Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto

Co-author & Beta: Etheral-23

Chapter 17: Rise

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin pays a visit to your village. Oh yeah, he puts a weird hickey seal on your teammate which also drove him a little crazy. Also tried to do the same to you, never mind the fact we found out you're Minato Namikaze's son. Possibly also being the Red Death, Kushina Uzumaki's son, this would make you an actual member of the Uzumaki clan. These key factors which would require speaking to your Kage immediately to verify these potential facts, something that any other people would want to do as fast as possible… And you decide to save some random ass girl not even from your village," Kouhei's snarkiness was almost palpable as he spoke nonchalantly.

Karui also put her two cents; "Never mind hebi-teme might still be lurking around along with the massive carnivorous animals that want to kill and eat us too. I'm just throwing it out there, hun."

"SHE WAS GOING TO BE EATEN BY A MASSIVE BEAR, DID YOU WANT ME TO WATCH YOU ASSHOLES!?"

"Well not watch per say, but we have more pressing priorities. So… Yeah should have just let her die," Omoi spoke back calmly with Kumo's strong military doctrine repeating in his mind.

"You guys are just heartless bastards aren't ya?!"

"We're shinobi. It's called 'being pragmatic'"

Sakura and Haku both sigh as their unique motley crew journeys for the center tower within the Forest of Death. In the back of the rosette's mind becoming a Chunin was shelved at the moment given the chaotic events of the past few days.

The Chunin Exams were a stressing matter in and of itself, but add the factors of these crazy days it was like her entire world had been turn around its head. Between the competing foreign teams, the constant life or death situation (even more than what happened in Wave...) a freaking SANNIN of all people attacking them, how they even managed to survive was a miracle. Orochimaru must have been feeling merciful... though she doubted it, considering the stories she heard about him.

Sakura casted one worried gaze at Sasuke, namely at his neck. Or perhaps it was whatever Orochimaru had done to him that made decide too spare them. Was her teammate Orochimaru's new experiment? She shuddered at the thought

Another big point of these trials had been the revelations.

Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki... his parentage. She couldn't even behind to guess the racing distraught thoughts that had to swarming his mind at this very moment.

'Whether or not Naruto is an actual Uzumaki he still has us. I just hope Hokage-Sama can give him some much needed answers.'

"Hey I see something," the rosette was taken out of her thoughts as Yugito spoke up.

Everyone took a large collective sigh upon seeing the sole man-made structure in this hellhole of a training zone. Near one of the larger rivers in the zone, the tower itself was a massive pagoda painted red with tan roofing for each floor.

"About damn time," Karui muttered as they all land on solid ground at the Tower's base. "And we have a few days to ourselves and catch our breathe."

Which was true, having only spent two days in the dangerous forest, it gave them all three days of free-time.

Naruto made his way over to Haku and Yugito; "Thank you, again."

Haku gave a light polite bow; "It was our pleasure" Chojuru gave them a nervous nod while Kouhei just gave them a thumbs up.

"Hey, not a problem Uzumaki" Yugito gave him a cat-like smirk. "We probably gonna end up having to fight each other one day" She raised her hand for him to grasp it. "Ain't any reason for use to be bitter about it"

Surprised at her attitude and invitation, Naruto quickly replied with a grin of his own and grasped her hand in firm hold. "I really hope that if we fight, it's not because our villages are acting stupid. I wanna see what you're made of in the arena"

"Heh! You're gonna regret that" The handshake tightened ever so slightly. "I'd wipe the floor with you"

Blue eyes sharpened, his tone gained a competitive. "Oh yeah?" Their hands began to tremble as the two put more strength into their grasp.

"Yeah" Yugito returned the same edge in her voice.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

By now their arms were shaking visibly with how much strength they were putting into their handshake, one could imagine the sparks flying in between their locked gaze.

Matatabi let out a long tired sighed; "Kids these days..."

Tenten only sweatdrop at the scene; 'Still saner than what I normally deal with'

Neji only rolled his eyes while Sasuke grunts; "if you're done flirting dobe, can we finish this part of the exam so I can get looked at?"

"OH SHUT UP!" Both blond roar back at the Uchiha, blushing.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Saying their farewells, each team went through a different pair of large double doors into a spacious room with words carved on one wall. Kouhei gave only a dry look to the words while Chojuru cleaned his glasses beside him. "Really, some dumb riddle a five year old could solve?"

Haku stretched her arms; "Would you rather face Orochimaru again?" Her teammate turned several shades white, giving the Hyoton user her answer.

Putting his glasses back on, the shy swordsman looked to Haku; "D-Do we tell Mizukage-Sama about N-Naruto-San?"

