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  Thirdly, though he wasn't sure if it would ever—be relevant, Gojo Kaigetsu, having ed vast quantities of—literature, had piled a prehensive list of cliché plotlines.

  What if—

  ....

  ....

  [Nagato, burdened by the Uzumaki d Amegakure's shared hatred, arrives in Konoha seeking revenge. He's fronted by dozens of Uzumaki and Konoha's elite Shinobi. Driven by his vis, he unleashes Shinra Tensei, attempting to destroy Konoha. He fails. Konan, disgusted by his extremism, abandons him. The battle destroys his—mobility device. His Shinobi way shattered, his friend gone, Nagato, like a stray dog, throws himself into the river.]

  [But by a twist of fate, he survives. He's rescued by a kind farmer's daughter. "Why—why did you save me? I'm a Shinobi!" Nagato asks. "Because—your hair is red," she replies. "I read in a book that red hair is uo the Uzumaki . And the Uzumaki are kind, they value life. You must have been—upset by the atta Konoha, by the loss of i lives. But please—don't give up. Everything will be alright."]

  [Lies don't hurt; truth is the sharpest on. Nagato, ed by shame, realizes he's bee the very thing he once despised. He'd been nurturing not peace, but pain. He asks the girl to take him to Konoha's outskirts and, after exhausting his chakra resurreg Konoha's fallen Shinobi, dies, ed by regret for betraying his , for disrupting peace.]

  What if? What if that were the actual sario?

  Would a kied farm girl save a suicidal Nagato?

  They said you shouldn't introdunecessary props in a story. If a gun appeared, it had to be fired. And Gojo Kaigetsu had already—loaded the gun, aiming it at Nagato's—forehead.

  Unlike Iki's ral tohe Forest Reader took a more—direct approach, publishing articles that—highlighted certain vilges'—fws.

  He waited.

  …

  …

  Silence hung heavy in the dessert shop.

  Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha, having read "Turning Out the Lights for the Uzumaki " and "Konoha's Right to Sunlight," were speechless.

  "Kushina—is this—how the Uzumaki are?" Mikoto asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

  'We—we're not like that!' Kushina wao say, but the words died ihroat. She gred at Mikoto.

  "You—you think this is funny?!" She lowered her voice. "We're not like that at all!"

  "What's going on? Is it—fake?" Mikoto asked, her curiosity piqued.

  Kushina frowned, lost in thought.

  She'd been six when she was sent to Konoha as the ails jinchuriki.

  The Shinobi world had beeively peaceful then. Born after the First Shinobi World War, they'd enjoyed a golden age of peace. The Sed War hadn't begu.

  Uzushiogakure was still—thriving.

  Her memories were—faded. But "Sunlight Rights?" Did that eve? She remembered the adults regurly airing out their—food supplies and clothes.

  Entire wns covered. No one cared about—sunlight.

  And shutting dowire nation's prid for a single child? Uzushiogakure didn't even have a prid.

  So where had Tobirama Senju—experiehese things?

  And why had Shūkan—firmed it?

  The Truth was in the—numbers.

  And this Three Years at the Shinobi Academy—it ublished by Konoha, by the Hokage Tower. Surely they wouldn't—fabricate such things.

  That would be—sacrilege.

  "It's—true. We're—like that," Kushina mumbled, her face burning.

  She'd never felt so—embarrassed to be an Uzumaki.

  Most of the patrons in the dessert shop were—well-off.

  And even the Shinobi present carried copies of Three Years at the Shinobi Academy.

  "Is this—a joke? Who charges a fine for—blog sunlight?" a Shinobi scoffed.

  "It's like the Uchiha," his panion replied. "The crazier they are, the stronger. Perhaps that's—the secret to their sealing jutsu."

  "...."

  Mikoto Uchiha's face darkened.

  .....

  "The Uchiha are—passiohe other day, I walked past their pound. They were ting about 'loyalty' and 'gratitude.' If they keep this up, I don't knoe'll ever—lose a war."

  "Perhaps the Uzumaki are the same. ime you visit their pound, you might hear them ting about—'saving' and 'healing'—They're—a bit much."

  "Ugh, that's—true. I just came from Konoha Hospital. There's an Uzumaki doctor there. Everyone's saying he's a surgical genius, sending him—thank-you banners. He already has two."

  Even good-natured ribbing had its—limits.

  Doctors, after all, were—respected. No one wao risk offending a skilled surgeon.

  And the Uzumaki's reputation was growing, thanks to—word of mouth.

  "Kushina, the Uzumaki have—mediin?"

  "I—I don't know." Kushina chewed oraw, feeling—lost. So much had happened while she'd been—fined.

  "Anyway—gratutions, Kushina. You, Minato, and your—future child now have the bag of a powerful ."

  "A powerful ?" Kushina scoffed. "That's—overstating it."

  .....

  Before her marriage, she'd often pio Mikoto about the Third Hokage, Danzo, and Koharu Utatane.

  Especially Koharu, who'd stantly lectured her about being indepe and finding a better match than Minato Namikaze.

  She'd even suggested—other s.

  And then, she'd told Kushina to be—rational, to trol her emotions.

  As the vilge's jinchuriki, Kushina's—stability was a .

  She was utterly devoted to Minato.

  And the elders' greatest fear? Kushina losing trol. If something happeo her, the ails' power would be—lost. And no one in Konoha could—teach the jinchuriki.

  To trol a jinchuriki, one had to—trol their heart.

  Kushina's unwavering loyalty to Minato had forced the elders to—relinquish some of their power.

  "I didn't want to do it—I wao—reason with them—but didn't Koharu Utatane just want to use me as a—tool, to bio the vilge? She thought Minato was—weak, without bag."

  'If only the Uzumaki were still here,' she'd ofteed. 'Would the elders treat us this way?'

  And now—the Uzumaki had returned.

  Though only a small group for now, more would follow. They would be—her family, Minato's allies.

  The Hokage Tower's influehe Hokage's authority—it would reapreted heights.

  "A powerful ? That's—too much," Kushina said, her usual boisterous ughter eg through the shop.

  Mikoto Uchiha smiled.

  …

  …

  "My child! My child!" A woman, her face pale, y on the hospital bed, her trembling hand reag towards the nurse carrying her newborn away.

  "By order of the Fifth Kazekage, this child will be trained as a jinchuriki!"

  Baki, believing in—'Scorched Earth' tactics, had eliminated Rasa's immediate family. He'd intee Rasa's entire lineage.

  But Baki wao bee the Stro Kazekage.

  And for that, he needed—powerful Shinobi.

  Kankuro and Gaara, though Rasa's children, possessed undeniable talent. With proper training, they'd bee valuable assets.

  Baki looked at the two children before him — Kankuro, two years old, still sug his thumb, and Gaara, a newborn, still—g.

  He forced a smile. "Call me—Father."

  Kankuro, barely able to speak, mumbled, "Fa..ther."

  "Good boy. Much better than your—disloyal sister. She didn't eveurn for her father's funeral. Disgraceful. I'll—discipline her myself wheurns."

  "Should we—send her a message? Perhaps—a Kazekage decree?"

  "No need. She'll e crawling back."

  Baki, it seemed, was—fident.

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