Hello there, so someone said this chapter was lacking in emotion, and yeah, I can see that. So depending on what people think I'll go through and redo the more emotional bits.

Here we are with Chapter 7, not gonna lie, I have been dreading writing this chapter. So, as you may have guessed, Minato and Kushina are alive, and as I've said before, I want to make it make sense and not be cliche. Turns out it's easier said than done, so many little details needed to explain exactly why everything that happened, happened the way it did... ugh... I've tried my best to make it work, but I'm still terrified. Anyway, hopefully it'll work out. :D

Also realized I never gave Yasaka's birth defect a name... Ah well, too late now, and it won't be mentioned much if ever after this all wraps up anyway.

So, questions... I'm not planning on killing Minato and Kushina if anyone is wondering, as for Yasaka forgiving them... Right now, I'm not planning on it, but it's still a very minute possibility. Rest assured though, even if she does, it will not be easily. Speaking of them, they won't be bashed. Despite putting them in this situation, I really love Minato and Kushina, so I'm also going to give them their moments as well. As a matter of fact, these next couple chapters before the exams are going to focus on some Yasaka development, and a bit of conflict between Yasaka and Kushina specifically. Once again though, Yasaka won't forgive them anytime soon, if ever.

Someone also said I made Mayuri give up and change his mind too easily last chapter, in all honestly I didn't mean for him to just change his mind, so I'm gonna go back and change it to be closer to what I meant to happen. Oh, someone also wondered if Naruto's Byakugan was normal since I said it was tinted blue. It is normal, not Tenseigan or anything, just tinted blue like Hinata's is lavender. Also it's still sealed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or media that may appear in this story.

Chapter 7: Hell hath no fury...

An inhuman growl sounded from Yasaka's throat as she crouched on the ground, two large arms of angry red chakra forming from her shoulders as her three tails waved lazily behind her. She watched as Jiraiya slowly circled around her, "That's it, just stay right there... We don't attack you, you don't- Fuck!" The Sannin ducked as his enraged student flew over his head, Bijuu chakra covered hands threatening to tear his head off.

Yasaka was running out of the training ground, trying to get into the village. Thankfully she didn't get far as Kakashi landed in front of her, "Doton: Doryuheki!" An enormous wall of stone rose out of the ground in front of her and she skidded to a stop. Her eyes darted around before she made a break for the left.

Once again, her progress was blocked, this time by Anko, "Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" Anko blew the fire on the ground, making another obstacle for Yasaka, who tried running another direction, only to be met with Guy and a few ANBU. She tensed her muscles to prepare an attack, but wasn't able to do anything as Guy appeared before her faster than she could see. He stomped the ground and threw a punch toward her, but stopped before it made contact. A shockwave erupt from his fist, blowing Yasaka back toward the center of the training ground.

Yasaka let out a roar as everyone surrounded her. She sat back in a crouch, confusing everyone as small balls of red chakra popped off of her cloak, floating in the air around her. She opened her mouth and made her tails point toward the area in front of it. As the bubbles started gathering in that single point, Jiraiya realized what she was doing, "Stop her now! She's preparing a Bijuudama!" Even if she was only at three tails, it could cause massive damage if she was allowed to fire it.

Before anyone could do anything, Naruto rushed through them and toward Yasaka. He grew bone armored plates over his arms and grabbed Yasaka's arms through the cloak, flinching as the chakra burned him. Yasaka let the Bijuudama dissapate as they fought. The two struggled as Naruto tried to keep her from moving, "Yasaka, it's me! You need to calm down before you hurt someone!" Yasaka growled and pushed against Naruto, slowly pushing him down to the ground. Yuuko suddenly appeared and kicked the back of Yasaka's knees, making her stumble, then pushed her back against Naruto's to help him. It was at this point that Yasaka's chakra arms acted, moving down to try and crush the two.

Jiraiya cursed once more, he'd ordered them to head home, but he should've known they wouldn't, "Stop those arms!" He ordered as he moved forward.

"On it!" A new voice said, "Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!" Yamato rushed into the training ground and threw his arm forward, turning it into tree branches that quickly wrapped around Yasaka's chakra arms before working their way down to restrain her. He grit his teeth as she struggled against her binds, "Jiraiya-sama, now! I can't hold her for long!"

Jiraiya wasted no time in rushing forward and pulling out a sealing tag. Yasaka let out another roar, trying to get away, but Naruto held firm, "Yasaka, I know you're hurt and angry, but you need to be calm right now." His words seemed to have an effect as her struggling weakened, and the rage in her eyes diminished. Jiraiya reached them and place the sealing tag on Yasaka's stomach. Everyone watched with baited breath as she slowly settled down, the red chakra disappearing as Yamato and Naruto released her. After a few minutes the tag fell off, it's work done. Yasaka was on her knees, her head down with tears dripping off her face, choked sobs reaching Naruto's ears, "Yasaka-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Yasaka dove forward, grabbing onto his jacket and pressing her face into his chest. Jiraiya turned and gave a signal to everyone, making the ANBU disperse, Guy gave a nod to Kakashi before leaving himself. Anko walked over and knelt down, putting an arm around Yasaka.

Hinata rushed through the group and looked everyone over, "Yasaka-chan, are you alright!? Naruto-kun, your hands! Yuuko-chan, your foot! You two should've known better than to just touch Bijuu chakra!" She scolded through the concern. Though the matter was quickly dropped as she returned to doting over Yasaka.

Kakashi joined them, "You gave us quite a scare there, Yasaka. Are you alright?"

Yasaka let go of Naruto and looked up at Kakashi, some tears still present, "More or less..." It was the first time Kakashi had seen her vulnerable in a long time, "I just wanna go home."

Jiraiya nodded, "You got it, kid. You all take her home, I'm gonna go talk with Sensei." He thought for a second, "I don't even have the will to scold you three for coming here, I would've done the same thing... Just don't make a habit of going against orders, alright?" The members of team 7 nodded.

Anko patted Yasaka's shoulder, "Come on blondie, let's get you home. You've had one hell of a day..." Naruto picked Yasaka up, bridal style, much to her embarrassment, and they made their way to Team 7's apartment, leaving Jiraiya alone in the training ground before he left back to the Hokage tower.

When he arrived, the sun was setting, casting a beautiful orange glow over the village. If only he could enjoy it. He hopped in the window to fond Hiruzen drinking some sake, Jiraiya swiped the bottle before taking a large drink for himself and setting it on the desk, "We got her calmed down, and she isn't hurt... well, physically at least. Her teammates showed up and helped us restrain her, they're taking her home now."

Hiruzen nodded before sighing, "What a day..." From the second Yasaka had finished reading that letter, he'd known something was wrong...

- Flashback -

Yasaka stared down at the letter, then started to read aloud. "Hokage-sama... This may seem like a joke, but I assure you, it's completely true, and to prove it... The fire provides light for the tree to grow, and shadows for it's protectors to thrive." Yasaka raised an eyebrow before looking at Hiruzen, "What does that mean?"

"It's an old proverb. It was said by the Shodaime, and it's been a tradition for the Hokage to tell it to their successors, and only them. So I'll need to ask you all to never repeat it. Ever, to anyone." Everyone nodded as Yasaka continued reading.

