Ryoma looked at the two of them, still wanting to persuade them as much as possible.
After all, they were his saviors.
Ryoma also didn't want Kōko and Rinsuke to end up meeting such a fate in the end.
And there was also Karin, whose life story was equally tragic.
Ryoma's principle had always been, If someone treats me well, I'll support them in their old age.
If someone treats me badly, Then I'm the villain!
Ryoma said to Rinsuke and Kōko:
"Brother Rinsuke, Sister Kōko, it's true that the war has caused many people to lose their homes, but I sincerely feel that the Land of Grass is not a suitable refuge."
"Although Kusagakure is good at using various diplomatic means to maintain good relations with the major hidden villages around it, this country is rotten; its political corruption has reached a certain level."
After speaking, Ryoma glanced at Kōko and their heads full of red hair, then immediately continued:
"There's a high chance that after you're discovered in the Land of Grass, you'll still be forced to use your abilities and bloodline to serve the Land of Grass!"
Upon hearing this, Rinsuke fell silent.
Indeed, no matter which hidden village discovered their identities, the outcome would probably be the same.
The perfect jinchūriki constitution, powerful life force,
and an endless array of sealing techniques.
Every single one of these made the higher-ups of every village flock to them!
At this moment, Kōko looked at Ryoma, who wasn't hiding his concern at all, smiled, and ruffled Ryoma's hair, saying:
"Little brother Ryoma, you really are a lot like my little brother. You know how to care for people just like he did, and you're just as worried about our safety."
Kōko felt the aura Ryoma was emitting; it was filled only with concern, thinking about their well-being, without a hint of ulterior motive.
Her heart couldn't help but feel sincerely happy again about the initial decision to save Ryoma.
However, Kōko's tone abruptly shifted as she said to Ryoma:
"I know little brother Ryoma wants Rinsuke and me to go to Konoha and seek its asylum. It's true that with Konoha's strength, taking us both in would be very simple, and conditions could be negotiated. But..."
Kōko suddenly looked up, her gaze firm as she spoke to Ryoma:
"We have reasons why we absolutely cannot go to Konoha!"
Ryoma was stunned. If at first Ryoma thought that Kōko and her husband's issue was simply one of mindset, not wanting to go to Konoha and get involved in a new war,
Seeing this now, things were probably not that simple.
Seeing the puzzled look on Ryoma's face, Kōko let out a bitter laugh and spoke slowly:
"This has a lot to do with the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools. I shouldn't really be telling you this, after all, you are still a Konoha ninja."
Kōko paused for a moment.
"But, as members of clans that were among the first to join Konoha, it's probably okay to tell you. Of course, whether you believe these things is for you to decide. After all, the Nara Clan has always lived in Konoha, while we of the Uzumaki Clan can now only scrape by outside."
Hearing this, Ryoma's heart trembled.
In his previous life, while watching Naruto, Ryoma had thought about this question more than once.
How could such a powerful Uzumaki Clan, which could be described as a powerful alliance with Konoha, have been suddenly attacked by everyone?
Now, its clansmen didn't even have a place to settle down, forced to live incognito, scattered all over the world, with some even still fleeing from place to place.
Kōko organized her thoughts for a moment, then began:
"Little brother Ryoma, you should know about our Uzumaki Clan's special characteristics, right?"
Ryoma thought for a moment, then nodded, saying:
"Powerful life force, enormous chakra reserves, and fearsome sealing techniques. Most importantly, the almost perfect jinchūriki constitution."
Kōko nodded, then continued:
"That's right. Our Uzumaki Clan was already famous for our powerful sealing techniques back in the era of Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and that was when we joined Konoha Village."
"According to the clan elders from before, at the height of the Uzumaki Clan's power, we even enshrined 27 deities simultaneously. In critical moments, the deities would descend divine power to protect the Uzumaki Clan. Of course, that was such a long time ago, whether it's true or not is hard to say."
Hearing Kōko's words, Ryoma's mind was shaken.
