The bright sun warmed Hiruzen's back through the tall windows, casting long shadows across his desk. He took a slow pull from his pipe, savoring the earthy bitterness as he scanned the mission report in front of him.
The letters swam slightly before his eyes.
He blinked, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he exhaled a plume of smoke. Old age was finally catching up with him.
The door suddenly opened with a soft creak. Quiet footsteps followed, accompanied by the distinctive tap of a wooden cane against the floor.
The sound stopped.
Hiruzen looked up from the paperwork, meeting Danzō's impassive, one-eyed gaze across his desk.
Setting his pipe aside with a soft click, he pulsed his chakra in a quick, familiar pattern. The ANBU presence in the room vanished like candle flames snuffed out.
"What brings you here today, old friend?" Hiruzen smiled, noting the slight twitch at the corner of Danzō's mouth.
A sudden visit like this could only mean two things. His friend had either uncovered something worth gloating about, or he wanted to complain about Hiruzen's recent decisions. It wasn't hard to guess which, but playing this game was one of the few things that broke the daily monotony of paperwork and petty village disputes.
"I see that you've been quite busy, Hiruzen."
"It comes with the burden of being Hokage." Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. "As much as I'd like to retire, I can't let the youngsters take my hat just yet."
Danzō's lone eye opened a fraction wider, a curious gleam flashing within. "Have you finally decided to make full use of Lord Tobirama's greatest invention?"
The flicker of amusement that had been warming Hiruzen's chest vanished like smoke. He barely held back a scoff.
Greatest invention?
Such a technique shouldn't even exist. The power to command the immortal dead, to rip souls from their eternal rest and bind them to one's whim... so terrifyingly easy to abuse. His teacher had created many forbidden techniques throughout his life, but this one...
This one was a mistake.
"I haven't summoned her to fight." The words came out sharper than intended. He picked up his pipe again, fixing Danzō with a glare. "Her chakra is not even half of what she had. I'd rather have her teaching the sealing arts than waste her talent on the field."
An immortal jōnin wouldn't make that much of a difference outside the village. Not unless they absolutely needed to subdue an enemy jinchūriki, and even then, Yamato and his Wood Style might be enough to deal with most of them.
Kushina's true value lay in her knowledge.
"Then perhaps we should see if we can improve the combat aspects of the Edo Tensei," Danzō said, not in the least dissuaded. His grip tightened on his cane. "This technique has the potential to make us invincible in the event of another war."
A frown settled on Hiruzen's face as he exhaled wearily. "I'd rather not see another war in my lifetime."
It was times like these that kept reminding him why Danzō couldn't be Hokage. The Leaf would've either burned under his stubborn ambition, or they would've found peace built on the ashes of everything else.
"The village must be prepared, regardless of our wishful thinking."
"An improved Edo Tensei could be disastrous in the hands of an enemy." Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe, letting the smoke fill his lungs before exhaling slowly. "I'd rather not risk someone stealing it from us."
The memory of Orochimaru's cold smile flashed through his mind. His wayward student already knew too much. If someone like him ever got their hands on an improved version...
Hiruzen felt a chill crawl up his back at the thought.
Danzō went quiet, a frown pulling at his scarred face. That lone eye kept piercing Hiruzen with a steady glare as grey wisps of smoke curled around his lips.
The silence stretched between them like a fraying rope.
"Can she still restrain the Nine Tails?" Danzō finally spoke, folding both hands atop his cane, his frown deepening.
"I'd assume so."
Danzō's eye narrowed. "We cannot work on assumptions. The boy is already training with that chakra. All it takes is one mistake, and we'd have a rampaging jinchūriki in the middle of the village."
Hiruzen felt his lips twitch around his pipe. If only he knew.
The Nine Tails had been remarkably cooperative lately. Disturbingly so, if he were being honest. The fox seemed more interested in teaching Naruto parlor tricks and ancient legends than plotting escape. It was... unexpected. Unsettlingly so.
"I saw her on that night. The Nine Tails couldn't even move." Hiruzen paused, taking another pull from his pipe. The memory of those golden chains glowing in the darkness, Kushina's pale face set with determination even as she lay on death's door. "It only needs to buy her enough time to apply a seal."
"Then why haven't you assigned Kinoe to supervise the boy?"
"I believe he goes by Yamato nowadays."
The young man had earned the right to choose his own name after what Root had put him through.
"That's beside the point." Danzō's hands clenched around the handle of his cane until his knuckles turned white. "When you took him away from Root, I expected you to make good use of his unique talent. It's been three years since."
