Chapter 155: A Debt Repaid in Full
Uzumaki Kushina found Miyuki and offered a sincere, heartfelt apology. "I'm sorry, Miyuki."
Miyuki looked genuinely surprised. "Why are you apologizing to me? If this is about the Jinchuriki, please don't. I chose this path willingly."
Kushina's expression was heavy with guilt. "Kagenori told me everything. I know he found you in the Land of Grass and brought you here. I know about the deal you made..."
Miyuki's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "He told you? That doesn't sound like him. He wouldn't want to burden you with this knowledge, to make you worry or feel guilty."
Kushina twisted her fingers together nervously. "I… I suspected you two had known each other for a long time, so I asked him directly. And he told me the whole story."
Miyuki let out a soft, resigned sigh and offered a small smile. "So you figured it out. But even so, an apology isn't necessary. This was a transaction. Kagenori gave me the life I desperately needed, and in return, I agreed to become the vessel."
"But he didn't tell you the full cost when he brought you here!" Kushina insisted, shaking her head. "He explained the dangers, didn't he? That Jinchuriki are often feared and shunned by their own villages? That people see them as monsters? That there's a constant risk of losing control, of the beast's hatred corrupting your very soul...?"
Miyuki gently interrupted her. "Kushina, do you have any idea what my life was like before? Saying I was displaced and afraid doesn't even begin to cover it."
Her gaze grew distant, clouded with painful memories. "After Uzushiogakure fell, the survivors I was with fled to the Land of Waves, the Land of Tea, even the Land of Waterfalls… We never stayed anywhere for long. We couldn't. The moment our heritage was discovered, we were hunted. They wanted the secrets of our sealing arts. They wanted to dissect our unique vitality."
She looked down at her own hands. "Our clan's signature ability, the Adamantine Sealing Chains… and our innate healing, the one that lets us restore chakra and mend wounds by a simple bite… to those in power, we weren't people. We were living, breathing medical supplies. Walking chakra batteries. I kept moving, and one by one, the others were caught or killed, until I was the only one left. I found a place to hide in the Land of Grass, but the war ruined even that small peace. I was forced to go to Kusagakure just to get food, or I would have starved. If Kagenori hadn't found me… I don't think I would have ever left that village. I could feel their eyes on me, their intentions."
A shiver ran through her. "When he approached me and identified me as an Uzumaki, the fear I felt… I never want to feel that again. When he said he would take me to Konoha, I was terrified. I hated Konoha for abandoning us. And I was sure they would just use me as a tool, like all the others. But then he told me about you. That there was another Uzumaki here, and that you were his beloved. That gave me a sliver of hope."
Her expression softened as she looked around her simple, clean apartment. "Living here, in Konoha… it's stability. It's safety. I don't have to look over my shoulder every moment. Compared to the hell I was living in, becoming the Jinchuriki is a price I pay gladly. The Third Hokage has promised my identity will be a closely guarded secret. And my progress in fuinjutsu is rapid. Lady Mito herself said that with our clan's sealing prowess and vitality, the risk of the beast breaking free is minimal."
She reached out and took Kushina's hand. "So, Kushina, you don't need to worry about me being ostracized. And you absolutely do not need to feel guilty. I am not a victim. If I had truly refused, it wouldn't be me in this role. You know that."
Kushina opened her mouth, but no words came out. The sheer weight of Miyuki's past life made her own concerns seem trivial.
"You know," Miyuki continued, her smile turning a little wistful, "I'm actually a little envious of you."
Kushina looked at her, surprised.
"Because Kagenori loves you so deeply. He was willing to move mountains and make pacts with devils just for you. I think any woman would be envious of having a love like that."
A faint blush crept onto Kushina's cheeks. "I… I know I'm lucky to have him." She shifted the topic, wanting to lighten the mood. "So, you and Namikaze Minato… you're really together?"
Miyuki nodded. "We are."
"That was so sudden! When did that happen?"
"We met a while ago. He's… a very kind person. Bright, handsome, gentle. I liked him from the start. About two weeks ago, my team, which needed a fuinjutsu specialist, was assigned to work with his. We were ambushed by Iwa-nin, and he protected me. After that… things just developed naturally."
Kushina smiled, a genuine one this time. "I'm happy for you." Even if she and Kagenori held a low opinion of Minato, if he made Miyuki happy, she would support it.
Miyuki squeezed her hand. "So you see, Kushina? You really have nothing to feel guilty about."
"Thank you, Miyuki," Kushina said, her voice thick with emotion but her heart finally feeling lighter.
"Now, Kagenori is finally back in the village. You should go spend time with him."
Kushina stood up. "I will. We'll both come to visit you tomorrow."
"I'd like that," Miyuki said, smiling. "Come to think of it, you've never brought him over as a guest."
"Bye for now."
After Kushina left, the smile slowly faded from Miyuki's face. She looked at the closed door, her expression unreadable.
Having survived for so long on her wits alone, she could see the strings being pulled. Her "chance" meeting with Minato's team had been far too convenient. Combined with her impending role as the Jinchuriki, it was almost certainly a calculated move by someone—the Hokage, perhaps, or Danzo—to bind the future vessel to a loyal, powerful, and ideologically pure Konoha shinobi.
Yet, she had still chosen Minato. She could feel his affection was genuine. But she was also starkly aware of the difference. Minato's first love would always be Konoha. He would never defy the village for her, never orchestrate a decade-long conspiracy to save her from a fate she was born into. His love came with conditions; Kagenori's, for Kushina, was absolute. And in the harsh world of shinobi, that was a distinction that mattered more than anything.
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