14

Notes:

We're almost at the end!!!! Another monster chapter, this one at 15k! Next chapter will be a time skip and an epilogue. I LOVED all your reactions last chapter! I'm glad that hatred of Danzo is a universal thing haha. He's honestly the worst.

It was fun to read everyone's opinions on Obito and what to do with him. You were all as split as I was! I hope the resolution of his character is satisfying.

I don't want to inadvertently spoil something for this chapter so I don't have warnings up (there's nothing beyond what's in the tags) but lmk if you'd prefer some CW at the bottom. This one is definitely a doozy.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Lord Danzo did what ?! Is he insane? He can't possibly think he'll get away with this!" Kushina shouted incredulously. 

Part of her wasn't actually all that surprised, given the Councilman's vague threats and all the harm he'd caused in the other timeline. Still, kidnapping the Hokage's son? That was bold even for Danzo!

Minato's expression was stormy as he processed the information. "If we hadn't been able to save Kakashi, which wouldn't have been possible without Isobu's help, we would have blamed Obito," he reasoned. "No one could have predicted that the bijuu would help us." His eyes flickered over to his wife and the corner of his lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "Well, almost no one. Still, it was unexpected." 

Kakashi was still groaning in pain, but seemed to be getting some of his wits back. "It gets worse," he admitted. 

"How? How could it possibly get worse?" Kushina grumbled. 

"He–" Kakashi startled suddenly, then went still, as if he was listening for something. It took Kushina a few moments to realize that Isobu must be talking to him. Kakashi wasn't used to having a giant chakra being interrupting his thoughts at any moment. 

"Uh, hello?" he responded out loud, looking incredibly uncomfortable about the sudden conversation with the bijuu. "Yes, I–" He winced at something Isobu said, hunching into himself. "I did." A few more moments passed, and Kakashi's expression morphed into genuine surprise. "She was. You–" He seemed to realize he was responding in a way that was audible to everyone and flushed with embarrassment, before adopting a blank expression that Kushina surmised was him speaking to Isobu in the mindscape. 

Kushina didn't want to rush the introduction process for the new jinchuuriki-bijuu relationship, but they really needed to hear whatever information Kakashi had for them. Fortunately, Kakashi blinked a few times, and seemed to clear the fog from his thoughts. He managed to sit up, supported by Minato. 

With a wistful expression, Kakashi murmured, "Isobu remembers Rin. He said–" he swallowed hard, his voice barely staying level. "The way they sealed him was painful, and it was supposed to make him angry. But he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to hurt anyone." 

Kushina placed a supportive hand on the teen's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Kakashi looked back at her and shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. "Lord Danzo," he said, getting back to their current problem, "he was definitely counting on someone else being blamed for Naruto's disappearance. Obito was the perfect scapegoat." 

"Are they working together?" Minato asked? "Does he know who he's dealing with?" 

"I don't think so," Kakashi replied. "Or at least he didn't advertise it. It seemed to be more opportunistic, like he'd been waiting for this chance." 

"Sneaky old bastard," she growled. "I should have known he'd try something, after that shit he pulled earlier today." 

Minato raised an eyebrow at her. "What did he do?" 

Right, they hadn't been able to talk about it yet. "He came by the house and was making all sorts of vague threats about 'my ability to keep the jinchuuriki safe from harm.'" She made air quotes with her fingers. 

Minato scowled at the information. "I guess that explains what his 'important business' was when he left in the middle of our meeting earlier." His gaze flickered back toward his remaining student. "You said that it gets worse?" 

Kakashi continued his explanation. "Danzo had his own agents that infiltrated ANBU. They ambushed us once we were cut off from everyone else. When I realized that I couldn't take them all, I unlocked the seal." 

Kushina jumped in to explain, "I gave the key to Kakashi in case there was an emergency, so Kurama could protect him and Naruto. I'm sorry, I know I should have asked, but there wasn't time and I wanted to make sure they would be safe. I know how you feel about completely unlocking the seal–" 

Her husband cut her off with a gentle smile. "It's ok, I'm not upset. It was the right call, given the circumstances. And," he sighed, "I can admit that I've been wrong about the bijuu." Unlike her, Minato didn't have a problem admitting when he was wrong, but it was still nice to hear. 

"He took the key, too." Kakashi shook his head, looking defeated.

Kushina groaned, "Fuck, of course he did. We couldn't possibly have one thing go our way." 

"Anyway," Kakashi started again, coughing awkwardly, "I'm not entirely clear on what happened next." He grimaced at the memory. "Kurama's chakra surrounded us and I swear I saw him tear through Danzo and all his guards, but then–and I know this sounds crazy–it was like time reset, or something. I saw Kurama's claws shred him. He was dead. And then, he just wasn't, and the seal was locked like it had never been opened in the first place."

Thus far, Fugaku had not offered any commentary. He stayed silent, but listening intently. In the middle of Kakashi's explanation, his face paled. "That's impossible. That sounds like–" He took in the state of Kakashi's missing eye, his missing Sharingan eye. "He wouldn't dare." 

None of them knew exactly what the clan head was implying, but Kakashi seemed to realize the relevance of the statement. "He had a Sharingan," he confirmed. 

"You saw it?" the clan head asked. 

"Yes. And it was a Mangekyou," Kakashi confirmed. 

Fugaku nodded tersely, as if he'd expected that answer. "After it felt like time reset, what happened to the eye?" 

Kakashi seemed surprised by the question but answered, "It looked blank and white. I assume it was some kind of advanced Sharingan technique that he used, but I couldn't think of anything that could do what he did." 

"The audacity of that man! Isolating us, blaming us, spreading fear and lies about our abilities while he is using one of our forbidden techniques!" It seemed to be a struggle for Fugaku to find his footing, but he managed to stand upright. He looked absolutely furious, and ready to tear the aforementioned Councilman limb from limb. "And bloodline theft! That damn hypocrite, calling us traitors!" 

"A little explanation would be nice!" Kushina interrupted the tirade. 

She didn't think she'd ever seen so much emotion on the normally stoic man's face. He was absolutely furious. Kushina was genuinely surprised that there wasn't actual steam pouring out of his ears. 

Fugaku considered the request, his face contorted into a harsh scowl. He hated sharing clan secrets, even more so than most clan heads. The Uchiha in particular were very protective of their secrets, given how valuable their doujutsu was to bloodline thieves. They rarely shared information about their Sharingan with outsiders, to the point that most of them ended up not even marrying outside the clan. When an outsider was brought in, it took the close-knit clan a very long time to accept them as one of their own. Kushina remembered that even just trying to form a friendship with Mikoto had required breaking down a lot of barriers. 

"There is a technique," he finally offered, "that allows the user to change their reality. To cheat death, or alter the outcome of an event. It is incredibly powerful, and costs the user the vision in their eye," he explained. "It is a forbidden technique, for reasons that I should think are obvious. I don't know how Danzo would have even found out about it, but I can't think of any other jutsu that would accomplish what you described." 

Kakashi held a shaky hand up to his empty eye socket. "So then–" 

"He likely took it to replace the one he used," Fugaku confirmed. 

"Well, shit," Kushina groaned eloquently. "So, what do we do? How do we find him?" 

"We'll see if my clone found any clues, but we may have to do this the old fashioned way," Minato sighed. 

It took immense effort, but Kakashi managed to get himself more upright, into a kneeling position. "My ninken know Naruto's scent, get me back there and I'll summon them." 

"Do you have the energy for that?" Minato asked, glancing toward Tsunade for confirmation. 

The Sannin shrugged in response. "By all rights, the kid should be dead, so we're getting just a bit outside my comfort zone. But," she added, doing another quick once over with her chakra covered hands, "as far as I can tell, he's still drained, but already recharging. That bijuu chakra is a pretty amazing battery." 

"Alright," Minato replied. He glanced around at the aftermath of the fight with the two bijuu. "Give me a few minutes, I need to debrief with Lord Third. And Kushina," he glanced uncertainly at the remaining bijuu, "perhaps you would like to finish dealing with our, er, unexpected visitor?" 

