Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ken's pupils shrunk to pinpoints in shock and he was quiet for a few seconds before loudly gasping for air. He coughed and took some deep breaths before calming down. "Sorry. I think I blacked out for a moment," he said. As he settled his thoughts, he opened his mind's eye and examined the woman and girl. He gulped at the sight of familiar vibrance in their chakra, ones shared by his grandfather, himself, and Naruto.

"Oh man," Tomoko whispered, her chakra senses picking up the same vibrance.

"You're Uzumaki ...?" Naruto asked, tone quiet and verging on broken as his eyes shone with building tears.

"Mm-hmm," Karin mumbled. There was a split second of calm before the girl was bowled over by the blond.

"Another cousin!" Naruto shouted, swinging a surprised Karin around by her waist with surprising strength. "Yeah! You can't keep a great clan down!" He devolved into mindless laughter as he kept swinging Karin around until Ken picked him up by the neck of his shirt.

"Easy, kiddo," Ken said with a faint smile. "Don't scare them off." He dropped Naruto and addressed the Hokage. "Can we relocate them to the Leaf?" Ken asked.

Hiruzen stroked his beard in thought. "It depends on a number of factors," Hiruzen admitted. "I will arrange a meeting with the village head as soon as possible," he promised. "And on that note, I will take my leave. Hatake, Guy, let us meet a man about immigration policies."

As the Hokage and his jonin left, the four Uzumaki all regarded each other with mixed emotions. Elation at finding family, sorrow for the family they had all lost, and unfamiliarity that bred faint awkwardness. "Okay," Ken said, "I think we could all use a hot meal to try and get to know one another," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I think that would be wonderful," Kaori replied, her tone relieved at the tension in the room being dispersed. "I've been released from my duties for the day and Karin and I," she looked down at her daughter, "were going to eat out anyway."

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted. "Tomo, do you and your brother wanna come to?"

"We were gonna tag along even if Red said no," Tomoko said with a smirk, earning an eye roll from Ken.

"Alright then," Ken said with a tone of finality. "Who wants ramen?"

"Ew, ramen?" Karin asked.

One could almost hear a collective mental record scratch at those words; words that bordered on heresy to an Uzumaki.

"I'm kidding," Karin said brightly. "Let's go get some ramen!"

As everyone followed the mother and daughter, letting them take the lead as natives of the village, Naruto was grumbling to himself. "Acting like she hates ramen," he muttered, "that's not funny."

"It's kind of funny," Tomoko said.

"No it's not," Ken agreed with Naruto.

"I kind of is," Kato chuckled. "Your reactions, I mean." The male Uzumakis stewed in their indignation for the rest of the walk to an out-of-the-way ramen restaurant.

"Karin, that was mean," Kaori said with a lilt of suppressed laughter.

"I had to make sure they're really Uzumaki," Karin said with a smile.

"You believe he is the real deal?" Sabu asked, his image a semi-transparent construct of chakra projected by the sealing scroll Uzume held.

"I do, dearest," she replied with utter confidence. "No one can falsify the Adamantine Sealing Chains. No one." Some who still remembered the Uzuamki clan and their chakra chains believed it was a kekkei genkai, a bloodline trait, due to others attempting to recreate it and failing spectacularly. But this was not true; anyone could technically use the technique if they understood how to execute it, but the technique required vast supplies of powerful chakra to use, enough that few who actually succeeded would be able to use it for even a simple spar.

"And what do you plan to do about this?" Sabu asked.

"At the moment, we will wait and observe," Uzume said sweetly. "Order the men to avoid the Uzumaki at all costs. He won the tournament handily, and I believe he was not fighting with his full strength. The regular forces would be mowed down if they encountered him."

"Very well," Sabu replied evenly before his expression became a bit desperate. "This means you will return soon?"

Uzume smiled coyly and stroked her chin, trailing her fingertips down her throat. "Don't worry, my dear," she crooned. "I will be home soon enough." With that, she cut off the chakra fueling the seal and giggled. It was so much fun teasing him. Brushing that aside, her thoughts turned to the Uzumaki. A powerful specimen skilled in their arts.

