As Kane began to regain consciousness, a throbbing pain on the back of his head made itself known.
He was confused at first, but then he recalled what had happened.
'I was fighting Mito. What about the Uzumaki?!'
His eyes flew open, and he jolted upright, the action causing a new wave of pain to wash over him. Kane winced in pain and brought a hand to his head. The worst of it passed a second later, and he scanned the room.
'Bed, walls, dresser. It seems I'm in my room.' As his eyes continued around the room, he froze.
There was a person in there who he didn't think he'd ever see again.
"Naito sensei?! What? How?"
Sitting on a stool by the door with her head in a book was his first Fuinjutsu teacher.
She looked up when he called her name.
"Long time no see, Kane." she greeted her old student with a smile.
She got up and folded the corner of her page before setting it on the stool and walking over to the bed. She sat sideways on the edge of the bed and wrapped him in a tight hug.
Complicated emotions welled up in his heart, and tears began to build up in Kane's eyes.
"How are you here?" He asked as they began to overflow and streak down his face.
"I came with the other refugees who made it to Konohagakure." She said without minding his tears dampening her shirt.
The word refugees made Kane realize that it was over. Uzushiogakure was gone.
Regret, disappointment and grief welled up inside him like a wave and soon overwhelmed him.
'I shouldn't have wished for what I did. I should have asked for something better. I should have done more. All because of my selfish choices, Uzushiogakure is gone. I could have been able to save everyone if I had done things differently.'
Naito was surprised by Kane's sudden breakdown. Unsure of what to do, she pulled him closer and rubbed his back gently while whispering words of comfort.
"It's okay, Kane. You're alright."
'Damn. Mito had said he would probably be upset, but what the hell?! I'm never having kids. What am I supposed to do when they get like this?' Naito thought to herself while trying to console her utterly unhappy student.
Thankfully, Naito was saved when Kane's door slid open.
'Thank god! Save me please!' She screamed internally.
Kane lifted his head when he heard the door opening and saw Ashita standing there.
"Mom," he said in a trembling voice.
"Kane!" She said while running over to hug her adopted son.
Putting her elite ninja skills to work, Naito took the opportunity provided by their reunion to slip out of the room. After all, kids are fun, but not when they're ugly crying.
"Mom, It's my fault! They're all gone because of me." Kane cried into his mother's chest.
"Hush, now. No one is gone."
Kane was utterly inconsolable for a few minutes, saying all kinds of nonsense. But eventually, he got it out of his system, and rationality took hold again.
He pulled himself out of his mom's embrace and looked at her with his tear-stained face.
"Mom, what happened? How is Naito here?"
"Do you remember everything from before?" Ashita asked.
Kane nodded and wiped his face with his sleeve. His eyes were bloodshot from crying, and his face was smeared with a mix of snot and tears.
Ashita smiled softly and spoke while cleaning up her face with her own sleeve.
"Nawaki and Tsunade, along with the other ninja from the village, were sent on a mission to recover any Uzumaki they could find. After some small conflicts, they found far more than they expected.
As the coalition was approaching Uzushiogakure, Suto knew they couldn't win. He made the decision to use your scrolls to give his people the highest chance of survival they could have.
He split the Uzumaki into three groups. One stayed behind to stall the invading force. Their job was to do as much damage as possible and then ensure that nothing remained for them to pillage. The other two groups were for the civilians and children to escape.
Of course, they needed some ninjas to go with them as well. The barriers they made were good but not perfect. Nawaki's team found these two camps, and through everyone's combined effort, they successfully brought over 800 Uzumaki to Konohagkaure.
Naito was in charge of one of the groups, and she was very clear that the only reason so many of them survived was due to your invention. You saved over 800 of our people, Kane."
"800. That's all? That's all that's left?" He asked rhetorically to himself in a small voice.
Seeing that her words did not have the impact she wanted, Ashita decided to take a different approach. She scooped him up into her arms and walked out of the room.
Kane didn't fight her action. This made Ashita realize how distraught he really was.
Normally, he would protest and squirm as soon as he was picked up. But this time, he leaned in instead of his usual behaviour, seeming to crave the close contact.
She carried him out of his room and walked to an unexpected location.
Kane noticed that the compound looked different as they passed through hallways and less-used corridors.
The floors were completely dust-free, the walls had new decorations, and the places where the paint was cracked and chipped had been fixed. The scattered carvings of the Senju clan's crest were now joined by carvings of the Uzumaki whirlpool.
It reminded him of Uzushiogakure. Of home.
Ashita opened the door to the training yard, and Kane's eyes widened in shock.
The training ground was normally empty. Since no one ever used it, it had long since fallen into disrepair. But it was restored to a functional state when Kane and his family moved into the compound.
It had a small forested area with a large field, but it was devoid of equipment. It looked more like a private park from Kane's old life if you ignored the marks and missing bits of wood in the mature trees.
However, at the moment, the green training yard was the host of a small sea of energetic redheaded Uzumaki.
As the mother and son got closer to the group, they all fell silent as they noticed their approach. A group of five- Mito, Naito, Kushina, Tsunade and Nawaki walked out of the crowd.
"Why is everyone here?" Kane asked. He had a suspicion, but between his headache and his emotional exhaustion, he wasn't thinking all that straight.
"We all came to cheer you up, Kane!" Said Kushina, who was riding on a smiling Naito's shoulders.
"I came to invite you to have some barbecue later tonight." Said Nawaki
"I'm just here to help with the headache I'm sure you have. Mito never likes to pull her punches." Tsunade said while already activating her mystical palm technique.
Kane sighed in relief as the pain from the back of his head vanished within seconds.
Tsunade sure knows her stuff.
"They all have something to say to you," Naito said, nodding to the crowd.