The sorrow of one person is rarely shared by another.
After confirming that Kumogakure had taken the bait, Uchiha Kaien lost all interest in further involvement. Instead, he immersed himself in studying the Four Symbols Seal and took great satisfaction in demonstrating his Sharingan to Uchiha Madara.
His days were full.
But for Uzumaki Kushina, the past few days had been anything but pleasant.
It wasn't that her daily life had become difficult—rather, it was the revelation of her fate that left her feeling lost and adrift.
She never imagined that the stories she'd once heard about the great fox were actually real. And more than that… she herself was destined to become the next host of that powerful beast.
Just recalling the sinister chakra that Grandma Mito had made her feel sent a shiver through her chest. It made her anxious—and deeply, profoundly discouraged.
She had come to Konoha alone, hoping for a better life. But now? This?
Though Mito had told her that this was a form of protection, Kushina, still so young, struggled to understand.
Why did her safety depend on becoming the vessel for the Nine-Tails?
She was happy here in Konoha. She'd made real friends, people who genuinely cared about her. She had Nawaki and Tsunade—family, even. So why was this necessary?
She pushed open the door and looked around her simple, undecorated room. The emptiness inside it seemed to echo the loneliness in her heart.
Maybe… she hadn't really become part of Konoha after all.
Grandma Mito had spoken of a love that would belong solely to her—but what did that even mean? Where was she supposed to find it?
Kushina couldn't figure it out. So instead, she curled up to sleep. When people run into problems they can't solve, hoping for a better tomorrow is the most common choice.
But this night… was not destined to be peaceful.
Just as she lay down to rest, a group of mysterious shinobi kicked down her door. Before she could react, her chakra was sealed.
In mere seconds, her mind was overwhelmed—and she was completely powerless to resist. The Kumogakure ninja had taken her without a struggle.
The feeling of helplessness crushed her further.
Until she saw a familiar figure nearby—also captured.
Uchiha Kaien.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Kaien subtly shook his head, warning her not to act.
Kushina lowered her head in acknowledgment. Deep down, a flicker of hope ignited.
There were two of them now. Maybe… they could find a way to escape.
"We got 'em all, boss! The mission's a success!"
The junior Kumogakure shinobi were visibly thrilled. If they made it back home, they'd be hailed as heroes.
"Well done. We're pulling out now—immediately!" barked the jōnin commander, Motoi.
This was Konoha. Every second they lingered increased the danger. Now that they'd succeeded, it was time to run.
Desperate, Kushina began tearing strands of her red hair and dropping them along the path, hoping someone would find them—someone who could come to save her and Kaien.
...
A few hours earlier—
Uchiha Kaien had gone out to watch a street acrobatics show, only to be approached by a group of shady-looking "uncles" who claimed to have an even more spectacular private show for him.
Kaien immediately sensed their intentions but played along, even tossing them a generous tip of 20,000 ryō on a whim.
"Do you really have goldfish at your place? Where do you keep them? I keep mine in a pond at home," Kaien asked with childlike curiosity.
"Haha, of course! We're professionals! The goldfish we're gonna show you aren't like anything you've ever seen before!" one of the Kumogakure underlings replied, eyes gleaming.
This little Uchiha kid was loaded. Just mentioning goldfish and he casually handed them 20,000 ryō.
"I also have a cat that can do backflips. Want to come to the Uchiha district and see it?"
"Really? After we see the goldfish, let's go check out your flipping cat!" the jōnin said with a chuckle, signaling his team to prepare for action.
As expected, Kaien allowed himself to be captured with almost no resistance.
"You—you're spies!" Kaien shouted in mock surprise, acting as though he'd only just realized something was off.
But by then, it was already too late. He was firmly in their grasp.
"We just need one more and we're heading back to Kumogakure in glory!"
The team picked up speed, heading toward Kushina's residence.
They'd been observing her for days and knew exactly where to find her. With her distracted by her worries, she hadn't noticed the trap closing in around her.
Just like that, both kids were captured without much effort.
From the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen observed the events unfold, a little disappointed.
Kumogakure's ninja were seriously lacking in awareness.
Even with Kaien obviously slipping explosive tags onto them, they hadn't noticed a thing.
Still, it was time to act.
Hiruzen summoned a masked ANBU.
"Deliver the intel to Minato. Tell him to go rescue Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Kaien."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Without hesitation, the ANBU raced off toward Namikaze Minato's home.
Minato hadn't gone to sleep either. He was still diligently researching the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Though he was still uncertain about how to anchor the technique's marks, his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique had once again advanced.
The unique insights he gained from the movement aspect of Flying Thunder God were a major breakthrough.
...
"Boss, we're almost outside Konoha's surveillance range! We're gonna make it out, right?"
"Don't let your guard down!" Motoi barked. Something about how smoothly the night had gone was making him uneasy.
"It's too quiet," he muttered.
"Uncle, are you nervous because everything's been too easy?" Kaien's soft voice echoed beside him.
Motoi's heart skipped a beat.
"You gave me candy, remember? Let me return the favor."
"Boom."
Kaien formed a single seal. In an instant, two Kumogakure shinobi erupted in flames. Sizzling sounds came from various points on their bodies—explosive tags had been planted everywhere.
"Rip off your clothes—it's tags!" Motoi shouted.
But the warning came too late. His men were already engulfed in fire.
Kaien, however, hadn't managed to escape.
Motoi had personally carried him and believed his chakra was completely sealed.
"That little chakra you recovered... consider it my gift to you guys," Kaien said casually.
"You little brat!"
Motoi was fuming.
They had succeeded. They had both targets. But this brat just had to make it difficult at the very last second.
As expected of the Uchiha—always trouble.
But that arrogance had been his downfall. Thanks to it, Kaien had let himself be sealed without a fight. Losing two comrades was a fair trade for securing the mission.
Or so Motoi thought.
That thought didn't last long.
A yellow flash of light tore through the forest, and suddenly—there was silence.
Motoi broke out in a cold sweat.
A powerful enemy was here.
Someone had eliminated the rest of his team without a sound. A jōnin? No—stronger.
Panic overtook him. Forget trying to take Kushina—he had to escape.
Activating his crude version of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he surged forward, desperate to flee.
After rescuing Kushina, Namikaze Minato turned to look at the faint blue figure in the distance.
He could only hope Kaien wouldn't go too far with that Kumogakure ninja...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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