Chapter 68
Minashi felt herself slowly become aware of her surroundings once more. She didn't know what day or what the time was, but she knew she'd been asleep for at least a week.
Dismissing her Blood Clone, even under Tsunade's supervision and care, after such physically traumatizing acts was bound to catch up to her. The blonde teen knew she'd only woken up from her near death experience so quickly due to her stubbornness to pass on her information. She'd barely been able to stay awake long enough for her Clone to arrive at the Hokage's personal hospital room and drop her Henge. The clone dismissal hit her like a bijuu slamming a tail down onto her.
Reviewing the memories hadn't been fun either. Between the blurred seizure memories, and then suddenly expending the little chakra she'd had left to aid in creating Naruto's seal had almost dismissed the clone early. Only gathering nature energy had saved it from popping even under the watchful gazes of her Uzumaki relatives.
The Blonde teen had vague memories of Tsunade and Jiraiya discussing using the excuse of medical coma's until Minashi's and 'Nagisa's' coils and bodies adjusted. She'd have to ask the Senjus if she'd heard that right so she didn't go and fuck their story up.
Before she decided to try to physically wake up along with her mental awareness, Minashi stopped in to check on her furry companion.
"Kurama?" The blonde called softly, petting the shorter fur on his snout. A long exhale exited the Kyuubi no kitsune before his eyes slowly opened to reveal still exhausted vermillion eyes.
Minashi. He greeted back. Finally deciding to stop lazing around?
The blonde ignored the jab and just continued to stroke his fur. The fact that Kurama hadn't stopped her yet, revealed just how tired the fox truly was. She could still see his ribs which meant he hadn't recovered from the loss of his Yang chakra.
Kurama let out a long sigh and shut his eyes. I'll recover brat. I'm more worried about you.
"I'm all healed." Minashi stated knowing that between Kurama and Tsunade, it was truth.
You still almost died, Minashi. Kurama rumbled, tails thumping displeased at his side. Recklessness was Naruto's bad habit, not yours.
"I know." She whispered. "I'll do better next time Kurama."
The Fox grunted before glancing to the back of the cave. After…your meeting with father, a peculiar door appeared in my cave.
"Really?" The blonde perked up.
Hm. Kurama confirmed before speaking cautiously as his sharp eyes watched her. I believe when father gifted you your new tool, the chakra that bonded it to you alone, awakened your past life as Kamera-anue.
Minashi stared before tilting her head back to look at the ceiling and think. Should she dive into all those memories now-
Don't even think about it. Kurama grunted. Finish healing, get the village back together, spoil our blonde brat, and then when you have free time in Amazuki you can review Anue's memories.
Minashi sighed as she nodded, knowing her friend was right. Didn't mean she wouldn't take the time to tease him. "Awww, so I have wait longer to see Kurama-chan as a kit?" She grinned wickedly and watched pleased as all nine tails fluffed up as Kurama's hackles rose with his embarrassment.
You're Definitely healed. Get out. He snarled and Minashi winked at her best friend and disappeared before his tail could smash her mental image.
Minashi woke with a small huff of laughter that quickly turned into a groan. Her throat felt like Suna's driest desert and her body was as stiff as the Daimyo's hair.
It took conscious effort to lift her hands to wipe the sleep crusties from her eyes and sit up slowly like a zombie. Blurrily her eyes slowly focused and found herself still in the Hokage's personal rooms at the Hospital. Whereas when she fell asleep it looked almost like any other hospital room minus a few luxuries like a comfy chair and a real couch; Her room now was filled with flowers, cards, gifts, and both the chair and pull out couch looked to be lived in.
Lifting a trembling hand, she pushed the nurse button on her bed. It was seconds later when a familiar brunette rushed in with wide brown eyes and bob cut brown hair swinging.
"Minashi!" Shizune exclaimed loudly, making the blonde wince. Her hearing was sensitive, even more so when she first woke up.
Putting a slightly trembling finger to her lips, the older girl winced before rushing forward to check her vitals, IV bag, and her physical reactions.
"How long have I been out?" the teen asked after sipping on some delightfully cool ice water Shizune grabbed for her.
"Two and a half weeks-" Minashi sprayed the water all over her lap, ceruleans wide on Shizune "Minashi!" The brunette fretted.
"T-t-two and a half weeks?!" She squeaked.
"Hai, almost three. Oka-san put you in the medical coma with Nagisa-oba, but none of us expected both of you to stay in a coma when we stopped the drugs. They were about to send in one of the mindwalkers if you hadn't woken up by noon today."
"Really? Wait, what time is it?" Minashi asked looking out the windows, but the curtains were drawn.
"Three in the morning. I've been volunteering to take the night shifts of your care. Of course your siblings have been taking turns staying with you along with your friends, but none as dedicated as Kushina-oba or Minato-oji. Sometimes even Hokage-sama stayed. A lot of your classmates have stopped during visiting hours to leave gifts and make sure you weren't alone."
"Who was here tonight then?" Minashi inquired, seeing that the pullout bed was made, but it did look like someone had been in the chair.
"Oh, Minato-oji. He's probably over visiting Kushina-oba now-" Shizune choked when intense blue eyes were on her.
"Why is Nee-san admitted?" Minashi's voice was dead serious.
"Oka-san admitted her because her stress levels were too high and almost threw her into early labor. She's in the labor and delivery wing. With her due date only a week or so away, Tsunade and Hokage-sama want her observed anyways."
Minashi understood since Naruto was the jinchuriki and his birth would need the extra monitoring. The blonde's tension released knowing that Kushina wasn't hurt and Naruto was safe.
"Can I go see them?" Minashi pleaded to the older girl. Shizune's eyes widened and Minashi could practically taste the denial in the Senju's mouth. "Please?" She let her lower lip slip into a pout and eyes go a little big.
Hey, if she had to use the little tricks Wakana used against her Nee-san, it was all fair in the world.
