Sasuke, unlike his enthusiastic brother, noticed the tangle of emotions inside her. He raised an eyebrow, surely when he sensed her worry mixed with reluctance and insecurity. While Naruto was happy and cheerful because they had possibly discovered a distant relative they didn't know existed, she couldn't help but feel the opposite. It wasn't that she didn't want more blood relatives, but the girl hadn't been a prisoner of Orochimaru. That was the problem.
If they had found her in a cell, things would have been entirely different, but that wasn't the case. Kakashi-sensei captured her as a prisoner because she was one of Orochimaru's minions. She didn't know what her tasks were in that base, but it was clear that she wasn't a hostage. Maybe she was only 12 or 13 years old, a child in the eyes of many people, but she was still a ninja according to what her master had told her. That meant she wasn't an ordinary civilian girl. Just from her experience as a ninja, Seina knew she had to be somewhat more mature. Those 12 or 13 years as a shinobi were like 14 or 15 years for a civilian teenager. More than enough to realize what was right and what was wrong.
So then, what was someone like her doing in an Orochimaru base? Was she there voluntarily? Was she feeding the prisoners? Helping with the experiments? Cleaning? Was she being manipulated by Orochimaru? She didn't know. Until she knew all the details, that person would be a potential enemy of Konoha. But how could she explain all that to Naruto when she didn't even know what they had seen there or what had happened? Her brother was already completely excited.
The worst part was that, if she really was an Uzumaki, it meant that Seina would have to take responsibility for her, as she was the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter of the leader of Uzushiogakure. Even though her mother hadn't accepted the leadership of a ruined country, she was still the princess of Uzushiogakure, and she had been treated as such in Konoha even after her death. Seina, in the future, would be forced to accept the leadership of a clan of three people. The same would happen to Sasuke with his family. Not even Kakashi-sensei could escape attending meetings from time to time as the leader of the Hatake clan, despite being its only member.
The girl's future in Konoha depended on her, not on Naruto, and she knew she wouldn't hesitate to get rid of her if she turned out to be a threat to her brother and herself. That led to the second problem. How would her brother take it if she... got rid of her? Maybe he wouldn't understand, maybe he would blame her... Maybe, maybe, maybe...
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, losing some of his enthusiasm.
She looked into his eyes for a few seconds, debating quickly whether to explain all that to him or not. After all, she didn't even know if she was an Uzumaki or not. Maybe she was overthinking things for no reason.
"Seina. What's wrong?" Naruto asked again, now completely serious. "What aren't you telling me?"
They were standing in the middle of the street, on their way to the Hokage tower, but she knew her brother wouldn't take another step until he got out of her what she was thinking. So, they sat on a nearby stone bench by the riverbank, and she opened her bond wide. Naruto and Sasuke delved into her memories of the base and how Kakashi-sensei had brought that girl with him, unconscious, and how she wasn't a prisoner but a pawn of Orochimaru. She explained the whole problem, everything she knew could happen, everything she had just thought.
After 10 minutes, Naruto finally understood everything and lost all the enthusiasm he had a few minutes ago. They could perfectly hear their brother's mental groan and his question to himself about whether being an adult was always so problematic and depressing. Naruto hadn't even considered the downside of having another family member. That was his brother's problem: he always saw the positive side and never stopped to think about what could go wrong.
She, in her previous life, had been just the opposite. She always saw the negative side, but then she was surprised when things didn't turn out so badly. It had taken her many years, various experiences, and her friends, to realize that, in truth, reality wasn't a bed of roses nor a series of unfortunate events. It was more of a mix of both. Naruto, however, didn't seem to realize this, and she feared it would cause him sadness and disappointment in the future when his expectations didn't match reality.
"So, what do we do?" her brother finally asked.
"For now, nothing," she reassured him. "First, we need to find out if she's an Uzumaki or not. If she's not, it's not our problem. If she is, then we'll figure something out."
But when they arrived at Tsunade-sama's office about 10 minutes later, their hopes that it was a mistake vanished like smoke.
"She's an Uzumaki," Tsunade-sama informed. "We've matched her DNA with other Uzumakis, and you're related through your mother's branch."
"How closely related are we?"
