Chapter 63

                                    

                                          
"And how is my favorite brat?"
Kenji ruffled Kushina's hair and pulled out a chair, hazel eyes locked onto the seal that their great-aunt had no doubt taught her. His young cousin scowled, swatting his hand away from her hair before finally glaring at him. He chuckled, not caring one bit that his cousin was annoyed with his behavior. It wasn't every day that he could visit his favorite cousin, not when their grandfather was always sending him to do mission.
"I'm not a brat!" Kushina yelled, puffing her cheeks at him and arms folded against her chest.
Kenji hummed a little tune, looking at his cousin from head to toe before picking up one of the empty scrolls. Kushina raised her eyebrows and he grinned before whacking her lightly on the head, causing the young girl to wince and wrinkle her nose at him. "To me, you will always be the brat, who is causing unnecessary trouble for Gramps."
"Well Gramps doesn't have the same belief as you!" Violet eyes brightened and gleamed with so much joy. The red-haired girl twisted her chair around and leaned forward, lips curled into a bright smile. A smile that Kenji hadn't seen since the death of his uncle two years ago. "He thinks I'm responsible enough to take care of his oldest sister!"
A part of him feels happy that their grandfather was allowing Kushina have more responsibility. That their grandfather can finally look Kushina in the eye without remembering his uncle. But he felt weary too. He knows their grandfather's sister had a grandchild that could take care of her better than Kushina.
Kushina was only seven and she barely knows how to take care of herself at times.
He recalls of a conversation between their grandfather and the Third Hokage when he thinks carefully of her words. At the time, Kenji didn't mean to overhear the conversation between them. He just wanted to find that brat Asa and scold him for leaving his medical books scattered around the living room.
"I presume that Mito-sama has told you why I have decided to come and visit you." Okay so maybe Kenji did want to hear it and maybe Kushina wasn't the only busybody in their family. He always heard of Mito-obaachan and her skill in sealing, but he never heard his grandfather talk about her. "Is there anyone that you think is capable of being the second Jinchuuriki? Mito-sama made it quite clear that only an Uzumaki can handle the Kyuubi."
There had been a slight pause before his grandfather cleared his throat. "There is someone that I think is capable but there are few conditions that needs to be met..."
Kenji never heard what happened next because Ren found him and proceeded to drag him away from the study, telling him that he shouldn't overhear conversations between two old people. But now as he looked at his smiling cousin, Kenji felt a pit of dread and anger creeping up in him. His grandfather wouldn't do this to Kushina, would he? Kushina only had them now.
Kenji never says it out loud but he doesn't have any sisters. His mother died giving birth to Asa, who was unfortunately a rude little shit that thinks he knows everything because he read a book. But Kushina was different. His uncle had given him Kushina to hold, telling him that Kushina needs to be protected from every bad thing. Kenji never takes anything seriously but he does takes his uncle's words seriously.
No, maybe he was wrong because Kushina was his grandfather's favourite grandchild. His grandfather couldn't be cold-blooded and tear their whole family apart by sending her to Konoha.
"Kenji-niisan?" Violet eyes flashed with confusion and Kenji was reminded again of just how young his cousin was. A part of him feels like telling her of what he heard but then he recalls of the importance of alliances. He also thinks that maybe he was being a fool and that maybe it was as Kushina claims.