AN: Things move a bit fast for the next couple of chapters - just a warning. Some of you may be able to spot where I am going with this at the end of the chapter - I just ask you don't spoil it by putting it in your reviews, I've read a fair few stories that have had plot twists ruined by people putting 'Oh I see ... is going to happen' in their reviews, whether it happens or not it is still annoying. This chapter is a little too much drama and not enough humour for me but it should balance out soon enough - enjoy.
Naruto sat impatiently in the Hokage's office her knee jiggling up and down due to the excess energy she had at this moment in time, "Dobe, calm down!" Sasuke said exasperatedly from his seat next to her. Sasuke had come wither her to see the Hokage for moral support - having been so excited about talking to him as soon as the opportunity arose she suddenly didn't want too. She had too many questions in her mind that she didn't want the answers to, she was ecstatic to find to find a picture of a relation but what if the Hokage said that it was a coincidence? She wouldn't technically have lost anything but she had somehow grown attached to the woman in the picture.
The third eventually came through the large wooden doors and sat down opposite the two genin, "What can I do for you today, Sasuke, Naruto?"
Naruto held out the book for the old man to take, which he did with some curiosity, flipping to the page that had been marked his eyes widened slightly and then grew sad.
"I suppose you want to know how you are related to this woman?" Naruto nodded slowly and Sasuke grabbed her hand.
"Well," Sarutobi started, "I guess you where going to have to find out eventually, Uzumaki Kushina was your mother."
Naruto gawked at him, she had a feeling but to be actually told was something else, "My… mother?"
The old man nodded, "She, as your book says, was a former Jounin of whirlpool country before it dissolved, she came here and fell in love your father – Namikaze Minato."
Naruto looked blank, "I've never heard of…"
Sasuke bopped her on the head, "The fourth idiot."
"My father was the fourth?" She shouted.
Sarutobi nodded, "And as such he had many enemies – as did your mother, we could not risk it getting out that they had a child and hence it was kept from you." The old man looked at Naruto's male form, "You know you look so much like your mother, when I designed your male form I decided to make it as much like your father as I could."
Naruto nodded dumbly as the third continued, "Now that you know there is something I think you ought to know about… though this is a little more sensitive."
Naruto looked up into his eyes to see that they where full of regret, "The problem is that your mother has been, and still is, in a coma since your birth. It seems that during the birth some trauma occurred and she hasn't been responsive for coming on for thirteen years."
Naruto looked at the old man through tear filled eyes, "Can…" she choked out, "Can I see her?"
Sarutobi allowed himself a sad smile, "Now that you are old enough to protect yourself I can allow it – though please try to keep it secret."
Naruto nodded and held tightly on to Sasuke's hand, he didn't say anything – he knew that just being their for her was enough.
"No! Do not attempt to expel your chakra into a sphere, allow it to form the sphere as you rotate!"
"Yes father." Hinata answered emotionlessly, she was exhausted but she could not complain – to do so would only make her week before her fathers' eyes.
For the hundredth time that afternoon she attempted to perform her families' ultimate defence and for the hundredth time she failed. Her father had taken it upon himself to train her after her triumph over Neji in the preliminaries – he had taken it as a mark of her 'greatly improved strength'. In reality she had gotten lucky, she knew it, Neji knew it and all the people that had seen the match knew it but sadly her father didn't.
Well to be more exact her father did know but he was putting up a front before the family council, contrary to popular belief Hiashi wasn't a bad father – just strict. Hiashi knew full well that this life did not suit his daughter but he believed it better than the alternative so pushed her through with it. He would rather her suffer a little than be married off and turned into a prize breeding animal for some distant clan or have her sealed and placed in the branch family.
He sighed as he watched his daughter fail the Kaiten again when something caught his eyes, "Hinata! Do that again exactly as you just did!" he barked.
Hinata repeated the incorrect move and there it was again, "Well my daughter it would appear you will never get this move down as it is written in our clan scrolls." Hinata slumped forward in defeat, "However," her gaze snapped up, the faintest glimmer of hope in her pale eyes, "I believe that you may be able to improve upon it."
Hinata was gob smacked; her? Improve one of the sacred family techniques?
"Keep it quiet for now and meet me tomorrow morning for training at four a.m. at my private training area."
Hinata nearly had a heart attack, her father never let anyone into his private training area, even Hanabi had only been allowed in once and she was his star pupil. Deep in thought she retired to her room trying to work out just what her father had seen that had him so 'excited' for lack of a better word.
The hospital room was a dull off white and the curtains being open allowed some sunlight to cast its golden hue over the woman laying silent and unmoving in the lone bed. Her hair was so long that it almost came to her waste and her arms where skinny from muscle wastage, her thinned out face was still beautiful though it seemed almost hollow now.
Naruto walked slowly to her bedside and looked at her face, dropping her illusion she stood next to the woman and pushed some of her mothers' hair from her brow. "Hello mum…" she said tears leaking down her cheeks, "you don't know me but… I'm your daughter."
Sasuke and Sarutobi stood by the door in silence, there was something gut wrenchingly sad about the scene – Naruto's words adding to the melancholia.