It would be nice to have another competent user of the sealing arts in the brotherhood ...

Kaori and Karin had led the group of Uzumakis and Sarutobis to a small, rustic place that sold, according to Karin, the best ramen in the Hidden Grass. Naruto had been delighted that they served his favored miso ramen with pork, and after they had all received their meals — and having Ken slap his hand to keep him from eating before everyone else — had pronounced it "close to Ichiraku," a fine compliment from him.

Naruto had also taken charge of conversation, as Tomoko and Kato were unwilling to intrude too much on a family meeting and the rest of the Uzumakis were too buried under uncertainty to spur small talk. The sole blond at the table had gotten Kaori and Karin to tell them how they'd settled in the Grass, how long they had lived here, and that Karin was enrolled in the local Ninja Academy. In return, he'd revealed just about everything about himself and Ken, with Ken and Tomoko barely cutting him off before he blabbed about being the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.

"So, how do you like it here?" Naruto asked. "It's way smaller than Konoha, but I'm sure it's got good stuff, too."

"No it doesn't," Karin said moodily. "I hate it here."

That blew the wind out everyone's sails as awkwardness once again settled over the table. Tomoko took the lead in dispelling it this time. "Don't worry. Uncle is the best there is at diplomacy. I'm sure he can arrange a way to move you both to Konoha."

Before anyone else could speak, Ken hissed and clamped his hand to his shoulder in sudden pain. He grunted and tried to fight past it to take another bite of his ramen, but his hands began shaking so badly he couldn't hold the chopsticks. He bit back a groan as another pulse of a burning throb lanced from the top of his spine to his lower back and he hunched over as if to protect himself.

"Ken? What's wrong?" Tomoko asked, placing her hand against his forehead. "You're feverish!" she shouted, taking her drink and pressing the chilled glass against his cheek.

Karin narrowed her eyes and, as easy as breathing, opened her mind's eye to examine Ken's chakra. "Mama, he bit himself."

Kaori sighed and moved to Tomoko's side to gently peel her hands away from Ken. "He'll be fine, he just has to ride out the effects. They will dissipate by morning."

"How do you know?" Tomoko asked. "What is this?"

"What's wrong with cousin Ken?" Naruto shouted. "Is he sick or something?"

"It's the side effects of a secret Uzumaki technique that heals wounds," Kaori explained calmly, her nurse's training kicking in. "Ken must have used it during the Exam as the after effects don't hit for a few hours. All we can do is get him somewhere to rest while he rides this out."

Tomoko nodded and she and Kato took one of Ken's arms over their shoulders to help him along, leaving the payment for their food on the table. Kato gave directions to the hotel that had been reserved for the Exam participants to have Ken lay down. Kato laughed nervously as a particularly bad jolt ran through Ken, judging by his twitch and yelp of pain.

"Let's hope Uncle is having better luck than we are, eh?"

'This is not going well,' Hiruzen thought.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage," Midori said, "but I cannot release two such valuable wards of the village without good reason. Or at least compensation."

"And joining their clanmates does not qualify as 'good reason'?" Hiruzen asked.

"That is the business of your own village," Midori replied. "Kaori Uzumaki provides an irreplaceable service to our village," Midori explained. "One that has allowed our shinobi to maintain an exceptional survival rate amongst the minor villages. I cannot allow that to slip away for simple sentimentality."

Hiruzen carefully resisted the urge to curl his lip with disdain at such an answer. "You mentioned compensation, then. What did you have in mind?"

Midori, who usually held a remarkably neutral demeanor when not addressing a crowd, allowed himself to raise an eyebrow. "Well, as you seem so adamant at claiming two of my personnel that you claim to be from an influential clan," he said, knowing full well that the Uzumaki had long past been a powerful group, "perhaps a trade of two members of one of Konoha's own famed clans?"

"Excuse me?" Hiruzen asked with an edge to his voice.

