The deer around me move as one. All of them move slowly throughout the foliage. Ren brushes against my shoulder every few steps. Ai brushes against my other shoulder when Ren doesn't. They were keeping close after what had happened the night before.
I was just in bed, reading through the first books on Kahana's list when I heard the first explosion. Kairi was in my window before I even recognized the noise. All the summons on the island were prepared to fight whoever was on the shores.
But I was stuck in the war room in the basement. After a frantic few seconds I managed to make my first blood barrier seal. It was basically a regular barrier seal, but with my blood as reinforcement it ensured no one other than an Uzumaki could enter the room. After a few tense minutes, one of the doors opened slowly.
"It was the same organization," Ren said. "One tried to use an exploding tag on the barrier and blew himself up instead."
"Good," Kairi said as she shifted on my shoulder. "The others?"
"Taken care of," Ren said, his eyes hard. How had they managed to handle them outside of the barrier? "The darkness is everywhere, Kiku-chan. You just have to look for it," Ren said as I pulled my barrier down. I realized then that Ren was able to manipulate shadows just like the Nara family.
"You're not getting enough sleep," Ai says, pulling me back to the present. I turn to look at the doe, but she doesn't bother looking at me. She keeps looking forward as she takes her quiet steps.
"I was waiting to read some books Uzukage-sama told me about before I made some tea," I say quietly. I don't want to break the peace of this moment.
"Perhaps those should be the first books you read before you move forward," Ai says and I nod. I can't learn when I can't think. And I can't think when I'm tired.
"I have a feeling she'll be doing anything but reading books after this," Ren says. He sounds bored but his chakra is bubbling with amusement.
"And what is this exactly?" I ask as we start following the other deer down a hill.
"We're going to get the scroll your mother left you," he says as he bumps against my shoulder. My breath hitches as I look at him. I'd completely forgotten that mom had come to the island at some point. And that she'd left me a scroll. Would it just be copies of her notes? Or would it be more about her and dad? I almost trip over a root and Ren snorts at my failure to pay attention. Ai gives Ren the side-eye but doesn't say anything.
The brief moment reminds me of Yoshino and Shikaku. And for the first time since getting to the island, I don't push that thought away. I was so focused on getting stronger and learning as much as I can that I haven't been dealing with what I need to deal with. The pain of not being with them.
Brief flashes of dinner at the Nara house play in front of my eyes as we continue to walk. Sitting on the engawa playing shogi with Shikamaru. Riding on Ensui's back as he walked with us through the forest. The fond looks of the deer when they saw us lazing around in one of the clearings of the Nara forest. The time one of the deer helped me and Naruto prank Shikamaru while he was sleeping.
Ai brushes against my side, causing me to look up to see us at the edge of the forest. One of the deer behind us bumps my shoulder for me to walk forward. I take a deep breath before stepping through the foliage and out onto the sand. I'm confused for a moment as I look down the beach, where could the scrolls be kept?
But then I see it. A small fishing dock that leads into the water. Attached to the dock is a small shed. I turn back to look at Ren and Ai who just look at me.
"Mendokuse," I mutter under my breath as I turn away from them. Of course I have to go to the run down shed by myself. I hear various snorts of amusement from the forest and shake my head. I walk down the beach before stepping on the dock carefully. It takes a few steps for me to feel comfortable that it's steady before I finally relax. Once I'm up on the dock I turn to my left to see the shed door shut. Where a doorknob would normally be, there's a seal instead.
"Honestly, all the blood stuff," I huff before I bite my thumb and place it on the seal. A second later, I'm able to push the door open. And as soon as I walk into the shed I feel my mouth drop open. "What the hell?"
The outside looks like a small decrepit shed that's barely standing. But it's bigger on the inside! It looks like what I imagine the inside of a pirate ship would look like. Deep wooden shelves line the walls with supporting columns lining every few shelves. Brass signs hang above each shelf and as I walk closer I can read them. Each sign is for a different clan.
All the shelves are filled with scrolls. All of them. Does this mean that at least one person from each clan survived? If so, where the hell were they? I walk down the rows of shelves, briefly stopping to look at the Umino shelf. My hand twitches towards it, but I stop myself. I take a deep breath before moving on until I get to the last shelf.
Uzumaki.
Only one scroll is on the shelf unlike the others in the room. I feel tears burn the back of my eyes as I bend down and grab the scroll before standing once again. The scroll is a dark blue color with only one symbol on the entire thing. The swirl of Uzushiogakure.
