Third Person POV____

Kiku hummed a small tune as she held Kushinas' hand. "My boyfriend Minato just got a new student. I'm sure you two are gonna get along just fine." Kushina grinned as she led the small girl through the halls.

"What is his name?" Kiku asks as she looks up at Kushina. "His name is Kakashi, he recently just graduated from the academy." Kushina says.

Kiku couldn't help but feel excited, she never really talked or played with kids her age. When she lived with her parents she spent most of her time locked away in her chambers, she'd read books and find small games to play by herself. At least that is what she did when she wasn't curled up in pain.

Kiku looked down at her dark blue ninja sandals. Kushina had given them to her and she had dressed her up in a light yukata. It wasn't like the silk ones she had back home, but it was soft and comfy with light shade of orange and yellow flowers printed on them.

As they walked out of the building Kiku couldn't help, but look around. It was the first time she had walked down a street in broad daylight.

In order to avoid large crowds and exposing innocent bystanders to Kiku, Kushina made sure to lead Kiku through desolated back alleys that were scattered around in the village.

Every time they passed by an alley way, Kiku would catch a glimpse of the more crowded streets. Although they were vague glimpses, she excitedly watched the people bustle through the streets shopping and chattering.

Kushina noticed but didn't say anything. She personally thought that the treatment that Kiku was receiving was a bit too cruel.

Orochimaru was suppose to be her main caretaker and it's not like he was bad at it. Kiku never seemed to be hungry and she was always washed and clean, but he tended to neglect her emotionally.

Something Kushina had noticed was that Kiku was shy at first but when kiku noticed that Kushina was actually paying attention to her, she rambled on about different things and became a chatter box.

Kushina glanced over towards Kiku. Even through the muzzle she could see kiku smiling happily.

Kushina forced herself to look away. 'She isn't human, she isn't human.' She chanted to herself to help lessen the guilt she felt.

Kushina's eyes slightly trailed back to the small girl.

In a way she saw a bit of herself in Kiku. When she had the Kyubii sealed inside of her, the people who knew started to treat her like she was some sort of monster.

And although it was a S-rank secret most of the skilled high ranking ninja had already concluded that she had taken over the roll of jinchuriki from Lady Mito.

It was like an open secret to all who were in the know. It was because of how the veteran ninja and clan heads treated her that others were wary about her.

In terms of status and nobility , she was one of the last Uzumaki that had originally been from Uzushiogakure. But despite her high status in clan and nobility, she was still ostracized.

Also, Kiku was not someone that they would keep hidden away, especially with the issues going on in the borders of Iwa and Kumo.

She was sure that war would break out and if Kiku proved to be strong enough she would be sent out into the fighting. Everyone would see her abilities, and when that happened she was sure that Kiku would be shunned and rejected from most social circles.

If they scorned her for being the prison for the Kyubii, why wouldn't they outcast Kiku who was like a monster in human flesh.

Kushina slightly shook her head as she tried not to think about it.

"There's a cafe, it's not really popular since most people prefer tea, but it's really good." Kushina spoke up and Kiku looked up at her.

"What's a café?" She asks as she childishly kicked her legs up slightly as she walked.

"It's a place where they sell coffee. Minato has suggested we go out to eat, but I figured you'd prefer drinking coffee." Kushina smiled as she looked at Kiku.

The small girl's face lit up at the thought of coffee. "I like coffee, Orochimaru-sama always makes me some in the lab." She says and Kushina chuckles and smiles.

"I know, I bring you all of the beans." Kushina gave her a smile as she made another turn.

"Look there it is." Kushina added as she pointed to the small coffee shop tucked away in one of the empty streets.

"Hurry up now." Kushina smiled as she sped up her pace. Kiku had a hard time keeping up with Kushina's pace but she followed behind her anyway.

As they walked into the coffee shop Kiku's eyes widened. Kiku sniffed the air as the aroma of coffee filled her senses.

"Minato-kun!" Kushina called out excitedly as she spotted him with Kakashi in one of the small tables by the windows.

Kiku turned to see who Kushina was talking to, she noticed a young man with bright blond hair and blue eyes. Her eyes widened in shock at his hair color, then her eyes trailed off to the small white haired boy that was sitting beside him.

Kiku slightly took a step back her cheeks flushing as she noticed the young boy. He wore a mask just like her, and he was about her height. "Something wrong Kiku?" Kushina asked as she looked down at her. Kiku flushed even more and hid behind Kushina's legs.

Kushina glanced over at where Minato and Kakashi were and back down at Kiku before laughing loudly and ruffling her hair.

