Origins

There were many rumors about the Uzumaki clan. It was said that they could take on an entire army by themselves. Whenever there was a war, they were the ones a country wanted as their allies and feared having as enemies. The few survivors that were left on a battlefield found themselves in a mental institution, repeating the words "Foxes" and "Monsters". No one understood what happened that could cause battle hardened warriors to lose their minds. It was also said that the Uzumaki had one great shinobi, the most powerful that had ever been in the clan. Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, and it was said that she could destroy an army or an entire village by herself.

Is it true what they say?

Are we too blind to find a way?

Fear of the unknown

Clouds our hearts today.

Understanding the importance of maintaining an alliance with the Uzumaki Clan, Namikaze Minato begged that the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi, send him to talk with the clan. At first Sarutobi was against such an idea, however situations with Iwagakure and the threat of a third great shinobi war looming on the horizon forced Sarutobi to allow Minato to talk with the Uzumaki.

Come into my world,

See through my eyes.

Try to understand,

Don't want to lose what we have.

Three days Minato spent traveling to Uzu no Kuni and the compound of the Uzumaki. Once there Minato was placed under the care of Kushina who would act as a guide. Kushina loathed the idea of letting an outsider into their clan, but had no real choice in the matter since the elders of the clan decided everything. Minato tried to make the best of it, attempting to become friendly with the red-headed kunoichi. Kushina did her best to ignore the cheerful blonde, but failed miserably. She found herself drawn to his goofy and cheerful exterior and quickly warming up to him. After about a month of staying with them, and succeeding in creating the alliance, Minato asked if Kushina could come with him and visit Konohagakure. Seeing no harm in it, the elders allowed it, but demanded that Minato return with her when the time came.

We've been dreaming

But who can deny?

It's the best way of living

Between the truth and the lies.

By this time the Third Great Shinobi War had broken between Iwagakure and Konohagakure. Kushina offered to help with the Konohagakure forces asking only that either Minato be with her or she be by herself. Minato had quickly learned why Kushina was considered the best within the clan, though not the real secret all Uzumaki clan members possessed. That secret Kushina would do her best to hide from all those in Konoha, especially from Minato. By the time the war ended, Kushina and Minato had grown close, so close that Kushina dreaded returning to Uzu no Kuni and parting ways with Minato. What she found upon her return to Uzu no Kuni was nothing but death and destruction.

See who I am,

Break through the surface.

Reach for my hand,

Let's show them that we can

Free our minds and find a way.

The world is in our hands,

This is not the end.

The entirety of Uzu no Kuni was devastated, not a single building was left standing. Minato and Kushina quickly rushed forward to search for any possible survivors, but all they found were corpses. One corpse, which was not from Uzu no Kuni, made Kushina's rage boil. She saw nothing but red and finally lost control. Her body morphed, changed and grew into a distinct animal's body. There, standing before Minato was a massive nine tailed kitsune. The Kitsune roared into the sky, and took off for Mizu no Kuni, or more precisely Kirigakure no Sato since the corpse bore that village's symbol. Much of Kirigakure's forces were eradicated before the great Kitsune's anger diminished and Kushina returned to normal.

Fear is withering the soul

At the point of no return.

We must be the change we wish to see.

Minato, who had followed the enraged Kushina turned kitsune, his curiosity overcoming his fear, paid witness to the destructive nature. By the time it was all over Minato was more worried about the mental and physical well-being of Kushina then he was afraid of her raw power. On the trip back to the ruined Uzu no Kuni, to pay their last respects, Kushina was completely unresponsive and this worried Minato to no end. But it also showed him that she was sorrowful of her actions, that she did not take pleasure in taking vengeance against the village that attacked her home land. Normally Kushina was in control of her kitsune form, but the guilt of not being there to help her clan coupled with the rage she felt at finding that Kirigakure destroyed her country, caused her to lose control of her emotions. The rage induced-bloodlust was simply too great for her senses to overcome. Along the way to Konohagakure, Kushina explained the truth behind the Uzumaki clan.

I'll come into your world,

See through your eyes.

I'll try to understand,

Before we lose what we have.

All Uzumaki were kitsune in human form, though not to be confused with demons. Long ago when Inari was still just the god of agriculture, he was given command of fox spirits by Kami-sama. These spirits became known as Kitsune, often acting as his messengers to the mortals. Eventually the kitsune spirits were given physical form by Inari himself, taking up the clan name Uzumaki for the various whirlpools that surrounded their island. When in full kitsune form, their multiple tails acted as a means of telling age and wisdom, along with storing much of their power. But Kushina's nine tails stood for something different.

We just can't stop believing

Because we have to try.

We can rise above the truths and the lies.

Kushina, perhaps because of some influence of Inari or Kami-sama, was born with all nine of the tails. And because of this was constantly feared, many of the clan members feared that Kushina did not have the experience needed to control the vast power the nine tails granted. Many feared that Kushina would lose control and cause untold destruction. This caused Kushina to become cold in the heart and distance herself from everyone… or she was until she met Minato.

See who I am,

Break through the surface.

Reach for my hand,

Let's show them we can

Free our minds and find a way.

The world is in our hands,

This is not the end.

