章 2196: 8
Notes:
An update??? It's a Christmas miracle!
Ok I didn't really mean to leave you all with a cliffhanger and just bounce. Honestly, I lost all motivation for this fic for a while. Part of it was just my dumb brain deciding to give me writer's block. The other part is that I was starting to feel discouraged about whether or not I actually know canon well enough to keep writing. I didn't really know what to say or think about the comments relating to misinterpreting/forgetting stuff from canon.
I thought a lot about it and I'm sorry, but I don't care. I'm doing my best to stay canon adjacent, but there are 700 episodes in this series and insane amount of lore (which is sometimes inconsistent anyway). I had just finished the series when I started this and have only watched it all the way through once (minus the original series when I was a kid). I also hadn't read a lot of fics in this fandom when I started this, so I didn't really know what was "standard". I've read a lot more fics now and there are so many awesome interpretations of canon events, and I've also read great fics where someone forgets about or leaves out canon stuff too. So yeah, I don't really care if it doesn't match up or if I forgot something. Sorry. It's an AU. Also my garbage brain is bad with details. But if you want an in-fic explanation, then let's just say Kurama traveling back messed up the timeline :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Obito?"
One word was all it took to shatter Kakashi's reality. He lost any semblance of calm and professionalism immediately, staring ahead with his visible eye wide and unblinking. The only motion he made was to look back at Kushina with an equally shocked expression, but his gaze never lasted long. It was drawn to the masked man like a magnet, drawing him in and not letting him go.
For the slightest fraction of a second, Kushina watched as the masked man's own eye widened in surprise through the hole in his mask. His body stiffened, like he was debating fleeing. Then, the tension melted away, and he returned to his previous relaxed posture. He chuckled lowly, his shoulders shaking in time with his laughter.
"How interesting," he cooed, watching both of them carefully. "But I'm afraid you're off the mark. My name," he growled forcefully, "is Madara Uchiha."
Liar , a voice sounding remarkably like Kurama snarled in Kushina's mind. Any remaining doubts she had about the masked man's identity were destroyed the moment she saw his reaction. It was so fast that she would have missed it if she blinked at the wrong time, but it was there. If she'd been wrong, he wouldn't have reacted like that. That had been the reaction of someone who hadn't expected recognition, and wasn't remotely prepared for it. That would be just like Obito, wouldn't it? Not thinking about worst case scenarios before jumping into something way over his head.
Kushina tried to remain calm, but she knew she was shaking. "Then how about you take off that mask and prove it?"
The masked man–Obito–tilted his head at her request, glaring at her through his mask. There was none of the warmth that she remembered from the cheerful boy on Minato's team. He was looking at her like she was a stranger, and an enemy, as if they hadn't laughed together, and cried together on many occasions. As if she hadn't welcomed Obito into her home, and embraced him like he was her brother, and he'd responded in kind.
He'd ripped the Kyuubi from her and held a weapon to her infant son's throat.
This was the little boy who stopped to help the elderly cross the street, or retrieve their cats from trees. The shinobi that vehemently refused to ever abandon his comrades, or betray his friends. Kushina bandaged him up after a rough spar with Kakashi. She sat with him all night on the anniversary of his parents' death, when he couldn't stop shaking and crying. She held him during a panic attack, when he became convinced that he would never be good enough to make chunin, let alone become Hokage. He had dreams of helping the village, of making his clan acknowledge him through his good deeds, and of protecting the people he loved.
He'd loosed Kurama on Konoha and forced him to destroy their home.
Obito was always polite, and helpful. He helped in the kitchen even when Kushina insisted he was a guest and didn't need to. He'd helped paint their house because Minato had offhandedly mentioned that it needed to be done. He sacrificed his life for his teammate, even though they didn't get along.
He'd murdered her and Minato. Even if Kurama had dealt the final blow, in the other timeline, the fox was just the weapon. Obito had been its wielder.
Kushina felt sick. Kurama had been telling the truth all along, and she'd known it. She just hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. Silently, Kushina apologized to Kakashi, who was completely still beside her, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of shock, hope, and fear.
Swallowing hard to force the bile back down her throat Kushina tried again, "So? Are you going to prove it, or not?"
One of Obito's fingers twitched at his side, but he kept his voice even. "I have nothing to prove to you. Believe what you'd like, it makes no difference to me."
Kushina didn't have a plan. She wasn't prepared for this confrontation, or any of the feelings she'd been repressing about Minato's student. Part of her was absolutely furious, and could only see the masked villain in Kurama's visions. She recalled every horror she'd seen him inflict on the world, and on her son. How many people had died at this man's–no, this teenager's hands? Even in this timeline, his hands were already filthy. And he was just barely growing out of adolescence. Gods, he'd been a child when he'd killed them! Even seeing Naruto's memories, Kushina couldn't understand how the idealistic, sensitive boy she'd known had become this monster.
"You're lying," Kushina insisted. "If you didn't care, then you wouldn't have reacted." She smiled sharply. "Tell me I'm wrong, Obito ." This time, she emphasized his name when she said it.
Kakashi inhaled sharply, his entire expression completely broken and vulnerable in a way she'd never seen before. "You can't be–" his voice was shaky and airy, like he could barely get the words out. "No, you're not Obito," he amended more firmly. "Obito would never hurt people like you have, especially not his comrades." The volume of Kakashi's voice rose with his final statement. "Obito is the one that taught me that those who break the rules–"
Out of the two of them, it was Kakashi's words that clearly got to Obito. His head whipped around sharply in Kakashi's direction, killing intent rippling off of him in waves. " Do not ," Obito snarled, "speak those words to me, friend killer Kakashi!"
Kakashi reeled back, nearly stepping off the branch in his shock. Kushina had to reach out and grab his arm to steady him, and then keep him upright. There was no trace of the prodigy, or the seasoned shinobi he was. Kakashi, the war veteran, ANBU operative, youngest jounin the village had ever seen, was gone. In place of his usual collected self was a broken young man whose entire world had just been flipped upside down. He had the same expression as the night he found his father. In fact, it was all too similar to the expression his older counterpart wore in Naruto's memories when he was confronted with this revelation of their enemy's identity. Except, this Kakashi did not have his elder's experiences, and lacked at least a decade of forced aloofness. This Kakashi also had someone who knew the truth, and kept it from him. When he looked at Kushina, the betrayal in his eyes was so deep, she feared she might drown in it.