"I will allow the Uzumaki women to leave the employ of the Hidden Grass without consequence ... in exchange for the long-term service from two members of any famed Leaf clan. I would prefer a Hyuga, but the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Inuzuka, even the Aburame. Perhaps even two of your own, Lord Sarutobi?"

Hiruzen made no effort to mask the killing intent that welled up and radiated from him. "You know very well that my own Jonin Council would never agree to such an arrangement," he growled. Midori had sat up rigidly in his office chair and sweat began to drip from his forehead. No one endured Hiruzen Sarutobi's ire lightly. "I will not force you to give up the Uzumaki, as it would set a poor precedent for your village and stain the reputation of the Leaf." The oppressive atmosphere died down, and Hiruzen's face softened from contained rage to stony determination. "But I assure you, Midori, that the Uzumaki clan did not give up on their family. And I highly doubt Ken will, either."

With that, he turned and gestured for Hatake and Guy to follow as he made his way to his hotel room. He sighed and massaged his forehead as he considered what to do next. He'd have to find the Uzumakis, break the setback to them, and begin considering alternatives. He frowned at the idea that Naruto would be hurt by this, but there was no way around it.

He could only hope they came up with something quickly.

Naruto held one of Ken's hands in his own, trying to act as an anchor to his elder cousin as tremors and aches had him trembling and his body was coated with sweat. He was panting and would groan every so often in discomfort. Naruto only looked up when Kaori placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, offering him a wane smile as she mopped the sweat from Ken's forehead with a cool rag.

"I hate this," Ken sighed, hissing in pain. "I just had to show off. I knew it wouldn't be worth it later and I did it anyway." He looked Naruto straight in the eye. "Kiddo, if you ever do this, make sure you're on death's door and not just trying to prove a point."

"Hush, try to relax," Kaori scolded gently. "You'll tire yourself out soon and the symptoms will be gone by morning." She looked at Naruto. "Naruto, why don't you go sit with Karin? Ken will be fine, I promise."

Naruto nodded and got up to go sit beside his new cousin. "Hey," he said with a wave. Ken's condition had put a damper on his usual enthusiasm, but he defaulted to a smile to hide the pain as he had for so many years. "So, uh, are you excited to be coming to the Leaf?"

"If we even can," Karin replied. "If this village can find a way to hurt us again, it will."

"Ah, don't worry," Naruto said. "Gramps is like the strongest ninja ever! And he's super smart, too! If anyone can figure out a way to get you and your mom to the Leaf, it's him."

A knock echoed at the door of the hotel room. "I got it!" Kato called, and opened the door to reveal Lord Hiruzen himself. "Ah, Uncle. I hope you have good news," he said, stepping aside to let the elder Sarutobi in while his guards stayed outside.

"Not as such, I'm afraid," Hiruzen replied, removing his hat and settling onto the side of the bed with the audible crackling of aged joints. He glanced at Ken and narrowed his eyes in thought. "And what did you all get up to while I was away?"

"You watched the tournament, Lord Hokage?" Kaori asked, and Hiruzen nodded. "My daughter tells me he bit himself after suffering quite a beating. And when he bit himself, he recovered quickly?" Another nod. "He used a quirk of the Uzumaki clan that is something of an emergency healing technique. We call it the Rejuvenating Bite. When we or others bite us and draw on our chakra, it carries the powerful vitality of our life and heals wounds like a miracle. But it has some side effects that come later."

"That explains Midori's reluctance to let you and your daughter go," Hiruzen noted. "He says he will not release you from service without compensation."

"What did he ask for?" Kaori asked levelly.

"Access to two of our own from another famed clan," he answered.

"And you said no?" Tomoko asked in surprise.

"What I say is of little consequence," Hiruzen replied. "The Jonin Council would not like it, much less my advisory council. And I cannot in good conscience order loyal shinobi of Konoha to serve another village in exchange for those who are total strangers to them."

"So why don't we sneak 'em out?" Naruto asked, hopping to his feet. "You're the best ninja ever, Gramps! You can get Karin and Miss Kaori out, no problem!"

