PinkiePieParty122894: Glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope that you like this chapter just as much. I would say that Kaguya is fanning the flames rather than manipulating him. Tsuranabi is capable of doing things on his own and can think for himself, he just takes counsel from Kaguya every so often.
Animaman: The twins for now are kind of a lost cause but I will be going into their mindsets as well as their actions soon. Most of the traitors were dealt with by Naruto but the ones at the top who didn't do much fighting pretty much get dealt with by Minato as well as the clans that they are a part of. Kushina and Minato will start to have a casual familial bond with Naruto and the two will get a second chance of sorts, just not in the way you might think.
Ryu wolf: Appreciate the compliment and you stay safe too.
NaruCrazy: Okay, for your first comment. I believe that I made this clear that under the full moon, Naruto is above kage level so him beating Iliel when three kages couldn't shouldn't be surprising considering that Naruto gets a massive boost and Iliel is one of the weaker members. Comment #2 he received one year of strenuous training from arguably the greatest swordsman alive at the time. Also, for a while most of his power came from what was already within the sword. In a straight up fight during the day or at night without swords, Naruto would get beat by Itachi considering he's an awesome swordsman but he still doesn't have the battle experience or shinobi skills of someone like Itachi or Minato. Comment #3 I would say that after training for a couple of years as hard as he could, he would be able to take on a fully powered Kaguya. Comment #4 Gaara is feared by everyone in his village at age 12/13. Itachi is head of ANBU at 13. This is a fanfic so it doesn't have to go strictly on par with the anime/manga. Sorry you didn't like it.
Guest: I appreciate the support and I hope I impress with this chapter.
(Konoha)
Every citizen and every shinobi stood, sat, and kneeled in mourning of the ones that they had lost in the "Konoha Uprising". Rain fell softly from the darkened skies as thousands of people gathered to remember their loved ones and console their fellow villagers. One hundred and twenty seven shinobi along with forty seven civilians were killed in the failed rebellion. Of the shinobi, most of them were chunin and jounin, but a few young genin had lost their lives as well once again breathing life into the cruel reality of shinobi life.
Minato stood in somber silence as he examined his villagers in front of the Memorial Stone. The Hokage scheduled the mass memorial to be held a week after the uprising itself in order to give the many clans and families time to grieve and feel sorrow as well as conduct any funerals within their clans if necessary. He had attended far too many funerals than he had ever wished. It had been decided that those who lost their lives to the traitors of Konoha would have their names placed on the great stone, regardless of whether or not they were a ninja. As the blonde hokage looked around to read the faces of a few clans in particular, he noticed that rather than the typical tears and despair, looks of thoughtfulness showed.
(Uchiha Clan)
Itachi stood letting the rain fall but feeling none of it. The rebellion had struck him deeply. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, he couldn't even grieve and it was so frustrating. Throughout his entire life he had always been "The Uchiha Prodigy, The Perfect Shinobi, The Flawless Ninja". Each title he gained always made him grimace as he fought tooth and nail against the curse of arrogance that had so plagued his clan since their beginning. Despite his utter despise for the titles and the nicknames, they had always given him motivation to push to achieve perfection. He was Itachi Uchiha and he wasn't supposed to make mistakes. Unfortunately, he did and it cost the lives of one hundred and sixty four of his people. Konoha brothers and sisters whom he had sworn to protect were now dead because of his inability to protect them. It was for that reason that he had refused to be at his father and fellow clansmen's funeral held at the compound. To him, his father and all who followed in betraying Konoha deserved a painful death befitting that of a traitor. He did mourn Shisui in private however. Itachi barely felt the hand of Konan slide its way into his but the small feeling that he did feel helped.
Mikoto stood with swollen eyes so red that one might've thought that she had her sharingan activated. The past week had been stressful. Her eldest son had lost his way while her youngest son was still dealing with the fact that he had killed his own father. In examination of those two factors, she had taken the clan head position for now which meant reorganizing the clan and pulling everyone back together. Not an easy task when only a third of your clan remained. Many of the children within the clan were now orphans, their parents being stupid enough to take part in an attempt to take over the village. And for what, a pathetic pursuit of power. It disgusted Mikoto that her family would die for a larger part than they already had. Greed. It sickened her to her stomach. Long ago as a genin, she had made the choice to pursue happiness rather than power and with her achievements in happiness, she became stronger. For so long she had tried to preach to her family to reach for happiness rather than power but the Uchiha Clan is a stubborn one. Was a stubborn one. That hardheadedness and pride had now led to the near destruction of the Uchiha Clan and because of the foolishness of her beloved husband, her family would never be the same. With a sad sigh, she took her gaze off of the stone ahead of her and glanced at her youngest son who was accompanied a blonde girl who would heal him.