"Almost nothing. She must be a very distant cousin, but she's clearly from your clan."
"I see..." she replied, not knowing what to say.
"And what's going to happen to her?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, and why I called you as soon as I found out. Based on the information Kakashi gave me, I decided to get the DNA tests out of the way, but she's still being interrogated with the other prisoners. If she weren't an Uzumaki, you wouldn't be here, but she is."
"You're going to use the time it takes for the interrogation to give us time to figure out what to do with her, right?" she asked, seeing where things were going.
"Exactly. There are only two possibilities: either she's a hostage manipulated by Orochimaru, or she's working for him voluntarily and knowingly. If it's the latter, she will obviously be imprisoned like the other captives."
"And if it's the former?" Naruto asked.
"If she's being manipulated by Orochimaru, it means she's actually another victim. In that case, she will be your responsibility since you, Seina, are the presumptive heir of your clan, and until you have a child of your own, Naruto is your heir. I imagine you've already realized that," the Hokage looked at her with serious brown eyes. She silently nodded at her implied question. "Even under your responsibility, she won't be allowed to leave Konoha for a long probationary period during which she will be closely monitored. If she betrays Konoha, her custody will no longer belong to you, and she will be imprisoned."
"But until that happens, if it happens, she'll be my responsibility," she sighed tiredly as her master nodded. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "We'd have to help her find a place to live, a job, watch over her, reform her, etc."
"Another option would be to disinherit her," Tsunade-sama continued. "If you officially cast her out of the clan, she would no longer be an Uzumaki in name and wouldn't be your responsibility. Her custody would then fall to Konoha, and the responsible departments would take care of her until she either betrays Konoha or completes her probationary period."
"How long is this probation period?" Naruto asked, biting his tongue at her mental warning not to shout about whether to disinherit her or not.
"Depending on the interrogation and what we find out. It could be a period of 3 to 12 months."
"Naruto and I need to talk about this in private," she said, seeing that they knew everything they could for now. "Until she's interrogated, we won't know exactly what's happened to her."
"That's fine. As soon as we know more, we'll inform you."
"Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama."
They left in silence. Seina knew they wouldn't be training that afternoon, at least not for a while. Naruto, at least, recognized that they needed to talk in private, not in the middle of the street, so they hurried home to have the necessary discussion. When they arrived, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were sitting at the table waiting for them.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted us to leave for a while or something," Sasuke said bluntly.
Naruto and she exchanged glances, but after all, Sasuke was family and part of their team.
"Stay. Maybe an objective opinion will help."
"So, she's an Uzumaki, huh? I figured. She used chakra chains to attack me," Kakashi-sensei said. "They're very common in the Uzumaki clan."
"Old Tsunade says we either take responsibility for her or disown her."
"That's only if she turns out to be another of Orochimaru's victims," she interjected, seeing that Naruto was already assuming that. "If we take responsibility for her, she'll be ours for three to twelve months, depending on how dangerous they think she is."
"And what are you planning to do?"
Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke's expectant faces made Naruto and her exchange looks once more. Seina didn't need to ask to know what her brother was thinking. He was the optimistic one, and she was the realist.
"I'm inclined not to disown her," she finally said. Her brother let out a deep breath at her words. "For now. Until we know what really happened with her, that's my stance."
"That means you'll need to start thinking about what to do with her," Kakashi-sensei thought aloud. "Are you planning for her to live here?"
Sasuke frowned as he realized this was something they had to consider. The truth was, she didn't trust her knowing what little they did so far, and there was no way she was going to let her into her home, her sanctuary, which she shared with three others.
"No. This house belongs to the four of us. She's my responsibility, and to a lesser extent Naruto's, so I'm not going to bring her here and disrupt your lives as well. Plus, I don't trust her. This house is the safest one in all of Konoha. I'd have to be out of my mind to bring her in here, knowing she's one of Orochimaru's pawns."
She quickly saw how Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei relaxed, almost imperceptibly. Naruto, who was unusually serious, noticed too. This, combined with her reasoning, meant her brother didn't even try to convince her to let their distant cousin live with them.