"I…. I've missed you… even though I've never met you I've missed you." She sobbed, "I… I want more than anything for you to wake up – I love you mum…"
She sat down on the chair next to the bed and picked up her mothers' hand, quietly Sarutobi made his leave while Sasuke pulled up another chair and sat beside Naruto in silence.
After a few minutes Naruto finally managed to speak again, "Thank you." She said quietly, Sasuke said nothing – it would have ruined the moment.
The next months training was somehow different from how they had imagined it, Sasuke had gone off with Kakashi but still returned every day to make some time for Naruto. Naruto was emotionally fragile right now, Sasuke was the only person who knew where it was she vanished to every evening and he wasn't telling.
Naruto had been training with a strange man by the name of Jiraiya though she preferred referring to the aging man as 'ero-sennin' much to his annoyance. Jiraiya let it slide though after finding out just how much stress the girl was under – she had barely slept more than a couple of hours a night instead opting to sit by her mothers bedside and tell her happy stories about her life up to this point (though most of them where from the last few months).
She was under so much stress in fact that all those important to her had seen it coming, they knew what was going to happen well before it did but could do nothing to stop it; one night Naruto simply… broke.
Sasuke was walking her home when they bumped into Anko, she had of course taken it upon herself to tease them as she walked along with them. Simple teasing about their relationship when they passed the playground next to the academy, a small boy was sat on his own on the swing. Naruto stopped to look at the boy remembering her own childhood – after a few minutes a woman came and collected the boy to shouts of "Mummy! Mummy!" and that pushed her over the edge. Why wasn't that her? Why did she have to hide who she was? Why was she the one to be beaten and stoned? Why did the village scowl at her just because she walked next to Sasuke as a girl? Why did her mother have to be in a coma? Why was she always ignored when she cried? Why did they take Anko-nee-san away when she needed her most? Why did everyone look down on her no matter how hard she tried? Why didn't anyone see her and not the Kyuubi?
These questions pressed her mind and she just stood there staring off into space, "Sayuri?" Anko called waving a hand in front of the girls face, "Are you ok?"
Naruto gave no answer, she just stood there unfocused eyes blinking intermittently the only sign of life. Sasuke moved in front of her and gently shook her, "Naruto? What's wrong? Can you hear me?"
"Shit." Anko said as she tried to get a response out of the girl.
"What is it? What's wrong with her?" Sasuke asked the older woman.
"I've seen this happen to prisoners before – she's snapped."
"Snapped?"
"Her mind's given up – we need to get her to hospital."
"What do you mean given up?" Sasuke demanded.
Anko sighed lifting the girl into her arms, "Exactly what I said, her mind couldn't take the pressure anymore so has closed all connections to the outside world. If she doesn't recover she'll just waste away – think of it as a coma with your eyes open."
Sasuke was stricken as he jumped with Anko to the hospital.
"I hate to do this with the exams so close but I am afraid I am going to have to send you on a mission." Sarutobi said looking out over the village, he turned and faced the young man stood before his desk – he hadn't seen Sasuke looking so withdrawn since his first date with Naruto.
"I can't leave the village – not until she's better." He said almost robotically.
Sarutobi sighed, "I am sending you to retrieve someone who can help her."
Sasuke's eyes snapped up, "Who? Why aren't they already here? Where can I find them?"
If it wasn't for the gravity of the situation he would have chuckled, as much as he would probably deny it the boy had fallen for the young redhead – and in such a short time too.
"The person in question is a Sanin and as such rarely returns to the village, she is one of the most famous medics of all time – the legendary Tsunade."
Sasuke nodded remembering something about her from the book with Naruto's mother in it, "When do I leave?"
"As soon as you can get your kit together," Came a voice from the window, turning Sasuke saw Naruto's perverted teacher sat on the window ledge, "I'll be coming with you – Tsunade was my team mate after all."
Sasuke nodded and bolted from the room, as soon as he left Jiraiya turned to the aging Hokage, "Are you sure I need to bring him sensei? It would be faster for me to travel alone."
The old man chuckled, "The reasons for him going a threefold; firstly to get him out the village for a while – Orochimaru is here and has taken an interest in him. Secondly he will not sit still as long as Sayuri is ill, he would torture himself unable to concentrate on training – he may actually learn more with you."
"What's the third reason?"
"To make sure you don't stop halfway to do 'research'." The aging man said with a smile and Jiraiya glared at him, "besides, he may also prove useful in persuading her to return – saving someone he loves, whether he denies it or not, may well strike a chord with her."
Jiraiya nodded, "Dan."
The door to the office smashed open revealing Sasuke in travelling gear and with a pack attached to his back.
Sarutobi looked at the clock in amazement, "That was fast – I am sure even my faster ANBU would struggle to get to the Uchiha district an back in that time."
Sasuke smirked, "Perhaps you should consider having them train with Gai – Kakashi forced me to spend the last three weeks sparing with the latex clad freak."
The aging Hokage winced, "Fair enough – get on your way then."
"See you soon sensei." Jiraiya said with a wave.
The old man waved back and sat at his desk, 'now' he thought, 'where's that document about a successor?'