In the year 33 of Konoha, the Land of Whirlpools fell. Mito Uzumaki was too old to go on another expedition and could do nothing but have the still-young Kushina Uzumaki brought to Konoha to be taken in and raised as a Jinchuriki candidate.
After spending a little time with Kushina and instilling in her the idea of [love], Mito Uzumaki could no longer withstand the toll of old age. Before she died, she passed the Nine-Tails on to her.
To make sure the Nine-Tails wouldn't hurt Kushina, Mito Uzumaki had made thorough preparations.
If the Fourth Hokage's Sealing Jutsu was just a few iron bars to keep someone locked up—playing the part of a prisoner behind bars—
then Mito Uzumaki's methods were far more elaborate.
After spending so long with the Nine-Tails, Mito Uzumaki knew exactly where it was ticklish. Adamantine Sealing Chains, specially designed to restrain Tailed Beasts, slipped between the Nine-Tails' silky tails like ropes, hugged its lower belly, then wound up beneath its arms and around its back.
The Nine-Tails desperately wanted to break free, but Mito's masterful rope work left it unable to exert any force.
Even the slightest struggle made its whole body go weak.
After the many Adamantine Sealing Chains completed the tortoiseshell seal, another, much wider set of iron chains bound the Nine-Tails to the ground.
On top of that, Mito Uzumaki had added another luxurious layer of iron bars.
The Nine-Tailed Fox couldn't move a muscle!
This also made the Nine-Tails hard for outsiders to detect. Even Uchiha Mikoto didn't know Kushina Uzumaki's identity, which was one reason so many people in Konoha had no idea who she was.
After all, a gag order was just a gag order. Someone was bound to notice something was off.
This stubborn seal had no solution other than waiting for Kushina Uzumaki to grow up and use the Uzumaki Clan's natural talent to undo it herself.
After all, every other Sealing Jutsu was trash compared to the founding master of sealing, Mito Uzumaki.
Until then, the Nine-Tails would just have to suffer.
It was precisely because of the seal that Kushina Uzumaki had managed to send out a distress signal. Otherwise, where would she have gotten so much hair to scatter on the ground?
Forget the distance between countries. Even the distance between cities could leave you bald.
"Stop struggling, Nine-Tails."
"In front of my [invincible] Zetton, you don't stand a chance."
Or rather, the Nine-Tails couldn't even struggle. The utterly helpless fox glared at Uchiha Yuji with a look of grief and fury.
It could only watch as the Zetton Egg absorbed its hatred, resentment, and all its other emotions, unable to do a thing.
Those emotions barely affected it, but the egg's unrestrained behavior had wounded the Nine-Tails deeply.
Its eyes, shadowed by dark markings, widened as it stared at Uchiha Yuji without blinking.
As if glaring at him hard enough could kill him.
Unfortunately, it was only the Nine-Tails, not an Otsutsuki with special eyes.
It was a little disappointing that the meal didn't take long. To maintain her ladylike image, Kushina Uzumaki hadn't eaten much of the exquisite food, only sampling a little.
"Are you full already? Want to have a little more?"
"Mm, thank you for the meal. I'm really full." Kushina Uzumaki dabbed at the corner of her mouth and replied gently.
Uchiha Yuji glanced at the table, still laden with food, and said with a headache, "There's still so much left. What a pain."
These people were never this enthusiastic normally!
Did they really think that if I had a child, the next generation would have a higher chance of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan?
How could that be... Wait!
Actually, that might be possible.
Kagami Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō, and his descendant, Uchiha Shisui, had awakened it too. Uchiha Fugaku had also awakened it, and both his sons had the Mangekyō as well!
So it wasn't just emotional trauma. Hereditary factors might play some role in awakening the eyes, too.
"Yuji?"
"Sorry, sorry. Something else suddenly came to mind." Uchiha Yuji hurriedly apologized. "I was thinking about other things while having dinner with you, Kushina. I was terribly rude."
"Not at all." Kushina Uzumaki smiled softly.
She seemed about to say something, but Uchiha Yuji cut in first. "To make up for it, please let me invite you to another delicious meal tomorrow."
Kushina Uzumaki wanted to refuse outright, but she couldn't find a reason to.
Ninjas were generally informal, but as a woman, she still felt a little uneasy about staying at someone else's home overnight.
The evening meal had been so lavish that by the time the two of them crossed the entryway and looked up at the sky, the bright moon was already hanging over the courtyard.
Countless stars surrounded the moon, and the deep darkness scattered with starlight lent the night sky a mysterious air.
They walked slowly toward the Uchiha Clan Compound's outer gate. In the peaceful quiet, neither of them spoke. They simply enjoyed the calm together.
But the Uchiha Clan Compound wasn't large. Even though they both made a point of slowing down, they arrived in no time.
The wavering candlelight at the entrance stretched their shadows straight ahead. Though they had been close together, the shadows gradually drifted apart.
"See you tomorrow, Kushina."
"See you tomorrow, Yuji."
After Kushina Uzumaki had walked a short distance away, Uchiha Yuji suddenly called her name.
She turned around, looking puzzled.
"Your hair is beautiful."
"Thanks to it, I found you. Its color is just like the red thread of fate, Kushina."
The darkness hid her blushing face. Her little hand slid down from beside her ear, gathered a lock of red hair, and brought it before her eyes. The color she had always hated now seemed strangely pleasing.
She gave a slight nod, then skipped away into the night, her red hair swaying and her heart full of joy. Uchiha Yuji watched her go until she vanished from sight, then finally turned around.
As he turned, the corner of his eye caught a faint flash of yellow.
Uchiha Yuji couldn't suppress a smile.
"Namikaze Minato?"
"Too bad. We're not starting from the same place anymore."
Looking up at the night sky, Uchiha Yuji knew that many people probably wouldn't sleep tonight.
Namikaze Minato, for one, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, too.
One because of the woman he loved, the other because of the Nine-Tails.
The long night dragged on as the two of them sighed over and over, now and then gazing at the bright moon—a stark contrast to a certain Uchiha who had fallen into a pleasant dream.
And as they tossed and turned, the night quietly faded away.
But even the blazing sun, driving away the darkness, couldn't dispel their unease.
Before you continue