In the end, after spending another week on the island, I could feel that it would soon be time to depart. Apparently, Kushina had her own breakthrough or something. She was pretty vague about it, but Jiraiya-sensei told us not to ask much about what she had learned, as it was an... Uzumaki-secret. Or whatever. As for what it meant in practice, I couldn't tell, because when we had a three-way mock battle, she fought like she always did. We were just finishing a light evening spar when Jiraiya clapped his hands once, interrupting us and stopping us from initiating another round.
"That's enough," he said, looking all over us.
"What?" I asked, lowering my head, "We were just getting into it, Sensei..."
"Which is why I said to stop," Jiraiya answered, looking at us, "We will leave tomorrow at dawn. If you sleep in, we will miss our window when the sea is the calmest."
"So soon?" Kushina asked, audibly surprised by it, probably wanting to stay for a bit more.
"You've learned what you needed to," Jiraiya nodded, glancing at her. "And if I leave the other two here longer, they will start trying to test even more weird and dumb jutsus."
"Without testing, how are we going to improve them, Sesnei?" Minato had the decency to look mildly embarrassed, while, on the other hand, he simply grinned at him.
"Sensei, you can't say that. You even stole our technique!"
"Stealing? You call it that?" Kushina rolled her eyes at us, "Really? So, if you ever teach it to your future disciples, will that be stealing, too? You taught it to me as well!"
"Err..." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head, "Sensei still stole the thunder from under us, because he can make it look bigger and better than our variants..."
"Because I have more chakra." He snorted while laughing, knocking on my head, "I'm not stealing your thunder, boy. When we are back, I will report about it to the Hokage, and everything will be noted down as it should be."
"Don't forget to put both of our names down on it!" I said in a hurry, "Not just mine!"
"Yeah, yeah," He chuckled, glancing at us, "Don't worry, I will."
...
....
...
Apparently, our departure had spread amongst the people we interacted with while visiting the island, and I meant mostly the shinobi we sparred against, as they came to see us the same night. They wanted to take us to drink something, but this time, Jiraiya-sensei refused, so we couldn't head out to have any fun. Bummer... I was kinda looking forward to it. Anyway, when they were gone in the end, spending about an hour with us, I noticed that Kushina was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is she...?" Minato murmured, but it wasn't hard to find her.
She was outside, not far from our abode, near the edges of the rock pathway, looking out towards the sea. She was sitting with her knees pulled up, staring towards where the sun disappeared about an hour ago. She didn't look at us when we approached, even though we made sure to make some noise, making our presence known.
"Already homesick?" Minato asked, sitting down on her right, while I took her left.
"Yes..." She answered as she exhaled slowly.
"That's not bad." I chuckled, "It is your home after all. Aaaand, you aren't leaving forever."
I just hoped in that moment that I was right. With my current level, I couldn't storm in and warn them for real, but through Jiraiya, I hope that I could influence them a bit. Just enough to avoid a massive tragedy.
"Of course not!" She pouted as she flicked a pebble at me without turning. "But... It's not like before, dattebane."
"Before?" I asked, curious about what she was thinking when she was simply shipped away to Konoha. Speaking of... what about her parents? Why was she sent there alone?
"I was chosen not only because I was a good candidate... I mean, not only because I am better than the others!" She added quickly, pouting, "Dattebane... Khm! I was chosen because I am an orphan."
"I'm sorry," Minato said, but then she rolled her eyes, elbowing him.
"Sorry for what? You are one too! Renji is the odd one out here."
"Hey!" It was my turn to pout, "Don't blame me for it! Should I go out and make sure I'm the last Uchiha or what to win the pity-party?"
"Idiot." They both said at the same time, rolling their eyes at me.
"Ooooh... Nice sync, loverbirds!"
"Shut up!" They said again, in perfect unison, but of course, Kushina had to add with a red face, "Dattebane!"
"What I was trying to say," she continued, clearing her throat, "Is that previously, I hadn't really thought about anything. But after being away for this long... I did miss... home. But," she then looked at us both, "I am glad I left, and met with you two..."
