Disclaimer: I own nothing of course

Pairing: Kushina x Minato

I got another chapter out! Things are slowly falling into place.

Thank you for the reviews/alerts/so on and so forth

Enjoy~

Drifting Blossom Chapter Eleven

The silence was suffocating. The entire clan compound was empty, lonely. There was nothing in that house other than walls, pictures, furniture, scrolls, and other inanimate objects. It made Kushina feel like she was the only person alive. Heaving a heavy sigh, she let the scroll that she was reading, slip through her fingers and land on the table surface. Her feet scuffed the ground before Kushina numbly pushed her toes against the chairs front legs. Her elbows found the table and Kushina leaned forward, resting her head against her hands.

Tears welled up and she squinted, trying to keep the tears at bay. It had been three weeks since Mito had passed away, but it didn't stop the empty feeling within her. Kushina sniffled before rubbing at her slightly red nose. How much longer before the second war that should be coming? Dan and Nawaki were still here. Tsunade was still here.

Jiraiya was still here, and so was Orochimaru if they were.

Sakumo hadn't made a mistake yet. Kakashi wasn't born yet.

How much longer did Kushina have before things started following the same exact path as they once did? She didn't know. Kushina didn't know how long she had.

It wasn't like it was written in the history books here. Even having read the academy books as Sakura, she couldn't recall exact dates, because things just fell into place and wars just happen.

There was also the fact that she didn't want to stay in an empty compound by herself. Tsunade and Nawaki had Dan to stay with. She was currently alone, in an empty house. Tsunade had offered her a place in the apartment, but Kushina couldn't. It would be too crowded and she honestly didn't feel comfortable with the thought of living with her teacher from another time. As much as she loved Tsunade, she wasn't the same. They didn't have that bond that was built over the years of her training and she couldn't just move in and invade the life that they were building for themselves.

Kushina was jerked out of her thoughts when a blue glow suddenly appeared above her head and looking up, she scowled at it. Right in the center of the ceiling sat a small glowing seal. It was in all rooms.

Someone was at the main gates of the compound.

Her feet scuffed against the ground before she pushed herself away from the table. Getting up, Kushina quickly left the sealing library, making sure to activate the hidden seal once outside the main doorway. She couldn't be too careful, not with people like Danzō and Orochimaru being inside Konoha.

Opening the compounds main door, Kushina blinked up at the Anbu before her.

"Hokage sama has requested for you."

Kushina's brows furrowed before she nodded. Might as well get this over with and see what he wanted. Grabbing her shoes, she slipped them on before straightening her yellow outfit that Mito had given her.

Stepping outside the compound doors, she then followed after the Anbu, who had not said a word after he told her the reason he was there. Once they made it to the Hokage tower, the Anbu disappeared and Kushina was left to continue by herself.

Stepping through the doors, she made her way to the Hokage Office, a very familiar route that she had walked many times in a different place. Once before the door, she finally raised her hand to knock, hesitating for a second before finally knocking. She got an answer in return and sliding the door open, she stepped through, eyes instantly looking for the Third Hokage.

He gestured her into the room and once standing before him, she bowed in greeting.

"Hokage sama." She greeted before straightening again. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" she questioned. The Hokage simply shook his head.

"No, Kushina-san." He said before sighing. "How are you doing? I am sorry for your loss."

Kushina felt a lump appear in her throat before she just plastered on a smile. "I'm alright." No, no she wasn't. All of this was a lot to take in. To come back, to lose people, to be alone, without close relatives, without a family, was hard. Kushina now knew how Sasuke and Naruto had felt. It was a terrible feeling.

The Hokage seemed to see right through her as he frowned and gave the girl a slight once over, making sure she at least wasn't losing weight.

He finally gave a deep sigh, making him look almost like he did in the future. "About your clan, Kushina." He started. "I didn't mention it to you because you're young and you didn't need to know, not with your academy classes and how you're slowly fitting in, but Konoha did respond to Uzushiogakure's distress call."

Kushina felt her breath catch in her throat. Konoha had responded? They attempted to help her clan?

Tears threatened to fall. She was being emotional, but what was one to expect from a child and one that has felt lost since arriving.

"Did they at least… Did they truly put up a fight?" she questioned, needing to know that Ushio wasn't wiped out without so much as lifting a finger. That wasn't the Uzumaki way. The Hokage smiled, sympathy showing through as he realized what the girl needed to know.

