Naruto : Abandoned Child

Kushina Uzumaki and her daughters were currently being swept away in a whirlwind of anticipation and nervous energy. They were all currently packing in order to leave the Capital so they could return to the village of her children's birth. The girls were bright-eyed and full of hope, eagerly awaiting to meet their big brother for the first time, but Kushina was more frightened than she had ever been in her life.

'Will Naru-chan be able to accept me and forgive me? I'm so afraid that he won't...' she thought to herself worriedly.

As she was going through the motions of sealing her belongings up, her mind was left free to wander – and her stray thoughts brought her to reflect upon the last thirteen years. Thirteen years…five years of horrible, inexcusable mistakes and eight long, frustrating years of doing all she could to try to be part of her son's life only to be blocked at almost every turn by a very determined and unyielding Hiruzen Sarutobi…

FLASHBACK

Kushina walked through what was left of the village gates at the crack of dawn toward the carriage that would take her and her new family to the Capital with her newborn daughters in hand. As she was about to enter the carriage, she looked back and saw Hiruzen standing at the dislodged entryway to the village with a sleeping Naruto in his arms. The sickening disgust she saw in his eyes as he glared at her before he turned his back to her and walked towards the Hokage Tower hurt her immensely. He was the man that Minato respected above all others, and to see him regarding her with such awful disappointment...she could only hope that he would see the truth behind her words one day.

She forgot her pain as she gazed longingly upon the two redheaded infant girls that were fast asleep in her arms, neither of them having a care in the world. She smiled lovingly at them, thankful that despite last night's horrific attack by the Kyuubi, or whatever tragedy might befall her, her family, her village or even her nation, there was still so much purity and innocence in the world. That purity and innocence had to be guarded and preserved for as long as possible. They would be free from worry for now, at least, as despite Hiruzen's anger with her, he still cared enough to provide an ANBU detail to escort her and her babies to the Capital.

The trip took two full days at the slow pace the carriage moved at. During that time, the ANBU hadn't spoken with her, and neither had she bothered to speak with any of them, guessing that they likely felt the same way about her that Hiruzen did. She couldn't fault them for that - they didn't know any better, after all. When they had arrived at the Capital and they had stopped at the Courtyard of the Daimyo's palace, she thanked her escorts, who merely disappeared without so much as a word of acknowledgment, and exited the carriage.

To her surprise, the Daimyo himself was there to greet her and welcome her personally. Feeling honored by the Daimyo's personal greeting, she thanked her Feudal Lord and allowed him to lead her to the Uzumaki Estate grounds within the Capital Proper. There was still quite an impressive staff of caretakers tending the grounds and the house, many of whom Kushina had even known as a young girl, and all of whom greeted her and welcomed her home warmly. All of them gushed over the two baby girls in her arms, commenting on how beautiful they were and expressing their sentiments over how proud Kushina must be of them.

She entered the main house, put the girls down into the double crib that had been prepared for them, and went to settle down in the living room. She allowed herself a smile, despite her sadness at both Minato's passing and Hiruzen's disappointment. All that mattered at the moment was that she and her girls were home, safe and sound, and they would have a happy life and childhood, here.

The twins' first birthday came and went much more quickly than Kushina could have thought possible. Kushina had met the day with mixed feelings. The day would forever be bittersweet to her, and while she would remember the loss of her dearly departed husband and the death of her son by Kyuubi's possession, she was also very happy to celebrate the beginning of the girls' second year of life! She and the girls were very content and comfortable with the luxurious, safe and peaceful life that they were able to enjoy in the Fire Capital.

She had written to Hiruzen, giving him the annual report she promised she would give to him every year detailing her health and the health of the girls, and when she began training them, she would let him know how that was progressing, too. The letter she wrote to him was forgettable for the most part, though she did ask whether he had dealt with the demon and avenged Minato's death yet, or whether he would want her to do it herself.

She had been surprised when, the very next day, she answered a knock on her front door and opened it to a courier ninja. The courier had an official certified letter addressed from the Hokage to her – a letter that she had to sign for! Whatever this was, Hiruzen was sending it to her as the Hokage, not as an old family friend, and he wanted a guarantee that she received it. Signing for the letter and dismissing the courier ninja, she closed her door, took the letter to her kitchen table and unsealed it. As she opened the scroll and read its contents, unlike the letter she sent to Hiruzen, his words would forever burn themselves verbatim into her psyche:

Uzumaki-san,

While it gives me great relief to know that you and your daughters are well, and that you are enjoying the protection of the Daimyo, the Guardian Ninja Twelve and the Samurai Forces of the Land of Fire, your request to murder your innocent one-year-old son is not well received at all. As I informed you last year, your intent towards your son was seen even by your husband in his final few minutes of life, and he took steps to protect young Naruto from you. You dishonor Minato with your evil, twisted desire to harm an innocent – your own son, no less! He must be rolling in his grave with disgust and fury at how far you've fallen, and I have no doubts at all that he would spit in your face if he were to see you now! I myself am thoroughly ashamed and disgusted that I once thought of you as a daughter – no longer.

