Author's Review Response: To ncpfan: All good plot holes, but be mindful I wrote this story as practice when I was seventeen. I'm going to be twenty this August and haven't really looked at stuff close enough to notice such inconsistencies. I'm sorry if that's infuriating and I'll make a note of that when writing future stories. Regardless, thanks for the feedback. To New Elements92: I'm not entirely sure… The only reason Jiraiya isn't getting hanged or beaten was that he only suggested what Minato should do, To Guest: Onoki is too stubborn to ever admit what he did wrong. Besides, he's butthurt because Minato killed his brother Okay, let's get on with the show!
Konohagakure, Elemental Nations, 91 N.E.
Construction around the village was slow and steady, however, the progression of rebuilding stayed consistent and well. Many of the masses were adjusting to the events post-Chunin Exams. The Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, released a statement that the Exams had been cancelled (much to the ire of a certain pigtailed kunoichi) due to the assault that was led by the treacherous and sinister Sannin, Orochimaru, who had held Suna hostage and manipulated them from behind the scenes. From there, Minato revealed that the Kiri-nin, including his wayward son, Naruto, played crucial roles in defeating the opposing forces and saved Konoha from total destruction, which included his own life as well. Because of that, the Namikaze clan head deemed Naruto, Kai, Animus, Tania, and Beowulf Heroes of Konoha for the fruits of their efforts.
The clans of Konoha and at least two-thirds of the civilians came to accept the announcement. Despite that, a third of the village kept to their guns and refused to believe the blond and his friends as something human. Regardless of the blowhards still hating the mage, many of the people started to have second thoughts on the whole "demon-brat" label that was coined on him and come to show remorse for their actions.
During this morning, three old friends walked along the streets of the village as if one of them never left at all. That's how comfortable one Naruto (or Ventos) felt when with Itachi and Hinata. It was like he was younger again going to one of their houses ready to play ninja or sparring with them. Right now, they were holding a conversation as they traveled through the Market/Shopping District of Konoha.
"I may have serious issues with this place, but at times, I kind of miss the cozy vibes of the village in the morning." Admitted the blond mage, who had his hands behind his head like he was seven years old once more.
At that remark, Itachi of the Uchiha clan snorted while responding, "Didn't think you had anything to miss about being here."
Hinata, the female ninja of the three, giggled at the boy's antics upon hearing Naruto muttered something about him being a "shinobi bastard".
"Still," Hinata started, "it's quite nice for the three of us to be just walking and spending time together after a really long time."
The two couldn't help but agree with the former Hyūga heiress.
"Aye! It feels just like old times, huh?" Nodded Naruto.
Itachi simply replied, "Hn."
While continuing their merry way, the trio started to swap stories and details about current family life and recent news regarding the last two days.
Naruto began by asking, "So, Hina-chan, how goes everything in the Hyūga clan? Are Hiashi-sama and Hitomi-sama doing alright?"
"Hai," Hinata nodded positively, "My parents are doing really well, all things considered. Tou-sama is helping Hokage-sama in finding survivors in the remains of the old buildings that were destroyed. Ka-sama is currently spending time with Hanabi-imouto."
Naruto nods contently with that response.
"That's nice to hear that even the clan head is willing to pitch in outside of Council meetings." Said Naruto.
Hinata replied, "Hai. What about you, Naruto-kun? Didn't you say that you spoke to Hokage-sama recently."
Naruto complied, explaining to his closest friends that are Konoha-native of his talk with Minato. Needless to say, the Hyūga and the Uchiha were more than glad to hear that Minato was owning up to his actions and planned on making things up to his wayward former son. They were also glad that Naruto was slowly but surely getting better at handling the situation without drawing in his hatred.
Hinata responded by stating. "That's wonderful, Naruto-kun! Maybe now he could let people know about the truth of October 10th and that you can't be a "demon"."
"Maybe… We'll just have to see." Said Naruto, who was looking straight ahead.
Looking at his best friend/rival, the pastel blond questioned, "You know, you never told me what you and Hashirama were talking about? What was it, Tachi?"
Itachi answered, "It was nothing too serious. I asked about a technique Madara knew, and that became a short history lesson."
"Do you mean Madara Uchiha, the man that was said to match the Kami no Shinobi at his peak?" Hinata realized.
Itachi confirmed by stating, "The sama, Hinata-san."
Cocking a brow, Naruto inquired, "Oh? Does this technique that Madara knew have anything to do with the Mangekyō Sharingan by any chance?"
