Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-author and Beta: Etheral-23
Chapter 38: Our path
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Her wrists were sore, the manacles around them had bruised the skin to the point every small movement set a burning sensation. Her stomach hurt, like small knives plunging into her belly. The clothes clang to her filth covered body, it had been a long time since she last bathed, the water given to her was just enough to hydrate herself, yet that didn't make her lips any less dry.
There was no light in this dark place, save for the lamps used to illuminate, she could not gauge how much time had passed. The pain inflicted on her made it feel like an eternity.
Her dead gaze wandered to the corner, their bodies were not there anymore, and they had been disposed, like garbage. Their tortures had gone too far, wanting to extract what they could not give her.
No tears fell from her blue eyes; they had long since dried up. The wound in her heart, the piece ripped from it the moment they had been taken from her, felt dull.
In the physical pain they inflicted on her every day, and the even greater agony that her soul was in, they had broken her. She had nothing to give them, neither the knowledge they craved, or the satisfaction to see her in more pain.
But that did not stop them. Kya dully looked as another one approached the tip of the kunai burning red with heat.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Kya woke up with a start. Gasping for breath, her entire body drenched in cold sweat.
She shivered, hands tensing and flexing in their own accord as buried her face in them. Her heart beat for a mile a second, thundering against her rib cage, as she fought to regain control of her breathing.
A long shudder escaped her lips as the sweat dripped off her face. Lowering her hands a single stray tear escaped one of her eyes. She swallowed hard; 'Least I didn't wake up screaming.' This had happened before and led to a very awkward moment or two when she had first joined up with Lyn. Absently her blue eyes peered towards her lover in question remained thankfully asleep.
Kya sighed as she rose from bed, dressed in a simple sweats and shirt, the Namikaze woman wasn't to get anymore sleep tonight. She quietly left the bedroom of their apartment. The buxom blonde sighed as she made her way towards the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She shivered as she splashed some water on her face.
Her heart still raced as she gazed at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes absently went over her arms, every visible patch of skin in her body, trying to spot any sign of scars or old wounds. She found none. But that's how she preferred it, that her scars never showed.
Kya took a deep breath, the beating of her heart slowing down, no longer drumming in her ears.
That nightmare- that memory, again...
Gods, it always came at the worst of times.
She had been at ease in this village, ever since she and Lyn arrived. Barring the terrible incident that was the Sound-Sand invasion, there was a strong spiritual presence in this place, filled with many places where nature energy was strong and prominent; to the point she thought that perhaps this would be a place where she could finally achieve senjutsu.
Kya had been here for over a month, and still nothing.
The thought of not living up to her clan's legacy made her feel things the Buddha would disapprove of.
Perhaps that nightmare was a reminder that she had been slacking off in her efforts. Her guard dangerously lowering, letting herself be swayed by many distractions. Pointless fights, quests and adventures that would take her focus from her training, everything she did with Lyn-
The mocha skinned woman closer her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She needed to confirm her doubts once and for all.
She silently gathered her robe, slipping her arm through the single sleeve and took off. Her destination; the woods atop the Hokage Monument plateau.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Kya felt like she could finally breath as she stood in middle of a small clearing on the plateau's woods. It would be at least another hour or two before the light of the sun rose for morning, but she paid it no mind as she closed her eyes to feel the breeze of the wind envelope her. It gently jostled her hair and robes, calming her and heart, if only just.
Slowly the blond sat down in a lotus meditative position with steadying, calming breathes. Her nightmare, her past, all stray thoughts had begun to fade from her mind. No distractions, no chaos, only serenity and peace.
Kya let her consciousness grown still as she felt nature's energy flow around her. Like before, and the time before that, and many other attempts she opened herself to nature. To let it flow within her and become one with it. To achieve the state and path her Namikaze kin had followed in ages past.
Her hands clinched, she could feel the energy just a hair's breathe towards. She bit her lip as she let her mind reach out for it. Moisture edged at her closed eyes; 'Please...'
But like every other attempt, nature's energy was just out of reach from her. Kya's body shook with frustration, yet this time she did not keep silent; "What am I doing wrong?" Her voice rasped out as she opened her eyes with anger and pain within them. "Why won't you accept me?" She whispered in a broken tone as she stared at her feet.
Why?
Why wouldn't nature's chakra become part of her? She was doing everything right, Kya knew she was.
Perhaps... perhaps she was the problem. Her methods, while flawless on paper, were lacking a critical component.
Her spirit, her soul, eager sought to receive the blessings of nature, to tap into the spiritual and reach enlightenment. It was a paradox to be sure, but not one without merit, reach the spiritual realm through the natural one.
But to reach such things, the soul had to be willing to part with the physical.
Her eyes widened, struck by a sudden epiphany. "So that's it..."
She finally understood what was it that it was holding her back, why she couldn't progress. She knew what she had to do now.
She wanted, no, she NEEDED to honor her clan's legacy. It was time to finally let go of all ties, knowing it'd be for the best.
Kya tried to ignore how much pain it brought to her chest.
XxX ~ some time later ~ XxX
They couldn't be more than an hour away from Konoha, the scenery of the large dense forest became a very much welcomed and familiar sight. The Slug Sannin allowed herself a moment to breathe in deeply, smelling all the scents the forests had to offer. It brought so many memories, both dear and painful. But there was not denying the sense of nostalgia this brought her.
She was going home, after so many years she was finally coming back. This time with her family.
Heh, family. The word felt good to hear, just thinking about it eased her burdens. She had a lot to make up for, but she could already imagine the kind of life she'd share with them, all the moments, be they good or bad, they'd face together. That was what family was about. They could argue and get mad with each other, but ultimately they would stand by one another and share in their concerns as much as their joys.
...Although the current situation wasn't much of a good example, given how Kushina was doing her outmost to ignore her son's questions regarding a certain 'incident' during their battle with the snake.
"Mom," Naruto droned beside Karin as they walked beside the older redhead and Shizune. "About what happened with Aunt Mikoto-"
"Wasn't it nice seeing her again?!" Kushina beamed before scowling; "Well, not the way I'd prefer, rather she still be alive. But it was nice!"
Shizune deadpanned along with the kids and Tonton making a dismissive noise beside the medic's legs. 'And I thought teacher was horrible at avoiding things.' Kushina was just as bad as her mother.
In front of the four plus pig, Tsunade shook her head while she rubbed the bridge of the nose. Jiraiya only rolled his eyes with groan as they were overhearing the entire conversation. "AH!" Kushina outright screamed causing the others to jump; "I forgot to tell Mi-chan Sasuke signed the Tiger summoning contract!" Everyone face-faulted as the redhead slumped forward; "Mi-chan would have loved to have heard her and her father's legacy was living on with her youngest son..."
"Oh for crying out loud." Tsunade having enough as she and the other got back up. "Will you just tell Naruto already!?"
"Tell him what?"
The Senju facepalmed; 'Gods she just had to have gotten that from me.' "That you and Mikoto had feelings for each other."
"What the-WHAT?!" Naruto's reaction was picture perfect, to the point Jiraiya was regretting not having a camera on him.
Kushina, her face soon matching her hair, and gave her adoptive mother the meanest glare she could muster. But having raised the little brat for a good chunk of her life, enduring all the tantrums she had launched discriminately, the sannin was unaffected by it.
"Do you have to be so blunt?!"
"Well given you're being a chicken about it, I figured someone here needs to be honest with the kid"
Karin, looking completely lost as much as she was surprised, shared a look with Shizune who mirrored her current mood perfectly.
"C-C-Can we back up a little please?!" The whiskered blonde squeaked, and boy his bewildered tone made it sound like puberty was just 'destroying' his voice. "You and aunt Mikoto?! B-B-But what about dad?!"