"Yes, it's me Minato, and I'm alive. I know you're probably angry, and wondering where I've been. I have a lot to say, so I suppose I should get right down to my explanation. The reason the Kyuubi was released that night is because a masked man attacked the location where Kushina was giving birth. He called himself Madara Uchiha and had a Sharingan, but if that's who he actually is, I don't know. He was the one who killed the people assisting in Kishina's delivery, and once Kushina alerted me with a seal, I arrived to find he'd taken the children hostage. Oh, right... I suppose you wouldn't know that Kushina gave birth to triplets, another girl and a boy we named Nozomi and Menma, but I'm getting off topic...

He'd attached a paper bomb to the crib and threatened to detonate it if I interfered. He then took both Kushina and Yasaka, the latter as further insurance that I wouldn't stop him. I managed to disarm the paper bomb, but by then he'd already released the Kyuubi and used his Sharingan to control it. I found him and managed to get Yasaka away, leaving her with Kushina while 'Madara' and I fought. I managed to injure him and release the Kyuubi from his control, so he retreated. Everything else that happened, I'm pretty sure you know. I summoned Gamabunta and fought Kyuubi while Kushina prepared Yasaka for the sealing, her own seal was destroyed, and she was too weak to survive another sealing done on her anyway, so we had to use Yasaka. It broke my heart to do it, especially once we realized how frail she was... but we had no choice. It was a bit touch and go after the Kyuubi tried to run us through with his claw, but Kushina was able to summon her chains and stop it. After the sealing, once we heard people coming, we knew Yasaka would be alright, so I took us back to the delivery room and we made sure Nozomi and Menma were safe.

From there, I teleported us to one of Jiraiya-sensei's safe-houses to recuperate. We thought about going back to the village, but didn't want to risk it. Madara had managed to sneak into a heavily secured area and attack Kushina, we couldn't risk it happening again with Yasaka, and we knew that if we were gone, you'd keep Yasaka under the highest possible security. Plus, there would be far too many people eager to kill us and try to take the kids while we recovered, It was better to just play dead for a while. During that time, I kept thinking about Madara, during out fight, he kept hinting that he had other plans for the Kyuubi, and this was only step one of some larger plan. I had to find out what he meant, my gut was telling me that he wasn't just a threat to Konoha, but the whole world. I decided to continue playing dead and go after him, and Kushina wanted to go with me. Of course, I wanted her to go back to the village with the kids and be with Yasaka, but she insisted that if she went back alone with Nozomi and Menma, it would've given people reason to believe that I was still alive as well and my spying would be ruined before it could begin. So, we decided to leave Yasaka in the village with you, it was the safest place for her now that she was a Jinchuuriki. Not only that, but with her condition she wouldn't have survived a week on the road. It nearly broke us to leave her, but we thought that it was for the best.

I know that it wasn't the best choice, but it was the one we made. For the last 16 years we've been investigating him and any other threats to the village, Orochimaru included. Nozomi and Menma are also with us, safe and sound, and we've decided to finally come back to the village. Kushina and I are willing to accept the consequences of our actions, and we'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit. We should be there in a week or two.

Minato."

Everyone was stunned into silence, Tenten was the first to break the silence, "The Yondaime is alive?" A shiver ran up her spine as she detected barely suppressed KI from Team 7, Kakashi, guy, and Anko. They all managed to reign it in after a few minutes of silence.

Kakashi walked over to the wall, stared fro a second, then punched a hole through it, his whole body shaking with anger. He wasn't angry at them for staying away from the village, oh no. Like his Gennin, he was angry because of what Yasaka was put through because of their absence. Speaking of, everyone turned to Yasaka to see... something strange.

She was calm. Completely collected, with her face showing no traces of any emotion. She looked to Hiruzen, "Jiji, I have questions." Hiruzen gestured for her to ask, even as a bad feeling came over him, "Why did my mother have a seal to alert the Yondaime while she was giving birth?" He and Jiraiya flinched, "Furthermore, why did it 'break his heart' to seal the Kyuubi inside me? My last question should be the most simple to answer... where was my Tou-san during all this?" She watched Hiruzen and Jiraiya as they struggled to answer her questions.

Hiruzen sighed and looked her in the eye, "I think you already know the answers to all those questions, Yasaka-chan."

Yasaka stared for a minute, before looking over at the picture of the Yondaime. She'd never examined it in detail, since looking at it always made her angry, but she traced the face with her eyes, and looked at the hair... She took a bit of her own striking blonde hair in her hand and twirled it around. She stopped, then let it go as her head snapped to Hiruzen, "No."

Jiraiya stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's true Yasaka. Minato is your-"

"No! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" She snarled, glaring at Jiraiya. It was at this point where everyone else, minus Kakashi, realized what she was so upset about. Tenten covered her mouth with her hands and gasped, eyes wide, Lee's mouth was hanging open, and even Neji's eyes bugged out. Anko and Guy were somewhere between anger and surprise, while her whole team settled on anger.

Naruto growled under his breath, "Those bastards..." Hinata and Yuuko moved onto either side of Yasaka and tried to calm her down. Sadly it didn't work, as the Kyuubi's chakra started leaked out of her and she bolted out one of the windows.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, that could be a problem... She might just want to blow off some steam, but maybe, "Guy, Kakashi, Anko, come with me, we need to make sure she's in control." He turned to the Gennin, "You all, head home." Team 7 raised a few objections, but Jiraiya would have none of it, "If she loses control it'll be dangerous! We'll make sure she's alright, and you all go home, that's an order." They were all clearly unhappy, but they relented.

Hiruzen snapped his fingers, "ANBU, go with Jiraiya and follow his orders, also send someone to get Yamato, you may need him."

- Team 7's apartment -

The door to team 7's apartment opened and Naruto stepped in, carrying a now asleep Yasaka. Everyone was quiet as he took her back into the bedroom and set her down on her futon. Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I'll make sure she's alright, then come take care of you and Yuuko." Naruto nodded and went back into the living room where everyone else was waiting. He dropped onto the couch and leaned back.

Kakashi gave him and Yuuko a look, "Normally I'd be chastising you for disobeying a direct order, but I doubt Hokage-sama will care, considering the circumstances. We certainly weren't prepared for her to go wild like that."

Yuuko nodded, "After that, who could blame her? I can't even imagine..."

Naruto tightened his hand into a fist, "I swear, I'm gonna give them the beating of a lifetime..."

Anko shook her head, "Calm down Naruto, we don't need two Gennin running wild in one day. Plus attacking them would do nothing but getting you in trouble, so just tone down the lust for hurting someone. Kami knows that's what I'm doing right now..."

Hinata walked into the living room and sat on one of the chairs, "She's alright, just tired. Let's just let her sleep and tomorrow we can see how she's feeling." She turned to Naruto and Yuuko, "I'm gonna stay here for the night if you don't mind."

Yuuko nodded, "You don't have to ask us, this place is your second home after all."

"Right, thanks you two. I just need to let Tou-san know. Now let me see those burns so I can heal them."

Naruto made a clone, who headed off to notify Hiashi. Everyone just sat in silence for a while, just digesting everything that they'd learned that day as Hinata healed the chakra burns on Naruto's hands and Yuuko's foot. They heard a knock on the door and Yuuko went to answer, "Oh, hello Hauk-chan, Zabuza-san. Please, come in."

