Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-Author and Beta: Etheral-23
Chapter 24: Past moments remembered and training begins
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Naruto as a principle hated hospitals. Sure it was a place where people went to get healed, but the mere thought of having to stay in a room, doing nothing but to lay in a bed, eating horrible food, just waiting until he got better was enough to drive him mad.
But, there was someone he wanted to check up on. So he endured, walking down its white halls as he reached his destination.
Naruto, being Naruto, did not bother knocking on the door and just opened it with a shove, bearing a beaming smile as to cheer up the person occupying the room. Had a nurse or doctor been nearby, they would have given him a long winded talk too about proper etiquette when in a hospital.
"What's up Hinata?!" He always thought it was best to be as cheerful and energetic as possible when trying to cheer up someone up.
The purple haired girl let out a frightened yelp and nearly fell of her bed.
At her reaction the blond winced; "Ah damn, sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya."
"N-N-Naruto-Kun?!" Once righting herself on the bed the Hyuuga heiress felt her heart rate skyrocketing as shock etched on her face. Normally it was her sensei or teammates, her sister, of some members of the Hyuuga that had visited her since after she regained consciousness.
But the last person she ever expected to visit her was the blond she admired from afar. A blush dusted her cheeks as she shook her head; "N-no it's fine," the poor thing stammered shyly. "W-Why are you here?"
At that the young Uzumaki scratched his head; "Well, after what happened with Neji-teme I wanted to check on you. He went after you so bad, even though you're cousins."
Pearly eyes became downcast, her mind recalling everything perfectly in the prelims against Neji. How he went after her with every intention to cause harm if not possibly kill her. She knew his reasons, however it wasn't something she could or would openly share.
It turned out she did not have to keep them hidden, as Naruto soon made that known. "I... I heard what happened, to his dad" He muttered awkwardly, not knowing how to properly address the issue.
Hinata merely tightened her grasp on her bed sheets.
"I can get how he's angry at Kumo" He continued. "Back in the forest, were it not that Orochimaru creep was still out there, I don't think I could have convinced him to not pick a fight with Kumo. The way he looked at them..."
It was hate. Pure hate. Neji wanted nothing more than to see them die, but circumstances robbed him of that chance. So, he took out that murderous anger on his sweet little cousin who couldn't even harm a fly, which made absolutely no sense to Naruto.
"You were just a kid" He said, shaking his head slightly. "Why does he hate you so much too?"
Hinata's gaze her, the sadness in her eyes evident. "M-Maybe, he hates what I represent. H-He sees me a-and sees the Hyuuga clan entirely... the worst parts of it, t-the ones that chain the branch family"
"O-kaaaay that is really stupid" Naruto did not mince his words. "Has he actually spoken to you at all? I mean, I reeeeeeally don't think you're anything like your clan elders"
"It doesn't matter" She shook her head. "I am from the main family. And what happen with Uncle Hizashi" She sighed. "Maybe it was my fault. For being too weak..."
Was this girl for real? Here she was in the hospital because her cousin was insane enough to nearly kill her out of spite for something that had been beyond her control. And now she was saying it was all her fault when Kumo was to blame? Oh for the love of...
"Oh hell no"
Her pearly eyes turned to him in surprise. "Huh?" She soon blushed when Naruto approached her bed, resting his hands on it and getting to close for her comfort.
"I ain't gonna let you take blame for any of this crap" Naruto said strongly. "Kumo are assholes, your elders are assholes, and Neji is being an asshole. You have NOTHING to take the blame for. You have every right to be angry at them, at Neji"
"N-No!" The mere thought of being angry at Neji was simply impossible for her. "Of course not, I love Neji"
It honestly took Naruto aback that she spoke those words so earnestly and honestly. Most people would harbor any kind of resentment considering what other people did to her. Naruto would go as far as to say she did not harbor any ill will towards Kumo at all. He briefly looked at her head to see if there was no halo there, 'cause for gods' sake this girl was a freaking angel...
Yeesh, what did such a nice little thing like Hinata ever do to be deserve all the bullshit people put her through?
Naruto could say he was a forgiving person in his own right, but he had a limit. Hinata did not have one apparently; she was a very rare type of person. And that wasn't a bad thing in truth. But sadly her demeanor caused others to walk all over her.
The blond could only look at the girl as he shook his head; "You're one hell of good person," Hinata blushed at the compliment. "Wish I spoke to you sooner."
At that the lavender haired girl lifted a brow; "We have talked before." Seeing his bewildered expression made her smile sadly; "You forgot..."
"...When did we..." Naruto blinked several times. He was damn sure this was first time they spoke to each other properly, in the Academy aside from a passing word or something they've never had a long conversation before. He was sure of it. "I..."
"When we were younger. I-I ran away from the compound and bumped into some boys. They bullied me until you showed up. You got beaten up but you defended me without a second thought." Naruto only looked on wide eyed; "And then another time it was around winter..." The more spoke the more Naruto felt like, well, now he was the asshole.
That's where his old scarf came from? Oh... good gods he was a moron. How could he have forgotten?! Then again his memory wasn't the best at times, and his focus had the tendency to drift away as well. It always brought him trouble in the academy, but now with what Hinata told him, the fact that he forgot something like that worried him it would become a real problem down the-
No! No, focus! This was precisely the problem!
He looked at the shy girl with apprehension. What could he possibly say? Even he realized he had hurt her a bit by not remembering that small bit of kindness she had given him those years ago.
"I'm sorry I forgot" It was not the best, but it was what he honestly felt.
"It's okay" She actually seemed to smile a bit. "You were... so brave. All the time smiling, even when the world wasn't kind to you" He could only stare at her, mouth slightly open. "I admired that strength you showed, I still do. I wish... I wish I could be strong like you"
Just hearing that made him look in awe at her. And for what she said made him rub the back of his neck; "How about we start over?" Hinata blinked; "I can't really call myself a good person if I'm not there for someone who showed me so much kindness." She was about to object but Naruto lifted his head; "I know you're fine with it, but I'm not. So how about start as proper friends this time okay/"
He extended his hand; "Deal?"
