"Look at yourselves!" - Who's the real monster?

The deep river that ran through Uzushio was ahead of Minato. He was going towards the northern bridge were he would meet Kushina. Minato had left Oba-san Fukurou without the details of his mission, but he could always get them later.

The bridge came into view. It was a traditional wooden one with a roof shelter above it. As he got closer he could see his fiery teacher's mane of hair, she wasn't alone though. She was talking to a man. Minato couldn't see the man's face due to the fact he was on one knee and holding Kushina's slender hand. A slight pang hit him at the sight.

To Minato's slight satisfaction Kushina reeled her hand back and used it to punch the man. He began jogging up to her. She started thrashing around and pummelling the man to the floor. A slap to the face, an uppercut to the jaw and a knee in the crotch and he was on the floor writhing in pain.

"Don't you dare touch me again!" She roared in a very unladylike manner then smashed a kick into his stomach. By now Minato could quite clearly tell it was Jiraiya laying bloody and on the floor.

"Beautiful and strong!" he chuckled to himself. Just before Kushina could land another hit to him, Minato appeared before her in a flash. He stopped her punch in his larger hand. She had a surprised look on her face and started to open and close her mouth like a fish.

"Ow, you sure pack a punch Kushina-san" Minato said while shaking his hand out.

She seemed to find her voice "Minato, where did you come from?"

Jiraiya quickly got over his pain somewhat and sat up. "Urhm, Minato-kun? What are you doing here?" he groaned.

Minato let out a heavy breath of air and put his hands behind his head.

"You two are nuts" He smirked at them which earned him a bump on the head from each sensei.

"Ow"

They both asked how he knew the other person at exactly the same time. "Well, this is Jiraiya my sensei" he turned to Jiraiya while motioning toward Kushina "and this is my fuinjutsu sensei, Kushina-san" They eyed each other until Jiraiya eye's turned into love heart's once more.

What followed was a beaten and bruised man and a worn out red head. Minato had decided he would sit this one out. After trying to impress the violent woman a second time the kinky man decided against that course of action again. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Jiraiya pinned that logic to his current situation and left when a young woman with a skimpy outfit strolled past.

But not before blowing kisses to Kushina and giving her a suggestive wink. Minato looked to her face and a couple vein's could be seen pulsating on her forehead. Her teeth were clenched and her eye twitched now and then. "If I happen to meet you're sensei again I can't promise he'll live" Minato chuckled and walked over the bridge into the street with her.

They walked in a comfortable silence as Kushina calmed down. The gushing water of the river could be heard and hungry ducks pleading for food with their constant quacking noises. Minato was walking ahead of Kushina unlike usual and looking at different buildings. Far off in the distance he could see a tall one which he identified at the hospital the day before. That's were Tsuri was now, he should probably let Kushina know about that when they sat down to eat.

"Where are we going?" Kushina bit out impatiently.

Minato looked over his shoulder at her. He slowed down so he was walking with her. She seemed on edge. "Near the docks, there's a nice place to eat."

"That's on the other side of town." she dead panned.

"It's a nice walk. Besides we're almost there." He smiled despite her attitude. Kushina looked around warily. Her eyes were darting around and she bit her bottom lip until she focused on the ground. She kept her eyes to the ground and set her face so it had no expression. Minato idly watched her from the corner of his eye.

Was she nervous? Was it him that was making her like that? No, Minato was alone with her all day everyday and she never acted like this. Sure he was handsome - if he had to say so himself - but Kushina wasn't that kind of girl. She was strong and volatile and didn't get infatuated with anyone. Minato was pretty sure she didn't have a boyfriend, Minato hadn't even seen her friends. She didn't seem to be the socializing or friendly type.

It didn't matter. If there really was a sincere reason as to why everyone avoided her, it was sure to present itself in time.

They were at the part of town where the inn Minato was staying at was. The wildlife consisted of seagulls and river rats than it did geese, swans and ducks. There was hardly a red head in sight as all the Uzumaki's lived far from here.

