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( Translator: I miss some paragraphs for almost all the chapters and I added them sorry )
June 28th, Konoha Year 63.
After eating breakfast, Mujin and Karin left the hotel they were staying at and began to wander around Konoha.
All the procedures had been completed at the Ninja Academy yesterday afternoon. The exam time was July 1st, and the location was Classroom 301 on the 3rd floor of the Ninja Academy.
Kusachi and Ryokui had disappeared early in the morning, and the Genin were all free to move around. This was, after all, Konoha, one of the most prosperous villages in the ninja world. Ninjas from other countries would not be able to appear here unless it was necessary, so everyone wanted to take this opportunity to enjoy themselves in Konoha.
Mujin, holding Karin's hand, walked on the main street. At the end of the street was Konoha's center of power, the Hokage Building. And above the Hokage Building was Konoha's most famous scenic spot, the Hokage Rock, with the faces of the past Hokage carved on it.
The two stared at the Hokage Rock for a while. Karin asked with some confusion, "Why didn't Konoha come to support us when the Uzumaki clan was destroyed? Wasn't the First Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Mito, from our Uzumaki clan? Why didn't she do anything either?"
If the Uzumaki clan had not been destroyed, she would not have been stranded in Kusagakure, and her mother would not have had her chakra sucked dry and died miserably like a mummified corpse.
Even if Konoha had taken in the survivors of the Uzumaki clan in view of the years of friendship between the two countries after the Uzumaki clan was destroyed, but none of these things happened.
"Who knows? Maybe they really couldn't spare any manpower, or maybe something stopped them, but..."
Mujin suddenly laughed softly, "Thinking about it carefully, it seems that the power of Konoha has never been passed on to outsiders. The First and Second Hokage were brothers, the Third was their disciple, and the Fourth was the Third's grand-disciple. So, if we talk about a conspiracy theory, maybe they thought that the Uzumaki clan had too much influence on Konoha. Maybe they were afraid that Mito would join forces with the Uzumaki clan to share the power in their hands."
Mujin's guess made Karin stunned, "Is that really so?"
Seeing that Karin really believed him, Mujin quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, this is just an unreliable guess. In fact, although Mito was the First Hokage's wife, as a Jinchuriki, she was just a slightly more advanced prisoner. She could only move within a prescribed range and could not see outsiders at will. Someone was monitoring her every moment, how could such a person have any power? Even, it's hard to say whether the First Hokage ever loved her. At least, Mito's position in his heart was definitely below Konoha, his family, and his brothers."
Karin asked confusedly, "Then she came to Konoha from thousands of miles away, just to live such a life?"
Mujin spread his hands, "Who knows? In our eyes, this kind of life may be miserable, but in her own eyes, maybe this is exactly the way she loves the village and contributes to it. Although she is contributing to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, not the Village Hidden in the Whirlpool."
"What about the other Uzumaki?"
Perhaps they had been standing in front of the Hokage Building for a bit too long. The guards had begun to pay attention to them. Mujin tugged on Karin and left the place.
"The other Uzumaki? Kushina? Her situation is similar to Mito, but the Third Hokage became soft-hearted after he got older. He relaxed his control over the Jinchuriki and gave Kushina a considerable degree of freedom, but precisely because of this, she was attacked 13 years ago when she was giving birth, which eventually led to the Nine-Tails losing control and countless Konoha ninjas being killed and injured."
Leaving the view of the guards, Mujin's face immediately turned serious, "How was it? Did you see the layout inside the Hokage Building clearly?"
Karin frowned and replied, "Not too detailed. A barrier has been placed here. Even at such a close distance, the Sensory Technique can't completely penetrate it. Give me a little more time, I want to try again."
The Sensory Technique was unique to the Uzumaki clan, and its range could reach tens of kilometers away. Even large mountains could not block it, but it could not completely see the personnel layout inside the Hokage Building.
Mujin pondered slightly, then shook his head, "No need. The guards have already noticed us. Our characteristics are too obvious. There's no need to take the risk. Let's walk around first, and go to the next place tomorrow."