Sasuke stood with his hand weakly entwined in the hand of Shion's who stood next to him in emotional support. She had arrived in Konoha a day after his father's funeral and to him it was an act of Kami.
(Flashback)
Sasuke sat on the steps outside facing his backyard. He stared with dead eyes at the very area that he committed his greatest sin. He had killed his fellow clan members but above that, he had killed his father. Not a word had been said by the young Uchiha as he had stood with his remaining clan members while his mother went through the notions of the funeral. The feelings of confusion, sadness, anger, and despair swirling within him almost kept him from noticing his brother's absence. It hurt not having Itachi there to lean on for support, but he understood that his brother was going through a lot. In Itachi's mind, he had failed. Normal people might be frustrated at failures but it happened to most everyone every single day. Unfortunately, Itachi wasn't normal. He had gone so long trying to uphold a persona of perfection, and because of how much effort he put into it, the shattering of the persona had affected him greatly.
The Uchiha was so lost in his thoughts that he never heard the footsteps nor sensed the presence of the girl who held a special place in his heart. The blonde priestess from the Land of Demons silently sat down beside Sasuke without him noticing. His attention finally became hers when she gently took his hand in hers. At the contact, Sasuke looked up quickly and his eyes widened at the source of the contact. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. "Sh-Shion, what are you doing here?" the black haired chunin asked in a still bewildered state.
Deciding to toy with him, Shion fake pouted and turned away from him. "Hmph, and here I thought that you would be glad to see me. Perhaps I should just return home" she said taking her hand back and crossing her arms. While turned around, she couldn't hide the small grin on her face. Sasuke meanwhile turned red and began to wave his arms. "No no, no need to do that. I'm really glad to see you, I just, I... It's been a long week and not a lot of good has come from it" Sasuke said looking back at the ground sadly.
Shion turned back around with a sympathetic look and wrapped herself around the boy. "I know. I came as soon as I received your letter. I wanted to come alone but my guards insisted. I am so sorry for your losses Sasuke. If you need anything, I will be by your side to support you in any way I can" the blonde said in a soft tone. Sasuke took a short breath and pointed forward before opening his mouth to speak. "Right there is where I killed my father. On my roof is where I killed my clan members. I committed sins that can never be forgiven and the scary thing is, I would do it again in the same situation. I want to be mad at my father, I don't want to feel bad about killing him or my clan members. They chose to become traitors to the Leaf and dishonor the clan, but I still miss them. I feel cold and dead inside and I just don't know what to do" he said before turning to Shion with tears in his eyes which broke the girl's heart. "How did you get past it when your mother died. How did you stop the pain?" the boy asked desperately.
The blonde priestess looked at the saddened chunin in front of her as she remembered the pain of losing her mother. It hurt so much more because of how close she and her mother were and she could see the boy that she cared so much about going through the same pain. "For so long, I closed myself off. I became bitter and uncaring and because of that attitude, my people suffered. It wasn't until you and your little group came to help me that I began to open up. You gave me what I had needed so long ago but was too afraid to admit it. I needed someone to lean on, someone to support me. That's what you did Sasuke. You supported me despite our very rocky start" she said with a small giggle causing Sasuke to slightly smirk. "When you go through such a loss, you need someone else to help shoulder the weight and pain. That's why I'm here Sasuke. I'm going to help you carry whatever burden you feel that you should carry. That and I missed my special Uchiha" Shion finished while placing a hand on Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke smiled at Shion's declaration before he made the decision to close the distance between the two and plant his lips on hers. While the two shared a kiss, neither of them noticed Mikoto watching from inside.
