Well here we are with chapter 9 of Misty Vortex. I have to say that I've enjoyed all the feedback people have given me, and I'm happy to say that with 25 reviews, 70 followers, 58 favorites, one community, and over three thousand views, that this story is loved, and appreciated. Thank you all for your support, and I am extremely happy to say that this story is such a success. You all are the reason for this. So thank you.
For those of you who reviewed, here is a response from me to you.
Chi4ngo: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, as I thought I might as well add in some fluff into the mix at one point. As for Shikaku, it was due to not only his open mind, and the fact that Kasumi had no reason to lie to her that he believed her, and learning that she was reincarnated isn't that hard to believe in a world where throwing the elements around like nothing is common.
InazumaSenshi: Yes Inazuma-San! Let their flames of youth spread to all around them while in their youthful relationship!
Kani-leek-lover: Yep, she finally spills the beans, and she was supposed to be a character to sympathize with. It's a bit cliche to have a character with a bad past, but their is a reason why they are best for character development. With Shikaku, it was, as with Chi4ngo, he has an open mind, and that with the Shinobi world, Reincarnation is small in comparison. Glad you liked that part as well though, and I hadn't planned for the two to get together, but that's just how things are I guess. As for Kushina, and Mito, I'm sorry to say that Mito may very well end up not knowing, but Kushina will eventually. It's just hidden something like that could either make someone like Kushina break down, and get extremely angry, or break down, and sympathize with Kasumi. That's why Kasumi hesitates. Hope this explained some things.
Ok! With that out of the way, let's get to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except non-cannon events, and characters. Please support the official releases.
Kasumi let out a sigh as she realized that she couldn't remember much else except for that one single day. No matter what she did, her memories would lock up. Sure she could remember all the good things, but when she tried to remember the rest... It didn't work. It was frustrating to say the least, but when she talked to Shikaku about it, he had stated that it may be because whatever had given her a second chance figured she would be happier not knowing. It frustrated the girl to no end, but she seemed to realize that she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, so she simply gave up on it.
That's how another year passed to where war was declared. It was a complete shock to everyone in Konoha. Steps were taken for war to be stopped, and treaties to be formed between villages that were at each other's throats for a time. The fact that Iwa, one of the villages that was to be an ally of Konoha much to both sides surprise, had suddenly attacked a border town in Hi no kuni. That was literally all it took for war to be declared by the Sandaime, which pitted Konoha against three of the hidden villages. Iwa, Kumo and Kiri. The first two being the stronger of the three, but Kiri being the most bloodthirsty.
Due to war being declared, all of the Genin were training even more then normal, and Minato had started Fūinjutsu, to which he was trying something that even Kasumi was hesitant to do. That would be recreating the Hirashin that the Nidaime Hokage had created. Both Kushina and Kasumi were hesitant to let the blonde try this out on his own, but in the end the boys nature caused the two girls to concede, no matter how much they disagreed with him.
In turn Kasumi was taking her Fūinjutsu studies to a whole new level as she plowed through whatever was given to her. It was scary in Mito's opinion, but the drive that the girl gained from the little fact that a war was going on... It just hoped you how much a person can grow when they have a goal.
If that wasn't bad enough, Kushina was working just as hard. Mito knew she didn't have much time left, a year at most at this point, so if she continued on the path she was going, the other side of this war would be sorry when it came to even thinking about to pick a fight with Konoha. The next generation is always going to be stronger then the last, but this generation, in Mito's opinion, could very well surpass even her generation, which consisted of the strongest Shinobi she had ever seen such as Uchiha Madara, Senji Hashirama, and Senju Tobirama, the three that founded Konoha along side her.
The old Uzumaki gave a reminiscent sigh at the thought of her late Husband and brother in law. The two couldn't have been more different, and they both had become Hokage. Hashirama was so much like Kushina at times that it hurt, but other times, the girl was nothing like the Shodai Hokage. The man was boisterous and low, but then there was the fact that certain words, or comments, could easily send him into an almost brooding mode. It put a smile n her face just thinking about it.
Tobirama on the other hand, was more like Kasumi now that Mito thought about it. Kasumi, despite her best tries, could never get Kushina to do anything she needed to do unless the girl wanted to do it herself. Tobirama tended to be the more mature of the two, and it if she didn't know better, she would have said that the two were reborn into the Uzumaki clan as Kasumi and Kushina. They fitted the picture, and if Kushina did end up as Hokage, she wouldn't be surprised if Kasumi ended up as Hokage as well.
