Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-Author and Beta: Etheral-23
Chapter 29: Almost time
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Death was part of the shinobi life. They were taught since childhood how to deal with it. A ninja of the village had to move on quickly, and regard the death of their comrades with the highest of honors, for they had given their lives for the village, and there was still their own duty to fulfill.
But the truth of the matter was that death was never easy to deal with. No matter how much they placed it on a pedestal, it was impossible for a shinobi to become an emotionless tool. Perhaps ironically, those who have achieved such a state of emptiness were considered freaks by their fellow ninja, just to show how filled with hypocrisy the old mantra was.
When it came to the death of a loved one, all logic and rational thought went out the window; they were just left with a sudden void in their lives. The tears sometimes would take time to pour, as the person had yet to properly comprehend this void, for the pain to properly dawn in. Their emotions would just stir in a sea of confusion and emptiness.
Which was what Yugao was feeling right now, she must have stood there listening to the Hokage for what felt an eternity. Her surroundings were simple blurs and shapes, the only thing she could make out inside the morgue was the body laid on a table before her.
The ever kind and understanding gaze of the old Kage settled on her as the rest of the ANBU left, except for her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You need time, Yugao" He said, using her own name instead of her code-name. "Don't think about continuing your duties, let the mourning come naturally"
He placed a sword, Hayate's sword, in her hands. Her fingers slowly curled around the sheath, holding it with reverence.
"I am sorry" There was nothing more he could say, so he took his leave. A ninja died but the village move on, as did his duties.
Leaving the morgue wing of the hospital and going down the hall, Hiruzen said nothing as Kushina darted passed him like the wind. If there was one person that Yugao needed it was her sensei. He was glad he sent to word through ANBU to the redhead of the news.
Stopping at the double doors of the morgue the redhead slowly opened them to see Yugao holding her lover's sword as she looked down at his lifeless form on the examination table. Only Hayate's head was uncovered by the cloth draped over him. Yugao was as still as a statue, her eyes unblinking as she merely stared at her dead lover's face. Kushina on her part said nothing as she slowly made her way behind her student and placed comforting hands on the purplette's shoulders.
"Yu-chan..." Her sensei's voice a warm whisper that finally roused the ANBU woman from her trance.
Tears dripped from her eyes as she sluggishly turned her head to gaze at Kushina; "We wanted to start a family..." Yugao spoke in a hushed tone before her body had begun to shake. Quickly her sensei wrapped her in her arms in a strong hug as her student broke down in a silent mournful wail.
Kushina ran a hand through Yugao's hair as she held her crying student close. She had only gotten to meet Hayate a few times when Yugao was off duty. But he was a good and decent lad who was passionate in his own way about the village. And deeply loved her student who was very taken by him.
"I'm here" Kushina soothingly said, her voice barely above a whisper. She channeled every bit of maternal love she had inside, trying to comfort the grieving Yugao.
There was little else she could do now but be at Yugao's side. Kushina understood the pain she was going through all too well, so she would be there for her student, every step of the way. Life may strike them at every turn, trying to break, but Kushina would not let it, as she would not let Yugao crumble either.
It would be up to Yugao to either rise or fall, but even in her grief the ANBU knew she wasn't alone. The warm embrace of her teacher, the miracle that was her presence in her life again, was proof of that. But for now the flood gates had opened, the pain was fresh, and so she grieved. Her teacher held her throughout it all.
Her heart ached at its missing piece.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
It was far too early in the morning, as far as Naruto was concerned, the skies were still that orange hue of dawn as the sun peered over the horizon. The drying clothes in the balcony of his house swayed gently with the wind while Naruto let out a long dragged out yawn before smacking his lips. He really wasn't built for this...
Unlike his uncle, who was the very image of calmness as he knelt next to his, his eyes closed with the few strands of red hair over his forehead trailing lightly with the breeze.
"How can you and Kya do this?" He mumbled, "Meditation is not for me, I can't think of nothing"
"Meditation is not 'thinking about nothing'" Saito said with humor in his voice, "It's about focus, concentrating into at least one thought, pursuing it as you push out all distractions"
"One thought?"
"A goal or an idea, something you believe in or strive to follow. You focus on that one thing and nothing else."
A squint and cock of the head came from the young Uzumaki; "That sounds way better than trying to not to think of anything." Honestly he wished Jiji explained meditation like that and he might have paid attention to it back then.
Saito chuckled; "It's just how some people perceive meditation to be so they follow it. Tsukiko-baachan's interpretation I feel is much better though personally." The blond grunted before eliciting another yawn. He really was not a morning person, Saito sweatdropped as he shook his head; "Well I do believe you'll be training with me and Samenosuke today."
"Right" Naruto said as he stretched, "Where is uncle Same anyway?"
"Well" Saito tried to look for a tactful way of putting it, "Samenosuke leads a... active lifestyle. He's always going from one place to another and-"
"You don't have to sugar coat it, aunt Lyn already told us he's a man-whore" The blonde Uzumaki drawled.
Ah, trust Lyn to go straight to the point. "But, we love him and we do not judge him" The reply came more mechanical than anything. Naruto guessed he told himself that every day to put up with Samenosuke's antics.
"So, where is he?" Naruto asked again, "Don't think he's in his room"
Saito's eyes dryly stared over and down from the balcony at a nearby bush on the street, "Right over there, can smell the sake from a mile away..."