It was honestly impressive that Kushina had managed to almost forget about the Rokubi's presence. The bijuu was observing silently, but seemed a little more on guard now that his sibling was sealed. Or at least, she thought he looked tense. He was still just a big pile of goo, so it was difficult to tell for sure. 

She offered the bijuu her most charming grin, ignoring the continued nervous murmuring around her. "So, I guess that was pretty unexpected from Isobu, eh?" 

The Rokubi's eye stalks appeared to vaguely shift in her direction, but he didn't outright acknowledge the statement. Thick globules of slime dripped off his body, landing with a loud plop. Some of the splatter from a particularly large globule sprayed a handful of unsuspecting shinobi that had wandered too close. They made varying sounds of disgust and tried shaking the sticky goo off themselves. It didn't exactly help Saiken win anyone over. 

Time for a more direct approach, then. "What are you going to do now, Saiken?" 

This time, it was obvious that the bijuu's attention was fixed on her. "I am not interested in being re-sealed," the Rokubi responded warily. 

"I wouldn't do that to you," she assured the bijuu, glaring at any nearby shinobi that she thought might try to contradict her. 

The bijuu's voice wasn't exactly quiet, so his responses were audible to everyone in the immediate vicinity. The Sandaime in particular looked sour about leaving the Rokubi free, but Minato caught his predecessor's gaze and shook his head. They were too far to hear the conversation, but Kushina could see the subtle furrowing of her husband's brows as he listened to the old man speak. He shook his head again, likely indicating his refusal to seal the bijuu. The Sandaime didn't look pleased, but Minato wasn't budging. He was even using his "serious" expression, which she'd never seen him use with his predecessor before. Normally he respected the previous Kage's wishes and advice, but he wasn't giving up any ground on this particular argument. Kushina was grateful for this particular fact, and for her spouse's trust in her ability to soothe a potentially volatile chakra monster. 

Saiken continued to stare unblinkingly at her. "You seem to be trustworthy. For a human, anyway." 

The Rokubi, while not necessarily outwardly hostile, was definitely less sociable and trusting than the Sanbi. Isobu had been more than happy to declare them as friends and come to their aid. Saiken was far more cautious, especially now that he was the only bijuu left on the battlefield. 

"Thanks, I think," Kushina replied. "Look, I'm not saying this to be rude, but you should probably get out of here. Maybe someday it'll be safe for bijuu to run wild and free in the Land of Fire, but right now I can't guarantee that other humans won't come after you." Actually, she was fairly certain they would, but she didn't want to inadvertently threaten the bijuu. 

"I thought as much," the slime creature responded, "I just wanted to make sure that Isobu was going to be alright." 

Kushina heard the silent threat, don't try anything . It was actually kind of sweet, that Saiken was worried about his sibling. Fortunately, she could at least guarantee that they weren't going to harm him or do anything otherwise nefarious. Even if Kakashi could be a brat sometimes, and would likely butt heads at least occasionally with Isobu's talkative nature, he wasn't cruel. He knew the truth about the nature of the bijuu, and he always acted surprisingly reverent when discussing Kurama. Kushina didn't doubt that there would be an adjustment period for both Kakashi and Isobu, but she trusted that his treatment of the Sanbi wouldn't be unfair. 

The fact that Isobu had apparently brought up Rin and Kakashi hadn't spontaneously broken down was a good sign. It was probably hard on him, hosting the bijuu that they once blamed for Rin's death, but he appeared to be handling it well. It helped that Isobu seemed genuinely friendly and peaceful, and possibly even regretful of his inadvertent role in the death of his previous jinchuuriki. 

Still sitting in the dirt, Kakashi went stiff again. After a few moments, he nodded hesitantly. Then, he was surrounded by a cloak of thick, heavy chakra. It was similar to Kurama's, as all bijuu chakra was, but still distinctly different. Instead of making the air hot and dry like the Kyuubi, the moisture in the air seemed to intensify. It felt like breathing in steam. 

Kakashi relaxed minutely as he came to realize that Isobu's chakra wouldn't hurt him. He managed to get to his feet, looking over the chakra cloaking his own limbs with a curious expression. 

"It's not like I thought it would be," he mumbled, mostly to himself. "It feels like," he thought carefully, "being immersed in a hot bath. It's surprisingly pleasant." 

Kushina was tempted to point out that it was only pleasant because Isobu was treating his new jinchuuriki as a partner instead of a prison warden. The chakra flowed through the seal unimpeded, and the Sanbi had no reason to withhold his power or try to take control. Kushina very distinctly remembered the horrific burns after using too much of Kurama's chakra, because the fox definitely didn't want to share nicely with her. 

"Just be careful," Kushina warned. "I think you could still lose control if your emotions are too strong. It's impossible to completely separate the subconscious of a bijuu and their jinchuuriki, so Isobu will feed off of your emotions and actions. It will hurt like hell if you aren't balancing what you take from him." 

"Noted," Kakashi responded with a visible grimace. The Sanbi's chakra faded from around him. 

Saiken seemed relatively appeased by the display, but still wary. "I do not agree with my brother's decision, but I will respect it. But know this, not-Tomato Head; all of the bijuu are connected in a way that even your best seal masters could not sever. If Isobu is not treated well, I will know, and I will not be forgiving." 

"Fair enough," Kushina replied with a grin. She gave Kakashi a hearty slap on the back. "Don't worry, Kakashi will be great company for Isobu. Right, Kakashi?" 

Kakashi looked a little pale, thinking about the bijuu's threat, but he took it in stride. "You have my word that I will treat Isobu with the respect and dignity that he deserves." He bowed low in deference to the bijuu. 

"Very well. Then I leave my brother in your care." Without another word, the bijuu's form started to melt. Instead of globules and puddles, the slime was dripping off of him in a thick, disgusting waterfall, leaving goo-pools large enough for a human to drown in. The Rokubi shrunk as his slime poured off of him, until he was no larger than a common housecat. At this size, the bijuu was able to slither away with surprising speed and dexterity, disappearing into the surrounding forest without a sound. 

"Let him leave!" Kushina snapped when a few of their shinobi positioned themselves for a counterstrike. They relented only when Minato called out a confirmation of the order Kushina just gave. 

She didn't know where Saiken would go, but she had a strong feeling that he wouldn't purposefully get into trouble. The bijuu knew they could be captured and sealed, and Kurama had told them about the Akatsuki from his timeline. Saiken would know he needed to be cautious and keep a low profile. Well, as much of a low profile as a giant chakra beast could keep, anyway. 

With the bijuu taken care of, the attitude of the shinobi shifted. Minato finished up whatever conversation he'd been having with his predecessor, and switched from battle-mode to search and rescue. They had injured shinobi in the field to take care of, and a disturbing number that needed to be almost chiseled out of one of Saiken's inadvertent goo-traps. Plus, there was still plenty of damage in the village, even if they had gotten Isobu out quickly. It wasn't anywhere near the scale of destruction that they'd seen from Kurama, but it was not insignificant. 

Kushina knew her husband wanted to go after Naruto more than anything, but he was still the Hokage, and had more than just his own family to worry about. They also needed to be both swift and smart about their next steps. They couldn't give Danzo time to get away with Naruto, but they also couldn't rush in without a plan. The old man was crafty, and likely expecting them to investigate the site of the kidnapping. He would also be expecting them to find Kakashi's lifeless corpse, but thankfully that disaster had been averted. 

While Minato was worrying about the village, Kushina started organizing their own rescue squad. "I sent Master Jiraiya to try to finish the seal," she explained to the other Sannin. "Could you check on his progress and then bring him with you to meet up with us? I have a feeling we may still need it." 

Obito was still a threat too. He'd gotten away, and Kushina highly doubted that he'd been struck with a fatal blow. Well, if he was anyone else it would have been fatal, but the modifications to Obito's body were still not something she fully understood. 