Shizune bit her lip and groaned. "I…I shouldn't! You just woke-"
"And I want to see my Nee-san and Nii-san. Is it wrong of me to just want to go back to sleep in their presences? I'll be brought back by Nii-san no doubt, but I want to check on my nephew. It's just a couple hours, Shizune."
The brunette groaned and left to grab a wheelchair. Some groaning and hissing at her stiff muscles and Minashi was in the chair, blanket keeping her warm in the cool air, and being wheeled to the labor and delivery section of the hospital.
Shizune was first to open the door so she could pull Minashi in.
"Shizune-chan?" Kushina's tired voice called confused, until it turned into a choked noise when the Senju teen pulled Minashi's wheelchair into the room.
Meeting her nee-san's watery violet eyes, the two Uzumaki's couldn't be brought together any quicker.
Stubbornly Minashi attempted to stand and crawl into her sister's bed. With Shizune's assistance, the younger blonde was soon cuddled up to Kushina. Both sisters let out relieved sighs. Minashi enjoying feeling Kushina's fingers gently working on detangling her hair, while the blonde's own hand rested on the older Uzumaki's protruding stomach. It wasn't long before she felt a few gentle kicks from the life within.
"Where's Nii-san?" Minashi murmured, already exhausted from climbing out of bed and then back into a bed.
Kushina smiled fondly into blonde hair. "Getting me some spicy Ramen. I'm very over being pregnant, especially since it wouldn't allow me to sleep in your room anymore."
Minashi grunted and shifted to look up into violet eyes. "I don't want to miss Naruto's birth."
Kushina's gaze softened further. "Doesn't matter now, you're finally awake. Naruto can make his entrance into the world, and we all can go home as family together."
The blonde let out another sigh and snuggled into Kushina who welcomed it. "Sounds lovely."
It was the work of relieved tension that both sisters were out cold moments later. Shizune finally moved from her position at the wall. She'd given the two Uzumakis the time to reconnect but the Medic knew Minashi still needed to be monitored. Slipping out, she got a new IV pole and the fluids the teen had been on prepared. Working silently, Minashi was hooked up to monitors and her Nutritional IVs once more. It was just as Shizune was laying a second blanket over Minashi, finished with her IV ports, that the door opened. Walking in half asleep himself was Namikaze Minato.
"Kushi, Teuchi made it extra spic—" The blonde stopped mid murmur as his tired eyes found an additional person in Kushina's room. Since they weren't dead by the on guard ANBU, his tired mind knew it was probably approved hospital staff. The young woman turned and sure enough his brain fired enough to recognize "Shizune-chan. What are you doing here?" He straightened up with a frown, knowing the young woman was on his Imouto's staff.
Shizune smiled and stepped away. Minato's focus changed to his wife on the bed and just stared. There asleep curled into his lovely wife was his baby sister. Tears burned in his eyes as his questioning gaze snapped to Shizune for answers.
"She just woke up an hour ago." The Senju whispered, moving to take the Ramen before it slipped from Minato's hands, and set it on the side table. "She was exhausted from getting from her bed to Kushina's. When she heard Kushina was admitted she wanted to see her. I…I couldn't say no."
Minato let out a wet choked up laugh. "No worries. Thank you Shizune."
The brunette nodded heading for the door. "She'll probably be moved back when first shift arrives, but I think this will be some of the best time she'll have recovering."
"Hai!" Minato whispered fiercely and pulled his recliner closer so he could rest a hand on his sister's head, and his other on Kushina's belly, feeling all of his family within his grasps.
The Blonde Namikaze didn't hear Shizune leave, too focused on his girls and unknowingly allowing the tension to slip from his shoulders.
Sounds and voices penetrated Minashi's consciousness, rousing her from her dreams of pranking the hell out of konoha with a cackling Naruto at her side. His grin as wide as ever and their hands intertwined.
"Don't move her." Kushina's voice hummed against her ear. "She's fine where she is."
"I understand you and Minato have been worried about her, but she needs to be back in her own room. Minashi will need to begin physical therapy to reawaken her muscles, and she can't do that here with you and Minato going into mother-hen modes. You also do not need any extra stress that we all know worrying over Minashi will bring." Tsunade's firm voice lectured.
"Just a little longer?" Minato asked already knowing the answer.
Tsunade sighed. "Look, I love the brat too, that's why i want her back in the section of the hospital that if anything were to happen, I'm only steps away. Biwako will bite my head off if I try to keep Minashi here when this isn't where she belongs. You'll still be able to visit her Minato. Kushina will be able to visit after Naruto's birth when both her and baby are cleared to leave."
"But i want Minashi here for our son's birth." Kushina said sadly.
Tsunade sighed. "We'll see how she progresses between now and when your labor starts. That's all i can promise."
The couple nodded and seconds later Minashi felt herself being lifted into strong arms, and the scent quickly helped her to identify who she hadn't noticed in the room.
Minashi's lids lifted and was then looking up at the sharp jaw of one Orochimaru.
"Oro-sensei." She murmured tiredly.
Golden eyes snapped to her and the tension in the corner of his eyes eased.
"Brat." he hummed, arms tightening as he held her just that much closer. "You worried us."
"Gomen." She murmured even as they headed back for her assigned room. The rest of the trip was silent, only the sound of Tsunade pushing her IV pole beside Orochimaru filled the slowly waking sounds of the Dayshift hospital.
Settled back into her own bed, Orochimaru made sure her bed was in an upright position and switched her bags over all while Tsunade started comparing her vitals from Shizune's shift to now.
"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked taking a seat at Minashi's knees, the Senju's honey gaze looking her pupils' reaction over and fingers over her steady pulse point.
"Like i got runover by a bijuu." The younger blonde responded dryly. Tsunade huffed a small laugh even as Orochimaru hovered over her shoulder.
