(Canon-adapted context: frontline deployment during the Third Shinobi World War)
"This time, we absolutely cannot let Kushina off so easily!"
"I agree. She went too far this time."
"And what's going on with that disciple of hers? Wasn't he supposed to stabilize her? Why did the two of them end up causing trouble together?"
"In any case, she must receive severe punishment. The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki peeking into the Scroll of Seals is extremely dangerous."
"But she didn't take the scroll, nor did she make any copies. Strictly speaking, no serious damage was done."
"Sarutobi, this isn't about whether damage was done or not—it's about her attitude. She accessed the Scroll of Seals casually and without restraint. That's the real problem!"
...
The Hokage and several senior advisors held an intense discussion over the shocking incident Kushina had caused. Opinions were sharply divided regarding her punishment.
Although the Third Hokage was displeased with Kushina's actions, during the argument he still found himself speaking up for her more than once.
First, the final disciplinary decision for Uzumaki Kushina and Hagoromo must be stated:
House confinement for four months.
If those four months had been spent in Konoha Prison, the punishment would have been terrifying. Enemy shinobi rarely survived more than two weeks in that place, and even traitors from within the village received the same treatment. While Kushina and Hagoromo's actions didn't qualify them as missing-nin, suffering in prison would have been unavoidable.
However, the confinement was not carried out in prison—it was simply restricted isolation in their own homes.
To Hagoromo, this punishment was practically meaningless. Spending four months indoors was nothing to him.
To Kushina, who was wild, free-spirited, and utterly incapable of sitting still, this was a severe sentence.
The other advisors strongly objected, believing the Hokage's judgment was far too lenient. Unfortunately for them, the Third Hokage stood firmly by his decision.
This touched upon Konoha's governing principle:
while a Hokage is in office, the advisors possess only the right to advise, not to decide. All final authority rests with the Hokage. Only when the Hokage's seat is vacant do the advisors temporarily wield part of that power.
That said, their greatest influence lay in one area—the selection of the next Hokage.
In short, when it came to Kushina's case, they had no choice but to obey the Hokage's ruling. They could be dissatisfied, but they could not interfere.
And so, the days of confinement for Kushina and Hagoromo began.
For Hagoromo, each day followed the same routine:
refining chakra, training ninjutsu, studying sealing jutsus, strengthening taijutsu, eating, sleeping—one day ending as another began.
An ANBU shinobi was assigned to monitor him and deliver his meals daily.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Then a new year passed.
During confinement, Hagoromo spent his twelfth birthday in isolation.
And then, four months were over.
After four long months, Kushina and Hagoromo finally met again. Aside from the ANBU guards, this was the first time either of them had seen another living person.
"Kushina-sensei, I think you've gotten fairer," Hagoromo remarked the moment they met. "Your skin care routine seems pretty good."
Of course she was pale—she hadn't seen sunlight in four months.
"Is that so?" Kushina replied. "You still look as pale as ever. I don't know if I'm fairer, but I do feel like I'm afraid of sunlight now."
As she spoke, she raised a hand to shield her eyes.
Clear, translucent skin. Aversion to sunlight. Overwhelming combat power…
Wait—was she switching character settings now? Was Kushina secretly from some nocturnal combat race instead of the Uzumaki clan?
In any case, Kushina had finally regained her freedom—and after being suppressed for so long, certain urges had become impossible to restrain.
She wanted to go to the front lines.
This time, no amount of persuasion would work. She was determined to leave Konoha and head to the battlefield.
Naturally, the Hokage refused.
So Kushina began writing fifty petitions a day to the Hokage—and persisted relentlessly.
Eventually, the Hokage gave in.
Before Kushina could cause another incident, he agreed to let her take on a short-term frontline mission.
Perhaps this was compensation for confining her for so long.
In summary:
Several years into the Third Shinobi World War, after relentless insistence, Kushina was finally dispatched to the front.
This proved one simple truth: persistence is terrifying. If you keep at something long enough, you'll eventually get a result—whether good or bad.
To ensure Kushina's safety, the mission assigned was relatively mild. Although classified as an A-rank mission, it wasn't guaranteed to involve combat.
Their task was to escort a team of medical-nin to Konoha's forward command post on the Sunagakure front.
At this stage, Konoha already held the advantage against the Sand Village. Sunagakure was likely considering how to withdraw from the war with dignity.
The official trigger for the Third Shinobi World War had been the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, but in reality, this war was merely a continuation of unresolved conflicts from the Second Shinobi World War. The Kazekage incident was nothing more than an excuse—a spark for long-simmering hostilities.
Early in the war, Sunagakure forces had invaded the Land of Fire. Konoha quickly stabilized the situation and, over the following years, gradually pushed the battle lines back. However, due to fighting on multiple fronts, Konoha had not yet counterattacked into the Land of Wind.
The current battlefield lay within the Land of Rivers, a small nation between the two great powers.
On the front lines, forces were interlocked like the teeth of a saw, with clashes capable of erupting at any moment. Strategically speaking, however, Konoha now held the initiative.
As a result, the Sunagakure front was considered one of the relatively safer theaters of war.
The medical unit consisted of twenty medical-nin, all non-combat specialists. Their fighting capability was effectively negligible, meaning they required heavy protection.
Naturally, the escort force wouldn't consist of just Kushina and Hagoromo—two people protecting twenty others would be suicide, not an escort.
In addition to the teacher-and-student pair, the protection detail included four ANBU squads, totaling sixteen operatives.
Altogether, the escort force numbered eighteen shinobi.
However, the truth was that the ANBU's mission orders stated very clearly:
Primary protection target: Uzumaki Kushina
Secondary protection target: the medical-nin
If necessary, all twenty medical-nin could be abandoned.
Thus, rather than escorting the medical unit, those sixteen ANBU were really there to protect—and monitor—Kushina.
As for our protagonist, Hagoromo?
Sorry—ANBU wouldn't be paying him any attention.
On the battlefield, he would be on his own.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789