The golden chain shot from her palm, sailing across the field. It caught the wooden post on the left and coiled tight.
Kushina closed her fist around the trailing end and pulled. The chain tensed, golden light bleeding thin at each connection point, and the post shook.
A frown settled over her lips. Not good enough.
He'd just snap them like a twig. She needed to make them denser.
She released the chain, cutting it off altogether. It dissolved as it hit the ground, each link fading away into small motes of light that winked out like dying fireflies.
She rolled her shoulders, drawing a deep breath out of habit.
She gathered her chakra again, spinning it tight behind her navel. It built up with a familiar pressure, warm and restless while she held the shape in her mind. She packed it tighter, denser, turning the easily flowing chakra into a thick syrup.
Her fingers splayed outward, golden links emerging one by one from her palm, and then—
A pull.
Her grip on the chain slipped, the half-formed links flickering away into nothingness—
Another tug.
She stood still, gaze trailing down.
It was faint. Like someone had threaded a hook behind her navel and was now drawing back the line with infinite patience, just barely enough to notice.
Her chakra settled back in her stomach like warm honey.
She stood there, brows drawing closer, staring at her navel as a frown twitched on her lips. That strange tugging persisted, like something kept trying to pull her inside out—
She froze, eyes going wide.
No...
It hasn't even been a week!
Her gaze dropped to her hand. She lifted it slowly, palm up as it trembled, and brought it close to her face. Her stomach sank as she saw the soft, faint light seeping through the thin cracks in her skin.
No...
Her jaw tightened.
She pulled at her chakra, kneading it as fast as she could. Another chain formed out of her hand, wrapping around her own body. She pulled tight, golden links biting into the fabric of her dress.
Her chakra flickered like a candle in the wind before dimming to a tiny spark. But that invisible thread kept tugging at her navel, just as patient and relentless.
Her mouth tightened as she stared at her sealing chain.
Of course it wouldn't work.
Kushina unclenched her jaw, pushing a harsh breath through her nose as she banished the chain. She swiveled her head to the side, eyes darting to the towering building in the distance. She surged chakra to her feet, the world turning into a blur as she flickered away.
<[]>
I shifted my weight and stepped forward, water splashing around my feet.
I drew my right arm back, shoulder rotating, and my fist lashed out in a straight line. A gust of displaced air rippled the water, the sound echoing off the walls. I followed through with a left jab, then another right, just like Ashura used to.
I'd seen him fight enough times to remember the flow, the way his body moved like water and stone at once.
I planted my left foot, pivoting on the ball, and swept my other leg up in a spinning kick, tails swaying for balance like sentient counterweights. My heel sliced through empty air with a whoosh, a fierce gust of wind rippling across the room.
The whole place shook as I landed, kicking up water all around my feet.
I straightened, rolling my shoulders with a grin as a thrill rushed down my spine like electricity.
The sheer size of my body made this a little awkward, but kung fu was still epic even for a fox kaiju. And taijutsu could be useful if the brat needed another sparring partner. Once I finally got my hands on those shadow clones, we'd be set—
"Whoa!"
I jerked back, heart leapt in my throat as a familiar voice came from somewhere behind.
Sonovabi—
"What was that?"
I lowered my arm, head swiveling towards the gate. Heat crawled up my neck as I saw the brat standing there, just outside the bars, his head tilted slightly to one side. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open a bit as he kept staring at me like I was a zoo exhibit.
"Oh, I was just…" I seated myself back on the floor, propping my head on a hand. "Stretching a little." I bit back a cringe at how lame that sounded.
What the hell was I even getting embarrassed for?
The brat made an 'ah' sound, his whole face lighting up like someone had flipped a switch. "You spend a lotta time sitting and napping."
No shit.
Not much else to do around here aside from messing with chakra and ripping off cool moves from a bunch of dead guys.
Naruto nodded to himself, his face scrunching up in a silly way as he tried mimicking that shriveled mushroom. Then something else flickered across it, and he paused, jabbing a finger towards me.