For that, I had no quip to say, so I just simply smiled, nodding at her. And of course, I began silently signaling Minato to sit closer to her before I stood up, saying I had to pee, hurried away, and left them to... bond. Or to do more, I wasn't going to ask, ehehe!
...
....
...
The port of Uzushiogakure, the one we were leaving from, was the same one, with the same ship and people who brought us in. Walking out early in the morning, I was still yawning, cutting through the heavy mist. But then, as we approached the ship, I realized that several shinobi were already there, the same ones we'd trained with, here to see us off.
"Hey, kiddo," The broad one clasped Minato's forearm firmly. "Next time you lot come, be sure to be Chūnins. Then we can go on a mission together!"
"Heh!" Minato smiled, grasping his arm back. "I will be, I'm sure of it!"
"You're dangerous." The lean one looked at me, smiling, "I have a feeling you both will be Jōnins, making us look like idiots when we meet again."
"Are you a seer?" I asked as I grinned at him.
"No," he shook his head slightly. "Nothing like that... Haaah... Damn it, now you will for sure make a fool of us again, eh?"
"Nah." I kept my grin up, "Konoha won't do that to its allies."
After another round of handshakes, climbing up the boat, we were off, and by the time the sun rose above the horizon on the east, I watched as the island slowly shrank into a tiny spot behind us, before wholly disappearing. I leaned against the railing, watching it sink into the ocean from my perspective, right until I heard Minato arrive and stand beside me.
"Fruitful trip," he said after a while, also just watching the sunrise.
"You could say that."
"Feels like the end of a vacation."
"Kind of. What are your plans after getting back?" I asked, looking at him with one eye. "Which technique will you pursue more?"
"Both," He glanced at me also with just one eye as if that was the only possible answer, "Switching between the two is the perfect way to balance it out. Focusing only on one will make me blind to the obvious, so I am not going to let myself get lost in the research. I also showed Sensei what I came up with, and he will ask permission from the Hokage to let me study the actual jutsu."
"Whoa, really?" I asked, honestly surprised, "Then you will be able to finish your version easily."
"I hope so." He smiled, looking back at the waters, searching for the spirals under the surface, "I am still unsure about the Rasengan, though. I have too many questions in my head about nature releases, so infusing it with my wind always... comes out wrong."
"You are just a perfectionist." I nudged him, chuckling, "Oh well, Perfect-sama, it's up to you." I added, looking back at the island that was no longer visible, and I couldn't help but think about how Uzushiogakure had been destroyed, the few surviving Uzumaki being scattered, while the rest were massacred.
"What is it?" He asked, noticing the minute change in my mood.
"Nothing," I answered, stretching a little, "I just hope the road back home will be as uneventful as it was when we were coming here."
"So, we are going to be attacked by bandits again?" He asked, joking, reminding me of Jiraiya's test.
"I won't say no to a proper fight," I winked at him, "We now have some... tricks up our sleeves, no?"
"Half-complete jutsus that may fail the moment you try and use them?" Kushina asked as she arrived too, looking at us both, "I wouldn't trust them to be used in an actual battle-situation."
"That's the fun part, isn't it?" I asked, laughing, "It makes it even more exciting!"
If I knew what was waiting for us on the way back... I should have kicked myself in the butt for jinxing it all.
...
....
...
By late afternoon, we were back on the mainland, traveling along a slightly different route than we had taken when heading out. It was fun, but somehow, I couldn't really enjoy it, because I had the weird feeling of being looked at. I mean... It made the back of my neck tickle, but I couldn't tell why.
"We make camp soon," Jiraiya said casually, adjusting the straps of his pack, "No point walking in the dark when we're not in a hurry to get back to the village."
"Are we going to have a busy night again?" I asked, making him shake his head, and I swear, I caught him sweeping our surroundings with his eyes.
"Not this time... hopefully."
