Naruto: The Rise of Kurama

The sharp scent of burning tobacco lingered in the air as Hiruzen Sarutobi sat hunched over his desk, a steady trail of smoke curling from his pipe as he worked through a seemingly endless stack of paperwork. The Third Hokage was a man accustomed to burden, but even he could feel the weight of time pressing heavier with each passing day.

It had been a few weeks since Kushina Uzumaki had been admitted to the Ninja Academy, and the situation was... less than ideal. From the daily reports brought to his desk, it was clear she wasn't adjusting well. Her personality was too brash and loud for the children of the academy. Many of her classmates were intimidated by her domineering attitude.

Hiruzen frowned as he read the latest incident report. Another bruised classmate. She had apparently bloodied the nose of a boy who had called her a "red monkey." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He was a little disappointed in her, but also in the academy students. Haven't they learned by now not to provoke the Red-Hot Hobinaro?

That had not been the first incident, and he doubted it would be the last.

Kushina's first day at the Academy had been explosive, quite literally. She had gotten into a fight before the bell even rang, and by the end of the day, she'd already developed a reputation. Not as a model student, but as a volatile troublemaker with fists like iron.

A few had tried to challenge her since then, mostly boys trying to act tough or reclaim their bruised pride. Each one had left with more than their ego wounded. Kushina, with her Uzumaki vitality and an almost feral determination, had taken to hand-to-hand combat like a fish to water. She trained daily, throwing herself into taijutsu with such aggression that even some of the Chūnin instructors were wary of her. Her strikes were wild but improving. Her stamina seemed boundless.

The Academy's curriculum in the early years didn't include much ninjutsu, and for that, Hiruzen was privately thankful. With her temperament, even the simplest offensive jutsu could be dangerous in her hands. Still, her progress in physical combat was impressive.

Normally, such schoolyard behavior wouldn't require the Hokage's direct attention. But Kushina was not a normal child.

She was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.

Unlike other Jinchūriki, she had not been born and raised within the borders of Konoha, instilled with the village's philosophy from infancy. No, she was from Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden by Whirling Tides. The immense power of the Nine-Tails ensured none but the Uzumaki could contain it, so he had no choice but to outsource.

Kushina had grown up surrounded by the deep familial bonds of the Uzumaki clan, where warmth and kinship were as natural as breathing. Konoha was not home to her in the way it was to other children. She had been transplanted here, taken in by Mito Uzumaki, trained in theory and legacy, then left alone when Mito passed. Her identity, her bloodline, her burdens, all of it isolated her.

That was what concerned Hiruzen most. Not her misbehavior, nor her poor academic start. But the lack of connection. He believed bonds were what tempered a Jinchūriki's soul. Without them, the darkness festered.

But even so, he knew not to push. Kushina still had time, years, in fact. Rushing her could do more harm than good. And besides, his options were limited.

Of course, not everyone agreed with that sentiment.

The sudden slam of the office doors jolted Hiruzen from his thoughts.

"Hiruzen!"

The voice was sharp, commanding, laced with accusation. Hiruzen didn't need to look up to know who it was.

Danzo Shimura.

The man strode into the room like thunder, his dark cloak fluttering with each aggressive step. The ever-present bandage around his eye only added to his grim silhouette.

"You're too lenient with the Jinchūriki's education," Danzo barked, coming to a stop in front of the desk. "She's a threat. She needs discipline and control."

Hiruzen sighed, putting down his pipe and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"She's a child, Danzo. Not a weapon."

"A child who houses a demon," Danzo snapped back. "The same demon that was viewed as a natural disaster. And you'd have her learning flower arrangement instead of how to control that power?"

"She's learning how to live as a person, not just a container."

"Naivety like that will be your downfall. Let me train her in Root, and I'll show you the power of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."

Hiruzen's gaze hardened. "You've brought this up before, and my answer remains unchanged. I will not send her to Root."

Danzo's lip curled. "You're a fool. You saw how unstable she is. Emotional outbursts, violent tendencies, she'll never control the Nine-Tails at this rate. You think camaraderie and warm smiles will be enough to tame a force like that?"