"C'mon." She led Kiku over to Kakashi and Minato. "Hey, Kushina." Minato smiled as the two of them made it to their table.

Kakashi looked over Kushina and Kiku in disinterest, he cocked a brow as he looked at Kiku. "Pst, sensei.... why does that weird girl have a muzzle on?" Kakashi whispered and Minato couldn't help but chuckle nervously.

"Now, Kakashi you shouldn't call people weird." Minato whispered back.

Kiku stumbled slightly and twiddled with her fingers as she walked behind Kushina. "Now kiku, this is my friend Minato Namikaze and his student, Kakashi Hatake. You two are about the same age, he is a year older than you." She added and Kiku sheepishly waved at him as Kushina took a seat across from Minato.

Kakashi wrinkled his nose slightly and cocked his head as he had a better view of Kiku's mask.

Kiku couldn't help but subconsciously touch her mask. " You wear a mask too?" She asked and Kakashi was slightly taken back. "Uh, yeah I have a mask too." he says quietly before glancing at Minato.

Minato and Kushina glanced at each other knowingly. Although he had called her weird in a not so quiet whisper. It was obvious that he wanted to talk with her but he was too stubborn and prideful to do so without being prompted to by Minato.

"Here, you two can pick out a drink." Kushina stated as she placed a menu down and then picked up Kiku and sat her down in the chair beside Kakashi.

Kiku was smiling as she pushed her long straight hair back. "I'm Kiku Iwai from the-" kiku was interrupted by Kushina. "You like your coffee black right?" Kushina asked and Kiku looked over at Kushina and nodded.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, and I'm a genin." He stated as he sat beside her calmly, or at least he looked calm but from how fast he was swinging his legs he wasn't fooling Minato.

" A genin? What's that?" Kiku asked as she slightly wrinkled her nose. Kakashi stopped and turned to her. "Don't you know what a ninja is?" He asked and she paused for a moment and hummed as she remembered the ninja's she had met.

"Kushina's a ninja but I don't really know what she does." Kiku stated as she shrugged. "Well, my dads a ninja and I recently graduated from the academy." Kakashi started off.

Both Kushina and Minato were quietly talking among themselves while watching over Kakashi and Kiku.

"I'm happy that she is reacting so calmly. One of the things that concerned the Hokage was her aggressiveness." Kushina whispered and Minato glanced over at the small girl.

"Aggressiveness?" He asked and Kushina nodded. "Because of the circumstances of how she was found, we feared that she might not be well adjusted in social settings. But she seems to be doing fine." Kushina muttered.

" I'm surprised Kakashi is even talking with her, he is usually more reserved, but I'm not going to lie. I had a few reservations on letting him be the one to talk with her. With the report I read I would have thought that she'd be more blood thirsty." He mumbled back and Kushina nodded slightly.

"Well at least there are no civilians here." Kushina stated as she looked around the room.

The coffee shop seemed to have a warm atmosphere, customers were lounging in their chairs and drinking coffee or enjoying some of the pastries. It seemed like a normal shop but in reality everyone present was a chunin level ninja and above.

There was no margin for error, hence they had taken all of the civilian staff out and Shinobi had dressed up in civilian clothing. This was more of a live observation in a controlled environment.

How does she act in a crowd of people, was there any bloodlust, any potential threat to the general public?

They were watching her while seeming to be interested in other things.

Kiku hadn't noticed that she was being observed, she was just happy to meet someone her age . When the waiter brought their drinks and pastries Kiku glanced over at Kushina.

"Kushina-San I can't drink my coffee." Kiku grumbled as she pointed at her mask.

Kushina frowned as she looked around the table and smiled as she grabbed a straw.

"You have to wear your mask at all times, so you can use a straw to drink your coffee. " Kushina states as she placed the straw in the coffee cup and Kiku wrinkled her nose.

It took her a moment, but she was able to push the plastic straw between the bars of her muzzle and tried sipping on her coffee.

"Eeeep!" She squealed loudly as she had burned her mouth while drinking the hot drink.

"Careful now. It's hot." Kushina states as she managed to grab the cup before Kiku dropped it.

"I, I don't like this mask." Kiku frowned and pouted in frustration as she placed both of her hands on the muzzle that was on her face.

The coffee shop seemed to quiet down as everyone tensed. Subconsciously, even Kushina stiffened at the sight of the pouting child. Minato looked like he was ready to take Kakashi and escape. It was like they were expecting for her to violently lash out, so all of the ninja were on edge as they observed quietly.

