Kazuma could only look at Hotaru’s back, dumb with horror. The thing was metallic. And it was fused with Hotaru's flesh. This piece of metal was probably only the visible part. Hotaru's back was deformed because of it. There were uneven bumps streaked with bloated veins, stretching the skin like an old scar.

Kazuma was having trouble breathing. The silence seemed deafening to him. He thought of Neji, the seal on his forehead, the anger in his voice. He thought about Karin and how she refused to talk about her mother or the village of Kusa. He thought of Sasuke, Izumi, Jun, and their looks when they had to pass near the streets where the old Uchiha district once stood. He thought of Naruto and the fear in his eyes, the secret that had been imposed on him, and why, why people were doing these horrible things to each other.

“It’s my clan's kinjutsu,” Hotaru said, readjusting her kimono and masking again her mutilated back. “When I was little when my grandfather became my sensei, he was afraid the kinjutsu would be stolen so I told him that he could entrust it to me. I ... I don't regret shouldering it even if it hurt, even if I was scared. But I didn't prove myself worthy of it.”

She turned to them. She had closed her kimono. There was nothing left to guess the presence of this thing grafted on her spine. But Kazuma could never forget it.

“It is my fault my clan was exterminated,” she continued in a choppy voice. “Samidare was right. It's my fault my grandfather died, if the Tsuchigumo village was attacked, because... They were looking for the kinjutsu of the clan. They were looking for me. But when the nukenins... When Samidare and his men attacked, I was scared. So Grandpa took me out through a secret passage and sent me with Tonbee to get Konoha to send help. And everyone died because of it! Because I ran away. I had our clan’s greatest weapon! I was their weapon, their defense, and I wasn't there at all. And even if I had been there... I didn’t even know how to use it. I was too weak, I never got the chance to learn to use it. I thought I had more time.”

She paused and took a deep breath.

“Almost everyone was killed. And… the survivors of the Tsuchigumo clan didn’t want me to come back. They were right. I had abandoned them. It's not my home anymore. I could never go back, not with that shame. And when Samidare started talking, I was… I was scared. You guys could have turned around and left me…”

Kazuma suddenly regained his voice.

“What?!”

“Never!” Naruto added with conviction. “We'll never abandon you!”

Hotaru smiled weakly.

“Yes. You stayed. And you risked your lives for me, even if ... Even if it was my fault that you were in danger. So ... Naruto, whatever your secret, we will never abandon you either.”

The young Uzumaki fell apart once again. He seemed torn. Finally, in a very low voice, he started to speak.

“The Nine-Tails who attacked Konoha twelve years ago ... The Yondaime Hokage couldn’t kill it. So he sealed it in the body of a newborn baby.”

He pressed a hand against his belly. Hotaru's eyes grew.

“You are…”

"A Jinchuriki… The Nine-Tails is in your body.” Kazuma finished in a breath.

Everything became clear. Of course, it made sense now. How did he miss it? The secret, the surveillance of the ANBU, the incredible endurance of Naruto which seemed to have inexhaustible chakra reserves, his birthday… It was the same day the Kyuubi attacked the village. And Kazuma knew of Jinchurikis because Jun had explained to them what they were! They were seen as the greatest weapon of a village ... No wonder it was a S-Rank Secret.

“Do you know what it is?” Naruto timidly asked while staring at him.

Kazuma rubbed his neck with embarrassment.

“A little… Jun is a Fuinjutsu master. You must use Fuinjutsu to seal a Biju in a person. He told us about it last year because he was sent on a mission to Suna to investigate their Jinchuriki.”

“A Biju?” Hotaru repeated.

“ Yes. Creatures like the Nine-tails are also called Bijus or tailed beasts.” “There are nine in total, and most of them are sealed inside a person. All the big villages have at least one.”

“Hang on!” Naruto cried in alarm. “When you say your brother explained it to you, was Sasuke there too?”

“Yeah, he told my whole family about it, including Sasuke. But he didn't tell us you were one, he just explained what it was!”

Jun had mentioned to them the identity of Konoha's Jinchuriki was an S-rank secret. Kazuma never thought Naruto was Konoha’s Jinchuriki. There was a brief silence. Hotaru, her eyes wide, was digesting the news. Kazuma wondered who else knew. The adults knew; it was obvious. But it was because they had experienced the Kyuubi attack. The others... The younger ones knew nothing. And since it was a secret of rank S. No one had told them. With whom could Naruto have shared this secret? Kazuma suddenly felt very small, in front of the immense proof of confidence that his teammate had shown.