"No," the brunette responded flatly; "I won't put Naruto-Kun's life in anymore danger than it is being a ninja. He does not need a bullseye on his back."

"Are you nuts?" Kouhei spoke up incredulously; "I get you like the guy, but Mizukage-sama has to know who Naruto's father is, along with his Jinchuuriki status. You don't let that kind of information on the back burner. That's ground for treason Haku."

"Then mine are the consequences" Her tone left no room for argument.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Solving the riddle was simple enough, the scrolls held a summoning array when overlapped. They needed inform any superior about Sasuke's mark, what Orochimaru had to him, urgently.

"Hope it's Kakashi-sensei, he'll know what to do" Naruto said with certainty.

"They'll inform the Hokage regardless, it's he who needs to know as fast as possible" Sakura replied. It involved his student after all, if anyone had any idea what was going on than it'd be their leader.

Sasuke grunted, placing a hand over his mark in mild distress. He wanted this cursed thing out of him; "Let's not waste time"

Sharing a nod with his teammates, Naruto stepped forward with the scrolls and positioned them so the arrays would fit. A soft application of chakra signaled the other end activated them.

A plume of smoke burst-ed from them, and to their surprise it was their academy teacher, Iruka Umino, who appeared forth. He looked at them with that kind smile he often have them when they were younger. "I'm so happy to see you three made it forth. I can see it wasn't easy for you but-"

"Sensei!" Sakura cut him off and took a step forward with urgency in her voice. "Orochimaru attacked us in the forest"

His breath caught in his throat, and the color quickly left his face. "W-What?!"

"He gave Sasuke some sort of... weird seal!" Naruto added with distress, remembering how their teammate had lashed out at them.

Sasuke showed the academy teacher the evidence, tugging at his collar to better display the seal on his neck.

A shallow gasp escaped Iruka's lips, they saw the sheer worry and horror written on his face as clear as day.

The chunin managed to regain his bearings and quickly instructed them with the authority a teacher possessed; "Stay here, I'll be right back!" His hands formed a seal and he disappeared with the same burst of smoke he had materialized with.

It wasn't long before Iruka reappeared with Hiruzen in tow, his expression grave; "Show me," the Hokage ordered, not beating around the bush.

Upon showing the mark Orochimaru placed on his shoulder the Sandaime spoke sternly; "We need to seal this off immediately."

"Jiji," Hiruzen glanced over to Naruto; "After you help Sasuke, I need to talk to you."

The Hokage nodded before placing his hand on Sasuke's other shoulder and vanishing via shunshin. Iruka only sighed rubbing his brow; "Why did he come back now?"

"Orochimaru is after Sasuke, and Naruto," Sakura quietly spoke up making the scar chunin sharply look at her and then to Naruto.

"I'm okay he didn't get me."

Relief washed over Iruka before noticing how quiet his former student was; "What's wrong?"

Cerulean eyes stared up at him with a myriad of mixed emotions. "I..." Should he tell him? Iruka-sensei was to be trusted after all, he could always count on him when he was feeling down. But... could he? It was all still very overwhelming, part of him didn't even believe it despite evidence to the contrary. That he was the Yondaime's son...

Letting out a long breath, he finally said; "It's complicated. I uh, I found out some things in the forest" His gaze became downcast, falling to the floor. "Currently processing it"

Iruka knelt down, gently placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Think I will be"

"Well, when you feel ready to talk you know where to find me" He smiled at the boy. "And then, I'll treat you to Ichiraku, does that sound good?"

Naruto slowly smiled; "You got it."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

With his shirt off, Sasuke sat quietly as the Hokage, joined now by Kakashi, examine Orochimaru's seal. "Naruto looked this over for you?" the silver haired Jounin asked.

"Yeah, said I couldn't use jutsu or mold chakra without risking further exposure to the seal. But he couldn't seal it himself."

"His skills aren't advanced enough for something like this," Hiruzen said critically, looking at every detail of the seal. "Before that you say you heard a voice?"

"Yes, told me to gain more power, and kill anyone in my way," The Uchiha stared at the ground, "I attacked Naruto because of that damn thing. Can you get rid of it Hokage-sama?"

The wizened Kage made a guttural sound as he stroked his beard. "Not fully, I'm afraid" Those words sent any hope Sasuke have crashing down. "But, I can suppress its effects via sealing. Limit its influence, and allow you to use jutsu and mold chakra again without risk of the cursed seal's chakra infecting"

"Is it really the option?" Limiting its influence and returning to him his abilities sounded great, but he didn't feel comfortable with that seal being stuck on his neck.

