64. The Fall of Uzumaki Clan part-2

Ten days later in Konoha,

Huaa…

Shikaku yawns as he walks alongside Minato, Inoichi, and Choza.

"I am feeling so sleepy! I didn't have a wink of sleep last night." He rubs his eyes.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Minato turns to him.

"Mm… my dad was pretty busy last night. He got a summon from the Hokage Office in the middle of the night and left the house for the entire night." Shikaku shakes his head.

"Hmm… my dad was also summoned to the Hokage Office last night." Inoichi also nods at them.

"My dad too!" Choza eats a rice cake as he walks alongside them.

"By the way, where is Yuji? He is not with you today." Inoichi asks Minato.

"No, he has a survival combat training class. So we might not see him for the next few days."

"Damn, already!" Inoichi clicks his tongue.

"It's not a surprise, given how he skipped years and his combat prowess." Shikaku shrugs his shoulder.

"What I am worried about is Nawaki and Kushina! It has been almost three weeks since we last heard anything from them."

"Looks like the death of their grandma hurt them pretty badly," Inoichi laments.

"She was their family, after all!" Minato murmurs in sadness.

Shikaku and Inoichi turn silent at Minato's remark. The group continues to walk silently toward the academy. Only the sound of crunching and munching echoes in their vicinity.

"Damn fatty!" Inoichi is annoyed by Choza's continuous munching.

"What did you say to me?" Choza stops eating his rice cake and turns to Inoichi with wide red eyes.

"Well… umm… I…" They notice tears in his eyes and stop scolding him.

All of them are aware of Choza's quirk. When he is sad, he will make loud munching noises to hide his tears.

"Huh! What's going on?" Minato raises his head and stares at multiple jounins and chunnins rushing in a particular direction.

"Why are there so many shinobis rushing towards the academy?" Inoichi wonders.

"No, they are moving towards the Hokage Office. Looks like something important happened for the Hokage Office to summon so many shinobis on short notice." Shikaku ponders as he glances in the direction of the Hokage Office.

"Could it be related to last night's event?" Inoichi speculates.

"Most probably!" Minato nods and rushes towards the academy.

"Let's go!" Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza glance at each other and chase after Minato.

Soon, the group arrives in front of the academy. They notice multiple students gathered around the academy gates.

Minato, Shikaku, and Inoichi push through the crowd to get to the front. They notice several of their classmates around the gate.

"Hey, Tsume, what's going on? Why are the academy gates closed?" Inoichi waves at a girl with long, spiky, untamed brown hairs. A small puppy is resting on top of her head as she silently rests against the wall.

"Huh? Who is it?" Tsume opens her eyes and glares at Inoichi.

"Ahehe…" Inoichi chuckles dryly and sweats slightly at Tsume's glare.

"Hmm… so it's you!" Tsume nods at him and walks towards them.

"Do you know anything about this lockdown?" Shikaku points towards the closed academy gate.

"Mm… I came here pretty early in the morning and I heard a thing or two from multiple chunnins and jounins entering the academy premises. Even my old man was also caught up in the same thing."

"Oh, what's it?" Inoichi asks her in curiosity.

"I am not sure of the exact details, but I heard some news about the massacre of the Uzumaki clan and the destruction of Uzushiogakure from those shinobis," Tsume replies to them with an uncertain face.

"WHAT?" The eyes of the group widen at her words.

"Are you sure these are the exact words you heard?" Minato and Shikaku ask her in anxiousness.

"Of course, my nose is never wrong." Tsume rubs her nose.

"Right, Taromaru?"

Woof… woof…

Her small puppy barks in response and cuddles on top of her head.

"See! Even Taromaru agrees with me."

'How can you hear anything with your nose?' Inoichi wants to retort but holds back due to the gravity of the situation.

Shikaku bites his thumb in frustration.

"No wonder my old man didn't come back home. This is a very serious matter."

"The Uzumaki clan?! It's Kushina's clan, right?" Choza stows his rice cakes and turns to Minato and Shikaku.

"Yes, and that's what's making me worried!" Shikaku nods and sighs.

"Kushina and Nawaki already lost their family and now even their clan."

"Should we go and visit them?" Minato proposes after some slight hesitation.

"Hmm… let's do that! Since we have a day off today."

The group turns towards the gate of the academy. An instructor just came and pasted a notice of closure until further notice.

