Ch359. Reunion 2

Naruto was on the courtyard of the Senju Compound, waiting for his teammates and minding his own business when he suddenly felt three foreign chakra signatures nearby and a stare trying to burn a hole into his back.

His body stiffened for a moment as possibilities flashed through his mind. He felt every single chakra signature of Konoha villagers at some point so feeling three foreign ones at once, inside of the Senju Compound... it made him think these were assassins or something.

That notion quickly left him when he hazily remembered Lady Tsunade saying something about guests and whatnot. To be honest, Naruto found that conversation boring so he mostly spaced out.

Still wary, he turned around and spotted the three newcomers, only for his eyes to widen as they landed on a pink-haired woman who was scowling at him. His hand quickly shot up and his pointing finger sprang into action, pointing at her while twitching. "Y-Y-You are the flute girl!" He exclaimed in astonishment.

Tayuya's scowl momentarily faltered and she gave Naruto a weird look. She might have been a prisoner but they spent a few days living in one house and the blondie still had no idea what her name was? How did he even become a ninja?

"It's Tayuya, shithead." She snorted.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his gaze turning contemplative as he stared at Tayuya for a few seconds. Before the atmosphere could turn completely awkward and just as Tayuya was about to ask him if he fell in love with her due to how he was staring, Naruto suddenly slowly nodded as if accepting a foreign concept, "Tayuya Shithead... Weird name. I am Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" He boisterously exclaimed.

Tayuya's eyebrow started twitching at that, 'I am going to kill him, consequences be damned.'

Tayuya was about to open her mouth in a retort when Kimimaro suddenly grabbed her forearm and pulled her to the side as he started walking away. She gave him an annoyed look but when she noticed his unamused eyes that conveyed, 'Don't even think about it.', she just frowned but obediently followed.

Naruto watched in bewilderment as the white-haired dude interrupted his introduction and rudely walked away without even stating his name. 'Honestly... what's with rude asshats and white hair?' He pondered as his mind briefly flickered towards his own sensei.

His musings were once again interrupted as he got uncomfortably aware the intense stare was still there, still trying to burn a hole into him. Turning his head, Naruto's eyes landed on a... 'Whoa! She is pretty!'

A red-haired bespectacled girl with fair complexion, red eyes, and red lips set in a firm line was studying him with an intensity that made Naruto both confused and self-conscious, making him fidget in his spot.

The stare-off continued for a few silent moments, Naruto growing more and more confused while Karin not moving even an inch. She was quite interested in this Konohagakure's Uzumaki but upon meeting him, she has to admit she was not particularly impressed.

Blond hair, blue eyes... where was the supposed Uzumaki in him?... fortunately for him, the feel of his chakra had that Uzumaki-ishness she was used to and that meant she didn't have to beat him senseless for lying about his heritage. The volume of his chakra was far above anything she would expect from a thirteen-year-old Uzumaki but then again, Karin was informed the kid was a jinchuuriki so that made sense too.

What really intrigued Karin, though, was the impression of sincere falseness he was particularly oozing. Not many knew but her Mind's Eye could do much, much more than just pick chakra signatures. She could even discern someone's personality, heritage, chakra nature, and much more from how their chakra feels and the boy in front of her was an extremely amusing specimen from a psychological angle.

He felt like someone who regularly hides under a mask of tomfoolery and stupidity, so much so, it became a part of him. If that didn't scream totally bonkers, then Karin had no idea what did.

Karin's observations were interrupted as her eyes briefly flickered to something behind Naruto when her senses picked up three chakra signatures entering the courtyard before they dispersed and her Mind's Eye stopped registering them.

Karin knew exactly who these three were. Not because she recognized the chakra signatures from the brief contact but because there were only very few individuals who could just make their signature 'disperse into thin air' under her scrutiny.

"Karin Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." She politely nodded at Naruto whose eyes comically widened.

"UZUMAKI!?" He excitedly exclaimed. "ARE YOU MY FA-"

And before he could finish his sentence, Karin's fist implanted itself into his face, sending him flying back and rolling on the ground while a vein was pulsing on her forehead.

"STOP SCREAMIN', BRAT!" Karin screamed, wincing at her own volume that was probably heard back in Uzushio. "Haaah." She released a tired sigh while inwardly dryly chuckling, 'The blondie is Uzumaki, alright.'

Chakra signature be damned. Only Uzumaki could reach such high decibels.

Naruto who suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground blinked, still trying to comprehend what happened. He... didn't even see her move!

Flipping himself into a sitting position with his legs crossed under him, he started to rub his cheek that now sported a new bruise while his wide eyes stared at Karin in awe and wonder, causing her to involuntarily shiver at the sudden feeling of danger.

On the edge of the courtyard, hidden in the treetops, one particularly jealous Hyuuga narrowed her eyes as she watched the two Uzumaki interact. She didn't like the look on her Uzumaki's face. Not at all. Her eyes narrowed even further, almost forming small slits, 'Looks like he is fit for a small retraining.'

Naruto abruptly shivered too, his gaze quickly scanning the surroundings for the source of the imminent sense of dread but even his incredible sensing abilities couldn't pinpoint it.

Karin, on the other hand, had no problem locating the... 'Is that a Hyuuga?' She blinked in bewilderment before paying more attention to the feel of the girl's chakra and her lips involuntarily widened into a grin, 'Ma~, ma~, who would have thought my cousin would have such a passionate lady already.'

Naruto noticed the creepy grin on the Uzumaki girl in front of him and was instantly reminded of Anko when she is in her mischievous and mercilessly teasing mood, causing him to gulp. He abruptly started to feel like a mouse eyed by a cat in the mood to play with her food and didn't like it.

His anti-Anko countermeasures kicked in and his expression went slack. Standing up and giving the perfect picture of calmness, Naruto brushed the dust off of his shoulder and gave Karin a small pitiful smile.

"I am sorry but I think I forgot to tidy up my bed. Gotta go."

And with that, he shunshined away in a hurry, leaving behind the utterly flabbergasted redhead who started to think her cousin was slightly mentally challenged.

Granted, that excuse might not be exactly on spot... but it always worked against Anko so Naruto saw no need to change it.

Karin was left standing by her lonesome self in the empty courtyard, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair as her blank gaze was aimed at the now empty spot where her blonde cousin stood just a few moments ago, and a firm resolve worthy of the future Uzumaki clan head filled her.

'I will have to retrain him.' She nodded to herself, feeling an inexplicable sense of camaraderie with a certain Hyuuga who also suddenly seemed more amicable to the redhead.

Poor Naruto escaped his current predicament but he had no idea what kind of storm he called on himself with his actions.

Nevertheless... this was the first step towards the unshakable Uzumaki-Hyuuga alliance that would be described by historians for generations to come.