IV. The Birth in Konoha
The world returned not with a gentle fade, but a shocking assault of sound and sensation. Kenji (Mark) was crushed, squeezed, and then expelled into the cold, chaotic air.
He was screaming, but even through the newborn's cry, his sophisticated mind was already analyzing the environment.
Mind's Eye: Active.
Analysis: The air pressure differential between the mother's womb and the external environment. The exact chemical composition of the room's scent (antiseptics, blood, strong elemental chakra residue). The midwife's elevated heart rate: 110 BPM. Mother's exhaustion levels: Critical. Chakra signature analysis: Dense, volatile, characteristic of the Uzumaki clan. Location: Konohagakure hidden medical facility, likely during the height of the Second Shinobi War.
A rough hand gripped him, cleaning him quickly. A deep, powerful voice, filled with both exhaustion and immense pride, spoke nearby.
"A son! Two, Biwako! It's a boy and a girl!"
Kenji was laid next to his sister. She was quieter than him, already looking around with bright, curious eyes that were startlingly purple-blue.
Sister's Analysis: Chakra Signature: Colossal, slightly more volatile than average Uzumaki reserve. Physical state: Exceptional vitality. Compatibility: High emotional resonance.
This was Kushina. His loud, future Jinchūriki sister. He felt an instant, fierce wave of protection.
He was instantly aware of the second wish: Perfect Chakra Control. It wasn't a technique; it was a baseline state of being. He didn't just sense his chakra; he felt every single molecule as an extension of his will. His formidable Uzumaki reserves, rather than feeling like a chaotic ocean as they would for a normal child, felt like a perfectly still, bottomless lake, ready to be drawn upon without a single ripple of waste.
It was pure comfort, an innate mastery that meant his training, once it began, would be exponentially faster than anyone else's.
"Kushina," the weary voice of their mother, Mito Uzumaki, whispered. "And you, little one... Kenji."
Mito, the current Jinchūriki, smiled tiredly, her magnificent chakra chains momentarily visible via the Mind's Eye, subtly reinforcing the seals holding the Nine-Tails within her. Kenji realized the weight of his mother's presence. She was the one who tethered the beast.
V. The Early Years (Age 0-5)
Kenji's childhood was spent observing, learning, and navigating the delicate balance of their clan's final days in the Land of Whirlpools before the migration to Konoha.
Kushina was an explosion of life—fiery, aggressive, and fiercely protective. She was a natural-born battle prodigy.
Kenji was the quiet complement. He rarely cried. His Mind's Eye processed language, movement, and complex mathematical structures years ahead of schedule. While Kushina mastered walking by sheer brute force, Kenji mastered perfect balance, analyzing the vectors of his steps and the minimal muscular expenditure required.
He practiced his third wish—Instant Transmission—in secret, starting small.
At age three, hiding behind the family compound, he focused his perfect control on the technique. He didn't rely on seals, just the mental command locked onto a static object—a loose pebble ten feet away.
Mind's Eye Analysis: Calculating spatial displacement vectors. Minimizing friction. Coordinating chakra expenditure (0.0001% of total reserve).
WHOOSH.
He vanished and reappeared instantly, stumbling slightly, the shock of the displacement jarring. He immediately corrected the slight time-lag error in his next attempt.
Kushina was often frustrated by his calmness. "Kenji! Why do you always know where I hid my doll?"
"Because Kushina," Kenji would reply flatly, already sounding far too mature, "you always choose the fifth tile from the left, three steps past the weeping willow, and your nervous energy spike is visible via simple optical distortion."
"You're weird!" she'd yell, before dragging him off to play ninja in the fields.
Their childhood was brief and marked by the encroaching shadows of war and the eventual loss of the Uzumaki homeland. When the Clan was destroyed, Kenji and Kushina were swiftly moved to Konoha, placed under the protection of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and their mother, Mito.
VI. Securing the Friendship (Age 6)
Upon arrival in Konoha, Kenji and Kushina instantly stood out. Kushina, with her furious red hair and aggressive nature, immediately earned the nickname 'Tomato' and was bullied mercilessly.
Kenji watched, calculating. He knew this was the vital moment.
When a group of older children surrounded Kushina, teasing her, she erupted, unleashing a torrent of punches. Kenji, observing from the periphery, let his Mind's Eye process the scenario.
Threat Assessment: Low physical damage potential. High emotional trauma. Required outcome: Intervention that establishes dominance without revealing true capabilities, and attracts the attention of target #2 (Minato Namikaze).
Kenji didn't rush in with a flashy jutsu. He simply walked forward.
When one of the bully's friends moved to flank Kushina, Kenji used his perfect chakra control to release a low-level, concentrated wave of killing intent—not enough to paralyze, but enough to cause primitive instinctual terror.
