The soft glow of the moon filtered through the paper windows, casting a dim light over the quiet room
Itachi sat near the doorway, a scroll in his hands, though his focus occasionally flickered toward the crib holding his younger siblings
Sasuke lay curled up, sleeping peacefully
Yuzuki, however-
Was not asleep
Far from it
'Alright... let's try this again'
She shifted slightly, pressing her tiny hands against the soft bedding of the crib
Slowly. Carefully. She pushed herself forward
And immediately flopped onto her face
{...Did you just fall on your own?}
Indra's voice dripped with amusement
'Shut up'
{I mean, I wasn't going to say anything, but-}
'Then don't'
Undeterred, Yuzuki tried again
She adjusted her weight, focusing on moving with precision rather than speed
A slow shuffle forward
Anothe
Then another
It was... working
Sort of
{So this is your grand training? Wriggling around like a worm?}
'Tch... Unlike you, I have a body
And if I want to start body cultivation, I need full control over it first'
Indra hummed, intrigued
{Body cultivation?}
Yuzuki immediately regretted mentioning it
'Forget it
You wouldn't get it
You don't even have a body'
Indra scoffed
{So you're saying I can't learn it?}
'That's exactly what I'm saying'
{...Annoying}
She smirked but didn't push further
She was too focused on moving
Yuzuki continued crawling forward, her tiny limbs moving with slightly more precision each time
Sasuke stirred beside her, his small hand twitching
She paused, glancing at him
His peaceful expression, his steady breathing-
It was strange how natural it was for him to trust the world around him
Yuzuki stared for a moment longer-
Then shook the thought away and continued forward
She had just begun to adjust her position again when she noticed it
Or rather-
She noticed the lack of something
No rustling leaves
No chirping insects
No distant murmurs of villagers walking through the night
The world was silent
Yuzuki froze
Not even a whisper of sound
It wasn't just quiet, it was unnatural
'Something's... wrong'
{Hnn? What do you mean?}
Indra's voice was calm, but Yuzuki couldn't shake the unease
She hadn't realized how alive the night normally was until it wasn't
Even in her past life, the night was never truly silent
There was always something
But right now-
It was like the entire world was holding its breath
Her gaze slowly drifted toward the window, where the moon hung in the sky, its pale light illuminating the room
And then-
A shadow
Something massive
A dark silhouette sweeping across the moon, blocking its glow for a fleeting moment
Yuzuki's eyes narrowed
She didn't know what it was
But she knew one thing for certain
Something was coming
'What was that-?'
Before she could finish the thought, she saw Itachi's expression shift, his entire body tensed as his sharp gaze locked onto the window
A split second later-
BOOM
A violent shockwave rattled the house, glass shattered, and the walls trembled as if the world itself had lurched
'Oy!'
Yuzuki barely had time to process what happened before Itachi grabbed her, pulling her away from the crib
She bristled, irritation flaring at being handled so easily-
But it was immediately drowned out by something far greater
A roar
Primal
Overwhelming
It ripped through the air like a living force of nature, shaking the very foundation of the village
Yuzuki's head snapped toward the window, her heart pounding
'What the hell was that?'
Her small hands clenched
Instinct took over
'Sharingan'
{You know, you don't need to announce it every time}
'Yeah, I know'
{So why do you keep doing it then?}
'Because it sounds cooler that way, duh'
{...Why do I even bother?}
With her vision sharpened, Yuzuki could now see beyond the rooftops-
And what she saw made her pause
A massive beast towered over the village, its orange fur illuminated by the moonlight
Its eyes gleamed with malice, and its nine tails whipped violently behind it, crushing everything in their wake
But what caught Yuzuki's attention the most-
Was the strange, long ears atop its head
'Is that... a fox? With... bunny ears?'
Indra's reaction was immediate
{...Why is he here?}
Yuzuki's brow furrowed
'He?'
Indra didn't answer, but she could feel the shift in his focus
'You know the fox?'
Silence
That was enough of an answer
'I'm going to take that as a yes, then...'
Before she could question further, she felt herself being lifted again-
'Itachi, oy! I was watching that!'
Her small hands flailed in protest, aiming weak punches at Itachi's arm, though they did absolutely nothing
"Calm down, Yuzuki"
His voice was calm but firm
He didn't loosen his grip
"I'll protect you two"
Yuzuki scowled
'Who are you going to protect?! I can protect myself a million times better than you can!'
