The next day, Kushina found herself at the academy yet again.
She hadn't been back since Uzushiogakure was destroyed.
The Hokage had made her take leave, fearing that she would be too volatile. That part, at least, wasn't entirely wrong. Kushina herself couldn't guarantee she'd hold back if someone made fun of her hair again. After all, that'd be an insult to her Uzumaki heritage. And now, with her clan gone, that insult hit harder than ever before.
Kushina entered the class, and as usual, everyone fell silent. The chatter died down like a doused flame.
Some gazes flickered toward her hair, then immediately darted away, as if eye contact alone might provoke her. Others, mostly girls, threw half-veiled glares of jealousy that no longer dared to be loud. She ignored them all.
Only two didn't seem phased: Nono Yakushi, who spared her a sidelong, neutral glance, and Minato Namikaze, who greeted her in his usual bright voice.
"Good morning, Kushina-chan," he called out, with his ever-present sunny smile.
She snorted, unimpressed, and took her seat near the back of the room. Kushina didn't like much about Minato. He was quiet and too nice. But, she did admire his persistence. He never gave up talking to her, not even now, after three years of cold shoulders and occasional threats.
He leaned back slightly, turning toward her with a look that was unusually solemn. "I'm sorry about Uzushiogakure."
Her eyes narrowed.
"It's fine," she said curtly.
"I've always been interested in fuinjutsu," he continued, oblivious to the increasingly dark look on Kushina's face, "and I've heard the Uzumaki clan were the best in the world."
She clenched her fists under the desk.
"They were one of Konoha's closest allies, right? Such a big loss for the village-"
"Shut. Up." She gritted her teeth. He had unknowingly stepped on multiple land mines.
Before he could react, her hand moved on instinct. A sharp smack echoed through the room as her palm collided with his face. The impact turned his head and left his cheek flushed with a rising welt.
Minato blinked, dazed. For all the times he had tried speaking to her, she had never actually struck him before. Kushina doesn't like him all that much, but since he was so kind, she softened her approach toward him anyway. But this time, he had accidentally poked too many open wounds at once.
Several of his fangirls rushed to his side in a flurry of concern, forming a makeshift barrier between him and further danger. Kushina crossed her arms and glared out the window, jaw clenched.
Instructor Iroh walked in just in time to witness the aftermath. He sighed, deep and weary. He was not at all surprised. After dealing with Kushina for several years now, he had learned to expect emotional outbursts, especially ones that left someone bleeding. From the moment he first felt that soul-chilling killing intent on her first day of the Academy, he'd known she would be a problem.
But Minato was a special case. Konoha's golden child, a prodigy in every subject. He was expected to graduate this year, probably at the top of the class.
So, he walked over and checked on the half-conscious Namikaze. "Minato, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Instructor," the boy muttered weakly, dazed and rubbing his temple. "Just caught me off guard."
The instructor gave a noncommittal nod and breathed a sigh of relief. If he could still speak and move, it meant Kushina had shown some restraint.
"Alright, alright. It's time to start class." He said as he walked back to the front of the room.
"Alright, alright. It's time to start class," he said, striding back to the front. "Today, we'll continue practicing the three basic Academy Jutsu. Start with the Clone Jutsu. Those of you who've mastered it can move on to Transformation. And those of you who've mastered that can move on to the Substitution Jutsu." He said that last part, even though no one has besides Minato.
He paused, gaze flicking toward Minato. "And Minato- I know you can already perform all three properly, but you can try transforming into objects to improve your Transformation. Use ones that you're deeply familiar with."
Minato nodded obediently, his usual smile returning like a sunrise. The slap hadn't dimmed him for long.
Kushina, meanwhile, sat still, arms crossed. But her mood was already shifting again, this time toward anticipation.
Hands weaving into signs quickly, she breathed in sharply and focused.
Tiger→Boar→Ox→Dog
'Clone Jutsu'
Poof!
Smoke burst outward, revealing a fully formed clone of Kushina. Its eyes were slightly glassy, and the hair was just a touch too vibrant, but it stood tall and mirrored her almost perfectly.
Her eyes sparkled. "I did it". She thought. A slow, smug grin pulled at her lips. "I'm a genius, dattebane!"
For nearly two years, this jutsu had humiliated her. No matter how hard she tried, her clones never formed. It had made her the class embarrassment, except when she was beating her opponents into the ground with superior taijutsu.