The bully froze, eyes wide, staring at the small, calm boy with the strange, quiet intensity.
"Move," Kenji said, his voice level.
The boy stumbled backward, panicked by the unseen mental pressure.
Kushina looked up, bruised but defiant. "Kenji! Why did you wait?"
"I waited until you established your strength," Kenji responded, helping her up. "Now, let's go."
As they walked away, Kenji scanned the onlookers, his Mind's Eye locking onto a small, blonde, blue-eyed boy sitting alone on a nearby swing set—the one who had been silently observing the entire interaction.
Target: Minato Namikaze. Age: 6. Chakra Signature: Remarkably precise, focused. Personality Profile: Quiet, extremely intelligent, strong moral core, future leader material.
The next day, Kushina was ambushed again, this time dragged away by older Iwa shinobi spies attempting to kidnap her (the famous timeline event).
Kenji, alerted by the subtle shift of chakra signatures near the outskirts, used his Instant Transmission for the first time outside of safe confines.
He focused his mental lock onto Kushina's distinct chakra signature, which was rapidly moving away.
WHOOSH.
Kenji appeared right behind the Iwa shinobi carrying his sister. The men didn't even register him until the small, red-haired boy spoke.
"Drop her."
The older Jōnin scoffed and turned, pulling a kunai. "Where did this kid come from?"
Kenji had no jutsu ready, but he had perception and perfect control. He analyzed the man's stance: pressure points, muscle tension, and the fatal flaw in his guard.
Moving entirely without chakra, Kenji executed a perfect, instantaneous strike to the man's throat, precisely targeting the vagus nerve and crippling his ability to breathe, a maneuver designed to look like a lucky hit rather than mastery.
The Jōnin choked and dropped Kushina.
The second spy reacted faster, lunging with his sword.
Kenji didn't fight him. He vanished, using IT to teleport ten feet behind the man, making the attacker believe Kenji was a misregistered blur.
He waited for the man to turn, panic rising in his eyes. Kenji then struck a second, brutal blow to the solar plexus, perfectly timed to maximize shock.
The Iwa shinobi were neutralized, not killed, but effectively disabled.
Kenji lifted Kushina, who was crying but unharmed. "We run now."
They ran until they reached a thicket of trees, where they collapsed, catching their breath. Kenji noticed the movement of a third party following their trail.
It was Minato Namikaze.
Minato had pursued them, drawn by the desperate hope of rescuing the strange Uzumaki girl he admired. He found them panting, Kenji holding Kushina protectively.
"You... you rescued her," Minato breathed, his eyes wide with amazement, not just at the success, but at the sheer speed of Kenji's movements.
Kushina looked at Minato, suddenly forgetting her pain. "You followed us? You care?"
Minato, flustered but resolute, nodded firmly.
Kenji watched the two of them connect, the exact moment the future Fourth Hokage established his admiration for the future Jinchūriki.
"You arrived just in time," Kenji said to Minato, offering a neutral, analytical smile. "You possess excellent speed and observation skills. We could use someone like you watching our backs."
Minato straightened, beaming at the praise. "I'm Minato Namikaze!"
"Kenji Uzumaki," Kenji replied, nodding. "And this is Kushina. We are going to be the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever seen. Do you want to join us?"
Minato, without hesitation, agreed.
The foundation was laid. Kenji had secured the timeline's most important relationship, establishing himself not just as Kushina's brother, but as the quiet, tactical anchor of the future Team Minato.
VII. The Silent Warning
Kenji lay in bed that night, the excitement of the confrontation fading, allowing the cold calculation of the Mind's Eye to take over.
Analysis Summary: Successful intervention. Relationship goal achieved. The Iwa attack has been thwarted, allowing Kushina to remain in Konoha and stabilize her emotional state.
He reached out, feeling the infinite smoothness of his chakra reserves. He was powerful, even as a child. He was perceptive beyond measure. He was instantly mobile.
And he possessed the single most terrifying power in the world.
He thought of the fourth wish: Instant Death.
He visualized the power—a single, focused discharge of concentrated spiritual energy that severed the connection between the soul and the body, undetectable and unstoppable.
He mentally reviewed the calendar. It was early summer in Konoha, Year X.
Instant Death Ability Status: Available.
He felt a deep, chilling weight settle upon his soul. The ability was a heavy, iron key hanging at his side. He knew exactly who he would save that single yearly use for: the threats that absolute speed and tactical foresight couldn't neutralize—Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, or perhaps the final moments against the rampaging Nine-Tails.
It was a power that made him a weapon of unmatched deterrent. But using it carried the terrible moral certainty of absolute, irreversible finality.