From this day forward, you are my subordinate, and I am your Hokage, nothing more. As Hokage, I hereby prohibit you from returning to Konohagakure no Sato before your son and daughters' anticipated date of graduation from the Shinobi Academy. Exceptions to this executive order will be as follows:

1. If I summon you back, you are to answer my summons and come to Konoha immediately where you will be escorted directly to my office upon your arrival at the gates. At no time during your visit will you be permitted to walk the village grounds without an escort. At the conclusion of the business for which I summon you, you will immediately be escorted back to the gates and sent on your way, once again prohibited from village entry.

2. If you send me advance notice via official communication of your intention to come to the village, and the date you expect to arrive, you may come to Konoha's gates, but you will be detained at the guard station until an ANBU can escort you to my office so that you can conduct whatever business you will need to conduct with me before once again being escorted back to the gates and sent on your way, once more being prohibited entry without either an official summons from me or advance notice of your arrival.

Should you be found approaching Konoha's gates or within Konoha's walls without having met the conditions of either of these exceptions, I will have no choice but to assume that you have come to either harm young Naruto or end his life, and I will have you executed on sight for charges of Treason against Konohagakure no Sato and Conspiracy to Commit Murder of the Namikaze Clan Heir. After your execution, your daughters will be brought back to Konohagakure no Sato to be placed in an orphanage while allowing them to be raised and trained to be shinobi of Konoha.

Also, be forewarned, Uzumaki-san: any attempts by you to harm or murder Minato's son through indirect methods, such as assassination, will also result in your execution and the remanding of your daughters to Konoha's orphanage system. As is standard protocol, this executive order has been officially stamped with the Seal of the Hokage and submitted to the Daimyo for his records and perusal.

Ordered by,

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage, Konohagakure no Sato

Kushina was stunned beyond belief at what she had just been sent. To think that the Professor that was always so kind to her had written such cold-hearted words shocked her! What was worse, he had not only written this as a letter to inform her that she was no longer considered a friend to him, but also as an executive order from the Hokage that had to be obeyed or she would suffer legal, and perhaps corporal ramifications! He had even used her last name instead of her first name to address her in the letter!

She knew that the grounds for which he stated her punishment being immediate execution were clearly plausible. Bijuu chakra or no, the demon that fit Naruto's description was classified as a jinchuriki under the letter of the law, and to top it off, he was also the legal heir to the Namikaze Clan, and even she couldn't legally defend herself against charges of treason and conspiracy against a Clan heir. Despite the righteousness of her feelings and the justice of her path, her hands were tied, and as much as she hated that demon wearing her son's skin, she loved her daughters that much more.

She gritted her teeth in anguish, a few tears escaping her eyes before she was able to force them back down. She penned a response back, stating her intention to visit Konoha tomorrow to speak with him directly. Once completed, she informed the nearest maid that she had business in the Capital, and asked her to tend to her daughters until her return. It was three hours later that she received an official acknowledgment from Hiruzen via messenger hawk stating that the gate guards would be expecting her arrival tomorrow and that she would be provided an escort to his office.

She left for Konoha early the next morning, once more leaving her children in the care of the Uzumaki staff, taking to the trees to travel quickly and arriving in three hours. As told, she was detained at the gate to wait for an ANBU to escort her to the Hokage's office. It was a male, hawk-masked ANBU that arrived to escort her to the Hokage, taking her to him via shunshin. Even the tone of his letter hadn't prepared her for the cold fury and near-hatred that Hiruzen was now bearing down upon her. The meeting was quick, and the point driven home that she would receive no special favors of any kind from the Hokage due to feelings of past kinship. He had told her, in no uncertain terms, that while he couldn't officially declare her an enemy of Konoha, he now personally regarded her as one. She was escorted back to the gates and left the village very unsatisfied.

