Hey hey!
I know: 'whaaaat? A second chapter in two days?!'
Yes.
Yes, another chapter right after yesterday's update. I figured I could treat you all for your patience since Chapter 3 was published, a few weeks ago.
The usual warnings apply, although this chapter is mostly FLUFF! I know, can you believe it! So, enjoy it while it lasts because the next chapter will be heavy and very emotional. And no, I don't know when I'll update it yet.
As always, a massive thanks to my awesome beta for this story, White-Witch-Sakura, who is very very patient!
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5
[no time-skip at all, picks up right at the end of Chap 4]
Naruto swallowed nervously as they approached his childhood home. He recognized the house in the quiet part of Konoha. In his other life, he had never really been in this part of town. The house had been destroyed during Pein's attack. They had rebuilt a small field clinic in its stead before the war.
His heart felt tight as he realized how close the house was from the training field Team 7 had used when he was younger. Only a few minutes walking. Had Kakashi-sensei wanted him to be close to his home even though he couldn't tell him?
Next to him, this life Kakashi was warily studying him. Naruto kept his eyes on the wooden house. It was a big house without being ostentatious. There were walls around the main property, but he knew the training field behind it was simply protected by thick trees. His father had been offered a bigger house when taking over as Hokage, but the couple had refused it, simply content to build their own little corner of heaven.
Naruto felt the eyes of two ANBU guards on them as they approached. He saw a flicker of movement and a brief lick of chakra, their usually way of welcoming him. He felt the coolness of the property's wards on his skin as they passed the small portal.
When they arrived at the door, Naruto stopped and raised his hands to put them on the wood pannel. He hesitated. Before he could make up his mind about entering, the door was opened from the inside and Naruto had to brace himself as someone barreled into him.
Naruto was frozen, eyes wide. Kakashi tensed and moved to separate the two bodies, ready to defend. When his hand was a few centimeters away from the human ram's shoulder, Naruto visibly relaxed. An excited voice chased away the panic in his eyes.
"-Nii-san! I missed you!"
Naruto released the air he was holding and hugged the brown hair teenage girl.
"-Hey, Sayora-chan!"
His smile was watery and a little bit tight, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, but Kakashi could feel the warmth of his barely there chakra. He relaxed.
Sayora smoothly pulled away from Naruto and pulled him by the hand into the house.
"-Mom! The boys are here!"
Naruto didn't have time to brace himself this time. He didn't have time to panic. His heart still thumping wildly from discovering he had a sister, he felt all the air in his lungs being knocked out of him as his mother walked out into the hallway, an amused and loving smile on her face.
She was there. In front of him. Just there. Her smile was soft and her eyes were sparkling.
"-Welcome home, dattebane!"
She was there. She was so beautiful.
He was home.
Naruto felt his whole being relax. His heart threatened to explode. He simply stood there, smiling at her, beaming.
This was what his soul had longed for, for as long as he could remember.
He could do nothing but smile as he felt the pure happiness of the moment overtake him. Something restless deep inside him settled.
She sauntered to him, pecked his cheek, welcomed him back home, smiled, winked at him and turned around, pulling him further into the house with her constant babble about her day.
Completely in a daze and before he knew it, Naruto found himself setting up the table with his sister while Kakashi was sent to fetch Minato from his home office.
Naruto's brain could do nothing but soak in the sight of his mother fluttering around the kitchen. Her voice was softly bouncing around, floating around him and jumping from one topic to the next before he could fully register what it was she was talking about.
He vaguely registered his father entering the living room, followed by Kakashi. Both men were talking about a new jutsu a chuunin had just registered with her department, easily gliding into the ballet of preparing the table for the meal and bringing pots from the kitchen.
It hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.
This was it. The reason he was on this path. His family.
He looked around him. His mother bringing a steaming pan from the kitchen. His sister following her with a jug of water and glasses, softly answering to something the other woman had asked. Kakashi pulling his chair out to slouch in it, quickly straightening up when Kushina pointed a wooden spoon at him. His father coming to sit next to Kakashi, twinkling eyes on Naruto but unable to keep them away from his wife for too long.
Naruto distantly felt himself fall into his chair, unable to keep upright under the wave of emotions storming inside his heart.
Naruto took a shuddering breath. His head spun for half a moment. He gripped the table and focused on the smells coming from the various pots on the table.
His stomach twisted, bile rising in his throat. He recoiled, bit down on the nausea, and physically took a step back from the table.
Kushina instantly stopped talking. He could feel his father's blue eyes baring on him. He swallowed and spoke through his clenched teeth.
"-Is there any fish?"