"Well, you have been unconscious for almost three weeks. It's expected that your body would get stiff. Physical therapy will help loosen and stretch your muscles back to their normal. Knowing your recovery rate, it shouldn't take more than a few days to a week."
Minashi nodded even if she was tempted to sulk at the information but was distracted when Orochimaru placed her privacy seal down.
"Now, are you cognitive enough to learn how we're excusing your little nap this time?"
"Yes." the teen said firmly. "I have a vague memory involving medical comas and coils adjusting to the loss of kurama."
"Correct." Orochimaru tilted his head at her. "You and Nagisa were supposed to only be in medically induced comas for a week to allow your systems to adjust. Nagisa's position as a past jinchuriki has officially been circulated around the clan heads. Sakumo didn't put any restriction on it so it is also circulating among the shinobi. Nagisa's background has also been gossiped about after your trip from Sakumo's office to the hospital. Once more, the Clan Council has been made officially aware of Nagisa's past but this time not publicly made aware. Sensei confirmed the story and his secrecy to keep a partial jinchuriki hidden from Danzo's many eyes."
"Sensei wasn't judged too hard for 'hiding' Nagisa from everyone. Nagisa's ability to change her appearance and vendetta against the man that killed her teammates in her rush to get konoha, was enough to stop further prodding." Tsunade added, finished with Minashi's exams.
"Recent gossip though has speculation of Nagisa's relationship to her apprentice. So nothing has been confirmed, but it's there in whispers." Orochimaru absently played with a piece of Tsunade's hair. "As for your unconscious states, Raiya has officially reported that something between yours and Nagisa's seals malfunctioned when Nagisa's no longer had a bijuu. Her experimentation with creating a bonded seal put you through those seizures when she was attacked. Her seal reached out to yours to compensate and both of your systems were thrown out of sync in result."
"Only Uzumaki stubbornness kept you both from succumbing to the deep healing you needed." Tsunade grunted. "But when you two didn't wake…it was realized then just how closely bonded your seals were."
"Sakumo suggested using your years away in Amazuki to cover up for the experimental tweaking that Nagisa did to your seals. Both of you having felt safe in the knowledge that you could 'know' each other there and work together to fight the threat only you two had known about."
Minashi nodded tiredly. "That's pretty sound. When will I be able to use chakra again to make a Blood Clone? Where is 'Nagisa' being held?"
"She's across the hall but only I'm allowed to check in on her. Her 'health' is less stable than your own so she's being isolated until she wakes." Tsunade let out a long sigh. "Give yourself this week to get your physical health back up to a better standard, and then we'll test if you're ready to abuse your coils again."
Minashi nodded and watched Orochimaru assist his pregnant wife to her feet.
"We'll have breakfast sent to you. You might as well get your own report of the attack prepared. As soon as word spreads that you're awake, you'll most likely be bombarded by visitors." The blonde senju smirked from the door. "Apparently a certain Hatake and Uchiha have been your most constant visitors."
Minashi stuck her tongue out at the duo getting laughter from them, ignoring the relieved tone of the sounds.
Minashi was no sooner finished her breakfast and warned by the nurse that visiting hours had started, that the blonde was bombarded by her best friends and teammates.
"BAKA!" Kenji shouted, hands gripping the rail of her bed lest he strangle the idiot uzumaki. "You can't keep scaring us like this!"
Minashi pouted and glared at Kenji. "It's not like I knew it would happen." she partially lied. She really didn't think her Clones could imitate a seizure if she died.
A steady hand touched her shoulder and the blonde turned to the pale eyes of Ryouta. "Please stop ending up in the hospital. You are the glue of our friendship."
"You know I can't promise that." Minashi whined and turned to her longest friend. "Kakashi, tell them."
Kakashi was just standing there though looking at her with his single dark eye, jaw locked behind his mask.
Minashi felt the tension rising as Kenji and Ryouta looked between the two of them.
"Kakashi?" She asked worried.
"We thought you died." He grit out. "When we saw that the kyuubi was out, we thought somehow you'd died or were dying. Then you are supposedly okay, only for your body to give out a few days later and your forced into a medical coma so that your body could recover from what ever that woman did to your seal in a stupid experimentation. She should have left well alone. You Uzumakis need to stop being so stupid and reckless and forgetting that there are people that care about you. Sensei has been a wreck trying to keep Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama together while not falling apart himself. Kushina-nee threw herself into early labor that only by Tsunade's skill was she able to stop. Minato-sensei has been on a borderline anxiety attack because of your condition, Kushina's health, and their friend 'kitsune's' own health. Adding in the reveal of the ANBU being another Uzumaki and apparently your Aunt! One that I can accurately guess you knew about from the beginning."
"Kashi, it was a secret. If anyone else knew that Nagi-oba also had part of kurama-"
"Everything is always a secret with you!" Kakashi shouted and Kenji took a step forward.
"Kakashi. That's enough. Stop before you say something you regret-"
The Hatake shoved his teammate away. "No. Minashi needs to hear this. She keeps all these secrets with her Aunt thinking they can do everything on their own. She doesn't trust us! If she did, we would have know about their linked seals years ago! We kept her status as jinchuriki secret for years. Why couldn't she have just told us about her aunt!" Kakashi whipped his head to the pale Minashi. "How can we trust her as a friend and teammate if she's always lying to us about things that are important? How can we trust that she isn't lying about the little things too?"
Minashi jerked back hurt. "I…was just trying to protect-"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR PROTECTION!" Kakashi shouted lunging for her, stopped by Kenji and Ryouta, but minashi saw the tears in his eyes. "First Dad, then Minato-sensei and now you?! I'm not a pup! I can protect myself. I'm a Jounin of Konoha and have lived through a war. I don't need some weak uzumaki that doesn't even know her own limits telling me about protection!"
"Kakashi!" Three Heads whipped to the door. Sakumo stood there face stern. "Go cool off."
