Nostalgia & Truth

As she stepped through the glass door, her violet eyes widened in amazement. An array of advanced technology, including TVs, adorned the interior, filling every nook and cranny. The bustling mall housed a diverse crowd of individuals spanning all age groups, happily engaged in conversations with their friends and families.

She had been to many villages as a Tokubetsu Jounin, but none of them had anything like this. Even Konoha, the most powerful ninja village, was no match for the city of Sendai in terms of technology. But what really made her heart ache was the color. The mall was like a rainbow, with bright colors everywhere.

It's Beautiful

The signs, the shops, the clothes, everything was so colorful. It reminded her of her home village, Uzushio, where color was a part of their culture. She remembered how Uzushio was always full of color, from the buildings to the people.

She loved how everyone in Uzushio could express themselves however they wanted, with their clothes and their decorations. It didn't matter if you were a ninja or a civilian, you could be yourself and no one would judge you.

She knew how hard it was for outsiders and non-sensors ninja to understand Uzushio, to tell the difference between the ninjas and the civilians. Because in Uzushio, there was no difference.

The fashion style of the ninjas and the civilians was the same, unlike other villages, where the ninjas always wore darker and more serious clothes than the civilians.

The civilians in other villages usually wore plain and boring clothes, like beige or white t-shirts / dresses, and only wore colorful clothes for special occasions, like festivals. But in Uzushio, everyone wore colorful clothes all the time, because they loved color.

There was no rule that said the ninjas had to wear a uniform, unless it was a specific mission. Color didn't stop the Uzushio ninja units from doing their job, it actually helped them. Color was their trademark, their identity, their pride.

Kushina wished she could go back to Uzushio, even for a moment. She missed everything about it, the atmosphere, the people, the culture. She wondered if anyone else survived, or if it was just a lost memory.

She felt tears in her eyes as she looked around the mall. It was the closest thing to Uzushio she had seen since the war. So much color, so much style, so much diversity. It made her feel alive again.

"I'm so excited to be here with you! It's been ages since I went to the mall with someone my age. I heard they added a new floor with some cool stuff. I've never been there before. But first, let me ask you: what do you want to do first? Eat something yummy, shop for some cute clothes, or go to the library to find your book?" Yuna asked Kushina with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Hmm, maybe we can get some food first and then go to the library with our snacks, dattebane?" Kushina suggested. Yuna shook her head.

"No can't do. You can't bring any food or drinks inside the library. They have a strict rule about that. If they catch us, they'll kick us out for sure." She warned. Kushina scratched her head and thought for a while before replying with a bright smile.

"Alright, then let's eat first, because I'm starving, dattebane! Then we can go shopping and get some new clothes. And then we can go to the library for a bit before we head home. I don't want to get our clothes dirty with food stains. And since you said the library has a no-food policy, we can just chill there for a while and look for the book I want, dattebane. What do you think, is that okay?"

"Sounds good to me. So, what do you feel like eating?" Yuna asked, smiling back at Kushina.

Kushina was about to say that she wanted her favorite dish, beef ramen, but then she remembered that they were in a city with a lot of diversity, which reminded her of her hometown, Uzushio, and made her curious to try new things.

"You know what, surprise me, dattebane!" she said with a playful grin. Yuna was taken aback, but then she smiled widely and pulled Kushina's hand.

"Alright, let's go then! I know just the place. You're going to love it!" She said, leading her to the food court.

_____________________________

Toji was convinced that someone had cursed this day just to torment him. He had already spent half of his mission money buying clothes from the expensive store he had ever visited.

To make matters worse, he had spotted his wife leaving the supermarket accompanied by a long-haired, red-headed woman, both making their way towards the nearby mall. As a loving and deeply concerned husband, Toji decided to tail them, with his son finally peacefully asleep and securely fastened to his chest.

As he walked along, Toji couldn't help but notice the admiration and comments coming from women, captivated by his current attire. Clad in a pristine, white, long-sleeved shirt paired with black trousers, he stood out like a wealthy businessman taking a casual lunch break.

It was a sight to behold for the women of Sendai, to see a man with a handsome face, muscular physique, and towering height dressed so formally. To them, he appeared like a celebrity or maybe a CEO on the loose.

Toji found this kind of public attention fucking annoying, especially during daylight. Another reason for his annoyance was his aversion to the office-style outfit. It's too fucking formal for his taste.