Naruto's eyes twitched as he looked over and saw roguish man's legs sticking out of a bush. "He's weirder than mom isn't he?"
"No one is more eccentric than Kushina," Saito bluntly retorted; "Samenosuke just follows the beat of his own drum."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
After waking and nearly getting puked on, the trio left the house for one of the forest training grounds. Samenosuke sat under a tree with a cup of coffee, recovering from his hangover. Saito however sparred against the younger Uzumaki who occasionally had to avoid the highly accurate kunai thrown his way by the sitting roguish Uzumaki.
"How can you throw those things half awake!?" Naruto shouted, ducking under kick.
Samenosuke only smiled; "It's practically an art-form to me after all these years."
The swordsman drone, "It's a miracle how the accumulated alcohol in your veins hasn't killed you yet"
"What can I say? The gods must love me"
"Yes, I have heard they take care of fools"
Samenosuke pouted at him before throwing yet another kunai which Naruto narrowly avoided, but left him wide open for a backhand courtesy of his uncle Saito. The strike threw him to the ground, leading the blonde to groan and rub his jaw in pain.
"You call it foolishness" Samenosuke spoke as he threw his long bangs behind his shoulders, resting his arms behind his head. "I call it living"
Saito crossed his arms as he stared down at Naruto, "Drinking and having sex in excessive amounts isn't just living, it's a vice"
The blond Uzumaki sat up as he shook his head. It's been an experience learning from his two uncles and aunt; though in case of Kya, she had made it clear she would only start teaching him the Namikaze traditions after the exams. All three Uzumakis were very diverse in their skills of taijutsu and if Naruto was honest, he was loving every spar session he had with them.
Saito looked back to Kushina's boy as he stood up; "You are improving, but have long ways to at the taijutsu form Kushina made, its touch different from the norm of the usual Uzu style."
"I'd expect no less from our hime." Samenosuke grinned sipping some coffee; "It's simple yet balanced with practical techniques."
"Besides that," Saito paused; "How would you rate your chances against young Lee?"
The young blond crossed his arms; "If I can get those seals on him I know I have a chance."
"Plus you've been doing so much better with Fūinjutsu." Samenosuke cheekily smiled; "Compared to what you were doing beforehand." Naruto only slumped his head at the older Uzumaki's words.
"My seals were good!"
"To anybody else" The long pony-tailed man pointed out. "But you're Uzumaki, boy. We have higher standards when it comes to sealing"
"Don't have to tell me about it" Naruto grumbled, remembering how much his mother drilled the sealing lessons into his head. "Once mom started going into the more advanced stuff I swear my brain short-circuited for a moment. Kept wrecking my head trying to figure it out"
"Learning comes through a calm mind, Naruto" Saito spoke, though it felt like he was quoting something he himself heard. Maybe from Tsukiko? That woman sure sounded like she knew a lot.
It was then that his stomach growled.
"And from a full stomach!" Samenosuke laughed, "Come on kid, let's grab a bite"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Ahhh Ichiraku Ramen, he could smell it from a block away by now. It always brought a smile to his face to eat there, good company just made it better. He was happy his family (who perhaps while not as ramen happy as he and his mother, but still very fond of it) had grown to like this place that meant so much for him.
"Ayame-nee!" He called out happily.
The young woman turned to him with a smile, "Naruto, welcome baAH!" She yelped as Samenosuke nearly leapt over the counter to be face to face to her.
"Well hello there beautiful~" Naruto and Saito face faulted, not again... "Funny how I keep finding you here"
"I-I work here" She embarrassingly pointed out. "Please can we skip this whole 'thing', my father is getting annoyed by it..." Said father's grunt could be heard from the back.
"Ahhh!" He dramatically placed a hand over his chest, "To have you so near yet so far away. One day my sweet, one day" He winked at her.
She took their orders as fast and possible and tried to avoid eye contact with the man who kept leering at her.
"Yeesh" Naruto muttered. "This is the fourth time you've flirted with Ayame, and I've seen you flirt with five girls and six dudes... and my mom" He said the last part with accusation.
"What can I say?" Samenosuke shrugged with a grin. "I live in the now, my boy."
"Yeah, mom calls it 'whoring around'" At that, Saito cracked a small grin.
"Bah!" He scoffed, "Hime can call it whatever she likes, and I don't care. I lived a good part of my life hiding from the world and jumping at every shadow just to survive. And you what I learned?" He leant closer to the boy in his seat. "That ain't living, that's just not-dying. So I drink lots, I eat lots, and sleep around a lot, because the sake and food taste better when you believe it could be your last, because any company you enjoy could be the last you ever have."
Naruto could only stare at his uncle, impressed by the intensity in his words. He was usually so laid back about everything. Saito looked down as he held his hands in front of his face, he understood what Samenosuke said, and even agreed with it in part. Hiding your entire life wasn't living...
"So!" Samenosuke grinned widely as he once again rested his arms behind his head. "Coming to this village, best decision we ever made! The family's back together, and I get to enjoy this maddening adventure we call life with them. To do anything less is an insult to the clan"
Saito only groaned; "Naruto, while yes are clan is known for being rowdy. Please don't take every life lesson from Samenosuke."
"What, because mom would hit him? How's that different from any other day?"
