"And that's basically the story…except the night he left; I'll tell that story later. For now, we should head home ttebane." I sighed as we stood up, grabbed our backpacks I grabbed my bow and we headed home. "Ne, kasumi-nee I heard you talking about a son under your breath. Who is he? Why didn't he come to the village with you, or mention him?" naruto interrogated me, making me slightly nervous on how he would react to who he is. "Well he's-"
"Kaa-chan!" I heard the familiar and out of character shout from a few meters away as a seal on my forearm appeared with a name on it. "Kaa-chan? Itachi is the son you were referring to?! Care to fill me in because I'm completely lost dattebayo!" naruto shouted as itachi ran over to me and tackled me into a hug. "Naruto-kun, I know this is very confusing for you, but in a way, she's like a mother to me." Itachi explained while releasing me from his death grip hug. "That doesn't explain what the hell's going on ttebayo!" naruto raved as itachi stepped behind me. "Why don't I start from the beginning?" I said sighing as I motioned to naruto to sit down.
Flashback no Jutsu:
"Damn you shishou! Why am I STILL going after weasel demons?" I complained as I jumped from tree to tree, my snow white hair flying lightly behind me. "It's like she knows they're the ones I hate the most! Honestly! I JUST finished my sage training too. Why can't I go to Mount Myōboku to finish my training like a NORMAL sage for once?" I ranted as I closed in on the demon's chakra signature I've been tracking. 'Oh well at least they're easier to find now that I've had more training ttebane.' I thought as I jumped down to the forest floor. "Excuse me! Can you see me?" a voice called as I landed, guard up for a fight, but saw a ghost instead of an unknown shinobi or demon. "How can I help you miss?" I asked, concern heavy in my voice, laced with panic as I realized she had not passed on for a few years, and is in danger of becoming a demon at any moment if she did not pass over soon.
"Yes! My son! But first, tell me your name because, you look very familiar." She exasperated in slight panic. "Kasumi. Uzumaki Kasumi dattebane." I stated briskly yet politely as I awaited her answer. "Uzumaki, huh? Well kasumi-chan, I need you to look after my son itachi uchiha. He left our village on a second part of a mission after completing the first part: killing our clan before they could wage war on our kage. Now that he has been missing for three or so years I fear for his safety. You see, he has pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure related to a chakra virus, and grows worse with every month that passes. I wish for you, an Uzumaki, because of your clan's fuuin, longevity, and special and huge chakra reserves to look after and adopt my son. Please you're my only hope. All of the other uzumaki either can't see me or haven't gained your clan's abilities!"
she pleaded to me as she started to fade away. I looked into her eyes and saw a fragile hope, a heavy despair and an everlasting trust that I would do what was best, and sighed in sad memory as I watched her fade. "Of course I will, mikoto-chan. Tell my mom I said I love her dattebane!" I lightly sobbed as she hugged me before fading away to leave for heaven. "Of course I will. And kasumi..." she breathed. "Yes?" I sobbed. "Arigatou; Hontouni arigatou." She whispered as she faded and her sprit ascended to heaven. "Goodbye, kaa-san." I heard the faint whisper of a low voice and felt a chakra faintly similar to mikoto's yet, this one was ravaged by illness. 'itachi.' I thought as I heard him step out from behind the trees and look at me with curiosity and loss. "I'm sorry for your loss ttebane." I choked as I was bombarded by his sickly aura and pale color.
"You've been through so much and you're only seventeen. You poor boy. If you've heard your kaa-san before she left, will you accept my being your kaa-chan? I don't know if I can, but I'll give you everything I can to help you…..son…" I choked lightly as I noticed the tears in his eyes started to fall. 'Probably the most he's ever shed in a long time despite the pain. This boy- no my son must have been through so much.' I mentally sobbed as he ran over to me and hugged me, crying. "K-kaa-chan…" he whispered between sobs. "Yes 'tachi?" I whispered gently back. "Arigatou. Hontouni arigatou." He sobbed lightly before calming down some more. "Come on. Let's go and get out of the coming downpour. We'll talk from there after you've calmed down ttebane." I soothed as I created a clone to go after the demon, helped him up and walked away towards the training grounds where shishou and I resided.
