"Huh? This…"
Hearing Tsunade's demand—
the members of Root immediately changed expressions.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Although Danzō Shimura had recently ordered that if a mission conflicted with Tsunade, they could abandon it without punishment—
handing over their targets like this still felt humiliating.
"I won't repeat myself."
Tsunade's tone grew impatient.
Even though Danzō was now controlled by Ren—
and would obey if Ren gave the order—
she knew Root's style too well.
There was no way she would trust them.
For all she knew, this mother and daughter might simply be moved from one cage to another—
trained into emotionless tools.
"Didn't you hear her?"
Ren spoke calmly.
"Leave them here."
"You're free to go."
Inside, however, he felt slightly speechless.
Originally, he only wanted Karin to be brought to Konohagakure so her talent wouldn't be wasted in Kusagakure.
If possible, he also hoped to prevent the tragic fate of her mother.
But now—
Tsunade had directly intercepted the mission halfway.
"Wait!"
Seeing that Tsunade looked ready to attack at any moment—
the Root jonin leading the group broke out in cold sweat.
After all—
their leader Danzō, even with Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō and the forbidden technique Izanagi, had nearly been killed by her.
After hesitating—
he finally chose to surrender.
"Bring them over."
The two unconscious figures were handed to Tsunade's group.
Then he waved his hand.
"We're retreating."
The Root ninjas left quickly, their backs soaked with sweat.
"Lady Tsunade, they were under genjutsu!"
Shizune hurried forward.
After examining them—
she gasped when she saw the woman's arms covered with bite marks.
"This is horrible…"
"Those people are monsters."
She quickly released the genjutsu.
"Release!"
Soon—
both mother and daughter slowly regained consciousness.
But when they saw the unfamiliar trio before them—
they shrank back in fear.
"Don't be afraid."
Tsunade spoke gently.
"You're in the Land of Fire now."
"You're safe."
Still—
the mother and daughter clung tightly to each other.
"We've already heard what happened to you."
Tsunade sighed.
"If you stayed in Kusagakure…"
"your daughter's future would be exactly the same as yours."
"Raised as nothing more than a healing resource."
"Leaving that place isn't a bad thing."
The Uzumaki Clan were distant relatives of the Senju Clan.
Long ago—
their clans had been close allies.
When Hashirama Senju founded Konoha, he once invited the Uzumaki to join him.
But they instead created Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools.
The Land of Whirlpools became one of Konoha's closest allies.
Even Konoha's headband symbol came from the Uzumaki crest.
Yet their powerful chakra and sealing techniques attracted envy.
Eventually—
their nation was destroyed by combined enemy forces.
During that war—
Uzushiogakure sent requests for help.
But Konoha was already overwhelmed during the early stages of the Second Shinobi War.
The leadership couldn't reach an agreement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane remained passive.
Danzō opposed the idea entirely.
He insisted Konoha should focus on fighting Kumogakure instead.
By the time they agreed to send help—
it was already too late.
Uzushiogakure had fallen.
Its secret techniques and sealing arts were plundered.
The surviving Uzumaki scattered across the world.
Many survivors grew bitter toward Konoha.
They believed the village had betrayed its ally.
Even Mito Uzumaki, Tsunade's grandmother—
the princess of the Uzumaki—
was devastated by the tragedy.
She had used sealing techniques to maintain her youthful appearance for years.
But after Uzushiogakure's destruction—
she lost the will to continue.
Her hair turned white overnight.
Not long after—
she removed the Kurama from her body.
And sealed it into Kushina Uzumaki.
Ren smiled gently.
"You may not recognize her…"
"But this is Lady Tsunade."
"She's the granddaughter of the First Hokage."
"Her grandmother was Uzumaki Mito."
"You might have heard of her."
The woman froze.
She stared at Tsunade in disbelief.
"You're… Lady Mito's granddaughter?"
Her name was Nanako Uzumaki.
When Uzushiogakure fell—
she had only been a child.
But she remembered hearing stories about the princess who married the "God of Shinobi."
Meanwhile Karin looked confused.
She had no idea what any of this meant.
Tsunade sighed.
"The story of Uzushiogakure is complicated."
"My grandmother tried her best to send help."
"But she was held back by people obsessed with politics and power."
"She died soon afterward."
She looked at the two of them.
"For now, travel with us."
"If you're willing to settle in Konoha…"
"I'll write a recommendation letter to the Hokage."
"At the very least, your life won't be as terrible as it was in Kusagakure."
Then Tsunade examined Nanako's body.
Her expression turned serious.
Shizune spoke quietly.
"Lady Tsunade… they're extremely weak."
"Long-term malnutrition is one thing…"
"But Nanako has been constantly overusing her chakra to heal others."
Her body was nearly at its limit.
If Uzumaki vitality hadn't been so strong—
she would have died long ago.
Tsunade nodded slowly.
"It's still manageable."
"If we were any later…"
"Even I might not have been able to save her."
Nanako immediately bowed.
"Thank you very much, Lady Tsunade!"
She pulled Karin down to bow as well.
They understood their situation.
They had no better choice.
Ren then suggested,
"Tsunade-nee, why don't we rest here tonight?"
"We can treat them properly."
"Good idea."
Tsunade agreed.
Ren raised his hand.
"Wood Release — Four-Pillar House Technique!"
As the mist that once covered the ruins faded—
sunlight finally shone through.
The place no longer felt haunted.
Rumble…
Before Nanako and Karin's shocked eyes—
a beautiful wooden house suddenly rose from the ground.
Within seconds—
it stood fully formed.
"This is…"
Karin's mouth hung open.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The boy in front of her—
who was only slightly older than she was—
was unbelievably powerful.