Author's Note: Cross-posted both here and on AO3 under the pseud kohaku_shi if anyone wants to look for it there. I tend to update there more often, because it's easier for me to format and transfer over here later.
Anyways, as you can probably tell, if you follow my Scrap Collections, this is now being posted as its own separate fic.
For those of you who aren't, don't worry. I'll be posting the basic stuff from AO3 as well. The most important part is that I'll be editing what I already have on AO3 (three chapters for this story at the moment) to fit FF's formatting.
Updates are typically sporadic at best, and are basically created through a combination of Motivation, Inspiration, and Willing Muses... and/or Plunnies. Anyways, before I ramble on, I'll just get to posting the important bits y'all might need to know before reading this fic. Most of the notes from here on out will be the accompanying notes from AO3, altered to fit here. Chapter formatting is also something that has to be altered/fixed, which hopefully won't take long, strikes aside. (Strikes are a pain, but I can't really do anything about FF not having strikeouts that I can just copy-paste over as is, so I have to edit those parts to fit with the formatting here, along with scene breaks depending on the fic...)
Also, just for the record, I doubt Naruto's parents would be so lacking in creativity to just call his twin sister Naruko and be done with it. Since Kushina's closest family member while in Konoha was one Uzumaki Mito (wife to the Shodaime Hokage), I decided they could name their other kid after her.
Now onto the more important stuff (which will not be repeated in future chapters unless I need to add something to a section...which would just end up being annotated anyway):
Title: Mito
Genre's: AU, Friendship, Fluff, Family, Fix-it (sort of), Humor
Relationships: Minor/Background/Pre-established Relationships; Any Others to be Added as Decided/Appears;
Additional Tags: Self-Indulgent; Self-Insert; Original Character(s); Multiple Perspectives; Uzumaki Twins; Naruto has a Twin Sister; Sort-of Slow Build; Mito is named after the Other Mito;
Warning(s): Most of the Above Tags; Uchiha —freaking story-hijacking— Shisui in later chapters; Absolutely Adorable Hyuuga Hinata;
Other Characters: Sarutobi Hiruzen
Chapter 01: Twins are Born (Arc 01: Childhood, Prologue/Part 0)
Two children squalled, blonde infants with three whisker-like marks on each cheek. The result of being born to a Jinchuuriki, as those who knew the truth might tell you. These two were all that stood between Konoha and the two halves of the Nine Tailed Fox that had caused so much death, destruction, and terror to its citizens (though not necessarily in that order).
And they were the only remnants of the legacy that were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
Sighing as he turned away from the window, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his expression pinch as he tried to come to a decision. What would be the right thing to do here? It wasn't as if he'd expected to ever have to step back into this office in official capacity, but… but, seeing as his successor was now dead, what else could he do but to take the mantle once more? Laying weary eyes upon the two infants that had been brought to him after Minato had finally managed to seal the Kyuubi away (and into his own children no less. It was unfortunate that calling upon the Shinigami meant that he'd only been able to take on enough of the Bijuu's chakra to seal the half of what remained into his newborn son and daughter respectively), Hiruzen rubbed at his eyes tiredly.
"Just what am I going to do with you, Naruto, Mito…?" He whispered, voice heavy with weary resignation. He knew what he was supposed to do, what he wanted to do, and they were both so, so different from what he had to do. Or rather, would have to do.
He could only hope his trust in the people wasn't misplaced. Something that would be proven incorrect not too long after, when things took a different turn. Something he probably should have expected, But Hiruzen was getting old, and had originally retired for that very reason, having done so as soon as a suitable successor could be chosen. But for this to happen, for the Kyuubi to somehow be released; for Minato and Kushina to both die—
Well, at least the twins wouldn't have to worry so much about being lonely since they'd have each other, at least…
A pair of blonde children half-skipped and half-walked, hands swinging like a pendulum between them as they distracted themselves from the dark and mistrustful stares —and glares— aimed their way. Neither was truly immune to the looks and whispers, but that didn't mean that, together, they couldn't at least pretend to be so, smiling and creating a facsimile of joy (that would one day, perhaps, become real) as the two laughed and sang.
Of the two, the loudest was the shorter haired child, hair a vivid yellow and styled into short, uneven spikes as if either he, himself, or another child had taken a pair of scissors to his head. Bright blue eyes crinkled as he and his partner sang a little ditty that they had come up with so long ago. It was childish and simple, but it was still something that they liked to use to pretend that everything was fine —better than fine, even.