"My idea is to see how much money Naruto and I have saved and buy her a small apartment. If the place is ours, I can modify it however I want to keep an eye on her from afar without her knowing. That would give her the illusion of privacy, help her relax in an unfamiliar village, and at the same time ensure Konoha's safety."
Kakashi-sensei nodded thoughtfully.
"Not a bad idea. I imagine that even if you wanted her to live here, it would be a shock for her as well. It's best for everyone to give her space. If you can monitor her like that, all the better," the jonin encouraged with a smile. "You could even ask Tsunade-sama if she knows of any ninja who need to hire someone so she can earn her own living. Having a job, even if it's a civilian one, would give her more freedom and independence compared to living off the money you give her monthly."
"That's a good idea. That way, neither Seina nor Naruto have to carry the burden of taking care of her while their-"
"Cousin?"
"While their cousin earns Konoha's trust and her own independence."
"What's clear to me is that if they release her, I'll speak with her personally to make sure she's truly innocent," Seina said, locking eyes with her brother. "If I realize that her long-term intentions are to escape or betray us, I'll personally take her back to the interrogation department and disown her."
A heavy silence fell as she and her brother stared each other down. This was the one thing she wouldn't compromise on, and she wanted Naruto to know that without a doubt. Even if he got angry with her for rejecting their supposed cousin. She wasn't going to let a potential enemy get close to her family, especially one who had been a pawn of someone who wanted to use Sasuke as a flesh puppet just because he had the sharingan.
"This is getting interesting," Kurama muttered sinisterly. "I never thought I might end up duelling myself."
Seina understood why he said that. Both her brother's eyes and her own were glowing red. It was the first time she had opposed her brother so firmly, and that had piqued Kurama-yang's interest in Naruto. In the end, with their link open and feeling the tense chakra of their master and Sasuke, her brother bowed his head in submission. He knew what she was doing was to protect them all, and Naruto couldn't fight that because he, too, wanted to protect the entire team above everything.
She heard her Kurama, Kurama-yin, click his tongue in disappointment as his other half in Naruto withdrew. She watched as Naruto's red eyes faded back into his usual blue ones.
"Well... That was... interesting," Kakashi-sensei said with mock calm.
Sasuke finally exhaled after several moments of holding his breath. Naruto and Seina shook off the biju's bloodlust, fully regaining their composure.
"We'll do what Seina-nee says," her brother finally said. "She's right. As much as I want to, and as much as she's an Uzumaki, I can't forget she was with Orochimaru, and it would be dangerous not to know her intentions or to let her live here."
"I'll speak with Tsunade-sama to find out when they'll release her. That way, we'll know how quickly we need to act to buy that apartment," Seina said. "Do you want to go look at apartment prices tomorrow afternoon?"
Naruto nodded, surprisingly excited about apartment hunting even though it wasn't for them.
"What do you think about doing some training this afternoon like we had planned?" Kakashi-sensei asked, standing up from the table with more energy than usual. "It might help you get that adrenaline out of your systems."
They trained for a few hours in the training grounds that afternoon. Seina gave it her all during her sparring match with Kakashi-sensei, while Naruto and Sasuke practiced ninjutsu. She was grateful her master noticed she needed to vent using taijutsu and kenjutsu because, by the end of it, drenched in sweat and panting, she felt much better. The long bath she took that night was like being reborn.
"Are you okay?" Kakashi-sensei asked quietly when she came down the stairs to the dining room. "That was a bit intense earlier."
"I'm fine. Sooner or later, Naruto and I were bound to have some kind of confrontation, considering our temperaments," she shrugged. "I'm glad it didn't escalate, though Kurama would've enjoyed fighting his other half."
"Better not..." her master said slowly, clearly imagining it. "At least not in the village."
Seina snorted with a short laugh. Kakashi-sensei gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"Will you help me with dinner?"
"Sure."
It was clear that Kakashi-sensei was trying to distract her, but since he didn't usually ask for help with making food, she happily agreed. Naruto and Sasuke were taking a bath, so she would take advantage of the moment with just the two of them, even if it was only for ten minutes. She nudged him with her hip and walked over to the kitchen.
"What do you feel like having for dinner?" asked the jonin, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"Something cold. Actually, I feel like having a salad."
"Alright. I'll make something more substantial, and you handle the salad, okay?"