"Oi!" His voice rang across the chamber, bouncing off the walls. "How come you pester me about exercise when you're such a lazy ass?!"
I sat there for a moment, blinking. I straightened, my brow creased ever so slightly, and laid my hands on my knees.
He really found the weirdest things to whine about.
"I'm made of chakra." I leveled him a flat look, voice dropping to a dry monotone. "I don't need exercise the way you do, brat."
"Aaand?" He shot back in that grating, high-pitched whine that made my ears twitch. "You said we were partners, but you make me go through that boring stuff while you nap in here? Show some solidity, y'know?"
"Solidarity." The correction escaped me on reflex, the syllables coming out clipped.
The brat scrunched up his face, tongue poking out between his teeth as he made the brattiest expression he could muster.
My left eye twitched.
Mouthy little shit.
"Naruto." I dropped my voice an octave lower, leaning forward until my face was inches away from the gate. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a little confined right now. I couldn't exercise with you even if I wanted."
The words came out sharper than I meant them to.
Naruto wilted, the wind leaving his sails along with his grin. His shoulders drooped, head ducking down and blonde hair shadowing his face.
"Oh, yeah…" His voice came out smaller and uncertain, tapering out as a beat of silence hung between us.
"Sorry."
The word lingered in the air, and something in my chest twisted like a dull knife.
Shit.
"It's fine." I spoke after a moment, softening my tone. "I was kind of a dick, too."
Naruto looked up, a ray of sun breaking through the storm cloud on his face. "'S fine."
An awkward quiet stretched between us. Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hands coming up to fidget with his shirt while his eyes darted around the chamber.
I recognized that look.
"Something on your mind, kid?"
His gaze settled back on the cage. "Hey Kurama," he spoke up after a moment, voice still small but steadier.
"Yeah?"
He opened his mouth, no sound coming out at first, but then—
"Mom's been acting kinda weird since you two talked last time. I asked her about it, but she said that everything was fine, but it's obvious that something happened..." A string of words came out like through a broken dam. "I'm not stupid, y'know?" His hands stopped fidgeting and balled into loose fists at his side. His jaw clenched, brows drawing together in that stubborn way of his.
A knot tigthened in my chest as an image flashed to mind. A soft, oval face, with skin like fresh milk, and framed by beautiful red hair. Her round, violet eyes narrowed with a fierce glare, but that only made her looked hotter—
My hands clenched against my knees, tails swaying behind me like restless snakes.
̶W̶h̶y̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶v̶i̶s̶i̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶?̶
I had decades more of torment to make up for.
"I know." I pushed a smile onto my face, forcing it to reach the corners of my mouth even if it didn't quite make it to my eyes. "You can be surprisingly insightful."
Naruto looked away, his hand coming up to scratch at his cheek. A faint blush crept across the bridge of his nose. "Thanks, Kurama—"
He paused, head swiveling back towards the gate, eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait, you didn't answer the question."
I clicked my tongue, soft enough that it didn't carry beyond the gate. No shit.
Sighing, I laid down on the ground and folded my arms like a pillow, letting my chin rest on the soft fur. My eyes slid closed, more memories flashing behind my lids.
A few moments passed. Water dripped somewhere across the chamber, the sound echoing faintly.
"Some things happened between us."
"Like what?"
A frown twitched on my lips before I smoothed it out.
"It's a long story."
"I wanna know."
"I'll tell you another time."
"But I wanna know now." His voice climbed again, nearing that whiny territory that scratched at my eardrums. "Tell me! C'mooon!"
I cracked my eyes open, glaring at the brat. He'd stepped closer to the gate and was leaning forward, looking at me through the giant bars with a stubborn glint in his eyes.
I fought back a sigh, my mouth compressing into a thin line. The silence stretched between us, taut as a bowstring.
Fine.
"She did something unpleasant to me in the past," I said, each word coming out slow like pulling teeth, "and I've been mean to her in return."
Naruto's eyes went wide. His mouth opened slightly, then closed. A string of emotion flashed across his face before he straightened himself with a frown. His eyebrows drew together and his bottom lip pushed out slightly.