Naruto managed to sound both hopeful and hesitant. Kushina stopped her movements to serve him the grilled beef from the pan.
"-Fish?
-Since when do you not eat beef, nii-san? You always love beef.
-I would prefer fish if that's ok, Mom?" His voice was straining.
Kushina hesitated a little bit before answering.
"-Ok, I can make you some.
-It's ok, I'll make it."
Not waiting for an answer, Naruto walked away from the table and went to the kitchen, quickly tossing a few words over his shoulder.
"-Don't wait for me. Your meal will get cold."
Still at the eating table, all four remaining members of the family exchanged confused looks. Kushina made to join him in the kitchen but Minato smiled at her and motioned for her to stay there. He stood up, kissed her forehead, ruffled their daughter's hair and walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.
He found Naruto standing by the open window, breathing slowly. His eyes were closed and he was standing very rigidly.
"-Do you want me to cook you the fish?
-It's ok, I'll do it. I just need a few minutes."
Minato wordlessly went to the fridge and started preparing things to make a simple steamed fish dish. He discreetly sent out a small breeze to push the smells of cooking out of the room through the open window. Naruto visibly relaxed and breathed more deeply. He walked to the chair at the kitchen table and sat down gracelessly. Minato handed him a glass of water which he drank slowly.
"-I would rather not eat meat again, if it's ok? At least not grilled. I mean in general, not just tonight.
-I'll let your mother know, don't worry. I wouldn't have guessed you were vegetarian.
-I'm not.
-Oh." Minato observed Naruto for a few seconds. "Oh. Do you want to talk about it?"
"-I should. But not tonight. I want to be here, with you tonight. With all of you, of us. I don't want to be… There. But tomorrow.
-I'll clear my day.
-Thanks."
Minato got to preparing the fish and soon had it steaming. Both blondes fell silent while the fish cooked. Naruto's eyes were distant.
"-It's the smell."
Minato flinched. He hadn't expected Naruto to give him an explanation. That particular explanation twisted Minato's stomach and heart in very unpleasant ways.
"-I can't take the smell of cooked meat anymore.
-Oh, son!"
Minato couldn't help his heart from breaking at Naruto's soft but disgusted voice. He moved to engulf him in a hug, holding his son's head against his own chest. The younger blond didn't respond to the hug but started shaking slightly. Minato didn't let go.
Kushina entered the kitchen. She stopped herself from asking them how things were going when she saw the scene in front of her. Her body stood rigid, struggling with herself not to just rush to her son and hug him too. There was something incredibly intimate going on between her two men, and she was unwilling to intrude on it.
She silently looked at Minato, who locked gaze with her. They exchanged without words. Their baby was suffering and they didn't know why. After a few more moments of silent communication between them, she turned around and went back to the living room.
After a few minutes, Naruto and Minato walked back into the living room with the steamed fish. The dinner was a delicious and boisterous affair, with Kushina flawlessly and smoothly providing most of the conversation. If the meal had been a little cold, and Naruto was eating steamed fish, and Kushina was especially lively, no one commented.
Naruto spent the meal in a daze, fascinated by the peacefulness of the moment. He was completely unable to take his eyes away from his mother and his sister. They were so amazing, babbling away about their days, about this or that person they had helped…
Sitting there, at the table, surrounded by these people, was a surreal experience. Naruto would never have thought he would one day have this. He could do nothing but let himself be carried into a daze by the noises of family life.
Before he realized it, the meal was over, and all five members of the Namikaze household were seated in the living room. Now that all the dishes had been cleaned and the kitchen tidied, they all got comfortable on the sofas.
"-Nii-chan! Come sit here with me!"
Naruto chuckled and happily went to sit next to a smiling teenage girl. Sayora had been such a surprise when she tackled him! After a short hesitation he had returned the hug with sincerity, discovering a well of love rising in him for the shorter brunette. It was weird, feeling that for someone he didn't actually know and yet felt like such a natural fixture in his life. Truly unsettling.
"-All right, now what's wrong?"
Naruto winced at his mother's voice. He was starting to understand where he got his talents to go straight for the jugular when faced with a puzzle. It was not so pleasant to be on the receiving end of such bluntness.
The young man looked at his mother. Seeing her in the flesh had been such an amazing moment. Not only did he get to hug his mother, the real her, for the first time in his life, but his happiness had been reinforced by the joy he felt from this path's feelings as well.
He might have hugged her a little longer than usual, and a little tighter too, but no one was going to blame him for it, least of all Kushina. She had hugged him just as tightly, excitedly welcoming him back after his mission.
"-And don't pretend nothing is wrong. I'm your mother, I know something is going on. What happened?"