That's how the rest of the team found them a little while later. Seina was laughing hysterically at a story Kakashi-sensei was telling her about Asuma-sensei.
"You should've seen his red face when he spilled tea everywhere the first time he met Kurenai."
"I didn't know Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei were together," said Naruto, appearing at the door.
"Eh, I'd say even they don't know it themselves. Asuma still hasn't worked up the courage to ask her out, but I don't think it'll take much longer," Kakashi-sensei looked at her over Naruto's head, winking. "I don't think he wants to let her get away."
They ate dinner, laughing and forgetting what had happened hours ago as if nothing had occurred. Seina continued her routine of work at the hospital, training with her team, and assignments for the Hokage. When monday arrived, they went to the training field where they had arranged to meet team 10. Strangely enough, or perhaps not considering that Ino was the loudest voice in team 10, when they arrived at the clearing, the others were already waiting.
"Finally! If I had to hear one more complaint, I would've strangled Shikamaru."
Sasuke and Naruto snickered mockingly at the tired look on Nara's face as he lay on the grass. As soon as he noticed everyone's stares, he stretched and stood up sluggishly.
"How did you even become a chunin, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked incredulously.
"For the same reason as your sister," he replied somewhat sharply. "So, are we going to train or what?"
"Did you use the weights like we talked about?"
"Yeah, of course. Asuma-sensei said it was a good idea, so we didn't even take them off during our normal day-to-day activities."
"That's good. What have you been training with Asuma-sensei?"
"The basics, as always, but when he saw that you taught us the concealment ninjutsu, he offered to teach us a couple of fire jutsus," Ino grinned from ear to ear. "Apparently, he thought we weren't interested in learning it."
"What jutsu did he teach you?"
"An offensive one."
"Gokakyu no jutsu."
"Huh. Not bad for beginners," Sasuke nodded.
"You have relatively little time to learn new jutsus and train with us every monday, so I'd teach you the most useful ones."
"Like what?"
"Ino and Chouji, you both have earth nature, so I'd start by teaching you a barrier jutsu. It'll help you defend yourselves and also create a hideout, if necessary," she began. "And you, Shikamaru… To be honest, I'd focus on genjutsu."
"Genjutsu?" Ino asked, exchanging looks with Chouji. "Why?"
"Why? Shikamaru's best weapon, aside from his brain, is his shadows. In fact, the jutsu I taught him last time was designed to be used with his kekkei genkai. The problem with Shikamaru is the weakness of this jutsu: he can only use it if there's some kind of shadow," she explained in detail, while Shikamaru watched her intently. "That means any enemy who knows how his technique works will also know how to avoid it. That leaves Shikamaru with two options: either he's smarter than his enemies to trap them, or he figures out another way to use his kekkei genkai."
"Are you saying that with genjutsu, I could use my shadows differently?"
"Of course. I imagine a dynamic genjutsu where time moves faster for your enemy," she shrugged as she thought it over. "Imagine making your opponent believe so gradually that it's night, they don't even realize it's still day."
"That's impossible. There's no genjutsu like that," Shikamaru denied immediately.
"Not yet," Seina smiled, "but it shouldn't be too difficult to invent."
"...If a genjutsu like that existed, I could use the ash concealment to activate the genjutsu discreetly, then, while tiring my enemy out, make them believe I can't use my kekkei genkai, only to finish them off with my shadows without them noticing," Shikamaru mused aloud, his face serious and calculating. "Could you do it? Could you invent a genjutsu like that?"
"Sure. In fact, I'm thinking of something else to counter the weakness of your shadows when it's night-time or there's no light…"
"Are we going to start training, or are you going to keep scheming for a long time!?" her brother exclaimed, making her jump.
Seina nodded. They hadn't come to talk, but to train, so that's what they did. The morning flew by. She ended up fighting all five of them at once, but none of them were a match for her spells, and team 10 wasn't a match for her taijutsu either. Still, when they left the clearing, she was excited about a new challenge.
What Shikamaru needed, besides a genjutsu, was a light source he could use in battle. Something enough to create shadows in the dark. She made a note of it in her journal, pulling it out of her pouch as they walked back home for lunch.