Yo...

Glad you liked the previous chapter. The title of the chapter has been changed, as I've split the original document into 2 chapters.

This is the first one.

Enjoy this chapter...


Chapter 9

Heart


Kushina hesitantly walked through the stairs that were leading towards the roof of the hospital building. As she soon as she stepped outside, the bright moonlight reflected on her beautiful face, but her eyes were only fixed on the person sitting on the edge of the rooftop, silently enjoying the cool atmosphere of the night.

It had been a few hours since their reunion ended, everybody was quite overjoyed by the return of their greatest hero, along with Kenshin.

However everyone was surprised when Naruto requested them to leave him alone, despite their reluctance they granted his wish. In exchange for this understanding, Naruto had offered to answer all the questions they had in a private meeting with a few selected members. Mikasa would be leading the interrogation, as the Blacklight commander it was her job to make sure it was the real Naruto and not a infiltrator clone.

Although, Kushina knew it was much more personal for Mikasa.

They had already finished Kenshin's interrogation process, and were relieved that he was the real Commander Fox. But the man had simply refused to answer any questions regarding hell or how they came back to life, leaving the answer's in Naruto's hands.

"It's time, isn't it?"

His soft voice was barely above more than a whisper even in the silent atmosphere, and he was right as she was here to take him to the interrogation.

But she had another more important reason for being here, something on which her entire life depended.

"You have changed..." said Kushina hesitantly, and heard him smirk.

"You haven't, instead you became even more beautiful" praised Naruto, and simply offered a smile while her cheeks went bright red matching the color of her beautiful hair.

He simply got up and turned towards her, and waited patiently as she slowly came towards him. Each step was a battle which she seemed to be fighting with herself, the anxiety and fear clearly evident in her eyes. She was looking at him expectantly, and he had a very good idea what this was about.

As she came before him, he saw a torrent of feelings in her purple colored eyes...

"Where do we stand, Naruto?"

She nearly skipped a heartbeat when he just remained stoic on hearing that question, deciding he hadn't heard it clearly or was not able to understand her question, Kushina decided to explain her true feelings. That one question which had lingered in her heart ever since that night...

"Naruto, what do you think of me? What did that kiss from 4 years ago mean to you?" asked Kushina pleadingly,

Tension in the air suddenly rose as she desperately waited for his answer, waiting for any kind of word to escape from his lips or even any reaction visible from his eyes.

Nothing.

He didn't move, he didn't speak, he simply looked at her without any kind of emotion.

Her heart shattered into a million pieces as she understood the meaning behind his silence. Controlling the tears that had started to emerge in her eyes, she took a deep breath before moving forward towards him.

Kushina slowly grasped his cheeks with her gentle hands, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Her eyes remained shut, completely hiding the pain she felt in this moment as she memorized each and every second.

And when it ended, she broke away from him and stood straight. Eyes devoid of any emotion, her posture stiff like a perfect resistance soldier.

"Farewell, Naruto..."

She slowly turned around and started walking towards the roof exit, and just stopped at the door.

"The meeting will take place on the 2nd floor, if you will follow me" suggested Kushina, her voice sounding like a professional and not like the distressed woman she was mere moments ago,

"Understood" acknowledged Naruto


Mikoto could not understand the stone cold look on her friend's face, as she entered the room. Her gaze shifted towards her son, who appeared to be normal but something was definitely wrong. Kushina may seem fine, but Mikoto had known the red head for years and one look was enough to show her the redhead was heartbroken.

She doubted her son would do anything to hurt Kushina so badly, but she was also not sure what to think of Naruto?

They simply didn't know how much he had changed.

In the center of the room was a large TV set, on whose screen the faces of Kakashi, Homura and Koharu could be seen. The resistance leaders and his two advisers seemed extremely shocked on seeing Naruto.

"So, it's true after all..." said a shocked Kakashi,

"You seem well, Kakashi-senpai" replied Naruto respectfully, as Homura gave a short nod to Mikasa.

The former Blacklight stepped in front of Naruto, while Ino was now standing behind him. The Yamanaka's hand carefully resting on his head.

Mikasa was holding a sword in her hand, as a standard protocol for security. And he didn't doubt for a second that she would hesitate in killing him, if he failed this verification process.

"What's your name?"

"Naruto Namikaze"

"Your parents?"

"Minato Namikaze, and Mikoto Uchiha"

Standing in another corner of the room Rangiku and Itachi keenly observed as Mikasa started from easy questions like age, village affiliation, ninja registration number, identity of the people in the room.

"On which date did you lose your virginity?" questioned Mikasa slyly, and she would have laughed on seeing the baffled expression on Mikoto's face.

Itachi was blushing different shades of red along with some of the other females in the room, while Rangiku's eyebrows were twitching- jealousy clearly visible on the girl's face.

"9th july" answered Naruto confidently, and gave a small playful wink which even made Mikasa blush.

"I believe it was quite enjoyable for you too, Commander Mikasa"

"NARUTO!"