"And?" he finally spoke, the words coming out soft and quiet. "Can't you two just make up?"
A small, derisive scoff escaped me before I could stop it. "It's not that easy."
"Why?"
The question echoed in my head, bouncing around in a loop. Why?
Because she's a stubborn, sanctimonious bit—
My jaw clenched, the muscles tightening as my frown deepened.
I've made no effort either.
The thought sat in my chest like a stone. All this time, I've been extending barbs and bitterness instead of olive branches, haven't I?
Maybe if I took that first step, she would—
A flash of heat rose in my chest like molten lava, bubbling up from somewhere deep and primal. My lips pulled back slightly, and I clenched my teeth to bite back a snarl.
Why should I apologize? They started it.
"The path to forgiveness starts from within."
The old man's voice drifted through my mind, unbidden. I shoved it away just as fast.
Not always, old man.
I took a deep, centering breath and looked down at the kid. "Because that's how people are sometimes." The words came out gruff, and I didn't bother trying to soften them. "You'll understand as you grow up."
Naruto went quiet. His expression shifted, the furrows across his brow melting into something more contemplative. He stared at me for a long moment, a strange intensity in those blue eyes like he could see right through me. Then he straightened, and his hand came up, one finger pointing directly at me with the weight of a final verdict.
"Then I'll help you two make up for sure," he said, voice firm and steady. "It's a promise."
The words hit me like an unexpected punch. For a moment, I couldn't help but stare at him, mouth slightly parted.
This kid...
Something in my chest loosened, and I let out a quiet breath. A smirk twitched at the corners of my lips, pulling them up a fraction.
"We'll see."
I didn't have it in me to tell him that it might be impossible.
But who knew? Maybe he'd pull off a miracle.
<[]>
Kushina stood before the broad mahogany desk, a faint slump to her shoulders.
Hiruzen sat across from her, motionless as if carved from the same stone as the Hokage Rock outside. A weary breath escaped him, breaking the uncomfortable quiet as he leaned back in his chair.
"It started earlier than I expected."
Kushina's jaw tightened. Her gaze jerked away from his face, drifting towards the tall windows where Konoha spread out beneath them, unaware and uncaring. Her hands balled at her sides, nails digging into her palms as her mouth quivered.
Just when she finally got back a sliver of happiness…
"I couldn't figure anything yet," she spoke after a moment, blinking a few times despite her eyes remaining dry. "It'd take a month to study it from scratch."
Lady Mito's notes only spoke about how to counter and dismantle it. Nothing on how to strengthen the bond with the vessel or prevent the soul anchor from weakening over time. Pages upon pages of seal work, all about unmaking. All of it, useless.
She wasn't even sure where to get started, and now she had to do it while living on borrowed time.
What a cruel joke.
Hiruzen exhaled, a long, worn-down sound that carried across the desk and seemed to deflate him. His shoulders sagged inward and the wrinkles around his mouth deepened. He regarded her for a quiet moment, where he looked old beyond his years.
"We can look over the formula later, but…" His lips thinned into something that looked less like a smile and more like a grimace, stretched and sad and utterly useless.
He didn't even have to say it aloud. That pitying look in his eyes was enough.
Don't get your hopes up.
A dull pang twisted inside her chest like the ghost of a knife through layers of cotton. She took a slow, shaky breath, teeth clenching tight as she stood there motionless.
"I haven't had much more success than you in deciphering its secrets." Hiruzen released another heavy breath, the sound scraping against her ears like sandpaper. "Lord Tobirama's brilliance had turned out to be both a blessing and a curse."
Brilliance?
She bit back a scoff, feeling it rise in her throat like bile. What kind of genius left his own work unfinished?
If only Minato was here…
Her chest tightened with another dull pang.
Minato would have figured it out. He'd perfected the Flying Thunder God where even Tobirama couldn't. He could grasp a seal in half the time it took her to understand.