Though her cheeks blushed profusely she reached over taking his, it was warm; "Deal."
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Her steps were almost in trance-like as Kushina journeyed through the now empty section of the Uchiha grounds. She could remember the bustle of Uchiha who roamed all over this place, from child to elderly. The various shopkeepers whom greeted you with warm smiles and kindness...
Now there a silence so unbearable it might as well be deafening. The buildings were empty, bereft of the warmth and care provided by families.
The great Uchiha clan, caught in a web of mistrust, ambition and betrayals, slain in a single night. Itachi forced through the impossible task of choosing between the greater good, his loyalty to the village, and his loyalty to the clan and its ambitions.
Her fist slowly tightened until her arm shook. She punched a wall so hard it produced a small series of spider web cracks around it.
"Mi-chan..." She whispered, as though calling her name would fix everything.
It did not.
Mikoto was still dead. The clan was nearly gone. Itachi was still a criminal in the eyes of the village when he had actually carried out the greatest sacrifice in its name.
She took comfort in the memories she had left of her.
She recalled when they were kids at the Academy, Mikoto was a broody thing who didn't talk much to anyone, everyone else was very annoying to her back then, and she didn't like how that girl sulked all by herself. So she had decided to be her friend, even if it killed her.
More than one time had Mikoto told her to go away, which Kushina knew in Uzumaki tongue truly meant; Yes, I'd love to hang out, please keep pestering me more. And so she did. What a good friend she was.
When they graduated they were assigned to the same team, Sakumo-sensei had been the best teacher ever in her mind, and no one could ever replace him.
She had seen that shy little girl burst out of her shell to become a cheerful young woman, who always had a smile reserved for everyone important to her. She never let anything bring her down, not their harsh life as ninjas, not the horrible battles they've partaken in... Nor her arranged marriage to Fugaku…
She had been down for a time; Fugaku really wouldn't have been what Kushina would have chosen for Mikoto. Always so serious with no time for fun. He had been... decent enough (that was the most she's ever complimented him, not because he was a bad guy, she just disliked him on a senseless personal level), strong and treated her friend well, but still to Kushina, Mikoto had always deserved more. The future leader of the Uchiha clan needed heirs, and Mikoto was their strongest kunoichi. It was only logical.
How she hated that word sometimes.
Now her dislike for the man was amplified to outright hatred. She despised Fugaku, his ambition and that of the elders' caused all this. Mikoto barely resisted them; they took her voice the moment she learnt she speak, tugged at the invisible strings and made her dance like their puppet. Because in their eyes, the best thing that ever came out of their clan was nothing more than a tool.
Mikoto deserved better. Kushina should have done something; she shouldn't have given up so easily and maybe then-
...No. There was no purpose in lamenting it anymore, she had accepted it and move on. The past was the past, there was no changing it.
A long sigh came from the redhead as she turned the corner she came to a stop at the sight of Sasuke nearing his house. The young Uchiha paused upon seeing her, silence hung for several minutes till it became uncomfortable for both of them. "Hello," Kushina weakly muttered.
"Why are you here?" It was more curiosity in the Uchiha's tone than anything at the sight of Naruto's mother (That was still getting use to that) who seemed to hall roamed through the empty Uchiha district.
"Came to check on you." This was the honest truth but also; "Wanted to walk through here. I remember when this place was so busy..." She paused as she thought she might have talked too much.
Sasuke blinked at her before showing some sense of reminiscing; "Yeah." Something urged him to talk more though he had no idea why. "Did you know any other Uchiha?"
"Hazuki." Mikoto's son lifted a brow; "Uh she had a daughter Izumi. She was with-"
"My brother..." A soft bitter growl came from the boy.
Oh that angry demeanor was not good, "Want to know more about your mom?" That got his attention; "I didn't really tell everything about her when you met me in that hospital wing. Or after I got out"
"You were busy letting the village know you came back. The place hasn't stopped buzzing since." It's been less than week and the village had been alive like never before. "Plus you and Naruto and that Karin girl needed the family time... I'm glad on that part." Shock etched on the redhead's face, well there was more to the boy than brooding at least; "Don't tell Naruto I said that."
Kushina snorted at Sasuke's stern gaze; "Yup you're Mi-chan's boy alright. Well I promised some more stories about the badass that was your mom."
At Sasuke's invitation, she entered the house. It... Really wasn't much, there were a few decorations, clan iconography and such but aside from that it didn't have a 'homey' feel to it. Sasuke lived by himself on a simple flat, choosing to stay away from his old family home for obvious reasons.
Kushina huffed at sight. This place really needed a woman's touch, a mother's more specifically. Perhaps she could get Sasuke some plants at least; they always lightened up a place.
"I was going to look through my mother's things" He said as they walked through the dining room. "I have them in a few boxes" He directed her towards a closet, from which he took out at least three boxes. "But I never came across anything of the sort like a summoning contract"
"Hmph, your mother wouldn't leave something like that in the open" Kushina snorted. "The contract was with her line alone, that's something your great-grandfather made clear"
Sasuke momentarily stopped from browsing through the various items that belonged to his mother, from books to scrolls, to give the Uzumaki a puzzled look. "What do you mean that?"
"Oh, you were never told. Yeah, not surprised..." There was anger creeping into her voice as she her gaze hardened. "Your elders wanted to forgot the best kunoichi of the clan wasn't of 'pure blood' like them"
"What?" Now she had Sasuke's full attention. He noticed the hate in her voice but kept quiet on that.
