Chapter 23.5- One Thousand Hands

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“Nice cooking, Shori. Almost didn’t believe your grandmother when she told me you were offering to host all of us for dinner” Granduncle Tobirama said while tapping his stomach and stacking his empty dishes. I smiled at the compliment but said nothing more.

“You know, Shori. Just likes showing love for those he loves” Mito cut in.

“But dinner was just the beginning of tonight, I fear. Uzume-chan, Izuku-kun, it’s lovely to see the both of you again but I fear I must ask you to excuse us” She continued. I silently stood up to walk both my friends to the door, and Mito gave me a look that silently demanded that I hurry up. I took the warning to heart and after a quick goodbye with my friends, I returned to the table again.

“So what is going on, Grandma?” Tsunade was the one to ask.

“This evening, I received a message from my nephew”

“A message? Why have I not been informed of this? How did a messenger from Uzushiogakure miss my attention?”

“Not with a messenger, Tobi. With this” She replied, holding up a leatherbound journal.

“While Shori was comatose, we needed a way to communicate seamlessly to make sure I got the relevant information as quickly as possible so I made these. They’re blood bound so they only work for the two of us. This evening, he wrote in the journal that the defences of Uzushiogakure were being attacked” I nearly fell out of my seat in shock. This was it. The fall of the Uzumaki clan. But why had she allowed us waste time having dinner instead of moving quickly.

“How long do we have?” The Hokage asked. His face had changed in seconds. The easy smile had fallen away in favour of flat lips and a severe expression as he stared across the table. I realised then that we, the four of us he sat with, were the Uzumakis of Konoha.

“Natsu estimates another hour until they breach the seals and land on the Island proper. Considering that message was sent in about twenty m minutes ago, it’s realistic that we only have about thirty to forty minutes before we have to move.” She said.

“Wait. Hold on. Why didn’t you say anything sooner. Why did you just let us have dinner and talk about irrelevant stuff?” I tried my best to modulate my voice, but even I could tell it was rising because of the urgency in the situation.

“There would have been no use. We can only leave with the flying raijin, and that won’t work with the wartime seals on Uzushio up. I calculated that we would have more than enough time, and Kushina’s school time adventures are anything but irrelevant” She said, making me bow my head at the reprimand.

I reached out and took my cousin’s hand in a silent apology. She wasn’t even offended, just watching everything with worried eyes. I realised then that the Uzumaki were distant relations to me, but to Kushina they were her whole life. She was an orphan but that hadn’t mattered because she’d essentially lived as everyone’s child. In most other societies, being everyone’s child was just another word for nobody’s, but the Uzumaki’s were anything but that. She had so many stories to tell of so many people and I realised that each and every one of them was in danger now. I walked across the table and gathered her into my arms even as I kept an ear on the plans.

Granduncle Tobirama was hesitant to involve most of the village’s apparatus. The chance that this was a distraction for Konoha’s enemies to attack us had already been brought up more than once. I knew it wasn’t, but how would I press home that sort of fact.

Mito also pointed out that the Uzumaki would not feel comfortable with outsiders even if they were coming to help. The Clan head was confident in their ability to repel the attackers in the end.

“No chance” I cut in the moment the conversation stretched towards leaving me behind.

“There’s no chance I’m not getting in on this. They’re my family. Kushina’s family. If you don’t take me, I’ll run there myself. Believe it” I argued.

The Hokage chuckled but there was no mirth in it.

“I have been watching your training session, and I will not deny you this Shorirama. But do be aware that this is war we will be stepping into. You will kill many, and many more will try to kill you. Do not disappoint me” He replied, and I released the breath I’d been holding.

After that, they began to debate who would be added along. Me and Tsunade were a given. Tobirama volunteered Hiruzen, Kagami, and Danzo because all three of them had visited the Uzu homeland before. While my hackles were lifted at the last name, I said nothing. Mito was keen on going, but Tobirama was refusing on the grounds of her status as the Jinchuriki of the nine tails.

“Fine. If not me, then send 15 jounin in my place. You will need at least that many to act as a close substitute” She finally said. Something told me that she had known Tobirama would never have taken her in the first place and simply used it as a negotiation tactic.

“Deal then. 15 Jounin. I’ll have Saru draw up a list of ones who are not mission critical. That should make a force of 21” He said.

A/N; Not all fluff, I guess.