Naruto: The Rise of Kurama

Kushina made her way toward the Hokage office, trailing behind an ANBU agent with a porcelain dog mask. His footsteps were silent, and his presence was muted; Kushina thought it was somewhat eerie and cool, but she didn't have time to continue that thought process. Honestly, she could hardly think of a reason why the Hokage would call for her.

'What could that old man possibly want now?'

She could think of one reason. The Third had made a hobby of lecturing her. For a while, every time she bloodied a classmate's nose or slammed someone's head into a desk for calling her "tomato," Hiruzen Sarutobi would personally call her to his office.

But what was she supposed to do? Let them laugh and mock her? Let them call her a tamato and shame her for her proud Uzumaki traits? The Uzumaki might not be as arrogant as the Uchiha, but they still had their pride. She really had no choice but to remind them of their place every once in a while, or else they'd continue mocking her with their short memories.

Still, the ANBU hadn't said anything beyond, "You're being summoned," and she didn't think she was in trouble. After a while, Hiruzen gave up trying to lecture her and hoped she would grow out of it. That suited her just fine.

But she couldn't help but think it might be something more serious. She glanced up at the sky. Clouds were heavy and low, an overcast gray that mirrored the mood in the village lately.

Tensions had been high. Kushina overheard some of the chunin instructors discussing the possibility of a second shinobi world war.

'No way they're sending me out yet- I haven't even graduated or learned to harness the foxes' chakra yet.'

She didn't fear war, but she hadn't even graduated. She would be more of a hindrance on the battlefield than anything, since they'd need to divert resources to protect her.

Still, she knew what she was. The Nine-Tails' container, a weapon of war. And tools didn't always get to choose when they were used.

----

The moment she stepped inside the Hokage's office, the tension hit her like a wall.

Her eyes swept across the room. In addition to the Third Hokage, three elders stood opposite him, arguing: Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane. She had met them at least once when she first arrived. Each wore tight expressions, voices sharp and overlapping.

They didn't stop talking when she entered, but it only took a few more steps before they acknowledged her. The arguments died out instantly, though she didn't bow.

"What do you want, old man?"

The other three frowned at her disrespect, especially Danzo, who looked ready to scold her, but Hiruzen merely gave a tired smile that lasted for only a few moments.

"Kushina…" Hiruzen momentarily paused, unsure of how to continue, "This isn't easy to say... but Uzushiogakure has been destroyed."

"What?" Kushina asked blankly

Hiruzen looked a little pained, but he answered, "Uzushiogakure was destroyed. The other-"

When she heard those words, it felt like the world was coming down around her. Uzushiogakure, her home, had been destroyed? The Uzumaki were one of the strongest forces in the world, even on their own. It was unbelievable. And Kushina considered them all family. To hear that her family had been slaughtered...

"-na"

Her pale face went even paler as she fully absorbed that information. Her ears rang like she'd been slapped. She couldn't breathe. The people who had raised her after her parents died were gone? Her stomach churned.

"-shina"

Even though Kushina has been in Konoha for years now, she never stopped thinking about Uzushiogakure. As a Jinchuriki, she probably wouldn't have been able to return anyway, but she had always held onto the faint hope that, someday, she could. That she could reunite with her family and live there happily, but now even that hope was taken away...

"Kushina!"

"W-what?" She finally snapped out of her daze and noticed that all four elders were looking at her.

When her eyes focused, she realized that she had unknowingly tapped into the Nine-Tails chakra. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her now elongated nails splattered blood on the floor. Her hair was floating wildly behind her, and her chakra pulsed violently.

She quickly forced it away; if she were unable to control this power, she'd face even more scrutiny.

Hiruzen was standing now, and the other elders gathered beside him. They were... wary, and cautious.

"Are you... alright?" Hiruzen had a careful expression on his face.

"Y-yes," she replied softly, even though she didn't really mean it.

Hiruzen looked somewhat doubtful, but he didn't press harder and sat down. "I was saying, the other four Hidden Villages formed a coalition to take down the Uzumaki clan and steal their techniques for themselves. It was likely in the works for quite a while." He paused for a second.

"There were only a few survivors, and most of them scattered throughout the minor nations from what we can tell."

"Where was Konoha?" Kushina asked quietly. She stood there blank-faced and still a little dazed.

"Pardon?" Hiruzen blinked.

"Where was Konoha!" she screamed. Now that she reached acceptance, came the rage.

"Aren't you supposed to be our allies!? The First Hokage and Grandma Mito united the village through marriage. You didn't do anything!?" Tears were forming in her eyes as she lashed out at the Hokage.

Hiruzen looked away and replied softly, "We received the news of the attack too late to provide any aid; however, we managed to recover many of the techniques..."

"I don't care about the techniques! I care about my family!"

Kushina couldn't stand it. The loneliness, the other tragedies of her life, and now this? It was all too much for her. She needed to leave before she said or did anything drastic. With that thought in mind, she swiftly turned around and stormed out of the office.

"Kushina! Don't leave just-" He was cut off by the bang of the door closing. He could've had ANBU stop her, but he felt that would be unwise.

----

Kushina walked through the streets, racing back home. Even now, she could feel the stares of the villagers. Before, they had filled with novelty, for her unusual and vibrant red hair, but now it was the thinly veiled caution people would direct at a ticking time bomb.

Every look she received, every quiet whisper, and every thought she had only provoked a deeper anger inside herself. She needed to get home right now.

As she ran through the crowded streets of Konoha, crying, she could already imagine what the villagers must think. But she hardly cared about their opinions right now.

When she reached her apartment, she quickly went inside and slammed the door.

"I can't believe they're all gone," she whispered brokenly.

Suddenly, she screamed out and punched the wall; it cracked. Her tears fell faster than she could think.

She could still remember the elders who took care of her. She lived on her own then, too, but she was rarely home. Every day, she would go to an elder's house, where they would take care of her and cook her meals. She was friends with almost all of the other girls her age.

It was all warm and perfect. She was never alone. Now, she had no one.

----

Meanwhile, deep inside the seal on her stomach, a huge Nine-Tailed Fox sat. He was massive and looming, with a malicious smile on his giant maw.

He had been watching through the eyes of Kushina, and Kurama felt nothing but glee.

He felt the agony and resentment within her. All of that rage could be directed in whatever way he wished.

He had been preparing for this moment for nearly 3 years, sowing little disturbances here and there. Letting his malice leak just enough to scare the people getting close to her. Making her easier to isolate.

Now, she would listen to him, for she had no one else. Her parents were gone, that hag Mito was gone, and now even her clan was gone. There was no one else- certainly not the Third Hokage who spoke hollow words and half-truths.

He couldn't have asked for a better circumstance to truly reveal himself to her. Kurama decided that, in the future, he would give the Third Hokage a more peaceful send-off. He deserved at least that much for the assistance.

'Now.'

Kurama rumbled low in his chest, a sound like distant thunder echoing across his prison.

'Now's the time, Akari-chan.'