A week later found Jiraiya at her door. Having been stricken from the Toad Contract, he now had to manage his spy network directly by travelling and meeting with contacts himself. He had left Konoha to do this, and had informed Kushina that a visit to her and the girls would be a pleasant stop along the way. Of course, he needed to travel around the world and do his research, which he also informed her of without any shame, prompting her to pummel him into the ground.

It was during this visit that he noticed Kushina wasn't herself.

"Kushina, what's the matter? You haven't been acting like yourself since I got here," he expressed with concern.

With a sigh, Kushina answered, "Sandaime-sama has forbidden me from returning to Konoha before it's time for the girls to become genin unless I'm either summoned by him or unless I have business there that I have to inform him of beforehand. He's…" she continued sadly, "…he's basically ended our friendship and says that he now regards me as his enemy because of that demon."

"I see," Jiraiya offered with a sigh of his own, "Well, that's not something I'm about to get involved in. I know how you both feel about the situation, so I'll just leave it alone."

"Thank you, Jiraiya. I really appreciate that."

Coincidentally, during the third day into Jiraiya's visit, Tsunade and Shizune also came by the Uzumaki Estate. Sarutobi had informed Tsunade of Kushina's relocation for the time being, so she decided to stop in for a visit to her three god-children. Kushina was about to speak up about Naruto not being her godson anymore, but Jiraiya stopped her with a firm grip on her shoulder and a stern glare while he shook his head in the negative slightly.

"So I've seen the girls, but where's Naruto?" Tsunade asked happily.

"Well, Tsunade," Jiraiya answered, "Sensei wanted the boy to remain in the village so that he could bond with it the same way his old man did. It was Minato's dying wish."

While confused at such an explanation, Tsunade chose to accept it, such as it was, and didn't bring the matter up any further. All of them simply enjoyed spending time together and bonding with Kushina's redheaded toddlers, who surprised them all by taking their first steps in their presence!

Another week had passed, and Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune all prepared to leave, Jiraiya to his business, and Tsunade and Shizune to theirs. Jiraiya had promised Kushina he would return by the girls' fifth birthday so that he could start training them with her.

"Wait a minute, Jiraiya. What about Naruto's training?" Tsunade asked innocently, not noticing the darkening of Kushina's eyes, nor the icy frown on her face.

"Don't worry about that boy," Jiriaya retorted with his usual bluster, "He's got the old man to look out for him and train him. He'll be alright, he won't need me!"

Tsunade, once again confused as the attitude Jiraiya was taking towards Naruto which was so different from his attitude towards the girls, just nodded, but she narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him before taking Shizune and going on her way.

Once she was out of sight, Jiraiya turned to Kushina, all pretense gone, "I only lied to her so that I could help you save face, Kushina. You do realize that Tsunade would cut any and all ties with you just like Sarutobi-sensei did if she were to learn the truth about your abandoning the boy, don't you?"

"That demon isn't Naruto! He's the Kyuubi!" she shouted at him in frustration.

"Do you really think she'd buy that?! I don't, and I can tell you for a fact that she won't, either! Now, I won't cover for you, again. Bear that in mind, Kushina."

Kushina simply bristled in anger, but chose to say nothing.

Jiraiya pulled his scroll onto his back and gave his goodbye, "I'll see you in four years."

And with that, he walked out of the Uzumaki Estate, departing the Capital for places known only to him.

FLASHBACK END

Twelve years since that last visit by Tsunade, and eight years since Kushina had realized her gross mistakes and wrongs, and she still angrily asked herself how she could have not only been so stupid as to jump to the conclusion that Naruto was the Kyuubi without properly inspecting his seal first, but so evil-hearted as to not want to even entertain the hope that Naruto was still alive and well. What had come over her during all that time? To this day, she still found herself wanting for an answer. She only knew that there was no excuse for it.

She continued to pack up the things she would be taking to Konoha with her, completely unaware that a certain Hokage was reflecting back on those turbulent days as well.

Konohagakure no Sato

'It won't be long, now,' Hiruzen Sarutobi mused to himself morbidly, 'Kushina will be coming back here in a few months with her daughters once their training is completed to her and Jiraiya's satisfaction. What the hell am I supposed to tell Naruto about all of this?'

Hiruzen had made a good many mistakes and questionable judgment calls regarding Naruto – judgment calls and mistakes over what to tell him, what not to tell him, how to handle the knowledge that he'd been keeping from Naruto for all of these years, all for his own safety and to keep him as stable as he possibly could, given the poor boy's circumstances.

