Kushina, disguised as an Anbu, had been following Naruto all day.
There were countless moments she wanted to intervene, but an invisible restriction forcefully held her back.
Her heart was burning with anger as she looked at the Hidden Leaf Village. Her eyes were cold and filled with hatred, wishing she could destroy everything.
At school, she overheard what others said about her child.
"That's the brat possessed by the Nine-Tails, right?"
"What a loser. The worst of the worst."
"The Nine-Tails is a monster that eats people, isn't it? I remember the Fourth Hokage died because of it. My mom says my uncle died because of it! I'll never forgive him!"
"My dad died because of that monster. We can't be friends with him!"
"Why did the Third Hokage let him stay in the village? It's too dangerous. We'll all be harmed by him sooner or later."
"Yeah, this kid didn't even have parents show up at the last parent meeting."
"A curse on him! So disgusting! Always causing trouble, no one to raise him properly, no one to teach him, no heart, no humanity—he deserves to fail his exams."
"So young and already causing problems. No filter, just a future disaster. What use is someone like him? Garbage!"
As Naruto passed by, a group of kids glared at him with disgust and sneered. Their hateful stares broke Kushina's heart. My child… my poor child.
"This can't be true," she whispered to herself.
"No, this must be a plan by the Third Hokage to protect Naruto's identity as a Jinchuriki," she thought.
Kushina kept dodging the surveillance cameras and stayed alert for the Anbu agents around her, silently following Naruto.
From Naruto's lonely gaze, she could clearly feel her son's fragile, lost heart.
Though still young, Naruto could sense the intense hostility from everyone around him.
After watching him all afternoon, Kushina realized the insults and hatred weren't isolated incidents—almost everyone was against him.
She deeply understood that feeling, having been mocked and bullied as a child because of her red hair. She never imagined her son would suffer even worse.
"Heh, I wanted to lie to myself, to comfort myself, but everything that's happened in the Hidden Leaf Village has completely disappointed me," Kushina muttered bitterly.
"If Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails' host had to be hidden, they shouldn't have let anyone know about the demon fox."
"Any ninja with common sense can figure out the demon fox is the Nine-Tails."
"Third Hokage... you're playing with fire. You couldn't protect my son, so what was the point of me and Minato fighting to protect this village?"
Kushina watched as Naruto tried to play with children his own age, but cruelly, they not only refused him outright but also mocked him. Occasionally, some naive kids wanted to play with him but were quickly pulled away by their parents or friends.
Behind his back, she clearly heard them slandering Naruto.
Children, easily influenced by the crowd, soon followed the hateful sentiment, their eyes filled with disgust and hatred towards Naruto.
Even when Naruto tried to buy some everyday items, adults would harshly refuse him and throw the little boy out of their shops. Some even insulted him or physically attacked him.
Naruto would be walking down the street when, out of nowhere, eggs or vegetables would be thrown at him.
Caught off guard by this relentless attack, Naruto was soon knocked to the ground, buried under vegetables, eggs, and garbage, becoming filthy.
Seeing this, Kushina's eyes widened in rage. She could barely breathe. This was unbearably cruel.
He was just a child! Why treat him like this?
Someone in the crowd deliberately threw a rock that struck Naruto's head hard, causing him to bleed and fall down with a large bump forming on his forehead.
"Kill this Nine-Tails brat!"
"Avenging the Fourth Hokage and everyone else!"
"What right does this brat have to live in our village?"
A man shouted with red-rimmed eyes and murderous intent: "Because of this bastard, my father and brother died in battle!"
"It's all his fault!"
Naruto stared in horror at the twisted faces advancing toward him. The fear in his eyes broke Kushina's heart, and she clutched her chest, nearly fainting.
Seeing this, Kushina's eyes burned with fury. She wanted to rush out and kill every one of them.
The kids might not understand, but why were the adults like this?
Kushina couldn't understand why they treated Naruto this way—he was still just a child.
Why must her child, the son of the Hokage, suffer such hardship and pain?
She wondered why the Third Hokage hadn't stood up. Why Kakashi hadn't intervened.
Why were Minato's former comrades indifferent? Had the saying come true—that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter? That they would kick someone when they're down?
The forbidden jutsu sealing her powers from the Reanimation prevented Kushina from moving even an inch. She could only watch helplessly. She wanted to close her eyes, but Naruto's cries and pleas pierced her heart.
She wanted to scream out loud: "Naruto is not the demon fox! He is the son of the Fourth Hokage! He is the descendant of a hero!!"
"Minato, you were wrong! Dead wrong!"
"Why did you seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto?"
"Is this really the village we fought so hard to protect?"
Kushina wanted to cry but no tears would fall. She howled silently in despair.
There is no greater pain than a mother watching her child suffer but being powerless to help.
She had always believed Naruto was doing well. But in reality, he lived worse than an animal.
"Alright, let them disperse. That's enough for today. We'll continue another day," a cold voice from the shadows ordered.
"Yes, sir!" An Anbu vanished in a flash.
Moments later, the hostile crowd scattered. Naruto, bruised and battered, staggered and limped to his feet.
He picked up some unbroken eggs and vegetables and walked out of the village. He caught fish and cooked them with the eggs and vegetables for himself.
"Heh heh heh... So this was all your doing?"
"Ha ha ha! Well done, Danzo! I've got you marked! I, Kushina, swear I won't rest until I kill you!"
Kushina had seen it all.
From Danzo's cold, expressionless face hiding nearby Naruto, showing no emotion at all, she knew this wasn't the first time Naruto had suffered like this. Nor would it be the last. They had become numb to it.
When Naruto returned to the village, the shops were already closed.
He skillfully slipped into one, grabbed a few food items, and hurried back.
"Thief? Hah, the son of the Hokage, forced into stealing by you."
"Hah, well done, Danzo. Well done, Hidden Leaf!"
Kushina gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. She now harbored a deep hatred for the Hidden Leaf Village.
She would take Naruto away.
She would take care of her child herself.
She would take back everything that was hers.
Seeing Naruto enter a dilapidated house, Kushina dodged cameras and Anbu to quietly follow him inside.
Inside, Kushina was shocked. The place was worse than a slum.
The room was a mess, filthy and cluttered. Some things smelled awful. She even found spoiled milk and expired food, yet her child ate it as if it were a delicacy.
At that moment, Kushina completely broke down.
"Danzo, I'm going to kill you!!"