Shock & Awe

The orange fox made sure that its howl reached the young Uzumaki and Hyuga, but only them alone.

"Just according to keikaku." The fox said with an evil smile. [A/N: Keikaku means plan.]

"MOOOOOOOOM THERE'S A TALKING FOX OVER THERE!" A young child that was passing by with his family overheard the little animal speak its last line.

"Where?" The mother asked somewhat curiously.

"Over there." The boy pointed in the direction of where he last saw the talking critter but there was nothing there anymore.

"I don't see anything."

"But it was there just a second ago." The boy replied in a confused tone.

"Did you get a sugar rush again? I knew your father shouldn't have bought you all those candies. Come on, let's go home." She grabbed her son's hand and dragged him along to the village as he still tried to make sense of exactly what he had just seen.

"DARN KIDS, always being so observant." The fox thought angrily in its mind while hiding in the bushes. "I should be careful to keep a low profile until the time is right."

Back in the Uzumaki compound…

Both Naruto and Hinata felt a headache from the loud noise they heard, causing them both to hold their foreheads simultaneously.

"What's the matter?" Their mothers asked out of concern.

"Nothing really…I think I just heard some kind of noise." Naruto replied, feeling a little better.

"Y-Yeah…I heard something too." Hinata added.

"That's weird, I didn't hear anything." Kushina now looked at Harumi. "Did you?"

"No, I didn't. That's odd."

"I-It's nothing really." Hinata said as sh turned towards her mother-in-law and eyed her eagerly. "P-Please continue your story from earlier."

"What was I saying again? Oh yeah, about Naruto's eating habits when he was a kid right?"

"Is this really necessary for you to know?" Naruto asked Hinata hesitantly. "This was the time when I was a little kid. I don't even remember much of it."

She gave him a very deadly look in return, one that he would have expected from her other personality. "YES! As your wife I must know these things."

"O-Okay…no worries Hinata. I can tell you as much as you like." Even Kushina was a bit taken aback by the boldness of shy Hinata when it came to Naruto. "Alright, let's see…"

Flashback Beginning – 15 years ago.

A 4 year old Naruto was sitting in a baby's feeding chair with a plastic spoon on one hand and a plastic fork on another, bashing his hands continuously against the table.

A teenage Uzumaki girl sat next to Naruto and was trying to feed him some vegetable soup, but Naruto was not going to have any of it.

"Waka (Young Master), please have this soup." The girl begged Naruto with all her heart. "You need to eat healthy food so that you can grow strong."

"NO! I don't want that stuff. GIMME RAMEN!" He shouted rebelliously while continuing to bang on the table.

"Please waka, I'm begging you, finish this bowl. If you do I'll play with you for the rest of the day."

"You will?" Naruto looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"Of course! Have I ever lied to you?" She asked him with puppy dog eyes and slipped a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

"BAAAAAH, DISGUSTING!" Naruto spat out the mouthful of soup on to the ground. "I DON'T WANT TO EAT THIS!"

The girl was at an impasse. She didn't know what to do as she cleaned up after the mess Naruto just made. As she looked at the time she realised that it was almost time for Naruto's mother to return. For his own sake she was desperate to get him to eat the food.

"Kushina-sama will get angry if you don't finish this bowl by the time she gets back." She reminded him frantically knowing that there was not much time left.

"I WON'T EAT THIS! GIMME RAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Before the Uzumaki girl could try to persuade Naruto any further she felt a threatening presence at the door. It was already too late.

"What did you just say?" Kushina glared at her son as she walked towards him.

The look on his mother's eyes meant only bad things for Naruto, but he was going to remain true to his will. He wasn't going to give in to his mother's whims any more. He was going to make a stand.

"It is as I said. I won't eat what you want me to eat anymore. I've had enough. IT'S A SOUP DE TART!" Naruto shouted at his mother while challengingly pointing at her with his spoon.