If only they had a way to undo that horrible seal. If only things would've gone different on that night, and—
She tore her gaze away from Hiruzen's sad little smile, eyes flickering again to the windows as she took a steadying breath.
"I understand…"
The words tasted like ash in her mouth.
Silence settled between them like a heavy blanket. Hiruzen shifted in his seat, the leather giving a soft creak.
"If all else fails…" He leaned forward, elbows coming to rest on the desk's surface. His eyes found hers and held there with a measured look. "I suppose I could perform the technique again."
The offer hung in the air between them.
She let out a quiet breath, her shoulders sagging. Something in her chest loosened and the corners of her mouth lifted with a faint smile.
That would buy her a bit more time, like a bandage to a rotting corpse. A cold comfort to her ashen heart.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
What a mockery of a life...
But she'd endure it. She'd endure anything for her son.
<[]>
The first shuriken hit just left of center with a sharp thwack. The second followed after a blink, sinking into the wood a little higher. Three more thwacks sounded across the field in quick succession, each one biting deep into the training dummy's torso. The sixth glanced off the wood with a hollow crack before spinning away into the grass. THe last two hit within a second of each other, one in the right side, the other in the neck.
"Whoa…" Karin spun around towards her friend, a wide smile stretching across her face. "Nice one, Hinata!"
Four out of eight vital points. And she wasn't even using her byakugan.
"T-thanks," Hinata's voice came out barely louder than the wind rustling through the trees. Her gaze slid sideways, fixing on a spot somewhere behind Karin. "I think we should go. It's getting late."
Karin adjusted her glasses and glanced over her shoulder. The sun sat fat and orange on the horizon, halfway swallowed by the trees.
She turned back to Hinata, gesturing with a hand towards the sun. "Come on, it's not that late. Let's stay a bit longer and do something fun."
They'd spent the whole afternoon training. They'd earned it.
Hinata's mouth opened slightly, then closed, her eyebrows drawing together a little. "We'll be late for dinner..."
"We'll do one more thing, and then we go. Just ten more minutes, okay?"
Hinata stood there for a moment, her hands coming together in front of her stomach, fingers tangling together. Her gaze drifted down to her feet, then back up to steal another glance at Karin's chin. Then she nodded, small and quick. "Okay…"
"Yay!" Karin's fist shot up into the air. "You're the best, Hinata!"
Hinata looked away again, but Karin didn't miss the tiny smile pulling at the corner of her friend's lips.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well," Karin tapped a finger on her chin, her own smile widening. "I heard about that gentle fist your clan uses to fight, and I'm kinda curious how it looks like. Can you show me a kata?"
The way Auntie Kushina described it made it sound really cool. Like fighting without actually hitting people hard, just poking them a little and totally messing up their chakra.
"Uhm… I don't know…" Hinata's voice got even quieter, if that was possible.
Karin took a step closer. "C'mon, Hinata. I really wanna seeee~" She brought her hands together in front of her chest, pressing her palms flat. "Please?"
Hinata's gaze dropped to the ground and her shoulders hunched inward, making her look smaller. Her fingers twisted around each other again as the silence stretched between them. Then she lifted her head and met Karin's eyes for just a second before speaking in a quiet voice, "A-alright."
Yes!
Hinata took a few steps back, the grass crunching softly under her sandals. She stopped about five paces away, feet sliding apart as she lowered her stance. One foot swept back, the motion smooth, practiced. Her right hand came forward, palm facing outward, fingers spread. Her left hand pulled back near her chest, palm-up.
And then she moved.
Her right hand swept inward in a tight arc, wrist turning as her fingers traced gentle lines through the air. Her left hand followed, pushing forward in a strike that looked soft but the brief surge of chakra across her palm looked sharp like a kunai.
Hinata's feet shifted, one sliding forward as she spun around. Her hand swept through the air in a horizontal slash, palm down, and she took another step, then spun again as she struck at the air.
So pretty...
Like a stream flowing around rocks, Hinata's movements flowed the same as water, one motion pouring into the next like she wasn't even thinking about it. Like her body just knew.
