"How are you going to explain yourself here?" Tsunade asks, giving Kadoya a dead glare that would normally send Jiraiya running out from Konoha.
Kadoya simply scratches his head and speaks in a nonchalant tone. "I was making my way back, then I found this Uzumaki girl."
He said before pulling Erza over and holding her in front of him like a meat shield.
Erza: "!?"
Although they have talked about this before, once she enters Konoha, she will have to assume the identity of Erza Uzumaki. She refuses at first until Kadoya gives her a good head pat, which creates a large bump on her head; she finally agrees to go by the name Erza Uzumaki.
"You already told me that... What I am asking here is, what did you do before all of that?"
She asks again, the vein on her forehead throbbing.
"I kill some flies."
Tsunade's face turned red as she cracked her knuckles, ready to give him a good beating.
Erza: "?"
The word "flies" here held a deeper meaning, one that only Kadoya and Tsunade knew, while Erza was confused as to why Tsunade would get angry hearing Kadoya say he killed some flies.
Kadoya suddenly pulls out a large bottle of wine, while pressing a kunai against it, ready to smash it open in any second.
Tsunade: "!!!"
Erza: "??"
Seeing Kadoya holding a bottle of wine as a hostage, Erza was dumbfounded. While Tsunade's expression suddenly shifted, her earlier anger quickly faded as she sat down in her chair.
She then let out a long, tired sigh, acting like an old man who is too tired of life to care.
"Just place the bottle on the table and leave, I'll write a report to send your Team back to Konoha tomorrow so you can take Erza off the battlefield."
Erza: "???"
"You're the best Sensei." Kadoya places the bottle down and drags Erza out, much to her confusion.
Throughout the entire conversation between these two, she couldn't understand anything from them. This caused the redhead to scratch her head in confusion, not understanding what she was missing here.
Still, Kadoya didn't find it too troublesome and just dragged her back to his tent, where his team was staying.
As the disciple of the student of the Third Hokage, of course, his team's treatment was a little better than the other genin teams.
Since their position was kinda important in a way.
"She is..." Minato uttered, immediately remembering Kushina.
"Hello." Erza greeted them.
Kadoya smirked and introduced Erza to everyone. "Meet, Erza Uzumaki, someone I found during my walk outside the camp."
Everyone: "..."
A walk?
A month-long walk?
Kushina's other two teammates just look at each other before welcoming Erza, treating her as a temporary Kushina for now.
"I'm Minato U- I mean Namikaze, Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you."
Minato greeted before flashing his warm smile, but this time, his teeth suddenly shone, creating a white light that hit everyone's eyes.
Damn! Minato, when did you become the inheritor of the White Fang!?
Kadoya knew that after he and Team 7 set off to the battlefield, Minato had been doing extra training while spending a lot of time with Kushina. During his many early morning runs, he would run into Might Duy, the eternal genin of Konoha, and somehow they became great friends.
Which was completely different from the original story, but still a decent improvement.
Nawaki looked at Erza before a playful smirk appeared on his face. "Awesome! Hi! I'm Nawaki Senju, the best Water Release user in Konoha. I am also your cousin!"
Everyone: "..."
Erza looks at him for a bit, and the image of Natsu appears, matching the idiotic smile Nawaki is having, and doesn't say anything.
The others clearly didn't believe him, especially the part about being the best Water Release user.
Kadoya just scoffs. "Heh? Since when did my Erza become your cousin?"
Nawaki flashed Kadoya a glare. "Oi! The Senju and Uzumaki have a long and deep relationship. We're practically family here."
"That's only before Konoha decides not to help Uzushiogakure. Now that Uzushiogakure has fallen, there is no point keeping up this empty relationship." Kadoya said coldly.
"Tch! Kadoya, do you really think that you can just end a decade-long relationship with just a few words?" Nawaki clicked his tongue and snapped back.
"Nawaki! I am the Head of the Uzumaki!"
Upon receiving this fatal blow, Nawaki couldn't say anything back and turned toward the entrance of the tent.
"Kadoya! You will regret this!"
Nawaki waved his hand, pushing open the tent curtain and walking out in heavy steps.
Everyone: "..."
After just a few seconds, Nawaki walks back inside, now completely soaked from head to toe.
"Kadoya, can you dry me off with your Fire Release again?" He asks, like their previous argument didn't exist.
"Sure." Kadoya simply snapped his finger, and a small fire wall quickly surrounded Nawaki, drying him off while also burning his clothes and hair a little.
