Ever since the girl in front of her had claimed to be her daughter, Hyūga Shiori's brow hadn't relaxed even once.
No matter how you looked at it, she absolutely refused to believe she'd have a daughter roughly her own age.
And if her daughter really turned out to be this loudmouthed, arrogant menace—
She'd rather die alone.
And yet…
The Caged Bird Seal casting method Hyūga Hinata had demonstrated was completely correct.
That was what truly bothered Nao.
"So what you're saying,"
Tsunade said slowly, fingers tapping the table,
"is that the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki isn't Uzumaki Kyūsei—but Namikaze Menma instead?"
Compared to the increasingly tangled Hyūga Shiori, Tsunade's line of thinking was downright unconventional.
She accepted this seemingly absurd claim far more easily than expected.
"Yes, yes, exactly!"
Hyūga Hinata nodded frantically.
"I swear on my life, I haven't lied about a single word!"
"Good," Tsunade said, eyes lighting up slightly.
"Then who is Uzumaki Kushina?"
She leaned forward, interest obvious.
Uzumaki Kushina… Uzumaki Kyūsei…
Tsunade remembered that kid.
She'd seen him the very first day he arrived in Konoha.
How should she put it?
Hmm…
On the first day, he'd been shockingly well-behaved.
Grandma Mito had even commented that he was far too quiet—almost girlish.
Then the Uzumaki escorts left.
And the next day—
The little demon king revealed his true form.
Climbing roofs, flipping tiles, chasing chickens, kicking dogs—
The Senju compound had been thrown into absolute chaos.
Oddly enough, Grandma Mito had loved him even more after that.
But now this white-eyed girl was claiming there was an Uzumaki Kushina—and that her son was the second Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?
That deserved a closer look.
"U-um… Uzumaki Kushina is Menma's mother," Hinata said nervously.
"I already told you that…"
She shrank slightly under Tsunade's gaze.
At this moment, she missed the flat-chested, gentle Lady Tsunade from her memories more than anything.
"Tell me everything you know about Uzumaki Kushina,"
Tsunade said, arms crossed, leaning back in her chair as her presence fully erupted.
She'd figured it out—
This girl was the type who responded to pressure, not kindness.
If Tsunade wanted answers, she couldn't coddle her.
"Ah… uh…"
Hinata scrambled through her memories. Luckily, thanks to her secret crush on Menma, she knew a fair bit about his family.
"Aunt Kushina came to Konoha when she was little," Hinata said carefully.
"She was around six or seven years old…"
Tsunade's eyelid twitched.
As expected.
This Uzumaki Kushina was that damn kid—Uzumaki Kyūsei.
Just… gender-swapped.
The mental image of that little hellion turning into a girl, shyly calling her Lady Tsunade, made Tsunade break out in goosebumps.
Absolutely fatal.
As time passed, Tsunade's questions came one after another, and Hinata spilled more and more information.
Eventually, a complete and internally consistent worldview formed in Hyūga Shiori's notes.
Nao stared at the pages filled with dense writing, her heart sinking.
This girl… might actually be telling the truth.
Every piece of information fit perfectly.
Tsunade hadn't only asked about Konoha—
She'd questioned Hinata about the other villages, the broader shinobi world, and future conflicts.
Bit by bit, a rough outline of the future ninja world emerged.
Tsunade cleared her throat, eyes gleaming with restrained excitement.
"One last question," she said.
"How did you end up here in the first place?"
Hinata was exhausted.
Dragged into the past for no apparent reason.
Arrested by her own mother.
Interrogated all night by a terrifyingly aggressive Tsunade.
She felt wronged beyond words.
Even now, she hadn't realized that this Konoha wasn't just earlier—it was an entirely different world.
As for the fierce Tsunade before her, Hinata could only assume that something awful must have happened in the future—
Something that erased her chest and completely changed her personality.
"I was on a mission," Hinata said softly.
"To the Land of Wind—to Loulan."
"There was a puppeteer named Anrokuzan—Centipede—who'd usurped the throne and was trying to rule the world using the Dragon Vein."
"My teammates and I reached the Dragon Vein without any problems… but right before we defeated him, he activated its power."
"I got caught up in it."
"And when I opened my eyes, I was here."
Tsunade fell silent.
She'd heard of the Dragon Vein.
Long ago, a branch of the Uzumaki clan had settled near Loulan, using sealing techniques to suppress that immense power.
Could the Dragon Vein really send someone across time—or even worlds?
If that were the case, though… why hadn't Hinata appeared in Loulan?
Why Kyūsei's bedroom?
Was there something in that room connected to her—or to the Dragon Vein?
…Or was the connection Kyūsei himself?
Tsunade's gaze drifted to Hyūga Shiori.
Nao.
The Hyūga clan's cherished eldest daughter.
Powerful. Trusted. Recently assigned to Kyūsei's side after the previous ANBU were dismissed.
What if—
What if this had nothing to do with Kyūsei at all?
What if Hinata appeared there simply because Nao was present?
The more Tsunade thought about it, the more convincing it became.
If Hinata's identity checked out, then everything made sense.
Damn it, Tsunade thought smugly.
I'm really fucking smart.
She coughed lightly, putting on a serious expression.
"You mentioned earlier that remnants of the Sky Ninja once attacked Konoha," she said.
"As long as we can confirm that the Sky Ninja still exist, it'll be enough to prove you're telling the truth."
"For now, you'll stay in a cell. We'll have results soon."
A few years ago, Konoha had wiped out the Sky Ninja Village—
Hatake Sakumo and Jiraiya had personally led the operation.
"What?!"
"How long is 'for now'?!"
Hinata protested loudly.
"By the time you finish verifying things, I'll rot in here!"
"Do you have a problem with my decision?" Tsunade shot back coldly.
"Uh—n-no! I wouldn't dare…"
Hinata shrank instantly.
She missed flat-chested Tsunade even more now.
"Take her away."
At Tsunade's order, waiting ANBU escorted the dejected, shackled Hinata back to her cell.
"Well then," Hyūga Shiori said stiffly, her soul clearly leaving her body,
"I'll go report to the Hokage."
If the Sky Ninja remnants really existed…
Then she was actually this delinquent girl's mother.
Absolutely not.
No way.
From now on—
She was staying far, far away from Hyūga Hiashi, that old bastard.