Naruto and his companion were completely unaware of the disturbance they had caused. Their activities had kept nearly everyone in the inn awake for the entire night.
Naruto was surprised to see that even though Kana was utterly exhausted—unable to even lift her hand—she still hadn't fallen asleep. Instead, she was relishing the sensations from earlier with a contented smile.
The Uzumaki clan's remarkable resilience was truly impressive.
"Naruto, thank you so much," Kana whispered, snuggling up to him. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, and thanks to Kushina for giving birth to such an incredible son."
"Which part of me do you think is incredible, Aunt Kana?" Naruto grinned mischievously.
"I'm being serious here!" Kana rolled her eyes, then giggled. "But, well, everything about you is pretty amazing."
Naruto understood her meaning well enough. With how things had progressed between them, there was no need to be coy anymore.
As long as she could let go of her past and stay peacefully by his side, that was all he wanted.
"By the way," Kana suddenly asked with a playful glint in her eye, "did you bring Ryūzu along because you're planning on having her contribute to the Uzumaki clan too?"
Naruto hadn't expressed such intentions outright. But with so many people in Kusagakure, why would he specifically choose Ryūzu? It didn't seem like he took her out of revenge or spite either.
Kana thought she had figured out his plan and expected him to feel at least a little awkward or embarrassed.
However, Naruto answered confidently, "Of course! Growing the Uzumaki clan is too big a task for you to handle alone, Aunt Kana. That's why I plan to bring home every worthy sister I come across in the ninja world!"
Kana was left speechless by Naruto's audacity.
She had never seen anyone shamelessly admit to something so bold with such righteous conviction.
"Your... ambition is truly something," Kana said with an awkward chuckle.
She wanted to ask if Naruto's body could even handle so many women, but after last night's experience, she realized that as long as he exercised some restraint, it was probably doable.
In reality, she had already accepted Naruto as her master, and jealousy or rivalry no longer had any place in her heart. The whole situation just seemed a little outlandish to her.
Still, if Naruto was serious about this, she would wholeheartedly support him—and even help him out.
"It's not really an ambition," Naruto shrugged with a smile. "Let's just call it a hobby."
If he had the power to do it, why not?
What man wouldn't want this? Unless, of course, he wasn't capable.
"Well then," Kana said with a sigh, "I'll take care of Ryūzu for you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I've seen her a few times back in Kusagakure," Kana explained. "She's a sweet, innocent girl. Honestly, I like her too."
Was Kana trying to build a team already? Experienced women really did think differently!
Naruto didn't mind it though, so he nodded in agreement.
Now he was curious to see what Kana would do to convince Ryūzu without his involvement.
The two of them slept until the afternoon. When they finally ventured outside, they noticed that both Ryūzu and Karin looked as though they had just woken up.
It wasn't just them; everyone else in the inn seemed to be in a state of exhaustion, as if they hadn't slept well at all.
"What's going on?" Kana asked, surprised. "Why does everyone look so tired?"
Naruto had an inkling of what had happened but wisely kept his thoughts to himself.
Sure enough, as soon as Kana asked, nearly everyone in the inn shot her a unified look of resentment.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Kana asked, utterly confused.
She had been so engrossed in last night's activities that she hadn't realized she'd disrupted everyone else's sleep.
Karin, being her daughter, had no reservations about complaining. "Mom, you really have the nerve to ask! It's your fault for being so loud! No one could sleep at all. I even wanted to check if you were sick, but Ryūzu stopped me."
Now that she saw Kana looking so energetic, Karin's concern faded, but her curiosity grew. Just what had her mother been up to last night?
Kana's face flushed bright red as she stammered, "I was just… I mean… Anyway, children shouldn't ask too many questions!"
Not finding any excuse, she resorted to evasion.
It worked on Karin, but the others weren't so easily convinced.
They glanced back and forth between Kana and Naruto, internally giving them a thumbs-up.
The fact that one could keep going all night and the other could keep up was something that made them both objects of envy.
Kana, thoroughly embarrassed by the stares, quickly urged Naruto with her eyes. After checking out of the inn, they swiftly made their escape.
Notably, Naruto was no longer wearing his mask once they entered the town. Keeping it on would have attracted too much attention. Instead, he used the Transformation Jutsu to give himself black hair, making it harder for anyone to recognize his true identity.
After putting some distance between themselves and the inn, Naruto, Kana, Karin, and Ryūzu finally sat down for a meal.
Throughout the meal, Ryūzu couldn't stop glancing at Naruto and Kana with a perplexed expression.
She knew that Kana was Naruto's aunt, but she never imagined that they would do something like that.
Kana, being the more experienced one, had already regained her composure by now.
Seeing the question in Ryūzu's eyes, Kana explained openly, "The Uzumaki clan was once a large and powerful family, but due to certain events, we're on the brink of extinction. If we don't act quickly, our lineage will die out. That's why we need to expand as soon as possible."
"Since Karin is still too young, the responsibility falls on me. But I can't do it alone, Ryūzu. So, how about you join in? I'm sure if it's you, the children would turn out amazing!"
"Huh?" Ryūzu was stunned. It took her a moment to process what Kana was suggesting, and when she did, her face turned bright red.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could Kana seriously suggest that she help Naruto carry on the Uzumaki bloodline?
But now that she thought about it, everything started to make sense. Naruto hadn't taken her from Kusagakure out of revenge after all. His real intention was this?
At first, she had thought Naruto had captured her as payback for attacking him. But in all the time since, Naruto hadn't treated her badly, nor had he sought any revenge.
So the real reason was to secure heirs for the Uzumaki clan? But why her?
After all, back then she had been wearing an Anbu mask. Naruto hadn't even seen her face.