Mikoto looked on at her son and smiled. It would take a long time for her little boy to get over the death of his father, that she knew. However, seeing him open up to someone provided an immense sense of relief and assured her that the healing process had begun. Her son would be okay because he had someone to help him through such a horrible situation. It did take some effort not to run out there and pull the little blonde away and prevent her from tainting her son's innocence, but she fought those maternal instincts. He needed contact with someone close to him. She would be keeping a close eye on Shion during the night though as it had been decided that she and her guards would be staying at the Uchiha residence. She wanted to be a grandmother someday, but that day was not today nor in the near future.
Walking to her room, it was only after she shut the door that she allowed her tears to freely stream down her face.
(End Flashback)
Sasuke looked to the ground but before he could get too down, a tightening of Shion's grip brought him out of it.
(Hinata Hyuga)
Hinata stood beside her mother and little sister. Hitomi had tears falling from her eyes every once in a while but was buy comforting Hanabi who was sobbing almost uncontrollably. Hiashi's death had hit them all hard and it would be a long time before that wound would start to heal. Fortunately, the three had gotten an immense amount of support from the branch family in particular. Condolences, meals, comfort, and anything else they seemed to need was provided by the branch side while the main branch seemed to be busy trying to find a way to repair the clan and it's nobility. Priorities that would soon change as would a lot of things in the Hyuuga Clan. The three were flanked by the entirety of the Hyuuga Clan, or rather what remained of it after the disgraceful snakes of the clan had been removed. After the uprising, an internal investigation was done within the clan with the help of the branch clan under orders of her mother who was now the clan head. More than a few clansmen who had not physically taken part in the rebellion but were part of the planning process were flushed out and given to the Hokage to deal with. Minato had dealt with them swiftly, executing over twenty Hyuuga members, all part of the main branch. There was no protest from the Hyuuga Clan.
The Hyuga heiress still had nightmares of her father giving his life for her. Her father's body dead on the ground. Every other night since the uprising, she had woken up in a sweat and in tears thinking that if she was strong enough to help her father fight, he might not be dead. The nightmares and self doubt had become such a problem that her health had been severely affected. She had stopped eating, she couldn't get a significant amount of sleep, and she couldn't stop crying. Frankly, Hinata had lost the will to live and was well on her way to losing herself to grief completely. That is until she had a conversation with a certain genjutsu user.
(Flashback)
Hinata sat in her room on her bed with the light off. It had been almost a week since the Konoha Uprising. Almost a week since the death of her father. The funeral for the fallen Hyuga members had taken place the day before and it had only served to solidify the fact that her father was gone forever. She would never see him again all because she was too weak to help. So caught up in her grief, she almost didn't notice when her door opened letting a stream of light into the room. Bringing a hand up to shield her eyes, Hinata allowed her vision to focus only to see her mother coming to stand in front of her.
Hitomi looked at her daughter and sighed in sadness. Hinata, her baby girl, was broken and she didn't know how to help. She had tried to get Hinata to talk to her, she had tried to be patient, and the wound was still very fresh but Hitomi couldn't see her daughter suffer to such an extent anymore. She had tried to get Hinata's sensei Kurenai Yuhi to talk to her, but the jounin's words fell on deaf ears which came as a shock since Hinata admired the Ice Queen of Konoha more than anyone. Though Kurenai had failed to get through to her daughter, the genjutsu specialist had recommended someone else too which Hitomi immediately agreed. Anything to help her daughter heal.
"Hinata, you have a visitor" the Hyuga clan head said quietly. Getting no response, Hitomi frowned sadly and exited the room to allow the visitor to have some privacy when talking to her daughter.
Yakumo stood at the doorway watching Hitomi be dismissed without a word and frowned in disappointment at Hinata. Personally, Yakumo didn't know why she was asked to speak to her. True she and Hinata had started to create a friendship recently, but it's not as if she was very close with the girl. Still, the sight in front of her was a sad one and a waste of kunoitchi potential. The day prior, she had gotten a knock at her door. When she answered, she came face to face with Kurenai Yuhi, her former teacher. She would have slammed the door in her face had the woman not begged and swore that her student needed help. Kurenai had explained that Hinata was taking the loss of her father badly to say the least. In fact, it was so bad that it was causing harm to the young genin. This situation struck home with Yakumo seeing as how she was going through the same thing not too long ago. That was why she was here. She was here to help Hinata like she had been helped through her grief.
