Child of Gods, Reject of Men

by Ronin2106

Forced to pay for the sealing of Kyuubi into his siblings, Naruto slowly dies after sealing. However,Shiva, God of Creation and Destruction, witnesses what happens and decides to save him. With his wife Parvati and Izanami, he saves Naruto, by making him more than man. How will Shinobi world react to a Child of Gods? Eventual OP! Naruto, Eventual Name!Change! Sequel is in works.

10. Chapter 10

Uchiha's Mansion. Three months after the incident at Academy.

Another yellow leaf landed near Akeno's feet, as she sat outside of the main house, looking at the garden with a distant look. Though she looked out at the garden, her thoughts weren't about what she was looking at, which was the garden or the trees stripped of their leafs. Her thoughts were firmly focused upon Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who had been in coma for the better part of three months now, having been put there in June, and now it was already late September. His physical condition was as good as it could get, with his injuries and damage having healed themselves over time, according to Shizune, yet he was still not waking up. The fact of it was causing quite a great number of distress to Akeno, over the short period of time that she had with Naruto, she grew quite fond of him.

She considered him not just a good friend, but probably the best one she had, and she didn't have that many, and each was precious to her, so it was natural for her to wish for him to get better and wake up already. Yet it wasn't just for her own sake, but possibly more so for the sake of others, in particular his little sister, Mito. The little girl made sure to spend as much time as possible near her older brother, and even though her parents had tried to stop her from doing it, she always had managed to find a way to Naruto's side. It was during one of such visits that Akeno and Mito met and struck a conversation about Naruto, and it didn't take the two long to first get fully acquainted, and then become friends.

Despite her age, Mito was clearly a very bright and clever girl, as well as very intuitive, as she quickly discerned who Akeno was and what she felt towards Naruto. It was because of that the two quickly grew to become friends, and it has become quite common sight in the hospital to see Akeno and Mito at Naruto's side. Occasionally, there would be some other people visiting, most often it would be Tomoe and Amagi, with Mikoto and Fugaku coming in second. As for Naruto's parents, they too would pay visits to him, bringing along with them Narumi and Natsu, against their own will, making a small show out of this, while dragging Mito with them. Whenever that sort of visit happened, Akeno and whoever was in the room with Naruto would have to leave, so as to give room for the family, although it was clear to those that knew Naruto and Mito, that these people were no longer much a family to the two.

Minato and Kushina, after having been struck with the facts and revelations, regarding their eldest children and Naruto, had almost immediately started to put in the effort to change things up in their family, or at least making it seem like they were doing it. According to Mito, her parents have become stricter upon Narumi and Natsu, along with trying to instill into them what Kushina called: "core concepts of what it meant to be an Uzumaki". And while those two no longer were able to enjoy the same level of freedom, they were still pampered to the degree, and it was clear that their arrogance wasn't going away. The two understood that they had to play the part of being remorseful siblings, wishing for Naruto to get better, so as to restore their public image and regain their status as heroes. Unfortunately for them and their parents, Natsu and Narumi would never again be perceived by the people of Konoha as heroes.

After that fateful Council session, the leaders of the Village and Clans, as well as Councilors, were forced to address what had happened and how they've mishandled the situation with the Jinchuriki. They did so by addressing the public about the incident, dispelling all the foul rumors surrounding Naruto Uzumaki and his nature, as well as revealing to the public what Natsu and Narumi really were, and that they weren't heroes. Eyes of the public were finally opened up, and the backlash of the people was a powerful one, since now Natsu and Narumi were seen as outcasts and spoiled brats, with the number of their fans dropping to a small amount, while the amount of real friends nearly evaporated. While there were still people that wanted to get close them, it was only been done as curtesy towards their parents and since they were a part of the Uzumaki Clan, but overall, the two were now largely shunned by the majority of the populace of Konoha. And Natsu and Narumi didn't take well to it, as it was seen by Akeno upon Mito, who has become an unwilling outlet of frustrations and anger felt by the twins.

Akeno noticed that Mito wasn't as lighthearted and easy-going as some of the other kids of her age, instead having a more mature and calmer perspective towards the world, as well as something of a cynical view of her family. If Akeno were to guess, she believed that Mito was simply missing her brother, but that was only part of the reason. Mito herself didn't say much about her behavior, only stating that she now understood why Naruto was so distant from the rest of the family, especially towards Natsu and Narumi. When Akeno looked at Mito, she saw the near same eyes as her own, the eyes of a person who has been stripped of their innocence and who saw the cruel reality of the world they lived in.

And after witnessing that show of a visit by the whole family, Akeno realized what was happening to Mito, and that her siblings and family didn't ultimately change. Natsu and Narumi didn't change their behavior, they simply masked it, and instead they decided to let out their frustrations upon the one person they could do it upon safely- Mito. They didn't beat her or anything like that, but verbal abuse was still clear to see for Akeno upon Mito, and that was only confirmed to her when Akagi and Kaga told her about what was happening at Mito's home. Minato and Kushina were actively trying to instill into their kids their version of family unity, and how it was important for them to get Naruto back no matter what, and that they had to act as family.

Act, but not be one, and the twins picked up on that one and took to the heart abusing and trying to bully Mito, who now had practically no one to genuinely care for her, since Izuna was fired, and Kushina with Minato didn't even know their daughter all too well. Instead of trying to commune and connect with her, they've instead drove her away by trying to appeal to her child's innocence. Instead of understanding, they found the girl rebelling against them, purposefully ignoring them and ditching their family at every time she could, leading to Minato and Kushina to have Kurenai Yuhi, once a student of Kushina and, ironically, Tomoe, to become the girl's caretaker, or rather guard, so as to control the girl's actions. Kurenai adored Kushina and didn't believe what people were saying now about her once teacher, instead playing the role of a devoted student and doing what she believed was right.

After understanding it, Akeno had tried to offer help to Mito, but she rejected it, stating that things would only get better if Naruto were to wake up, and Akeno wished and prayed to the Gods that he did so. If Naruto were to wake up, then Akeno and others that knew him well had little to no doubt in their mind that he wouldn't just stand for it. Naruto would do everything in his power to get his sister out of that family and ensure that she was safe, just as he is going to be, once he wakes up. Since that session, the Elders have launched a full-on investigation into what was going on within the Namikaze family, and they discovered the truth surrounding Naruto's relations with his siblings and parents, as well as what parts did Jiraiya and Tsunade had played in the incident.

The decision of the Council was an obvious one, and that was to actually remove Naruto out of the hostile environment and place him in the family or Clan that would take care of him. While that may seem as a forced exile of the kid, the Council did point out that he would be able to retain his status as an Uzumaki, effectively meaning that Naruto would have the potential to start out his own branch family, separate from Kushina's line. After all the lies about him were dispelled and the people learned of the fact that he was a genius in the making, nearly every Shinobi Clan had opted to take him under their wing, sensing a golden opportunity to strengthen their positions and to bring into their family a much coveted Uzumaki bloodline.

Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Nara, Sarutobi- those were just the first ones to announce their intentions to adopt Naruto into their family, bringing up multiple points on what they could give the boy. Others did the same thing, and as soon as that match began, it became painstakingly clear that these Clans and their Heads weren't looking after Naruto's well-being. They wanted to profit off of the kid, by making him a part of their own Clan and installing the Uzumaki bloodline into their own. Minato and Kushina weren't able to stop these vultures, but Fugaku and Mikoto did, after they've used the support of the Civilian Council to gain right of guardianship over Naruto. This meant that while Naruto would be taken into the Uchiha Clan, he wouldn't be made a member of it and would retain his name of Uzumaki.

And while officially Mikoto and Fugaku were going to be Naruto's guardians, it would be Tomoe who would bear the responsibility of raising him, as she was firmly advocating for it. And given the fact of her now important position in the Uchiha Clan, she could leverage her influence and gain the right to raise Naruto, even if the Council itself was opposed to it. Still, even without now considerable influence of Tomoe, Fugaku and Mikoto were still going to give him to her, since it was obvious to them that the woman held a soft spot for the boy.

And as for Jiraiya and Tsunade, things have gone from simply bad to worse once everything became public knowledge after the investigation. While there have been no news regarding Toad Sage since his disappearance almost four months prior, the Slug Princess had decided not to wait for the investigators and Council to come banging on her door. Instead, right before the Council had found out about her part in the incident, she packed up her things and left the Village Hidden in the Leafs, stating that she was done with the place where she lost all of her loved ones and wanted to spend the rest of her life for herself. That became the strengthening point to the evidence that pointed out to Tsunade's intention to harm Naruto and after that, the Civilian Council had tried to issue an order to have her found and arrested, but Minato somehow had managed to belay that order, or at least delay it, so that no pursuit would be launched after her.

While Tsunade had left Konoha, her apprentice didn't since was still the doctor in charge of Naruto's recovery, and after Shizune had discovered that Tsunade had essentially left her bankrupted, she renounced her master, though it did little to council the woman, since was left virtually without any means to living. It was then that Tomoe came to Shizune's aid, as she bought back all the property that Kato Clan had and which was sold by Tsunade, and also compensated from Senju's coffers what Tsunade had taken from Shizune. With Tsunade's defection and reveal of her mismanagement of the Kato's inheritance, Tomoe had managed to wrestle out of Tsunade's hands the control over all of Clan Senju's assets, including money and what had been stolen from Tomoe by Third Hokage after Mito's death. While it wasn't seemingly much, it was still satisfying to get some justice for what had been done to her, and to add to that loyalty and friendship of Shizune, Tomoe was quite happy with her life.

As Akeno was immersed in her own thoughts, she didn't hear soft footsteps behind her or the sound of sliding door. Only when a warm coat was carefully placed above her, did she turn away from her thoughts and looked to see Yoruichi, dressed up and in her human form, wrapping the coat around the girl, so as to warm her, before taking a seat near her.

"You shouldn't come outside like that, kitten. The autumn this year is going to be a cold one." Yoruichi noted, as she sat near Akeno, with steam coming out a little from her mouth. "If you were to catch a cold, Naruto would get very upset when he wakes up and finds out that it's now you who is bed ridden and has to eat chicken soup."

"And you shouldn't exactly walk around in the open like that. Fugaku and Mikoto are in the house, remember?" Akeno reminded the Nekomata of it. "How do you think they would react if they've seen a tan skinned woman taking a girl's coat?"

"Kitten, I'll make you a discount on you forgetting that as a Nekomata and a Yokai, I can conceal my presence from just about anything that isn't aware of us. And as for those two, they are in the living room, with Tomoe, discussing that Slug Princess and other events." Yoruichi told Akeno. "Tomoe did see me, but she didn't say a word, and I don't expect her to do so. After all, your future mother-in-law wouldn't want you to get into any sorts of trouble, though usually the opposite is true in these cases."

"Why do you always call her my future mother-in-law? She doesn't have any sons." Akeno reminded Yoruichi.

"No? Then you aren't going to marry Naruto when the time comes? Because he is going to be her son, in all but the name, and I'd imagine you would want to have good relations with her, though with the progress you've been making on Mito, I'd say you are pretty set on getting Naruto anyway." Yoruichi slyly noted to Akeno, who blushed red at that.

"W-would you stop it already?! Naruto and I-I a-are just friends…" Akeno said the last part with some insecurity, with Yoruichi sighing to it.

