After dealing with the second wave of pursuers, Aoba quickly led the mother and daughter into the Land of Fire.
But soon, another group of Grass ninja actually chased after them.
That's right—the Grass ninja had openly crossed the border, pursuing Aoba into the Land of Fire. What did this mean? It seemed Konoha, the greatest village in the Shinobi World, held little deterrence against the Grass ninja.
Fortunately, the Grass ninja didn't dare to chase too deep. After all, the Land of Fire's borders had Konoha's outposts.
Sneaking into the country and wandering around uninhabited areas was one thing. But once spotted by an outpost, it would be considered an illegal invasion—potentially sparking a war crisis.
It wasn't that ninja from other countries couldn't enter the Land of Fire. But ninja were military units. If they wanted to enter, they had to go through proper channels. The Grass ninja failed to catch up with Aoba and, in the end, didn't dare to pursue further, reluctantly retreating.
"Alright, we're safe now."
Aoba set the mother and daughter down. After a long journey and killing six Grass ninja along the way, he was thoroughly exhausted. As always, his Chakra reserves were limited. Whether traveling or fighting, he had to be meticulous.
In the wilderness, he found a cave. After taking a Soldier Pill, he recovered most of his Chakra.
Then he hunted a few grouse and rabbits, roasting them for dinner.
After a satisfying meal, the exhausted Karin fell fast asleep in her mother's arms.
Seeing this, Aoba took out a blanket from his Sealing Scroll and handed it to Karin's mother."Thank you." She gently laid Karin down and covered her with a blanket. Then, Karin's mother stood up and bowed deeply to Aoba with solemn respect.
"My name is Uzumaki Yumi. Thank you for your help, sir."
Aoba rose and helped her up.
"There's no need for that. I saved you both with my own purposes in mind. In the future, you may both have to work for me."
Aoba made no attempt to hide his intention of needing the two to work for him. Karin's mother wasn't surprised in the least.
In this world, there was no such thing as unconditional love. The other party had taken such great risks to rescue them from the Grass Ninja Village—there had to be a purpose behind it.
But for now, it seemed his care for Karin was genuine. No matter what, he was undoubtedly a far better master than the Grass Ninja could ever be.
"As long as you treat Karin well and let her live a safe life, we are willing to work for you, sir. It's just... my body may not hold out much longer."
Aoba lifted her sleeve, sighing at the densely packed bite marks covering her arm.
"Your condition is indeed severe. Those Grass Ninja bit you without restraint, draining your vitality beyond repair.
But don't be too pessimistic. I won't treat you the way they did. As long as you don't recklessly expend your life force, you'll last far longer than you think.
The Uzumaki clan's constitution is much stronger than you realize. And I know a method that can save you—but it will take time to prepare.
So, if you don't want your daughter to become an orphan, if you want to see her grow up, hold on. Believe me, I will heal you."
Who would willingly choose death when they could live? Especially when Yumi still had Karin to live for.
"Thank you, sir. I will do my best to survive—for Karin, and for you."
"And for yourself," Aoba added.
After resting for the night, Aoba continued toward Konoha with the mother and daughter in tow.
Since this was a rare moment of freedom, Aoba wasn't in a hurry. With no pursuers threatening them, he took his time on the road.
The main issue he faced now was deciding whether to bring Karin and her mother back to Konoha or settle them outside the village.
If he took them to Konoha, should he conceal their Uzumaki heritage?
These were questions he had to confront soon, and Aoba was torn.
After much deliberation, leaving them outside Konoha was out of the question. The village was already plagued by internal and external threats, with other nations stirring restlessly. In the original timeline, though full-scale war hadn't broken out, skirmishes were inevitable.
Along the way, he'd even heard rumors that the Cloud Ninja were amassing troops at the border.
In such turbulent times, who knew how many spies and bounty hunters lurked around Konoha? The mother and daughter had no means of self-defense. If they were noticed outside the village, Aoba might not reach them in time.
So, bringing them to Konoha was necessary. But even within the village, safety wasn't guaranteed. If their abilities were discovered by Danzo, the consequences would be dire.
For now, Aoba couldn't oppose Danzo, who controlled the entire Root faction.
Yet hiding their identities was nearly impossible. They could dye their hair, but once Karin attended school, clues would inevitably surface.Especially with that old pervert, the Third Hokage, always using his Telescope Technique to peek around everywhere. Danzo's Root operatives also had eyes and ears all over the place.
Hiding temporarily was possible, but staying hidden long-term wasn't feasible. Aoba had originally wanted to let Yumi make the decision herself.
However, she admitted that she knew nothing about the internal situation in Konoha and couldn't possibly make the right judgment.
So, in the end, Aoba decided. He would take them back—without hiding their identities.
Because with someone like Danzo, the more they concealed themselves, the more dangerous it would be once he found out. So, it was actually safer to simply not hide anything and just present themselves as a pair of surviving Uzumaki descendants.
Still, this wasn't foolproof. Aoba needed to do something to make the situation more secure.
By the time they reached Konoha's gates, roughly a month had passed since Aoba had left on his mission.
At the entrance, he used his Jonin status to vouch for the two of them, passing the scrutiny of Konoha's gatekeepers.
But before he could even reach home, an Anbu messenger intercepted him.
"Kamikawa Aoba, report to the Hokage's office immediately for debriefing."
"Understood."
Though he said so, Aoba didn't head straight to the Hokage's office. Instead, he first took the mother and daughter to his home.
"Uh… I live alone, so it's a bit messy. Just bear with it for now—I'll clean up when I get back."
"Listen, Yumi. This is Konoha. In most cases, it's safe here. But I can't guarantee absolute safety. So, don't wander around. Stay here and wait for me to return. And don't forget the plan we discussed."
"I understand, sir." Yumi's face flushed slightly as she nodded in agreement.
Holding Karin in her arms, Yumi stepped inside. The little girl was asleep again—probably because in the Grass Village, she had been too frightened to sleep properly.
But during their journey with Aoba, despite the rough conditions, she had slept soundly, often dozing off on his back as they traveled.
After settling them in, Aoba turned and hurried toward the Hokage's office.