"You mean a coup d'etat…" The Uzumaki girl corrected Naruto, but that was the least of his concerns right now. His mother was furious.

"You will eat the food right?" Kushina asked in a ghastly tone, the air around her almost getting cold at the same time.

"I won't." Naruto replied, feeling a chill run up his spine that shook his willpower.

"You WILL eat the food right?" Kushina asked once again, this time her eyes emitting a faint red glow and her facial expression taking a hideous turn.

"I w-w-w-w-won't…" Naruto's body was now shaking as was his voice, but he still stood defiant.

"YOU WILL EAT THIS FOOD RIGHT?" Kushina asked one final time with her hands clenched tight and her dark red hair floating around haphazardly in the air, making her resemble a monster pulled straight out of a fairy tale.

"YES I'LL EAT! I'LL EAT ALL OF IT!" Naruto wet his diapers in fear, but that was of minor consequence to him at this point as he started chugging down the soup like his life depended on it.

"Good boy." Kushina complimented her son while observing him finish his meal.

This was the way Naruto grew strong by eating healthy food under the watchful eyes of his mother.

Flashback End – Present day.

"So that's how I used to get him to comply." Kushina told Hinata with a smile. "Naruto was never exactly the most obedient kid to begin with. So I had to use some forceful measures."

Hinata nodded seriously.

"MOM WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TELLING HER!? Why was the fact that I wet my pants even worth mentioning?" Naruto now looked over to his wife. "And why are you even nodding? This is so embarrassing having you find out about all this. GAAAAH!" He scrambled his hair in shame.

Harumi couldn't stop giggling at the exchange between the three.

"Leaving all the stories aside, I think you two should go and properly introduce yourselves to each other's clans." Kushina suggested. "For the two clans to eventually accept each other, they have to first fully appreciate your union."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Harumi concurred. "As some of the most important members of your respective clans, please take this opportunity to get to know both clans."

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and nodded. They realised it was a good idea and thus got up from their seats to talk to their clan members seated around the room in two distinct groups.

First was the Hyuga clan.

Upon seeing Naruto and Hinata they all stood up at once to confront them.

"A-Ano…p-please don't start a fight again. I'd like for a-all of you to get to k-know Naruto-kun because from now he is a part of us." Hinata told her clan in a shaky voice.

The Hyuga looked at Naruto and still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. The concept of an Uzumaki becoming part of the Hyuga clan was preposterous; let alone the heir to the Uzumaki clan. But at the same time they looked back at Hinata and realised that none of them could have much of a say in the matter. If they angered her again and brought out her other self for a second time in one day, having a hand broken would be the least of their concerns. So there really was not much choice. Either accept the Uzumaki or get thrown out of the clan, or worse have it be completely disbanded. Knowing Hinata it could be much worse.

Naruto was the first to speak.

"Look, I get it. There's no need to sugar coat things here. You guys don't trust me and honestly I don't trust you either. There's too much that's happened between us to just forget all of it overnight. However, for Hinata's sake I'm willing to give it a shot to change the status quo. I think I have come to realise from my parents and Hinata that a peaceful solution truly is the best solution, which can require overlooking our past. If Hinata herself is trying to mend the rift between herself and her clan despite everything you put her through during her childhood, then I will respect that wish of hers. How about it?" Naruto extended his hand towards the Hyuga to display his solidarity.

There was a moment of silence as the Hyuga looked towards each other not knowing what to do, until one of them shook Naruto's hand. It was the same man whose hand Hinata had broken earlier in the evening. He was now wearing a cast on the broken hand but he shook Naruto's hand with his other good one.

"If Hinata-sama has chosen to put her trust in you then let us give it a try indeed, this union that she so wishes to establish." He replied. "We shall follow her will."

The rest of the Hyuga all seemed to be nodding in a nervous way. They seemed to be very wary of Hinata at the moment.

"Wow I didn't quite expect you of all people to say that." Naruto was truly surprised by the person that shook his hand. "And I'll be honest; I'm still annoyed by what you said to my clan members. But at the same time I do feel bad for you to have your hand broken like that."

