Escape to Kumo
Written By: BJdaKooch
Disclaimers:
I do not own any of the original characters in the Naruto universe. I will make adaptations based on those characters. All credit for the original characters goes to Kishimoto and his team.
I am not being paid for this creation, any imaginative content is purely for the enjoyment of the fanfic community.
I would appreciate any and all feedback from the fanfic community. Please provide constructive criticism rather than nitpicking.
This is a harem fic, it is not overly large and I do not focus too much on the sexual aspect of it, but I felt like getting that off my chest up front. Not because I am some horndog, but the girls from Kumo are just too good not to throw in.
Synopsis:
Minato kills Obito on the night of the Kyuubi attack and sacrifices himself to seal the biju into his son, Naruto. It was not your standard interaction, so how will the new seal affect Naruto? Hiruzen Sarutobi was seriously injured during the attack and that leads to Fugaku being nominated as Hokage. Kushina survives and does her best to raise Naruto, but it doesn't take long for problems to rise to the surface. Rather than subjecting her son to the torture of the village she once loved, Kushina escapes with Naruto to Kumo. Watch as these events redefine the Narutoverse.
Chapter 1 – Deal with the Demon:
It was supposed a grand occasion for the Uzumaki-Namikaze family. Tonight, Minato and Kushina were supposed to be filled with laughter, good tidings and sake once the son and heir of their two clans was born. However, the fates can be cruel, and the three sisters severed one particularly cruel thread on this night. A massive 40-story fox with 9 powerful swishing tails was standing over the village and leaving a trail of destruction. Alarms rang across Konoha, and ninjas were evacuating civilians to the shelters. As they ran, fire descended upon their village and laid waist indiscriminately to structures and life alike.
In this chaos, brave shinobi of Konohagakore no Sato firmed their resolves and threw themselves into a fight they had no hope of winning. Every life sacrificed bought a second of time for their loved ones to evacuate. Every life sacrificed to the biju demonstrated the resolve of the Will of Fire. Leading the charge was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime (third) Hokage of Konoha. His successor had asked him to buy some time so that he may deal with the intruder that caused this whole mess. Hiruzen coordinated the shinobi forces of Konoha in various delaying and distracting actions against the beast that towered over the village, yet the destruction still rained down upon his village.
As Hiruzen looked up into the blood red and black slitted eyes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, he noticed the imprint of a Sharingan that was supposed to be lost to time. The Mangekyo Sharingan pattern was almost translucent as it spun on the iris of the Kyuubi. An image of Madara Uchiha glaring at him during his childhood flashed through his mind. He cursed whichever Uchiha caused all of this destruction and reaffirmed his efforts to protect his village. Calling upon his summon partner, Enma the King of the Monkey clan, he jumped into battle with the strongest of all known biju.
Minato was breathing hard as he strained his chakra network to operate above its maximum capacity. He had saved his wife and child and just finished the fight with the masked man. A smoking crater with a spiral pattern could be seen burnt through the cloak of the masked individual as he lay face down in the dirt. Minato walked over to the man, ignored the fleshy hole he had dug into him, flipped him onto his back with his foot and removed the mask. Minato gasped in shock as the face, or at least half of the face, that he saw staring lifelessly into the sky. It was his former student, Obito Uchiha, declared KIA nearly four years ago.
Obito's Sharingan eye stared blankly into the sky and Minato decided that more research would need to be done. He sealed the body into the scroll he procured from one of his pouches and disappeared in a yellow flash to go protect his village. Minato focused on the Hiraishin marker of the Sandaime Hokage and appeared next to the downed form of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Minato grabbed the Sandaime and flashed him to Konoha's hospital. He summoned a 'kage bunshin', shadow clone, to write out a note explaining the body sealed in the scroll and what transpired that night. He tucked the scroll into Hiruzen's breast pocket and left him under the protection of his clone to confront the beast.
After Obito died, there was a momentary lapse in the Kyuubi's attack as it regained its free will. Then the petty humans continued to attack and antagonize the creature. As the Kyuubi was preparing to respond, a yellow flash caught its attention. Then it felt pain as a large, blue, spinning orb crashed into its head. Since it was disoriented, it couldn't fight the pull on its chakra as the human with yellow hair transported it far away from the village.
As the Kyuubi shook of the disorientation, it noticed that the yellow haired human was standing on top of a toad summon that it recognized. The great kitsune decided that the strength of this human merited words.
