(A/N) Hello! I hope you've had a good year so far! 16 days in, but I hope they've been good ones.
"So apparently Kumo wants a peace treaty," Kushina started with, slapping down a thick wad of papers on Mito's desk.
"Why?" Mito asked, taking the papers and scanning them.
Kushina shrugged. "Who knows anything? But they totally sent the letter with an awesome bird. It's huge!"
"I'm sure," Mito replied politely. "Is it grey?"
"Yeah, with big head feathers," Kushina agreed.
"That'd be a harpy eagle," Mito said, setting the papers down. "Don't get on its bad side, that's a bad idea."
"Yeah, I got that, it has huuuuge talons!" Kushina seemed more delighted about it than afraid of the bird, which was probably good, Mito was pretty sure Kumo's birds could smell fear. Despite not actually being able to smell very well.
"I'll write up a reply, you pop and tell the real Kushina," Mito instructed, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper.
"She's going to love the bird!" The shadow clone declared before bursting into a puff of smoke that Mito waved away. She would indeed love the bird, probably as much as the shadow clone did, if not more. Probably more if Mito was honest, but that was beside the point.
Another shadow clone ran in the door a few minutes later with Kushina's reply. "She did love the bird! And says to remind you to clear the calendar for two days from now for the Red Lights Festival."
"Ah right," Mito mused, checking the calendar they'd set up on the wall. "We have already. I've informed the secretary about it, and arranged channels for needed paperwork to be done if absolutely necessary."
"Cool! Thanks, Mito!" The Kushina clone chirped, plopping down in the chair. "So what're we saying to Kumo?"
"We'll accept, although it'll be a while before we work out a proper treaty," Mito finished writing the letter, rolling it up carefully to prepare it to be placed in a messenger hawk's carrier. "It's the best option at the moment."
"Cool," Kushina settled on, dragging a paper towards her and getting back to her paperwork.
Mito quickly made a clone and set it off to give the letter to the Kumo bird to send back.
They did receive their response, albeit two days later. Kushina had come in just to double check there wasn't anything that needed their attention, and there it was.
She debated burning it, but Mito wouldn't appreciate that, so she just left the letter where it was. They could wait one day. It was July first, the Red Lights Festival. While it wasn't a Konoha tradition or festival, she'd built red lanterns, one for everyone who'd died that she remembered the name of. Which was a lot of people. With Mito's help, there would be even more.
Minato had been happy to help when he was alive, helping her build and light the lanterns, although he hadn't been able to contribute to the names. This year, Mito could, Mito had those she'd lost too.
Kushina wasn't happy her husband was gone, and she missed him dearly, but she was glad Mito was here to help her weather it. She may not have known the woman for too long when she was young, but she'd formed a good bond with her grandmother. Or was it great grandmother. Either way, they were related somehow.
So she left the letter untouched, ready and waiting for the next day when they did come back.
When she got home, Mito was making lanterns while a clone made very valiant efforts to keep Naruto from getting to the paper.
"Kushina," Mito greeted, pausing in her lantern making to pull Naruto from the clone's arms so he didn't pop it. "Naruto, quiet down, we are trying to make lanterns and you cannot take another bath so soon. I love you child, but please do not get into the paper or I will be disappointed. And you'll be having another bath."
Naruto puffed out his cheeks adorably, babbling away in the language only he could understand at the moment in protest.
"Sure dear," Mito replied, handing Naruto off to Kushina to go back to the lantern. "I've made three. Naruto's being rowdy and managed to shut down the containment seals again."
"That's the third time this week," Kushina groaned. She held Naruto up in front of her. He stuck his hand in his mouth. "How do you do it child. How, how do you do this?"
He babbled at her in response.
"I'll take that into consideration," Kushina informed him solemnly. "I'll go reset them and see if I can make them less baby deactivating prone."
"Have fun with that. They're as high as they can go without leaving a gap under the barrier, and i can't link them together to extend the reach because that just results in all turning off if one is." Mito set a finished lantern to the side and started on another one, her clone joining her in making the lanterns.
"Have fun with the lanterns," Kushina said somewhat absent mindedly as she propped Naruto on her hip and wandered to his baby area in the other corner of the room.
"Have fun with the baby."
Kushina plopped Naruto back down in his baby corner, properly outfitted with a half a dozen blankets and a dozen pillows, plus toys to entertain him and a couple thick wooden books. She reactivated the baby containment seals, which was a fancy way to say a sealing version of a baby gate, and sat down nearby to watch how he got out. If she knew how he deactivated the seals, she could fix it.
That night they let Naruto stay up past his bed time and carefully lit each and every lantern, even letting Naruto send one up into the sky. It was solemn, a ritual Kushina and Mito had made so long ago when Mito was an old woman, and Kushina was just a young girl. And now they were doing it together again.
Naruto didn't understand now, just like he hadn't the previous times. He would understand one day. One day, he would join them in making the lanterns, then carefully lighting each one with a name on their tongue, and sending each one up into the sky. One day, they wouldn't have to put him straight to bed afterwards, and would be able to let him stay up and eat traditional dishes with them. One day.
(A/N) This turned out really bittersweet, but I like it. Hyuuga mess is coming up next, which should be an adventure.