Kakashi jauntily supplied; "We could gouge out the flesh around the seal, removing all infected chakra points"

"...Sealing it is then" Sasuke said in defeated acceptance.

The Hokage patted his shoulder. "Try to remain calm my boy, this will hurt"

He let out a humorless laugh. "I'm used to pain by now"

"If that makes you feel better"

Sasuke felt the Hokage's hand seal, chakra humming through his fingers and into him. The young Uchiha felt an unpleasant pressure built up but it was anything-

Oh gods, the pain! He wailed loudly as he felt the searing hot burning of flames and electricity mixed into one coursing from his neck and over his body, almost like someone was pressing a soldering iron into his neck while spilling boiling water on him.

The Hokage's face was one of grizzled determination as he finished the final touches to the counter-seal, the matrix was in place, sealing off the infection area of the cursed mark. "Seal!"

An array of kanji appeared around the three tomoe, the letters quickly shining before turning invisible. The curse mark remained, but now it was inert.

The pain stopped, but the sensations lingered for a moment. Sasuke gasped as he placed a trembling hand over his neck.

"It is done" The Hokage informed him. "That should keep the cursed mark at bay"

"Relax, Sasuke. Breath" His sensei advised him. "Slowly"

The young Uchiha slowly reigned in his breathing, the rising and falling of his chest becoming less irregular by the moment as he regained his bearings, the pain slowly vanishing. After a few more slow intakes of air, Sasuke could sigh in relief. "Thank you my lord" He said in respectful gratitude to the elder Kage

Sasuke watched in confusion as the Hokage's face become a touch melancholic. "You own me nothing, my boy" Even his tone was heavy.

It was odd, but Sasuke didn't give it much thought as he put on his shirt again.

Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should go with Sakura and Naruto. Get some rest before the debriefing for the next part of the exam starts"

Sasuke nodded, the thought of his teammates making him remember the events that had transpired in the forest. He struggled for a moment to find the right words before looking at the village leader in the face. "Naruto knows the truth about his father, Hokage-sama"

His sensei let out a soft gasp of shock, his visible eye widening.

Hiruzen, despite the slight show of emotion he had displayed early, managed to remain stoic in the face of this news.

"...Indeed?" Was the only thing he said.

Sasuke nodded in reply. "Yes. It is none of my business, but I believe you must talk with him"

Slowly, the Hokage exhaled. "Yes... Yes I believe it has been a long time coming"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Both Sakura and Naruto were ecstatic to find a room designated for their team with three beds and a bathroom. The blond planted himself face first into one of the mattresses eliciting a giggle from his female teammate.

The rosette sat down beside him; "Interesting few days huh?"

Naruto snorted before shifting to lie on his back. His cerulean stares up at the ceiling; "Are you... really okay about me? Being Jinchuuriki and all?" His questions was met with a flick to the forehead; "OW!"

The rosette gave the blond a dry gaze; "Baka," Sakura's voice was quiet as she looked him in the eyes; "I meant every word. It doesn't matter if you're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Your my friend and teammate. Maybe future Godaime Hokage if you stop being so wishy washy," Sakura said as she cheekily grinned.

The blond glared till both began laughing.

Their laughter was cut short by the sound of the door opening, revealing their teammate standing on the door-frame, the Hokage standing behind him with a carefully guarded expression on his face.

Naruto and Sakura bolted to their feet as ran straight to the Uchiha, stopping to an almost screeching halt. "So, are you okay?" Naruto rapidly asked, getting too close to Sasuke's personal space for his liking. "You won't go all murdery again?"

Sasuke scowled; "Only if you don't back away"

Sakura sighed, partly in relief and partly frustrated at their antics. "He's fine."

As the Uchiha moved passed his team to sit one of the beds, Naruto turned back to Hiruzen; "Before we talk just tell me. Please Jiji, am I actually member of the Uzumaki clan?"

Both Sakura and Sasuke watched the stony expression of the Hokage who was silent for a minute before sighing; "Yes... You are the son of Kushina Uzumaki." The blond narrowed his eyes as both his teammates looked wide eyed. "I will speak to you two later on keeping the matter silent. For now I must speak privately to Naruto."

Before either could respond the Hokage and Naruto had vanished.

XxX ~ Naruto and Hiruzen ~ XxX

Appearing in Sarutobi's personal office in the tower, the blond saw it looked like his Jiji's office in the Hokage Tower, but honestly he couldn't be bothered with such details at the moment. Going to his desk Hiruzen activated the barrier and silence seals in the room. Moving over to the one couch of the room the Kage sat and looked over to his surrogate grandson.

"Go ahead Naruto-kun."

"I have a clan and you never told me. Why?" the blond spoke in a mixture of pain and rage.