Kakashi growled and turned before leaping out the window.
Minashi sat there trembling, confused, hurt, and looking so lost up at Sakumo. The tears she'd been holding back filled her eyes as she met the Hokage's eyes.
"W-what?" she whispered.
Sakumo sighed and eyed the two boys. "Visit later." He told them firmly. Kenji and Ryouta hesitated, but did as ordered. Sakumo moved and sat at Minashi's knee, already activating the privacy seal just in case the boys decided to eavesdrop.
"Kakashi has never handled emotions well." The elder Hatake explained softly. "It is partially my fault for his current attitude. I ordered everyone twenty and under to the bunkers as a last line of defense. When Obito hadn't arrived, Kakashi, Ryouta, Rin, and Kenji went to look for him. They found him just as he fell to Zetsu's attack. They did what they could but were shown just how much they still had to grow stronger. It didn't help that they could see Kurama rampaging. Then Kushina holed you up in the Uzumaki Main House while the boys were helping with the search and rescue. This after learning you'd suffered seizures but then still helped reseal Kurama-san. On top of that stress, you were placed in a medical coma. Following that was Nagisa's reveal and as your teammates I thought it was their right to understand why you were so affected."
Sakumo took a steadying breath and met her gaze. "Kakashi didn't take it well being told to stay out of the fight. You know he's never liked being treated his age. I think…Kakashi also doesn't know how to cope with the trouble you are always finding yourself in. He's never lost anyone important and I believe his greatest fear right now is losing two people at the same time. Obito is still unconscious, you are just waking up, and he comes to find you acting like normal. Not like the village was just destroyed or you hadn't been responsive to anything when the coma was released."
The Hatake then gave a tense smirk. "To add to all of that stress as a shinobi, you also have teenage hormones. A very potent mix when dealing with a Hatake. So…give him time? There are things he probably meant, but others were just his fear talking. So, don't take it to heart Minashi. The pup is hurting and just needs time to work things out himself."
"Hai." Minashi whispered and felt Sakumo wipe away a stray tear of hers.
"How are you really doing though?"
"Tired, stiff, hungry." She murmured and the older man huffed.
"Things that are simple solutions. Tsunade and her staff will be able to help with those."
"How is the rebuilding going?" Minashi asked to distract herself.
Sakumo sighed knowing the young woman well enough. "Well, we don't have any Mokuton users like when the village was first built, so it's slow going. We're still in the clean up stages. The mass funeral has already come and gone. Thankfully the total death count stayed under sixty people total. I'm imagining it could have been much worse."
"Yes." Minashi sighed. "It could have been nearing the thousands if we hadn't had warnings. How bad is the civilian versus shinobi death toll?"
"We lost around forty three Civilians and ten shinobi. There are still some civilians and shinobi in critical care that Tsunade and her staff are doing her best to keep them stable until they can recover."
The blonde sighed as her mind whirled with the task at hand. "Missions are still rolling in?"
"Hai. The Daimyo has been made aware that we were attacked, but we need those missions now more than ever. Rasa has even sent over squads at my request to aid in recovery and mission loads. Yahiko-dono has also sent supplies for the homeless. Leftovers from the time the rebellion was living in caves." He huffed. "I can't tell you how bad things could have been if you as Kitsune hadn't built those bonds for us. Even Kawa has donated supplies with minimal traded returns expected later."
"What about manpower for construction?" The Uzumaki thought as memories of her experiences in wave surfaced and the resulting help they'd gotten after Pein's attack.
"That is where we are short staffed. Konoha has some standard construction guilds but no one has experience rebuilding an entire village. Why?" The Hatake tilted his head curiously at his daughter/sister/advisor. He knew she had a point with her questions.
"Send a squad to Wave Country. Seek the Bridge Builder Tazuna. He is an odd man, but a good man. If Konoha can gain his friendship and in return get a regular shinobi outpost on Wave, lives will not be lost to a greedy midget tyrant. Put him in charge of rebuilding Konoha. He's used to working with large projects and ordering people around."
Sakumo felt hope bubble in his chest. "I'll have him sought out. Now, do I let your other teammates back in?"
"If they are willing." She smiled.
Sakumo ruffled her hair, much to her indignation and left.
Ryouta was the only one to return, but he came this time with others that made her smile. Koto, Inomi and Shikari surprised her the most by glomping her in bed and then chattering up a mile a minute as they too talked about how their parents and older cousins had made them stay back. Minashi chuckled a little nervously since it was obvious that as two years younger she hadn't been.
Kenji watched the door slide shut and followed by the silence of a privacy seal obviously going up. Internally he was fuming. Not only had his time to check on Minashi been shortened, but one of his best friends had to go and make an ass out of himself.
"You're going to follow Kakashi, aren't you?" Ryouta said even as he got comfortable outside Minashi's room. Neither talked about the heavy ANBU presence they could sense around them. Not only had Minashi been restricted to family and teammates only, but across the hall was someone that only Tsunade-sama was allowed to see, besides probably the Hokage himself.
"Minashi just woke up after almost three weeks in a coma that was only supposed to be a week long." The Uchiha snapped back. "Yes, i'm going to go punch some sense into our friend."
Ryouta didn't seem affected further than a raised brow at the Uchiha. "Make sure that he comes to apologize or he will not have my forgiveness. I have never seen Minashi this close to tears since we were children."
Kenji nodded and disappeared in a shunshin, he had a Hatake brat to knock some sense into.
Atop the Hospital, Kenji bit his thumb and moments later a crow appeared on his forearm. It cawed curiously.
"Find Kakashi, Suki." With another caw, the crow took flight and Kenji watched her circle konoha two times before her path altered and like a vulture, she circled his prey. A string of shunshins later, Kenji was finally in sensing range of his friend. Suki landed on a branch out of sight and Kenji landed beside her. There in one of the outer training grounds of the village, Kakashi was throwing himself at the practice dummies with the Hatake's Chidori. A technique he knew the genius had been working on refining with and without the Fox eye.
