Reconstruction of Uzushio Village went smoothly and cheerfully. The hardware was great, the supporting facilities came together quickly, and new Uzumaki from all over the world were arriving one after another, full of hope.
One day, former princess of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Kushina, came by for a look and muttered, "Damn, this is awesome."
The next day, the strongest Uzumaki, the legendary kage-class Nagato, arrived and quietly sighed, "So this is what used to be our homeland…"
First came those from the Land of Fire and its surrounding little countries. The scattered Uzumaki were either making their way back on their own, or being escorted home by squads from Konoha and allied villages. Eventually, even Uzumaki living in other great nations set out.
Some Uzumaki still felt that Uzushio was nothing but a graveyard of memories. They'd grown used to their new homes, put down roots, and had no interest in coming back. But many more, hearts heavy and complicated, still chose to return.
Yorin had expected that.
This world is a mess. Even if you don't become a refugee, even if you stay in your homeland, very few people live well, much less happily.
Refugee Uzumaki got discriminated against everywhere—sometimes worse than that.
So the moment they heard Uzushio was being rebuilt, of course they did everything they could to return.
Even those who didn't intend to resettle permanently still applied for dual nationality and donated what they could—money, supplies—to help rebuild their old homeland.
That said, there just weren't that many of them.
Once upon a time, the Uzumaki were a huge shinobi clan—by Yorin's estimate, probably even larger than the Senju at their peak.
But in the war that destroyed the original village, more than ninety-nine percent of them were wiped out. After more than a decade as refugees, their numbers hadn't recovered at all. If anything, they'd shrunk further.
Even if every surviving Uzumaki had come back, they wouldn't fill one percent of this new port city, let alone the fact that some chose to remain where they were.
So Yorin's plan was to recruit immigrants from all over the world.
Even though the Fourth Shinobi War was over, and the economic cooperation between countries and villages had somewhat eased internal tensions, there were still tons of displaced people—homeless, rootless, with nowhere to go. There was no shortage of them, ever.
Forget covering travel and meals—even without offering that, if you just spread the word that "New Uzushio has plenty of jobs and you won't starve there," people would flood in.
Under Yorin's push, lots of Konoha clans and civilians alike transferred to New Uzushio, took dual citizenship, and served as the new village's security apparatus—watching everything, all the time.
If a group of "concerned citizens" ever hit the streets to make trouble, Yorin's personal security service—the Special Secret Police—would crack down without hesitation. Those batons would swing faster than any airborne brigade.
…
"That's basically it. Hospitals, banks, schools, government offices, roads, city planning, sanitation crews, neighborhood committees~ heh heh, heh heh, heh-heh-heh-heh~"
Kurotsuchi watched Uchiha Yorin break into inexplicable laughter in front of the city master plan, his grin turning a little unhinged, and actually thought he looked kind of cute.
Iwa-nin had always liked building things. Iwa's kunoichi in particular had a soft spot for men who could build on a grand scale. People like Deidara, who hated construction and lived to blow things up, were the weird outliers—though even destruction has its place in old construction work.
Kurotsuchi gazed at his back with soft eyes.
She used to ask herself: what kind of person is Uchiha Yorin, really?
Most said he was crazy—a lunatic, a war maniac, a megalomaniac who wanted to conquer the world.
Once, Kurotsuchi had thought the same. Yes, he was handsome, yes, his charisma was undeniable—but that didn't erase the fear and unrest he stirred up.
But now her perspective had changed.
More than fear and turmoil, Uchiha Yorin brought the world hope and prosperity.
He could actually make this world better.
Because of that, everyone who was kind, gentle, or truly just should band together and support him.
You could see it clearly in this one port.
From this budding harbor alone, you could tell what sort of man he was.
Kurotsuchi smiled warmly, then stepped forward and wrapped him from behind just as he turned, a little surprised.
"You've really been working hard," she said softly. "But from now on, you don't have to worry all by yourself.
Because I'll be here with you."
Yorin turned his head and saw the determination in her expression.
In that moment, the girl in front of him was no longer just a meme of "Thigh-Kage." She was a real woman—gentle, kind, and deeply considerate.
