This is Echo Uchiha's prize from a while ago...sorry it took so long! Hope this is open-ended enough for you.

Thread of Fate

Kushina wandered down the path, lost in thought, not noticing her escort. They had been with her since she had left Whirlpool, shinobi from Konoha assigned to protect her from all harm and ensure she reached the village safely.

She hated them.

Why did she have to leave her home anyway? It's not like Konoha was any better off, for all that they were allies. And her clan was known for their skills with fuinjutsu. Who cares if they were in a war all the time back at home? Sure, she wanted peace as much as the next person, but it was her home.

"Kushina-chan, please try to get along with your classmates?" one of the guards implored, looking at the frowning girl. "Konoha is going to be your home now."

She crossed her arms and averted her gaze. "No it's not!"

"You can't go back to Uzushio, you know that," the man retorted. "You'll only make things harder on yourself if you don't get to know your new home."

"…Fine. But don't expect me to like it!"

When she was introduced to her new class at the Academy, the first thing she was asked was "What is your dream?"

Over the few days she had been there it was very apparent how respected the Hokage of the village was, and the reverent tones used to speak of the former Shodaime and Nidaime. Maybe if she showed an interest… "I'm going to be the first female Hokage!" Kushina yelled, fists clenched in determination. The whole class stared at her.

"Ah…Minato, would you like to go next?" the teacher quickly moved on, ushering Kushina to her seat. When she sat down, her desk partner glared at her, and Kushina glared right back. She wasn't going to be cowed by anyone.

A blond boy sitting behind her stood up and clasped his fist over his heart. "I want everyone in the village to acknowledge me and become a great Hokage!"

The redhead eyed his jacket, haircut and expression. Wimpy flake. There's no way he'd ever become Hokage. When the so named 'Minato' sat down, he stared off into the distance with a dreamy expression on his face, only cementing her thought. He looks like a pansy, bet he can't even take a hit.

When the class was let out for lunch, Kushina was immediately cornered by almost half the class. "What would you know about being Hokage? You just moved here," started the first aggressor, a boy who poked a finger into her shoulder roughly.

"Yeah, being Hokage is only for true Konoha shinobi," sneered a second. "Tomato."

"Look at that bright red hair," laughed another boy. "She sticks out like a sore thumb!"

Kushina scowled and pawed at her hair. She knew that with its vibrant shade and round face she looked like a tomato, but she didn't need those boys calling her that.

"Keep your head down, new girl," the first boy advised. "Learn the ropes before you jump off the cliff." With that he sauntered away, the rest of his gathering following.

The girl scowled after them, tugging on her red hair as she thought. Taking them down without knowing their capabilities would be hard. No, she would bide her time. At least that was what she told herself.

She lost it after a week.

"Bet you can't touch me, tomato," a boy yelled at her as they were eating lunch outside. "Someone as slow as you would never catch me!" All of his friends sitting around him laughed.

That did it. Before they could blink Kushina was over there, a fierce uppercut directed at the boy's jaw. He fell back in surprise as she followed up with a jab to his stomach, then a foot sweep that put him on the ground. Perfect pummeling position. Her red hair whipped around her as she set upon him, pounding his rib cage and diaphragm, then a few good shots to the head as well.

A boy tried to pull her off her victim, and Kushina turned on him next, flipping him over her hip with a well-timed pull of the arm which she subsequently twisted up behind his back. He kicked back at her and she caught his foot, twisting it until he fell heavily, one arm awkwardly beneath him.

A third boy charged at her wildly, fist raised to punch, and she spun around to block it. An open handed jab at the nose and he was falling back, hands up to staunch the flow. Even as she looked around for a fourth victim, hair flying around her, a large hand came down on her shoulder. "What is this? Fighting?" Everybody froze.