"Ningen, I don't suppose you would just let me walk away from here. I am finally free and will not go back into a cage." The Kyuubi's gruff and powerful voice echoed across the clearing.
Minato was stunned, and so was Gamabunta for that matter. The Kyuubi just opened a conversation. "Umm, Kyuubi? I didn't know you could speak."
The Kyuubi snorted loudly at the insinuation. "You short sighted mortals never considered that us biju were sentient beings. Your petty minds always go straight to fear when you don't understand something. Your greed directed you to seek our power. So, ningen, are you going to fight me?"
Minato took a battle-ready stance as his mind raced over a mile a minute to come up with something. "Okay, Kyuubi, it saddens me to admit that mankind will never let you or your kind be free. However, I will offer you sanctuary in my son. The man I killed tonight had the same eyes as Madara Uchiha and that is how he was able to control you. If you escape from here, you will need to live life on the run. If we form a contact of sorts, you could be held safely within my son."
The Kyuubi flinched at that. It was the one man that had made it feel completely helpless. Curse the Sage for giving such power to these mortals. She also hated to admit that this petty human had a point. She was locked out of the demonic realm for some reason she had yet to discover, and she knew she wouldn't be able to retreat there at this time.
Minato sighed at the response. "Is there some contract we could come up with to resolve things peacefully? And we need to hurry with negotiations because ninjas will be coming here to finish the fight."
The Kyuubi pondered upon Minato's words. The demoness knew that it was nearly time for her mating cycle, something that only occurred once every two hundred years, and she dearly wished for kits. She could send this mortal to her kingdom upon his death and have him check on her lands. He seemed honorable enough and she begrudgingly admitted that she felt a rare sense of honor coming from the man. "Very well, ningen, if you form a contract with me, the price is your soul. I have need of a man with your skill set. In return for your soul, I will spare your village and create a seal of my own choosing to reside in your child."
Minato paled at that. He only had one jutsu that could possibly deal with the Kyuubi, and the price was the same to use that jutsu. So, which would he prefer, the Kyuubi or the Shinigami? Minato shivered internally at the thought of the Shinigami's stomach. He firmed his resolve and nodded his head at the Kyuubi.
"Very well, state the terms of your contract." Minato said in a hardened and resolved voice.
"Your son is the only one allowed to be my container. He already has my power in him from gestating next to me. The seal must allow me certain freedoms and once I raise your son into a man that will purify this human world, I will be released, and he will become my husband. Your son will be bound by this contract to do everything in his power to return me to Makai and not let me be sealed into another vessel."
Minato gulped at that. Kushina would kill him for this, but it was probably better than attempting to force the Kyuubi into a Shinigami seal and pray that it didn't destroy his son from the inside out. "Why do you want my son for a husband?"
The Kyuubi chuckled at that response and in turn the massive chakra entity condensed into a red-haired beauty that stood regally before Minato. The woman was five foot seven inches with long, illustrious red hair that sank to below a beautiful posterior. From said posterior, nine red tails glowed with power as the swished around the form of a goddess. She had a heart shaped faced that radiated beauty with glowing alabaster skin that surrounded red slitted eyes. The orangish-red ears with black inner lining twitched with irritation as Minato stared at her kitsune transformation. Minato thought that he would be doing his son a favor if he got to marry such a goddess, err demoness.
"My mating cycle is coming up in roughly twenty years. You humans killed my previous kits for greed during the Clan Wars, which is why I started annihilating your filthy kind centuries ago. I want more kits and I sense something great in that child. Since he was born amongst my potent chakra, he will grow to be something special. From inside my seal, I will be able to complete his change into a hanyu, a half demon as you mortals would call it. I wish to raise a family and the only suitable mate I see in the next twenty years is your son. Sadly, you love that mortal woman, or you may have sufficed." The last statement was said with such a seductive tone that Minato, the great Yondaime Hokage, gulped.
"O-o-okay then. What conditions do you require for your seal? Second, I need to notify Kushina of this contract. Finally, I need your word that you will not destroy Konohagakore or attempt to break the seal."
The Kyuubi held up one hand and in a burst of red flames a contract appeared. Minato reviewed the contract and watched as the demoness put her hand upon the paper. A chakra imprint of her hand resided over her name. Minato noticed her name and chuckled as he cut his palm, smeared blood on his fingertips and then placed his hand on the contract.
