Notes: Parts of this are heavily inspired by KonohasBlackReaper's excellent fanfic, "Beautiful Hair", (it can be found on my faves list, naturally) in which Orochimaru uses Edo Tensei to revive Kushina during the chunin exams. I so wanted to do that story, but with some key differences. It wasn't to be, sadly. What did work out is how much I want Kushina to meet her grandkids (but only because I keep trying, and this is the first time I've posted a success). So these final two chapters (unless I come up with yet another one, always possible) will wrap things up and offer a wild, unlikely theory as to how the Boruto series could get to that battle with Kawaki.
Chapter Summary: Boruto meets a certain undead redhead in Orochimaru's lair. He takes her home and decides to keep her. No matter the cost.
Springtime for Sarada
A Naruto Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 5: Doomed to Repeat, Part 1: Grandma's Red Hair
"Say that one more time," Naruto murmured, leaning back in his chair and slowly massaging the bridge of his nose.
"I said this entire world may be the product of genjutsu-" Sasuke began.
"That's what I thought you said," Naruto groaned, missing the twitch of annoyance in Sasuke's face at being interrupted. "Great. Just great."
"You believe me," Sasuke said with some surprise. "Why?"
Naruto shrugged. "If it was you doing it, you wouldn't just tell me. And I know it really bugs any Uchiha in general, and you in particular, to have to admit you're stuck in anyone's genjutsu." He paused, then added, "And this isn't really the first ti-" He stopped again, then shook his head. "You know what, forget it. What are we going to do?"
"Find the dreamer and wake them up, obviously," Sasuke replied at once.
"How is that obvious?" Naruto countered.
Sasuke stared at him. "Please tell me that you're pretending to be this stupid. Are you actually suggesting that we should stay under the genjutsu?"
"Are you suggesting that you don't care that your family will cease to exist?"
Sasuke went very still. "They're not-"
"Real? Or actually your family?" Naruto leaned forward, peering at Sasuke intently. "So if we wake up and come out of those cocoons, and Sakura tries to be with you again, you're going to turn her down? You won't be at all interested in making Sarada happen again?"
"What if that's what the dreamer wants?" Sasuke demanded.
"What if that's what you want?" Naruto asked softly.
Sasuke bristled at once. "You said it wasn't me-"
"I know. But you can't look me in the eyes and honestly say that you don't care that you wouldn't be married to Sakura, or that you wouldn't have Sarada anymore."
"That's not-"
"Sasuke, if you tell me you don't want that little girl, I'll impregnate Sakura myself to give Sarada a chance at existing. She might come out as a blonde or redhead, and with no Sharingan, but at least she'd come out."
Sasuke said nothing. The truly unnerving thing was that Naruto hadn't said that just out of some silly childhood crush on Sakura that never went away. He said it out of genuine love for Sarada. And if Naruto could admit that he was that devoted to Sasuke's daughter's existence, then Sasuke could do no less. Anyway, it was easier than suggesting that Sasuke was equally attached to Boruto, regardless of the reasons he wouldn't want to admit it.
"Anyway, there's always the chance that the world has been wrecked or otherwise drastically changed while we were under," Naruto added.
"Then we'll fix it," Sasuke said simply, confidently. "Sakura will help."
"And is that before or after you tell her about Sarada?"
Sasuke frowned at him. "Naruto, do you really think it's a good idea for me, a master of genjutsu, to propose to someone by telling them about our daughter from another reality? That might do more damage to the possibility of Sarada being born than anything else. If Hinata had come to you out of the blue and told you in detail about two kids you'd have together, when you yourself had never even seriously considered being with her, would that be a turn-off or a turn-on? Would you think she was romantic, or insane?"
Naruto chuckled a little. "She'd be super cute either way, but I see your point. And I'm not a genjutsu freak like you. But then again, Sakura and Hinata... they've been in love with us since we were kids. I don't think Sakura would scare that easy. Especially since you showed so little interest in her before the point we would have been put under the genjutusu. As feisty as she is, she'd probably jump your bones the second you mentioned having a kid with her. She knows it's your dream to revive your clan, after all." Naruto paused. "I never understood. How are you going to do that with only one kid, again...?"
"We're getting off track," Sasuke pointed out irritably. "We are not willingly staying under a genjutsu while who knows what happens to the world around us. I'm not, anyway."
"Okay, you're right," Naruto sighed. "So, any idea as to who is in charge of this dream? And why it's tailored to their desires, and not ours? From what I remember, Obito was boasting about how this genjutsu was supposed to be customized for each individual. So it's weird that we're both in the same dream, aware that we are, and that neither one of us is in charge. Right?"
Sasuke nodded. "Basically. It shouldn't be that hard to narrow down the person. Who would enjoy things being this way the most?"
"Not me. I'd definitely want my son to like me a bit more," Naruto murmured. "And you and Sakura would have a ton of kids-"
"You're getting off track again."
"No, I think you are. Unless you expect Sarada to have lots of kids. Or clones."
"Off track," Sasuke said firmly. "Think. Who would be enjoying this world the most?"
"Not Karin," Naruto offered with a smirk.
Sasuke's face twitched. "Off-" he began loudly.
"Okay, okay! I think we can cross the rest of the old gang off of the list. I mean, they've got some cute kids, but I think their desires would be more noticeable. Lee would have half the village dressing in green spandex, Ino would have flowers and male strippers everywhere, Kiba would have a dog in every house-"
"Hinata would have orange declared Konoha's official color-"
"Off track," Naruto grumbled. "Can't be Kakashi, nothing is perverted enough."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The man has other hobbies, Naruto."
"Yeah, but he openly read porn in front of his genin team and most of the village. He'd keep the more important stuff hidden. And since his father, my father, Obito, and Rin aren't walking around alive, pretty sure Kakashi's safe."
They were silent for a moment, thinking the matter over carefully.
"Don't take this the wrong way, because I'd be the first to admit I really hope it's not him, but what about Orochimaru?" Naruto finally suggested.
"Go on," Sasuke said.
"He's still alive and he looks great. He actually gets along with us now, which allows him to pursue his research in peace. He's got Mitsuki. And he hasn't really lost any of his power, he's just not as blatant about it anymore. Other than Yamato breathing down his neck, which he claims to enjoy, it's all coming up roses for him, isn't it?"