Hiruzen sighed, a tired and weary sound even to his own ears. It seemed that his old friend was still bitter about how that particular mess had ended.
"I admit that I could've handled it better." But keeping Yamato close to his friend had helped scrub away most of that Root indoctrination. The young man could think for himself now. He could joke with his teammates. He could be a person instead of a tool. "I'll speak with him once he returns from his mission."
Between Kushina and Yamato, they wouldn't need to keep pulling Jiraiya away from his duties just to supervise Naruto's training sessions. His student had enough on his plate tracking the Akatsuki's movements and trying to unearth more clues about that masked man.
Danzō let out a quiet exhale, a satisfied glimmer entering his eye. "That's good to hear. The village cannot afford a repeat of that night."
"You have that little faith in Minato's seal?"
Danzō's expression hardened like steel. "It is our duty to have countermeasures in place regardless."
Hiruzen felt another tired sigh building in his chest. He couldn't fault his old friend for the concern, even if it came mostly from doubt and paranoia. That incident had left a grim scar in the village's collective memory. It would take another decade before it truly healed, if it ever did.
"Jiraiya took one look at the seal and said he could never come up with something so brilliant." Hiruzen folded his hands atop his desk, the pipe hanging loosely between his lips. "And Kushina helped Minato design it. She'll have a way to deal with the Nine Tails should the need ever arise."
Danzō let out a low, contemplative hum. "Very well, Hiruzen." His grip loosened around his cane as he stood a little straighter. "I'll trust you to have everything covered."
The words hung in the air like a wisp of smoke.
Hiruzen found himself smiling despite everything. A pang of nostalgia tugged deep inside his chest. He couldn't remember the last time they'd reached common ground so smoothly in an argument. It felt almost like the old days. Before the weight of all their failures had settled between them like a scar.
"Anything else you wished to discuss, old friend?"
"Yes." That smug note crept back into Danzō's scratchy voice. "I received another report about that cover-up in Grass. The plan bore fruit. They accused Cloud of abducting their precious Uzumaki."
Hiruzen took another pull from his pipe, the ash glowing briefly. "The Raikage will deny everything as usual."
"And that's why we have nothing to worry about." Danzō's mouth curved in what might've been satisfaction on a less disciplined face. "They've set one too many precedents for anyone to believe their drivel, even if they happen to not be at fault."
Hiruzen frowned, smoke trailing from his nostrils. He never thought that something even remotely good would come out of the Hyūga Incident. It had been a diplomatic nightmare that ended on a tragedy, but it had damaged Cloud's reputation enough for ploys like these to take root.
The irony was almost poetic.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly under his weight.
It might be a lie this time, but that greedy village had certainly gotten its hands on some Uzumaki refugees after the fall of Whirlpool. He'd seen too many suspicious resemblances over the years, and looking back, it all painted an obvious picture.
Thankfully, they'd never managed to steal any of their bloodline limit. A silver lining to this bitter piece of history...
"I assume you have a cover story ready for Kushina?" Danzō's voice broke through the brief silence, an intrigued gleam flashing across his face.
Hiruzen flipped his pipe over, tapping out the spent ash into a small dish. "Yes. I'll be holding a council with the clan heads this evening."
"I see." Danzō's eye fixed on him with that familiar intensity. "Anything I should know in advance?"
Hiruzen considered it for a moment, his gaze wandering across the room. He set the empty pipe aside and folded his hands on his lap. Sighing, he began telling Danzō his plan.
__________________________________________
Kushina sat on the weathered tree stump, her hands folded in her lap, watching the two children run across the pond's surface.
Naruto stumbled, water rippling under his feet as he caught himself, windmilling his arms for balance. Karin laughed before tagging him over his back and sprinting away, her red hair streaming behind her like a banner.
Her son wasn't as good as Karin at water walking, but he was better than she'd expected. His chakra control was already above what most children his age would have.
With an indignant shout, Naruto ran after Karin, determined to win this "ninja tag".
It was clever, blending training with a game like this. It made the tedious work of chakra control feel less like a chore and more like—
Something flared in her chest, crackling faintly like a dying ember.
That Nine Tails...
It had to be his idea. Naruto wouldn't have thought of something like this on his own. Children his age didn't think about optimal training methods. They thought about ramen and games and whether they could jump off the highest swing without spraining their ankles.
Someone had taught him. Someone who wasn't her—
That ember sparked anew, only to die just as fast, leaving behind a hollow ache. This body couldn't even feel angry as it should. Couldn't feel much of anything. Just the ghost of emotions echoing through an empty heart.
