Under a star-filled night sky within the Land of Fire, the forest lay quiet, the campfire crackling softly.
After traveling nonstop for most of the night, everyone needed a proper rest.
By the fire, the red-haired woman held her child tightly. Though exhausted, the unease in her heart about the future kept her from falling asleep.
Even though she had escaped that hell known as Kusagakure, the influence of her parents from a young age meant she still couldn't fully trust Konoha's shinobi.
Along the way, she had refused to let Makoto's group carry her daughter Karin. Only by holding her herself could she feel even a little at ease.
She could refine chakra—but only that. It was enough for traveling, but when it came to combat, she knew nothing at all. This had been intentional on Kusagakure's part: to maximize her value while preventing any thoughts of resistance.
Just like Karin in the original timeline—when she took part in the Chūnin Exams, she couldn't even handle a large black bear. At best, she counted as half a shinobi, her greatest use being a human-shaped battery for her teammates.
Little Karin, on the other hand, slept soundly. At her age, being with her mother was enough. Everything else was still beyond her understanding.
Looking at the woman, clearly exhausted yet forcing herself to stay awake, Makoto asked, "Sorry—we've been rushing nonstop, and I never asked your name."
"Shinobi-sama, you can just call me Kaori."
"No surname? You know you're from the Uzumaki clan, right? Like my sensei, Uzumaki Kushina."
Kaori nodded slightly. "Yes. My parents told me when they were still alive. But after our family fled the Land of Whirlpools, we abandoned the surname.
"My father said that people from a fallen nation shouldn't keep using that name—it would only bring disaster. I think others who escaped probably did the same."
"Pretty much. As of now, only my sensei and her child still use that surname. Outside Konoha, I haven't seen anyone else with it."
"Kushina… she's already become a mother?"
"Yes, she has a son. He's a bit younger than your daughter. By the way, what's your daughter's name? How old is she?"
"Her name is Karin. She'll be one year old in about two weeks."
"Karin, huh? That's a great name. She's a few months older than my sensei's child—so that works out nicely. In the future, my sensei's child will have an older sister, and Karin will have a younger brother her age."
As he spoke with Kaori, Makoto kept deliberately mentioning that Uzumaki Kushina was his teacher, and that she already had a child. Bit by bit, it helped ease the woman's tension.
For the first time since meeting him, she smiled.
"An older sister and a younger brother… Kushina… she's been living in Konoha all this time, right? I wonder how she's been all these years."
"My sensei's doing very well. You'll see for yourself when we reach Konoha tomorrow. Don't worry about safety—you're my sensei's clanswoman. I'll protect you."
"I'm willing to believe you. After all, even someone like me occasionally heard the shinobi in that village talk about the name 'Shield of Konoha.'"
To reassure her, Makoto had already given his name, and after removing his mask, he kept it off.
When people are tense and uneasy, it's always easier to relax when facing a handsome face rather than a cold, expressionless mask.
"That title was probably spread by the Kumogakure lot. Don't worry about it—just call me Makoto, like my sensei does."
Kaori seemed to recall something and smiled again.
"I don't know where the Kusa shinobi heard it from, but since the New Year, it seems they've started calling you something else."
"If it's something awful, please don't say it."
"It's not awful—just a bit scary. The people in the village now call you the 'Hell Wind Demon.' They seem very afraid of running into you."
How could they not be? Anyone who did ended up permanently crippled, spending the rest of their lives in a wheelchair.
Clearly, this had also been spread by Kumogakure. They hated Makoto to the core, but had no way to deal with him, so all they could do was stick a terrifying title on him.
The three who were still awake openly expressed their envy.
Raidō sighed. "Captain, I really want a title too. It's a sign your strength has been recognized across the shinobi world."
Makoto replied, "Then just give yourself one."
"That doesn't work. Titles are earned through strength. If you make one up yourself, no one will acknowledge it—you'll just be a joke."
"Well, if that's the case, I guess I'm pretty impressive."
Raidō nodded. "Of course you are. Including the one you got in the village—'Hero of Konoha'—you already have three titles."
Makoto was startled. At this rate, he felt like one day he'd end up like the Mother of Dragons—after a battle, still listing off titles that never seemed to end.
That would be ridiculous.
He immediately ordered, "You all—forget those titles. Don't mention them again. Now, whoever's on watch, stay on watch. Everyone else, get some sleep."
Kaori watched the interaction between the Konoha shinobi with a gentle smile.
This feeling… was completely different from the shinobi of Kusagakure.
Perhaps Konoha really was a place where she and her daughter could live in peace.
After Makoto had eased her guard through conversation, the unease in her heart faded significantly, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.
Her body was simply too exhausted.
...
The next day, on the return journey, Makoto carefully learned about Kaori's experiences in Kusagakure over the years—this would be needed for the mission report.
Since Kaori wasn't very fast, it wasn't until evening that the group finally arrived at Konoha.
Outside the village, Makoto reminded her: "I'll report your situation to the higher-ups. As for your special constitution, don't tell anyone unrelated about it in the future. Understood?"
"Understood."
He then turned to Raidō and the others.
"You all understand ANBU confidentiality rules. This matter—don't talk about it to anyone, not even your close friends."
Raidō and the others nodded. "Understood, Captain."
Iwashi asked, "Captain, should we take her to ANBU?"
"No need. Once inside Konoha, take her to Daifuku Inn and settle her in. I'll inform Kushina-sensei and the Fourth Hokage. They'll handle the rest. I'll explain things to the Third as well."
"Yes!" x3
After confirming the arrangements, the group entered Konoha through a secret ANBU passage and then split up.
...
At Minato's home, the warm and sunny man was preparing dinner.
He had already completed his training in Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku. His strength had advanced further, surpassing the half-baked Jiraiya and making him a true user of senjutsu.
But after that, Minato found himself at a dead end. He felt he had already reached the limit of what a non-bloodline shinobi could achieve.
Recently, he had been pondering this very issue.
In the living room, Kushina was playing a chasing game with her son.
Eight-month-old little blondie had already learned how to walk.
Suddenly, both husband and wife looked toward the door at the same time.
Makoto pushed it open and entered. Naruto, spotting a new target to play with, immediately turned and rushed toward him—only to trip from turning too quickly and land on his butt.
Kushina picked Naruto up and asked, "Makoto, when did you get back?"
Minato set aside what he was doing and walked out of the kitchen.
"Just got back, I suppose. You didn't even change out of your ANBU clothes before coming here—something you need to tell us?"
"There is. Sensei, do you remember someone named Kaori? Uzumaki Kaori."
"Kaori?" Kushina was startled. "Makoto, how do you know that name? Did you find information about her during your mission? Or…?"
"I brought her back to Konoha."
"What? She's here? Where? Tell me the address, quickly!"
"At Daifuku Inn. I arranged for Raidō's team to protect her."
The moment Kushina heard that, she didn't bother with anything else. Holding Naruto, she rushed out of the house in a whirlwind, startling even the guard team outside—both the Hayate squad and Root shinobi hurriedly followed after her.
Minato understood his wife's urgency.
For those whose country had been destroyed, nothing mattered more than seeing a former clansman—especially when they had been childhood companions.
"Makoto, is this related to your mission?"
"Yes. When I found Kaori-san in the Land of Grass, I sensed her chakra was very similar to Kushina-sensei's. She also said she knew her, so I brought her back."
"You've done us a great favor. Thank you, Makoto."
"Minato-senpai, you should go as well. I need to report the mission to the Third Hokage."
"Alright. Go take care of it. Leave the rest to me."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---