"Tch!" Nawaki clicked his tongue, patting out the flame on his head. "You evil Uchiha, are you trying to burn me?"
"We all know that I don't need to try." Kadoya simply replies in a matter-of-fact tone.
Honestly, now many didn't know whether Kadoya and Nawaki actually have any bad blood with each other or not. Since the conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha has been running for so long, and how they usually talked, it makes it nearly impossible to understand where they actually hate each other or not.
Kadoya didn't take Nawaki seriously, and Nawaki also knew this. Because of this, Nawaki now dares to talk big and boast about things that aren't true without fear of Kadoya beating him up.
Of course, there is still a limit, and Nawaki isn't dumb enough to try to find out or overstep this limit.
While everyone was getting to know each other inside the tent, Erza couldn't shake the unsettling feeling crawling down her spine.
She turned and locked eyes with a girl standing quietly behind the group. A pair of pale, almost ghostly white eyes stared directly at her.
The veins bulging around the girl's temples only added to the unnerving effect.
How Saiguu was looking at her, Erza was reminded of Mirajane, her old rival and guildmate.
"Hey, does anyone feel cold all of a sudden?" Nawaki asks, rubbing his arms and feeling that the tent's temperature has suddenly dropped by a couple of levels.
Clearly not seeing the pair of menacing white-eyes behind him, glaring past his back and staring into Erza.
This gave Erza an uncomfortable feeling as they locked eyes.
"Hey… does anyone else feel cold all of a sudden?" Nawaki said, rubbing his arms and shivering as the temperature inside the tent seemed to plummet several degrees.
Unaware of the death glare being directed straight through his back.
Erza blinked. The white-eyed girl hadn't moved. But the intensity of her gaze was unmistakable.
Erza shifted uncomfortably, forcing a polite smile as their eyes met. "Uhh... hello?"
Saiguu's response came slowly, flat, and ice-cold. "Hi."
She was holding a kitchen knife.
Erza's expression tightened slightly.
Nawaki suddenly stiffened. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead.
That same kitchen knife was now gently pressing into his lower back.
He didn't move or breathe, feeling the cold steel on his back.
Saiguu didn't even glance at him. Her target was clearly Erza. Nawaki was just an unfortunate obstruction.
Seeing that Saiguu was about to stab Erza, Kadoya quickly walked over and took all the knives and kunai off Saiguu's body, before giving Saiguu a reasonable explanation.
Erza is now an Uzumaki, and he is the Clan Head of the Uzumaki, so he must take responsibility for her.
A few days passed, and Kadoya set off with Erza, heading back toward Konoha.
They moved swiftly, leaping from branch to branch through the dense forest canopy. Despite Erza's protests, Kadoya carried her in a bridal hold, prioritizing speed over her pride.
"This is humiliating," Erza muttered, face slightly flushed.
"Complain when you can travel like a ninja." Kadoya replied, unfazed.
Soon, the towering walls of Konoha came into view. As they landed at the village gate, two guards immediately stepped forward, hands near their weapons, eyes narrowing at the unknown girl in Kadoya's arms.
Without a word, Kadoya glanced at them, his crimson Sharingan spinning. Then he moved past them.
One of the guards stiffened, eyes briefly glazing over.
A moment later, he turned to the logbook and began writing.
Seeing the name Kadoya Uchiha appear on the report, the second guard blinked, then quickly lowered his guard.
"Tch! Just those arrogant Uchiha."
The pair passed through the gate without much incident.
Erza glanced up at him, frowning. "Did you just..?"
"Genjutsu?" Kadoya offered with a shrug. "Saves time."
Erza sighed. "You're the worst."
"Want me to run around the village carrying you like this for everyone to see?"
"…Shut up."
...
"From now on, you will be staying here... in the Uchiha Compound," Kadoya said, taking Erza to his house.
Erza is still new to this world, so he gives her a few instructions on whom to avoid and where to go when she runs into trouble, and what to say if people with masks suddenly come to her and tell her that the Hokage or Danzo wanted to see her.
Kadoya was planning to let Erza see the ugliness of this village through the vision of the Uchiha; otherwise, she would be brainwashed by the Third Hokage like those foolish villagers.
Kadoya then left the Uchiha Compound, making his way toward another of his Uzumaki clan members.
"Kadoya!" a familiar voice rang out.
Kushina dashed toward him with a bright smile, throwing herself into a leap.
He caught her without flinching, then set her down.
"Did you miss me?" she asked eagerly, eyes sparkling. It had been over a year since they last saw each other.
