Deep into the night in Konohagakure, countless civilians and shinobi tossed restlessly on their futons, sleep evading them like a fleeting shadow. Their minds churned with muffled thoughts—palpable nightmares and memories that clawed their way to the surface, hammering the truth into their skulls with relentless force.
Thoughts of Itachi Uchiha. Of the fallen clan. Of their crooked government.
The memories had spread like wildfire: not only Danzō Shimura's involvement in the massacre, but that of their revered Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the elders—Koharu Utatane among them. All of them manipulated by the Fire Daimyō to safeguard his private interests rather than the Land of Fire's true peace. All of them complicit in the extermination of the Uchiha.
Confusion twisted their hearts into knots. A clan slaughtered for the "greater good" of Konoha. The fragile peace they now enjoyed was cemented in rivers of blood and unimaginable sacrifice.
Word had already reached them: the Fifth Hokage would address the village tomorrow—a heartfelt speech, announcements, explanations of the darkness that had transpired.
Yet sleep remained impossible. A rare purple aurora borealis streaked across the sky, mingling with the cold light of the moon. Together, they illuminated the village like accusing lanterns, making the blood that had once stained these streets gleam anew. Konoha's sins laid bare: a village born from the ashes of others it had once called allies.
And the truth did not stop at the Uchiha.
Before their fall, another story had been buried deeper still—a secret the Soul Stone Ember, the eye of a Midnight Elf, refused to let die: the tragedy of the Uzumaki Clan and their lost home, Uzushiogakure.
Betrayal upon betrayal upon betrayal.
...
Kakashi Hatake sat hunched at a late-night stall, nursing a cup of soju beside his eternal rival, Might Guy. They had talked until words ran dry. In the end, they agreed on only one thing: wait for the Hokage's address.
As Kakashi tilted the last drops to his lips, a silhouette caught his eye—a woman in a dark coat patterned with red clouds, short hair swaying as she wandered the empty street. She moved with lazy grace, as if humming a forgotten lullaby.
His breath hitched.
For a fleeting instant, he glimpsed the curve of her smile as she glanced his way—then vanished around a corner.
"Rin!"
The name tore from his throat. He bolted from his seat, leaving Guy blinking in shock.
"Oi—Kakashi! Where are you—?!"
The silver-haired jōnin didn't answer. He sprinted through the shadowed streets, chasing that impossible ghost. A soft, familiar laugh drifted on the night air.
"Kakashi~"
"Rin—it's really you?!"
He skidded into a narrow alley where he swore she'd fled.
Empty.
Nothing but moonlight and silence.
Kakashi pressed a palm to his forehead, reeling as a vicious headache bloomed behind his eyes. Hallucination. Grief playing tricks again.
He trudged back to the stall, unaware of the figure perched along the rooftop's edge—a young woman with crimson eyes that glowed brighter than the aurora. She smirked, licking her fingers with deliberate slowness. A thin red thread, faint as spider silk, stretched from her fingertip into the darkness below—tied irrevocably to the man walking away.
A red string of fate.
**
**
In one of the quiet rooms of the Senju Manor, a boy slept peacefully, exhaustion softening his features into something almost serene.
A tall silhouette watched him from the shadows, her gaze cold yet laced with pity.
She was not alone.
"The Uzumaki Clan," a low, amused voice began from the corner, "an ancient line of red-haired seal masters from the ruined village of Uzushiogakure."
Tsunade stood rigid, arms folded tight.
"Among their elders was a matriarch named Mito, who married your grandfather, Hashirama Senju. The villages were bound by that marriage. Your grandparents loved each other deeply."
A pause.
"Or so the story goes~"
"Enough," Tsunade whispered, voice trembling.
"You cannot run from the truth, Tsunade. Not when it has clawed its way into my mind as well."
"This isn't your world, Hasshaku-sama", Tsunade whirled, not calling her 'Haku' as she'd do fondly. An outsider, otherworlder... telling her that whatever conversation was about to unfold was one she didn't want to listen to, much less in front of Naruto, even if the boy was slumbering. Glaring at the towering figure half-revealed by a sudden flare of aurora through the window. The light carved monstrous shadows across the creature's face.