Thinking of Kushina made him think back to that day he gave Jiraiya the photo of baby Naruto with his seal exposed – the day which would mark the beginning of his own mistakes regarding the boy and his mother…

FLASHBACK

Hiruzen was in his office going through the usual paperwork he dealt with. It was a month before Naruto's fifth birthday, and he was still working to fit in time to celebrate it with him. His train of thought was interrupted as Jiraiya came in through the window. Sarutobi quickly looked at him and nodded, not even cracking so much as a smile.

He could tell that Jiraiya was perplexed. After all, he usually smiled at seeing his former student but just couldn't bring himself to do so after his last disappointing encounter with him on the night of Naruto's birth. Of course, he knew that Jiraiya would also likely attribute it to the pressure he must be under with the work of the village. But the truth was that Hiruzen had lost almost all respect for his student and eventually came to realize that, while he had trained three great shinobi, they were lousy people. Of the three of them, Jiraiya was the only one that had continued to give Hiruzen any hope, and that hope was dashed on the night of his successor's children's births. Now, he regarded all three of them as nothing more than failures and disappointments.

"Hey old man, how's it going?" Jiraiya asked jovially.

"I'm doing fine, Jiraiya," he responded in a near-monotone, and asked, "How are you?" without even bothering to look up from his paperwork, not noticing Jiraiya's grin.

"I'm doing great! My research is coming along well and I'm excited to train the twins after their birthday when I return to Kushina. Unfortunately, I won't make it back to the party in time and I'll miss all those beautiful noblewomen," He whined, to which Hiruzen sighed and just shook his head in resignation. Jiraiya hadn't changed at all over the years.

"Hey, how's the kid…what was his name?" he asked with a finger on his chin.

Hiruzen stopped moving his calligraphy brush at this. With an annoyed and disappointed grimace, he slowly looked up at Jiraiya and responded in quiet disbelief, "Seriously, Jiraiya? 'What was his name'? Do you seriously mean to tell me that your late student's family means so little to you that you can't even remember the name of your own godson?"

"Huh?" Jiraiya responded cluelessly before retorting with indignation, "What do you mean? I do care for Minato's family. I've always made sure to keep tabs on Mito and Narumi!"

"Really, now? And if they didn't tie in to your Almighty Prophecy, would you still care as much?"

Jiraiya frowned darkly and asked in a low tone, "And just what is that supposed to mean, sensei?"

Unfazed, Hiruzen proceeded to rebuke his student, "Jiraiya, your late student's family means far less to you than this prophecy does, which has given you an overwhelmingly overinflated sense of self-importance! The only reason you even remember Mito and Narumi's names is because you're convinced that they're the Children of this Prophecy, and I only know that because training them and their relation to the prophecy is all you ever talk about!"

Hiruzen then added sarcastically, "Minato must be looking towards you from the afterlife with such pride, especially with how much you care for his son, 'What was his name'."

Jiraiya's dark frown left his face after that, replaced with a frown of utter shame. Before he could say anything else, Hiruzen spoke up, "But to answer your question, 'Naruto' is doing fine, although he's a very lonely boy. He hasn't been able to make any friends at all because the adults in the village keep their children away from him."

"Oh…well, I'm glad to hear he's okay. And I suppose he'll make friends in time…" Jiraiya offered, though his shame and a sense of doubt could be heard in his tone.

"He takes after his father," Hiruzen told him, bringing Jiraiya's gaze right to his with a saddened expression, "He's the spitting image of him, and not just in his looks. He's also inherited Minato's genius-level intellect as well. In fact, I would dare say he's an even greater genius than Minato was. If I could do so, I'd take him as a student of my own," Hiruzen's eyes narrowed in resignation, "God knows it would be nice to have a student that didn't end up as a failure and an utter disappointment as a human being like the three of you did."

Jiraiya's sadness became laced with hurt at Hiruzen's claim. He'd seen that look on his sensei's face before, though. Hiruzen had all but given up on his former students.

Jiraiya began to look around the room looking for something to latch his sight and thoughts on to. He saw a picture of Naruto when he was a baby in Hiruzen's arms on his desk and picked it up. Naruto was in his diapers and the seal on his stomach was clearly visible. Jiraiya, now intrigued, narrowed his eyes and began to do a visual inspection of the seal in the photograph. The complexity of the seal was far beyond anything he had ever seen. Minato had outdone even the greatest of the Uzumaki Sealmasters by combining two such strong seals along with several minor ones perfectly, and had synchronized them to perfection. In his last moments, Minato Namikaze had indeed created his masterpiece.

