Chapter Eight
To Save Us All…

A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for taking so long to post. I just graduated and moved so things have been sort of hectic! I hope you like this chapter and review it to tell me what you think!

Sarutobi was baffled, no, absolutely floored would be a better word. Standing before him was Kushina Uzumaki, a woman believed to have died twelve years ago! How was this possible? It couldn't have been a prank, as far as he knew Naruto didn't even know what the woman looked like and the only people privy to the knowledge of who the blonde's parents were could be counted on one hand with a finger left over. It was one of the best-kept secrets that Konoha had.

As Hiruzen sat in his office facing the duo, he was running every diagnostic test he could think to confirm it was truly her. "Will you quit that?! Didn't I say that it's me already, databane!" she yelled, the verbal tick making an appearance.

Hiruzen sat back in his chair. "It really is you." He said, in disbelief. He turned to the blonde that was laughing into his hands. "What have you done, Naruto?"

He held his hands up in his defense. "Nothing, I swear!"

"Then how is this possible?" He questioned. He looked between the two of them.

"I left a piece of myself within the seal, along with Minato-kun, apparently it was enough for Ikari to bring me back," Kushina said seriously.

The little color that had returned to Hiruzen's face soon drained out once again. He looked at Naruto then at the woman. "He revived you?"

"Naruto, can you please wait for me in the living room?" She asked, not giving any room for disapproval.

Naruto frowned at her. He didn't want to leave the woman; he had just gotten her back and he was afraid she'd disappear without him there. The look on her face, though, told him if he didn't do what she asked then… bad things would happen. He shivered and nodded, giving one last glance before leaving.

When Naruto closed the door the temperature in the room dropped, by several degrees. Hiruzen thought he felt the shadow of death behind him. He suddenly wished Naruto had put up more of a fuss. "Hiruzen, tell me how you think I felt suddenly being resurrected- yes truly resurrected, not just a chakra construct like I told Naruto- only to find out that he has been outcasted by society? Give me a good reason I shouldn't skin you alive right now."

Now, Sarutobi was a wise man. He hadn't got the title Professor by sitting on his laurels. So, when faced with an enemy he not only knew he could not defeat reasonably but one whose rage was being fed by maternal protectiveness he did the only thing he could: he prostrated himself on the floor at her feet and begged for mercy.

"Oh no, Sarutobi, it seems I am fresh out of that." She chuckled darkly.

The screams Naruto heard coming from the office he had just left were enough to keep him away. When Konohamaru and Asuma both came down from upstairs with frightened eyes to see what was going on, Naruto simply told them that his mother was punishing the Hokage for something though he wasn't sure what.

Asuma had decided that even though he was well aware of the boy's status as an orphan it was too late and too troublesome to see what was really going on. If it was really serious the house probably wouldn't be standing, so he decided to take Konohamaru to his room to sleep and cast a low-level sound barrier instead.

When Kushina finally walked out of the office with a limping Third Hokage, Naruto hopped up off of the overly comfortable sofa. "Ne, you should have Baa-chan look at that!"

Hiruzen simply gave him a deadpan look. "Thank you, Naruto."

Kushina pursed her lips. "Baa-chan? You mean you've met Okaa-san?"

Naruto perked up at that. "You mean, I have another relative? Who, who?" He bounced around her.

Kushina gave Sarutobi another scathing look. "I'll introduce you to her tomorrow. I'm sure she'll love to see the both of us, just not quite so late. Let's head to your apartment and sleep for now."

Sarutobi crumbled to the floor after they left. He was pretty sure the woman had broken his leg. He was just happy that she had gone easy on him. He knew he deserved far more.

When daylight came, the smell of bacon and eggs broke through Naruto's dreams. He had had a long talk with Ikari about the events of the night and was especially appreciative to him.

He stretched before meeting his mother in the kitchen. Upon entering his main room, he was met with a completely new space. The furniture was different and definitely new looking, he even had a bookshelf and a new stove. The walls looked less… dingy and everything seemed so much cleaner. He turned to the woman placing a plate of eggs and rice down on his kitchen table.

"Good morning, son." She smiled at him while sipping a cup of tea.

Naruto gave her a watery smile and greeted her back. They talked for a while reveling at the moment. He had lost track of time and hadn't realized how late it was until the sound of someone twisting his front door's knob pulled him out of their conversation.

The only people who visited him was his team, that was further proven when the knob resisted being turned and Sakura's voice perforated the wood.

Before Kushina could set down her tea, Naruto was already unlocking the door. He made a movement that told her not to make a sound. She considered ignoring him but decided she would play along. He opened it just a crack because how on earth was he going to explain that his mother had come back to life? He was met with two impatient genins and his sensei who was casually reading porn behind them. "H-hey guys, what brings you here?" He asked nervously.