However, it was the only set of clothes that both fit him and was the cheapest in the high-end store. After marrying his wife, Toji had intentionally avoided wearing skin-tight clothes during the day, except when he was on a mission. On such occasions, he would opt for a skin-tight black t-shirt and white Kung Fu trousers.

But fuck this shit! he despised the attention it drew, since his new clothes were meant to help him blend into the crowd and go unnoticed by his wife—yet, it seemed to be backfiring.

Fortunately, most of these women maintained their distance, when they noticed the sleeping baby strapped to him and the wedding ring on his finger.

Nonetheless, there a few audacious ones dared to approach him, still tried attempting to seduce him into going out together and ask him phone number, despite the blatant evidence of his marital status.

Toji just casually dismissed them. He didn't have time for those whores attention. He's in middle important mission. Between life and death situations.

Ring....

Ring....

Ring....

"What do you want again, Toji?" Shin Woo answered in an annoyed tone. He was busy working on his computer, trying to hack into some databases. He didn't have time for Toji's nonsense.

"Oi, Shi. Where the fuck is my information? Why the fuck did you take so long?"

"Ughhhh, just so you know, the photo you took sucks. It's fucking blurry. I can't see anything with it. Just her red hair. So I can't really find her personal data. Except through her iconic red hair." Shi Woo replied. He had tried to enhance the image, but it was too low quality. He had searched for cursed users with red hair in Japan, but he had found nothing.

"So? Did you at least find some information about our famous red hair woman?!" Toji asked. His fucking wife life is in danger.

"No, nada, there are zero cursed users in Japan that have red hair like blood like her. Possibly she's dyed her hair with red hair dye. Besides, I can't really search for a woman with just the information that she has a rare hair color in Japan. It's fucking impossible. There are too many of them. You need to give me more details about her, if you want to find her personal information." Shi Woo answered. He was frustrated with Toji's lack of cooperation. He needed more clues to narrow down his search.

"Well, she also has violet eyes and is around 163 cm tall." Toji answered casually. He had noticed those features when he had saw her talked to his wife for afar. He thought they were pretty unique.

Shi Woo was silent for a moment and didn't say anything to Toji over the phone. Toji thought that Shi Woo had hung up on him.

"Oi, Shi, are you still there-..?" Toji said when an annoyed voice came out of the phone.

"What. the. fuck, Toji. I just spent 30 minutes, looking through all the cursed users' information in Japan to find your mysterious red hair woman by you just giving me a blurry picture of her. But now you fucking finally give me new details about her physical appearance when you were supposed to give me them much earlier so I can find her fucking information. Fucking, Damn it!" Shi Woo said in an annoyed tone. He was angry with Toji for wasting his time and making his job harder.

Toji, without a hint of guilt, just answered: "Now you finally got new details about her. Just search again. I don't know why you are so mad about it. Besides, you are using a computer, isn't it supposed to help you find her more easily?"

Shi Woo really wanted to come to where Toji was and hit him in the face. He was the one who came looking for help from Shi Woo, but he was ungrateful for Shi Woo's help. But he gave up his intention and just let out a deep breath from his mouth to regulate his emotions.

"Ughh, fine! I will search again about her! But you are still going to take a decent picture of her face. And make sure this time it's not fucking blurry!" said Shi Woo then hung up the phone on Toji.

Toji just rolled his eyes at that. It wasn't really his fault if the picture was blurry. The camera was fucking shit.

So it wasn't really his mistake after all.

______________________________

"I'm so glad I don't have a peanut allergy. Those gado-gado salads are amazing. I could eat them all day long," Kushina said, licking her lips as she remembered the food she and Yuna had just devoured at the food court.

"I know, right? They make salad so appetizing. And I usually hate salad! But those peanut dressing salads are so good, they can change my mind about eating greens," Yuna agreed, feeling her mouth water as she recalled the delicious dish.

Kushina chuckled softly, seeing Yuna's face, which looked like she was dreaming of what could be her next best favorite food after steak. Yuna blushed slightly, snapping out of her reverie. She then changed the topic.

"So, where do you think we should shop for clothes?"

Kushina scanned the mall and saw several clothing stores lined up in front of them. Her eyes lit up when she spotted one that caught her attention more than the others.

"We should go there, it looks awesome!" Kushina exclaimed, pointing at the store with enthusiasm.

Yuna's face turned red, realizing that Kushina's choice was a store that seemed to sell lingerie. "But, I heard they only sell underwear and bras! I doubt they have any normal t-shirts," Yuna protested, trying to steer Kushina away from the store.