"That's... all true," Sasuke admitted. "But why would he want us to both be distant fathers?"
"So that our kids would be easier for him to get to?" Naruto offered.
"That's dumb," Sasuke said immediately. "It's not like he can just stroll into the village... anymore."
Naruto sighed. "I know you've been otherwise occupied, but I thought you'd remember: our kids have made leaving the village without permission a habit. In fact, Sarada was the first of them to try it."
"We had an agreement," Sarada growled as she stomped over to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki docilely leaned forward, allowing her to slip a collar with a large bell attached around his neck.
"Are you really going to make him wear that thing?" Boruto asked, his embarrassment for Mitsuki suddenly outweighing any annoyance at having chased after him again.
"Have you not been paying attention, Boruto?! We just chased him all the way to the Sound Village! AGAIN!" Sarada snarled. "YES, I'm going to make him wear it!"
"You didn't have to follow-" Mitsuki began.
"Of course we did!" Sarada snapped. "Why wouldn't we?! It's you, isn't it?! It's us, isn't it?!"
Mitsuki's face softened. "Thank you, my friends."
Sarada scowled at him. "Oh, shut up and tell us why you had to come here this time."
"Because I asked him to," Orochimaru said as he emerged from the shadows. "Hello, Sarada-chan, Boruto-kun. It's nice to see you again."
For all the good it would do, Sarada and Boruto immediately moved back to back. They had no real reason to think Orochimaru would attack them, but on the other hand, it was really starting to look like he'd used Mitsuki to lure them into his lair.
"There's no need for that," Orochimaru said, looking very amused. "There will be no fighting during this visit."
"That's what you think!" Boruto shouted, launching himself at Orochimaru. The last time, he'd been desperate for answers, and so more willing to cooperate. This time, however, he was back to his usual self and, as a rule, generally left cooperating with adults to other people.
There was a blur of motion, and a fantastic amount of violence crammed into about three seconds.
Boruto woke up on the ground a minute later, blood leaking slowly from his mouth. He had no idea what had happened to him, only that it hurt a lot, but not nearly as much as it could have, had his opponent been serious.
"As I said, no fighting," Orochimaru stated calmly, inspecting his fingernails for blood. "Fighting implies you have a chance of winning. But if you actually want to get beaten silly? We can do that, as well."
"I'll just stick with the non-violent type of visiting, thanks," Sarada muttered, taking a long look at the twitching heap that was Boruto.
"Smart girl. Would you like some tea?"
Sarada was about to refuse, strongly, when a door opened somewhere behind her, and there was a loud, pleased gasp of, "Sarada-chan?!" Sarada looked over her shoulder and paled slightly at the sight of Karin, carrying a tray with the aforementioned tea on it.
It wasn't that Sarada wasn't happy to see Karin, because she was. It was just that Sarada was now realizing, even if they had come here planning to start a fight, that would have failed miserably, because Orochimaru had ways of disarming them that did not involve fighting at all. And they were even more effective than his fists. Which, by the way, were already extremely effective, as evidenced by Boruto still being on the ground and showing no signs of rising any time soon.
"It's so good to see you again!" Karin gushed with a sappy grin. "While you're here, I've got some spare pairs of glasses for you, but I want to adjust them so that they fit perfectly. It'll only take a few minutes, I promise."
"Um, okay," Sarada said slowly. That seemed an innocent enough offer, and she could always use some spares. She took one more glance at Boruto, saw that Mitsuki had at least gotten him into a somewhat comfortable seated position, and followed Karin out of the room, ignoring Boruto's hissed protests.
"There really is no point in you attempting to attack me, Boruto-kun," Orochimaru noted. "Why, even if you did pose some actual threat to me, I have ways of dealing with you that do not even require me to get my hands dirty. Ways that even your much-celebrated father would be powerless in the face of."
Boruto glared at him. "There's no comparison between me and my old man!"
Orochimaru chuckled softly. "So defiant, even now. But it's time you learned: the Sannin were before your time, and even farther beyond your ability to contend with. One day, perhaps, you and your team may rival us. But for now, that is nothing more than a dream. And I have never had a problem turning those against impulsive young people such as yourself." He turned his back on Boruto. "You don't need to view me as an enemy. I would prefer you see me as... a provider of elusive knowledge. A giver of unique gifts. If Mitsuki was the first, consider this to be the second."
Another door opened off to the side, and Boruto tensed, forcing himself to his feet and preparing for another impossible opponent. He wasn't wrong.
"Orocchi, even a natural sealing genius like me has trouble working over the sounds of roughhousing," said the redheaded woman that walked in. "Not because it's too noisy, but because we both know I can bust heads better than you ever could."
"Ah, please forgive me, Kushina," Orochimaru replied. "Mitsuki brought some rather energetic guests, and I couldn't resist playing with them a bit. Why don't we see what you make of this one, then?"
Boruto frowned as the redhead stepped into the light and stood at Orochimaru's side. His first thought was that she was pretty, or would have been, if not for the unnatural shade of blackness in and around her eyes. It gave her an eerie sort of aura that prevented her from being truly attractive. And it made sense, that she was the sort of woman that Orochimaru would pal around with.
Then it happened: Kushina's eyes widened as her gaze landed on Boruto, and her nostrils flared. "Wait! Y-You... look so much like him! But you're too young, unless..." She glared at Orochimaru accusingly. "Did you use one of your damned de-aging jutsu on my Naruto?!"
Orochimaru laughed. "I suppose I deserved that. But no, in this, I am entirely innocent. Any youth Naruto-kun still possesses is surely a result of your famed Uzumaki blood. And this boy is definitely not him, though he certainly has that same blood. He also is not a clone, before you accuse me of that. His name is Boruto."
"Boruto, you say? But then, that means..." The woman turned back to Boruto, and an alarmingly huge grin spread across her face. "GRANDBABY!" she shrieked joyously.
Boruto winced at the abrupt increase in volume, and instantly found himself smothered as the woman crushed him to her chest in a super-tight hug. "Hey, what are you doing?!" he demanded, struggling against what he could only see then as an obvious attack.
