c2: Uzumaki Kushina
Passing through the busy streets of Konoha, Chi Yu headed toward the Ninja Academy.
There was no helping it; his assigned residence was on the village outskirts, near the training grounds, so reaching the Academy meant walking through the heart of the village every day.
He wasn't a glutton for punishment. The constant glares, whispers, and hushed insults gnawed at him.
Upon arriving at the Academy, Chi Yu, as always, made his way to the back row and sat in the corner nearest the window.
No one sat beside him. The desk in front remained empty too no one wanted to be associated with the "traitor's son."
It had been three years since Chi Yu enrolled, and he had poured his focus into study and ninjutsu training.
He knew that to escape the suffocating fate the village had laid on him, strength was his only way out.
Back when the class first learned chakra extraction, Chi Yu attempted it immediately.
While most took a day or more to succeed, he managed it in under half a day.
Still, he wasn't the most gifted.
That title belonged to Minato Namikaze a prodigy from a non-clan background.
In just three years, Minato had eclipsed heirs from the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Nara clans, earning the top spot in the Academy.
And with his bright demeanor and good looks, Minato was beloved by all everything Chi Yu wasn't.
Chi Yu rested his head on his desk, waiting for the lesson to begin.
Other than attending class and awaiting the transfer of Kushina Uzumaki, he had little else to look forward to.
His thoughts swirled again Konoha's lies, its hypocrisy.
He reviewed what he remembered of Kushina Uzumaki's story and found troubling inconsistencies.
When she and Minato were still genin, Kushina was abducted by Kumogakure shinobi three of them, believed to be at least tokubetsu jōnin.
Yet it was said that Minato, a genin at the time, tracked them alone using Kushina's trail of red hair and rescued her, defeating all three enemies.
That story never sat right with him.
Even if Minato had exceptional talent, defeating three elite Kumo ninja alone was a stretch.
And why hadn't the village's sensory unit noticed foreign shinobi slipping past the border?
Chi Yu considered a darker possibility and shot a quick glance at Minato, who was laughing with his friends.
Jinchūriki.
At this point in time, Kushina had not yet become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Mito Uzumaki, the First Hokage's wife and the original jinchūriki, was nearing the end of her life.
For the sake of maintaining power balance among the great nations, Konoha needed a new container—and so they chose Kushina, a child of the Uzumaki Clan, brought from Uzushiogakure to the Leaf.
She never had a say.
According to Kushina's own later recollections, the moment she was brought to Konoha, she felt overwhelming loneliness and loss of freedom.
She didn't want this but she had no choice.
And Minato… was the one light in that dark place for her.
Was it coincidence? Or by design?
Chi Yu's mind raced.
Could it be that Konoha's higher-ups orchestrated everything? That they planted Minato as Kushina's "savior" to forge a deep emotional bond one they could later exploit?
That the entire rescue event was staged?
Make the orphaned Uzumaki girl fall for a golden boy like Minato, chain her down with love and loyalty, and turn her into a willing vessel.
Konoha would never miss a chance to weaponize emotions.
If that were true, then even Minato Namikaze was nothing more than a cog in the machine a pawn used by those in power.
Minato seemed to notice Chi Yu's gaze and looked over.
Chi Yu quickly averted his eyes, pretending to focus on the far wall.
Minato, seeing nothing out of place, resumed his conversation.
Chi Yu's heart beat faster.
If his suspicions were right, Konoha's darkness went deeper than he imagined.
Not even the future Fourth Hokage was exempt from manipulation.
Chi Yu exhaled slowly.
Whether it was true or not didn't matter now.
He would eventually leave this place he was sure of it.
But to do that, he needed power.
The Third Great Ninja War was looming on the horizon, and with it, countless events that could be witnessed for points.
But without strength, he wouldn't survive long enough to use them.
The classroom door slid open.
Masada Hayabusa, the homeroom instructor, walked in briskly.
Chi Yu's eyes widened slightly when he saw the red-haired girl following behind him.
At long last after three long years she had arrived.
Uzumaki Kushina.
She stood beside Hayabusa-sensei with a nervous expression, clutching the hem of her uniform.
Her long, vivid red hair swayed slightly, and her violet eyes flicked across the classroom, avoiding direct contact.
She was here.
And so was Chi Yu's opportunity.
Masada Hayabusa addressed the class: "Everyone, this is a new transfer student who'll be joining us starting today. Please make her feel welcome."
Kushina Uzumaki inhaled deeply, shut her eyes tightly for a second, then declared with a loud, energetic voice: "I'm Kushina Uzumaki, ya know!"
She immediately covered her mouth, flustered and embarrassed.
That familiar verbal tic—"ya know" had slipped out without her meaning to.
Watching her flustered reaction, Chi Yu found her endearing in a clumsy sort of way.
But the classroom broke out in snickers and mocking whispers.
"Look at that hair what is that, blood red?"
"Is that even natural? It's freaky."
"She looks like a tomato!"
...
Kushina self-consciously scratched at her crimson hair, her fingers trembling slightly.
Masada Hayabusa barked sternly, "Enough! Settle down. I said quiet!"
Despite the warning, the damage was already done. Kushina's shoulders stiffened, and her small fists clenched tightly at her sides.
Then, with a fire burning in her eyes, she shouted as if making a solemn vow: "I… I'm going to be the first female Hokage, ya know!"
The classroom instantly went silent. Even the bullies stopped laughing, stunned by her unexpected declaration.
Then, from the middle row, Minato Namikaze stood up and offered a calm, confident smile: "I want to become a Hokage too one who earns the true respect of everyone in the village."
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and shot him a sideways glance.
What's with this guy? she thought. Too soft. Way too smiley. How can someone like that ever become Hokage?
Masada Hayabusa clapped once to break the awkward pause. "Alright. Let's get you seated."
The classroom was mostly filled, desks crowded by clusters of clan kids and civilian hopefuls. Only one area was conspicuously empty around Chi Yu.
Masada's eyes landed reluctantly on that part of the room. His expression turned cold.
"…There's only one spot left. You'll have to sit over there for now."
Kushina followed the direction of his hand and noticed it immediately.
The space surrounding Chi Yu was like a dead zone, utterly isolated.
No one sat beside him. No one even looked in his direction.
She noticed the smug looks on some of the other students' faces, like they were enjoying the idea of her being lumped in with an outcast.
Kushina's brow furrowed.
Oh, so that's how it is? You all think you can laugh at me? she thought, indignant.
Without hesitation, she marched toward Chi Yu's desk, pulled out the chair next to him, and sat down with a huff.
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