Kenji was patient though. He stayed in his perch, chakra suppressed, scent downwind, and waited. When Kakashi had finally exhausted himself the Uchiha launched in a shunshin and caught Kakashi off guard. The Hatake took the first punch to his jaw before he was able to retaliate. Kenji never went easy with his teammates. It was an unspoken rule between them all. All out or nothing.
Because of his exhaustion Kakashi, despite the fact that he normally won three out of five of their spars, lost this one in record time. Kenji did not gloat. He stood there panting with anger and some exertion -because even tired, Kakashi was no easy opponent. None of the four of them were. Not with Minashi's endless stamina- as he waited for Kakashi to gain some of his breath back.
"I didn't deserve that." Kakashi spat, and Kenji's temper flared. A rare thing to see, but he was still an Uchiha and their souls ran Hot.
"Bullshit!" Kenji spat. "You brought Mina to tears!"
Kakashi stood up and glared. "Because she's a reckless, thoughtless, selfish idiot!" Kakashi snapped back.
"You-!" Kenji bristled
"Don't even deny it Uchiha!" the younger teen spat. "Years! Years we've known her and she's always had secrets she couldn't tell us. Even worse is that she is practically my family and she didn't trust me enough to tell me that there was someone else that could protect her when we couldn't! She's so preoccupied with getting stronger and putting everyone else in a safe little bubble that she has no regard for her own life! I want to stand beside her! Not behind her! She swore when we were kids that we'd surpass those before us together! Yet she leaves me, all of us, behind!"
Kenji took in a steadying breath, reminding himself that while yes, they had all grown up together, there was the fact that he hadn't lived with Minashi since she arrived. Thus, he wouldn't know what she'd been like at home. However, once they'd made genin, they had practically lived together under Orochimaru-sensei's tutelage. He remembered waking up many times in one of the guest rooms of the Senju Main house, in a haphazard pile of limbs on the futon sensei had dropped them on.
Then there were the six years she'd been gone to the summons land and they'd only teamed up with her for missions or stints on the front lines towards the end. She'd returned so much stronger and that bar of strength they all aspired to rise to, had been met and raised even higher by Minashi.
Working in ANBU with her had only proven that Kenji, Kakashi, and Ryouta had a long way to go. The Uchiha knew Ryouta never expected to reach such heights, but he was still doing his damn best to be the best teammate and support for them. Kenji trained himself into the ground daily just to prove that he deserved to be anywhere near the level of strength that Minashi was. She was like a pillar to them. Someone to follow, and Kenji wouldn't be surprised if one day she'd be Hokage. He'd happily do what he could to be one of the supports holding her in that position, but it seemed like Kakashi hadn't realized that yet.
"We're never going to be on the same level as her." The Uchiha stated bluntly causing the Hatake to bristle. "Minashi is a force that no normal shinobi can face. She started life knowing pain that we've never known. That loss pushes her to get stronger to protect who she has left. If that means that sometimes we are put in a protective bubble, then I'll wait there until Minashi stumbles. Our Uzumaki is so very strong, but she is weak too Kakashi. We, as her precious people are her weakness and she knows this. It's why even as she tries to protect us, she'll still turn around and make sure if she had to leave us, we won't be easily cut down."
"If keeping secrets that will protect us a little longer is a price she pays for some of our trust in her, she'll pay it. She's a martyr like that. She'd rather be the one in the hospital all the time instead of sitting there, strong, but feeling helpless, as we suffer from her inaction." That Kenji had realized as he'd watched all the adults in Minashi's life pray to the Kami's for the young blonde to wake. Seeing the turmoil on their faces, knowing they were some of the strongest of Konoha, yet two of their strongest kunoichi were down because they hadn't done enough.
"And by the way Kakashi. Minashi does trust us." Kakashi guiltily met Kenji's sharingan eyes, spinning from his temper and agitation. "She trusts us to protect her when she is down. She trusts us to protect the village when she cannot. She trusts us to protect our teammates, classmates, and our respective families, even when she cannot. She is a sensor kakashi. She must have known you were the one protecting Kushina-san and her baby. To her, Kushina and Minato were practically her parents. She trusted no other to protect them when she and Minato could not."
Kakashi's guilty eyes shot to the ground.
"Or did you forget that tidbit on who hired you?"
The Hatake flinched remembering that it had been a request placed by not only the Namikaze Clan Head, but the Clan Heir as well. The status of a third Namikaze of the dying clan was fiercely protected. Kakashi….had forgotten the importance of that not only politically, but personally.
"It hurts." Kakashi finally spoke. "Hearing and seeing her in the hospital all the time."
"The strongest often times suffer the most." Kenji said wisely, his tone somber as the younger teen looked at him. "Look at Sensei and his spouses. Tsunade-sama lost all of her clan. Jiraiya-sama born and raised in a war, orphaned and having no knowledge of his own linage. Orochimaru born in konoha despite his ancestral roots being Mizu. Parents lost and himself almost manipulated by that rotten councilman if not for the people that loved him. Strength always comes with a price Kakashi. Minashi lost everyone she ever loved. Now she has new family and if i were her? I'd be absolutely terrified of losing my new family. I'd lock them away and never let them see the battlefield."
"but…Minashi didn't." Kakashi whispered.
"No, she didn't. She pushed us and pushed us until she could trust us to stand on our two feet and come home."
The two teens fell into a tense…but slowly relaxing air.
"She pushes too far too much." Kakashi sighed pulling his headband over his fox eye.
"Then instead of berating her and making her cry, you help me remind her she isn't alone. That she has more than Kit-Nagisa-san to rely on." Kenji sighed and then ruffled his teammates hair, earning a half hearted snarl and swat. Kenji ignored it to smirk. "There will always be things Minashi can't tell us, Kakashi. Not with her apprenticeship to Nagisa-san and whatever their own duties are. It's time to accept that and just offer our help anyways."
Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I really fucked up huh."
"No one is blaming you Kakashi. Even I'm still mad with my own dad for telling me to stay back. Learning that Minashi had been out there fighting when we didn't? still makes my gut turn, but i know she has strengths that are more than our own and the older generation relies on those strengths when her shishou isn't here. It doesn't mean we should take our anger and frustration out on someone that doesn't deserve it, just because we aren't seen at her level."
Arm over the Hatake's shoulder, Kenji started leading his friend back towards konoha in somewhat comfortable silence.
They hopped onto one of the few sections of the wall that weren't destroyed. Kenji paused, pulling Kakashi to a halt. The Hatake glanced at his friend and saw him looking at the mountain, not the destroyed village before them.
"Ya know Kakashi….Minashi's going to be up on that mountain one day."
Kakashi's remaining eye snapped to the slightly taller Uchiha. Kenji glanced down smiling as brightly as he always did.
"I can't wait for that day to come. She'll have all of us supporting her rise to the Top. So yeah Hatake, we aren't ever going to reach the same levels of strengths that she will one day, but that doesn't mean we can't be there at her back protecting it as she protects all of us."
Kakashi's gaze strayed to where his father's face rested upon the Hokage Mountain. For years he's always felt that he had to push and push to keep up with everyone that seemed to be two steps ahead of him. He was so very proud to be the son of the Yondaime, despite the few close calls he had out on missions by assassins, but his team had always had his back, especially minato-sensei. But that goal he and Mina had made as children just constantly seemed to be getting higher. His father was so strong, despite what other people saw, he grew up watching him and 'kitsune' spar in their Clan Compound. She'd easily distract or dispatch his guard before facing the Hokage and it was almost a constant terrifying reminder that there were others out there that were stronger than his father. So he'd silently remade his goal to be strong enough to stay by Minashi's side because her goals were so much higher.
He worked years to gain the experience he needed, the skills he needed, and he pounded them into his head, his body. He knew his father wasn't unbeatable, he knew his senseis weren't unbeatable. He understood then what Mina meant when they were children.
He wants to surpass those that came before them because it would be their responsibility to one day protect the people that once protected them. It was their duty to be the next Dream for baby shinobi to surpass.
That didn't mean that Kakashi never felt that it was such an unreachable goal. Even Kenji was gaining a reputation as Shunshin no Kenji and one of Konoha's Rising Sword Masters. Not including his genius in genjutsu wielding. Kakashi knew from experience that Kenji was perfecting not having to use eye contact alone to cast genjutsu. An idea Mina had given him, and he'd expanded on it like a duck to water.
Just as Kakashi had been in flourishing in expanding his jutsu arsenal. He didn't have monstrous reserves like Minashi did, or even above average large one that Kenji did, but he had his mind and control. He wasn't just one or two Elemental jutsu anymore. His gift from Mina made seeing how chakra flowed for jutsu of his enemies easy for him to pick apart and replicate at a frightening speed.
Obito always teased him that he had a weaker copy of the Sharingan, but Kakashi never found it as much of a joking comment that the bubbly uchiha did. His Fox eye, as he and his friends had begun calling it, also had the benefit to keep kakashi from being stuck in genjutsus for very long. The chakra of the eye was a natural defense to the mind trick.
However, no matter how much he grew and rose in skill, it felt to kakashi that he still wasn't strong enough to stand at Mina's side.
Yet…one of his best friends and teammates that he knew also strived to be strong to stand at Minashi's side…was now saying they'd never be at her side. Instead Kenji would be happy being at her back, protecting it; knowing Minashi trusted in him to have her back.
Kakashi looked back at the mountain. He lifted his headband and let both his eyes gaze at the mountain.
And… Yeah…
The longer the Hatake looked, the more he could see it. Minato-sensei a godaime (he'd seen the mark when Kushina-nee asked to see it again. He knew it was a tightly guarded secret and never spoke about it). Beside the Namikaze's face would be a similar one, but with Minashi's whiskers and long hair. Konoha's future Rokudaime Hokage. Because no matter that Obito dreamed of being Hokage, and was getting stronger over the years with Kagami-san's training, even he could acknowledge that Minashi was the one leading their generation strength wise. There was just this….pull to her that they could never articulate. Only realize that one day they would be under her command and they would be proud to do as such.
"Yeah." kakashi finally answered smiling beneath his mask at Kenji. "Minashi is going to be Hokage. I guess that leaves us fighting to be her personal guards. Can't be letting anyone else think they can keep up with our reckless blonde and keep her out of trouble. We do have the years of experience of such."
Kenji snorted and ruffled gravity defying silver hair once more. Kakashi snarled and shoved him away.
"Personal Guards huh? I thought you'd want to hog that position. I was aiming to be the next Advisor or Dragon-sama's mask."
Kakashi startled and looked at Kenji. "Hm? But don't you have a crush on Mina?"
The hatake had the delight of watching Kenji's face turn bright red.
"W-w-where did you hear that?"
"Obito." Kakashi ratted out his unconscious friend with ease.
Kenji groaned and fell to squat as his hands ruffled his messy bun. The older teen sighed and glanced up at kakashi.
"Yeah, I like her…a lot." He looked back out onto the village. "But I've already given up."
Kakashi jolted and looked at his friend. "What? Why?"
"She's already in love with someone else." Kenji smiled sadly at Kakashi.
Kakashi stared. "No she isn't. I'd know."
Kenji stared blankly at Kakashi for silent minutes before squawking and leaping to his feet.
"Seriously!? Kakashi!" Kenji gripped his shoulders. "Do you not see it?"
The Hatake looked around cluelessly. "See what?"
The Uchiha just gaped at him before groaning, head dropping as he murmured a little humored despite it all. "Hopeless. Hopelessly dense. I feel so sorry for Minashi."