"Hello, my precious little man! I'm your papa's mama, your grandmother!" Kushina cooed in his ear, rubbing her cheek against his.
Boruto froze and gaped at her. "Wait, WHAT?! Then what are you doing HERE?!" he demanded.
Kushina released him and shrugged. "Oh, well, Orocchi brought me back from the dead for an experiment, and when he was done, I wanted to stick around, see how things had changed. But we agreed that I should stay here, so I wouldn't alarm anyone who might recognize me. Orocchi hasn't always done things like this for the best reasons."
Boruto was having trouble processing all of this. "S-So, you're Yondaime jiji's wife? And you've been here, with THIS guy, for how long?!" He stabbed a finger in Orochimaru's direction.
Kushina laughed. "Oh, don't be silly, Boru-tan! Your grandfather was the only man for me. And Orocchi doesn't have that sort of interest in anyone, from what I've seen. Anyway, it's been so much fun, getting to know Karin and teaching her about our clan. I didn't actually want to leave. I heard Naruto was doing well for himself, so of course I wanted to see him, but I didn't think that would turn out so good. But now that I know I have an adorable grandbaby like you..." She petted Boruto's hair fondly, and surprisingly, he allowed this.
"Technically, you have two," Boruto muttered without thinking.
Kushina's eyes widened. "TWO grandbabies?! Quick, tell me, what's the other one like?!"
"Her name is Himawari, and-"
"A GIRL?!" Kushina shrieked happily, dancing in place a little. "I just can't stand it, I HAVE TO MEET HER!"
Boruto gaped at this sudden change in attitude. "But you just said-!"
"Forget what I said! We're going right now!" Kushina scooped Boruto up under one arm, as if he weighed nothing. "Orocchi, it's been fun, but-!"
Orochimaru waved lazily. "I know better than to try to stand between you and your grandchild, Kushina. I'm sure you can handle yourself well enough until your 'mission' is completed. But, do be sure to tell Naruto-kun that this visit was your idea, not mine."
Kushina grinned. "Sure, no problem!"
"Hey, wait!" Boruto protested. "I can't leave without Sarada!"
Sarada chose that moment to make a hasty return. She was carrying a box that apparently contained spare pairs of glasses, and wearing a near-permanent blush. "Let's get out of here before Karin tries to make me wear those dumb dresses she got me," she hissed. Then she paused upon spotting Kushina. "Hey Boruto, who is this?"
Boruto shrugged. "My undead granny, apparently." Kushina beamed at him and gave him a little squeeze.
Sarada blinked slowly, but since no one else seemed at all alarmed, she decided not to question it just yet. "Oookay..."
"And she's coming back to the village with us," Boruto added absently.
Sarada frowned. "This isn't the part where one of my undead relatives pops in, is it?"
"Certainly not," Orochimaru said at once. "Undead Uchiha are far more trouble than they're worth. And Kushina is more than a handful entirely by herself. But you'll find out soon enough, she's your problem now."
The journey back to the village was odder than Sarada had expected.
Kushina seemed to have an endless supply of energy (and actually did, in this case), covered ground almost three times as fast as anyone else in the group, and insisted on carrying Boruto on her back the entire way. And even more surprising, Boruto let her.
Sarada expected Kushina to be full of stories of the former Uzumaki clan, but instead, Boruto spent the entire trip telling her about his family of four.
And, of course, Boruto could not resist complaining about how his father wasn't home enough. Sarada did not expect that to fly well with Kushina: after all, she'd been married to a Hokage, and in her eyes, Naruto was likely still her baby boy. But instead, Kushina agreed with Boruto.
"Naruto should really know better. It's true that he didn't have me or Minato around to raise him, so he knows the pain of being orphaned. Naturally, he was tough enough to survive it, and I'm sure you are too, Boru-tan. But just because you are, doesn't mean you should have to. And especially not if both of your parents are alive and in the same village."
"Well, kaa-chan's always there for us," Boruto amended, realizing he might have exaggerated. "She makes sure we have everything else we need."
"Oh? What clan is she from? Or did Naruto find himself a girl outside of the clans?"
"She's a Hyuga," Sarada answered. "From the main family."
Kushina cackled gleefully. "Naruto got himself a real, live Hyuga princess? My son doesn't do anything halfway!"
This would have been the perfect time for Boruto to chime in with a usual retort, something like, "Except raise kids." But he said nothing. Instead, he was staring at Kushina's red hair, and every so often, carefully running his fingers through the loose strands of it.
Kushina then shifted her attention to Sarada. "So, which Uchiha are you related to, Sarada-chan? Maybe I knew your parents, or grandparents."
Sarada hesitated. "My father is Sasuke-"
"You're Sasuke's girl?! That's so cute!" Kushina squealed. "I bet he grew up all brooding and handsome, right?"
Sarada stared at Kushina blankly. "What... how do you know that?!" she demanded. "You were dead!"
Kushina shrugged. "Itachi was shaping up that way, and I can't imagine Sasuke not taking after him. And they're Mikoto's boys, of course they'd be heartbreakers." She winked at Sarada. "You should know, since you're pretty cute yourself, Sarada-chan!"
Thoroughly red in the face now, Sarada shook her head hard. "A-Anyway! Karin said you're probably the most talented... authority on sealing jutsu in the world right now." She'd almost said "living authority" but caught herself just in time.
Kushina sighed heavily. "Yeah, unfortunately. But it wouldn't be that way, if my clan were still around. I'm sure some punk kid would be sealing circles around me by now. Sealing was like breathing for so many of us. And there were at least a couple of prodigies every generation, though it seemed like every year, back then." She paused and smiled. "Are you interested in learning about sealing jutsu, Sarada-chan?"
"You'd teach me?" Sarada asked, immediately interested.
"Sure, if I can. I don't know how long I'll be around, but your grandmother was my very best friend. I wouldn't feel right, not giving you a useful gift." Kushina glanced over her shoulder. "How about you, Boru-tan?"
"Huh?" He blinked, tore his gaze away from Kushina's hair, and then forced a smile. "Sure, whatever you say, baa-chan!"
Kushina shook her head. "Do you even know what you just agreed to?"