"For your protection. During the third Shinobi War your mother carved her legend into Iwa and Kumo. Kushina was extremely respected and feared with her prowess as a brilliant Kenjutsu, Taijutsu, and Fūinjutsu master. She also had a rare form of chakra where she could create actual solid chains from her energy. Something unique to the Uzumaki."

"You didn't answer my question." Inwardly, he was in awe by his mother's skills.

"During the Second War, your clan was nearly destroyed by a joint attack from Iwa and Kumo. They deeply feared you clan's power. And so when our forces were at our weakest they attacked. Kushina was blessedly in Konoha weeks before the attack. I feared if people knew you were of direct line of the Uzumaki and the Uzukages they would use you for their own ends. You would have been a target"

"I'm a target anyway…" Naruto muttered. He was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, something that wasn't a secret anymore. "Just because of the damn fox"

"Hey I'm not a fan of this either" Naruto ignored his tenant's words that were filled with annoyance.

"Had everything gone according to plan, you never would have been" The Sandaime sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You mother… She was the previous Jinchuuriki"

Blue eyes snapped open in shock. "What" His response was flat, barely even in a questioning tone.

"That is why she came to Konoha" Hiruzen explained. "She was the most ideal candidate"

"But… I don't get it" Naruto shock his head, a million thoughts running through his mind. "Then how did the Kyuubi get loose?"

"A female Jinchuuriki's pregnancy is not ordinary. The child feeds upon the chakra from the seal, which adds one more month and causes it to weaken immensely upon childbirth"

If he got chakra from the seal, from the fox, then that explained why he got those whisker marks, but… "Didn't you have measures in place?"

The Hokage's gaze was as dry as sand. "Do you think we're stupid my boy? Of course we did. She was taken to give birth on a special location. Surrounded my multiple-layered seals, dozens of ANBU, my own wife taking care of the delivery, the Yondaime himself keeping the seal stable"

"…He was my dad wasn't he?"

At this point, Hiruzen didn't question how Naruto came to know of it. "…Yes"

Naruto's eyes shut tightly, willing himself to not let the tears spill. "Why did he choose me?" He should have known how hard all of this would have been, shouldn't he? What kind of father submitted his son to that kind of fate?

He looked up when he felt a hand upon his shoulder, and saw Hiruzen looking at him with that comforting gaze he always gave him. "Because there was no choice… and a father trusts his son with such responsibility"

"…What happened?"

Hiruzen made a throaty sound; "A question I haven't stopped asking myself after all these years. The best we can tell is that someone interfered, beyond that we have no evidence to make a reasonable theory" He left it at that.

His father… Minato Namikaze was his father, but he was also shinobi, he was also the Hokage. His duty was more than to just him, it was to the entire village.

Could he himself have done the same had he been on his father's shoes? He didn't know the answer, wasn't sure he wanted to know even. So for now, he let the matter drop, he didn't know how to deal with it right now.

Hiruzen sighed. "How did you find out?"

"It's… part of it is hard to explain" He sniffled, rubbing his nose against his arm. "Back in the Forest we figured it out just by piecing things together. It also helps that I'm basically a carbon copy of my… my dad" It felt odd saying that. "Funny how a lot of people can't see that" He bitterly said.

"Oh don't be surprised my boy. People can't see what they don't want to see, even when it's right in front of their face" The Hokage spoke wisely. "You yourself never noticed either because in no way you could compare yourself with the Yondaime am I wrong?"

No, no he was not, Naruto had to admit.

"But that must not be the hard part you meant" Hiruzen noted. "What else tipped you off?"

"I… had a dream where I saw them, I don't know how or why but… I think it was before they died"

The Sandaime's analytical mind immediately began processing that. "Hmm, strange…"

"Were those memories?"

"From you? Please Naruto, you must have been barely an hour old. Babes don't even have pattern recognition at that point, much less the capacity to form memories that just pop out as dreams. It's absurd"

It did sound pretty dumb when he said it like that.

"Hmm" He stroked his beard in thought. "To have such developed memories… They're clearly not yours. The closest answer I can come up with is that it must be residual chakra implanted to you by your parents when they formed the seal, their own memories of that even imprinted into it"

"Can that even work?" He didn't know the mechanics behind such chakra that it could share memories. That was something new for him.

"Chakra works in a lot of ways Naruto. From my studies with the Yamanaka it is not outside the realm of possibility."

His eyes fell to the floor. "It felt… like they loved me"

Hiruzen's arm wrapped around his shoulder. "They did Naruto, gods know they did"

It was… actually very comforting to know that. To know that his parents loved him to the point they gave up their lives for him. He had received love the moment he was born; he wasn't some child nobody had abandoned to fend for his own. He was Naruto, son of Kushina and Minato, two parents who loved their child more than anything else in the world.