"W-well you have to wear it.... o-okay." Kushina pulled herself together immediately. Her hands became slightly clammy as she gently pet Kiku's hair.

Kiku seemed to calm down and everyone around them seemed to calm down.

Luckily Kakashi hadn't noticed that the tension in the room when Kiku had spoke up about her dislike of the muzzle. To him, he was meeting Kushina's new apprentice and because he thought of Kiku as an apprentice he assumed that she was a genius like him.

So to have someone like him or at a skill level like him, he was excited. He would definitely be telling his father about it as soon as he got home.

It took a few tries and Kushina had to cool off her Coffee for her. Kiku was soon able to drink her coffee and she made amicable conversation with Kakashi.

Kushina slightly turned back to Minato who seemed to be smiling and relaxed. At least to those that didn't know him, Kushina could see his hand on his Kunai pouch.

"This isn't good for my nerves." He mutters to her and Kushina couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. "Sorry I dragged you and Kakashi out here."

Minato relaxed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I know what I was signing up for." He added and Kushina gave him a half smile.

They spent about an hour or so in the shop before Kushina paid and both her and Kiku were walking back to Orochimaru's lab.

"So what did you think of Kakashi-kun?" Kushina asked her and Kiku smiled widely.

"He's really cool, he also has old people hair. He says he's a ninja. Am I going to be a ninja too?" She asks and Kushina glances over at her and nods. "Yup, your my student ya know." She grins and Kiku seemed to almost skip.

"Kakashi-kun told me all about his dad. I want to be a ninja like that!" Kiku spun and skipped as she walked.

"Maybe someday you'll be as big as the White Fang." She grinned and patted the small girls head.

Kushina could help but feel pity for the girl, in truth she'd never make it past Genin.

Sure, she could have the skills and leadership abilities later on in the future, but she wasn't even considered human. Chunin and Jonin were given the rank because they could lead teams and were strong.

But no matter how strong Kiku became, she would always be weapon for the village. A weapon with no free will, who would never get to lead anyone. She didn't have basic human rights, so why would she ever gain any freedom?
__________

A few weeks later___

"I'll never sell out my village!" A man screamed at the top of his lungs. He wore nothing but boxers, his body was covered in sweat, dirt and blood. His skin was a bluish tint from all of the bruises that covered him.

The leaf interogator didn't say anything as they stepped away from the prisoner. The man wiped his gloved hands with a stained rag and grabbed the file that he had with him.

The prisoner grinned in triumph as the interrogator left the room. He slumped and chuckled lowly to himself. He had been captured at the Iwa border, there was chance of war and there was no doubt in his mind that Konoha would execute him soon.

At this point he had given up on rescue and he was content with dying as a loyal Iwa solider, rather than spilling any information about his village.

But somehow he had managed to stay alive despite how he was being tortured. He was hoping that he would at least survive as a war prisoner for long enough to be exchanged back to his village.

But the likely hood of that happening was so small that he had no doubt in his mind he would be dead before that. He hoped for a swift death rather than a long held out one. But beggars can't be choosers.

Inadvertently the Leaf interogator sent a genin apprentice in to get the man cleaned up. Two younger genin walked in with two buckets of water and a brush.

One of the apprentices dumped soapy water over the Iwa prisoners head. The man shouted in pain as the suds of the soap got into his open wounds. The other genin roughly scrubbed the mans skin to get all of the dirt and sweat off.

All of the blood, sweat, and dirt was rinsed off and the two appretices stood up and left the room without a single word.

The man was left shivering and cold. He watched the dirty water drain down a pipe that was on the floor. He couldn't help but wonder why the sudden change of treatment. It was the first time that he'd bathed in weeks.

He could barely lift his head to look around him, but he could see wisps of green smoke coming from the vents in the jailcell. He tried to fight it off but soon he was unconcious.

When he woke up he was in another cell. Two other prisoners were held on either side of the room. From the lighting he couldn't see their face and they were gagged so they couldn't speak. He was chained and had seals placed on his arms to prevent him from using chakra.

"Damn, Konoha. They won't give up huh." He let out a half groan, his throat ached and felt strained from how he had been screaming and the lack of water and food.

"Guess you two have been here for a while as well." He muttered loud enough for the other prisoners to hear. 'What's the points of all this, I'm going to die' the man had given up mentally. He was doing his best to keep his sanity.

The door slowly opened and other ninja came in. Orochimaru, Kushina walked in with Kiku in tow. "So from now on, we will be feeding you live people. I've taught you the headbands. They are very important okay. They signify who you can and can't eat. These are rules you must obey. Understood."

