Last Time:

Naruto let out a heavy sigh and watched as Madara stood up and cut the audio for the room. He knew it was best to not ask questions but when the screen darkened and the visual recording was cut as well, he knew that what was going to happen next was something he wasn't going to hear about anytime soon.

"I'll see you later Master Madara, Master Izuna," Naruto said as he shook both their hands before heading out the room. He saw Sakura standing there with a small smile on her face and that enough called his chest to constrict. "Sakura-chan."

"I could really go for a burger," Sakura muttered, her voice breaking as tears started streaming down her face. She tried to wipe her tears away but it didn't take long before she was on her knees sobbing and Naruto was holding her.

Opposites Attract: Chapter 9 – "Don't you dare forget who you are!"

She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed as she sat there in her bay window and stared outside as the rain poured and storm raged on. She didn't protest when Naruto brought her straight home but she didn't eat anything he tried to give her. The only thing she could focus on were Mebuki's words to her before she left.

"At the end of the day, you were leverage."

"Leverage, huh?" Sakura repeated as she hugged her knees. She let out a heavy sigh and finally craned her head so she could see the time. It was almost nine which meant that most of Whirlwind should've returned to the estate by now. As she focused, she could hear the hustle and bustle that filled the walls of the Whirlwind Estate every day. Usually it was a comforting but it made her uneasy.

There were a few knocks on her door. "Sakura-chan, are you up?"

Sakura recognized Kushina's concerned tone. She stretched her legs and let them dangle over the edge of the seat in her bay window. "I'm awake."

After a momentary pause, Kushina opened the door and poked her head inside. She noticed that the only lights on were the firefly lights that lined the window. She stepped in and quietly shut the door behind her before joining Sakura and looking out the window. "It's been raining like crazy for hours. You should've saw Naruto-kun when Minato-kun and I came home, he looked so upset."

Sakura thought about it for a moment and put on a small smile. "I guess Hinata-chan is feeling the same right about now. Master Hiashi hasn't been letting Hinata out on her nightly runs because of everything happening with Styx."

"I don't blame him," Kushina agreed as she leaned against the frame and looked at Sakura. "It's scary how quickly that stuff is spreading despite the side effects. But it won't be too much longer before Whirlwind cleans this mess up and get things back to normal."

"Did Kizashi and Mebuki talk?" Sakura questioned and saw the slight twinge on the corner of Kushina's mouth. She could see ow the muscle in her cheek tightened and recognized Kushina was clenching her jaw. Sakura managed a smile.

Kushina sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "With all the information they gave us, it looks like that Master Madara is going to have to investigate some of the prison guards over there. Turns out that Kizashi and Mebuki were recently reincluded in the loop with this Styx stuff and its distribution plan. They didn't know specific names but had heard a few of them and were able to tell us some of the names."

"And Baji?" Sakura questioned.

"Baji?" Kushina repeated as she looked out the window. "Minato-kun and I went over there after we left Kizashi and Mebuki. He wasn't as willing to give us the information we wanted but after some stern convincing from Minato-kun, he was more than willing to share what he knew as well. It turns out he's no longer the head of Phoenix but he isn't exactly sure who the new leader is. And it seems like they've employing Kizashi's old idea of mixing human trafficking with sex and drug trafficking in more lenient areas of cities."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

Kushina sighed. "Phoenix is well known for their prostitution operation. It seems that recently they've started having their workers also deal drugs to their customers and they're also the middle men between the supplier and distributors. I hate to admit it but it's a bit of a flawless operation seeing as prostitution is legal."

"Consensual prostitution is legal," Sakura reminded Kushina and saw her nod.

"You're right," Kushina acknowledged. "But enough about Phoenix; are you alright? I know it couldn't have been easy to hear all that you heard from Mebuki."

"Oh." A solemn expression crossed Sakura's face and she looked down. She began to fidget with her fingers. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?" Kushina ask.

Sakura hesitated for a moment before looking up at Kushina again. "Mebuki kept mentioning that Kizashi had feelings for you. Were you two together before you met Minato?"

Kushina looked at Sakura for a moment before rubbing the back of her neck. "Kizashi and I were never together but I guess I was aware of his feelings for me. But the reason I never acknowledged them was because I knew Mebuki was in love with Kizashi. Back then Mebuki and I were best friends and practically joined at the hip. Once we entered middle school, that's when Mebuki told me that she had serious feelings for Kizashi and she threatened to stop being my friend if I also liked him." Kushina laughed nervously and scratched her cheek, "I guess that terrified me because back then I already had very few friends so the fact that my best friend was threatening to stop being my friend if I liked Kizashi, I kept him at a distance."

Sakura watched as Kushina had a bit of a solemn expression on her face as she reflected on the pass.

"But when we entered high school and I started operating my own yakuza faction underneath my father, Kizashi immediately took up the position as my right hand and followed me anywhere," Kushina explained as she looked at Sakura, a bit of a guilty expression on her face. "He confessed to me at his high school graduation and Mebuki happened to be passing by when he did it. To this day I don't think I've been in a bloodier fight with a girl than I was when Mebuki decided to punch me square in my nose. She broke it on the first swing so my nose is just gushing blood while Mebuki and I start getting in this all-out brawl."

Sakura giggled at Kushina's recollection of her fight with Mebuki.

Kushina smiled as well and continued, "Anyway, I couldn't reciprocate the feelings but despite that, Mebuki was still angry with me. Every day after that it was a constant competition between the two of us on getting Kizashi's attention but she was fighting with herself more so than me competing with her and even then, it was pointless. It had even reached the point where Kizashi requested my father's blessing on proposing to me but my father of course rejected it because I was only a senior in high school and at the time, next in line to take over the Uzumaki Clan."

