Note: I own nada. Wish I did.
Wow...I've been gone for so long. Not what I planned and still not sure on how soon I can keep posting. A lot has happened. I have two jobs (3 with cleaning my dads workshop) and Online college. It's hard, really hard, to find time for myself and especially my family.
Chapter: I had this half written like, months ago, and just couldn't figure out where to go with it. This is shorter, but I wanted to get this out, really.
Pairing: Kushina x Minato
No flames please, constructive criticism if you must. I really would like thoughts/opinions and so forth, not a 'this sucks' type of review.
This Story: will never be abandoned, it just goes with my muse (Who has been non existent for a long time... seriously...
Drifting Blossom Chapter Twelve
The envelope tasted disgusting as Kushina sealed it shut. Pulling it away from her face, she stared at the heavy package, shoulders feeling like a heavy weight settled upon them. Tsunade had requested more medical seals not too long ago and it worried her. Even though there wasn't an all out war yet, there were still scuffles when one side pushed a bit too much. Getting up from the desk, she paused and then sighed heavily when the seals to the compound went off once again.
"Minato… those seals might be the death of you…" she murmured before heading towards the front door. He had been trying since the beginning of the week to figure out what class she was taking. That being, he was trying to figure out about the Sabotage class. And with Kushina living in the Senju compound, he probably thought it might give him a clue as to what she was doing. Yet the seals just weren't letting him get in.
Opening the front door, Kushina stared at the blonde figure that had tried to hide before he could be caught. With a snort, she descended the stairs and placed the package into the mailbox, knowing that it would be picked up as soon as the seal within alerted the postal service of its presence. The perks of knowing seals still happened to amaze her.
It was honestly quite sad that they didn't have access to them in her other life.
Pausing close to where she knew Minato was, Kushina pursed her lips before smirking.
"You're running out of time Minato-san."
Said boy fell out of the brush he had dove into and gave Kushina a wide eyed look that just begged her to tell him what he wanted to know. With an eye roll, Kushina turned on her heel and went on her way, leaving Minato to do whatever he was doing to figure out what her class was about.
Shibi and Hizashi had finally found a third person for them to compete in the Chuunin exams with.
It didn't take her long to reach the Akimichi restaurant that Shibi had informed her of the other day. It was the exact same one that had been around in Sakura's earlier years before the first invasion during their Chuunin exams. She also knew that Chōji had loved that place, seeing that it was an Akimichi restaurant and had amazing food.
A bell went off as Kushina slid the door open. Walking into the warm atmosphere, she couldn't help but breathe in the delicious smelling food that made her mouth water. She already had an order of a cup of tea and dango in mind.
Finding Hizashi was easy, with his long hair and white eyes. The striking resemblance between father and son was uncanny and something that reminded Kushina of the reasons she knew she had to change what she could. Shibi sat next to him and Kushina could make out a mop of dark brown hair, their new partner sitting before them and turned away from her.
A small dog caught her eye, just out of the puppy stage but in a way, not quite so. Black and white fur, wolfish looking and wagging his tail happily. The one with messy brown hair turned at the sudden bark their dog gave and Kushina felt surprise course through her body.
She knew that person.
Tsume Inuzuka, eventual Clan leader and mother to Hana and Kiba.
Bright red triangle marks adorned the girl's cheeks and her brown eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kushina before a toothy grin took over her face.
"If it isn't the feisty red head I've been hearing about from the academy kids!"
She stood up and Kushina moved closer, coming to a stop as Tsume stuck her hand out. Looking up at the taller female, Kushina took her hand and shook it.
"Inuzuka, right?" She said, getting an even wider grin full of teeth.
"Right! I'm Tsume Inuzuka and this is my partner Kuromaru." She stated, grin not fading as she rubbed the dogs head with affection. Kuromaru huffed before bowing his head towards Kushina in greeting.
"Kushina Uzumaki." She returned the greeting with a smile.