But Itachi didn't hear her thoughts
And he didn't stop moving
The house trembled again as another distant explosion lit up the sky
Then, Itachi kicked open the door and stepped outside
The moment they were outside, Yuzuki fell silent
Because the village she had just started to recognize-
Was burning
The night sky was bathed in red and orange, plumes of fire and smoke rising from shattered buildings
The roars of the fox echoed through the streets, followed by the distant shouts of shinobi, their voices drowned out by the sheer scale of destruction
Itachi's grip on them tightened
His eyes darted around, scanning for his parents, for safety-
But there was none
A flicker of movement in the distance caught Yuzuki's attention, shinobi clashing with the beast, desperately trying to subdue it
And they were failing
She stared
Not in fear
Not in awe
But in quiet calculation
'So this... is what true destruction looks like'
She had seen battlefields before
She had caused destruction before
But this?
This was different
Because this was not a war-torn wasteland-
This was a home
And it was being torn apart before her eyes
For the first time since her rebirth, Yuzuki felt a familiar sensation creep into her chest
She had no love for this village
She barely understood her own place here
But she understood loss
And this?
This was about to be a massacre
She exhaled sharply, pushing the feeling away
This wasn't her battle
Not yet
Instead, she let her focus shift inward, entering her mindscape
She found Indra standing completely still, his expression unreadable
But his eyes-
They were fixed on the fox
She smirked, stepping forward-and promptly punched him in the head
WHACK
"OW! What was that for?!"
"That's for ignoring me! What's the deal with you? You went silent as soon as you saw that fox!"
Indra rubbed his head, scowling
"I... Uh... How do I explain this?"
He sighed
"That fox is... one of my brothers"
Yuzuki blinked
Once
Twice
Then-
"EEEEHHHHH!??"
Indra braced himself, expecting her to freak out about the fox being some ancient godly beast
Instead-
"Your father... fucked a giant fox?"
Indra choked
"Cough What?! NO!"
"Then how is your brother a fox?"
Indra pinched the bridge of his nose
"It's... complicated"
Yuzuki crossed her arms
"Seems pretty straightforward to me"
Indra sighed again
This was going to take a while
-=-
Mikoto burst through the front door, her heart hammering as she scanned the area
She had left only for a short while, but in that time, the village had descended into chaos
And her children-
Her sharp gaze landed on Itachi, standing protectively in front of Sasuke and Yuzuki
A breath of relief escaped her lips, but she didn't have time to dwell on it
Because a massive chunk of debris was hurtling straight for them
Mikoto reacted instantly
Her chakra flared, and with a swift motion, she shattered the incoming rubble mid air
The impact sent dust flying around them, obscuring the immediate surroundings
"Itachi!"
Mikoto's voice was sharp but controlled
Itachi had already moved, positioning himself between the debris and his siblings, kunai in hand
"We're fine, Mother"
He said, voice steady
Mikoto nodded, her eyes flicking to Yuzuki-
Who was wide eyed, staring at the destruction outside
But there was something else, her expression wasn't fear
It was something deeper
The real world faded away as Yuzuki shifted into her mindscape
Indra was standing there, his arms crossed, gaze still lingering on the massive fox tearing through the village
Yuzuki's eyes narrowed
"Alright, spill
What's the deal with the giant fuzzball?"
Indra let out a slow breath
"...You asked before why my 'brother' is a fox"
Yuzuki crossed her arms
"Yeah
And I assume there's an explanation that doesn't involve your dad and a questionable romantic partner?"
Indra rubbed his temples
"...The Bijuu weren't always like this
Once, they were one being, a guardian of humanity"
Yuzuki blinked
That... wasn't what she expected
"They weren't meant to be monsters"
Indra continued, his tone heavier now
"They were divided into nine by my father-"
He hesitated before correcting himself
"-by the Sage of Six Paths
He claimed it was to keep their power in check, but in the end, humans enslaved them
Bound them in chains
Turned them into weapons"
A shadow passed over his face
"And they called it 'peace'"
Yuzuki stared at him
Then, very slowly, she scowled
"You mean to tell me that humanity looked at divine guardians and thought: 'You know what? Let's turn them into tools'?"
Indra's jaw tightened
"Yes"
"And nobody thought that was a problem?"