"Kitten, Mito is your friend, but Naruto… You opened up to him, you didn't reject him when he opened up to you, and you've embraced him just like that. And don't even get me started on the fact of his divinity, though untouched one. By all accounts in my book, he is a perfect match for you already, and that's not to mention that his new mommy is loaded with more money than your grandkids won't know what to do with them." Yoruichi pointed out to Akeno, before giving her a genuinely caring smile. "Akeno, I'm just trying to look after you, and that means making sure that you find yourself a suitable husband in the future."

"I am still a kid, remember?" Akeno reminded to Yoruichi.

"Hm, children of the deities, even those that have one human parent, grow up faster than normal human ones. Didn't you notice that yourself?" Yoruichi asked of Akeno, before getting a mischievous look in her eyes. "I mean, it would seem you've started to fill out in all the necessary places already." Yoruichi placed her palm in where Akeno's chest was, seemingly feeling it up. "Mhm, a soon to be A-cup already… If you are going to be like your mom, then by the time you hit 14, you'll be driving men crazy with your…" Akeno closed her chest by her hands, with a look of utter embarrassment written all over her.

"Would you stop it already?! Geez… Why do you always have to so… So perverted…" Akeno asked, as she calmed down.

"Eh, it's just the way I am, though if you want real perverts, I could introduce you to a couple of Nekoshou that I know. Then you'll see that I am pretty tame when compared to those ladies, but I think when you hit your prime, you'll be making them look like background accessories." Yoruichi chuckled. "But anyway, all I am saying, is that Naruto is going to be a very lucky man, once you two finally grow up. You should look forward to that future."

"I wouldn't mind having a present when he finally wakes up." Akeno said with some sadness. "It's going to be four months soon, and there are still no changes. I don't want to think about it, but… What if he doesn't wake up?"

"Don't think about it, kitten. Don't even think about giving up on hope." Yoruichi told her with confidence. "The signs are pointing out towards his awakening, and also…"

"What? Do you know something?" Akeno asked of Yoruichi, who looked at her with a serious expression. "Yoruichi, is there something that you know, but can't tell?"

"No, not exactly that. It is something of an intuitive feeling, something that we Nekomata have in us. Right now, it's telling me that something will happen today, but not something of bad sort… It's kinda hard to explain, kitten." Yoruichi told her, before letting out a sigh. "Anyway, why don't we go and visit your precious future fiancée? Who knows, maybe he'll actually wake up today, and if the first thing he sees is you, he might just fall head over heels for you."

"Geez… Okay, but let's first warn Fugaku and Mikoto. And please don't show yourself." Akeno asked, as she got up, while Yoruichi shifted into her cat form and slipped into the spiritual realm as the three headed into the living room, but stopped right before entering, when they heard some heated arguing.

"Lord Hokage had assured us that Clan Uchiha would provide us with the requested support, Lady Mikoto, and I would like to know whom exactly will you be sending to the aid of my Village?" Akeno didn't recognize that voice, while Yoruichi entered into the room for a second, before returning back to her.

"It's a Kusagakure Shinobi, the one that came into the Village a couple of days ago. Apparently, Namikaze promised some kind of help to the Kusagakure, and that help will consist of Uchihas." Yoruichi stated to Akeno. "Best we hang in here and not draw any attention. Let the grown-ups first send him away, kitten." Akeno agreed with Yoruichi and didn't make a sound, listening in on the conversation.

"You are overstepping your boundaries, Kusa-nin. I will be the one to decide whom to send to your Village for help, not you, and don't think that I will not warn my people before sending them off. Your Village's reputation and tendencies are no secret to us." Mikoto stated to him in a not so friendly tone. "At the moment, my Clan can only spare 7 Shinobi on a mission of such length and difficulty."

"I think you misunderstood me. Lord Hokage stated, that Clan Uchiha will provide all the help to our Village in tracking down and stopping that man. The amount of damage destruction, as well as losses in manpower of our Village are quite substantial, and that's not to mention the fact that he has had the gall to kidnap a valued member of our Village." Kusa Shinobi didn't relent.

"You mean that Uzumaki girl, whose mother your people have used as a chakra battery, until she literally died having been sucked dry?" Tomoe revealed, with Akeno widening her eyes after hearing of it. "Lord Hokage may not have paid much mind to that detail, or wasn't exactly informed of it, but don't think that your twisted activities have escaped attention of the prying eyes. If you ask me, after the amount of betrayals and backstabbing you've inflicted upon Konoha that was some nice payback."

"Maybe you would like to personally head the group, Lady Tomoe? After all, a Shinobi of the same caliber as Fourth Hokage himself would have little to no difficulty in tracking down that man and killing him." Shinobi suggested. "And the internal matters of my Village should be of no concern to you, or towards Konoha."

"History suggests otherwise, and I am a civilian now, not an acting Shinobi. And even if I weren't retired, I wouldn't have agreed to take up that mission. Too high of chance that I might disobey orders and reap some needed justice." Tomoe noted.

"That incident has long been resolved, so no need to bring it up again, Lady Tomoe." Shinobi reminded her.

"Not in my eyes." Tomoe retorted.

"Enough, I won't have a fight between the two of you in my house. Like I stated earlier, I will provide you with 7 of Uchihas' best trackers and fighters, with my eldest son leading them. You will be able to leave tomorrow morning, will that suffice?" Mikoto made it clear that she wasn't negotiating. "Good, then I'm sure you remember where the door is." The sound of distancing footsteps and closed door signaled that the man had left the house. "Arrogant scumbag, to have the gall to request my Clan as a support in tracking down someone who gave them a bloody nose… And Minato agreed! I swear, he is as incompetent Hokage as he is an incompetent father."

"Couldn't agree more, though if the description that he gave us was a correct one, your Shinobi will find nothing of that man, and you best instruct them not to look for him." Tomoe advised Mikoto.

"Why? Is he someone you know?" Mikoto asked of her, with Akeno and Yoruichi listening with more interest.

"Yeah, more like he is someone with whom I've crossed swords with, and had lost to, and that was back when I was in my top condition." Tomoe revealed to Mikoto, with Akeno imagining Mikoto having a look of shock all over her face. "He was faster, stronger, and more agile and simply knew nearly every move I would make before I even attempted it, and not even my Sharingan could keep up with him, and that's with him wearing a full suit of armor. If that's the same man, then my suggestion that you let him go with that girl, because with him, she is far safer than if she were in Kusagakure."

"Initially, I heard about him from Mito, telling me stories of him and how he had defeated armies of Shinobi and Samurai on his own. His example was what made me want to study swordplay, and I even named my son after him, hoping he would grow up as strong of a man as the man from legend." Tomoe told to Mikoto. "But when I met him in combat… I was still grieving for my son, and he saw right through me, and he spared me, stating that he had no interest in killing someone who seeks to die, since there is no fun or challenge in battling someone who can't even fight properly. I have to say, those words did strike something in me…"

"But why would that Uzumaki girl be safe with a monster like him?" Mikoto asked of Tomoe.

"Because he is not a monster, but a member of the Fujiwara Clan of Uzumaki Nation and the founder of the Date Clan. Crescent moon symbol on his helmet, two swords, and one eye… There is no mistaking it." Tomoe revealed to Mikoto. "Mikoto, if you know what's best for your son and clansmen, tell them not to pursue him and that girl. He may not be someone to seek needless conflict, at least nowadays, but if provoked, then he'll absolutely destroy his opponents."

"He is that powerful?" Mikoto asked with a tense tone.

"Yes, he is. He is a man that Mito that had earned the right to be called the Dragon of Fujiwara. It is a title, passed down in the Fujiwara Clan onto the strongest warrior that the Clan has at the moment, and he earned that title at the age of 16 years, and hasn't yet yielded it." Tomoe told Mikoto. "Need more convincing?"

"No, I'll do as you ask. Anyway, are you going to visit Naruto today?" Now Akeno perked up after hearing it.

"Yes, I will head to the hospital right away, while there is still time. Want me to take Akeno along?" Tomoe asked of Mikoto, with Akeno hoping that Mikoto would say yes.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? After all, she's been right behind the door all this time." Akeno widened her eyes in shock, before opening the door and stepping in. "Well, Akeno?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen on what you were talking about." Akeno really meant it.

"She didn't mean that one. Do you want to visit Naruto along with me today?" Akeno nodded to that. "Alright, meet me outside. I'll just grab my coat and we'll head out."

"Okay, thank you, Lady Tomoe. I'll be off, Mikoto." Akeno said, as she headed to the front door with Yoruichi following behind.

"Just don't be late, dear." Mikoto said to Akeno, before heading to her room.

It didn't take long for Tomoe to get to Akeno, after she put on her own coat, and after that they've headed out towards the hospital. As they were walking towards their destination, people from time to time would stop the pair to greet Tomoe and to say hello to her and Akeno. Over the past months Tomoe had become a rather popular person among her mother's clan and much of the past animosity and prejudice towards Tomoe was gone. Now she was seen not as an outsider, but as a member of their clan and an important advisor to Mikoto, some even referring to her as the right-hand woman of Mikoto, stating the status of Tomoe in such a way. As for those people that had recently settled in Konoha, following the floods in the summer, Tomoe was also seen as an important and very respectable person.

Speaking of these new clansmen, Tomoe and Akeno were now passing by a quite busy marketplace of the Uchiha Clan, where a lot of people were gathered to buy what they needed. There were also quite a number of non-Uchiha people, including people from other Clans, like Hyuuga, Yamanaka and Nara, all of whom have come here to find something to buy. With the integration of the fugitives and buying of the businesses and portions of the enterprises, the Uchiha Clan has quickly grew from an isolated isle of Konoha into an economic heart of the Village, since now a large portion of all craftsmen, traders and farmers could be found within Uchiha Clan.

The Clan itself has grown several times over with the newcomers, and even though they didn't have Sharingan or any other Kekkei Genkai, there weren't any cases of prejudice or belittling from the born Uchihas. On the contrary, the Clan accepted new blood with open arms and since then, over a twenty born Uchihas have married with the newly accepted civilians, and that was just the start. Uchiha people may've held some pride in their blood, but they weren't idiots and they understood what value civilians also held. Unlike some Shinobi Clans, like Hyuuga, Uchihas didn't have as much scrutiny when it came to choosing partners, so as to pass down their Sharingan, since past experience always showed that Uchiha genes would pass down onto kids with no trouble, either from mother or father. That's not to mention that marriage was good way to establish strong ties to craftsmen, businesses and enterprises, opening up possibilities to become rich.

In other words, the situation for the Uchiha Clan was as good as it could get, and it was still improving, with Konoha's leadership not being able to do much about it, especially with all the support that the Clan could now boast about. The Civilians and non-Clan Shinobi were firmly on the side of Uchiha Clan, and if they had wanted, they could successfully launch a coup de 'tat, but there was no longer any need for it, since the Clan had all it needed. Even Itachi Uchiha, who had quit the Anbu after the insistence from his mother, had to admit so. Of course, there were those that weren't very happy about it, either because of jealousy, greed or some other reasons, but they had to bite their tongues and keep quiet.

Just as the two were almost past the large crowd and the border of Uchiha district, Akeno bumped into someone and fell down onto the earth. Tomoe saw it happen, and immediately went to the girl.

"Akeno, are you alright?" Tomoe helped her up.

"Yeah, just got my coat a bit dirty, nothing more." Akeno answered, with Tomoe already taking out of her pocket a hanker and helping the girl wipe the dirt off her coat.

"Hey, watch where you are going, Sarutobi!" Tomoe said with a harsh tone, looking at Asuma Sarutobi.

"I was about to say the same thing to that girl, and it's her fault that she had bumped into me. I was just minding my own business, until now." He defended himself.