"Nice to meet you, Hikari. Be nice to my soul, will you?"
"You truly are a worthy human. Worry not, you will be sent to the demonic realm, and you will manage things there for me until I have the chance to return with your son. When the time is right, and if I find her worthy, I will make Kushina the same offer as well. Despite her raucous and rude behavior, I found myself pleasantly surprised by her aura. Unfortunately, the seal did not let us interact and it was rather uncomfortable, which kept me in a foul mood. So, Minato Namikaze, go and bring me your wife and son. Do hurry, those humans will be here in ten minutes."
Minato nodded and flashed away is a streak of yellow light. He returned a minute later with an unconscious Kushina and the quiet baby Naruto. As Hikari took Naruto in her hands, he looked up at her with the most beautiful azure blue eyes that touched Hikari's soul. Call it a mating instinct, call it destiny, call it a twist of the fates, but she felt it in this boy. Hikari placed a tender kiss on the boy's forehead before placing him onto an altar that she summoned.
Hikari turned to Kushina's crumpled form in Minato's arms and she put one hand on the former resting place of Kushina's seal. Her hand glowed a brilliant, ruby red as she channeled some of her chakra into her previous host. Without her chakra, the woman would likely die due to the damage to her chakra network. Color returned to Kushina's face, and her eyes cracked open. She was still very out of it, but she was at least conscious for this and would survive. As Kushina looked back on this day, she would remember it more like a lucid dream than a solid memory.
Minato smiled as his wife came back to him. He placed a loving kiss on her lips before he set her down. "Kushi-Chan, we don't have much time. I need you to remember that I made a deal with the Kyuubi. It will be a good thing for our family, and I will see you in the next life. You are my fiery red habanero, and I will love you forever." With that, Minato placed another kiss on the confused woman's lips.
Minato stepped back and let Hikari take over from there. Hikari created a copy of the contract and placed it in Kushina's hands before she joined Minato next to the altar containing his son.
"For what it is worth, Minato, I find you worthy and I will have mercy on your soul. You will be sent to my realm, use this document to rule in my stead. Gain support to restore the portal to this realm." She then placed two fingers on Minato's forehead and channeled her yokai, demonic chakra, into him. Minato glowed red all over before slumping to the ground, dead, with his soul being sent to Makai. "Okay, Naruto-Kun, I am in your care." She placed both hands on Naruto's stomach and created the seal of her own making. She would watch on from in the seal and test her future mate when the time came.
Kakashi was the first to arrive on the scene. He saw the sleeping form of Kushina and the crumpled body of his dead sensei. Tears filled his eyes as the realization hit him that his sensei was dead. He was halted in his misery as Kushina choaked out a few words.
"Kakashi… bring me … Naruto. Destroy … altar… hurry!"
Kakashi remained stunned for the briefest of moments before following the instructions of his sensei's wife. Kushina held Naruto in her arms and whispered into his ear. "Kyuubi, if you can hear me, you need to hide the seal. It is to protect Naruto."
The was a brief chakra flash and the dark black lines of the seal on Naruto's stomach disappeared. Kakashi noticed this and widened his eyes, but Kushina silenced him with just a look. Kakashi turned around suddenly as hundreds of chakra signatures appeared behind him. At the front of the group were Hizashi and Hiashi Hyuga, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi. They all processed the downed form of Minato and many heads sunk to chests in respect for their fallen leader's sacrifice.
Fugaku finally took the lead and spoke. "Kushina, what happened to Minato and the Kyuubi?"
Kushina, played up at being a weak woman, which wasn't much of a stretch at the time, responded in a cracked voice. "Minato … sacrifice … himself to … send … Kyuubi … to demonic … realm…"
Fugaku stood up and reeled at the implications. Minato defeated the Kyuubi, and the village was safe. His rival was one hell of a man and deserved respect. Fugaku took charge of the crowd of ninjas, and he scooped Kushina into his arms as she held baby Naruto. He noticed the six whisker marks on the child's face and decided that he would ask Kushina about it later. For now, he would let the mother slumber peacefully with her child in her arms.
Chapter 2 – Unravelling
Kushina awoke at the crack of dawn from a restless sleep that did nothing to alleviate the worries she held deep in her heart. She was never a morning person, but she would put up with anything for her sochi. She went through her morning routine on auto pilot as she reflected on what led up to her current situation.
