Within that time, he had become more than just a ward of the Uzumaki Matriarch he had become her beloved little butler, a presence as constant as the sun rising over Konoha's tiled rooftops. Every morning, before the village awoke, Astra could be found assisting the elderly woman in her daily routines, tending to her needs with a grace and diligence beyond his years.
At just four years old, he was far too young to be considered a true servant, but Mito humoured his efforts nonetheless. He was meticulous in his duties, handling tea preparation, cleaning, and organizing Mito's scrolls, all while maintaining an air of calm sophistication. His small hands carried trays with practised ease, his delicate yet ethereal beauty causing visitors to second-guess whether the child before them was truly a boy.
And Astra let them wonder.
Tsunade, now fifteen, had long since realized the truth, but she found an odd amusement in the confusion Astra caused. Though she was often exasperated by the nobles and elders swooning over his angelic looks, she couldn't deny her fondness for him had deepened significantly.
He was no longer just an oddity that her grandmother had taken in.
He was her little brother.
And while she refused to admit it aloud, she was fiercely protective of him.
Nawaki, on the other hand, was a different story.
The Foolish Little Lord
Nawaki Senju was a boy of boundless energy, brimming with the naïve confidence of youth. At nine years old, he had made it his life's mission to become Hokage, just as his grandfather Hashirama had before him. He talked about it endlessly, boasting to anyone who would listen about how he would one day lead the village and protect its people.
Unfortunately for him, his abilities had yet to catch up with his ambitions.
Despite his best efforts, Nawaki was an unimpressive shinobi in the making his talent was average at best, his skills unrefined, and his arrogance often led him to overestimate his own strength.
It was a point of amusement for Astra, who often observed Nawaki's antics with quiet amusement.
"Watch this, Astra! I'm gonna do a perfect shuriken throw just like Grandpa!" Nawaki declared one afternoon, puffing out his chest as he readied his weapon.
Astra, standing by with his usual composed expression, simply inclined his head. "Oh? I look forward to seeing it."
With great determination, Nawaki hurled the shuriken only for it to veer off course and clatter against the training post with an embarrassingly dull thud.
Tsunade groaned, rubbing her temples. "Nawaki, you're embarrassing yourself."
Astra, ever polite, only nodded. "A valiant effort."
Nawaki scowled. "That's not a compliment, is it?"
Astra only smiled.
The Fall of Uzushio
Though life in Konoha continued as normal, far beyond the village's walls, a tragedy was unfolding.
The Uzumaki Clan once revered as the greatest fūinjutsu masters the world had ever seen was under siege.
The combined forces of Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure had descended upon Uzushio like a storm, seeking to eradicate the clan and claim their forbidden sealing techniques for themselves. It was a massacre.
By the time the battle had ended, Uzushio was no more. The proud, unshakable fortress of the Uzumaki Clan had been reduced to rubble, its people slaughtered, and its legacy all but erased.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, only one survivor remained.
A young girl, no older than four.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The Red-Hot Survivor
Tsunade arrived in Konoha's gates carrying the unconscious child in her arms. Her face was grim, her body battered from the battle she had fought to rescue the last remnant of the Uzumaki bloodline.
The guards at the gate watched in shock as the Senju heiress stormed past them, her usually composed demeanour replaced by barely restrained fury.
She went straight to the Hokage Tower, where Hiruzen Sarutobi sat waiting.
The Third Hokage, though burdened by the knowledge of what had transpired, maintained a mask of calm as he observed the girl Tsunade had brought before him.
Kushina stirred weakly, her crimson hair falling over her face as she blinked up at the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.
"…Where am I?" she murmured, her voice hoarse.
Tsunade knelt beside her, brushing her hair back gently. "You're safe now. You're in Konoha."
Kushina's violet eyes filled with confusion, then realization.
She bolted upright, her small hands gripping Tsunade's sleeve in desperation. "Where is everyone?! My clan—my mother..."
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"…They're gone."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kushina's small frame trembled, her fingers tightening in Tsunade's sleeve until her knuckles turned white. "No… No, no, no—"
A sob tore from her throat.
She cried, not the soft, restrained weeping of a child, but the raw, heart-wrenching grief of someone who had lost everything.
Tsunade could do nothing but hold her.
Meeting Astra
After being officially placed under Konoha's protection, Kushina was brought to Mito's home—the last sanctuary of the Uzumaki within the village.
She met Mito first, and though the elderly woman was kind, Kushina was wary.
It wasn't until she met Astra that something inside her changed.
He appeared before her in the garden, standing beneath the shade of a great sakura tree, dressed in his usual pristine white haori. His long crimson hair cascaded down his back in soft waves, glowing under the sunlight.
For a moment, Kushina thought she was seeing a ghost an Uzumaki untouched by the war, standing there like a dream.
Then he turned.
And their eyes met.
Celestial purple locked onto vibrant violet.
Time seemed to stop.
Astra tilted his head slightly, then smiled. "Hello, Kushina."
She didn't know why, but in that moment, all the fear, all the loneliness, all the grief that had been consuming her suddenly felt… lighter.
Warmth spread through her chest, an instinctive sense of belonging taking root deep inside her.
Without thinking, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
Astra, despite his usual composure, blinked in mild surprise. "…Oh?"
Kushina buried her face in his shoulder. "I-I'm not alone…" she whispered.
His arms slowly wrapped around her in return. "No. You're not."
The Nine-Tails' Approval
Unbeknownst to them, deep within Mito's seal, the great Nine-Tails stirred.
For the first time in decades, the fox opened its eyes and peered into the world beyond its prison.
Its gaze fell upon Astra.
And instead of rage…
It purred.
A deep, rumbling sound of satisfaction, like a beast recognizing something it had long sought but never found.
It did not understand why.
But it knew one thing for certain.
Astra Uzumaki was not ordinary.
And the Nine-Tails would be watching.
A Presence Beyond the Seal
As Kushina held onto Astra, his presence soothing the turmoil within her, something else stirred.
Astra's serene expression flickered for the briefest moment.
He felt… something.
Something ancient. Something vast.
His fingers twitched slightly as an unfamiliar warmth seeped into his core no, not warmth. Recognition.
From deep within the recesses of the seal inside Mito Uzumaki, a low voice, almost imperceptible, rumbled like distant thunder.
"You…"
Astra's eyes widened.
His breath caught.
And for the first time in his short life
he heard the voice of the Nine-Tails calling out to him.
But before he could react, Mito's voice cut through the air, breaking the moment.
"Astra. Kushina."
Both children looked up as the Uzumaki Matriarch stood before them, her aged eyes knowing, her gaze heavier than ever before.
"…It's time we talked."
And Astra suddenly knew
Whatever she was about to say would change everything.