Jun was picking up Kazuma from the daycare. He walked by the Academy and saw Neji exiting the building.

“Hi, Neji. I’m picking up Kazuma today. Wanna come with me?”

The young Hyuga looked away, displaying a falsely indifferent look.

“I guess; I have nothing better to do.”

Jun resumed his walk. Neji followed him. He was silent, but a tiny smile appeared on his face.

In front of the Academy, a little blond-haired boy sat alone on a swing while watching children leave with their parents with an envious gaze. Jun didn’t slow down and didn’t turn his head. But his mind was racing. He just saw Naruto. He hadn’t expected to see the boy so fast. It was the first time he saw him.

Jun had heard the rumors in the village. Rumors about the kid with the Nine-Tails inside him…causing fear among the villagers. Jun was tempted to approach him. However, Jun could also sense the presence of at least one ninja in a nearby tree. So, he kept walking. It was probably an ANBU tasked to guard the Jinchuriki.

If things were different, maybe Jun would have approached the kid and talked to him. He had no particular feelings toward Naruto, but it would make sense to get closer to the boy. He was lonely and sad. He would definitely value people who would treat him like any other kid and give him some attention. But the time wasn’t right. Jun was sure he would have other opportunities to approach Naruto.

Shisui’s team was summoned by the Hokage who congratulated their work and informed them the squad was getting disbanded. They weren’t surprised about it. The truth was that they saw it coming. They hadn’t received any assignments in the past months. However, the Sandaime gave them one last mission.

The mission would take them away from the village for a few weeks. They had to go to the border with the country where Kusagakure was located. The country was about to experience a civil war. The two opposite factions were raiding beyond their borders to gain an advantage over the other by bringing back a bounty or information.

The incursions to the Land of Fire by that country were constant. As soon as Shisui and the others pushed a team back, another one would come. If their opponents ran away or could be defeated effortlessly, the team usually let them live. However, it was also common for them to leave no survivors.

Killing was part of the job, and they were good at it. The shy Kanna could crush about ten people at once with her Doton techniques. The gentle Miyamoto shattered the enemy’s ribcage with a single blow of his palm. Shisui made grown men cry and scream in terror with his Genjutsus before tearing them to pieces. Jun pulverized entire teams with his destructive jutsus. Their reputation deterred most opponents who usually faced them full of fear.

They chased a team into the enemy country and remained there, in hiding to apprehend eventual intruders more quickly. It was easier that way since there were a few villages on the other side of the border where they could get food. The fifth team they battled gave them some trouble. They were two jonins among the ninjas from Kusa.

“Byakugan!” One of the jonin shouted as he pointed at Miyamoto.

They rushed at the Huyga with a greedy look on their face.

There was a chaotic melee. It seemed the ninjas wanted to capture Miyamoto alive. One of them managed to knock him out and immediately fled toward his village with the Hyuga. The rest of the enemy team attempted to sacrifice themselves to hold off Shisui, Jun, and Kanna.

Seeing through the enemy’s strategy, the Konoha shinobis went all out. The ground shattered; lightning came crashing down, and the lethal hiss of steel cutting down flesh was also heard. They massacred the Kusa shinobis, despite their wounds, before going after the kidnapper. They hadn’t imagined for a second going back without their teammate. They left no comrade behind.

Even if their mission was to stay on the border, they didn’t hesitate to put it aside. No words were exchanged. They chased the enemy without hesitation. The latter was fast, and they had to go deeper into enemy territory. However, they managed to catch up. Running while carrying an unconscious body wasn’t the best. Shisui, Sharingan activated, stabbed the ninja in the heart. Jun woke Miyamoto up.

The team then assessed their situation. They were in enemy territory, and they need to get out fast. Kanna proposed to transform into Kusa ninjas. They did just that and took the appearance of the local shinobis before hiding among the civilians. They needed to take care of their wounds.