"Yes, Ma'am." Kiku nodded diligently. "I know you feel a bit shy sometimes, but there will always be people watching you eat so you must get used to an audience as well. So this will be a test run okay." Kushina added.

Kiku nodded once more as she looked around the room. She noticed the men who were tied up, the two who were gagged and the one who was not. "Konoha getting soft? They bring children to the interrogate shinobi?" The man spit out glaring at them, especially at Orochimaru who he had immediately recognized.

Kiku stepped back slightly, before when she had started killing she got used to attacking in secret so people were always scared and ran away. They rarely stood up for themselves or boldly held their ground or lorded over her, but shinobi were different.

Just like the squad that blew her are off and decapitated her, almost all shinobi seemed to carry an aura of power. She felt weak beside them. Normal people and shinobi were not the same in any way.

"Back straight, you are a killing machine." Orochimaru placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward making Kiku squeak. "This is the man you are going to eat. Now walk up there and eat him." He stated in a stern voice. Unlike Kushina who was trying to ease Kiku into the lifestyle she was going to be in, Orochimaru pushed her forward with a firm steady hand.

Kiku looked up at him, blinking and for a moment unsure. But he didn't budge, instead he stared back with the same calm demeanor he always did.

It was the trauma. The feeling of exploding tag hitting her at point range, her arm being ripped off of her and growing back, the terror of running and being decapitated after being caught eating someone.

It was why she hadn't attacked anyone again. Despite how delicious some people smelled or if she an inclination of hunger.

Even without her knowing, she had been scared of Orochimaru hurting her when she ate the human meat he brought.

It took a while for that fear to go away, and soon she found herself comfortable with him occasionally glancing over at her eating.

And when Kushina started coming over she had a hard time adjusting once more. But, her mother had instilled manners into her, before she was kidnapped.

So she pushed on through, although she forgot her manners that she had so painstakingly learned she ate.

In the end now she was in front of both of them, some strangers and being told to eat a man.

She was obviously confused, but with Orochimaru's blessing she felt reassured.

Kushina on the other hand didn't know how to feel. She saw how Orochimaru treated her, yet Kiku immediately turned to him for reassurance.

Well more like Sandaime and Orochimaru, at least the latter considered Kiku a human. The Hokage treated the girl like a literal weapon, she never thought she could be disgusted by a person.

When she had been made jinchuriki, he had not reacted this way. She was welcomed with open arms, given protection, and all her needs were met. On the other hand Kiku got a twisted version of the man that Kushina hadn't known existed.

The girl turned back towards the person a small smile slowly forming on her face- eager. She hurried forward.

"Wait- get that creepy little girl away from me-"

She hadn't really gotten to close, and the man wasn't too sure that the girl could do anything. But a Sanin telling a little girl to commit cannibalism, after having two ninja take the time to wash him really good? Call him paranoid, but he was feeling anxious.

She really wasn't listening to him. There were other people who screamed louder and worse things, before.

Like a greedy rich child, who had been denied sweets for a long time she went for her favorite part first. She plunged her small fingers int his eye socket.

After doing it so many times while the squirm, doing it to someone who was chained up was easier.

The man screamed and hollered. He cussed trying to pull away from her. She brought the ruptured eye into her mouth and slurped it up.

"Mmmm!"

From there she looked him up and down trying to see what else she wanted to eat.

She kept taking bites off different places not caring to kill him or taking out her kagune. There was no point, he was chained up, he couldn't escape and it drained her since she had to use her blood. So she just continued to eat at her leisure.

Kushina felt sick, she wanted to vomit. It was one thing to watch her eat raw meat.

But to witness cannibalism. She could hear the muffled screams of the prisoners with the gags, smell the piss from fear -from the man who was being eaten alive or the ones who assumed they would be next she doesn't know-.

She glanced over at Orochimaru through her peripheral vision his calm demeanor hadn't changed. She wondered how he did it. She was frowning and holding back vomit.

Then the cracking began. It was like hearing someone eat crabs and lobsters where the start snapping off the limbs and then the shell.

Time went on as they all had to observe.

Kushina crossed her arms around herself. 'A child, a human, a child, a human, she's a human child.'

She looked back down at the scene of little hands digging deep into a cranium from the side. Pulling out pink mush and shoving it into her mouth. She had to get used to this, she had to accept this.

In the depths of her mind though, deep inside, she could understand those around her who couldn't deem Kiku human. A being who requires human flesh to live with different organs, even folklore spoke of yokai.

I'm not dead lol