He could cling to that feeling, that happiness.

"I… I wish I had something to remember them by"

"You have an inheritance to claim, Naruto" The Hokage said gently. "I was waiting for the day you'd be ready for it… And I think that day has come. In fact" He searched through his robes and pulled out a miniaturized scroll, a single hand seal and it returned to normal. Now that Naruto could look at it better he saw it was green and had a golden lining. "I've been carrying this around for years. Among the items recovered from the scene of the event years ago, we found this scroll with the only instructions being; 'Open it' they had been written hastily, like the one who did it was under great stress. He suspected it was Kushina. "Despite my best efforts I just couldn't open the damn thing"

Naruto tilted his head as he looked at it. "And why couldn't you?"

"It has a blood lock matrix, only someone of the same blood as the one who used it can open it. There is a fifty-fifty chance it is Minato's or Kushina's blood that is required. An Uzumaki or a Namikaze"

He pieced things together. "You need me to unlock it"

"Well…" The Sandaime rubbed his neck. "That's the thing. You're both Namikaze and Uzumaki, there's the chance the seal won't recognize your mixed blood and collapse, destroying the contents inside"

"Oh" Naruto's eyes widened. Yeah, that was a big risk. And yet… "I want to try"

Hiruzen looked at him with apprehension. "Are you completely sure?"

"If there is something my parents left me, then yes. I think it's worth the risk"

The Hokage soon smiled in that grandfatherly way of his, he leaned close and whispered with an undeniable touch of mirth to his voice. "Let's open it shall we?"

Naruto couldn't keep the smile from splitting his smile, and eager stood up alongside the Sandaime who placed the scroll on the floor.

"How do we do this?" He was nearly bouncing on his feet, he was just too excited!

"Smear some of your blood on the seal. That should open it"

A quick bite on his thumb cut the skin and allowed blood to flow freely. He knelt down and carefully placed his hand upon the scroll, pouring chakra into it as he cried out; "Release!"

And then… nothing happened.

"Huh…" Hiruzen huffed. "That was anti-climactic"

Naruto's shoulders sagged, apparently it didn't work. "Bummer…"

Then, the scroll exploded with a huge release of chakra.

Furniture was turned over, books fell from their shelves, and the two occupants of the room were thrown back to the floor due to the violent shock-wave. Bright light illuminated the room.

"Woah!" Naruto cried out. "What's this?!" The light was too intense for him to see.

"I don't know!" Hiruzen shouted amidst the sudden chaos. "Stay close my boy!" He reached out to Naruto with the intent to shield him from whatever was happening.

The chakra in the air was so dense and intense any sensor within the vicinity must have felt it. No doubt the ANBU were already on their way. The chakra began to coalesce into human shape, the brightness of the room dimming as though the figure was drawing in all the light. Bones, organs, muscle, skin, nails, hair, and the chakra was becoming physical, giving form and life to something… or rather someone.

Then, as abruptly as it started, it was over.

Naruto and Hiruzen, still shielding their eyes, heard a dry 'THUD'. As if a heavy object had suddenly hit the floor. Slowly, they turned to see the result of such chaotic maelstrom of energy… and felt their souls leave their bodies at the sight before them.

Sprawled on the ground was a woman, bare of any clothing, but the fact that had her front to the floor and her long red locks were covering most of her figure hid any indecency. Her back rose and fell in quick succession, ragged breathes escaped her mouth as though she had trouble breathing. Shakily raising her head, violet eyes stared at the first person she could see.

A trembling hand tried to reach for him.

"Na…ruto…"

The hand fell to the ground as the woman passed out.

Naruto and Hiruzen were white, the color having drained from their faces. They had seen this woman before, though the circumstances were different. Hiruzen knew her for many, many years

Naruto had only seen her in dreams.

"…Mom?"

Hiruzen's eyes quivered. This wasn't possibly… This wasn't possible…

The ANBU burst into the office, no doubt drawn in by the burst of chakra. "Hokage-sama!" Neko was the first to speak, having already drawn her blade. "Are you alright?! What's the situa-?!"

The moment she saw the third figure in the room, her blade fell from her hands.

"Is that-?"

"No… No it can't be…"

The ANBU muttered among themselves.

Hiruzen fought hard to regain his composure. Analyze, prioritize, and react. Those were the words Tobirama-sensei had drilled into his head.

"Kushina…"

The woman before them was Kushina Uzumaki.

Alive.

Kushina was here, in front of him. ALIVE.