Their new neighbors and former enemies came in with curious expressions, Haku gave everyone a concerned look, "Is everything alright? We saw you carrying Yasaka-chan inside, and she looked like she'd been crying..." Zabuza merely stayed silent and stood next to the couch.

Naruto sighed, "Shit kinda hit the fan today...Get yourselves comfortable because it's gonna be a long story."

A little while later, even Zabuza looked like he'd swallowed something sour, "Damn... That sucks even by my standards."

Haku was a mix between frigid anger and concern for Yasaka, "I think I might have a few new targets to practice on..." The concern won out in the end as she put a finger to her chin in thought, "Maybe I could bake a cake for her to help cheer her up? I know she likes chocolate, maybe I could bring some vanilla ice cream as well?"

Zabuza perked up at that, "Oh I'd accept if I were you, Haku's homemade ice cream could put every ice cream place in the nations out of business!" Everyone stared at him, not used to him being so enthusiastic, "You think I'm joking? While we were traveling we'd actually try to find ice cream that was better than Haku's. Never did."

Yuuko was now very interested and was nodding her head rapidly. Hinata just gave a grateful smile, "I think she'd like that, thank you, Haku-chan!"

Everyone chatted for a bit before Naruto received the memories from his clone, then stood up and stretched, "Damn, I've never seen Hiashi-sama that angry before, and I don't think I ever want to again..." He'd told the Hyuga head about what the letter had said, and oh boy was he not happy... "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna head to bed too." It was still a bit earlier than normal, but he was emotionally beat.

Anko nodded as she and Kakashi stood, "Well then, we'd best get outta here. Wanna go get hammered Kakashi?"

"I... would love that." Kakashi said as he went to follow her out the door, "You wanna come Zabuza?"

Said swordsman shrugged and headed after them, "Far be it from me to turn down a drink."

Haku gave them a bow, "I'll stop by tomorrow morning and see about bringing that cake and ice cream over." With that, Team 7 minus Yasaka were left in their apartment.

Hinata gave her two teammates a serious look, "Yasaka's a pretty tough girl, but this is bound to leave some scars, so we'll have to reassure her that we're here for her, alright?"

Naruto nodded, "Don't worry, we'll all help her through this. For right now though, I'm heading to bed." Naruto headed back to the bedroom to get his pajamas, then headed into the bathroom to change into his usual sleeping clothes of a sleeveless undershirt and pajama pants, he went back to the bedroom and got his futon ready. After lying down, he turned to Yasaka, who was still snoozing away on her futon next to his, "Don't worry about a thing, Yasaka. I've been with you for as long as either of us can remember, and I'll be with you until the end." He lie there for a minute, making sure he hadn't woken her up before drifting off to sleep himself.

- The next morning -

If Naruto expected the next morning to start nicely after the shit show that was yesterday, then he would be wrong. Naruto was shaken awake by Hinata before the sun had even started peaking over the horizon, "Naruto-kun, wake up! Yasaka-chan is gone!"

Just like that, Naruto snapped awake. He turned to find Yasaka's futon empty, and her blanked missing, "How long has she been gone!?"

Hinata shook her head with worry, "We don't know, we just woke up ourselves! Yuuko-chan is going to ask if Haku-chan's seen her." She had clearly just been woken up as well, still dressed in her sleeping yukata. Naruto shot out of bed and the two rushed to the living room to find both Yuuko and Haku in their sleepwear. Yuuko was wearing an oversized t-shirt and Haku wore a blue nightgown.

Naruto grabbed his sandals from next to the door and threw them on, "Alright, let's split up and try to find her. Yuuko, you check Ichiraku. Hinata, see if Jiji, Ero-sannin, or Sensei have seen her. Haku-chan, check the top of the Hokage monument. I'll check the training ground, alright?" They all nodded, but before he left, he turned to Yuuko and Haku, "You two... might wanna get a little more dressed..." Hinata's yukata could pass for a casual one, but...

Yuuko looked down at her shirt, then her bare legs, before nodding and running back to the bedroom before returning with some bike shorts on underneath the shirt. Haku blushed a bit, but ran home ans swapped to her usual yukata. With that, they all split up to find their blonde teammate.

Naruto rushed through the village, with barely anybody awake to wonder about his rush, "Dammit Yasaka, you could've at least left a note for us!" His brain was going through every possible scenario for what could have happened, and very few of them were good. Once he made it to Training ground 7, he looked around for Yasaka. He was in such a hurry to find her, that he almost missed the bundle of blanket sitting in front of the memorial stone. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief before making a few clones to let the others know. He walked over and stood next to Yasaka, who was bundled up in her blanket with only her face peaking out of the top, "There you are, you had us worried sick you know."

She was silent for a minute before speaking, still staring at the stone, "Sorry, I just wanted to find a quiet place to think."

Naruto sat down next to her, "You still angry?"

"No, I think my anger well is completely bottomed out, I just feel kinda sad now."

"Well, you wanna talk about it?"

She was quiet for a minute before bringing Yume out of her blanket cocoon and staring down at it,"After Jiji told me about my kaa-san, I idolized her, and I still did until yesterday. I always thought about what she might have been like, and what my life would've been like if she lived. Whenever I felt sad or alone, and I didn't wanna bother you guys, I'd just imagine her being there... What she'd say, hugging me and telling me that everything would be alright." Some more tears slipped out of her eyes, "Then I find out that she's alive, with my two siblings who I didn't even know existed, and she just left me here. The part of my brain that idolized her knows why they did it, and even acknowledges that they had some good points. I was really sick when I was younger, and if they took me with them then I would've died. I also understand the desire to hunt down people who'd destroy my home, no matter the cost." She clenched her fist around Yume as she started to shake, "But the rest of me feels like a piece of my heart was ripped out! Why should I forgive them after all I've gone through!? I went through hell because of them and they just abandoned me here!"

"What about the Yondaime?"

She narrowed her eyes in a glare, "I already hated him, now I just have another reason."

Naruto couldn't help but let a little smile appear, "There's the spitfire I remember. I was starting to think we'd lost you."

Yasaka scoffed and wiped the tears away, "After all the shit I've been through in my life, it'll take more than this to break me... Still gonna take a while to get over though..."

"Well, you have all of us to help you out. Plus nobody's saying you have to forgive them, if you want to, then do. If not, then don't... Gotta say, I'm a bit surprised you're still calling them your parents, I'd expected you to refuse to acknowledge that after what you said when you realized the Yondaime was your tou-san."

Yasaka gave a wry smile, "Well they are my parents in the genetic sense, they made me whether I like it or not. No use denying it like a child." She then looked back down at Yume, "I wonder, is that why you won't accept me, your previous wielder is still alive?" She stared for a minute before nodding to herself, "I've been thinking about it all morning. I've been holding onto an illusion, a daydream of my kaa-san and what she was like. If I ever want to move on from this then I need to ditch that mental safety blanket and stop thinking about what she'd do, what she'd say. I need to start making my own way in life without using her as an example. Besides, I don't need her to feel happy anymore. I have something else to cheer me up now!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Yasaka's smile became more sincere, "I remembered how we met."

"Seriously? We were toddlers, how do you remember that?" He asked, surprised.