Tsunade shook her head. "I need to get to the hospital. I'll go check on Frog-boy and send him your way, but that is where I'm needed most. I've seen injuries from bijuu chakra before and they aren't pretty. I know how incompetent Konoha's hospitals are; they need all the help they can get." 

It was a fair response. Even if Kushina wanted to prioritize her own family, she couldn't forget all the other families in the village that still needed their help too. She nodded in understanding and watched Tsunade give both her patients a final once over before moving on to help stabilize a man that had been burned by Saiken's acidic gas. 

"I'll come with you," Fugaku offered, still shaky but seeming more alert. 

The offer genuinely surprised her. "Are you sure? You don't need to get back to your clan?" 

"They can handle themselves. There is plenty that they can do without me, and I can easily transfer temporary leadership to my second in command," he reasoned. 

"If you're sure," Kushina replied.

"I am," Fugaku responded, frowning at her hesitance and confusion. "Do you not want me to join you?" 

"No, that's not it!" Kushina insisted. "I just wasn't expecting you to offer, that's all," she admitted. After all these years, she still didn't really know what to make of her best friend's husband. "I guess it does make sense that you'd want to be there, since we're dealing with some rogue Sharingan and the village's jinchuuriki and all that."

Fugaku stared at her blankly. "You think that's why I offered to come along?" 

"Er, yes?" 

"Kushina," he sighed, "if it was one of my children, would you stay behind?" 

The answer was obvious. "No, of course not." 

"Then why do you think I would for yours?" He crossed his arms. "I know that you've never particularly liked me, but I'm not heartless. Naruto is important to my family, and not because he's a jinchuuriki. Do you really think I don't care what happens to him?" 

"Oh, I–" she rubbed at her arm awkwardly, feeling guilty about the assumption. "Sorry. I guess I've always been a bit unfair to you. But for what it's worth, I don't dislike you." 

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement," the clan head grunted in response. 

Kushina was surprised to hear a touch of playful sarcasm in the reply. She offered a reserved, but still genuine smile in response. Somehow, the entire conversation was nearly just as surprising as Isobu's offer to save Kakashi's life. 

—------------------------------

Kurama was going to absolutely shred the foul human that dared lay a finger on his jinchuuriki. Technically, he already did. If it wasn't for the bloodline thief's stolen Sharingan, the vile creature would be dead at his paws. Even worse, the human had done something to the seal containing him within Naruto. He felt cut off, similar to when the Snake Sannin separated them in his previous timeline. Given that he could smell the same kind of rot on the bandaged human as he had on the snake, he could only assume that the two had conspired at some point.

Naruto was defenseless without him. He was just a scared, squishy toddler caught up in something much bigger than himself. Because of the alteration to his seal, which he assumed also disrupted the Yondaime's ability to teleport to his son, Kurama couldn't even reach Naruto in the mindscape. He couldn't reach out with his chakra to comfort the boy, or grumble encouraging words into his subconscious. He could still see through Naruto's eyes, but he could give no indication that he was still present. 

The boy noticed. From the moment Kurama was sealed in this timeline, he'd been making his presence known to his young jinchuuriki. Naruto had never been without Kurama's presence, and he was clearly distraught about the loss. Between all of the stress and fear involved in his kidnapping, and the sudden loss of his connection to Kurama, he was wailing in a way that the fox had rarely seen. Naruto was a brat, of course, and prone to temper tantrums, but he was overall a happy child. He was usually easy to distract and subsequently calm down, but not today. 

The volume of Naruto's screaming and wailing was hurting the fox's sensitive ears, but he was willing to endure the pain if it meant the boy's captors were miserable as well. Save for the rotten, bandaged human, the rest of them were wearing masks, so Kurama couldn't see their expressions. He could, however, feel fluctuations in their chakra and smell the sweat and adrenaline on them. They didn't like the tantrum any more than Kurama did, but they were doing nothing to soothe the boy's fears. 

As Naruto's cries crescendoed to a new shrill peak, one of the masked humans stepped forward to ask, "Lord Danzo, permission to silence the jinchuuriki?" 

"By all means," the withered old human grunted in response. He was finishing pulling off the wrappings that had been hiding his stolen Sharingan. "But keep him conscious, for now. There are a few things I need to test before we move him." 

Even though he knew it was useless, Kurama bared his teeth as the masked human approached. They picked up the boy by the back of his shirt, as if holding a fox kit by its scruff. Naruto flailed and struggled in the shinobi's grasp, and the volume of his wailing became impossibly louder. Kurama counted the number of strikes it took for the boy to go silent with fear. He would pay the masked human back tenfold, he would pay all of them back tenfold. 

The ear-splitting cries turned to pathetic, hiccupping whimpers and sniffles. Save for the trembling that the boy could not control, he went completely limp in his captor's hold. Kurama could smell the blood dripping from a wound somewhere on the boy's person, and he could feel how Naruto's heart was racing from pain and fear. But there was nothing he could do. No amount of digging, clawing, or biting would budge the seal. The damn Yondaime was too thorough. Kakashi had unlocked the seal completely, but whatever jutsu the rotten bandaged human used seemed to undo their escape attempt. 

Even knowing the jinchuuriki couldn't hear him, Kurama soothed, "It will be ok, brat. I will find a way to tear this seal open and rip these disgusting creatures apart." 

The fox had started to get used to this weaker, less developed version of his host, so he'd almost forgotten how obstinate he could be. Despite the obvious fear and uncertainty, Kurama didn't miss when Naruto puffed out his cheeks and blew raspberries at his captor, followed by a stream of every word he'd ever been told not to repeat. 

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle with amusement at the spitfire response. Even when the shinobi holding Naruto dropped him unceremoniously on his backside, Naruto refused to let himself be cowed into submission. He didn't start crying again, though he was struggling to control his sniffling, and he managed to cross his arms and glare at the person that had man-handled him. 

Through his host's eyes, Kurama watched with sick fascination as a couple of the bandaged human's underlings shuffled around him. He watched as they removed the now useless stolen eye, then replaced it with the one that had been taken from Kakashi. The elder human didn't make a sound throughout the entire process, but his fingers did twitch occasionally. They had him leaning back in a chair as they worked, and remained completely silent and clinical in their approaches. 

When they finished, the bloodline thief rose to his feet, nonchalantly brushing off his clothing and reaching for his cane. One of his underlings offered him a new roll of bandages, but the thief just shook his head. "There is still a possibility of unwanted visitors, so I will keep it uncovered for now." 

Danzo's eyes flickered over toward Naruto's crumbled yet defiant form. Kurama felt his hackles rise involuntarily as the crimson of the Sharingan met his host's own gaze. It didn't seem like the human was planning on trying to control him, at least not yet, but Kurama had to be ready to fight at any moment. 

Without breaking eye contact, the elder approached Naruto, his expression cold and closed off. He looked down at Naruto with obvious distaste as he stopped a few paces in front of the young jinchuuriki. Naruto growled, surprisingly low in his throat, and bared his teeth. Kurama grinned viciously as he recognized his own influence. Whether it was instinct from his exposure to Kurama's chakra, or learned from the fox himself, he didn't know. 

The elder's lip curled in disgust. "I see I have made the right decision tonight," he mused darkly. "Clearly you are already under the beast's influence, but we will change that. I will not allow the village's most important weapon to become corrupted." He leaned over the boy in a show of intimidation. "I know you can hear me, Kyuubi. Whatever trickery you used to get the boy and his family under your thumb will not work here. I will have you collared, and the jinchuuriki obedient. As it should be." 

"No!" Naruto yipped, high pitched and defiant. He didn't have a full understanding of the words being spoken to him, but there were a few familiar phrases that pushed him to respond. "No Ku-bi. Ku-ra! My Ku-ra!" 

Even though it was made of chakra, Kurama's heart still warmed at the boy's reply. "You tell him, runt," Kurama chuckled to himself.  

Danzo just scoffed in response, "You will also need to be taught how to respect your superiors." 

