A/N: So... I was sick of Sasuke being all angsty and hell bent on revenge. Plus, I don't think I've ever read a fanfiction where Sasuke is mentored by... Kushina? No I'm not on crack. This fic is actually the horrible birth-child of lack-of-sleep, boredom, and unresolved theories regarding Naruto's mom. Yeah, we all know she probably died giving birth... but that's boring. Such a crappy fate for a potentially awesome character.
Anyways, unlike the other story I'm working on, the prologue starts with what happened to Kushina so I don't have to write long flashback chapters later on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters... blah blah blah. You've read hundreds of these already. Rated T for language.
Pairings: Will be SasuSaku with hints of NaruSaku. Love triangles are win. Other pairings are undecided.
. : Prologue: Kushina's Fate - Part 1 : .
Madara Uchiha had thought it would be as simple as unleashing the frightening powers of the nine-tailed fox – taking the title of Hokage for himself or plainly wiping the village off the face of the planet, he didn't really care which – and performing his little victory dance when it was all over. Too bad the first Hokage put an end to that notion.
In retrospect, convincing the other Uchiha to rise up against the Senju was also supposed to be simple and everyone knows how that turned out.
Oh, and let's not forget how 'simple' it was to gather eight other missing nins, manipulate them into forming a single organization bent on controlling the world, and prevent them from killing each other from the sidelines. Seriously, even naming the damn organization wasn't as 'simple' as it was supposed to be; the group ended up killing Hidan twice, albeit accidentally, just so he'd shut up about wanting to name the group 'Fuck-that-suki' when general consensus had already been reached with 'Akatsuki'.
If Madara had learnt anything from all of this, it would be that the things in life that were supposed to be 'simple' rarely ever were; and that was why Madara's current plans were anything but. He now lived life as an avid believer of complexity.
A blood curdling roar brought Madara back to the here-and-now as he leapt through the lush forest canopies of Fire Country. Turning his orange-masked face towards the ever-so-welcoming sound, he caught the unmistakable glimpse of a giant furry beast of malevolence and contempt in all of its nine-tailed glory; watching as it tore a swath of destruction through the trees that dared to stand in its path. Madara admitted that the Kyuubi looked kind of cute and cuddly from a distance in that gruesomely terrible sort of way. Emotions swelled up inside of him, he missed the fox as a father might have missed a child.
In any case, Madara continued the pursuit, making sure to keep his distance from the nearly unstoppable 'natural-disaster.' He called it that because this time Madara didn't summon it. The Kyuubi merely appeared because enough human malice had accumulated and festered in the world, something that Madara had assumed was the result of the formation of the Akatsuki – the group whose idea of a fun time would likely involve using their jutsu to transform ponies and rainbows into grotesque mythical beasts that would shoot destructive elemental chakra out of its many butt-holes.
But what baffled Madara was the fact that the Kyuubi, and its natural inclination to seek out high concentrations of evil, headed towards Konohagakure. How could a village blessed with years of peace and prosperity out-malice an organization whose sole purpose was to bestow fear upon the world? Hell, Orochimaru and his eccentricities alone should have been enough to attract the nine-tails to the Akatsuki's doorstep.
Oh well, thought Madara. Guess I can't have everything go according to plan.
It wasn't long before the familiar walls of the village came into view. A string of explosions near the Kyuubi signalled the arrival of the first wave of Konohagakure's defenders. Madara closed in for a closer view of the action.
"We have to stand our ground until the Fourth gets here," shouted one of the defenders.
"It's too strong, we won't be able to hold out for long," cried out another.
"Let go of me!" screamed a child being forcefully carried away by a Leaf-nin. "My Mom and Dad are still fighting!"
"Get the Umino kid out of here!"
"Pitiful fools," roared the fox. "I will enjoy feasting on your flesh."
Oh Kyuubi-chan, still the same as ever, thought Madara as he chuckled and scanned the area for a certain shinobi: The Yellow Flash, better known as the Fourth Hokage. Ignoring the raging battle around him for the most part, the Uchiha scratched his head when nobody even remotely yellow or flashy appeared.
A condensed black ball of concentrated chakra formed at the Kyuubi's mouth before hurtling towards the village earning more shouts and screams from shinobi and villagers alike. Madara avoided the resulting flying debris with ease, a plan formulating in his head. The Fourth was probably still in his tower barking out orders or preparing weapons and jutsu for use against the nine-tails. And if the Leaf-nin were buying time for the Hokage, then it was only fair that Madara should attempt to buy some time for the Kyuubi. The more destruction caused against the Senju, the better.
Madara wasted no time heading towards the Hokage tower. With the Kyuubi such a huge threat, Madara had no trouble at all sneaking through the village's defences. Infiltrating the tower itself was as simple as walking in through the front doors. He expected low security but this was ridiculous. At least the Kyuubi attack was convenient, Madara noted to himself. However, something put him off. It was just all too... simple.
Snapping him out of his thoughts were a woman's ragged shouts of pain emanating from a nearby room.
"Hang in there Uzumaki-shisou," comforted another voice; a young girl's voice from the sound of it.
Madara stood in front of the door that muffled the offending voices, battling with himself on what he should do. On the one hand, he could just ignore the room altogether and continue towards the Hokage. On the other hand, he was really curious to see what was going on inside. Sneaking by is simple, he reminded himself. Simplicity is the enemy. Shrugging with brand-new resolve, Madara knocked on the door amidst the fitful moans of pain.
"Who is it?" asked the younger sounding voice.
Madara's body stiffened. That's right... who the hell am I supposed to be? Madara didn't exactly plan anything so he improvised. "Umino," he answered, remembering a name he heard outside, adding for good measure: "I have orders from the Fourth."
"From Minato!?" he heard the pained woman say. "Tell..." she panted, every word becoming louder than the last. "...that idiot to hurry up with the Kyuubi and get his butt back in here!" Her last words came like a storm, angry and loud, even through the door.
Madara backed off a little. Who was that crazy woman? He thought. Just as the masked intruder was about to have second thoughts, the door opened up and a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and purple marks angled across her cheeks greeted him. Wearing a simple brown shirt and gray skirt, she looked to be no older than fifteen.
"What is it?" she asked.
Madara, now too lazy to improvise another lie activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and performed the Tsukuyomi on her, watching as she fell seconds later into a quivering heap on the floor.
Thankfully, the other woman looked to be behind curtains at the back of the room so Madara slid the brown-haired girl outside before stepping towards the curtains in the room and pulling them away... something he'd probably regret for the rest of his life.
"Rin!" screamed the red-headed woman. She was lying on the bed with her legs propped up and spread wide... absolutely nothing obstructing the view between them.
Oh Kami, she's giving birth, croaked his mind as he turned around impossibly fast to sneak back out.
"Wait! Where's Rin?"
Madara picked up his pace towards the door. "She... uh... supplies... for baby-making..." he stuttered.
"And where do you think you're going!?" she growled... her words chilling him to his very core. Honed battle senses alarmed within Madara and he turned around to face her, ducking instinctively when he caught the sight of her hands intertwined a seal. A blast of water shot out from out of nowhere, slamming the door to the room shut and sealing it from the inside. "Nobody is getting out of this room until the baby is out of me! Understand?"
He nodded instinctively. Oh Kami, the messes I get myself into... Maybe I should just use Tsukuyomi on her too, he thought. Another ball of water slammed into his chest as if answering his thoughts.
"Don't just stand there!" she shouted between pants and deep breaths. "Wash hands... get towels... NOW!"
Intrigued with the entire situation, he decided to play along. Besides... when he mentioned the Fourth, she called for Minato. Could she be the Fourth's wife? The cogs running Madara's brain spun full force. Oh the possibilities.
"Right!" he answered, grinning wickedly underneath his mask. When he found the towels though, his head cocked to the side in question. "What do you want me to do with these?"
The firey red-head threw a glare that Madara felt would kill lesser men. "Put them... under..."
Madara, completely clueless throughout the process only did as he was told, staring between her legs with a mix of uncertainty and astonishment, wondering how a child could possibly fit through that.
Unfortunately for him, he was about to find out. She let out an aggravated shout more horrific than anything the Kyuubi could ever come up with. As the crowning began and the baby continued its agonizingly slow exit, Madara could only imagine the humorous combinations of Fuck, Shit, Cunt, Bitch, and Bastard, Hidan would be letting out if he were here to witness this.
Finally it was all over and Madara took the tiny boy into his hands, removing the umbilical cord and wiping the infant clean as he was tiredly instructed.
"Well, at least I learned something new today," he said.
"Give him to me," she demanded. "Let me see my baby."
The Uchiha gladly complied, carefully passing the blanket-wrapped baby over to her, and watching amazed as the red-head's personality changed instantly from a controlling and aggressive crazy-woman (in his opinion) into that of a caring and nurturing mother.
Scratching his head, Madara offered his congratulations. "So, what's his name?"
"Naruto," she cooed to the tiny infant. "Little Naruto."
Madara was genuinely surprised at this. "Naruto? Like the stuff in ramen?" he asked. "Well, it's your kid I guess."
The woman softly giggled and looked up at him. "Umino was it? Thank-you."
"Oh. My pleasure," he replied. "Though, I don't think I've ever been more freaked out in my life."
-x-
Kushina looked lovingly at her new bundle of joy. Soft yellow hair tickled her lips as she kissed Naruto's head. "You look just like your father," she said to him just as a loud crashing sound from outside startled her.
"Oh no, the Kyuubi!" As if waking from a daze, she turned towards the orange-masked ANBU in the room. "I'll be fine now," she said. "I'm sorry for keeping you for so long. You better hurry out, I'm sure they need all the help they can get."
The ANBU lifted a finger to the chin of his mask and looked up, as if in hesitation. "I would... but I'm not exactly a Konoha-nin."
Warning sirens sounded in her brain the moment he said it. Suddenly, Kushina felt so... vulnerable; something she hadn't felt since her Genin days back in whirlpool country. Instinctively, she clutched Naruto's frail body gently and protectively as her eyes narrowed into a glare at the masked ANBU. "What do you mean, you're an ANBU aren't you?"
"ANBU!? What gave you that id—oh wait," he interrupted himself, clutching the Konoha headband he had wrapped around his neck. "Sorry for the confusion, this isn't mine."
Kushina's eyes broadened. "Then... who are you?"
"Guess there's no harm in letting you know," he said casually as he pulled off his mask. Black-hair, wrinkled face... and the Sharingan. "I'm definitely not Umino, whoever that is."
"You're an Uchiha!" she declared. Her thoughts spun into confusion as a mix of relief – because the Uchiha were part of the police force – and apprehension – because he still had no idea who he was – stirred within her mind.
"Nice to meet you!" he said cheerfully. "I'm Madara. Care to listen to my story?"
"Story?"
"It's a funny one," he started. "So... I came here following the Kyuubi hoping capture it, you know, so I could take my revenge on Konoha—"
That was all Kushina needed to hear. With one arm holding Naruto, she lifted her free hand into a seal, instantly forming tiny pellets of water. And before the man claiming himself to be Madara could react, she shot the water bullets at the Uchiha, watching as they tore little holes through his vital points.
Is he dead!?
"Guess you really hate stories, huh?" Kushina flung her gaze in the direction of the voice, a shocked expression on her face when she realized he was sitting casually right next to her on the bed... smirking. Her hands instinctively formed another seal and a blast of water jet upwards between them, forming a clear wall.
Madara disappeared again and she frantically scanned the room. She found him, back turned towards her, standing near the door and she immediately performed several one-handed seals. Mist exploded around her, fogging up the room before gathering to form a large school of liquid piranha that shot out towards their target. The Uchiha didn't even bother turning to face her. He merely raised a single hand and blocked the attack with casual disdain.
"Careful," he said. "Wouldn't want to hurt little Naruto, would you?" Madara turned around... holding Naruto in his arms? WHAT!?
Kushina looked down with a jerk at the 'Naruto' she was supposed to be holding and fought back the urge to just pass out when the child transformed into several ravens that flew erratically out of her arms. "Naruto!"
"You've been in my genjutsu since the kid's birth," explained Madara lazily. "But don't worry, I won't do anything to Naruto. Isn't that right, Naruto-kun?" Madara playfully twirled a finger in front of the infant's face. "He's kind of cute."
He has my baby! Feeling utterly helpless in this situation, Kushina wanted to cry or call out for help, but doing so would likely victimize her Naruto. "What the hell do you want?" she asked desperately.
Madara seemed to ignore the question. "One-handed seals, water-jutsu..." he started. "Long blazing-red hair, eyes deep and blue like the depths of an ocean... I recognize you from your bingo book description. You're Uzumaki, aren't you? Kushina Uzumaki."
She glared. "And what if I am?"
He shrugged. "Didn't think I'd find the last Uzumaki here... wait, uh... guess you're not the last one anymore." He began playing with Naruto again. "You know, Naruto-kun? You don't look anything like your Mom, here."
"Stop it!"
He ignored her again and pulled out a bingo book. "You're an S-class in other countries... not surprising," he said, smiling. "You're pretty scary. Oh and your nickname... Shinigami's Brush... earned because you—"
"Get to the point," spat Kushina.
Madara sighed, snapping the bingo-book shut. "I liked you better when you had a baby in your hands," he said. "Want another?" All the crows perched in room cawed as if on cue and Kushina shuddered. "I guess I won't take up too much more of your time."
Kushina looked up and vague hope filled her eyes.
"Kushina... Kushina... Kushina...," he said. "I'll give you a choice. You... or your son?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked warily. Her entire body tensed.
"A gift," he answered. "...a token of my gratitude for allowing me such a wonderful experience."
"Gift!? I don't want any gifts. Just leave!"
Madara shook his head, a little disappointedly. "I'm afraid one of you will have to accept it, whether you like it or not. And I can't tell you what it is either... it would ruin the surprise."
Cold sweat dripped down Kushina's face. She was already exhausted physically and mentally from giving birth... and now this? What the hell is this gift? Is it dangerous? Kushina continued to struggle with her thoughts. It could be the gift of death for all she knew.
"You better hurry or do you want me to choose for you?" he replied happily.
Kushina clenched a handful of the bed sheets. "Me..." Kushina blurted out. "Give your gift, or whatever, to me. Just please... leave Naruto alone." Kushina was on the verge of tears at this point.
"Hmmm," said Madara, an amused grin anew on his face. "I really wanted to see how it would work on an infant... but I did give you the choice so..." With a single wave of his arm, all the ravens perched in the room suddenly flew at her... towards her face. Kushina tried to bat them away to little effect. Painfully, they began forcing themselves into her mouth. She tried to bite down to stop them, tried to scream, tried to breath. She could do none of these until finally, the last black raven entered her mouth and down her throat.
She gasped for air and fell back onto the bed. It felt as if her eyes were burning. "What did... you do... to me..." she said between pants. Strength faded from all her muscles... she could barely move any of her limbs.
"You should be thankful," proclaimed Madara enthusiastically. "I gave you some of my power. It's called Kamui and you'll know exactly what it is when it awakens..."
All of a sudden, Naruto began crying. Kushina struggled to reach out to him. "Naru... to..." she pleaded.
"Oops, almost forgot," he said as he tucked Naruto between Kushina's arms. "Don't want him peeing on me or something."
Relief swept over Kushina when she felt the tiny frame of Naruto in her hands once again. His crying slowly died down as he fell asleep.
"Well, I gotta go check up on Kyuubi-chan. Say hi to your husband and the rest of the villagers for me," he said. Kushina gazed up at Madara, noticing how his expression suddenly turned serious just before he re-equipped his mask. "But be quick... because they'll disappear before your very eyes."
A/N: So yea, you can probably tell where I got my inspiration for the whole Kushina thing. Itachi gave Naruto a bit of his powers (haven't seen it yet, though) so why can't Madara give some of his... albeit for an entirely different reason.
I like reviews, so tell me what you think. I hope Madara wasn't too out of character. I find him hard to write. I didn't really know how to write Kushina either, so I just went with the whole tomboyish personality with mother-like qualities.