The Sandaime Hokage took a long draw on his pipe, eying the situation. Three boys lying on the ground nursing various injuries, and one girl with her head hanging, red hair shielding her face from view. Typical school ground fight. In a society where fighting wasn't at all uncommon, it still wasn't a good thing for future teammates to be beating each other up. But it would be even worse for them to rat each other out. "Who can tell me what happened?" Nobody answered. He hummed approvingly, not that the children knew that. "You boys should get those injuries checked. If I see any of you in the hospital after today, I will have to include your parents." The children cringed. Shinobi parents weren't known for being laid back. "Where is your sensei?" Four fingers pointed towards the building. Without another word the Hokage sauntered in that direction, not looking back at the children.

Only when he was gone did the group release a collective sigh of relief. Kushina stood to one side, tugging on her red hair and glaring defiantly at her victims. The last boy she had attacked got shakily to his feet, one hand still staunching his nose. "You aren't a tomato; you're a Bloody Habanero…"

"Let. Me. Go!" Kushina struggled wildly against her captor. The man had snuck into her apartment and grabbed her before she had time to react, pressing a rag soaked in chloroform over her mouth. When she had awoken, it was to being carried away from the village, bound in the man's arms.

"Not a chance, you belong to us now," the man hissed back. "And now that you're awake…" he dropped her unceremoniously on the ground, and the girl rolled a few times before being able to stop herself with her feet. "Walk."

"No!"

His hand cracked across her face, whipping her head to the side. "I said walk you little brat."

Kushina tasted blood from her split lip as she forced herself to her knees. "Where are you taking me?" She already recognized their vests and hitai-ate as Kumo.

"Little girls that talk too much lose their tongues," grinned a second man, waving a kunai in front of her eyes to make the point stick. "Shut up and walk."

Kushina did as she was told, struggling a bit with he hands bound behind her. She could feel her long hair cascading over her back, hiding her arms and hands from view. She tested the bonds tentatively and found them to be sound, keeping her from even wiggling her upper limbs. I can't escape…I have to leave a trail. The only means she had to do so was right behind her.

Keeping her eyes open and ahead of her, Kushina plucked a strand of hair from her head by pulling hard on it, then dropped it as she walked. No alarms, so her captors must not have noticed. Twenty steps later she did it again, making sure to use the hand bound to her right, as a man was walking on her left.

Someone from Konoha, you had better be searching for me!

They were nearing the border of the Land of Fire…as soon as they passed over it, there would be almost no hope of rescue, Kushina knew that. Where are they? If nobody showed up…she would be bound to Kumo forever. And who knew what they planned to do with her?

There was a rustle in the bushes to her right. Immediately the head of the three men 'escorting' her snapped in that direction, and hand signals determined who would check it out. The man approached the bushes tentatively, making an arc in front of them before sending a kunai. Nothing. He moved closer, stepping into them…and disappeared with a strangled yell.

The other two men were instantly wary, surrounding her with weapons drawn. Another rustle from the same bush and a spool of ninja wire shot out to wrap around one man's feet. He fell heavily, distracting his partner. Two well placed kunai and both were dead.

Kushina stood in the middle, looking around warily, both hands still bound behind her back. A sudden swooping sensation, and she was up in somebody's arms headed back the way she had come.

"We should get away from here before their accomplices figure out why they haven't shown up," came a light voice by her ear. Kushina turned her head to see a shock of blond hair, Konoha hitai-ate, and open jacket over fishnet. The flake.

"How did you find me?" She couldn't keep the slightest quiver out of her voice, to her dismay. It had been a very close call.

"Well you see…" he gave that awkward laugh that had irritated her before. "I followed the trail. I couldn't miss your beautiful hair on the ground; I noticed it right away." He blushed a little as he said that, not meeting her eyes.

"…" She stared at him, mouth open. Was that a compliment? He's the first person to ever compliment me on my hair…"You're not so bad after all," she muttered to herself, looking up at the blond boy holding her as he jumped along the trees.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, -ttebane!" Maybe my hair isn't…horrible. Maybe it's my own thread of fate…leading me to him…