Boruto hesitated, enough of an answer in itself.
Kushina laughed softly. "Easily distracted, huh? I wish you hadn't inherited that from me."
"There's nothing wrong with me being like you," Boruto said at once, firmly.
"No?" Kushina asked with a grin. "You might just be my favorite grandchild."
Boruto snorted. "That'll last about two seconds, after you meet Hima."
Sarada was the first to recognize that simply bringing an undead Kushina into the village with no prior warning, especially since they'd again left without permission to chase Mitsuki, might not be viewed in the best light. So she entered the village alone first, and was taken directly to the Hokage's office, where she explained the more pressing issue.
Naruto and Shikamaru just sort of stared at her.
Finally, Naruto shook his head slightly. "How are, uh, she and Boruto getting along?"
Sarada shrugged. "Great, honestly. I thought it would be weird, but they hit it off right away. It's kind of like having a big kid with us. Well, two of them, counting Boruto."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Yeah, she can have that effect. And you don't suspect anything off about her?"
"Orochimaru did seem unusually relaxed about letting her leave. I thought maybe it was a trick, but she hasn't done anything odd yet. She really wants to meet Himawari, but I guess that would be true even if she wasn't part of an evil plot."
"Would you trust her around your family?" Naruto asked.
Sarada blinked. "Karin would have warned me, if she were dangerous to me. I believe that."
"Good enough for me, I guess."
"Really?" Shikamaru asked mildly.
"Good enough for me to check things out myself," Naruto clarified, rising from his chair. "Find Kakashi and Tsunade, if you can. They're probably the only ones left who might recognize any behavior that was extremely out of character for her. I'd like to include myself on that list, but I'm mostly going with my gut on this one."
"Which says what?" Shikamaru asked.
"That if Orochimaru had done this to hurt me, he wouldn't have waited so long, and he wouldn't keep her personality intact."
Shikamaru frowned. "Unless his plan is to get you to drop your guard."
"It's not dropped," Naruto disagreed. "I'm just... cautiously optimistic."
"Don't make me regret teaching you that phrase, Naruto."
When Sarada had gone ahead into the village, Boruto had thought he would use that time to talk to Kushina more. But instead, they had lapsed into an extended silence, where he just stared at Kushina, and she kept smiling at him. It should have been weird.
It wasn't.
Except for the part where Mitsuki, perhaps a little annoyed at being ignored, kept clearing his throat. And if not for the fact that he'd already figured out how to silence his new bell with chakra, he moight have danced in place just to make it ring and draw attention to himself.
Naruto appeared without warning behind Kushina.
Boruto watched her pause and close her eyes. "Naruto," she whispered. "It's you, isn't it?"
Naruto slowly approached her back. "I could ask you the same, kaa-chan."
Kushina turned and faced him. "I didn't want you to see me like this, but-"
"How could my seeing you ever be bad?" Naruto interrupted, gently taking her hands in his.
With a trembling smile, she stepped closer. "You're a sweet talker, Naru-chan. Just like your father."
Naruto smiled. "No, I just have an inherited appreciation for red-haired beauties."
"You're not worried? About why I'm like this?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Sarada gave me the highlights. Since you haven't attacked anyone yet, I'm willing to take it on faith that you're not a threat, for now. But there is one thing: I can't let you meet the rest of my family yet."
Kushina sighed. "You need to determine if I'm really safe-"
"What I need," Naruto said calmly, squeezing her hands, "is some time alone with my mother. I think I'm allowed to be a little selfish about that. And if I'm not? Call it a Hokage... entertaining a foreign dignitary. You're dead, so you're pretty foreign."
"And if someone tells your wife they saw you holding hands with a pretty redhead?"
"Hinata trusts me. And she'd only really worry if the hair was pink." Naruto turned to Boruto, who was frowning at him with squinty eyes. "Go home. Tell your mother to expect a guest for dinner. And tell Himawari to expect a nice surprise."
It was a sign that Boruto recognized how important Kushina visiting their home was that he didn't complain at all about being given the task. But he did linger, staring hard at Kushina. "Hey, baa-chan! Promise you won't go back to being dead before you get to the house! I don't like lying to my little sister!"
Kushina blinked. "It's not really up to me-"
"I said promise!" Boruto snapped.
Kushina stared at him, her expression softening. "I promise, Boru-tan. I won't leave until I meet her."
Boruto nodded stiffly, then turned and ran off.
"He really takes his promises seriously," Kushina murmured.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "But it's more that he doesn't like being made a liar. Afraid that's mostly my fault. I haven't always been there for them, as much as I would have liked."
Kushina smiled sadly. "I can relate."
Naruto shook his head. "I never blamed you. Not once I knew what happened to you. And even before, it was more because no one would tell me anything at all."
"That doesn't erase the guilt and sorrow I feel for leaving you alone. Or yours, for not being there for them. It doesn't mean that you don't love them. It means that you do, and you're going to do better next time." She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry so much about what you can't change."
"Sounds like good advice."
"It should be, your father only told it to me a hundred times. I'd hate to think he'd been wrong so much."
Outwardly, Sarada's main takeaway from meeting Kushina was that it would be quite lively in the Uzumaki house that night. Well, more lively than usual.
Inwardly, Sarada was very annoyed. It was true that not every person her age had two sets of living grandparents, but most at least had a parent that could say what their own parents were (or had been) like.
Sarada had met her maternal grandparents a few times. They no longer lived in Konoha itself, but in a small town a few hours away. They claimed it was quiet and less likely to get caught up in conflict, and it was hard to argue with their reasoning. They also sent gifts on Sarada's birthdays, so that was all very nice and normal.
The situation with Sarada's father's parents was anything but. They were dead, which wasn't even infrequent. What was unique was that her father refused to talk about them, or any other member of his family. And he had good reason. But this in no way altered the fact that Sarada wanted to learn more about her clan's history, and her father refusing to be of assistance was a major roadblock. Worse, Sarada's mother, who did want to help, couldn't because she had never exactly met any of Sasuke's close relatives, either.
