Kushina had been out of the seal for over half a month. For the first few days Naruto floated when he walked, drunk on a mother's love. After every meal he would dive straight into his bed, slip into the seal, and pepper Kushina with questions until his tongue got tired.
By the fifth day that the Third showed up to check why Naruto had been "asleep" all day, Mo Ke ran out of patience and literally booted the kid out of the mindscape.
He laid down the law: until you make up the training you skipped, you are banned from coming in.
Naruto's eyes watered, but Kushina held firm. In a soft voice she promised she would always be there and that training mattered most. She looked every inch the loving mother who does not spoil.
When Naruto finally left, the way she sagged with relief told Mo Ke the truth. The kid's chatter had squeezed her entire life story out of her already. Aside from the Minato parts, Naruto had hauled her all the way through Uzushio memories and back again.
Maybe because Mo Ke was there, whenever Naruto asked whether she had any nicknames as a girl or which boys liked her, she shut her mouth and refused to answer. Mo Ke snickered. Kushina, I know more than you do. I even read your book once.
The perfect S-shaped chaise got "retired" under Kushina's glare, so Mo Ke made a normal two-seater. He lounged there now, staring at the giant screen he had shaped from Naruto's line of sight. No reason. He just missed the old life of horizontal TV.
Kushina leaned on the other end, chin in hand, absorbed in a cookbook. All modern dishes Mo Ke had conjured for her, each new to her eyes. She swore to learn them all before she went out, to cook for Naruto. First, of course, she would test them on Mo Ke.
Suddenly Mo Ke perked up, nudged her with his knee, and sat forward. "Come look, idiot Kushina. Naruto is about to have a romantic meet-cute."
She had been annoyed at the kicking, but those words made her eyes light up. She scooted beside him. Since she had a bad habit of pinching Mo Ke whenever villagers slighted Naruto, he had angled the screen so only his side got the best view.
"What meet-cute. Sakura? Did that idiot finally work up the nerve to talk to her, dattebane?"
"No. Someone better than Sakura."
"But I really like Sakura. Her hair is the color of cherry blossoms."
Same as Naruto, shallow as a saucer. Mo Ke side-eyed her and inched away. Then again, maybe it was because she had watched through Naruto's eyes a few times. Kushina should have noticed the same violent streak under Sakura's skin that lived in hers. That might be what she actually liked.
Out on the snowy lane, three boys were harassing a small girl. Naruto watched, fists clenched. The girl wore tidy, gentle clothes, clearly clan-born. Dark blue bob, neat bangs, a delicate face. The pair of pale pinkish-white eyes sat on her like a soft halo rather than a curse. She looked pure.
The three were Konoha's famous little pests. They had tormented Naruto too. No names — just Extras A, B and C. Crooked teeth, crooked morals. Their jeers rained down on the girl.
"Look, look. White eyeballs. Gross."
"Whoa. For real. She must be a monster like the fox brat."
"Don't glare at us with those freak eyes. One monster in this village is enough."
Extra C shoved her. She toppled into the snow. It was Hinata's first time sneaking out. Inside the Hyuga compound she was a tiny princess. Elders and kids alike praised her every step. Spoiled is the wrong word. She was the most introverted girl in Konoha, and now she sat in the snow and covered her eyes and cried.
"Tsk. Hinata really is cute as a kid," Mo Ke the spectator mused. "The haircut is doing her no favors though."
"You have no heart. She is getting bullied and you are rating her cuteness. Konoha brats never change. Always picking on someone." Kushina squinted. "Hinata, right. That is Hyuga. No guards. Must be branch family? This personality is no good. When you are bullied you hit back. I still like Sakura more, dattebane."
"Hinata is main family. The purest Byakugan in the whole ninja world. They call her the Byakugan Princess. She is stronger than she looks. Just soft-spoken and shy."
"The whole ninja world. Why say it like that. Isn't Byakugan only in Hyuga."
"Mmm. There is a clan on the moon called Otsutsuki. All white eyes."
Silence. Then in a very small voice, "Mo Ke, can you see the future. Why do you know so much."
He laughed and slid an arm around her shoulders like a thief stealing a peach. "Secret. Not a big one. Not yet. You will know in time."
The elbow of justice struck home a heartbeat later.
"Stop it. Leave that girl alone."
Naruto had been out training and had seen the whole thing. Hinata looked like she didn't fit, and that made something inside him ache. He was kind to begin with. When one extra dared to push her, he sprinted in.
"Whoa. The monster fox came out."
"He must be here to save the white-eyed monster. Monster saves monster. Perfect."
"You— jerks."
Thanks to training, Naruto was not smaller than the older kids, and he didn't waste his breath shouting about being the man who would be Hokage. He charged. Mo Ke nodded in approval. In this life, the title of Fifth belonged to Uzumaki Mo Ke.