Kushina, trying to look at anywhere but his son, awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "You ever seen those television shows where a character is caught in a love triangle, you know, had feelings for two different people? W-Well, that was my situation really. I've known both since childhood, they were my closest friends, and we went through so much together and... Gods it was such a mess" She groaned into her hands, letting out her frustrations with a muffled sound. "Can you imagine what it is? Having to pick between two people who care for you at the same time?"
Naruto said nothing, what could he say really?
"I loved your father, deeply. But I also loved Mikoto just as much. But then the Uchiha had her arranged marriage to Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father." Kushina reigned in her temper as best she could just mention that bastard's name. "Then I married your father, I was happy, I moved on… but I think Mikoto never did" She muttered the last part sadly.
"That is a lot to take in." Karin murmured beside Shizune who numbly nodded back.
As for Naruto he looked to his mother and then to his grandmother who shrugged; "I just knew they never really hide their feelings well on the matter. I just hope you find one girl. Or guy if you're into that."
"I am not into guys." The young blond looked visibly ill as he shook his head. "Uncle Samenosuke yes, not me."
Tsunade shrugged again; "Long as you're happy and I get great-grand kids down the road I'll be happy."
"MOM/GRANDMA!" Kushina and Naruto chorused with an amused Slug princess giggling at them.
Jiraiya only snorted as they finally neared the gates; 'Least there is some levity before things gets serious again.'
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
And serious it was as they passed through the gates into the village. Kotetsu and Izumo gawked at the sight of the Tsunade Senju striding into the village after her years of absence. Their shock was shared among the villagers and shinobi who saw the last Senju walking through the village with Company in tow.
The buxom older blond ignore the gawking as she made her way straight for the hospital. Thought her eyes did not miss the repairs going on around the village. 'Orochimaru really did a number on this place.' she mentally mused but stayed focused on task.
They wasted no time in getting to the hospital; she had a mission to complete after all. The ANBU merely stood firm in salute as they stepped through the halls and headed towards Hiruzen's room. Security was extremely heavy on this area, no surprise, seeing the vulnerable figure of their leader was resting inside.
She could see Naruto being a few steps ahead of her, looking extremely concerned. Right, the old man had gotten quite close to him from what she had heard, the boy came to see sensei as part of his family.
He was Tsunade's family as well, that stubborn old man was far more patient with her than she ever deserved. She had nothing but good memories of him, of all the times he guided her when she needed someone to be there for her, to be a source of wisdom much like Mito-baachan was.
They entered his room, and the Senju stopped for a moment, gathering herself as she took in the sight of her mentor. Gods he looked older than the last time she's seen him. Just lying in bed with that white sheet covering him, the machines at his sides constantly monitoring his vitals.
Sarutobi-sensei had always been a beacon of fortitude and resolution, to see him in this state it was... wrong. Just plain wrong.
She vowed to make it right, now.
Nobody said a word as she approached him; they let the legendary medic room to work.
Breaking a patient out of a coma induced genjutsu was not a simple task. The illusion had been broken as she was informed, but the issue here was to jolt the brain into conscious activity once more. A perfect balance was required, push it too little and the patient would remain slumbering, push it too hard and one risked causing damage to the brain tissue.
She placed her hands on his head, her chakra sense reaching through skin and into the precious matter of his brain. Delicately, yet decisively, she reached the areas were conscious activities were performed, namely the parts required to be awake. Her chakra gave a precise jolt to those areas, an impulse to make the brain operate properly once again.
His wrinkled lips parted, letting out a soft gasp, as his eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the sights before him. "Tsu...nade?"
She smiled gently, "Hi old man"
Naruto was next to his side in an instant, "Jiji!" His eyes were wet with relief and elation.
His gaze shifted to the boy, "I... what happened?"
"Take it easy" Tsunade advised him, old instincts as a doctor surging forth after all these years. "You've been in a coma for some days now" Kushina and Jiraiya walked up to them, "They told me it was due to a genjutsu that-"
Hiruzen suddenly sat upright on his bed, seemingly wide awake, the heart monitor at his side beeping loudly, indicating the accelerated rate of his heartbeat. His chakra acted wildly, leaking killing intent in large, furious amounts.
Kushina swore to herself, catching Naruto as this one was flung back by the sudden outburst of the Hokage. Karin had remained outside the room with Shizune and Tonton. And not just those three, but every person within the hospital felt overwhelming pressure and rage flood the building
"Sensei?" Jiraiya carefully spoke.
The rage in his eyes was evident to anyone, and no doubt the ANBU outside were feeling it too due to his killing intent.
"Danzo..." The Hokage seethed the name with as much hate as the man could possibly convey. The word tasted like ashes, leaving only a bile sensation in his mouth. His chest rose and fell with each agitated breath, the memories of what happened to him, the realization what that war hawk had done for so many years, had achieved what very few individuals ever could.
He had sent the God of Shinobi on a warpath.
"I want this standing order to be followed by every last shinobi of our ranks" His command left no room for argument. "Find Danzo... and bring me his head"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
It had taken a few minutes, but the Hokage had finally calmed down. Well, as calm as he could be given the situation.
Kushina wisely took her visibly shook son out of the room. His eyes as wide as they could be with his skin a ghostly white. Pure terror shone in his cerulean orbs as his mother held him going towards Karin, Shizune, and Tonton.
The older redhead only glanced back behind her towards her mother who motioned for them to leave. Jiraiya stayed with his old partner and sensei in the room. Along with one lone very brave doctor beside the Senju. He could practically hear man's knees clanking together.
'Not that I blame the poor bastard.' It had been decades since either he or Tsunade had seen their sensei this incensed. Well, he might as ask the question the needs asking. "When did Danzo put you under that Genjutsu?"
Hiruzen clinched his fists tightly while he stared at them, Tsunade glare over to her old teammate. "It was at least hours after the funeral of the entire Uchiha clan. After that everything is a hazy mess for me." He growled out with an enraged huff.
"Do you recall what he made you do with Shisui's eye?" Tsunade now questioned as she leaned in.
"The genjutsu's... command" He spat out the word, "forced me to overlook any and all transgression done by him. To always consider him an asset to the village worth keeping"
The two sannin exchanged a very disturbed look, "Well, that... certainly explains a lot now"
It made a horrible amount of sense. Why their teacher would defend the old war hawk whenever he stepped out of line, why he would always keep him around regardless of how many times he went behind the Hokage and the council's back. The many illicit activities he had organized, the numerous off file operations he had done without the Hokage's approval or knowledge.
The various acts of outright treason that Hiruzen had overlooked, or simply punished him with a slap on the wrist.
"He even tried to assassinate me once"
Tsunade and Jiraiya fell silent.
"And that accursed genjutsu" His hands grasped the bed sheets tightly. "Just made me give him a warning. For years he has worked to overthrow me, to do anything he could to further his own goals while claiming it was to 'protect the village'. But that man has always ever cared about one thing; Himself"
The Sandaime grumbled as he leaned back against his pillow; "Which begs the question of what he has been doing while I was his little puppet." Hiruzen sneered before taking a calming breath; "I want Commander Fox and the ANBU to search every nook and cranny throughout the village. Leave nothing to chance, inspect every building, park, training areas, the Shrines, and Kikyō Castle. I want every single place he has used found, inspected, and destroyed once finished."
"The last part is a bit much don't you think Sensei?" Jiraiya questioned with a cocked brow; "If nothing else we could use-" He went quiet upon receiving Hiruzen's glare. An expression he remembered well when he actually knew he was in real trouble.
"Konoha has endured the stain of Danzo's machinations long enough. Any and every legacy of what that man has created will be burned to ashes till the man himself is buried in the ground!" The elderly man roared out.
"We have already questioned the Shimura clan" Jiraiya added, "They know nothing about his current whereabouts and I'm inclined to believe them. Danzo had grown apart from the rest of his family for a long time. Hell, not even his son seemed surprised when we told him what he did. They're clearly not hiding anything from him"
Tsunade crossed her arms under her bust; "We can let Fox and the ANBU deal with that. Your health takes priority sensei." Hiruzen grumbled but did not retort; "After that there is the matter of succession with me taking over."