"What happened when you met Minato then?" Sakura questioned.

"A lot," Kushina said with an exasperated sigh. "Back then the I was the 'Red Hot Habanero' running around with Konoha Reapers and Minato was the 'Yellow Flash' and running around with the Speed Demons. You would thing that our two gangs wouldn't clash because his focused mainly on racing and conquering the streets that way whereas I was trying to pick up more territory for my father. But coincidentally enough, we ended up at the same party one night in Central Konoha at an underground club called Tempest. It wasn't love at first sight for me but it was for Minato because he immediately came up to me and proposed."

Sakura blinked a few times before she processed Kushina's words. "He did what?"

Kushina giggled at Sakura's reaction. "Right? I hadn't been more shocked before in my life and everyone in Konoha Reapers were beyond pissed. So, it was after that that my gang and his gang started clashing all the time and every time Minato saw me he would compliment me and try to get me to go on a date with me."

"He sounds persistent," Sakura said and saw Kushina nod.

"He was exhausting too," Kushina admitted. "But one night, Baji had shown up with Phoenix and tried picking a fight with my gang. I mouthed off to him and Baji responded by hitting me. Kizashi was about to beat up Baji but Minato came in out of nowhere and beat the living shit out of Baji. And when I finally pulled Minato off Baji who he almost killed that night, he stood up and spit on Baji and said, 'If you ever lay your hands on Kushina again I'll kill you,' and the rest was history," Kushina was blushing and squirming in her seat at the memory of Minato's display of valor.

Sakura let out an awkward laugh. "That's a bit strange, don't you think?"

"Maybe a little," Kushina answered and the two of them giggled.

Kushina smiled at the fact that Sakura was laughing. She reached over and pat Sakura's head affectionately and saw the slightly embarrassed look that came over Sakura's face. She smiled and place a gentle hand on Sakura's cheek.

"I know that it was hard for you to hear everything Mebuki said but let anything she said change who you are, do you hear me?" Kushina requested.

Sakura pursed her lips together. She looked away. "If they didn't love each other, why did they even bother having me?"

Kushina thought for a moment. "They had you so that you could be with Minato-kun and I."

"Huh?" Sakura looked at her, a conflicted expression on her face.

Kushina put on a small smile. "I know that you've only been living with us for seven years but you have truly been a blessing on this family. Minato-kun and I love you like you're our own. You are our daughter despite Mebuki and Kizashi being responsible for you being here. Yes, everything they did to you and caused to happen to you is unforgivable and disgusting but you're here, with us."

"You're just saying that," Sakura muttered.

"Haruno Sakura," Kushina spoke firmly and saw Sakura look at her with a shameful and guilty expression. "You are far stronger than I was when I was your age and there isn't a day that goes by that I wish I was like you when I was younger. You are truly an inspiration because the fact that you still manage to smile even after everything that happened. I know it couldn't have been easy but you need to know that not everyone has your strength. You are strong and don't you dare forget that for one second. Don't you dare forget who you are. You didn't fight through all of that just to let someone to destroy you because they're incapable of understanding how you're still alive after all this time. Understand?"

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes at the sound of Kushina's words. She watched as Kushina opened her arms and she immediately hugged her and buried her face in her chest. She sobbed while Kushina hugged her and cooed.

Outside the door, Naruto and Minato stood with their ears pressed against the door. Minato wore a proud expression on his face while Naruto gave him a curious look. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and stood before beginning to walk away. As he passed his father, he grabbed his collar and began to pull him away.

"Come on Otou-san, no more eavesdropping," Naruto declared.

"Huh?" Minato whined as he continued to be dragged along. "But it was your idea in the first place because you were worried about Sakura-chan. And wait a minute, aren't I the parent here? Why am I the one being dragged?"

"What are you two doing?"

Minato looked pass Naruto and could see Jiraiya standing at the top of the steps and looking at the two of them. Minato let out a nervous laugh. "Otou-san, good evening."

"Good evening Oji-chan," Naruto said as he let go of Minato and watched as Minato quickly scrambled to his feet.

Jiraiya sighed and then smiled. "What Naruto? Not going out to see your girlfriend the Hyuuga Princess?"

Minato snickered as Naruto turned red.

"And Minato, where's Kushina? Are you neglecting your husbandly duties? You know you can't do that or you're going to end up divorced and potentially die alone," Jiraiya warned.

"I carry out my husbandly duties to completion every night Sir," Minato said firmly as he saluted Jiraiya.

"Do you have any shame?" Naruto whined.

"It's not like you're not ever going to have sex," Minato said casually and watched as Naruto covered his ears. "Naruto-kun? What is it?"

"I don't want to talk about this!" Naruto declared as he ran away from Minato and Jiraiya.

"You either get the talk from your mother and I or Jiraiya's going to make you read every book in the Makeout Paradise series," Minato shouted to Naruto who had made his way down the steps.

"What are they doing?" Kushina questioned as she hung out Sakura's door with her, the two of them having seen the whole interaction between the three generations.

"Who knows?" Sakura said before sniffling and rubbing her eyes.

"Master Minato, there you are." Iruka was part of the way up the steps when he spotted Minato. He made his way to him and held out a medium sized black letter that was sealed using gold wax, the emblem belonging to the Hyuuga Clan.

"Oh, is it time for this already?" Minato questioned as he opened the envelope and pulled opened the invitation from inside. "'We cordially invite Namikaze Minato and Company to attend the 25th Annual Hyuuga Enterprise Charitarian Masquerade Ball,'" Minato read.

To Be Continued…