…
I made my way through the Senju compound like I always did. At this point, I felt like I knew the place better than some of the kids born into it did.
Passed the courtyard. Turned left at the koi pond. Up the steps, right past the incense room. Mito always liked to meet in the same spot.
I reached the door, knocked once, and slid it open.
"Mito-sensei, I'm here."
She glanced up from her tea, the steam curling between us like some dramatic stage play. "You sure took your time."
"You say that after sending those three to interrupt my day?"
She smirked and gestured to the cushion across from her. "Sit down before you begin your rant."
I sighed and stepped in, shut the door, and dropped onto the cushion in one smooth motion. It was my usual spot.
"Tea?"
"Sure." I said and she poured me a cup.
"I don't think we have any projects ongoing." I said as I picked up the cup and took a sip.
"Same old…" I muttered in admiration of the tea.
Mito had a variety of tea leaves at her disposal but she always used this one with me.
Chakra Root Sencha, she calls it. Earthy, smooth on the tongue, and strangely comforting.
Placing the cup down, I looked up to her and met her gaze before continuing. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Straight to the point as always, eh?" She asked and let out an elegant giggle that drew an involuntary smile from me.
"Heartless as always, can't even share a cup of tea with your sensei." She said and gave me a look that was not entirely unfamiliar.
However, for some reason, I felt this one was different.
She set her cup down with a quiet clink, "Have I ever told you how you remind me of some people?" She asked to which I sighed inaudibly.
"Have I also told you how absurd that was?" I asked back and she smiled softly.
"You know I don't mean it in a bad way. If anything, I'm glad you're not like them, but at the same time, I fear that you'll turn out vastly different from them."
I rubbed my temples in exasperation. Madara and Tobirama. Mito had never let me hear the end of how I bore a semblance to them, philosophically and intellectually.
At least, she'd dropped the matter of Hashirama. Hashirama was too accommodating, she said. He had too much love to give and all that.
"That isn't why I called you here." She said and picked up her cup and took a sip before dropping it. "I've been meaning to speak with you," she said, her voice softer than usual. "Something I didn't want to put in a scroll. Too many eyes lately."
That got my attention. Mito wasn't paranoid, far from that, if anything, she usually underestimates how many people were actively watching her. If she was worried about eyes, then it must be serious.
"You want me to kill someone?" I offered helpfully.
She gave me a tired look. "No. But you might wish I did by the end of this."
"Sounds fun already," I muttered, and took another sip.
She placed her hands on her lap. "You're familiar with the concept of a Jinchūriki, yes?"
I paused briefly. "Jinchū…what now?"
She raised an eyebrow, though there wasn't much amusement in her expression.
"You've read enough between the lines to make a guess."
I sighed. There wasn't much point pretending anymore.
"You mean the whole chakra beast sealed inside a person?" I asked. "You people usually keep that sort of thing quiet."
"You're not wrong." The corner of her mouth lifted faintly. "It isn't exactly written in the village textbooks."
I set my cup down and looked at her.
Mito took another sip of tea before continuing. "It's not something we teach. Most shinobi will go their entire lives without knowing the term."
"Then why are you telling me?"
Her expression changed. "Because Konoha will need another one."
I stared at her. "Another what?"
"Jinchūriki."
I let the silence sit for a moment. "That's quite a thing to casually mention over tea."
Mito gave a quiet laugh, but it faded quickly. "It isn't a decision made lightly."
"I imagine not."
Her gaze drifted toward the window. "I've carried the nine tailed fox for decades. The seal has held, and I've learned to live with him. But neither the seal nor I will last forever."
I remained silent.
"The time will eventually come when another person must take my place."
"You're going to pass it on."
"Eventually." she nodded. There was no fear in her voice, only acceptance.
"The next host must come from the Uzumaki Clan. Their bodies are naturally suited to containing enormous quantities of chakra, and their vitality is unlike that of ordinary people. For something as powerful as the Nine-Tails, that isn't merely an advantage. It is a requirement."
She paused, her expression becoming more thoughtful.
"When a child with the right potency of bloodline is born, we have to consider the possibility immediately. Not because the child has proven anything yet, but because the opportunity may not come again for many years."
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
I already knew where this was going. "You found someone."
Mito's expression softened.
"A child."
She paused.
"She's just over a year old. Her name is Kushina."
The name settled heavily in my mind. This was Kushina we are talking about. Mother of Naruto. "She has the potential?"
"She is too young for us to know exactly what she will become," Mito said. "But her chakra is unusually strong for a child her age. Her vitality is exceptional as well."
Then her expression became serious. "But strength isn't what concerns me."
"She will grow up knowing that something has been placed inside her. Something that the village considers necessary, but that she herself may one day resent."
I knew what Kurama as the Kyubi was capable of, or rather, I knew what the anime had shown me, but this wasn't a story anymore.
There was a child involved.
And the world outside the pages of an anime had never been nearly as forgiving as the screen had made it appear.
"You don't think she'll be able to handle it?"
Mito was quiet for a moment. "She will have to."
"She won't be alone," Mito continued. "There will be people to guide her. People who will protect her."
"People like you?"
Mito didn't answer immediately. "No." She looked directly at me. "People like you."
I froze. "I'm sorry?"
"She'll need someone who can look beyond what she carries."
Her voice was quiet now. "Someone who won't see the Kyubi first and the girl second."
I shifted slightly. "You're asking me to be involved."
"I'm asking you to be prepared."
"For what?"
"For the day she needs someone who understands."
I studied her face and came to an understanding. "You want me to mentor her?"
"Not necessarily in the way you think. You don't need to teach her seals or fill her head with techniques. She'll have people for that."
Mito's expression softened. "What she may need is someone who can remind her that she is still a person. She'll need someone who understands what's at stake. Who knows how to see past the surface of things. Who can be trusted with secrets, and isn't bound by blind idealism."
I didn't speak, causing the room to suddenly feel much quieter.
She wasn't asking me to become her instructor but to become someone Kushina could trust.
Someone who knew what it meant to carry something other people feared.
Someone who wouldn't allow the beast inside her to become the entirety of who she believed herself to be.
"That is a rather large responsibility."
"I know."
"You've thought this through?"
"For a long time."
I looked down at my tea. There was no point pretending I hadn't understood what she was asking.
And, inconveniently, I couldn't bring myself to refuse her.
Mito had given me more than I could properly repay. Knowledge, guidance, and trust. If she was asking this of me, there was a reason.
I exhaled quietly. It was kind of amusing how what I feared happening the most turns out to actually happen. What was the law again?
Ah, right, Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Or maybe this was karmic irony.
Or just Konoha being Konoha.
Either way, fate apparently had a twisted sense of humor and a clipboard with my name on it.
I leaned back slightly, letting the weight of Mito's task settle in. A one-year-old girl, chosen to carry the most powerful tailed beast.
I reached for my tea and took a long, thoughtful sip.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The future jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Looks like I had apparently stopped being an observer and started becoming part of the story.
.....
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