Minato didn't run as Kushina expected him to. Hell, he even drew her close and held her tight. It was in that moment that both Minato and Kushina first confessed and shared their love for each other. And for a time the couple was happy to live their lives in peace within the walls of Konohagakure. The happiest news was when Kushina found herself pregnant with Minato's child. Not even when Minato was made Yondaime Hokage were the two so happy. The next nine months was filled with nothing but preparing for the new addition to the Namikaze family. But all would not remain as it should be.

I hear the silence

Preaching my blame.

Will our strength remain

If their power reigns?

A single man, by the name of Uchiha Madara, would cause untold grief and sorrow for the Namikaze. He had sworn that he would bring down Konohagakure no matter what he had to do. He had failed once, the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, beating him in one finale showdown. He had thought that using a demon fox in the attack would give him the victory. But Hashirama had a technique that negated his use of the demon. At the end of their great battle many thought he was dead, but that wasn't true. He was immortal. He knew not how he became so nor did he care. It was enough to know that he was. But with his defeat, he was forced into hiding.

With nothing else to occupy his time, he reflected on the past. Somewhere along the line it became an obsession, showing that the Uchiha were the strongest and that those who allied with the Senju were weak. The Uchiha and the Senju had always been ravel clans, always on opposite ends of a conflict. He would never forgive the Uchiha for betraying his wishes and allying with the Senju clan when Konohagakure was first formed. This time, however, Konohagakure would be destroyed… but more importantly the traitorous Uchiha would be destroyed as well.

See who I am,

Break through the surface.

Reach for my hand,

Let's show them that we can

Free our minds and

Find a way.

The world is in our hands,

The day that Minato and Kushina's baby son was born was also the saddest day for Konohagakure. But she didn't mean it, she never meant to do it. After all, why would she wish to destroy a village she had vowed to protect? But Madara had somehow found out about her clan secret, and lured her away. Using the technique that he thought only worked on demon foxes, perhaps there was some connection between the two? Either way he force Kushina into an enraged furry, becoming nothing more then a bloodthirsty beast. She had tried fighting against the urges, beating whatever technique that the man used on her. But nothing worked, and while her body and actions did one thing her soul and thoughts were completely different… grieving and praying that Minato would forgive her.

Minato was devastated when an enraged Kushina returned, destroying everything in sight. He didn't understand why she was doing this. He knew her, knew that she loved this village as much as he did. So what caused her to become so enraged? It was a question he'd have to solve another time. He did know that eventually she would calm down and return to her normal self, but by then it would be too late to save the village. So the real question he had to ask himself was, should he be selfish and wait… or do everything in his power to save the village?

He couldn't wait. He wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he did nothing and caused hundreds of innocents to be killed, all so that he and his family could be happy. He simply couldn't do that. He had sworn an oath, as the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, to protect the village and all those living within its walls, with his very life if he needed to. So that's what he did. Minato gave up his life to the Shinigami in order to seal his beloved wife's soul within their newborn baby son, effectively destroying Kushina's physical body. And his last wish was for his child to be seen as a hero. But it would not be.

See who I am,

Break through the surface.

Reach for my hand,

Let's show them that we

Free our minds and

Find a way.

The world is in our hands,

The villager's, in their ignorance and fear, treated the boy with nothing but hate. Casting him out of stores and restaurants, beating him for the most of mundane of offenses. And the child, when alone at night, would wonder why he had no parents to hold him like all the other kids his age. But he found solace within his own dreams. The boy would never know why, but he felt so at peace when asleep.

For within the boy's mind Kushina held the astral representation of her son close to her, wishing with every fiber of her being that she could have her own physical body so that she could be with her son; to comfort him and show him the love of a mother. She continued to cry out to Inari-sama and Kami-sama to answer her prayer and release her from the reaper's seal. But her pleas went unheard, and she cried for her son behind caged bars. But she also vowed that she would use her powers to help keep her son safe. Healing his wounds when he was hurt, keeping him warm when cold at night, whispering into his ear when he was asleep.

But when day broke she roared, her power lashing out, the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki doing its job of keeping her at bay. And when her anger vanished, she slumped against the bars, tears streaming down her face. And when night returned, she held the astral form of her son once again, rocking back and forth, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. But whether it was for the boy's sanity or her own she neither knew nor cared. And she continued to cry out her pleas to the gods above.

This is not the end.

The song that was used is "See Who I Am" by Within Temptation. The reason why I wrote this is because it was a thought I had about who Kushina really was given the very few facts that we have been given. So this is what I thought happened.

On a side note Konohagakure no Sato translate as The Hidden Leaf Village, the same with Iwagakue and Kirigakure. Many sorten it to only Konoha, meaning Leaf I believe. Again the same about Iwa, meaning Stone, and Kiri, meaning Mist. Uzu no Kuni translates as Whirlpool Country, along with Mizu no Kuni meaning Water Country.

Hakke no Fuuin Shiki, translates as Eight Divination Signs Seal Style, is the seal that's placed on Naruto's stomach. Not to be confused with the Shiki Fuujin, translates Corpse Spirit Sealing Method, that Sarutobi used in his fight against Orochimaru.

On another note, Kami is the name of the japanese god. "-sama" used as an honor-fic ued with important people, usually translates as Lord or Lady, but can be used as a sign of respect to anyone. Inari is also the god of fertilitty, rice and industry not just agriculture and foxes.

Well, I hope you enjoyed his story. Please review!