"You don't need to feel sorry for me at all. It is an HONOR to have my hand broken my Hinata-sama!"

Naruto had a baffled look on his face as he glanced sideways at Hinata who was fidgeting around feeling very uncomfortable after her clan member's statement.

1

"Well…if that's how you feel…what the heck? Let's just work towards a better future." Naruto said to the rest of the Hyuga who all appeared to nod their agreement at him hesitantly.

Second was the Uzumaki clan.

Both Naruto and Hinata now stood in front of the Uzumaki clan members, but all of them looked suspiciously at Hinata which made her feel even more uncomfortable than before.

"Guys, what's with those looks?" Naruto asked. "Is that any way to treat a new member of the clan?"

"Naruto we'll be straightforward here, she's dangerous." One of the Uzumaki directed all of their combined concerns at him. "Did you see what she did to her own clan member? She's ruthless. How can you even trust her?"

"Hinata's had her own problems with her clan since childhood, but despite that she's trying to make things better. We should be giving her a warm welcome to the Uzumaki clan and show her how our bonds are what make us who we are." Naruto explained to his clan.

"We're only looking out for you young master because we want you to be happy, just as you've always done the same for us." Another older Uzumaki woman replied to Naruto. "We get that you've liked her since you were a kid but we really have to ask if your crush on her has been blinding your better judgement."

"She's right in asking that question." Someone agreed as well and others were starting to join in on the cynicism.

Naruto felt bad after hearing his clan's opinions, but he felt worse for Hinata who looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"Please everyone; don't say such mean things to Naruto-niisama! Can't you see you're hurting him on what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life?" Chihiro, the girl from earlier who was involved in the incident with the Hyuga decided to speak out even though she was usually of meek disposition. "I always thought that the strength of our clan lied in the trust between all of its members, but if we can't even believe in Naruto-niisama's choice then what exactly is left of our unity? He has always done his best to support all of us, so it's time we supported him back. She's the girl Naruto-niisama has chosen, so I'll believe in her too."

Chihiro extended her hand towards Hinata with a smile, welcoming her to the Uzumaki clan. Hinata took her hand in return, feeling both a sense of gratitude and relief.

Seeing Chihiro's bold move and hearing her reminder of the core philosophy of the Uzumaki clan, the other members were starting to reflect on what they said and felt. Some of them were even starting to change their opinions.

"The girl's absolutely right." Someone new from the back addressed the rest, causing everyone to turn around to look at her.

"KARIN!" Naruto shouted at the newcomer, a girl with dark red hair similar to his mother and glasses. "You actually came by yourself. I was about to get down there and drag your ass out in a bit if you decided not to show up you hikikomori."

"Who are you calling a hikikomori? Just after I showed my support to you as well." Karin replied angrily. "You aren't much be-"

Before she could finish, Naruto grabbed Hinata and presented her in front of Karin.

"Sorry what were you about to say?" Naruto asked her with a cynical smirk on his face. "Do you see this girl? Do you realise how crazy hot she is? Yeah, she's my wife. By your definition I am now one of the "winners" in life."

Karin bit her lip in annoyance. There wasn't a comeback she could come up with.

Hinata's face on the other hand lit up like fireworks. Naruto just said some very direct things without much hesitation that she could only assume were praise.

"Oh my, how bold!" Harumi exclaimed in surprise. "Who's that new girl? Naruto seems to know her quite well."

"That's Karin, Naruto's cousin." Kushina answered. "She is my older brother, the Namikaze clan leader's daughter. Her mother is also an Uzumaki, so Karin pretty much has the same lineages as Naruto. They've known each other since childhood and played together. They get along…I think."

"That doesn't sound too convincing." Harumi didn't feel much strength behind Kushina's last statement.

"The reason why I'm late is because I've taking care of these two in your stead since you decided to get married all of a sudden." Karin explained to Naruto and took a step to the side, clearing the path for some new individuals to arrive at the scene.

