Konohamaru ran frantically down the street, his small legs carrying him as fast as they could. His heart pounded as though a wild beast was chasing him. He didn't dare look back—he could still picture Kushina's piercing gaze, the way her fiery red hair almost seemed to burn with anger when she asked about that "technique."
That was close… way too close, Konohamaru thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead. If I had blurted it out in front of Naruto's mom, Brother Naruto would have skinned me alive!
Just as he slowed down, finally breathing a sigh of relief, Konohamaru turned a corner—only to slam straight into someone.
"Ouch! Hey, who dares to bump into me? Don't you know I'm the grandson of the Third Ho—"
The words froze in his throat.
"...Grandpa?!" Konohamaru gasped, staring up in disbelief.
Standing right before him was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage himself.
The impact of the collision had led Konohamaru straight into the Konoha guest residence. And as fate would have it, not only Hiruzen, but also the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and even Izuna Uchiha were coming down together, preparing to head toward the Hokage's office.
The plan was simple: Hashirama had received invitations from the other villages. The other Kage hoped he could visit and strengthen inter-village diplomacy. Naturally, Hashirama had agreed, but with conditions.
Madara, of course, would accompany him—Hashirama refused to travel without him, and Madara was willing, but not without his brother Izuna. Tobirama, though still awkward around Madara, insisted on following Hashirama as he always did. And Hiruzen? As the former Hokage and disciple of both, he naturally stuck with them.
Only the Fourth, Minato Namikaze, had chosen to remain behind—after all, Naruto was here in the village, and his presence was needed more than a diplomatic journey.
So it was that this legendary group, prepared for departure, now found themselves face to face with a flustered Konohamaru.
"Why are you running around so carelessly?" Hiruzen frowned, his voice sharp with authority. "Not looking at the road, bumping into people, and not even apologizing afterward? And then you act as if you've been wronged! What kind of behavior is that?"
Konohamaru's face stiffened. When it came to his grandfather, the usually cocky boy dared not talk back. He lowered his head in silence, absorbing the scolding.
"Children are always like this," Hashirama chuckled warmly, his booming laugh echoing in the hall.
Hiruzen sighed, frustration in his tone. "This grandson of mine… utterly useless. When I was alive, I even arranged for an elite tutor to guide him. Yet he refused to learn properly, never listened to his teacher, and wasted his talent."
That remark struck a nerve. Konohamaru raised his head and snapped, "Naruto-niisan is way stronger than Ebisu-sensei!"
"Oh?" Tobirama's eyes glinted with curiosity. "So you're saying you're Naruto's student?"
"That's right!" Konohamaru puffed his chest with pride. "I am Naruto-niisan's very first disciple—and the future successor to his Hokage title!"
Hashirama laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "Ha! That's a fine dream for a boy! Bold and ambitious—just the way I like it!"
As he was still laughing, a sudden chill seemed to pass through the air.
Kushina stormed into the hall, dragging Minato by the ear like a disobedient child. Her long red hair whipped behind her, her eyes sharp with fury.
Hiruzen blinked in disbelief. "K-Kushina?!"
Kushina released Minato with a huff, but instead of addressing Hiruzen, she turned respectfully to Hashirama and Tobirama.
"Shodai-sama. Nidaime-sama. It is an honor. I am Uzumaki Kushina, the second Nine-Tails Jinchūriki after Lady Mito." She bowed slightly.
Hashirama's expression softened at once, his eyes glimmering with fondness at the mention of Mito. "Ah… so you are from the Uzumaki clan as well. Mito's successor. Of course I remember—how could I forget? She must have entrusted much to you."
Kushina smiled faintly, though her tone carried weight. "Yes. As Jinchūriki, I carried the burden for Konoha's peace, just as she once did."
Tobirama crossed his arms, observing her chakra intently. "No wonder. Your vitality and chakra are immense—clearly of Uzumaki blood."
Hashirama added, "That is why you were chosen, Kushina. Only someone with your lineage could withstand the Nine-Tails' malice. Anyone else would have been destroyed."
Far away, within Naruto's mindscape, Kurama sneezed loudly.
"Oi, Naruto," the fox grumbled. "Someone's talking about me again."
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Uh… bless you?"
Back in the hall, Kushina's polite smile vanished the moment her gaze fell upon Hiruzen. Her fiery temper erupted as she stepped closer.
"Third Hokage… I overheard you boasting just now. You arranged an 'elite teacher' for your grandson, did you? Then tell me—what about my son?!"
Hiruzen's shoulders stiffened. The storm he had feared since Kushina's resurrection was upon him.
Kushina's voice rose, sharp as a blade. "Minato and I sacrificed our lives to protect this village! In our dying moments, we entrusted Naruto to you. We begged you—begged you—to care for him as if he were your own grandson!"
Her fists trembled with rage. "And yet what happened? My son grew up shunned, starving, hated by everyone in this village! No teacher reached out to him, no family embraced him. He lived like an outcast—like a cursed thing!"
"Kushina—" Minato tried to calm her, but she silenced him with a glare.
"You gave him scraps of money, a cold apartment, and nothing else! That was your 'care'?!" Her voice cracked with fury. "Minato sealed half of Kurama's chakra inside Naruto so he could be strong, so the village could one day revere him as a hero. And what did you do, Hiruzen? You allowed the villagers to spread their hatred unchecked!"
The entire hall was silent.
Naruto himself entered with Sasuke at that moment, his face pale. "Mom, please… it's all in the past. Jiji cared for me in his way…"
But Kushina shoved her son gently aside. Her anger had only just begun.
"Don't you dare defend him, Naruto! If it weren't for Iruka-sensei, if it weren't for that one man who saw you as more than a demon fox, you would have been lost! You would have fallen into darkness completely!"
Her words struck deep. Naruto lowered his head, unable to deny it. Sasuke, too, fell silent, recalling the memory Naruto had once shared.
That night, Mizuki had revealed the cruel truth: that Naruto was the vessel of the Nine-Tails, that the villagers despised him as the beast that had killed their loved ones. At that moment, Naruto's entire world had shattered.
If not for Iruka, who chose to believe in him, Naruto's heart might have been consumed entirely by despair.
That was why, in another life, Naruto had asked Iruka to stand in as his father at his wedding. Because Iruka wasn't just a teacher—he was the first family Naruto had ever known.
Kushina sneered coldly, then turned her fury upon Hashirama and Tobirama.
"Shodai-sama. Nidaime-sama. Tell me—Minato and I gave everything for this village. We laid down our lives to protect it. And yet… this is how our son was treated?!"
Her chakra flared wildly, her hair rising like flames. "If I had known my child would be forced to endure such suffering, I swear I would never have sacrificed myself for Konoha!"
Her eyes burned with tears and rage. "If I had known… I would have destroyed this village myself!"
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