"That we can get out of the way now." The Sandaime turned his gaze towards the door; "Iguru!" One of the ANBU guards quickly walked in and knelt down with a bow; "Get my hat for me."
"Hai!" Without questioning the ANBU vanished via shunshin.
Both Sannin and lone doctor gave a questioning look before Iguru returned with the Hokage hat and gave it to Hiruzen. The elderly kage soon motioned for the Senju to come closer. Slowly obeying Tsunade came to her sensei side to have him to plant the hat on her head as she leaned in.
"You're the Godaime Hokage now. Good luck."
Neither of the two sannin had any time to react to the absolute lack of decorum and official procedures that would usually follow the naming of a new Hokage. There were protocols in places for this, ceremonies, meeting with the council and clan heads. Steps to go through that on any other occasion Hiruzen would have followed.
But the now former Kage was in no mood for that pointless dribble. The Hokage's word was law in Konoha, and so he gave his final order without any intention of ever reclaiming the hat.
"Okay..." Tsunade awkwardly adjusted the large conical hat so it wouldn't obstruct her view too much. "I'm... honored I guess?" Honestly, she had already been planning her acceptance speech in her head, how a Hokage's will was to nurture and protect their village, to show her people she would do her utmost to do right by them this time.
Throw that out the window...
"You'll do fine" Sarutobi waved it off, "At least; you'll be able to bear the weight of that damn thing better than I ever did"
"Hmph" The newly minted Hokage crossed her arms under her bust. "Well, I suppose my first order of business would be to organize a manhunt for Danzo, adding his name to the Bingo book is a no brainer. Did he leave behind any clues we could follow?"
"Afraid not" Jiraiya grunted, "Only thing we found was this; Children"
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Children?"
"Orphans. They match the files of kids from all over the nation's orphanages. Apparently the damn war hawk was grooming them to be his mindless puppets" Tsunade let out a sound of disgust at that, "Yeah, my reaction was the same. A lot of those kids..." He sighed, "The damage is bad, but not unsalvageable, we already got professionals giving them the aid they require, mostly Yamanaka psychiatrists and the like"
"I want the ANBU to continue their search for anything we can find" Tsunade said, her voice becoming commanding. "I want to find out as many as his dirty secrets as I can"
Hiruzen snorted, "Oh we have plenty of dirty secrets ourselves. Trust me; there are some things we need to tell you privately"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
A long sigh came from the now official Godaime Hokage as she had left the hospital. Upon knowing nothing else would be needed for her sensei's retired (again) Hokage, she decided to make her way to the Hokage tower to take a quick look over things. To her surprise; Naruto was standing outside the hospital with that Karin girl.
They came up to her fast with her grandson asking how 'Jiji' was. She could tell both were still much shaken from the level of killer intent and anger that had come off Sarutobi-sensei upon waking up. Likely why they did not go back inside the hospital just yet. Well, seeing that Shizune and Kushina were gone she brought the two kids along with her to walk to the tower.
"Where are Kushina and Shizune?" The buxom blond questioned peering down to her grandson.
It was Karin who answer the quickest; "Aunt Kushina said she and Shizune-san would head to the Senju mansion to clean it up."
Tsunade winced; 'Dear gods I'd hate to see how that place looks...' She shook her head; "Naruto." The young blond looked up; "The mansion is as much as your home as where you live with Kushina. You're welcome there anytime."
"Thanks" He smiled oh so brightly, in a way that painfully reminded her of her brother. "I bet it looks awesome, but I'm not really a fan of those traditional houses"
"Well, neither is your mom" Tsunade remarked, "Always said she found modern houses more comfortable to live in. Heh, more than once that girl tried to remodel the ancestral home that had been passed down to me"
"I imagine most of the time it was behind your back" Karin dryly guessed.
"Usually with her room. She would whine and throw all manner of tantrums whenever she didn't get her way. Something she never grew out of I'm afraid"
"Yeah, we learnt" Naruto replied, "It's really something to find out that your own mom is more immature than you are" And he is considered quite immature with his love of pranks, which was saying something...
"You got her attitude kid, but be thankful you got some of your dad's calmness to balance it out"
"Calm?" Karin snorted, "Him?"
"Ha-ha." Naruto dryly retorted with a glare.
"Coming from someone who is part Uzumaki and lived with some, yes." Well, least from what she had seen from days coming back home, he was nothing like Kushina as a kid. So was it wrong to hope that some of Minato is a part of her grandson's character? Speaking of character, her gaze turned back to Naruto; "I missed out on quite a bit your life. I know can't say anything to make for that, but I should have been here for you."
To her surprised the blond gently waved it off; "You're here now. That's what counts." Naruto addressed with a sad grin.
"Well, I for one would like to get to know my grandson. So tell me everything. I'd like to get to know about you as well Karin. We're all family after all." Tsunade smiled with maternal warmth.
So as the trio strolled through the village the new Godaime got to learn quite a bit about her grandson and Karin. The pangs of guilt stung harsh as she heard of Naruto's overall treatment from the village. But she shook away the regret since nothing could be done with the past. But she was proud of how far he has come and happy he has gained many friends. Tsunade had to bit back a hiss on how after Karin's mother died Orochimaru manipulated the young girl into joining him.
Her fists shook upon hear the experiments done to the girl by her former friend and comrade. But she also took notice of Karin's aptitude leaned towards science and medicine. Something to go over later when she had time.
"I have to agree with Kushina, I've never heard of anyone with Shoton in the Uzumaki clan." Tsunade stated with a tap to her chin. Had there been another case of Shoton years ago? Well, she'd look into that later. "And you can heal people by letting them bite you?" the older woman raised a brow at Karin who nodded.
"I think my mom could do it too but can't really remember."
"Hmm, you mind if I test that some time?" The young girl gave nod; "Thank you."
"Well, not like I can say no to the Hokage." Karin murmured.
"True," Tsunade mused; "But I'm asking this as a doctor, not village leader." A thought occurred to the Godaime; she regarded the girl with a raised brow. "Say, you're still probation now aren't you?"
"Yes" Karin nodded in confirmation.
"Well, not anymore. From here on out you're now a proud member of this village. Congratulations, it's a big honor, yadda, yadda, yadda" She waved off the rest with a motion of her hand.
Both young shinobi did a hilarious double take, stopping right on their tracks momentarily as Tsunade kept walking. "Wait, for real?!" Naruto asked excitedly, picking up the pace to catch up to his grandmother.
"C-Can you do that?" Karin, amidst the elation she felt, choose to remain logical about the situation. "Aren't there procedures for stuff like this and-?"
"I'm Hokage now; I can do what I want. Besides I think you earned your place here by helping locate said Hokage, wouldn't you say?"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The Hokage tower... It had been a long time for Tsunade as she took in the sight of the massive structure. Going up the stairs with Naruto and Karin in tow, the Senju's mind wondered to the past. She could vividly recall both Dan and Nawaki's smiling faces as they declared dreams to becoming Hokage.
'In the end I am taking the position you two wanted. Not sure if I'll ever be as good as I knew you both would have been. But I'll be Hokage for both of you.' Her eyes peered back to Naruto who was chatting with Karin.
Reaching the top they went down the familiar hall and stopped at the door of what would be Tsunade's office. "Last time I was at this office... Well that wasn't a pleasant conversation." She uttered as she opened the door. 'Room hasn't changed one bit.'
Everything was like she had remembered. From the countless scrolls and books on the shelves, the portraits of the former Hokage's. The same ugly two couches she had never liked; 'Well that be one thing I change about this room.' Walking inside with her grandson and Karin Tsunade took in everything as she stopped at the desk. 'Yup, even the desk is still the same...' She rolled her eyes before she took off her Kage hat. "Don't think I was ever much of a hat person." She stared fire symbol for a good minute. "Have got a lot a work ahead of me."
