Kushina stood over the Third Raikage's corpse, a vengeful gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.
The battlefield was quiet, save for the faint crackling of fires and the distant sobs of survivors hidden in broken homes. The mighty body of the Raikage, once hailed as the Strongest Spear and Shield of Kumogakure, now lay shattered at her feet. His pride, his strength, and his legend- all of it bled into the dirt.
Kushina's lips curled into the faintest smile. If even he, this so-called unbreakable warrior, had fallen before her, then the rest of this village had no hope.
Her quiet moment of triumph was shattered by a scream.
"I'll kill you!"
A young man's voice, raw with grief and fury, tore through the air.
Kushina turned, her eyes narrowing. It was Amai, the Third Raikage's son. His face was twisted with rage, his body trembling from the sight of his father's death. His chakra spiked with recklessness, not strategy.
Understandable, she thought. His entire world had been crushed in a single night. Father, village, and legacy- all of it was burned away by her.
Before he could rush her, one of her nine blazing tails lashed out with brutal force. The impact cracked across his jaw, sending him tumbling into the ground. Dust and rubble lifted into the air as his body struck hard stone.
Another tail slithered forward, curling around his throat like a serpent. She lifted him effortlessly, letting his feet dangle and claw at nothing. His eyes bulged, but he didn't scream. His hatred held his tongue.
With calm precision, Kushina carved a seal onto his chest, her chakra flaring with sharp red light. The mark seared into his flesh, and he let out a hoarse groan. The lock would silence his chakra for days.
Her cloak receded, and the crimson mask dissolved from her face, revealing her human form once more. Still, her eyes burned like embers as she leaned closer, letting him see her hatred unfiltered.
"This is for Uzushiogakure." Her voice was low, heavy with venom.
She twisted his head so that his gaze was forced toward the shattered skyline of his own village. The broken towers, the ash, and the corpses scattered among the rubble.
"This is for all the members of my clan your village slaughtered."
Amai's eyes filled with loathing, but he said nothing. His silence only sharpened the tension between them.
"You will free every Uzumaki you've captured and return them to me. Immediately."
She let Kurama's malice wash over him. It was suffocating, crushing, and unending. The weight of the Nine-Tails bore down on his spirit, forcing his pride to the ground.
"If you don't, or if a single one of them is harmed in any way, I'll kill you, your brother, and the rest of this barbaric village, dattebane."
Her words cut deeper than her scythe ever could.
Amai's lips trembled as he choked out, "Y-yes!"
She let him fall from her grip, throwing him aside like refuse. He scrambled on the ground before forcing himself upright, clutching at his burning throat.
For a moment, he considered defiance. He thought about using her clansmen as hostages, maybe even killing them outright, just to twist the knife in her heart. But the thought faded quickly.
His father was dead. And with that, the mantle of Raikage fell to him. If it had been another time, perhaps there would be challenges to his succession, but in this chaos, with their strongest warrior gone, no one would dare oppose him. His people needed a leader, and his brother needed him. Petty vengeance could wait until later.
He grit his teeth, his face dark, and turned away. Survival came first.
He raced back through the ruined streets, the once-proud towers of Kumogakure reduced to rubble. The Raikage's tower had collapsed, smoke still rising from its shattered core. He found Dodai waiting there, the long-time advisor of his father.
"My father's dead," Amai said, voice stripped of ceremony.
Dodai froze. His face drained of color. "What-? Who could-"
"Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki," Amai spat the words like poison. "She's here for her people. We have no choice- we must free them immediately."
Dodai's voice faltered. "Should we… take any measures?"
Amai's eyes narrowed. He remembered her gaze, the suffocating malice, and the red flames of chakra that had cowed even his father's presence.
"Absolutely not. My life, Bee's life, and the entire village hang in the balance. We can't afford any reckless moves."
Dodai swallowed hard, then nodded before flickering away in a Body Flicker.
When he returned to Kushina, Amai found her standing like a queen amid ruins, Kurama's tails flickering faintly behind her. He forced himself to bow his head. Not in respect, but because it was the only way to survive.
----
Hours passed. The fires dimmed, but the air still smelled of ash and death.
Finally, Dodai reappeared, his face grave. Behind him walked a group of more than two dozen Uzumaki, men and women, their clothes ragged, their eyes wide with confusion and fear. Their whispers filled the air, a mix of disbelief and hope.
Kushina's chest tightened at the sight. Her people, her clan, are still alive. For the first time in years, something fragile stirred inside her. Sure, she had already rescued Nagato and Honoka, but those are only two people.
