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Kushina/Minato Pairing

Thank you all for those that reviewed/ fav/ and so on.

Made this one slightly longer, but don't expect it to always be like this. It literally dries up my mind and I have to go a couple of days without any idea how to continue on with it...

Warning: This has not been edited. I'll get to that at some point.

Drifting Blossom Chapter 5

Whispering reached her sensitive ears along with the lecturing teacher. It was like they didn't realize just how sensitive some peoples hearing could be, especially those that were Shinobi or had some semblance of training. It was Kyuubi that happened to have enhanced her hearing through the seal. Kushina frowned as she stared at the class door, debating on even opening it.

The Hokage had kept her back that morning to make sure she understood the consequences of doing anything against her restrictions.

"Hurt any of them Kushina-san, and you'll have to face the punishment handed to you."

She scoffed; it was like she was a dog on a leash. At home, she had been on a tight leash, and now it seemed like it was happening here as well.

"I am no dog, ttebane." She hissed mostly to herself as she snapped the door open, holding her head high as she walked in.

The teacher paused in the middle of his lecture and his gaze landed on the small girl, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at her.

"Ah, Hokage-sama mentioned you being late. Introduce yourself along with what your dream for the future is and sit wherever you'd like." He stated and Kushina glanced at him before turning her attention to the class.

There were hisses that reached her ears, whispers and Kushina flushed in embarrassment and anger.

'She looks like a tomato!'

'Ugly red hair! Who has that color?'

'Look, her face matches her hair! She really does resemble a tomato!'

Kushina grew even redder at that comment. She had been teased about her larger forehead once upon a time, now, it was because of this pretty red hair. Kushina hadn't found anything wrong with her hair color. Most Uzumaki's had red hair. They should see her Clan, see the amount of redheads there.

Anger welled up inside her. No, she wouldn't back down, she would fight this time. Her fingers fisted her pale yellow outfit as she drew on her courage.

"I am Kushina Uzumaki and I'm going to be the greatest Kunoichi you've ever seen, ttebane!" she blurted, cheeks a brilliant red and puffed out in her anger.

Shocked silence greeted her before a couple of boys snickered in the back. Her eyes stung and her throat started to ache, but she narrowed her eyes at them.

Children were so rude, and surprisingly, their rejection was causing her heartache. She hated being rejected.

Her attention instantly snapped towards a boy that suddenly stood up within the class and she blinked a couple of times when she recognized those blue eyes and blonde hair. It was the boy that looked like Naruto, from that time when she had gone and registered.

He smiled brightly at Kushina, his white hoody with green lines on the outside of his arms catching her attention for a second before it flickered back up to his face.

The only thing missing were those whisker marks.

He glanced at the snickering boys and shook his head before smiling a bit wider as he turned his attention back to her.

"I'm Minato Namikaze, and I want to be a great Hokage that everyone in the village will respect."

Kushina's felt like her body had been pierced by something sharp, especially her heart. She had stilled and after a second, a chuckle left her.

"Yah…Hokage…" she whispered, locking eyes with the blonde who had started to frown at her dismissal. Kushina didn't mean anything by it, but she had recalled many, many memories of a blonde, blue eyed boy with whisker marks declaring his dream to become Hokage.

Kushina proceeded to sit down after that, her eyes downcast as she barely listened to the teacher start up his lecture once again.

Glancing every so often at the blonde boy, Kushina found a scowl flitting across her face.

He looked so…Girly, and then there was his innocent smile, he looked like he wouldn't be able to take on a Shinobi at all. Unreliable. Yet, Kushina knew not to underestimate people, especially after seeing the outcomes of that mistake.

Shoving those thoughts aside, she turned her attention towards the teacher, who was going over the theory of chakra. It looked like she would be going through another couple of years in the academy, something that would be too easy for the girl.

Afternoon rolled around and when Kushina found herself outside with the rest of the class, she could only sigh at what she knew was coming next.

Exercise.

It was something that she had been subjected to from the moment she could walk, if her memories from this body could recall correctly.

