[11] : Leaving the Land of Whirlpools! Journey to Konoha

But she couldn't exactly punish him for that. She wasn't going to beat up a child, no matter how infuriating he was.

Suddenly, Tsunade chuckled.Tsunade glared at Shin. The little punk was clearly looking down on her, yet he denied it.

"You've got guts, kid. Recovering from your clan's destruction so quickly."

She placed a hand on Shin's head, ruffling his hair with more force than necessary.

As she messed up his hair, she realized how soft it was. It was almost addictive.

Looking at his cute little face, she couldn't resist pinching his cheek. So soft, so adorable!

Kushina, seeing Tsunade manhandling Shin, yelled, "Hey, stop that!"

Shin wasn't happy either. Tsunade might enjoy pinching his cheek, but he found it extremely annoying.

Having his face pinched by a woman? Humiliating!

"Get your hands off me! I don't like being touched by men," Shin said, scowling.

"Men?"

Tsunade froze. 'Was he blind? Where did he get the idea that she was a man?'

"Kid, you need to get your eyes checked. I'm a woman, not a man," Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

"Hah! I may be young, but I know the difference between a man and a woman. You don't exactly scream 'Woman' to me."

Shin's eyes drifted towards her chest, his expression a mix of disdain and disbelief.

Tsunade's face flushed red. This brat was deliberately mocking her!

"Princess Tsunade, we found two survivors!"

Tsunade, about to give Shin a piece of her mind, glared at him one last time before turning towards the newcomers.

Two males, one around Shin's age, the other in his twenties. Both Uzumaki survivors.

Shin recognized the boy.

"Uzumaki Kai, long time no see. How's your leg?"

Shin gave Kai a sly smile, which earned him a glare filled with anger and a hint of fear.

Kai was the son of Uzumaki Hikaru, the Taijutsu master whose physique Shin had copied. Shin had broken the boy's leg during their previous encounter.

He hadn't expected Kai to survive the destruction of the clan. The kid was lucky to be alive.

Tsunade's eyes flickered between Shin and Kai. There was definitely bad blood between these two.

But she wasn't interested in getting involved in a squabble between kids. She turned to the older Uzumaki.

"What's your name?"

"I... I'm Uzumaki Hikaru. A Jonin of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Do you know who attacked the clan?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't know. I was scared, so I hid right away. I don't know what happened after that."

Hikaru hung his head in shame, earning a scornful look from Tsunade.

This guy was older than her, yet he was a coward. When his clan was in danger, he hid like a rat.

Tsunade wasn't even as old as this Hikaru. Despite calling Shin a "kid," she was only sixteen.

But in the ninja world, sixteen wasn't that young. During the Warring States Period, people were already married with children at that age.

Tsunade ordered her men to continue searching for survivors while investigating who was behind the attack.

Judging by the water damage and the traces of Lightning Release, she had a pretty good idea.

If her suspicions were correct, there wasn't much she could do.

"Kid, what's your name?" Tsunade asked Shin.

Shin was getting tired of being called "kid." Too bad he couldn't beat Tsunade in a fight.

He estimated her strength to be at elite Jōnin level, definitely stronger than him.

"I'm Uzumaki Shin. And don't call me 'kid'. You'll regret it when I'm stronger than you."

"Regret it? Heh, I'll be waiting for that day," Tsunade said with a smirk.

Shin snorted. She might be looking down on him now, but she'd sing a different tune when he surpassed her.

"Shin, I'm hungry," Kushina tugged at his sleeve.

Shin took out some dry rations and jerky. It wasn't much, but it would fill their stomachs for now.

Three days later, the bodies of the Uzumaki Clan members were buried, including Shin's grandfather, the clan elder.

Seeing his grandfather's body, Shin felt a strange mix of emotions. He hadn't been close to the man; they had barely interacted.

But he still felt a pang of sadness.

After the burial, they set off for Konoha with Tsunade.

Shin carried a katana strapped to his back. It was over three feet long, with a simple gold design on the hilt.

He had found it in the Uzumaki Clan shrine. It was incredibly sharp, able to slice through stone with ease.

He hadn't tested it on steel yet, though.

They sailed towards the Land of Fire. Shin stood at the stern, watching the Land of Whirlpools disappear over the horizon.

Kushina stood beside him. They didn't know when they would return.

"Feeling sad to leave?"

Shin and Kushina turned to see Tsunade standing behind them.

Kushina puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Tsunade.

Shin was also keeping his distance from Tsunade. The woman was relentless, constantly ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks.

He was annoyed, but he didn't want to reveal his strength, so he hadn't resisted much.

He wondered if she had some weird fetish.

Kushina's reason for disliking Tsunade was simple. She hadn't even ruffled Shin's hair or pinched his cheeks.

Yet this woman was doing all the things she hadn't done. It felt like Tsunade was stealing Shin away from her.

"When you get to Konoha, think of it as your new home. In time, you'll forget all the unpleasantness."

"Hmph, we don't need your comforting words. Come on, Shin." Kushina glared at Tsunade and dragged Shin into the cabin. This woman was the source of all her unpleasantness.

"That little brat..."

Tsunade noticed the hostility.

"Could she be... jealous? Does she like Shin?" Tsunade wondered.

"Kids these days, maturing so fast. That girl's only five, right?"

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