"Leading a village must not be easy work" Karin commented, breaking off her small chat with her cousin. "Domestic affairs, foreign affairs, the logistics behind the shinobi corps, the projects and operations that need your personal supervision and approval, the-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it" Tsunade stopped her before she could continue. "Thanks for reminding me of all the paperwork I'll have to do..." Gods there was a lot of stuff she just DIDN'T want to deal with as a Hokage. But whatever, if her job was hers she would do it her way, she wouldn't be wasting time playing politics. Sarutobi-sensei, gods bless him, had been an outstanding teacher, but too many times circumstances had forced him to play along this dumb game when there was no need.
The fuck up that was the Hyuuga-Cloud affair was a prime example.
And then there were the other things they had revealed to her, the Uchiha Massacre...
Gods fucking damn it.
But she was in charge now; she wouldn't be letting anything like that ever happen again.
Well, when the day came she was tired of this job; at least she had a perfect little successor she could groom to inherit it one day. "What do you think, kid?" She coyly asked with a smile, "Think when the day comes you'll be able to do this?" And why not? Naruto was family, someone she could trust, with enough years of experience and preparation Naruto could be turned into an ideal candidate.
The younger blonde scratched his head, "I mean, I guess"
Huh, that was... odd. Hasn't even been a day since she came to Konoha and already most of the thing Kushina and Jiraiya had told her about the kid was his ardent desire to be Hokage. Sarutobi-sensei fondly regaled her with how much the boy would boast about coming the next leader of the village one day, make people see him for who he was.
"I'm going to express myself properly here" Tsunade slowly said, "I'm not going to be in this job forever, eventually I'll need a replacement. The role is passed down to people we can trust, so it's not unusual to be handed down to relatives. Naruto" She stepped closer to him, "When the time is right, I want to prepare you for one day to take the hat" Both young Uzumaki looked stunned at the proposal. "Sarutobi-sensei let this job drain the life out of him for decades, a lot of circumstances played against him, but he should have worked in preparing the next heir with anticipation like many villages does"
Had he actually groomed young Kakashi after the Kyuubi Attack, he'd be the one wearing the hat right now, and not her. But that was not here nor there.
"So" She crossed her arms under her bust, "What do you say?"
For the longest time, the boy remained silent.
Once upon a time, he would jumped at the opportunity. To be trained to become Hokage one day, the realization of his dream, it was pretty much guaranteed if he took it. To have the people of the village look at him with pride instead of disdain.
To stand above the others and have them acknowledge his existence.
But now...
Those people were just strangers on the street, their eyes and gazes easily forgotten when he remembered the kind smiles of his friends, his teachers, his relatives, and most of all his mother's. He would still protect the people of Konoha as was his duty as a ninja, but...
"I don't know..." He finally said, even he sounded very lost and confused by the words that came out of his mouth.
Tsunade knelt down to her grandson getting a better look in his eyes; "You don't know?" Karin gave her cousin a curious gaze as well.
The blond rubbed the back of his neck; "Why I wanted to be Kage was so people could see me as 'me' and not the damn fox. Show even a screw up could make it to the top and be leader of the village." He paused for a minute, like her trying to find the right words of what he wanted to say; "But everything felt like it changed when getting this." He raised up his hand as a crystal kunai appeared. "A late bloomer Ero-Sennin called me. After getting this, everything just started to become so different."
Which begged a question Tsunade felt she should ask, given how everything has been; "How have you been dealing with it?" Now having chosen to sit down on the floor to be more comfortable, the kids following suite.
Karin felt her cousin's chakra fluctuate for second before going back to normal. "I-I think I'm still trying to process it all. My mom who I thought was dead just comes back out of nowhere from some super Fūinjutsu scroll made by woman who's my great-great-grandmother. Find out my father was the man who I've idolized since Jiji told me about the Hokages. I belong to two actual clans, and then relatives of said clans come here to be with us. I have genuine friends now..." Tears reamed at the edges of his eyes. "It just feels like I'm in a whirlwind and can't catch a break yet."
So much so he had been reevaluating on becoming Hokage or not. It no longer felt like something he needed to do.
Biting her lip the Senju felt a pang in her heart at seeing how lost her grandson looked. So much so he was surprised when he was wrapped into a hug by Tsunade, resting her chin on his head. "Not sure what you really want to do now do you?" she spoke quietly while Karin was beside them rubbing Naruto's shoulder. "Well, take your time kiddo. You'll figure out what you want to do eventually."
The younger blond did not reply but nodded quietly.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
"Ahhhhh!" Kushina dropped down on a large couch that had been gathering dust for years, making a cloud of dirt float all around her. "Haven't been in this place in ages!" She said before coughing.
"It warms my heart to see this place was taken care off..." Tsunade sardonically droned.
The Senju manor was a prime example of status. A complex large enough to host the core members of the Senju clan, traditional in design, with multiple rooms and a wide garden where Hashirama had personally grown plenty of beautiful trees surrounding a large pond.
Kushina had never really been a fan of the traditional style of architecture, but at least some rooms did have more modern furniture. This particular room had multiple chairs surrounding a coffee table, a good informal place to welcome guests. Nothing like the rooms dedicated to hold proper tea ceremonies.
Not that Kushina or Tsunade had ever used those. Though Tsunade didn't mind the traditional style of the compound (she had grown up here after all) she didn't have a single shred of patience for traditional practices. Much to her grandmother Mito's chagrin.
Some people would say Kushina had gotten that to from her, but those who knew her since she was a toddler knew it was merely a natural development for the redhead.
Saito nodded gracefully to the new Hokage, "It's an honor for you to have us here, Tsunade-sama"
"Oh just drop the formality." Tsunade quipped with an eye roll; "The Senju and Uzumaki are family, and I am part Uzumaki if you recall. There is no need for that at home, let alone when I'm not at the office."
Lyn smirked as she sat beside Samenosuke on a chair; "I like you."
"Another thing." the Senju mused while helping Shizune make some tea for everyone. "If you all don't want to say at hotels while in Konoha, get your stuff and live here." There was more than enough room in this place for a large family to live at. And the house needed more people than just her, Shizune, and whenever Naruto comes to visit.
At that Kushina whined; "But I had plan and everything to remodel my house for everyone!"
"Um, hime the way your house is designed you'd have to completely rebuild and remodel it from the ground up." Samenosuke weakly grinned with a retort.
Lyn made her voice also heard "And Kya and me are comfortable where we are Kushi." The buxom redhead snorted at being flipped off by the former ANBU; "Same wants to sleep you, not me."
Saito groaned as he rubbed his brow at the antics. "Thank you Tsunade." He gave a nod to the new Kage who grinned back as she brought over the tea.
"Though this place could use a cleaning hand" Kushina pointed out, patting at the couch and watching the dust rise up. "Oh! I'll get Naruto to do it. He can do it easily with his clones"
Tsunade dryly looked at her before serving tea to Saito who gracefully accepted it. "You know, you too can span clones like they're going out of style. Why don't you actually put in the very simple effort to clean the house? At most it'd take you a few hours"
"'Cause I'm adult with her own house now, I don't have to do chores anymore, sucka!" She did a double V-sign with a wide grin. "...Except, you know, the ones around my house..."
Samenosuke laughed at the grown woman digging herself, Saito didn't have the strength to even sigh at her immaturity. He'd run out of breath at this point.
Lyn rested her chin on her palm, looking at Kushina unimpressed. "Did you honestly raise her?"
"You don't raise Kushina. You give her instructions and pray things don't fall apart around her"
At that moment an exited Naruto ran in with Karin and Soujiro; "This place is awesome!" The blond exclaimed brightly. Karin also bore an elated expression while Soujiro's was reserved like normal.
