Kushina darted through the forests of the Land of Fire, moving like a crimson streak under the pale light filtering through the canopy. From treetop to treetop, branch to branch, her movements were sharp, controlled- yet her erratic breathing betrayed her. Not from the strain of travel, but from the pressure in her mind.
She had hoped, foolishly, that her time in the Hidden Leaf might end differently.
Although she hated the village to its core, there had still been a handful of people she considered friends… however distant or imperfect those connections were.
Her plan had been simple in her mind: bide her time, master the Initial Tailed Beast Form, and then leave Konoha behind forever. At that level of power, the five Kages themselves wouldn't be much of a threat. She could kill the higher-ups for her grudge and then leave. It's not like they could stop her. It wasn't arrogance- it was fact. Her strength and Kurama's power combined would make her untouchable.
Once free, she could rebuild the Uzumaki clan. She wouldn't need alliances or treaties; her existence alone would be enough of a deterrent to keep enemies away. The world would remember the Uzumaki name, and they would remember it with fear.
It was even possible that Tsunade or some of the others would follow her. She'd allowed herself to imagine it- Minato with his sunny demeanor, Hana with her patient guidance, even Sakumo with his quiet loyalty.
But now? She didn't think any of them would consider her a friend again.
'It doesn't matter,' she told herself. 'As long as I have Kurama.'
Her feet found the solid surface of a thick oak branch, and she stopped, letting her gaze drift over the endless sprawl of green below. She'd traveled far already; with the speed her tailed beast form granted, she was well beyond Konoha's immediate reach, though still within the borders of the Land of Fire.
The crimson shroud that had clung to her body like living flame dissolved, retreating into her skin. The oppressive heat of Kurama's chakra left her, and the sudden absence made her knees feel weak. Her hands trembled. Her face was pale, her lips dry.
The rush of battle had carried her through the last hours, but now, as it faded away, she was left exposed to thought and doubt.
She had felt certain in the moment- certain that reducing parts of Konoha to rubble was justified, that striking back at the village was the only answer. But now… was it really right?
Images came unbidden: families walking home from the market, laughing children chasing each other down narrow streets, the steaming bowl of ramen that always greeted her at her favorite shop after missions, Hana's calm voice during training, little Kakashi waving from the mission gates.
Then she thought of the blast and fire burning it all away.
Her chest tightened.
The more she thought, the more the enormity of it weighed on her- the number of homes gone, of lives uprooted or ended because of her hand. She had wanted revenge, yes, but not all of those people were her enemies.
And yet… the guilt was tangled with something else. The need for an anchor. For the one presence that had never wavered.
She dropped from the branch to the forest floor, moving with a purpose now. A small clearing became her makeshift camp. She worked by instinct, hands moving to gather a few branches, set them against a tree, and form a crude shelter. It didn't matter if it kept the rain out; she wouldn't be here long.
The world around her changed in a heartbeat as she closed her eyes and entered the seal.
The air was still. Heavy. The familiar dark stone walls rose around her, towering and impenetrable. The dim light gave the place an air of solemnity, even gloom. But for Kushina, there was no place in the world where she felt more at ease.
Kurama was seated on the floor in his human form, his broad shoulders draped in a dark robe, several of his nine tails curled beneath him like a throne. His face was calm, unreadable to most- but she saw it. There was a faint gleam of wicked excitement in his eyes. He had hated Konoha far longer than she had; their pain was nothing to him.
Seeing him was enough. She didn't speak at all and threw herself into his arms. The moment she felt his steady presence surround her, the barrier she'd held together since she fled cracked apart. Her breath hitched, and her vision blurred.
"I… I killed all those people," she choked, the words raw.
Kurama said nothing, one hand moving in slow, deliberate circles on her back.
"I might have… killed Sakumo-sensei earlier. I couldn't tell. Even his family could've been caught in the explosion." Her voice broke completely, and she buried her face in his shoulder. "All of those families…"
Her sobs echoed in the quiet chamber.
Finally, she tilted her tear-streaked face up to meet his gaze. "Do you think what I did was right?"
His slitted red eyes locked onto hers. "Yes," he said without a hint of hesitation.
It wasn't a loud affirmation. It was low and certain, as though the truth had been sitting there all along, waiting for her to find it.
"There's no point in caring about these insignificant people and their problems. What have they ever done for you?"
His voice softened, almost gentle. "In school, they bullied you. On the streets, they feared you. Not for anything you did, just for what you are."
"But… they didn't all hate me," she muttered weakly.
"The higher-ups tried to control you. The ANBU and the elite Jōnin obeyed without question. Even Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Sakumo did nothing when it mattered most."
Kushina hesitated as he listed the last three. "But… Tsunade and Sakumo were there for me. They-"
"It's a shallow comfort," he cut in smoothly. "Where were they when Hiruzen let Uzushio burn? Where were they when Danzo exposed you? Why didn't they stop the ANBU from watching you every hour of the day?"
Her gaze faltered.
"Sakumo is the ANBU commander," he continued, voice low and unrelenting. "Tsunade is the princess of Konoha. Both had influence. Both could have done more. But they didn't- because in the end, they serve Konoha, not you."
Kushina swallowed hard, her breathing unsteady. "That… that's not fair, Kurama. They-"
"Fair?" His lips curled into something between a smirk and a sneer. "You think the world deals in fairness? You think Konoha deals in fairness? They'll smile to your face while weighing the cost of keeping you alive. They'll let you believe you matter, as long as you're useful."
His words coiled around her thoughts, dragging them into darker corners.
"In fact," Kurama went on, his voice quieter now, "didn't Tsunade mention a meeting with the Third Hokage earlier that day? And then… you just so happen to be ambushed afterward?"
Her eyes shot open in realization. "You think…?"