"No" He thumbed over to the roguish Uzumaki; "She'd kill him."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Ino liked to think she was helping. Just... sitting on the sidelines next to Karin in the training ground, while Hinata was the one who sparred with Sakura.
"You can do it!" She cheered, as though this was an official fight.
Yeah, she was totally helping.
Hinata's finger strikes moved with such speed the Yamanaka had trouble following them, but Sakura was doing a much better job than she herself would if she were in the pinkette's shoes, evading those quick jabs and still managing to counter attack in her own. The two seemed locked in a sort of stalemate, Sakura kept herself from having her own chakra points closed off, which gave enough room for Hinata to evade her devastating punches.
Okay, Ino realized she wasn't helping as much as she would have liked. But really, Hinata was the best training partner at the moment considering whom Sakura would be facing in the finals. It was honestly a bit surprising the Hyuuga had agreed at all, Hinata was such a sweet little thing but... her attacks, the precisions, the intensity by which she struck. She sparring a fire that was rather out of character for the usually shy Hyuuga.
It was not out of a desire to fight, but something greater that motivated her, she wanted Sakura to adapt and learn how to fight a Byakugan wielder.
Beside the blond Karin cleaned her glasses; "Has Hinata ever fought like this?"
"Not even back during our academy days," Ino muttered watching Sakura just miss a sharp palm strike for the chest. "She was always so timid and shy. Still is actually, never seen this side before. Guess she really wants Sakura to beat Neji."
Overhearing the conversation between the two Hinata spoke up; "It's not about beating Neji-niisan. I want to save him!"
The other three girls stared up with surprise at the sudden words that came out with surprising fervor. Sakura stopped mid attack and lowered her stance, while Hinata became aware of the looks they were giving her she quickly returned to her usual shyness, gripping the hem of her shirt as she blushed in embarrassment.
Karin understood more and more why aunt Kushina would glomp the girls into tight hugs.
"You want to save Neji?" Sakura muttered in confusion.
Hinata's gaze flickered as she tried to look for the right words, somehow make them understand, "Neji-niisan... he is lost" She said, "He lives with so much anger, all he can see are the mistakes the clan did"
The Hyuuga Incident... as their career as shinobi progressed; Sakura and Ino had been informed of what happened that day. It was important to be aware of previous conflicts with the other villages and the repercussions they had. Karin only knew about it because under Orochimaru it was her job to know these things.
Kumo in their treachery kidnapped Hinata, sought to take the Byakugan from her and extract its secrets. Her father killed the would-be kidnapper in retaliation, and Kumo had the gall to demand compensation... which Konoha gave. They were taught not to question their leader, but Sakura honestly did not agree with the Sandaime's decision.
A Byakugan in exchange for the life of their fallen shinobi, namely the one belonging who had taken his life, clan leader Hiashi's.
But Konoha pulled a gambit of their own, a body had been supplied, that of his identical twin, Hizashi. Neji's father.
It was then that Sakura understood just how much bitter Neji was, why he viewed the world like he did. His father had been discarded as a tool because he was of the servant branch, in order to spare the main branch. She couldn't understand what it was, to be a servant all your life, for your life to be thrown away so coldly. She was a ninja of Konoha, if she were to give her life for her village then it was because that's what she wanted, because she loved her home and would die for it, just like many other of her comrades.
But to hear how the servant branch was treated, it was only by the smallest of technicalities that it wasn't considered full slavery.
"He thinks he is trapped" Hinata continued, her voice mournful. "That this life was his fate, and fate binds us all" She turned her pleading eyes to the pinkette. "Which is why I'm sparring with you, Sakura-san, you know how to fight him" She bowed at the waist. "Please, save my cousin"
Sakura took a small step back, overtaken by the sudden act. "S-Save him, me? Hinata, I-I don't even know how to talk to him" He could barely understand how Neji felt, who was she to even attempt to make him see life differently?
"You don't need to tell him anything" The dark blue haired Hyuuga said, holding her bow. "All you need to do is winning. I heard how he talks about you, a civilian born ninja; he thinks your fate is the same as every other ninja that comes from a civilian family"
Cannon fodder, just numbers to throw to the enemy, or merely non-combatants whose roles would be more on logistics, medicine, code-cracking and the like. A ninja who should not get in the way of those with real talent.
Sakura understood she had a steep hill to climb if she wanted to be viewed as more than just some no-name Kunoichi. More so to shed away that fan-girl persona she once had and the foolish reason she became a ninja...
While she might be still searching for the why she wants to still be a ninja, she was proud she had gotten so far compared to what she used to be. But it irked greatly that some people out there would still see her as nothing more than cannon fodder.
She was going to prove she was more than a disposable tool, and she'd prove it by bringing Neji down a peg or two. "If breaking his jaw will knock some sense into him I'll try." Wow, she has been hanging around Naruto and Kushina-sensei too much.
"He will not take you seriously, but that does not mean he will go easy on you" Hinata warned her, "Neji-niisan overpowers his opponents, he'll close your chakra points first chance he gets, and hit the right parts to immobilize you"
"Lucky for me, he'll have to charge head first" The pinkette replied with a smile, "Don't worry, I've been preparing just the thing to take him out. You said it yourself, he doesn't take me seriously so that means he won't prepared"
Hinata slowly stood straight, giving Sakura a heartfelt and thankful smile, "T-Thank you. I wish I wouldn't need to ask you this but... I don't think I can get through to Neji-niisan myself"
"Yeesh" Ino let out an explosive breath, "The guy tries to kill you, and here you are completely concerned for him. Doesn't sound really sound fair to me"
"I can't help it" The Hyuuga said, "He's my family" She said as though that was all the explanation needed.
"...Ugh, you're too good for your own good, Hinata"
XxX ~ the next morning ~ XxX
As the morning sun rose over the training area Jiraiya nodded to himself; "Well Red actually pulled it off." Kakashi glanced at him while reading; "Training those kids and getting herself back into shape in just the span of a month."
"Kushina-sama always did have the talent," Kakashi responded and Jiraiya took notice of light joyous tone from the young Jōnin's voice. Kushina's presence no doubt being the cause of it.
Not far from them stood the topic of their discussion wearing plain clothes, sparring against both Saito and Samenosuke. "It's more than talent, its drive. And Kushina has had that since she was a brat."
Well, that drive had paid off. In a month Kushina had recovered a lot of her fitness, with the help of her many friends and constant training. Her body now much more toned and athletic, having built back up the muscle she had lost during her pregnancy. The Uzumaki woman would not settle for less, and so submitted herself to a regime that would make Gai nod in approval. When she wasn't training her body, she had been catching up in all she missed during these twelve years. Abusing shadow clones like that to read on many old reports was migraine inducing, but necessary.
Always pushing herself, she did not take no for an answer when she asked (dragged) her cousins to spar with her. The two Uzumaki men were currently engaging her through different styles, Saito with his straight forward swordsmanship with his practice wooden sword, and Samenosuke with trickery via his various tools and seal use.
Kushina, holding a wooden sword of her own, parried the various strikes that came at her at quick succession. Right, left, upper left, center, she spun around struck, only for Saito to dodge out of the way, her wooded blade hitting only the grass. Samenosuke jumped in with a spinning kick, taking her by surprise, it landed against her face, making her retreat a few steps.
"A shame to hurt that pretty face of yours, but it's for your own g-" His words died in his mouth as the bokken swiped right over his head, it would have hit him had he not dodged at the last second. Kushina followed with a knee strike directed straight at his now lowered face, forcing him to shield himself with his hands. They caught the blunt of the strike and pushed himself back, gaining distance as he threw several kunai at her.
Kushina deflected the swift barrage of metal with ease, making sure none of them stuck to her bokken. She did not notice two of them had missed and went pass her on purpose. The moment they embedded themselves on the ground seals in them activated, conjuring up a small barrier wall behind her. Samenosuke dashed forward and jumped, kicking her bokken away with a strong strike, as he landed he followed with a series of quick jabs and open palm strikes, to which Kushina retaliated with the same style.
Uzumaki style martial arts, developed to make use of their sealing ability with their palms without forsaking the use of closed fist to weaken their enemy and deliver devastating blows. Kushina slowly gave a bit of ground thanks to his ceaseless advance, she parried a jab close to her face and struck with one of her own towards his stomach, and Samenosuke blocked it with his knee before using the same raised leg to throw a quick series of kicks.
Kushina was pushed back, and suddenly found herself colliding with solid air. It was then that she noticed the barrier behind her, taking advantage of her distraction; Samenosuke raised his closed fist and delivered a straight punch, only for Kushina to duck out the way just in time, letting his hand hit the barrier.
By his grunt, she imagined that must have hurt. Kushina snapped her fingers as she raised her left arms, a series of ink-black lines appeared on her arm, chakra circulating through her limb as her as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her fist closing, veins rose over her forearm as her arm muscles flexed and bulged with the sudden surge of power. She let out a strong battle cry as she delivered at the punch straight to his gut, knocking the air out of him.
Samenosuke's body flew through the air before painfully hitting the ground and rolling away. A touch excessive for practice but Kushina would lying if she said some of his ceaseless flirting didn't have anything to do with that, or how he wouldn't reign in that lecherous personality of his even when the kids were around. She already had enough fears of Naruto being influenced by Jiraiya, she didn't need any more.
She let out a soft breath as she let the seals in her arm fade and remain inactive, it was better not to use this technique so much. She lacked the pinpoint chakra precision to use her adoptive mother's constant monstrous strength, but this was a good alternative as any.
The sudden rush of wind alerted her, and Saito was upon her in a second, with her bokken gone she was at the mercy of his strikes, forcing her to dodge without the ability to counterattack against his swift slashes.
So she did what she always would, and improvised.
Her teeth gnashed as she caught the bokken in her hands (catching a wooden sword swung at you at full speed was more painful than most people thought...) much to Saito's surprise if the small widening of his eyes was any indication. She channeled her chakra through the weapon, a seal array quickly formed where her hands touched the blade. Saito couldn't react in time as the temperature of his weapon rose exponentially, literally becoming too hot to touch, and was forced to let it go. The blade fell to the ground, smoking, almost ready to burst into flames.
"Time!" The Gama Sannin yelled ending the spar. "I'd say after an hour of watching you two face Red down, she is back into fighting shape."
Samenosuke who still lay on the ground lifted his hand and gave a shaky thumbs up; "Glad we could help out our Hime." He groaned out painfully.
"You're impressive Kushina," Saito grinned as he whipped off the sweat from his face. "I see why you became an ANBU." He had always remembered how fierce his cousin was when she was training. And she had never once lost that intensity if any of their sessions were anything to go by.