"Despite those marital ties," Hasshaku-sama continued, savouring every word, "when war came for Uzushiogakure, their allies in Konoha did nothing. The Uzumaki were feared—envied—for their revolutionary sealing techniques. Every other nation coveted the ability to bind a tailed beast into a human vessel, and the Uzumaki seal was unmatched; it allowed them to use the beast's power to their advantage, control them. When the Uzumaki refused to share that secret, the world turned on them."
Tsunade's fists clenched.
"The decision to withhold it wasn't Mito's," the creature purred. "It was the Senju's~"
"When the invasion came, Mito begged for aid. But Konoha—under pressure, unprepared—stood aside. In exchange for the ultimate prize, the Reaper Death Seal (Shiki Fujin), only two Uzumaki were spared: Mito herself... and later, Kushina Uzumaki."
"Please... stop, my clan is not–"
"Hashirama traded his wife's people for that forbidden technique. A seal that summons the Shinigami itself. And the village thrived while Uzushiogakure burned. What your grandfather felt for your grandmother... I wonder if it was love–"
"Don't you dare say he didn't love her!" Tsunade snarled. "The village was new. The Senju-Uchiha alliance wasn't strong enough to fight every nation at once. He had no choice!"
"Is that what they told you? How curious... a man who was called the God of Shinobi. Only the likes of Uchiha Madara could match him," Hasshaku-sama crooned, "I thought people strong like that... like us, always had a choice."
"Shut up!"
Tsunade lunged, seizing the creature's collar. "Why are you doing this? Why here, in front of Naruto? Do you want him to wake up and hear?"
"I simply adore your nervousness~"
Tsunade's breath shook.
"Such a delicious twist, isn't it? Did you truly believe the Senju were saints? That your grandfather was flawless? You are always in control, Tsunade, but this time... I can feel your fear. You won't be able to sleep tonight~"
"If you want a fight—" Tsunade had had enough, but all she received was a huge embrace from Haku, who pressed her into her body.
!!!
"Oh, no, I am not looking for a fight~ I didn't unearth these truths. Azrael did. This was her wish: for everyone to know. I'm merely... enjoying the performance." Hasshaku-sama's smile widened. "And reminding you that you cannot keep the boy in the dark forever."
"I didn't think she'd dig this deep," Tsunade muttered, trying to release herself from suffocation in Haku's body. She wondered how Ray could do it without suffocating.
"But it's ancient history. The Uzumaki are gone. Revealing it changes nothing."
"Except for the last survivor," Hasshaku-sama whispered. "Naruto. How do you think he'd feel, learning his mother's clan was sacrificed by the village he loves? Especially when he doesn't even know her name..."
Tsunade's shoulders sagged. She saw him, and then she thought of Sasuke. Only... Naruto had no reason to love this village. Naruto was someone who had been despised from the start.
The thought alone made her fear what he would think of the village. The Senju? Herself...?
"You really do thrive on chaos, don't you?"
"Only when I don't have to create it myself." The creature gently pried Tsunade's hands away. "But I do like you, Tsunade. Your love for the master is so pure. Like mine."
Tsunade frowned, wary.
"So I'll offer you this: I will seal the boy's mind. These memories will remain locked until he turns eighteen—an adult. You can think of how you will tell him the truth little by little"
"You... you'd do that?" Tsunade thought Haku was out to get her, but quite the contrary. She offered a solution.
"A permanent seal would defy Azrael's will. This is the most I can give."
"Then do it, please." Tsunade knelt down in front of Naruto, caressing the boy's face. Her last family in this world, but also... her clan had aggrieved his clan. Tsunade realised that 'honouring' the Senju was not going to be easy.
Hasshaku-sama's fingers danced through signs. A soft glow settled over the sleeping boy. The darkness entered his mind and covered the light, the truth that had already been imparted to him.
From the far corner, Ray spoke at last; he had been hearing the whole conversation.
"I agree he shouldn't know yet. What you're doing is merciful." His gaze flicked to Hasshaku-sama. "Though I'll still punish you later. You're enjoying this far too much."
"Fufufu~ You know me, Master."
Ray stepped forward, helping Tsunade to her feet and pulling her into a steady embrace. "You're not responsible for the sins of the past," he murmured. "Come. We should rest. Tomorrow will be heavy."
He drew Hasshaku-sama into the hug as well, guiding both women from the room where the others slept.
Yet even as they left, Ray's eyes lingered on the window.
Someone else was coming tonight.
Sleep, he knew, would not visit him either.