As I made my way towards the streets of Konoha, heading towards the hospital to pay Koji one last visit while I could still make fun of him for being bedbound, I suddenly had a realization that I wouldn't be able to make it.
The reason for that was very simple.
Someone was blocking my path.
Now, there could be many possible people who might stop me in the middle of the street, that would cause me to change my plans, I wasn't an unknown little Genin.
I was one of the most powerful Kunoichi in all of Konoha, if not in the entire world. So yeah, plenty of people might want to stop me, from other clans, such as members of Koji's Inuzuka clan, or members of the Hyūga, or worse yet, Root.
Root and Danzo were very much a thing I had to be mindful of, because that creep didn't like anyone getting too powerful or too famous, much less if they belonged to one of the big clans, he feared anyone reaching the level of a Clan Lord, therefore being able to compete for the rank of Hokage.
While I was of the branch family, and therefore unlikely to be pushed forward like that, it was still a risk, and one I was sure he was well aware of.
That man was paranoid as hell.
I had no doubt that I was already on his radar, and only the clan's influence was keeping him away from me, but there was still a real risk of him suddenly sending his goons at me to invite me for a little chat.
I was both a threat and someone he would love to add to his little brainwashed cult, because despite his best attempts, he hadn't gotten anyone from the Hyūga clan.
Even fragmented between the main and branch families, the Hyūga still didn't allow anyone to follow them. We were a noble clan, not one that crawled around in the shadows like he did.
But no, it wasn't him and his creeps, no, who stopped me was someone I hadn't expected, not in the slightest.
Yet, it wasn't someone unknown to me; I knew them, only by name, really. I had never met them before, but I had seen them, or rather, I had seen their chakra when I had the Byakugan open inside the village.
Both their chakra and appearance were striking and impossible to forget, impossible not to know. Before me, with a great big grin on her face, stood none other than the Jinchūriki of the nine tails, and yes, the strongest Kunoichi of our time, Kushina Uzumaki, future wife of Minato and mother of Naruto.
And she wasn't alone, next to her stood someone else I knew, or rather, someone I could guess who they were.
One was a refined young lady, around our age, with straight black hair; more than that was the clothes she wore. It was of high quality, shinobi style, and marked with the Uchiha fan.
Given what I knew, I instantly guessed her to be Mikoto Uchiha, someone mentioned to be Kushina's friend and naturally, best known for being the wife of Uchiha Fukaku, and mother to Sasuke and the clan killer Itachi.
Next, there was in fact someone from Koji's Inuzuka clan, another young woman our age, who I guessed to be none other than Kiba's future mother, Tsume Inuzuka.
I stopped mid-step.
Kushina Uzumaki had the kind of grin that made grown men nervous.
Though that was mostly because she had a reputation for being quick to anger, and not afraid of beating up anyone who made her angry. Yeah, she was well known in the village, yet she was also someone who could get away with starting trouble, since her status was so special.
In that regard, she was much like Naruto, getting away with everything due to what was sealed inside them. Unlike Naruto, who would just do pranks, her mother would do pranks and hand out beatings, and no one ever intervened.
She was famous for being a demon, and right now, that demon's eyes were locked on me.
She didn't say a word at first. She just stood there, hands on her hips, red hair swaying in the breeze, flanked by two girls who could've passed for her bodyguards… if their expressions weren't betraying that they were mostly just along for the chaos.
Mikoto Uchiha gave a polite bow, her movements graceful and reserved, her dark eyes sharp with amusement but also wariness—classic Uchiha aloofness, barely softened by her youth. She was trying to gauge me.
Tsume, on the other hand, looked me over very differently. She no doubt knew who I was thanks to the whole Koji thing, and was finally putting a face to the name. She had a lean, scrappy build and a wild look in her eye that I recognized immediately. Inuzuka energy. Koji had it too—but hers was far less filtered.
"I smell a man on you, and not my clan's Koji, he is going to be devastated, or aggressive once he smells that." Tsume said, instantly spilling secrets that really shouldn't be spoken about in public, yet it was so very much in style with her clan's whole attitude.
Honestly, at times, I struggled to understand how they functioned in this world of liars and betrayal, given how honest and loyal they were.
"Eh?" Kushina raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"
"One of the boys of my clan turned her into his little bitch while on a mission together, but it sure smells like she is getting along with members of her own clan just as well." Tsume answered with a smirk.
"He is my future husband, but please, I am sure I asked Koji to ensure his clan wouldn't mention our relationship to everyone around, it puts me in a very difficult position." I groaned.
Kushina had her eyes light up at the excellent gossip, while Mikoto looked shocked to learn about such a potential scandal.
Kushina clapped her hands together with an almost reverent gleam in her eye. "Oooooh! A forbidden inter-clan romance? With a wild Inuzuka pup no less? That's juicy."
"You sound like you're about to write a romance novel," Mikoto said dryly, arms crossed, but even she couldn't quite hide her smirk.
"Don't tempt me," Kushina grinned. "I'd title it The Bitch and the Branch Heiress."