And yet, here was Kushina, who had been close to Sasuke's mother Mikoto, was perfectly willing to share information with Sarada, and wasn't even in the family. But Sarada was not so insensitive that she would demand answers before Kushina had even met the Uzumaki family properly. And yet they were most definitely working against a clock: Kushina could vanish at any moment, if her soul was totally at peace. And how could that not happen, being with her grandchildren for the first time? Sarada could easily lose her chance to learn anything about her clan.
That is, unless Kushina had already given that information to Karin first. It wasn't clear exactly how long Kushina had been with Orochimaru, although it must have been a while. They must have talked about Sasuke at some point, given Karin's former fixation on him, or at least Sarada hoped they had. Suddenly, Sarada was all too happy that Karin had wheedled her into exchanging e-mail addresses. And that Sakura had decided that her daughter needed a laptop, without consulting Sasuke, who seemed to view computers largely as unnessecary for anyone under 25.
So when she got home, Sarada immediately e-mailed Karin, and got back an eager response within minutes. Suddenly, Karin being so determind to be friends with Sarada seemed like far less of an embarrassment.
Himawari bounced excitedly in her seat. "So what is it, onii-chan? What's this surprise?!"
Boruto grinned. "I can't tell you. It's a surprise, and I won't ruin it for you. You'll just have to wait."
Himawari pouted cutely. "But I can't wait, I've got a surprise coming!"
He laughed and patted her head. He already had two back-up surprises, just in case. Neither one was equal to a long-dead grandma, but Himawari tended to be pleased with any gift that Boruto gave her, based entirely on the fact that he gave them so rarely outside of birthdays.
Himawari's reaction was expected, but Boruto still had trouble understanding his mother's. Her, he had told the whole truth to. But instead of being happy, she became frantic. In less than an hour, she'd cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, and was currently cooking the largest dinner he had ever seen her prepare. The few times he had tried to ask about this, she had given him a stern look that could melt steel, so he'd stopped asking.
It finally occurred to him that maybe his mother was nervous about meeting Kushina, though he couldn't understand why. Almost everyone liked his mother, or at least didn't dislike her. And he couldn't imagine that Kushina would disapprove. If she could forgive Naruto for being a less than perfect father, how could she complain about the parent who was closest to being perfect? Or at least that's how Boruto saw it. Trying to tell that to his mother didn't go so well.
Hinata looked up from the bread she was slicing and glared at her son. "Boruto," she said slowly, "I may never get a second chance to impress your father's mother. Everything has to go perfectly. She never got a chance to give us her blessing, and I don't want her feeling like she wouldn't have, had she been here!"
Boruto frowned. "She wouldn't do that," he said, but Hinata gave him another look.
"You don't know that!" she hissed. "You barely know her! None of us do!"
"I know she was excited and really happy when I told her about you and Himawari," Boruto insisted. "Kaa-chan, don't worry so much. You guys are awesome, and she'll see that right away."
Hinata smiled, or tried to, but was still pretty stressed, so Boruto gave her a quick hug. Then he went to keep an eye on Himawari, who was very close to bouncing off of the walls, despite her lack of any official ninja training (although someone in the know might have told him that this had more to do with her excitable Uzumaki blood shining through).
Almost an hour later, the front door opened, and Naruto strolled in, arm-in-arm with Kushina. He paused, a little startled by the wide variety of food smells that greeted him, then wondered if maybe he should have had Boruto tell Hinata not to go to too much trouble. Kushina had told him that all she really wanted was a home-cooked meal with her family. And considering she didn't even know Hinata, she wasn't going to demand that the woman prepare a feast for her. But, judging by the eager look on Kushina's face as she, too, began to pick up on the smells, if a feast had been prepared for her, she wasn't going to refuse it.
Hinata hurried into the front corridor, managing to look beautiful and completely stressed out at the same time. She stared at Kushina, clearly wanting to say something, but having no idea where to start.
Kushina beat her to it. "Oh, Naru-chan, she's gorgeous!"
Hinata's face turned bright red, and her trouble finding the right words only doubled. "Ah... Uzumaki-san, we... that is... um..."
Kushina blinked. "I'm guessing you're welcoming me into your home?" she offered.
Hinata nodded, her face growing redder. She tried again to form a whole sentence, but the words died in her throat. She hadn't felt so tongue-tied in years, not since before she had first confessed her feelings to Naruto. To her eternal shame, her hands slowly lifted, pointer finger extended and gradually drifting towards each other.
Kushina gently caught Hinata's fingers in her hands, drawing them apart. "No, dear," she said brightly. "You'll need them a lot wider than that, if you want to ask for a hug." And with that, Kushina pulled Hinata into her arms, and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
Hinata closed her eyes and buried her face in Kushina's shoulder, murmuring the best greeting and thanks that she could, under the circumstances.
Kushina chuckled and stroked Hinata's hair. "You're very welcome, and it's lovely to meet you, too."
"You caught all of that?" Naruto wondered aloud, scratching his head.
Kushina grinned. "I had an older cousin who was twice as shy. Stuttered, too." Her smile faded slightly. "She never got a chance to grow out of it, but she was a wonderful person. Not nearly as pretty as Hina-chan here, though."
Hinata blushed again as Kushina released her. "H-Hina-chan?" she squeaked.
"Only if you're okay with me calling you that," Kushina said at once, getting a quick nod from Hinata. "I would guess, with your background, you probably won't agree to giving me a nickname. But please, call me Kushina. I mean, everyone in this house will be 'Uzumaki-san' at some point in their lives."
Hinata nodded. "I-In that case... welcoming you into our home was the wrong thing to say." She took a deep breath, released it, and smiled warmly. "Welcome home, Kushina-san."
"Yeah, what took you two so long?!" Boruto demanded as he stomped up to them.
Hinata briefly shot a horrified glance at her son. Then a white aura developed around her as her fury rose. But it was instantly overwhelmed by the red aura around Kushina. The very ground seemed to shake in terror as she took a threatening step forward, her red hair waving wildly as if caught in a phantom tornado.
"Boru-tan. That's no way to speak in front of three of your parents," Kushina said kindly, but there was no denying the very clear warning in her tone. "Apologize right now, before things become even more unpleasant."
Boruto paled and shrunk back. "Um. S-Sorry, baa-chan."