The Namikaze simply chuckled on hearing his mother's embarrassed shout as she not only heard something which she never wanted to hear, but the blush on Mikasa's face had already started creating indecent images of the duo in her mind.

Satisfied with his personal information, Kakashi decided to steer the conversation away.

"Where were you since the past 4 years?" asked the Resistance Leader sharply, his eyes boring into Naruto's very own.

"Hell"

Almost everyone winced on hearing that answer, however Kakashi simply decided to continue his investigation even if he wanted to believed that this was the real Naruto, he had to do it.

"What do you remember about hell? How did you manage to break out of it?" asked Kakashi seriously,

And for the first time she saw the change in his eyes, gone was the cool and composed look. He simply blanked out, his hollow eyes staring emptily at Kakashi. Every single person in the room anxiously waited for his answer, for him to say anything. Even Kushina seemed concerned...

Mikasa's gaze shifted towards Kenshin who was surprisingly deadly silent, and was finding the floor beneath his feet to be more interesting.

The tension in the air was so high as mere seconds seemed like a century, and then it came.

"I don't know. I must have blanked out...I don't remember a damn thing" said Naruto with as much confidence as he could muster.

To make his point clear he gave his most challenging glare to each and every person in the room, threatening anyone to discredit his answer. But deep down, he knew that there was no one in the room who believed the lie which he had presented before them. The delay in his reply combined with the look on his face was a dead give away...

"Naruto, lying to u-"

"Thank god you don't remember anything, Nii-san"

Whatever Kakashi wanted to say was cut short when Itachi came beside Naruto. Mikasa tried to stop him, but one glare from the boy's fully matured sharingan was enough to prevent any hostile action from the Blacklight.

"Itachi, I know you're emotionally attached to your brother. But we have to think rationally..." argued Kakashi, and was surprised when Itachi showed the sun mark on his chest.

The boy then simply went ahead and showed the moon mark that was shining brightly on Naruto's right hand.

"There is not a single clone trooper who has this mark, only my brother- the real Naruto had it. He not only remembers the memories of his past, even those moments which he shared with Commander Ackerman. He saved our asses and single handedly destroyed 10% of the empire's best soldiers along with incapacitating and capturing one holy knight of the Emperor and making the other flee" explained Itachi aggressively, and Mikoto smiled on seeing the confidence which her younger son had in his sibling.

"But he could be a spy, the resistance-" said Koharu, but was silenced when the younger grandson of Tobirama glared at her.

"Needs him, we are on the verge of being defeated. Our people have lost hope, and if he really wanted to kill us or was following the Emperor he wouldn't need all this acting. He would simply attack us and finish us off, once and for all. Now you can either trust in the man who is the greatest hero for our people, or you can kill him on the probability of being a enemy spy and then try to defeat the might of the Imperial Empire. So, what shall it be, Koharu-sama?" demanded Itachi,

Naruto was left speechless when he saw the council and Kakashi flinching on his brother's harsh explanation. The boy never really minced words and was extremely blunt like Tobirama, but it seemed to be working as he saw the council whispering among themselves.

He looked at Itachi, the unwavering faith which the boy had in him bringing a faint smile on his lips. Naruto also saw his other two students (Sakura and Hinata) giving approving nods, warming his heart.

Itachi saw Ino giving a secret nod to Kakashi as she verified the information from his brother's mind, but deep down he knew the girl had not seen anything about his brother's memories of the past 4 years.

Itachi knew very well that his brother was lying.

That Naruto remembered everything that happened to him down there.

Even then...

"For the sake of the village and for our future, Nii-san sacrificed everything. He may not be a saint, but I'll be damned if I let your baseless fears ridicule my brother and the sacrifices he made for us."

''Itachi, you really are a good brother" thought Naruto proudly,

"We understand in the current situation we have no choice, and the proof before us strongly suggests that he is the real Naruto. Will you swear allegiance to the resistance, Naruto?" asked Kakashi seriously,

"Yes" replied Naruto honestly,

"Then on account of Itachi's good faith and the trust which the other members have in you, we welcome you" said Kakashi happily, and gave a small smile as Naruto sighed in relief.

"Mikoto, round up your survivors and report to our headquarters before tomorrow evening. I fear, the emperor will send more forces to investigate the situation..." advised Homura, as the Uchiha gave a deep bow.

"It will be done, Homura-sama"

"Commander Ackerman, you will lead a small team and secure the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki in Base Shinkiro..." ordered Koharu, and Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw how Mikasa flinched and the dishearted look on Kushina's face.

"You stupid old hag..."

Everyone was stunned when they heard those words, but the one who was most shocked was the old council woman as she came face to face with a terrifying Mangekyo shining brightly in Naruto's eyes.

Mikasa already had her sword up in the air, and blanched when Naruto glared at her.

"I don't have time for this..." said Naruto furiously,

With a single wave of his right hand, he sent the kunoichi sailing towards the other side of the room where she got pinned down to the wall.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Homura, as Kakashi tensed when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

"I will only say this once, so listen to me you old geezers. And if any smart ass tries to interfere you'll wish you were never born" warned Naruto, as the rookie Blacklights looked towards Mikasa.