Both sat down across from Hizashi and Shibi. They spoke about small things, Kushina questioning how the Inuzuka clan was doing before drinks and food were ordered. Tsume had an attitude, just like her future self had and she took no bullshit from people. It made Kushina respect the older girl all the more. The self confidence Tsume held was something that Kushina wished she had had at another point in time.
"Are you ready for the Chuunin exams Tsume-san?" Kushina finally asked, unable to keep the question at bay any longer. Tsume paused, looking unsure for a second before a nasty grin spread across her face.
"I hope the other teams are ready for the sheer power of this team!" She confidently stated, chest puffing up. Kushina could see Kiba right then and there, with that exact confidence streak.
"Your strengths can play off of each other, especially with the strong tracking abilities of all of you." Kushina slipped in, watching as all three suddenly realized something.
"Huh… hadn't thought of that one at first." Tsume murmured. "Thanks for that tip."
"It seems like an option to exploit." Hizashi agreed and Shibi simply inclined his head.
"Tsume also shall be joining Hizashi and I for training along with an instructor. Not during Rei-sensei's class, but outside of that so we can learn how to work together." Shibi quietly stated. Kushina couldn't help but smile at them.
"Well, I'm glad that you guys found a teammate that will help you throughout the exam. And Tsume-san," the girl said, turning to address the brunette. "Take care of them please, and it was a pleasure meeting you."
Tsume sniffed at that and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll get them back to you in one piece."
Kushina laughed, shaking her head as she stood from her seat. Placing her money down, she bid them farewell and left the restaurant.
Ooooo
Breathing in a deep breath, Kushina moved about the room with a concentrated furrow to her brow. She was in the basement of the Senju clan's compound. In that basement was the main seal for the entire compound. It was enormous, scrawling along the floors and climbing up the walls to the ceiling with intricate locks and enhancers.
The Enhancers powered the layers, enhancing a certain attribute that the seal called for. She could understand a lot of it, but putting it altogether, she would have to start from the center and work her way out. It would take her months to figure out every single little detail that this seal offers. With a frustrated sigh, she ran a hand through her long locks, wondering if she should even attempt to mess with something so powerful and detailed.
All she wanted was to make the seal accept certain people that she keyed into the inner workings. Shaking her head, Kushina simply turned on her heel and walked out of the room. It would be a headache and a half to even start right now.
Moving about the kitchen, she set to making herself dinner. She was in the mood for some homemade ramen. As she was preparing the noodles, the seal to the compound went off again and Kushina looked up at the glowing symbol on the ceiling. She pursed her lips at the secondary color peaking past the normal blue light.
That faint red undertone to the usual blue glow had her pondering about it. Mito-san never told her anything about the colors. Maybe she should look around for notes on the seals that protected the compound. There has to be some within the compound somewhere. Maybe a blueprint of the seal was lying around in the library or something.
With a jolt, she went back to making the noodles, placing the subtle difference out of mind.
As she placed everything together, Kushina pondered over all the possible seals within the library. She needed to figure out how to create a Bunshin or something, especially along the lines of a shadow clone. Naruto had abused them and when she had finally heard about their perks, she felt jealousy course through her. Not at Naruto, but at the ability to continue to learn and get stronger, where as Sakura, she felt like her potential had peaked and come to a plateau.
She needed to ask Rei-sensei about learning a clone technique for herself.
Ooooo
Rei-sensei stared down at Kushina, eyes narrowed as she thought over the girl's request. Kushina had sought her out after the academy that day and had questioned her about a Kage bunshin. With the amount of chakra the girl had, Rei doubted that it would even affect her like a normal Shinobi. Mulling it over for a good minute or two, she finally nodded her head.
"As long as you realize that not everyone has chakra levels like you do. No one under the ranking of Jōnin is allowed to be taught this for good reason. Understand?"
"Understood Sensei!" Kushina proclaimed, eyes filled with determination and anticipation. She was finally going to learn that clone technique.
"Alright." Rei-sensei began. "Instead of a simple Kage bunshin, I'll be teaching you a Doton Kage Bunshin."