"So were we." Tomoe countered, before sighing. "Well, count yourself lucky that she didn't get hurt. C'mon, Akeno, let's go." Akeno nodded and was about to leave with Tomoe, before Asuma stopped them.

"And where are you off to in such a hurry?" Asuma asked of Tomoe, who stopped and looked at him. "You wouldn't happen to be heading towards that kid, Naruto?"

"I don't remember our business suddenly becoming yours. We don't have time to indulge your curiosity." Tomoe said with some steel in her voice.

"But surely you could make time for an old friend, couldn't you, Tomoe?" It was then that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped out and revealed himself to Tomoe and Akeno, with his smile. "It is good to see you, Tomoe. I see that retirement is treating you well."

"It does treat me better than you did, I'd say, old monkey." Tomoe responded with little to no respect in tone.

"Hey, watch your tone, you bastard of a…" Asuma was instantly feeling insulted, but he calmed down when Hiruzen motioned that it was alright.

"Calm down, Asuma. Why don't you go and pick up flowers for your mother, while I entertain our mutual friend." Asuma, though grumbling a little, did leave the three. "Now, you must be Fugaku and Mikoto's goddaughter. Akeno, am I right?" Hiruzen asked with the grandfatherly smile.

"Yes, I am, Lord Third." Akeno answered.

"Such a cute child you are. I'm surprised that you aren't in the Academy? Are on a sick leave? If so, you shouldn't be out in the cold like that." Hiruzen pointed out to her. "It would do no good for any Shinobi if they are having a cold."

"She's got nothing to do with your Shinobi, monkey, so you better lay off of her." Yoruichi hissed at the man.

"I'm not attending the Academy, Lord Third, because I wasn't admitted into it." Akeno stated.

"But you are 7 years old, am I right?" Hiruzen got a nod in response. "Then you should've been admitted into the Academy already. Why aren't you…"

"Maybe because she doesn't want to be a Shinobi?" Tomoe stated rhetorically, getting the attention of the old man. "Not everyone in the Uchiha Clan is a Shinobi, and just because she is Fugaku and Mikoto's goddaughter doesn't mean that she needs to become one. Now, what are you doing out her?"

"Still feeling hostile, Tomoe? Well, I guess you have some reason for it, I'll give you that." Hiruzen sighed a little. "And I'm here with Asuma to buy flowers for my late wife's grave. It would've been our anniversary, had she still been alive, and it would seem that all the shops have moved in this area, even Yamanaka had to set up one, since all the business now practically goes through the Uchiha district. Hard to believe that just a few short months back this place was almost akin to ghost town, but now… How the times change."

"Yet some things still remain the same, like hypocrisy and duplicity of certain people." Tomoe said without much warmth towards Hiruzen. "I'm assuming that you were hoping to have a chat with me about Naruto, like you've been trying to get for the past months?"

"Sharp as ever, I see. Mito always did say that you were as bright as the sun." Hiruzen praised Tomoe.

"Yet that didn't stop you from robbing me and defying Mito's last will." Tomoe reminded him, with Akeno and Yoruichi picking up on that one. "I've got no time to entertain you, old monkey, and less time I spend near you is better for both of us. Let's go, Akeno." Tomoe and Akeno were leaving again, before Hiruzen tried to stop them.

"Tomoe, I know that you are trying to get Naruto, but I want you to stop. He isn't your son and he won't…" Hiruzen didn't have the opportunity to finish, when Tomoe suddenly turned around and grabbed him by his collar.

"Don't speak of my son, and don't speak about what I can and cannot do. And don't think that I don't know about your bid on Naruto and how you want to get him in your Clan." Tomoe stated through gritted teeth. "You are also at fault for what had happened to him, and only because of your status as the former Hokage you were able to get away with it, but not with me. Remember that, because next time you speak about Naruto with me, I'll first think about talking to you with my sword, then with my mouth." After that she let him go and without any more words, turned around and left with Akeno.

It was only after a considerable distance was put between them and Hiruzen did Akeno decide to speak up.

"Um, Lady Tomoe, can I ask you something?" Akeno looked up at the woman, with Tomoe nodding to her, with her face no longer bearing any marks of anger. "I heard from Mikoto that Mito Uzumaki had raised you, and you were practically like a daughter to her."

"More like a granddaughter, but yes." Tomoe corrected the girl a little.

"If that was the case, then why did Third Hokage rob you? He seems to care for you, and he is a kind person, so why take away from you what was yours?" Akeno wondered.

"He may care about me all he wants, or claim to do so, but his words mean little to me, when his actions speak about how he really cares about me. Actions always speak louder than any words, Akeno." Tomoe decided to share a bit of wisdom with the girl. "And as for why he decided to do so, I never really asked, but I imagine that he did it to gain better control over Kushina and to secure his hold over the Council, since they were the ones who got the stolen part of my inheritance. Kushina was, after all, chosen as Mito's successor to take the Beast, and a loyal Jinchuriki is always a powerful asset, and as for the Council… Simple human greed and lust for what isn't theirs."

"Is this why all those people vying to get their hands on Naruto now?" Akeno asked of Tomoe, who looked a little surprised at hearing that. "I heard about it from Fugaku and Mikoto too. Apparently, the Council has decided to remove Naruto from the family, once he wakes up, and Clans are trying to get their hands on him."

"Yeah, they are, and greed is part of that reason, though they'll tell you otherwise. The Clans may be united as one, according to the Will of Fire, but in reality, they are, much like the Villages themselves, are engaged in a never-ending conflict of powers, called politics." Tomoe stated to Akeno. "Every Clan in the Village has something boast about, and they are using it to amass influence. The greater power or abilities, numbers of the clansmen and so on, the greater influence they will have, and they all now view Naruto as another tool to increase their power. He is an Uzumaki and, though they don't care about that detail, a Minamoto, and also has potential to become a very powerful Shinobi. To have such a person, loyal to their Clan, and possibly even married into it… These people can't pass up such an opportunity."

"And is this why Namikaze have been visiting him like that, announcing it to the people and making a show of it? So that they get to keep him?" Akeno spoke to Tomoe, who nodded to her.

"Yes, and also because losing will severely effect Minato and Kushina in long term, but Naruto can't stay with them, not after what had happened." Tomoe declared with certainty in her voice.

"Neither can Mito…" Akeno said, before catching a questioning look from Tomoe. "You probably don't know, but in the last months, Mito and I became friends, and I took notice of her... And she isn't doing great with her family."

"Is she being mistreated?" Tomoe asked, with Akeno nodding. "How exactly is it happening?" Akeno quickly explained to Tomoe what she had observed and heard from Kaga with Akagi, which led Tomoe to grit her fist tightly and forcing her to calm down, before she did something she would regret.

"That redheaded bitch, can't learn her lessons, can she? And Minato… Mikoto and I had a feeling that things were bad for Mito as well, and she did try to get guardian rights over Mito as well, but it ended in failure. I suspect that Minato and Kushina had managed to either convince or, more probably, bribe the Councilors into siding against taking Mito from the family, despite the investigation revealing what had been happening in there." Tomoe told Akeno. "If what you are saying is true, then that means that the girl can't stay in the family for much longer. I'll need to get her out of there, even if means appealing to Daimyo."

"You can do something like that?" Akeno asked in a surprised tone.

"Not me, but Amagi can. That fox has more connections than a dog has flees, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had some way of manipulating the Fire Daimyo." Tomoe chuckled a little.

"That's actually quite possible, especially for a Kitsune of her level and status. She is a Tenko and is someone qualified enough to become a Kami in her own right." Yoruichi commented, as she followed them behind. "Although, with the number of tails she has, one has to wonder, just how many men and women have fluffed her tails..." Yoruichi chuckled, with Akeno looking at her with disdain.

"Does she always have her mind in the gutter?" Tomoe commented, asking a largely rhetorical question.

"It depends." Akeno simply answered, letting out a sigh, before stopping when she noticed something ahead. "Hey, isn't that…"

"I said let me go already! I'm going to visit my brother, Kurenai! I'm not going home until I've visited him!" Shouted Mito Uzumaki, who was trying to get away from a young looking woman, wearing a Chuunin vest, and who had crimson eyes.

"And I am telling you that you and your parents will visit him when they decide to do so, and until then, you've got to go home and stay there." Kurenai told Mito. "Look, if you promise to go with me, I'll be sure to buy sweets for you. You like sweets, don't you?"

"No! You are just like Mom and Dad, trying to buy me so that I would betray Naruto, but I won't! You won't make me!" Mito declared to Kurenai, who now had a frown on her face.

"Enough already! I've had it with your ridiculous behavior and temper tantrums! Now, we are going home, and if you object to it in any way, then I will…" Kurenai was about to threaten to Mito, when Tomoe decided to interject.

"You'll what, slap her across the face a couple of times?" Tomoe asked of Kurenai, who now narrowed her eyes looked directly at Tomoe. "So, I guess Kushina taught you not only how to squander your talents, but also how to handle children."

"Tomoe, what are you doing here, and stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you." Kurenai stated with steel to her former teacher.

"I would, if you were handling it better, but much like Kushina, it seems you have not an ounce of subtlety and understanding. Trying to bribe first, then resorting to threats? So very Kushina like…" Tomoe commented.

"Like you know how to handle children, when you've lost your only one." Kurenai commented.

"Careful, Kurenai. Don't start a fight you can't win, remember?" Tomoe reminded her. "Now, what's the problem with not letting her go and see her brother? I doubt that she has some malicious intent towards him, so why not let her?"

"Mito has escaped her house again and headed here. She needs to be punished for it." Kurenai answered. "And I'll make sure that Kushina hears of it."

"Well, I would try and escape that concentration camp too, if I were in her shoes. Especially if was forced to live with the person who put my big brother in hospital, and who was ignored by our parents, who are now trying to make it look like everything is okay." Tomoe commented, with Kurenai glaring at her former teacher. "Look, you want to win favor of the girl, since you are her new caretaker? Let her go and see her brother. I know it's not what you want to do, visiting hospitals and taking care of rebellions little girls, but trust me, it is better if you do like that."

"Hm, and who are you to tell me what to do? You aren't my teacher, not anymore." Kurenai reminded Tomoe.

"Yes, and you are a student who dropped out when the going became too hard for you, in favor of someone who decided to babysit you, when you were quite capable of taking care of yourself." Tomoe stated to Kurenai.

"You denied teaching me real Fuinjutsu, and you didn't believe me being capable of handling the worst. You've always looked down on me, as if I wasn't ready for what you had in store for me." Kurenai accused Tomoe.

"I didn't look down on you, nor did I try to babysit you. I held back because I didn't see you being ready for the more advance stuff, not when you didn't learn the basics properly. And as for Fuinjutsu, I warned you that it required that you first learn patience, yet what did you?" Tomoe asked of Kurenai, who looked confused at her. "I know about the Kurama heiress, and what you did, when training her became too hard for you." Kurenai looked in shock at her.

"You don't know… She was a danger for the Village, her potential was far too great, and Lord Hokage…" Kurenai tried to deny it, but Tomoe didn't believe her.

"No, you simply chose to do the easy thing, instead of the right thing, Kurenai. Just like you did when you decided to become Kushina's apprentice." Tomoe told her, having had enough of Kurenai. "You wanted to know where I am headed off to. Same place as this little girl: to her little brother, my apprentice."

