Little Fox
Mito Uzumaki was very tired.
This boy, Chi Yu, was far too cunning for his age.
He had clearly noticed that she had seen through his disguise. Since then, his demeanor had shifted—but not his words. Every sentence was airtight. Impeccable. Careful. Calculated.
Mito sighed and said gently, "Chi Yu, can't we speak honestly—just once? What we discuss today will go no further. If you bear resentment toward me because of the situation with Kushina... then say it plainly. For today, I'm not the wife of the First Hokage, nor Konoha's former Jinchūriki—I'm simply Kushina's elder... your elder."
Chi Yu tilted his head, expression unreadable. His voice was calm, polite—but edged with frost.
"Lady Mito, if you didn't even ask Kushina whether she wanted to become a Jinchūriki, then tell me—does my opinion really matter?
No matter what I say, she'll still be chosen to carry the Nine-Tails after you. So... what's the point?"
Mito's expression faltered.
He was right. Kushina being chosen as her successor was nearly a foregone conclusion. A decision made behind closed doors by the village elders, by the Hokage, by herself.
Whether Chi Yu—or even Kushina herself—agreed or not was irrelevant to the powers that be.
But…
Mito looked him in the eyes and said softly, "It matters… because you matter to Kushina."
Chi Yu met her gaze, long and hard. Eventually, he replied, "I just want her to be happy."
It was a simple answer. But the weight behind it said everything.
Becoming a Jinchūriki wasn't just a title—it was a lifelong burden. Pain. Isolation. Hatred. Fear.
Mito had endured it only because she was strong—older, married to Hashirama Senju, protected by power and legacy. But the world had changed. Other villages raised their Jinchūriki as weapons, locking them away, using them. Tormenting them.
Most Jinchūriki spent their lives fighting their tailed beast for control—until they either snapped or died.
Worse still, if the beast was extracted... the Jinchūriki would die a horrific, soul-rending death.
Chi Yu's quiet hope that Kushina "stays happy" was a quiet, firm rejection.
Mito sighed. "But... this is her fate."
Chi Yu's brows twitched. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"It's not fate, Lady Mito. It's convenience. You're just calling it destiny because she's powerless to choose anything else. You know as well as I do—this isn't her fate. This is something you've all decided for her. Don't talk to me about destiny."
Mito was silent.
Then, with purpose, she asked, "If you care so much about her happiness... are you willing to change her future?"
Chi Yu looked down.
"I'm just a lowly Genin of Konoha. I don't have the right to consider things like that. The Hokage and the others will decide everything. They always do."
Mito Uzumaki rubbed her temples.
Back to square one. This conversation was going nowhere.
She knew it. He knew it.
Chi Yu would never open his heart to her—not as long as she remained a symbol of what was being forced onto Kushina.
And if he couldn't open his heart to her, he wouldn't open it to Konoha either.
Worse—he might turn against it.
Finally, Mito asked quietly, "Chi Yu... is Konoha important to you?"
But Chi Yu threw the question back at her, expression unreadable. "Lady Mito, is Kushina important to you?"
That struck deeper than expected.
Of course Kushina was important to her.
But more than Konoha?
Mito didn't answer. She didn't need to.
Chi Yu saw it clearly.
In his eyes, Konoha was not important—because Kushina clearly wasn't important enough to it.
The silence stretched. Mito's voice softened.
"I love Kushina. Deeply. Whether you believe me or not... I truly want you both to live well in Konoha."
Chi Yu bowed slightly. "Of course I believe you, Lady Mito. You are her only family, after all. And please rest assured—I live well in Konoha. I'm very... grateful to the village."
Mito could hear the walls in his tone—polite, distant, hollow.
She waved her hand tiredly. "Go on. While you were away, Kushina looked forward to seeing you every day. Don't keep her waiting."
Chi Yu turned and left the room.
Once he was gone, Mito exhaled a long breath, as though releasing the weight of a battle.
He was still just a child, but the way he spoke... he reminded her of the sly, sharp elders on the council.
Except for one moment—when the word destiny broke through his calm. That was the only time his mask slipped.
"What a little fox," she murmured, half-frustrated, half-amused.
A troublesome child. But one with conviction.
---
Outside the door, Kushina Uzumaki was crouching near the wooden porch, her attention fixed on something on the ground.
Chi Yu walked over and knelt beside her. "What are you staring at? You're so focused, it's scary."
Kushina pointed at a tiny flower growing between the cracks in the wooden floorboards.
"Look! Isn't it amazing? It's growing here, of all places. I think it's prettier than the flowers in the garden!"
Chi Yu stared at the stubborn little bloom. His eyes softened.
"Yeah... it's incredible. It's full of life. For something to grow here, in a place like this... it has to be strong. That's what makes it beautiful."
But before he could say more, Kushina had already hopped onto his back, grinning wide and pointing dramatically toward the gates.
"But there's no time for philosophy! The sun's still up—let's go eat!"
Chi Yu laughed, hoisting her up as she tightened her legs around his waist.
"Alright, alright. Since you've fed me a million times, today's my turn. I just finished my first real mission and got paid. We're going big!"
Normally, Genin split their reward with their team leader. But Orochimaru hadn't taken a single coin from Chi Yu. He let the boy keep it all.
60,000 ryō. For a C-rank mission.
All of it, now tucked in Chi Yu's pocket.
On his back, Kushina raised her little fist high. "Then I'm gonna eat so much!"
"No problem!"
Chi Yu carried her away from Mito Uzumaki's mansion, the two of them laughing under the fading light.