Kushina finished her sentence looking at her husband, who lifted his hands in surrender and gestured for Naruto to answer. This was his story to tell.
The younger blonde sighed and looked at each of his family members. Kakashi, on the sofa next to him. His strong older brother, his best friend. His teacher in another life. Minato, his dad, his Hokage, his hero. His fellow soldier. Kushina, his amazing, beautiful mother, so strong, his inspiration, his rock. A stranger. And Sayora, his biggest surprise. The little sister he absolutely adored, shy and caring, coming into her own, a rising medical ninja, his princess. His precious people, all of them, so dear and loved.
Naruto thought about what to tell them. To Minato, he would tell everything. The man already knew most of it anyways. What he didn't already know, Naruto was pretty sure he had managed to figure out, or at least had his suspicions.
As a Kage himself, Naruto couldn't stay in the dark about this timeline. Sure, he would know what he himself had lived through and what he'd been taught. But he needed to know more than the public version of things. He needed accurate, in-depth information. It was only fair that he would return the favor.
Kakashi... Naruto was tempted to tell him everything as well. Or at least the main things. Kakashi-sensei had been such an important part of his other life, and this Kakashi was just as important. Naruto just couldn't fathom not telling him.
Sayora… Sayora was still young. At fourteen, she was still rather innocent. Naruto would not expose her to his alternate life. She deserved better than imagining her nii-chan in those conditions. Maybe one day he would tell her, but not now. Not everything.
Kushina. Now, Kushina, his mom, was the real question mark here. Naruto knew she could handle the truth, but did he want her to know? Not really. But she deserved the truth.
He sighed then shifted, sitting straighter. Everyone in the room unconsciously mirrored his posture.
"-Something happened during the mission. I can't tell you what the mission was about. Dad knows obviously. But that's not relevant. During the mission, I was hurt. Pretty badly. I managed to fulfill the objective but hm… Well, let's just say that's one mistake I'm never going to make again."
Naruto grimaced as he thought back on the wound he got during his solo mission. That had been a close shave. He saw Kakashi's, Minato's and Kushina's eyes sharpen, understanding what Sayora still was not comfortable imagining about her strong older brother. It had been a stupid mistake, really. One misplaced foot here, a bit of anticipation that was proved wrong there, and he'd gotten himself a nasty slash in the belly. His war experience would have made it impossible for him to overextend himself the way he did. But he hadn't had that experience yet at the time.
It was weird, really, the way he could remember the wound even though he didn't know much about his own life here. He could feel things, got impressions and felt somewhat comfortable navigating things here. But it was all on instincts. Naruto was aware he would need to focus on his own life here in order to remember things, bring back memories of things both lived and new. It would have to wait, though. He had much more pressing matters to focus on before he could learn more about himself and life here. Vague feelings would have to do for now.
"-On my way out I got trapped underground so I attempted an Hiraishin. I'm not too sure what happened next but suddenly, I am standing in the forest, my wound is gone, my whole body is in pain, and I've got all those memories in my head.
-Whose memories was it, nii-san?
-Mine but they were different. Anyways, I got into the barrier and that's when Dad got to me."
Naruto looked around him. He could see that Kushina and Kakashi did not buy it. Sayora was looking at him as if trying to decipher if he was still hurt.
"-I'm all right now, Sayu-chan. I'm not hurt anymore, I promise. Dad checked."
Minato smiled at his daughter.
"-I did, honey, he's all right.
-See?
-What about the memories?
-Honestly, I don't mind them. I haven't had the time to look into it yet. We still need to talk about it with Dad. I'm telling you now because I might react a bit differently to certain things because of them. I didn't want you to be weirded out."
Sayora kept looking at him, then nodded. She stood up, excusing herself and went to hug their parents and Kakashi. She came to Naruto and hugged him too. She bade them all a good night, explaining that she needed to get up early the next day.
Naruto knew that was her way of processing things. She would go to her room and, more likely than not, meditate for a while, thinking about everything that had been said. Of course she would have questions. But Sayora had always been very patient and she would only ask her questions when she hadn't figured out the answers herself first. Naruto wasn't too sure if that was just the way she was, or if it was the result of growing up in his and his parents' shadow.
He also knew that was her way of giving them the space to discuss things further without her in the room. She was very mature for her age, but she knew some things were just not for her ears yet. She was all right with that. She'd heard enough for now, she would talk more with her brother in a few days.
When Sayora was out of earshot, Kakashi didn't waste a second:
"-Spill.
-The Hiraishin backfired majorly.
-Naruto," Kushina sighed, "you know you shouldn't use it unless you're absolutely certain it's clear.
