Kushina's Diary

Welcome to everyone who has read To Become a Chunin. This story is a sequel/prequel to it, but other than a couple of OCs it stands by itself. This will be slightly longer and considerably darker. Please read, enjoy, and review.

Chapter 1

The Shippuuden

Naruto set the last box on the library table. He hadn't heard a thing from the clone which was watching the Konohamaru Squad, so he assumed everything was going well. He was supposed to be supervising them while Ebisu was at the Waterfall Village for a month helping Iruka set up a new training program. There really was no reason a clone couldn't do that while he went through his parents' papers with Sakura.

Sakura took a stack of small books out of a cardboard box. "These look like notebooks. Maybe it's your Dad's jutsu notes. Hmm, doesn't look like a male hand. Dated 16 years ago."

September 1 – Sensei came by for a visit. Flash is always so happy to see him. I think it reminds him of the happy-go-lucky times when he didn't have so many people demanding his time. He can't stand all the paperwork and would rather take a suicide mission than deal with the council. At least the elders retired, but now he has his predecessor's teammates to deal with.

Sensei never thinks he has done enough. The big pervert just can't recognize what he means to Flash and me. He was so touched when we told him the we were naming the baby after a character in his book. He immediately decided that made him Godfather. It was so cute how flustered he got when Flash told him he was the finest shinobi we knew. I just hope little Naruto grows up like Minato and Jiraiya, except maybe without the pervyness.

"Naruto! This is your Mother's diary. These are all diaries going back, oh, eight years. See, Kushina Uzumaki, that's her name. You can find out what your parents were like. Oh Naruto, I'm so happy for you."

Naruto picked up the books and ran his hands over them, his feelings running wild. Tentatively, he picked up the first book and hesitating, slowly opened it. He was immediately disappointed. The script wasn't the beautiful writing he expected of the lovely kunoichi in the photograph above his couch, the mother he had dreamed of for 16 years. It was the haphazard scratchings of a child not too interested in school. It was closer to his own admittedly indifferent penmanship than to Sakura's.

It was dated 24 years ago, but that was almost the only thing he could figure out. He handed it to Sakura. "Can you make this out?" She began to read aloud.

November 10- its been month since invasion started and ishiki morino says best thing can do is write everthing can remember and then he try and get more itelligans out of it and maybe help fight bastards from cloud and rain and earth and kill all. hate wrighting but do anything to kill bastards and make pay for what they did to whirlpool and daddy all friends.

ishiki sys introduce self so i am Kushina Uzumaki the daughter of the Shippuuden of the Villag Hidden in the Whirlpool, Shijuu Uzumaki strongest ninja in the world. i going to kill those bastards then i be the Shippuuden like my father and stop all wars so friends don't die no more. am 13 and just got chunin in exam in Konoha. can't believe got beat by 6 year old in mask, was fast.

ishiki says need tell about invasion. it was octber 2 when word came of cordinated sneak attak from three directions. cloudd along shore and rain in middle and earth come from west to block south wall. patrol posts overrun quick and all fall back to island and was assined west wall over squad of genin. brother's water dragon was fighting three rain dragons at once and everyone was calling him the raging storm Oharashi because they knew Shiguma Uzumaki would become a Shippuuden stronger than any before him.

The two messengers knelt beside Shiguma. "Oharashi, can you speak."

Shiguma's eyes never left the battle. "Report."

"The Cloud is driven back, the north shore is safe for now."

"We cannot stop the Earth from building causeways. If they succeed in damming the south channel, they will cross to the island and the wall will fall. Our few earth jutsu user cannot stand against them."

Shiguma defeated one dragon, then gave his orders. "Return to the North defenses and send one squad to reinforce the South wall, go. You, take these three genin with you to the south. Keep them from crossing to the island, no matter what. Go. Kushina, report to the Shippuuden that the Right and Center are holding, but if the Leaf does not come, the wall will fall and all is lost."

Kushina hesitated. "What about our other allies?"

Three dragons coiled together into a maelstrom which sent a huge wave down the south channel washing away half of a dam and the causeways. "Better. Waterfall will watch our back as they can, but are too weak to prevent massed troops from crossing their territory. Rice Field is in disarray and may fall soon. Sand is too far, and they don't get along with Leaf. It all depends on what the Third Hokage decides, but the Hidden Villages have never banded together except for conquest, never to support a small country. Now go." All three dragons exploded. The wave destroyed all the earthworks extending into the south channel.