Kushina blinked and then her eyes widened in excitement. She could put so many seals upon a Doton Kage Bunshin.
Going over the hand signs, Kushina quickly memorized them, shifting through the signs in quick succession over and over again. Rei-sensei then told her to add chakra once Kushina repeated the signs for a good fifteen minutes. Having already been outside the academy in trying to find her sensei, she did as Rei-sensei suggested and her excitement shifted a bit at the odd feeling in her chakra. She could feel the pull, which would have been taxing on her reserves once upon a time, but in this body, she could barely feel that tug. Her chakra reserves would make her a chakra powerhouse.
Seals also offered her a wider amount of options and it was just reading and learning about seals that would take her some time.
A clone seemed to form from the dirt before her, slow because of her first time using the jutsu. It morphed, dirt shifting into an odd blob before it surged upwards, forming a human and taking the shape and coloring as Kushina once the chakra stabilized.
It was an odd thing, seeing herself standing before her.
Brilliant red hair fell around a still chubby, but thinning face. Her yellow outfit on the clone as well and a smiling face greeted her.
"Ready whenever you are ttebane!"
And it had her verbal tic too. Kushina frowned at the Doton clone, scowling at the simple verbal tic that grated on her nerves when she said it too often. She hoped they wouldn't overuse that tic or it would drive the girl insane, seeing that she had to deal with holding that verbal tick back herself.
Rei-sensei pursed her lips and shook her head. The girl could pick up jutsu with very little trouble. She wouldn't be surprised if she was recruited for the front lines, a heavy hitter. She was going to be incredibly hard to defeat, especially once fully developed and years of experience.
Kushina reached forward with a hand, her clone copying her and they weaved their hands loosely together. With a slight grimace and furrowed brows, a seal formed upon the clones palm. Letting go, the clone gave a salute and a cheeky grin before dashing off.
Kushina mentally counted down, watching as a small flash went off on the clones palm before she burst into shards of frozen dirt. The memories were unpleasant, but easy to adjust to, seeing that it didn't cause physical pain.
Rei-sensei simply sighed, knowing that the girl would probably experiment with seals now that she had this ability.
"Don't go abusing your clones all the time now." She chided, unable to hide a smirk on her face as well as getting an eye roll from the Uzumaki. The girl wasn't about to listen to that order.
Rei-sensei then left the girl to her own devices, Kushina constantly going over the jutsu and producing more than the normal person.
Kushina finally called it quits for the night, heading back towards the compound when a head of blonde hair caught her attention in the soft lighting around the compound entrance. Minato stood before the entrance, leaning against the large archway that Hashirama Senju must have created. The large trunks were woven together, leaves sprouting from branches that jutted out from the trunks at random places. Within the trees, seals could be seen, emitting a soft golden light.
Bright blue eyes bore into her as she walked closer and Kushina couldn't help but flush underneath his scrutinizing gaze. He looked a bit ethereal in the soft glow of the seals as well, making Kushina falter in her step before regaining her confidence just as soon as it had left. Coming to a stop before him, she found herself looking at a smug face.
Kushina had never seen that look cross the blondes face before and amusement rose within her.
She pursed her lips, eyes taking in that look of confidence and eagerness.
"Minato-san." She greeted and Minato pushed off the archway, folding his arms over his chest.
"Kushina-san. I believe I have found out about that class of yours."
Kushina's brow rose. "Oh?" she questioned, looking at him with a slight tilt to her lips. "And what might that be?"
He wavered for a mere second before taking a breath. "I believe your class is about Sabotage."
Kushina paused, her mind going blank before a slight frown tugged at her lips. How in the world did he even figure that out? Looking back to Minato, she noticed his faltering look. Having not answered him right away, he had started to second guess himself. It was hilarious because, from the time she had first met him, he has never been wrong before.
"I'm surprised." Kushina finally responded, a smile making its way across her face. "I didn't think you'd find out in time."