He quickly got to his feet. "Take her to the medical bay with utmost secrecy!" He ordered. "We don't know what we're dealing with here!"

The ANBU, being the elites they were, were quick to break out of their stupor and carry out his command. Neko was the first to move, placing her cloak around the redheaded woman while her comrades aided in moving her.

When she was taken out of the room, Hiruzen knelt before the broken pieces of the scroll. He took one look at the fragments of the array and gob smacked by the sheer complexity of them…

He recognized this work anywhere. There was no doubt in Hiruzen's mind what this scroll was, and WHO had made it.

Sharply turning to the young genin, he saw the poor boy was stunned beyond belief, frozen in place. He couldn't even move.

The Hokage gently grabbed his hands; blue eyes slowly looked at him. "Come with me, Naruto. I don't know what's going on… But I know you need to be present for it"

XxX ~ Forest of Death Tower Medical Facilities – Secure Location ~ XxX

An entire wing of the medical bay had been sealed off. ANBU stood guard, keeping a tight perimeter as the elite medics had been brought in to perform a full inspection upon the woman. Hiruzen hoped dearly that it was truly Kushina. He hoped that somehow she had survived that tragic night… but the ninja in him knew better than to have such expectations.

But the scroll in his hands, or rather the fragments of it...

He had sent an order to postpone the next stage of the exam under the excuse that they were currently conducting all their efforts into searching for Orochimaru, the snake sannin had caused plenty of casualties among the various shinobi from different villages, and struck terror into the genin who were fortunate enough to have seen him and lived to tell about it. Nobody would raise any question with a threat such as him running about. It wasn't an outright lie; he had plenty of ANBU searching the forest and the village for him. So for now, the prelims would be momentarily delayed. It served them that they were just a couple of days from now, with some fortune they wouldn't prolong too much.

A raccoon masked ANBU appeared next to him as though materializing from thin air. "We've opened her grave as you ordered my lord"

"And?"

"There was nothing there. But it was filled with dried blood"

Hiruzen's eyes widened in realization; "A blood clone… We buried a blood clone" Such type of clone was useful to fake a corpse, but only for a short time until they run out of chakra. It could also be solid enough to be wounded and not dispel like other clones, though it shared the weaknesses of a human body. It was the clone that had helped shield Naruto from the Kyuubi's claw.

He was already formulating a theory of what had happened that night. But they need to wait for Kushina to wake up first. Casting one eye at Naruto, he saw the young man was facing a myriad of emotions. The old Hokage couldn't blame him; this was just too much for the boy. He'd be in the same situation if his own late daughter or his wife suddenly returned out of nowhere. So all he could do now was keep the boy company as they both waited outside the room Kushina was being tended by the medics.

The young Jinchuuriki fought hard to keep his breathing even. His mother was here, his mother was alive. He could hardly believe it, part of him thought it was just a dream… but it felt too real. There was no way this was just a fantasy brought by his imagination.

He should feel happy, and he did really. But the chaotic nature of this situation and the stress it brought made it difficult to focus on positive thoughts. So instead he'd wait for his mother to see him, if he could just talk to her he'd know everything would be alright…

A burst of smoke appeared right next to him, and Naruto saw Kakashi looking more alarmed than he had ever seen him. There was a look in his eye the young genin had never seen before, desperation mixed in with hesitant hope.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto" He spoke with a strained voice. "Is it true?" No doubt Jiji had sent for him.

The Hokage sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're trying to confirm it, but… all evidence so far seems to point it is true. The person inside that room is indeed Kushina"

Kakashi's breath was caught in his throat. "Oh my gods…"

Naruto looked at his sensei, wanting to ask him-

A sudden crashing sound alerted everyone. It came from the room his mother was in.

A medic burst out of the door, a panic expression clear on his face as they caught glimpses of struggle behind him. "Hokage-sama, the patient is awake but she's attacking everyone!"

Hiruzen and Kakashi immediately tensed for action, their experience making them rationalize what was happening. Kushina had just woken up after a traumatic experience, giving birth to Naruto, the Kyuubi extracted from her, she was confused and running on adrenaline, which made her lash out against everything she perceived as a threat. That is to say everyone in her vicinity.

The Hokage and Jonin sprinted quickly towards the room, Naruto followed soon after but wasn't fast enough to arrive when they did. The two older shinobi saw Kushina, dressed in a medical gown, being restrained by several ANBU.

Well, the ANBU were trying to restrain her rather. Someone of Kushina's strength running high on adrenaline was as easy to restrain as a bear. A mother bear looking for her cub most likely.

"Kushina-dono you need to calm down!" One ANBU, one that spoke with a certain familiarity with her tried to calm her. He stood behind her; his arms were under her armpits as the sneaked their way behind her head in a hold.