Kushina was paired with an unknown girl who had her forehead wrapped in bandages and her hair pulled up to almost resemble Shikamaru's hairstyle. She looked nervous and shy, not looking at all forward to this portion of their education.

"Alright, with your partner, you'll be completing laps and then obstacle courses. Should either of you fall into the traps, you must help each other. Any teams that 'lose' a team member will be out."

Kushina sighed, running a hand over her face. This was going to be a long day. She could only hope that she could somehow make her partner for this course see a reason for exercising, training the body, for it made all the difference once they were in the field.

Oooo

A couple of days into the academy passed by and Kushina found herself being picked on more than she would have liked. It wasn't like she had asked to come to Konoha anyways. No one understood that Kushina had been chosen as the next Jinchūriki and that she had no say in the matter. She didn't come here to make them seem unskilled, or anything along those lines. It was the ways she was brought up and having lived long before that.

"Look! It's tomato girl!"

Kushina's body froze. Her thoughts were running rampant within her mind and her breath caught in her throat.

They had followed her from the academy?

A group of boys quickly surrounded her and Kushina could only stare in utter surprise and horror. Was there a reason for them in following her? She knew she had shown that she was quite advanced in the Shinobi area, but not too much to have her teachers declaring her ready for graduation right away.

One boy stepped close to her and Kushina scowled. She was covered in sweat and had dirt smudged on her face from their physical education in class today and she just wanted to go home and relax and learn from Mito about Touch Seals.

"You think you're all that? Coming into Konoha from another village and thinking that you're better than us?" he sneered and Kushina had to back away from his hostility. The other boys agreed and Kushina could feel heat creeping up her neck as she found herself being bullied.

Someone tugged harshly on her hair and she stumbled backwards, an indignant shout leaving her as she quickly gained her balance. Anger bubbled up inside her, a deep fury that surprised even her as wind seemed to surround her, causing her red hair to fly around her face and into nine sections.

The boys instantly backed off at her furious gaze, but quickly began their obnoxious name calling and just plain bullying.

"Tomato girl!"

"Do something about that awful color!"

Kushina had been dealing with their insults for the past couple of days and she was done. Absolutely sick of their words and taunting. From the looks of it as well, they were willing to start physically hurting her as well, if tugging at her hair was any indication. Once they learned that they could tug her hair, they wouldn't hold back from going even further.

Kushina was not dealing with bullying once again.

She hadn't lived through assassination attempts just to be taken out by kids that thought they were better than her. She didn't live through a whole other life to be a weak girl once more.

Clenching her hands into fists, her rage rising, she finally snarled in anger. Canines sharpened and her pupils slit.

Damn the restrictions on hurting anyone in the village and damn the Anbu that wasn't helping her. She'll take the punishment any day.

Cocking her arm back, she launched it forward, slamming her fist into the kids face and sending him flying back.

Maybe that was a little bit too much chakra placed within that hit.

The boys scrambled back, eyes wide and looking at their friend, who held a bloody nose.

"M-monster!"

"Freak!"

"Leave me alone!" she finally snapped, her violet blue eyes starting to fully turn red. They all looked at one another and Kushina blinked owlishly as they all scrambled around on their feet and hauled ass out of there. It was funny how kids backed down when they realized that people could fight for themselves. Kushina could also tell that it was her aura that had probably sent them scattering as well.

Footsteps sounded from behind Kushina and her heart leapt in fear. She had gone through too many attempts on her life and with what just happened with the boys, she was on edge. She whirled around in a split second, hands flickering to green before sputtering out at what greeted her.

"Kushina-chan?"

Instantly, Kushina felt her body relax, and she let herself fall to the ground, grinning widely as she leaned back onto her hands.

"Mikoto-chan, you surprised me." She responded with a small smile. Mikoto's wide, dark eyes gazed at her new friend and she frowned. Dirt covered Kushina and she looked horrible, like she had been through hours of training.

"Are you alright? I…saw those boys picking on you just now…" Mikoto questioned, looking in the direction the boys ran before going and sitting in the grass with her friend.

