A Master at Pinning the Blame

Was she looking at me?

Uchiha Yi had keen senses, and after he absorbed Indra's Chakra, they had grown sharper still.

He could tell Kushina Uzumaki's gaze lingered on him. Fortunately, she did not stare for long and soon looked away.

A possibility occurred to him. Perhaps Mito Uzumaki had warned Kushina to stay away from the Uchiha Clan. Kushina might be scanning the classroom for Uchiha so she could avoid them.

"All right, Kushina, please introduce yourself," Sarutobi Seiichiro said as warmly as he could.

As a Special Jōnin of the Sarutobi Clan and Hiruzen Sarutobi's nephew, he had not come to the Ninja Academy simply to teach. Hiruzen had told him who Kushina was: she had to feel welcome, but they could not help her too much. They also needed to put her through a few tests to observe her character.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Kushina Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you, and I hope we'll get along." Kushina took a deep breath and mustered the courage to introduce herself.

But her introduction won her neither support nor welcome. Instead, the little brats began whispering about her right out in the open.

"Look, she has red hair!"

"That's so weird. How can someone's hair be red?"

"Nobody in Konoha has red hair. Is she some kind of red-haired demon?"

"More like a chili pepper. That's the color of a pepper."

Their taunts filled Kushina with unease. Not long ago, she had lost her home when unknown forces destroyed Uzushio Village.

She had been lucky enough to be rescued by powerful shinobi from Konoha, which had paid a heavy price to save her.

Her gaze drifted to Uchiha Yi. Would this boy protect her the way that man had?

Yi caught her pleading look and froze.

Why are you looking at me, Kushina? I don't want to get mixed up with you!

Even so, Yi spoke up quietly. "The Uzumaki Clan is the family of the First Hokage's wife. As far as I know, Lady Mito has red hair too.

"When you talk about red-haired people like that, aren't you insulting the First Hokage's wife?

"Besides, plenty of people in Konoha have red hair. Several members of the Akimichi Clan do too."

Yi's words stunned everyone. None of them had expected him to bring Lady Mito into it.

She was someone they read about in textbooks. If they said red hair was ugly, wouldn't that mean they were calling Lady Mito's hair ugly too?

The brats who had mocked Kushina began to tremble.

Shit, we didn't say anything bad about Lady Mito!

Even Seiichiro was speechless. Yi really knew how to invoke a powerful name.

He had dragged Lady Mito into it, and now hardly anyone at school would dare pick on Kushina.

Still, Seiichiro said to Kushina, "Find an empty seat, Kushina."

"Thank you!" Kushina looked around the classroom again. Her classmates no longer regarded her with the same distance as before, and she felt a little relieved. Then she walked toward Yi and sat down not far from him.

Yi raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Kushina had only sat nearby; he had no reason to object.

It's not like I can forbid her from sitting near me.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had watched the whole exchange. The four of them looked at one another.

"She seems to have taken a bit of a liking to Yi," Hiruzen remarked after a long silence.

He turned to look at Shimura Danzō.

This was a matter for Danzo. He was the one who had brought Kushina to Konoha.

As for Mitokado Homura, he could offer advice, but he would never take the initiative to carry it out. His aim was to keep his own hands clean.

Danzo studied Yi's figure in the crystal ball, his gaze deepening before he gave a soft chuckle. "Kagami rescued Kushina Uzumaki and shielded her from several deadly threats. It's only natural she'd be grateful to him.

"She started attending the Ninja Academy earlier than we expected. Lady Mito probably told her about Uchiha Yi."

"But she's the future vessel for the Nine-Tails!" Homura frowned. Yi might be on their side, but he was still an Uchiha.

Even if Yi proved trustworthy one day, they could not allow him a chance to come into contact with the Nine-Tails.

That battle had simply been too terrifying.

"Making Kushina the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is only our plan.

"Lady Mito hasn't approved it.

"Whether Kushina Uzumaki becomes the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki isn't up to you, me, or even Monkey. Only Lady Mito can decide." Danzo glanced at Hiruzen and continued slowly. "Until Lady Mito decides it's time to replace the Jinchūriki, none of us can press the matter.

"No one can bear the responsibility if we do.

"And Kushina may be the best candidate, but she isn't the only one."

Hiruzen nodded in silence. Mito Uzumaki rarely ventured out; she could almost be called a shut-in.

Yet Hiruzen respected her immensely and ordinarily would not go against her wishes.

His feelings toward Mito were complicated. She was his greatest safeguard: as long as she lived, Konoha would not fall into chaos.

But what Hokage would enjoy having someone above him who held the real authority?

"We don't necessarily need Kushina Uzumaki!" Danzo suddenly said, his voice tempting everyone present like a devil's.