Kushina steeled herself, forcing herself to look away from Kakashi's broken expression. She felt immensely guilty, but she couldn't focus on his hurt right now. She had to focus on Obito, and getting herself and Kakashi out of there alive. Part of her held out hope that she could change Obito's mind, as Naruto had, but she couldn't count on it. He'd killed her before, and he hadn't even hesitated. He'd killed Minato, and he'd been ready to kill Naruto too. She couldn't rely on their shared history to protect them.
"Obito," Kushina said softly, "I know about your plan, and you have to trust me when I tell you that you're making a mistake."
"You know nothing," Obito hissed in response.
"But I do," Kushina insisted, shaking her head. "I know all about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and the Akatsuki, and the bijuu. I know about the real Madara Uchiha, and what he's done to you." She recalled everything Kurama had shown her, hoping she didn't miss any of the main points. "It won't end like you think it will."
Obito jumped up from a sitting position, balancing on his feet to become level with Kushina and Kakashi. He seemed to be losing composure, his fists clenching at his side. "Where did you hear about that?!"
"I can't tell you that," Kushina insisted, "at least not now. But if you come back with us–"
Obito's laugh interrupted her pleas. His voice cracked, and then it was no longer the deep baritone he'd been using with them. It was still deeper than Kushina remembered, but he'd also aged a few years since she'd last seen him, so that wasn't a surprise. Despite the new maturity, it sounded much more like him. There was more emotion, more inflection, though it was a tad maniacal as he laughter continued. His whole body seemed to shake with the force of his laughter.
"Come back with you?" Obito parroted, his voice clearly mocking. "To what, exactly? A clan that treats those that are different as outcasts? A village that sends children off to war? A Hokage that seales a demon in his own child? A friend, " he spat the word, "that kills another that they've sworn to protect?"
Kakashi flinched at the accusation, crumpling under his former teammate's glare. He finally seemed to realize that Kushina was still holding his arm, and he pulled sharply away. He didn't look at Kushina but his body language broadcasted how upset he was. Kushina just hoped she hadn't destroyed any and all trust between them.
"I'm so sorry, Obito." Kakashi seemed to have trouble forcing out Obito's name, like it was causing him physical pain. "I failed to protect Rin. I let her down. I let both of you down." His shoulders sagged in shame. "I deserve all of your anger."
Kushina tensed, expecting another outburst of emotion from Obito, but he remained still. When he responded, his voice was flat. "No, not quite all of it. I suppose," he forced false cheer into his voice, "I should thank you for showing me the truth of the world. It is because of you that I finally saw how broken and unredeemable this world is." He started reaching for his mask. "You are scum, Kakashi. You are trash, but you are useful trash." Obito removed the mask completely from his face, letting it dangle limply in his hand.
Kakashi gasped when he saw Obito's face, and Kushina couldn't stop herself from doing the same. Even though she'd seen his face in Naruto's memories, it wasn't the same as seeing him in the flesh. Compared to Naruto's memories, this Obito's appearance was wilder, almost feral looking. His hair was long and unruly, and the division between real and synthetic tissue was much more apparent, like a haphazardly sewn together puppet. And then, there was the empty, dark eye socket that seemed to stare through them more than his Sharingan ever could.
Obito's smile was bitter, and his laughter empty as he continued mocking them. "You know," he added, "that's not all I learned from you." He cocked his head, the cruel smile never fading from his lips. "You thought that it was only ghosts listening to you lament your failures at the memorial stone?"
"You…you were there?" Kakashi suddenly sounded 6 years old again, and it took all of Kushina's willpower not to turn and pull him into the most intense hug of his life. "Why? Why didn't you say anything?"
"What would I say, to scum like you?"
A deep, sisterly instinct welled up out of nowhere as she watched Kakashi shrink under the force of Obito's insults. "That's enough!" She didn't have anywhere to move, given that they were still perched up on tree branches, but she shifted her body in front of Kakashi as much as possible. "You're not the only one who has suffered, Obito."
"And that's exactly the problem," Obito growled, not the least bit impressed or intimidated by Kushina's rising temper. It was a major change from his genin days, when he would flinch if Kushina so much as looked at him too harshly. "There is too much suffering in this world. If you really know about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, then you know that I can take all of that suffering away." His expression briefly turned hopeful, making him finally resemble the bright child he used to be. "I can make a world with no hate and no death. No pain, no war, no lonely orphans." He looked straight at Kakashi as he finished his list.
Kakashi didn't know all the details about Obito's plan, because Kushina hadn't shared all of them. She was trying to avoid getting Kakashi too involved, for exactly the reason that she was dealing with right now. Some part of her must have always believed that Kurama was telling the truth, because every fiber of her being rebelled against the idea of involving Kakashi in anything having to do with the Akatsuki or their mysterious masked leader.
"It would just be an illusion, and you know that," Kushina reasoned. "You're putting a bandaid on a broken leg and pretending that you've fixed it."
"No, it's more than that," Obito insisted, turning his face up toward the darkening sky contemplatively. "It's a perfect illusion, one that no one will know is not reality. They can live in peace and happiness forever, and never know what kind of suffering they've left behind."
"It's still a lie," Kushina insisted. "And you're being played. Those creepy plant monsters are just using you."
Obito snapped out of his trance, immediately turning his sharp gaze back to Kushina. "How do you know about them? How do you know about any of this?"
She had to weigh her options. Kushina didn't dare tell Obito who gave her the information, for fear of him retaliating against Naruto. He may have the Kyuubi as his own personal guard dog, but he was still a toddler. It would be many years before he'd be able to defend himself, or even safely utilize more than a sliver of Kurama's chakra. Still, she needed to give Obito something to convince him that she was telling the truth.
"You wrote that fake letter to Minato, didn't you?" She accused, not waiting for confirmation. "So then you know we have an informant." Kushina didn't always think before she spoke, but right now she made sure to go through every word in her head before saying them outloud. Naruto's life may depend on it. "I can't tell you who it is, only that they've seen a future where your plan succeeds, and the peace you're longing for does not exist. It's just chaos, and death. Our informant sought out myself and Minato in order to stop it, to stop the world from ending." She held eye contact with Obito, hoping to drive home the seriousness of what she was saying. "This plan is going to end the world. It's hard to explain, but there are other players pulling the strings here and they have very different reasons for doing what they're doing."
Incredulously, Obito responded, "You're telling me that you've seen the future? " He laughed again, chuckling from deep within his chest. "I'm not the same dumb kid I used to be. If you want to lie to me, you'll have to do better than that."