Kushina sighed and shrugged before a grin took over her face. "I'm perfectly fine. I can take care of myself." And she could, but it was lonely, very lonely, especially without connections. Mikoto seemed to see through her façade and shook her head, her curtain of black hair covering her eyes.

"Come on, let's get some Ramen. I know this stand that you'll like."

Kushina found a sad, but happy smile making its way upon her face.

"Ramen sounds nice. It really does."

Mikoto stood up and, holding out her hand, she helped Kushina up with a brilliant smile. "Then it's on me for today. Next time, it's yours."

The two girls headed down the street, heading for the Ramen stand that Kushina was very familiar with. Once they were there, she only hesitated for a second before setting foot into the building. The salty smell of ramen made her smile and she couldn't wait to have something that really did remind her of home.

Sure, she was in Konoha, but this was something that was a piece of home. The food, the clothing, and other things related to her home land.

They both ordered a bowl and as they waited, Mikoto fiddled with her chopsticks, a small frown on her face. With a sigh, she turned to Kushina.

"So, how was your first day at the academy? I couldn't find you that day, so I might as well ask now." She mused and Kushina rubbed a hand upon her forehead.

"It was…not the greatest… Most of the girls are pansies…" Kushina mused, remembering how her partner had been wheezing and complaining about doing the rest of the obstacles. Had she been like that once? She shuddered at that thought.

"I mean…" and Kushina instantly shut her mouth. Sure, Mikoto knew about her being the Heiress and from the Uzumaki Clan, but she hadn't told her about any of her assassination attempts. Her lips thinned and she knew Mikoto would probably be like Ino and not let her go until she heard what was bothering her.

Mikoto peered at her and, with a coaxing gesture, Kushina's lids lowered, remembering the fear she had felt on those occasions.

Being in a child's body and without the skills that you once had, it had left her feeling open, naked in a way. To send assassins her way, she had been introduced into the Shinobi way of life much earlier than what these kids were subjected to. She had also realized that even without all her knowledge, Kushina would have been targeted regardless.

"I've…had many encounters with Shinobi." She murmured, noticing Mikoto pause before frowning as she slowly pieced together some thoughts. "These girls…frustrate me. They haven't dealt with people trying to kill them."

She dared not speak of the one she had killed with her bare hands. That might be too much for the young Uchiha girl. The academy kids had yet to be desensitized to killing someone.

Mikoto remained silent for a couple of seconds before sighing. Shifting in her seat, she then ran a hand through her locks before smiling at Kushina.

"Well…altogether, I finally entered the academy! I was able to do the Grand Fireball Jutsu! All Uchiha have to complete that jutsu before they can join the academy… and it took me a year longer than those my age…" She started to spout in excitement, but at the mention of being a year behind in the academy, her shoulders sagged.

"It's embarrassing… to be the last of those your age to complete the Uchiha rite of passage…"

Kushina frowned. She wracked her brain for any mentions of the information Mikoto had given her and couldn't come up with anything. With Sasuke not being open, she really knew nothing about the Uchiha Clan.

"So…you're in the same grade as me?" she finally decided to ask. Mikoto looked up from her ramen and nodded.

"Yah, I'm in a different class of course, but in the end, when people are weeded out by the time our last year arrives, we might end up in the same class."

Kushina mulled over Mikoto's words and shook her head with a small smile gracing her lips. That would make classes more bearable. Already knowing everything, she had found that she was quite bored, sitting in class and listening to the teacher lecture about something she already knew.

The two girls continued to eat and went separate ways after, scheduling another time to eat together in a couple of days.

At least Kushina had something to look forward to.

Oooo

It was like peeling a seal off a piece of paper, working the whole detailed array down your arm in one piece using chakra, and then placing it on the ground with just enough chakra to power it. The only problem Kushina seemed to have was overpowering it and disrupting the array, causing them to become squiggly and illegible.

The most important rule with seals was to make sure all writing was legible, or the array can backfire in unpredictable ways.