He knew that what Kōko said might actually be true.
In the anime from his previous life, when Orochimaru went to the Uzumaki Clan's ruins, the Nādō Hall, to get the Shinigami Mask, there were many other masks placed inside the Nādō Hall.
If the Shinigami Mask could be used to summon the Shinigami, then the other masks, placed together with the Shinigami Mask, probably weren't simple things either!
If they really represented other deities,
then the power of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques had already far exceeded Ryoma's expectations.
Kōko continued:
"Later, it was precisely because the surrounding major clans and countries all feared the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques."
As she said this, Kōko's voice lost its calmness,
and a sobbing tone crept into her voice.
"Thus, many countries and clans launched an invasion of the Land of Whirlpools, leading to its tragic and complete destruction. They practically wiped out our Uzumaki Clan's members, leaving only a small handful of people. The surviving clansmen could only live in hiding, scattered across the world."
Ryoma was silent. He was also aware of the Uzumaki Clan's tragic incident.
Suddenly, tears streaming down her face, Kōko looked at Ryoma and said word by word:
"And what I want to tell you is, the annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan has a lot to do with the higher-ups of Konoha Village!"
Holy shit!
No way, Danzo, you old bastard.
You had a hand in this too?!!
Kōko looked at Ryoma, whose face showed utter surprise, and continued:
"The village elder, with his last breath, after sending me, Rinsuke, and a few other children away from the Land of Whirlpools, died from his severe injuries. Before he died, he told us one thing."
"Regarding this operation against the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha wasn't unaware at all, and it wasn't that they couldn't spare the forces to send reinforcements to assist our clansmen."
"It was simply because the other countries and clans wanted the Uzumaki Clan to be completely destroyed, while Konoha wanted our Uzumaki Clan to be greatly weakened, to become a vassal that could only rely on Konoha!"
To be honest, Ryoma suddenly felt that this really did seem like the kind of brainless thing those politicians in Konoha would do.
Ever since the Second Hokage passed away and the Third Hokage took office, the Third Hokage's policy of appeasement towards the various high-ranking politicians in the village had allowed them to do whatever they wanted with impunity.
The Third Hokage himself couldn't completely suppress all the various troublemakers, leading to numerous factions springing up within the village.
Problems kept accumulating and erupting, ultimately only leading to the continuous weakening of Konoha's own strength.
Kōko spoke again, her face pained:
"More importantly, before that elder escorted us in our escape, he sensed a ninja taking away a little girl from our clan. That ninja was wearing the iconic mask of Konoha's Anbu."
"In the end, the Uzumaki Clan's legacy was also divided up, with Konoha Village, under the guise of it being property that originally belonged to Konoha, taking the largest portion!"
Great, just great.
After hearing this, Ryoma felt a huge headache coming on.
No wonder your Uzumaki Clan would rather flee everywhere than seek refuge in Konoha, which shares the same roots.
Who could accept this?
In fact, when it comes to the weakening of the Uzumaki Clan, Konoha is practically the main culprit!
Watching your good buddies get ganged up on by a bunch of people, not only do you not help, but you also take advantage of the chaos to steal their property, and you even go and abduct one of them.
That person was probably Kushina as a child.
At this moment, Ryoma just wanted to curse out these brainless politicians.
If you're going to do something this despicable, at least make it a little more discreet!
After all this, now the Uzumaki clansmen still surviving outside all know about your wolfish ambitions.
How can you blame them for not wanting to come to you?
How are Konoha ninjas supposed to make friends out in the world now?
Their reputation stinks!
Ryoma looked at the grief-filled faces of Kōko and Rinsuke.
A deep feeling of gratitude suddenly welled up inside him.
These two people, are truly such good people.
They still saved my sorry life, didn't kill me to vent their anger while I was unconscious.
Right here, Ryoma thanks you, big brother and big sister, for the mercy of not killing!
The Uzumaki, they're... no problem!
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