Naruto stuck his tongue out at his captor, and made more unflattering flatulence noises with his mouth.

For a few minutes, Danzo returned to whatever it was that the rotten human was doing. Naruto was still seated in the corner, huffing and pouting or scowling at anyone who got too close. A few masked shinobi came over and poked and prodded at him a few times, and one drew blood from the boy's arm. Naruto was not cooperative for any of it, snarling and squirming like an animal in a trap. The defiance prompted more rough handling from his captors, but the boy refused to stop growling and snapping at them. 

It was very different from the last time he'd been abducted. The boy was afraid, of course, but instead of retreating into himself, he lashed out. Perhaps it was because he didn't have Kurama's presence to soothe him, or maybe he remembered the last kidnapping attempt. Whatever the reason, the boy remained as uncooperative as possible. 

The only reason they backed off was because the entire atmosphere of the room shifted. Kurama sensed the presence before any of the humans, and roared in frustration when he realized he couldn't do anything about it. 

The masked shinobi all took up arms, forming a predetermined cluster around their leader and the young jinchuuriki. The elder human looked unsurprised about the interruption, barely reacting as an orange mask and a dark cloak phased into existence. 

The Uchiha boy was in rough shape. He had a gaping wound through his torso that Kurama knew would have been fatal for most humans. His cloak was torn and singed, and his mask was cracked in a few places. If Kurama was any less knowledgeable and experienced, he would have felt encouraged by the boy's ragged appearance. Except, he knew better. The boy was heavily injured, and had still chosen to stand before them. He was here as a last resort, as an act of desperation. Kurama knew that desperate humans were the most dangerous of all. 

"Councilman Danzo, how nice to see you," Obito greeted, slipping into his "Madara" persona. "It was very kind of you to collect the jinchuuriki for me, but I will take it from here." 

The elder did not flinch away from the flash of red behind the enemy's mask. "I thought you might make an appearance. Even with your injuries, the jinchuuriki is too tempting of a target." 

Obito waved a hand dismissively. "I've had worse, this is merely an inconvenience." 

"So I see," Danzo replied curtly. He gestured with his cane, and a trio of masked shinobi descended upon the injured Uchiha boy. 

Kurama had seen enough of the boy's fighting style in his own timeline to know that Obito was struggling. He was more injured than he made himself out to be. Still, it took him little effort to fend off the enemy shinobi. He phased through their attacks like a ghost, turning solid only to deliver a fatal blow to each one in turn. 

Danzo appeared unconcerned about the loss of his soldiers. "So this is how you were able to get into the village and release the Kyuubi. An ability of the Sharingan, I suspect?" 

"I suppose you would know," Obito responded sharply, his gaze flickering to the elder's stolen eye. He stiffened ever-so-slightly. "But this one's new, isn't it?" 

"It is a replacement," Danzo confirmed. "A parting gift from a dead boy." 

Kurama watched Obito carefully, gauging his reaction. It was unlikely that Danzo knew he was speaking to the original owner of his stolen eye, but Obito had clearly recognized it. He was evidently not pleased about it being in the thief's possession, but it was less clear whether or not he was affected by the news of his former teammate's demise. As far as Kurama could tell, he was angry. Whether it was because he had some residual affection for his teammate, or because he didn't like Danzo possessing his eye, Kurama couldn't say. 

Despite being a bit unsteady on his feet, Obito continued to glare at the elder, nudging aside one of the defeated underlings with his foot. His body didn't seem to be quite through growing and maturing, from what Kurama could tell. The fox remembered their enemy being less lanky, and not quite so sharp around the edges. He had no idea if the human in his timeline was taller; they were all so small to him that he could barely tell. Still, based on the way that Danzo was eyeing the rogue Uchiha, he seemed to be having similar thoughts. 

"The rumor was," Danzo started, "that Madara Uchiha himself had returned to seek vengeance upon the village." 

"I didn't know you liked to gossip, Councilman," Obito responded gruffly. 

Danzo ignored the jab. "Whether you are Madara or not, you will not succeed here today. I don't know who you are, or what you are," he gestured toward the gaping hole in the boy's chest that he should not have been able to survive, "but the village will not fall to you." 

"The village?" Obito chuckled. "I could not care less what happens to this miserable village. Give me the jinchuuriki and I will be on my way." 

"And hand over our most powerful weapon?" Danzo scoffed. "You must take me for a fool." 

"Oh yes, I do. A fool, a warmonger, and a thief, amongst other things," Obito replied, counting each accusation on his fingers. "And a traitor too, if I'm not mistaken? Or did the Hokage authorize this little field trip for his son?" 

The implication of Danzo's treachery was the only insult that seemed to bother him. His grip on his cane tightened, until his knuckles were white. "The Hokage ," he spat, "is far too young and naive to make objective decisions on a matter of such importance. I am only looking out for the village's future, and ensuring that the jinchuuriki is molded into the obedient weapon it is meant to be." 

Obito hummed thoughtfully. "If at first you don't succeed, try again, yes?" He chuckled darkly at the elder's pinched expression. "I heard about the previous attempt at kidnapping the jinchuuriki. Let's not pretend that you did not have a hand in it." 

"I did what needed to be done," Danzo responded sharply. "Though I will admit I had not expected the Kyuubi's level of influence on the boy at such a young age. It should have been a wake up call for the boy's parents, to mold the jinchuuriki into something more malleable, but they did not see the danger." 

"It would not be the first time that the Yellow Flash allowed harm to come to those in his care," the Uchiha whelp commented vaguely, not hiding all of his bitterness. 

Danzo would not have understood the full weight behind the Uchiha's words, and he didn't seem particularly interested in unraveling them either. "Enough of your games," he sneered. "The time has come to eliminate the threat you pose to the village. You will not leave with the jinchuuriki. In fact," he threatened, "you will not leave here at all." 

There was no obvious signal when a small army of masked shinobi descended upon the rogue Uchiha. At first, the whelp was smug, easily dodging and phasing through any attacks. Then, his injuries seemed to catch up with him, causing him to stumble or wince when he stepped wrong. It wasn't enough to cost him his advantage, but it started to change how he fought. The sheer number of enemies, and his slowed reactions, made counterstrikes difficult. Danzo's subordinates could not land a hit on him, but Obito was struggling to land a hit on them too. He couldn't get off the defensive. 

Kurama wondered if the elder would really be able to chase off the boy. He couldn't have known about Obito's abilities, but by sheer luck, the number of shinobi he had attacking at once forced the boy to stretch the limits of his intangibility. He was getting more desperate as his opponents fixated on every weakness, every muscle tremor, and every near loss of footing. 

Danzo himself only attacked once or twice, falling back to stand in front of Naruto when he realized his wind-style attacks would not land. Obito phased away completely when he found himself overwhelmed, only to reappear behind the elder. Danzo barely spared him a glance, seeming confident that his agents would keep their opponent at bay. 

So far, they were. Obito tried to make a grab for the jinchuuriki, only to find himself overwhelmed by a handful of fast moving shinobi that forced him to remain intangible to protect himself. They might not know the full power of the boy's Sharingan, but they were quickly learning how to take advantage of the most obvious weakness in the technique. So long as the boy needed to fend off attacks, he could not make himself solid to land his own hits or grab the jinchuuriki. Perhaps if he was uninjured, or at the level of his future self, it still would have been too much for the elder and his agents. 

Naruto was silent, watching the fighting with his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide. All of his bravado seemed to have melted away as blood and gore spilled around him. He scooted back as far as he could, until his back hit cold stone. Kurama had a brief shred of hope that the fighting would alert the boy's parents to their location, but he quickly dismissed the thought. They seemed to be underground, and there were an array of seals on the walls and ceilings that likely kept the location hidden. More than likely, they were on their own. 