A small sized explosion went off for the eighth time that morning and Mito sighed, glancing up from her scroll to look at Kushina.

The girl had been determined to get the low leveled explosion upon the ground and timed. All she was doing was causing the thing to go haywire and explode as soon as she placed it on the ground.

Kushina grumbled for what felt like the hundredth time that day as she swiped dirt off her sweaty face. Her clothing was ripped and one of the longer sleeves was torn at the elbow because it had caught fire. She was just glad she hadn't been working with a lightening Seal. Her hair would probably be standing on end by the rate she was going.

"Mito-san! It's coming out all squiggly and I can't seem to get it on the ground the correct way!" she finally caved into her need to complete this task. She had been working on it for the past three days and had made only a bit of progress, that being, placing said seal on the ground.

Now, it was just blowing up, without the timer even bothering to kick in.

Mito sighed heavily as she gathered her fabric around her legs and stood, heading for the girl surrounded by smoking holes. Kneeling before the violet blue eyed girl, she found her gaze lingering on her face before grabbing the hand that was slightly blistered and red from the many times the seal had gone off before she could get out of range.

"Kushina, when placing Touch Seals upon anything, one must have the exact, detailed Seal, already at the forefront of their brain. You have to literally draw the seal with your mind, surround it with chakra and bring it down to the release point, which is your hand. It's complicated, hard, and you have to be extremely swift with them to even bring the seals into a battle."

Kushina gazed at Mito with a determined look set upon her face.

"I will never give up, ttebane!"

Mito smiled and then began to guide the girl through the steps once again. It may take her a bit of time, but she knew that the girl would be a Seals Master, just like her, one day.

"Come, let's get you cleaned up and get something to eat. I want to show you the Uzumaki Sealing scrolls that I've rewritten and added to since I've lived here."

Kushina felt her breath stutter in her throat as she came to an abrupt stop. Did Mito mean to tell her that there was a scroll, containing all of the Uzumaki Seals within Konoha?

And then there was Naruto Uzumaki.

Why in the hell was he not given this scroll? He had all rights to it and no one could do a damn about it.

"Kushina dear?" Mito called back to her, looking at the frozen girl. Kushina blinked and looked back at Mito before quickly catching up to her.

"Um, Mito-san, who has access to the scroll?" Kushina questioned, digging for answers.

Mito smiled down at the girl. "All Uzumaki's of course! We can't have our secrets being lost now, can we?"

Oh, but they were lost in the future. No one knew anything about the true Sealing Arts.

Jiraiya could only do so much, along with any other sealing Shinobi. The true Artists of Sealing is and always will be, the Uzumaki Clan.

Naruto should have been given that scroll if the Hokage and Council knew about it. It didn't matter if he Housed the Kyuubi, he was first and foremost, an Uzumaki.

"Oh…then where do you keep it?"

Mito and Kushina stared at one another for a second and finally Mito grinned. "That, my dear, will be a secret that you'll have to keep once I show you."

Of course! That was the reason no one could find said scroll. It was hidden away, protected by probably hundreds of seals, or, that's what Kushina was thinking.

Kushina followed after Mito with anticipation seeping into her. She couldn't wait to see what kinds of seals she could learn! Mito was very, very old, with the Kyuubi extending her life and the Uzumaki life span, she had years upon years to create and experiment with seals and perfect the seals that were already made by the Clan.

Halfway down the hallway, Mito came to a stop in front of a large wall mural of Konoha. It wasn't anything special, but as Mito focused chakra into the tips of her fingers, Kushina could only watch in surprise and fascination as she twisted her finger clockwise in the left upper corner of the Hokage tower.

The picture seemed to turn to liquid before melting away into a glassy green color.

"Come on dear." Mito said before pushing Kushina forward and through the wall mural.

Kushina squealed as her heart leapt within her throat, but once on the other side, she found herself staring at shelves upon shelves of scrolls. Mito finally joined Kushina and she couldn't help but whirl around and point towards the walls in question.

Before anything could leave her lips, Mito had her moving once more.