I try to keep my breathing even as I hold the scroll to my chest. This is the one thing I have that I've held that I know my mom has held before, too. I close my eyes and clutch it to my chest, imagining what it would be like to hug my mom one time. I give myself a few more minutes of that feeling before I finally open my eyes. I walk out of the room and close the door behind me, making sure it's firmly shut.
I hold the scroll to my chest as I walk down the dock, across the beach, and through the foliage to get back to Ren and Ai and the rest of the deer. I see the pity in Ren and Ai's eyes. I must look pathetic, holding tightly to the scroll with my shaking hands and probably red rimmed eyes.
But they don't see what's under the surface. Sure, there's pressure to make my family proud. To be strong to carry the weight of their legacy. But that's not what I'm focused on now. Rage has been stewing in my veins since I looked through that room with all those scrolls.
The elemental nations, minus Kumo, thought they could destroy my village. That they could get rid of all of these clans and be done with us. But each of those scrolls is a person. Each of those scrolls shows that while they may have separated us, they didn't get rid of all of us.
Uzushiogakure will come together again.
And I will make everyone who dared to hurt my village or forget it regret their actions until the day they die.
Hola Mijo y Mija,
I can't wait to meet both of you. I'm going to make you both wear the most uncomfortable but cute matching outfits I can find for kicking me so much and keeping me up through the night! And the cravings! I can't have mangú in Konoha! Honestly this village is great but how can people live without mangú?
I feel tears on my cheeks as I laugh at mom's rambling. She's just like-
"You're just like her," Ichika laughs quietly beside me.
"What?" I ask as I wipe at my cheeks, the last thing I want is for the ink to run from me crying.
"You always go on rants when you're nervous or excited," she teases. "And when you talk about food." I feel my cheeks heat up as I look down at the letter in my hands. Warmth spreads through my chest at the feeling of being compared to mom. I'd always focused on how much Naruto was like mom and dad. Maybe I forgot that I was their kid, too.
"Keep reading," Ichika nudges my shoulder.
I'm getting off track.
I hope you two never have to read this letter, but if you are, I'm so, so sorry. I was on a mission not too long before I found out I was pregnant with you when I ran into one of our distant Ueo cousins. She said that other survivors and descendants of Uzushiogakure would make scrolls with a letter to their new child, pieces they have left of Uzu, and all the information they had on their techniques and clans. They take these scrolls to Uzushiogakure where a summons keeps them safe.
If you're reading this letter that means Uzu is open again. Or you were the first to enter it. And if you were, I'm so sorry that you had to carry my burden.
I feel panic well in my chest. Had mom felt this guilt the night we were born? This wasn't just her burden! She should have never had to worry about this. No one from Uzu should have ever had to worry about this.
If you were the first to enter Uzu, please, if you return to Konoha, go to Yamanaka Inoichi.
Ino's dad? She wants me to go to T&I after this?
I've already told him about this letter and what you might have had to do. When I realized I was pregnant I realized I needed to reach out to those I trust. You need to get help. What you had to do is almost unthinkable. You need to talk to someone about this. So please, as scary as it may seem, go to Inoichi.
If you find out Konoha was involved in the destruction of Uzushiogakure, there are a few people I trust that I think you can go to.
"Mom thought Konoha was involved?"
"Apparently so," Ichika says quietly. "Perhaps your father found out about Danzo's organization when he became Hokage?"
"He did, he ordered for it to be dissolved." Ichika sighs and lays her head in my lap under the letter.
"I don't like the idea of you going back there," she murmurs. "But from what I remember even when he was young Danzo thrived off of what others thought of him."
"I wanted to just kill him," I say quietly. "But depending on who mom trusted and how the clan heads might react, it might be best for me to go back."
"You've hated every political book you've read so far, hime."
"I know," I say as I look back down at the letter. "But I hate Danzo more. And the council. They always tried to police how I acted in every situation." I move one hand from the letter to pet Ichika slowly.
"If I show up and out politicize them, it will be their worst nightmare," I finally say. "Death would be too kind of a punishment for them."
"There's my little Nara," Ai says from behind me. I feel her lay down and rest her head on top of my own.
"What?" I squeak.
"There's a reason why they say to never mess with someone a Nara cares about."
"Jiraiya-oji told me that when I started the academy," I say quietly.
"Oh? What prompted that?" Ai asks. I feel her nuzzle against my head and I can't help but giggle a little at the feeling.
"Our first sensei was the worst," I finally say. "He tried to say fuinjutsu isn't an important ninja art."
"What?" Both summons ask, their voices taking a hard tone.
"He wasn't our sensei for long," I tell them. Both relax so I continue, "he gave me detention for telling him off."
"Of course he did," Ai sighs.
