She's so tired of people underestimating her.

In Uzushio, people were amazing enough to never underestimate or look down on each other. In Uzushio, everyone was family and family meant protection and support. In Uzushio, there were no insults thrown with ill meaning behind them. In Uzushio, insults were mere friendly teasing and accepted as such. In Uzushio, there were brawls but nobody wanted to really hurt the other permanently.

In Konoha, it is the other way around.

In Konoha, nobody is her family except for Granny Mito who could be a Goddess or something, simply because of how much Kushina idolizes the sealing expert. In Konoha, nobody treats her like family, nobody truly accepts her even though she came from Konoha's own sister village, even though she came from one of the supporting founding clan other than the Uchiha and Senju. In Konoha, people insult her because they want to insult her. In Konoha, the people who insulted her got punched, and they came back with backup to punch her.

Logically, she punched back. Twice as hard, of course. Like hell she's going to let herself be pushed around, like hell she's going to let people underestimate her, simply because she's a little girl! If they punch her, she's going to punch back. She's going to win, she's going to triumph. That's what they get for daring to underestimate her, really.

But still.

It's frustrating, it's annoying, and it's achingly lonely and painful. She doesn't want to fight all the time. She wants friends who don't see her as an outsider but as a fellow future comrade in Konoha's shinobi rank. She wants people she can thoroughly enjoy hanging out with.

Above all, however—

She longs for home.

She wants to go home, back to the wet soils of Uzushio and to the bright and sometimes wacky architectures, to her family and her friends and her comrades.

But she can't go home lest she causes the end of the treaty between Konoha and Uzushio.

She can't go home, because she's their sacrifice.

Don't get her wrong; she's proud she can be used for the sake of Uzushio; that place is a home for her and she'll do anything for it—and by extent, Konoha—but she also wants a home. How can she feel at home when Konoha, who will use her for the sake of their safety, who will use her to keep the Kyuubi at bay, cannot even accept her fully inside of its abode?

She doesn't like it here. Not yet.

Mito-sama told her she'll feel at home soon.

Kushina can't wait for it to happen.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It's gone.

Uzushio is gone.

Her home, her family, her friends, gone.

Gone, just like that. She went to sleep one night and in the morning, it's already gone.

She bites her lips to prevent herself from screaming, from shouting and demanding answers from the Hokage, from the elders, from the shinobi, because that was her home, that was her country and it was Konoha's sister village, a village that the First and Second Hokage vowed to protect always.

It's bullshit, she wants to say. How could they not arrive in time? How could the Konoha nin not save even a single one of them? They couldn't all be wiped out, they couldn't. Uzu nin are (were) stronger than that. Their seals and abundance of chakra are amazing! They surely could've held back long enough until Konoha nin arrives! What was Konoha even doing? Did they even try at all?

She hates this. She hates this, she hates this, she hates this!

That's her home! Why is everyone laughing as if nothing is wrong?! Why are the Konoha ninja walk around as if they've done nothing wrong? As if they haven't even tried to save her country?!

She wants to refuse it; this… this news that her home has been destroyed, thoroughly ransacked with, apparently, no survivors.

But she sees the haunted, grieving look on Mito-sama's face, sees how her fists clench on the top of her kimono, and Kushina believes—because if there's anyone she truly believes with her whole heart in Konoha, the one she knows loves Uzushio as much as she does, it'll be Mito-sama—that Uzushio is really gone.

Her home—

It's gone.

She wants to laugh.

Guess she doesn't have any more choice but to make Konoha her home.

(But since when did she ever have any choice left in her life?)

(There is none).

(Not since her chakra got tested by a Konoha nin for compatibility).

(Not since she's stepped foot in Konoha).

(Not ever).

XXX

So, I wanted to make a character study and do some wish fulfillment regarding Kushina. She's amazing and I love her. Just thought she deserved better and coulda done better, achieved better. So yeah, expect BAMF Kushina, some grumpy old fox, and gasp! Canon divergence!

This story has sat in the drafts for a looooooong time. I'm happy to finally be able to publish this. Expect more dialogue and Uzushio aftermath drama sometime in the future.

Review please!