-- --

Sakura set the book down. "Your family was so brave, Naruto. Standing all alone against three countries. They never said what became of the Whirlpool Country, unless it's covered in some jonin level strategy class. I do hope we sent help. I couldn't stand to think the Third would leave them to face that onslaught alone."

Naruto began boxing up scrolls. "I know. But I think it is important for everyone to understand what happened 24 years ago. Please invite all the rookies who aren't on missions to my apartment tonight. Right now all I want to do is take the diaries home and then go watch some pre-schoolers. I'll have to buy snacks on the way home. Well, only half since Choji's at the Waterfall Village."

-- --

Rock Lee's group was the last to arrive. "Naruto, thank you for inviting us to your apartment. We just now got back and got Sakura's note. Is this a party or some sort of secret meeting?"

"Neither, Lee. This is a book reading. You are always interested in excellent shinobi. Sakura found the story of some of the most excellent shinobi I've ever heard of. Neji, TenTen, grab some chips and a cushion next to Udon and Moegi. I'm afraid all the chairs are already taken. Somehow, everyone's here except Choji."

After everyone settled in, Naruto thanked them all for coming, then explained, "Well, you know, after the Chunin Exams..."

"Yeh, you won, we know." Kiba heckled.

"Well, old lady Tsunade gave me some of my Mom and Dad's stuff."

Kiba was enjoying himself. "Like this furniture I carried up here for you." Ino and TenTen hit him with pillows to shut him up.

"Sakura found my Mom's reports about the Whirlpool Invasion and we think you should hear them, too."

Sakura reread the first day's entry. When all sat silent, she explained. "As you suspected, Ishiki Morino was Ibiki's father and the previous interrogation expert. Neji, have you been taught about the Whirlpool invasion?"

Neji nodded, "It is no secret, however I know of no document which contains such detail. Please continue."

on octber 4 they come again. wave of clouds run across north branch before guard react and giant thunder bolts cleared top of wall and when we got there were destry whole buildings and kill all civilians in them and we killed them and i saw boy laying on top of his sister try to protect her with hole burnt threw them and i hate them, i hate them, i hate them.

Shijuu gave orders. "Pull extra defenders off the walls to clean out the city. Do not defend the river, but keep the invaders away from the walls. Go. Osamu, I will be unconscious for half a day. Bring Kushina up here. People expect an Uzumaki to be in charge, but the defense of the city is yours while Shiguma is fighting. Protect the Village."

"Hai, Lord Shippuuden."

Shijuu opened a large scroll on the high patio of Uzumaki Castle overlooking the battle. He tossed his orange coat aside, tore open his shirt, pricked his finger and began writing runes on his chest. He knelt in front of two large Xs on the scroll and chanted as he ran through 43 hand signs. His kunai slashed his hands on a right diagonal. He smacked his hands together and slapped the resulting bloody Xs on the paper.

As the writing on the scroll and on his chest began to swirl, the tidal whirlpool in the ocean began to turn faster. When the spinning water reached the ocean floor a waterspout formed above the center. The churning water tilted up and up until it stood vertical and began to move toward shore. The beach was swept clean of Cloud ninja, then the maelstrom divided in two, moving up both branches of the river swallowing Earth and Rain-nins while the defenders huddled behind the walls. In the streets desperate battles continued as the remaining invaders fell to avenging Whirlpool shinobi. Far out in the ocean, the hardiest survivors of the storm bobbed back to the surface.

Kushina, covered in blood, arrived just in time to see her father collapse. Steely faced, she ran to him. "Osamu, did the Shippuuden give you instructions? Don't worry, I know my place and won't interfere. I will stand on the balcony and look heroic so all the people know the Uzumaki have not deserted them. Someone please care for him good. We will need his strength again tomorrow."

Next: Chapter 2

Wrath of Hanzou

Disclaimer

As everyone knows, Naruto- the character, the idea, and the world- belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei. I own none of it. Likewise, he has no responsibility for any new characters, jutsus, plot holes, bad writing or faux-Japanese in this fan-fiction.

Please read, enjoy and review. Be brutal when needed. It is the only way to get better.