Jun only knew the basics of the Mystic Palm technique, and he was already exhausted. If they wanted to get back to the border quickly, they must find a competent healer. Shisui and Kanna asked around and discovered that a healer lived on the edge of the village.

They found a woman hanging laundry in front of the house the villagers described to them. When she saw the four ninjas approaching, she stiffened and looked down. Her body language radiated fear and resignation. Jun wondered if the assistance she gave the shinobis was voluntary.

She wasn’t very old, probably younger than Jun’s mom. She had purples eyes and bright red hair. She was a fairly tall woman with a pale complexion and dark circles.

“We need a healer. Are you the healer?” Shisui asked.

“I am. My name is Ayuko. Please follow me.” She replied, bowing slightly.

The interior of the house was quite empty. One could tell how poor the owner was. There was only one room. A child, with the same hair color, was sitting and playing with a stuffed animal. She looked at them when they entered the room and immediately stood up with an alarmed look.

“Can you go play outside, Karin?”

The girl nodded and left the house, skirting the wall and not taking her eyes off the ninjas for a moment. She was obviously scared. Jun stood still, frozen in surprise. Karin… the appearance of the girl… It must be the same Karin he was thinking about.

Shisui waited for the door to close before dispelling his transformation technique. The others did the same. Ayuko remained still, but her face turned deathly pale.

“We mean no harm. We just need some care, and we’ll be on our way.” Kanna explained.

Karin’s mother looked at them. They were wounded, but not enough to be out of commission. They were still capable of killing her if she tried to take advantage of their condition to flee or attack them. She knew it as well.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” She said, rolling up her sleeve.

Her arm was covered in bite marks. Miyamoto's face was impassive. But Shisui and Kanna could not hide their revolted expression. When Ayuko ordered them to bite, they looked horrified… However, they all obeyed.

Biting her was like sucking in chakra. Jun’s body regenerated instantly. The feeling was very pleasant, almost addictive. But it didn't prevent the teenager from letting go and stepping back as soon as he recovered. He felt a bit creeped out by what he had done.

“I didn’t know the Uzumaki could do that.” Jun lied.

Shisui, Kanna, and Miyamoto looked incredulous. Ayuko froze up.

“You know of my clan..”

“One of my hobbies is Fuinjutsu, and Konoha has a long history with the Uzumaki clan. Our Shodaime married a princess of this clan. During my childhood, there was an Uzumaki kunoichi who lived in my neighborhood. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. You two have the same hair color.”

“Jun!” Shisui called, warningly.

However, Ayuko straightened up, visibly shocked.

“Kushina… I remember her. We were in the same class at the Academy, in Uzushio, before she left… She went to Konoha?”

There was a short silence.

“So it’s true… You are an Uzumaki. I thought they all…” Kanna blurted, ignoring their captain’s warning.

Ayuko looked down. Her hands tightened on the fabric of her long skirt.

“When Uzushio was attacked, many of us tried to flee. The children at the Academy were evacuated first. I was part of it, with my future husband…”

She told them the story, quietly at first, then in a louder and more choppy voice. She was nine years old when it happened. They were escorted by two genins. They managed to break through the enemy lines that surrounded their land to slaughter any survivors.

They had left, not knowing how to reach Konoha, which was their sole ally. At one point, their group had been separated. Ayuko had found herself with her future husband, one of the genins who accompanied them. He was twelve years old then.

The war was raging. They were completely lost, so they were hiding in a small hamlet to wait for things to calm down. They had waited for years. After a while, they fell in love and got married. They made their life in this village as honest farmers and had a daughter, Karin.

One day, when Karin was three years old, her father had been followed by ninjas from Kusa, who had discovered his origins. They had forced Ayuko to come and settle here with her daughter and tend to their wounds. They regularly came to take her to a battlefield, or to a hospital, where people bit her to get her chakra to recover. She had given up all hope of fleeing. As for her husband, they had taken him to Kusa. Ayuko had never seen him again and lost all hope of finding him. He had probably been dead for years.