They reluctantly backed away when the girl gave a firm nod, as Naruto's eyes shifted back towards a flinching Koharu.

"You want to put her in a dungeon that was used by Blacklight? And you dare insult her..." said Naruto furiously, completely surprising Kushina with his newly found anger.

The foolish council woman had enough of the boy's disrespect and decided to teach him a lesson on reality...

"She's a weapon of the resistance, the empire wants her. If she gets captured, then it's all over. That dungeon is the most secure location, and we can never be certain about her loyalties. She was once affiliated with the Akatsuki, just like you..." insulted Koharu, and saw Itachi about to say something but Naruto's hand on his shoulder stopped the boy.

Everybody watched curiously, as Naruto stepped towards a vacant TV set in another corner of the room. He slowly took out a security videotape of the resistance base, and inserted it. And the council members and Kakashi were shocked when they saw 2700 clone troopers getting demolished like flies within seconds by Naruto.

"Oh boy..." thought Kenshin bemusedly, as he realized what Naruto was about to do.

Koharu literally wet herself when the Namikaze heir gave her a evil glare, sending shivers down her spine.

"Koharu, my hands are already stained with blood. If you still have any doubts about my loyalty, fight with me. If you win, then you can do anything...but if you lose, then I will kill you" declared Naruto darkly, as the older woman started stuttering.

"That's...not...what...I...meant..."

"SILENCE, COWARD!" yelled Naruto, instantly freezing the old woman.

Pin drop silence was observed in the small room, as not a single person dared to get in Naruto's way. Surprisingly, his anger disappeared as he looked towards Kushina who simply seemed too shocked.

"It's true that the empire is after her and I understand your concerns..." said Naruto with a heavy sigh, as Kushina's shoulder slumped.

"Then do you approve of our decision, Naruto?" asked Kakashi diplomatically, if what he had seen was true then it was better to have Naruto as an ally instead of an enemy. And he was smart enough to disregard to stubborn old geezers sitting beside him, he would have liked nothing more than to kick them out but they still garnered a lot of faith from the older resistance fighters.

As such he had to bear them, in order to maintain unity among the already disorganized resistance.

"I may understand your fears related to the empire, but not when it comes to Kushina..."

He let those words hang in the air, calmly observing the reactions of everyone present.

"For her, I have nothing but respect. She's a excellent, loyal friend who fights for her loved ones. But despite that she's a little clumsy and finds it difficult to mix with people..." said Naruto proudly, making Koharu lower her eyes.

Meanwhile, Mikoto saw the tears that had already started to arrive in her friend's eyes. Kushina was just too kind and co-operative, and the higher ups had always tried to confine her since the last 4 years on the basis of "security concerns".

And for her people's safety and that of the world, she had agreed to this injustice every time.

"She already understands the pain in everyone's hearts, and tries to do the best for her people. Koharu, she is no longer your personal weapon...from this moment she's Uzumaki Kushina, a respectable member of the resistance and my comrade!"

Absolute silence prevailed in the small room, and only Kushina's sobbing could be heard as she looked at Naruto. She had been wrong, so wrong...

"We understand, but the people of the resistance still have concerns about her. How will you convince them?" asked Homura tiredly, he was at the end of his life and dying a cruel death by Naruto's hands was certainly not on his wish list.

The ball was back in Naruto's court, as everyone's gaze shifted back towards him. For his part, he remained calm and closed his eyes.

After 1 complete minute of silence, he opened his eyes and looked straight in the councilor's eyes.

"Then I will marry her..."

The shock had not even wore off, when Naruto stepped in front of the teary eyed, shocked red head. He simply looked at her, as a genuine smile came on his face.

Exhaling a short breath of air, he gently cupped her chin with his right hand and crashed his lips against her soft lips. At first gently and lingeringly, it was not a hot lustful kiss, or a haphazard one. There was nothing special about it, but for the redhead it was perhaps the most beautiful feeling in the world.

Before she could reciprocate, he ended the loving gesture and turned back towards the council.

"I Naruto Namikaze, 4th heir of the Namikaze clan hereby take Kushina Uzumaki as my wife. I swear to love her, protect her, be with her in happier and sad times. Is there any objections to this union?" asked Naruto bluntly,

Mikasa seemed too shock to say anything, while Rangiku just offered a short nod as she was fully aware of the situation and cared about Kushina. Itachi awkwardly gave a thumbs up,

Kenshin yelled "That's my Harem King!", but was sent sailing through the walls courtesy of Sakura and Hinata's fists colliding across his face, who then also offered happy smiles to their teacher.

Izumo simply shrugged.

Kakashi giggled perversely, while the council members just gave hesitant nods of approval.

And Mikoto fainted.

Yes, Naruto Namikaze was now officially married.


Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Next chapter: Republic of Japan

Thanks for reading, drop me some reviews, eh?

Blackwolf501