Itachi grinned slightly. He answered, "It seems like it to me. But in order for me to understand what that has to do with my eyes and they're developing, I'm going to have to speak with my father about it."
Itachi suddenly stopped walking momentarily, making the other two friends halt as well.
Hinata, sensing something was up, asked, "What's wrong, Itachi-san?"
Itachi, turning to Naruto, questioned him as he answered Hinata's question, "...Yes. I see that Minato-sama is on the verge of coming full circle about what he has done. But there's someone else important to consider... What about Kushina-sama? Has she spoken to you at all? And what are you going to do about Ruki since the Exams are out of the question?"
Naruto, after listening to Itachi's words, shifted his body to fully gaze at his oldest friends while answering in all honesty, "Believe it or not, guys, I'm heading to the park to speak with Namikaze-sama at this moment. I figured I could hang out with you guys to lighten my mood before I deal with more family drama, dattebayo?"
"As for my situation with my twin… I'm not entirely sure. Though, considering what kind of person she is, and with the Chunin Exams being all but cancelled, she'll probably try and seek me out to challenge me the moment her eyes and mine own lock." Explained the Dragon Slayer, who looked towards the morning blue sky.
Hinata, not liking where the conversation was heading, asked her love interest, "W-Will you go through with it if she does?"
Naruto glanced at Hinata's concerned milky white eyes, begging him to reconsider. Unfortunately for the kunoichi, Naruto knew better. This wasn't just some grudge match, this was closure for both him and his sister. They needed this.
With a simple gaze, Naruto said, "It's not a matter of "if", Hinata. It's a matter of "when". And to answer your question, I'd fight her that very same week. My gut is telling me that it's going to happen very soon."
"Will you be going all out by then, Ruto?" Itachi said with his eyes narrowing.
Naruto paused for a moment to think about the sentence Itachi spoke. After careful consideration, the pastel blond answered, "That depends whether or not she uses the fox's power and the number of tails used. Despite that, I'm not planning on using my full power against her unless it's necessary."
Hinata and Itachi turned their heads towards each other, then back to Naruto while uttering, "Nani!?"
Naruto shook his head while asking, "Surprised, huh?"
"But I don't understand…" Hinata stated, "I thought you hate Ruki after all the trouble and misery she caused you. Why wouldn't you want to just release all of that anger towards your fight with her?
"Two reasons," The mage said, "For one, she's my sister. No matter how much she hurt me, I'll always consider her as such. We came from the same womb after all, so hurting her with my full power is out of the question. Besides, I refuse to abandon her...like how she abandoned me."
Hinata simply smiled at the fact that despite the pain he went through, Naruto's heart never changed a bit.
"And what's the other reason?" Asked the raven-haired teen.
"Simple," Said the blue-eyed boy, "The second reason being that she isn't my rival. The only time that I'm going all out is when you master whatever technique you're developing with those fancy new eyes of yours."
An excited, yet confident smirk grew on Itachi's face, rivaling that of Madara himself as he answered, "You're on, dobe."
After twenty minutes of walking and sharing stories about each other's lives, the three friends made it to a diverging pathway leading to different directions.
Naruto announced, "Alright then. This is where I'm splitting."
Hinata then hugs the Dragon Slayer, saying, "Hai. Remember to breathe, and hear her out, play? Otherwise, good luck."
Naruto complied as he pulled away from the hug. Without warning, the Hyūga female laid a quick peck on his cheek before leaving for her home.
Itachi just snorted at the amusing sight of the blond's lovestruck state, quipping, "...Whipped."
"Shut it, teme!" Was all that Naruto replied with as he blushed from Hinata's subtle forwardness.
"Whatever you say, lover boy." Itachi teased while shaking his head, "Anyway, it's time I get home too. I promised Sasuke I'd help him with a Katon technique."
"Alright. But just remember something. We will have our fight. Let's say you get that super special secret technique by the end of the year. I'll be waiting then." Naruto stated.
Nodding a final time, Itachi walked in the direction of the Uchiha clan. Turning to the direction that led to the park, Naruto slowly walked along that road, anxious to meet his destination.
Hashirama Senju Memorial Park, Konohagakure, 91 N.E.
Sitting in the same place she spoke with a particular sorceress weeks prior was Kushina Namikaze nee Uzumaki, wife of Minato Namikaze. The redhead thought back to when the Yondaime Hokage had spoken to her after the meeting he had with the Council. While the Uzushio native was overjoyed that her wayward son had decided to be cordial, her mind could help but shift into maximum overdrive after being told to meet him at the park.