"They did"
Indra muttered
"but history is written by the victors"
Yuzuki clicked her tongue in irritation
She had been imprisoned before
Controlled
Forced into a cage simply because she had power
The fact that it had happened to others, too-
Made her blood boil
"Hashirama"
Indra practically spat the name
"The man everyone worships as a 'hero of peace' was the one who decided he had the right to control the Bijuu
He split them among the villages, handing them out like prizes, like property"
Yuzuki's nails dug into her palm
She had barely been in this world a few days, and she already hated that man
Her focus snapped back to the real world
Mikoto had taken charge, scanning the battlefield for threats, while Itachi stayed close, guarding his younger siblings
But Yuzuki barely registered them-
Because her eyes were locked on the Kyubi
For the first time, she saw the forces opposing it
Minato Namikaze
A yellow streak tore through the battlefield, vanishing and reappearing faster than she could fully track
And then, in an instant-
The Kyubi was gone
Vanished
Yuzuki's eyes widened
{Teleportation}
Indra's voice returned, sharp with interest
{I don't know how, but he moved something that massive in an instant}
"Interesting..."
The village didn't get a chance to breathe before another shockwave rocked the area
A moment later-
The Kyubi reappeared
Yuzuki barely had time to process how before she caught sight of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage
Despite his age, he moved with the skill of a veteran warrior
And unlike the others-
He wasn't running from the beast
Instead, he charged straight at it
The Kyubi swung a massive claw, aiming to crush a section of the village
Hiruzen's chakra surged
A series of massive earth walls rose from the ground, blocking the beast's strike and forcing it back
A battle was unfolding
One that Yuzuki couldn't look away from
As the Kyubi thrashed against its opponents, something changed
Its massive head lifted-
And its eyes locked onto the Hokage Monument
But not at Minato
Not at Hiruzen
At Hashirama's face
A guttural growl rumbled through the air, and then-
The Kyubi lunged
Its claws tore through the stone, cracking the surface of the First Hokage's likeness with pure, unfiltered hatred
Yuzuki's eyes widened slightly
"It's personal for him"
Indra's expression darkened
"Of course it is"
And then-
Yuzuki saw it
For the briefest moment-
In the reflection of the Kyūbi's eyes-
A glint of red
A familiar shape
The Sharingan
Yuzuki's entire body tensed
She knew what that meant
Indra's voice was low
"...The Uchiha are involved"
A silent understanding passed between them
This wasn't just a rampaging beast
This was a weapon
And someone was holding the leash
-=-
The Kyūbi's roar still echoed in the distance, but Yuzuki wasn't paying attention to the destruction anymore
Her eyes, glowing with her awakened Sharingan, were locked onto something else, a dark figure standing atop a broken building, watching the chaos unfold
A masked man
He didn't move
He didn't fight
He simply observed, as if he were the mastermind behind it all
Yuzuki frowned
'Who the hell is that?'
Indra, still focused on the Kyūbi, turned his attention to where Yuzuki was looking
For a moment, he said nothing. But then, his expression darkened
{I don't know. But... I can feel it
That man is one of mine}
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes
'Uchiha?'
{Without a doubt}
Before she could react, the figure disappeared in a swirl of distortion, vanishing like he was never there
Yuzuki clicked her tongue in frustration but stored the memory away for later
Then, the Kyubi's chakra wavered
Indra stiffened immediately
{The Kyūbi's power... it's splitting}
Yuzuki turned her attention back to the battlefield, focusing on the beast's massive frame
Her Sharingan sharpened, picking up subtle shifts in the Kyūbi's chakra, it was being torn apart, halved in an instant
Indra exhaled sharply
{It's a sealing technique
Someone's forcing his chakra into a vessel}
Yuzuki scowled
'They're imprisoning him again? He was being controlled! Why not help him instead?!'
Indra's face twisted with disdain
{That's what the villages do
They'd rather bind power than understand it}
A thought struck Yuzuki, and she hesitated before speaking
'Wait... I've felt this chakra before'
{What?}
'Back when Mother was speaking with the red-haired woman
There was something in the air, something familiar... It felt like this, but weaker
Like a caged flame barely flickering'
Indra's expression shifted from irritation to realization
{That woman was the Kyubi's Jinchuriki}
Yuzuki blinked
'Jinchuriki?'
{Living prisons for the Bijuu
Humans used them as weapons
That woman, must have been the previous host}
He crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed
{And now, they're sealing him into another one}
Yuzuki's fingers twitched
The idea of being forced into a cage, having one's very existence shackled away, it made her skin crawl
'...I hate it'
Indra nodded
{As you should}
The two of them fell silent as the final moments of the battle played out
The Kyubi was gone
The Hokage was dead
And the village was in ruins
-=Chapter End=-
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