"Hey old man, I am taking this picture. I'd like to study the seal on Naruto. Do you mind?" he asked and Hiruzen nodded.

"Take it. I have copies. I'll put another one here," he said.

Jiraiya nodded and left through the window, not even saying goodbye. Hiruzen closed his eyes and sighed once more. Only one word seemed to fit for all of the people once connected to Minato Namikaze – disappointment. And these twilight years of his life seemed to be filled with nothing but disappointment, with Naruto being the only bright spot in it.

FLASHBACK END

As much as Hiruzen hated paperwork, he was actually finding it a welcome distraction to the impending dilemma that would blow up in his face if he didn't take steps to start resolving it.

Fire Capital

Kushina had finished packing her bedroom, and was now sealing up her kitchen goods. Her cast-iron skillet was still as beautiful and black as the day she had first acquired it. She'd taken very good care of it and used it to cook countless meals for herself and her girls. But with that thought, she began to think of all the meals she had never cooked for her son. It was when she was preparing this particular pan for use that the horrible truth had been made known to her…

FLASHBACK

It had been a month since Kushina had thrown the twins' fifth birthday party and she had started training them. She had been trying to teach them how to unlock their chakra, and even with her guidance, the twins had just succeeded this morning. That had to be some kind of record. She was currently starting to cook dinner, having just turned on the stove, heating up her cast-iron skillet so she could make a stir-fry. It was as she was doing this that she heard Jiraiya barge in through the front door and bellow a greeting.

Kushina turned off the stove and ran out of the kitchen to greet him, smiling as she saw him for the first time in almost four years. She tackled him in a hug as he also threw his arms around her and spun her around in a couple of circles.

"Oh, wow, it's good to be back here!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're here now, Jiraiya," Kushina offered, "I'm just getting dinner ready, and I'm sure you're hungry!"

"You have no idea."

Kushina called in Mito and Narumi, introducing them to their "Grandpa Jiraiya". Both of them managed to find a place in his heart quite easily as he got on the floor with them and played with them until diner was ready. The meal was pleasant, with Jiraiya getting to know the two excitable little redheaded rascals. It was shortly after the meal was over that Kushina declared the girls' bedtime. Both of them groaned but complied, knowing better than to argue with their scary mother.

Once they were in bed and asleep, Kushina began talking to Jiraiya, who was smiling fondly over his time with the girls, once again, "I've had one hell of a time trying to teach the girls. They're both a bit slow – definitely more physical than cerebral, if you get my drift."

Jiraiya's smile quickly faded upon hearing this, replaced by a melancholy frown as though he'd been reminded of something painful.

"What's the matter?" Kushina asked him, concerned.

"Hey Kushina, I need you to take a look at something," he answered before pulling a couple of pictures out of his pocket and handing her one of them.

Kushina examined the picture she was given: it was a blown-up image of a very complex seal. She looked at it critically, not understanding what he wanted her to do.

"Study that seal carefully, Kushina…" Jiraiya instructed, "…and tell me what you see."

She did as she was asked, studying the seal very carefully. It took her almost half an hour to determine the full capabilities of this seal. She even had to pull out some paper and a pen so that she could take some notes to keep from missing some of the functions. It wasn't just a seal, it was a magnificent work of art! Even the seals on the girls's stomachs didn't compare to what she was looking at. It was far beyond anything she was capable of – she would dare say that no Uzumaki had ever made a seal so complex or so perfect. She had seen the Uzumaki Clan's works on seals, and none of them described anything that was as complex as the seal in Jiraiya's picture.

"It's amazing the way the seals in this array are all synchronized, even with the two high-powered base seals. This could seal off anything the seal master wanted and it would work perfectly. I don't think I could even begin to replicate this!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"What would you imagine the limits of that seal being?" Jiraiya asked

I don't think it has any!" Kushina exclaimed, "Looking at it, I'd imagine it could seal all nine of the bijuu into one host and still have enough power for more!"

"So then, this is a seal you would trust without a doubt?"

"I would trust this seal with my life! If…" Kushina's voice saddened, breaking slightly, "…if only this seal had been used with Naruto – I'd still have my son."

"Kushina," Jiraiya began sadly, letting out a heavy sigh before handing her the second picture and telling her, "That IS Naruto's seal."

Her eyes went wide in dumbfounded, fear-filled shock, "What…what did you just say?"

