Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto were classmates and close friends; their bond was deep, and they immediately embraced, chatting with genuine joy upon meeting.
"Is it a girl?"
Kushina's first question misidentified baby Sasuke's gender—likely because the infant was so beautiful that she made a natural mistake.
"A boy. His name is Uchiha Sasuke."
"Wow! The same name as the Third Hokage's father!" Kushina's eyes sparkled like stars as she looked at the newborn.
"Yes. We hope he becomes a brave and great shinobi."
The name Uchiha Sasuke carried the profound expectations of Mikoto and her husband. At this time, while there was friction between the Uchiha clan and the village leadership, it had not yet reached the point of irreparable hostility.
Standing behind them, Uchiha Kaede watched the pregnant Kushina with suspicion. His deductions were proving correct: this woman was almost certainly the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Kaede's knowledge of her was limited. In reality, Uzumaki Kushina had possessed immense chakra since childhood, capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails.
As the first Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, approached the end of her life, Konoha had secretly brought Kushina to the village to maintain the balance of the Tailed Beasts.
Kushina once described the overwhelming loneliness of being a "vessel" as suffocating.
Yet, Lady Mito had comforted her with a single guiding principle: "Before the beast is housed, you must fill the vessel with love."
It was this love that allowed Kushina to face life with optimism. Because her status was a state secret known only to the higher-ups, she never faced the public ostracization that Naruto eventually would.
Mikoto held Kushina's hand, remembering the fiery girl from their academy days. When asked about her dream back then, Kushina had shouted to the class: "I'm going to be the first female Hokage!"
The boys had teased her, calling her "Tomato" because of her round face and red hair. Kushina had responded by hunting them down and beating them senseless, earning a new nickname: The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. Back then, she hated her red hair. She also initially looked down on Minato, thinking he was "unreliable and boring."
Their fate changed when Cloud ninjas kidnapped her for her special chakra. On her way to the border, she secretly plucked strands of her red hair, leaving a trail.
While other search parties failed, only Minato followed the trail. After defeating the kidnappers, he held her and whispered that her hair was beautiful.
In that moment, the red hair she hated became the "Red Thread of Fate" that bound them together.
"Have you decided on a name for the baby?" Mikoto asked.
"Yes! We've settled on Naruto. I'm sure he and little Sasuke will be great classmates and friends in the future."
The name Naruto came from the protagonist of the debut novel by Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Kushina had been deeply moved by the character's "never-give-up" spirit and firmly supported Minato's choice.
However, the atmosphere shifted as Biwako Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's wife, stepped forward. Her expression was stern.
Kushina was in the critical final stages of labor; seeing her chatting so happily with an Uchiha sat wrong with the village elders.
"You've talked enough. It's time to go," Biwako said, pulling Kushina away.
Mikoto watched them leave with a look of regret. She hadn't expected the village's prejudice against the Uchiha to be quite this severe.
The Uchiha, as ancient rivals of the Senju, knew exactly who Kushina was despite the secrecy, but Fugaku currently had no interest in the Nine-Tails. The village's defensive posture was simply a tragedy of mistrust.
"Kaede, let's head back," Mikoto said.
The Seal Weakens
Inside the hidden delivery room, the Nine-Tails roared, sensing the weakening seal. Kushina's powerful chakra and Fuinjutsu desperately suppressed the beast, while Minato focused entirely on stabilizing the gates.
Outside the barrier, Uchiha Obito, hidden behind his mask, appeared like a ghost. He moved with lethal efficiency, slaughtering the Anbu guards and Konoha defenders.
His strength had grown exponentially since his days in the Land of Rain.
On a distant ridge, Uchiha Kaede stood silently. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun slowly, observing the shifting tides of the battlefield with clinical precision.
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