"It's not that I've seen the future," Kushina tried to explain, "it's more–ugh. I don't know how to explain it."
"She's telling the truth," Kakashi murmured, so quietly it almost went unheard. "I didn't believe it at first either, but it's true. Our informant knows what you're doing, and how it will end." His voice was startlingly blank as he backed up Kushina's claims. " Please , Obito, listen to us. Just think about what Rin–"
It was a mistake, bringing up Rin, but Kakashi didn't realize it until it was too late. Obito's entire demeanor changed, from amused disbelief, back to a cold, simmering rage. " Don't you dare speak of her!" he snarled, his Sharingan whirling threateningly.
As quickly as the rage had come, it disappeared. Without an obvious trigger, Obito seemed to undergo some kind of transformation. His posture shifted, loosening, and the next time he spoke his voice was higher pitched and sing-song. "I'm doing this for her. And for you ." He giggled , a real, bubbly, giggle like a child. "Silly Bakashi. You won't have to be scum anymore in my perfect world. You can be happy, you can be free."
Kushina nearly got whiplash from the sudden personality change. She recognized the character Obito was playing, from more of Naruto's memories. It was less polished than in that timeline, likely since the character was newer, but the voice and the mannerisms were close. It seemed like Obito wasn't quite sure which version of himself to play right now, which was disturbing enough without thinking about how easy it was for him to switch personalities at the drop of a hat.
When Kushina glanced over at Kakashi, she saw the same blank expression that had featured in most of Naruto's memories. She saw the Kakashi that lost everything, and put up a wall between himself and the world. She didn't like seeing that expression there, not when Kakashi had been smiling so much more lately.
"What happened to you, Obito?" Kakashi did nothing to hide the longing in his voice, even as his expression remained unreadable. "The things you've done–" He inhaled shakily. "You attacked Konoha, your home. So many people died and you almost–" Kakashi's visible eye was red rimmed now. "You almost killed Sensei. You almost killed Kushina. You almost orphaned Naruto. How could you ?"
Obito maintained his foolish, happy-go-lucky persona, continuing to giggle and smile like nothing was wrong. "They were supposed to dieeee," he chirped in his sing-song voice. "It wasn't personal, I promise! But I had a job to do. You understand, don't you, Bakashi? Sometimes people need to be sacrificed for the greater good." He hummed theatrically, rocking back and forth on his toes like he couldn't stand still. "But I have been very curious about how you survived," he told Kushina. "Everyone knows a jinchuuriki can't live without their bijuu!"
Kushina ignored the question. She couldn't give him an answer without revealing too much. "Doesn't the fact that we obviously know things that we shouldn't make you believe us at all?" She was running out of ideas to get Obito to listen. "How else could we possibly know any of this?"
"I asked you a question first," Obito giggled, waggling a finger disapprovingly.
The clownish persona Obito was using was quickly making her lose her patience, which she supposed was the point. "I can't tell you that."
Obito pouted, like he used to when he wanted to guilt Kushina into giving up the last of her favorite sweets. "I guess our game is done, then. What a shame, I really wanted to play a little longer." He fixed his mask back into place, then cracked his neck. With his deepened voice he demanded, "Now, tell me who your informant is!"
Without warning, Obito was in front of them, striking out at both of their heads. Even dazed and betrayed, Kakashi dodged easily. Kushina did the same, even though she was struggling to deal with her own emotions. Kakashi seemed hesitant to fight back, cautious and bumbling in a way that he normally was not. It was understandable, since he was seeing his teammate's ghost, and said teammate was trying to kill him. The poor boy was probably experiencing unbelievable emotional whiplash.
Halfheartedly, Kakashi threw punches at his former teammate. It would have been obvious even to a child that Kakashi wasn't trying very hard. His attacks were sluggish and he wasn't even utilizing any of his more powerful techniques. Obito didn't even need to go intangible to dodge, instead ducking out of the way and looking smug.
She didn't want to fight. Kakashi obviously didn't want to fight. Naruto had swayed Obito to his side, even after more than a decade of scheming. She and Kakashi should be able to do it with more history and less time between them. There had to be a way. She wouldn't do anything to risk putting Naruto in danger, but she didn't want to have to choose between her son and her husband's student. Minato loved his students like family as it was, and both Rin and Obito's deaths (or supposed death in the latter's case) had already hit him hard. And if it came down to it, she knew that Minato would have to choose his family, and his village. But he didn't have Kurama's knowledge. He didn't know that Obito could be swayed. This could be her only chance to save him.
"Stop!" Kushina begged, trying to get through to the two stubborn teens. "Let's just talk about this, ok? There's no reason to fight!"
Kakashi leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding Obito's grasp. He landed a bit awkwardly as he continued to hesitate. He looked toward Kushina hopefully, but there was a hardness to his expression that Kushina didn't like.
Obito was unimpressed. "It's too late for talking," he sneered.
"Too late? We haven't even–ugh!" It was so hard to keep her cool with Obito playing up the "I'm a bad guy" persona. "Let's have a conversation like adults, yeah?"
"Obito's never managed to act like an adult before, I doubt he'll start now," Kakashi said dryly.
It was probably supposed to be a teasing jab, maybe even an old habit from their Team 7 days that Kakashi didn't even think twice about. But it was an idiotic thing to say in the moment, particularly from someone who was supposed to be a genius. Kushina shot Kakashi an incredulous look. Obito was never the most level-headed kid to begin with, and now he was more than halfway to full on supervillain. Really a bad idea to antagonize him.
In response, Obito snarled something very rude, then disappeared into his personal void. He reappeared behind Kakashi and tried to get him in a stranglehold. Kakashi threw him off, but took an elbow to the face in the process. Kushina winced at the sound of bone-on-bone impact. Kakashi was lucky he didn't lose a tooth, but he did have to readjust his face mask a little.
Even with his face covered by his mask, Kushina knew Obito was smirking. It was evident in his stance, and in the smugness in his voice. "I'm not the same weakling I used to be."
Kakashi didn't look afraid, or concerned at all. Mostly, he just looked sad. "You were never weak, Obito. I'm sorry I made you feel otherwise. I wasn't–I wasn't a good teammate, or a good friend. I wasn't even a good person," he admitted. "But you taught me how wrong I was, about everything. You were–are my hero."