"Well your grandfather on your mother's side was not an Uchiha. While his old man was the sage of the Tiger clan. Mi-Chan's mother met him... Oh when was it? OH, the spring festival in the village. The elders back then were upset about that too. But being the Tiger Sage was close to the village and the village upheld the traditions when it came to sages." Kushina stopped before she sweatdrops; "I'm rambling..."
Sasuke's dry look told her much before she sighed; "Short version, the Uchiha elders hate outsiders marrying into the family. Purity of the bloodline like some other clans believe."
"I know about that, family marrying family. Usually cousins who are compatible to each other," Sasuke said nearly quoting things he learned from text.
"Well your clan took it a bit more." Kushina stated bluntly, she sighed. "Look Sasuke, I don't want to speak ill of the dead. But my own experiences with your clan elders, how they treated Uchiha who were not 'true Uchiha' in their eyes, left a very bad impression to say the least. Hazuki was a great woman, and her daughter Izumi was simply a rare gem, yet they still treated them like unwelcome guests because the man Hazuki fell in love with was not from the clan"
Sasuke honestly couldn't say he remembered the elders all that well, or a lot of Uchiha who supported their policies, he had been very young at the time. "And my mother?"
He needed to know, if the clan actually treated her the same way...
Kushina took a deep breath, sadness seeping through her voice. "You know, when she was asked why she became a ninja she always said 'It was the clan tradition'. When asked what her goals were, she said; 'To bring honor to my clan'. Clan this, clan that, always the clan, always what the clan said... I don't think they ever allowed her to make a single decision about her own life"
"Our missions outside the village, far away from the Uchiha. I saw bits of the real Mi-chan. It grew more when around her friends. But back home, she might as well been one of Suna's puppets." The redhead snarled with a huff. Her focus shifted back to the present upon hearing a low hiss.
A gasp came from her lips at the sight of fingertip impressions so deep in Sasuke's hands they started to bleed. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she held his hands inspecting his palms. "Need to bandage th-"
"Those bastards," Sasuke interrupted seething. "What the hell was my mother to them?" the venom in his tone was livid.
A long sigh came from the Uzumaki woman; "Let's take care of these hands."
Sasuke shook his head; "I'll be fine." He soon froze from the stern glare from Kushina. Reminded him of his mom the few times she got angry.
"Young man I will be helping you am I clear?" Sasuke on instinct gave a quick nod; "Mi-chan was like family to me. So that makes me responsible for you."
"I didn't ask you to be" The young Uchiha found it on himself to put boundaries on her attempts.
"Well, tough" She sternly replied. "That's what I'm gonna do" There was an absolute finality to her voice, and Sasuke realize he could not make her leave him alone. Like it or not, this would not go away, so he resigned himself to his fate. She took his hand and looked at it. "Here I thought that only happened to women, guess you like to keep your nails long too huh boy?" The redhead smiled at him teasingly.
But Sasuke refused get on her level, so he ignored her jab, "Hmph"
"Oh great, another grumpy Uchiha-head" Her smile just grew, "No room for humor in that thick head of yours?"
Then she did something that made Sasuke's heart beat furiously. She raised two fingers and aimed them at his forehead.
He quickly grabbed them before they could touch his skin.
The woman became paralyzed at his reaction, watching as he took in deep breaths to calm himself.
"...Don't do that" He muttered, his voice heavy, and let her fingers go.
Kushina slowly retracted her head, "I'm sorry" She had done something wrong, she just knew it. "T-This is how I used to tease your..." And fell silent.
"Just" Sasuke took one final deep breath. "Don't do it again"
The redhead's eyes were filled with shame and guilt. "Alright... Go wash your hand"
After some dressing Sasuke's hands the two went over to the boxes that belonged to Mikoto. The two had been quiet for the most part, Kushina not wanting to say anything till he was comfortable. "So, mom's father. Did you know him?" The young Uchiha asked as they searched for the Tiger summoning scroll.
"A bit, he died around when we became Jounin and I was selected into ANBU. He was a neat guy, stern but had a decent sense of humor."
"And my great-grandfather?"
"Oof, now that guy was a mystery for me" Kushina let out a quick breath. "Rarely remember seeing him at all myself. Being a sage and all, he traveled everywhere"
"And he didn't serve Konoha you said?" He raised a brow when remembering that tidbit of information. "I don't believe a village would let go of an asset like that"
"Oh sages get special treatment, some can choose to associate themselves with a village out of duty or personal honor, and others don't hold any affiliation at all. Though, well, it varies from village to village how much they actually respect those traditions. Kumo or Iwa, pffft, you can bet your ass they wouldn't let go of someone with senjutsu. But here in Konoha, we still honor the role of sages"
"I see"
"Doesn't mean your elders were happy though, oh no" She snorted. "They wanted the Tiger Contract to be tied to the Uchiha, but Mikoto's grandfather and the tiger clan made it clear the only people who could sign it would be of his direct lineage"
"And you think it'd work for me"
"Sure" She shrugged. "You're not that distantly related from your great-grandfather that it wouldn't work, if you were that would require deliberation between tiger boss and elders to decide if you can sign it. But don't worry" She playfully nudged him with her elbow. "If that's the case I can put in a good word for you through the dragons, they're old friends with the tigers regardless of what myths say"
"It's good to have connections" The Uchiha dryly said.
Kushina beamed at him as they continued searching through the items in the box in the hopes of finding the precious contract. Kushina's attention was soon directed towards a piece of paper sticking out from within the pages of a notebook. It was through idle curiosity that she pulled it out; the texture revealed it was a photograph, and she was currently staring at its white back.
Flipping it over, her eyes widened when she realized what it was, she had an exact same copy.
It was them, when they were younger, among friends and their sensei. The two were holding a cake in their hands, gifting it to a sheepish looking Sakumo who looked so very touch. On the cake were the words 'Happy Birthday Sensei'.
Kushina let out a soft breath and smiled with melancholy. Those simpler, happier times.
She brushed a thumb over the picture, it looked so well preserved even after all these years. Mikoto must have used one of the seals she herself taught the Uchiha to keep simple things from weathering down with the passage of time.
Kushina sometimes longed for those moments again, with the friends she lost and never had the chance to say goodbye to. With Mikoto, to tell her after all this time she still...
Sasuke noticed the picture she was looking it, and his gaze softened as he himself saw what it depicted. The way his mother smiled there, he couldn't help but think of how her life was within the clan now that he knew more about it...
"Was she happy, in the end?" He asked, barely above a whisper. "With her life being how it was?"
"Oh Sasuke" Kushina set down the picture. "She loved you both so much" She assured him, there was no ifs or buts, as long as Mikoto was with her boys, she was happy.
Sasuke looked away, telling himself something just got into his eye.
"Which is why" Kushina pulled out one final item from the last box. "She would want you to have this"
She held the item reverently in front of her, treating it like a sacred treasure.
A red scroll with gold embroidery, the etchings of a tiger figure carved into a golden token hanging from the scroll's thread.
Sasuke took every detail of the scroll to memory. His hand moves as if it had a mind of its own. Almost delicate was his touch as his fingers sled across the tiger figure. This was the legacy of his mother, her father, and great-grandfather. He honestly did not know if he could measure up to them. But he'd damn sure make them proud.
Still, "I need to think this over." Gently he took the scroll in his hands. His eyes never leaving it once. "Need to sort out everything you told me."
A grin grew on the redhead's lips; "You got it. Take all the time you want." She knew somehow Mikoto would be happy in knowing her father's side of the family was being passed on. For that, Kushina smiled quite happily.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Sakura liked to consider herself a focused person. The kind that would plan ahead, determined to overcome any challenge with maximum efficiency. She wanted to grow, not just in strength but as a person, taking this ninja life with the necessary amount of seriousness and dedication she had not given it when she first started.
She would not be the little girl she once was. She would not be afraid, and she would not back away from a challenge.
Which kind of felt flat when she remembered her opponent in the finals was going to be Neji, all the readiness to fight went out the window and her plans were pretty much replace with the words 'You're screwed', repeating over and over in her mind.
She groaned, running her hands through her hair and throwing her head back, uncaring that some people in the street were giving her a strange look. Except for the ninjas, they knew when a fellow shinobi was on the edge of going nuts, so they respected her need to vent.
She was barely going over what strategy Kakashi suggested she could use against Neji, first she needed to train her body more. Because against a Byakugan user of Neji's caliber, if you weren't physically able enough then he'd wipe the floor with you...
Never mind the Hyuuga taijutsu being one the deadliest forms of hand to hand. She was grateful that Naruto's mom wanted to help train her too. She did not think her or Naruto could have looked anymore dumbstruck in hearing the taijutsu they were using, the one Naruto found, was actually Kushina's. Though the two did notice the Sandaime looking rather smug for some odd reason.
Regardless, Sakura had to really buckle down and train herself to the bone to defeat Neji in the 3rd round. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood straighter; "I can do this."
"Sakura!" Hearing her name, the rosette turned on her heels at the sight of Ino running up to her. "Went to your house to find you, but you weren't home."
Jade eyes blinked at least several times as she stared at the blond kunoichi; "You... wanted to see me?"
A dry look came from Ino; "Yes I wanted to see you, you that shocked?" A slow nod was the answer as she facepalmed before groaning and soon took a serious expression; "Well I wanted to speak with you. It's about... It's about how I've been lacking, as a kunoichi."
If her eyes grew any wider they would have popped out of Sakura's head. Ino was admitting she hasn't been a proper Kunoichi?! Well, she hadn't either but she sobered up thankfully. But this was Ino; she was always confident and fearless to anything that crossed her way.
"You and Naruto changed so much. I mean, Naruto was bad at nearly everything and now he-" she paused and paled some remembering when Naruto killed that Oto Ninja Dosu.
"Yeah" She tried not to think too much about it, even knowing killing was part of the course with their profession. "Nami was... a wake up call" The pinkette sighed. "Talk about it over tea?"
The Yamanaka smiled at her, "That sounds lovely"
It did not take them long to find a rather simple and small tea shop where they got a table and each ordered some tea.
"So" Ino said as she stirred the sugar in her tea with a spoon. "What happened in Nami?"
"The mission there turned out to be more dangerous than the original parameters stated, the client lied to us. There was a powerful business man who hired ninjas against him, not run of the mill mercenaries"
Ino looked surprised. "And you guys continued?" Of course they had, she heard they completed their mission. But still, most ninja would abandon the client after that.
"Of course we did" Sakura nodded. "There we ran into a jounin-level ninja that could match Kakashi-sensei. You've seen him, he's Kiri's team leader"
"...And you guys were so casual with your would be assassin right there next to you" The blonde muttered in disbelief.
Sakura shrugged; "We cleared things up between us. But really, I guess I'm thankful to him. Had things not happened like they did, I wouldn't have realized how... casual about being a ninja I was being. I hadn't even put nearly enough training, once I thought how unprepared I was I had two choices. Either retire once my required time of service was complete, like most civilian born ninja... or actually make something for myself. Prove I deserved to be a shinobi of this village"
The Yamanaka heiress was taken aback by the conviction in Sakura's voice. She never heard this side from the pinkette unless they were... A long sigh came from the blond; "Daddy was right, I should have thought about being a Kunoichi better."
"We both should have," The rosette admitted shamefully now thinking on how they acted. "Thankfully, like me you can change that too. Naruto and I have been training together since Nami. Why not join us some time?"
Ino blinked at that for a moment as she thought for moment. "Well, suppose I could after the 3rd exam is over with." But there was also something that needed to be cleared up; "We stopped being friends for a stupid reason didn't we?"
"Yup..."