"Konoha backup wasn't enough, they were attacked from a joint force from all sides. They didn't stand a chance, but… they put up a fight Kushina. They fought, and from those that came back from the Konoha backup, they said that the Uzumaki clan had fought and destroyed over half the forces that had attacked them. Sealing is, after all, an Uzumaki's specialty and something to be terrified of."

Kushina felt tears slip from her eyes and she smiled slightly. "I bet my father was amazing." Even if he had pushed her, he was her father.

Hiruzen hid the emotions that swept through him at the sight of a seven year old dealing with losing her entire clan and Mito. She was so young, to lose everything, everyone she had known. Knowing Tsunade and Nawaki might have been a relief, that she had cousins, but it wasn't the same as your immediate family and the ones you grew up surrounded by.

"On the other hand, Kushina, I'd like to… talk to you about some things." Hiruzen stated, before standing and placing a hand on the wall. A seal, on that Kushina instantly recognized, swirled into sight.

"A Silencing seal." She murmured. Hiruzen smiled slightly. The girl was going to be a force that they could not counter. Not with the Uzumaki in her and the Kyuubi. He should have realized that as soon as he had met her. Yet, with the council breathing down his back, it was harder than one should think.

Turning to look at the girl, he sat down once again. "Kushina Uzumaki. I've already read your files. You know basic medical jutsu. You know a lot of your clan's Taijutsu and I know Mito has scrolls at the Senju compound to help you further that. You're doing extremely well in Fūinjutsu. You know a lot more than you let on and are excelling in your arts beyond belief. You are becoming a fine Kunoichi. I…have yet to speak with the council…"

Kushina instantly knew what he was referring to. The council was very hard to talk to, especially when trying to convince them of reasons to do something. Tsunade had a hard time dealing with them. They had too much power and they knew it and how to use it.

"You are an Heiress to your clan, and currently, possibly being the only one left, you are Clan Head as morbid as the situation is… What I am trying to tell you Kushina, is that you have a position in the Council as being a Clan Head."

Kushina could only blink owlishly. Wasn't she told that she couldn't have a position like that? Would probably be on a leash her entire life because of what she held?

"But I thought…" and Hiruzen held up a hand.

"We cannot deny you that right. Not with the treaty we've held with the Uzumaki Clan since the founding of the village. I can't and neither can the council."

Something twisted in her gut and she felt like she was finally, sort of, seeing her Hokage from a different time.

"The papers that I signed?" she finally breathed, eyes wide, mind racing. Hiruzen felt his lips twitch.

"Are nullified with your position." He stated. "But, keeping your status as Jinchūriki a secret is still classified. Your team and anyone close to you are allowed to know, depending on how you feel, but they must be informed that it is forbidden to speak about it to anyone else."

Kushina couldn't help the smile that started to form. She didn't have to worry about dealing with those stupid papers. She didn't have to worry about possible complications down the road.

"You'll have to wait until you're actually Chuunin to take your position in the council though." Hiruzen stated and Kushina could deal with that. She could live without seeing the Council and dealing with complications for now.

"You are dismissed, Kushina, and I truly am sorry for your loss."

As soon as she was out of the room, Kushina couldn't help the nasty grin that stretched across her face. Danzō was going to be pissed! She couldn't wait to rub it in his face one day. He'll see.

Never mess with an Uzumaki.

Oooo

Class was boring so far. Kushina internally groaned as she slumped in her seat, energy starting to get the best of her. Mikoto had her head propped up on her hand and looked like she was day dreaming and Minato was studiously taking down notes.

Kushina was like that once, but having already learned all this, memorized it to a 'T' she didn't need to take as many notes.

It wasn't until their teacher mentioned sparring that Kushina sat up, interest sparked. They hadn't had very many sparring days. Usually it was learning how to do Taijutsu stances and countering. Then there were those exercises that they had to complete, the obstacle courses.

The chattering of the class was loud and Kushina could see their teacher getting annoyed, but let it go. He knew that they didn't spar as often as they would like to. Throwing Kunai and shuriken, and learning Taijutsu and counters didn't let them test their abilities.

"Alright I'm going to call out your names in pairs. Those are your sparring partners."

He began listing off names and Kushina sat at the edge of her seat, eyes locked onto their teacher. She honestly couldn't keep her excitement contained. Finally, she could get out and move! Six hours of sitting in a classroom was too much for her energy filled body. Poor Naruto, having to deal with the same type of situation. No wonder he was always trying to skip classes.

"Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze."

