Chapter One: Agreements
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't entirely sure what to expect for the meeting.
When Uzumaki Akiko sat down before him, it was like seeing a ghost. A much older ghost of a girl who was supposed to have died long ago.
She had grown into quite a woman, serious and straight-backed. She had the long trademark Uzumaki red hair, violet eyes in an eerie parallel of her late cousin Kushina, but a much more thin and solemn face. She was covered in seal tattoos.
"... Where have you been?" was the first thing Hiruzen asked. They were sitting in his office, the windows of quiet Konoha framed out behind him.
"I was an Iwa captive during the war," said Akiko, more frigidly than before, and she'd always been a serious girl in the first place, Kushina's cousin who had been left behind in Uzu during its decimation. Hiruzen's eyes closed. "I managed to escape their weakened guards by the end of the war, but after that I had to flee so they wouldn't find me. I traveled for many years, hiding in little-known places like Grass and Wave.
"I'm sure you know, then, why I've returned."
"The expiry date for all Iwa captives escaped during war has finally passed," said Hiruzen seriously.
"I also hear," Akiko added quietly, with sharp eyes, "that I have a second cousin. Uzumaki Naruto. He is nine and in the Ninja Academy, yes?"
"The official story is that he was given that name out of memory of the late Uzumaki Kushina, who as I'm sure you know -"
"Cut the bullshit, Hiruzen. The Kyuubi inside Kushina escaped and attacked the village. Kushina and Minato died sealing it into something. Only another Uzumaki could contain the Kyuubi.
"The story is a cover-up. His parents had enemies."
"... Then you should know," said Hiruzen, "it is forbidden to speak of his jinchuuriki status among the adult villagers."
"Hm. And has that helped the prejudice?"
"... No."
"I thought not," said Akiko. "I'm claiming refugee Konoha citizen status, as a member of Konoha's former alliance, and I'm taking in the boy."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "You don't have the authority to do that."
"You'll find I do. Any orphan with no available legal guardian must be given to the first one that becomes available, yes?" Akiko smirked.
"That is the law. But the law requires -"
"Written consent of the biological mother in order for the adoption to take place." Akiko held up the signed form smugly, it emanating from a seal tattoo on her palm. "Kushina and I signed them at seven," she said, as Hiruzen paled, "with the mutual agreement that if one of us died in the war, the other would raise that girl's child. It was that kind of a time, and that kind of a place.
"And as I qualify as a Konoha alliance war refugee, previously absent under Iwa ruling, I believe I fit the other requirement, yes?"
"... You do realize everyone hates him?"
"And I do not care for anyone in this village yet. So yes, I am aware," said Akiko, sneering.
"What are you planning, Akiko?" said Hiruzen, head tilted, his eyes narrowed.
"That's my business," said Akiko. "Oh, and I want to apply for clan status. One simple performance by me and an explanation of Naruto's hidden extra ability - you know the one…" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "And we will be qualifying as a Konoha clan easily.
"The Uzumaki will now simply be a Konoha clan.
"I can even buy into your story and say I am taking him in out of respect for my dear sweet cousin's memory," Akiko cooed with a faux baby face. Then she giggled girlishly, a bit of insanity peeking out past the iciness. "... Is there a problem?" And then suddenly she was deadly serious, smirking, her eyes narrowed.
"No. Legally, there is no problem," Hiruzen forced out through gritted teeth. "But I want to know you're not going to hurt the boy or turn him against us, Akiko."
Akiko smiled terribly, her eyes dead deep inside. "I would have no one to turn him to, Hiruzen. I have no more village. I despise Iwa. I have fallen in with no one else.
"And I loved my cousin. Isn't that enough?"
"... Yes," Hiruzen decided at last. "It might just be."
"Fine." Akiko lifted her head regally. "Then let me tell him, myself."
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, entered nine-year-old Naruto's apartment one day. A tall, thin, heavily tattooed kunoichi with long red hair was behind him, looking somewhat nervous.
"Naruto," said the Hokage, smiling with effort, "there is a woman here to meet you. She wants to talk to you about something."
Naruto sat up slowly from where he'd been lounging across his kitchen table, throwing kunai at a board. "And why would I want to talk to her?" he asked slowly back.
