Kushina wept uncontrollably, her cries echoing through the room like a haunting lullaby.
Her heart was shattered, the floodgates of emotion long suppressed now broken open.
Grief overwhelmed her, twisting her expression with pain and loss. For so long, she had believed her sacrifice would lead to a future where her son would be loved and protected.
But that belief had been crushed under the weight of cruel revelations.
It was only when she felt the warmth around her that she realized she had been clinging tightly to Indra.
Her sobs had led her to seek comfort in his arms, her fingers clutching the fabric of his robe with desperate force.
Her head rested on his chest, and his arms had unknowingly become her sanctuary.
Her crimson hair clung to her cheeks, wet with tears, and her eyes widened as the moment registered.
Blushing, Kushina quickly pulled away, flustered by her vulnerable state.
"I-I didn't mean to…" she whispered, eyes avoiding his.
Indra's expression remained passive, but his gaze was sharp and piercing.
Kushina gathered herself slightly and looked at him, pain etched deeply in her face. "Tell me... why did Naruto suffer so much?" she asked in a soft voice, cracked with sorrow. "I told the Third Hokage everything. I entrusted him with my son before I died... so why?"
Indra's eyes narrowed, a sneer tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Do you really think that old man is truly kind?" he said, his voice low and laced with contempt.
Kushina blinked, startled by his tone. "What do you mean?"
"Let me tell you," Indra began, stepping closer, "who really spread those filthy rumors about Naruto's identity."
She looked at him, unable to speak. In her heart, the Third Hokage had always been a kind man—an elder she had respected and trusted. But doubt crept into her heart.
"Who?" she asked hesitantly, her fists tightening.
"I'll tell you who deserves a good beating," Indra said, his lip twitching slightly. "Danzo."
The name hit Kushina like a lightning bolt.
"That old bastard?!" she growled, her voice trembling with fury.
Her clenched fists quivered, and her body radiated anger. "That old dog tried to capture me multiple times! He had surveillance on me... tried to use me. And now my son... my son is suffering because of him too?!"
"I'll kill that bastard Danzo!" she screamed, her chakra momentarily flaring in a flicker of her old wrath.
Indra watched calmly, his mind drifting to her infamous nickname: the Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero. A fitting name, truly.
"Tell me," she said, trying to breathe through her rage, "why didn't the Third Hokage clear the rumors? He's the Hokage! He could have ended all this!"
Indra's voice turned serious. "Exactly. If Danzo spread the rumors... why didn't the Hokage put a stop to it?"
Kushina's expression changed.
Her lips parted slightly. Her eyes stared at the ground, deep in thought. Even though she wasn't the type to use her head often in complex matters, this question planted a bitter seed of doubt in her heart. She was no fool. The Hokage had the power to clear all misunderstandings.
Why didn't he?
She looked up, confusion and suspicion mingling in her expression.
Seeing her reaction, Indra's lips curled into a small, evil smile.
"It's starting," he thought to himself. "The process of darkening has begun."
Then, in a grave tone, he continued.
"The Third Hokage... hid Naruto's identity on purpose. He supported the rumor that Naruto is the demon fox. He let the people believe it. He let them isolate him. Hate him."
Kushina's breath hitched.
She couldn't believe it. Her eyes trembled, filled with despair.
"Why… why would he do that?" she whispered, tears returning to her eyes.
Indra sneered again, this time with more disdain.
"He needed a scapegoat," he said darkly. "To cover up the damage done to the village by the Nine-Tails attack. So he shifted the blame. To Naruto. And he ignored Danzo's actions completely."
Kushina's knees weakened. Her body swayed slightly. She stumbled backward and sat down, her hands shaking.
"Minato and I… we gave everything to protect Konoha... We gave our lives," she murmured. "And our son… he bore the hatred of the entire village? For something that wasn't his fault?"
Her fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. She tried to deny it, tried to justify it, but no matter how she looked at it, it made no sense.
For the first time, a small trace of anger towards Minato rose in her heart.
She had always believed in him. But now, the more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt. What did their sacrifice even achieve?
Naruto was blamed for everything. Their son was treated like a criminal from birth.
Her red eyes glowed slightly from tears and rage.
Indra watched silently, then decided to add more fuel to the growing flame.
"The Third Hokage," he said quietly, "even confiscated all your property and Minato's savings."
"What...?" Kushina's eyes widened.
"He took everything. Left Naruto with only 1500 taels a month."
The silence was deafening.
Kushina's jaw tightened. Her vision turned red.
"That was my son's inheritance! How dare he?! That money—those houses—everything belonged to Naruto!" she shouted, standing up, her chakra flaring once more.
"That greedy old bastard! Even Minato's savings?! For what?! For what did we die?!"
She breathed heavily, chest rising and falling as anger consumed her.
And then Indra calmly delivered another blow.
"Do you know... you could've been saved that night?"
Kushina froze.
Indra's tone was cold and sharp. "Minato could've sealed the other half of the Nine-Tails in you... but he didn't."
She turned to face him, her voice barely a whisper. "Why?"
Her trust in Minato was hanging by a thread.