"Your confidence in my skills is touching, Naruto," Hiruzen said with a weak smile, "but it is more complicated than that. If we simply sneak them out then they will likely be listed as missing-nin by the Hidden Grass. And our taking them in will be considered suspect by other villages, which will put them at unnecessary risk."

"Uncle," Tomoko said sternly, "that's bull-" she glanced at the kids, "-droppings. It's a copout for them, just like the Hyuga Affair was for Kumo." Hiruzen looked at Tomoko with coals of ire in his eyes, and she looked away in shame and mumbled an apology.

"As frustrating as it may be, the safest solution for either of them," he looked at Kaori and Karin, willfully acknowledging their presence, "is if we can find a way to convince the Hidden Grass to let them go."

"Hold on a sec," Kato spoke up, "are you ladies actually citizens of Kusa?"

The unexpected question drew attention from everyone in the room. "Excuse me?" Kaori asked, her tone puzzled, rather than offended.

"I mean, did you take a citizenship test? Be appointed a citizen of the village?"

Kaori searched her memories and could not come up with a definitive answer. "I … don't think so. The higher-ups always referred to us as wards of the village."

"So if neither of you are genuine members of Kusa's shinobi corps," Kato said, a grin spreading on his face, "he can't actually call you missing-nin. It would just be like two civilians immigrating to another country, right?"

"We are typically guarded by a jonin," Kaori mentioned, crossing the room to her daughter and holding her close. "He was often quite emphatic that we should not try to leave, especially after we first arrived."

"Then leave with us," Tomoko said with a smile. "All of the Konoha shinobi who participated in the Exams are heading back tomorrow at dawn. Mix in with the crowd and we can keep you safe on the way back. If they try to stop us, we'll just tell them what you told us." She looked at her brother with a proud smile.

Kaori shook her head sadly. "It can't be that easy."

"Probably not easy," Hiruzen agreed. "But if we remain resolute, there is every chance that it could succeed." He gave a proud smile to Kato as well.

Kaori's reply was cut off by Ken's clammy hand clamping on her wrist. His face was twisted with discomfort and sweat was still beading his brow from the fever, but he looked at her with total conviction. "I promise you — on the blood of our ancestors and in the name of Asura — I will get you and Karin home to the Leaf."

Kaori stared at him in shock. Among the Uzumaki, swearing an oath upon blood was as good as inviting a curse upon oneself if they broke their word. And to swear something in the name of their forefather, the son of the Sage of Six Paths, was tantamount to offering one's soul as collateral. She looked down at her daughter, whose eyes shone with real hope for the first time in years.

"Okay. Let's do it."

"You look like death warmed up," Tomoko snarked as Ken drank from a thermos of coffee the next morning.

He looked at her with a glower accentuated by the dark circles under his eyes from little sleep, his aches and fever keeping him up most of the night after the grueling and chakra-taxing string of matches the day before. "Bite me," he growled.

"Wouldn't that just start this whole thing over?" she asked innocently. And then she laughed as she knocked aside the thermos he'd thrown at her.

While it was traditional to leave with one's team during the Exams, Ken was an adult and was escorting his young cousin/ward as well as two newly discovered "cousins" and so was allowed to make his own group. He looked over at Muta, Hotaru, and Kato, the latter waving at him.

"You sure you're up for this?" Tomoko asked.

"You sure you'd rather be here than walking with your little brother?" Ken replied.

"When things go down, which they will," Tomoko answered with a small but somewhat terrifying smile, "I wanna be right in the thick of it."

Brushing aside that reply, Ken looked back at Kaori and Karin. He'd stopped by as early as he could this morning with prepared sealing scrolls for their belongings. No family of his was going to uproot their lives and actually have to carry their stuff. The crowd of Leaf ninjas and family were making good time through the Hidden Grass Village, but they had a ways to go before they were home free.

