After parting ways in the Land of Waves, Yako and Uzumaki Yuka hadn't seen each other since.
Yako had been buried in ANBU assignments. Yuka, on the other hand, was constantly on the run, guiding the remnants of the Uzumaki clan from one hiding place to the next.
"It's been a while," Yako said. "Yuka, did you do as I asked? Did you warn Lord Nawaki about the danger?"
Last time, he had only managed to pass along a scroll revealing the truth behind the Uzumaki clan's downfall. But in this life, he'd added something even more critical: someone intended to harm Senju Nawaki.
He wanted Nawaki to live.
"I warned him. I left not just the truth of Uzumaki's destruction, but also a clear message of warning," Yuka replied.
"Fox, would ANBU really target Lord Nawaki?" she asked. "He's the heir of the Senju clan — a Konoha prodigy."
Yako nodded. "Don't underestimate the willpower of Konoha's upper echelon. They're shinobi through and through — utterly ruthless when it comes to protecting their goals.
"If the truth gets out, and the Senju clan severs ties with the leadership, it would be Konoha's undoing.
"Knowing how deeply the Senju value family, that kind of rupture is highly likely.
"And when that happens, during this Shinobi World War... Konoha won't just be fighting Iwagakure. Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure — they'll all pounce, tearing the village apart.
"Right now, Konoha has the entire Senju compound under lockdown — Mito-sama, Princess Kushina, and all remaining Senju are being tightly monitored.
"My regular assignment in ANBU is to keep surveillance on Senju territory.
"I warned you back in the Land of Waves — to avoid any contact with the Senju for now. It's best to wait for the storm to pass before we make any further moves.
"Senju Haku discovered the truth. He tried to inform the clan elders — but ANBU caught wind of it early and silenced him."
Yuka lowered her head, sorrowful. "I ran into Cousin Haku by chance in the Land of Grass. He was stunned to see I was still alive.
"When he questioned me, I told him part of the truth. He's smart. He pieced it all together almost immediately.
"He was shocked — and afraid of what it could mean for Konoha. He told me he'd find a way to handle it quietly once he returned.
"Konoha's higher-ups don't love this village the way he did. Cousin Haku always thought about the village before himself.
"Do kind people always have to be the ones who suffer?
"ANBU found him in the end. He gave up his life… just to deliver one final message.
"And you… thank you, for risking your life to be our contact on the inside."
In Konoha's games of power, the more someone loved the village, the easier they were to manipulate.
It was people like Orochimaru — those who didn't care about Konoha at all — that the elders could never control. All they could do was appease him, even letting him experiment on village children without consequence.
The Senju clan… they were Konoha's greatest vulnerability.
Those without parents, children, or attachments — people with nothing to lose — were the ones others truly feared.
Even villains wouldn't dare provoke such people. What could you threaten them with? Death?
Step on their tail, and they'd bite back without hesitation — barefoot in a world full of people wearing shoes.
Rain began to pour from the sky.
The two of them found shelter in a hollow tree, ducking inside together.
"Yuka, how many of the Uzumaki are left?"
"Thirty-two."
Yako went silent at the number.
The once-glorious Uzumaki clan… reduced to just thirty-two people.
"Why choose the Land of Rain?"
"The Land of Rain is a war zone. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Konoha, and Hanzo of Amegakure are all tangled in it. Even Hanzo's enemies — the rebellion — are here. It's total chaos," Yuka explained.
"And the more chaos, the easier it is for us to hide.
"We were in the Land of Grass before. But that's Iwagakure's territory — they keep a tight leash on every village.
"After we were exposed, they captured an Uzumaki clanswoman — Uzumaki Kaon, skilled in medical ninjutsu.
"I tried to rescue her… but I never succeeded. It was during one of those rescue attempts that I ran into Cousin Haku."
Yako considered that Uzumaki Kaon might be the mother of Karin from the original timeline.
"I'll find a chance to tell Lord Nawaki," he said. "Ask him to rescue Uzumaki Kaon."
Then, silently, he added: If Nawaki lives long enough...
Yuka had been nearing her breaking point lately.
If not for Cousin Haku… and Yako, she didn't think she would've survived.
Now, seeing the Fox again… he felt so warm. So safe.
Outside, the rain fell in steady sheets.
Inside the tree hollow, Yuka pressed a kiss to Yako's neck — then quickly shed her clothes. Before long, she was slick with sweat and desire.
"Fox, when did your body become this… sculpted?"
She thought to herself: His Senju bloodline must be growing stronger with training.
From his neck to his shoulders, chest, and waist, she kissed a trail of strawberries onto his skin — marks that vanished swiftly, proof of his impressive healing factor. A true mark of the Senju.
***
An hour later, Yako had to admit — the Uzumaki physique was something else.
No wonder the Senju clan arranged marriages with the Uzumaki. It's the only way to match them evenly.
"Yuka, the Nine-Tails transfer seal is approaching. I'm here to gather intel. Do you know of any technique that could interfere with the Nine-Tails' seal?
"I have a bad feeling about this. I don't think the transfer will go smoothly… I'm worried about Mito-sama and Princess Kushina."
Yuka began getting dressed slowly as she replied:
"A technique that could disrupt the Nine-Tails' seal?
"To my knowledge, there's only one: the Contract Seal. It's a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan — rarely shared beyond the clan.
"And there's one more thing that can interfere, but it's not a sealing technique — it's the Sharingan of the Uchiha."
Yako nodded. "The Uzumaki clan's Sealing Scroll is in Lord Rinju's hands. It's unlikely that Contract Seal has been leaked.
"Which means we need to watch the Uchiha carefully.
"There's old blood between them and the Senju. They might strike when the seal is vulnerable.
"Yuka, keep your people hidden.
"Mito-sama is too old. After the Battle of Mount Ushiga, her moments of lucidity have become rare.
"But once Princess Kushina grows up, things will begin to change."
"Understood. We'll wait for her."
Yako stepped out of the hollow, into the rain — then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Yuka leaned against the wooden wall, still feeling his warmth lingering in the air.
He's right, she thought. All we have to do is wait for Princess Kushina to grow up… then everything will be okay.
Yuka returned to the rainforest where the remaining Uzumaki had taken shelter.
They were building treehouses there — clinging to life.
Three children. Twenty-six women. Three men.
That was all that remained of the Uzumaki.
In the shinobi world, a woman usually took her husband's surname after marriage. But the women of Uzumaki had agreed: no matter who they married, they would keep the name Uzumaki. Their children too.
The Uzumaki clan must not vanish. They were the last flames of the whirlpool.
Yuka thought to herself: Fox's Senju bloodline is excellent. If I could bear his child… that would be ideal.
"Seriously… only twice in one hour? If I'd known that, I wouldn't have let him leave so easily..."
As she drifted in her thoughts, a smile tugged at her lips.
Just then, a woman walking by with a child asked, "Yuka, did something good happen?"
"Oh, no, nothing at all." Yuka chuckled, then leaned down to ruffle the boy's hair. "Has Nagato been eating properly lately?"