"..." Minato also noticed it, and although Jiraiya said nothing else, the fact that he seemed alert told me that something was indeed off. It wasn't just my mind playing tricks... Someone or something was keeping an eye on us. But... who?
In the end, we found a clearing just off the main path, nothing really hidden, but not an exposed place either, because the trees formed a natural barrier on three sides, while a shallow creek was rolling behind us, to refill our flasks. Sensei remained silent, still watching, so Minato and I gathered wood while Kushina set up the cooking kit. Through it all... she also realized that this whole camping thing was... awfully different from before.
"You feel that?" Minato whispered for a moment, and I paused, looking... It wasn't even dark yet, but... Yes, I could... feel it... Maybe. Maybe the wind shifted? Or maybe it didn't, I couldn't tell, but with Minato's affinity, I believed him.
"Feel what?" Kushina asked in a low whisper, but remained highly alert.
"The insects stopped," I muttered, activating my Sharingan, knowing that whatever was about to happen was not a game. The moment I did, my senses sharpened, and even the stream sounded louder beside us, but... Nothing. I'm afraid, whoever is stalking us is a professional... Then... I felt it again, that same prickle along the back of my neck.
"Minato," Sensei said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"Drop the wood."
He did immediately, while Kushina's hand moved to her pouch, holding onto a kunai within it, her eyes scanning the treeline.
There! I flinched when I suddenly saw something between the bushes. I couldn't tell what but... Jiraiya-sensei didn't ned to be told anything, as he stepped forward, positioning himself between Kushina and the treeline, right where I was looking.
"You've got ten seconds," he called out lazily, though his voice carried a deadly ultimatum beneath it. "Walk away... Or face the consequences."
There was no real answer while Minato shifted subtly to Kushina's other side, and I flanked her too, lowering my stance towards the ground. We just stood there, as about... ten seconds passed. Nothing. For a brief, stupid moment, I thought maybe they were finally scared away... of course not!
The ground beneath us erupted in a thundering rumble as razor-thin wires, coated in blue sparks, shot upward from the soil, aiming directly at Kushina's arms and waist, trying to grab her.
"Watch out!" I shouted, and Minato reacted instantly, shoving Kushina sideways as I slashed one wire mid-air with my kunai. Still, there were too many, twisting their directions, separating, and now aiming at us all.
At the same time, three masked figures burst from the treeline, moving in a triangular formation, clearly aiming at... Kushina! They were here to get her, and she realized it, too, but she didn't freeze. While dodging the rest of the wires going for her, she twisted her waist and kicked her attacker back mid-air, but by then, another man dropped behind her.
These guys were... Super fast. But so was Jiraiya, because he vanished and the next moment he was beside us as he reappeared between the attackers, driving one into a tree trunk hard enough to make it splinter and fall, while whipping out with his white hair, slapping away the third like he just used a spiky whip, shredding his chest, spraying blood everywhere.
Kushina landed without issue, rolling, while two of the three got back up on their feet, ignoring Jiraiya and us, moving again to get to Kushina...
It was then that all of us heard a bell's chime, and I knew it right away... a genjutsu! I felt my eyes spin, my Sharingan refusing to give in to the invisible attack, rapidly drawing on my own chakra in a counter-acting way, breaking it before it could take effect on me. My first move was to touch Minato to bring him out of it, doing it just in time, so we could dodge the shurikens flying towards us. Looking around after we separated, we were surrounded; seven shinobi had joined the first three, and as I looked towards where the initial attackers were, the two of them who remained were already retreating... with Kushina, who was still under the genjutsu's effect.
"Track them!" Jiraiya shouted, showing his trust in us as he fought against all the others, getting bogged down, "I will catch up to you in a moment!"
We didn't ask questions; we simply shot out, sprinting after those who escaped with Kushina. It was evident that all the others were sent to simply occupy Jiraiya-sense, giving the main strike-team time to leave and disappear with Konoha's future Jinchūriki. It didn't work in the past, and it won't work now either... We will make sure of that!