Tsunade smiled at seeing his smile; "I'm glad you like it. There is a lot more to explore so go look around some more." At that the blond nodded as he and the other two children ran off the to explore the manor.
"Last time I remember children running around here was when you brought Mikoto, and others over." The Senju reminisced fondly.
Kushina however said nothing as she observed her son, Karin, and Soujiro leaving the room and roaming the manor. They'd be busy for a while, looking all over the place as much as they could. That brought her a good window of opportunity to finally tell someone what had been weighting on her for some time now, ever since Jiraiya talked to her that night.
Honestly, part of her didn't fully believe it but... Gods it was all just so crazy.
But one thing she was certain of is that she needed to share this with her family.
She reached forward upon the coffee table and with a simple tap of her finger a seal array formed, large enough that the others were caught within its reach.
Of course, this drew confused and surprised stares from her sudden action. Saito took one look at the seal and frowned, "Silence seal? Why did you put this up?"
"So the kids don't hear us if they come back"
"Ohhh are we going to tell dirty stories~?" Samenosuke grinned, always with his mind in the gutter. "Cause I just have a few I've been DYING to tell~"
"Put your dick back in your pants" Tsunade annoyed commanded the lecherous redhead. "Kushina, what's this all about?"
"Jiraiya told me something the other day" Her daughter sighed, "I've been wanting to tell you guys" She said the three redheads present, "Just didn't find the right time and then the whole mess with the old man began..."
"Well this sounds serious" Lyn raised a brow, setting down her tea. "What's eating you?"
Her next words made their eyes widen, "It involves that woman we met the other night, Tomoe, and how she knows baachan"
"Wait, that woman who said baachan was her teacher?" The wild maned Uzu leaned in. "Yeah, that was confusing as hell, what was up with that?"
"I..." Tsunade slowly spoke, "feel I'm missing a lot of context. Who is Tomoe?"
"A sage like Jiraiya, apparently. Like baachan is" Kushina took a deep breath, "I'm not sure you will believe me, I barely believe it myself, but what she told Jiraiya, and he says the toads confirmed what she said. And it's all just so... so insane. It's like something straight out of fairy tale or an old myth even"
The Senju and Uzumakis all shared a concerned look, whatever Kushina wanted to share with them, it was clear that it had been too much to handle. For Kushina of all people to look wary like this, it had to be something that had disturbed her greatly, whatever she learnt had shaken her to the core.
But that just made them want to even more, if it involved their beloved grandmother.
"Tell us" Saito spoke on the other's behalf.
And Kushina did.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The former ANBU captain honestly was not sure how long she had been telling the others of what she learned from Jiraiya. But it was well over an hour she had guessed as Naruto and the kids were still exploring the Senju manor. And the revelation of the news delivered to them was exactly like how she took it.
Everyone's eyes were as wide as possible, their skin pale white with immense shock, pure terror, and utter disbelief. All bore the same look as none had touch their tea to the point it grew cold. The Uzu woman sighed as she had finished a few minutes ago, but silence hung over the room like a thick mist.
Samenosuke's mouth moved for several moments as he seem to try to speak. But no words came for a full minute; "B-by the Gods..." he uttered in a whisper
Shizune robotically turned to her teacher who was not fairing any better than she was. The Senju's hands couldn't stop shaking till she clasped them together. Lyn seemed to be lost in her thoughts while Saito remained barely composed as he and everyone processed what they had learned.
"And we're certain this is the truth?" The Uzu swordsman questioned his cousin.
"I've never known Gamamaru-Sama to lie about things." Tsunade responded before her daughter; "As much as what we just heard sounds outright impossible. It is real."
"B-But that is... I mean I just can't..." Lyn stammered, unable to even properly express herself. Her mind was a haze of jumbled thoughts. "Baachan, she told us she was-"
"She lied" Kushina cut in, "She lied to us about how old she really was, and... knowing this, I guess I can understand now"
Samenosuke let out a shuddering breath, running a hand through his long red locks. "And all that other stuff, t-the things that happened in the past. Gods it makes the ninja wars look like playground kids through mud at each other..."
The wild maned Uzumaki let out a humorless laugh, standing up and pacing. "And she fought there, baachan fought in that horrible time to keep the world safe. But even then everything just..." Her voice became heavy, thick with emotion. "She sacrificed so much, for so long. Centuries, thousands of years even..."
Samenosuke queried with concern, "What does it mean for us now?"
"At the moment" Kushina replied, "Nothing... But Jiraiya, he is convinced something is coming. The animal elders believe there are forces at work that seek to end this world. Baachan... she fought them for so long, did far, far more than any of us can ever understand"
Tsunade sighed; "At the present we can be ready for anything. We can do that for Tsukiko-sama, it's what she would have wanted"
Lyn clinched her hands into fists; "I know she's not dead. She can't be."
"We can't let our emotions cloud our thinking Lyn." Saito addressed; "I want to believe that as much as we all do. But unless some kind of lead or trail shows evidence to that we can't run all over the nations looking."
"Fuck that!" She slammed her hands on the table, once she stopped pacing. "The clan is scattered to the winds, Uzu is in ruins, and we have not done a damn thing to carry on her legacy! You know what we should do? We should find every last Uzumaki out there; we should make the clan strong again, and take the fight to those sons of bitches that want to destroy everything baachan did!"
"Do you know who the enemy is?" Tsunade spoke up in a flat tone. "Who is the mastermind behind it all? How many forces does he or she or they command? Their base of operations? And do they have spies anywhere?"
"How the fuck should I know!" Lyn seethed out with a glare towards the older blond; "But won't matter if we have all the Uzumaki back and-"
"Get our entire clan annihilated with some wild half-baked plan!" Tsunade roared back. She had already lost the Senju, she would be damned if she lost the only relatives she had left.
"But it's something we have to do!" The demon hunter glowered. "Tsukiko-baachan dedicated herself to protecting this world, as her heirs, we should be following in her footsteps! Hell, you have an entire village at your command, can't you use your resources to find her? Or find the enemy she had been fighting?!"
"I hold a lot of respect for Tsukiko-sama, more so now after having learnt this" Tsunade sternly replied, "But I am not going to prioritize the sages' affairs over the safety and prosperity of my village."
"'Sages' affairs'? This is our clan we're talking about here, baachan's legacy!"
"We all want to see the clan together again, Lyn" Saito sadly spoke, "But Uzu is gone, even if we managed to find others, banding together again would once again paint a target on our back. We can't risk-"
"Don't you dare bring that bullshit again, Saito! I tolerated it for too many years!" She seethed, "That's not living, that's just surviving! And I'm tired of pretending 'we can't do it', I'm tired of pretending this is our lot in life! We were a proud, strong clan, we helped the dragons keep the peace between the animal clans, we battled demons wherever we found them, and I am not going to pretend it never happened!"
She paused, taking in gasps of air, her bout of passionate anger that had been boiling for a long time finally burst. She could not hold it in any longer.
"Baachan set an example for all of us to live by. Finding out all that stuff about her... it only makes me feel all the more proud she's our grandmother. Maybe you guys don't know what to do, but I sure as hell do" Lyn declared, her voice resolute and strong like steel. "I've spent my life hunting demons, evil spirits, doing what I could to follow baachan's footsteps. So I'm going to find that Tomoe lady, I'll fight the enemies she and baachan fought for so long... and I'll find her as well"
"Or end up getting yourself killed before you even find a clue on where she could be." Tsunade argued back earning a glare from the wild haired Uzumaki.
Lyn stomped over and leaned down so her angry face stared right into Tsunade's equally irritated expression; "Fuck thinking." She growled before standing straight and walking out of the room. "We twiddled are thumbs for too damn long! The Dragons and this Tomoe can't do the work on their own forever. Or did we forget the Dragons are our family by blood!"
"Lyn!" Kushina yelled as she stood up but the buxom redhead had already left. The former ANBU sighed as she sat back down; "Well that went well..."