There were a few moments of silence, and Kushina hoped that Kakashi's words might have made an impact. Kakashi wasn't one to bear his heart like this, and Obito would know that too. He was obviously distressed by the situation, and genuinely concerned about his friend. Obito had to see that. He still had to care, right? He wouldn't have given Kakashi his eye if he never cared for him, and in the future, he wouldn't have turned to Naruto's side.
After a prolonged bout of silence, Obito answered in a flat voice, "Heroes don't exist. And if they did, I wouldn't be one of them." He paused again, regarding them with an unreadable expression behind his mask. His head tilted ever so slightly in contemplation. "Looks like our reunion is getting cut short," he commented, before dramatically stepping backwards off the tree branch and into the swirl of his own dimension. As Obito's body disappeared, his mocking words carried through the otherwise silent forest. "Give my regards to Sensei, Kakashi."
They were left staring at an empty branch, with not even a trace of their opponent remaining. It was like he'd never been there at all. Neither of them let their guard down, even as their surprise backup arrived. With Obito's abilities, it was a bad idea to assume he was actually gone. It seemed like he could pretty much appear anywhere he wanted. What an absolute pain in the ass of an ability.
"Dammit, we missed the fight. I told you we didn't have time for you to stop and oggle that server!"
A massive toad crashed through the trees, shaking the earth on each impact with the ground. The force of it, combined with their dual shock from the previous confrontation, was almost enough to knock both herself and Kakashi off their perch. Giant toad summon or not, their allies had not made an effort to hide their approach, so their arrival wasn't a surprise per say . What was surprising was the amount of coherent speech from the pair of previously shit-faced Sannin.
"Oh don't be like that, didn't you see how gorgeous she was? And she had such a nice pair of–"
There was the unmistakable sound of a fist slamming into flesh, followed by a pained grunt. The giant toad winced in sympathy as Jiraiya groaned and rubbed at his now undoubtedly bruised cheek. His former teammate was glaring at him, her fist still raised in an obvious threat.
"I was going to say eyes !" he insisted with an indignant grumble.
"Bullshit," Tsunade snarled in response.
Both of them, along with Tsunade's acquaintance–ward–friend–whoever she was (Shizune, right?), were perched on the head of one of Jiraiya's toads. Kushina couldn't say she knew this particular one's name, but undoubtedly her husband would have. The giant summon was unphased by the argument, probably well-acquainted with the relationship between the two humans it was lugging around.
Despite her many questions, Kushina's main concern at that moment was Kakashi. His shock and disbelief had melted away, leaving behind a forlorn expression. Everything about his body language screamed defeat as he didn't bother keeping his usual aloof front in place. He slumped forward, likely only remaining upright on the tree branch thanks to pure instinct.
Kushina was normally the last person to run from confrontation, but right now she desperately wanted to. Kakashi might be the one with access to the Sharingan, but even without the famed doujutsu Kushina knew the image of the teen's betrayed expression would play on repeat in her mind forever in perfect detail. Kakashi didn't trust easily to begin with, and he would never forget such a thorough betrayal of said trust. She wasn't even sure if he would forgive it either.
"Kakashi–" The words died in her throat. What should she even say? Kakashi barely acknowledged her, but he did slip his blank, expressionless mask into place. It was the one he hadn't worn in front of her since Naruto was born. "Kakashi, I'm so sorry I didn't say anything to you. I didn't know how to–I didn't think–ugh." She grimaced at her own rambling. "I didn't want you involved in this. Once Kurama told me the truth about–well when I finally started kind of believing him, I mean–although I guess I didn't really completely believe him until now, even though I think part of me just knew–"
"It's fine." Kakashi interrupted flatly. He refused to look at her.
Kushina frowned at the quick dismissal. "It's not. I don't know if keeping the truth from you was the right thing to do, but I swear I only did it to protect you. I just–" she sighed warily. "I didn't believe Kurama at first. I think at some point I started to accept that it was the truth, so I couldn't risk you getting involved. I didn't want you to have to face Obito like this. It's not fair to you."
Kakashi remained completely still, and continued to stare straight ahead. "How long have you known?"
The question made Kushina flinch. "Well, technically I just confirmed it at the same time you did. I didn't have any proof, other than Kurama's word, which I think you can understand why I didn't take it at face value. Especially at first, y'know? I mean Kurama is–" she cut herself off, not wanting to say more about their informant's identity outloud. Someone could be listening in, especially if that someone had the ability to move through dimensions. Kushina didn't know how far that ability extended. She settled for shrugging and saying, "Well, you know how Kurama is. Or was, I guess. We actually had a huge argument about it–"
"How long?" Kakashi repeated, sharper this time.
Quietly, Kushina replied, "Kurama told me shortly before Naruto's first birthday."
Kakashi inhaled sharply. "I see." He didn't say anything else.
"Listen, Kakashi–"
Worse than the blank expression, was the obviously fake cheer that Kakashi adopted instead. His only visible eye was closed as if in laughter, but the rest of his body radiated tension. Behind his mask, Kushina wondered if he was even bothering to pretend to smile. The expression made him look older. It made him look like the lost, lonely man from Kurama's memories. She hated it.
"Really, it's fine," he lied. "I think we have more pressing concerns," Kakashi deflected, completely turning away from Kushina again. "It's probably too late, but I should have my pack to make sure that Obi–that he is really gone." Without waiting for confirmation, Kakashi summoned his ninken, and joined them in an obviously futile search of their surroundings.
Kushina let him go. She wasn't good at letting things lie, but right now she knew that Kakashi needed space. She wouldn't let him pull away completely, if he tried. Her hope was that he wouldn't completely distance himself from them, if only for Naruto's sake. It was no secret that Kakashi had become attached, even if he still sometimes bumbled his pseudo-older brother duties. He loved Naruto, and she liked to think that Kakashi loved her and Minato too. She and Minato certainly loved him .
Speaking of her darling husband, she had absolutely no idea what to say to him about this whole mess. She wouldn't– couldn't ask Kakashi to keep this a secret. That would be cruel. Not only would she be asking Kakashi to lie to his Hokage, she'd also be asking him to lie to the person he respected most in the world. She wouldn't do that to him.
Kushina jumped down from the branch and onto the forest floor, just as Jiraiya dismissed his massive summon. The three newcomers joined her, not missing the tension between Kushina and Kakashi. She eyed them curiously.
"Guess you weren't actually that drunk," She commented.
"Well, I'm not," Jiraiya confirmed. " Someone did have twice as many drinks as we agreed were needed to make it look convincing."