-Mom, I know. Trust me, I didn't have much of a choice. In any case, I was in a bad shape when I landed. There was something wrong with my seal. I think that's what messed it up.
-What was wrong with the seal?" His mother's voice was absolutely serious.
"-Mom, let me finish. Something happened with the seal when I flashed. When I landed, the world just… exploded. My head was killing me, the seal was burning, I couldn't see anything. It was just colors, everywhere. Then, suddenly, it's like my soul crashes back into my body and… I've got this other life.
-Other life?
-Yes. I know it's going to sound insane but please trust me. I gained the life of my soul on another path.
-What does that even mean?
-There is no easy way to explain this. I am me but I am more than me. I met the Sage of the Six Paths – let me finish, Mom!" Naruto quickly said when Kushina took a breath to ask a question. "I met the Sage and we talked. He explained that souls take particular paths and mine somehow was on two paths. I did something that allowed my paths to cross and now, I'm still on this path but I also lived the other one. I've had another life as well."
Silence welcomed his declaration. Really, he hoped they understood what he meant. This was the simplest way he could explain what had happened.
"-Like Kage Bunshin."
Naruto looked at Kakashi. Trust the genius to find such a simple comparison. Naruto smiled.
"-Yes, just like the Kage Bunshin. I've gained back that life, those memories. But I'm still me.
-I see."
And indeed, Naruto had a feeling he did see. Kakashi had that look on his face when his brain was analyzing things faster than most people, connecting dots and drawing conclusions. He probably had already drawn a good picture of his other life from the information he'd been gleaning since their meeting in the forest that morning. An incomplete picture, for sure, but Naruto was pretty certain his sibling would surprise him with how much he'd manage to figure out.
Naruto briefly reflected that it was good, to be surrounded by geniuses. It made things much easier to explain.
The young man looked at his mother next. She was looking at him very intensely, a slight frown on her face. Naruto slowly stood up and walked to her. He gently grabbed her upper arms and squeezed, speaking softly.
"-Mom, it's still me. I'm still Naruto.
-I know that, dattebane!
-Then, say something, please.
-I'm processing things, 'ttebane!"
On impulse, Naruto hugged her. He was taller than her so he pushed her head into his shoulder and just held onto her. She slowly hugged him back.
"-I'm sorry," he told her softly.
She startled and pulled out slightly, just enough to look up at him.
"-What are you sorry for?
-For worrying you. And putting you through this.
-Oh, honey!" She sighed and hugged him back fiercely. "You have nothing to apologize for, silly. Of course I worry about you. But!" She whacked him on the head, "don't you try and use your father's Hiraishin like that again! And you!" She turned towards Minato with an accusing finger up, "don't send our son on missions where he needs that to get away!" She turned to Kakashi, who flinched, "And you, don't think I don't know you've got something to do with this! Men! Argh! Always trying to be cool and do stupid things! No wonder the world is crazy! Do men think about what they're doing? No, you don't!"
Her arms in the air and radiating frustration, Kushina turned around and stomped to the kitchen, yelling about stupid men and their stupid egos. The men in the room exchanged interrogative looks, unsure about the rapid mood change. Naruto took a step towards his father when his mother's voice stopped him:
"-Where do you think you're going?! I'm not finished with you!"
The twenty two year old war veteran froze, swallowed and nodded vigorously.
"-Yes, ma'am!"
He was pretty sure Kakashi would have snickered at his expanse had he himself not been too scared to provoke the fiery woman even further. Minato slowly made to stand up and placate his wife, only to be shut down.
"-Kushina, honey~
-Don't honey me, Minato!
-Yes, dear."
Naruto thought it was a very good thing that his dad's ANBU guards were keeping watch from outside in order to give the family some privacy. His father's reputation would probably have suffered from the subdued squeak that just came out of his mouth.
After a few more minutes of angry yelling from the kitchen, Kushina came back with a tray that she put on the coffee table with a resounding clack!
"-SAYORA!" She yelled loud enough for the whole village to hear.
Quick footsteps could immediately be heard, running through the hallway then down the stairs, the results of a lifetime obeying the petite woman. Her quick response was something ingrained in all members of the family. When Kushina called, you answered. And that was it.
The teenager came to stand in front of her mother, already dressed in her pajama, eyes wide in surprise, interrogation and mild apprehension. She looked at Naruto, who was still standing very straight next to the sofa.
"-Sit! Drink!"
Sayora and Naruto quickly sat down next to their older sibling and all four sitting members of the family reached for the fuming cups of hot chocolate the red hair had just made them. His mother was absolutely fuming, glaring at them until she made sure they had finished the sweet treat.
Naruto smiled in his cup. Life was good and all was normal in the Namikaze home.