The red aura winked out at once, and Kushina's hair returned to its natural position as she petted Boruto's head fondly and smiled at his parents. "Such a spirited boy, isn't he?"
"Yes, quite," Hinata agreed in awe, suddenly realizing how much easier her life could have been, if only she'd constantly had a second woman around the house who could keep Boruto in line.
Drawn by the voices, Himawari was peeking around the corner curiously by then. Kushina caught sight of her and beamed. "And who is that beautiful young lady behind you, Hina-chan?"
Hinata motioned for Himawari to join them, and the girl hesitantly stepped forward. She fisted one hand into Hinata's apron, either due to shyness, or perhaps because she'd caught the tail end of Boruto being put in his place.
"This is my daughter, Himawari," Hinata introduced.
Kushina knelt down and smiled, offering her hand. "Hello, Himawari-chan. My name is Kushina, and I would like very much to be your friend."
Naruto, Hinata, and Boruto all stared down at her, wondering why she hadn't told Himawari who she really was. But perhaps Kushina knew better than them, because Himawari smiled and stepped closer, shaking Kushina's hand.
"Your hair is really pretty, Kushina-san," Himawari said, reaching out to carefully touch it.
"So are your eyes," Kushina replied, lightly stroking Himawari's cheek.
Himawari grinned. "Thanks! Want to color with me?"
Kushina grinned in return. "That sounds like a great idea!"
The pair of new friends quickly ran to Himawari's room.
Boruto cleared his throat after Himawari and Kushina had left the front corridor. "Hey, why didn't she-?"
"It can be a shock, finding out you have a long-lost relative," Naruto said. "Maybe she didn't want to upset Himawari. Was it easy for you, the way you found out?"
"Not really," Boruto admitted. "I thought she was an enemy, at first."
Naruto smiled, but did not want to admit that he'd had much the same reaction, the first time he'd met his mother. "Then maybe it's better for Himawari to get to know her, before we drop the grandma bomb."
"Let's just get through dinner first," Hinata suggested.
Orochimaru carefully considered the question posed to him. "Why don't you start from the beginning, Karin? Leave nothing out."
Karin wrung her hands nervously. "But I-!"
"Karin. You asked for my help. Begged for it, really. This is how I help. Start over."
Karin sighed. "I exchanged e-mail addresses with Sarada. I thought it would be nice if we could keep in touch. But she started asking me all of these questions about her clan. The type of questions I know Sasuke hasn't answered for her, and doesn't want her knowing the answers to. I don't want to lie to Sarada, but I don't want to refuse to answer, either. If she really wants to know, she might look for answers in the worst possible places."
"It sounds like you've already decided to tell Sarada something," Orochimaru noted. "If Sasuke is the main issue, then go around him. Sarada does have another parent you can consult. If she agrees with Sasuke, then you could simply ignore them. Or you could tell Sarada that they will not allow her to have the information yet. But that will still likely result in Sarada seeking it out on her own. So it seems to me that you have already decided on the best possible option: tell Sarada yourself. That way you can determine exactly what she does, and doesn't, hear. Just prepare yourself to deal with the fallout, Karin. Sasuke has nearly killed you once, and Sakura may choose not to save you this time."
Himawari looked at each of the worried, expectant faces around her, and finally said, "Okay."
"You're not upset that I didn't tell you who I was before?" Kushina asked. That was something she'd been very worried about.
But Himawari just shook her head. "No. You're here now, baa-chan. And if you can't visit a lot, I don't want to waste time being mad. I'd rather be doing something fun with you."
Kushina smiled and stroked Himawari's cheek with a finger, causing the girl to giggle. "That makes me so very happy, Himawari-chan. Thank you for being so understanding."
"Can we color some more now?"
"Of course."
After the pair had retreated to Himawari's room again, Naruto scratched his head. "That was easy."
"Because we didn't tell her the rest," Boruto snapped. After a curious look from his mother, he amended, "Not that we should, or anything. But that's why it was easy. Wasn't easy for me, finding her there, with him, thinking she was about to attack me."
"Did she apologize?" Hinata asked.
Boruto blushed. "Uh... well, that was just what I thought, at the time. She didn't actually attack me. Unless you count being hugged too hard. Which I don't."
"So you're not really complaining, so much as trying to seem difficult," Naruto noted. "Wow, things are back to normal already."
"Hey!" Boruto protested, but Hinata put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"I meant, it's amazing how fast we all adjusted to her being here," Naruto said.
But Boruto seemed to take that the wrong way, too. "Why wouldn't we?! She's family!"
Naruto blinked. "I just worried how you kids would react, is all. I at least met her once, but she's a stranger to you two. Or was."
"She's not a stranger," Boruto growled, then tore himself free from Hinata and stomped away. A moment later, the door to his room slammed shut.
Naruto looked at Hinata with his eyebrows raised. "Translation, please?"
Hinata smiled. "They've already grown attached to her. Which will make it more difficult when she does leave, but... they see her as family. That's better than them still seeing her as a stranger, or not knowing her at all."
"And that whole display was easier than admitting he loves his grandmother?"
"Of course it was, Naruto. Admitting your true feelings is rarely easy. For some of us, anyway."
Sakura came by for breakfast the following day, with the excuse that Hinata might need some help dealing with the new (or rather, newly revived) mother-in-law. Sakura was honestly more interested in meeting Kushina, who she had often wondered about. Particularly just after Naruto did something collossally stupid that made Sakura wonder what sort of genes might have produced him. She had amended this opinion only slightly upon discovering that Naruto was the Yondaime Hokage's son, but that still left only one other source for the inherited idiocy, assuming it was inherited at all.
In roughly five minutes, Sakura decided that Naruto was nothing like his mother, and was grateful. Kushina was three times pushier than Naruto had ever been.
Sakura had barely introduced herself when Kushina marched up to her, leaned into Sakura's personal space, and began sniffing at her hair.
"Do you have Uzumaki blood in your family?" Kushina demanded.
Sakura stared at her. "No...?"
Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Are you asking or telling?"
"Telling," Sakura said.
"But you didn't sound so sure before."
"Because no one has ever asked me that!"
"So you haven't thought about it before," Kushina said, decisively.
