Honoka, Nagato, and Kushina caught up with each other, seated in the shade of the great shrine that towered above the clearing. Though Honoka and Nagato were the first Uzumaki Kushina had rescued, she realized with a pang that she had spent more time recently with the others- Aina, Mirori, Rina, Akinari, and Fu. Weeks of travel had blurred into a haze of dirt roads, conversations, and socializing. Each face she had saved was another weight she carried, another voice echoing in her heart, yet the first two- the first sparks of hope she'd stumbled across in the ruins of the world- were sitting right before her.
It felt strange, almost wrong, that so much time had passed since their last proper conversation. Honoka's smile was softer now; she could finally let go of her worries here. Nagato, still so young, looked older. That haunted look- the kind that should never belong to a boy his age- made Kushina ache every time she noticed it.
Hours slipped away as they talked, voices rising and falling in a rhythm that was almost comforting. They traded stories of narrow escapes, Kushina told them what had become of the other villages, and small jokes that sparked brief, fleeting laughter. It wasn't the same as Uzushio, but for a moment, it was close enough.
Finally, Kushina turned to Honoka, catching her gaze. "You should go talk to the other Uzumaki," she said gently. "See if there's anyone you know over there. I… have something I need to discuss with Nagato."
Honoka hesitated, eyes flickering toward the distant group gathered around a fire. There was a sadness in her smile when she replied, "Alright." Her voice was quiet, almost resigned. She stood, dusted herself off, and walked toward them, though her shoulders were tense.
Kushina knew exactly what Honoka was thinking. The girl didn't believe she'd find anyone she knew- that was why she had been avoiding it. And Nagato… well, he was too young when Uzushio fell. The only people etched into his memory were his parents, long gone.
Nagato turned to her with furrowed brows. "What is it?"
Kushina reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. Liquid shimmered inside it, and floating within were two crimson eyes. They glimmered faintly, like a pair of bloody moons.
"I have your new eyes," she said.
For a long moment, he was stunned into silence. She had promised, yes- but he had never kept his hopes up. Hope was dangerous, and he'd learned to keep it on a tight leash. Yet here they were.
"These aren't as good as the Rinnegan," Kushina continued, her voice low but steady. "But they're still Mangekyō Sharingan. Much better than nothing."
Nagato's lips curved into a small smile, and for once it wasn't weighed down with cynicism or pain. It was warm, genuine. "Thank you," he said simply.
But then another thought struck him, and the warmth faltered. "Wait… how are we going to implant them? There aren't any surgeons here."
Kushina blinked. "What do you mean? You just put them in there and they work."
Nagato stared at her. "That's… not how eyes work."
She crossed her arms, confident as ever. "It definitely is. That's what Kurama said, dattebane."
"Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck, torn between disbelief and resignation. Finally, he sighed. "Never mind."
"Good!" she said brightly. "Well? Let's go try it!" Her enthusiasm made her sound almost more excited than he was.
----
They moved to a private chamber inside the shrine. The room was cluttered with chairs and tables stacked haphazardly, probably meant for ceremonies held once every few years. Dust motes swirled lazily in the air, illuminated by narrow beams of sunlight sneaking through cracks in the wood.
Nagato lay down on one of the cleared-off tables. It wasn't comfortable or clean, but it would have to do. Kushina hovered beside him, vial in hand.
"Alright," she said, preparing herself for the sight. "Open your eyes."
Nagato did as told. His empty sockets, hollow, scarred, and unnatural, made her stomach twist. She had seen and done far worse than this, but it was… it was different. This was a boy, one of her own, mutilated by fate. Even she, hardened by years of violence, felt her breath catch.
Still, she pressed on. One by one, she removed the eyes from the vial and slipped them into place. To her amazement, they sank naturally into the sockets as if drawn there, fusing with flesh and nerve. A moment later, the crimson irises shifted, focusing on the space around them. Alive.
Nagato gasped softly as his world sharpened. Most people in his position would have marveled at the newfound clarity of vision, at how vivid the world appeared compared to their old sight. But for Nagato, it was a downgrade. Nothing could compare to the godlike vision of the Rinnegan he had lost. Still, this was more than he had before, and there was no use lamenting his loss.
He felt strain in his chakra flow immediately, a constant pressure in his eyes. Yet for someone who had wielded the Rinnegan since childhood, it was manageable. Almost trivial.
Something pulled at him, a strange intuition. He felt that if he pushed chakra into the eyes, something extraordinary would happen. He began to focus-
"Stop!" Kushina's hand clamped on his wrist. She had seen that glint in his eyes and knew exactly what he was about to do. "Not here. I don't want the shrine burned down, dattebane."
Nagato flushed faintly, embarrassed. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "R-right. Sorry."
"Outside," she said firmly.
----
They slipped into the forest beyond the shrine, far from the gathered clan. Kushina's pulse quickened with anticipation. Mangekyō powers were dangerous and unpredictable, but nearly always amazing- Amaterasu, Kamui, Kotoamatsukami. Who knew what Nagato's might be?
He activated his right eye.
...nothing.
Kushina frowned. "Try the other."