Flashback no Jutsu, Kai!
"Ever since then, I've looked after him and tried to ease the chakra disease but with little success ttebane." I sighed sadly as I admitted my failed attempts. "Well, that doesn't explain why I should trust him and not tell baa-chan ttebayo!" he exasperated. "Well let's start at the beginning, the day he was given the mission that sent him to hell ttebane. You should know that the uchiha had been ostracized from the village and treated unfairly by some of the village because the rumor- no the strongly believed rumor was that an uchiha was the reason why kyuu-nii attacked the village, that they had someone controlling kyuu-nii. As a result, the felt they were being ignored their rightful place of hierarchy and planned a coup to 'take what was theirs.' The old man fought the council to negotiate with the uchiha and prevent the coup. However, danzo had said time was out and given the mission. Itachi had feared for sasuke's safety and was concerned about danzo taking sasuke. Not only that but had taken advantage of his pacifism and desire to protect konoha to make sure he did take the mission. Before he took the mission, itachi had gone to the sandaime and asked that he look after sasuke. When the old man gave his word to look after him and itachi left the village, he joined the Akatsuki to spy on them and has been sending jiraiya's spy network any information he can spare without getting caught ttebane."
I explained as naruto listened on with wide eyes. "And before you ask, I have seen the mission file myself…danzo was foolish enough to keep it as a trophy of sorts." Kyuu-nii provided helpfully, his voice filled with sorrow at itachi's actions. "I-I kasumi-nee…why didn't you tell anyone?! You could've told baa-chan! He could be home getting cured and sasuke would be home as well ttebayo! Do you know how much lonely sadness I had when sasuke left? He was like a brother to me; one of the few people who was like us!" naruto shouted as his eyes turned purple. "You should have-"
"I know! I…I know…how do you think I feel?! I LOVED HIM naruto! He was everything to me when shishou would come after me and kyuu-nii couldn't manifest himself on some nights! He was there when no other human was! And no, kyuu-nii doesn't count because he's a spirit and was always there!" I sobbed. "Kit, you need to calm down! Your seal is going to-" As my anger got the better of me, I could feel the seal on my chest weaken under the poison's rage, for I hadn't renewed the sealing formula lately. "If I had my way no one would suffer, but life doesn't always work like that and I found out the hard way!" I sobbed and screamed at him and interrupted kyuu-nii as my color and filter seal broke and my hair, at the mention of sasuke with his lingering presence brought it to its full blood red Uzumaki Clan glory.
"Kaa-chan!" itachi called out, stopping naruto's retort before it hit the air, and catching me as I collapsed at the sudden loss of chakra balance and the regain of color. 'Oh, kami no! This is going to be more painful than hell!' I mentally sobbed and accidentally made it to where naruto heard me. "Kasu-nee! What happened to you ttebayo?!" he frantically fretted as soon as he heard me. "If I'm not mistaken…." Itachi hissed angrily as he took out a kunai and tore at my jacket and mesh shirt to check my seal. "What the hell are you-"
"Her seal gave way. The color seal keeping her uzumaki red hair that sasuke loved so much is no longer in place. Not only that, but, since the seal was a filter and mixer to keep the chakras in balance and it's now gone, the chakras are now unbalanced and fighting for control in part of her network and are attacking her pain sensory nerves." Kyuu-nii rattled off angrily as he glared at naruto. "How? I thought seals couldn't break so easily!" naruto cried in alarm. "Well, yes, but sometimes depending on the stress they go through they may need to be tightened or adjusted to a stronger formula. By the remnants of the seal, she should have been fine for two more weeks or so if she didn't get enraged or depressed and put strain on her networks. However…that's apparently not the case tonight." He sighed as naruto's eyes widened.