"You took Naruto as your apprentice?" Kurenai sounded insulted. "You've had the gall to take Kushina's son as your apprentice? How dare you…"

"I didn't give a damn that he was Kushina's son, when I took him as my apprentice. I took him in because he had will and drive to move forward, and an untapped potential to become a force of nature in the world of Shinobi. He actually at first reminded me of you, Kurenai, but only at first." Tomoe admitted to her. "Because later he showed that he had something you lacked and what you never learned: patience and determination."

"Why you… Either way, I'm not letting you go to him!" Kurenai suddenly decided to defy Tomoe. "He doesn't need to be visited by the likes of you, Tomoe."

"Oh ho, are you actually challenging me, Kurenai?" Tomoe chuckled, as if mocking her. "Please, like you could even hope to beat me, especially with the training that Kushina gave you?"

"I've learned all that I needed from you, and there is nothing in your arsenal that I'm not ready for." Kurenai boldly proclaimed, before Tomoe raised her left hand.

"I'd beg to differ." And after that, she snapped her fingers right in front of Kurenai, startling her and making her drop her defenses for a second, but long enough to give Tomoe a window of opportunity and casting a Genjutsu upon her.

"Hm, not bad. Quite good for a human, though something tells this isn't even your best, or even trying all that hard." Yoruichi commented on what she had witnessed just now.

"What just happened?" Mito asked out loud.

"Nothing serious, I've just persuaded her to change her opinion. Didn't I, Kurenai? Do you have any objections to Mito visiting her brother?" Tomoe asked of Kurenai.

"No…" Kurenai answered in drunken-like state.

"I thought so. Now, why don't you go and sit somewhere? You look rather tired." Tomoe told Kurenai.

"Okay…" And after that, Kurenai went on to look for somewhere to sit, leaving Mito with Tomoe, Akeno and Yoruichi, along with Izuna in her floating Kitsune form.

"Thank you. She was being really mean and said bad things too… I wish Mom didn't fire Izuna. She never said a bad thing, and always looked after me." Mito admitted with the sad voice, with Tomoe ruffling up her hair a little bit, in an effort to cheer her up. "Did you really train her?" Mito asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, and she had quite some potential, but then she had thought that she wasn't getting enough of training, and decided to switch teachers. Kushina offered to teach her what I wasn't going to, and that's how she switched sides. What a terrible waste." Tomoe commented, as she watched Kurenai wobble off in search of a bench to sit upon. "All the efforts I put into her, and yet she couldn't even defend herself from a Genjutsu. Even Naruto had learned how to not let down his guard when training with me."

"Was my brother a better student than her?" Mito was interested to know, with Tomoe nodding to her with a smile.

"Still is the best I've had, and he's still got a long way to go before I deem him having finished my training." Tomoe admitted to her. "Maybe when I'm finished with him, I'll take you on as an apprentice?"

"I'd like that." Mito admitted. "Are you going to see my brother?"

"Yeah. Can we come along with you?" Akeno asked of Mito, who nodded in response and all three entered the hospital.

After walking the familiar corridors and stairways for some time, they've reached the door that led into the room where Naruto rested. Just as they were about to enter it, the door opened up and from there stepped out Shizune, holding a file in her hands with a pen attached to it. It was clear that she was performing her daily routine examination of Naruto, noting if there were any changes in his health and condition. The level of dedication that Shizune has put into looking after Naruto was something that Tomoe believed Tsunade could learn from her former student, if she were still in the village.

After it was discovered what Tsunade has done to the Kato's wealth and how she essentially exploited Shizune for her own means, young medic underwent a sort of transformation for the better. She finally and firmly stepped out of the shadow of her mentor and showed that was just as capable as Tsunade herself, and quite possibly even better than that. Tsunade, despite all of her knowledge and experience she had acquired over the years, had long stopped working in a dedicated form in the hospital, preferring to spend time leisurely for herself or by training the twins. Shizune, in the meantime, worked in the hospital and put to use what she had learned from Tsunade. As a result, over some five years of her work, and that's only official one and in Konoha, Shizune had gained a considerable amount of praise, experience and expertise in her sphere.

Now with Tsunade out of the picture, so to speak, Shizune has officially been recognized as Konoha's leading medical Shinobi, and although on paper she wasn't fully in charge of the hospital, she was now practically running day to day things in here. It wouldn't be long before the Council would have to officially transfer control over hospital and the personal to Shizune, though she personally wasn't overly enthusiastic to gain it. For now, she was happy to have her current position, and also have her family's wealth and property restored to her in full, thanks to Tomoe. The young medic was now eternally grateful to Naruto's mentor, and it was no exaggeration to say that Shizune was ready to do anything that the woman may ask of her. And all that Tomoe did ask of Shizune was to look after Naruto and make sure that he gets better.

Shizune has done exactly that all this time, making sure that Naruto's recovery wasn't impeded by anything. She had even tried to stop the Namikaze family from their brazen invasions and shows of public regret and desire to see Naruto get better, yet Shizune wasn't able to overrule Hokage. At least she had managed to put a stop to journalists and other Clan Heads from coming here and disturbing Naruto's rest. As a doctor, she could perceive that their presence here was disturbing Naruto and did little good to his health. At the same time, she had observed positive reactions from the visits of Tomoe, Amagi, Mito and other friends of his, since after their visits, Shizune observed far better readings from the monitors. Because of this, she allowed and even encouraged such visits, since it would do well to Naruto and his health.

Once she wrote down what she wanted and put the pen out, closing the file, she turned to Tomoe and gave her a nod as a greeting.

"Tomoe, I see you are visiting with quite the company today." Shizune smiled to Akeno and Mito, before turning back to Tomoe. "Thanks for not causing a bigger scene with Kurenai down there."

"You saw what happened?" Tomoe asked of her, with Shizune nodding to it.

"Yeah, from Naruto's room. It's got a view to the entrance of the hospital, so I saw how it went down. Kurenai may be gifted as Shinobi, but as a visitor and a caretaker, she makes a poor case for both." Shizune commented. "I've personally had to restrict her entry on a number of times when she tried to force her way in, probably chasing after little fire bird here." Shizune gave a smile to Mito, making her smile too.

"I'd beg to differ on the former, but then again, I am biased when it comes to Kurenai, given our history." Tomoe admitted out loud to Shizune. "Anyway, enough about my failed student, let's talk about my better one. Any changes we should be aware of?"

"Well, aside from the fact that Naruto needs a haircut, there isn't much change." Shizune admitted, before continuing. "Although, I did notice that his body has started to react to stimulation, such as touch and also a pin on his skin. Nothing major, but that's a good sign, meaning that the nervous system is working and processing things. Along with that, some of the nurses have observed him moving his eyes beneath his lids."

"What does that mean? Does that mean that Naruto is soon going to wake up?" Akeno asked impatiently.

"Quite possibly. The movements of his eyes means that his subconscious is active and that his brain is also working. If that is true, then it is very likely that his awakening is soon at hand." Shizune admitted.

"And what was I telling you, kitten?" Yoruichi reminded Akeno.

"So, you two have too sensed that he is soon to awaken, haven't you?" Izuna asked of them, as she floated around Mito, getting the attention of Yoruichi and Akeno. "Akagi and Kaga have been both restless in the past weeks. They've been sensing Naruto's body gather inside of it Nature Chakra for a long time now, but over the course of the last couple of weeks, it increased exponentially."

"What does that mean, Yoruichi?" Akeno asked in her thoughts, with Yoruichi hearing the question, thanks to a link she shares with Akeno via Senjutsu.

"It means that Naruto has been training. I suspected that the strange flow of Nature Chakra around him was somewhat unnatural, but now it makes sense. He must've manifested himself in his own personal mindscape after the incident, and was stuck there." Yoruichi spoke up. "My guess is that due to limited options he had, he decided to use the time to practice Senjutsu and Youjutsu, and also to learn how to better gather Nature Chakra. The body maybe inactive, but the mind and spirit are working, and he is regaining his bearings. In other words, he is growing strong enough to awaken again."

"So this what you meant when you said that he was going to awaken soon." Akeno recalled from earlier, with Yoruichi nodding.

"Like I said, it was more an intuitive sense, but I had a hunch on what was going on, kitten." Yoruichi said.

"Can we go in and see him, Shizune?" Tomoe asked of Shizune, having heard most of the conversation and understanding what it all meant.

"Yes, you can go ahead if you want. I'll make sure that you aren't disturbed." With that said, Shizune went on to leave the group.

Once she left them, Tomoe reached for the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door and letting them all enter the room. It was a normal hospital room, sterile colored and without much of decorations, safe for a vase with wild flowers put in them, a courtesy of Amagi, along with Akagi, Kaga and Izuna, who each gathered the flowers. Speaking of the two sisters Kitsune, they were in their Kitsune forms, though on a smaller scale than usual, laying on the bed with Naruto, forming a fur blanket of their brown and white fur. This was now a normal sight for those that could perceive the realm of Yokai, and Tomoe with Akeno understood that this was a special way through which Akagi and Kaga showed their devotion and love for Naruto.

As for Naruto himself, his body was laid motionless, covered by the white blanket and by Akagi with Kaga, each seemingly motionless and listening to each and every breath his taking, the rate of his heartbeat and all other things. His body looked relatively well, but not as well as it used to, since his skin now shrunk a bit due to the lack of proper nourishment needed to maintain the mass. Naruto looked thin, almost sickeningly thin for the people that cared for him, and although his body was provided with the needed nourishment through tubes that were connected to his body, this was nowhere near enough for an Uzumaki.

Uzumaki have a much larger pool of Chakra, due to higher physical and spiritual characteristics they have, but as a tradeoff, they require a higher amount of nourishment. Unfortunately, the hospital's leadership decided that the amount provided right now was enough, since it sustained Naruto and kept his organism from going hungry. Shizune had tried to overrule her superiors, but when Minato and Kushina had put their support behind the hospital, she was instantly shut down, much to her own frustrations.

Naruto's face was thinner, its frame losing most of the baby fat and showing pronounce and noble looks, almost painting a picture of what grown up Naruto would look like. His hair has grown substantially since he came here, becoming a sort of man, like that of a crimson lion or dragon. Akeno had to admit, just as Yoruichi, that Naruto looked quite handsome, almost perfect for the taking, with his visage being worsened by just one defect. That defect was the scar above his left eye, right where he had sustained his injury, showing itself in the line that stretched across half of his forehead. Still, this was a part of Naruto now, one that was going to stay with him for the good portion of his life. Yet this was also a symbol of what his family had done to him, of his brother having openly attacked his own blood and tried to kill him. None of the people here were ever going to forget and forgive it to Natsu and the Namikaze, who chose to put it behind them.

The group quietly moved into the room, with Mito being the first to speak up.

"Hello, big brother."

---

Inside Naruto's mind.

What is it like for a person to be in a coma? What kind of sensation it is to lie completely still and motionless, your entire being feeling almost completely frozen in one moment? For Naruto Uzumaki-Minamoto, it was a sheer maddening experience, to be stuck inside of himself, unable to regain control of his own body. Unable to go back into the real world, feeling himself trapped where he was supposed to be in control of everything, in his own mindscape… All of that was simply too much to bear for Naruto, and this confinement has been lasting for an unimaginably long time, an eternity long even, since in here the length of time was different from that in the real world. Thoughts and mind operate far faster than body, and Naruto's manifestation in his own mindset was moving at the same speed as his mind, that was a curse as well as a blessing. Because of the faster processing of his mind, Naruto was spending hours in the mindscape, yet minutes passed in the real world, by his own estimates.