The gates were in sight when they were stopped, literally by the gates being closed as they approached. Hidden Grass ANBU landed on the roofs lining the main street, a silent message to not move that also got the few civilians moving away from the gate, and a small group of shinobi landed between the Leaf nin and the gate.

At the head of the small group was the village head himself, who stepped forward. "I will admit that the great villages disregarding the rights of the minor ones is not at all unheard of," he said, walking forward, "but never could I have imagined such flagrant dishonor from the Hidden Leaf."

"And what dishonor would that be?" Hiruzen asked, stepping forward with an amicable smile.

"The kidnapping of valued personnel of our humble village," Midori said. "As we discussed yesterday, Lord Hokage, those two are under our protection and we will only give them up in return for equal compensation."

"Under your protection," Hiruzen parroted. "That is an interesting phrasing, Midori. You see, it strongly implies that these women are not members of your village. And, logically, if you never took full custody of them, they would be free of any obligations to you. By extension, they would be free to leave whenever they wish and to go wherever they wished."

"The woman has worked for us for nearly a decade," Midori argued.

"That woman's name is Kaori, you son of a bitch!" Ken spat, face turning red. Tomoko and Kaori each put a hand on his shoulder to help calm his temper.

"And as for her service to the village," Hiruzen picked up as smooth as silk, "she tells me she has put her very life on the line for this village time and again during her 'services'. And in return she has received room and board, as well as a place in your Ninja Academy for her child. It would seem to me that she owes this village as much as a factory hand owes the factory. Little if anything."

"She holds valuable secrets that the village cannot part with," Midori countered.

"Such as?" Hiruzen countered back. "What state secrets would a nurse have?" He glanced backward. "With no offense intended, Ma'am."

"None taken, Lord Hokage," Kaori replied neutrally.

Sensing that his arguments were running dry, Midori tried one last hand. "Kaori Uzumaki, you have lived here for almost ten years. Your child has grown up here as her home. Why would you leave?"

"Because this is no home, Midori," Kaori said with steel in her voice. "We are treated as outsiders and tools rather than citizens or even guests. You prevent me from furthering my skills in favor of using a power that might kill me for your so-called miracle healings, which your people still complain about. I have only stayed here with my daughter because there was nowhere else that seemed better. Now there is, and I am taking my daughter to a better life."

"Stand aside, Midori," Hiruzen said. "Do not lose any more respect than you have."

Midori was silent for several long minutes before his posture slumped. He snapped his fingers and the ANBU and other shinobi cleared the way for the Konoha procession to leave. As they moved past the gates, Ken kept an arm over Naruto and drew him close, Kaori doing the same to Karin. Most of the Leaf shinobi and civilians had no idea what had just happened, but they had faith in their Lord Third and kept moving.

Only after the village walls were out of sight did the Uzumakis and their allies relax. "I can't believe that actually worked," Tomoko said, sounding somehow both relieved and a bit disappointed.

"You mean you didn't think it would?" Kaori asked fearfully.

"'No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy'," Ken quoted. "The fact that that went so smoothly is a nice surprise."

"And now we're on our way home!" Naruto shouted, running in circles around the group as they made the trip back east. "And you guys can move in with me and Ken!"

Ken paled at the thought of even tighter quarters. "Note to self," he said, "start looking harder for a new site for a clan compound."

Chapter twenty-seven! We're on our way back to the Hidden Leaf!

*Ken's "blacked out for a second" came from Star Vs the Forces of Evil episode "Booth Buddies". I've always thought that gag was funny.

*Tomoko's opinion on the Hyuga affair mirrors my own. It made no sense for Konoha to have to pay recompense for the Cloud's betrayal. Guess Neji just needed that tragic backstory oh so much, eh?

*I like to think that Asura Ototsuki is like the George Washington of the Uzumaki clan, their hero second only to the Sage of Six Paths, and much more personal to them. Or their patron saint, maybe.

I struggled for quite some time to come up with a way to get Karin and Kaori out without starting a war - I can only hope it seems realiztic. At any rate, I hope this was enjoyable! Please do leave a review. And may your inspirations flow freely!