It all started when she awoke in Konoha hospital with her son in her arms. She smiled down on her beautiful blonde baby boy and for a minute the hole Minato left in her heart was filled. Her friends would stop by the hospital to check in with her, but her body was crippled from the Kyuubi being ripped out of her. Tsunade forced her to stay in the hospital for a whole month and she was too weak to fight against the woman. She was just grateful Tsunade came back to help her get on her feet.
During that month, Tsunade performed a bunch of procedures that would end up helping her return to her normal life. Unfortunately, since the Kyuubi was ripped out while Kushina was giving birth, her reproductive system was completely destroyed. She would never be able to have another child, which broke Kushina's heart and caused her to latch onto baby Naruto even tighter. The damage to her chakra network was substantial and Tsunade was stumped because all prior reports indicated that a biju leaving its host would kill said host. She chalked it up to the Uzumaki vitality in the end, which the Konoha council accepted. After a month, Kushina was allowed to take Naruto home to the Uzumaki compound.
That was another thing, the damned council and their damned rulings. Naruto's official birth certificate named him Naruto Uzumaki and she was denied the right to name him Namikaze. The council denied Naruto the Namikaze inheritance and tried to claim that they were doing so in Naruto's best interest, since Minato had so many enemies. Kushina did hold the original birth certificate with Minato's name on it, but she was threatened with the death penalty if she ever revealed that information without the council's prior approval. Needless to say, many ANBU were sent to the hospital during that council meeting. Even though she was far from her prior strength, she was an infuriated mother and a scorned wife by the council. She declared that she would take a leave of absence to raise her son, which was a right all mother shinobis were granted. The council granted this motion simply to get the rampaging woman out of the council chambers.
The first thing Kushina did was remove her and Kakashi's chakra signature from the seal array on the Namikaze compound and she then sent the seal array into lockdown mode. Those damned councilors would never get their hands on Minato's research and jutsu so long as she lived. Secretly, she added Naruto's chakra signature as the master of the Namikaze seal array because it was his by birthright. Without Naruto's chakra, the compound would remain in lockdown. The lockdown included a nature powered chakra barrier that made the compound invisible, and the barrier could take a couple hits from bijudama before imploding. In time, she would tell Naruto and he would be able to access his father's library in secrecy.
Over the past three years, her relationship with the Uchihas had gone down the drain. She still loved Mikoto and her daughter Itachi, but she hated Fugaku with a passion. Fugaku Uchiha, the Godaime Hokage, was never a great man. He was tolerable at best and downright damnable at the worst of times. An adequate description would be a power hungry, egotistical and arrogant man with a Napoleon complex. He moved slowly over the three years, making subtle reforms to benefit his clan and cement the Uchiha rule over Konoha. The power went to his head and Kushina hated the man for how he treated Mikoto, as a possession rather than a wife.
After Hiruzen revealed the body of Obito Uchiha and the note from Minato, the council deliberated for days on who the next Hokage would be. Eventually, Danzo backed off and threw in his support for Fugaku, which tilted the results in his favor. The Fire Daimyo, a fat man by the name of Kishi, approved Fugaku as the Godaime Hokage and contributed extra funds to rebuild the village. The destruction was bad, but it would have been worse without Minato's sacrifice. The village lost one quarter of its shinobi forces during the Kyuubi attack and one third of the village was totaled. The village hailed Minato as a hero while they remained wistfully ignorant of his wife and heir.
Now, after Naruto's third birthday, Fugaku was forcing Kushina back into active service. He said that she had enough time and that Kushina would be allowed to select a nanny to raise Naruto. He said that the village needed her services as its sole remaining S-ranked ninja. It didn't help that he denied her the Namikaze fortune, which was hers by right of marriage. The daimyo conceded to Fugaku and said that the fortunes would be held by an accountant of the daimyo until such a time that Naruto would be strong enough to claim the Namikaze name. It took all of her friends to hold her down and keep Fugaku's head from rolling. Since she didn't have the Namikaze accounts, she had used the remainder of the Uzumaki fortune to sustain her and Naruto for the past three years. Now, those accounts were dwindling, and she would need to take missions again to provide for her sochi.
