Chapter 47: The Women's Worries, A Timely Decision!
After confirming that Kushina, Mayumi, and little Naruto were all safe and unharmed,
Oborotsuki gathered everyone together and briefly explained how he had discovered Black Zetsu earlier.
"That's strange… I've been keeping my guard up the whole time, but I didn't sense any unfamiliar chakra signatures approaching at all…"
"How exactly did you detect that enemy, Oborotsuki?"
After hearing the explanation, Kushina asked in confusion.
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she was born with exceptionally powerful sensory abilities.
If an enemy had truly come this close, she would have noticed them long before—even from dozens of kilometers away.
Yet earlier, Kushina hadn't sensed the slightest trace of any foreign chakra approaching.
"Oborotsuki's chakra is extremely powerful—far beyond yours or mine. It's only natural his perception is stronger than ours."
"Besides, the enemy was moving underground, clearly using some kind of secret infiltration technique… Anyway, everyone's safe now. That's what matters."
Mayumi stepped forward at that moment, speaking up on Oborotsuki's behalf.
She too was an Uzumaki and possessed powerful perception as well as astonishing chakra reserves.
Hearing her analysis, Kushina felt it made sense.
She nodded and turned her gaze toward Oborotsuki.
There was no denying it—Oborotsuki's chakra reserves were terrifyingly immense.
It was no longer something that could be compared to ordinary humans.
The chakra within Oborotsuki felt like the power of a tailed beast! Describing it as an ocean wouldn't even be an exaggeration…
"This place is no longer safe, Oborotsuki. What do you plan to do next?"
Konan asked with furrowed brows.
She had recognized the black figure Oborotsuki had forced out earlier—it was very likely the same entity she had once seen beside "Uchiha Madara," the one called Zetsu.
Since someone from Madara's side had appeared here, it meant their location had been compromised.
It wouldn't be long before Nagato and the others came after them.
They needed to act quickly to prepare for the incoming threat.
Meanwhile, Kushina remained silent, deep in thought. After a moment, she hesitantly looked at Oborotsuki:
"Why would enemies suddenly come here to scout?"
Her first thought was that the enemy must be after her.
The Nine-Tails incident in Konoha had claimed Minato Namikaze's life.
The enemy's goal from the beginning had been obvious: to kill her, then use the Nine-Tails inside her to attack Konoha and inflict irreparable damage…
Not only had this caused massive harm to Konoha, but the culprit was still at large.
And according to the intelligence Oborotsuki had provided, someone inside Konoha—someone of high status—had colluded with the enemy.
If that was true, the enemy would never let her and little Naruto live!
The sudden appearance of scouts here naturally made Kushina connect it to herself.
Her expression immediately grew grave.
At the same time, a faint unease and guilt stirred in her heart. She secretly glanced at Oborotsuki.
"Could our identities have been exposed? Have enemies with ulterior motives locked onto us…?"
"They're not coming for the Uzumaki bloodline, are they?"
Mayumi shared almost the exact same worry.
But she assumed the enemy was after her.
For years she had lived in constant hiding, pursued and hunted because of her Uzumaki bloodline.
There were even rumors in the underground black market offering bounties for Uzumaki clan members…
Thinking back on those endless days and nights of desperate flight and survival made Mayumi deeply uneasy. She unconsciously touched her belly.
In just another week or two, little Karin would be born.
During this time, Mayumi had always worried that enemies might track them down.
She never imagined the thing she feared most would actually come true.
Hearing Mayumi say this, Kushina—who was already on edge—furrowed her brows even deeper. Her eyes flickered:
"The Uzumaki bloodline, huh…"
Kushina instinctively looked down at little Naruto in her arms.
Then she clenched her fist tightly.
"Damn it!"
"Don't worry, Naruto—Mommy will never let anyone hurt you!"
Kushina vowed through gritted teeth.
Seeing how tense everyone had become, Red also started to worry.
But her personality was naturally fearless and bold. At this moment, she patted her chest confidently:
"Don't be so nervous! Oborotsuki will definitely protect us!"
"And I won't let anyone hurt you either—not even if it costs my life!"
Her words might have been meant to reassure them, but mentioning "life" only made the atmosphere feel even heavier and more uneasy.
Konan looked at Oborotsuki in silence.
Hearing Red's declaration, Oborotsuki nodded seriously.
"Don't worry—I promised to take care of all of you. I won't let anyone harm you."
"Kirigakure has been trying to recruit us. They want the Hōzuki clan to return to the village. Someone already came yesterday with an invitation."
"Since that's the case, start packing now. At dawn, we'll move back inside Kirigakure."
As he spoke, Oborotsuki's gaze drifted meaningfully toward Kushina.
At that moment, Kushina also looked up at him. Their eyes met. The worry in her brow was plain to see.
"Kirigakure proper would indeed be much safer than staying outside… but Oborotsuki, will they accept us?"
Mayumi asked hesitantly.
Oborotsuki himself was a native of Kirigakure and a genius of the Hōzuki clan.
So it was natural for Kirigakure to want him back.
But she and the others were from outside villages. Whether Kirigakure would allow them to enter and live there was uncertain.
Hearing this, Kushina, Red, and Konan all showed similar expressions of concern.
"Don't worry."
"If Kirigakure won't even give me that much face, then this broken place isn't worth staying in anyway!"
"We'll just find somewhere else to settle."
Oborotsuki waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing his confident smile, the others gradually felt reassured. The tension eased.
"It looks like that's our only option for now."
"Then let's start packing…"
With that, everyone turned to head back to their rooms.
Kushina also lowered her head calmly and started to turn away.
But at that moment, Oborotsuki walked directly over to her.
"It really is a troublesome enemy—moving underground to infiltrate."
"If I hadn't been awake, he might have gotten close without anyone noticing. The consequences could have been unthinkable."
Oborotsuki said with a light smile, his gaze falling on little Naruto in Kushina's arms.
Hearing this, Kushina's heart immediately tightened.