Taking a breath, Yakumo entered the room of Hinata. "First off, I want to say that I am so sorry for your loss Hinata. I know what it's like to lose someone or at least think you've lost someone. I know how bad it hurts to realize that you won't see that person but you can't let your grief destroy you. I'm not saying to forget your father or even to forget the pain that you're feeling but I am saying to get up and keep living your life. You are a talented kunoitchi and honestly, you've got some of the most potential of any of the ninja in our class. It would be a sin to let all of that potential go to waste Hinata" Yakumo said looking at the depressed girl.
Hinata sniffled a bit before looking up with her byakugan activated and the skin around her eyes red. "That's it isn't it? You don't care about me or my pain. You're only here to get me back in the ninja force. Was it the Hokage or was it Kurenai sensei that put you up to this? Just because you thought that your boy toy was gone doesn't mean that you know my pain so-"
That was as far as Hinata got as Yakumo slammed her open palm into the Hyuga's face with a hard slap. When Hinata recovered from the hit, she looked up to be met with the sight of a furious Yakumo with flames in her eyes. "Listen to me, I cried tears of blood when I was told that Naruto was MIA. I lost the will to live and nearly died because of it so don't you ever downplay my relationship that I share with him again. As for who put me up to it, you should be honored and grateful to have someone who cares enough about you to go to that length. You should have seen Kurenai beg and plead for me to help her precious student. Something that for so long I had wished that she would have done for me. You have a family and a team who loves you and you spit in their faces every moment that you spend wallowing in your room. Now get up now because enough people have passed on, Hinata Hyuga doesn't need to join them".
(End Flashback)
It had taken the rest of that day for Hinata to get over the shock of Yakumo's action and words. When she finally did leave her room, she started the creation of a new Hinata. She cleaned herself up and began to train. She trained to one day take over the clan head duties from her mother, she trained to protect her little sister, and she trained to honor the memory of her father who died so that she may live. Though Yakumo had been harsh, she had been right. She had been dishonoring her father by choosing not to live the life that her father had fought for. The pain of loss still cut but rather than weigh her down like before, it drove her to get stronger so as to never feel that pain again.
So here Hinata stood watching as the names were carved onto the Memorial Stone, her eyes focused on the name Hiashi Hyuga. While tears were in her eyes, she looked at the name with pride and determination. She would achieve exactly what her father had. She would become strong enough to protect her loved ones because that was her nindo, her ninja way.
(Orochimaru)
The Snake Sannin was going through a lot of emotions which was odd for him. He had never been one to express his emotions, instead keeping to the ninja rule of holding it inside and remaining emotionless. But ever since he brought Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko back into his life, his emotions had started to overwhelm him. He still remembered the rage and fury that he felt towards the ROOT ninja that dared to threaten his children. The fear when the ROOT ninja attacked them. The pride at them being able to fend off such powerful enemies. Emotions were complicated and Orochimaru wasn't used to it. It was Jiraiya who was always best at dealing with things like this.
The thought of his late teammate brought a sad frown to his face. He had told Jiraiya that he was sorry once he had been freed from the Shinigami's Blade's grasp, but he never got the chance to show him. He never got the chance to show Jiraiya how much his friendship meant to him, how much he valued the Toad Sannin. Throughout the majority of their time together, Orochimaru had treated Jiraiya poorly, berating him, belittling his skills, making fun of his intelligence. If only he could go back and tell Jiraiya how much he admired the man for his ability to always take things in stride. No matter the situation, the man was always able to find a way to smile, something that was so rare in shinobi. His thoughts eventually turned to how the man had treated his last remaining loyal godson. It didn't make sense. He had heard from Tsunade that he had expressed regret over his actions towards the boy in a previous conversation, but his continued antagonistic actions said otherwise. Dealing with his newfound emotions mixed with the loss of his friend made his head hurt a little too much.
Orochimaru glanced nearby at Tsunade who stood with her assistant Shizune nearby. The Slug Sannin had obviously been crying as evidenced by the red in her eyes and she had been drinking the night before if her flinches when each name was carved was anything to go by. Jiraiya's death had taken its toll on her the most. Orochimaru knew probably before Tsunade did that this was exactly why she didn't want to let Jiraiya in. Nawaki, Dan, and now Jiraiya. The Snake Sannin didn't know what Tsunade had done to piss off Kami but it sure seemed that way with the losses she had acquired. Tsunade would try to close herself off again, but Orochimaru had already decided that that was not happening. He would take over Jiraiya's role in comforting her and make sure that she didn't lose her way again.