Of course, that wasn't the case when first hearing that. In fact, Kushina was officially on cloud nine. In spite of that fact, as the hours rolled by and the time drew near, various topics Kushina had imagined of them having turned sour and dark due to the estrangement she Ventos (Naruto) possessed. So when the violet-eyed Uzumaki took her spot on the bench, sweat poured down on her face, her hands trembled anxiously, and for some reason, she couldn't just stop the nagging hopping of her right leg.
In her mind, Kushina, 'Darn it! It's almost twelve o'clock and Naruto-chan is still not here! What am I even going to say? Now matter how this is going to start, we're always going to bring up the bad stuff! How do I even approach that subject? Oh Kami, I hope I don't screw up before he pops up-'
"-Good afternoon, Namikaze-sama." Said the pastel blond, who appeared adjacent to Kushina.
Kushina reacted accordingly, "Eeek!"
She had jumped from her former son's voice, startled. Naruto remained impassive on the surface, but if you looked closer you could see a glint of mild amusement from his former mother's antics. Seeing who it was and where she was, Kushina sits back down while rubbing her head sheepishly.
Kushina then said, "Gomenasai! I sometimes overthink when I'm nervous and I didn't sense you coming so I got a little spooked, dattebane!"
Naruto only nodded silently and sat down on one end of the bench. The electric blue-eyed teen patted on the empty spot next to him, gesturing for her to sit next to him. Bearing her head filled with hopefulness, Kushina quickly sat next to Naruto.
Extending his right hand formally, Naruto said in a greeting tone, "My name is Naruto, Naruto "Ventos" Drakkenborne."
A puzzled Kushina couldn't help but give her former son a weird glance. She wondered why our favorite blond was reintroducing himself given that she birthed him, knowing Naruto since the beginning.
'Eh,' Kushina thought to herself, 'Why is he talking as if I don't know who- oh, right. It's not like I've got to know "who" he is as of late. Well, that ends today!'
Without hesitation, Kushina took Naruto's hand and shook it while answering, "Kushina Namikaze née Uzumaki."
Both people remained silent for thirty seconds, not knowing how to approach each other in a conversation. It's been eight years since they've been together like this without one interrogation the other (Kushina to Naruto, at least). Saying that this was awkward would be the understatement of the near-decade.
Both people then said, "So…", but then went silent once more.
Sensing the tension from the silence, Kushina decided to speak first.
"How about we start by talking about our likes, ne?" She suggested "smoothly".
Naruto agreed, motioning for her to go first as a way to review how much of his old knowledge about the woman held up today.
Kushina said, "I love to eat salt ramen, it's my favorite food. Speaking of which, cooking is one of my hobbies. I like to garden every now and then. Oh, roses are the best kind of plant. It has my favorite color, it matches my hair and clothes, and is why I named Bara after. Peace is something that I also enjoy, but pranking people once in a while is a nice change of pace...and I love...my family."
Naruto noticed the slight hesitation from Kushina's last sentence but decided not to bring it up. HE also confirmed that most of what he remembered about Kushina was the same as before he left. Nodding his head, Naruto took his time to share things about himself as well.
"...I like to travel a lot and explore new places I haven't been before. It brings this sense of adventure in me that I imagined as a child. Speaking of new places, I'd like to try out various kinds of food when I travel, with the occasional treat of eating pork ramen or Narutomaki. I just prefer not to constantly consume it, dattebayo? Hm...call it a cliche, but peace and justice is something that I like as well. My favorite color now is white, lavender is my favorite plant, and adventuring with my friends is something I'm always down to do (unless there are moving vehicles involved). And I too love my family, ...and a certain person." He answered.
Hearing her former son open up to her brought a smile to Kushina's face. However, she then tilted her head in confusion.
"What's wrong with moving vehicles? Do you have a problem with them?" The former Uzumaki princess asked.
Recalling carriages, boats, cars, and ships, Ventos' face grew green in color before nearly puking his guts out. He, however, managed to swallow the bile down and huffed in discomfort.
Naruto groaned, "People...with my kind of magic are prone to having a severe case of motion sickness. I can't recall why this occurs with Dragon Slayers, but since then, I hate carts, ships, any kind of carriage of the sort that is an inanimate object of transportation. We can't even move when it starts to shake and quake. It's torture for us."
Kushina sweatdropped from learning such an odd weakness for somebody powerful enough to beat literal demons.