Minato flushed and then rubbed the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. Kushina's heart stuttered, her own face warming as she recognized that movement from the future.
"Honestly? I just guessed."
Kushina waivered, her flush dying down as she instantly gave him a dead panned look.
"Well, let's see if I teach you anything then." And stalked past him and into the compound, where he couldn't follow.
"K-Kushina-san! I was joking!" he cried out behind her, looking frantic. "Kushina-san!"
She could let him live with that for the night.
Ooooo
Months passed, Kushina barely hearing from Tsunade in letters. Nawaki had dinner with her every so often along with some training and other days went well. Teaching Minato seals was hard, but at the same time easy. He was picking it up slowly but surely, just having to work from the very beginning and very carefully. He didn't have the healing properties of the Kyuubi or an Uzumaki.
She also let him use the Sealing Ink with her blood in it. Uzumaki blood always made the best seals, with their vitality properties.
The academy classes seemed to have picked up the pace as well. Class material was shifted into third and fourth academy years, cramming it all into their workload. The scuffles started to become all out fights, war just around the corner and a frightening concept. Kushina wasn't looking forward to this war at all.
Mikoto was being trained even further in the Uchiha clan's ways. The tension was building and she could see and feel it. The civilians whispered in the streets, giving worried glances to one another and prices on Shinobi equipment happened to be going up. Everything was going up with the sight of war on the horizon.
Her sabotage class was getting tougher each day and she was making great progress on the jutsu Hiding like a mole. Their teamwork was put to the test with Rei-sensei always attacking them when given the opportunity. It was getting difficult to defend one another when Rei-sensei attacked, using counters and their abilities against one another.
Kushina had ended up at the end of a Jūken, Rei-sensei having substituted with her at the last second. It was painful, taking a chakra filled strike to her left collarbone area.
Kushina had never fought with a Hyūga before and this just made her not want to fight one ever again. Hizashi's hit wasn't exactly soft either.
Shibi's Kikaichu had slammed into the red head in an attempt to swarm their sensei. Most of them had gotten tangled in her hair and Kushina still gagged when she recalled some kikaichu ending up in her mouth.
Kushina had accidently hit both Hizashi and Shibi with her chakra chains. With the will to solidify them or simply have them pass through things, she forgot to switch them to phasing mode and had knocked them off their feet. Both had been winded and dazed from that hit, looking at her with wide eyes.
They had all been at the end of each other's attacks, by accident or because of Rei-sensei playing them against one another.
Mikoto groaned loudly in class, her eyes drooping as she took in the board. They had a lot of tactical lessons today along with academy drills. They were being pushed and already half the civilian kids had dropped out from the increased work. They couldn't handle it, especially with the worried parents pulling some of their kids from the academy. They let their children do as they pleased but the sight of war breaking out had some unwilling to let their children continue their nonsense.
The academy teacher interrupted the class with a cough, causing everyone's attention to instantly shift, eyes wide as they fell silent. Kushina found a knot suddenly shifting within her stomach as she took in that grim face.
"The graduating class this year and those that are a year right behind them are being pushed to graduate within the month. We are short on supply runners. We need all available Genin and those to be graduating, out in the field while our main force is focused on the attacks." He spoke, voice solemn before his gaze shifted towards Kushina.
A shiver slid down her back as his brows furrowed. With a brief glance down at his desk, he then stood up straighter.
"Kushina Uzumaki, I have a test for you from Rei-san. She specifically requested that you take it today and to take it seriously."
Her mouth went dry as she realized what might possibly be happening. Shibi and Hizashi were already graduates. They had chosen infiltration as their main focus and as a result, had to take the classes before being assigned a sensei and a full team.
Standing from her seat, she felt like the world was closing in on her as she descended down the steps to the teachers desk. Grasping the large paper packet being handed to her, she was then told to go sit at the desk outside the room.
Sliding the door close behind her, she found her eyes taking in the large paper packet. Hands clenching tightly around it, she then sighed and sat down at the desk next to the classroom door.