'When it comes to battle, be as ruthless as a dragon.' Kushina had always taken Tsukiko-Baachan's words to heart.
After helping a very sore Samenosuke to his feet, Kakashi gave the three some water and a towel to wipe off the sweat. "Good to see you back in shape Kushina-sama." The silver haired Jōnin eye-smiled.
"What have I said about dropping the 'sama'?" Kushina dryly retorted with a deadpan glare.
"Well, here I thought you would appreciate someone giving you the respect you so clearly deserve" Kakashi's tone was very exaggerated in its cheerfulness. "After all, didn't you run around telling people to acknowledge you as the great prankster queen of the village?"
"...You're trolling me" Kushina said with furious realization, "ME. Ohoho you don't know what you're getting into, kid" She promised with vengeance, "You've seen what I can do to people who annoy me, don't start a war you can't possibly win"
Kakashi had his book out, as though it had always been, his sole visible eye focused on its pages before giving her a quick glance, "Hmm? Yeah sure"
"GRRR!" The Uzumaki woman growled out fiercely, stomping the ground like a child, "Don't ignore me!"
"Oh by the way," Kakashi lazily spoke ignoring Kushina's tantrum; "Shouldn't you and Jiraiya-sama be heading to the Hokage tower by now?" At that everyone paused; "Wasn't the Mizukage coming today?"
At that both Jiraiya and Kushina blinked before yelling; "SHIT!" and ran off for the tower.
Saito sighed as he shook his head; "Kushina hasn't lost her absentmindedness either." Samenosuke only chuckled back.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Hiruzen only stared dryly at both Jiraiya and Kushina who stood on either side of him. Both had literally mad dashed through the village and leapt through his open window just as the ANBU told the Sandaime the Mizukage was in the village.
"Glad to see you two remembered the meeting with the Mizukage." The Hokage's words were as dry as the Suna desert.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world Jiji," Kushina chuckled weakly and shrunk under Hiruzen's glare.
"At any rate," the old Kage huffed; "What do we know of the Godaime Mizukage?"
Jiraiya grunted; "Not a whole lot. Just that her name is Mei Terumi; Kiri has always been the most secretive of the Shinobi villages."
With those words a knock came to the door and the Sandaime gave permission to enter. Upon opening the door they were greeted with the sight of a tall and very beautiful and slender fair skinned woman with ankle length auburn hair in a herringbone style pattern, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, and with four bangs at the front hiding one of her green eyes. She wore a blue dress with long sleeves that went just below the knees. The right front side was kept open by a zipper and went down from the waist. Underneath her dress was a chain mesh which showed just a bit of her ample cleavage.
Kushina could not stop herself from whistling; "Oh now that is one hot lady I wouldn't mind having dinner with."
"Oh sure" Jiraiya drawled, "When I eye a lady, it's creepy, but when you do it then it's suddenly fine! There is some female on male prejudice here..."
"You know, I would take those words seriously if you weren't drooling right about now" Kushina shot back, making Jiraiya quickly rubbed his mouth.
Perhaps it was foolish of Hiruzen to expect these two to behave in such a delicate occasion like the meeting between two Kages, he briefly entertained the thought of vanishing them to the desert, and ahhh how simple would his life be then... A man could dream.
The lady Kage regarded them with a lifted eyebrow, "I seem to have arrived at a bad time"
"Oh don't mind them" The Hokage waved it off, "They're two of my best, but unfortunately they're not quite there in the head"
The auburn haired woman actually giggled at that, "If you were to meet some of my shinobi, you would not be complaining about yours" She placed a hand upon her chest as she gave a short bow, "It is an honor to meet you, Sarutobi-dono. I am Mei Terumi, Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato"
"Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato."
"I must say," Mei inclined her head; "Receiving your scroll was quite a surprise. At present my village is still recovering from the brutality of Yagura's reign. So believe when I say your offer of help peaked my interest."
"I understand if my actions were quite bold, but after seeing the comradely of our Genin in the prelims I felt it was worth a try." Hiruzen spoke honestly.
The Mizukage crosses her arms under her bust; "However, before I entertain this proposal I must bring up a matter."
"Yes?"
Her visible green eye shifted uneasily, "At the final moments of the rebellion, I fought against Yagura. Believe me, it was no easy challenge fighting a jinchuuriki, but in the end I prevailed" Her words carried a double meaning which the leaf ninja understood; she boasted her power, a warning in case they planned of backstabbing her. A tactic they themselves had employed in the past. "In his last moments, Yagura... wasn't himself" She shook her head, a sad glint evident in her eyes, "Or perhaps it'd be more fitting to say, he was finally acting like himself once again"
Hiruzen exchanged a confused look with Kushina and Jiraiya, "What do you mean?"
"Yagura was not always the tyrant of the Bloody Mist," She stressed, "But one day he began changing, it was subtle in some aspects, he still carried his personal life and affairs like always, but the decisions he started making once he became Kage, they were just... We are all very familiar with the kind of things we ninjas do, but Yagura's actions were seldom based in logic, often they were just pointless and petty cruelty. He spread such a strong anti-bloodline sentiment throughout the Land of Water, lead the purges and executed everyone who even dared question him"
She paused for a moment, and though she presented herself as calm and collected in her voice, there was no denying the underlying feeling of grief in her voice, carefully kept from becoming too evident. A Kage could not show weakness before another Kage.