"I-it's…all…my fault….I put the enraged AND depression strain on her…." Naruto whispered as he saw me writhing in pain in itachi's arms, only vaguely catching bits of their conversation, but snapped to focus as soon as he blamed himself. "Its fine naru….you didn't know, so it's not your fault; please don't blame yourself ttebane." I gasped as a wave of pain overcame me as kyuu-nii was creating a new stronger seal as fast as possible. "I don't care what you say…I know it is ttebayo. I really am sorry nee-chan kyuu-nii, itachi. It's just that…this is a lot to take in ya' know. I mean one minute he's a murderer the next he's innocent and clan annihilation was his mission…" he sighed thoughtfully as his mind started to fill in the blanks on itachi's story. "Well, I needed to have that seal replaced with a better one instead of a two year old jerry-rigged formula combination that could dissipate any day anyway ttebane."
I assured as kyuu-nii was finishing the seal with itachi's assistance. "Yeah, I'm sorry for causing trouble, but I had to make sure she was okay when I felt her chakra spike." Itachi apologized as he helped. "It's….fine ttebayo…you just wanted to see your kaa-chan and there's nothing wrong with that…but it's still weird considering your older." He said, accepting the apology. "Well naru, I look at forty year-olds as kids because I grew up at five by seeing the world that hardly anyone does, and compared to me and even you, mentally, even pervy-sage is still a kid. Itachi knows this so he doesn't think it's weird to call me kaa-chan since I'm 'older' mentally ttebane." I explained as I hissed in pain at the seal being set. "I don't exactly want to leave but I have to or they will suspect something. I have that Intel on the Akatsuki for jiraiya-sama as usual. Give him my regards."
He said as he tossed naruto a scroll and then shunshined away. Afterwards I looked to the 'new' seal on my chest, noting my hair was no longer red, but pure white again and I was marveling the elaborate tribal pattern to the uzumaki clan insignia as the color from my hair was still moving like water in the seal. "Ano, kasu-nee…here…wear this ttebayo." Naruto said blushing as he tossed me his jacket. "I've tried before and it doesn't fit ttebane. I'll just use the spare jacket and shirt I brought along in a storage scroll." I said taking out the scroll and then unsealing the jacket and shirt, replacing them with the torn ones. "Now, let's get this Intel to pervy-sage ttebane."
"Clearly, we are going to be talking for quite a while ttebayo." He sighed as he helped me up and followed kyuu into the trees to make our way home. "Yeah, but this meeting and information on itachi's mission stays between us and us alone dattebane! Baa-chan will be told, but itachi wants to finish his mission and be there for sasuke….even till the end…you understand, right?" I asked solemnly as we made our way through the trees. "Yeah, 'safety-of-the-mission' and all….I just wish there was something we could do for him ttebayo." He sighed sadly. "The best thing we can do is stand by his side and help him through his illness until he gets to sasuke gets to him." Kyuu-nii told him as we neared the gates. "I know. I guess we could see him during our missions or in between them. Hell, I bet we could use that training grounds you lived at- if that's okay."
He pointed out as we jumped down from the trees and into the village. "Yeah, we can. For now, though, let's deliver this report to baa-chan and go home ttebane; and when we get there I'll tell you about our clan's history and their involvement with the uchiha clan." I offered, hoping that the knowledge would make understanding sasuke easier. "Sure! But after you tell me more accurately about itachi's story and their clan ttebayo." He tried to counter. "Well, the uzu-uchiha story is just as equally important and it'll help with your understanding itachi's story so I'll tell the clan's first, then itachi's with kasumi." kyuu retorted as we made our way to the hokage tower to see baa-chan. "Right, let's deliver this report ttebane."
A/N: Hello! i know that this chappie is WAY shorter than normal, but i thought it would be a good place to leave off as a little cliffy of sorts or something like that...anyway...let me know what you think, because i honestly don't like how it turned out and i'm probably going to rewrite a little bit of this even thought this was a good opportunity to introduce naruto to itachi as kasumi's adoptive 'son'. and yeah, i know he was ooc, but he's the only one who he can let his guard down around so if she were his 'mom', of course he would be ooc. review to let me know if i should explain the history of the uzumaki and uchiha clan's relationship...because i have a killer idea about their eyesight being sealed away AND jinchurriki too. and yeah, i've implied that kasumi knows who she is. and she does! she knows about her parents and naruto, but understands that she can't return until she finishes training.
Arigatou for letting me ramble, -kasumi-chan