Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja-Chapter 346 - 342: Family Got Bigger

(The same day when Kaida left for the Kusagakure mission...)

Jiraiya was out on an S-rank mission once again, protecting the Wind Daimyo as he went on his business deal in the Land of Mist. It was a difficult mission because of the civil war going on in the country, and both factions were really bloodthirsty at the moment.

At such times, it was not unusual for ninja to attack such caravans for rations and supplies and put the blame on the other faction.

Jiraiya was focusing on the route ahead, sitting on top of the caravan while the rest of the squad of ANBU ninja secured the flanks, when suddenly a sound came from just behind where he was sitting.

poof

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiraiya turned with a kunai in his hand while the other formed seals rapidly. The ANBU ninja in the surrounding area quickly surrounded the carriage as well.

But when Jiraiya saw the source of the sound, he calmed down, giving the signal to the ANBU ninja to go back.

"Kousuke-san, how many times do I have to tell you not to appear behind me so suddenly? I may have been in a fight right now."

"Hohoho, it is quite nice to see youngsters care about their elders, but don't worry, Jiraiya boy. I'm still not that old that I can't protect myself," an old-looking green frog with a large beard said. Being the messenger frog of Mount Myoboku, it was obvious that he was here with a message.

"Did something happen at Mount Myoboku, Kousuke-san?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nothing bad, just Great Sage Toad is now awake and had asked you to bring that boy to the mountain," Kousuke said.

"It is good that Lord Sage is now awake, but as you can see, I am a little busy at the moment and can't follow the instruction," Jiraiya said, pointing toward the moving carriage.

"I see, but the orders were clear: bring that boy as soon as you can," Kousuke said.

"The mission will still take two more days. After that, I will bring Kaida to Mount Myoboku as soon as I can," Jiraiya said.

"Okay, Jiraiya boy, I will tell Sage about this. Also, there are three ninja three kilometers ahead, though I don't think you guys have to worry about them," Kousuke said, and then POOF.

Being from Mount Myoboku, his nature energy sensing technique was already top-notch. Even though he was not proficient in sage technique, that doesn't mean he didn't have any access to nature energy at all.

Jiraiya just smiled at it and then gestured for the ANBU ninja to eliminate the danger before they reached its location.

...

(Present time)

"What? You are going to be my new neighbor? That's awesome!" Kaida said, thanking his luck that he would now be able to learn much more about fuinjutsu in the future so easily.

"It is still not confirmed. Fugaku-san said he will see what he can do," Reina said with a small chuckle. Even though it was true that she had taken a liking to the honest boy in front of her, there was another reason she had chosen to live next to his house.

"So Naruto lives with you guys, right?" Reina asked.

Kaida smiled, already guessing why she wanted to live next to his house.

"Yes, he will be in academy right now, but I will bring him to meet you soon," Kaida said.

"No need, just tell us when he is home, and we will come there. I want to see the location of my potential new house," Reina said.

"As you wish. Now you guys should take some rest. I will come to get you when Naruto is back," Kaida said, bidding his farewell to the Uzumaki family and going toward his house.

...

smack

"You said this mission was of one day only, and now you are coming back after three days! Do you know how worried we were about you?" Hae said, giving Kaida a smack on the back of his head.

"I am sorry, Aunt. The mission went in the opposite direction, and many things happened because of which I couldn't come back in time," Kaida said, rubbing a small bump forming on his head.

"Did something dangerous happen?" Yomi asked, a little worried.

"No, Yomi... I mean, I should be able to tell you guys since they are going to be our new neighbors, right? Anyway, so when I went to Kusagakure..." Kaida started retelling the same story for the third time.

"So you are saying you rescued two Uzumakis from Kusagakure and brought them here, and they are going to be our new neighbors?" To say Shisui was shocked was beyond measure. Being in the higher fighting force of Konoha, he had knowledge of some information which the general public would have no knowledge about, and the knowledge about Uzumakis was included in that repository.

"Uzumakis, huh? So now Naruto will have actual relatives in Konoha, but they are not going to try to take him to live with them, right?" Hae asked.

"They can't even if they want to. Naruto is the only Jinchuriki of Konoha, and they are still new to the village. There is no chance they will ever be allowed to take him," Kaida said.

"Good. Then there is no need for you to keep standing here. Go take a bath; lunch is almost complete," Hae said.

"Okay, Aunt," Kaida said.

...

"I'm home!" Naruto shouted as soon as he entered the house.

"Aunt, I'm hungry! Today I had matches against Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji, and I won!" he shouted all the way to the hall.

All of the family members were sitting in the hall enjoying some tea, along with two more people: a lady with black hair and a girl not much older than him with the same black hair and features.

"Who are you guys?" Naruto said while squinting his eyes.

"Naruto, manners!" Hae said from her seat.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

"Oh! Sorry. Hello, I am Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you," Naruto said, bowing a little.

"Oh! Such a good boy. I am Reina Uzumaki, and this is my daughter, Karin Uzumaki."

"Uzumaki?"

"Yes, Uzumaki. We are from the same clan as your mother," Reina said with a smile.

"Really? Did you know my mother?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, we were kind of friends when we were children, before she was sent to Konoha," Reina said.

"Wow," Naruto's voice trembled slightly, his blue eyes widening. "You... you knew my mom? What was she like?" His hands clutched his pants, trying to contain the surge of emotions boiling inside him.

Reina's smile softened, seeing the hunger for information in the boy's eyes. "Kushina was... she was like a whirlwind. Always full of energy, always ready to take on the world." She leaned forward slightly. "She had the most beautiful red hair – long and flowing like a river of flames. And when she got angry?" Reina chuckled warmly. "Her hair would float up in the air. We used to call her the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero."

Naruto sat down quickly. "Did... did she get angry a lot?"

"Oh yes, especially when anyone made fun of her hair or tried to bully others. She had such a strong sense of justice." Reina's eyes grew distant with memory. "But she was also incredibly kind. She would always share her food with others, stood up for others, and cared for her friends. And she never gave up, no matter how difficult things got."

Tears began to well up in Naruto's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. "That's... that's just like me. I never give up either, dattebayo!"

Reina's breath caught for a moment, and she exchanged a quick glance with Hae. "That's... that's exactly what she used to say. 'Dattebane' was her catchphrase."

"Really?" Naruto leaned forward eagerly, his voice thick with emotion. "What else? Please, tell me more about her!"

Karin, who had been quietly watching the exchange, moved closer to her mother, her own eyes glistening behind her glasses. She'd never seen her mother talk about the past with such warmth.

Reina and Naruto talked for quite a while before the stories paused a little.

Naruto turned to look at his adopted aunt, brothers, sister, then back to Reina, then to Karin. His family had suddenly grown larger, and he could feel a warmth spreading through his chest that he'd never experienced before.

"Are... are you really going to live next door?" he asked, his voice small but hopeful.

"If everything works out, yes," Reina replied. "Would you like that, Naruto?"

"Yes!" he practically shouted, then remembered his manners and lowered his voice. "I mean... I'd really like that. Could you... could you tell me more stories about Mom? And about the Uzumaki clan?"

"Of course," Reina said, her own eyes growing misty. "We have so many stories to share."

Karin offered Naruto a shy smile, and he beamed back at her, his heart feeling fuller than it ever had before. Around them, the adults exchanged glances, happy about everything that was happening.