She wanted to be furious. Wanted to storm back into that seal right now and give that Nine Tails a piece of her mind. That bastard thought he had any right to raise her son. That he could just take her place and act like it was his and—
She shook her head.
No. She wasn't doing this again.
Even if the conversation from last night kept circling back like a vulture. That smug, grating voice. Those red eyes watching her from behind the bars, with equal parts pity and glee.
I'm only trying to be the parent he's never had—
She shoved that thought away, gritting her teeth.
Her gaze drifted away from the pond, settling somewhere on the distant tree line where the afternoon sun filtered through leaves in patches of dying gold.
She'd missed it all.
And he'd been there in her place.
Her stomach twisted with something that should've been nausea but came out dull and distant instead.
She lifted her hand, palm up, staring at the hairline cracks running through the pale skin.
Chakra spun in her stomach like a bright flame, the only warmth she could still feel in full. She nudged it up her arm, letting it flow towards her hand.
Golden light bloomed in her palm, a chain shooting out like a snake. It dangled from her hand with a familiar weight, glowing softly.
She studied it for a few moments, a frown lining her face. Something felt off about it.
She closed her fist around the chain and squeezed.
The chain held.
She squeezed harder.
It still held.
Her lips pressed into a tense line.
She opened her fist, letting the chain sit in her palm. It felt off.
Her chains had a fullness to them, and this one felt lighter. Weaker.
She closed her eyes and spun more chakra, focusing solely on its texture and weight as she formed another chain.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She opened her eyes, tracing the golden links dangling from her other palm.
They were weaker.
Her chains were weaker.
No…
She reached inward again for that spring of warmth around her navel and pulled. She pulled as hard and as much as she could.
Chakra given shape exploded from her back, wrapping around her and swaying in the air like golden snakes.
Her eyes glossed over them, something cold and heavy settling deep inside her gut.
No…
Barely a dozen. Less than half she could muster on a bad day.
Her hands clenched in her lap.
Her sealing chains... Her unbreakable and unyielding chains. They'd bound the Nine Tails at its strongest.
And now they've become just like her. A pale imitation of what had once been.
She cut off the chakra, the chains shimmering away and dissolving into nothing. She stared at her empty hands, something sour and ugly twisting on her lips.
Limitless chakra?
A harsh, bitter sound escaped her.
What use was limitless chakra when she could only muster a pathetic fraction of it? When even her chains now felt uncertain like a cheap copy?
Could she even restrain that bastard if it came down to it?
She'd managed it once, that night, while she had a foot in the grave...
The memory surfaced unbidden—golden chains wrapping around that massive body, digging into orange fur, holding fast even as her vision darkened at the corners. She'd poured everything she had left into those chains. They'd held, long enough for Minato to work his seal.
But now...
Could she do it again?
The faint splash of water reached her ears, followed by a childlike giggle.
Kushina blinked, the memory vanishing like smoke.
The kids were still running around. Still training so diligently, improving with each passing moment.
She should follow their example and shake off the rust.
So, what if her chains were weaker? She'd find a way to make them stronger. And if she couldn't, she just had to find another way to hold that bastard down, long enough to shove him back inside his cage—
"—that's it! I've had enough!"
Naruto's voice cracked with frustration, carrying across the training ground.
Her head snapped back towards the pond.
A massive plume of smoke exploded across the water's surface, obscuring her son from sight. For a moment she tensed, hand reaching instinctively for a kunai that wasn't there.
The smoke cleared, and the tension bled out of her frame.
A dozen Narutos stood on the water, all of them soaked from head to toe.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Karin's voice rang out, high-pitched with betrayal.
"Everything's fair in ninja tag!" The shadow clones chorused back, their voices blending into a smug cacophony of noise.
"Oh, really?" Karin's voice dropped to something overly sweet and dark, with that particular edge that came right before someone learned a very painful lesson about underestimating Uzumaki women.
Kushina's eyebrows rose a fraction, her lips twitching at an old memory from her Academy days.
Oh. Her baby boy was in trouble.
Kushina watched as Karin reached behind her back, hand moving deliberately slow. The girl pulled out a blunted kunai, brandishing it in a way that caught the light just right to flash with an ominous gleam.
"W-Wait, Karin!" Several clones took a step back, one of them falling straight through the water with a yelp and a splash.
"Eh?" Karin cocked her head a fraction. "Didn't you say that everything is fair in ninja tag?" Her voice carried across the pond with a sweet singsong like poisoned honey.