She shrugged, "I have no idea. I was sitting here crying, then the memory just came flooding back. It was when we were still super little, the other kids had realized that they could be mean to me and take my toys and the matron wouldn't do anything about it... The old bitch..." The two let out a little chuckle, "Anyway, I was sitting in the corner, crying my eyes out while some kid was pulling my hair and calling me names. Then you came out of nowhere and pushed him down, saying 'Leave her 'lone!' He ran off and you left for a minute before coming back with an armful of toys." She leaned her head onto his shoulder, much to his surprise, "You sat down and dropped them before giving me a big grin. The matron came over and pulled you away, but you got right back up and came back over to me. She did it a few more times before she gave up, and we played together all day... We were together from then on." She looked up and gave him a smile, with something in her eyes he couldn't quite place, "That was the first time I ever felt truly happy... I don't need some phantom kaa-san anymore. I have that, and you."

Naruto didn't know what to say for a minute, "Well, now I feel bad for not remembering it myself..." She let out a laugh as he continued, "You'll always have me, as well as Hinata-chan, Yuuko-chan and Kakashi-sensei... Also Ero-sannin, Jiji, Ayame-nee, Teuchi-oji, Anko-sensei..."

"Uh, Naruto?"

"Lee, Tenten, Guy-sensei, Haku-chan... plus Neji and Zabuza even if they are kinda dickish."

"Okay, I get it! I already have a family, that's what you're getting at, right?"

Naruto gave a grin, "Of course you do, but that's not why I was listing them all. I was just thinking, our little family's really expanded over the years, hasn't it?"

Yasaka thought for a second, "Yeah, I guess it has... I suppose I did pretty well for myself in the friend department, all things considered!"

"Definitely! Oh, speaking of friends, Haku-chan said she'd make you a chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream if you want."

"Oh, really? Well then let's take her up on that, I'm starving!" Just before they got up, Yasaka turned back to Naruto, "Hey, hold still for a second."

Naruto raised a brow, but sat still, "Okay?" His brain shut down for a second as he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek. Yasaka had never done this before, why was she doing this now? She was kissing him, on the cheek, but still! She pulled away and he stared ahead for a second, before a voice broke him out of his trance.

"Ehem.." Hinata's voice sounded from behind them. They both jumped to their feet and turned to see Yuuko, Hinata, and Haku standing there. The resident Hyuga had her arms crossed, "Did we interrupt anything?" Naruto and Yasaka shook their heads and Hinata smiled, "Good..." She rushed forward and grabbed Yasaka by the front of her blanket, shaking her, "YASAKA UZUMAKI, YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK! NEXT TIME YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT LEAVE US A NOTE, GOT IT!?" Yasaka managed a nod through Hinata's shaking and was dropped to the ground. Hinata's face was back to her usual sweet self, "Alright then let's go home!"

Yuuko turned to Haku, who seemed a bit shaken up by Hinata's wrath, "So... about that cake and ice cream..."

Haku snapped out of it and gave her own smile, "Of course! Let's head back and I'll get started!" A chorus of cheers answered her as everyone made their way home. They ended up staying in their pajamas that day, relaxing in Team 7's apartment, unknowing of the trials they would be facing in the very near future.

- Hokage's office -

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he and Jiraiya discussed the plans for a certain big event, "Do we have the exams themselves sorted out?"

Jiraiya nodded, "We've had to change them a bit to suit the number of Genin, but everything is proceeding on schedule. We've had to put a lot more work in this time."

"Well it's only natural. This is the first time in over a century that all five of the major Hidden Villages are going to be sending Gennin to the exams. Add to it all the Gennin from the minor villages, it's going to be a big event... Which also means a security nightmare. Make sure the ANBU are prepared, and put a few extra people on gate guard duty when the time draws near. We're going to be getting a lot of merchants looking to take advantage of the amount of people as well as Shinobi arriving from the other villages."

"Will do, Sensei... So how long are you gonna put off telling people about Minato and Kushina?"

Hiruzen's eye twitched, "I was going to tell the council as soon as we finished the setup for the exams..."

"Well, we're done."

"I see that." They were silent for a minute before Hiruzen sighed, "Fine... Neko, gather the Shinobi council and the elders, inform them all that it's urgent." A slight rush of air was all that appeared to let them know she was leaving.

Jiraiya set his papers down and walked over to the desk, "Are we gonna hold off on telling the civilians and the general Shinobi force?"

"Yes. Minato and Kushina are going to receive the same treatment any other AWOL Shinobi who returned to the village would receive. Their reasons for leaving will be judged by the Shinobi council, and if the council believes that their reasons were justified, they'll get off lightly with only a few punishments. If their reasons are not justified by the council, then they'll face a court marshal and jail time." Just because of who they were didn't mean that they'd be welcomed back with just a slap on the wrist. Though he couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the thought of Danzo's face after the meeting...

A little while later, they were all gathered in the council hall. It was a large room with nothing but a semicircular table, almost like a curved desk. The Hokage sat at the center of the table opposite the door, with a large scroll with the kanji for 'Fire' written on it hung behind him. There were chairs all around the side of the table, with the large area in front of the table clear of all furniture. Hiruzen took his seat as all the Shinobi clan heads filed in and sat down on their side of the table, to the Hokage's right. The table was large enough for all of them to have ample room, with a few extra chairs at the end. The elders sat on either side of the table, closest to the Hokage.

Once everyone was gathered, Hiruzen spoke, "I'm certain you're all curious as to why I've called this meeting. I'll not waste any time and get down to it, two previously thought KIA Shinobi are returning to the village soon. I just received word that they are alive and have been gathering information on the village's enemies all this time." There was a noticeable increase in KI in the room as Hiashi growled under his breath. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "Are you already aware of this, Hiashi?"

A nod was his answer, "Yes Hokage-sama, Naruto Kaguya appraised me of the situation last night."

"I see, well then let's let everyone else in on this little secret. That being said..." He released a bit of KI, "What is about to be said here will not leave this room unless these AWOL Shinobi are pardoned, is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, before Tsume Inuzuka voiced her opinion, "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, why are we being called in for an urgent meeting to be notified of this? We usually just get a memo, so these two must be something special..."

Hiruzen nodded, "You could say that..."

- Two days later, unknown location -

A certain pale skinned Sannin was sitting in his underground lab, looking over a few experiments. He'd been thinking about trying to launch an attack on Konoha, but finding out that all five villages were going to be sending Gennin made him reconsider. If all the Kage were present for the final exam, then he might die, so it was probably best if he held off the invasion for a time... Of course he wasn't happy with this. He'd had a lovely little plan worked out, convince Suna to side with him, kill the Kazekage, infiltrate the exams, kill Sarutobi-sensei, destroy Konoha, have a nice dinner surrounded by the burning rubble of his former home. Now all that was down the drain, he'd still be sending some Gennin of course to gather information, but sadly not much more. Well, that wasn't exactly true, as far as they knew, not much more. He had a few errands of his own to run.

A knock sounded on the door to his lab, "Enter." An extremely nervous Shinobi entered his lab carrying a message, "I believe I said not to be disturbed..."

"A thousand apologies, Orochimaru-sama, but we've received an urgent message from our ally in Konoha." He said as he knelt down.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, "He's not an ally, that old mummy is even less trustworthy than I am. But let's see what he has to say... You're dismissed." The nameless Shinobi quickly left the room, and Orochimaru curiously opened the scroll, "Now let's see here..."