But at least it was something, when compared to the state in which was before he got there, a state of utter nothingness and impossibility to move or even think, yet sensing it all. A cold, absolutely dark and gnawing place, one that tried to claim Naruto and he wasn't able to do anything, but offer as much resistance as he could. It was trying to take control of him, tried to consume and gain hold over him, and all Naruto was able to do was simply gather his will and not let it, resolving to pull through. He didn't know how long did that battle last, but it was far too long for his liking, and only once it was over did Naruto finally was allowed into his mindscape. It was only later did he realize what it was he was fighting against.

It was death. He was dying, dying because of his brother and his own foolishness. Naruto was a fool at that moment, having dropped his guard and not trusted his gut instinct, which was screaming that he shouldn't have turned his back to Natsu. Naruto simply didn't even think that his brother would be able to do something as drastic and atrocious as try to kill his brother, and he was right, but Naruto didn't take into the account one simple fact- his siblings were never challenged. They didn't know what it was to go up against someone who was stronger than they are, and they weren't used to something like that, not used to the taste of defeat and being dominated by a superior enemy. Naruto knew the taste of defeat and what it meant to do battle with one who was better than he is, since Tomoe never let him get an upper hand on him. She didn't babysit him, nor did she coddle him, instead she made him work for it all, unlike with Minato and Kushina.

Every lesson taught needed to be put to test, every technique tested and tried, every move repeated and memorized, and only after Naruto had learned and tested out what he had grasped did Tomoe teach him more. She demanded that he learn not only basic application of the techniques and moves, but also how to combine them, adapt them to various situations and make use of them in every environment. She always stressed to Naruto the importance of adapting and multi-tasking, need to be ready to fight in every environment and in every type of battle of mission. Specialization was good and all, but in the reality, a Shinobi with a narrow specialization and a limited set of skills was only good for as long as his specialization allowed him. A jack-of-all-traits kind of Shinobi was more often a better solution to most kinds of missions and answered the parameters of mission requirements, and Tomoe knew the importance of it. This was one of the reasons why she trained Naruto in such a way, so that he be able to handle a near full spectrum of the Shinobi tasks, as well as had the full grasp of what a Shinobi was and needed to do.

Another reason was in the fact of Naruto almost instinctively being able to grasp it all, advance at a pace that made geniuses look with envy, and always beat the set limitations in a short amount of time. Naruto also knew of it, and Tomoe also knew that Naruto was aware of the reasons why she trained and why she was putting him through the ringer every time. And when she sensed that there could be even a shadow of pride inside of him, not even a planted seed of arrogance, like one that had taken to growing in his siblings, Tomoe had resolved to teach Naruto one of the most important lessons that she learned from Mito and was later reminded of by one person who beat her with near none effort- arrogance and ignorance are not the quenching oil for perfection, but rust that crumbles it. True mastery is achieved through restraint of arrogance and ignorance, tempered by the clarity and open mind. Naruto always kept it in his mind, and never forgotten, but he did not think of adhering to that principal when he fought his brother. He let his arrogance, no, Naruto let his desire to put Natsu in his place get the better of him.

And it almost cost him his life, which was saved, thankfully, yet back then… He could've dodged that stone. Naruto knew it, he had a split second to move his body, motion his head to the other side, but he didn't, because that meant that the rock would hit Mito. Because of that he took the thrown rock to the head, which should never have had to happen, had Naruto been less focused on his own desires and more on what was important. Now Naruto had understood the real hardship of trying to wrestle the inner Asura and Deva, the concepts of instinctual and conscious halves of a person, Yin and Yang, as Amagi had called them.

That incident and the realizations that it brought had made Naruto realize that to his family, or at least his siblings he really was an outsider and that he too felt them to be alien to him. He was now past the point of seeing them as blood, especially Natsu, whom Naruto could certainly say he was despising. As for Naruto's parents… They may have been blood to him, but blood wasn't everything, and his previous feelings towards them were gone, replaced by the animosity he was feeling towards them, especially now, after having heard what they were doing to Mito and how they were trying to regain their previous status.

Out of nothing better to do and feeling like was about to go mad, Naruto decided to do one thing he could in his position, and that was to meditate. Being stuck inside his mindscape, with no way out, and not even in the full control of the mindscape itself, since Naruto couldn't fully manipulate it to change the scenery as he saw fit, there was only one thing to do, and that was to meditate and practice what he was taught by Amagi in Senjutsu and Youjutsu. Naruto didn't require his body for it, only his spirit, and with this and his limitations in place, Naruto began his meditation, at first trying to connect himself with the Nature Chakra, and then starting to absorb it inside of himself.

It was a long and arduous process, but little by little, he did manage to establish a steady flow of the nature chakra inside of his body and even made his body used to it. The progress of Naruto in absorption of the nature chakra was so great that by now he was possibly even capable of autonomously absorbing it inside of him, without any prior preparations or meditations. But there was one more added benefit of the meditation that was allowed to Naruto- he was able to start regaining control of his body, and the first thing he did gain was awareness of his surroundings, through his sensory abilities and sound.

It was through this that Naruto was able to perceive and hear the people that were paying the visits to him. He could hear Tomoe and Amagi wishing to get better, sobs of Akagi and Kaga, Akeno sharing with him her life story and how she missed him, along with Fugaku standing near him and Mikoto just silently holding his hand. Naruto also heard all the conversations that his parents had in his room, and how they talked to him, and he sensed how all the words were filled with honey, but there was hidden intent in them. There was sincerity, to a point, but when his siblings talked, there was a barely hidden animosity, coupled with despise and outright hatred that Naruto could hear and sense. His siblings hated him now, as if a man could hate only his enemy, and all because they had lost their status of heroes and now were outcasts. Naruto knew of it, and felt quite the satisfaction from finding this out, but that sensation was washed away with a new wave of anger and righteous fury, when he heard his sister speak to him alone.

He heard her cries, sensed her loneliness and how desperate she was to have him back, with Naruto trying his hardest to take back control of his body, but like in the previous attempts, he failed. This only fueled him to try harder and harder, and the news of how Mito was being treated by Natsu and Narumi only reinforced his resolve. And the first order of business that Naruto was going to do when he gets back into the real world would be to go and give Natsu what he was asking for- a real fight. Only this time there won't be anything that would hold Naruto back, there will Naruto fighting seriously and with complete intent to make him and Narumi pay for what they did to Mito.

Naruto was currently in the meditation, already sensing how Shizune had left and how Tomoe, Akeno, Mito, Izuna and Yoruichi had entered. He was close to coming back, so very close, he could already feel his body, respond to a certain degree to pocking it and also, at long last, he was finally able to change the scenery of his mindscape, as evidence by the fact of the movement of his eyes beneath his eyelids. His body felt weak and heavy at the same time, muscles were akin to frozen appendages, yet soft and immovable, while Naruto could physically sense hunger that was gnawing at him. It was clear that the time in hospital wasn't all that well spent for his body and he was out of shape, but he will regain it, he will rebuild his form and retrain his body the previous level, if not going past it.

As Naruto was sitting in a lotus pose with his eyes closed, being inside of Inari's temple, he suddenly noticed how everything had shifted around him, with the wooden floor suddenly becoming soft and reminded him of grass. Naruto opened up his eyes and suddenly, he now found himself not in the castle, but somewhere he never was in his life. He was now in front of a large lake, filled with crystal water, surrounded by trees and flowers, while a waterfall fed the lake from cliffs above. Naruto stood up and took in the sights that were before him, listening to the sounds of birds and animals he did not hear before, smelling flowers he never saw or sensed before. This was something new, something he never could've made up, since was far too real.

He walked a little bit, before noticing that he wasn't alone in here, not any more. At the lakeside, on blanket plastered on the grass, sat a beautiful purple haired woman with a flower in her hair serving as a sole decoration to her, dressed in a simple beige kimono, looking out at the water. She was absolutely stunning, yet that wasn't what Naruto first noticed about her, because the first thing he caught about this woman was her aura. It was an aura of an overwhelming calmness and kindness, with the air around her filled with serenity and peace, but there was also love, pure and untainted, in it as well. It took a moment for Naruto to understand that this woman was not a human, nor even Yokai, for Naruto wasn't able to perceive her as one. The closest comparison he could draw was that to Amagi from his conscious mind, but his unconsciousness talked to him that this woman was as far from Amagi as she was far from simple humans.

This woman was deity, and Naruto could, much to his confusion and surprise, sense a strong connection to her. It was as if his very being knew who she was, but mind didn't, and yet… Naruto felt like they've met before. As he was trying to understand what he was feeling towards this woman and what she was, the woman in question spoke with a soft, disarming voice.

"I hope you can forgive me for my sudden intrusion and change of scenery." Her words were soft and pleasant to Naruto's ear, without any hidden intent or ill in them. "This place had always had always been special for me. In here, I and my family had experienced the simple joys of being together, spending hours together on picnics or playing in the lake. My boys would often challenge each other to swimming or running around, and I would be their judge, while my husband and their father would watch with silent pride and smile on his face. So many happy memories we made here, before we ascended… I wished to show it to you, Naruto."

"Who… Who are you?" Naruto spoke for the first time in what felt like millennia, with the woman chuckling softly. "I don't remember this place, and this is my mindscape. I can imagine places and make them here, but this is far too real, but I never was here…"

"Indeed, and I am afraid that you shall never be able to visit it and see its splendor again in the real world." She said with some sadness in her voice. "Long before you were born, this place was destroyed by the people who came here, driven by greed and arrogance. At their blades fell my descendants and burned my home, yet this place, this island in its splendor and beauty… It still lives in my heart and I decided to share it with you. Share with you what our home was like in days when world was still young."

"Our home?" Naruto asked, before it came to him. "This is… Uzu." He spoke, with the woman nodding to him from her spot, before she rose from her blanket and turned to him.

"This was the place where you should've grown up, not in Konoha. But life decided that it was time for Uzumaki to be purged, and yet still they endure, however few in number they remain. Just like you have endured in this prison." Only now did Naruto was able to get a clear look at the absolutely stunning beauty of the woman and to gaze in her warm purple eyes, with her face adorned by a small caring smile, with tears falling down from her eyes. "Forgive me, Naruto… I have awaited this moment for years, and yet now… I find myself barely able to hold myself from you. It was only not so long ago when I made you my son, and yet those years were so long for me…" The woman sobbed at the sight of him

"Your son? You…" Naruto's eyes were wide at the realization at who was before him. "Lady Parvati…" The woman in question stepped closer to him, barely containing herself.

"Please, do not call me a Lady, Naruto. A son shouldn't speak to his mother like that, even if they meet for the second time. May I?" Parvati softly asked Naruto's permission to caress his cheek, with him nodding to her, letting her do so. "My, how much you've grown, and so strong you've become after just seven years. How I wish I could be there for you, to hold and simply touch you like this. A mother's greatest grief and pain always comes from being separate from her children, even if it was done from necessity."

"You must be pretty disappointed in me, since I'm in coma now." Naruto noted out loud, with Parvati shaking her head at that, surprising him.

"I am not disappointed in you, Naruto. I am sad, however, but not because of your mistake. I am sad that you were hurt, that you've been rendered bedridden and that you had to fight for your life." Parvati told him, her hand moving to his hair, caressing them softly. "I never was disappointed in you, Naruto, not for a second in your life. The sight of you invokes many emotions in me, yet never did you bring anger or disappointment at you. More times than I can count you made me feel pride and joy at your successes, and many times did I have my heart gripped in sadness when I saw you troubled and disturbed. Fear and helplessness were what I first felt when you fell, followed by fury and wrath at those that hurt you, but not towards you. I have always accepted you, Naruto, and loved the way you are and always were."