Kushina blinked. Out of the entire time she had known Minato, not once have they sparred. They learned together, jutsu and other things, especially from Usagi Uchiha, but never had they sparred. Mikoto and she have, just basic Taijutsu though and nothing too much, because Usagi was always commenting on how to fix stances and how to counter as they went.

Students started to file out of the classroom and Kushina found herself following, almost in a daze.

Her? Sparring Minato?

It shouldn't cause her worry, but he was a true genius and that sent something through her system. It felt, almost like she had to prove herself that she could keep up with any genius, no matter what.

With a jolt, Kushina came back to reality when the first group that was called, began to grapple and throw all training to the wind.

She felt a sweatdrop suddenly form. Kushina forgot that academy kids with civilian backgrounds tended to do that, seeing that stances weren't first nature yet and having not been trained by clan members.

"Stop!" and they froze mid grapple at the sound of their teacher yelling at them. "Get into your stances, now!" They fumbled and awkwardly fell into the academy stance.

With a bit of fixing their stances, they were then told to begin.

Mikoto was the third to go up. Each sparring session taking a while because their teacher wanted them to understand the concept of truly sparring now that they had been through most of the basic Taijutsu moves.

Mikoto was placed against an Aburame, and Kushina couldn't remember what his name was. They sparred for a good ten minutes before Mikoto finally got the upper hand and threw him out of the circle. Murmurs went through the group of students. Clan fighting styles were different than the standard academy Taijutsu, so it was obvious that a lot of the civilians would be a bit discouraged as well as interested in the fact that there is no set Taijutsu for any one ninja.

Finally it was Kushina and Minato's turn. She had yet to look at the boy, and now that she had to face him, she could see the determination within his eyes.

"Good luck Kushina-chan." He called out and Kushina felt something in her well. It felt like determination, the need to prove herself and that she would always be a competition for him. A competitive side suddenly took over and Kushina felt a grin suddenly take over.

"Better keep up with me Minato-kun, ttebane!" and she flushed. There was that speech impediment again.

"Like Tomato-chan can beat Minato!" one of the boys that made fun of her like usual called out. There were snickers that went through the crowd and Kushina felt a tick appear, but brushed it aside. She wasn't interested in them right now.

"Begin!"

Kushina fell into her clan's stance, getting a look of confusion from the class. She had been learning the academy Taijutsu to build up more muscle, more flexibility as well as learning the Uzumaki Style. It can't hurt knowing more than one Taijutsu. Look at Gai for instance, who knew plenty of different style Taijutsu.

Minato slid into the academy stance and both looked determined to show the other what they could do. The teacher seemed to hesitate. He knew that both were very good, both striving for the top position in the academy. He knows how well they are doing and to put the two top students against each other might push them to do even better. He still felt weary about putting them against one another. He didn't want to start a rivalry.

With the go ahead already called, it took a second before Kushina slid back with a surprised look on her face, just barely dodging the elbow to her gut. She could already tell that Minato was using chakra to enhance his speed, if only slightly so their teacher wouldn't reprimand them for using chakra in a Taijutsu spar.

Her eyes lit up and Minato seemed to hesitate from that simple change. It was like something sparked within the girl.

Kushina stepped forward, already bringing her foot up and jabbing it at the boy. Minato blocked the low kick, grunting as he slid back a couple of feet. That kick was enhanced with chakra. It took a second of both sizing one another up before both charged.

Kushina went through the motions like it was clockwork. She would block, dodge, strike, block, counter and Minato was doing the same, keeping up with her with a struggle, but he had a reason. Minato was a Civilian and orphaned, so he didn't have the guidance that she had.

He was still amazing though.

A punch went through and sent the red head teetering to the side, balance thrown off. Hands instantly planted themselves on the ground and she struck back, foot coming up and sending the blonde boy skidding far enough back that she had time to quickly recover from the hit. She couldn't wait until he learned how to use ninjutsu and the perks of using chakra in general.

They were about to continue before their teacher interrupted both of them, his eyes wide as he gestured for them to make the sign of reconciliation. Both instantly responded with making the seal.

The academy students were silent as they watched the two retreat back to Mikoto's side.

"They were moving so fast!" a sudden voice proclaimed and Kushina felt her head jerk in that direction. It was the girl she had first been paired up with when doing her first obstacle course. That was all that was needed before all the students started asking when they could learn to move like that. Their teacher quickly shushed them and smiled.

"One day, you'll be able to move even faster."