"It is a simple Double Layered Seal with a whole level dedicated to Genjutsu and the other level on security. It looks like a wall Mural, but it's covering a doorway."

"You can…add Genjutsu!?" Kushina found herself questioning, her eyes wide at this statement. She hadn't learned about Seals being intertwined with Genjutsu as of yet and her interest had been peeked.

"Yes, there is a whole section dedicated to teaching one about Genjutsu and Sealing. You can use this library any time you need it."

Kushina merely nodded her head, fascinated that, after years having passed by in the future, that this room had never been found, even if the seals around the house only allowed Senju and Uzumaki through.

Oooo

Kushina felt like she was about to fall asleep as she sat within class today. For the past three weeks since Mito had shown her that room, Kushina could be found rarely anywhere else. She had also started to hide in there, seeing that the kids at the academy still called her Tomato and made fun of her long red hair.

Kushina frowned at the thought of those kids. Her actions that day when they bullied her had been dismissed. Her shadow had informed the Hokage that she was being bullied and only defended herself when they had started to tug her hair.

Kushina's eyes drifted across the room once more as they slowly started to close. She had been reading way too much these past few days, but the amount of information she was gaining was well worth it. She had also managed to finally place a timed Explosion Seal upon the ground.

After the initial placement, she would then add chakra to the timer, which would detonate when the chakra in the timer ran out.

That was one Touch seal out of hundreds. She had a very, very hard and tiresome schedule ahead of her if she planned on furthering that aspect.

"Uzumaki-san?"

Kushina found her head jerking up at her name and she found her gaze locking onto the teacher.

"Are you alright?"

She frowned at the light snickers that filled the room and she felt anger bubble up from the teacher even drawing attention towards her. She did fine in everything, so he had no reason to bother with her.

The class was interrupted before anything else could be said and silence rang throughout the room when someone they did not expect, walked into the room.

"Hokage-sama, what can I do for you?"

Kushina could only watch as the Hokage scanned the room before his eyes settled upon the red headed girl. She found her limbs seizing up and an uneasy feeling welling in her stomach.

"I am here to dismiss Kushina from class for today, that is all."

Stiffly, she got out of her seat and gathering up her items, she quickly followed the Hokage out of the academy. Once outside, he led her to the tree she had always seen Naruto sitting under on a swing that wasn't there yet.

"Kushina Uzumaki, I am regrettably informing you that Uzushiogakure has been attacked."

Kushina felt her heart tug in pain. Shock swept through her small body and what little emotions she did have for the place she grew up in, came barreling into her like Tsunade's fist. Her breath caught and tears welled up.

Sure, she didn't know the people as well as she would have liked, but it was her home in this life. Her father was still her father here, and even her step mother had been there at times. Ryuga had taught and protected her and then she was introduced to an elderly lady who helped her with her medical studies. It was a place she had grown to love since she's been there, even if it was being constantly targeted.

"Did…did anyone-" she started to choke out, feeling hurt that she didn't get to know the Clan like she should of.

"I'm sorry…Kushina-chan, but the Clan was annihilated. No survivors from what we can tell. If there are any at all, then they probably will not come out of hiding."

Her knees grew weak. Her stomach churned and she finally realized that she had truly come to care for the Uzumaki Clan.

Kushina found herself suddenly crying out everything she had been suppressing. Her arrival to Konoha, seeing familiar sights, having the stress of being the Jinchūriki on her shoulders, restrictions and so on. To learn that her entire Clan had been wiped out was a bit too much.

"Mito-san is home. She has already been informed of the tragedy. You have the rest of the week off from the Academy."

Kushina could only watch the Hokage turn his back and leave her standing there with tears streaming down her cheeks.

With heavy feet and shoulders, she made her way back to the Senju Compound, wanting to curl up and sleep away her pain. It didn't surprise her that she had grown to love her clan and now it had been taken away.

And as much as she wracked her brain for this information, Kushina couldn't remember much about the Uzumaki Clan in the future. They didn't even talk about the clan in the Academy. If they had, Naruto would have probably gone searching for his Clan.