Catching sight of the equally cheerful and nearly identical effeminate version of himself, Naruto couldn't help the bubble of joy that welled up inside as he thought about the few precious people he had. A short and measly list that might have saddened any sane and logical person, but for the four —almost five— year old, it was still quite a list to behold. Something that brought awe to him whenever he thought about it.
And to think, only a few months ago he'd only had one —maybe two— on his 'Precious Persons' list. His sister and the old man Hokage that sometimes visited them. Of course, he could maybe count some of the masked people that would mysteriously appear and disappear, but they never stayed long. Nor did they really interact with the twins unless absolutely necessary. Besides, they were apparently the old man's way of keeping them safe. Said masked people had saved them a couple of times when things got particularly…rowdy.
In fact, said person was who they were off to visit now! Aside from his twin, the Hokage was the most important and precious person in his life. In fact, the man had been the one to introduce him to the amazingness that was Ramen! Just thinking about ramen made the blonde cheer up (when he wasn't sulking or pouting because he'd been denied said treat), and he was sure that Hokage-jiji wouldn't be against having Ramen for lunch, considering how busy he always was. Or, well, Mito had said so. But Mito was smart. And while Naruto knew he wasn't the sharpest Kunai in the pouch, Mito was always so calm and patient —for the most part, at least— even when Naruto knew he was being completely clueless.
She was kinda weird sometimes, but then, maybe that was part of being really smart? He knew the old man Hokage was super smart and he sometimes made weird faces and giggled over some weird orange book.
He'd asked about it once, but the the old man had been quite evasive about it. It was too bad, though. Naruto thought it must have been an awesome book if it was orange! Because Orange was super awesome! He didn't know why so many people wouldn't believe him. I mean, surely they could understand the power of orange? And Ramen! Couldn't forget the holy goodness that was Ramen, of course!
Clasping hands with the only living remnant of her family in this world (as far as she was aware, in any case), Uzumaki Mito kept pace with her twin. Her arms swinging in just as wide an arc as her brother's as she tried to keep up the facade that she was entirely unaware of the mutters and whispers that followed them wherever they went. She did her best not to flinch or shrink —if only for her brother's sake— but even with years of extra memories in her head, there wasn't much she could do about the fact that it still hurt.
Still, even if it wasn't exactly a good thing, at least she had practice in the few years she'd been 'aware' in this world. As far as she could tell, it was simply the way things worked in this world, though. Physics and Biology were apparently different from what she remembered, especially in that children seemed to develop much more quickly than their counterparts in her world. Then again, such things as 'Chakra' and 'Bijuu' existed, so that wasn't surprising.
Or, well, so she'd assumed at any rate. Either way, once she'd come to the conclusion that there was really nothing she could do about any of this, and after panicking enough to nearly have a panic attack —and thus realizing that keeping herself from 'reacting' in this world was much more difficult than it had been when she'd been an adult (not too surprising once she thought about it later on, after calming of course. Children weren't quite so able to repress their emotions, after all)— she'd finally accepted that she was stuck with her situation.
Even if it were just a dream, what could she do about it? Even if it were, she wasn't exactly suicidal or masochistic enough to try to 'commit suicide'. Rationalizing might have worked, if not for the fact that things clearly worked differently in this world. It was difficult. And to be honest, if not for the ever optimistic ray of sunshine that was practically stuck to her like glue, the girl now called Mito would likely have succumbed to her more negative emotions far sooner.
It might have seemed to others that she was far calmer than her brother (something she'd had to cultivate, to avoid saying or reacting too strangely), and perhaps more responsible and reliable than the other child, but that was only thanks to the memories she'd retained of another world full of other memories. (Even in the future she still couldn't be sure if she'd simply been given another's memories, or if she had been that person that had somehow ended up in this world. And if so, how she had managed to keep her memories through whatever reincarnation process her soul had gone through was a question that she would probably never find the answer to. Then again, chakra, bloodlines— what exactly made perfect sense in a world like this?)
Still, the truth of the matter was that she was the one who needed Naruto. The small ray of sunshine that was her twin, that refused to let himself, and by extension, herself, think too negatively had been what had kept her afloat in even the darkest of days. It probably didn't (or perhaps did) help that she had been an older sibling once too, even if she'd never been the best one. (She'd resented her family, once upon a time, even if she'd loved them just the same as well. But then, they'd always said there was a fine line between love and hate…)
Even if they never knew who the actual elder sibling was, that didn't change the fact that they were siblings now. And even if the murmurs of disgust and hatred still managed to filter through no matter how much she tried to ignore them, that didn't mean she couldn't still push them aside. (They still hurt, though. What had they even done to deserve such hate? As much as she could understand the reason why, she also couldn't. Because what could possibly justify the people of an entire, large village turning their hatred to two young orphans? Orphans who knew absolutely nothing —or were supposed to know nothing— of their circumstances?)