Tsunade glared daggers at her companion. "I'm perfectly fine! You're just jealous because I can hold my liquor better than you." Despite the proclamation, she did sway slightly on her feet. Still, she was significantly more coherent than she'd appeared when they'd left her at the inn.
The Toad Sage ignored his companion's bickering. "Sorry 'bout the deception. We realized we were being followed so we thought maybe we could trick them into revealing themselves if they thought we were inebriated." He frowned. "We weren't expecting that masked fellow to target you ." The statement was a tad accusatory. Jiraiya seemed to know that he'd missed a very important, and revealing interaction.
"It's kind of a long story," Kushina deflected. There was no point in keeping the information from them, but she didn't really want to talk about it anymore. She didn't want to admit to someone else that she'd been keeping the information to herself for such a long time.
Jiraiya didn't miss the obvious avoidance. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we have a long walk back to Konoha, right?"
—------------------------------
"Are we all in agreement on what we must do?"
The other bijuu nodded with varying levels of enthusiasm. As expected, Shukaku was the most outwardly opposed to the idea of cooperating with their jinchuuriki. Normally, Kurama would understand, but these were extenuating circumstances. He also knew that Shukaku would come to have at least some level of respect for his host, or at least tolerance to the point of not wanting to outright murder him. He'd shared his memories with his siblings, so Shukaku would know too. He would have seen how he cooperated with his former captor, and how all of them needed to work together to avoid a much worse fate. Still, the tanuki was stubborn, even more than the rest of them.
"Bah, I hate the idea of cooperating with these disgusting humans!" Shukaku grumbled for the umpteenth time. "We should just kill all of them instead. No humans, no way to combine us back into the Juubi."
Per usual, Matatabi was the logical one. "We don't know that for sure, Shukaku. The Moon Goddess is beyond our own power and comprehension. If even father failed to stop her, we cannot assume that she would not have other ways of implementing her plan." Her two tails swished. "Besides, if we had a way to break out of our containment, we would have done it long before now."
The other bijuu murmured in agreement. Chomei added, "From what Kurama has shown us, it would also appear that not all of us have adversarial relationships with our jinchuuriki. I have to admit, I'm interested in meeting this next host of mine, knowing that I was apparently willing to share my power."
"Agreed," Gyuki added. "Though I am still getting to know my newest host, I won't deny there's something…interesting about him. If we are truly to be so closely bonded in the future, I do not wish him any harm."
"You've all become soft!" Shukaku snarled. "Next you'll be letting the humans put a leash on you like a pet !" He spat the last word in obvious disgust.
Matatabi bared her teeth at their youngest sibling, her ears pinned back in irritation. "You know none of us would allow ourselves to be treated in such a way. Just because we don't enjoy torturing our hosts does not mean we are willing to let them use us." She did not hide her distaste of Shukaku's rampages.
All of them would defend themselves, and most of them would gladly take revenge on their captors if given the chance. They would not hesitate to kill humans, or destroy their civilizations, but most of them did not enjoy it. Kurama had, when he'd been lost to vengeance and anger before Naruto's friendship, and Shukaku still took far too much enjoyment from his bloodlust. The rest of them were far more passive, or pragmatic. Despite what the humans thought of them, they mostly just wanted to be left alone.
Shukaku was crossing a line, in many of their eyes. With his new perspective on life, Kurama could agree that his actions were distasteful. The boy from Suna, the one that would become the Kazekage, was as innocent as Naruto. The burden of containing a bijuu had been forced upon him. The whole of humanity may be vile and corrupt, but the bijuu were supposed to be better. They were not supposed to show unnecessary cruelty toward a creature that could not fight back, and who had no more say in their situation than the bijuu themselves. Kurama had forgotten this, for most of Naruto's life, but he'd been shown a better way. Shukaku still needed some convincing.
"Just because the rest of you are willing to let yourselves be controlled doesn't mean I am!" The tanuki growled. "I refuse to roll over for these insects !"
Chomei's wings buzzed, taking offense to the statement. "Don't say 'insect' like it is a dirty word."
"Oh buzz off, bug-breath!" Shukaku slammed his tail on the ground. "We all know you're always the first to let the human scum use you!"
The other bijuu were getting restless now, getting anxious over the argument. Isobu tried to play the peacekeeper, but Shukaku just kept talking over him. That led to Matatabi telling the tanuki off, with Son Goku trying to interject with his booming voice. The rest of them were just throwing their two-cents in, creating a cacophony of angry voices that were quickly driving Kurama mad.
Kurama was the oldest, and the strongest of all the bijuu. He had to take control of the situation. "ENOUGH!" he roared, unfurling all nine of his tails. The other bijuu went silent, either from surprise or indignation. "Fighting amongst ourselves is pointless. It will just make it easier for our enemy to pick us off." He forced his hackles to lay flat. "And if you could use your tiny, flea-bitten brain to pay attention for more than two seconds, you would see that some of these humans are different. Some of them can learn to work with us."
There were a few tense moments of silence. Shukaku was still fuming, the argument clearly not settled. The rest of them looked about two seconds away from jumping back into another argument. They were all posturing, and flaring their chakra as a show of force. In the end, it was Isobu who was the first to break the silence.
Isobu chuckled lowly. "I think we're all ignoring one very important detail." All the bijuu turned to look at him curiously. " Kurama is advocating for working with humans. I never thought I'd see that day." He shook his massive head in disbelief. "That jinchuuriki of yours sure must be something special. I, for one, am willing to place my trust in a human that managed to make such an impact on our most cynical and stubborn sibling."
The other bijuu, minus Shukaku, all nodded eagerly. Kurama huffed at the backhanded compliment, but didn't stop glaring at Shukaku. The tanuki was meeting his glare without hesitation.
"I still can't believe you are defending humans, Kurama." Shukaku grumbled.
Kurama could agree with the statement. "Neither can I. But," he continued, "I know that my trust in Naruto is not misplaced. I will swear it to you, on our father's name."
Shukaku's expression didn't change, but that was typical for him. Kurama would never say it outloud (unless he was feeling particularly pissed off at the tanuki), but Shukaku's face seemed to be permanently frozen in an expression reminiscent of Naruto's dirty diaper pout. Eventually, though, his posture did seem to relax.
"Fine." Shukaku didn't say anything else, but it was as much of an agreement as they were likely to get from him.
"I will leave it to you to find the best way to warn your jinchuuriki, but do not forget that the subject of time travel is off limits," Kurama reminded them. "I cannot risk making Naruto a target. Human babies are useless, defenseless creatures and he is too weak to handle enough of my chakra to protect himself."