"Right..." Kushina stated in an awkward manner. "Uh, how about hobbies? I like to cook, play with Bara-chan, and sometimes I like to walk around the park. Every now and then, I practice my forms of ninjutsu and taijutsu. You?"
Naruto responded, "I study runes and seals in my spare time. To stay in touch with my kenjutsu training, I wake up every morning and train with my sword. I try to improve my magic and analyze any changes to them as I train. In my downtime, I hang out with my family. Now that I think about it, I also do that during a job."
Hearing that Kushina inquired, "Jobs? Are these "jobs" like what missions are to ninja, but for magicians? If you don't mind me asking."
"Yeah, wizards operate like ninja to a certain extent. But the guilds are owned by their guild master. And the guild masters answer to the king of their country's monarch. How it works is the government supplies all of the jobs, which the guild puts on the board. This job, in particular, was a special case since Magius himself assigned it to me." Naruto answered.
Kushina simply blinked while asking, "You could have declined the job, yet you want along with it. Why?"
"Sometimes, I ask that to myself…" Naruto said without looking at her.
Hearing that, Kushina averted her eyes in sadness and guilt.
"...I guess it's out of my debt to the old timer. Despite my qualms with this world, my love for my family in the magic world outweighs the anger I carry here. Besides, I was going to face my past sooner or later."
Kushina nods in understanding, "That makes sense… Naruto, about what I've done to you… I know there's nothing I can say that can take away the damage I've inflicted onto you, but I just want to say that I'm-"
Naruto then cut Kushina off by holding a hand while saying, "Don't...please, just don't."
"Wait, let me say this!" Kushina pleaded. "This feeling of dread and turmoil that's been eight years in the making is too much to bear! I must confess my wrongs, Naruto! I should have been more active in your life, but I purposely left you by yourself! I broke my own promise as a mother and as an Uzumaki! I beg of you, let me make amends for the part I play in our relationship's downfall!"
Naruto couldn't help but sigh from Kushina's outburst, feeling like he aged twenty years from the drama. Remembering what Hinata told him, the pastel blond took a deep breath, then spoke to the woman.
"Look," Said Naruto. "We're starting over, that's in the past. There's nothing excusable to justify what you've done and the way you've treated me, and hearing about you nearly ending your life is more than enough to convince me that you have realized the mistake you made. So let's just focus on getting to know who we are now, okay?"
Not being able to hold her composure, Kushina began to sob, pouring the buildup of tears out of her eye sockets. Naruto, being the gentleman that he was, pulled out a handkerchief through Kansō Mahō and handed it to her. Grateful for the support, she cleaned her face and handed the handkerchief back to him.
Kushina then asked, "A-are you here to stay, or to visit?"
Naruto paused for a moment. He never had been asked that question by anybody since his return. At times, the mage had asked it to himself. When was he leaving? Can he leave again? Obviously, he wasn't staying in Konoha. But can he afford to leave Hinata and the others behind once more? Decisions, decisions…
"...I'm here until this year's end." Was all that he said, refusing to go into further detail.
Kushina had expected as much, but she couldn't help but smile in a sad manner.
"I expected as much," Kushina concluded. "I-, we made it so that I couldn't even sleep without somebody trying to… you know?"
A grim nod was given to the redhead.
"Tell me something, Naruto...does being in this different world truly make you happy?" Kushina suddenly questioned, looking at him.
The wizard looked up to the sky and thought about every single adventure he had gone on with his guild. A genuine smile formed on his face while he answered Kushina's question.
"Happy? Being in the magical world with my friends was one of the greatest things that have ever happened in my life. I won't trade it for anything."
Kushina noticed something in her former son. There was this twinkle in his eye that harbored a light in it. It was a light that the Uzushio native hadn't seen since Naruto was a toddler. Kami, she missed that look. To see him express himself brought joy to Kushina's entire being.
Feeling that their conversation had reached its end, the swordsman got up and stretched his back along with his arms.
"Alrighty, then! It's been a touching chat, but I have to head back to my apartment now. I'll be seeing you. " Announced Naruto, ready to walk away.
"M-matte," Kushina said, halting Naruto's exit. "Do you mind if we could walk back to the estate together? I-I don't want this to end quite yet, dattebane."
Sighing for the umpteenth time, Naruto relented by saying, "If it can't be helped…"
After twenty minutes of walking from the park and through the Shopping District, the two eventually made it to the Uzu-Nami compound. Kushina stood by the door, meanwhile, Naruto stood opposite from Kushina's position.