"Well, no, but-"
"Any relatives with red hair?"
Sakura pursed her lips. Her father had dull-pink hair, but she suddenly didn't want to admit that.
"Sakura-chan, doesn't your dad-?" Naruto began to say as he entered the room, then caught the heated look Sakura threw him and promptly shut up.
Kushina smirked triumphantly. "If you can do that to a Hokage without being his wife, you're Uzumaki for sure." She turned to Naruto. "Don't get me wrong, Naru-chan. I love Hinata, but I would be more impressed if you'd gotten this one to say yes to you. She'd be a great wife."
Naruto grinned. "I've never said anything different, kaa-chan."
Sakura blushed. "Why do I always end up getting embarrassed around your undead parents, Naruto?!"
Kushina glanced between them. "Something I should know?"
"Yeah, the same thing happened before," Naruto explained. "He thought she was my girlfriend."
"Which I wasn't," Sakura said quickly, not caring for the way Kushina's face lit up at the idea. "Naruto purposely mislead him!"
"True, but Hinata and I weren't dating then, and something about the way you treated me made him think we were dating."
Kushina smirked knowingly. "Oh, I can imagine. Well, Sakura-chan, if you're a true friend of my Naruto, then you might as well be family. That will have to be good enough for me."
"Um, thank you," Sakura murmured, still uncertain if being related to Kushina on a technicality was a good thing. Then she paused. "Wait, you, too?! Why does every grown Uzumaki I know call me that?! Without my permission?!"
Kushina grinned nastily. "Well, if you want to earn a different nickname, we can take this outside for a quick spar. But I should warn you, unless you either have limitless chakra, an immortal body, or you were lying about having Uzumaki blood, it won't end well for you. And I'd hate to damage that pretty face."
Sakura briefly considered it, then decided she would rather have a sealing expert on hand first.
A week later, Karin stood outside of a certain apartment, hesitated, and finally convinced herself to knock on the door.
It was flung open at once, and Karin found herself dragged into a firm, warm hug.
"Karin, hi!" Sakura said excitedly, finally releasing her. "I feel like it's been ages! How have you been?"
"Um, just great, Sakura-chan," Karin murmured as she was all but dragged inside. "Listen, about why I'm here-"
"Naruto already briefed me on the whole Sound-Leaf liason job. Congratulations!"
Karin did not feel this was anything to be congratulated about: she had come up with the idea, Orochimaru had approved it, and there had never been anyone else even considered for it. The whole thing was just an excuse to stay close to Sarada, but it reassured Konoha's top brass that there would be no need for Mitsuki to go running back home with a high-ranking Sound-nin close by at all times. Even that was silly, as Mitsuki could speak to Orochimaru directly at any time, but people just never seemed to want to admit that Orochimaru was so supremely capable of such things, as it made them uneasy.
"Anyway," Karin said, "I was hoping to see Sarada-"
"Of course, you two haven't had any proper time together. I'll just call - oh, Sarada, there you are!"
For Sarada had run out of her room and skidded to a stop in the hallway, her eyes locked on Karin.
"Hi," Karin said softly. "I-"
"Mama, we'll be in my room!" Sarada said in a rush, grabbing Karin's hand and pulling with an amount of strength that Karin had seen in no females other than Tsunade and Sakura herself.
"Have fun!" Sakura called after them, having no idea that the conversations that followed would be anything but fun.
Sasuke spent an entire month skulking around the Sound Village, searching for evidence. This was not absolutely necessary: Orochimaru had openly invited him to be an honored guest. Sasuke preferred to skulk. Naturally, he found no proof that Orochimaru could be in control of the entire world, which only intensified Sasuke's certainty that Orochimaru was the key to this mystery. Unfortunately, with no clues, and no useful intel gathered by the Konoha team stationed there, Sasuke had nothing to act on. And the one thing he did feel the need to act on, Kushina's revival, couldn't exactly be done from the Sound Village.
So Sasuke did something he rarely did: he went home.
He'd barely set foot into the village when a high-spirited redhead appeared before him. "Sasuke-kun, it's you!" the woman said happily. "I've been waiting for you!"
At first mistaking her for an undead fangirl, Sasuke's primary instinct was to be wary: if she had been brought back because she was so determined to meet him, there was no telling what sort of demented fanclub she was part of.
Then he noticed the entire Uzumaki family, calmly waiting nearby, glanced once more at the woman's red hair, and began to connect the dots. "You're... related to Naruto?" he finally asked.
She nodded. "I'm his mother, Kushina. Your mother, Mikoto, was my very best friend. I met you when you were just a baby, and Itachi was-" But there she stopped, staring at him worriedly, clearly having been told of Itachi's history.
"It's okay," Sasuke said, and meant it. "He and I came to an understanding. Much later."
Kushina relaxed. "Oh, that's good! So you're doing well? Are you happy?"
Sasuke stared at her. "I'm... doing much better, now."
"Of course you are! I met Sakura and Sarada, what lovely girls they are! You're a very lucky man, Sasuke-kun."
"I... yes," he agreed. This was really not what he'd been expecting, when he returned. Fortunately, what he was expecting soon showed up: Sakura and Sarada arrived in that moment, both of them waving eagerly at him.
"I guess you want to go be with your family now. That's how it was for me, when I got back." Kushina reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "When I see Mikoto next, I'll tell her how well you're doing. I'm sure she'll be so pleased!"
There was only one response that seemed appropriate to Sasuke. "Thank you, Uzumaki-san."
She beamed at him, let go of his hand, and turned to rejoin her family. But she'd only taken a single step when it happened: white sparkles of light appeared all over her form. "Oh," she said softly, sounding resigned. "So it happens now, huh?"
"What does?" Sasuke asked, though he was pretty sure he knew. He recognized those sparkles.
"I guess making sure you were okay was the last thing I came here to do." Kushina smiled at him. "But I don't regret it. I'm really glad you and Itachi worked things out, and that you rebuilt your family. I'm sure that's what Mikoto wanted for you. It has to be, or I wouldn't be leaving now." She waved at him. "Take care of yourself, Sasuke-kun. Or rather, let your family take care of you."
Sasuke nodded. "Farewell, Uzumaki-san."