Class was dismissed after that.

"You two were amazing!" Mikoto suddenly blurted, smiling widely at the two. "I can't believe we haven't sparred against each other like that! We need to set up a schedule right away!"

Kushina laughed before shrugging her shoulders. "I'd love to spar with either of you whenever I can."

Minato nodded as well, looking excited at the prospect of learning even more.

They all bid farewell and went separate ways after that, needing to do their homework before the day ended.

Oooo

Her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. Her palms felt sweaty and Kushina knew she looked like she might have a panic attack any second. Rei-sensei was right in front of her, hands on the girl's upper arms to reassure the young Uzumaki that she wasn't going anywhere.

The ground was up to her knees for both legs. It felt disgusting honestly. Thick soupy mud but it didn't 'stick' to her like it felt like it should have. Rei-sensei was easing her into the ground, holding the girl up as they inched her lower and lower when she felt ready.

It made the girls heart pound heavily within her chest. She could feel her fear biting at her, nagging at her. It was telling her that this would be the end if she were to slip back under the surface.

"Kushina-chan," Rei-sensei called out, locking eyes with the girl. "I've got you. Your head isn't going to go under, I promise you."

Kushina could only nod her throat dry and lips pressed tightly together.

Shibi and Hizashi were sitting on either side of her, at a slight distance, just to reassure the girl that she wasn't alone and surrounded by those that she could trust. Kushina could even feel a couple of Shibi's Kikaichū scuttling across her neck.

It sent a sort of relief through her system that she could trust her teammates.

Rei-sensei grimaced when Kushina's hands found her wrists and held tightly to them. She could see the pure terror written all over the girls face. She really messed up with this girl. Rei internally cursed. She should have made sure she was comfortable before just diving headfirst underground with her.

"Alright," Rei finally stated. "Enough for today, I believe Shibi-kun and Hizashi-kun have something to talk about."

Rei-sensei pulled Kushina up and the girl instantly looked at her two teammates. Both remained silent, trying to figure out how to speak with her.

"We…will be taking the Chuunin exams in the village, held in a couple of weeks." Hizashi supplied and Shibi gave a curt nod.

"This is alright, correct?" Shibi questioned, eyebrows furrowed from what Kushina could see. Kushina on the other hand felt her brows draw together in confusion. Why wouldn't that be alright? And she instantly recalled.

"Oh… you need a third member." She stated. "I've yet to graduate, so you'll look for another Genin to take my place." And she shrugged, sending them a sly look. "Did you think you'd hurt my feelings?"

Both shifted awkwardly in their spot.

Kushina found a laugh bubbling within her. "Go ahead! I'll be there rooting for both of you!"

Hizashi looked relieved and Kushina could tell that Shibi felt relieved as well, from the subtle shift in his sent.

Now that she thought about it, her sense of smell had increased immensely since the sealing. Other things, like hearing and sight did as well, but it was her smell that was the sharpest, in her opinion.

She couldn't wait for them to take the Chuunin exam because she wasn't going to root for them quietly.

Oooo

The market was busy at this time of day, but Kushina needed to stock up on food. She was running low, especially with how much she eats all the time. There was also the fact that she hadn't been eating too well since Mito had passed, but she needed to get back on track food wise.

Picking up a tomato, she glared at it for a second before sighing. She hated being called tomato. They were also bitter if not ripe and Kushina didn't like bitter things, but she needed to eat healthier. She grabbed four of them and paid, placing them in her large basket that was strapped to her back. Moving on, Kushina continued to gather items that looked like something she would like to eat, already having meals planned out as she went.

Looking at the fish, Kushina couldn't help but lean forward. It looked delicious and just the thought of cooking it made her mouth water. Looking up at the man that was selling it, she opened her mouth so as to address him, but grunted when she was roughly bumped into.

Catching herself, she spun around, a glare plastered across her face and making sure anyone could tell that she was outright pissed. The glare instantly died in its tracks, her eyes widening at the large man standing before her with furrowed brows, eyes jumping between her eyes and hair.

He was tall, six feet and some odd inches compared to Kushina's small frame. He stood out to her, his chakra making her senses twitch at the unfriendliness. He had dull brown hair, hazel eyes, common looking and nothing but his height making him stand out.

He wasn't a civilian though, which had the girl narrowing her eyes at him. Where was his headband?

Height on the side, she wasn't going to let him get away with that. "Watch where you're going, sir!" she snapped, causing a sneer to start forming on his face. The fish seller seemed to be at odds, having seen the man bump into this girl. She deserved an apology, but she was being quite rude with her response.