It was hard to say if being in Danzo's clutches, or being caught by Obito, was a worse situation. Danzo wasn't going to kill the jinchuuriki, but that was of little comfort when Kurama thought about Naruto's strange dark-haired friend from the other timeline. He remembered how the boy's chakra felt off , and how he struggled to relate to the other humans of his age group. That sort of life didn't suit Naruto, who was bright and social. 

Would Obito kill the jinchuuriki now? It was far too soon for the Akatsuki to make a move! Could he even seal Kurama in the Gedo Statue, or was he just going to keep the boy imprisoned until he gathered strength in his organization? That was preferable, because it would give Kurama time to act, but it was risky to assume that they'd have time. 

While Kurama was plotting, Obito managed to throw off his newest attackers. He was clearly struggling, and starting to falter. He breathed heavily, holding a hand over the non-healing wound on his chest. Kurama remembered the boy having healing abilities that rivaled even a jinchuuriki, but apparently this was too much even for him. It seemed that he would survive the wound, at least for now, but it was not healing fast enough to not hinder him. 

"You are not at your best, Madara ," Danzo sneered, looking assured of his victory. 

Obito seemed to be considering his options. He looked almost ready to bolt, and to abandon his plan. Then, the tension dropped from his frame and he started laughing, low and menacing. "You are correct, Councilman," he agreed with false sweetness. "It has been a bit of a rough day for me. Perhaps I should recruit a little help." 

The elder tensed as he processed his enemy's threat. "Stop him!" He motioned for his remaining forces to attack, but Obito had already slipped away. Danzo whipped around toward Naruto. "Cover the jinchuuriki's eyes," he ordered. 

One of his agents nodded in understanding and moved to obey, but Naruto wasn't having it. He tried scrambling away from the masked shinobi, only to be grabbed by the arm and dragged backwards. The boy snarled and clawed at the hand that tried to cover his eyes, but he could not overpower the larger human that held him. 

It shouldn't have been surprising when Naruto squirmed and managed to bite the hand that was blinding him, but the shinobi couldn't help but jerk their hand back instinctively. It was a small, barely noticeable movement, but it was enough to free up a corner of the boy's vision. Even with his dull, useless human teeth, the boy bit down hard, drawing blood and holding on even when Kurama sensed the metallic tang coating the jinchuuriki's taste buds. 

For the split second that a portion of Naruto's vision was restored, it was enough for the masked Uchiha to reappear and meet the jinchuuriki's eye. Kurama felt the Sharingan pulling at his consciousness as Obito forced himself into the mindscape. 

"Uchiha," Kurama growled, not bothering to hide his distaste as their enemy appeared before him. 

"Kyuubi," the human responded, his voice pitched low to continue his impersonation of Madara. 

"Drop the act, boy !" Kurama sneered, his teeth bared viciously. "I am well aware that you are not Madara Uchiha. You think I would not recognize the differences between your chakra, or your cursed eyes?" 

There was not a hint of surprise from behind the orange mask, but the next response was in the Uchiha's natural voice. "I suppose you would know," he mused. "Afterall, you're not from this time, right?" He tilted his head with faux-innocence as he asked the question. 

The fox didn't know how or when Obito had learned about his journey through time and space, but it wasn't particularly relevant. "So you know the truth." He narrowed his eyes. "And yet, here you are, still playing the role of an obedient puppet." 

The Uchiha clenched his fists in response, his Sharingan whirling dangerously behind his mask. "You know that I can control you. I can force open this seal, and make you kill this boy you're apparently so fond of. So," he growled, "you might want to watch your tone with me, beast." 

Kurama snorted with amusement at the intimidation attempt. "If that was your intent, you would have already done so. Instead you are here in the mindscape I share with my jinchuuriki, posturing like an angry kitten. So," the fox grinned darkly, "why don't you ask me whatever it is you want to know?" 

The masked human bristled with irritation. "I'm not–" 

"And take off that ridiculous mask," Kurama grunted. "I feel as if I am speaking with a sentient orange tree." 

Obito hesitated, but ultimately complied. He removed the mask from his face, scowling at Kurama without breaking eye contact. He was younger, and wilder, than the last time Kurama saw him. He was also inexperienced, and cocky. Kurama would use that to his advantage, because he only had one chance to play this right. The Uchiha boy had the upper hand, with his Sharingan. Kurama already knew he could be controlled, and that it was only the human's own agenda that was stopping him from doing so. 

The boy looked upon him without a shred of fear, his gaze defiant. "You will tell me what I want to know, Kyuubi. Or," he added harshly, "I will make you." 

The old Kurama would have been angry and violent with the intruder. He would have lashed out and made threats. It wouldn't have mattered that the intruder was relatively safe from harm on the other side of his prison, or that any aggressive action was likely to cause the Uchiha to turn his cursed eyes upon him. He really wouldn't have thought about any of those things, or potential consequences. He would have just snarled and spat insults, daring the boy to get close enough to swipe at with his claws. 

Traveling through time and taking an active role in his host's life had allowed Kurama to adapt and evolve. While he would still gladly sink his fangs into the intruder's flesh, he now understood the value of patience. Now was not the time to strike. 

"I have faced down Death and the end of all things; you do not frighten me, Uchiha whelp," Kurama scoffed. "But I will answer your questions, if only so you understand the folly of your actions." 

"How noble of you." Obito rolled his eyes, showing none of the stoicism he'd portrayed as his Akatsuki alter-ego. "So then tell me how it is you convinced sen– the Yondaime ," he corrected himself quickly, "of your intentions." 

Kurama was not particularly skilled at reading human emotions, but even he couldn't miss the bitterness in the boy's voice. The fox grinned viciously as he responded, "Oh, you feel slighted, do you? You want to know what drove your precious sensei to strike you down?" He laughed, his teeth still bared in a sinister grin.

"Of course not!" Obito denied the accusation vehemently. "I'm not an idiot, I knew he would fight back." Something in his expression shifted, but Kurama couldn't read the intricacies of the human face. "Kushina surprised me, though. I thought–" He cut himself off with a scowl. "Nothing, I thought nothing. It's all irrelevant. They're irrelevant." 

"Are you here to whine about the consequences of your actions?" the fox asked incredulously. "Because you don't even know the half of it." 

"Don't put words in my mouth!" he snapped. Obito's eye was fixed on the bijuu in front of him, narrowing as if in concentration. "If you make one more quip like that I'll–" 

Kurama laughed again, throwing his massive head back and letting the sound reverberate in the seal space. "You'll what? You already have me trapped with that cursed eye and have declared your intentions to control me and kill my jinchuuriki. There is nothing more that you can do to me. So a little word of advice, boy," Kurama huffed, "don't use up all your bargaining chips at once."

"Why you–" 

"But," Kurama interjected sharply, "if you would really like to know your own fate, I will gladly reveal it to you." His fur bristled as he recalled the events from his own timeline, and how the whelp in front of him had destroyed an entire reality. "You revived the Juubi, and the world was cast into your Infinite Tsukuyomi. Madara Uchiha was resurrected, and emerged victorious over the entirety of the shinobi world. Do you understand, Uchiha whelp? You won." 

The boy smirked. "I knew it–" 

Kurama roared, interrupting the boy's chance to gloat. Obito flinched back, unable to control his body's subconscious reaction to Kurama's searing chakra. His smug expression slipped into a brief scowl, clearly irritated at his own jumpiness. It only reinforced what Kurama already knew; the boy in front of him was not yet the enemy that would bring the world to ruin. He had the makings of that enemy, but he was still too naive and inexperienced. 

"I have not finished!" the fox growled. "Your victory was hollow, and meaningless. Your alliance with Madara fell apart, only for him to be betrayed by another. You see, you were his pawn, but he was merely a pawn himself. An ancient being pulling the strings before you'd even taken your first pathetic gasp of air in this world." 