Naruto's bluntness had certainly rubbed off on her old friend as she let out a chuckle; "Well I for one want to fix that, don't you?" '..Maybe I should talk to Naruto some time too...'
"Completely agree." Sakura smirked. "So! If you're interested in training together, you can join me during my morning routine. We start by doing two hundred push-ups"
"W-Wha?"
"Followed by two hundred sit ups. Then 50 laps across one of the training fields. And that's before the afternoon training with my team"
"...You're not imitating Gai and Lee are you?"
"This is light-weight stuff" Sakura said in a completely serious tone. "TRUST ME. You haven't seen how those two train, they always talk about those outlandish standards but..."
"Yeah?" Ino said tentatively.
"They're underselling it; they actually do MUCH MORE insane stuff..." She'd seen them; it was a mistake, now she regretted it.
Ino paled; "H-how insane does Naruto train?"
"Not at Gai and Lee's level thank the gods. But trust me; Naruto's methods are something only he can pull off." Especially since out their graduating class, only Naruto could use Kage Bunshin like that with the enormous amount of chakra he has.
"I'm in for a doozy aren't I?" The blond sweatdrops and internally shivered.
The rosette soon gave her childhood friend a look; "And you need to eat properly. Build up your body and muscles."
"Daddy already gave me an earful on that part after getting home. 'If my baby girl wants to be a kunoichi she needs meat on her bones'," Ino said, trying to imitate her father's voice.
Sakura had to cover her mouth as she snorted with a giggle. "Oh don't worry about bulking up too much. You've seen our kunoichi? A lot of them are basically models, and some of them train a lot more than my current routine"
Well, that was true. Ino idly remembered seeing Kiba's mother and sister train one time the team was invited to the Inuzuka house in their district. The clan matriarch was extremely fit, having lithe and agile body with high muscular definition. Whereas her daughter Hana looked the ideal image of a woman.
Ino still felt jealous about the bust Kiba's sister possessed.
But Ino supposed it was rather shallow to think too much on her appearance. She was a shinobi once, and if she didn't start taking it more seriously than it'd cost her and her team. She wasn't about to let that happen.
"Our teams can train together" The blonde proposed. "Asuma-sensei is really putting us through our paces after the three of us lost in the prelims"
"I bet" Sakura chuckled. "I think you guys would benefit a lot, even Jiraiya-sama is watching our training closely"
The Yamanaka's gaze flickered. "That's... Not the only person I hear"
"Hmm?" Sakura titled her head in confusion before realizing what the blonde meant. "Oh... you heard I take it"
"Who hasn't?" She exclaimed incredulously. "Kushina Uzumaki, suddenly back in the village... and it turns out she's Naruto's mother!"
"I know" The pinkette nodded, "Crazy right?" She kept her choice of words limited, as she knew it was very classified information nobody could know. Not even her friends.
"I mean, where has she been all this time?" Ino questioned. "Poor Naruto, I can't imagine how he must have felt, not having heard anything from her for so long..."
Irritation swelled up inside Sakura, but did not let it show, it wasn't Ino's fault after all. Things were much complicated than she knew. "He's happy now, I think that's all that matters, don't you think?"
Ino's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, I guess..."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Yugito could only sigh with resignation now that the information of Naruto's parentage was sent to back home to Kumo. She could only imagine what will go through the minds of many from their village learning Minato Namikaze had a son.
The Nibi Jinchurriki sat at the window of her team's hotel room with Karui and Omoi sharpening their swords, and Samui going over some scrolls. The Chunin in the room idly glanced between her reading and over to her comrade and friend. "You know we had to tell the Raikage."
"I know; I accepted that," a pair of feline blues turn to the busty young blond; "Guess we can be grateful Raikage-sama saw the Yondaime Hokage as a worthy rival than mortal enemy like Iwa. I mean, Naruto is one of the more sane Jinchurriki I ever met."
She had a heard a few stories of least one of the Iwa Jinchurriki being blood-lust fueled maniac. And Gaara was not far off if the aura around was any more telling.
"You forgot Bee-Sensei," Karui mentioned before everyone sweatdrops remembering their sensei's 'unique' behavior. Perhaps 'sane' was stretching it a bit for him.
Yugito shook her head; "It's more than that. I could see myself being real friends with him. Naruto is a really good guy."
"Well, tough luck" Samui said. "He's Konoha, so it means you will most likely have to kill him one day if the next war comes around our lifetimes, which is likely" She did not speak with callousness, but rather a type of certainty brought by common sense, like saying 'tomorrow's going to rain'.
The genin all gave her an incredulous look. "Wwwwoah!" Omoi exclaimed. "And here I thought I was the downer..."
Samui sighed as she closed one of the scrolls. "Are you honestly so naive as to believe you could actually become friends with him?"
"Well yes" Yugito defended. "I know-"
"Even when it was us who slaughtered his clan?"
"...That was a long time ago" The jinchuuriki muttered. "The people who did it-"
"We are that people" The chunin finished as she stared at her the braided girl in the eye. "We can ignore responsibility all we like, but it was Kumogakure's decision to invade Uzushio, along with Iwa. You can pretend it doesn't matter because you didn't give that order, but you still represent Kumo, you must stand for the actions of our village. That Kumo destroyed their home because it was the best course of action for our village. So if one day you are ordered to kill him, Yugito" Her tone gained a soft edge. "You are expected to do as you are commanded"
The two young swordsman and woman shared an uneasy look. While Yugito had trouble meeting Samui's cold stare.
"I'm telling you this for your own good" The busty woman sighed. "So you better not go blabbering about being an enemy Jinchuuriki's 'friend' nowhere near any of our superiors. Much less Raikage-sama"
Yugito remained silent.
"This goes for all three of you" She continued. "You can't be friends with anyone here; things just don't work like that, much less with the boy who has all the reason in the world to hate us"
"He doesn't though..." Karui found herself muttering.