The man's fingers twitched, starting to curl into a fist and Kushina's eyes honed in on them, lips thinning as she realized what exactly he was holding himself back from doing. Swiftly turning, she addressed the fish seller, like she had planned to previously. Once he packed the large fillet she wanted, Kushina paid him and simply turned and stalked past the tall man, pressing her heel down harshly into his foot as well.

He grunted and as she weaved her way through the crowd for a bit of cover, she then turned and watched him struggle with that same foot she had stepped on. He stumbled and corrected himself, staring down at his limb with an odd look before his eyes snapped up and sought her out. She turned before he could lock eyes with her and left, leaving him to deal with his problem alone. Kushina had placed a snare seal upon his foot. It wouldn't unravel for a good five minutes so he was stuck there for the time being.

The red head didn't see the way his lips thinned and the intense look in his eyes had sharpened as he watched her go. Kushina also didn't see the pure hate flash across his face before he suddenly turned, interacting with the fish seller as he subtly worked on testing the seals strength.

Oooo

A hissing sound was heard before a crackle and pop followed.

"Ouch!" Kushina snarled, pulling her hand back and examining the tips of her fingers. Slightly reddish but mostly blue tinted fingertips busted open, blood sluggishly dripping in chunks before it suddenly bubbled up and closed, healing instantly.

"Damn it!" she snapped, looking down at the ground and glaring at the ice droplets made purely of blood. Kushina hated this touch seal. Absolutely hated it so far. Her fingertips hurt, even with the Kyuubi instantly healing them afterwards. They felt like they were going numb and stiff from the cold that suddenly hit them. She felt like she was getting frost bite.

"That's what I get for working with a Congealing Seal…" she murmured, poking at a frozen icicle made of blood.

The seal she was working on was a double layer seal. There was one layer for flash freezing and the other was the range of the seal. As of right now, it only covered a small range, but Kushina wasn't willing to work with anything larger, especially since she doesn't have clones like Naruto to do the experimenting for her as of yet. This seal was honestly the most painful so far.

She could deal with the explosions that threw her back, which singed her. She could deal with the electricity sparking through her body for a second and sending her hair sky high. Yet, Kushina was finding this small seal hell.

Every time she messed up the 'seal' when it traveled down her arm and spread on the ground beneath her hand, it caused her entire hand to flash freeze, frozen blood instantly rupturing her blood vessels and causing her fingertips to erupt open. It was a nasty sight and she would have ended up in the hospital with a useless hand for quite a while, if it weren't for the fox.

It honestly terrified the girl but also intrigued her as to how deadly one small seal could be. Fūinjutsu was something else entirely. With a frown on her face, Kushina glared at the tree not too far from her and stalked over to it. With a glower, she looked at her hand that was smeared with blood before slamming her palm into the tree, chakra flaring.

A squiggly seal began to form before it suddenly swirled into being, the exact seal that she had been trying to get. It wasn't until she 'felt' the difference that she instantly lurched back, eyes wide as it went off a second later.

Her mouth went dry and Kushina found herself staring at a frozen tree, purely encased in ice. Its bark was ripped to shreds underneath the ice formation. It splintered and froze instantaneously, the water within having caused it to expand too fast from the flash freeze. Her heart thudded in her chest as she stared at the spiky ice protrusions, pieces of bark mixed within. Overpowering a seal with an area layer was not something to mess with. In her frustration, Kushina had forgotten that rule and it probably would have seriously injured her if she hadn't realized it in those few precious moments.

"Kushina-chan?" a voice called and Kushina whipped around, eyes wide and heart in her throat as she looked for whoever called her. She found her eyes locking with bright blue ones. Worry was evident within his eyes and his face was mixed with awe and fright at the same time.

"Is that…Fūinjutsu?" Minato questioned and Kushina looked at the still frozen tree, which would probably last for the rest of the day and possibly tomorrow, with how much ice there was.

"I…ugh… put way too much chakra in the area layer of the seal…" she stated, scuffing her foot against the base of the icy tree.

Kushina watched as Minato walked around the tree, eyes wide in fascination as he placed his hand upon it. His eyebrows drew together as if searching before he blinked, pulling back his cold hand and staring at it.

"Can you…" and he stopped himself. Kushina stared at him for a second before she realized what he was probably going to ask. Minato Namikaze didn't become a Fūinjutsu master without help. A devilish grin took hold of her face as she realized that she would be teaching Minato her Sealing Art.