"You accepted me? But you are a Goddess, and I'm just a human. You are so much more than me and yet…" Parvati silenced him, when she pulled him in a gentle and loving embrace.

"You may've been born by another, Naruto, but I gave you part of myself and breathed life in you, along with your father. To me, you are as precious as Kartikeya and Ganesha, and it doesn't matter if they are Gods or not." Parvati told him, softly caressing his head and calming her son. "They are much more than that to me. They are my sons, same as you are, Naruto. You are not below me or your divine father, you are our son, whom we cherish and love."

Those words uttered by Parvati were filled with nothing but sincerity and care, and Naruto could sense it with complete clarity. There was nothing but clearest and sincerest affection that he felt from the Goddess, an overwhelming feeling of such magnitude and proportions that Naruto almost thought it would crush him. Yet instead of that, it wrapped itself around him akin to a protective blanket, warming him and washing away all the bad that was on his mind. Once it settled, Parvati had allowed her son to peek inside her being for a split second, opening up her being to his soul's gaze and revealing to him something that he had been denied by Kushina all these years.

Naruto's mind stopped, froze in the moment when he grasped the being of Parvati, and his senses were overwhelmed by a feeling he didn't think he would feel towards himself in such powerful and clearest way: mother's love. Pure, unbreakable, unfathomable and absolute, that was what Naruto felt from Parvati towards himself, and it took him an unknown amount of time to realize what it really was. Parvati didn't speak, nor hurry him in any way, for she knew that Naruto needed time to settle in and realize what it was. This was not the first encounter with such powerful feeling and sensation for Naruto, for he had felt in other women around him and even in Kushina, but never was it directed towards him.

When he read it, a sense of emptiness and sadness always filled him, as this was never something that he could experience in fullest nor at all from Kushina. Her full love was always reserved for Natsu and Narumi, while Naruto and Mito had to take only the pitiful scraps in comparison, since the love Kushina had for the twins was as vast as a sea when compared to a small creek of Naruto and Mito. But now, when Naruto compared Parvati's love to the one that Kushina felt towards her twins, there was no full comparison, for Parvati's love was purest and strongest he ever felt. There were no conditions to it, no demands or rules, it simply existed, accepting of Naruto the way he was and not changing to the slightest. This was what Parvati felt towards Naruto, giving him the warmth he was denied for so long and finally embracing her son.

Only now did Naruto realize how empty he felt before, how there was something missing in him, like there was something wrong with him. He long since stopped notice it, paying no mind to it, like to a pain in the leg or something to that. It had become something so natural to him, that Naruto simply got used to it and never looked backed at after he stopped caring, but now, after having been relieved of the pain and feeling this feeling… Naruto couldn't hold himself from crying, his hands reaching out to embrace Parvati, for in the first time in what seemed like whole life, Naruto felt being loved by not just someone, but his mother, his true mother. No words were needed, no conversation or convincing necessary at this point, for Naruto had peered into the soul and mind of Parvati, recognizing her not as an alien to him, but as one that was close to him. She wasn't a Goddess to him, not anymore, but a mother, a mother that sincerely loved her son and had longed to meet and hold him like this since the moment she left. And now mother and son were reunited at last, with Naruto confirming it with one word.

"Mother…" The word completely shattered Parvati's resolve and her control, making her embrace her son tighter.

"N-Naruto, my boy, my beautiful son…" Parvati's sobs became cries, as she held him. "Forgive me… Please forgive me for not being there for you. I always wanted t-to be there for you, to hold you like this… To c-cheer you on and show pride in y-your victories, to w-wipe away tears of sadness and pain… Please forgive me…"

"You are here now, Mom." Parvati looked in the eyes of her son, seeing his golden eyes looking with clear devotion back to her violet ones. "Thank you..." He simply said to her with a smile.

Parvati could hardly bear with herself, for the happiness and joy was overwhelming her at the fact of her son accepting her. The greatest fear she had when coming here was being rejected by Naruto, accused of absence and never taking care of him. She steeled herself for it, readied her mind and heart to hatred and justified fury of the child, but the moment she laid her eyes on him was when all her courage and readiness gave way to sadness and guilt. The Goddess of Love had been torn for years between following the rules and her heart, which yearned to be close to her child, demanded to show that he wasn't alone and there were those that loved and cherished him for simply who he was. Only after the incident did Parvati had gathered the courage to break the laws and come to him, her determination fueled by fear of not ever seeing him and not letting him know true mother's love.

And now, in this moment, Parvati had sensed that her unconditional love was reciprocated and answered back by devotion and infinite gratitude, a child's love towards its parent. Naruto accepted her and answered back, and this far more than she could've asked for from him. She came here not because of any grand plan or play involving him, but because she couldn't hold herself back from being at her son's side. She needed to come here and show to him something that Naruto didn't know he had. He needed to know that he wasn't alone, and that even if his birth parents weren't with him, his divine ones were, and that they love him that his mother loves him and will protect him. She will never let anyone hurt her son like this, laws be damned, but never will she let anything stand in her way of defending Naruto.

For a long time, the pair didn't exchange a single word, yet their souls spoke on a language of their own, sharing with each other and getting to know one another on a level deeper than most can comprehend. Open to each other, in minutes they've grown as close to each other as if they were together for all this time, with Naruto accepting and not denying Parvati. She used this moment to send to him all the love she had for him, to warm and melt his heart, to ignite inside him a flame that would warm him from now on, a fire of certainty and conviction that would support him. Unfortunately, Parvati could sense that her time was now growing short, for a certain deity has taken notice of where she was, and meant to bring her back by force. Izanagi, the God that created Sekai originally, yet abandoned it long ago, and who held much resentment towards this creation and those that were born here. He was against Naruto and wished for him to be isolated from his divine parents, yet Parvati disobeyed him and would pay the price, but it was a price she would pay a thousand times for it meant being near her son.

She detached from Naruto, kneeling before him and speaking with love and sincerity.

"Naruto, my time here grows short, and there is someone who wishes to take me back into the plain from where I came for. I must go, or else he will come here himself and may even try to hurt you." Parvati told her son. "I will not let him lay a finger upon you, but I need to go. Please forgive me for it."

"I-I understand, but will I see you again?" Naruto asked, hidden fear of never again seeing her revealing itself, with Parvati dispelling it with a simple smile.

"I will always be with you, and I shall come to you as many times as I can. But before I leave, I have two presents for you. A mother's duty is to spoil her children, and it's time I did my part." Parvati chuckled lightly, before her right hand glowed and she placed it upon Naruto's chest, with Naruto sensing that something had been added into his being. "Now, please say "Dhanush."

"Dhanush." Naruto said, and in the next moment, in his left arm materialized something he didn't expect.

A long bow, almost as long as Naruto was tall, made of the red wood and decorated by the golden snake encircling it, with a string made of the material that Naruto didn't know. The bow had a perfect balance and seemed to perfectly fit Naruto, as it was made for him. Parvati saw her son observing the gift, before speaking to him again.

"This bow is the gift of your father, Shiva. It once belonged to him, before it was broken in a contest by Rama, one of Vishnu's avatars. We've had it restored and remade to serve you as your weapon now, Naruto." Parvati told him. "The bow itself will be as powerful as you, its wielder, and as you grow more and more powerful, so too this bow's power will increase. Fear not for the size of it, for it too will grow with you, and its arrows shall be the might you wield. Draw this bow against evil and those that will stand in your way, but never in a careless manner, Naruto. This is a Divine Weapon, one which was held in the hands of deities and heroes, so you should treat with utmost responsibility and care.

"I will, Mom." Naruto promised to her.

"And as for the second gift, this one is from your grandmother and brother, Izanami and Kartikeya." Parvati told him, before a small portal opened up.

And from that portal at the high speed flown a large serpent-like creature, moving as if it was swimming in water. It had golden and purple scales on it, with purple eyes and a mane of purple color. It had two legs in the upper portion of the body and two on the lower portion, with golden scales covering them, while its body was long relatively thin, yet its size was as great as it could get, with golden wings coming from the back of it. Naruto recognized the creature as something close to Mizuchi, mythical water dragon that dwells in deepest depths of oceans, but he never had heard of a Mizuchi with such coloration or even of any Yokai that was like this. The dragon had fully emerged from the portal and appeared before Naruto in all of its majestic glory, before it spoke in powerful voice.

"Are you the one for whom I was reborn, mortal?" The dragon spoke in a powerful tone, with Naruto nodded to her, though with uncertainty. "Then rejoice, for from this moment onward I, Medusa Gorgon, shall be your companion and servant in battles."

"Medusa… Gorgon? Forgive me, but I never heard of a Yokai like you, though you remind me a bit of Mizuchi and of Yamata-no-Orochi." Naruto admitted, with Parvati chuckling to it a little.

"I am not of this world, young one. I was originally born in a different world, one where Gods and Goddess ruled over mortals directly, and also exploited them for their own selfish desires and petty ambitions. I was one such victim them, becoming an object of lust by Poseidon, who defiled me just to spite his niece and the Goddess I served with devotion and faith, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Justice and Warfare." Medusa spoke to Naruto. "And yet when the crime was committed against me by Poseidon, my Goddess had seen me as the one who was at fault, for it was my womanly beauty that seduced the God of Seas and Oceans. She chose to punish me by making me into a hideous monster that could turn men into stone with but a single look, yet this was not enough for Athena. She punished even my sisters, making them into monsters too, and for decades I was tormented by Gods of Olympus, until they've finally found someone to put a stop to my misery."

"I am very sorry to hear that. I promise to always look after you and heed to your advice, if you have any for me." Naruto bowed in respect before her, with the dragon doing the same.

"Medusa was unjustly punished and killed at the whim of Olympians, deities from another world and with whom we have long been at odds. Your older brother, Kartikeya, had been a friend to her when he travelled to their world of Hellas. After her death, he challenged Athena to a duel of wits, wisdom and justice, to determine which one was a fairer and more just deity." Parvati told to Naruto of Medusa. "Four cases they've solved, each tied, but the fifth and last one was one where it was asked, if an innocent woman, a priestess that faithfully served to Gods, was taken against her force by a God, with whom would fault lay. Athena said that woman was at fault, but Kartikeya said it was the God, and the judges chosen Kartikeya as the victor. Only after he claimed the price that was Medusa's soul from Hades did Olympians realize what had happened to them and what Kartikeya had done to them. Since then, Medusa was remade and given new life by Izanami, recreating her in the visage and form you see before you. She shall be your partner and companion, so be sure to treat her with respect and care that she deserves."

"I shall do so. Thank you, Mother." Naruto said with the smile.

"Are you not going to ask where my present is?" Parvati asked with an interest, with Naruto shaking his head at that.

"No, you've already given it." Naruto assured her, putting his hand to his heart. "You showed me what a true mother's love is." Parvati smiled brightly to him, before coming close to him again and embracing him.

"My son, I am just as proud of you as I love you. Be strong, for in the days and years to come, you shall be tested by adversaries both physical and spiritual, but never let yourself fall to the doubt and fear of being alone, for you never shall be. You are not alone, Naruto." Parvati assured him. "And one more thing, Naruto, and you must remember it. Promise me that you will do it."

"I swear that I will."

"Good. Now listen to me: when the One-Eyed Dragon comes for you, do not fear him and greet him as one dragon greets the other." Parvati instructed him, with Naruto nodding to her. "And now, it is time for us to go from here."

"Us?" Naruto asked in confusion, with Parvati nodding to him.