He felt a faint ache in his chest, then opened his arms and pulled her into them. As he hugged her, he found himself thinking about what to name their future kids.
If it's a boy… maybe Shinji.
If it's a girl… maybe Rei. How's that?
…
Right about then, Tsunade's anti-homewrecker radar went off like mad.
"I get the feeling I've been cheated on," she said.
She turned to Pakura, who was fiddling with shuriken, and spoke in a very serious tone.
Pakura responded with the kind of look you give an idiot. Like she was saying, You're only realizing that now?
"That's not what I mean, you jerk," Tsunade snapped. "I mean I can feel a new woman joining the roster and doing, you know, things with Yorin."
"Oh."
Pakura thought back. Today, Yorin had taken Kurotsuchi out to look at the big excavators. Tsunade was probably right. Pakura was more than willing to call her the "world's most frequently cheated-on woman." Though Tsunade herself would not appreciate that phrasing.
"Oh."
Even so, Pakura's tone stayed calm, which only made Tsunade angrier. And honestly, a bit incredulous.
We're both getting cheated on here! I'm at least bitching about it, which benefits you too. So why do you look like you don't care at all?
Pakura spoke slowly, almost gently:
"Feels different to me. Yorin's never been a man one woman could 'lock down.'"
"As long as he still loves me, I'm happy."
"So sometimes I wonder if you aren't overthinking things a bit."
"If you could relax like I do, maybe he'd like you even more."
Tsunade had only said one sentence, and got all of that in return. It pissed her off so much she almost coughed blood.
You think I don't want that?! I'd love to be relaxed about this!
Problem is, I'm not even fully on the damn bus yet! Once I'm officially on, I'll be way more chill than you—I'm not welding the doors shut or anything!
"Ohhh, that's how it is," Pakura said, giving her a look full of pure pity.
Tsunade saw that and almost exploded.
Look at that. Look at that "aww, sweet summer child" face. Look at this woman, thinking I'm washed.
Fine. If I don't show you what Tsunade can do, you're not gonna learn any better.
The moment Yorin comes back today, I'm going to shove him down and not let him get up. I'll make sure he can never live without my body ever again! Ohohohoho—
Pakura thought the evil laugh was misplaced, but decided not to mention it. Yugito, on the other hand, didn't care either way.
Lately, the she-cat had been happily playing with Uchiha's ninja cats and had somehow become their boss. She'd basically forgotten to care about anything else.
Two hours later, Yorin popped back home in a flash of Flying Thunder God.
"Sorry, sorry—got held up talking future marriage and kids with Kurotsuchi," he said as he swapped out his military coat for his house clothes. "So, Pakura, what's for dinner?"
"Your favorite—pork cutlet curry."
"Nice."
Back when they met, Pakura was exactly like most kunoichi—no concept of housework. But after spending so long with him, her "woman side" had awakened more and more.
The deeper her love for Uchiha Yorin grew, the more energy she put into everything besides being a ninja—trying to be a good wife in practice, not just name.
Cooking his meals, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, taking care of chores—Pakura was genuinely happy doing them all.
Even though the wedding was still a long way off. It stung a bit, sure—Yorin was a man with too much on his shoulders. But she still faced it all with a gentle smile, unlike a certain foolish princess who muttered and doubted everything day in, day out.
"You've really been working hard, Pakura. Tsunade-nee, want a hug?" Yorin turned and smiled warmly at Tsunade.
"Yes!" she answered immediately.
As she flopped into his arms, grinning like an idiot, Tsunade somehow felt a lot less mad.
Fine, she thought. This princess will be generous. I forgive you.
Yugito: "…"
Pakura: "…"
Watching Tsunade snuggle into Yorin's chest and cackle like a fool, the other girls traded a look, seeing the same helpless amusement in each other's eyes.
This idiot, they thought. She was swearing vengeance not half an hour ago. Now look at her. One hug and the brain cells are gone.
Sure enough, this woman's entire life was going to be wrecked by Uchiha Yorin. He had her completely wrapped around his finger.
~~~
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