But ever since Kurama helped her yesterday, it all changed.
The truth was, she wasn't bad at chakra control. Her reserves were just immense, with the power of the Nine-Tails and her own Uzumaki vitality. Most people couldn't even imagine how hard it was to rein in that much energy. But with Kurama's guidance, she'd begun to gain traction.
'I'm gonna get that fox a big- wait, what does he even like?'
While Kushina was pondering, the rest of the class was shocked. The Instructor, especially. He had heard that the Hokage would be lowering graduation standards soon. This slightly janky clone will probably be enough to graduate, already.
Soon, murmurs spread throughout the classroom like ripples in a pond.
"Since when did she get so good?" One said.
"She couldn't even form a clone at all before!" Replied another.
"I thought I was at least better than her in Ninjutsu," One said, depressed.
Instructor Iroh raised an eyebrow and scribbled something onto his clipboard. If this progress kept up, she might even be ready to graduate this year, especially if the Hokage lowered the standards as rumored.
Minato was also surprised, but not unhappy. "Congratulations, Kushina-chan!" Not even that slap was enough to remove the sunny smile from his face.
"Hmph!" Kushina snorted, but she was secretly happy. "Soon, I'll be even better than you, dattebane!"
"I'm sure you will." He said, his smile genuine
She shook her head, somewhat annoyed. Trying to trash-talk Minato was like running into a wall of pillows. No matter what she said, he was still soft and kind. It ruined any potential rivalry.
From the opposite side of the room, a voice called softly. "Good job, Kushina."
She blinked and turned. "Thanks, Nono."
Nono Yakushi gave a small smile. Her demeanor was calm and measured, her uniform spotless, and her posture was perfect. "It wasn't all that hard," Kushina added, lifting her chin proudly.
"Then why did it take you almost two years to use?" Nono asked plainly. She had already moved on to the Transformation Jutsu herself.
She froze, and then replied somewhat awkwardly, "I was just trying to give the others a chance to shine, dattebane!"
"That doesn't sound like you at all," Nono said with disbelief.
"Just shut up and focus on your own practice!" Kushina huffed.
Nono gave a soft chuckle and then did as she asked, letting the conversation drop.
----
Later that day, inside the Hokage's office.
"You're saying she's close to mastering the Clone Jutsu?" Hiruzen asked, taking a long, contemplative puff from his pipe.
Smoke curled through the office, winding like whirling tides through the afternoon light. Outside, the sky hung grey with distant thunderclouds, thick and slow, like the thoughts moving through the Third Hokage's mind.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the kneeling ANBU replied. "Instructor Iroh reported that she'll most likely be ready for graduation by the end of this term. The clone was almost perfect by the close of class."
Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke and let it drift. This didn't make sense.
For years, her chakra control was terrible, yet now, she's catching up to a prodigy like Minato? What changed so suddenly?
"You're dismissed," he said. "Inform the instructor that she can't graduate early, regardless of performance."
"Yes, my lord." The ANBU flickered from view, disappearing into the air like mist.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, pipe smoldering slowly between his fingers. He continued smoking in silence.
He couldn't imagine what caused the sudden improvement. Perhaps something finally clicked after the fall of her homeland. Emotional trauma sometimes brought growth.
Overall, he wasn't too worried. If she can control her chakra and the Nine Tails' chakra properly, it's ultimately a good thing for the village.
Now, he needs to ensure her loyalty. She was angry now. But in time, that pain could be molded into something useful.
At this thought, his gaze flickered toward the papers on his desk. The names of the other Hidden villages scattered throughout the pages, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure.
War is on the horizon. The Third Hokage will declare war on the other four Hidden Villages. On paper, this seems like a blunder. Who would pick four fights at once, after all? But these villages are wholly incapable of working together; Hiruzen is certain of this.
The rivalry between the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage was well known; they ended up killing each other. Kirigakure and Iwagakure, led by the Second Tsuchikage's disciple, Onoki, could never work together. Both the Cloud and the Stone are also untrustworthy and brazen. Neither Kirigakure nor Sunagakure would ever fully cooperate with them.
Given time, whatever flimsy alliance they have would fall apart like sand quickly.
Regardless, these are all Kushina's sworn enemies, as the destroyers of Uzushiogakure. The perfect enemies to set her against. She would learn to rely on the village eventually. 'She has no one else,' he told himself. 'Sooner or later, she'll come to us for guidance.'