"Yes. It is time to wake up, my son." And with that said, she kissed him in his forehead and suddenly Naruto fell into a sleep inside his mind. "Be well and strong, my son…"

---

In the real world. A second after the group entered the room.

"M-Mito…" Suddenly, a weak and coarse voice sounded through the room, shocking all and halting everyone in their places, until Mito moved to Naruto.

"B-big brother?" She thought that she had heard ghost speaking and that this was an illusion, but that was dispelled, when her hand suddenly felt itself being trapped by Naruto's hand, where it laid, with his fingers softly grabbing her hand.

And at the next moment, all bore witness to a miracle happening before them, as Naruto's eyelids have finally opened up, lifting themselves with the slowness that one could think they were filled with lead. Naruto's golden eyes opened up, before forcing him to narrow his eyes out of sheer brightness and pain it brought to him, blinding him for a few seconds, as he tried to lift his arm to shield his eyes.

"Too… bright…" Naruto let out, with everyone hearing it.

"Bright? The lights." Tomoe heard him speak, before she dashed to the wall and turned off the lights above, easing Naruto's pain, while she took place at his left.

"B-big brother? N-Naruto… are you…" Mito was practically whispering to him.

"H-hey… Sorry to… to keep… you all waiting." Naruto wheeze out of his mouth, as he was finally able to open his eyes properly and see the smiling faces of Mito, Tomoe, Akeno, Izuna, Yoruichi, Kaga and Akagi.

"Naruto!" Mito instantly launched herself at him, hugging him as tightly as she could. "You are awake, you are awake, you are awake!" She kept repeating, with Naruto giving his best possible laugh.

"Y-yeah… C-can anyone… Get me… Water? Throat feels… like a cat's toilet…" Naruto let out of himself.

"You are so lucky that you've only woken up, because I heard that joke when you were out of here, I'd put you here." Yoruichi threatened him in joking manner.

"Naruto, oh, how long we had to wait for you! We couldn't even think of leaving your side, not for a moment." Akagi stated with complete devotion to him.

"You better not scare us like that, if you know what's best for your health. I swear, I've never had a more troublesome student than you." Kaga huffed out, but with no ill intent in her words.

"Okay, Mito can you get off of him for second and Akeno, help me sit him up?" Tomoe instantly went to help Naruto, with Akeno fixing the pillow, while Tomoe carefully pulled him up and then set him a sitting position, before bringing him a glass of water. "Here you go. Drink slowly, small portions only." Tomoe carefully put the glass to Naruto's lips and helped him drink, since he could barely even move his body.

"How do you feel?" Akeno asked, wanting to know of his health.

"Ah… Better than I did in forever…" Naruto said with his own voice, having freshen his throat with water. "Though I can barely even move, it is still better than being stuck inside myself with no way out for what felt like years. But… I did hear you. All of you, and thank you. Thank you for being here, for not abandoning me." Naruto sincerely thanked them with a weak smile, still feeling really weak.

"How could we even think of abandoning you? You are a family to us all, and real family sticks for each other." Tomoe told him with a smile, barely containing tears, before going in actually hugging him. "Never, ever do this to me, Naruto. I don't want to lose another son." With this, Tomoe admitted to Naruto that she saw him as more than student, and Naruto nodded to her weakly.

"I won't… Mom." Naruto stated to Tomoe, his second mom and the woman that had raised him, while she let out tears of happiness.

It wouldn't be long until the entire village hears of Naruto regaining conscience and reawakening, but until then, he enjoyed the moment of peace and quiet with the people that were important to him. And along with that, he silently reveled in the fact of having met his divine mother and her love for him. He didn't deny that he already had a son's devotion towards her, nor did he deny that Tomoe was as important to him as Parvati was now. They both were his mothers, both were there when he was reborn, and both care for him. It brought him a sense of security and steadiness in him, feeling that he had safety behind his back.

He now understood what it felt like, to have a family.

---

Somewhere near the border of Land of Fire and Land of Grass.

Deep in the mountainous range that served as the natural border between the two Lands, stood an abandoned and mostly forgotten for the people of both Lands. Yet there were those that knew of such places, those that made use of them in a form of using them as hideouts. Mostly, it was done by robbers and looters, but rogue Shinobi have also made frequent usage of these places, since they tended to scare off locals, believing they were inhabited by evil spirits and Yokai. In case of this temple, it was actually inhabited by an Onryoki, a powerful vengeful spirit that took form of a very large Oni. Creatures like this are created through sheer hatred and desire for vengeance, and this temple had been a sight for one of the worst atrocities during Third Shinobi War.

When Iwa invaded the Kusa in hopes to drive a wedge into Konoha's lands, civilians and simple people of Kusa fled in here, so as to avoid slaughter and plundering that was committed by the Iwa's Shinobi. Unfortunately for them, a squad of Iwa Chuunins had managed to track down the people and it led them right here. Hungry for plunder and blood, these barbarians slaughtered the defenseless and innocent people inside, before looting their bodies and the temple itself, and afterwards, they've left it after setting fire to the place. And from that fire and a vengeful soul of monk, was born an Onryoki, which went after the men and slaughtered them in revenge, but after that and being unable to pass into the other world, he simply remained in the temple.

That continued, until a few days earlier his temple was visited by a man and a young girl, disturbing the rest of the Onryoki and forcing him to go out and confront the intruders like it had done in the past. Only this time the intruders weren't the ones who were slaughtered, but the monster itself has found its end when the man with a crescent moon helmet and one eye slashed his head off. After that, and cleaning the place up a little so it would be bearable to live in, they stayed here, waiting for the man's friends to come.

The man in question was a tall, dressed in a dark blue samurai armor with a dark blue and golden sleeveless coat over it. His helmet with the crescent moon and two swords with blue hands and circular tsubas, one longer and one shorter, laid near him, while he was carefully cooking the lunch for him and the girl. He had long black hair reaching to his shoulders, with a single blue left eye, while the other was closed by what looked like a tsuba from a katana. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties or even younger, but it he did state that he was older than that. As he was moving the spoon in the kettle, he looked at the girl that sat near the fire.

Red spiky hair reached to her shoulders, while her crimson eyes were decorated by the glasses that helped her see. She was dress in the fur coat that the man had given her, while most of her body was in the bandages and covered in healing ointments, helping her body to heal from the scars. The girl was thin, almost to the bones sticking out, and clearly wasn't eating well since her "service" to the Kusa had begun.

Serving as a living battery of chakra for the injured Kusa Shinobi, with her mother having been driven to death because of it, all the while being threatened with expulsion from the village if she didn't do it. There were moments in his life when the man had allowed his inner Asura take full control of him, and that was one of them. The girl sneezed out of cold she was feeling, with the man taking a bowl and filling with the stew he made, before giving it to the girl with a fork.

"Here, this should help you warm up a bit. C'mon, you better dig in before it gets cold." The man said to her, with the girl bringing her shaking hands to the bowl and taking it with the fork.

"A-are you going to… S-sell me to s-slavers later?" The girl asked in an unsure tone, with the man looking at her with a scandalized look.

"What the heck had even given you such an idea?!" The man practically roared at the girl, scaring her and making her drop her bowl, but it was caught by the man, before it spilled the contents. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya like that. No, I'm not going to sell you to anybody or have anyone hurt ya. Including those sick bastards who killed your mother." The samurai assured her, giving her the bowl back. "Now, dig in and try to rest. If all goes well, then tomorrow we'll move out of this land."

"Won't the Shinobi find us here?" The girl asked of the man, with him shaking his head to her.

"Nah, they won't think of looking for us right up here. I've made a several groups of Shadow Clones and sent them all over the Land with our looks, making it look like we are trying to get out through north, south and west." The man told her, as he added more wood into the fire. "Right now, Kusa's only friend is Konoha, and it's in the east, and they would've informed their friends about me and you. If they did that, then the borders will be patrolled with increased numbers of Shinobi, so Kusa will not think of look in that direction, since it will be a waste manpower. They don't know that we will be heading right to the East, so we are safe for now, and Konoha's Shinobi will not cross the borders. Not their style when in peacetimes, not unless purposefully ordered. So, in short, we are safe, and if we were in danger, I'd know well before anyone got to us."

"But how are we going to cross into the Land of Fire if the border is under survey of Shinobi?" The girl took a bite of the stew.

"You just leave that part of the plan to me and my friends. Speaking of them, took you two long enough to haul your asses here." The man rose up and looked towards the entrance. "I was expecting you to show up here at dawn, not at lunch."

"Well, sorry about that, but it's your fault we are late. You shouldn't have gone so hard on the Kusa, Masamune." One of three arriving men stated to him, causing Masamune simply huff in a proud manner.

"Yeah, yeah, more than likely you were filling your stomach at that hot spring resort south west of here, along with getting nice and cozy with the local girls, Shigezane." Masamune told the man, who didn't respond to it.

All three of the men wore samurai armor, though of different models and weight, with two out of three having black hair, while the third one had ashen grey ones. The first one, Shigezane, was the largest of the three, with a short beard and hair made behind him, had a large Odachi lying in wait on his back, while his armor was dark and golden coloration and a helmet that had centipede adorning it. To his left was smaller man with the black hair made in a high tail, with grey eyes, dressed in the black lighter armor covered by a black coat with green decorations on the edges and with a helmet adorned by the bell. The last one had ashen short hair and yellow eyes, with silver white armor and white coat worn above, with a straight seven-branched sword resting on his hip. He was the one who spoke up next.

"You certainly know how to make life interesting, Masamune Date." The man told him. "I must admit that I wasn't expecting your right-hand man to come directly to us and offer to join you. You know that it is dangerous for many of the Uzumaki Nation to gather in one place even in these times. And what you are proposing… It's simply outrageous."

"Is this why you've come all the way from Land of Clouds, Tamekage Nagao of Taira Clan? To tell me something that I already know, or actually to listen what I got to offer?" Masamune asked of him, before motioning them to sit near the fire. "Well, no point in talking with empty stomachs. C'mon, I've just cooked up a stew, so dig in before it gets stale."

"Well, Masamune Date's stew is already something worth coming here for." Tamekage stated, as he and the two others moved and sat around, before looking at the girl, who clearly frightened of him and others. "Is this the reason why all the roads in Kusa are watched by nearly all of Kusa's Shinobi?"

"This here is Karin, Tamekage. I thought they taught you Taira kids some manners when you were little." Masamune told him, before turning to the girl. "Don't worry, kiddo, these here are our friends. The big guy with the sword and beard is Shigezane Date, my cousin and left-hand man."

"Hi there, little one." Shigezane smiled to her, as he took his own bowl.

"The uncouth, ill-cultured pretty face over there is Tamekage Nagao, head of Nagao and Taira Clans." Masamune pointed to the man, who simply shook his head at that, before taking his bowl. "And the bell helmet guy is Kojuro Katakura, my right-hand man and the go-to for all sorts of tasks."

"Nice to meet you." Kojuro politely said to the girl, as he took his own bowl. "Lord Masamune, is Karin really from…"

"Yeah, your eyes don't deceive you, Kojuro. She's from Seiwa Genji, Minamoto's main line. Her blood and chakra confirmed it for me, but when I heard the rumors, I needed to make certain." Masamune told them, as he poured one for himself. "Wasn't even sure if this was true, until I finally got to her. After that, and seeing what her blood did to those Kusa Shinobi, there was no mistaking it- she is Minamoto's main branch member. After some questioning, I found out who her parents were, the old tiger himself, Nobutora Takeda, and her mother was a daughter to last Minamoto Clan's head, Yoshimoto."