Kushina finished donning her uniform and peeked into Naruto's room. The blonde toddler was wrapped snuggly in his sheets with a peaceful smile on his face. That smile is what she would fight for. That smile is what she would die for. Looking at him reminded her of the contract that she found in her robes once she left the hospital. She had looked it over in disbelief and cursed Minato for making a deal with a demon like the Kyuubi. She had tried to contact the Kyuubi, but she was unable to reach it thus far. She pushed those troublesome thoughts away and walked to her sochi's bedside. She smiled before placing a tender kiss on Naruto's forehead before setting out for the day.
After leaving Naruto's room, she went to the front door to meet the nanny that she handpicked to look after Naruto while she was away. She welcomed Tsubaki Sarutobi, Hiruzen's niece, to the compound and showed her around. The Uzumaki compound was a humble dwelling that resided next to the vacant Senju compound. It had a small training ground behind the two-story house and an expansive garden. Naruto and Kushina loved spending time tending to their garden as mother and son, which resulted in an ever-expanding garden that nearly filled the backyard. Tsubaki took in the compound and knew that she would enjoy raising this child here. Her uncle had told her about Naruto's true lineage, in defiance of the council, and she wanted to help repay Minato for his sacrifice.
Months passed without incident and the little blonde ball of sunshine grew to love Tsubaki and she him. She taught him how to read and write, lessons that were supplemented by Kushina when she was home. The child seemed to enjoy reading and he had a natural knack for the sealing arts, which Kushina started him on once he was able to read proficiently. Tsubaki noticed that Kushina was awfully cautious of taking Naruto outside, but after taking care of Naruto for a couple of months, Tsubaki decided to take him to the playground.
Naruto bounced in excitement as they headed to the playground that bordered the clan compounds. It was a common meeting place for most shinobi clan families, and it had a happy atmosphere filled with the laughs and excited screams of children. When Naruto was three and a half years old, he started visiting the playground regularly with Tsubaki. His outgoing nature made making friends easy and he already made friends with Itachi Uchiha, a girl two years older than him, and Shikamaru Nara, heir to the Nara clan. Those three were different from the normal clan children and they would usually play amongst themselves.
Unknown to Tsubaki, Naruto or Kushina, one day a Hyuga guard was watching over the Hyuga heiress and her sister, and he turned on his Byakugan to make sure the children were safe. With his Byakugan active, the guard noticed a prominent seal on Naruto's stomach as he was rough housing with Itachi. The guard decided to notify his clan head about it and he continued to watch the children. A month after that day, Naruto and Kushina were called into the Hokage's office. Kushina walked rigidly into the office with Naruto's hand held firmly in hers. With a straight and emotionless face, she addressed the Hokage.
"Hokage-Sama, you summoned us?"
Fugaku looked up from his stack of papers and made a gesture with his hand. The Uchihas in the room and the hidden ANBU left the room so that Fugaku could talk privately with Kushina. Or so Kushina thought. Hiashi Hyuga entered the room immediately after the guards left and now Kushina was on guard.
"Kushina, care to explain why the Hyuga had to inform me of an intricate seal that resides on your son's stomach?" Fugaku's voice was deadly serious and carried a hidden threat with it.
"What are you talking about, Hokage-Sama? I have never seen a seal on my sochi." Kushina shot back without hesitation. Even the trained Hyuga couldn't detect the lie she told.
Fugaku looked at Hiashi and addressed him. "Hiashi, can you please activate you Byakugan to tell me if Naruto has a seal on his stomach?"
Hiashi complied with an apologetic look to Kushina. "Hokage-Sama, there is an intricate seal on Naruto's stomach. It is pretty subdued and would not be found unless you were specifically looking for it." Hiashi added the last part to provide cover for his wife's friend.
"Hnn" Fugaku said as he placed his head on his folded hands and looked at Kushina. "Kushina, can you please recount the night of the Kyuubi attack for me. Don't worry about your son, I have placed him in a genjutsu."
Kushina looked down with concern at Naruto before glaring at Fugaku. "Look, Hokage-Sama…" She growled out. "I have told you repeatedly. I was unconscious for most of it, but Minato woke me up for a little bit to say goodbye. He sacrificed his soul to send the Kyuubi back to the demon realm."
"Then, why does your son have whisker marks? Why does your nearly four-year-old son look like a 7- or 8-year-old? I think you are lying to me, Kushina. I think Minato sealed the Kyuubi into the boy and you are trying to protect him. Why would you lie to me, Kushina?"
Kushina blanched when Fugaku called her out on it. "I … I didn't know. I thought that … that Minato banished the demon."