"What?" Kakashi grunted confused, crossing his arms defensively.
"Nevermind." The Uchiha perked back up. "Come on, you and Minashi need to talk and you need to apologize. The girl did just wake up only to be yelled at."
Kakashi winced, rubbing his neck guiltily. "Yeah, dad didn't seem happy either."
"Well, like you said, she's family. I'm sure he wasn't happy that you made the girl he sees as practically his own daughter cry."
The younger winced again even as they took off. "Yeah….Dad's gonna retaliate with missions. Training would be a reward."
Kenji just snorted and playfully shoved his best friend. The younger yelped as he lost balance and fell off a roof. With a curse the Hatake caught himself and chased after the Cackling Uchiha.
Nagisa settled into the bed of her hospital room. The original had spent a week recovering, visiting Kushina, hanging with her visiting friends, and doing physical therapy until Tsunade finally gave the go ahead to test her clone levels and blood henge abilities.
To stay on the safe side, Minashi would still have to disburse daily until she could once more go a week at a time between popped blood clones.
Until then, 'Nagisa' could awaken and begin her own recovery. Thus, she sat there in her own hospital room as Tsunade monitored her chakra output and core.
"You seem good to go, but you'll have to play up recovering Uzumaki for at least a week, just like your original."
Nagisa nodded even as she stretched out her longer limbs and absently eyed her long red locks.
"I'm gonna miss the black." She said wistfully.
"You'll still get to henge it black when on ANBU missions." The senju reminded her before pausing and placing a hand on her protruding belly with a grimace.
Nagisa perked up and placed a hand beside Tsunade's. Her face softened as there again, was another strong kick against their palms.
"Naoki's gonna be strong." she hummed wistfully.
Tsunde's own demeanor softened. "Hm." The senju agreed before her discussion with her Uzumaki cousins earlier in the week came forward. She'd brought it up with Sakumo, but he'd agreed to wait until 'Nagisa' was awake for the meeting to take place.
"Nagisa, We ran into a snag with your background. Thankfully the questioning party has respectfully kept her silence from the others, but it has still been asked."
Cerulean eyes met honey with curiosity.
"Mariko-san is older than Kushina and wasn't isolated from the rest of the main family."
Understanding filled the younger Uzumaki. "She should have known about a second set of twins from her great granduncle." Nagisa whispered. "Even with not everyone living under the same roof, they still lived in the same main compound. Has Sakumo told her anything?"
"Not yet. He asked her to respectfully wait for you to wake."
"And we're sure Kushina isn't having the same questions? Namika was her aunt, her children should have been close." The redhead rambled even as she once more tried to remember everything Miku-oba had told her about Kushina's past. Nagisa frowned as the answer came forward. "Kushina was isolated in her training due to her similar chakra to Mito-oba's. To keep her from total isolation, Fuso had been her tutor, thus her closeness to Nagato." She groaned and rubbed her temples. "Fuso….used to bring her niece to Kushina's lessons to help teach the younger uzumaki." She repeated slowly. "Kushina could have easily missed hearing about a second set of twins due to the infamy of Ren and Riku's legacy."
"Plausible." Tsunade hummed and frowned. "Just how much did Miku-oba teach you?"
Nagisa didn't looked ashamed at all. "Everything about the Uzumaki she could. Most of it was our history, traditions, and family tree. The rest was Fuuinjutsu and political lessons."
Tsunade snorted. "Alright, so what will your plan be for Mariko?"
"I'd like to talk with her first. See what she had theorized. I'll wing it from there. Some of mine and Naruto's best plans were ones thought on the fly." The redhead shrugged shamelessly.
The Senju couldn't help another snort of amusement, making her son jerk again, but still smiling all the same.
"Alright, I'll pass it onto Sakumo. Now, you do have some visitors that have been waiting to see you despite the restriction, so you better prepare to receive them as soon as visiting hours open."
Nagisa groaned but waved the Blonde away, and pulled out the bag Orochimaru had packed for her for when 'Nagisa' would awaken.
She was a little surprised when right at eight in the morning, her first visitor was none other than Shikaro Nara.
They stared at each other for silent moments before the Nara let out a long sigh.
"Troublesome Uzumaki." He greeted. Nagisa just smirked.
"Shogi?" She offered and the Nara smirked before pulling up a chair.
They talked about the village rebuild, ally supplies, missions, and such before being joined by Inojiro.
The Yamanaka had inquired about a privacy seal, before the Uzumaki pointed out that Sakumo had it already in place for hers and Minashi's rooms now that they were awake.
Relieved the Blonde talked to her then about her near death experience even as she was distracted by Shogi. She only eyed the two prior clan heads with respect and silent acknowledgement of their teamwork. So she was good and talked about it. How the nightmares hadn't set in, but she wouldn't be surprised if they came.
She then told them about what only Minato and Kushina had been witnessed to. The appearance of Naruto's spirit.
"Hokage-sama doesn't know?" Shikaro inquired firmly.
The Redhead shrugged. "He hasn't said anything to me about it yet, so I can only guess that as my friends, Minato and Kushina wouldn't report such a phenomenon without my permission. Seeing as I've been unconscious and they've had other worries, it's no surprise they haven't mentioned it yet."
The two friends/teammates shared looks and Inojiro then carefully asked her about how she was feeling now.
The redhead just looked away and out the window with a soft sad but fond smile upon her lips.
"Honestly?" She double checked.
"That would be best." Inojiro hummed.
Cerulean met pale blues and deep brown of her friends. They then saw it. Peace.
"Better than I have in a long time. This goodbye with Nii-san was…gentle and expected. While i'll forever grieve my twin's passing, it is…." she trailed off before her eyes even smiled at the two men. "Much easier now to talk about him."