June 29th.
After scouting around yesterday, Mujin and Karin followed a remote path to the outskirts of Konoha. The Whirlpool Shrine, which once symbolized the prosperity of the Uzumaki clan, was located here.
Before the two stood a desolate wasteland, long abandoned and left to decay.
At the sight of such desolation, Mujin let out a derisive snort. "Heh, it seems Konoha truly didn't care about the Uzumaki. Perhaps to them, the only value of the Uzumaki clan was providing jinchūriki for sealing the Nine-Tails."
Crooked rooftops, collapsed beams, walls reduced to rubble—half-buried stones littered the ground. Weeds taller than a person sprouted everywhere, a clear sign that no one had set foot here in years.
Karin's expression grew complex as she pulled up a handful of grass. Having lived in Grass Hidden Village, she had an accurate sense of how quickly weeds grew. "This place hasn't been tended to for at least twenty years. Add in the time it took to fall into ruin… perhaps this place was already abandoned while Mito was still alive. No wonder Mother never brought us to Konoha for refuge. It's just as you suspected—Konoha likely never intended to rescue the Uzumaki clan."
Mujin walked over to Karin, gazing at the dilapidated shrine with a long sigh. "The Uzumaki… they've been completely forgotten. Now, only we remember them."
The two fell silent for a moment, paying their respects to the memory of the fallen Uzumaki.
"Karin, any updates? Are we still being followed?"
"Yes, the chakra signatures match those from yesterday."
Mujin sighed. "It seems we were recognized the moment we entered Konoha. In that case, there's no point in hiding anymore. Let's pretend we're here to pay our respects to the Uzumaki. Sense which mask is the Death God mask, then gather all the masks. We don't want anyone from Konoha finding anything suspicious when they investigate later."
"I understand."
The two stepped into the crumbling shrine. Dozens of masks, each with unique designs, hung on the walls. Karin activated her Kagura Shingan, locating the faintly reactive Death God mask. Together, they carefully wrapped up all the masks and slung them onto their backs.
As they left the shrine, they turned back for one final glance. Perhaps they were the last Uzumaki to ever visit this place.
Hokage Tower, Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffed on his pipe as he reviewed the intelligence report delivered by the ANBU. After a long pause, he sighed softly. "So, it really is the Uzumaki… Well, if they haven't done anything unusual, we might as well leave them be."
June 30th.
The two were strolling through Tea Street, Konoha's most famous food district. A variety of snacks and teas could be found here, and at the end of the street stood the iconic Hokage Monument. Eating snacks while admiring the monument was practically a must-do activity for every tourist visiting Konoha.
Though Mujin couldn't see what was so fascinating about it before Tsunade's ascension.
"I've found it, but…" Karin frowned, surprised that her infallible Kagura Shingan had repeatedly encountered obstacles in Konoha. "The underground base of ROOT and the Hokage Tower are both protected by barriers, and the defenses around ROOT are even tighter. I can't even sense how many people are inside."
"Is that so?" Mujin pondered for a moment. It seemed the cells of Hashirama were beyond his reach. "Then we'll abandon this plan. Underground is too dangerous. On the other hand, the Hokage Tower requires frequent entry and exit, with its defenses relying more on guards. When Orochimaru launches his attack and draws the guards away, it'll actually be easier to strike."
Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha would only last an hour, and the damage inflicted during that time would be relatively limited. Mujin realized he'd need to add fuel to the fire somehow to maximize the chaos.
"I understand." Karin stuffed the snack in her hand into her mouth, watching the villagers' smiling faces with envy. "Living carefree like this… it actually doesn't sound so bad."
"So, should we abandon revenge?" Mujin asked. "While everything is still calm, we could flee to a remote island and live out our days in peace."
Karin pressed a hand against her chest. After a long pause, she shook her head. "No… it still hurts here. I can't convince myself to give up. But after we complete our revenge… maybe we really can find an island to live on, just the two of us."
Seeing the faint glimmer of hope in Karin's eyes, Mujin smiled and nodded. "Of course."
July 1st.
The Chunin Exams began.
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