Fugaku decided to make his claim. "Well, the boy is clearly our jinchuriki. Now that I examine it closely, I can see trace amounts of the demonic chakra. The boy will need to be trained to be our weapon. I will elect an Uchiha to conduct the boys training."
Kushina's trepidation vanished and was replaced with motherly fury. "Over my dead body," she growled out. "If he is the jinchuriki, I will train him when the time is right. There is nobody better and you know it. Furthermore, I will not allow you to steal my son's childhood from him. I will examine the seal and if he is the jinchuriki, I will make sure that the seal is safe. When I decide the time is right, I will begin his training. And if you call my son a weapon again, Hokage or not, I will rip your still beating heart out, pull that thick studded rod out of your ass, shove your heart in your ass for some flavoring and then shove it down your fucking throat."
Fugaku paled at the elaborate threat. If it came from any other woman, he would easily brush it off. He also knew that he couldn't simply rip and child, a clan heir at that, from his mother without major backlash from the ninja council. He decided to concede for now and he would seek council from his advisors. "Very well, Kushina. You may go for now. Know that this issue is yet settled."
Kushina turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. The Kyuubi watched the whole interaction and knew that the boy was in for tough times ahead. She may have to make contact with him earlier than expected. Kushina broke the genjutsu on Naruto and took him to her favorite ramen stand, the Ichiraku ramen stand. She calmed down when those immaculate blue orbs met her violet eyes. She decided to let him enjoy his childhood and she would shoulder this burden. She ordered him a couple bowls and watched her innocent child enjoy the food of the gods. She decided she would need to talk to Kakashi, Anko, Yugao and Kurenai. She would need her loyal students to help her keep watch over her son.
After Kushina departed, Fugaku called Danzo and Homura into the room. He didn't want to include Hiruzen and Koharu in this because they would undoubtedly protect the boy.
"I have called you both here today to inform you that I recently learned that Naruto Uzumaki is the container of the Kyuubi. Kushina claimed ignorance and I have no proof that she is lying. She refused to have the boy taught by anybody other than herself. You both know that this is a delicate issue, and the ninja council would not support us if we moved against Kushina and the child. In fact, it would cause massive issues. So, my councilors, tell me how you would acquire the weapon?"
Danzo's eyes widened at the prospect of such a thing while Homura just looked shocked. Danzo spoke first. "Well, Hokage-Sama, I would say that we need to remove the mother from the equation. The boy would need to be broken so that we could rebuild him from the ground up into the perfect weapon."
Homura remained silent. He was on Fugaku's side but the thought of killing one of the last loyal Uzumaki and the most powerful kunoichi in Konoha didn't sit well with him. "I would play it patiently. Sneak influencers into the child's life that could eventually draw the child in with the promise of training. I caution against overt action due to the power of Kushina Uzumaki and the relationships she holds amongst the clans."
Fugaku considered the two proposals. "I believe Danzo's suggestion is a little rough, but it has the higher chance of success. Leave me and come up with well thought out proposals. We will meet again next week."
Both elders nodded and left the office. This conversation would lead to the great unravelling of Konoha and the end of the Uzumaki clan, in Konoha at least.
A couple days before Naruto's fourth birthday, Kushina was called out of the village on a two-week S ranked mission. Tsubaki was watching over him after his birthday party with some of the clan children. Anko and Yugao had stopped by to give Naruto presents in person and to fulfill their duty to their sensei. Everything seemed to be going perfectly during the party and they watched on with smiles as the children played in the backyard. Eventually, everybody left, and peace filled the Uzumaki compound. That was until Tsubaki was awoken at midnight to somebody at the gate. She opened the gate to a blank mask that held two Sharingan eyes. Before she could react, she was put under a strong genjutsu, and she brought the sleepy Naruto out to meet the masked man. The boy was confused but he listened to Tsubaki and went with the man. The ninja needed Tsubaki to bring the child out due to the barrier that protected the Uzumaki compound.
The masked man walked Naruto into the red-light district and left the kid for dead. His orders stated that he would only intervene if it looked like the mob would kill him. The mob was incited by Danzo's agents that recently spread rumors that Naruto was the Kyuubi. They told the people that the demon had taken over Kushina's son and the drunk villagers were more than willing to find a scapegoat on this day. The boy's screams echoed across the redlight district until the early morning. The white masked ANBU scraped the boy off the pavement once the mob had its fun and delivered him to the hospital for treatment.