Two children with blonde hair, one boy and one girl both about one and a half year of age dashed straight at Naruto.

"Yuhi! Nagato!" Naruto outstretched his arms and called out to them happily.

"DADDY!" The little girl screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped at Naruto, climbing up his body until she sat firmly on his shoulders.

The little boy however jumped up only to punch him in the stomach.

Naruto pretended to have been affected by the hit and dropped on to his knees, grasping the boy in a hug.

"Wow your punch is getting stronger and stronger Nagato. At this rate I'll actually have to take you seriously." He complimented while rubbing his head. "But always challenging me to a fight, why can't you be a bit more like your sister?"

Just at that moment Naruto felt Yuhi start chewing on a lock his hair.

"Scratch that, don't' be like her. She's trying to eat my hair again. Darn I haven't realised but your teeth have gotten really strong." Naruto grabbed a little bit of the Taiyaki cake from before and held it on top of his head. "My hair is not edible. Try eating this instead."

Yuhi took a bite out of it but instantly spit it out and went back to chewing on Naruto's hair.

At the same time Naruto started to feel a little wet sensation on his shoulder and he instantly realised what was happening.

"AAAAHHHH NOOOOO, NOT ON THE CLAN LEADER'S HAORI!" Naruto quickly brought Yuhi down from his shoulder and saw that she had wet her pants. He had no choice but to hurriedly take off the storied jacket he was wearing and wrap it around her pants as a makeshift diaper to stop the floor from getting wet.

"I can't believe it, this beautiful haori that I've always dreamed of wearing one day now being used as a diaper." He said looking at Yuhi with tears in his eyes, who only smiled back at him in return. "At least feel a little bit of regret."

Naruto now shifted his gaze over to Karin with anger evident on his face. "And you. Why the heck didn't you make her wear a diaper? Now look at what happened."

"I forgot…but it serves you right for calling me names earlier." Karin couldn't stop laughing in return.

"Darn it, what the heck? Let's get you changed for now." Naruto picked up Yuhi and placed her over his shoulder. He grabbed Nagato as well and carried him on one hand. "You're coming with me as well. If she went then it's clear you're about to go as well. The two of you have a tendency of doing things in tandem. I'll be back in a bit."

Thus he ran out of the room with the two children at hand.

The Hyuga clan were in shock from what they just witnessed. Almost the entire room had gone silent. There were no words. Hinata didn't even know what to think.

It didn't take long before Naruto was back in the room again with the kids given that some of his other clan members had also rushed after him to help.

"Sorry for having to step out for a bit." He apologised to Hinata while sitting back at the kotatsu next to her along with the kids.

Hinata was about to say something but Nagato pointed his finger at her.

"Mommy." He said as he looked from her to Naruto.

Naruto along with all the rest of the Uzumaki were shocked at the word they heard from the little boy. They had never heard him call anyone that.

Naruto smiled back at him in response. "Why not? I suppose since she's my wife now she can be your mommy."

Hearing Naruto's approval and appearing as though he clearly understood it, Nagato walked up to Hinata and happily sat on her lap, leaning against her.

Words would not come out of Hinata's mouth right now, but her mind was overflowing with questions. "HOW DID I SUDDENLY BECOME A MOTHER? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHO ARE THESE KIDS?"

I would love to see if you guys can guess the correct answer to what is going on here. In fact, as a little hint, the mother of those children was actually in this chapter. As always, I will give mad props next chapter to those who get closest to the answer. This should be interesting.

Wow, I do have to say though, this feels like a throwback to the old days. Perhaps those who have been with me for a long time will understand. But the real question is whether or not this is foreshadowing something bigger. I suppose over time you'll find out.

Oh and there was also a small little reference to another anime in this chapter. I'll be really impressed if anyone picked it up because I always found the particular line I referenced hilarious.

Other than that I hope to see you all next time :)