They just gave off that type of feeling.
Mito turned from her reminiscent thoughts towards Kasumi, who had just been knocked down by Kushina. She was bruised all over, you could even see the injuries, and even Kushina had a lot of injuries due to the sneaky and fast attacks that Kasumi pulled out of her hat at random times. Despite is, however, Kasumi wobbled to her feet, and got into her Taijutsu stance once again, this one being where the girl was crouched down to the ground, one hand in front of her pointing down, two finger out, while the other was behind her pointing up with a flat Palm.
Mito watched with interest, as the two sisters went at each other once again, Kushina's brut like Taijutsu versus Kasumi's more agile form of firing. Mito swore she saw the brothers once again when they started to taunt each other during their fight, but it disappeared just as quick when the old Uzumaki shook her head.
With the fight, however, Kushina charged at Kasumi with her brute like style, but the younger girl ducked to the side, and sent a palm struck to the older girls chest. Both were battered and bruised at this point, but despite this they continued to fight, shown by when Kushina landed a strong punch to the side of Kasumi's head. The younger girl in response sent a palm forward, to where she rolled the next attack out of the war by hitting her sisters wrists to send the attacks to the side.
Kushina growled in annoyance at the fact she couldn't land a hit, before she sent out a kick towards Kasumi, which caused the younger girl to trip. Rolling onto her side to avoid another kick, Kasumi quickly got up, and sent a set of three quick strikes to Kushina's chest, which was followed by a punch to the gut from said girl at the same time. The two were knocked back a few feet once again, before they charged at each other, and sent a punch into the others cheek.
The two froze for a second, before they fell backwards onto the group panting. The older of the two wasn't panting as much as Kasumi, that much being obvious she to the almost dog like panting she was doing, but both girls were still exhausted.
"That... was... a tie... right?" Kushina asked in between her panting.
Kasumi didn't answer for a second, but she eventually gave a tired "Uh huh." as a yes. Neither girl even tried to get up from eir positions on the floor, a few times they even almost fell asleep. Despite this, however, Kasumi had a grin on her face.
She tied with Kushina in a physical contest! Well, Kushina would have easily won if she had something more then a brawling Taijutsu style, but still, she tied! Not once did Kasumi think she would be able to tie with her sister in a Taijutsu fight, but she knew not to hold it over her sisters head. Given a single day, Kushina would be right back to beating her up, and then Kasumi would have to try even harder to get stronger once again, until eventually Kushina managed to get somewhere that Kasumi wouldn't be able to get to. No matter how hard you train, a ninjutsu master would never be as good at Taijutsu as a Taijutsu master.
At the same time, Kushina would never be as good at strategy as Kasumi. The younger Uzumaki's abilities lay in where her mind was involved. Whether it was seals, strategy, or even the creation of jutsu. She even had a few ideas for a new Suiton jutsu, but she didn't know what she would do about it yet. She didn't even know if her elemental affinity was for Suiton. Uzumaki tended to be either Suiton or Futon, but she was almost certain she would be able to use both, even if one isn't as strong as the other. She knew that with her mindset, she would struggle to make a new Jutsu due to the fact that the wind was so hard to control. Water tended to have a set path, something that Kasumi knew would be easier to understand, as it was uniform. Kushina, on the other hand, was someone that loves to fly off the handle when she could.
There really was no doubt that Kushina was a Futon affinity. Her nature just screamed wind.
Who knows though. For all Kasumi knew, she could be the second coming of the Nidaime Hokage, with his ridiculously strong Suiton affinity. If she came anywhere close to that type of power with a single affinity, then Kasumi knew she wouldn't want to get any stronger. She didn't want to leave everyone else behind after all. They were her second family, and if she left them behind, she didn't know what she would be able to do. That's just how the girl thought.
With another pant, Kasumi struggled to sit up, and she said "K... Kushina. L-let's... Get some sleep."
Kushina gave a sound of agreement as she sat up as well, before both girls fell backwards, passing out. Mito gave a tired sigh at the two girls, but she picked them up none the less, and carried them towards their rooms. Despite her age she was still incredibly strong, and no one would say otherwise either.