"This seal was Minato's last work – his masterpiece," Jiraiya explained, pointing to the second picture – a picture of Naruto as a baby with his seal exposed, with Hiruzen cooing at him while he appeared to be giggling happily, "He put it on Naruto to seal the soul and body of the Kyuubi completely, making sure it had no chance of ever taking over his own son. I was surprised myself when I saw this picture in Sensei's office but…Minato really outdid himself with this one. Hell, he outdid every seal master I've ever heard of when he made this."

She stood up in horror and took a step back only to collapse a moment later, her legs refusing to hold her up. Her eyes began to well with tears of horror, anguish and torturous remorse. How could she not have seen the complexity of the seal that night she had checked the triplets? She remembered back to the night of their birth, the ripping of the bijuu from her body, and the emotional distress of Minato, knowing that he was taking his dying breaths. She hadn't even bothered to study the seals at length until she'd made it here. She didn't notice the intricacies of the seals at first glance; she had just stabilized them with her chakra as quickly as possible.

"No…" she whispered out in utter horror, her tears beginning to fall. Five years! Five years where she could have had her son with her there! Five years of precious moments and memories – thrown away!

"No…" she whispered out again, putting her hands to her mouth. She'd never remember seeing his first steps!

"No," she groaned out. She'd never remember hearing his first words!

"No!" she began to raise her voice as sobs began forcing their way up from her throat. Five years of missed birthdays – missed presents – missed chances to tuck him into bed and kiss him goodnight! She didn't even have a clue as to how he was living, or if he was healthy and happy, or if anyone was taking care of him!

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she yelled with her eyes clenched shut, her voice completely broken as her sobs gave way to bawling. She clutched the picture of Naruto to her chest as she did this, hanging her head and almost collapsing to the floor if not for Jiraiya moving fast enough to catch her and hold her to himself while she wept uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Kushina," he offered. He simply didn't have the heart to remind her that he and Sarutobi had told her of what she was just now acknowledging – that Naruto was in fact her son, that he was alive and well, and that he'd never been possessed by the Kyuubi at any point in his brief life.

"Oh my God, what have I done?!" she wailed, "My baby, my Naru-chan! I left him alone, I abandoned him! I…" she cried even louder, "…I even threatened to kill him! What have I done?!" Her cries became so forceful that she lost the ability to form words. Her wails and bawls were such that her body heaved up and down with each sob that forced its way out.

This went on for almost half an hour before Kushina had cried herself hoarse. Jiraiya marveled at the fact that the girls had remained in their room fast asleep – Kushina must have placed silencing seals in the rooms so that their rest wouldn't be disturbed from any errant noises around the house.

"Oh God…" she whispered with renewed horror, "…what would Minato think of me if he could see me now? What would he say to me?!"

"Kushina, Minato already knew this would happen," Jiraiya explained, "Sensei told me that Minato saw how you looked at Naruto and he took steps in case what he feared to be the worst happened."

"And…" Kushina sniffled, "…it did. I did the worst thing imaginable. I abandoned his son…MY son."

In a sudden burst of determination, she wiped away her tears and stood up, moving towards her door as Jiraiya watched on in confusion.

"Where are you going, Kushina?" he asked.

Without stopping, she answered, "I need to send a message to Konoha by messenger hawk. I'm going to tell Sandaime-sama to expect me tomorrow morning!"

"You're gonna WHAT?!"

"I'm bringing my baby boy home!" she fired back, opening and closing the front door as she left through it. She was back a few minutes later, and Jiraiya had just waited for her return in the living room.

"Kushina, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Jiraiya asked warningly

"It doesn't matter if I do or not, I'm bringing my Naru-chan home! I'm going to apologize for not being there and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it up to him! I won't let him stay alone anymore! As soon as I get the message, I'm leaving for Konoha!"

Both of them stayed up throughout the night. It was a couple of hours before dawn that a messenger hawk delivered a response from Sarutobi, stating the usual conditions.

Kushina stood up and prepared to leave the house once more, "I'm heading out, Jiraiya. Take care of Narumi and Mito for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

She left the house before he could say anything more, speeding her way to Konoha as fast as her legs and the treetops allowed.

FLASHBACK TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's note : There is the first part of the flashback. ncpfan has been a great help in the flashbacks as well as working out the kinks in the story, I really appreciate your help. Anyways the flashback will be another chapter and then the reunion everyone's been waiting for. Let's see how well it goes. I hope this gives better insight to the characters and how it affects Naruto in the plot. There have been many PM for adding Haruka a bit more and I will add her more in the story but it will a little later in the story. Keep reading and reviewing until next time. Ja Ne ;)