Konoha: Starting as the Leader of the Land of Grass

Chapter 10: Going Home

"Third Elder! Is this the Land of Grass?"

A red-haired child looked at the Land of Grass, filled with flowers and plants, her large, watery eyes blinking. She then lifted her grimy face, her crystal-clear eyes looking up at the Third Elder beside her.

"Now that we're in the Land of Grass, does that mean we don't have to run anymore? Can we eat until we're full and get to sleep?"

At her words.

The stooped, white-haired old man beside her trembled, his eyes looking at hers. A smile appeared on his equally grimy face as he nodded. "Yes! Holly won't have to hide anymore! From now on, you'll be able to get a good night's sleep! You won't have to go hungry anymore!"

Of course.

These were just words to comfort her.

Elder Yang.

That was his name.

Before the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, he was the Third Elder of the Uzumaki clan. When the Land of Whirlpools was attacked by ninja from various countries, after a day and a night of resistance, the clan leader and the First Elder saw that the situation was hopeless. They had them scatter, each leading a group of clansmen away from the Land of Whirlpools, so that the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan could continue.

However.

Even after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, those invaders still refused to let the Uzumaki clan go, hunting down all who had escaped.

Originally, there were nearly a hundred Uzumaki civilians and ninja in total. In the end, only these twenty or so people remained.

Including him... there were less than four ninja in total: three Jonin and one Chunin.

However.

This force, which could be considered a Jonin squad, was not enough to protect the remaining members of the Uzumaki clan.

Long-term fatigue and hunger had greatly reduced their strength, and now... they had even been sealed?!

How laughable.

The Uzumaki clan, masters of sealing jutsu, had been sealed by others.

And with the Uzumaki clan's own sealing jutsu, no less!

That's right.

He could tell.

The sealing patterns were all too familiar.

If the Land of Whirlpools still existed, this would be an absolute disgrace to the Uzumaki clan.

At first, he had passed through the neighboring Land of Rain... but after discovering that the Land of Rain was also unsafe, he led his clansmen north, hoping to find a place that could accommodate the Uzumaki clan.

But a while ago, they had unexpectedly encountered slave traders from the Land of Hot Water.

Then.

Exhausted and hungry, they were captured by the ninja hired by the slave trader, sealed, and taken to the Land of Hot Water.

However.

Just as they thought they would be sold as slaves, the slave trader, for some unknown reason, put them back on a ship and headed towards the Land of Fire.

Finally, a group of mysterious ninja suddenly appeared and attacked the merchant from the Land of Hot Water.

And then.

They were brought here.

To be honest.

After experiencing so much, he no longer believed that anyone could help the Land of Whirlpools.

Even Konoha, who was like a brother to them, had only promised to let the Uzumaki bloodline continue and then paid them no more mind.

So, who could be trusted?

Elder Yang sighed inwardly and reached out to pat Holly's small head.

This was his granddaughter.

As for his son and daughter-in-law... they had already been sacrificed during their escape.

He had originally planned to have her jump into the sea to find a chance to escape, but he didn't expect to be discovered by that group of ninja, and then, she was brought back as well?!

Now... he didn't know what would happen next.

Although the ninja hired by the merchant had not reappeared, the black cloaks, the deliberate concealment of their identities, and the proficient use of Uzumaki sealing jutsu... all of this gave him a bad feeling.

A cold glint flashed in Yang's eyes, and then he sighed in discouragement.

Even if things were as he suspected, what could they do now?

They could do nothing.

He knew about the small country of the Land of Grass. A remote little nation, famous in the shinobi world for being shameless and opportunistic. It had been destroyed once before, but now it seemed... it had been rebuilt.

Elder Yang looked at the citizens of the Land of Grass working not far away, then at his granddaughter and the Kusa-nin surrounding them. His heart was filled with worry.

What do these Kusa-nin, who haven't harmed us, want from us?

The constitution of the Uzumaki clan?

Or the sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan?

