Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 366 Call Me Godfather

Between two rows of trees, on a wide road.

A white-haired boy walked ahead, followed by a red-haired mother and daughter, keeping a certain distance and following closely behind.

This momentum continued for a while, until Karin's mother couldn't help but ask, "Th-that..."

Aokiji stopped, turned around, and smiled, saying, "What's wrong? Am I that scary? You've all seemed to be avoiding me since earlier."

"No, it's not..."

Aokiji's terrifying strength remained vivid in her mind, leaving a deep impression on Karin's mother.

"Don't be afraid, I'm a gentle and easy-going person."

You don't seem like the refined and easygoing person you'd expect... Karin's mother mustered her courage and asked, "Where do you want to take us?"

"Konoha".

Karin's mother was taken aback: "Konoha?"

"The Uzumaki clan has maintained a good relationship with Konoha since ancient times. As a Konoha ninja, isn't it normal for me to take you there to settle down?"

Upon hearing that she was to be taken to Konoha, Karin's mother lowered her head and fell silent.

Aokiji witnessed this and asked, "Speaking of which, there's a question I've always been curious about. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, could you answer it for me?"

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

Karin's mother looked up.

"The Land of Whirlpools is an ally of Konoha, right? When you were besieged by other countries, didn't you ask Konoha for help?"

"Even when you were on the run, you were willing to sell your body rather than go to Konoha. Logically speaking, given the relationship between our two sides, Konoha should have extended a helping hand to you."

The Land of Whirlpools should not have been so directly destroyed, either because of its geographical location or its relationship with Konoha.

In the original work, it is believed that Aokiji was just a random idea that Kishimoto and his team came up with on a whim, and they didn't really intend for him to be that big of a character.

But here, logic is key.

That naturally leads them to gravitate towards darkness.

When the matter was brought up, Karin's mother recalled the heartbreaking scene and said sadly, "How could we not have sent a distress signal to Konoha?"

"Didn't you receive it?"

"If only that were the case, at least we would still have hope and wouldn't have ended up like this."

Aokiji frowned and said, "Fantasy?"

Karin's mother glanced at Aokiji, hesitating whether to speak or not, since he was a Konoha ninja and it was not a good idea to bring this up.

Aokiji suddenly realized that the other party seemed to be hesitant about something: "Please tell me that a member of the Uzumaki clan once did me a great favor, and now is the time for me to repay her."

Karin's mother was taken aback and asked, "Who is that person...?"

"Mito Uzumaki..." Aokiji added, just in case she didn't understand, "The wife of the First Hokage."

"It's Lady Mito..."

Karin's mother was surprised, then suddenly felt a chill run down her spine: "Wait, how old are you exactly?"

Mito was a contemporary of the First Hokage, and the youngest people who had contact with her were her age.

However, Aokiji's face doesn't look like he's had any contact with Mito at all.

"Age?"

Aokiji mentally calculated his real age: "I'm probably around forty or fifty years old."

Looking at Aokiji's face, which looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old, Karin's mother was completely dumbfounded, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Karin's mouth was wide enough to fit a large egg, and she said incredulously, "You're lying, you look so young."

Aokiji said in a completely oblivious tone, "Well, I do look younger than my age."

Karin's mother's mouth twitched, echoing Aokiji's words: "Looking so young, it's really enviable."

Aokiji teased, "You look very young too."

Despite Karin's mother's living conditions and having given birth, she still looks very young, except for a slightly haggard appearance.

"Well……"

Although it sounds like nonsense, upon closer inspection, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Otherwise, it's impossible to explain how Aokiji, who looks so young, possesses such terrifying strength.

Perhaps it was because of this relatively relaxed conversation, and also because Aokiji told her that Mito had done him a great favor, that Karin's mother's fear of Aokiji gradually subsided.

"In short, you don't need to worry," Aokiji said with a smile. "I won't hurt you for any reason, either morally or logically."

"Thanks……"

Aokiji said in a deep voice, "Tell me properly."

Karin's mother recounted her own experience: "At that time, Konoha received the news and did send people to rescue them, but..."

At this point, Karin's mother gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Konoha only rescued one person..."

A person?

Aokiji was taken aback, unable to understand Konoha's actions. Since everyone had already received the message, why only rescue one person?

Karin's mother glanced at Aokiji and continued, "You should know that person too. Her name is Uzumaki Kushina, and she is the wife of your Fourth Hokage."

Aokiji suddenly realized, "So it was her..."

He recalled a scene from the original work where an ANBU member led Kushina to the village, and that was when it happened.

When you think about the timeline of World War II in the original work, it's surprisingly consistent, and some things suddenly become clear.

"At that time, Konoha didn't actually want to rescue us; they just needed a qualified Jinchuriki."

Karin's mother sneered, "This so-called friendly agreement, which even included printing the clan crest on ninja uniforms, now seems so ironic."