Once again, Obito rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. I never thought the Kyuubi would be such a sore loser that you'd need to resort to fairytales to justify your defeat. Now–" 

Another roar cut off whatever the boy was going to say. "Do you think I would have left my reality just for you ?" Kurama's laughter echoed around the confines of the mindscape. "Your only significance is thanks to the scheming and genius of your betters. It was only circumstance, not destiny, that led to you being chosen as Madara's pawn. No," all laughter and humor faded as he continued his explanation. "I am here to keep a centuries-long plan from coming to fruition. Look into my eyes, boy, and see what I have left behind." 

It was an insane risk, willingly allowing a Sharingan user access to his mind. When he'd shown Mikoto what had become of her clan in the future, he knew betrayal was unlikely. He'd never trust one of those vile Sharingan users, but he did trust that Kushina was not stupid enough to breach their agreement so spectacularly. Did he trust her ? That was not a question he was willing to think about right now. Regardless, the feeling of opening his mind to the Uchiha woman to share his memories had felt nothing like this . Kurama refused to be afraid of any human on principle, but that didn't mean he wasn't ignoring his own self-preservation instincts with his current actions. Obito could control him, and Kurama definitely did not want to be controlled. 

Luckily, Kurama had a plan, and it seemed to be working. First, Kurama shared his memories of their final hours. The blood and desperation thick in the air. Black Zetsu mutating and evolving into something much, much worse. Kaguya claiming chakra and life energy from the unsuspecting humans trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. 

He showed the death and destruction that Madara's–and by extension Obito's–actions wrought, and that it was an end, not a beginning. He showed Madara being overtaken by Kaguya, and Black Zetsu's deception. He showed the moment when Obito realized the fault in his actions and shifted allegiances. 

The younger, more malleable version of Obito in front of him had gone pale as he processed the memories. Kurama held his head high, staring down at the pathetic, selfish human in front of him. The one that helped destroy an entire reality. The one that followed a madman's rhetoric. 

"Do you understand now? I am here, in this timeline, because there is nothing left of my reality! Your actions doomed us all!" he snarled. 

"You're lying!" the boy snapped in response, but he looked shaken. "I'm going to bring peace to this wretched world. I will take away all the pain and suffering. I will save it–" 

" Peace?" Kurama scoffed. "You will not save the world, you will doom it. I have tried to alter this reality's timeline, but you are apparently determined to destroy this world as well." 

"No–that's–" he glared at the massive fox. "What do you care, anyway? You're a bijuu, a monster. You've been causing death and destruction for all of human history. Sealing you in the Gedo Statue would be doing the world a favor." 

"I may be a monster," Kurama growled, "but at least I do not turn my back on those I've sworn to defend. I traveled through space and time to protect my friend, and to give him the chance to live . But you," he scoffed. "You hide behind your grief like one of your masks, whining about how unfair the world is while actively perpetuating its evils. You cling to petty lies, too cowardly and naive to see yourself as the hypocrite you are. You preach peace, while blinding yourself to the horrors you are unleashing upon this reality. So yes, Uchiha whelp," the fox declared, never breaking eye contact with his enemy, "I may be a monster, but what does that make you?" 

As he punctuated his statement, Kurama called up his final memory of his reality's Obito Uchiha. The scarred, battle-worn version of the boy in front of him, sacrificing his own life to save his former teammate. He showed the boy what all his scheming and lying would amount to at the end of the world. 

And, if his Naruto was watching out for him, perhaps Kurama would also be showing the boy that he still had the chance to do one good thing with his life. 

He didn't care either way, whether he changed the boy's mind or managed to kill him (actually, he'd much prefer the latter), as long as the future was altered. Naruto hadn't sacrificed himself for Kurama to flounder only a few years into his mission. He would see this through, for the friend he'd left behind, and for the child who he'd come to care for just as much. 

Obito had gone silent, his single eye glazed over as his mind processed everything Kurama had shown him. He was shaking, and not even looking at Kurama anymore. Eventually, in a raspy voice, he croaked, "That's why you did it? Why you traveled here?" he asked, disbelieving. "For a friend ?" 

"Naruto is the reason I chose this particular moment in time, yes," the fox confirmed. "He was supposed to be the one to save the world, but he sacrificed himself for me instead. I will never forget that, nor will I ever stop protecting him. So know this," he growled, "even if you win today and tear me from my jinchuuriki, you will still lose. You can seal me or control me, but I will never stop fighting to honor the sacrifice my friend made to bring me here. No matter how long it takes, I will make sure you fail. And," he added menacingly, "if you hurt this boy, there will be no corner of this universe where you can escape my wrath." 

The Uchiha boy stared at him for a few moments, then burst into hysterical, uncontrollable laughter. It took him nearly a minute to compose himself. "I can't believe," he wheezed, "the Kyuubi is lecturing me about friendship and loyalty. Maybe I'm in an alternate universe." His laughter died down, leaving only a bitter smile behind. "Can you hear this, Rin? Are you laughing at me right now? I mean, who else but me , the dead last, shame of the Uchiha clan, screw up would ever find themselves in this situation?" 

Kurama growled, not appreciating the boy's disbelieving tone. Why couldn't the humans ever accept that he sometimes did things for unselfish reasons?! 

Obito frowned deeply as he continued to consider the being in front of him. "What, is that it? You're done trying to sway me?" 

The fox scoffed, "What more is there for me to say? It is Naruto who is able to change hearts and minds, not me." 

"I just don't get it," Obito replied, "how could a creature like you be changed by the actions of a single person? Of a child ?" He looked down at the broken, orange mask in his hands, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I saw your mind, Kyuubi, when I tore you from Ku–from your last host. You were nothing but fire and rage." 

"You want to know what changed?" Kurama couldn't keep the fondness out of his own voice, despite the seriousness of the situation. "A stupid, foolish, pain-in-the-tails boy decided to befriend his inner demon. Look into my mind one more time, and if you still don't understand, then I suppose I will be at your mercy." 

Once again, Kurama forced down the instincts that screamed at him not to look directly at the Sharingan. He called upon his memories of Naruto, from being sealed in his original timeline, to nearly killing the boy before Minato repaired the seal, all the way through the war. Their highs and lows, and the reluctant acceptance of his jinchuuriki not as his jailor, but as his partner. His friend . 

There was nothing left to do but hope that Naruto's gift of persuasion could transcend time and space. 

—------------------------------

"Anything?" Kushina asked desperately. 

Kakashi's ninken snuffled around, poking their noses into every nook and cranny. Pakkun looked between all the other ninken, then shook his head. "Nothin'. Even the pruney old man's scent is missing. I can smell that the kid was here, but that's it." 

Jiraiya, who had met up with them just as they were entering the bunker where Kakashi had fled with Naruto, hummed thoughtfully and added, "The bastard probably knows how to trick the senses of any trackers we have in Konoha. Even if he expected Kakashi to be dead, he still would have accounted for the Inuzuka." They'd filled him in on everything he'd missed, including Naruto's abduction and Kakashi's new jinchuuriki status.

Minato nodded in agreement. "Right. And even though he wouldn't have any way of knowing specifically what Obito's abilities are, it wasn't exactly a secret that he managed to get in and out of the village without a trace when he released Kurama." 

"So basically," Kushina responded dryly, "Danzo has everything he needs to make it look like Naruto disappeared without a trace, and pin the blame on someone else." She punched the nearest wall in frustration, not even flinching when her knuckles became bloodied in the process. 

Minato approached her and grabbed her injured hand tenderly, giving her a reassuring smile. "We'll find him. Right now, he thinks there are no witnesses, so he won't go far. As far as Danzo knows, no one suspects that he had anything to do with Naruto's disappearance. He might even report back to me like nothing happened," he reasoned. 

Kushina struggled to match her husband's optimism. "I just worry that he'll take him somewhere where we can't reach," she admitted. "Based on what Kurama showed me, I have a feeling that Danzo is good at making kids disappear without a trace." She scowled, pulling her hand back so she could cross her arms defensively. "I told you we should've just dealt with him after Kurama showed me the shit he got up to in the other timeline!" 

"Kushina," her husband sighed, "I couldn't arrest a prominent Councilman with zero evidence, based only on the word of a bijuu that neither of us fully trusted at the time." 