Though, there was one thing that she did remember. It was the swirl on the flak jackets that Konoha placed upon them. She could recall that symbol because she had worn it as a Kunoichi.

To think that Konoha didn't even mention Uzushiogakure.

When Kushina came into the kitchen, she found Mito sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea and puffy red eyes. It was obvious that she was mourning for her clan as well. Even though the woman hadn't seen Uzushiogakure in many, many years, she still grew up there, had friends and family. It was her home as well as Kushina's.

Tears welled again and she quickly found herself being engulfed by warm arms. Mito propped her up on her lap, running a hand through her red hair.

No words were spoken between the two, but there really wasn't anything to say. They both took comfort in the other's presence and that was all they needed right now.

Oooo

"Do you think we'll ever see Uzushiogakure again? Even…if there is nobody there." Kushina questioned as she let a cherry blossom go upon the Senju compound pond. Mito sat next to her, legs tucked under her body.

"Maybe we'll see it again, one day." She murmured, leaning forward to let another cherry blossom follow after Kushina's. Clapping their hands together two times, they then prayed for their deceased Clan members.

Oooo

Kushina cackled loudly as she bolted away from the furious civilians.

Her need for pranking had gotten the best of her. She had been beyond stressed out and she had had enough.

What Kushina had left behind her was a street full of flailing civilians. She had figured out a trap seal, one that snags hold of the victim and holds them in place for a good five minutes. It had taken her some time, but she had finally accomplished the seal with Mito guiding her advances. From there, she had learned to place it upon the ground.

Imagine the civilian's surprise when they stepped on the small circular ink patterns and were unable to move from there.

Kushina could give all her credit to the Nara Clan. That was where she got her inspiration.

It wasn't long before Kushina found herself before the Hokage, who looked amused, but not so at the same time. There happened to be council members as well, and one she instantly recognized.

It was Danzō. The man who had desecrated the deceased bodies of the Uchiha Clan and leader of Root.

Anger swelled, but she stomped down on it. He didn't do anything as of exactly right now, even if she knew he was only looking out for the Village. Kushina would make sure he kept his nose out of the Uchiha Clan and others business.

"Kushina-san, what was the purpose of your… actions?" the Hokage questioned. Kushina pursed her lips and finally decided to just tell him.

"I'm a prankster. I like pranking people."

There was a scoff from the side of the room and Kushina blinked as she noticed Danzō being the one to interrupt.

"She was probably trying to harm the civilians."

Before she could even control herself, she was already shouting. "Was not, ttebane!"

Danzō frowned at her and Kushina refused to back down from his glare.

"You are but a mere Jailor to the Kyuubi, an outsider, easily replaced. Don't push your luck, girl."

Something wrenched within Kushina's chest and she felt the stinging within her eyes and a lump form within her throat. Her home this time around had been annihilated and now it seemed like Konoha was just a temporary place, easily able to kick her out if she needed to be replaced. She felt utterly alone and like a tool. Easily replaceable.

"Enough Danzō!" The Hokage snapped, watching the hurt look fade from the redheads face. She was a strong willed one.

"As punishment for using…your pranking device on the civilians, you'll be doing message runs for anyone that needs to send letters for an entire two weeks."

That didn't seem like a bad punishment at all and Kushina watched as Danzō scoffed and left the room. He was furious that she didn't get a harsher punishment. Turning back towards the Hokage, she couldn't help but look surprised when he slightly smiled her way.

"Do keep your pranking temptations to a minimum, Kushina-chan."

She nodded with an odd look on her face before leaving the room. She had expected something much worse, not this.

A smile suddenly crept onto her face.

Oh, she would do a bit more pranking in the near future then.

Tonegawa Rie: I tried making it a bit longer, but what I have planned will just be too much in this chapter. As for fangirl, nope, will not do. Kushina and Sakura have, in a way, merged and you can see her starting to develop into her tomboy attitude and of course, that Temper of Redheads (I'm a redhead and have quite the temper) but I'll try and see if I can make chapters longer.