The questions were easy and progressively grew harder and harder, yet nothing was out of her range of knowledge. This was Sakura's specialty.
By the time she finished the paper, class had already ended and she stood, hand stiff from writing and legs aching from having sat for so long. With a heavy sigh, she returned to the room and set the packet down in front of her sensei. He glanced at her before rubbing his forehead, shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I wish you luck Kushina-san…" he murmured before the girl bowed respectfully and left the room.
Mikoto tackled Kushina as soon as she passed the academy threshold, eyes wide in wonder and curiosity making itself known.
"What was that about? What was in the packet? Hopefully it wasn't some insane kind of test."
A laugh escaped Kushina before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Rei-sensei just making sure I'm keeping up with my class if anything." Yet that didn't settle well with Kushina herself. They were training to be infiltrators, what better way to gain experience than during war?
And what about Nawaki? He was supposed to be graduating within the month now, which wasn't something that Kushina was looking forward to. Tsunade had lost him once, she won't let her lose him again if she could help it.
Oooo
Nawaki stared down at his cousin, brows furrowed before his gaze shifted to the stack of seals that were shoved into his chest. He at first refused the packet, thinking his cousin was being over dramatic, but with that scowl and an uncomfortable glare, and maybe some knuckles being cracked, did he finally relent. A smile graced his cousin's face after that.
"Great!" Kushina stated, swiftly combing through a small notebook that she wrote for her cousin. "This tells you exactly which one is which and what it does, memorize it, especially if these seals need to be used on the field." And shoved that into Nawaki's chest as well. The boy fumbled with the packet and notebook before rolling his eyes.
"You're being overdramatic Kushina-chan."
That scowl was back and he simple stuffed the notes haphazardly into his pockets.
"Right, good thinking. Can't be too over prepared!" and he chuckled oddly before sighing.
"How is Dan?" Kushina finally asked and Nawaki shrugged with one shoulder.
"He's alright I guess. Worried about Tsunade of course. I think he's heading out with a team soon, to back up some of the outposts."
Kushina then pulled another stack of seals out, shoving them at Nawaki.
"Where do you even keep these!?" he whined as he looked at them, eyebrows furrowed as he recognized a seal.
"Do you really want to know?" Kushina asked, eyebrow raised and Nawaki shook his head no.
"Is that seal what I think it is?" he finally questioned and Kushina leaned forward, wondering which one he was looking at. With a deadpanned look, she snorted before stepping back.
"If you're referring to the gravity seal, then yes."
Nawaki couldn't help but stare at it, a look crossing his face before Kushina smacked the side of his head.
"No, absolutely no pranking with that one." She snapped, giving him a look. "That one has a large range, meant to stop large groups or, if you're ambushed, it'll give you an opening."
Nawaki sighed, looking hurt that he couldn't use this one.
Both then said their goodbyes, Kushina pulling Nawaki into a fierce hug before she headed back towards the compound, wondering how long it was going to be before Nawaki graduated and she herself was pushed to graduate early.
Gravity Seal: Double layered seal, one for compressing gravity and the other for range.
Forbidden-Hanyou: Thank you so much for the review and just simply getting the gears moving in my head. I kept thinking of updating this but never got around to do it with most of my time revolving around two jobs, and school.
Kushina's and Sakura's souls have merged. She has the pranking, loud mouth, book smart, and more all shoved into one. I didn't want to take anything away from both characters, so I merged them and, sure, they might be Over powered eventually, but she will be pulling others alongside her, so she wont be the only overly powered one.
I took in your suggestion and changed the 'summary' of the story, thoughts on it? I tried finding the correct kind of words to catch peoples interest.
Dattebane- I mostly went with ttebane because I wasn't sure, there were many things on different cites and I figured ttebane would just do with the merging of both these characters.
Altogether, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I'll try getting the next one out soon. I really am sorry that you had to wait this long because I also enjoy writing this and working with the character so much.
Look forward to reviews/suggestions, and so forth!