But…

[No matter who it is... as long as my granddaughter can live, I will agree to any conditions! Even if it's the Scroll of Seals, or if they want to trample on my body and perform any human experiments on me, I will have no complaints!]

As for taking revenge for the Uzumaki clan... he no longer thought about it.

The enemies were too many and too powerful.

The current Uzumaki clan had no hope of revenge.

[I wonder how the other clansmen are doing now?!]

Thinking of this, Elder Yang also thought of Fusō and her husband in the neighboring Land of Rain...

He wondered how they were doing in the Land of Rain.

Had they been discovered?!

He hoped they could live on in peace.

Even if it was just as ordinary people.

Just then.

A commotion arose among the surrounding Kusa-nin. Elder Yang and his clansmen also snapped back to reality. Seeming to understand something, they looked up together... their eyes filled with confusion as they gazed ahead.

Is the one... who specially sent people to bring us here finally going to appear?

Who could it be?!

And what is their purpose?

At this moment.

Their hearts were filled with both fear and anticipation.

Fear that their hopes would be dashed, and anticipation for hope to arrive.

However.

A moment later.

A cheer came from ahead.

The commoners who had been working suddenly let out happy shouts.

It seems that person has a high reputation in the Land of Grass.

Just as this thought crossed Yang's mind, a figure came into view.

Surrounded by the crowd.

A rather young-looking man, formally dressed and with a smile on his face, was walking towards them.

And what surprised him even more was...

Beside the man were three people with hair as red as flames!

Two women, and one... child!

Are they from the Uzumaki clan?!

No, wait, that person is...

Seeming to recognize a familiar figure, Yang's pupils widened. Before he could react.

"Welcome home, my people!" Hikaru had already walked up to him, opening his arms with a smile. "From today on... the Land of Grass is your home! Here, you will not be bullied! Here, you will not have to live in fear! Here, you will not have to endure hunger and cold! This is your home!"

He looked deeply at the old man before him. "You have all suffered. Now, you are finally home, my people!"

However.

As soon as he finished speaking.

The situation seemed a little different from what he had imagined.

The Uzumaki clan before him did not have their eyes red with emotion, wailing loudly, and then looking at him, the leader who had accepted them, with gratitude and deep affection, shouting, "We've finally found our family!"

Instead, they stared blankly at the person beside him... Fusō Uzumaki.

For this moment, he had specially changed into more formal clothes, combed his hair, and even replenished his energy to make himself look more spirited.

But the result...

It was too anticlimactic.

His enthusiasm instantly waned.

His original excitement was gone. He looked at the Uzumaki clan before him, their faces grimy, not a clean spot on them, looking dazed and foolish, like a group of refugees. He sighed and said to the snickering Kana and Fusō beside him, "Forget it, you two take over. First, take them to have a bath, change into clean clothes, have a meal, and get some rest."

At his words.

Just as Kana and Fusō were about to nod.

"You are... Fusō?!" Elder Yang suddenly snapped back to his senses, looking at Fusō with excitement. "You... you weren't you in the Land of Rain? How did you get here?"

"A lot has happened," Fusō sighed with emotion, glanced at Hikaru, and as if remembering something, gave an embarrassed smile and quickly changed the subject. "We'll talk later! For now... welcome home, Third Elder!"

"Ho-home? Is it okay?" The Third Elder was taken aback for a moment, then exchanged a look with his clansmen, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at the man beside Fusō.

He could tell that this man was the leader here.

It wasn't until he saw him nod that a smile finally appeared on his face... a smile filled with anticipation. "That's right! Home! Let's go home!"

At his words.

"Have we been accepted?"

"Is this our home from now on?"

"We really don't have to wander anymore?"

All the Uzumaki clansmen cheered, and just as they were about to take a trembling step forward.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

His granddaughter, Holly, suddenly tugged at his sleeve. The Third Elder held back his excitement, looked down in confusion, and just as he was about to ask what was wrong.

Holly held out her small hand, a naive smile on her cute face, and pointed with her left finger to a white speck on her right hand. "It looks like it's snowing, Grandpa!"

(End of Chapter)