"She has been holding that in for a long time." Samenosuke commented quietly; "Not that I don't disagree with her." All eyes turned to him; "Shouldn't we be doing something?"
"Like what?" Shizune finally made her voice heard; "We have next to nothing on whoever this enemy might be. It would be suicide to try anything until we have some kind of intel."
"It just feels... wrong" The roguish Uzumaki admitted, "I mean, I get that Tomoe lady talked to Jiraiya about it. He's a sage like her, sages have this role of preserving balance or something, so this is their responsibility. But if something really bad is coming then wouldn't you guys have the clan reunited again when it's time to face it?"
"We don't know how many survived, Samenosuke" Saito interjected. "We've only found a few in our travels. And they all went their separate ways still"
"Because we're still hiding" He countered, "We've been hiding for a damn long time. Sure, we're not the village we used to be, but I believe that if we made the effort we could actually find enough people to rebuild the clan."
"And then what? Our enemies will be after us yet again, and this time we're weaker" The swordsman pointed out the potential danger. "We have survived for this long because we've been cautious. Believe me when I say this pains me, but gathering the clan again... I don't think it's a good idea"
"Oh sure" Anger creeped into the long haired man's words, "Because hiding like we did for decades was such a great idea to begin with. We missed the chance of coming to Konoha when we could, we could have lived here with Kushina"
"We were just children" Saito defended himself, slamming a hand against his leg.
"And now your son missed his childhood because of this sort of life he was forced to go through"
For the first time in Kushina's memory she swore she saw genuine rage in Saito's eyes as the man rose from his seat. The roguish Uzumaki knew he overstepped, but there was no going back to that now as he too had gotten to his feet as well.
However before a word or action could be said or done, the entire room soon felt overwhelmingly heavy with killer intent flooding off of Tsunade. Everyone paled as the Senju glared at both men; "I get the fact you bunch have been through a lot. You all have endured more than what you should have. But I will not have you two start fighting in my house. Am I clear?" The female Sannin spoke with a calm edged tone. Her eyes bore into both men who froze from the level of rage and the amount of chakra rolling off her.
Kushina could only watch helplessly as the two men merely sat down again, refusing to look at each other in a show of pointless pride. She felt responsible in part, the issues that had been growing for years between them finally emerged to the surface. And if she were being honest, she really wanted to go with what Lyn was saying. Getting the clan together again, taking the fight to whoever made Tsukiko-baachan disappear... which meant joining a war that had been going on in the shadows for who knows how long, when their clan had already suffered enough loses to war.
She had a duty here, to her son, to her village. But what about the duty to her clan? By all rights she was next head, such was the responsibility that fell upon her. She liked to think she'd know what baachan would do, but it seemed Kushina didn't know her as well as she believed...
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Lyn fumed to herself as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, the sun was already setting and turning the sky orange, its light reflecting over the buildings as the shadows grew bigger.
She might be called shortsighted or headstrong, but their words didn't matter to her. Lyn knew who she was, she was Tsukiko's granddaughter, if she had to throw herself at the fire to carry on her grandmother's legacy then she'd do it without hesitation.
Tsunade, Kushina, they didn't understand. They had lived their whole lives as ninjas; they didn't know the world beyond that perspective. She had been out there, fighting ever since she was a child, killing monsters or demons, often those in human form, because she knew that was the right thing to do.
So it angered her that they had heard just how much of a hero Tsukiko was, and they still decided to play their pointless shinobi games. Kushina specially, who decided to continue this life instead of following their beloved baachan's footsteps.
She bit her lip as a snarled escaped her lips; 'Kushi can keep playing ninja if she wants. I'll take on Baachan's role!' The buxom redhead landed on the veranda her and Kya's apartment.
Inside Kya's brow rose as he lover stomped inside and sat down beside her at the coffee table. Neither spoke for a full two minutes. The Namikaze could feel the tension and anger coming from her lover; "A fight with Kushina, again?" What she assumed since both seemed to go at each other tooth and nail.
Tapping the table with her fingers Lyn growled; "Not just Kushi. Just the rest of the damn family being stubborn asses..." And as usual for Kya, her girlfriend went on a rambling tirade like she usually had gotten when upset.
This could have gone on for an hour if the Namikaze had allowed it. Or when her patience finally waned, but not this time. "Lyn." The demon slayer stopped mid-sentence peering towards her; "We need to talk."
"...Okay~. What's going on?" The buxom redhead cocked her head in a curious manner.
It took a moment for Kya to gather her thoughts before speaking; "I plan on going to the Namikaze Shrine tomorrow, I'll take Naruto along since he is Namikaze and needs to know our rituals and lesson. After bringing him home I will be leaving." Lyn blinked for moment before she felt her heart drop what was said next; "And I won't be coming back."
"...Huh..."
"This is a decision I've come to, to further my Senjutsu training to-"
Lyn interrupted; "What the hell do you mean 'won't be coming back'?"
"Must I say it any plainer?" Kya spoke quietly meeting her lover's eyes; "I'm leaving Lyn."
"To... where?"
"I do not know" The Namikaze replied, "I will embark on my own journey, trying to reach senjutsu"
The redhead's knees felt weak, it was a good thing she was already sitting. Lyn looked lost, like she couldn't truly process what she was hearing. "Why?"
A long sigh escaped her lips, "You know I've been training for years now, and yet, the results continue to elude me. I've come to the conclusion that my spirit is not ready, because I continue to cling to the attachments I've made"
"Attachments" Lyn repeated, her tone unreadable. "You mean me"
Kya said nothing.
"Is it... something I did?" It made a painful pressure appear on Kya's chest, to hear Lyn so pained like that. "I know I always get us into a lot of trouble, that I push you to do things you don't want to, I-I'm just trying to get you to relax and have fun. I'll stop if you want me t-"
"It's not that, Lyn" The Namikaze shook her head, "Or... maybe it is. I'm not entirely sure" She ran a hand through her messy blocks. "I told you long ago, when our paths aligned after all countless back and forth, that the moment would come where I could continue on my own"
"I thought..." Lyn's voice cracked, "I thought you were happy"
She thought she had made her happy.
"...I realized being with you, living as you do, has strayed me from my path, from my true calling of becoming a sage" Blue eyes gazed at her with remorse. "I never meant to lead you on like this Lyn, I thought that I would have resumed my travels a long time ago"
To reach the spirituality she sought, she needed to cut those ties that held her to the material world. Only nature and the spirit mattered if she were to reach senjutsu.
"The truth is, that you and I are opposites in every way" Kya tried to rationalize things, as though that was of any help at the moment. "What future would you have shared with me?"
The Uzumaki, eyes shining with gathering tears, solemnly looked at her. "A good one"
A deep pang gripped Kya's heart but shook it off. This had to be the way, and she had to fulfill her path as a sage. The Namikaze rose from her chair and leaned forward. She patted Lyn's hand before turning around walking towards the door.
"After tomorrow, you won't see me again." Kya uttered before opening the door.
"So that's it?!" Lyn exclaimed, standing up so fast she knocked the chair back. "After all we've been through, everything we shared, you turn around and leave like it never happened?!" Her eyes burned as she struggled to hold back the tears. "This isn't about senjutsu Kya! This is about you once more being afraid that you opened up, and it's terrifying you!" Ragged breathes escaped her lips. "I thought… I thought I actually made you happy enough that you wouldn't feel the need to be alone anymore… Was everything we had worthless then?"
The Namikaze had remained still for a moment, giving Lyn the hope that her words had reached out to her.
Those hopes died down when Kya stepped outside the room and closed the door.
Silence took hold of the room as Lyn stared with wide eyed at the door. The tears no longer held back with a mournful wail soon left her throat. Her body shook, as she ran her hands over her face several times. She paced around as her tears and anguish deepened further in her heart. She screamed, not realizing she picked up the table and threw it into the wall. The chairs came next, destroying them in seconds before she fell on the floor clutching her chest.