"How sweet of you, caring so much about your little human," Kokuo cooed, not unkindly.
Still, it made Kurama bristle, and snarl. "Watch it, or you'll find yourself with even less tails than you already have."
His siblings chuckled at his indignation. Kurama tried to pretend he wasn't embarrassed, keeping his head held high. At least they were all on board. He knew most of them would be, once he shared his memories, but he'd expected the pushback from Shukaku. Really, he'd expected more resistance than he'd received. Shukaku had been the only one really opposed to cooperating with the jinchuuriki, once Kurama showed them their fates. He would have understood their hesitancy, as he'd had a healthy dose of it himself for most of Naruto's life. It was fortunate that they were so willing to adjust their own plans and ideals. To be fair, none of them wanted the world to end, and Kurama had first-hand knowledge on what was going to happen in the future. It made sense for them to follow his lead.
"We will place our faith in your Naruto as well," Matatabi said for all of them. "If he holds your trust, he holds ours too."
Kurama was pleased with the statement. He barely managed to avoid bragging about how his jinchuuriki was the strongest of all of them. It wasn't any of their jinchuuriki that saved the world, after all; it was his. Kurama couldn't help the swell of pride he felt.
Matatabi gave him a knowing look, but didn't comment on how Kurama had his chest puffed out. "Maybe next time," she added, "it won't take two years to contact us."
"Human years are nothing to us," Kurama reminded her, bristling. It was difficult to gauge how much time was actually passing, and what it meant in the context of their own long lifetimes. "Besides, Shukaku was the one that kept pushing back against meeting up."
Shukaku snarled a few insults in response, before removing himself from their shared meeting space. The rest of the bijuu followed him shortly after, though much less dramatically. Matatabi was the last to go.
"You seem happy, Kurama. Happier than I've seen you in a very long time."
Kurama wouldn't say he was close with any of his siblings, but he found Matatabi to be the least obnoxious. She was perceptive, and managed to get along with all of them without being willing to take their bullshit.
The fox grunted in response but he didn't deny it. Matatabi swished her tails one last time, then disappeared. Kurama did the same, and found himself back in his and Naruto's shared mindscape. Of course, he'd never really left, but that didn't actually bother him as much as it would have used to. The seal felt much less like a prison, now that he had the illusion of a wide open space. He could never forget where he was or why, but it was a significant improvement from the wet sewer he'd been stuck in before.
Kurama stretched out his senses, letting them seep into his host's. He would have been able to feel if Naruto was particularly distressed, so he knew nothing of interest had happened. Still, he made it a habit to check on the boy every so often, even when he knew the child's life was particularly tedious. When he'd left Naruto, he was having a "playdate" with the Uchiha brats. Kurama still didn't quite understand the significance, particularly since Kushina explained that the practice had nothing to do with combat training, like Kurama had thought. Humans were very strange creatures.
As expected, he really hadn't missed much. Naruto was toddling around, babbling and gesturing wildly at the younger Uchiha brat, who only offered the occasional grunt or gurgle in response. Apparently the boy was just as poor of a conversationalist as an infant as he was as an adult.
The older Uchiha brat was mostly keeping their attention with something shiny, but occasionally Naruto had to be herded away from trying to grab things that he shouldn't. Humans had a strange fascination with collecting useless, fragile artifacts and putting them on display. Naruto had been scolded enough times that Kurama knew he wasn't supposed to play with them, but Naruto was a stubborn brat and refused to learn his lesson. It didn't help that Kurama sometimes whispered words of encouragement at Naruto's curiosity. It was petty, and a bit pathetic, but Kurama had resigned himself to not decimating the Uchiha clan, so all he could do was take pleasure in the minor inconveniences he could cause them. Thank the Sage his siblings could not see how pathetic he'd become.
There was a sudden bustle of activity from the home's entryway. Both toddlers stared curiously in the direction of the commotion, and Naruto was already waddling across the room.
"Oh! You're back much sooner than expected." Mikoto's voice echoed in the other room.
"Yeah, something came up," came the flat reply.
Kurama's ears perked curiously. He also hadn't been expecting the Uzumaki woman back so soon. He'd heard her whining enough to know she was expecting to be gone for at least twice as long. Whether or not her sudden return was a cause for concern or celebration, he wasn't sure yet.
Naruto obviously recognized his mother's voice, and had become very excited. The older Uchiha brat had to help him over a small step so his useless little stub legs could toddle up to her. Per usual, he was babbling half-coherent nonsense, but the shrill cry of, "Mama!" was obvious even to Kurama.
Kushina's entire face lit up as she held her arms out for her brat. "Oh, there's my wonderful, sweet, precious, perfect baby boy!" She scooped up the giggling toddler and kissed every inch of visible skin on his face. In response Naruto shrieked happily, at a pitch Kurama was surprised the humans could hear at all.
"Everything ok?" Mikoto asked. Kurama couldn't see her face, since Naruto wasn't looking at her, but even the fox could tell she was concerned.
"No," Kushina replied immediately. "But I can't talk about it. Not now. Or ever, maybe, I don't know, but definitely not now."
"If there's anything you need, let me know," Mikoto offered. "I'm here for you."
Despite the obvious wariness, Kushina's responding smile was genuine. It mirrored her son's, though hers had a touch of exhaustion. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. And I appreciate you keeping an eye on Naruto, too."
"It's no trouble," Mikoto assured her. "Well, I mean, he's your son so sometimes he's a little bit of trouble," she chuckled. "But my boys adore him, you know. He's always welcome here, just like his mom."
The two women embraced warmly, and exchanged pleasant goodbyes. Naruto was told to say goodbye to the Uchiha brats, which he didn't want to do. When he was put down to say goodbye, he fussed, clinging onto the sleeve of the younger of the two brats and chanting, "no bye!" Eventually, the older brat bribed him with a stuffed creature of some sort, convincing him to let go. Kurama couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, maybe a dog, but it caught Naruto's attention long enough for his mother to scoop him back up and leave.
Kurama felt himself relax when they were no longer within the confines of the Uchiha district. No matter how much time his host spent there, he just couldn't make himself feel as comfortable as Naruto was in the presence of so many Sharingan users. Even if he was going to keep them from destroying themselves, for Naruto's sake, he would never like them. He would always distrust them for their ability to control him, but also for their role in the world's downfall. Naruto might be ready to embrace the whole damn clan, but Kurama wouldn't forget how it was the Sharingan users that doomed the world in the first place. Without that damn Madara Uchiha, Kaguya would have never been resurrected. Same could be said for Obito. And it would take Kurama a very long time to lose his desire to bite off Sasuke's head for all the misery he put Naruto through in their other life. That boy had his own role to play in the disaster that ultimately took his and everyone else's lives too.