A lot of the people here had realised Konoha's Yellow Flash was living among them. He chatted to love-struck girls, awe-struck academy students and other shinobi his age and up. He still heard murmurs as he walked around this part of town. Minato didn't like the whispers and ignored them. Just because he was popular didn't mean he was deaf.

They were even murmuring to themselves now as he walked with Kushina. Though a change had taken place. Women were giving death glares, men were frowning and children stared wide-eyed. Taking a glance at Kushina he could see she was looking down, her vibrant hair hiding her face.

When they arrived at the eatery she still had her head down. One of the waiter's looked up at Minato and smiled to which he waved. The waiter's eye drifted to the woman behind him then frowned. He came forward very fast.

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave."

"Why?" He frowned and stared down at the waiter. The waiter hesitantly nodded to Kushina.

"What?" Minato asked firmly and a few onlooker's caught sight.

He had a circular tray in his grasp and he was holding it across his chest tightly. "Sir" He said firmly "I'm afraid if you wish to eat here, that can not be accompanying you." Some heads were raised from their table, they seemed to stare at Kushina with shock then anger.

Kushina's eyes were like molten larva. If she had been younger, she would have made a scene, beaten the object of her refusal into the ground. She was not a that, she was a human being. Unfortunately the waiter didn't get what he deserved. She was older and smarter than to go off smashing faces in.

"Minato let's go." Grabbing his arm she tried to move him but he stood like a statue. Rude whispers began emanating from the tables akin to 'it touched him' along with gasps.

"No." He intertwined his arm with Kushina's and came closer to the waiter's face, standing tall.

"Why not?" He bit out, he wanted an answer. Oddly, most of the occupants of the room were looking at the small scene he had created, making him slightly frustrated. What was wrong with these people?

Suddenly one of the onlookers got up and shouted. "Get that fox bitch out of here!" shouts and murmurings of encouragement roared through the small eatery.

"Slut!"

"Get the hell out of this village, monster!

"Go die!"

Minato's eyes widened then narrowed at their animalism. How could so many people hate one person? And even if they did, it would be obscene to think they would act in such a way at a public place. It was at that moment that something changed in Minato. Something he hadn't felt in a long time towards another human being broke through his emotional barriers. It wasn't hate, hate was too close to love. They didn't deserve his hate, all he felt towards them at that moment was dislike.

Some yelled obscenities while most said them under their breaths, other's threw trash and cutlery at her. All the shouts were heartfelt and angry. Minato felt a forceful tug on his arm from where they were tangled. Kushina tried to get out of his hold and away from this place but he held her tighter.

"Look at yourselves!" Minato roared. The people flinched at his tone though others just gave him a hateful glare.

"How dare you treat another human being in this way?" He chided visciously.

"She's a monste-!" a man called out but was cut off a second short as a kunai shot past his head. It dug itself into a wooden beam behind him and he yelped.

"She killed Mito Uzumaki!"

"It killed my mother and father!"

"You have proof?" He spoke with eerie calmness and held their gazes with a mortifying glare.

The man from before spoke "I saw that fox bitch turn into a monster and kill my brother!" Minato appeared behind him and pulled his special kunai out of the wall and spun it around on his finger. He moved the man's head to look at his sensei, her hair completely covering her face. The man was startled as was the rest of the room at Minato's movement or rather lack of movement. Kushina looked up when she noticed Minato was gone, all the way on the other side of the room.

"Does that woman look like she killed your brother?" He held the man's head so he could look at her straight in the eye.

Silence.

"Like she killed any of your family, or even her own family member?" He raised his voice through gritted teeth.

Kushina couldn't hold it any longer, her eyes were welling up with unshed tears and she'd be damned if any of these people saw her crying. Her blood red hair fell over her face like a curtain. Unnoticed to all but one person was a single, crystal-shaped tear falling from her chin.

"Answer me!" Minato demanded.

A/N: I have the plot sorted! So I'm making certain scenes to aid the future flow of the story... But this one, this one sucks... I can't write I'm still a kid with terrible writing skills :p I mean surely Kushina would have gone mental when they threw stuff at her. RAGHH -kick's in face- HOW DARE YOU -punch- 'till they are all unconscious, but that kinda makes her look like a really mean person :L