Neko was holding her left arm; "Sensei! It's us, you're in Konoha!"

But Kushina would not listen, her wild eyes caught size of a medic approaching her with a needle, an upward kick snatched the object from his hands and a strong tug on her part release her arm from an ANBU's hold, the grabbed the needle from midair and stabbed at the ANBU behind her right on the thigh, injecting into him whatever sedative they were going to give her.

The effect was swift; he lost his strength and stumbled back, releasing the Uzumaki. Kushina let go of the needle and lashed out with her arm at the ANBU on her right, the blow was strong enough to send him stumbling to the floor. She then quickly took hold of Neko's arms; kicking her feet and making her lose her balance. She was lifted from the ground as Kushina threw her over her shoulder in a throw; her body collided painfully against the floor.

Naruto was honestly frightened at the ferocity displayed by his mother. He started to understand what Shikamaru was always complaining so much about…

Kakashi was in the middle of pulling up his headband to reveal his Sharingan, but in a burst of movement that even he had trouble keeping up with; the Sandaime had cleared the distance between them and Kushina.

He quickly grabbed her arm and twisted it, forcing her to her knees. She cried out violently in defiance even as he pressed his palm against her head.

"CALM. DOWN." The words felt unnatural, a tinge of chakra filled the air around him. It was soon clear to Naruto and Kakashi what he did; A genjutsu, one that was apparently calming the nerves of the redheaded woman.

Her ragged breathing began stabilizing, her pupils dilated and constricted before settling into a regular size. Kushina's rage filled expression slowly morphed into a stunned one, her thoughts slowed down, allowing her to better perceive her surroundings and identify who these people were.

"…Old man?" She whispered.

"It's alright" Hiruzen softly replied, slowly letting go of her arm. "You're safe"

She breathed deeply, calming herself as she remained knelt on the ground. "Safe? I'm… Where is… Where is my baby?"

Hiruzen did not reply; he merely turned his gaze towards Naruto who stood by the door. Kushina followed it and chocked on a breath as he saw the young boy. Naruto gulped, feeling an overwhelming nervousness wrecking inside him.

"…Naruto?" The older Uzumaki muttered. "No… No you can't be him. He's just… He's just a baby"

The boy remained frozen in the spot; it took a soft push by Kakashi to motivate him into moving. He slowly approached his… his mother until they were face to face.

"It's… you. It really is you" Her eyes quivered. "How long has it been…?"

Hiruzen answered her. "You've been gone for twelve years"

A sob escaped her lips. "Twelve… Twelve years?!" Tears fell down her cheeks. "Oh Minato, I'm sorry" She looked at her son with great regret. "I'm so sorry!"

Naruto wasn't sure he understood what she apologizing for, but he didn't care, the moment his mother placed her arms around him nothing mattered anymore. He merely hugged her back, eyes leaking tears as they took comfort in each other, finally reunited after so long. Feeling his mother's embrace… it was the most wonderful feeling he had ever experienced.

XxX ~ XxX ~ XxX

He didn't know how much time it passed when they embraced, but eventually they both let go and Kushina was guided towards the bed, where she now rested. They had a lot of questions after all, and now that she was in her right mind she could perhaps provide the answers.

But first, they needed to ease her into her current situation.

"Oh my gods" Kushina groaned out into her hands. "Twelve years… Has it really been twelve years? Scratch that" She sighed as she looked at the occupants in her room, Yugao, Kakashi, Hiruzen, and most of all, her son. "Looking at you guys it's obvious time passed, I just… I never thought I'd be in that scroll for so long"

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked with concern.

Kushina smiled warmly at him, placing a hand atop his head. "I'll be fine; I just need a moment to take it all in. Oh jeez, it feels like I time-traveled…"

"Sensei" It now just dawned on Naruto that Neko, now bereft of her mask, was calling his own mother 'sensei'. But that wasn't important right now. "How did you survive?"

Kushina rubbed her neck in a manner Naruto himself often did; "I took a big gamble"

"Hmph, I'd say" Hiruzen replied. He pulled out the broken scrolls pieces from his robes. "You used this, didn't you?"

The Uzumaki hissed as she saw the remains. "Yikes, it really was a one-time use thing"

"What's that?" Naruto curiously asked as he looked at the scroll fragments.

"I share his confusion" Kakashi added. "I've never seen a scroll like this in my life"

It was not Kushina that answered them, but Hiruzen, proving why he was called 'The Professor'. "The Tenrai Suimin"

"'Divine Sleep'?" Yugao repeated in confusion as her eyes narrowed.