Another elbow of justice clipped his ribs from the sofa's direction.
[Why did you hit me. I didn't say it out loud.]
[Your face did.]
The fight was short. Real men do not announce their punches. Even without tricks or forms, the little muscle devil who could scare Sakura to tears flattened the trio who bullied him last year. They ran off bawling, noses purple. Naruto's shirt was torn and his cheek smudged with grit. He chased them another thirty meters for ripping his favorite clothes, angrier than if they had hit him.
When the extras vanished, he realized today's him had erased them with ease. He dusted himself off, grinning, and ran back to Hinata with a hand outstretched.
"Are you okay. Those jerks won't be back. Don't cry."
She drew breath to answer. A shout chopped the air. Footsteps thundered close.
"Stop. Fox brat, what are you doing to Lady Hinata."
Hinata's eyes flew open. Her "Wait" tangled under her tongue. The man never listened. His kick caught Naruto in the ribs and sent him crashing into a tree.
Naruto's body was tough for three, but a grown shinobi's angry kick still stole his breath. He slid down the trunk and slumped at the roots. Blood beaded on his lip. He glared up at the man twice then fainted.
The man wore silk like a bathrobe. Middle-aged. Hyuga. He did not spare the fox child a glance. He rushed to Hinata.
"Lady Hinata, are you hurt. You were reckless. Sneaking out like that — the whole clan is in uproar. Thank goodness I found you."
Hyuga avoided using Byakugan within the village unless ordered by the Hokage. Too easy to see what should not be seen. Whether they used it in secret was anyone's guess. That morning a maid had arrived pale-faced to report Hinata missing. Hyuga Hiashi set the compound on edge and sent everyone out searching.
"I am fine, Elder. That brother isn't bad. He protected me." She tried to go to Naruto, but the elder caught her arm.
"You are too young. That fox is ill omen itself. You are heir to the noble Hyuga. You do not mix with such filth."
The new elder, Hyuga Atsushi, tugged her away.
Mo Ke and Kushina had been bickering over snacks. They both fell silent as Naruto took the kick. A jinchuriki does not die so easily, and the seal had already called the copy's chakra to mend him. Still, Mo Ke's heart lurched.
The space twisted on screen as Naruto's anger and hurt stirred the seal. That was not what worried him. He flicked a glance sideways. As expected, Kushina had exploded — blood-red hair rising like fox tails.
He grabbed her shoulders and soothed. Naruto would be fine.
Her voice came low under her bangs. "That man is a Hyuga elder."
"Three years since that night and a Hyuga senior sees blond hair and the name Uzumaki and knows nothing."
"Failure. Na Mi Ka Ze Mi Na To. This is the village you protected. Your beloved Konoha."
Mo Ke's own anger spiked. He knew shinobi would hit Naruto. In one filler arc when Yutaka appeared, Shikamaru and Chouji infiltrated the Anbu to rescue him. The Anbu ringed them and spoke. Naruto dashed in and said a few lines and a hand chop dropped him where he stood.
Even so, a Hyuga elder, a jounin, should know better. Jinchuriki can break. Did he want a rampage on his head. The Hyuga main house produced a special breed of fool.
He understood Kushina's true fury now. He sighed. "Leave this to me. Time for Uzumaki Mo Ke, Naruto's godfather, to step on stage."
Her rage had already put Nine Tails chakra into the air around Naruto. Mo Ke stood, rolled his neck till it cracked, and grinned. "I am going out. If you want to talk, speak to the copy in your belly. Better yet, check Naruto's body. It was a jounin's kick. Make sure there is no lingering harm."
Her focus snapped to the boy's pulse. She fumbled into a scan. Mo Ke faced the screen again and whispered, "So it's not just the top that's rotten. In an avalanche no snowflake is innocent."
He could have let Kushina make a scene. But some jobs belonged to a man.
And it was time to start placing pieces.
Red chakra steamed off the unconscious Naruto. Wounds knotted shut under its glow.
Atsushi swallowed. If Nine Tails lost control he would have only one honorable end. He grabbed Hinata's wrist and turned to flee.
A tall figure appeared beside Naruto. At once the fox chakra winked out. Relief flickered over the elder's face — then terror. Something in the newcomer's presence made every cell in his body scream. Run.
He dragged Hinata behind him. "Lady Hinata. Go."
Mo Ke smiled at the struggling girl. "No need to stop her, Elder Hyuga. It is too late for either of you to leave."
"Kneel."
Power rose from him like a storm and split with black lightning. It sidestepped Hinata and crashed down on Hyuga Atsushi alone.
His knees hit snow with a soft thud.
Uzumaki Mo Ke made his entrance.
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