Indra's words pierced her heart like a blade.
"Because he thought… if you survived with the other half of the Nine-Tails, the Third Hokage would lose control over Naruto."
Kushina staggered back.
Her breath left her body like a gut punch.
"He... He chose the village... over me?" she asked.
Indra nodded slowly.
Kushina's knees hit the ground. Her faith—shattered. Her belief—shaken. Her love—tainted.
Her voice cracked. "He thought... control over Naruto was more important than my life...?"
Indra stared at her with icy eyes. "Yes."
Kushina's world collapsed.
All she had believed in—all she had trusted—lay in ruins.
She whispered, almost to herself, "Then why... why did the Hokage need to control Naruto?"
Indra's next words were cold as ice.
"Because he needed Naruto to be a war machine. A tool. A living weapon for the village. So he never cleared the rumors. He let Naruto grow up alone and hated. He let himself be the only light in Naruto's life... to manipulate him into blind loyalty."
Kushina's heart broke into a thousand pieces.
Everything was lost.
Her eyes were hollow. Her tears fell endlessly.
She couldn't forgive Minato anymore.
She couldn't forgive the Hokage.
She had no strength left to believe.
In that moment, Kushina Uzumaki stopped being a tool of the Leaf.
Silence hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
Kushina sat on her knees, her face pale and blank. The fire in her heart was smothered under the weight of despair. Her trust in the village, in her husband, and in her leaders had been torn to shreds.
But amidst her ruin, one fragile hope flickered.
She looked up at Indra with desperate eyes. "What about Jiraiya? And Kakashi?" Her voice was trembling, barely audible.
"Were they on a mission? Did they not know? Is that why the village acted like this? Maybe... Maybe someone tried to care for him? Jiraiya is his godfather... right? Kakashi was Minato's student... they must've done something."
Her words were filled with a trembling hope, clinging to the last shred of belief that someone—anyone—might have looked after her son.
Indra's gaze didn't soften.
His voice was void of sympathy.
"Kakashi... never even met Naruto. He lived his own life. He turned his back on the son of his sensei."
Kushina's heart dropped.
"No..."
"And Jiraiya?" Indra continued.
A pause.
"That man is probably out there right now... peeping into women's baths... collecting 'research' for his novels."
The words hit Kushina like a hammer. Her vision blurred. Her throat tightened.
Indra added, with deliberate cruelty, "He never even came back after your death. Not even once. He never checked on Naruto."
Kushina's mouth opened in shock. But no sound came out.
Her mind refused to accept it.
Jiraiya—Minato's teacher. Naruto's godfather.
Kakashi—his student, his trusted comrade.
They did nothing?
They abandoned her son?
Kushina smiled bitterly, but there was no joy in it. Only pain.
"Sure enough... even they ignored him."
She broke into sobs again.
This time, they were quiet, broken cries. She clutched her chest as though trying to hold together her heart, which felt like it had been ripped open.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Then Kushina, with new determination laced in her voice, said through the tears, "No matter what... I will go ask the Third Hokage myself! He has to answer me!"
Indra's expression grew sharp. He turned to her with a cold and serious stare.
"Do as you wish."
Kushina looked at him, stunned.
She had expected him to object. To stop her.
But he didn't.
"Why aren't you stopping me?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion.
Indra stepped closer, lowering his voice with grim finality.
"Because if you go now… the Third Hokage will imprison you. He'll make it seem like you're a threat to the village. And Naruto…"
Kushina held her breath.
"…will be handed to Root. Danzo will take him and mold him into a perfect war machine. Just as he always planned."
The words sank deep.
Kushina's shoulders drooped. Her heart sank again, now fully submerged in dread.
Yes.
That would be the outcome.
If she made a wrong move, Naruto would suffer even more.
They would turn him into a mindless weapon.
Just like they always wanted.
Her hands trembled.
She was trapped.
Powerless.
Indra turned to leave.
"I'll take my leave now," he said coldly.
But as he began to walk away, a hand reached out.
Kushina's.
She grasped his wrist tightly.
Her voice was quiet.
"Can you... help me?"
Indra stopped.
He turned back toward her, leaned in close, and whispered something in her ear.
Her eyes widened.
Then a flush of crimson bloomed across her cheeks. Her lips parted in disbelief, and she looked away, conflicted.
She didn't respond immediately.
Her heart was racing.
That request…
She looked down, eyes full of shame and hesitation. But within that hesitation, there was also resolve. Resolve for her son.
After a long moment of silence, Kushina finally nodded.
She agreed.
Indra's lips curled into a wicked grin.
He pulled his face close to hers.
"If you become my woman… I will help you. But you must forget about Naruto. I will make his life better from now on."
Kushina's eyes trembled.
Her soul felt torn.
But the love she once had for Minato was now dead.
Her heart had been broken by the village she died protecting.
She had nothing left but Naruto.
And if this was the price to pay for her son's happiness...
Then so be it.
She made her decision.
And in that moment, Kushina Uzumaki gave herself to a new future.
A future without the Leaf.
Without Minato.
A future shaped by her own hands.
A future where her son would never suffer again.
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End of Chapter
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