Outside the room in the hall Kya had paused as she heard Lyn's destroying the room and wailing in utter pain. The mocha skinned blond clinched her fist; 'You'll get passed this Lyn. Find someone who can actually follow you and make you happy.' She ignored the stray tear from her eyes as she continued walking. 'My path is elsewhere.'
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Kushina didn't consider being dragged out of her house at 10:30 at night to deal with one of her relatives making a complete fool of themselves to be a good way so spend her evening. At first she thought it was Samenosuke, getting chased by some girl's furious father, but the ninja who requested her assistance informed her it was actually her female relative who was making a ruckus in a bar.
Ugh, like Lyn didn't make things difficult already for the family. She'd rather go back home, make some tea and read a book on her comfy yet empty bed, all alone in the bedroom...
Okay maybe she'd have a drink too.
The restaurant district was always lively at night, red lamps hanging above the streets, the cheerful voices of people seeking to have a fun night, the district was full of karaoke bars and joints where wonderful food was prepared by the finest cooks in the village. It was no coincidence many of those places were owned by the Akimichi clan.
One such large bellied Akimichi was standing by the entrance to a middle sized bar, looking nervously inside before turning to look at the Uzu matriarch as she approached. "Oh, Kushina-dono, thank Ebisu-no-kami you're here"
"Well, when I heard Lyn was making a scene I figured it was only a matter of time before something gets broken" The Uzumaki said in resignation.
"Yes, standard protocol for when an Uzumaki is clearly inebriated is to have the situation defused before it escalates"
The Akimichi weakly attempted to avoid the dry deadpanning glare from the redhead. As much as Kushina wanted to contest it, a drunken Uzumaki was ten times worse than a normal one. Especially the angry ones. And as much as she and Lyn never had gotten along, she hoped the woman would be placid enough to be reasoned with to go back to her apartment.
Strolling past the Akimichi her ear soon picked up Lyn conversing loudly at the local dive she used to go to ages ago. "I SAVED the Land of Tigers! And didn't even get a thank you note!" The former ANBU ran her hand over her face hearing to Lyn's boastful declaration. "Kya-Chan and I beat every monster asshole, the ungrateful shits..."
Walking into the pub, the place had not changed from what she remembered. Numerous tables, bench table with leather seats, the bar with stools. She took notice of every patron cringing as they had to listen to Lyn seemingly ranting at the bar.
"You have any idea who many demons I killed?! How many bad guys I put under?!" She demanded to know from a nearby ninja in a flak jacket. "Well do you?!"
"N-N-No" The man stammered; inching back as the drunken redhead dangerously drew close.
"Me neither! That's how many!" She suddenly burst laughing before downing a good portion of her large mug of beer. "Ahhh that's the good stuff!"
Good lords, Kushina winced; she swore she could see Lyn's breath...
"We had so many adventures together, and now she's just throwing it all away like it never happened!" She slammed the glass against the bar, shattering it. Lyn briefly gave a crestfallen look at the liquid spilling over the bar. "Now who the fuck threw that...?" She rasped in a quieter voice.
"Ma'am" Either the barkeep was too brave, or too stupid to realize trying to reason with the woman was a dangerous idea. "I think you've had enough-"
"None of your fucking business!" She grabbed the poor man by the collar, "I DESERVE to drink myself silly, you hear me?! Cause I did nothing but good deeds all my life, and yet this one still bends me over and fucks me in the ass like some bullshit twisted karma!"
'Not a mental image I wanted to see 'ttebane...' Kushina mentally groaned as she walked over and grabbed the buxom redhead's hand; "Okay, let the barkeep go." She addressed her cousin slowly like speaking to a child.
"Of course you'd have to show up now." Lyn glared as she released the man and turned her attention to Kushina; "What do you want Kushi?"
"How about you not causing a shit-show here?" Kushina shrugged taking a seat beside her disgruntled kin. "What has your panties in a twist?"
Surprisingly, the typical loud and currently very intoxicated Uzumaki was silent.
A groan came from Kushina; "Alright, I know we have never gotten along since we were kids, we have always fought like cats and dogs. But we're still family so whatever is bothering you I will listen you know."
Once more she was met with silence much to her annoyance. The former ANBU captain peered over to a Chunin at the bar; "Has she said anything about what's bothering her?"
"She keeps bringing up that Namikaze that's usually with her."
"Kya?" Hmm, she hadn't seen her today. Then again, that wasn't a rare occurrence. The Namikaze kept to herself most of the time; Lyn had to literally drag her to have dinner with them sometimes. "Does she know how you're behaving right now? What would she say if she saw you like this?"
Her words did not have the intended effect; instead Lyn snorted ruefully, her hand blindly reaching out for another glass on the bar. "What do I care?"
Her response sent quite a few alarms on Kushina's head. She looked at the wilder haired woman with concern, her gaze softening. "Lyn" She called out to her with a gentle voice. "Did something happen?"
The other redhead ignored her, instead filling her glass with a shaky hand.
"Lyn" She called out more strongly this time, "I need you to talk to me"
Once more, the demon hunter ignored her.
"I can't help you if you don't-"
The glass flew from Lyn's grasp and crashed against the wall, shattering in a hundred pieces. Patrons ducked and moved away from the impact zone, and a lot more quickly began to leave the place as the killing intent slowly picked up from the wild haired woman's form.
"I don't need your help" Lyn bitterly spat.
Kushina merely stood behind her in silence, there was no need for her to ask again.
"...We broke up" The former ANBU felt her eyes rise in pure shock. "Said her fucking path to Senjutsu was away from me and all that sagey bullshit." She drunkenly sneered; "Baachan had a fucking family didn't she?!" Her anger kept growing as she seethed. "Going to take your brat to the Namikaze shrine then vanish into the fucking wind."
"Wait, take my son where?" Kushina questioned with a cocked brow
Lyn turned to her cousin; "Are you kidding me? Didn't your hubby the hero ever talk his clan's shrine? Or are you so out of touch being a ninja, you have 'more important' things to do."
"Now where the hell did that come from?" Kushina rested her hands on her hips glaring. The dig on her late husband also sparked her ire.
"Well you sure didn't look too interested in continuing baachan's work" Despite her current state, the wild maned Uzumaki still found it her to be rather articulate. "You know what I think? I think that you've been a ninja for so long you forgot what it actually means to be an Uzumaki"
"...I'm going to give you the chance to take those words back" The killing intent would have rendered lesser people unconscious, it was fortunate the bar had been vacated. "Because you are clearly drunk, and have no idea what you're talking about"
"Oh don't I?" Lyn sneered, spreading her arms and letting them fall against her legs. "I heard a lot of stuff about you, 'Red Death'" She spoke the title with mockery. "You don't get that title by playing nice, oh no... You killed a lot of people"
"I've fought in a war" The Uzumaki matriarch replied, "It's either kill-"
"Don't try to justify yourself" The demon hunter seethed. "You may have gotten your title in wars, but you earnt it long before that. Tell me tell me" She made a motion with her hand, as if beckoning closer. "How many times did you fight not because this village told you to, but because you wanted to protect someone who couldn't fight for themselves?" She stood and walked closer with wobbly steps towards Kushina, "How many people did you kill just because they were in the way?" Lyn was inches from her face, enjoying the pure enrage glare she was receiving. "How many times did you go along with this bloody system the ninjas created, abandoning all baachan taught us and bringing shame to her?"
While it is widely known that Kushina has a wild temper, there were few rare cases where she had physically snapped to the point she attacked someone. She always had enough self-control to keep herself from actually harming people. But what Lyn had just said to her, drunk state or not, it struck a chord deep within that she felt something snap inside her. Thus why her body moved out of pure instinct slamming her fist right into her inebriated cousin's face.