(Tsunade)
Tsunade stood next to Shizune as she clenched her fists. She never wanted Jiraiya to become a name on this cursed stone, but he had died like he wanted, as a hero. It upset her because she wanted him to die with her after living a long and fruitful life from old age. A truth that she had refused to admit to herself for years, and now she was paying for it. Since they were children, Jiraiya had pined away from her, never loving another woman despite his unsavory hobby. After Dan, he had comforted her and she had been so tempted to give him the chance he had always wanted, but the thought of him up on the Memorial Stone kept her from going for it. It was naive considering their profession. Now, the man that she loved was gone. No longer would she punch the man for his irritatingly perverted behavior, no longer would she have to witness the man's antics while hiding her grin. Any future the two could have had in their remaining life was gone now.
From the death of Jiraiya, she had taken it upon herself to redeem the man in Naruto's eyes. The two were analyzing every page, every sentence of Jiraiya's journal. Anything to explain his ever changing personality towards Naruto. There had to be a reason that he would feel such regret in private but act so spiteful towards the boy directly and she was going to get down to the bottom of it. Naruto had reluctantly agreed to help her. Together the two would figure out what had happened to the man and take appropriate action if needed. But for now, Tsunade would focus on living life as best she could. Living life as Jiraiya would, taking it all in stride.
Tsunade's face was so numb from the tears she had already shed that she hardly noticed a stream of tears flowing down her eyes as Jiraiya of the Sannin was placed on the Memorial Stone immortalizing his name but finalizing his death.
(Namikaze Family)
Naruto stood watching his father carve the many names of the fallen onto the Memorial Stone. The Konoha Uprising had cut deep into the hearts of all of the citizens of Konoha, civilians and shinobi alike. At first, Naruto had wanted to blame himself for not getting back to Konoha faster but his tune quickly changed when he thought back to Sera's teachings. "Unless you took the life yourself, don't blame yourself" was one of the lessons that she had instilled on him.
The Leaf had lost some high profile ninja and were undoubtedly weaker for it, but with Naruto's new transformation came a new form of confidence. Deep down he knew that there was only one threat to his home and that threat would meet its end in time. Once again Naruto stared at his father but examined him closer. The stress that the job held was taking its toll on him as evidenced by the slight bags under his eyes and the paler complexion of his skin. The Fourth Hokage still exuded power but he looked like the entire weight of the world rested on his shoulders. It upset the blonde chunin to see his father in such a state but he knew that soon things would get better. There were already talks about bringing back the rights of the council exclusive to the shinobi side of course. His father was also getting some assistance from his masked student, his successor, and the last two Sannin. Konoha was in good hands.
Kushina watched her husband with concern but also with an overwhelming sense of pride. So many people focused on the leading a glorious and strong village aspect of being a kage. The truth was that arguably the most important aspect was how a kage dealt with his village in times of despair. Her husband was taking so much on himself so that no one else had to. He was doing everything in his power to help ease the pain of the village and taking it without complaint because it was part of the job. Another reason she was proud of him was for his support in a recent life changing addition to the family.
(Flashback)
Kushina and Minato stood in the living room patiently. Naruto had told them to wait there because he had something important to show them. An exciting feeling ran through Kushina. Naruto must have gotten her a present for putting her through what he did. Maybe it was free ramen. Maybe they were going to go to Ichiraku's for dinner. Maybe he had gotten her unlimited ramen! The ramen possibilities were endless and it made her mouth start to water. Minato watched his wife with an amused grin as he had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking about. Both of their thoughts were drawn away at the sound of two pairs of footsteps which confused the two parents.
It of course came as a major surprise when Naruto entered the living room with a little girl who couldn't be more than five or six hand in hand. The little girl had black hair and showed an adorable shyness, but Kushina recognized the sadness hidden behind the girl's eyes. Something had happened recently that had hurt the girl deeply and the curious side of Kushina wanted to know what. Minato examined the girl and despite his shock, kept his calm composure.