This marked the beginning of the ostracization of Naruto. Kushina flew into a rage when she returned to the village to find Tsubaki dead at her compound gates. When she broke through the hospital doors, threatened the nursing staff, got taken to Naruto and saw all of Naruto's injuries, she nearly destroyed the hospital. Kushina stayed by Naruto's bedside for the remainder of his stay in the hospital. After Naruto was dismissed from the hospital three days later, Kushina broke down the door to Fugaku's office and fought off the ANBU squad, leaving them in unconscious heaps on the floor. She then turned her visage of fury with the ethereal outline of the Shinigami hovering behind her onto Fugaku.
"Look here, Fugaku, I know you had something to do with this. You and the Hyuga were the only ones that knew..."
Fugaku stood up in a challenging pose. "Careful, Kushina, that is treason you are spouting. I did not organize this, and I am affronted that you would accuse me of such a thing. I held love for you and the boy's father. It was my duty to inform the civilian council and it seems that the civilians did not take well to the news." He said the last part as if it was simply fact and it didn't matter.
Kushina's hair flared into nine tail-like braids, and she grabbed Fugaku by the collar and looked straight into his cursed Sharingan eyes. "You will bring me those responsible. I will be allowed my retribution. If something like this happens again, I will hold you personally accountable." She flung him back into his chair and stormed out of the office.
Fugaku needed a minute to recover from the killing intent, KI, that he was just subjected to. She was truly a fearsome woman after all. After recovering, he smirked because phase one of his plan was going perfectly.
"Whoo, she is truly a scary woman. Be careful on how you deal with her, master."
Fugaku looked down at the black addition to his body. It was two years ago that this creature approached him with the plan created by Madara Uchiha. He wouldn't have believed it if the creature didn't take him to Madara's hidden base. He met the legend himself and was given an overview of the plan. It was this plan that would ensure Uchiha dominance of the elemental nations and Uchiha supremacy in the village that they founded.
"Indeed, she is, Zetsu. I will play this close to the chest. She is the only remaining obstacle to getting our hands on the Kyuubi."
"Mhm, mhm, according to Madara's plan, once you have the Kyuubi in your possession you will receive his Rinnegan eyes."
"Zetsu, how is Madara-Sama doing and why will he not give me the Rinnegan already?"
"Master Madara is dependent upon the Gedo Mazo to sustain himself. Removing the Rinnegan now would kill him, and he wishes to see if you are a worthy successor. Would you entrust the eyes of a god to somebody that has yet to prove themselves to you?"
"Hn. Well, do let me know if his condition changes. It is only a matter of time until the Kyuubi is under my control"
Psychotic Uchiha and evil mass of hatred aside, the rest of that year was tough on young Naruto. Naruto was no longer welcome in the parks and the kids would shun him if he asked to play with them. Naruto tried to maintain his optimistic nature, but he failed as the rejections continued. Over the year, Naruto receded into himself and spent most of his time reading, studying and training. Kushina had given him a training regimen to hopefully prepare him for what was to come and distract him from his darker thoughts. However, she was dealing with the limitations of a four-year-old child, even if that child looked to be nearly eight years old. He was simply being taught the basics, but he did manage to unlock his chakra and begin rudimentary training.
Naruto stopped going to the park when groups of bullies would form and start picking on him whenever Itachi and Shikamaru weren't present, Naruto would try to leave. His new caretaker, an old woman named Chiha, barely protected the boy and she never taught him anything. Kushina tried to find other nannies, but nobody would accept the duty. It was as if somebody were threatening them if they accepted the position. Chiha was the only one that accepted the position and Kushina was forced to take her by the council after abstaining from missions for a full month. She knew it was the worst thing possible, but she was being forced into S ranked mission after S ranked mission. Kushina sought the help of her friends, but the council soon caught on to them and would dispatch them on back-to-back missions as well.
The end result of the year was a young boy that was terrified to walk in his own village. The glares and stares of the villagers haunted his nightmares. The beatings from children and thrown bottles from adults made Naruto into a recluse. Unfortunately for Naruto, Chiha would drag him out of the compound for 'playtime', which resulted in Naruto getting abused in some way or another. Kushina raged at the woman, but Chiha was protected by the council, and Kushina decided that she needed to find a way out of this toxic situation. Naruto no longer had a childhood, and it was only a matter of time before things spilled over.