"One of the biggest works done by a member of my clan" Kushina clarified. "Tsukiko Uzumaki"

"Who?" Naruto frowned.

Kushina snorted; "Only the biggest badass woman that's ever lived. Master of seals so great they actually called her the 'Goddess of Fūinjutsu'. This was gonna be one of her biggest works, a scroll that could save someone from the brink of death"

"Amazing" Kakashi was sincerely awed. "How does it the work? The sheer complexity of it…"

"Supposedly it stores the user inside and reforms the body to the point of optimal health, erasing diseases and healing wounds. No matter how grave" Kushina paused. "At least, that's what Tsukiko-baachan intended. She said the thing was incomplete and she never had the chance to test it on a person. Not to mention the chakra requirement for thing is ungodly, she spent years gathering chakra to power it. And it's still incomplete; she deemed it a failure and gave it to me with the explicit instructions of only using it when I have no other choice"

"I must agree with Tsukiko-dono" The Hokage said as he inspected one of the broken pieces. "No timer-release mechanism, nothing to prompt its release once the user is healed. The already highly complex array doesn't leave room to implement something anything like that. You could have been trapped inside of it for eternity" He sighed. "You were damn lucky, girl. Your vague instructions didn't help"

"Oh I'm so sooooorry" The sarcasm in her voice was palatable. "I would have been clearer about it, but you know, I just had pushed another human out of me and had a fucking Biju ripped out from my very being… You'll forgive me if I wasn't in my right mind at the time"

The four sweatdropped. Well they couldn't deny the circumstances weren't favorable for one to act rationally.

"Annnnnd she's back" Naruto blinked as the fox drawled inside his mind. "At least I'm not riddled with spikes inside of her again. And I don't have to deal with her anymore. So that's a positive… as far as positive my current situation can be"

"Hey, you tried to kill me. You don't really have the moral high ground here" The young genin irritably shot back out loud, much to the confusion of the others.

Kushina understood what was going on, and it brought a sense of shame and regret. She pushed it down for the moment. "Talking to the fox?" Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he's an ass… Hey fox!" She glared, as though she was actually glaring at the Biju. "Still alive, bitch! I win!"

Hiruzen sighed while Kakashi awkwardly chuckled. It was almost like Kushina never left… Truly, the fates were kind sometimes.

"Kushina" The Hokage called for her attention. "We don't know all the effects of the Divine Sleep seal, or even if your body has been properly reformed, so I advise" He stressed the word, clearly meaning that by advice he meant order; "That you remain in bed until the doctors give the all clear"

Kushina groaned loudly as she fell back unto the bed. "Oh give me a break I already went through so much shit today... Well, not 'today' but you know what I mean… Ugh, I'm fine!"

Hiruzen gave her the most deadpanning look possible; "The doctors say your heart is now on the right…"

"…Oh" She placed her hand on her chest to verify, and yep there it was. On the right. Huh.

"I'll need to ask you some questions" His gaze softened considerably. "I know this is too soon but we need to understand what happened that night"

Her hand tightened into a fist, shaking violently at the memory of an orange mask. She led out a shuddering breath. "Yeah… I'll tell you everything"

Naruto worried immensely for his mother, her words were just filled with so much… anger and sadness.

He placed a hand on the bed, not really sure of what to do at the moment, part of him felt nervous about making physical contact with her again. Afraid he'd mess it up just because he was too dumb to understand a social cue or something.

Kushina's hand lowered and grasped her son's so tightly. Hiruzen, Yugao, and Kakashi silently excused themselves, giving them their space.

"…You were so small" She said softly. "And now… Now my baby has grown up and I missed it. I choose to use that scroll because I couldn't bear the thought of you being all alone. I… I cheated death and let Minato die all because I was selfish and rash, and wasn't thinking straight and…" She choked on a breath. "And I still left you because I didn't do things right, burdened you with being a Jinchuuriki!"

"Mom…" He didn't get how anything she could do was selfish. "You guys saved me. I'm here because you loved me. That's why I'm here today, happy and healthy"

She paused for a moment; "You're happy?"

He smiled at her so brilliantly; "You're here, how couldn't I be?!"

The older Uzumaki looked at him with a stunned expression, after her own failures as a mother she didn't think possible for her son to smile at her like that, to be so thankful for the few things she did for him.

Naruto stilled as he suddenly found himself encircled by his mother's arms once more, she wept as she held him.

"Thank you! Thank you for being our son..!"

The young boy soon found himself shedding tears as well, his arms returning the hug just as strongly.

"I love you"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Lots of you will call foul at bringing Kushina back out of nowhere, but honestly we don't care. Those who enjoyed it, hope we can deliver more in the future