And so she allowed herself to be distracted. She let herself fall into her brother's pace whilst simultaneously doing her best to take care of him. Because even if she was still a child in this world, she also had the memories of another that, if counted, would put her at an adult's level, even if only in the recesses of her own mind.
(She might have been taking advantage of being allowed to a child, even while simultaneously being frustrated by it. Whether this new life was supposed to be a punishment or a purgatory, well, what else could she do but to use what she had to do what she could…?)
Sarutobi Hiruzen was old. Much older than he'd been when he'd retaken the hat, and even older than when he'd retired the first time. The stress of taking back the hat and having to run a country when he should've been able to retire and live alongside his grandchildren had very much taken a toll on the man that could be considered a fossil even by civilian standards.
Still, even with all the darkness in his life, there were a few bright spots. His grandson, for one. And while he and his remaining son were somewhat estranged, he still cared about those members of his family. Aside from that, however... well, it was mostly the little things that gave him joy nowadays.
No doubt Konohagakure would have flourished even more under the hand of his chosen successor. But as much as he regretted the events of that night, there wasn't much he could do aside from to move on and to try honoring the lives that had been lost that night.
Of which included the new jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox. A demon of chakra that had had been sealed into the very children of the one who'd defeated it. Two children that would be visiting him soon enough. Honestly, he still wasn't quite sure what Minato had been thinking, to seal the Kyuubi into his two children, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now, of course. Still, he wondered how they were doing…
No doubt Naruto would want to have ramen for lunch again, the old man mused, chuckling to himself as he took a moment to take a break, pipe already in hand as he lit its contents with a small flicker of elemental chakra. The boy was rambunctious, much like his mother, though he definitely took more after Minato in coloring, he mused. Bright, blue eyes and a shock of vivid yellow hair the exact shade as Minato's. If not for the whisker-like marks that were proof of being the child of a Jinchuuriki, it likely would have been far more clear that he took more to his mother in body. Of course, he wasn't unique in the markings, it was something he shared with his sibling, after all. And what a surprise, that Kushina had been pregnant with not one, but two children! And a girl, at that. Rare enough that she'd been carrying twins, but for them to be of different genders, well. That they…would have survived… was already a miracle as it was.
Mito, who'd been named after the woman who'd taken Kushina in. Mito, who seemed to take more after her mother in appearance than her father, color and eye shape aside. While Naruto had his mother's eyes with his father's coloring, Mito's were more like her father's, colored similarly to Kushina's, though they were slightly bluer in hue than the emerald grey that the vivacious red-head had sported. Blonde hair that was already beginning to turn more a golden-red or amber color in the sun, and a somewhat shy personality much like Minato in his earlier years.
No doubt their parents would have been full of joy at the seemingly perfect mixing of their traits.
A seal flashed in code by his door, thanks to the AnBu who pretended to be his secretary, and Hiruzen was taken out of his musings, as he was alerted to the arrival of the twins. No doubt Naruto would have charged straight in, if not for the more conscientious Mito at his side. Chuckling to himself, he called out, pressing a finger with some chakra to the seal under his desk so that his voice could be heard from outside.
"Come on in, Mito, Naruto," standing as he spoke, Hiruzen straightened his back, wincing a bit at the loud cracking sound that echoed in the otherwise silent room, as he stepped around the paperwork piled desk to greet the two young jinchuuriki before something got knocked off his desk.
"Gramps, Gramps!" Came the excited chatter of the male of the two siblings as he zoomed in to a stop before the man, his sister taking a more casual approach as she sighed, a small smile on her face. "Can we get ramen for lunch this time, please, please? I'll eat all my vegetables, so can we go? Pretty please?" He pleaded in lieu of the more polite greeting that his sibling gave.
"Good Afternoon, Hokage-jii-san," she greeted somewhat more shyly, stopping closer to the doorway then into the room as her sibling had. Though her addressing of the man was likely a bit strange (since it probably translated more to something like 'Grandpa Hokage' than anything), it didn't seem to bother the man. Rather, it seemed to amuse him as he smiled genially at the two.
"Just Jii-san is fine, Mito-chan. Or better yet, you can call me Jii-chan, instead," he mused, knowing that Mito would likely never be as casual (or to some people, as 'rude') as Naruto had a tendency to be.