"...Maybe not" Samui responded back. "But his mother does"
THAT was another important piece of information they had sent to the Raikage, something Konoha was all too proud to let the world know.
The Red Death was back.
"Unlike her son, the Red Death lived on Uzushio, likely all her family was there. Can you tell me she doesn't harbor enough hate for us due to our village's actions?"
The rest knew Samui wasn't trying to sound like a bitch or cynic. The young blond simply had always been a realist through and through. And she did care about her team despite her cold demeanor, so she was telling them what was best for them in her mind.
Kushina Uzumaki slaughtered many Kumo and Iwa nin in the war, hunted them down with righteous vengeance, carrying the rage of a fallen clan with her.
She used to have another nickname before 'Red Habanero', a silly thing said jovially among her comrades to describe her personality.
Until they saw her on the battlefield, how she had been drenched in the blood of her enemies from head to toe. Kumo and Iwa blood dripping from her blade, eager for more.
She had the Red Death. The Vengeance of the Uzumaki Clan.
Yugito would admit one reason she had yet to talk to Naruto again was because she knew his mother would be nearby. And the thought terrified her.
Maybe listening to Samui wouldn't be a bad idea...
"Samui has great tits but that girl sees the world with that Kumo mentality too much." Matatabi grumbled as she shook her head. Yugito faintly blushed before shaking it off.
"Understood Samui. But if he wants to talks to us?"
"Just don't get attached. And pray his mother is tolerant on his decisions"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
"Hmph" The Swordsman of the Mist grunted as he quirked an eyebrow at the Hokage's proposition, "An invitation?"
"Indeed" The old Kage nodded from behind his desk. "Rasa-dono will be attending the finals, so I thought it'd be polite to extend the same courtesy to Terumi-dono"
"And would this courtesy be extended to the other two Kage?" Zabuza made an effort to keep his tone polite; there were many protocols to follow when talking to a foreign Kage after all.
"Oh it has. A-dono has expressed he is unable to come due to matters he has to attend to" Yeeeah, somehow Zabuza doubted that. "As for Ōnoki" The Sarutobi softly laughed, and Zabuza noted he used more familiarity when talking about the Tsuchikage. "I actually have his reply here, hang on"
The Swordsman gave a deadpanning look as the Kage pulled out a letter from his drawer, and began reading it with a humored smile on his face. "He wrote; 'To the smug hippies: Shove your invitation up your ass, you tree humpers. Sincerely, Ōnoki of the Scales'" He let out a hearty laugh. "Oh that man is still as hard-headed as always"
Well, let it not be said the Tsuchikage childishly carried his grudges.
At that Zabuza just rubbed his eyes; "And people call me vindictive." He gave the Sandaime a long look; "I'll send your message along to the Mizukage, but can't guarantee anything with how busy everything is back home."
"I completely understand. I am only thankful your village can finally heal."
A grunt from the swordsman as he took the Sandaime's letter. "If I may ask" He gave in to his curiosity. "What do you hope to gain from speaking with our Mizukage?"
"Why" Hiruzen shrugged. "I want to establish closer ties between our villages. Perhaps she'll agree with a few trading deals that would benefit your village, you still have much to rebuild as I understand"
Zabuza stared at the wizened Kage with suspicion. "For what purpose?" What could he gain from that?
The Hokage merely raised a brow. "So our villages can coexist in peace"
"Is that it?" The notion was... too simplistic for Zabuza to believe it. Things did not work like that when you were a ninja, much less the leader of an entire village. The game was to take any advantage you could over your opponents, until eventually they stopped being a factor that would get in the way of your village's prosperity.
So to hear this man, who had been in the game long before Zabuza was even born, wasn't looking to screw over their village in any way, raised a few alarms in his (properly) paranoid mind.
"It can't be that easy"
"It is"
"You want nothing out of this?"
"Only for this new generation not to know war" The Hokage explained himself plainly. "Is it that hard to believe?"
"In the ninja world? Yes"
The Sarutobi nodded to himself, clicking his tongue before looking at the Swordsman of the Mist in the eye. "Well I think it's time we remedy that"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Sweat dripped from Naruto's brow as the morning sun rose over Konoha. His muscles burned as his body felt thousand pounds heavier via a weight seal placed on his forearm, as he was performing a simple pushup. "I haven't even gotten to these yet," The blond growled, pushing his body up with all his might.
Kushina who is dressed in a ANBU pants and a shirt chuckled beside a snorting Jiraiya; "Trust me gaki, there is a reason you haven't. Weight seals are designed for Chunin and Jounin, Genin must have one or the other present if they are using them for training. Fortunately for you bunch you have this awesome Toad Sage and Uzumaki madwoman helping ya."
"I know a bit too," Kakashi chirped up beside them while reading.
Beside Naruto, his team along with Karin felt like their bodies were carrying a mountain as they were going through basic exercises.
"When I sought asylum on Konoha..." The glasses wearing girl grunted with effort as she struggled to push herself up from the ground in repetition. "This isn't what I had in mind!"
"Well, it's best if you spend all your time with us Specs" Another thing she had not planned for was a sannin calling her by an annoying nickname, "Who knows if my crazy ass former teammate is keeping an eye on you?"
"That and we are keeping an eye on you" Kakashi supplied, flipping the page on his book. "You know, you're in probation and all"
"It's safer this way, sweetie" Kushina added. "And hey, that means you get to bond with us all the more!"
"I doubt this is anybody's idea of bonding!" Karin replied fiercely, her arms trembling.
"Oh boy, remind me to introduce you to the village's Green Beasts~"
While Sasuke was not complaining in having intense training, his body was not in agreement; "So where are we going by using these weight seal?" Gods he felt like every bone was creaking as he moved.