"Well then, I guess this is it for today. I'll be seeing you then, Namikaze-sama." Naruto spoke rather awkwardly.
Kushina smiled and waved at Naruto while responding, "Hai, I enjoyed our time together. Have a wonderful rest of your day, dattebane!"
Naruto nodded as he turned away and walked off to the street. Just before he could make it halfway from the street the estate was in, he met with a person he wished he hadn't seen today.
He had bumped into Ruki Uzumai-Namikaze.
Neither twin moved a muscle as they stared at each other with little to no emotion. Tensions rose the further they caught each other's eyes. Naruto swore he saw the fox's red orbs for a split second in Ruki, but it had flickered like a light going in and out. For Ruki, what grabbed her attention was her former brother's visible eye turning slit as if it was reptilian, but only for a fraction of a second. She could hear her tenant's ranting telling her to kill him, but ignored him to focus on her main target.
"Loser…" Ruki spat.
Naruto responded coldly, "...Jinchūriki."
"You have some nerve showing your face around these parts… Last I checked, losers like you deserve to freeze over. So I'll ask this once, why are you here?" Ruki continued like a predator aggressively circling a rival in her territory.
"Hokage's orders." Naruto shrugged. "Don't like it, huh? Try taking it up with him. That's what you do best after all. I mean, you are daddy's little girl, remember?"
Ruki growled profoundly from that comment. The nerve of this clan reject! He fakes his death, betrays the village he was born in for some second rate blood fest of a town, steals her spotlight in the exams and most of the village, turns almost everybody against her, including her family, and now he's strutting up and down her streets like he owned the damn place!
...Ruki's had enough of Naruto.
The blonde kunoichi marched up to Naruto and grabbed his collar and lifted him up.
"That's it! You! Me! Right here! Right now!" She hissed in his face.
Feeling attacked, Naruto sent a current of electricity from his body to Ruki's left hand, shocking her off of him as she cursed and cradled said hand.
"Get a grip, Imoto," Naruto casually teased, dusting his clothes off. "How about this? Since the Chunin Exams are canceled, and we obviously have pent-up feelings and unfinished business, why don't you ask your father to pick a spot for us to throw down on Friday?"
A puzzled expression formed on the ironically beautiful, yet twisted kunoichi as Ruki cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Friday? Why friday?"
Once again, the blond mage shrugged while saying, "Simple. I got things to do this week."
The two were staring each other down once more in silence. Neither backing down from each other. Eventually, Ruki could't take any longer. She could never truly win against her former brother in games like these.
"Fine! Be ready, asshole! Cause once Friday comes, I'm kicking your ass and dragging you back into that house right there!" Ruki stated, with hypocrisy laced in those words.
Naruto couldn't help but stare at Ruki like she was out of her mind.
'Wait. She's mad about me being here, but she wants to bring me back to that house? ...Something's not right here. Ruki's not exactly the smartest out of us, but not this polarizing. She sounds very off in her mind. ...I better talk to Magius about this during this week. Maybe he'll know what to do.' The blue-eyed swordsman concluded.
As he listened to Ruki, Naruto turned around and simply waved her threat off, "Sure, and Kiba's going to be the next Hokage and make every day National Dog Day."
And with that, Naruto vanished in a gust of wind, leaving his twin sister to clench her fists so hard that blood dripped from them.
With eyes glowing red and her fangs showing, Ruki thought to herself, 'Just you wait, aniki! Just you wait!'
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
It's been far too long, hasn't it. Truth be told, writer's block is a massive pain. It's kind of hard doing this by yourself for a few years, so it'll get to you at some point in time. Another reason for me not updating sooner is because I was trying to keep my grades up during the Finals week in college. And we all know how hectic college can be...yeah. On a lighter note, this chapter was interesting to write regardless of how short it was. I wanted this to be different from the tone Minato and Naruto carried from the previous chapter. Instead of harboring hatred, Naruto decided to start over with Kushina as if they were meeting for the first time. After all, Kushina forgot about him when he was not being a "troublemaker". It was a breath of fresh air to work on this at a slower pace. But that brings me to the next idea I have for a chapter. Somebody asked for a chapter in the perspective of Ruki (which I can't remember who or find, so DM me or message me in the reviews so I can credit properly)… I want to do that. But before I go and do that, I need I'll see you guys later, have a blessed day! Shadow, out! -DarkShadowGames451