They immediately knew something was wrong. The fact that Naruto hadn't swung the door open like usual was the first tell, the second was that he was currently blocking their entrance into his apartment, and on top of that Naruto's door was locked. He never locked his door, ever. Sakura and Sasuke gave each a look before Sakura tackled the blonde, knocking the door wide open and exposing them to a red-headed woman who looked both alarmed and amused at the two wrestling on the floor.

Sakura didn't immediately notice the woman, having to deal with the blonde that was currently struggling beneath her monstrous strength. Sasuke was currently glaring at the woman, wondering if she was a villager who was there to torment his friend. Kakashi had dropped his prized book and was staring, stock still at the woman that was supposed to be dead. If he hadn't been wearing his mask, the face he was making would surely have been comical.

"Y-you… How?!" He asked taking several steps forward. Naruto stopped struggling as both his teammates looked at their sensei.

"It's been a long time Kaka-kun." Kushina gushed.

"You know this woman, sensei?" Sasuke asked coming up beside his teammates who were just now beginning to stand.

"Sasuke, don't be rude to Kaa-chan!" Naruto pouted at him. Sasuke froze.

"Did you just call her… mom?" Sakura asked looking between them.

"Ah," Naruto blushed at his slip, "yes… she's my mother."

Sasuke felt a twinge of jealousy run through him. His entire clan was gone but here stood Naruto's mother as if she had never left him. He would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a connection with Naruto because they were both orphans. Now though…

"Sasuke? As in Sasuke Uchiha?" Kushina asked.

"How do you know me?"

"Your mother and I were best friends!" She gushed, "When I was pregnant with Naruto, we had planned to have play dates for you two. Oh, I can't believe you two ended up on the same team, the old man sure is nostalgic." She laughed as she was suddenly hugging the now stiff raven against her.

Sasuke pushed her off, using all the strength he had acquired in the past several months, and glared at the woman. He would push down his mounting anger at the fact that Naruto suddenly had something he had longed for. The more pressing matter was her familiarity with his person. "Don't touch me and don't speak about my mother!" He growled at her.

Kushina looked surprised, but she really shouldn't have been. Hiruzen had filled her in on much more than just the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack. She had been told of the Uchiha massacre and how Danzou was suspected of killing off the Uchiha's that were to be left alive, including Mikoto. She smiled at the boy sadly.

"I'm sorry, I should have been more careful. I was just happy to see my godson." Kushina sighed and sat back at the dining table.

"Godson?!" both boys of Team 7 shouted.

Kushina sipped her tea. "Of course. Your mother was Naruto's godmother."

Sasuke felt anger eclipse the irritation he felt earlier. "Where were you then?" He asked quietly at this woman sitting so casually. He had been through so much after the massacre and between the prowling council people and the merchants looking to use him as a puppet to amass power, there had been no one he could trust, who he could turn to. So where had she been in that case? It was her job to care for him after the tragedy. Not just him but she also ditched Naruto! Her own son. How could he ever trust that?

"Where were you!" He exploded. "All this time you've been gone, but what about us?" Do you have any idea what I've gone through? What Naruto has gone through?" The Uchiha threw his hands up as angry tears fell from his eyes.

Sakura took a step back at the ferocity of her crush's words. As she grew as a kunoichi, so did her awareness of her team. She knew that Sasuke was deeply scarred by the tragedy that most of the village only whispered about. She herself had never mentioned it out of respect and out of fear that she would open a box she wasn't at all prepared to face. It went the same for Naruto in a way, at least that was how she had felt before speaking to Naruto. Now her whiskered friends seemed less vulnerable at times, less fragile. She wanted to see the raven less jaded and more whole. With that in mind, she took his hand tentatively. When he squeezed it she breathed a sigh of relief and glared at the red-headed woman.

Naruto was surprised at the outburst, well not quite so surprised more like relieved. Relieved because he had seen the weight his best friend carried on his shoulders constantly. He was alone in his own way and sad. He had had no one to pick himself up only a bunch of scavengers waiting to pick at his remains after his family had been killed. Sasuke had to do it all himself all while wading through the grief of losing everyone he had cared for. Naruto hadn't felt that sort of pain, not when he had never had the opportunity to have someone that cared for him in the first place. But he understood the loneliness and the pain of having no one. But his mother had died, there was nothing she could have done. So, he stood between his mother and his team and folded his arms.

For Kakashi's part, he was still attempting to piece together how she was standing in front of him. He had watched her die, after all. He was worried, also, about the apparent divide his team had built in only a matter of minutes. He didn't want all the progress they had made to shatter at his feet. Their team was the closest nit team he had ever seen. This could be a problem.