Seeing his parents speechless, Naruto took the initiative to speak. "Mom, Dad, this is Aiko. She isn't from here but hopefully she'll be able to consider it home in time. Aiko, this is my mom and dad, Kushina and Minato Namikaze" Naruto said to the little girl who was slightly hiding behind Naruto's leg. The little girl peeked to the side and watched as Kushina kneeled down with a motherly smile. The type of smile that her own mom used to have. It almost brought tears to little Aiko's eyes but she remembered Naruto's words about her mother always being with her.
Kushina knelt down and smiled at the girl without even thinking about it. The little girl was so precious and she reminded her so much of herself when she first came to Konoha. Being in a new place, she was scared even though she refused to admit it. Luckily, she had Mito to help her through her loneliness for a while. "Hello Aiko, it's very nice to meet you. You are very pretty" she commented making the little girl slightly blush at the praise. "So how did you and Naruto meet?" she asked the little girl. Kushina smiled as Aiko's mood seemed to do a complete 180 as her eyes lit up.
Aiko took a big breath before starting her grand tale. "Well, I went out to the forest to play with the animals and eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I got there, I saw Naruto in the grass sleeping. I wanted to wake him up because you can't sleep in the forest. You'll get dirty. So I kept asking him to wake up but he wouldn't" she pouted. "After a few days, he woke up. He must've been really tired because he wouldn't stop sleeping. Every day, I brought some peanut butter sandwiches for him to eat because I always get hungry when I wake up" she said and while she continued on with her story Naruto motioned with his head to his father to go to the kitchen. The two silently excused themselves as Aiko continued her story.
Naruto and Minato stood across from each other at the kitchen counter. Minato looked at his son and could tell that the boy was under some stress. "Naruto, what's wrong son?" Minato asked after the two had remained silent. Minato's eyes narrowed when Naruto looked up with a look of despair. A look that Minato had seen on Kakashi's face after the deaths of Rin and Obito, a look that he himself had worn when he had discovered that he had failed his genin team in the most horrible way. It was a look of failure, despair, and rage mixed in one.
The blonde chunin looked at his father with his fists clenched. "They did it. They took the last perfect place and I couldn't stop it" Naruto whispered. Minato leaned forward slightly to hear his son better. "Who did what Naruto?" the blonde Hokage asked. For another moment, the boy was silent. He took a small breath before responding to his father's question. "The Shinigami's Blade. The place I ended up was the last perfect place left on this planet and Tsuranabi destroyed it without a second thought. That girl in there" Naruto said pointing towards the living room, "she is the last remaining being from that land and it's all because of me. They've been pushing me further and further, killing anyone at will, just so that I'll be a better fight. So many people are dying and it's all my fault" Naruto said in anger but in a quiet enough voice as to not alert Aiko in the other room.
Minato looked at his son and sighed. "Listen Naruto, whatever the Shinigami's Blade has been planning, it has to have been in the works long before you came into the picture. This group of psychopaths are the only ones responsible for their actions, not you nor anyone else. In a few weeks, I will call a meeting to discuss actions and strategies against the Shinigami's Blade. I want you there but for now, calm down because you have another person to be strong for. I can see that the little girl in there is relying on you so you have to be strong for her if not anyone else" Minato said ending the conversation by leaving the kitchen and heading to the living room. Naruto took a second to think about his father's answer before quickly following the man.
Both blondes came to an amusing sight in the living room. Kushina and Aiko seemed to be having a dangerous glare off, the lightning bolts could be seen between the two. "Minato, this little girl said something unforgivable" she said with grit teeth as her husband walked slowly and cautiously to her side. "I'm not the one being a dumb meanie and I'm the one who's right" Aiko said with a red face as Naruto slowly and cautiously walked to the little girl's side. "Ramen is far better than peanut butter sandwiches!""No it's not tomato head!" the two shouted at one another causing both blondes in the house to fall on their faces.
Naruto stood up slowly and placed a hand on Aiko's shoulder. "Okay can't we just agree that both are good in their own special way?" the boy asked while his father who had now stood up slapped a hand to his face. "NO!" both Kushina and Aiko shouted. "It matters not little girl, soon you will see the glory of ramen. After all you'll be eating a lot of it here" Kushina said crossing her arms while Aiko's face morphed from an angry one to a confused one.