"Better than cold rooms, masks, and mind-breaking drills," Hiruzen retorted. "She needs people. She needs to form bonds. That is what the First Hokage believed."

"Sentimentality," Danzo fired back. "And a dangerous gamble."

"Are you insulting the First Hokage's dream? And besides, better a gamble than the certainty of what your methods would do to her." Hiruzen stood slowly, resting both palms on the desk. "I won't allow you to mold her into a puppet."

The tension crackled in the air between them.

Danzo's one visible eye narrowed. "My spies in Kumogakure report that they're developing methods to train perfect Jinchūriki. They're years ahead of us. Even Lady Mito was unable to harness any significant power. Do you want Konoha to fall behind while we coddle a ticking time bomb?"

"I'm aware of those rumors," Hiruzen said coldly. "But I'm not turning a child into a test subject just to play catch-up with another village. Danzo, don't make me remind you! I am the Hokage!"

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen." Danzo turned sharply, cloak swirling. "When she loses control and razes half the village, remember that I offered a solution."

"And next time," Hiruzen called after him, "try knocking like a civilized person!"

The doors slammed shut behind the war hawk, and the silence returned. But it was no longer peaceful; it was bitter.

Hiruzen sank back into his chair and stared out the window overlooking the village.

Once, Danzo had been his closest comrade. A brother in arms. There had been a time, long ago, when they fought together, believed in the same dream. But war and politics had shaped them into different men. Hiruzen still clung to the Will of Fire. Danzo... had turned to shadows.

But, despite their differences, he refused to give up on his old friend. Though he had Koharu and Homura, Danzo remained his closest companion. If he gave up on one of his closest bonds, wouldn't that make him a hypocrite?

----

Danzo descended the stairs of the Hokage building, the scowl never leaving his face. The encounter had gone as expected. Hiruzen was stubborn and idealistic to a fault. But that was fine. Danzo had contingencies; he always did.

Emerging into the street, he summoned a Root operative from the shadows.

"Proceed with Plan B," he whispered. "Let the villagers know. Subtly. Rumors, whispers, nothing traceable. I want everyone in Konoha aware of the Nine-Tails' new host before the week's end."

The operative bowed. "It will be done, Lord Danzo."

Danzo's lips curled into a smirk as the ninja flickered away.

If Hiruzen wouldn't give him the key willingly, he would force the situation. Let the girl feel the weight of fear and rejection. Let the villagers turn from her. Let her realize how alone she truly was.

And when she was at her lowest, he would be there as a guiding hand. She would obey willingly.

With the Nine-Tails at his side, even Hiruzen's reign would become irrelevant. Danzo could shape the village as it needed to be.

For the good of Konoha, of course.

----

It started small, harmless even. A whispered comment in a tea shop. A curious question between students at the Academy. A mother pulling her child a little closer as a red-haired girl passed by.

The reactions were not as severe as if, say, there had been a Nine-Tails attack on the village, but people were naturally wary of a demon's container.

Kushina noticed it before she understood it. The way people looked at her had changed. The polite greetings were gone, replaced by sidelong glances, wary silence, and tense dialogue,

She wasn't stupid. She heard the word whispered behind her back, "Jinchūriki." Of course, she knew exactly what that meant. Her identity as the container for the Nine-Tails had been exposed. But how? They had been so careful.

She started to panic a little bit. If people knew her identity, that would only make her more of an outcast than she already was. Not to mention the other villages. Who knew what they would do with this knowledge.

But even so, why were they afraid of her? She hadn't asked to be a Jinchūriki. She had been pulled from her life in Uzushiogakure without much choice in the matter. Not to mention, the seal was secure. It would take a lot for the Nine-Tails to escape as is, and that big fox wasn't stirring up trouble anyway.

Her classmates, already intimidated, were now cautioned by their parents. They refrained from whispering cruel insults behind her back, but that new distance, in some ways, hurt Kushina more. Now, even the Chunin instructors were... cautious around her.

She went home every day feeling something heavy in her chest. The apartment felt colder. The walls more bare. She missed her clan more than ever. The Uzumaki would never turn their backs on her like this.

No ANBU came to silence the rumors. No one corrected the lies. No one protected her. In fact, it felt like they were waiting.