The Blonde's shoulders relaxed at those words. A decade now he'd worked with this time traveller and together they'd made many leaps and bounds as they addressed her trauma filled past. But this…this peace upon her face was something he didn't think he'd ever see upon her. Yet there it was. He sent a silent prayer to Naruto's soul in thanks for bringing Minashi peace. Now, now this wonderful selfless person could finish healing and guide the next generation.
Nagisa marveled at how fast a week could go by. She read, she edited for jiraiya, she worked on seals with Minato when he came to visit her too, and she repaired the damage done to hers and Takeshi's friendship. Instead of him constantly flirting with her, it had taken some blunt flirting back for the Iwa Jounin to finally relax and fall into a new friendship with her. One shared of losses, duty, and secrets. Not to mention handling their bosses. They'd even prepared for the scheduled meeting with Konoha's own Council for the Iwa treaty. While the two Nations wouldn't be on good terms for years to come, the non-aggression and trade treaty would do well for the first steps into the right direction.
First thing Nagisa did when she was released a day early for good behavior was slip to the other side of the hospital where Kushina was. Minashi had been camping out there despite also being released early before Nagisa had 'awoken'.
So dressed in a casual silver Yukata with blue waves as a trim, and white leggings, Nagisa left her hip length Uzumaki hair down as she entered the birthing suite that Kushina had been living in for almost a month; despite the mother-to-be's wishes.
Leaning against the doorway, Nagisa watched as Minato seemed to be on the edges of a full out flail. A red brow rose as she sent a mental nudge to her original.
Matching Cerulean slid to her before rolling.
'Minato is freaking out because Kushina's contractions have restarted naturally and Tsunade just declared they were good to let Naruto make his presence known to the world.'
Nagisa's lips twitched as she realized that Kushina's exasperated yet fond look was slowly turning to annoyance the more Minato pestered about her comfort, the contraction timings, nervously wondering if it was really okay. Not to mention Jiraiya was out of the village keeping the status of Konoha's current repairing state under wraps.
"Minato!" Kushina finally exploded and Nagisa was impressed. She lasted longer than she thought. "Everything will turn out fine! Tsuna-ba is the best and will be assisting Biwako-sama who has been delivering babies for decades!"
"But never one that had bijuu chakra." Minato fretted. "What if the attacker comes back and-"
"Then Nagisa-sama will deal with them."
"She may be awake Kushina, but you can't say that she must have lost some of her strength with Kurama-san ripped from her so violently." The Blonde bit his thumb nail worried. "She still hasn't been discharged and who knows how long it will take her to adjust. You took a while and it was a gentle removal."
"Ma, ma, Minato, such little faith in me." Three heads whipped to Nagisa and the relief in Kushina's and Minato's settled the hidden nerves in Nagisa's belly.
The blonde was up and checking her over with his eyes once more. Sure he'd visited and worked sealing theory over with her, but she'd noticed he'd never addressed the attack or following events.
Reaching up she poked his forehead with two fingers. He looked surprised before the tension in his shoulders relaxed.
"Settle blondie. I'm an Uzumaki, We're a sturdy bunch."
"HA!" Kushina crowed. "I knew it!" Kushina grinned and Nagisa snorted.
"Yeah yeah tomato head, you were right." Nagisa enjoyed watching Kushina pout and glare at her fellow Uzumaki.
"Your hair is just as red as mine!"
"Ah, but you are younger than me, so it's my right to tease you." The 'older' Uzumaki smirked taking a seat beside her 'apprentice/niece' her sharp eyes looking her over. "You seem no worse for wear brat."
Minashi just deadpanned her. "I've had to listen to multiple lectures about messing with jinchuriki seals, alone. I will get you back for that."
Nagisa snorted and ruffled her original's hair. "Sure brat." She looked back to the couple watching them and instead focused her senses on baby Naruto. "Oh, and Kushina, my hair is more Rose red than Tomato. Now, how is little Naruto?" She asked completely ignoring her 'cousins' spluttering outrage.
"Kushi's contractions are only a few every hour, but they've been increasing this last hour. Tsunade-sama predicts that if Naruto doesn't come tomorrow, Kushina will need a c-section as we're almost going too far past her due date now. The labor wasn't supposed to be held off this long."
"Naruto wanted to make sure both his Aunts would be there." Kushina stated smirking. Nagisa's face softened.
"I wouldn't have missed his birth for the world."
The family fell into soft conversation and gossip as they realized now more than anything where Nagisa had gotten her Uzumaki information about.
And as the day turned to evening, Kushina's contractions grew closer and closer together. At midnight on November 14th, Kushina's water broke.
Minato supported his wife diligently as he was used as a back rest, Minashi on stood holding her Nee-san's hand and patting away the sweat, as Biwako-sama and Tsunade worked together to help Kushina through active labor.
Nagisa stood across from Tsunade, monitoring Naruto's seal as she stood in Sage Mode. Both Tsunade and Nagisa had a hand on Kushina's feet as Biwako prepared to catch the newborn Uzumaki-Namikaze.
At 2 o'clock in the morning on November 14th, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto was born. The wailing baby had six whiskers upon his cheeks, but much more faded than his Aunt's. Instead of a black seal, a red seal painted his tiny back like an elegant tattoo. Golden blonde hair was as bright as his fathers. Well, until they saw that there at the base of his skull was a small patch of Uzumaki red.
Kushina beamed proud if tiredly as she held her son. Eyes just as blue as his father's and Aunts' blinked up at Kushina in innocent curiosity.
Minashi and Nagisa alike felt their eyes burn as they watched Kushina cry happy tears as she introduced herself to her first born. Minato right there, lovingly stroking his son's head.
There was no death upon the Uzumaki-Namikaze Household that day.
Minashi and Nagisa both felt their right arm pulse in acknowledgement that Ashura had been reborn. The already present hum of Indra's presence had been acknowledged, but now, the Sage Children were all together once more. This time, born in order that would best allow each to grow up into their best selves. Minashi would make sure of it.