A vague pang of nostalgia stirred in Kushina's chest. Another memory surfaced to her mind, unbidden. Minato slowly backing away with his hands raised and a placating smile while she advanced on him with a ladle in hand.
She'd chased him across half the village, and he'd laughed the entire time.
"I was joking!" Another chorus blended together from Naruto's clones.
"That's too bad." Karin held up her kunai, examining it with exaggerated care. "I think I want to do some target practice." She wound up her arm, and the clones scattered like startled birds.
The kunai sailed over the water, hitting one of the Narutos in the butt. He popped in a plume of smoke.
Karin was already pulling out another kunai, this time breaking into a run after the fleeing shadow clones.
Kushina's face softened as she watched the kids fool around.
These two were getting along so well.
"Mercy! Mercy!" Some of the clones yelled while running around; their hands raised in surrender.
"Too late!" Karin laughed while she kept giving chase.
Kushina smiled fondly, a flicker of warmth curling in her chest.
She shouldn't let that smug bastard tear her down. Not when she had moments like these waiting for her.
She had so much to look forward to in this second chance at life.
Naruto needed his mother.
And she'd be there for him.
__________________________________________
Fugaku sat at the council table, drumming a finger in a slow pattern against the polished top. Around him, the other clan heads waited in varying states of patience.
Danzō sat at the far end of the table, cane planted between his feet and lone eye giving away nothing.
Hopefully, this would be short. The clan had another meeting tonight.
Fugaku felt a frown weigh down on his face.
They'd made no progress chasing that shadow, no progress unearthing any spies, and the clan kept growing more restless by the day. The rumors about Itachi had quelled some of that fire, his talent enough to convince some, and whispers about the Third taking an interest in him enough to convince others.
But without any immediate proof…
He wasn't sure what Hiruzen was playing at, but if he was serious about Itachi's future, he could at least make a more overt effort to show it. Give the clan something tangible to cling to instead of promises and vague assurances.
If things kept moving at this pace, they'd leave him with no other choice. He couldn't abandon the clan for the sake of the village. He couldn't—
The doors opened with a faint creak of old hinges.
Everyone sat a little straighter as the Hokage walked inside, taking his own seat at the council table. He leaned forward, clasping his hands as his gaze swept over everyone.
"I've gathered you here to inform you of a development that will impact the future of our village." Hiruzen's gravelly voice broke the quiet. "While investigating one of Orochimaru's abandoned hideouts, Jiraiya has made an unsettling discovery."
The atmosphere inside the room shifted. Some exchanged uneasy glances as that traitor's name bounced off the walls, hanging heavily in the air.
"How bad is it?" Shikaku's voice carried a note of resignation as he straightened in his seat.
Hiruzen didn't answer immediately. His stony, weathered expression spoke enough.
"Come in."
The Hokage looked over his shoulder at the entrance.
The doors opened after a moment, and a woman walked in.
Pale skin and vibrant red hair flowing down her shoulders. A familiar green dress that triggered a memory that Fugaku had long buried.
His Sharingan flickered to life, the world tinting red for a single heartbeat before he cut off the chakra flow to his eyes.
His gaze shifted to Hiruzen's grim face, then back to the woman.
Kushina.
She looked like she hadn't aged a single day since that night. But those hairline cracks running through her skin like fractured porcelain. The way her chest didn't quite move right. And those blackened eyes...
Was it really her?
Questions piled in his mind one after the other.
Shikaku muttered something under his breath before leaning forward slightly, all pretense of laziness evaporating. Next to him, Hiashi sat stone-faced, veins swollen around his Byakugan.
Inoichi sat wide-eyed, his usual composure slipping. Chōza looked visibly shaken, hands gripping the table, and Tsume stared open-mouthed, frozen mid-breath.
Only Danzō remained unperturbed. He'd known beforehand as usual.
"She looks like she hasn't aged a day." Inoichi's voice broke the suffocating silence.
Kushina's mouth twitched into something that might've been a smile if it reached her eyes. "It's not as good as it looks, you know?"
Her attempt at lightheartedness fell flat, but Fugaku felt some of the tension bleed from his shoulders, nonetheless.
The way she spoke… perhaps it was truly her.
"So, Orochimaru can bring back the dead now…" Shikaku drawled, hands steepling in front of his scarred face. "As if he wasn't troublesome enough already."
Half the room stiffened.