"For the training we have in mind for you guys we need to get your bodies up to par. The people you're going up against are far more dangerous than any of you." Kushina stated bluntly; "Neji is one the best I've seen among the Hyuuga since his father and uncle. Lee has been personally taught by Gai before being assigned a team and Gaara is a Jinchurriki..."
Sakura grunted beside her team and Karin; "So in other words we have to be better?"
A false laugh came from the adults before each one deadpans; "Nope" the teens face faulted; "A month is not nearly enough to get you lot to be at those three levels. So we have to make you be crafty." Kakashi clarifies as the kids resume their exercises.
"Plus Naruto does not fully know how to train with the Kyuubi's chakra. Kushina never really used it save for the healing factor that was automatic," Jiraiya shrugged.
Karin struggled herself up before speaking; "I have to say Konoha is strange you never even bothered training your Jinchurriki beforehand. Every other village does."
"We only ever had three in our history" Jiraiya said, looking at Naruto and Kushina. "Mito-sama sure didn't pass down any training methods in case things got dire, always said that the Shodai deeply regretted ever having used the Bijuu like he did"
"Oh he's sorry!" Kurama sarcastically, and angrily VERY angrily, roared out inside Naruto's mind. "Yes, that's make all the difference!"
"So we always relied more on our sealing prowess to deal with enemy Jinchuuriki" The Uzumaki matriarch continued, turning to face Sasuke. "Gaara is... extremely unstable, he will kill you without hesitation. So during the month I'll be designing a seal scroll you can use against him in a fight, if I do a proper work it'll restrain his Biju's chakra"
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "I don't want assistance like that for me" It was an insult to his pride.
"Weeeell, look how much I care about fighting 'fair'" Kushina rolled her eyes. "You're a ninja, grow the hell up. I'm not letting that boy kill you"
Uchiha grunted, but did not further argue. He'd discuss it with her on another time, perhaps after figuring a better argument. Fittingly, Naruto's mother was even more stubborn than the blonde.
"As for Lee, he is a pure Taijutsu fighter like his mentor. As eccentric as Gai is, he IS the greatest Taijutsu master in the village." Kakashi stated in a matter of fact tone; "Lee's speed and strength is leagues above yours Naruto. I know you already get that hanging around Tenten, but if you want any kind of ace against him, you need to fight him on your terms not his."
The blond had guessed that well enough seeing Lee train a few times before the exams. Now Naruto loved training, he believed in hard work. Lee though was outright obsessed with it. Cupped with the older teen did not believe in breaks, so this meant Naruto REALLY had to step up his imagination to take down the spandex wearing maniac.
Sakura frowned; "I can't beat Neji can I?"
"Not in a straight up fight no," Jiraiya shook his head; "Nor at the level you're at right now. That strength of yours in an edge, but means zip when your opponent can move faster than you. Never mind his dōjutsu."
The pinkette lifted her arms and let them drop lifelessly at her sides. "And genjutsu against someone with such precise chakra control wouldn't work on the long run" She sighed as she weighted her options. "So a straight up fight is out, distracting him with illusions is out..." Sakura tapped her lips with a finger as thought on what else she had at her disposal. "Then... perhaps a strategy involving different ninja tools" Explosives, poison perhaps, she doubted Neji had much defense against those.
A smile soon formed on her lips; "I think I something"
"Oh!" Kushina looked up excitedly. "Is it going to the arena the day prior and setting up bombs on the whole place?"
That got a row of deadpanning looks. "That would be hard to pull of" Jiraiya droned. "For a number of reasons, namely the ANBU doing a sweep and removing them..."
"Fine" Kushina sighed. "Let's hear your idea hone-ACK!"
It all happened very fast, a blur suddenly slammed into the Uzumaki and sent them spiraling over the ground before the newcomer threw her against a tree.
"Your senses are fucking dull!" A particularly savage looking woman, who had just assaulted Kushina out of the blue, roared in disappointment.
The kids along with Jiraiya and Kakashi blinked before the Gama Sannin deadpans; "Should have seen this coming."
Tsume, wearing in her Shinobi gear crossed her arms under her bust; "Thought you were supposed to be training."
A low growl came from the Uzu matriarch who shook off the mental cobwebs; "I'm not slacking off, I'm training the kids first, mutt!" Kushina seethed before marching right up Tsume; "Oh I plan on getting back into shape just so I can kick your ass all over this village."
"Well I don't see you sweating off those love handles yet."
A vein throbbed in Kushina's forehead. "I don't have love handles!"
"Then what are these?!" The dog mistress pulled at the side of Kushina's stomach, stretching the skin and flesh.
The others swore Kushina's teeth would shatter from how hard she was clenching them. "I. WAS. PREGNANT" She growled in rage. "FOR. TEN. MONTHS!"
"And you barely began doing any exercise since you came back! You lost muscle, now it's all extra fat!"
Kushina clashed her forehead against the Inuzuka, glaring intently. "I'll give you your extra fat!"
"What does that even mean?!" Tsume shouted back. "Work on your insults, you toothless bitch!"
"It's so nice to see those two still get along" Jiraiya smiled fondly.
At that the kids looked at the Gama sannin like he grew a second head while Kakashi just sighed; "It's like they never missed a day of pissing each other off and fighting." As if on cue, with his last words thus began the hair pulling and clothes tearing.
The sannin beside him just cringed at the sight; "Considering I see Kushina like my own daughter this is awkward."
Sakura and Karin only blushed while Naruto covered his eyes and Sasuke closed his eyes as the shirts started to be ripped off. "This is going to be a long month," the blond muttered.
XxX ~ one week later ~ XxX
His pace through the forest was almost at breakneck speed but he dodged every tree and boulder as the joy radiated off his body. He thought it was impossible! That what he heard was some wild tale or bad joke. But it was true, the news from Konohagakure was echoing like a whirlwind throughout the nation!
"She's alive!" the joy exploded from his mouth. "SHE'S ALIVE!"