"He was my friend once" She said, "Kind, thoughtful, he took on his role as Jinchuuriki with pride and the village respected him for it... The Yagura that lead the Mist was not the man I grew up with. As he laid dying..." 'At my hand', they suspected she truly wanted to say but couldn't. "...it was like he had woken up from a dream. He cried and mourned all the things he had done as Mizukage, apologizing because he had not been strong enough to resist"
The Konoha ninja remained silent.
"It wasn't the power that came with the title, or anything like that, he told what he could not resist" She leveled an accusatory glare at them, "was the powerful genjutsu that took control of his mind... casted upon him, by a Sharingan"
They fell silent, even the hidden ANBU were still like statues as both Kushina's and Jiraiya's eyes went wide in pure shock. The Sandaime remained unreadable as Mei continued; "Now I am not saying your village or the Uchiha were responsible for the acts in my nation. But the Sharingan is from the Fire Country, I cannot rule out those possibilities"
"Did Yagura-dono have any details on this Sharingan user before his death?"
A sigh came from the Mizukage; "A man in a black hooded who wore a mask with single right eye-hole." As her words left her lips she saw the look of utter shock from all three.
Kushina's blood turned cold as time stood still to her. Her eyes had grown hauntingly wide at the description of the man that plagued her nightmares. "It's him..." Her voice was a whisper but garnered everyone's attention. Soon shock became boiling rage as she gnashed with pure murderous hate glowing from her eyes. The killer intent that flooded the room made the Mizukage blink before seeing the Red Death roar and slammed a fist through the wall cracking it. "IT'S HIM!" She screamed in utter malice.
Her breathing was ragged pants of barely contained rage, images of that hateful figure that haunted her dreams flashed back with vivid intensity. Her fingers twitched, almost wanting to reach for a weapon so she could stab something, anything, and pretend she stabbing that bastard's heart.
Kushina's head sharply turned as she felt large hands upon her shoulder, she saw Jiraiya giving her an understanding look, trying to calm her down. She saw in his eyes that he too was feeling murderous anger wash through his very being, but needed to be held in check at the moment.
After taking a few calming breathes, Kushina went over to one of the chairs and sat down, pressing a hand against her face, reigning in the rage and killing intent.
All throughout the Mizukage just stared with wide eyed at the display; she turned to the Hokage, gaze demanding an explanation. "I see now" Hiruzen said warily, "Than I must be forthcoming about some secrets of our own""
And so he told her, every last detail. The Uzumaki's former status as Jinchuuriki, the night of her son's birth, all the accounts and description of the event that Kushina had provided him with. He left nothing out, for the Konoha and Kiri now shared a target who presented a threat for both of them.
After the long explanation, the Mizukage had to sit down. She was currently rubbing her eyes, trying to fight back against the growing headache. "Merciful Suijin" She muttered in disbelief, "This... This changes everything"
Hiruzen nodded grimly; "Indeed, whoever this man is has caused pain and misery in both our villages." He gazed towards Kushina who only glared at the floor. "We have a common enemy."
"Indeed we do," Mei only looked at the redhead with mournful yet understanding eyes. "And because of this man who caused harm in both our villages I shall agree to your alliance." She paused; "Kushina-dono." The Uzumaki woman glanced to the Mizukage; "If this man is found in our lands he will suffer, I promise you."
Kushina only gave a nod before looking back to the floor.
A long sigh came from the Hokage; "Whatever your village might be need of you have just to ask. I will see what I can grant you Mei-dono."
"That can wait, for now let's all retire for the day and rest ourselves for the Chunin Exams." All were in agreement on that sentiment.
They could prepare their vengeance another day.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Ever since Karin and then the others had arrived, the house had been rather busy all the time. It was rare to find just himself and his mother by themselves in the training room. Well, sort of since Yugao was upstairs resting on the couch. His mother had explained what happened and told everyone to give the woman space to mourn.
However instead of training, Kushina was showing her son a scrapbook with old photos.
Naruto had a feeling that Hayate's death and seeing her student in pain stirred up bad memories, fresh ones even. He sure did feel bad; even though he met him in passing he seemed to be a nice guy. Maybe it was her way of taking her mind off things, or just when faced with this tragedy it was best to remember those who passed away with those who still remained with you.
The album was pretty much a record of the entirety of his mother's life, since her childhood in Uzushio to her days as an ANBU and jōnin. She would point at the pictures that she thought were more interesting and went on a long explanation on what happened that day, down to what kind of meal she had (it was ramen of course, it was always ramen).
Naruto smiled at seeing the pictures of his father, he always looked so happy and serene, a trait that complimented his mother's overwhelming joy and excitement.
"This one is when your dad got assigned his own team" Kushina explained, "We all went to celebrate afterwards"
Naruto stared fascinated at the image of the people who had joined the party; it was pretty much all the parents from his class in the academy, even Hinata's father. The blonde's blue eyes squinted at the sight of the much smaller silver haired Hatake in the picture.
"Oh come on, even then he wore a mask?"
"Hehehe" Kushina giggled at his reaction, "It's a family thing sweetie, Hatake only show their faces to family. Sakumo-sensei always felt comfortable with everyone on the village so he didn't bother with one"
A snort came from the blond as he saw two other beside a young Kakashi. A girl with a brunette hair in a bob-cut with purple markings on her cheeks. And a goofy looking boy with short spiky black hair and wearing orange googles. "Who are those two?"