He had no doubt that Kushina would have faded away right before his eyes... if not for Boruto, who ran forward and threw his arms around Kushina's waist.
"No, baa-chan! You can't leave yet!" Boruto shouted.
Kushina stared down at him with a sad smile and stroked his hair. But she could already see that her fingers were passing through his hair, and his head, with no resistance. She could no longer feel his arms around her, only see them. "You have no idea how much I wish I could stay here, Boru-tan. I love you all so much! But my second chance is done, and I-"
"I SAID NO!" Boruto yelled. "YOU'RE ONE OF US AND YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!"
Kushina gasped as she felt a sharp jolt, and then spotted the source: a small, glowing ball of blue light, which drifted out of Boruto's tightly shut right eye and into her stomach. At once, her body solidified, and sensation returned. "Boru-tan," she breathed in wonder. "What have you done?"
"You aren't leaving," Boruto chuckled, even as blood began to flow from his now empty right eye socket. "I'm not done with you yet, baa-chan." Then he fell face-first to the ground, totally unconcious.
Normally, Kushina would have caught him, or at least tried to revive him. But she was staring silently at the back of his head, even as the rest of the Uzumaki family surrounded them.
"Kaa-chan, what happened?!" Naruto demanded as Hinata turned Boruto onto his back.
"Instinctive sealing," Kushina whispered.
"What? What are you-?"
"I haven't seen it in so long, I'd almost forgotten it was real. It's a type of sealing that requires no actual knowledge of what you're doing, only an overwhelming desire to make something real, and a suitable power source. It's one of the abilities that made our clan so feared."
"Then you've seen it stop someone from going to the afterlife before?"
"Never. And even if I thought Boruto was capable of that, I never would have asked him to do it for me. This type of thing always has a high cost. He may have shortened his life, or lost his right eye for good. Or both. We can't be sure just yet."
"But it looks like he just fainted," Hinata said in disbelief. "He's barely used any chakra at all."
"Chakra isn't the price you pay for things like this," Kushina said ominously. "If that was all it took, anyone could do it. You need to... well, keep a close eye on him from now on," she said, awkwardly. "And be prepared for the consequences."
Boruto had woken up long enough to eat a few bites at dinner, but then went right to bed. This was so far beyond any of his typical periods of laziness that Himawari had wanted to sleep with him, just in case he got worse.
Kushina spent the night in Boruto's bed, with him curled against her side and Himawari draped across both of them. It was cramped, hot, and very uncomfortable. Kushina didn't sleep at all, though she wasn't sure if it was the sleeping conditions, or her own worry that prevented her.
And she wouldn't have traded a second of it, for anything else in either world.
Earlier, she had tried to apologize to the family, for endangering Boruto. The apology hadn't really gone the way she'd hoped.
Himawari never once even considered the idea that Kushina would hurt Boruto, and still wouldn't.
Hinata had actually laughed in Kushina's face, though not unkindly.
When he finally stopped chuckling, Naruto explained. "Kaa-chan, you haven't known Boruto for very long. That kid would always risk his life to help a friend. So of course he would think nothing of giving up his eye for you, even if he'd known the risks beforehand. I'm just glad that this time, we all agree that the price was worth what we got in return."
Kushina knew that Naruto was telling the truth. Because from that night on, she would sometimes get strange flutters in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. And the brief visions of Boruto, getting older, stronger, and more handsome? Those were nice, too.
Except for the part where they never seemed to get past him reaching a certain young age. And how the rest of the family wasn't in the last vision. Or how the angry boy with dark hair and wild eyes seemed to be at the root of it all. Kushina could explain none of these things to her family: they were just visions, and not necessarily true ones.
She firmly believed that. At least, until she looked up one day, saw Kawaki seated across the dining table, and just knew: that boy would be the end of them all. And of her in particular.
End of Part 1.
Concluded in Part 2: The Greatest Sin
Sakura forgave Sasuke for everything. But Sarada is not her mother. And while Sarada struggles to accept what her father was once capable of, she discovers an even harder truth to swallow: that the village has forgiven all of it. Suddenly, it's not her father that is unacceptable. It's the village that forgave him. And we all know how dissatisfied Uchiha try to change the village.
Endnotes:
Technically, Sarada was not the first in Boruto's generation to leave the village without permission. She was only the first that was seconds away from doing so, when the convenient opportunity presented itself to leave with permission. Chocho was along for the ride, but at the time she was so deluded about her goal that I hesitate to call that a firm decision to leave.
If it needs to be said: no, Boruto wouldn't recognize Kushina by her appearance. Apparently every person who knew both Kushina and then Naruto never saved any pictures of her, because Naruto never saw her until she appeared in his mindscape, and never gained any pictures of her afterward. So while it does make sense that Naruto's family has a photo of Minato at home, this really just reminds me that they lack one of Kushina. And Boruto, non-student of history that he was, probably never thought to ask about his missing grandmother. Make that missing grandmothers, while we're at it, as sightings of Hinata's unnamed mother are even rarer.
I don't like that Boruto has that eye, for several reasons. 1) Eye cheats tend to be overused, but they've fixed that by making the eye unreliable. 2) The eye cheat in question, dimension-breaching (or as I like to call it, summon-stealing), leans more toward Uchiha specialty than it does Uzumaki or even Hyuga. If the eye improved Boruto's sealing jutsu, or was just a visually different Byakugan, you could argue it was genetic-based and I'd have fewer complaints. Recall that the last time we saw an Uzumaki using Uchiha skills, it was because someone exchanged eyes. I really hope that didn't happen to Boruto. But with Toneri involved, we already have a suspect.
Instinctive sealing is my attempt to explain one of the abilities that made the Uzumaki so feared... since, by my current estimation, it makes no sense that they were more feared than the Uchiha clan. And I'm not speaking just in terms of what each could do, but also what they were most likely to do. There is no history of Uzumaki betraying Konoha, and they had reasons to hold a grudge in some cases. Meanwhile there are Hokage, fellow villagers, and members of the Uchiha clan itself that think it should have been destroyed. Not to mention that Madara was one of the most universally feared shinobi ever. And if Kurama thinks your chakra stinks, you really need to go.