"Honesty." The woman smiled. "I like it. Well, let me talk. You seem to have free time, right? And by the end of our talk, I think you will see."
"Okay," said Naruto, curious despite himself. The woman looked at the Hokage, and smiled coldly. Amazingly, the Hokage ducked his head and bowed back out of the apartment. "Wow! How'd you get him to do that?" said Naruto, impressed.
"It would be easier to just explain the whole thing," said the woman, amused. Naruto pouted. She took a deep breath, walked forward, and stuck out her hand. "Uzumaki Akiko. Nice to meet you."
Naruto's eyes widened. And he just sat there, floored. He wanted to ask so many things - Was she his Mom? Where the hell had she been? Mixed emotions flooded up within him, but they were muted by an overall feeling of being utterly stunned.
"You have questions." Akiko nodded and pulled up a kitchen chair, her eyes deadly. "I have answers. Would you like to hear them?"
Naruto nodded fast, big-eyed. He'd been starving for information all his life…
Akiko smiled a little, and began.
"Your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was my cousin. We grew up together in a foreign village, Uzu, a green island surrounded by turbulent seas. The Uzumaki were the reigning clan there, with great bloodline abilities.
"One of our abilities was enormous chakra. So we were specially placed to be something called jinchuuriki - demon containers. Demons are being of great and violent chakra; we contain them in seals inside us. The Uzumaki also specialize in seals, so we were especially well prepared.
"Uzu was allies with Konoha. So every once in awhile, we would send an Uzumaki over to Konoha to become a Konoha ninja, and contain their Kyuubi demon. As a gesture of goodwill between villages."
"But wait!" said Naruto quickly. "I thought the Kyuubi lay dormant in our forests!"
"This is what was said. Now this is an S class secret, Naruto: that was a lie."
Naruto's eyes widened further.
"Konoha always held the Kyuubi demon. Every Uzumaki who came through Konoha was a secret jinchuuriki."
"Why the secret?" Naruto asked.
"Because jinchuuriki are misunderstood. They are thought to be the monsters themselves, and are thus treated that way and are disliked. In reality, demon has very little control over human. As a seal-mistress, I can tell you that. But this is the stupid rumor, do you see?"
"Yeah. It is stupid!" said Naruto, frowning, his legs swinging from the table.
"Very good. Now, I stayed in Uzu, while your mother was the next Uzumaki chosen to go to Konoha and become Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Then, we were in the Third War, and Iwa attacked Uzu!"
Naruto jumped and gasped, totally riveted by the story.
"Your mother was safe in Konoha, but our people and her home village were not. We were decimated, remnants scattered to the winds. But I was young enough that I was captured by Iwa. I even managed to contain our old clan scrolls inside the seals already on my body, hidden from unsuspecting Iwa ninja.
"I saw my whole family and my entire village die. At twelve, I was the captive of a foreign enemy. I went through many dark years, Naruto. I managed to escape from Iwa's weakened forces at the end of the Third War!
"But then, persecuted by Iwa, I had to go into hiding.
"I spent many years wandering the world, seeing many great things, hiding in minor countries like Grass and Wave. But then! A stroke of luck! Iwa's expiry date on capturing ex-captives ran out.
"And so I could travel to Konoha to see what had become of your mother. Would you like to know what that is?"
Naruto nodded, leaning forward, amazed.
"Your mother went on to become a brilliant Konoha ninja, the Red Hot Habanero. She used our clan abilities to fight Iwa! And she married… the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
Naruto froze.
"That's right." Akiko smiled sharply. "Your full name, unsealed from S class files, is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto.
"They seem to have had you in secret. But during labor, a jinchuuriki seal weakens. The demon must have escaped from your mother and ravaged the village. Your parents died sealing it away and saving their people, very bravely…
"And as far as they knew, there was only one Uzumaki left. So they sealed it inside you."
"... And everyone knew this time," Naruto realized. "That's why…" His mind was spinning. "That stupid myth. That's why… everyone hates me…"
His fists clenched and angry tears had come to his eyes, his teeth gritted. But then Akiko put a quick hand over one of his, and he paused, stopping his breath.