He did, and again, no outward change. But his expression shifted. His eyes glazed, body going rigid. He stood frozen, unresponsive.
Yet again, nothing happened. At least, not on the surface. Nagato's eyes did glaze over. He stayed like that for a while.
"Hey- Nagato?" Kushina waved her arm in front of his face. No reaction. Her chest tightened, and small amount of panic flickered.
Seconds dragged like hours. Then he gasped sharply, staggering as though surfacing from deep water. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest, breathing hard.
Kushina knelt beside him. "Calm down. Breathe, slowly."
He nodded, forcing air into his lungs, until at last he steadied.
"What happened?" she asked, concern cutting through her voice.
His eyes widened with awe. "I… I saw the future."
Her heart skipped.
"I saw you there," he continued breathlessly. "The clan was there. I was older. There was a war-we moved to some strange land, conquered it-"
"Slow down," Kushina cut in, though her own pulse hammered. "Do you think you can use it again?"
Nagato shook his head, trying to make sense of it. "I think I can use it to see a few seconds ahead… but looking into the far future takes a toll. I won't be able to use it again for years."
She exhaled, relief mixing with awe. That was powerful. Truly powerful.
But then he faltered. His lips pressed together. He looked away.
"What is it?" she asked cautiously. What if it was something bad? Although she's strong, she knows there are many out there that can still kill her or her clan.
He hesitated, then admitted: "I saw you and Lord Kurama… kissing. At an altar."
Kushina froze, taking a few moments to process that. First came relief- it wasn't news of death or disaster. Then heat flooded her cheeks. Embarrassment crashed over her in a tidal wave. Images flickered unbidden in her mind, dangerous daydreams she immediately crushed.
And then, she remembered he was there, and that embarrassment turned into an inexplicable anger.
"You pervert!" she snapped, face scarlet. "Why would you even- why would that be what you saw?!" She slapped him sharply across the cheek.
Nagato took it without complaint. He had known it was coming the moment the words left his mouth.
"Clearly, your eye is faulty," she huffed. "Try harder next time."
He muttered under his breath, "Didn't you get these for me…?"
"That's not important, dattebane!" she shot back, turning on her heel to storm off.
She stopped only to bark, "Come on. Let's find someone to test your other eye on."
----
Not long after, they returned to the forest, this time with another man in tow.
He was middle-aged, unremarkable, with a patchy beard and hair tied back. But Kushina felt the malice radiating from him. He wasn't just a builder. He was Iwa's backup plan- a civilian spy, tucked among the workers in case the trained shinobi failed. They had failed, of course. Kushina had killed them almost instantly. No one could escape the combined might of the Mind's Eye of Kagura and Kurama's ability to sense malice.
He looked nervous, eyes darting between them. He knew he was caught.
Kushina's voice was cool. "Try it now."
Nagato's stomach twisted. He was no stranger to death, but civilians were different. He was always soft-hearted. Still, he obeyed, activating his right eye.
At first, nothing happened. Kushina muttered under her breath, disappointed. But then the man blinked in surprise.
"The cuts and bruises I had… they're gone, Lady Kushina."
Kushina's eyes widened. "Healing?"
She shoved a kunai into his hands. "Cut yourself."
He hesitated before taking it, "Yes, Lady Kushina."
The man hesitated, then obeyed, slicing a shallow wound into his palm. Moments later, when Nagato activated his eye, the cut stitched itself back together, almost as though it was reversed in time.
Nagato's breath caught. "So… one eye sees the future. The other rewinds the time of the body."
Kushina's lips parted in wonder. Overpowered didn't even begin to cover it. Even if it was only minor, this still demonstrated some level of control over time. It can be considered the ultimate healing remedy.
She stepped over to the worker, who was still marveling at his healed cut.
She didn't hesitate. Her scythe gleamed as she swung it in a brutal arc. The man's head fell before he even knew he was dead.
Nagato flinched. He had seen so much death in the war, but this was still a civilian.
"What? He knew too much." Kushina spoke somewhat callously, "Try your ability on him. Two birds, one stone."
Nagato swallowed hard, then obeyed. The body rewound, head reattaching, skin sealing… but no breath came. No spark of life returned.
"So, only the body," Kushina murmured. It didn't affect the soul, so it wasn't resurrection- just healing. Still, incredibly powerful.
Kushina wasn't too disappointed. It would've been amazing if it worked, but the ability was already great.
She turned to Nagato, with a kunai in her outstretched arm. "Cut yourself."
He did as she asked, and, once again, the wound healed immediately.
Kushina's eyes shone. "Incredible."
The Mangekyō's power was supposed to be finite, but Nagato wasn't a normal wielder. His Uzumaki blood gave him immense vitality, and he was distantly related to the Uchiha. His time with the Rinnegan had allowed him to adapt to Dojutsu. He could use these eyes almost without repercussion. Though he still couldn't turn it off like a native Uchiha.
With these two ocular abilities, Minakanushi (Future Sight) and Tokotachi (Rewind), as long as he wasn't instantly killed, he was basically immortal. The same goes for his comrades, too.
As long as he was around, Kushina thought, they wouldn't have to fear death.