“It doesn't change anything for me,” he said, trying to muster all his sincerity into his voice. “You are Naruto, you are my teammate and my friend, and nothing will change because there is a Biju inside you.”

Naruto looked at him, looking surprisingly vulnerable. Then his gaze turned to Hotaru.

“Same for me… Your secret doesn't change anything. I know ... I understand what it is to have something dangerous sealed in you.”

She was right, Kazuma thought. Who but Hotaru could know what it was like to be turned into a weapon? Hotaru may have chosen it, but Naruto, on the other hand, had become a Jinchuriki when he was just a baby. He didn't ask anyone anything. Someone decided for him, but he was the one suffering from it.

Silence returned to the barn. It was dark now outside. Kazuma wondered with bewilderment how the day had passed so quickly. This morning, they hadn’t yet reached the village and were preparing with apprehension to capture the bandits. And then, they had captured the bandits, lost them, almost lost their sensei, learned that he used the Mokuton, faced a Jonin from another village, learned about Hotaru's past, learned Naruto’s secret... Kazuma felt drained. What a day! He was willing to bet that Jun's first C-rank mission had not been as chaotic as this one.

“And you, Kazuma?” Hotaru asked in a joking tone, trying to relax the atmosphere. “Don't you have a big secret to reveal?”

“That's right!” Naruto laughed. “It’s your turn!”

Kazuma smiled as he thought about the question. He thought about himself, and the fact that he had as much chance of awakening the Sharingan as the Byakugan or something completely new. He thought of the Raging Rupture seal, which protected his eyes. He thought of Izumi, who had activated her Sharingan without anyone other than her family knowing. He thought of Neji and their blood connection.

He thought of the Hyuga clan and the village that voluntarily turned a blind eye to their practice. He thought of his father, a Hyuga killed because of his own family, a secret shamefully buried. He thought of his mother, the first Uchiha killed by another Uchiha within Konoha. He thought of Sasuke, of the solitude he could not articulate, to all the fear and sorrow buried under his stoic silences. He thought of Jun, at the tone of his voice when he had told them about Danzo.

Any secrets? Kazuma had plenty of them. But none were completely his. It wasn’t his place to share them. The Uchiha smiled.

“No, I’m good.”

Naruto and Hotaru laughed. Afterward, they began talking about everything and nothing, pretending to share little secrets and avoiding the big ones. The tone was light again.

Jun returned later. Kazuma had been right. He had captured all the bandits by himself. Moreover, he had built several walls using the Doton to rebuild the inn. Kazuma was a bit jealous of the ease with which his brother had done everything. Naruto joyfully mentioned to the clan leader he told his team everything, and Jun ruffled his hair affectionately, telling him he was very brave.

They decided to sleep in the barn and leave the next day, fresh and rested. Kazuma, to his surprise, had no nightmares. He knew that wasn’t the case with his teammates. Naruto and Hotaru both looked a little pale when they woke up. It was normal. Even after talking about the events of the previous day, Naruto and Hotaru had both been very shaken by what happened. It would probably take them some time to get over it.

They set out again, dragging the tied-up bandits with them. None of the robbers tried to escape. Kazuma suspected a Genjutsu cast by his brother’s Sharingan. But seeing a couple of bandits violently flinch near Naruto, Kazuma was forced to revisit his previous suspicion. These men had just been terrified by the Kyuubi chakra not to dare to rebel. They were scared of Naruto.

They handed the bandits over to the nearest authorities, pocketed the bounty for their capture, and then returned to Konoha. Along the way, they came across one of Jun’s cats who informed them that Yamato had arrived at the hospital on time and his life was no longer in danger. Everyone was relieved upon hearing the news. When they all returned to Konoha, it was with a light heart and peace of mind.

No one wondered what had become of the kinjutsu manual that Samidare had proudly waved in front of them. Neither Kazuma nor Naruto had noticed his absence from the battlefield. As for Jun, he didn’t even know of the item's existence. So no one wondered about the fate of this famous little box, which could unlock a power capable of leveling an entire village.