"Naruto, how could you defend her. She left you at the mercy of the villa-" Sasuke took an angry step forward, ready to beat some sense into his friend if necessary.

"Ikari brought her back from the dead." The whiskered boy rushed out.

Sasuke faltered. "W-what?"

"She died, the night I was born… but she sealed some of her chakra in me so that I could meet her when I was ready. Ikari found that chakra and… she's like a long-lasting Kage Bushin."

"Wait… how is that possible? Does that mean that you're not really here?" Sakura asked confusion overtaking anger.

"I'm as real as any of you," Kushina said.

"But resurrection isn't possible!" Sasuke knew that very well, he had poured over hundreds of books and found nothing.

"For humans; Ikari isn't exactly human now is he?" The usually fiery woman addressed.

Sasuke bit his lip. Ideas flew through his mind a hundred miles per hour and Kakashi winced at the obvious turn of his student's line of thinking. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It was only possible because of the sealed chakra used, right?" The silver Jounin asked.

Kushina frowned, how was she supposed to lie like this? "Ikari has certain limits to what is capable by himself."

Kakashi caught the implications of her statement but his students were too preoccupated with Sasuke's dark mood. His one visible eye shifted to Naruto who was consoling his teammates then back at Kushina. Her eyes said it all and Kakashi suddenly felt like he was holding a small explosion.

"So… What does all this mean?" Sasuke asked, flatly brushing off his teammate's consoling gazes so that he could at least partially run from the grief he still had.

Kushina smiled. "It means I can't replace Mikoto-chan, but I would like it if you would allow me to make up for the lost time. Like I said you are my godson."

Sasuke was surprised. The woman seemed genuine but how could he be sure she wasn't trying to use him for the Uchiha estate. He had had far too many civilians attempting to do the same in his younger years. Even if this was Naruto's mother he wouldn't allow it. But with Naruto looking at him with those stupid puppy dog eyes and Sakura smiling at him with tears in her eyes, his shoulders slumped.

"Fine, but only because it's less annoying than going on a D-rank." He crossed his arms and turned his head. He would never admit that he felt warm when his team began celebrating his acceptance. Even Kakashi gave him a pat on the head. He rolled his eyes to hide his smile. When Kushina offered them breakfast he wondered if they were right to persuade him into letting her in, he felt at peace in Naruto's table. He felt as though the people around it were his family. They all talked about what they had planned that day and about how their training had been going. Kushina was equally proud of all of them, but still threatened Kakashi to be gentle with her kids. This included Sakura because Naruto had filled his mom in on why she was staying with the Uchiha, to which the red-headed woman promptly adopted the girl without any further question. Sasuke wondered if he could allow himself to be open to the prospect of a found family when he had yet to avenge his real one. He thought better of diving too deep into that train of thought, madness wasn't too far ahead. Instead, he focused on the present, he grunted when appropriate and secretly reveled in the way Kushina chastised Naruto about his dirty language, even when he outwardly had no reaction to it besides a roll of his eyes. He felt like he was a young child again and his mother was yelling at Itachi for leaving his dirty sandals right in front of the door instead of lining them neatly with the rest of the family's; before he watched that same brother murdered his entire family. He felt at peace and honestly, that was more than he had ever expected from his life.

Sakura laughed while Kushina chased Naruto around the living room. Naruto had a serious potty mouth, and it was funny to watch someone who he'd actually listen to do something about it. She glanced over at Sasuke who hadn't said much at all.

She nudged him with her foot beneath the table and smiled at him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her raised brow was interpreted as a question of whether or not he was coping well with this new situation. With Sakura's training in the medical arts, she had noticed more than the raven was comfortable with but to his relief, she hadn't said anything besides making sure he wasn't alone for too long and giving him reassurances. It wasn't the therapy he needed but it did serve to warm him in unexpected ways. He quirked his mouth a fraction and she accepted it, going back to watching the two Uzumaki's antics.

Kakashi smiled at his team. Having Kushina back seemed to lift the world from nearly all of their shoulders. She had been an overwhelmingly calm force despite her fiery persona in her first life and he was glad to see it hadn't changed at all. He himself felt more at ease. Before knocking on the door and seeing her standing in his student's home he had been moving through life on auto-pilot, now though was different. He suddenly felt like he had been jerked out of cruise control. He was oddly present.

After an hour or so, he called their attention and explained that they needed to get to the tower for their usual mission. Kushina practically had stars in her eyes as she sent them on their way.

As they made their way towards the tower, Kushina disappeared towards the hospital to reunite with her mother.