Uzumaki Miyuki's Past
Uzumaki Kushina found Miyuki Uzumaki and bowed her head deeply.
"I'm sorry, Miyuki," she said earnestly. "For everything."
Miyuki looked at her, puzzled. "Why are you apologizing? If it's about becoming the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, there's no need. I agreed to it willingly."
Kushina's expression darkened. "Chi Yu told me everything. About how he found you in the Land of Grass and brought you to Konoha. I know about the arrangement between you two..."
Miyuki's eyes narrowed slightly, surprised. "He told you? That doesn't sound like him. Chi Yu wouldn't want you to worry… or feel responsible."
Kushina interlaced her fingers, her voice soft. "I had my suspicions for a while. I could tell you and Chi Yu weren't strangers. Eventually, I confronted him, and he came clean."
Miyuki exhaled a quiet chuckle, her gaze distant. "So you figured it out, Kushina. Still, there's no reason for guilt. This was always a transaction. Chi Yu gave me the life I longed for… and I became a Jinchūriki in return."
Kushina shook her head. "But he never told you the full cost. He said you didn't know his true reason for bringing you here — that it was to become a vessel for the Nine-Tails."
She paused, then continued with a trembling voice, "He told me about the burden. How people treat Jinchūriki like monsters. The isolation. The fear. The constant danger of losing control and becoming the very thing they fear."
"Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts are often at odds," she went on. "If the host weakens, the Tailed Beast can influence their mind — sometimes even take over entirely."
Miyuki raised her hand, gently stopping her. "Kushina… do you know what kind of life I lived before? I used to say it was a life of fear and displacement — but that doesn't cover even half of it."
Her voice grew low.
"After Uzushiogakure fell, the remnants of our clan scattered. Some of us went to the Land of Waves, others to the Land of Valleys, or even the Waterfall Village. We never stayed long. Once someone discovered our identities, it was always the same: capture, interrogation, and experimentation."
She looked Kushina dead in the eye. "Our clan's vitality, our unique chakra — it made us valuable. Dangerous. When someone realized an Uzumaki could heal by transferring chakra through a bite — they didn't see a person. They saw a tool. A resource."
Miyuki's voice trembled, but she forced herself to keep speaking.
"I moved constantly. One by one, the others disappeared. Until I was the only one left. I ended up in the Land of Grass, hiding. Surviving. But then war broke out again. Starving, I had no choice but to enter Kusagakure."
She clenched her fists. "I could tell I was being watched. Tracked. And then… Chi Yu found me. He knew what I was immediately. And I was terrified."
Her tone softened.
"But when he told me you were in Konoha — that another Uzumaki lived openly and safely — I agreed. I followed him here."
Miyuki looked around the cozy home she now had. "Konoha gave me peace. Stability. Compared to the life I led before… being a Jinchūriki is nothing."
She smiled. "The Third Hokage promised my identity would be kept secret. Only a few know I'm the Nine-Tails' host. So the discrimination you fear — it hasn't touched me."
Her expression grew more confident. "Besides, my progress with Fūinjutsu is rapid. Lady Mito said it herself: with our clan's chakra and a strong enough seal, the Nine-Tails won't overwhelm me."
She leaned forward. "So Kushina, don't feel guilty. I chose this. I wanted this."
"If I hadn't," she added firmly, "the Nine-Tails never would've accepted me. You know how it works."
Kushina's lips parted as if to argue, but no words came.
Miyuki smiled gently. "Honestly, I envy you, Kushina."
Kushina blinked. "Huh?"
"Because Chi Yu loves you," Miyuki said quietly. "He would go to any length for you. That kind of devotion... it's rare. Precious."
Kushina's cheeks flushed. "He's… always been there for me, yeah." She gave a soft laugh. "Oh — by the way. Are you and Minato Namikaze...?"
Miyuki nodded slightly. "Yes. We're together."
Kushina's brows lifted in surprise. "Since when? That's so sudden!"
Miyuki shrugged. "It started recently. Though we'd met before. He's warm, capable, and incredibly kind. Half a month ago, we were assigned to the same team on a mission involving Fūinjutsu. We were ambushed by Iwa-nin... and he protected me."
Her voice turned wistful. "After that, we just… naturally grew closer."
Kushina gave a small, restrained smile. "That's good."
Though she had once felt rivalry toward Minato, she wouldn't speak poorly of him. Not now.
Miyuki looked at her seriously. "Kushina, you really don't need to blame yourself."
Kushina reached forward and took Miyuki's hand. "Thank you, Miyuki."
Standing up, she added, "Chi Yu's finally back in the village. I should go spend time with him."
"I'll be here," Miyuki replied. "Bring him by sometime. You've never properly introduced him to me as a guest."
"I will," Kushina laughed. "Bye-bye!"
As Kushina left, Miyuki stood at the door, watching her go.
After years of hardship in the shinobi world, Miyuki could see through many things now.
Minato's first encounter with her had felt... too perfect. Too convenient. Especially given the timing of her becoming the Nine-Tails' host.
She was certain he had approached her under Hokage orders.
But even so, she had chosen him — because she could tell: Minato did care for her.
Yet deep down, she knew…
Minato Namikaze would never choose her the way Chi Yu chose Kushina.
Because Minato loved Konoha more.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters