Chapter 3 is up. Again I don't own this chapter or the previous two chapters as they belong to Assassin of War. Enjoy
Oh and for those of you reading know that the only reason the first three chapters are the way they are is because I don't want to change them, mostly as they were already good in my opinion. It's why I adopted this story from Assassin of War
– Previously –
Naruto had regained the memories of the wood clone he left behind to deal with the last of the Kumo-nin'. It was one of his favorite techniques, none could tell the difference aside from his father. Now on his way back to Konoha, he looked down to the red-headed girl in his arms, and he had to admit something to himself. 'She's not bad on the eye's.' he thought to himself. The girl in question had been in a bit of a daze after he had rescued her but has since calmed down to the point of snuggling closer to him, blissfully unaware. He smiled at her and began to notice a few of her limbs were moving, she was beginning to stir.
Her eyes were fluttering and before he could react, her head shot upwards, nailing him straight on in the forehead, dropping her. "Ow!" they both cried out in pain. His father had always told him he had a hard head but it seemed he found someone with a much harder one, she recovered first. She looked around, blinked, looked around some more and then spotted him. "Oi, why was I in your arms...like...like some defenseless type of princess?!" she growled out.
By this point, he had recovered as well, and just looked at her confusedly. "Do not all little girls wish to be princess?" he asked as he tilted his head sideways.
His father had explained this to him a long time ago, and his father always spoke the truth, the man didn't lie very well. She gritted her teeth, "Well I don't, now tell me who you are? I've never seen you in Konoha before?" she asked him, clearly spotting the headband.
He quirked a eyebrow "Is this how you treat all of the people who save you?" he asked.
The girl looked remorseful, "Thank you..." she said in a very quiet voice, "I just have trouble trusting people after the last few minutes." she told him.
Naruto shrugged "Your welcome, and that's understandable." he replied. She gave him a nod, while she may not be as defensive around him, she still did not know why he was out there for.
The redhead eyed him carefully, "Why exactly were you out here for?" she asked needing to be sure he wasn't just another person ready to use her as well.
Before he could answer, someone else interrupted their conversation, "I would like an answer to that question as well." a new voice asked. Both teens on the ground looked up to where they heard the voice coming from and found another teen with bright blonde hair looking at them, or more precisely, at him. Said teen was wearing black shinobi pants and sandals along with a grayish jacket with three black lines from shoulder to wrist along with a black headband. It was the symbol on the plate that stood out to the young Senju.
'...Konoha...' he thought to himself. He looked over to ask the little redhead a question but chose to remain silent, she was looking at the blonde teen with eyes full of recognition. Both of them knew one another in some fashion it seemed. "Like I was about to say, I actually don't know where here is but once I saw her in trouble all I could think of at the moment was her safety and well-being." he said and both teens could hear the sincerity in his voice. The girl was a bit sad since he hadn't been there because of the clues she had left behind but once he said he could think of nothing except her safety and well-being, she brightened up.
"I wasn't supposed to appear all the way out here..." he muttered, "The little redhead somehow had gotten a hold of my scroll, which is supposed to be with my mother." he stated.
"And just who is your moth-" the blonde started but was cut off.
"Hey!" said the redhead, "I'm not little and my name is not redhead or girl!" she growled out, she was going to deck him in the face if he called her that again. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her outburst and surrendered with his hands up.
Then an amused smile came to his face. "Oh...and what's your name?" he asked. The blonde teen chose to answer and quickly, before he got cut off again.
"Namikaze Minato." he introduced himself.
Naruto nodded his head "Senju Naruto." replied the ravenette.
"Minato! Shut up, he was asking me!" yelled the redhead, glaring at the both of them. The now named Minato looked at her with a smile at her usual outbursts then back to the other teen. "My name is Uzumaki Kushina! Future Hokage of Konoha, ttebane!" she shouted out her dream to the heavens. Naruto couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, 'Heh...how interesting.'
– Now –
The trio of teens, being led by Minato, were making their way back towards Konoha. Minato had said nothing of the teen' appearance or why he looked like the Shodai Hokage, he would get answers when they returned. He was sure Kushina had no clue who Hashirama was, so he didn't even bother to ask her what she thought. An awkward silence had permeated the group until it was broken up. "Jeez! Will one of you say something already?! I can't stand this silence...it reminds me of a few hours ago..." Kushina muttered the last part. Both teen male's sent her a look of sympathy and then looked to one another. Naruto had no problem with the blonde teen but it seemed his counterpart did not share the same feelings.
But one look at the red-head and he knew the blonde would try to be somewhat civil towards him. He did not blame him, it would seem mighty suspicious for someone to just say they appeared from a scroll and that their from Konoha. He could not fault him for doing his job as a shinobi of Konoha. Naruto decided to try and get the ball rolling, "So, Minato was it, how old are you?" he asked the blonde.
Blue eyes narrowed at him, "I am currently thirteen years old, and Naruto was it, how about yourself?" he asked in return. The raven haired Senju brushed off the blonde' gaze and snarky attitude while figuring out his little game, he was trying to get information out of him.
Each of them asks a question, they both receive answers. Naruto mentally shrugged, he could afford to give small snippets of info to Minato. "I'm actually a year older than you, I'm fourteen." he told the boy. Before Minato could respond, Kushina beat him to the punch.
"Really! Then that means we're the same age, how cool is that. I've never had another friend the same age as me, all of the others are either a year younger or older than me besides Mikoto-chan and Yui-chan." Kushina squealed in happiness.
"Really?" asked Naruto and got a nod, "Then I will gladly be your third friend of the same age, and maybe you can introduce me to your other friends." he told the last of the Uzumaki.
Naruto was hopeful she would, sure he had friends, but who knows what happened to them between the time he went into the scroll and now. If any of them were still alive then there was a good possibility that they had moved on with their lives. He was basically alone in this world, not literally of course, but in terms of where he fit in. Kushina, along with Minato, noticed the forlorn look on his face when the mention of friends was brought up. The blonde said nothing but filed it away for later, the redhead however opened her mouth. She didn't know what compelled her to do it but she did it anyway, "Are you okay?" she asked with concern evident in her voice as her hand reached out and rested atop his shoulder.
He smiled at her, appreciating her trying to console him, "I'm fine, just wondering how much the village has changed...Anyways, please do introduce me to your friends." he said to the redhead.
A bit of pink dusted Kushina's cheeks when he smiled at her, "Of course, I can introduce you to my best friends in the whole village." she said as she exaggerated the size of the village with her arms. Naruto stifled a laugh, she acted exactly like his father would when he would try to animate something to you, using his hands, arms, and feet. It was an endearing trait found in innocent types of people, they were the ones who were not afraid to express themselves in any manner of ways.
He was like that sometimes. Minato silently watched the two and wished to jump into the conversation but he just couldn't find the right moment. He couldn't understand how two people who had only just met a few hours ago could have so much to talk about or in common. It wasn't like he didn't like the other male across from him, even he could see just how confused he was, but it was the logical side of him that needed to be sure. His friend, Kushina, could often times be very trusting and he just didn't want to see her get hurt, it was never easy seeing something like that.
He suddenly thought of something, "Naruto." he called out to the teen, disrupting the conversation between the two and ignoring the pointed glare from Kushina.
"Yes?" Naruto responded.
Minato looked to the Senju "Before...you were saying your mother's name. Who is she?" the blonde asked.
Naruto grinned "Ah, yes. My mother is Uzumaki Mito." he told the blonde. His proclamation was met with silence. Even Minato was struck silent.
Kushina was gobsmacked "B-but how? You'd have to be over a thousand years old!" exclaimed Kushina, clearly not being able to differentiate years. How was that even possible to begin with?
"I'm not that old and neither is my mother...and never let her hear you say that." he chuckled, his mother would have thrown a fit. Minato calmed himself "Then how old are you really?" asked Minato, still having trouble believing this. Naruto shrugged "I'm fourteen physically, but I know you mean something else. Let me ask you a question since you seem like the smartest one here." Naruto said to the blonde.
Kushina didn't like that "Hey!" she shouted at him.
Naruto ignored Kushina's indignant cry, "Just how long ago was the 1st World War?" he asked. Surely it hadn't been that long since it was over so he had to know that much.
Minato loved to learn new things but even his mind could not stretch that far back. He shook his head negatively and got a nod of acceptance from his traveling companion. He would need to head to the library to find out more. "Well, when we can get that answer we will know." said Naruto. Minato nodded and despite his misgivings, he was slowly opening up towards the teen opposite of him. He could relate in a way, he was an orphan, did not know what day he was born nor who his parents were. His date of birth was just a random date someone had chosen for him, so he could somewhat understand the melancholy feeling the ravenette was feeling, not knowing certain things that could reveal something to you.
"Maybe the Hokage will know." Kushina said offhandedly. Both male's turned to the lone female in the group, Minato was mentally kicking himself for not thinking about that sooner.
The Senju grinned "I take back what I said, you Kushina are the smartest person in this group." said Naruto as he bowed down before her.
Kushina sent a smug smile to Minato who was grumbling about something, "Tell me more, tell me how awesome I am, how I'm the smartest woman on earth." she asked in a gloating tone of voice that was more playful than actual gloating.
"You are the smartest, toughest, grumpiest, strongest, woman in all of the lands, along with your magnificent scarlet hair." said Naruto.
"Don't call me grumpy!" she said as she blushed a bit more due to his comment about her hair, someone actually complimented her on her hair! Minato couldn't help it, he let out a small laugh at the two. Kushina looked to Minato "Did you just laugh?" asked Kushina. Minato however shook his head childishly
"No." he told her.
Kushina got in his face "Yes you did." she said in a singsong voice.
Minato denied it once again "No, I was coughing. It only sounded like laughing to you." he said, trying to cover himself. Someone in this group had to be the responsible one. It was like he was watching over two children.
Before Kushina could press further, Naruto intervened, although he himself could see the similarities this group possessed to one he remembered back in the day. Minato acted like his uncle Tobirama, while Kushina acted more like his father and he was the in between, just like his mother. Although he couldn't help it and looked at Minato "Who's the Hokage anyway?" he asked the blond.
"That would be Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage." replied Minato. That was a surprise.
So with that he burst into laughter "HIRUZEN! He was made Hokage, oh man, I can't wait to see him. I wonder how he looks now, probably a wrinkly old bag of bones." said Naruto, laughing openly at his friend.
Kushina and Minato were gaping at the disrespect the Senju teen before them was showing towards one of the most decorated shinobi of his time. And the way he said his name, almost as if they were equals on familiar footing. Looking at the shocked duo he couldn't help it "If the two of you don't close your mouths soon your going to attract some Aburame insects." he laughed at their faces as their mouths shut abruptly.
"How can you talk about our Sandaime with such a lack of disrespect?!" asked Minato, his voice beginning to rise a bit.
Naruto just looked at him like he was stupid, "Why shouldn't I? Hiruzen is one of my best friends, he and I grew up together." he said.
It took a moment for their brains to register that and then it clicked, of course they would know each-other, especially if his story checked out. The two would know each-other from when the villages were being established. 'If anyone can prove anything he's saying, then it would be Sandaime-sama.' Minato believed this wholeheartedly, he would have his answers soon.
Naruto decided to change the subject, "So Minato, since you came out here alone, you must be very skilled, yes?" Naruto asked the blonde. He got a nod. "And you as well, right Kushina?" he asked the redhead. He got a hesitant nod from her. "Care to share a few of them?" asked Naruto.
Both Minato and Kushina's eyes narrowed and before they could start accusing him of something, the Senju defended himself "I'm just curious is all. Kushina must be very skilled, aside from her being a Uzumaki, to have Kumo make an attempt at you. And you Minato must be very talented to have Hiruzen sent you out alone." said Naruto as the two teens looked away, smiling to themselves at the compliments. Kushina was smiling brightly to herself while it appeared Minato wore one as well, he wasn't. He hadn't gotten permission to leave the village and just left on his own, he was in for some disciplinary action when he returned.
"I can share a few of mine with you. If you have a bloodline or something you do not wish to share that is fine. I just want to know more about my two new friends. Think of it as a sign of trust." Naruto's statement brought them back to reality. The Uzumaki nodded her head as she was glad to make another friend. Minato on the other-hand just shook his head, how could he be considered a friend when they only just met, but regardless of what he just said, a bond of some sort had been created between the two. "I'll go first." Naruto said, "I have two affinities: Water & Earth, I have a Taijutsu style that focuses on soft and hard strikes, and I have a bloodline." he finished.
Both teens who were listening perked up when he mentioned a bloodline but were disappointed when he did not elaborate. Kushina as always lacked tact. "What's your bloodline?" she asked eagerly.
Minato sighed, there was no way he would give- "I..." Naruto started to say. Both were surprised he was going to say, they leaned in closer. Naruto leaned in and spoke quietly "...Will tell you later." he said quietly. Both face-faulted. Naruto laughed at their expressions openly. Minato had gotten up and turned away from the laughter, he was mildly embarrassed he had fallen for something like that. Of course he wouldn't give out info like that.
Kushina had gotten up herself and instead of acting embarrassed, she pouted like a child instead. "Jokes aside, are you going to share?" he asked.
Kushina, who had gotten over his joke, spoke first "I only have one affinity and its for water, I'm more of a brawler type of fighter, and I know some Kenjutsu." she explained. She wasn't going to talk about her own little type of bloodline which made her the perfect choice for being a representative for the Uzumaki clan.
Naruto perked up at her mentioning Kenjutsu, "What type of Kenjutsu?" he asked curiously. That was one thing he had forgotten to mention.
"I was learning the basics of the Uzumaki-ryū...before..." she trailed off.
He wasn't going to ask why she had trailed off, "It's a small world isn't it, I know the Uzumaki-ryū myself. I can teach you if you want...along with your water affinity." he offered the redhead.
Kushina was ecstatic "REALLY!?" she exclaimed in excitement. He nodded his head yes showing he would. "Thank you so much!" In her excitement she gave him a hug.
Naruto blushed a bit himself as he flt her developing chest press against his body, he hasn't had much interaction with girls his age so this was something new for him. "Your welcome." he replied as he composed himself. Kushina realized what she did and backed off, her own blush deepening a bit.
"Sorry." she muttered.
Naruto nodded, "How about you, Minato?" he asked the blonde.
The blonde hesitated for a moment before answering, "I have two affinities: Wind and Lightning. I'm a hit and run type of attacker and I'm pretty fast." said Minato, trying to give as little as he could. The Senju teen nodded his head, it was unfortunate that he couldn't show him anything due to him not knowing any Fūton or Raiton techniques, but perhaps they could spar.
"I probably should have asked this earlier, but who are your sensei's, maybe I know them or of them?" asked Naruto, who knows.
"Ah...I'm an apprentice, so I didn't get assigned to a team." answered Kushina.
"Who's your teacher?" he asked her.
Kushina looked away and mumbled something. He didn't hear her "What was that?" he asked her.
"I said your mother is my teacher!" she yelled out. In midst of all the surprises they had gotten, she had forgotten to mention that she did know his mother.
"Really!?" Naruto couldn't wait to get to Konoha now. 'This is great maybe I can get the answers I need from her?' he thought to would find out soon enough. He looked to Minato "How about you Minato?" he asked.
Minato shrugged "Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin." he answered the Senju
'Legendary Three Ninja? What exactly did they do to earn such a title?' he wondered to himself.
Naruto was confused and it showed. "C'mon you know... Jiraiya of the Sannin." Minato said saying the mans name.
He got a negative head shake, "I'm afraid not." he told Minato.
"Well, you'll probably meet him at some point since you probably know one of his teammate's." Minato said offhandedly.
"Who?" he asked.
"Senju Tsunade." Minato told him shocking the ravenette.
Now way "What? Little Tsu-chan is a legendary ninja?!" exclaimed Naruto.
'She isn't really all that little though.' both Minato and Kushina had the same thoughts as the girl patted her chest and the boy had a faraway look on his face. Naruto shrugged off their looks. "So... how much longer till we reach Konoha?" he asked.
Familiarity and Awe. Those were the two emotions Naruto felt once he laid eyes on his home from afar. It felt so familiar to him but it also felt different, almost alien, it was by far much bigger than he remembered it to be. In his mind it couldn't really even be called a village anymore, it was more akin to a city. His jaw had actually dropped but thankfully was lifted back up by a petite hand. "If you don't close your mouth you will attract some Aburame insects." laughed Kushina, "Especially this close to the village." Naruto found mirth in her statement, the tables had turned it seemed.
"Halt!" a voice called out to the trio of ninja's causing them to stop.
The trio did as told since they were coming up to the gate, they needed to identify themselves. The blonde went first, "Namikaze Minato, Genin of Konoha, Id number: 000685." he said signing in to the gate.
The two guards checked their sheets and found his number, "Next." the man said and Kushina stepped forward.
"Uzumaki Kushina, Genin of Konoha, Id number: 000725." she said handing them her number.
She checked out, they looked to the next and did a double take. "Senju Naruto, Genin of Konoha, Id number: 000250." Naruto said seriously. He would not lie to the guards as they were there when he was little.
They must not have heard him, they were in shock. "H-Hashirama-sama!" they exclaimed. The two guards were a few of the lucky youngsters back in the day who had personally met the Shodai when he was alive. It had left a profound effect on them and soon joined the ranks. They couldn't believe they were meeting him again.
"Ah...no I'm not-" Naruto tried to say, however help came just in time.
"We will take it from here." a voice said gaining their attention. The group at the gate turned to see four Anbu drop down before them and suddenly kneel before Naruto. "It is good to see you again, Senju-sama." stated the obvious leader.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, did he know this person? It was possible but he didn't remember making any friends in the Anbu, and that was because he wasn't there when they were established, he only even knew of them thanks to the information left by his uncle in the scroll. He closed his eyes, trying to feel the person' chakra. It was something he had been shown by his father, all life used Yang or the physical energy and humans were no different from their Mokuton, which was composed of life. He had learned how to differentiate them from his uncle Tobirama, that man was an even more gifted sensor than his father.
Reaching out, he felt it as a small flame that only grew warmer the further he went in, he knew the man across from him personally. He took a step forward, ignored the tensing of the others, bent down and whispered... "It's good to see you again, Kagami." with a smile on his face. It had been to long. The man didn't say yes but gave him a barely noticeable nod. He was curious though and couldn't help it "How did you know I was at the gate?" he asked the Uchiha.
Kagami chuckled "My unit was patrolling the village and I saw your old armor along with your appearance. You're not very hard to miss." he told the Senju heir who he hadn't seen in thirty years.
The Senju supposed it was true, not many had a resemblance to either himself or his father. "So...what now?" he wondered aloud.
Kagami spoke "I need to take you to see Hokage-sama." stated Kagami before looking at the other four, "You two as well." he told the other genin as he motioned for Minato and Kushina. "The two of you however will keep quiet about this until Hokage-sama address this. Am I clear?" Kagami said more than asked. The two guards nodded vigorously. Kagami smiled under his mask "Good, let's go." he said. Kagami placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and they silently vanished via body flicker leaving no sound nor any residue of them ever being there.
The others followed suit, two grabbing the blonde and red-head, but still leaving a few pieces of leaves. The two guards were still in shock that it wasn't their Shodai but his son. That shock was soon replaced with something else...elation. Hashirama's Legacy had returned. Things were finally looking up for the leaf and soon the whole world would witness the rise of the Senju clan once again. Enemies of Konoha beware the last wielder of the Mokuton had finally returned home.
– Hokage Office –
A lone man sat in a large office overlooking most if not all of the village. He would rather be out and about, walking and greeting his people than stuck in an office doing paperwork. Had he known that this was part of his duty, he wouldn't have taken the mantle from his sensei.A sigh escaped his lips, he often found himself reminiscing about his sensei and his family, specifically his nephew, Naruto. No one, not even him, had known what had happened to his friend, some speculated he had been killed while out on his mission, others said he abandoned his home and friends for another village, safe to say that those people had met with the end of his fists.
Granted it was an immature thing to do, but he was a young lad who was waiting for a friend to return, he would not allow someone to bad mouth a friend of his. They really could have used him not only in the 2nd World War, which had ended around a year ago, but also in the 1st. He would have been a game changer, as the youngsters say, and they may not have lost Senju Tobirama to the Kinkaku force. If having his sensei there with them would mean him giving up his title of Hokage, he would do so in a heartbeat. How he dearly missed the man, but that was then and just wishing for something doesn't mean it will happen.
He wanted to pass down the mantle of Kage but he couldn't find any worthy enough of it right now, he did have a few in mind though. Granted, he was still young by the standards of today, but having fought and survived two wars ages a person beyond belief. The second especially had taken it's toll on him, he was not there to fight alongside them but his three students made him proud that day, the day they stood tall against a man even he himself would have trouble with...Hanzō of the Salamanders. He had of course read the reports but when he got first hand details from his students, he was surprised but not really.
He was surprised that a man such as Hanzō would let them go and even bestow upon them a title but he was not surprised they had survived. They had great teamwork amongst themselves when they were kids but even more so when they became adults and could follow orders properly. His reminiscing had been cut short by the sudden knock on his door, he didn't remember inviting anyone or there being any appointments. He shrugged, whatever it was had to be better than his paperwork. "Enter." he ordered. His eyebrow rose a tad, in walked one of his more decorated Anbu operatives and one of his best friends, Kagami.
Why would the man need to knock if he could just appear in front of him whenever he had something to say. The man had joined up with the shadows after the 1st war had ended stating that he, as new Hokage, would need someone to watch his back from the shadows and who better than a man with a Sharingan. Hiruzen had no doubt the man would flourish and he did, much better than his friend Danzo probably would have. His other best friend was stuck in the ways of the past and in his honest opinion would be to rigid or stiff when it came to adapting to new situations that the black ops constantly had. What was the matter with the man?
"What's the matter, Gensō (Illusion)?" he asked the ANBU Hiruzen had decided to give his friend the name of a concept rather than an animal. Concepts would last throughout time, long after all of them had passed on. And what better way to name someone after something they were so good at casting.
"Hokage-sama...we have located Uzumaki Kushina." he told his leader.
Hiruzen became serious in a matter of seconds, "Explain!" it was not a question. How had he not known of this.
"From what we have been told, the girl had been abducted by a squad of Kumo-nin' to be taken to their village and used as a breeder." Kagami said to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen growled to himself 'Dammit A, you would risk starting another war so soon!' he asked himself. Sarutobi cursed the Sandaime Raikage for his reckless and stupid decision. "Who saved Kushina?" he asked. Mito would need to be informed of this as she was head of the clan or what was left of it, and Kushina still fell under her jurisdiction. He just hoped she wouldn't bite his head off for the lax security, which would be tightened. Kagami did not say the person's name but instead ushered them in. After all, he did not want to ruin the surprise. The first person to walk in was said victim, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief as the girl looked shaken but overall fine.
He would have a talk with her later to see if she wanted to talk about the situation. A mop of blonde hair walked in next, the Sandaime could honestly say he wasn't surprised to see it was him who had saved her. He was a very very gifted shinobi who would go on to do great things, he could see it as the boy calmly walked in taking in everything. "Minato, while I thank you for rescuing Kushina-" he didn't finish as a new person made himself known.
"YO! Saru!" interrupted a voice. Hiruzen bristled at the casual nickname, no one aside from his teachers and best friends could call him that, who was- His words died in his throat, he couldn't even form them, standing in front of him was a person he had thought to never see again.
It wasn't his teacher, Hashirama, even though the resemblance was uncanny, it was his son, his best friend, Naruto. "N-Naruto...I-Is that y-you?" he asked, completely forgetting about Kushina and Minato for the moment.
"Sure is Saru...it's good to see another familiar face, although a bit older than I remembered." he remarked with a twinkle in his eye.
"NARUTO!" Hiruzen exclaimed happily and with that the Sandaime Hokage jumped out from his seat and gave a man who he had thought never to see again a hug. It was returned. Minato and Kushina really couldn't contain their shock anymore, everything he had said was indeed true.
Then that meant he was the son of not only Uzumaki Mito but of Senju Hashirama as well along with being related to Tobirama and his own daughter, Tsunade. Something inside of Kushina's head clicked when this all came together. "If you are related to Mito-sama...then that means you're an Uzumaki as well!" No sooner did that realization hit that she to ran forward and enveloped him in a tight hug with tears in her eyes. She had just found another Uzumaki aside from herself and his mother. It was more family. Naruto wasn't sure why she was crying about him being half Uzumaki but he shrugged and returned the affections. He would ask Hiruzen about it.
"He is only half Uzumaki, the other half is Senju blood." stated Minato as he pieced things together.
"Doesn't matter." replied Kushina.
"Naruto..." Hiruzen said. The raven haired Senju turned to see that it was Hiruzen who called him, the man had just finished getting the report of just where Kagami and his group had found him.
"What's up?" Naruto asked.
"We need to have a talk, but first..." he turned towards the only blonde. "Minato, I understand that you wanted to help a friend and you have my thanks for bringing her and Naruto back home. However, you left the village without permission and you could have not only gotten yourself killed but Kushina as well." he said.
This caused Minato to lower his head. However Hiruzen continued "However considering that you all came back unharmed, I am going to lessen the penalty a bit." he said causing Minato to raise his head.
Minato grimaced, "What is the penalty, Hokage-sama?" he asked Hiruzen.
Hiruzen grinned "Four months of D-rank missions. I was originally going to give you and your team six months but felt it would do me little good to have one of my better genin teams on the sidelines for so long. I will inform your sensei of this, you are dismissed." he ordered.
A sigh escaped the blonde's mouth, "Hai Hokage-sama. I'll see you later Kushina, you as well Naruto. I want to talk more to you. Bye." he said.
"Bye bye." waved Kushina.
"Goodbye." said Naruto who gave him a nod. With that Minato left the office. Hiruzen couldn't help but smile, it seemed Naruto was already making fast friends with the up and coming shinobi of this generation. His smile dropped as he looked to Kushina. He felt bad for the girl and the situation she had been placed in, she was like a daughter to him and his wife Biwako, who absolutely adored the girl. He already had two sons but he and his wife had been trying for a daughter for a while but no such luck, until they had met Kushina. He may have thought of her like that, but she thought more of him like an uncle.
It didn't really matter to him, as long as she was happy, it was okay with him. He looked to the redhead in question "Kushina." he spoke in a softer voice. She turned to look at him as she was still holding onto Naruto. "Can you please let Naruto go for the moment. There are some things I need to talk to him in private." he told her gently.
She looked mortified by the idea "B-but." she tried to plead, even going as far as making her lower lip tremble.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage was ready. "Please." the magic word he knew would work with her, "You can talk to him and show him around while introducing him to your friends when we're done here. Okay?" he told her.
Kushina looked outside of the window and realized that it would soon be morning, almost getting kidnapped and being out in the woods made her lose track of time. She gave him a nod and gave Naruto one last hug. "I'll see you later okay. Bye bye." she said to him.
"Goodbye." said Naruto as he turned to face his friend who had been waving her bye as well. And then she was gone. The two looked at one another for a few seconds before Naruto spoke in a very serious tone. "...Hiruzen..." causing his friend to get serious as well.
"Yes?" Hiruzen asked just as serious. Naruto held up two fingers "Two things." he asked the man. Hiruzen nodded his head to him.
"First off why was Kushina so excited to find out that I was part Uzumaki?" he asked. The aged leader sighed, even after all this time, his friend was still very perceptive of things. "When I first came back I heard that Kushina was the last of the Uzumaki." Naruto said to his friend, "Did something happen to the Uzumaki clan?" he asked unsurely. Hiruzen did not answer immediately and instead called over Kagami while whispering something to the man. He soon vanished to accomplish whatever he had been sent to do. The Sandaime looked to his friend and began to recall old memories.
Naruto could feel the regret and sorrow rolling off of Hiruzen at this point, "What has happened to them is a long and tragic tale, but one I feel you must be told along with the events since your disappearance..." he begun...
Naruto had not often found himself crying, he cried when his father had passed away, and he cried when he met Tsunade for the first time. Those were the only two times he had done so, but just in the last hour he had cried the most. So much had happened, so much death... 'Tobirama-Ojisan(Uncle), Tōka-Obasan (Aunt), Karin-Obasan, Kenshin...the entire Senju and Uzumaki clans...and Nawaki... gone...forever...' he thought to himself clearly upset by what he had been told. He felt sad knowing he had another cousin and granted he may have been born from another woman, but he was still family, it had explained his light brown hair.
He died far too young, and then there was Tsunade and her reactions to not only her half-brother' loss but that of her lover. Naruto's next stop would be her and after that it would be off to his mother. "Why?" asked Naruto.
"Why what?" Hiruzen asked his friend confused.
"Why would anyone want to destroy the Uzumaki clan, they were a neutral clan. They separated from the Senju clan to avoid the fighting..." Naruto growled out. Hiruzen sighed, he had asked himself the same question.
"People are afraid of what they don't understand. Only a few people outside of Uzu and even our village truly understood the complicated art known as Fūinjutsu." he told Naruto.
He shrugged and continued "The other villages saw them as a threat, not only for their prodigious skill in the sealing arts but if they ever joined the war to help us then we may have reigned supreme over them. They feared that more than anything, it would upset the natural balance of power." he sighed out.
Naruto growled "Which villages?" more of a statement than a question.
The Sandaime looked at his friend for a long moment trying to see the reason for him asking such a question. "Kumo and Iwa." he told the male Senju .
Naruto took in a deep breath and released, "Thank you for answering my friend." he sighed out to the old man.
Hiruzen waved it off as nothing "Not at all...what do you plan on doing now?" he asked his friend.
"Well-" Naruto began only for to be interrupted by knocking on the door. Naruto was interrupted by two knocks on the door and without being allowed entry, which Naruto noted, walked in.
"What did you wish to speak to us about, Hokage-sa-!" a familiar voice began only for the voice to come to a screeching halt. While this happened two people Naruto easily recognized but as the same with Hiruzen, they were much much older walked through the door.
With a grin he greeted his friends "Yo, Homura, Koharu." greeted Naruto.
Thud! Thud! Naruto and Hiruzen both sweatdropped, the two councilors of the Hokage had fainted. Naruto grinned "It seems their old age has caught up with them, aye Hiruzen." joked Naruto as Hiruzen chuckled a bit as well. The sound of shuffling feet could be heard once more, the door creaked open allowing two more people to try and enter the room. The bodies of the two former were blocking the door a bit.
"Yo, Hiruz-! a cheerful voice greeted only to follow the first two's trail.
"What do you want Saruto-!" a fourth voice said but it too stopped.
With a wave Naruto greeted the last of his friends who looked better than he thought "Yo Torifu, Danzō."
THUD! Torifu followed the example of his two friends who were already on the floor and it was rather bad luck for them as well, an Akimichi was laying on top of them. 'Ouch, they sure are going to be sore tomorrow.' thought Naruto with sympathy. Naruto looked from the unconscious bodies to the one who was able to hold off his shock but only by a bit. The raven haired teen could see from his lone widened eye that he to was in a bit of shock, awe, and was that...fear. "Hello, Danzō, hello." Naruto waved trying to snap him out of his daze. It wasn't working, he turned back to Hiruzen. As funny as this was he had other things to attend to before catching up.
"As I was saying before, I have a few people to visit. I know that when these four gather their wits, they will ask you questions. Give them the information I shared with you but not all of it, they aren't my Hokage, only you and only you are privy to that information. If you absolutely need me then come and get me, but if you don't, then I will come and see you in a few days. See you later, Hiruzen." Naruto said his piece, got up from his seat, gave a nod to Kagami and began to walk over the bodies of his old friends. He briefly glanced at his other friend. "Goodbye for now, Danzō." he said to the scarred man with a small wave. Snapped out of his shock he was able to respond,
"Y-Yes, you as well Senju-sama." he said.
Naruto frowned at that, they were still friends right? But then again, Danzō was always one for the formalities. He shrugged and then he was gone, off to see more of the village and meet with his family. He could hardly contain himself as he was excited to see her after all this time.
No sooner had the long lost Senju gone did Danzō snap out of his shock. He marched right up to his rival. "Hiruzen, explain now." he ordered. Kagami heard the order and tone, and was about to bark one himself to his friend, but his leader beat him to it.
"Watch your tone Danzō, I am leader of this village. Do not order me around...I will explain as soon as Kagami awakens our friends." explained Hiruzen as his tone returned to normal. This was not something his friend was going to try and force, he would not let him. He was going to explain this once and only once. Danzō was annoyed by this but wisely kept his mouth shut.
He could tell when something would not go his way, that and going by Kagami' body language, he would have jumped in as well. "Mn..." The others were beginning to stir. Torifu was the first to get up, since he was on top, while the others were still on the ground but were coherent enough to hear what Hiruzen had to say.
"O-Oh Kami, that wasn't who I thought it was, w-was it?" asked Torifu on wobbly legs trying to hold his weight. Homura and Koharu were praying he could or else they would be crushed once more.
"It was and I have info-" he didn't get to finish as- THUD! the Akamichi leader fainted once again in shock falling once more onto the downed elders.
"OW!" both Homura and Koharu cried out in pain as their already aching bodies were once more crushed under the heavy weight of their friend.
"Tch...dammit Torifu, get your fat ass up already." Danzō growled out having lost his cool for the first time in a long while. It was very understandable. Two little words had gotten the man up.
"What did you just call me you one eyed mummy bastard!" yelled Torifu.
A sigh escaped Hiruzen' lips, 'He's only back in the village for two hours and already he's giving me a headache by dealing with this, which is indirectly his fault.' he thought to himself. The yelling continued into the day.
As Naruto walked around the village, he was getting various looks from the people he passed. They were either laughing at him for his awe at a few of the buildings he was looking into, like the place that was baking bread, that wasn't there last time. Or they just stared at him, like he was something out of a history book. He waved to a few ladies who were watching him from afar and they began to giggle amongst themselves. Naruto shuddered a bit and decided to keep on walking. He found a few weapons shops, a market, a thing called a theater were they played things called movies. There were even things called televisions, stoves, and radio's.
He was taking in so much information that his head was beginning to spin. Luckily he was stopped from toppling over by someone holding his back with their two hands. He turned around to thank the person but was surprised to see four instead of one, and he was familiar with the one.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" asked Kushina.
Naruto "Ugh...yeah, just let me get some fresh air." Naruto was dry-heaving but began to breathe in and out, exaggerating every time he took in air and every time he let it out. It caused the other girls with Kushina to giggle. Hearing their giggling prompted Naruto to look their way, he stopped what he was doing, stood straight, dusted himself off, and introduced himself.
"Hello there, my name is Senju Naruto. A pleasure to meet you." he told the three girls, kissing the palm of their hands. This stopped their giggling and they each blushed a bit.
This action elicited a growl from Kushina, 'He didn't do that to me when we met!' she thought to herself.
"Hello...Kushina-chan, is anyone there?" asked the first dark haired girl. Obviously twins from how similar they looked.
"Huh?...Oh, sorry. Naruto...let me introduce you to my best friends. The first one here is the clan heiress of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Mikoto." she said. and then motioned to the other girl "And this is her twin sister Yui." she said to Naruto.
Naruto stared at Mikoto taking her form in, her eyes and hair as dark as night, two bangs on each side framing her cheeks and fair skin. She wore black sandals with matching pants and a blue top with her clan crest embroidered on top. "It's nice to meet you, Mikoto-san." greeted Naruto, the only other Uchiha he ever had contact with was Kagami, and once with Madara.
"Likewise." replied Mikoto with a wink. Mikoto couldn't lie to herself, she was physically attracted to the Senju teen in front of her. She was getting to the age where she was checking out the opposite sex. Sure she keeps up her training, she has to being the heiress and all, but that doesn't mean she can't be a girl once and awhile.
Plus it would spite the clan elders and that asshole Fugaku if she was dating a Senju. Naruto then turned to the twin sister "And it is a pleasure to meet you Yui-san." Naruto said as he took her hand and gave it a kiss like he had done her sister. He also took in Yui's very lovely form. She looked exactly like her sister having the black hair with blue tint typical of the Uchiha clan. She wore a single sleeved long zip up coat-like shirt showing her midsection under which she wears a pair of short leggings. She has her ninja pack on her right thigh and a pair of knee high shinobi sandals. She wears her forehead protector as a belt and her left arm is covered in shinobi wrappings under which is a summoning tattoo.
After releasing the girl's hand he turned to the last of the girls. "And this is Konan, she is the adopted daughter of Jiraiya of the Sannin." stated Kushina, introducing the last girl. Naruto was once more left breathless as he gazed into the gray eyes of the bluenette before him. Her eyes were like storm clouds ready to unleash their fury upon the world while a beautiful blue flower rested atop her hair. She was wearing simple clothing, a dark blouse with a skirt bottom and orange nails. But the most striking feature was her piercing, he had never seen anyone with one before and it looked good on her. She was a real beauty like Mikoto and her twin sister Yui.
This was also the second time he had heard this Jiraiya's name and was curious as to what kind of man he was, he had to be kind to take in a child that he hadn't fathered. "Greetings Konan-san. This Jiraiya must be a great man to take you in from the Konoha orphanage." said Naruto. Konan nodded, she then looked to the other two and they all broke out into an uncontrollable laughter. He was confused, did he say something wrong?
Konan was the first to stop laughing, "He didn't adopt me from this village. He found me in Amegakure among some wreckage during the 2nd war, I was looking for two of my friends but I couldn't find them, even after he helped me search for a few days..." she was getting teary eyed as she was retelling this.
Naruto acted fast. "That makes him a great man then, he took you from the battlefield and now look at you. A beautiful girl with a great smile and two best friends who would do anything for you." he said, hoping it would take her mind off what she was trying to explain. It worked as she blushed a bit more as well and missed another growl from Kushina. She was smiling again as she thought of her Pseudo-father. Kushina pushed whatever she was feeling away. All three girls then looked to one another as they all faced him.
"He is a great man..." started Konan as she nodded her head agreeing with him. Naruto agreed and was about to say something but was cut off.
"...And a pervert of the highest degree." finished Kushina, Mikoto and Yui.
The Senju teen raised an eyebrow, "...A pervert?" he asked the girls.
"Ah but not a simple pervert my dear Naruto." Konan shook her head.
"Then what is he?" he asked. He wished he hadn't.
All four of the girls spoke at once. "He's a...SUPER PERVERT~!" they chorused merrily, slinging an arm around each other's shoulders before laughing at the way they said the words.
"Achoo! 'Somebody must be talkin bout me.' the man thought. A tall white haired male sneezed, alerting all those in the hot springs of his presence, he needed to think up something quick. He cleared his throat... "Meow...meow..." he began trying to throw the lovely women off his trail.
"Oh, it's just a cat..." a woman said.
'Crisis averted.' he breathed a sigh of relief. The women continued to wash themselves of all the sweat and grime they had accumulated from the day. 'That's right, continue on with what you were doing...my precious...' he tapped his fingers together creepily. He then began to cough uncontrollably, like something was trying to escape his throat.
Naruto shook his head and decided to change the subject, his mother would tear him a new one if she found out he was talking about perverted things. "Do any of you know where the hospital is?" he asked them.
"Why?" Konan asked him. "Because I want to see Tsu-chan." he said with a smile.
"Who?" asked Mikoto and Yui in unison.
"You know her as Senju Tsunade, she's my cousin." he told them.
"YOUR RELATED TO TSUNADE-SAMA!" screeched Konan and the twins, they were all big fans of hers. She was what they aspired to be like, a woman who takes nothing from no one and can dish it out just as hard as men.
He nodded his head slowly, and unsurely, towards them "That's right." Naruto didn't see what the big deal was.
"Can we come with you?" they all chorused.
"Fine, let's go." sighed Naruto.
– Konoha Hospital –
Senju Tsunade was not have a good day today, after finishing a surgery that required she be awake for three hours and a lack of food in her stomach, she was irritable. The next person who so much as looked at her funny would be in for a world of hurt. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she was still in this accursed village, especially after everything it has taken from her. Maybe it had something to do with fulfilling something to her long since deceased family, but whatever it was, it was starting to run thin. All she needed was one more thing to go wrong and she would be gone, never to return to this place.
Contrary to what some people had perceived of her, she had no real fear of blood. She was a medical-nin for gods sake! She had been traumatized not by blood but by a fear of being all alone in the world. She had never met her mother, then after her it was her uncle Hashirama who left her, then it was her favorite cousin Naruto who suddenly disappeared, then her own father left her. It only kept increasing as her step-mother went next followed by her lover Katō Dan and then her baby brother, Nawaki. And she hadn't even brought up her clan, she was the only member of the Senju clan left.
Granted, she still had Kushina and Mito, them being cousins to the Senju', but it just never really felt like any of them connected even if Mito and her lived in the same compound. Perhaps the age differences were too much for them to overcome. The only person whom she leaned on was her apprentice, a young girl she had decided to take care of, the niece of Dan, Shizune. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost that girl. 'I guess I better try and get some sleep, who knows when they might call for me again...' she thought to herself. Just as her eyes were closing, her door slammed open, snapping her eyes open and making her even angrier.
"TSUNADE-SAMA!" yelled Shizune.
"What. do. you. want. Shizune?" Tsunade growled out. She hated when she was this close to falling asleep only for something or someone to wake her up. Especially if she had been trying for a while. Shizune gulped at her master' tone of voice and knew it would only be a matter of seconds before she popped.
"There is a group of teens in the reception area saying they want to see you-" she started to say only for the blonde to wave her off.
"Send them away, I don't have time for any brats right now." she told her apprentice.
"B-but-" Shizune stuttered.
"Send. Them. Away!" she yelled.
"But Tsunade-sama, one of them said he was a Senju." she said. That had roused the woman from her trying to gain any sleep. She marched out of her room and headed towards the front. If this was all some ploy then she would make sure whoever did wished they had never been born.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself. I am Naruto Senju, son of Hashirama Senju himself which means that I'm a member of the Senju clan and Tsunade's cousin." Naruto said as he kept trying to tell the nurse in charge but she didn't even bat an eyelash at him.'
"Riiiight and my chest is bigger than Tsunade-sama's." the woman said. The four teenage girls all looked down to see her chest and snorted. They saw nothing but mosquito bites. "How rude!" she cried out as she heard them snickering and slapped Naruto, even though he didn't look.
"YOW!" he yelled out in pain.
"That'll teach you to laugh at a woman's misfortune." she screeched.
"But-" he started to say only for Mikoto to interrupt him.
"Look, just let us talk to her, we only need a few minutes of her time." said Mikoto, who unlike her two friends and sister had no problem with getting in someone's face about something. She was slowly turning them to her way of thinking.
"I told you already, you can't-" she tried to say however she was cut off as the double doors that led further into the hospital, which was staff only, blew open and revealed two women. Naruto paid little attention to the young lady in the back, his eyes were focused on the beautiful woman with honey blonde hair tied into pigtails. He could tell it was her by her eyes, just when did the little girl who he always played with become this woman?
She was just perfect, with rather large...assets. What. The. Fuck. He took his mind and eyes off of there, this was his cousin for god's sake! He calmed down and kept staring at her face, affection in his eyes. He smiled at her as he faced her fully, his smile grew when he saw tears in her eyes, clearly she had recognized him. "N-Naruto...I-I-Is that y-you?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes, legs getting shaky.
"I'm home, Tsu-chan." he said to his cousin.
"NARUTO!" Tsunade yelled happily and flung herself towards him and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug, he was a bit miffed noticing she was just a bit taller than him but he shrugged. He returned her hug.
"It's good to see you again Tsu-chan." he told the blonde.
She nodded, her head buried in his shoulder, "I missed you so much...Why?" she asked him.
"Hm?" he said more as a statement than a question.
"Why did you leave everyone...why did you leave me?" she cried a bit.
Naruto released a tired sigh and looked at her with sad eyes, "That is a long story but one I fear you must know. Let us talk somewhere more private." he said to his cousin. She nodded and told Shizune not to bother her or Naruto for a few hours. The two soon left to her office.
"HEY!" shouted the girls, he had completely forgotten about them. What. The. Fuck.
"And that's all that's happened with me and the last twenty-five plus years." Naruto said. Tsunade had just finished explaining how things had gone for her and all that she had lost, Naruto could hear the disdain in her voice for the village. Perhaps with him coming back she would feel less lonely and the burden of being the last Senju or heir. He would gladly take over the role so as to let her continue her work at the hospital which he believed was more important than deciding clan affairs. She was saving lives here. "Well, with me here you are no longer alone. We now have each-other and we can begin to move forward." he told her.
She game him a sad smile, "I don't know Itoko (Cousin), this village has taken much from me, I don't know if I can continue..." she said upset.
"That is understandable Tsu-chan, but do you not think it has done the same to me, yet I still persevere." he told his cousin. She gave him a confused look. "My father has been taken from me, my uncle, Tōka-Obasan, Nawaki, both Senju and Uzumaki clans, and I did not have the chance to see you grow into the strong and beautiful woman before me. As you can see, this village and life has taken much from me as well. If I can rise above it, then so can you." he said, offering her his hand as he stood up.
Tsunade flinched, she hadn't thought much about the Uzumaki clan nor her aunt Tōka, and he was right, he had missed a lot of things that he would never get to experience. Tsunade looked at him for a long moment, obviously thinking very hard about this. After a few more seconds, she gave him a smile, "You're right, I can rise above this. What would my family think of me if they saw me now." she said, sighing.
"I'm sure they would be proud of the decision you're making right now." he responded.
She gave him another hug. "Oh, that reminds me. There are some girls outside wanting to meet you, they are some of the first new friends I have made here. Can you go out and talk to them?" he asked.
She smiled at him, "Anything for you, Naruto." she told him.
"Thank you Tsu-chan, oh and before I forget, I want to ask you something." he said.
"Shoot." she said.
"How do you become a legendary ninja when you clearly lost?" asked Naruto smirking, this Hanzō character sounded like he would be a great challenge. Tsunade' smile vanished as soon as she heard the question. Many had asked her and her teammates why they are considered legendary if they lost the fight and were allowed to live.
'Why me...' she groaned as she tried to come up with something reasonable. Complete horseshit if she ever thought about that fight.
Kushina, the twins, and Konan were in a dream like euphoria. They were talking with a woman all girls wanted to be like when they grew up, Tsunade of the Sannin. Sure they have seen her walking the streets a few times but they were always nervous to try and talk to her or afraid they may say something dumb and embarrass themselves. They were talking with The Senju Tsunade! Naruto found it amusing, they revered his cousin yet they didn't do anything of the sort when they talked about Jiraiya. Aren't they both part of the Sannin? He shook his head, he needed to go to one more place and felt a little guilty about doing it last, making her wait.
'I hope mother isn't mad since she was last on my list.' he thought to himself. He began to walk away bringing all of the female eyes unto him.
"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.
"I have one more place to visit and one more person to talk to, my mother." he told his cousin.
"Ah...I see. C'mon girls, let's leave Naruto alone for a while and I'll show you some interesting things." said the blonde Senju, the girls eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before they nodded. Naruto thanked his cousin with a nod of his head. He focused his chakra and vanished. Time to see her after all this time.
– Senju Compound –
Nostalgia ran from head to toe as he took in the still beautiful compound his father had built. The trees, plants, and all of nature still flourished, he could feel it, it was just brimming with life. His mother was no different, still alive with so much energy. He breathed in and out a few times before taking a step forward and twisting the doorknob to his home. The door creaked open, "I'm home!" he called out. There was no reply but he did hear something and it was coming closer. A door in the back of the house opened up and out walked a very old woman, probably in her late sixties or early seventies. It was his mother.
She stopped and just looked at him, a lone tear rolled down her face, "Welcome home... my son." she said.
Naruto and his mother sat in the den in silence as he digested everything she had told him. It seemed she had not been forthcoming all those years ago about what each of them really saw in those visions of theirs. Apparently in hers, she saw him using the Kyūbi's chakra and it was this sign that told her to do as she did. So far she had only brought the redheaded Uzumaki teen to the leaf. He would be receiving the fox at a later time. "Kaa-chan, how can you be alive still, you have to be at least a hundred and seven." Naruto said.
Mito had a mischievous glint in her eye, "Why Naruto, do you want to get rid of your mother that much so you can spend time with your girlfriends?" she asked as she feigned sadness.
"Wha? NO! That's not what I meant and what do you mean by girlfriends?" he asked. He had clearly heard the 's', which meant plural.
"Exactly what I said, I saw it in my vision. But I'm not going to say who~" she sang out to him.
"It seems you've gone senile in your old age..." he muttered.
"What was that?!" she asked him sweetly. A bit to sweetly.
"Nothing!" he said quickly.
"Hmph, anyways, to answer your question I'm an Uzumaki." she told him. Naruto waited for her to explain more...apparently that was it.
"So you're saying that because your an Uzumaki, that allowed you to survive?" he repeated, making sure he heard right.
"That's correct, we Uzumaki are very hard to kill and something like old age wouldn't outright kill me. A lesser person would have died though." she told her son. Disbelief was written across his face but if his mother believed that then who was he to say differently.
"It should be even harder for you to die since you not only inherited my genes from the Uzumaki clan but that of the Senju clan from your father as well. You should be nigh indestructible to most if not all physical attacks and pain." she said happily.
"I... see." Naruto said.
"You don't believe me?" she asked him.
"No...no, I believe you. Let's change the subject, why did Kushina have my scroll?" he asked, really wanting to know this.
Mito just blinked, "Ah, I gave her that scroll...tee-hee~" she lightly hit herself atop her head.
"WHAT?" he yelled out.
Mito bopped her son on the head "Don't raise your voice to me Naruto, I may have made a mistake but I am still your mother and I can still give you a spanking." she threatened. Naruto shrunk a bit and grumbled something about it being unfair that she could still do that, he was a young adult dammit! "When I gave her that scroll I thought it was a different one with a few techniques from our clan. You should have seen her Naruto, poor child, leaving behind your home and family only to find out a few years later it was destroyed." she said.
He calmed down a bit at that. "I grieved alongside her as we were both safe while our clansmen died. She asked me to teach her and I did, I began with Fūinjutsu and then gave her the scroll which I thought held some Suiton jutsu's." she lied. She knew exactly which scroll she had given to Kushina but her son didn't need to know that. She wanted both teens to fall for each other naturally, if she had told him she was one of the girls he was supposed to be together with in the future, well, things would be really awkward between them. It was all so at least part of the future she had wanted to see come true. If not for herself and her clan then for the two of them and the others.
Plus, being united they would stand a better chance at whatever threatened the village and the world when it came. Naruto had listened to his mother and had remained silent before sighing, it seems he was doing that a lot in the last few hours. "I see. Thank you then." he said calmly. Mito was surprised, what did he mean? "If you had not given her that scroll and had she not opened it then she may have possibly been in Kumo a few hours ago." he told his mother.
"WHAT?!" his mother shouted out. Naruto nodded and began to explain what had happened. His mother grimaced, to think that her doing what she did had saved the girl a terrible fate.
"But she's okay now, she even introduced me to her best friends, Mikoto, Yui, and Konan. Along with her and Minato, I now have five new friends!" he said happily.
"I'm glad to hear that son." she smiled. He nodded.
"What do you plan to do now?" she asked.
"Well, the next few weeks are going to be spent with you and the others, we have so much catching up to do. After that, whenever you wish to transfer the Kyūbi I will be ready for it. That's all I have for now." he admitted.
"I'm glad, do you have any idea how many birthdays and holidays we need to celebrate?" she said in mock seriousness. Naruto laughed, it seemed she had become a bit less stern as she got older.
Another question soon popped into her head, "What about the village? Are you going to go on missions for Hiruzen. He will ask you know..." she said.
"I know he will and I already informed him of how I plan on doing that, only if he truly does need me will I answer. If it's nothing serious then he will choose someone else." he told his mother.
"I see." Mito was glad her son had said something but she felt it wouldn't be long until an Anbu came knocking on their door. "Well, we might as well enjoy our time together before anything important comes up. C'mon, your room awaits." she chirped. Naruto followed up after his mother towards his room. It was good to be home.
A few days later
Naruto's eye twitched, he didn't think he would be back here so soon. "What is the problem Hiruzen?" he asked.
"Look, don't get annoyed at me Naruto, this isn't a mission. It's an introduction." he told the Senju.
"To who?" he asked the old man.
Hiruzen smiled now, "Why...to your new team of course." he told Naruto.
"Wha-?" Naruto exclaimed.
"Before you begin to question my sanity, this is all in the paperwork. Let me ask you, did you ever get promoted beyond the rank of genin before you left?" he asked his friend.
Naruto frowned, "No." he grumbled out. He could already see where this was going.
"Then you can see why I have to do this." Hiruzen said.
"But the strength levels will be far to mismatched if you place me on a team..." Naruto tried to reason.
"Ah well if that's all you're worried about then I have the perfect team for you. You won't be meeting your other two teammate yet as one is graduating soon while the other is getting private tutoring. But be relieved to know that they are very strong for their age. Maybe not to your level, but for this generation they are." explained Hiruzen as he wanted the graduate to get used to the village before he had assigned her when she had come in a few years ago, the other was in very capable hands.
Naruto sighed, "Fine, but how long must I remain a genin?" he asked.
"Well, we have a Chūnin exam coming up in our village in a few months, perhaps until then, who knows. Or you may get a field promotion when you and your team are out on missions." Hiruzen said.
Naruto quirked a eyebrow "...Chūnin exams?" Naruto asked confused. Hiruzen had forgotten that those didn't come into play after he had been sealed, so he explained what the exams were and how they worked. "Ah...a replacement for war. A very good idea by my uncle Tobirama."Naruto said. Hiruzen agreed with him on that. "Will we be doing D-rank missions?" he asked dreading the answer from Hiruzen. Please let it be a no.
"Only for a few months...Don't give me that look." he told the Senju who was making a face. "Your teammates will need experience before they go on the tougher assignments." he told Naruto.
"Very well then Hiruzen. Who have you chosen to be our sensei?" he asked Hiruzen.
"I'm glad you asked." said Hiruzen with a very big smile. Naruto saw the smile and now he was a bit eager to see who it was, perhaps Tsunade or the other Sannin, Orochimaru? "Naruto, I would like you to meet a man whose fame and power are respected and feared the world over, a man who overshadows the Sannin and the man who will be your future sensei...Come in..." called Hiruzen as the door opened to reveal a man.
Naruto turned around as the door fully opened to reveal a smiling man with white-silver hair with an impressive build. He was impressed, the Senju could feel the power rolling off of the man, he was easily one of the most powerful shinobi he had ever seen. True, he may not hold power comparable to his father, Madara, or Tobirama, but he was close enough to that of Hiruzen and far above that of the Sannin. "Naruto...I want to introduce you to the Konoha no Shiroi Kiba(Konoha's White Fang)...Hatake Sakumo." Hiruzen said to his friend with a smile on his face.
And that is that last of Assassin of War's chapters. From here on out it will all original so please keep reading.