"Would you like to learn some Fūinjutsu?" She questioned, eyes brightening up. Minato glanced at the icy tree before a look of interest appeared on his face. He gave Kushina a simple nod.

The devilish look grew even darker. "I'll start your first lesson, when you can guess what kind of classes I am taking."

Minato felt a jolt of disappointment, because he hadn't continued to figure out what extra classes Kushina was taking in the academy. Now, with a look of pure determination, he clenched his fists at his side and smiled.

"Get ready to start teaching me by the end of the week."

Kushina couldn't wait to see how he did that.

Oooo

There was a knock on the doorframe to the living room and Kushina jolted from the couch, eyes wide as she took in Tsunade. Kushina felt relief wash over her, having forgotten that Senju blood could just walk right past the seals to the compound as well.

It was the somber look on Tsunade's face that caused her to pause in greeting the blonde. Kushina's eyes flickered over the older teen and her lips thinned instantly, blood draining from her face. Tsunade was dressed in Konoha's standard outfit, all her pockets filled with items and at least four small packs upon her person. She was dressed for war.

"It seems…that I am being called to the front lines… We're at a standstill, currently trying to work things out, but we don't know how long that is going to last…"

So it was the beginnings of the Second War.

Kushina felt a lump appear in her throat before instantly spinning, dropping to the floor and opening the small drawer of the table beside her. Inside, there were plenty of plain tags and others already having a seal upon them. Grabbing a couple already drawn up, she then turned to Tsunade, holding them out.

"I found a book with medical seals in them." She said. "I did the correct steps to place them upon a tag, but I haven't been able to try them. I hope they might do you some good."

Tsunade stared at the red head, eyes drilling into her before a slight look of relief showed. Crouching down to look Kushina in the eyes, she then took the papers, a smile slightly appearing.

"And what do they do?" she questioned, sifting through them and finding different styles already drawn upon them.

Kushina shifted, eyes flickering to the side and searching her mind for the correct outcomes. "Each are labeled. The tags with the red tips are for blood replenishment. The ones with the yellow are to stop blood flow from a deadly wound, like when you clamp an organ off so it doesn't keep bleeding, and the blue ones aren't necessarily medical, but when applied to a person, they suck in chakra and convert it to your own chakra type before replenishing your chakra supply."

Tsunade blinked owlishly as she stared at the Uzumaki. Her gut twisted before tears welled within her eyes. Her nose turned red from the sudden emotions swimming within her. "I should have learned Fūinjutsu when grandma offered… damn it!"

Tsunade pulled Kushina into a hug, arms wound tightly around the girl as she took a deep breath.

"Let's hope these seals work and I'll tell you if they do. Might even need a refill, so get to work kid!" she declared, sniffing and trying to play it off. She stood up and ruffled Kushina's hair, smiling down at the girl with a wide grin, looking like a weight had been taken off her shoulders.

"You're going to be better than grandma at sealing, just keep up the good work kid."

Tsunade turned to go and Kushina couldn't help but feel like she was losing another person.

"Come back Tsunade-chan. Always come back home!"

The blonde paused before throwing Kushina a wide grin over her shoulder.

"You bet your ass I'll always come back home."

Kushina watched Tsunade leave before heading to the Sealing Library. She had a lot of researching to do on medical seals because she won't always have those books at her disposal, so learning how to apply them to tags and what exactly they did was a must, especially if the Second War is just starting to come around. Memorizing things was one of her talents, so she could do this, especially if she could make a difference.

Note; I hope this is alright... Not much of a politic person so things with the Council might be iffy, but I honestly am not trying to focus on them much.

The Second War is coming! This will last a while, because to me, they don't just start, last a couple of months, then stop. So it'll be a couple of years, probably close to three. (so as to set things up and get things rolling as well)

Kushina is finally going to start teaching Minato some basic Fuinjutsu! (when he can beat her challenge)

Those Tags: she knows how to apply seals to tags, but she is still learning. They take time to create, so she wont be drawing them in battle. She is using scrolls to get this information, not making them up herself. An entire library of seals will help her learn, apply them to real life, but it's practice that will allow her to use things in battle. She won't be able to tap someone and place whatever healing seal upon them right then and there (Possibly later, when she LEARNS)

Any Suggestions are great! Maybe even get my muse rolling again. (Seriously needs a kick to get her trudging along again)