Five minutes passed.

"FUCK!" Orochimaru yelled in rage as he threw a table through the wall of his lab, "FUCKING FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Everyone in the base, including Orochimaru's own assistant, wisely chose to stay away from their normally calm master as he raged. Once the Sannin had destroyed damn near everything in the room, he stood panting for a few minutes before growling to himself, "Damn it all to hell, this had better be some sick joke!" ...Okay, he'd go to Konoha under the guise of his group's sensei and validate this himself... If it turned out to be true, then he'd have to move to a new base. Because he'd obliterate this one to let off some steam.

- A few days later, just outside Konoha -

"She's going to hate us."

"Come on Kushi-chan, it won't be that bad."

"She is going to hate us!" As the Namikaze family approached the massive main gates of Konoha, Kushina kept having a miniature freakout with every step, "What if she doesn't want anything to do with us? What if she gets worked up and hurts herself!? That defect has no doubt only gotten worse, oh I can't imagine how hard life must be for her... I want to help her and take care of her, but I'm so afraid she won't give is a chance!"

Minato flinched under the hood of his traveling cloak, an item shared by all the other members of the group, "We'll just have to prove to her that we care, and hope that she understands why we left her. Hopefully then, we can work on building a relationship."

"You're right, I just have to think positive... I wonder what she looks like now, she was such a beautiful baby, she must have boys flocking to her!"

The other male of the group squawked indignantly, "No way in hell! She's too delicate to be dating anyone!"

Minato shook his head with a sigh, "Menma-kun I know you're protective of your sisters, but you can't stop them from living their lives. Yasaka-chan might be a fragile girl, but I'm sure she doesn't want to be a shut in for the rest of her life..."

Nozomi nodded, "I'd really appreciate it if you calmed down on that, Menma-nii. I'd like to get a boyfriend sometime in the future and I'd rather not have to beat you down when I come introduce him to Tou-chan and Kaa-chan." She understood her brother's desire to protect their elder sister, but she didn't want to control her life... The two of them had wondered what their sister would be like. Menma imagined a fragile girl who needed a protector, someone to keep safe at all costs. Nozomi had dreams of a loving older sister who she would gossip and talk about boys with.

As they reached the gate, the sibling's eyes wandered over the gate and walls. They'd grown up hearing stories about the village, and now they were finally here... The group approached the gate guards, who seemed to be barely able to stay awake. Once they got a look at the faces inside the hoods, they snapped up. Kotetsu's jaw hit the floor, "Holy shit, it's actually true..."

Izumo nodded, "Um... Let's just, drink after this." He shook his head before looking up at Minato, "Um... Hokage... Saruto... Sandaime... Hokage-sama wants to see you immediately... if that's okay Yondaime-sama."

Minato nodded with a nervous look, "Yeah... We'll head right there, thank you." As they headed through the village, they looked around, making sure to keep their faces hidden, "Man... This place doesn't seem like it's changed, but everything looks so different."

Kushina nodded, "Well, we've been gone a long time. Some things were bound to change."

While they were walking, Nozomi looked around at all the people and buildings, it felt so weird knowing that she would be seeing the same buildings day after day... They'd moved around so long and so quickly that she never had the time to remember those things... It felt really good to finally have a real home.

Once they reached the Hokage tower, they headed up to the receptionist, and Minato's eyes widened in surprise, "Shizuka-san? You haven't aged a day..."

She looked up at him, "Ah, you really are alive. Alright then, head on up." She waved them into the office and returned to her paperwork.

Minato shrugged and the group headed up, and as Minato held a hand up to knock, Hiruzen's voice sounded, "Come in, Minato." He sighed and headed in, Kushina, Menma, and Nozomi filing in after him. They all removed their cloaks and sealed them away, Minato was wearing blue shinobi pants and sandals, a black t-shirt, and a white jacket like the one he wore when he was younger. Kushina wore a red kimono with straw sandals, Nozomi wearing a similar outfit, but with a blue kimono. Lastly, Menma wore a pair of black sandals, Shinobi pants, and a red long sleeved shirt.

Hiruzen took a breath, "Well, I suppose you don't need me to tell you how much trouble you're in."

Kushina nodded, "We can't begin to tell you how sorry we are Hokage-sama, we just... we thought we were doing the right thing."

A new, but familiar voice appeared, "We gathered that much from your letter." Jiraiya said as he entered through the window, "Kid, you have no idea how much you've fucked up. Why the hell didn't you contact us?"

"We couldn't risk it. Even with how few people knew about Kushina's location, Madara still got it somehow! We couldn't take the chance that it would leak out again. I know we could've done a lot of things better, but by the time everything was said and done it was too late to stop. We made our choice, and we stand by it." Minato said with conviction.

Hiruzen looked to Kushina, "Do you?" She nodded and he sighed once more, "Well then let's get this over with... The council should be gathered by now. I've informed them of the situation and they very much want to hear about your reasons for leaving."

- Team 7's Apartment -

Yasaka sat at home, flipping through a magazine and humming to herself. It had been a relatively uneventful few days, which she was thankful for. Everything finally seemed to be settling into a semblance of normalcy. Of course, there was the lingering tension as they all waited for her... family... to arrive in the village. Her team was currently out shopping for groceries, which she opted out of. She hated housework tasks and if she had an excuse to get out of them, then she damn well would! Her humming was interrupted by a knock on her door. She raised an eyebrow and walked over to open it. On the other side was a face, or rather a mask, she'd become very familiar with, "Hey Neko-san, what's up?"

Said cat-masked ANBU waved, "Hello Yasaka-san, I'm afraid I can't tell you what I'm up to at the moment, council business." Her voice took on a very hinting tone, "A few VIP's have arrived at the Hokage tower and I've just finished alerting the council. I just stopped by to see how you're doing, well have a nice day!" With that, she vanished in a Shunshin.

Yasaka's eyes widened as she processed what Neko had told her, so they were finally here. She stood there in the doorway, debating and arguing with herself before leaving the apartment. She debated grabbing Yume and her gear, but decided against it, she wouldn't need them... As she slowly made her way through the village, she couldn't help but notice all the glares and comments. Usually she would just ignore them, but she wondered how they would change if the news came out. Hiruzen had told them what would happen with the council and she'd been thinking about it a lot. If they got locked up, should she visit them? Would they ask for her? If they got let off then how would the villagers take the news, especially concerning her? Well, it really didn't matter, she supposed. She'd never cared what they thought of her before, so why should she care now? She realized that she'd come to the Hokage tower, and started heading toward the council chambers. She'd just pop in, say hello, then leave.

Meanwhile, Minato and Kushina had just finished recounting their tale to the council, who were decidedly not happy. They clan heads seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes, then nodded to Hiruzen. The aged Hokage nodded back and stood up, looking to the Namikaze family, "Before we pass out verdict, we would like to hear exactly what information you've discovered." Minato was about to answer, before a commotion sounded from outside the door. Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched, he had a feeling he knew what was coming... There were raised voices, sounds of fighting, and the odd sound of breaking glass.

Jiraiya chuckled to himself, "Here she comes, I was beginning to think she wouldn't make an appearance."

The commotion stopped and the door opened just enough to let a figure inside, it was Yasaka. She looked calm and a bit curious, everyone turned to her as she walked inside, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just need to take care of one thing..."