Her stance shifted lower, and she swept one leg out in a wide arc before planting it and spinning. Both hands thrust forward, chakra stirring in her palms like a torrent, ready to burst forth. It only trickled out, so soft that it didn't even disturb the air.
Hinata straightened, hands pulling back to her sides as she took a breath. Then she was moving again, faster this time. Her right foot slid back as her hands rose, palms rotating outward in mirrored circles like she was dancing. She spun on one foot, the other stretching behind her as she leaned into a strike, both palms coming together again in another thrust. She held the pose for a heartbeat before letting her hands drop to her sides as she straightened herself.
She turned toward Karin, and their eyes met for just a second before Hinata's gaze skittered away. Her hands tangled together again, fingers twisting and pulling at each other.
A rush of warmth bubbled inside Karin's stomach like a swarm of butterflies. "That was amazing, Hinata!" She ran up to her friend, stopping in front of her and bouncing on her feet. "It looked like you were dancing! I wanna learn how to move like that too!"
A bright red spread across Hinata's cheeks, creeping down her neck and up to the tips of her ears as she ducked her head. "Ah, n-no, it's not..." The words came out in a mumble as she looked away, staring hard at something in the grass.
Karin's smile grew wider. So cute.
She'd looked so focused and confident, and just really, really cool while going through that kata, and now she was shy like a rabbit.
Was this gap moe?
"Nuh-uh." Karin shook her head. "It really is."
Hinata went quiet. She stood there, fingers knotted so tightly around each other that Karin wondered if they hurt. Her gaze moved from the grass to somewhere behind Karin, then back to the grass.
Karin waited patiently, the smile refusing to leave her face. Then, Hinata's eyes flickered toward her for just a moment, glimmering in the orange light from the sun.
"You really think so?" Her voice was so small that it barely carried over despite the small distance between them.
"Yup!" Karin nodded hard, bouncing slightly on her feet. "You looked so calm and focused, even though you're normally so shy. We're the same age, but you can already fight like that. I think you're pretty amazing."
Heat crept up Karin's own face as she said it. Saying nice things out loud always felt a little weird, like showing someone something private. But it was true, so it didn't matter if it felt weird.
Hinata's gaze flickered away again. Her cheeks burned bright red, almost glowing in the sunset. She grabbed the hem of her shirt, fingers twisting in the fabric. "T-thanks..." The word barely made it past her lips. Then her voice dropped even lower, her next words swallowed by the breeze. "...really amazing too."
"Mm?" Karin tilted her head to the side, one eyebrow going up. "Really amazing what?"
"Uhm…" Hinata's head ducked lower, her fingers tangling deeper into her poor shirt, pulling it this way and that. "Yourchakrasensing!" The words rushed out in one breath. "You can tell chakras apart even better than my eyes."
Something warm flooded Karin's chest, like a tiny firework going off deep inside her. Her grin stretched wider as she closed the gap in one stride, her hands shooting out and yanking Hinata into a hug. The girl let out a strangled, high-pitched squeak before going stiff as a board in Karin's arms.
"Aw, thanks!" Karin rested her chin on Hinata's shoulder, squeezing her arms around her friend as that fluffy feeling from before welled up in her stomach again. "But I dunno if it's that great. Your eyes can magnify and see through stuff, and they look really beautiful at night."
There was a beat of silence, and then another sound came from Hinata. Small and muffled against Karin's shoulder, but definitely a sound. Like that tiny mewling noise kittens made when surprised. Or like someone squeezed a toy but way cuter.
Karin loosened her grip and stepped back with a giggle. Hinata's entire face was like a tomato, frozen in a look that made Karin want to squeeze her into another hug.
Hinata kept staring at her for another moment, and then—
"I'llgograbtheshuriken!" A flood of words burst from her as she spun around and hurried across the training field.
Karin watched with a wide smile as Hinata ran to the wooden dummy and plucked out the shuriken one by one, her movements jerky and rushed.
Yup. Way too cute.