Seeing the girl's confused look, Kushina let one of her motherly smiles show making the little girl feel warm inside. Walking up to Aiko, Kushina kneeled down and placed a hand on Aiko's head. "You didn't think that I, Kushina Uzumaki, would let someone as adorable as you stay somewhere other than my home did you? Not to mention that anyone who can stand up to an Uzumaki is more than welcome in this house" Kushina said with a smile before her voice took a gentler tone. "I know what it's like in a new place where you don't know very many people. I know how scary it can be but I promise that I'll be there with you every step of the way. So long as you're here, you'll never be alone. Got it?" the red headed woman asked.
Aiko looked into the eyes of Kushina and saw genuine concern. In that moment, it was like Aiko was seeing her mother once again. With teary eyes, Aiko nodded and nearly tackled the woman in a hug. The girl sobbed while Kushina softly rubbed her back calming her down. Looking up at her husband for final approval, she watched her husband smile and give a nod. Looking over to her son, she saw him smiling while slightly looking away to cover his watering eyes. All of this made Kushina start to lightly cry in happiness. This that she had right now was a family.
(End Flashback)
Kushina remembered the priceless moment that she would always treasure. Whether or not Aiko considered herself part of it, Aiko was an Uzumaki as far as Kushina was concerned.
(Twelve hours later)
Naruto sat on his roof under the night sky. The moon was shining brightly tonight. Naruto allowed the special chakra given to him from the moon to flow through his body, to refresh him both physically and spiritually.
"A lot on your mind?" a voice asked. Naruto continued looking up at the moon as the owner of the voice took a seat next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" the voice asked.
The blonde swordsman sighed before turning to the figure sitting next to him. The figure of Tenji, the first legendary swordsman shone in the light. "Do you ever regret how you went about things Tenji? Do you ever think "What if I had chosen another path"?" the blonde asked.
Tenji immediately laughed after the question was asked. "Naruto, there is no end to regrets that I have. Even though I have passed on, I still wish that maybe I would have been more rational. I should have listened to what Kaguya had to say but instead I betrayed her just because I wanted peace. I chose an ideal over the woman I loved and my unborn children. I turned her into a monster and I'll always regret it" Tenji said looking down.
"Aww how sweet Tenji" spoke a sarcastic yet powerful voice. Naruto stood up in an instant but Tenji's eyes just widened. A glowing light appeared in front of the two and after a moment of radiating, the light died down to reveal a white haired white skinned woman with horns on her head. She was dressed in what seemed to be royal clothing and wore a smirk on her face. Tenji remained sitting but his spiritual form began to shake. "Kaguya" the man whispered.
Naruto's eyes narrowed before reaching his arm out and summoning his newly acquired white blade. The act gained Kaguya's attention and the woman let out a laugh. "Please boy, you are an eternity to early to dare think about challenging me. Besides, I come merely as a messenger" the woman said putting up both of her hands but keeping her smirk up.
"Kaguya, how are you here? Why are you here?" Tenji asked still in shock at seeing his former love. Turning her attention back to Tenji, Kaguya rolled her eyes. "Still as bad a listener as ever my dear Tenji. The reason I'm here is simple. Tsuranabi, Swordsman of the Ten Tails, has challenged your champion to a duel to the death. In one month, a blue moon will occur. On that night, you will meet Tsuranabi near the base that he resides, somewhere your Hokage undoubtedly knows the location of. Don't miss it" Kaguya said before turning her back.
"Or what?" Naruto asked causing Kaguya to chuckle a dark laugh.
Kaguya turned around with a twisted smile and a red eye opened in the center of her forehead. "Or Tsuranabi will destroy everything" she said before she started to slowly fade away.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, hope you all are staying safe. I hope you liked the chapter. I was reading through some reviews and realized that there is confusion on Jiraiya not wanting to neglect Naruto. Let's just say that the toads will be featured in the next chapter wink wink. Another thing that may need clarification is why Tsuranabi doesn't just destroy everything already like Kaguya said he would. I will be explaining that later on. I have vaguely explained that Naruto's sword and power is very important to the Shinigami's Blade but I will explain it further in a few chapters. Stay safe and I hope you enjoy the story.