Hiruzen gave her a look, "Yasaka-chan, this is a council meeting, you can't just barge in."

The Namikaze family were stunned as they heard her name. They'd thought she'd be in a wheel chair, or at the least accompanied by a nurse! Nozomi however, quickly recognized her. Before any of them could say anything, she started toward them. As she approached them, Minato and Kushina couldn't help but marvel at how she'd grown... She was beautiful, the long flowing hair, bright blue eyes, smooth skin, the bright teeth she showed as her lips peeled back into a snarl... wait, that?

"How..." Yasaka said as her footsteps turned into stomps, "Dare..." As she approached, Kushina became aware of the fact that her hand was curling into a fist. This was a problem! With her condition, if she hit them she could break her hand! She reached Minato, her eyes flashing with rage as she took one more step and pulled her fist back, "YOU!?" She screamed as her fist crashed into her father's face. Instead of her being hurt like everyone suspected, Minato was sent flying, crashing into the wall and putting a dent into it.

Kushina watched with a shocked look as Yasaka turned to her and stared for a minute. There was a strange look in her daughter's eye as she looked Kushina up and down almost as if she was looking for something. Kushina couldn't help but feel nervous, those eyes were so intense... She'd prepared herself for anger and some tears, but not the hard, cold stare Yasaka was giving her. Yasaka stared into her eyes for a minute, before she scoffed and turned away, heading to the council chamber door and closing it behind her. The chamber was in a stunned silence for a few minutes before Minato pulled himself out of the wall. That punch was damn hard... it nearly broke his jaw! He turned to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, was that really..."

"Yes, that was your daughter. As you can see, she's not only inherited Kushina's temper, but is also completely healthy."

Menma voiced his opinion, "That should be impossible, right? I thought that defect was incurable!"

Hiruzen nodded, "It was, but none of the other people who had it were Jinchuuriki. Let alone one housing a Bijuu who can heal damn near anything, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if it could regrow a limb... She had no idea she was ever even sick until I told her after she became a Gennin and gave her the Uzumaki scroll."

Minato was even more surprised when he heard that, "So it really could heal her... We'd suspected Kyuubi's healing factor could lessen it's effects, but not outright cure it..." He idly rubbed his cheek where Yasaka hit him, "So she's a Gennin now?"

"Indeed." Hiruzen answered, "She passed the advanced Gennin exam with three others when she was 12, and she's one of the village's strongest Gennin. She's made me very proud, and it's been a pleasure watching her grow up." He said with a pointed look.

Kushina flinched at the jab, thinking to herself as Minato recounted everything they learned, "Well, I suppose I'd best get down to saying everything we've learned..." He took a moment to gather his thoughts. First of all I should warn you about Otogakure. Orochimaru is the leader, and the whole place is a cover for him to do his dirty work. The actual village doesn't even exist... Speaking of Orochimaru, he used to be involved with an organization called Akatsuki." Minato was the only one who noticed the quick look Jiraiya and Hiruzen shared, "They act as mercenaries, and they're composed entirely of S-rank rogue Shinobi. However, Madara seems to have ties to them. It took the better part of the time we were gone to track down that masked son of a bitch, but I finally learned that he'd been sighted with men in black cloaks with red clouds, which led me to my investigation of Akatsuki. I've been watching them for a long time and while I don't know what their exact plan is, I know it involves the Jinchuuriki, and if Madara is involved then it can't be good. I have some information on all the members as well, with some other info I've gathered on various threats to the village and the nations in general..."

As Minato talked, Kushina was lost in her own little world. Just from that tiny little interaction with Yasaka, she could tell that she was nothing like what they were expecting. She wasn't a fragile girl at all, she was a Kunoichi, and a strong one. Even though she knew she shouldn't, Kushina felt a little bit of pride swell inside her. Yasaka had grown into a strong young woman... Now if only they'd been there to see it... No! She couldn't think like that! They'd find a way to apologize to her and make it up to her, and she wouldn't rest until she did! Though... even if Yasaka never forgave them, she'd still keep trying to make her happy...

A while later, Minato had finished explaining every little thing they'd learned. From everything about Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and every little solitary threat to the village they'd investigated. The council listened quietly, before Inoichi Yamanaka raised a question after Minato seemed to stop, "So what made you decide that now was the time to come back?"

Minato gave a nervous grin, "Well... I got caught."

- Flashback, about one month prior -

Minato strained his eyes and ears as he slowly emerged from the shadows near the top of one of Ame's many towers, covered by a certain technique both his teacher and daughter also used, though he didn't know the latter did. Under the camouflage technique, he was wearing a set of ANBU gear and a facemask. After months of observing Ame's patrols and routines, as well as gathering information, he'd finally managed to find a way to slip into the village proper. He'd been skeptical about the sightings of his masked enemy in Ame, but after so long not getting anything, he had to take the chance. Apparently, the leader of Ame was spotted with a mysterious masked man several times over the past few years... So he'd set up some surveillance seals in the Ame leader's personal quarters and get out before anyone knew he was there...

It tested the limits of his stealth capabilities to get to the leader's tower without being spotted, even with the Meisaigakure no Jutsu, but he somehow managed it. He approached the opening near the top, his form shifting as he slowly approached. As he was about to make his way inside, he heard the door inside open. He froze at the mouth of the opening, listening as two voices reached his ears, the first was a woman.

"Do you know why he wanted to meet us so suddenly?"

A grave male voice answered, "No, but I can only assume it's about our final goal."

A vaguely familiar swirling sound gave Minato pause, then his eyes widened as he heard an all to familiar voice, "Indeed it is, my friends..." He was here! Minato's eyes narrowed as a small smirk crossed his face, gotcha, "We've been preparing for a long time, and though we were set back by Orochimaru's betrayal, I believe we're finally ready to begin our plan in earnest."

The woman asked a question, "So shall we begin hunting the Jinchuuriki?" A rock settled in Minato's stomach, Yasaka would be in danger.

Madara answered, "Not just yet. Keep gathering information on them for a while, we'll need to make sure we don't make any mistakes. However, if the opportunity presents itself then I don't see why we cant-" He stopped.

Minato got a bad feeling just a second after the talking ceased. A slight sound caught his attention as he looked over to see a part of the tower... melting. It formed into a shape almost like a venus fly trap, which promptly tried to grab him. He jumped to the side into the building, directly in front of Madara. The woman and the Akatsuki's leader were both in shadows across the room, and he couldn't make out any features on them. Madara gave a little chuckle, "Well, looks like you'll need to step up Ame's defenses." He activated his Sharingan to see through the technique, and his eye shot open, "Impossible, you're still alive!?"

Minato dropped the jutsu, "Surprise." Taking advantage of Madara's surprise, Minato disappeared in his trademark technique.

Madara stared for a second before growling, "Damn you..." He turned to his colleagues, "It seems like we may need to alter our plans a bit."

Hiruzen listened with his usual patience, and once everything that needed to be said had been said, Hiruzen activated a privacy seal over the table and conversed with the clan heads. "Minato and Kushina Namikaze, though the council does not agree with your actions, we find your reasons for leaving the village valid." The family breathed a sigh of relief. Hiruzen continued, "The both of you shall be reinstated to the rank of Jounin, but for going AWOL, you will both be barred from leading missions for six months and will be watched by ANBU until once again deemed trustworthy. Kushina, you expressed your desire to become a reserve Shinobi when you learned you were pregnant, do you want to continue that?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. Also, Minato..." Hiruzen made sure Minato was paying attention, "You will not be getting this hat back. Understood?"