Damn Minato and his logic! "I know," she replied, deflating. "I'm sorry for snapping. I'm worried about Naruto, but that's not fair for me to take my anger out on you." 

Minato nudged her affectionately, showing he wasn't upset. "Don't worry, I didn't take it personally. I'm used to your temper tantrums by now." 

Kushina rolled her eyes, feeling just a bit lighter as she returned to her search efforts. She failed to hold back a grimace as she found the place where Kakashi had nearly bled out. Despite the near death experience, the teenager seemed obnoxiously nonchalant about rehashing the ambush in near perfect detail. Well, at least the parts about his own injuries. He was clearly distraught about Naruto being taken, along with Obito's eye. Of course he was going to brush aside his own pain, it was what he did. 

"--and then I watched Kurama's chakra leak from the seal and surround Naruto. It was stronger than when he was nearly kidnapped before," Kakashi explained. "He immediately formed three tails and sliced through Danzo like it was nothing. Then, he must have used that forbidden Sharingan technique." He glanced at the Uchiha clan head, who nodded in agreement. 

"Everything after that was a bit of a blur. Kurama's chakra was just gone, I was bleeding out on the ground, and Danzo's grimy fingers were yanking Obito's eye out of the socket." He shuddered at the memory. "I think Naruto was yelling for me and grabbing my arm, but I don't remember much after that until I woke up with Isobu sealed in me." The teen's shoulders slumped. "I'm so sorry. You trusted me with Naruto and I let him get kidnapped again ." 

Kushina smacked the back of his head. "We already told you we didn't blame you for what happened before, and we're not gonna blame you now. I mean," she grumbled sarcastically, "how dare you not have prophetic vision to anticipate that Danzo had stolen a Sharingan and was going to use some freaky, ancient, magic Uchiha technique!" 

Fugaku frowned at the explanation. "It's not 'freaky'. Or magic." 

Ignoring the complaints of her best friend's husband, Kushina chose to smack Kakashi again when he didn't look convinced. "Minato, help me out here. Your student is being dramatic." 

"She's right," Minato agreed, though he chose to place a hand supportively on Kakashi's shoulder instead of continuing the violence that his wife had started. "You're still one of the only people I would ever trust with Naruto, you know." 

Kakashi stubbornly tried to hide how he flushed at the attention and support. He coughed awkwardly. "Ah. Well. Let's just keep looking for clues." 

They continued their unfruitful search, following two separate false trails that led to dead ends. Even Kakashi's ninken and Fugaku's Sharingan couldn't seem to pick up where the real trail led. If Kakashi hadn't seen Danzo's betrayal, they really would have been fooled into thinking Obito was the culprit. The old man was disturbingly thorough, which indicated the treachery had likely been long-planned. 

Without any warning, Kakashi suddenly stiffened. "Isobu said he just felt a burst of Kurama's chakra. He thinks he might be able to lead us to him."

Kushina felt a desperate wave of hope, which was quickly overtaken by shock and fear when the bunker's ceiling started crumbling above them. Even though it was muted underground, she could still hear the deafening roar that brought back memories of the worst night of her life. The night their entire family had almost been killed. 

"Or," Jiraiya grimaced, motioning toward the exit, "we could just follow the unmistakable sound of another rampaging bijuu." 

"I'm going ahead," Minato told them, not waiting for a response. She didn't know exactly where he would teleport himself to, since they didn't know the exact location of the Kyuubi's presence. He might just be getting himself outside to assess the situation. Or, if they were lucky, maybe he could access the marker woven into Naruto's seal and hiraishin directly to him. Although, if Kurama was gathering enough power to make his presence so obviously known, it would probably be safer if Minato kept his distance. 

The rest of them had to settle for a shunshin or some good ol' fashioned sprinting, but since they were all elite shinobi, they moved fairly fast. Kakashi dismissed his ninken, then they made their escape. They were outside the bunker in mere moments, finding a very obvious source of the most recent disturbance. 

Not too far from their current location, the Kyuubi's distinctive, corrosive chakra was gathering. It was not Kurama's full form or power, but it was already more than Kushina had ever felt comfortable using. She would use one or two tails quite frequently in the war, and that was usually enough to gain her the advantage in a fight. The first time she'd gone to a three-tailed form, it had been when the rest of her squad was wiped out. The only time she'd ever manifested four tails was a complete accident, and not an experience she'd ever wanted to repeat. 

It was actually one of the moments that she realized how much she loved her then boyfriend. She saw him take a nasty hit, back before he was the Yellow Flash, or a war hero, or the Hokage. Back then, he was still a genius, of course, but he was also a dumbass who tested his experimental seals at inopportune moments. He'd used one in a desperate attempt to create an opening for the two of them to escape from an S-rank Iwa shinobi, but it backfired and left him open to a strike that nearly took his arm off. Kushina had been so distraught that she'd gone straight into a four-tailed state, crushing her enemy and virtually everything else in their surroundings. Fortunately, Minato had escaped the worst of her rampage, but not before she gave him a few good slices and burns when he tried to talk her down. 

She remembered how out of control she felt, and how even blinking and breathing afterwards had been agonizing. That had been four tails. 

Naruto was already at five. 

He didn't look human, but he didn't look quite like the Kyuubi either. He was larger than most buildings, and growing taller every second, but still nowhere near the towering height of even the Sanbi or the Rokubi from earlier in the evening. The Kyuubi's chakra was a solid, writhing thing around his host, gradually darkening and forming a fuzzy outline of a giant beast. The Kyuubi–Naruto–roared, full of fury. 

Kushina wasted no time rushing toward the scene. It was chaos as she arrived, coughing and hacking as she used a basic wind jutsu to blow the smoke and dust away from her to get a better look. From what she could tell, Kyuubi-Naruto had burst through the ground, likely where he'd been held. Perhaps some kind of underground tunnel system, one that Danzo had curated exclusively for his own dealings. 

The Kyuubi was enraged, cutting through masked shinobi and catching them with his tails before they could get away. Their screams were audible, though just barely over the increasingly loud snarling and roaring of the Kyuubi. With a growing horror, Kushina realized that this wasn't just a protective cloak of chakra like Kurama had used the last time he'd protected Naruto. Based on how quickly the Kyuubi's chakra was concentrating around the fox's growing form, the seal had to be compromised. And unlike when Kurama had made the conscious choice to return to save Kakashi, he did not seem to be making any kind of intelligent decisions at the moment. 

The anger and hatred permeating the air, mixed into the Kyuubi's chakra, was so suffocating she may have choked if she wasn't already used to Kurama's influence. Even for her, it was far more than she'd been able to handle. Her companions had all needed a moment to compose themselves and shake off the natural instincts telling them to flee from a dangerous predator. The only exception seemed to be Kakashi, who had a light cloak of the Sanbi's chakra that seemed to be protecting him from the worst of the effects. He seemed a little surprised at the instinctive reaction from his new tenant, but he definitely did not complain about it. 

Kurama would never hurt Naruto, not knowingly, but Kushina questioned if the fox was in control of his actions at the moment. He was rampaging with no trace of his usual dry wit or dark humor. When Kushina spotted the flash of an orange mask amongst the chaos, her stomach dropped as she began to fully comprehend the situation. 

Obito was here, and the Kyuubi was going berserk. He must have gotten to Naruto before them and taken control of Kurama. 

Despite knowing that the bijuu had no control over his actions, and wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing her, Kushina ran toward him. "Kurama! Stop, you're going to hurt Naruto!" 

Kakashi grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back. "Kushina, don't. He's being controlled, he'll kill you." He too had noticed the presence of his former teammate, staring forlornly in the direction of the masked boy. 

She struggled in the teen's grip, ignoring the logic. That was her baby in there! She had to do something! "Naruto! Kurama!"

