
Seisui didn't fully trust the traditional ways the Uzumaki elders had taught to identify their clan. Better to check personally for the clan's unique chakra.
After probing, he nodded.
"Definitely Uzumaki."
"Let the others come out as well," Seisui said, scanning the previous spot.
He sensed more than just two people—two children as well.
"Hiding with kids can harm their health," he remarked.
A black-haired woman stepped out, holding a child, followed by a shy little boy tugging at her clothes.
Uzumaki Suku hesitated. "This is my wife and our two children."
Seisui glanced at him and shook his head.
"You may call me Clan Leader. I'm the current head of the Uzumaki clan. No need to be nervous."
Suku blinked and looked at Seisui's hair, puzzled.
Seisui didn't explain, only turned to Kakuzu. "I didn't expect you to find them so quickly."
Kakuzu's pale green eyes narrowed, clearly enjoying the compliment.
"And the kids count too?"
Seisui looked at the children and nodded. Kakuzu grinned—this job would pay off big.
Seisui chuckled. "Only half the Uzumaki blood counts. Half price."
"Two kids equal one—deal?" he said, squinting slightly.
Seeing the children, Kakuzu hesitated to argue, recalling the Mangekyo Sharingan he had seen outside Kusagakure. He nodded instead.
"Fine. That's one adult, two kids—counts as two."
"Good." Seisui clapped his hands, instantly summoning a chest of money.
Kakuzu instinctively tried to grab it, but Minato's triple-pronged kunai blocked him.
"What are you trying to do?" Minato asked with a smile.
"N-nothing! Just taking the money," Kakuzu stammered, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"You better be," Minato said, vanishing and reappearing instantly beside Seisui, kunai in hand.
Kakuzu's eyes widened—he remembered the Second Hokage's Flying Raijin.
Seisui ignored them and pulled out four million ryo from the chest, tossing it to Kakuzu.
"Task unchanged. You get paid for whoever you find. Two million per person."
"Fine!" Kakuzu eagerly accepted the money and began counting.
After counting, Seisui asked, "Everything okay?"
"Yes!" Kakuzu nodded.
"I'll continue searching!" Kakuzu said, but Seisui quickly gave him the location of his new home before he left.
Finally, Seisui turned to the Uzumaki family.
"Follow me. I'll take you home."
Suku and his wife exchanged glances and, silently, with their children, followed Seisui.
"The Uzumaki clan will be reestablished in Konoha. There aren't many of you, so he was tasked with finding you in the ninja world."
"You know Konoha's relationship with the Uzumaki. No need to worry about danger."
As they walked, Seisui explained further.
"Does Uzumaki Mito know?" he asked, glancing at Suku.
Suku hesitated, then nodded. "She is the sister of the previous clan head."
"Right," Seisui acknowledged. "More accurately, the sister of the clan head before that. I am the current leader. The previous head died years ago."
"After the clan's destruction, Granny Mito was the highest-ranking, most powerful survivor. And I am the leader she chose."
Suku hesitated. "And… your hair?"
"My hair?" Seisui laughed lightly, clasping his hands. A white glow enveloped him.
The pale red of his hair, normally only visible in sunlight, now shone vividly from ROOT to tip. Three golden chains emerged behind him.
"This should prove my Uzumaki lineage, right?"
"That's enough," Suku nodded. Though not a ninja, he knew only Uzumaki blood could use the Adamantine Sealing Chains technique.
Seisui kept walking, speaking as he went.
"There are now four members of the Uzumaki clan. With you, that makes seven, and more will join in the future."
"Yes, Clan Leader!" Suku nodded repeatedly, heart racing. After years of hiding in the Land of Bears, now, finally, they had a true home.