He saw his mother's cheerfulness become a mournful; "Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha... They were Kakashi's teammates when your dad was their sensei. Both died during separate missions. Kakashi's Sharingan came from Obito before he died." Kushina paused; "Rin was always a sweet girl. Would have had made one the best medical ninja with her talents."
He paused at the sudden sense of sadness coming from his mother, "And Obito?"
"He was such a goofball. His parents had died when he was very young so never knew him. He never fit the mold of a typical Uchiha and was the black sheep among them." There was a hint of anger in her voice when saying that; "I loved him like a son..."
Her eyes shifted through a myriad of emotions, from pain and nostalgia, to fondness and love, "I always was tough on that knucklehead because somebody needed to keep him in line" She smiled at him, "I can't tell you how happy I am, that you ended up being a lot like him" She pressed a big kiss against his forehead, it was a rather embarrassing gesture for him but he loved it all the same.
Naruto understood Kakashi-sensei a lot better now, the death of his father, his teammates, his sensei, everyone he cared about... It was a miracle that the scarecrow was still sane. It explained why his sensei never really made any contact with him when he was little, he was afraid of losing someone dear to him again, history just repeating itself over and over. Most people would have cracked a long time ago, yet Kakashi-sensei endured, ready to continue serving the village without asking anything in return.
Kakashi-sensei was the strongest person he knew, Naruto realized.
Kushina shifted the pages of the album, showing moments in her life when she was even younger. "Ohohoho, this one" She laughed, pointing at a picture of herself when she was a kid, Naruto recognized uncle Saito, uncle Samenosuke and aunt Lyn, plus there were a few other kids he didn't recognize. They were sitting around a woman in robes, her long crimson locks were pulled back by a hair piece, and they were all smiling at the camera. "Here is us as children with Tsukiko-baachan"
So this was the famed seal master among masters he had heard so much about. Looking at her, she held the same kind of eyes Jiji did, Naruto thought.
"This was just before we pulled a prank on baachan... and got the spanking of our lives" The Uzumaki woman shivered. "When she was disciplining you, she made sure you learnt your lesson THOROUGHLY. With baachan, no butts were spared..."
Naruto paled at the thought before he shook his head. He recalled vividly the times he was caught by Jiji with some of his pranks he had done around the village. And the ones he had done on the Sandaime himself, being chased by an irate Kage after messing with his prized Icha-Icha novels was an experience.
A part of him should not have been so surprised learning it was Ero-Sennin who made those smut books.
Flipping a page the blond took notice of a picture of two people who looked like a couple. A tall stern man with long red hair, violet eyes, and a goatee standing beside a beautiful woman with hair as long as his mother's with red eyes and a calm smile. "Who are these two?"
"Those are your grandparents, my parents, Daisuke and Manami Uzumaki."
At that shock etched on Naruto's face; "This is the first you ever said anything about them."
"Sorry about that," Kushina rubbed the top of her son's head; "Sad thing is I vaguely remember much of anything about my mother. She died when I was very young. Dad was the clan head of the Uzumaki, so he was busy a lot." She explained, "Taking care of the village and by extension the clan, was a pretty taxing job" All those nights she would find him on his study, organizing missions, speaking with the dragons, dealing with the other countries. "And trust me when I say the clan was the whole village, we intermarried with so many smaller families and clans that eventually they were all assimilated, and we ended up with multiple branches. The main branch our leaders, the craftsman branch who made everything, the lore keeper branch who kept our and research, the seal master who further studied seals and other type of esoteric knowledge, and the steel branch who were our frontline warriors. Though we all were equal" She said with pride. "There was no hard rule about the branches; anyone could learn anything from the other branches if they wanted to"
"Wow..." Naruto muttered in surprise, "Everyone in the village was a redhead huh?"
"Just about" She grinned, "Eventually, everyone in Uzushio had the last name Uzumaki. And dad lead them all, the position of Kage, clan head, village and country leader, it was all one job"
"Yeesh" His shoulders slumped, "Did it bother you, that grandpa was so busy all the time?"
"It did sometimes" Kushina admitted, "But, as I grew I began to understand things more. I had Tsukiko-baachan to raise me and educate me while I lived in Uzu" Her tone was melancholic. "What I do remember about my mom was that she absolutely loved the sea, she would always take me to the beach in the mornings..."
"...What would they think of me?" Naruto's voice a quiet hush as he stared at his grandparents.
"Oh honey." Kushina wrapped her arms around her son and kissed the top of his head; "They would have loved you and be proud of you as I am."
Naruto's heart swelled at the thought; "Can you tell me more about grandpa?"
"Oh when he smiled, when he was truly happy, he had the same smile you and I have"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Beyond the territories of human kingdoms, a valley of mountains rose from the earth like pillars; more poetic tongues would describe them like the fingers from the earth gods that outstretched seeking to grasp the sky. In these rocky earthen formations, plant life would still flourish, capping the tops with trees aplenty.
Upon the faces of these mountains one could find many houses and palaces of great size, built into the great stone pillars themselves. The craftsmanship required to make such a construction possible was not of human hands, indeed, for there was nothing that connected the buildings to one another but the air itself.
Dragons needed no bridges after all.