"I do not hate you, Naruto," said Akiko. "I know the truth. Think of it! You may be some of the last of my family alive! What reason would I have to hate you? And the kids - they don't know you're a jinchuuriki. They just dislike you because their parents do. It's an S class secret only you can reveal. Even the adults don't know your parentage. So you don't get any trouble because of how powerful your parents were.
"I don't hate you. You're my family. And it could be worse. Right?"
Naruto's lip trembled and his eyes watered - then he threw his arms around Akiko in a sudden, violent hug. She paused stiffly in surprise, and then gave him a gentle, hesitant hug back. They sat that way for a long time.
"Now," said Akiko, "what's all this fuss?" She leaned Naruto back and smiled at him, surprisingly warmly, running a hand over his forehead and his hair. It wasn't a familiar feeling, but he decided with terrified uncertainty that he liked it.
"I propose," she said, straightening, "that I take you out of the Academy for private clan training. You can then take the Genin Exam at twelve with everybody else again. There are many things I can teach you. Would you be sad, to leave your school?"
"Well…" Naruto's nose wrinkled. "Iruka-sensei's always yelling at me. I think I kind of like Sakura-chan, because she's really pretty, but I've never talked to her and she's always mean to me. Then there's Sasuke-teme, my rival, who I definitely hate.
"If I trained with you, do you think I could beat him someday?"
Naruto looked up hopefully.
"Definitely," said Akiko crisply. "So let me explain your abilities to you.
"As a Namikaze, you have the ability of the Flash. Minato always said the Golden Flash ability was an invention, but this was a ruse. The Namikaze have a teleportation bloodline ability that you could unlock that would make you deadly on the battlefield. And your hair is gold, hence the Golden Flash. Uzumaki usually have red hair, which could be why you like the color orange, as is obvious by your clothing.
"The Uzumaki have more extensive abilities that I can teach you. They have amazing healing, incredible stamina, and huge chakra strength that can sometimes lead to poor control. They have a Water Weaving style of taijutsu that flows around the opponent's moves. They can use Wind and Water ninjutsu, sometimes in tandem with each other. And we are experts in sealing.
"Sealing has several elements besides intellectual study. We can tattoo containment-release seals onto our palms to suck up and redirect attacks. We can use seal trap tags, to suck people into our seal traps. We can touch and release seals upon contact - including chakra changing seals, blocking off the chakra on certain parts of the person's body during taijutsu when we touch them. And we can tattoo chakra enhancement seals onto our bodies. In higher levels, we can enchain chakra beings in sealing chains and use seal domes to hold in or shield people from attacks.
"So, what do you think? Worth learning?" she added playfully.
"I'm sold!" said Naruto eagerly, eyes shining as he jumped from foot to foot. "Man, I'm going to be an amazing ninja -!"
"But first, we need to register as a clan and build a compound. And we need to start with more personal stuff - get to know each other and get you solid as a person first," said Akiko sternly. "That's your first training out of the Academy. A good person makes for a good ninja. I believe that. I can even teach you Uzu culture, as your mother was a refugee!"
"Wait… so I'll be living with you? But isn't that… kind of impossible?" said Naruto, blinking big blue eyes.
Akiko at last smiled shyly. "Your mother and I… when we were seven, before she left… we were best friends. And because there was a war going on, we signed this pact at seven. In writing and everything. That if one of us died… the other one would raise that person's kid."
She opened her palm… and the signed paper appeared. She held it up tentatively.
"I have the signature," she said, smiling carefully. "Your mother wanted… for me to be your adopted mother."
Naruto just stared.
"And I would live off of clan money given by the council, and I wouldn't start taking out Konoha missions until you passed your Genin test! I can register us as a clan and everything, and until then -!"
Naruto flew forward and wrapped his arms around her again, holding on tightly. "... I don't know how to be a son," he said in a trembling voice.
"Well I don't know how to be a mother, so we're even," said Akiko gently, smiling sadly. "So… do you agree to my terms? Personal and clan stuff together, getting to know each other, then training stuff together? And you meet your classmates at the Academy again for the Genin test at twelve?
"And… I'm your mother?"
"... Yes," Naruto said, looking up, his eyes shining but determined. "I agree."