The Kyuubi roared, his chakra becoming even more dense. A sixth tail appeared, and the fox's form grew larger. He was starting to form bone and sinew, looking more and more like the Kyuubi that destroyed Konoha. Kurama was unwilling or unable to respond to any of Kushina's attempts to reach him. He was crushing shinobi and infrastructure alike underneath his massive claws and swinging tails. 

"Can't you stop it? Like you did with the others?" Kakashi asked, turning to Fugaku even as he refused to release his hold on Kushina. 

The clan head looked pale, and smaller than Kushina ever remembered him being. "Remember what I said about tapping out if a third bijuu showed up? I wasn't exactly joking," he replied dryly. "I barely managed the Rokubi, I don't know if I have enough chakra for another, let alone the Kyuubi ," he admitted. "But I will try. Can you hold him, even for just a moment?" 

Kushina was struggling to find the ability to respond, staring brokenly at the angry bijuu before them. She spotted bright streaks of yellow in the carnage as well, but she couldn't see what Minato was doing. There was so much dust and ash in the air, obscuring anything other than the growing form of the Kyuubi. 

"Holy shit," Jiraiya cursed beside her as the Kyuubi's chakra thickened again, "that's seven tails. Two more and–" he cut himself off with a visible flinch, glancing at Kushina apologetically. "It won't come to that. We'll save the little squirt, and our time traveling fox too." 

Right, she had to get it together. Both Naruto and Kurama were counting on her! Kushina gave Kakashi's arm a few pats to indicate that she was back in control of herself. He finally released her, but kept hovering nearby. 

"Ok, let's do this." She swallowed hard as she took in the Kyuubi's form, now forced to crane her neck to see his full height. "I know we're all drained, but we may be able to briefly overpower him if we work together. I should be able to get at least one or two chakra chains. If we combine that with one of your summons, Master Jiraiya, and maybe if Kakashi can use some of Isobu's chakra we can hold him long enough for Fugaku to break the control Obito has over him. Any questions?" 

Before she could spring into action, Kakashi grabbed her arm again. "Hold on," he requested. His eye glazed over, likely conversing with Isobu. It took all of Kushina's willpower not to snap at him to hurry up. After a few moments, Kakashi blinked and straightened up. "Isobu thinks something's not adding up." 

"What do you mean?" Kushina asked, glancing anxiously toward the fight. 

"He says Kurama isn't using any of his strongest attacks, and he seems to be purposefully concentrating all the damage into one area," Kakashi explained. 

Jiraiya was the first to reply, "Huh. Your new friend might be onto something." He shrugged. "But I don't know if that's a risk we should take. If we're not careful, the Kyuubi will squash us like bugs without even batting an eye." 

Kushina watched the bijuu carefully, and quickly realized that Isobu wasn't wrong. While Kurama was raging and smashing everything (and everyone) in the general vicinity, he was making zero effort to increase the scale of destruction. Could that mean…?

"Let me try talking to him, just once," she requested. "If we're wrong, I'll be ready to grab him with my chakra chains." 

Her companions all exchanged anxious looks, but no one argued. They knew that she would get her way regardless, and it would just be a wasted effort to try to change her mind. 

As Kushina foolishly ran toward the very angry bijuu, she dodged falling debris and a few unconscious swings of the fox's now seven lashing tails. An eighth already seemed to be starting to form. He was facing away from her, focused on trying to bite something in between his claws, but his chakra was potent enough to make it difficult to approach him. 

"Kurama! Kurama, can you hear me?" 

There was no response, other than an animalistic roar. The Kyuubi crushed a fleeing shinobi under one of his massive paws. 

Now closer to her target, she tried again, "Listen to me, Kurama! I need to know if you can hear me!" 

The bijuu whipped a few tails at an enemy that Kushina couldn't see beyond the layer of ash in the air. He still didn't seem to notice or comprehend that he was being hailed. 

Once Kushina was close enough to reach out and touch one of the bijuu's legs, she skidded to a stop. Even though she knew it was incredibly unlikely that Kurama was purposefully ignoring her, she couldn't help the flash of irritation she felt as she failed again to get the fox's attention. 

Frustrated, she glared up the bijuu and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Hey, you mangy, flea-ridden fox! Can you hear me or not?" 

That got the bijuu's attention. The Kyuubi whipped around, roaring with enough force to make Kushina dig her heels into the earth to keep herself from being blown backwards. The bijuu now had a gaping maw filled with fully formed teeth, along with bony plating on his skull and spine. He towered over her, oozing fury in every speck of chakra. Then, a single red, slitted eye fixed onto her. 

Kurama stopped mid-roar, narrowing his eye and baring his teeth. "Tomato Head," he grumbled, "you are late." 

"Fuck you, you stupid, petty, jerk!" Even as she snapped at the bijuu, she wanted to cry with relief. "Is Naruto ok? Are you ok? What happened, how are you free? How did–" 

"Your endless prattling never ceases to irritate me," the fox scoffed, sounding more exasperated than angry. "The brat and I are fine," he answered, with surprising gentleness. "As for the rest of what I assume will be an endless stream of questions, that is far more complicated." 

The bijuu gestured with a massive claw, using a few tails to wave away the haze in the air. Kushina could now see the battlefield around her more clearly, including the other occupants. There were dozens of lifeless, shredded bodies scattered around the battlefield. Based on the presence of ANBU-style masks, Kushina could assume that those were all that remained of Danzo's agents. She was surprised to see Danzo himself amongst the wreckage, his face unbandaged as he desperately slashed a kunai at his opponent. Obito stayed out of the elder's range, or let attacks phase right through him. Even from this distance, Kushina could see how much his injury was catching up with him. She forced down the stab of guilt she felt at contributing, because she knew she'd done what she needed to in order to protect her family and her home. 

She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she did know that for whatever reason, the Kyuubi was not under the Sharingan's influence. Maybe it was a coincidence, and Kurama had escaped while Obito had his hands full with Lord Danzo, but her gut told her otherwise. The fact that Kurama wasn't actively trying to squash him spoke volumes. So, even though she didn't quite know what was going on, she at least knew that Kurama was not being controlled, and that was a huge relief. 

Kushina realized too late that no one else knew what she did. She saw her husband on the other side of the wreckage, looking determined and holding one of his three-pronged kunai. He thought he needed to free the Kyuubi, which meant he was aiming for the person he thought was controlling the bijuu. Even though he was too far to hear her, she still called out for him to wait. 

"Minato, don't!" 

Of course, he couldn't hear her, and proceeded with his strike. He had no reason to think that Kurama wasn't being controlled. Even if the bijuu had calmed down, at least for the moment, he was still growling and lashing his tails, looking incredibly menacing to anyone who didn't know him. Which was pretty much everyone except her and Naruto. 

In a flash, Minato had crossed the battlefield and sliced through his former student from his collarbone to the opposite hip. It was too fast for him to react and let the attack phase through, timed perfectly for when Minato knew he'd be solid. Even with whatever synthetic tissue he possessed, it was a deep, precise strike. And it looked like Minato had cut through normal tissue as well, judging by the amount of blood and viscera that gushed from part of the wound. 

Kushina wasn't as fast as her husband, but she could move damn quickly when she needed to. She wasn't able to stop the attack, but she made it in time to hear a barely audible rasp of, "Sen-sei?" 

Despite everything Obito had done, it seemed instinctive for Minato to catch his wayward student before he hit the ground. His eyes widened, and his expression was guilt-stricken. Even if the attack had been appropriate, given the circumstances, Minato looked devastated by what he'd done. Even though he had acted accordingly as a Kage protecting his village, Kushina knew her husband would only ever see this moment as a betrayal of his student. There was no triumph as the Yellow Flash cut down the enemy that had nearly killed their family, only grief for the boy they'd once loved. 

Even though he'd been the one to deliver the blow, Minato was trying to hold pressure over the worst part of the wound. He knelt on the ground, one arm supporting his former student, while his other hand uselessly tried to quell the hemorrhaging that he'd caused. Obito's breathing had become a horrible rasping, gurgling thing as he gasped in a futile effort to get enough air in his lungs.