"Well, I also kinda need some new bras and panties. They look nice. Besides, have you ever bought anything from there?" Kushina asked, grinning mischievously. Yuna just stayed silent and lowered her head to hide the crimson blush on her face.

"N-No, I never go inside that store. Those clothes are too sexy for me to wear," Yuna mumbled, feeling embarrassed and shy.

"But, you want to try them, right?" Kushina teased, winking at her. Her smile grew wider when she saw Yuna nod her head slightly, too flustered to speak.

"Then let's go there! It could be both our first time together!" Kushina said, dragging Yuna's hand towards the store.

______________________________________

Toji let out a frustrated groan as he stepped out of the camera shop. He had just spent his money again on a new camera, hoping to get some clear shots of the mysterious red-haired woman who was hanging out with his wife.

Shi Woo had been nagging him for in messages to take better photos. He had practically forced Toji to buy the latest model, saying that his old camera was too outdated and useless.

"That's why your pictures fucking suck,"

Toji hated wasting money on things he didn't need, but he had no choice. He had to find out who that woman was and what she wanted from his wife.

He followed them to the food court, where he saw them sharing a meal like a couple of lovebirds. He felt a surge of jealousy and anger as he watched them laugh and chat. Then they got up and headed towards the Victoria's Secret store.

Toji raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew his wife very well, and he knew she despised that kind of immodest clothing. She would never set foot in that store, let alone buy anything from there. So why was she going there with that woman?

He couldn't get any closer to see what they were doing inside, so he pretended to sit on a nearby bench and read a newspaper. He also had to hide his face and his son, Megumi, who was with him. He didn't want his wife to spot them and ruin his investigation.

He waited for almost half an hour, until he heard his wife's voice talking to the red-haired woman. He quickly lowered the newspaper and grabbed his camera. He snapped a picture of the woman's face, hoping it would be clear enough for Shi Woo to identify her.

But then he looked at his wife from a distance, and his jaw dropped. His green eyes widened in shock and disbelief. His wife and the woman had come out wearing t-shirts that looked like they had bought them from Victoria's Secret.

The t-shirts were actually modest, but they were a bit tight on their bodies. What really stunned Toji was the text that was printed on them. His wife's t-shirt said "Let's Make Up All Night" with a lipstick stain on the side. The woman's t-shirt said "Don't be Shy, Please Take A Bite~" right on her chest.

Toji's hormones go haywire, and let's just say his little buddy down there got excited too when he saw his wife rocking that shirt with the saucy text. His mind starts racing, remembering their honeymoon and all that.

SNAP

But Toji snaps himself back to reality. It's time to focus on protecting his wife from that mystery red-haired temptress, who's definitely either has heavenly restriction like him or unknown cursed techniques and some deeply unknown motives towards his wife.

'So no getting horny just yet. Hold on, buddy.'

___________________________________

Kushina and Yuna had split up for a while in the bookstore that also served as a library. Yuna wanted to find a cookbook, while Kushina was looking for a book about the mysteries of invisible supernatural creatures.

They had agreed to meet near the glass window by the entrance, after they had picked the books they wanted to read or buy. Kushina glanced at the empty seat next to the window and muttered to herself,

"Yuna must still be searching for her book." She decided to sit down and wait for her friend.

Being near the window, she could feel the stares of the people around her. The women looked at her with disgust, while the men ogled her with lust and flushed faces. Kushina and Yuna had gotten the same kind of looks when they had walked together to the library.

It was as if there was something wrong with them. But Kushina didn't care about that right now. She had more important things to worry about, like finding out the truth about those invisible hideous creatures.

She had read several books, but none of them had given her any useful information. They only contained myths and legends about invisible beings that could harm people without their knowledge. But there was no explanation of where these creatures came from, or what their background was. It was all just speculation and folklore.

Kushina sighed in frustration. She knew that these creatures were not ghosts, but something more sinister. They were like oni, but with a dark and unknown energy inside them that was not chakra.

How she wished Minato was here with her in Sendai. He was so smart, he would have figured out the mystery of these creatures in no time. She hoped he was safe and well.

Maybe after she paid off her debt to the Itadori family, she could go home to him.

"I fucking doubt it, girl," a voice suddenly echoed in her mind. It was Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox that was sealed inside her.

"Why do you doubt me?! I can easily defeat those creatures with my chains, dattebane!" Kushina snapped back. But Kyuubi only laughed louder at her response. Kushina felt a surge of anger in her head, hearing the taunting laughter from Kyuubi.