Minato flinched, but nodded, "Yes, I understand Hoage-sama."

"Good. With that, I think this meeting is done, you're all dismissed. Minato, Kushina, you'll find that your old property is still vacant. Yasaka had no interest in moving in, but I kept it secure in case she changed her mind." He tossed them a key and made his way back to his office, not letting his residual anger show.

As the clan heads walked past him, Minato felt the stares on him. He knew people wouldn't be happy, so he'd expected this. As he was about to turn to his family, a lazy drawl reached his ears, "Minato, Kushina..."They turned to see an old friend, Shikaku Nara looking at them, "We've all made mistakes, Kami knows that. Just give them some time and they might come around. Whatever happened, you two are still people we've grown up with, and friendships like that aren't so easily severed. At the same time, a lot of people have grown pretty attached to that girl, and finding out you left her to everything that happened... Some people might not forgive you." He turned his gaze to the Hyuga clan head, "Hiashi especially. He's been looking out for that girl for a long time, and I bet he sees her almost like another daughter."

Nozomi spoke up, less nervous now that the meeting was over, "Everything that happened? What happened, did someone hurt her?"

Her worry was shared by her brother, "If someone hurt her I'll make them wish they were never born!"

Shukaku shook his head, "It's not my place to say. Just know that if you plan on convincing her to forgive you, then drop the protective bit. She despises it when people say things like that, to her it's like you're saying she can't protect herself." With that, he left them alone in the chamber.

They stood there for a minute, absorbing the events of the day before following him out. As they entered the hall, they became aware of the figure leaning against the opposite wall. A very familiar blonde one. Yasaka stared at them, looking each of them over before pushing herself off the wall. As she made her way over, Minato spoke up, "Yasaka-"

"Save it. I only stayed here for one thing." She raised a hand and pointed at Kushina, "You, where's Akumu?"

Kushina blinked a bit, "What do you mean? Hokage-sama mentioned he gave you the scroll, wasn't it in there, or wherever Yume was?"

Yasaka narrowed her eyes, "Don't give me that, it's not in the scroll and you know it. There are only two options as to where it could have gone; either you hid it somewhere or you still have it. You didn't take it with you, if you did then you would've taken Yume as well, so that means you hid it, where?"

"Yasaka-chan I don't know what to tell you, Akumu was in the scroll."

"Don't you lie to me! You contained the Kyuubi before I did, so you know I can sense it when you do!" A tiny flinch from her mother was all she needed to see, "Aha! Got you... After all the shit I've gone through because of you, then I think I deserve to have the missing other half of my birthright."

Kushina's eyes widened a bit, "Gone through? What happened, are you alright!?" She stepped forward to examine Yasaka.

Yasaka backed up a step, "Don't act like you care about me! Just tell me where Akumu is!"

Nozomi stepped forward between them, "Hold on, why don't we just calm down." She pushed Kushina back a bit before turning to face Yasaka, "I'm Nozomi, your imouto. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, Nee-chan. Though I suppose we have already met once before..."

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Oh... You're the girl from the hot spring inn." Her eyes widened as a humorless smile appeared on her face, "Oh that's rich... so the people I passed on the way to the springs must've been..." She didn't need to continue the sentence as the rest of the family caught on.

Memna also came forward, "Well, now we can be properly introduced at least, I'm Menma, the middle kid! It's really great to finally meet you!"

"Um... Thanks..." That was something Yasaka wasn't used to hearing... She shook her head, "Look, I really just want to know where Akumu is, and as nice as this reunion is I have to make it home before my team wonders where I've gotten to." Truth be told, she wouldn't be too opposed to spending some time with her siblings. But not in the company of her parents, "If you don't want to tell me, then I can take more extreme measures..."

Minato raised a brow, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

A small amount of KI arose from Yasaka as she glared at him, "It means that I'll have to make her give it to me." She turned back to Kushina, "I call for a Trial of the Blades."

Kushina gasped as everyone else got confused, "Yasaka, are you really willing to go that far?"

Yasaka smirked viciously, "You're damn right, now what are you going to do?"

Menma shook his head and interrupted, "Hold on, what exactly is this trial?"

Kushina and Yasaka stared at each other, with the redhead explaining, "If the heir to the Uzumaki feels that they are ready to wear Yume and Akumu, but the head doesn't agree, then a Trial of the Blades is called. I will propose a trial to Yasaka, and if she manages to complete it, then both swords are hers." She turned to her two younger kids, "It's a very old tradition, and was very rarely used even before Uzu was destroyed, so I didn't see any need to teach you about it."

Yasaka's smirk widened, "You will propose a trial? I'll take that as a yes."

Kushina spent a minute thinking to herself before looking to Yasaka with a pleading look, "Yasaka, please don't do this... You don't understand, Akumu had to be hidden away!"

"I don't want your excuses, are you going to agree to a trial or not?"

Kushina grit her teeth and struggled with herself for a bit. She couldn't let Yasaka have Akumu, if she did then she'd get herself killed! ...Maybe the trial was the best way to stop her from getting Akumu. She'd just have to come up with a trial too difficult for her to accomplish. At the very least if would buy time to convince her not to go near that damn sword, "Alright... Meet me at the Uzumaki mansion in the clan district tonight at midnight, alone. Then we'll conduct your trial." Yasaka nodded and seemed to settle own a bit.

Naomi once again stepped in to try and lighten the mood, "Well, trials are all well and good, but the family is all together again! Why don't we go out and have some fun?" Menma agreed and her parents looked hopeful.

Yasaka shook her head, "No thank you. I have no intention of involving those two in my life more than I have to..." They seemed to deflate at this, and Yasaka gained a more sincere smile, "Though... I guess I wouldn't mind getting to know you two." She said, much to their happiness, "Maybe we could do something together... as siblings?"

Menma nodded, "That sounds good! Maybe we can go out to ramen sometime?"

"Sure, that would be... nice." She said, genuinely satisfied, "But for now I need to get going. See you tonight, Kaa-san." She said as she walked away.

Minato put a hand on Kushina's shoulder, "Kushi-chan, do you really need to do this? I know you don't like using Akumu, but..."

Kushina nodded, "Minato-kun, it's not that I don't like using Akumu. It's a clan secret as old as Akumu itself, and it's the reason why only two Uzumaki have ever used Akumu in battle." She swallowed, anxiety welling up inside, "Yasaka can never have that sword, for her own good."

- That night, Namikaze house -

As the clock approached midnight, Kushina sat on the porch of her new/old home in the clan district. It was a large traditional style mansion, not as large as the Hyuga or the Senju, but pretty good sized. It was for any visiting Uzumaki and was made by Hashirama Senju himself, with a bamboo forest and a few normal trees surrounding the building. She'd lived here when she moved to Konoha, and Minato had moved in after they'd gotten married. She'd hoped this would be a place for her family to grow up in, but those dreams were a far cry from the reality she'd made for herself... She heard footsteps sound next to her and looked over to see Menma approaching her, "Menma-kun, what are you doing up? You should be in bed, we have to go talk to Hokage-sama about you and your sister tomorrow."