But the joy was tempered by fury. Her clawed hand clenched. The Third Raikage's death had been too merciful. His son and his village would suffer in his place.
Her Tailed Beast cloak withdrew entirely now, leaving her standing tall in her red hair and battle-worn clothes. She stepped forward.
"I am Kushina Uzumaki," she declared, her voice carrying across the square. "The new leader of the Uzumaki clan. You won't have to live in this vile village any longer."
The captives blinked at her, stunned. Then their gazes turned to the Kumogakure shinobi standing nearby. No one moved, and no one defied her.
Hope spread like fire through the group. They broke into tears, clutching one another, their sobs echoing against the broken stones. For the first time, they felt safe.
Kushina let them have their moment before raising her voice again.
"The Uzumaki will never suffer this fate again!" She flared her chakra, and crimson light surged around her like a living inferno. The Nine-Tails' power roared, rattling the ruins. "With the strength of the Nine-Tails and the Uzumaki, no one can face us. Dattebane!"
Her clansmen fell silent, staring at her in awe. Some trembled, and others smiled through their tears. All of them believed her.
Then she turned, her expression hardening as her gaze fell on Amai- now Ay, the Fourth Raikage.
"Now you know the same pain I felt when Uzushiogakure was destroyed." Her words were edged with restrained fury.
"As long as you don't come after the Uzumaki, I won't destroy you." Her tone was smooth, almost calm- yet it was entirely false.
If the chance ever came, she would burn this village to the ground again.
"Live with this pain for the rest of your miserable life."
Ay's head lowered, his fists clenched. Hatred radiated from him, but he dared not meet her eyes.
Kushina exhaled slowly, forcing down her own rage. As much as she wanted to kill every last one of them, tie off the loose ends, she couldn't. Not yet. The other Hidden Villages still held her clansmen. If Kumo were obliterated, Iwa might slaughter their prisoners out of spite. After all, if they're going to die anyway, they might as well inflict as much pain on her as possible.
They had to believe they still had a chance of survival.
"Prepare supplies for this group to travel immediately," she commanded.
Ay's jaw tightened. His eyes flicked toward the rubble, the broken homes, the starving survivors. 'Where,' he thought bitterly, 'would he find supplies in this wasteland?' But his pride was shackled.
He couldn't deny her request, "Yes, Lady Kushina."
Her smirk cut into him like a blade. She waved him off with a flick of her hand, as if dismissing a servant.
Afterward, the Uzumaki gathered close, their eyes flickering between fear, relief, and disbelief. Kushina stepped toward them, and for a moment, the battlefield around her seemed to quiet.
One of the older men, his hair streaked with gray, stepped forward first. His voice shook.
"...You really are an Uzumaki. I thought… I thought our clan was gone forever."
Kushina's expression softened, though the fury that still burned in her chest didn't fade. "As long as I'm breathing, the Uzumaki will never die. And now that I've found you… we'll all be together again."
A young girl clung to her mother's robes, peering up at Kushina with wide, tear-filled eyes. Kushina crouched down, brushing some ash from the girl's cheek with a gentleness that surprised even herself. "You're safe now, dattebane. No one will ever chain you again."
A murmur went through the group. They were filled with relief and hope, something that had been missing for years. Some began to weep openly, others bowed their heads in silent gratitude.
"Where… where will we go?" one of the younger men asked, his voice quiet.
Kushina straightened, her crimson hair swaying as she glanced back at the burning ruins of Kumogakure. "Home," she answered firmly. "Maybe not the home we lost… but a new one. We'll rebuild Uzushiogakure's spirit, even if the village itself is gone, the Uzumaki remain. We'll be strong again- stronger than before."
Her words seemed to ignite something in them- a fragile flame of determination. They nodded, some whispering her name, others clutching at each other as if to anchor themselves in the moment.
Kushina felt Kurama stir faintly inside her, his presence a silent rumble of approval. She let the corner of her mouth curl into a small smile.
"From now on," she declared, her voice carrying a weight, "the Uzumaki will not be victims. We will be feared. We will be free. And anyone who dares try to take that from us…" Her eyes flicked toward Ay, who stood grim and silent in the shadows. "…will suffer the same fate as Kumogakure."
The Uzumaki cheered, though their voices were shaky and their faces streaked with tears. But for the first time since their capture, they looked less like prisoners and more like people reclaiming their pride.
Kushina's gaze softened as she looked over them all. "Come on," she said, her tone gentler now. "We've wasted enough time here. It's time we start walking toward our future."
And as she turned, the surviving Uzumaki followed her, step by step, leaving the ashes of Kumogakure behind.