Fugaku frowned deeply, a cold weight settling in his stomach. If this could be freely replicated… if that snake could bring back the dead…
But why specifically Kushina?
"Not quite as you might imagine." Hiruzen's attention shifted back to the table, his weathered features softening ever so slightly. "The brief notes that Jiraiya discovered along with Kushina detail how she was a 'failed' research subject."
"She doesn't smell alive." Tsume spoke up, nose wrinkling. "She doesn't smell much at all."
"That's because I'm still dead in most ways that matter." Kushina's blunt words carried a bitter note as her gaze flickered towards Tsume.
Fugaku's lips thinned. With a brief pulse of chakra, his Sharingan flared to life again.
The cracked skin. The unusual breathing pattern. Those unnatural, black eyes staring out from a face that seemed devoid of life.
He let the Sharingan fade, feeling another frown settle on his face.
Her chakra looked normal, if diminished. But her body did not.
"So that's the catch." Tsume leaned back, arms crossing over her chest.
"Failed research?" Shikaku repeated, eyebrow arching.
"It seems that Orochimaru is researching a method of immortality." Hiruzen leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. The corners of his eyes tightened, in anger, or maybe grief. "I assume he was studying the potent life-force and longevity of the Uzumaki."
The room went deathly quiet.
"That snake bastard…" Tsume muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Toying with the dead like this."
"How long does she have?" Shikaku spoke again. "I assume that's the 'failed' part of his research."
"We don't know." Hiruzen's hands folded together. "From what we've gathered, her body is an inanimate vessel with her soul bound to it. But the method that keeps it anchored is flawed."
"So I could crumble apart at any moment." Kushina's voice remained unnervingly calm despite the grim words. "It could be days, months, or a decade. No one really knows."
Then again… what did the dead have to fear anymore?
"Crumble apart?" Inoichi sounded genuinely unsettled now.
"I'm a corpse made of dust and ash." A humorless smile settled on Kushina's face like a weathered mask. "I don't eat, breathe, or sleep. Any injury I take will heal in seconds while this technique holds. The only way to put me down permanently is through sealing."
Her words hung in the air like heavy, acrid smoke.
Some shifted in their seats. Others shared brief, subtle looks. Nobody voiced the thought that likely sat in everyone's minds.
The perfect weapon.
Fugaku's hands clenched against the table.
"Immortality, huh?" Shikaku's wry tone broke the silence, the man shaking his head slowly. "I'd rather not see what his perfected method looks like."
The atmosphere thickened like an oppressive blanket.
Fugaku agreed wholeheartedly. They'd overlooked that traitor for too long, let him slip into the shadows and remain unchecked. And now they saw the results crawling back into the light.
They had to do something about Orochimaru before he became an even bigger threat.
Folding his hands on the table, Fugaku took another glance at Kushina, before turning to Hiruzen.
"Could it be a ploy?"
There were certainly easier ways to infiltrate a spy into the village, but if Orochimaru could somehow control Kushina…
"It would be a highly convoluted one." Hiruzen smiled, though it held no warmth. "But rest assured that we've taken precautions. Kushina's knowledge in the sealing arts surpasses Orochimaru's. If that man had any influence over her, that's no longer the case."
Fugaku relaxed slightly in his seat, ignoring the brief, one-eyed glare from Danzō. If that man wished to tell him something, he should speak.
"I assume that she will return to her former duties?" Hiashi spoke up for the first time, voice clipped and formal as usual.
Kushina shook her head. "I haven't decided yet. I'd rather wait a little longer and see how things go," she said, drawing a few surprised looks.
Hiashi gave a stiff nod, the ghost of a frown pulling at his features.
"What are we doing about Orochimaru?" Shikaku's expression hardened as he locked eyes with Hiruzen. "The implications are quite troublesome."
Everyone's attention shifted to the Hokage.
Something flickered across the old man's weathered face, too quickly to decipher without the Sharingan active.
"Preferably, apprehend him."
Fugaku nodded along with several others around the table.
Research like this had its uses, especially in these troubled times.
"Jiraiya is doing his best to follow Orochimaru's trail, but we cannot stay idle. Danzō will use his resources to help us track and hopefully capture my wayward student." Hiruzen paused, as if the words weighed heavily on his chest. "And if that's not possible… eliminate him."
Danzō nodded grimly from across the table. Shikaku followed a moment later.
"Now, if any of you have questions?" Hiruzen prompted, his gaze sweeping across the council table.
They did.
Fugaku leaned back in his seat, the frown deepening along his brow.
This was not going to be a short meeting.
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