If Kya was ready for a fight, which she likely was given her hostile attitude, she still did not see Kushina hit her. The force of the punch sent the buxom redhead stumbling into a wall. Lyn had no time to collect her thoughts as her cousin leapt at her fists raised for a fight.
"How dare you!" A fist punched the wall so hard it created a web cracks, had Lyn not dodged just in time she would have been put down for the count. "Don't you ever say I would dishonor baachan! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
Her violet eyes widened when Lyn's legs suddenly pressed against her chest and kicked the Uzumaki matriarch in the stomach, sending her flying back. Kushina landed on all four, coughing a few times before giving Lyn as heated glare as this one stood up.
"Who am I?" The wild maned Uzumaki spat a glob of saliva and blood. "I'm the only one who's been keeping her legacy alive! What the hell do you know of honor, you ninja?!"
Then, there was chakra everywhere.
The energy radiating from them was so heavy, so intense, it cracked the floor surrounding them with its sheer pressure, and the killing intent becoming so deep a lesser person would drown in it and most likely lose control of all motor functions. The ninjas standing outside felt their knees grow weak.
Rationality had long since been discarded, Kushina's pride had been insulted, Lyn's heart was broken, and there was no reasoning with the two. Both of them just wanted to punch something, as though that would make all their problems go away. At the very least, it would make Lyn forget the pain, and distract Kushina from how much Lyn's words actually stung.
The demon hunter was burning, literally, as flames slowly licked at the edges of her skin and grew in intensity with each passing second, spreading like a wildfire before her entire form was shrouded with hungry flames, her snarling face resembling a dragon about to go on a rampage.
Dozens upon dozens of chains erupted from Kushina's back, golden tipped blades poised to strike with velocity and ferocity with but a simple mental command, and unleash a rain of chakra-forged metal.
What followed could have been a display of such fury that it would be worthy of tales, perhaps the types parents tell their children in order to behave.
That is, had it not been for the fact a pair of smoke bombs slipped into the trashed bar, too distracted they had been by their confrontation and anger they had missed them entirely. So when a light colored smoke began to fill the building, they had been too slow to react, and were swiftly rendered unconscious by the knock out gas.
As the gas settled stood a figure in a hooded cloak and ANBU mask, Commander Fox sighed beside Neko and Kuma. "Least we stopped things before they brought down the building." The man uttered before gesturing to his ANBU subordinates; "Take the captain and her cousin to a cell to calm down. And make sure they have chakra suppression seals on them for the gods' sake…"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Tsunade bit back a loud groan as she strolled into the ANBU cells where her now awoken daughter sat quietly in her cell. A block over was a loudly snoring Kya for whom both ignored.
"Not even a day as Hokage and my daughter is thrown in prison." The Senju mused crossing her arms under her generous bust. "What happened?"
Kushina's brow cocked glancing to her mother; "Fox didn't leave a report?"
"Oh he did. But I want to get the explanation from you and dumb ass over there." The redhead rolled her eyes but kept her gaze to the floor.
The redhead let out a long sigh, tipping her head back until it touched the wall. "Got called in to deal with Lyn, who was drunk off her ass and making a mess"
"I haven't been here long" Tsunade replied, crossing her arms, "Is this behavior usual for her?"
"She likes to drink with some gals here, Anko became a favorite drinking partner of hers" She explained. Her lips pursed as her gazed shifted, sympathy once more present rather than the anger she had felt. "But today... Lyn told me she and girlfriend Kya broke up"
"The Namikaze..." Tsunade muttered to herself. Boy had it been a surprise to hear there were Uzu survivors in Konoha, but to hear there was another member from Minato's clan as well. Though she wasn't the ray of sunshine Naruto's father was by what she heard. "Ouch"
"Yeah. Then she began ranting at me about the argument we had today, you know, about the stuff we learnt of Tsukiko, and what we should do..."
"Mh-hmm" Tsunade replied unamused, she remembered fairly well.
Kushina paused for a moment, and her mother noticed her hands flexing and unclenching, which she knew was a sign that Kushina was trying to reign in that fiery temper of hers. "She pretty much called me a sellout, that I... that I wasn't honoring baachan's memory by being a ninja, all the contrary"
Tsunade's gaze softened, understanding and realization behind what happened in the bar becoming all the more clear to her.
"It must have been the alcohol, mixed in with how much hurt she was over what happened with Kya but..." She slowly shook her head, jaw tightening. "That just made me so angry..!" She seethed through clenched teeth.
Tsunade could vividly recall the ancient Uzumaki's open disgust for the Shinobi system as a whole since when she was a little girl. Neither Hashirama, Mito, her parents, Tobirama could ever convince Tsukiko that it was a good thing, vast improvement over the terrible days of the Clan Wars era. Not that Tsunade disagree with her since what considering what happened to so many members of her family…
"Did I make the right choice being a ninja?"
Her daughter's question surprised for a second before she scoffed; "Choice? They made you into a Jinchurriki the moment you were brought here, that's why you came to Konoha in the first place." She winced from her own cynical statement while seeing Kushina dryly glaring at her; "Okay that was out of place. Give me a break, I'm re-learning to be a parent/grandparent."
"I mean... what if she has a point? For years as a ninja I wanted revenge for what happened to Uzu. What if I forgot what Tsukiko-baachan taught us?" The thought managed to terrify her. She had done many questionable things during her time as a shinobi, some of them she carried with her to this day. "I wasn't Minato, I wasn't willing to do something to achieve peace and..." She paused before she could ramble on, letting out a deep breath as though that could relieve the pressure she felt in her chest. "Did I really forget what was right and wrong?"
Tsunade knelt before the bars, slipping a hand through and comfortingly placing it upon her shoulder. "Oh honey" She gently spoke. "We are ninja, there is no right and wrong in our line of work. Only the village, we do what we must for its prosperity"
Her words did not reassure her in the least.
"Leave morality and strives for peace to Jiraiya and other sages that is their role. That terrible burden is not your own"
Funny, just a few days ago she had given a very similar talk to Jiraiya regarding her son...
Kushina sighed as she leaned back on the wall; "Guess you're right." Though despite saying that her heart was unsure of it. Moreover she was unsure just how her baachan would react seeing her as a ninja.
XxX ~ the following day ~ XxX
Naruto and Karin were a bit more than a little surprised upon seeing Kushina coming home at dawn. Both winced as she explained what happened with Lyn and her break up with Kya. And it was around that time the aloof Namikaze came to their house to speak with the young boy.
Right now he was sitting awkwardly over the breakfast table, his mother doing her best to ignore Kya, no doubt she wanted to give her a piece of her mind for hurting aunt Lyn like that. Hell, he wanted too as well, all the times he's seen them together aunt Lyn always did everything she could to brighten Kya's, but the mocha skinned woman rarely did so much as smile.
It was really unfair to him, but his mother had been very clear. This was none of their business, and he should remain silent on the matter.
Right now, Kya sat before him with her hands joined together, her back straight against the chair, looking every bit the image of calmness.
"I will be leaving soon, so I find it best to impart my knowledge of our clan before I do so"
Despite his feelings regarding what Kya did, he still wanted to learn about his father's clan, very much so. So he eagerly listened in, replying with a simple nod.
"We will journey to an old shrine our clan built, close to Land of Forests, to perform an old ceremony where we pay tribute to our ancestors" She explained with great reverence to her words. "On the way, I shall teach you about our history, our traditions, and our ways. And in the shrine we shall honor our clan as it's due. When we return to Konoha... I will leave, and continue my own path"
Naruto blinked a couple of times, processing the information. Mad as he was, the thought of Kya leaving just like that... it didn't sit well with him at all.
Maybe he could talk to her, make her see that she could have a happy life here, surrounded by family.
He felt he owned aunt Lyn that much.
Vigor filled with renewed purpose, Naruto smiled brightly. "When do we leave?"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The first proper 'new' chapter we have done ever since the mess that happened the time…
Enjoy!