Kushina was walking slowly, holding a wiggling Naruto close to her chest. Her fingers were tense as she held her son, and Kurama could see her wearing a stormy expression through his host's eyes. Something had happened while she was gone. She'd slipped into the mindscape before leaving to tell him what was going on, but they obviously haven't spoken since. Perhaps the duo from Ame could not be swayed. Kurama didn't really care either way, as long as they were dealt with. Kill them, or change their minds, it was all the same to him.
"I'm tempted to just take you and leave to avoid this conversation," she murmured to her son. "It's not going to be pleasant."
Of course Naruto didn't really understand what she was saying. He just babbled happily in response.
This time, when Kushina spoke, Kurama knew she was talking to him. "Just a heads up, things are going to be a bit tense at home," she whispered. Hesitating, she added, "Also, I'm sorry. Again. For not listening, or believing–"
"Mama?" Naruto chirped innocently. He was distressed by his mother's tone and tenseness.
Kushina softened, and kissed her son on the top of his head. She didn't say anything else, to Naruto or Kurama. She couldn't risk saying anything that could be overheard by someone else, or repeated by Naruto. Kurama wasn't quite sure what the Uzumaki woman was talking about, but he would know soon enough. Undoubtedly, she would also come to pester him in the mindscape later too.
When they reached the humans' dwelling, Kushina tensed with every step forward. She hesitated outside the door, looking nervous in a way that his previous host rarely showed. Ultimately, Naruto's whining prompted her to finally open the door and step inside. She did not call out a greeting, but Naruto squealed in delight when he noticed all of the room's occupants.
She placed the toddler on the ground, so he could go and waddle up to each person. The boy's father greeted him warmly, and the Toad Sage offered a little plastic frog for him to play with. He had to take it away a few moments later, when Naruto kept trying to put it in his mouth. From the otherside of the room, Kakashi was watching the interaction with a dazed expression, not saying a word.
Kurama was pleasantly surprised to note that the Slug Princess was amongst the group. Apparently the runt's parents had finally done something right. For all that they'd whined about wanting to tell other humans about Kurama, they'd really done a shit job informing the ones Kurama agreed to.
Naruto greeted her as well, as if they were old friends. He grabbed at the Sannin's hands and babbled happily, while she just pursed her lips and looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I don't like babies," she grunted, but allowed Naruto to keep holding her hands.
Eventually, Naruto made his rounds. He ended up yelling, "Kashi!" and demanding to be picked up by the teenager. Kakashi relented, but he seemed to be moving sluggishly. Kurama could see the dark shadow under his visible eye, and how his posture was more slouched than usual. Naruto noticed too, though Kurama wasn't sure if it was some kind of rudimentary emotional sensory technique, or just the boy's natural empathy.
"Alright," the Toad Sage sighed, "let's talk. You got privacy seals up?"
Minato looked at his mentor incredulously, as if to say, "who do you think I am?" Kurama knew for a fact that the house was well protected from wandering ears and eyes. One good thing about the runt's parents was their affinity for seals, and all the usefulness that entailed. Though, in the past that had been the cause of his misery. It was strange to think about how things had changed.
Jiraiya laughed, and grinned at his student. "Sorry, sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess. It's still easy to see you as that scruffy little kid that blew himself up twice a week trying to create a new seal."
"It wasn't that often," Minato grumbled in response, but he didn't continue the banter. The tension in the room was obvious, and they all knew it wasn't the time for playful reminiscing. He glanced toward his wife, nodding at her to encourage her to speak.
Kushina looked like she might be ill, but she was nothing if not stubbornly resilient, so she didn't avert her gaze from anyone in the room. "I need to tell you all something," she announced. "I've been lying to you–er, I mean, not outwardly , I guess, but I've been omitting a few really important things–"
Minato was beside her in a second, putting a hand on her arm. He smiled reassuringly, trying to stop her nervous rambling before she got too off topic. She tried to return the smile, but even Kurama could see how fake it was. The gesture made Minato's own smile falter, realizing how serious the conversation must be.
Kushina Uzumaki didn't fidget–Kurama knew this. He'd been imprisoned within her for years, and he'd never seen her quite so bumbling or hesitant. Even when she was wrong, she was loud about it. Her partnership with the Namikaze boy had somewhat cooled her temper over the years, but Kurama had been witness to many of her fits of passion. Even when she'd swallowed her pride and apologized to him, the fox could still detect the underlying sharpness and emotion in her words. Kushina Uzumaki was not a hesitant woman, but right now she could have fooled Kurama.
From within the seal, Kurama watched the exchange curiously through his host's eyes. He laid his head on his paws, grateful that Naruto's gaze was currently focused on his mother, despite still being in Kakashi's arms. Even the runt could tell something was wrong. He supposed that it was only for Kurama's benefit that the boy was allowed to remain; the Uzumaki woman wanted him to be privy to the conversation.
Kushina swallowed hard, before continuing, "I know the identity of the masked man–the one that is really leading the Akatsuki. Kakashi and I fought him, he can confirm what I'm saying." She tried to catch the teen's eyes, but he refused to look anywhere but at her feet. "Kurama told me…a while ago," she admitted. "I refused to believe him, but I can't deny it anymore."
The Hokage frowned. "I thought you told me there were no more secrets?"
"I lied," she admitted. "I–" she inhaled shakily, "I wanted to protect you. You and Kakashi. The truth is…" She shook her head sadly.
"Whatever it is," Minato insisted, "you know I'd have your back. For better or worse, right?" It was obvious he was forcing his tone to be light; he was clearly unhappy with the situation. He was still gently squeezing his wife's arm in support, but there was a new tension to his body.
She shook her head again. "Minato it's–" For a moment, it seemed like she wouldn't be able to say it, but then Kakashi finally made eye contact with her. Whatever she saw in his expression convinced her to continue. "It was Obito. He's leading the Akatsuki. He's the one who…" she trailed off, not needing to remind her husband of what he'd done.