Clearly hesitant, Mito nodded, re-greeting the man in a soft voice, "Th-then, good afternoon, ojii-san," she said at last. It probably wouldn't last, but for this visit, at least, she wouldn't be calling him 'Hokage-jii-san'. Because while he was the Hokage, he wanted the two to think of him more as family than someone to be exalted as many of the citizens seemed to.
Smiling warmly at the two, he chuckled, seeing that Naruto was getting antsy even as he waited for them to be done so he could get his answer. "As for you, Naruto-kun. I'm sure that it was supposed to be Mito-chan's turn to decide?" he half-chided, knowing that ramen all the time wasn't very good for the boy, even if it was more balanced than other options. (Not to mention cheap.)
Shoulders sagging, Naruto's entire countenance dropped, "O-Oh… Right," he frowned, "Sorry, Mito," he'd clearly forgotten who's turn it was, before he turned back to a smile so that Mito could pick. "So what does Mito want for lunch then?" he asked. There was a chance that she would choose ramen, and he had been 'good' after all… Or, well, as 'good' a kid as he could be. Even when Mito did boring things like sitting around or trying to practice to write or do maths.
Eyes wide at being put on the spot, Mito hesitated, looking between Naruto's attempt to hide his kicked puppy look, and the amused looking Hokage, she bit her lip, thinking about it. "W-well… Naruto did say he'd eat his vegetables…" She said, clearly thinking about it, though looking at Hiruzen for what seemed to be permission.
Honestly, that girl could be a little too nice, sometimes, the old man mused, blowing a puff of smoke in a ring shape as he looked at her. "And, is that what Mito-chan wants for lunch, then?" he asked, knowing that the girl would more often than not end up spoiling her brother if not for the fact that it was more difficult to when so many people seemed to hate them simply for being them.
Clearly torn, Mito frowned to herself, even as Naruto perked up, clearly doing his best not to wiggle too much since the boy definitely had a more difficult time trying to stay still or in one place for very long. Finally, the slightly red-tinted blonde seemed to come to a decision, "I…don't know what I want to eat so… instead, Naruto could choose this time and I…could choose next time, instead?" She decided, apparently having no preference, but knowing better to simply just let her brother get what he wanted every time.
Though he hadn't scolded her for it, he had gently chided her for not choosing for herself at times, making sure that Naruto could hear and thus understand that 'it wasn't fair' to Mito if she simply let Naruto choose every time. (And since Naruto didn't want to be 'mean' to one of the few people that loved him so unconditionally...well, it had made things a little easier in that regard, at least. Even if he still had a tendency to bull-doze right over people...much like his mother, to be honest.)
It seemed to be working, though, since Naruto perked up and nodded vigorously, eyes bright as he turned to Hiruzen. "Can we do that then? Uhm, please?" he asked, eyes wide and bright as he tried not to jump in place, the two clearly looking to him for acceptance of the idea.
Taking a moment to hum, as he pretended to think about it, Hiruzen nodded. "Very well. Then, in exchange for letting Naruto choose this time, Mito gets to choose next time," he concluded, pretending not to notice as Naruto cheered and Mito let out a small, relieved exhale. A tiny smile appeared on the girl's face as she nodded in acceptance of the fact.
"Ichiraku's, Ichiraku's~~!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping and cheering as he hugged his sister and then the Hokage, just managing to remember to say his thanks, as he tried to calm down so they could get going though it was clearly taking some effort. Taking his sister's hand, the two started walking, knowing that the old man Hokage would follow behind them at a more leisurely pace.
Hiruzen chuckled, patting the boy and smiling indulgently at the little show, as he did exactly that, watching the two as he walked; as Mito did her best to keep up with her excited twin while asking that he slow down, and Naruto tried to walk (or rather, power-walked) as fast as he could to get to the ramen stand that much sooner.
Ah, yes. It was good to see that their children were still doing well enough despite the hate of certain village members for the two innocents.
Ending Notes: Starting and Ending with Hiruzen's Perspective —with a look into Naruto and Mito's along the way. Probably a bit confusing since it's only the prologue/very beginning, but if I manage to continue it, well… Hopefully I do, anyway. I have a few ideas, but this is more of a…er, well, slightly stress relief and self-indulgent fic to be honest. So, yeah, I'll leave it at that for now.
If anyone's actually interested in this, please do let me know. Reviews/Notes/Likes are always appreciated. Thanks!
