The sunset bathed the sky in shades of crimson, painting the clouds like a sea of fire.
Yuzuru Uchiha stepped out of his room, raising his arms high above his head in a lazy stretch.
Their next course of action had already been decided.
Now, all that remained was to raise their guard and quietly wait for the prey to come to them.
After sensing his surroundings briefly, Yuzuru turned to the right and soon spotted Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha embracing each other.
"You two?"
Startled by his voice, Mikoto quickly released Kushina. "Yuzuru, it's been so long since we've seen each other, so we were just—"
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Kushina laughed lightly and grabbed Mikoto's hand. "What's there to explain? We're just close friends catching up."
"Anyway," she continued, "you brought me here without permission—did your clan leader give you any trouble for that?"
Kushina knew very well that as the future Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Konoha would never easily let her go.
Bringing her along could very well cause trouble for the Uchiha.
She had already made up her mind—if the clan disapproved, she would leave on her own.
Yuzuru reached out and ruffled her hair. "You think I brought you here just to abandon you?" he said impatiently. "The Uchiha are under my command now. From today on, this is your home."
Mikoto chimed in, "That's right. Yuzuru is the hero of our Uchiha clan. Even if it's just because of Yuzuru, everyone will accept you."
Kushina's face flushed at Mikoto's words.
'Because of Yuzuru'… Did Mikoto notice something?
Yuzuru sat down casually on the ground and said calmly, "I'm no hero. I just do what I want—protect who I want to protect."
Mikoto shook her head softly. "No, you are a hero. You're the one who saved the Uchiha."
'And mine too,' Kushina added silently in her heart.
Seeing Mikoto's earnest expression, Yuzuru reached out and pulled her gently into his arms.
"Yuzuru—Kushina's still here…"
"It's fine," he said.
Watching them together, Kushina felt a pang of envy mixed with quiet sadness.
Suddenly, a large hand reached out and grabbed hers.
"Ah!"
"Kushina, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing! Just a bug…"
Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as she glared at Yuzuru—but she didn't pull her hand away.
———
That night, everyone gathered for dinner.
When the Uchiha clansmen learned who Kushina really was, their jaws collectively dropped.
Then laughter and cheers filled the room.
"Hahahahaha! As expected of Lord Yuzuru! Even the future Nine-Tails jinchūriki has been brought to our side—Konoha's going to explode when they find out!"
"Yeah! I bet Hiruzen Sarutobi's tearing his hair out right now. Once the Nine-Tails goes berserk, no one will be able to stop it!"
"With Kushina and our Sharingan gone, if the Nine-Tails loses control, Konoha will be reduced to ashes!"
"Kushina, don't worry about anything. You can live here peacefully. Leave Konoha's enemies to us!"
Listening to their loud, confident voices, Kushina felt a warmth blooming in her chest.
For the first time in a long while, she felt… accepted.
Then, taking a deep breath, she reached into her robes and pulled out a sealing scroll.
"Yuzuru," she said, stepping forward, "this contains the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan. I want to entrust it to the Uchiha."
Her words silenced the entire room.
Everyone turned to her in disbelief.
The sealing arts of the Uzumaki… the most coveted techniques in all the shinobi world.
It was those very arts that had led to the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
Even a great clan like the Uchiha could not remain unmoved by such a gift.
Yuzuru's eyes flickered with surprise. "Kushina, this is your clan's legacy. Are you sure you want to give it to us?"
Kushina nodded firmly. "Yes. You've accepted me—so I want to do my part for the Uchiha."
"That's wonderful!"
Someone shouted, followed by an eruption of applause.
Kushina's heart swelled with joy at being embraced by the Uchiha, and the Uchiha themselves felt the same pride—pride that even the last survivor of the Uzumaki had recognized them.
———
The next morning, Yuzuru was woken by the sound of knocking.
When he opened the door, he found Obito Uchiha standing there, wearing his usual goggles.
"Obito, it's early. What do you want?"
"Yuzuru-niisan!" Obito shouted eagerly. "Teach me how to be a ninja! I don't want the others from the Academy to get ahead of me!"
He hadn't even been at the Ninja Academy for ten days, but Obito already had rivals.
That smug, dead-eyed Kakashi who never looked anyone in the face; that loud green spandex maniac who screamed about youth, Guy; and that overbearing heir to the Sarutobi line, Asuma—
All of them had mocked him for being at the bottom of the class!
Even if he had left Konoha, Obito swore that next time they met, he'd crush them all beneath his feet—show them what it really meant to be an Uchiha!
"The clan already assigned teachers to train you, didn't they?" Yuzuru said mildly.
"I don't like them," Obito grumbled. "They're too weak—and they make me sit through boring lectures for half the day. I want to be the strongest Uchiha, Yuzuru-niisan! Will you train me?"
Yuzuru rubbed his chin. "Getting stronger isn't easy, Obito. Can you really endure it?"
"Of course I can!" Obito said proudly, thumping his chest. "I'm not the kind of guy who gives up!"
"Fine then."
He had some free time anyway—training Obito might prove interesting.
"Yes!"
Obito practically jumped for joy.
Yuzuru was the clan's most gifted shinobi in generations, and now possessed the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
If he trained under Yuzuru, Obito was certain—he'd become the next strongest of the Uchiha!
———
"Yuzuru-niisan… I think I want to study academic lessons instead."
Obito lay sprawled face-down in the dirt, utterly exhausted, his voice weak and broken.
Pain.
So much pain.
He was convinced he was dying.
This kind of training—did Yuzuru even consider him a human being?!
T/n:
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