In the boreal forests of the Land of Frost, Kushina and her clansmen moved steadily toward the rocky lands of Iwagakure.
It was mid-summer, yet here the air still had a sharp, lingering cold. The tall spruce and pine trees whispered as the northern wind cut through them, scattering needles like tiny blades. But Kushina and her clansmen hardly felt any of it. Even after years of imprisonment, the vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline ran strong. None of them complained or shivered. To see her clan walk without coats in a land that froze outsiders was a small reminder of what they once were.
The caravan was slow but necessary. Most of Kumogakure lay in ruins behind them, shattered under her wrath, yet they had managed to scavenge a good supply of food, water, and serviceable transportation. Carriages, simple and sturdy, creaked along the dirt paths between the towering pines. Horse pulled their weight, their breath steaming in the chill. The shinobi among the Uzumaki could have moved faster on foot, but not everyone here was a warrior. Children, elders, and civilians needed the safety of numbers, and so they traveled together.
Kushina rode at the center of the formation. Her senses stretched wide, brushing across the land like an invisible web. She felt the ebb and flow of malice in the air, her awareness sharpened by Kurama's power. There was no one close to them for miles. Still, her eyes moved constantly, the weight of command pressing at her shoulders.
There were a handful of jonin and chunin among the people she rescued, and she trusted them. But that wasn't enough for her. The Hidden Villages weren't stupid enough to openly challenge her, but she knew better than to gamble with her clan's lives. The Kages might restrain themselves, but their subordinates? She could already imagine them, shinobi burning with hatred, gnashing their teeth in secret. Some would long for vengeance so much that death in pursuit of it would taste sweet.
That unyielding hatred was the price of her actions, the cost of being a tyrant. She had crushed Kumogakure and scarred Konoha; there was no forgiveness waiting for her in the shadows. But there had been no other way.
If she had simply killed the Fourth Raikage's father, or a few leaders, Kumogakure would have fought until the last shinobi fell. They would have slit the throats of her clansmen out of spite, burned them alive, or hidden them so deeply they would never be found. They would have chosen pride over survival. No, Ay only submitted because she had threatened everything he loved in a single stroke. That was the truth of power- it bent the will of others not through words, but through terror.
That was the cost of her clan's freedom.
"Lady Kushina?" a voice called from her right.
Kushina turned. A young man about twenty-four walked beside her, his gait steady despite the years of imprisonment he'd endured. His hair was bright red, long enough to fall into his eyes, which burned with the same crimson hue. This was Akinari Uzumaki, once a jonin of their clan.
"Yes?" she answered.
He hesitated, then asked, "How many of our clansmen… are still alive?"
The question struck hard, even after so much time. It makes sense that he would ask. He had been sealed away in the dark for years, unaware of how small their numbers had become.
Kushina's face grew somber. "Of all the Uzumaki who lived in Uzushiogakure, there are probably only a hundred left- at most."
The group she had just freed numbered around thirty. Iwagakure and Kirigakure probably held similar numbers. There's one she knows of in Kusagakure, then, of course, Nagato, Honoka, and herself. That was all. A proud nation reduced to fragments, to less than the size of a single Konoha clan. Though she supposes it could be much worse.
She forced herself to straighten. "However, even if there were only ten of us, we'd still rebuild, dattebane." Her momentary sadness hardened into steel.
Akinari smiled softly, the first glimmer of hope showing on his face. But then he faltered, eyes flickering. "…Is there anyone named Aina among the survivors you've found?"
Her brows furrowed. "Aina Uzumaki? I don't think so."
He wilted slightly, the hope vanishing as quickly as it had come.
"Is she someone important to you?" Kushina asked gently.
"Yes," his voice broke faintly. "We were going to be married before the village was attacked. I… held off the Kumogakure shinobi so she could escape. That's how they captured me."
His fists clenched as if the memory physically hurt him. He had probably replayed that moment endlessly in his cell, wondering if she had made it out alive, wondering if his sacrifice had meant anything at all.
Kushina hated it. She hated that her people carried scars like this. It only made her fury toward Kumo feel justified, even righteous.
"I'll look all over the world for her," Kushina said firmly. "If she's out there, I'll find her, dattebane."
Akinari blinked, his throat tightening. Then he smiled again, but this time there was something steadier behind it. "Thank you. With you as the clan leader, the Uzumaki will rise again."
Kushina grinned, her pride flickering through. "I'll make it happen."
She turned then, her voice growing brisk. "I'm going to rest in the carriage for a little while. Don't disturb me unless there's trouble."
He bowed his head and fell back.
Kushina climbed into the carriage. The moment the door shut behind her, a potent red chakra swelled, filling the space. It shimmered, condensed, and shaped itself into the tall form of a man.
Now that they've made so many major moves, there was no need for him to stay cramped in the seal space all day. Iwa probably already sent scouts to figure out the situation in Kumo, so there was no need to worry about stealth.
"Kurama!"
Her eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she flung herself into his chest.
He caught her, arms wrapping around her instinctively. The first time she had ever done this, he had been stiff and awkward, unaccustomed to the weight of human touch. But now… now his hands moved easily, one patting her back, the other steady against her shoulder. It was no longer foreign.
"You're getting soft," Kushina teased, her voice muffled against his chest. "The old you would've growled if I tried this."
Kurama huffed. "Don't mistake tolerance for softness, girl. I still have my pride."
Kushina just chucked lightly in response.
For a long, quiet moment, they basked in each other's presence.
At last, Kushina's voice broke the silence. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"
Her words trembled faintly. She was fierce, but not cruel by nature, and she had painted herself in blood these past years. Part of her still wondered if she had crossed a line she could never return from.
Kurama looked at her, contemplative, then turned his gaze aside. "Some people are born for greatness, Kushina. With power so vast, they can shift the course of nations by themselves. People like that don't need to weigh the feelings of their lessers."
He leaned closer, his eyes glinting like burning coals. "In this world, power is everything. A man doesn't ponder the morality of stepping on an ant; he simply does it."
She flinched, gaze sliding away from the intensity of his words. "…You're right. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize," he said firmly. "Everyone learns this lesson eventually."
"Even you?" she asked softly.
"Yes," his voice darkened. "I used to believe in humanity, just like the Sage of Six Paths. But they showed their true colors. Again and again."
Silence hung for a moment, heavy. Then Kurama shook his head. "Enough of this. What are your plans for the other villages?"
"I'll go to Iwagakure, then Kirigakure to retrieve the rest of my people," she replied. "If they cooperate, I'll spare them- for now. After that, the Uzumaki will rebuild."
Her lips curled into a bitter line. "And once we settle down again… I'll destroy them all."
Kurama smirked faintly, a predator's grin tugging at his mouth. But then Kushina leaned against his chest again, letting out a small sigh.
"You know," she mumbled, "I'm starting to think you just enjoy watching me go full tyrant mode."
Kurama's ears twitched in amusement. "Maybe I do. You're at least more entertaining than staring at trees for centuries."
She lifted her head to glare at him. "So I'm just your personal drama show, huh?"
Kurama gave a low chuckle, deep and rumbling. "Please. You're too troublesome for all the tantrums you throw."
Her cheeks puffed, and she lightly smacked his chest. "You're lucky I like you, stupid fox."
"And you're lucky I tolerate you, brat," he shot back, though his tails shifted, curling around her without thought.
Kushina smiled despite herself, warmth breaking through the exhaustion in her chest. For a moment, the world outside faded away. There was only the carriage, the red glow of his chakra, and the quiet bond between a girl and a nine-tailed fox.
For now, that was enough.