His dark red hair was done in a spiky ponytail, with two large bangs falling down the sides of his head and unto his chest. He wore a dark tattered jacket tucked into a large belt above grey hakama pants. The man's looks just screamed 'roguish', that of a man who more often than not was prone to mischief.
He arrived at a house hidden between the dense foliage, a simple traditional home that could house quite a few people. This was place that had served to hide them for a long time; it had been their home for many years. By the front door knelt a man who wore a full kimono, his face was stern, hardened with time. His red hair was pulled back all the way, save for a few strands that peeked over his forehead. A katana rested in front of him, he was clearly in meditation.
"She's alive!"
The key word being 'was', as now his focus was disturbed. The swordsman bit back a sigh and asked; "'Who' is alive, Samenosuke?"
The long haired man beamed a blinding smile, squatting next to the other man. "You won't believe this, Saito. I was in town when I heard the news" He let out an excited breath as he ran a hand over his face. "Oh gods, I couldn't believe it at first myself! I-I just didn't dare hope-!"
"Samenosuke" Saito said sternly. "Just get on with it"
"...Kushina's alive"
A pin could have dropped and disrupt the silence brought by those two words. Saito was frozen; his amber wolf-like eyes had widened to pure shock. "That's a lie," his voice barely above a whisper.
"I thought so to," Samenosuke admitted. "Thought it was some ploy by Konoha, so did some digging with a contact of mine in the village." Tears threaten to leak from his eyes; "She's alive Saito, and had a son... Naruto Uzumaki."
"Who's alive?" Rounding from beside house was a twelve year old boy with scruffy red hair tied in a low ponytail wearing a kimono like Saito looked at the older men with curious amber eyes. His question was met with a hug by Samenosuke. The young man just blinks blankly; "You're happy, uncle."
The roguish looking man sets the boy down; "Remember those stories we told you about Kushina Uzumaki Soujiro?" The boy nods; "Well they're no longer pasted tense! She's alive!"
"Ah, so you're drunk then"
As Samenosuke sputtered and began trying to convince the boy he was not, Saito was lost in his own world.
He remembered the happier days of his childhood, the prosperous time of Uzushio. He remembered the faces of elders and young, a family, his father, his uncle, his cousins, among them Kushina.
He remembered when their own little group followed Tsukiko-sama around, the ancient woman always greeting them with a small yet kind smile, imparting words of wisdom they were too young to understand back then.
Saito remembered their home.
And he remembered their home burning.
The orange haze in the distance as the ships raced towards the mainland, their brave warriors staying behind to buy them time.
Then came the snakes, so many of them, and began tearing through as many ships as they could. He remembered the screams, the roars of their warriors who defended them, the flames of the dragons who defended them against their ancient foe.
They woke up in the shore, just a few of them, most of them children. The rest of the ships either sank or were spread all over the coast throughout the chaos. The clan splintering, hiding, trying to survive.
There was no refuge for them, the snakes hunted them down every chance they had. Ninjas poured from all over seeking to kidnap at least one of them for their secrets. Konoha had lost all traces of them as they tried looking for the survivors. They were too scared to come out of hiding, in fear that they would be found once again. So for years they stayed hidden.
His son Soujiro's birth, the death of his mother, had all but cemented Saito's belief that the best course of action was to keep their heads down, even if it meant Kushina would not know they were alive. At least she was safe in Konoha.
Saito would be lying if he said he hadn't entertained the thought of venturing to Konoha… but then news of Kushina's death reached his ears, and the village no longer looked like a safe haven. Not to the Uzumaki, who were hunted down by so many enemies.
But now… Kushina was alive? The hope he felt in his chest was too painful to ignore.
The thoughts of reuniting his family once more ignited with that terrifying hope.
"Saito" Samenosuke's voice called to him, far too serious to come from the playful man. "We've been hiding for so long; we had a chance once, to actually reunite with her. We thought we lost it… but now we have another chance" He stood before him, gaze determined. "I'm not going to waste it"
Neither was he.
"We need to inform the others" Saito's words made a smile nearly split Samenosuke's face. "Lyn, Eiji, everyone we have with us" The number was not big, but Kushina would not care, she would happy even if it was just one.
"Oh this is gonna be grand"
Soujiro looked in between his father and uncle, bangs swaying as he did so. "Shall I pack my things?"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
What does it mean to inherit a will?
Not in the sense of physical inheritance, of a relative who had passed away and left possessions to a next of kin.
But a will in the sense of a conviction, a belief, a drive, a set of ideals and morals.
Can something so personal be passed down? Children often would inherit such things from their parents.
But what if there was a will that jumped throughout generations, regardless of bloodline and nurture?
Konoha nurtured such inheritance of will, a Will of Fire they called it. Something passed down to their shinobi.
Kuroreimei came to the village not because of a Will of Fire, but because she looked for a far more ancient will.
She looked for a will that was passed down by the gods.
Once, there had been a king. He ruled his people justly and led them to great prosperity. It was a great age, a golden age.
But to humans it was anything but. And so fuel her kind's prosperity, theirs was pushed down.
The heavens heard their plea for salvation, and delivered forth unto them a savior.
The hero brought down their king, but spared them in his compassion, offering them peace.
They took it.
But ages passed, and old oaths were forgotten as tragedy befell upon the whole world.
Now the world was changing once again, and those that inherit Rama's Will often find themselves in the center of the storm.
Even thousands upon thousands of years later, the will lived on. And though calamity had taken away the world's old glory, her kind endured, strong and unyielding.
So it was her duty to find if these new inheritors spelled disaster for her people… or renewal.
For that reason, the pale skinned woman stood by the great gates of the Hidden Leaf Village; her hime cut ebony dark hair swaying with the wind as crimson eyes stared forth resolute.
She would find her answers, and do what she had to do for. It was her duty as queen.
For her people.
For Lanka.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Lets fun begin! C-ya next time!