Tsume barked a laugh. "I'd read it."
I just stared at them. "Are you three seriously forming a gossip coven right now?"
Kushina's grin didn't budge. "Well, when the gossip is this juicy, it's hard not to, but that wasn't why we stopped you. I'm Kushina Uzumaki, the first female Hokage!" she introduced herself. I blinked. "First female Hokage?" I repeated, arching an eyebrow. "Isn't that job already taken?"
She waved a hand. "Minor detail. Old man Hiruzen's still holding the spot warm until someone worthy comes along."
Mikoto sighed. "She's been saying that since the Academy."
"And I'm not wrong," Kushina shot back proudly. "You don't need to act surprised. Every generation gets one prodigy, and I'm the red-hot habanero of this one."
"Your words," Mikoto muttered. "Not the council's."
"I'll convince them," Kushina said with a grin, then pointed at me. "Or maybe I'll beat them into agreement. Either way, it's happening. But enough about me—you're the infamous Hyūga Yuki, right? The Hyūga clan's genius princess, the white Hyūga ghost, as the Bingo book calls you."
"That's correct, I'm indeed the unfortunate fool who had to spend months inside River fighting against Suna." I said, folding my arms, "And I have heard of you, Hiashi shared your class back at the academy."
"Yeah, I remember the Hyūga twins, real mood killers, with huge sticks up their asses, no wonder you picked an Inuzuka, they are good people for sure." Kushina said.
"Damn right we are, best clan in Konoha, even the famous Byakugan princess agrees." Tsume said, shooting me a glance that just begged me to object so she could start spilling what rumors Koji and Kuro had no doubt spread about me.
Damn those two guys, couldn't keep a secret to save their lives. I guess I should be happy that so few people paid their clan much mind, or the one thing I didn't want everyone to know, would be village-wide news.
"Hiashi can indeed come off as stiff, but Koji isn't much better, stiff as a board, hard as a steel pipe." I decided that if you can't beat them, join them. and while I could start a brawl here, it likely wouldn't end well for me.
I was a solid Elite, Jōnin, but Kushina was no less, and both of the others were Jōnin as well, so yeah, it wasn't a fight I could just win.
Naruto had shown that a Jinchūriki could indeed power through the gentle fist, and his mother was even stronger than he was, given she had the full nine-tail, and not just half of it.
Mikoto gave me a look that managed to be both scandalized and deeply amused. "Did you just say that in public?"
"Hey, I wasn't the one who started that; she was." I pointed at Tsume, who was struggling to keep herself from laughing.
"Yeah, that's on me, but really, you are great, I get why Koji likes you so much, even if you are a cheating bitch."
"Koji knew what he was getting into, my fate was sealed when I was." I gently tapped a finger against the seal on my forehead.
"True, though I doubt the same can be said for Hyūga Hiashi." Tsume said with a mischievous grin.
"Alright, let's all get along here. I do want to hear more about this, but I agree with Yuki-chan that this isn't the right place." Kushina finally said. "So Yuki-chan, come with us for a chat and some drinks."
The lively Uzumaki wasted no time in wrapping an arm around me, and Tsume joined in from the other side, trapping me between them.
Mikoto, the only one with any sense of decorum, trailed behind with a resigned sigh. "You're both too forward," she muttered, though she made no effort to stop us. "Dragging her through the village like a prize catch…"
"I am a prize," I shot over my shoulder, only mildly squirming in Kushina's iron grip. "At least buy me a drink before you manhandle me in public."
Tsume barked a laugh. "Oh no, we're skipping straight to interrogation. Drinks come after."
Kushina smirked. "Maybe. If your answers are entertaining enough."
"You sound like ANBU," I grumbled. "Is this a kidnapping or a recruitment pitch?"
"A little of both," Kushina winked. "As the future Hokage, I need my own trusted guards, and who better than the best Kunoichi of my generation, and well, among them all, you are the best other than myself, so I have had my eye on you for a while."
They led me toward a small side-street tea shop I recognized—it was one of the few places near the training grounds that served real food without overcharging Jōnin-level paychecks. The owner gave us all a knowing look as we were ushered to the back, a quiet corner with padded seats and a thin privacy curtain.
Tsume collapsed into a seat like a feral cat claiming her sunspot. Mikoto sat down with a kind of practiced grace, adjusting her sleeves. Kushina didn't sit so much as sprawl, arms wide over the back of the booth like she owned the place.
I stayed standing for a moment, arms crossed.
"What, afraid we'll pounce?" Tsume teased.
"No, I'm just considering which lap I should sit in," I said as I finally sat down.
Tsume snorted at my response, as did Kushina, while Mikoto looked slightly shocked at it.
I didn't blame her; my behavior wasn't very Hyūga-like. But when in Rome, and all that, I felt that being all polite wouldn't get me as far here as being as forward as the rest of them.
"So, is this just a recruitment pitch or something else?" I finally asked as we all sat down.
(end of chapter)
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