"You knew my father?" Karin asked of Masamune and others, and all nodded to her.

"Yes, a fierce man he was, aggressive and proud, but with a good heart inside." Tamekage said, as he eat from his bowl. "His and Takeda's death was a tragedy for our nation."

"One among many, and more will follow if we don't do something about it." Shigezane told Tamekage, who didn't object. "Clans can't stay separated like that, hiding and doing nothing but wait for the vultures to come and strips us all to bones. It's time we changed that."

"By going to Konoha, to beg for protection and ask to let us in? You want our clans to grovel before those that betrayed us, and to be put into service of a harlot that dares to call herself Uzumaki as if it were her name?" Tamekage angrily asked of Masamune. "Maybe the Fujiwara and Date are desperate enough to do so, but not my Clan. I won't go and kiss Kushina's ass to get inside that wretched village, and I can't believe that you would do so, especially given who her mother…"

"Don't. Mention. Her. Here." Masamune looked up and silenced the man with his one eye. "I know full well who Kushina is, and if you think that I would do as you said, then you clearly don't know me well enough, Tamekage. I don't go back on my word, and the one I made in regards to Kushina and her mother still stands. No, we won't be kissing her ass or the ass of her husband or anyone else for that matter, but we will go to Konoha, because this is what best for us all. And if that is not enough for you, then here is further incentive for you: that's an order from the high above."

"High above? You mean…" Tamekage understood what Masamune meant by those words. "Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati have visited you?" He asked with respect, with Masamune shaking his head.

"No, but Lord Kartikeya did, and he shared some very interesting information with me, which prompted my sudden call for a gathering of Clans and migration to Konoha." Masamune told him. "Gods haven't abandoned us yet, and they are looking out for us in their own way, and Lord Kartikeya is chief among them. It is his command that I get as many of our rowdy bunch and get us settled in Konoha, and as much as the thought is repulsive to me, I think it's time we've finally bit down our pride and did what is really necessary about our survival."

"And what about Kushina? How are you going to deal with her?" Tamekage asked of him.

"Simple: we just don't give a fuck about her, that's all." Masamune stated to him, surprising him. "Konoha and her may claim whatever the hell they want, and they can have their Uzumaki Clan. We'll just continue on being our own Clans and Families, simply of the Uzumaki Nation, one that doesn't know or gives a damn about some "Uzumaki Clan". Simple as that, surely you can do that."

"Hm, clever as ever. Now that's the son of Terumune Fujiwara." Tamekage said with approval, taking another bite. "Now, let's say that I agree, but I need to know what else Lord Kartikeya has asked of you, Masamune. There is more to this, isn't there?" Masamune sighed, since he now had to reveal it.

"Yeah, there is." Masamune admitted to him. "Kartikeya also wants us to defend someone while we are there. Someone of utmost importance to our people, and it's paramount that Konoha doesn't realize who he really is."

"Who is it?" Tamekage asked of him.

"Kushina's second son, Naruto." Masamune told him, with Tamekage looking with confusion at him. "The kid is… Well, no point in going around it. The kid had been adopted by Lord Shiva, Lady Parvati and Lady Izanami, and he's been fully blessed by them. He's their son and grandson respectively."

"You are shitting me." Tamekage didn't believe him. "For Lord Shiva and his wife and mother to adopt second son of that sow? How can you explain that, Masamune? What proof do you have of such a thing being true and not just your desire to get to Konoha?"

"If you don't trust me, then why not have our Dragons do the talking instead?" Masamune cryptically, for Karin at least, stated, with Tamekage agreeing to it with the nod.

Unknown for Karin, right inside the temple materialized two large and powerful looking Dragons, one white with yellow eyes, and the other is blue and much larger one, blind on one eye and with golden eye. The two powerful spectral creatures spoke on a tongue unknown to men, even to their partners, but one thing was clear that there was to be no lies shared between them. Soon they were done and disappeared from the view, with Tamekage letting out a sigh before speaking up again after a few minutes silence.

"Alright… So the kid is their son." Tamekage stated out loud.

"Yeah, he nearly bit the dust due to his older brother being a sore loser. He is in coma right now, but should recover, and once he does, Kushina and Minato will have to hand him over to Uchihas, who in turn will give him to Tomoe Uchiha, Mito Uzumaki's adoptive granddaughter." Masamune informed Tamekage.

"Didn't you cross swords with that woman almost a decade ago?" Masamune nodded to that.

"Yeah, she was trying to die in a battle, but I knocked some sense into her, hopefully." Masamune told him. "The girl was raised in traditions of Minamoto Clan by Mito, and would've been her successor, had she not been screwed over by Konoha in favor of Kushina. Now, she's taken a liking to the kid and practically became his new mother, something that I'm glad to have happened to the kid. Anyway, while Naruto is out cold, we've got time to swoop in and secure him in our midst, make sure that he is among friends and not enemies. Uzumaki don't abandon their own no matter what."

"And that is why you are gathering all the Clans you can reach out to, so as to project enough strength to make it clear that handing kid over is in their best interests…" Nagao guessed what Masamune's plan was. "How many of our brethren are coming to the gathering?"

"Depends on what my guys will tell me. Shigezane, what can you tell me?" Masamune asked of him.

"The Mogami Clan is coming, and they are probably going to stick with us when we get to Konoha." Shigezane spoke up. "The Hojo, Mori and Tachibana will be joining them for sure. The Uesugi though…"

"Let me guess, they are content to stay where they are right now, since they get rich and don't have to do shit, right?" Masamune asked of him, with Shigezane nodding to it. "They can go and piss off then. What about Shimazu and Asakura? Any news on them?"

"Yoshihisa said he'll send one of his brothers to represent the clan, but the Clan itself will stay where they are. They are staying hidden due to pissing off Iwagakure and their leader the last year." Shigezane continued. "As for the former, they've refused to come, believing that it's best to stay separated as they are right now."

"Just as I expected of them. Still, it's better than I hoped it would be. Now, Kojuro, what can you tell me?" Masamune turned to him.

"The Saito Clan with Dosan Saito, as you know, have made their home in Mino Province in Land of Fire, with their leader now serving Fire Daimyo as a governor of Mino. The Oda Clan, or rather what's left of them, are coming and are going to join us already. Kitabatake, Saika, Toyotomi and Imagawa will also be on the gathering, along with all of Azai Clan." Kojuro stated to him.

"Alright, that sounds like a good party already. Now, what about looking into rumors of Takeda Clan in Ame and that other matter I asked of you?" Masamune asked of him.

"The Ame was a bust, Lord Masamune. The last member of Takeda was killed long ago, but there are some troubling movements in the Ame that I think you should know of." Kojuro spoke up. "The people there have changed their leadership and Hanzo has been killed, though it is hidden from other nations. A new leader, called Pain, is now running the Village, and is revered like a god. Along with that, he has got some very dangerous and powerful subordinates, all S-rank Nuke-nins."

"Anyone I've crossed with?" Masamune asked of him.

"Kisame Hoshigaki of the Kiri is with them." Masamune narrowed his eye after hearing that name. "Aside from him, there is Deidara from Iwa, an Explosion Kekkei Genkai user, Sasori of the Red Sands and a few others that I don't have full information on. But among this group there is also one man you know- Orochimaru."

"One of the so called Legendary Sannins? I thought he was with Konoha, like the two others." Tamekage spoke out loud.

"He seems to have defected not long after the war had ended, and has been operating at large ever since. Not even Toad Sannin had the luck to find him." Shigezane said.

"And he won't get the chance, since Lord Kartikeya has capped him and all of Toads." Masamune informed them all, surprising them all. "This will allow us to gather in secret and without Konoha finding out about it before long. Anyway, enough of Ame, Kojuro. What about the task I gave you? Did you manage to talk to him?"

"Yes, but he won't come to the gathering, Lord Masamune." Kojuro told him.

"Reasons as to why?" Masamune asked.

"He only stated that you will understand him and his decision to remain where he is." Kojuro told him.

"Hm, I was hoping he would actually come… But if it's his decision, then I'll honor it." Masamune told them all. "So, with all that said, we are looking on roughly over 600 of our folks coming together on the gathering and over 700, if we are lucky, migrating to Konoha."

"And what is your realistic estimate?" Tamekage asked of him.

"Oda, Mogami are with us no doubt about it as was said, as is with my clan and yours." Tamekage nodded to him. "Well, Shimazu, Mori, Azai and Tachibana will most probably join up with us. Hojo, Imagawa and Saika are a maybe, but others will probably not be with us. So, roughly 200 to 300 in total."

"Still a pretty good number for us all. More than some Clans in Konoha can put together, and those are hardened warrior clans." Shigezane noted. "Nagao Clan alone is enough scare most of them."

"You bet. Alright, but which Clan will be the one receiving Naruto? He is of Minamoto bloodline, so it will have to be one of the successor Clans. Shimazu Clan may take him in…" Tamekage began to think about it.

"Naruto will be taken by me and my Clan." Masamune stated to him with confidence.

"Masamune, remind me, isn't Kushina of the Minamoto Clan, even if from a branch family? You are a Fujiwara from a main one, there are going to be some that will want to claim him…" Tamekage tried to dissuade him.

"That kid has more of Fujiwara in him than Minamoto, of that you can be certain." Masamune told him with confidence. "Kushina may've been taken by Minamoto, but she does have blood of Fujiwara Clan, and per our laws, I can lay claim on the kid and get him in my clan. In fact, as it stands, Naruto is the direct successor to Fujiwara Clan." Masamune smirked to him.

"What? But that would mean…" Tamekage was almost speechless.

"Yeah, Tamekage, the line of Yoshitomo Fujiwara won't end with me." Masamune assured him. "Naruto is my grandson. He is the next Dragon of Fujiwara, and I intend to make sure that everyone in Konoha knew, that when they mess with Naruto, they'll be messing with the One-Eyed Dragon from now on."

---

Plot twist… Sorry it took a bit longer to finish this up, but there were some things that needed taking care of. Hopefully this long chapter will be enough to satiate you until next week. As you can see, Naruto is awake, he got a new weapon from Hindu mythology (but other options still are welcome from you), he has met with Parvati and now has a new Shikigami, in form of Medusa Gorgon. And yes, I am bringing in other Mythologies now, starting with the Greek one, where nearly everyone is an asshole to some capacity.

And I've also brought in one of my absolute favorites from Sengoku Jidai period and Japanese history- Date Masamune, the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu and one of the rowdiest Daimyo in northern Japan. But seriously, the guy is awesome as both a warrior, but also a politic and creator of city of Sendai, and let's not start with all the love he has gotten from anime and games. And before you ask, I did my research and I can state for sure that Date Clan came from Fujiwara Clan, with Nagao Clan coming from Taira Clan. And if you don't know who Nagao Clan was, then you don't know much about Kagetora Nagao…

Anyway, this will be all for today folks. Review, give suggestions, post questions, I'll try and answer them all.

Next time: Recovering lost strength; Uzumaki Clans arrive; Dragons meet.

PS. I am so very sorry to all of you who didn't read the chapter when it was first released. I wasn't aware there was this huge problem with the site, and hopefully my reposting will let you read this. Again, very sorry to all that didn't get to read when it first came out.

PPS. This is a countless repost I'm making here. I don't know what is happening and when it will end, hopefully soon. Because of all this, I am starting to consider switching to some other Fanfiction site, but it's only thoughts right now. For now, I hope that you do get to read this chapter soon, and if there are trouble like this in the future, try using App, since it seems to work no matter what.