"It's possible," he said, almost lazily. "And don't forget- she's the Third Hokage's student. Do you really think loyalty to you would outweigh loyalty to him?"
"But… she's my friend," Kushina whispered, and for the first time, it sounded uncertain.
"Is she?" Kurama asked, tilting his head. "Or is she a soldier of Konoha who happens to like you when it's convenient?"
He let the question hang in the air. The silence pressed against her chest heavier than any blade.
"You've been betrayed before, Kushina. By the villagers who spat at you. By the leaders who let your clan burn. By the friends who stood by while you were treated like a weapon." His hand slid from her back to her waist, his grip firm but not harsh, and his tone intimate. "The only one who has ever been fully on your side… is me."
Her anger began to stir, the grief in her chest replaced by a slow, simmering heat.
"That's it," Kurama said, his voice velvet-smooth again, coaxing, encouraging. "Let yourself see it. Let yourself stop making excuses for them. They would've done the same to you in time- you simply struck first."
She didn't answer right away, but her jaw tightened. And in her silence, Kurama smiled faintly.
----
In Konoha,
Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Jiraiya, walked through what remained of the Hidden Leaf Village.
The smell of smoke and burning wood lingered in the air, mixing with the acrid stench of scorched flesh. The once-bustling streets were unrecognizable- reduced to cracked stone and blackened rubble. Here and there, the faint crackle of dying embers broke the silence, while the occasional groan of a collapsing structure echoed in the distance.
Hiruzen's eyes swept over the destruction, taking in every shattered wall and charred corpse with a numb, hollow expression. His legs carried him forward almost robotically, but his mind was reeling. He could not remember the last time he had felt so… powerless.
This was his village, his home, and yet, as he looked at the devastation, he couldn't escape the truth. It was gone.
Everywhere he looked, memories rose unbidden. That bakery on the corner, where his wife used to stop for fresh bread every morning- reduced to ash. The training field where he had watched his students spar, and later, where he trained his children- now a crater. The residential district where the civilians lived- silent and still, littered with bodies.
The great clans had been struck just as hard as the civilians. The Hyūga compound was partially collapsed, and the Uchiha district smoldered. Even the Hokage Rock was completely destroyed.
Nothing and no one had been spared.
Much of Konoha's population was simply… gone. Annihilated in an instant. Many elite jōnin had survived, some bearing burns and broken bones, but the genin and the lower-ranking chūnin had been decimated. For the civilians, the loss was worse still- entire families and bloodlines erased.
'Even in the Warring States Period,' he thought, 'this would be beyond brutal.' It was not just an attack. It was almost genocide.
The weight of personal loss struck him harder than the political disaster. His wife and child had both perished. Only his eldest had survived, and even that felt like a fragile miracle in the wake of such senseless death. He felt the grief claw at his throat, but he forced himself to breathe evenly. He was still Hokage, and until he passed the hat, there could be no cracks in his composure.
Still, the thought gnawed at him: all this, from one person. How life can change so suddenly- all from one mistake.
He had no idea how she, Kushina, had managed to plant so many explosive tags around the village without anyone noticing. The precision and sheer scale of it were unlike anything he had seen before. And now, it was far too late to ask questions. The damage was done, and Konoha's future was no longer secure.
Rebuilding would be a dream for later. For now, survival had to come first.
"Jiraiya." His voice was low but steady, carrying the authority that had guided the village for over two decades.
The man beside him turned. Even Jiraiya, the ever-irreverent, loud-mouthed Sannin, was grim and subdued. His usual smirk was nowhere to be found, replaced by a shadowed expression. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen slowed his pace, gazing at the destruction around them. "It's clear that after a disaster like this, I can no longer remain as Hokage. My place will be on the front lines, dedicating what strength I have left to our survival. That's why-" He turned, his dark eyes fixing on Jiraiya with an unyielding weight. "I need you to take over my position."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed deeply. "Me? But I… I can't possibly be Hokage. There's Minato, or-"
"Minato is too young," Hiruzen interrupted sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He lacks the power, experience, and reputation we need right now. Tsunade… after this, she won't have the will to lead, and Orochimaru is too cold. It can only be you."
Jiraiya looked away, his hands curling slightly at his sides. He was a ninja, a spy, a teacher- but Hokage? The responsibility weighed heavily even as the words left Hiruzen's mouth. And yet… in the silence that followed, he knew there was no one else who could take the role now.
"Alright," he said at last, his voice quieter than usual.
"Good," Hiruzen replied with a faint nod. "Konoha needs a strong leader now more than ever. You can groom Minato to be your replacement. I have high hopes for him."
Jiraiya gave a small nod in return, though the conversation left a stone in his gut.
They walked on for a while in silence, the only sounds the crunch of debris underfoot and the faint hiss of distant fires. Eventually, Jiraiya spoke again, his voice heavier now. "What about Sakumo?"
Hiruzen's gaze darkened. "He's in critical condition. Many of the bones in his body were broken, and his internal organs were severely damaged. It's a miracle he's still alive at all."
He hesitated, his next words quieter. "But Hana… wasn't so lucky. She shielded Kakashi with her body. She didn't survive."
Jiraiya's fists clenched at his sides. There were too many names, too many losses, and no way to balance the scale. He thought of Kakashi, a boy barely old enough to be a genin, who had now lost his mother and might lose his father too.
There was no training for this kind of grief.
As they reached what used to be the heart of the marketplace, Hiruzen stopped, looking over the destruction one last time. "We can mourn later," he said, almost to himself. "Right now, we prepare for the war."
Jiraiya nodded stiffly, though in his mind, the image of Kushina's face burned bright- her rage, her power, and the raw hatred in her eyes.
For the first time, Jiraiya wondered if the Leaf would ever truly recover.