He nodded, "I know, I just couldn't sleep..."

"Why not?" She asked, patting the spot beside her.

He sat next to her and took a breath, "I was thinking about Nee-chan."

"Oh, me too..." Kushina said, looking down at the grass.

"I just can't stop wondering what everyone meant about 'what she went through'... I understand being an orphan, but it seemed like there was more to it than that. Do you think... do you think people found out she contained Kyuubi?"

Kushina nodded, "I was thinking that as well..." She'd been thinking about it all day, and that was the only exploitation, someone had blabbed about her Jinchuuriki status. She had no doubt that Hiruzen would keep it secret, but if someone talked then... Well, she'd talk to Yasaka about it tonight, "It's getting to be about that time, you should head to bed before your sister gets here."

"Wait, let me stay!" Menma asked, jumping to his feet.

Kushina stood up from the patio and dusted her Kimono off, "No, this is something best kept between us. We need to settle this alone." She gave a small smile, "Now get to bed, you have an early start tomorrow."

Menma frowned, but nodded. He turned, but just before entering the mansion, he turned, "Kaa-san?" He made sure she was listening before continuing, "I don't know why you don't want Nee-chan to have Akumu, but I do understand that you want to protect her. But if she'd been a Gennin since she was 12, and has dealt with everything bad that comes with being a Jinchuuriki... then I think she's way stronger than any of us gave her credit for." Kushina seemed surprised by his words, "I think I might understand what that guy in the council chamber meant... She must hate it when people think they can steer her life for her."

Kushina stood there for a second, "I'll keep that in mind, sochi-kun." Menma nodded before heading into the mansion. A few seconds after he left, Kushina turned to the path lading up to the mansion, "You could've joined us, you know."

The air shifted as Yasaka appeared in front of the house, "I didn't want to interrupt your nice family moment. Now, what's my trial?"

Kushina frowned, "You're a part of this family as well, and I'll do anything to make you realize that."

"I know I am, I just don't want to be." Yasaka said with her own frown.

They stared at each other for a second before Kushina shook her head, "Come on, we'll conduct the trial over this way." She turned and lead Yasaka behind the mansion, through a garden, and into a large open field with tall grass and flowers all around. The moon shone down on them as they both stood in the center of the field. Kushina walked away from Yasaka and turned around, "Are you ready to begin?"

Yasaka nodded, "Before we start... I want to know exactly why you refuse to give me Akumu."

Kushina looked like she knew the question was coming, "Sorry, I couldn't tell you earlier because it's a secret meant to be kept between the Uzumaki head, and their heir." She took a second to collect her thoughts, "What do you know about Yume's history?"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, her eyes moving down to the purple sword hanging at her waist, "According to the scroll it was created by the second head of the Uzumaki, Genichiro Uzumaki, when he was a reenager to protect the clan from all threats. What does this have to do with Akumu?"

"Akumu's history was stricken from the scroll and all records, because it was created for a purpose both the same as Yume's, but completely opposite at the same time." Kushina's eyes took on a sad look, "According to my father, soon after Genichiro took his position as clan head, the clan was attacked and many lives were lost. The clan was still young then, so they weren't quite as strong as they were when they were wiped out. Men, women, and children were slaughtered like animals by a feudal lord and his council, who were angered by the Uzumaki refusing to join his army. Genichiro was furious after the attack, and he wanted to punish everyone who dared attack his family. However Yume was made to protect, not for wanton slaughter, so he made another sword."

"Akumu." Yasaka guessed.

Kushina answered with a nod, "He hunted down every soldier who took part in the attack, every lord who had a part in ordering it. Akumu was created and baptized in blood and anger, it is a sword that lusts for blood, so much so that just drawing it will make you feel the fear of its victims. To this day, Genichiro Uzumaki is the only Uzumaki to draw out it's full power. Everyone after him who tried to earn Akumu's acceptance were either scared off by it's evil aura, or severely injured while trying to use it. Every one of them swore that Akumu caused their injury. The only one to ever use Akumu after it's creator was Mito Uzumaki, and even then, she could never unlock it's true power." Kushina rubbed a spot on her right arm, "I tried using Akumu once after I became a Chunin, I thought I was ready. I managed to draw it, and made a single swing, it was only thanks to my reflexes that Akumu didn't totally sever my arm. It was so fast I didn't even see it, but one second I was doing a normal draw swing, and the next Akumu's blade was cutting into me! Thankfully I let go, and the cut was so clean that the scar didn't last for long..." She looked up at Yasaka, "That's why I can't let you have it, that sword exists for nothing but pain and suffering. I won't let you get killed trying to master it. Now do you understand?"

Yasaka was silent throughout the story, and looked at Kushina with a serious expression, "When we first got here, I wanted Akumu..." Her face split into her signature predatory smirk, "But now I have to have it!"

"Wh-what?" Kushina asked, surprised.

"My whole life I've been called a demon and evil, and I've lashed out at people who've called me that. Now I find out there's a sword that feels exactly like I do!? No way in hell I'm leaving without that sword!" Yasaka said with a laugh.

Kushina was shocked fora bit before managing to get over it, "You're not going to change your mind about this?"

"Not on your life, now what's my trial?"

Her mother stood silently for a minute, eyes closed, "...I know I've made mistakes, and I wasn't here for you when I should have been." Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Nothing I say can make up for everything that we've put you through, and I know you hate your Tou-san and I more than anything. But despite that, I want to make sure you're safe and protect you from anything that could do you harm. If that means I have to stop you from doing something that could kill you by using force, then I damn well will."

Kushina looked up, her eyes hard and her face showing no emotion. Yasaka was momentarily taken aback, this wasn't the woman she'd met that day, this was a woman who'd been through the third Shinobi war, a Kunoichi who's name was feared throughout the nations. Kushina held her hand out toward Yasaka as if to take her hand, and Yasaka gasped as Yume flew out of it's sheath and into Kushina's hand. Kushina gripped the handle and held Yume out to her side, the blade seemed to glow in the light of the moon, the pattern on it's side wavering as it's true power was awakened after over 16 years.

Kushina pointed the blade at Yasaka, "Your Trial of the Blades begins now, Yasaka Uzumaki."

Chapter End!

Okay, so upon putting that bit about the emotions in the beginning AN, I felt like saying something down here as well. There weren't a lot of emotional explosions for a few reasons, Yasaka doesn't like showing emotion or vulnerability to strangers or people she doesn't like, so of course she wouldn't break down upon meeting them. Plus she's been through some shit, and she's a pretty emotionally resilient girl. As for Kushina and Minato, they held no illusions that Yasaka would hate them. There wasn't some big emotional upheaval because they knew they wouldn't just be able to come back and everything would turn out fine, they were prepared for rejection.

Oh, I also made up that lore about Akumu because I wanted it to be a cursed sword. Also the trial was a way for Yasaka to get the sword from Kushina, who certainly wouldn't just give it up if sh thought she was protecting Yasaka from it, as well as work through some issues. It wasn't because I just wanted them to fight.

Okay, done! Hopefully I managed to make Minato and Kushina work. So, next chapter will be where the fun truly kicks off! I hope you guys liked the chapter, so tell me what you think and I'll see you later!