Aokiji concluded, "So, your Uzumaki clan would rather be exiled or even die than seek help from Konoha, is that right?"

Karin's mother nodded: "Yes."

Aokiji closed his eyes for a moment: "I have a general understanding of the situation."

"Can I...trust you?"

Karin's mother looked into Aokiji's eyes and asked.

Aokiji whispered, "I am from the Uchiha clan..."

Karin looked surprised: "You're from the Uchiha clan?"

Aokiji sighed, "Because of your immense power, you're not the only ones who are viewed with suspicion."

Aokiji's short sentence is packed with information.

Thinking of her own Uzumaki clan, Karin's mother felt a pang of sympathy and asked, "Is your clan not doing well in the village?"

Aokiji shook his head, then asked in return, "Our Uchiha clan and the Senju clan are both among the two founders of Konoha."

"Why do you think the Uchiha clan hasn't produced a Hokage yet? When it comes to power, our Uchiha clan is second to none."

Karin's mother lowered her head, her gaze falling, and she understood something in her heart.

The Uzumaki clan is feared by various countries because of their innate power, which has also led to their deaths.

Similarly, the Uchiha clan possesses one of the most powerful bloodline limits among ninja clans, which naturally attracts their attention and vigilance.

Karin's mother empathized with Aokiji, and Aokiji empathized with her in return.

If I hadn't returned in time, the Uchiha clan would have suffered the same fate as the Uzumaki clan.

Aokiji felt great sympathy for the widow and her child: "Come and stay with our Uchiha clan, Karin. I promise you, as long as I'm here, I won't let anyone harm a single hair on your head."

"Thanks……"

Karin's mother was moved to tears.

Unable to repay her kindness, she could only express her heartfelt gratitude again and again.

After enduring so many years of suffering, it seems it's finally coming to an end.

Aokiji looked at Karin: "Where is her father?"

At this point, Karin's mother looked somber and saddened.

As if rubbing salt in the wound, Aokiji instantly realized what was going on and apologized.

Karin's mother shook her head and smiled sadly: "Don't worry about it. Like most people, I was unfortunately caught up in the war and died."

Aokiji sighed, "It's so pitiful that he lost his father at such a young age."

Karin's mother patted Karin's head: "This is actually considered pretty good..."

During her exile with her daughter, she saw far too many orphans who had lost their parents to the war.

At least his daughter still has him to rely on, which is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

"Mother……"

Karin hugged her mother tightly, afraid that she would leave her.

Aokiji remarked with emotion, "The world is too dangerous. Sometimes a child needs two fathers."

Karin's mother didn't think much of it and chimed in, "Yes..."

Aokiji continued, "If you don't mind, would you like me to be Karin's Godfather?"

The mother and daughter were both taken aback: "Huh?"

Aokiji argued, "Look, Karin lost her father, didn't she?"

"Oh, is Aokiji going to marry Mom?" Karin asked in surprise, then muttered, "I really want to grow up and be Aokiji's wife, but since it's Mom, I'll give it to you."

Karin's mother blushed slightly, speechless.

What on earth is going on in her daughter's head?

Aokiji: ...

"Don't take what the child is saying seriously."

Karin's mother gave her an apologetic look, and also secretly glanced at Aokiji.

If you look closely, you'll find that Aokiji is quite handsome.

If she were ten years younger, she would probably have a very good impression of Aokiji.

Uh, wait a minute...

The other person seems to be quite a bit older than me.

Aokiji shrugged: "It's nothing."

"This isn't right, we're just refugees..."

Karin's mother naturally knew what a godfather was, and she would be overjoyed if a ninja of Aokiji's strength could become Karin's godfather.

Even if she were to pass away that day, she could rest assured that her daughter would be taken care of.

However, they were, after all, refugees and knew their place; they couldn't possibly be on someone of their caliber.

Aokiji interrupted, "It's okay, I actually quite like kids."

"But……"

"Having lost both parents at a young age, I probably empathize with their plight, and I can't bear to see orphans in distress."

Aokiji sighed, "Just do me a favor and fulfill my little personal wish."

Karin's mother was deeply moved, never expecting Aokiji to have such a tragic fate: "In that case, my daughter is unworthy of your kindness."

After saying that, she said to Karin, "Karin, from now on, Lord Aokiji will be your godfather. You can call him godfather from now on."

Karin suddenly having a father made her feel strange.

She actually wanted to grow up to be his wife rather than be his daughter.

After all, Aokiji looks really young, and more importantly, he's handsome and incredibly skilled in combat.

So much so that she really had no barriers to dealing with the age difference between them.

But all of this vanished when Aokiji became her father.

"The Godfather..."

Xianglin tried to shout, but she was quite reluctant.

Upon hearing the word "godfather," Aokiji revealed a kind, uncle-like smile.

He reached out and patted Xianglin's head, saying, "Good girl..."

P.S.: I think I misspelled Karin's name as Karin earlier, I've corrected it...

(End of this chapter)