"It's hilarious how fucking oblivious you are right now. I thought you had a brain in your tiny head, but apparently it's fucking useless because your stupidity is bigger than your brain," Kyuubi taunted, enjoying her frustration.

"What do you mean by that?! Answer me!" Kushina demanded, losing her patience with the Kyuubi. But Kyuubi only snorted at her, showing his contempt.

"How about no. It's amusing to see you being oblivious about the most fucking obvious fact around you, like you are fucking blind. And you call yourself a ninja. Aren't you supposed to be fucking good at gathering information? You are seemingly useless at that to me," Kyuubi replied, mocking her skills.

"Hey, I am a good ninja! I am the best motherfucking seal maker in Konoha and possibly the world! Don't underestimate me!" Kushina retorted, defending her pride as a ninja.

"Huh...still fucking oblivious. I see," Kyuubi said in a sarcastic tone. Kushina was increasingly confused by Kyuubi's words.

What was he talking about?

What was the obvious fact that she was missing?

"Can you at least give me a hint what you are talking about?" Kushina asked in a slightly desperate tone, hoping to get some clue from the Kyuubi.

"I am feeling generous today after seeing your oblivious act that amused me. I will just give you one hint: where is Sendai? That's my only hint to you," Kyuubi said, leaving her with a cryptic message.

"Wait, can you give me more?! What do you mean by that?!" Kushina asked Kyuubi, but he seemed to have cut off the telepathic connection between them, leaving her with no reply from the nine-tailed fox.

Kushina felt a surge of confusion as she heard Kyuubi's words. "Where is Sendai? What the fuck does he mean by that?" she muttered to herself, clenching her fists. She knew that Sendai was probably the capital of Japan, an island nation in the east. But where was Japan on the world map?

Kushina had no memory of any island named Japan, let alone one that had a capital called Sendai. How far was it from the Five Great Shinobi Villages? She felt a headache coming on as she tried to make sense of this geography lesson. She needed a map. She decided to ask the bookkeeper.

"Excuse me, Miss. Can I bother you for a moment?" Kushina asked, approaching one of the library guards with a polite smile.

"Oh, of course. What can I do for you?" the library guard replied, returning her smile.

"I'm looking for a book that has a map of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Do you have one, dattebane?" Kushina asked, hoping for a positive answer.

The library guard's smile faded as she tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I've never heard of a map that shows the Five Great Shinobi Villages. But we do have a map of the world, if that's any help," she offered.

Kushina felt a pang of disappointment, but nodded anyway. "That's fine. Can you please give me the book?" she asked.

"Sure, just a second. It should be somewhere in this pile of books. Ah, here it is. Here you go, ma'am. Your book," the library guard said, handing Kushina a large book from the counter.

"Thank you. Dattebane!" Kushina said gratefully, taking the book.

She walked back to her original seat and put the book on the table. She opened it eagerly and scanned the pages for the map of the world. She hoped to find some clue about the location of Japan and the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

She flipped through the pages for 15 minutes, but her hope turned into frustration. There was not a single map in the book that mentioned the Five Great Shinobi Villages. There was no trace of them on the world map, either. It was as if they didn't exist in this world.

"This can't be right. There's no way the Five Great Shinobi Villages are not in this book. I must have missed something, dattebane!" Kushina said to herself, trying to calm down.

She felt cold sweat dripping from her temples. She felt a knot of worry and anxiety in her chest. Her chakra flow became erratic as she flipped through the pages again and again, hoping to find something different. But the result was the same.

There was no sign of the Five Great Shinobi Villages anywhere.

She felt a wave of panic wash over her as she realized the implications of this. She had so many questions, but no answers.

"Oh, you still haven't fucking realized, I see. Even with all the obvious hints and facts, your brain should have figured it out by now. But apparently not, huh." Kyuubi taunted her in her mind, sensing her distress.

"Shut up! Just tell me what I missed! What are you hiding from me?!" Kushina snapped, losing her patience. She hated Kyuubi's smug voice and his cryptic words.

Kyuubi chuckled for a moment, then whispered in a serious tone in her mind. "There are no Five Great Shinobi Villages in this world," he said.

Kushina felt a chill run down her spine as she heard his words. She couldn't believe what he was saying. She refused to accept it. "W-what are you talking about?! Where am I, then?! Where is this world?!" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"Simple. The answer is: we are in another world, girl," Kyuubi replied, dropping the bombshell.