"Yeah, let's go!"

The group turns around to leave for the Senju clan compound.

"Hey, can I join you guys?" Tsume walks in front of them and stops.

"But you…" Minato slightly hesitates.

"I might not be a close friend of hers like you guys, but I am also her classmate." Tsume expresses her intention.

Woof… woof…

Taromaru also barks in agreement.

"Well… umm…" Minato hesitates to respond to her.

"Sure!" But Shikaku agrees to her proposal.

So, the group of five decide to visit the Senju clan compound. They walk through the streets of the Senju clan but don't notice a single soul in their surroundings.

"Is it me or does it look more desolate than usual?" Inoichi surveys around.

"It's certainly a lot deserted than usual. Perhaps they already received the news."

Soon, they arrive in front of Nawaki's house. Minato nods toward his friends and knocks on the door.

"Nawaki! Nawaki, are you there?"

"NAWAKI!!" The rest of them also yells Nawaki's name.

Rumble… Creak…

A few minutes later, an old maid opens the giant front door.

"You guys are…" She recognizes Minato and the rest of the group.

"Where is Nawaki, granny Shiya?"

Sob… sob…

"Young clan head, Nawaki… he… he…"

The old maid sobs and shakes her head.

"Please follow me! Perhaps he might cheer up after meeting his friends."

The old maid leads them inside the house.

"Where is he now?" Minato politely asks her.

"He has locked himself in his room since Lady Mito's death," Shiya informs them.

"That Nawaki… he…" Minato clutches his fists and rushes toward Nawaki's room.

"Let's follow him." Shikaku and the rest also chase after him.

Minato arrives in front of Nawaki's room and knocks on the door, but no one replies to him.

He knocks a few more times on the door.

"I am not hungry, Granny Shiya." Nawaki's feeble voice sounds from inside the room.

"NAWAKI!"

Minato yells Nawaki's name.

"This voice… Minato!" Nawaki replies after a few seconds of pause.

"Why are you here?" He questions Minato.

"I am here to meet you!" Minato replies to him.

"Minato, I don't want to see anyone right now."

"Why don't you want to me? Am I, not your friend?"

"No… it's not that. It's just… I… I want to stay alone for now."

"Master Nawaki, how long do you plan to stay cooped up in your room? Your friends are worried about you." Shiya and the rest of the group also arrive in front of Nawaki's room.

"Granny Shiya, I… I just don't feel like meeting anyone now."

"Nawaki, how long do you plan to mourn Grandma Mito's death? Are these the expectations Grandma Mito has of you?" Shikaku questions Nawaki.

"Shikaku! Is that you, Shikaku?"

"Hmph… Looks like I am already the winner of the bet we made that day," Inoichi snorts at him.

"While you continue to whine in your little room, I will surpass you and be the first to beat Yuji."

"Inoichi!"

"Nawaki, I brought the limited-edition special flavor premium deluxe potato chips from my clan. Do you want to eat them?" Choza rattles a plastic bag of chips.

"Choza! I…"

Nawaki's eyes tear up as he hears the voices of his friends.

"Hmph… so it was a fluke that you won against me the other day? I didn't know my opponent is such a coward. Right, Taromaru!"

Woof… woof…

"This voice… Tsume?"

"Let's go! He doesn't want to see us at all." Tsume turns around to leave.

Shikaku and Minato turn toward each other and nod.

"Looks like we made a wasted trip here! Nawaki no longer considers us a friend. He didn't even want to meet us. Let's go!"

Tap… tap…

The sound of footsteps echoes in the hallway as Minato and the rest walk away.

"It's not like that! I…" Nawaki wipes the tears from his eyes and stands up.

"WAIT FOR ME!" He pushes, opens the door, and yells.

AH!

Nawaki freezes as he notices Minato, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, and Tsume's smiling faces.

"YOU GUYS ARE SO MEAN!" Nawaki jumps towards them in a group hug and bowls his eyes out.

"Hehe… that's what friends are! We are always there for you. No matter the situation!" Inoichi pats Nawaki's back.

"Nawaki!" Tears overflow from Choza's eyes as he also cries in Nawaki's embrace.

"I know how you feel. I also miss my grandma." Tears and snot leak from Choza's eyes and nose as he hugs Nawaki.

"Choza!" Nawaki also sobs into Choza's embrace.