Wildflower | Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter70: Uzumaki

"Where is this place? Who brought us here?"

Looking around, it was dimly lit, but everyone could tell that it was a dining hall. Large but modest in its lack of decor. In fact, it was so plain and simple that it hurt to look at for too long. However, this couldn't be the biggest concern. How did they get to this place where they weren't prisoners, subject, nor in shackles?

Who was it that dressed them all in such soft, lavish attire? Surely they had all neen sold to a mad rich man.

Mizubana smiled gently at the confused group of people before her. Deep inside, she only felt bitternes for the fact that so many of her people wound up in just one place to meet their demise. In fact it made it seems as though there had been an agreement to help them, which wasn't fulfilled, ultimately leading the clan to a mass slaughter. However, there was no room for resentment in the current situation, she had to address these people now.

"Please, settle down, all of you. I have some people preparing breakfast. In the meantime, I'd like for you to calm down and relax. There is no danger here to worry about.", she said, cooling herself down with her metal fan.

"The last thing I remember was being beaten to death by group of Kusa nin. How did my broken bones get healed?", one woman asked from far across the room. Mizubana sighed. You see, their revival wasn't the main concern, because in the Uzumaki clan, the Shingami was something they had access to without any hassles. However these people were not unaware that they had been dead for years, and a soul recognises its own body like an infant does its mother. No regular healing would reverse rot and decay, replace missing limbs or return one's chakra paths to their original state. They knew this very well, and she knew for sure that some people here suspected that Mito was the person that saved them, not knowing that she was long dead herself. So, Mizubana would set record straight before more confusion arose.

"The prophecy of Nōmendō has been fulfilled. The child has been born.", she said, earning her absolute silence across the room. One man stood up, looking thoroughly shocked, and looked around as if in registration.

"It's finally happening? How do you know? Where is the chosen child?", he asked. A hushed chatter broke out, causing the woman to sigh. Her clan were a rowdy bunch of people, and she loved them for that, but there were time when it was unnecessary. As such, she waved her fan once, causing a gust of strong wind to sweep across the room. There was a loud sneeze after that, but otherwise, they were all stunned into silence.

"My name is Mizubana, the last Nōmendō Noro before the annihilation of our clan. I trust that you know of me and my duty to the clan. Tamakiku-hime is currently leading our young ones in the Chūnin exams of Konohagakure no Sato.", the woman said as she set her fan down in her lap.

"We want to meet her!", one person said, but he was held by a woman before he could rise as he intended. Instead, she rose, and nervously looked around as if in search of something. To her left, a slightly younger woman sared blankly at nothing. Now that Mizubana thought about it, they looked a bit familiar.

"Mizubana-sama, my name is Akemi, and this is my sister, Yukiko. You wouldn't know us but, we know of your granddaughter, Mika, who was sent to Konohagakure as a young child. We were wondering if you would speak for us with her, we're looking for some people...", Akemi said nervously, trailing off when the man next to her stood up and wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"Our daughters, we're looking for our daughters.", he said. Mizubana nodded in understanding.

"What are your daughters' names?", she asked. She had her suspicions, but it was best to actually find out before drawing conclusions on her own.

"Karin and Akira.", Akemi responded hopefully. Mizubana sighed in relief, so she was right.

"Akira-chan and Karin-chan are both currently on their way to Konoha with Tamakiku. They're well.", she said.