"Shikamaru stayed behind with me during detention and Shikaku got us out of it," I say quietly. "I told Jiraiya-oji about it that night and that's when Jiraiya-oji told me that people should never mess with someone a Nara cares about."
"I'll start working on the wreath," Ai says as she tilts her head. I look down to see Ichika giving a feline grin up at her and feel dread pool in my stomach.
"If that's a wedding thing don't even think about it 'ttbane!" Both summons are quiet for a moment before they start wailing with laughter. I feel my cheeks heat up and a pout on my face but I ignore it. "Shika was more Naruto's friend than I was," I say quietly.
"If he was willing to get detention for you the first day he met you, he was definitely your friend, hime," Ai says as she nuzzles against my head again. I huff but don't try to argue with her. "Now keep reading, I want to know who we need to be spying on."
"Ai!" I squeak.
"Honestly, mija. You really didn't think you'd be in this alone did you?" Ichika asks.
"You guys shouldn't have to go there after everything-"
"We will follow you, hime."
"But Ai-"
"Ren and I swore to Shinya that we would follow the heart of Uzushiogakure like he had. I don't intend to break that promise, hime." I feel my lips wobble a bit. But I listen to her.
You can obviously go to your older brother Kakashi, your godfather, Jiraiya, and your godmother, Mikoto and her family.
"Duckbutt's mom is my godmother?" I screech. Ichika howls in laughter as Ai shakes her head.
"Enough commentary, mija." Ichika says after she calms down.
You can also go to our close friends, Aburame Shibi, Nara Yoshino and Shikaku and his little brother Ensui, Akimichi Chouza and Rika, and Yamanaka Miu (Inoichi's wife). Your father's protection platoon is safe to go to, too: Genma Shiranui, Iwashi Tatami, and Raidō Namiashi. If you ever feel unsafe, go to them. They will protect you. Always.
Now, enough of the depressing stuff.
I can't help but snort.
I'm sure you already know everything about the clan but here's the highlights. We have a ton of chakra. We're the best for controlling the bijuu, they were all sealed in Uzushiogakure, by the way. Because of our chakra, we have a ton of energy and can be pretty hyper at times. We also struggle reading, our minds are made for sealing which is why it's easier for us to read seals than books. These are the highlights that everyone else knows about the clan.
But most people don't know our two priorities. Family and food. They go together, really. Most of us eat about the same amount as the Akimichi to help keep our chakra up. But the most important thing about food to us is that it shows us where we come from.
Uzushiogakure is a village of immigrants. We come from islands that are no longer above water and from villages that could no longer stand. Our food reflects the physical island of Uzushiogakure and the heart of Uzushiogakure - the food from where our people come from. That's why there's so many different foods featuring fish from the different islands, different shaved ice flavors from the different fruits, and why there's so many different dishes with cacti from the desert.
Meal times were always shared, and cooking the food for the meal was always a family activity filled with laughter and music. I hope that one day I can share that with both of you, too.
I'm set to go on my last mission before giving birth to you, so I have to end this letter now. In the scroll you'll find all of your father's notes on different jutsu and seals. You'll find mine as well. Kiku-chan, you'll find notes for my Adamantine sealing chains, it's a skill that runs through our clan matrilineally. Naruto-kun, if we're not here, Jiraiya-oji will bring you the toad summoning contract when you're a chunin.
I'm sure you both will be taijutsu masters, too. Given how you're destroying my insides.
Stay safe. Protect each other.
You are love more than you could ever imagine.
With all my love,
Mom
I carefully put the letter to the side and reach for the scroll again. I open it and put in a little chakra until another scroll comes out. It's blue like the outer scroll, but chains are hand drawn across the outside and I can't help but grin. I open this scroll to see text covering the page. So it's not a storage scroll.
The first step to using the Adamantine sealing chains is to meditate.
I puff out my cheeks and hear Ichika and Ai's laughter.
"Qué horrible, Kiku-chan will have to actually meditate," Ichika teases. It's not like I already meditate for at least an hour every day already.
"Meanies," I do not pout as I pick up the scroll again. I start reading through the rest of the list and it doesn't actually sound that difficult?
"Ren was right," Ai sighs.
"On what?" Ichika asks as I continue to read.
"She's not reading any books until she makes her chains." I grin up at Ai who just sighs and stands to leave the room. "I'll go work with some of the others to gather herbs for her sleeping teas."
"That'd be good," Ichika says. "I'll nap here."
"Now who's the little Nara?" I coo. Ichika snaps at me and I fall over laughing. This was hard. Really, really, really hard. But moments like this make all of the pain worth it.