Not many humans had set foot in these sacred grounds, but those who were welcomed were considered kin to the dragons. In the palace of the great chief, a great structure of wood and stone, traditional in every aspect with the architecture of elevated high walls and gently curved tiled roofs, was one such guest welcomed by the dragons. A very old and very dear friend.
"They were very energetic" Her feminine voice said with humor.
A deep rumble was her reply, "Indeed, the people of the whirlpool never change. It is comforting"
"I cannot describe the feeling when I saw all of them," Tomoe muttered in a warm tone. "Knowing some people of Uzu had survived."
"There is likely more in hiding. Sadly I am uncertain of how many," Genryu grumbled in response.
"We have to keep on hope" The white haired woman said with conviction, a hopeful smile present in her lips. "Shishou's clan is stubborn just like her, I know more survived and that one day they'll reclaim their home"
The silver dragon smile in return, looking down at the sage from his great height, "That'll be a joyful day indeed"
Tomoe held her smile, even as it weakened somewhat at the thought of her teacher. "Do you think... that it is possible shishou is still out there?" She dared not believe otherwise, she could NOT believe otherwise. Tsukiko was the strongest woman she knew, both in character and power, she would not die in the darkness, forgotten and lost to the world.
"It is more than a possibility" Genryu said with passion, "It is a certainty, I can feel it in my bones. I know my sister lives, I just know it!"
Siblings often possessed a strong bond, Genryu and Tsukiko, born of the same mother, were no different. He would never allow himself to even entertain the thought his beloved elder sister was dead, his soul cried out that she yet lived, he'd dive straight to the depths of Yomi to find her if needed.
But even still, the years of her absence weighted on him, for so long he'd been looking for her, calling every favor he could, scouring the corners of the skies and the seas and yet...
No, Genryu would never give up hope. For he knew Tsukiko would never give up on him.
"It makes me happy" Tomoe smiled gently, tilting her head as she closed her eyes. "That shishou was surrounded by people who love her so much"
The dragon was happy he could share these moments with Tsukiko's apprentice, someone who knew her and cared for her so much. One day, they would reunite with her, and take her to see a clan reforged in hope and love.
They could spend hours talking about his sister, but the dragon chief understood there was a time to put such feelings aside when more pressing matters presented themselves.
"So" He spoke, his voice low and growly, "I understand the toad sage has shared with you his information"
Tomoe's eyes gained a sharp edge, "He has" Taking out a set of pictures from a folder; she spread them out between them. "His informant in this organization called 'Akatsuki' has confirmed various characteristics and identities of its members... Including that their leader possess the powerful dōjutsu known as the Rinnegan"
Genryu growled in distaste, they perhaps owned a great deal to the Sage of Six Paths, he had after all acted alongside his brother to stop that rampaging alien that was their mother. But a part of him couldn't help but feel displeased they even relied on him to begin with... were it not that all other individuals that could have done something (and that number was woefully short...) had been busy at the time.
It had not been too long ago, relatively speaking, when the world had fallen in chaos and broken. Much needed to be fixed at the time.
And then this sage spread the use of the rediscovered onmyōdō which he called 'ninshu' (that made Genryu roll his eyes) to the humans, giving them access to a greater weapon once again, spreading the knowledge of the mystical arts, magic that should have been carefully taught to them instead of being widespread so much.
But the damage had been done...
Tomoe stroke her chin, deep in thought much like the dragon. "From what the toads told me, this Rinnegan possess nothing short of godlike power. Not too surprising considering the source comes from the sheer primal power stolen from the world"
"It is a mistake that should have been corrected"
"A touch too late for regrets my friend, for now let's focus on the present" The red eyed woman said, as her eyes took in every detail from the photos in front of her. "As I'm lead to understand, these 'Bijuu' have not had very peaceful interactions with neither humans nor beasts"
"There was a time in which that fake nine tailed fox stayed with fox clan" Genryu replied, "But as I've been told, he has long since fallen out of their grace. His constant rampages through human settlements were not tolerated"
"And now his jailer is one of shishou's descendants, like the last two were" The sage sighed. "It is what it is... Hmm, Akatsuki is proving to be a growing threat, if their plans for the bijuu are like we imagine then the risk is too great"
"The Rinnegan wielder must be disposed of" The dragon agreed. "But at the moment we cannot act, not until we have more Intel"
Her eyes hardened when they settled upon a particular picture, for a moment flashing with a burning glow. "What worries me the most... is this one" She tapped her finger on the photo.
Short silver hair slicked, a wide grin and dark eyes... what was truly remarkable about him was his supposed immortality.
And the medallion around his neck.
"The Cult..." Genryu growled dangerous. "I would have written it off as a coincidence, but for someone with such abilities to be part of Akatsuki, it is too convenient"
"It means the Cult is acting in the shadows without anyone knowing. They follow in their predecessor's footsteps, playing their hand in secret, manipulating, sowing chaos and conflict wherever their reach extends"
Tomoe took a deep breath, fighting back the ancient rage within her. Her eyes seemed to glow as her pupil blazed from black to white momentarily.
"We need answers, and I will get them even if I have to rip them out from this cultist"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
For those who wish to be in the know:
Next is Dragon Age Origins: Dovahkiin 'Two Chapters'
Followed by a chapter of Anbu Sennin: A Final Fantasy VII story
Then back to Naruto: Shoton of Konoha 'Two Chapters'
C-ya!