Kurama scoffed at the admission, unimpressed. That was what she was so worked up about? He'd told her ages ago. It was her own fault for refusing to believe him, and he was not going to feel an ounce of sympathy for her situation. If she'd believed Kurama in the first place, they wouldn't be in this situation. Her own stubbornness and biases would be her downfall someday. If Naruto were here, he would probably try to smooth the situation over, but Kurama was not Naruto. He may have become embarrassingly soft, but the squabbles of his host's family were virtually meaningless to him. As long as they didn't get in his way, and didn't die, he couldn't care less. Honestly, the fact that Kurama had to care about whether a bunch of whiny humans lived or died was already far more compassion than they deserved. Naruto was lucky he was worth it.
"That's not funny," Minato replied sharply, his expression hardening.
"It's not a joke," Kushina assured him. "Kakashi and I both saw him. He took his mask off, and he all but confirmed it outright."
Kurama might be largely reformed, in terms of his rage and desire for bloodshed, but he still held grudges. He despised the Uchiha clan for their ability to control him, particularly Madara and Obito that used him so carelessly. He cursed the goddess Kaguya that brought ruin to the world. He held a large amount of contempt for the figures in Naruto's previous life that had been particularly cruel or negligent, and wouldn't mind biting off a limb or two. He could admit that he no longer hated the Uzumaki woman, but he would never forget her harsh words nor her role as his jailor. He could even admit that he didn't hate the Yondaime either, since his actions ultimately resulted in Kurama meeting Naruto. However, he would not forget either of their roles in his imprisonment, nor how his chakra had been split against his will in their past life. He'd felt weak, and violated. So yes, he may no longer actively wish any of the humans in this room imminent death, but he would not deny the petty satisfaction he took in their squabbling. He was, after all, considered the embodiment of hatred and rage.
Flatly, Kakashi confirmed, "It was him."
Minato's hand fell limply from his wife's arm. He stared at her, eyes alight with grief and betrayal. He didn't ask if it was a joke, or if they were sure. Despite the many unkind things Kurama could say about the man, he knew the Hokage wasn't stupid. The seriousness of the topic, the solemn energy in the room, and the two Sannin watching impassively from the sides all confirmed that his wife's words were true. The Toad Sage even tried to offer a reassuring smile, but the gesture fell flat.
A flurry of emotions flashed over the Hokage's face. He seemed to shift between shock, anger, hurt, and denial every few seconds. Eventually, his expression went blank. Forcefully blank. His eyes were hard, and calculating, but everything else about his features were now as unreadable as he could manage.
"Why?"
Kushina shook her head. "I don't know. If Kurama knows all the details, he hasn't shown me. I wasn't exactly…receptive to the topic."
"But you knew?" Minato asked, though he clearly already knew the answer.
Kushina met her husband's stare directly. "I didn't believe him until I saw it with my own eyes…but yeah."
They stared at each other in a tense silence for an uncomfortably long time. Kurama had never seen them interact this way. Even when he'd seen them argue, they were over it obnoxiously quick, and back to being disgustingly affectionate with one another. Kushina was explosive in her anger, but she had a soft spot for her husband. Conversely, Minato rarely let himself get worked up, but sometimes seemed to feed off of his wife's energy. Kurama detested the fact that he knew this much about their interpersonal relationship, but he supposed it was inevitable, given how much time he was forced to spend with them.
Eventually, Minato turned his head away from his wife. Darkly, Kurama wondered if he couldn't stand to look at her right now. Coldly, the Hokage responded, "I need to know everything. Everything the fox knows about Obito's abilities, motivations, plans, all of it. Nothing else left out."
Kushina frowned at her husband's business-like attitude. "That's all you're going to say?"
He looked back at her, still forcing his expression to remain neutral. "What else do you want me to say?"
"I just told you," she retorted, "that your student–who you always thought of as family–is still alive. And not only alive, but also arguably our greatest enemy. You know what he's done, and what he will do if we don't stop him," she challenged. "So I would just expect a little bit more of a reaction."
"Well," he responded sharply, " I would have expected a little more honestly, so I guess we're both disappointed."
Again, they stared at each other in a tense silence. Fire briefly flashed in Kushina's eyes as she failed to remain as forcefully calm as her husband. Distantly, Kurama thought he could feel the stirring of the sliver of chakra he'd left within his previous host.
Kushina visibly swallowed her pride. "I'm sorry. I really am." She glanced at Kakashi. "I didn't want to see either of you hurt, and I thought I could spare your feelings until I confirmed the truth. I was hoping it was a lie, or a misunderstanding, but," she sighed, "that old fox hasn't been wrong yet, has he?"
Kurama scoffed at that. Of course he hadn't been wrong; he'd lived this future. These were his memories, his real memories. Bijuu didn't have to worry about forgetting or misremembering, so if Kurama remembered it, it had really happened. That woman's stubbornness continued to bite him in the tails. At least now, the information was out in the open, so hopefully they would do something about Obito and his plans before he could start targeting the jinchuuriki.
It wasn't often that Kushina would admit that she was wrong, Kurama knew. Their own argument was proof enough of that. Still, judging by the expression on Minato and Kakashi's faces, the apology wasn't enough.
Mostly, Minato was all business, but his expression shifted when he looked over at Kakashi. "Are you ok?" he asked, watching his student carefully.
"I'm fine," Kakashi lied. No one in the room was even the slightest bit convinced. Naruto whined at the teen's downtrodden expression and tugged at his hair. "What do we do?" He didn't bother removing Naruto's grabbing fingers.
The Hokage was frowning, deep in thought. "I don't know yet," he admitted. "There's still too much that I don't understand. Obito was–" he grimaced, "–is the last person I would ever have suspected could be capable of something like this. I need to know more. I need to know everything." He made steady eye contact with his wife. "Tell me everything the fox told you, and don't leave anything out."
Notes:
I was debating a lot how to write Obito here. Cuz he wouldn't quite be set in his Akatsuki persona, but he was probably also a lot more raw about everything at this point. So I decided to make him kind of an unstable hot mess.
I swear I don't mean to make Kushina super unlikable all the time! I actually think she's a super fun character. Although tbh all of your rage about how she treated Kurama cracked me up. What can I say, she's a hothead. At least there's nothing left for her to hide...right?
I love the bijuu and I could totally watch an entire spinoff series just about them and the lore surrounding them. They're not gonna have a huge role in this fic but it was time for Kurama to have a family reunion. I have no reason for why I like Matatabi so much, I just do. I think she has like 2 lines in the whole series but she just seems chill. Also Kurama is a petty bitch. Fight me on this.
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