Kadoya didn't even hesitate. "No."
He turned and walked straight into the Senju Compound, like he owned the place.
Kushina blinked, then scowled. "Tch! You jerk! That's not how you're supposed to greet family!"
He raised a hand lazily without turning back. "Still not a hugger."
He then created multiple Shadow Clones, letting them do the work of packing and helping her move out and into the Uchiha Compound, becoming Erza's roommate.
Of course, moving the Uzumaki into Uchiha territory wasn't a quiet move; it stirred immediate resistance from the Hokage's faction. Unsurprisingly, Kadoya was summoned to the Hokage's Office.
The moment he stepped in, Danzo wasted no time.
"Care to explain why you're relocating the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the Uchiha Compound, Clan Head Uzumaki?" Danzo snapped, his tone sharp, biting.
Kadoya smiled faintly, his hands tucked behind his back.
"Oh? Elder Danzo," he replied coolly, "Kushina Uzumaki is part of the Uzumaki Clan. Do I need special permission for my clanswoman to live somewhere more... comfortable?"
He lobbed the question back with casual defiance, letting Danzo stew in it.
Danzo's single eye narrowed dangerously. "Uchiha... are you plotting rebellion? Bringing the Nine-Tails' host to their doorstep, do you take us for fools?"
"Rebellion?" Kadoya repeated, eyebrow raised. "Konoha was founded by both the Senju and the Uchiha. Are you telling me the clan that helped build this village is no longer trusted?"
Danzo's jaw clenched. He opened his mouth, but-
"That's enough, Danzo," Hiruzen cut in, his voice firm yet calm.
Turning toward Kadoya, the Hokage adopted a more diplomatic tone. "Kadoya, I understand your concern. But tell me, why place Kushina, and now Erza Uzumaki, under the protection of the Uchiha rather than the Senju Compound, in the safety of the village?"
Kadoya's tone shifted instantly, falling into the role of the ever-loyal, ever-naive villager.
"Lord Hokage," he began earnestly, "as Clan Head of the Uzumaki, I have to leave the village for the battlefield. I've seen how lonely Kushina becomes in my absence. I couldn't stand it."
He bowed slightly, eyes lowered in feigned humility. "So I arranged, with the Uchiha Clan Head's agreement, for her and Erza to live under their protection. It's safer, and she'll have company."
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged uneasy glances, both clearly wondering what the old fox Fumo might have said to sway Kadoya.
"You don't need to worry about her safety," Hiruzen said, his voice steady. "As Hokage, I give you my word that no harm will come to her within Konoha's walls."
Kadoya's smile faded. His next words came slow and deliberate.
"Then, Lord Hokage, may I ask… how did Kumogakure shinobi infiltrate those very walls? How did they bypass the Anbu and abduct Kushina right under your nose?"
Silence fell.
Hiruzen froze, his lips parting slightly, but no words came.
"And," Kadoya continued, unrelenting, "how is it that a Genin, Minato Namikaze, was able to track and eliminate them… while the Anbu didn't even notice she was missing?"
Another blow. Another silence.
"...That was a failure on my part," Hiruzen finally said, voice measured. "At the time, the Anbu were undergoing internal reorganization. Those Kumo agents acted outside official orders. They've since been classified as missing-nin."
The Hokage offered the excuse without blinking, taking just enough of the blame to look responsible, while shoving the rest onto Kumo.
"I see. Thank you for the clarification, Lord Hokage."
Kadoya bowed politely. Hiruzen let out a small breath, relieved the storm had passed.
Though not a true Uzumaki by blood, Kadoya had been acknowledged by Lady Mito herself, and more than that, he had displayed sealing abilities eerily close to the famed Adamantine Sealing Chains. His reputation was climbing fast.
Not wanting to press the issue and turn Kadoya against them, Hiruzen nodded.
But Kadoya wasn't finished.
"Still," he said smoothly, "an agreement has already been made with the Uchiha Clan Head. Backing out now could… upset them. And I wouldn't want to be the cause for the Uchiha to rebel."
He let the words hang there, a mirror to Danzo's earlier accusation.
This time, neither of them replied.
Without waiting for dismissal, Kadoya turned and left the office.
Hiruzen didn't say anything and just quietly accepted this somewhat peaceful outcome. While Danzo's eye followed him all the way to the door, burning with quiet rage.
The moment it clicked shut, Danzo muttered under his breath like a curse.
"Ka↑do↓ya↑ U↑zu↓ma↑ki↓..."