She just wished she was younger so that the two wouldn't lose their grandmother so soon.
Early the next day, Kasumi and Kushina were both sitting at their desk in the academy, their heads pressed on the hard desktop in front of them. Every once in awhile one of the two would groan, while the other was completely silent. Their friends, which were around them, were looking at the two with worried expressions. Finally after a few minutes of silence, Minato asked "Um... Are you two alright?"
"Never again." The sisters stated at e same time without lifting their heads up "To tired to care..."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow at Kushina and Kasumi "Did you two over train yourselves or something? If that's the case, I would have thought Kushina, at least, would be up."
Kasumi shifted her head a bit to show that her eyes were a dark Violet at the moment "We decided to try and fight Mito-obachan to test our strength..."
Kasumi thumped her head against the desk once again as she let that float through the air, an obvious wince went through the group. No matter what anyone said, Mito was not weak. Despite her age, she easily beat the two kids, and she hadn't even broken a sweat. The 12, and 10 year old both knew now that Uzumaki Mito was not someone to trifle with.
Shikaku let out a sigh "Let me guess, Kushina challenged her, and you got dragged into it. Am I right Kasumi."
While Kushina lifted an arm and flipped the bird in Shikaku's general direction, Kasumi gave a thumbs up towards him. The Nara chuckled in response, but none the less he got his answer, and honestly it was predictable. Kasumi got dragged into a lot of things Kushina did, even if she didn't want to get involved. The biggest example, and most recent, was with the fight against Mito. Kasumi probably didn't want to even think about fighting the older Uzumaki, yet Kushina seemed to be able to drag her into it anyway. It was a surprise the two could even get to the academy after what happened no doubt.
Mito didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'Go easy on them'.
At the same time, Mito was in the Hokage tower, an sad look on her face as she sat in front of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the student of the Nidaime Hokage, and the Shinobi no Kami. Both were well into their year, but Hiruzen was still close to thirty years younger then Mito was. Despite this, however, both of them got along greatly, even if the current situation would dismiss that idea.
"So..." Hiruzen stated as he released some smoke from the pipe he had in his mouth "What is it you wished to talk to me about Mito-sama?"
Despite the question, the look in the Sandaime's eyes showed that he knew what this conversation was going to be about. This was confirmed when Mito let out a deep sigh.
"Enough with the crap Hiruzen. You know why I'm here. Jiraiya needs to come back and soon. I don't know how much I have left in me." Mito stated "It's just... I don't wish this on Kushina. I wish there was a way to let me keep this burden instead of having the older of the sisters take it from me."
Hiruzen gave a somber nod in response "I understand Mito-sama, but the council refuses to budge on this subject. We have no choice in the matter, unless you wish to set the Kyuubi free, but even then another village could very well seal it into one of their children to use against us."
Mito put her head into her heads "Why must the ones we love always suffer the most? Every one an Uzumaki has every loved has suffered, and yet again, my loved ones must suffer. First Hashirama, then Tobirama... Now Kushina. I pray that nothing happens to Kushina, and Kasumi, or anyone they love, for it seems a curse of pain is the fate of the Uzumaki."
Hiruzen didn't say anything towards the older woman, as he knew nothing he said would convince her otherwise. She was set in her belief that all who an Uzumaki loves will suffer. History even seemed to prove this, as the Uzuamki clan was wiped from existence except for Kushina and Kasumi. Mito was still here, and even she had suffered by loss of her husband, his brother, and their child. Their granddaughter lost her brother, and her lover in the second war, which was the same war that she was named a Sannin. Every time someone an Uzumaki loved was attacked at one point.
There was no doubt that Uzuamki had the worst luck when it came to such cases.
Hiruzen sent a soft look towards the wife of his teacher's brother and said "I will do whatever I can to make sure they stay safe Mito-sama. I know I cannot promise you that nothing will happen to them, but I will try my best for them, and any other clansmen that manage to arrive in Konoha."
The old Uzumaki sent a soft smile back in return, as she said "Thank you Hiruzen. I wish the girls have a happy life when I finally leave this plan of existence, and I know you will help provide that. Do not let them be to involved in the coming war. I fear that they will become a target due to their heritage. No one knows that I'm not the only Uzumaki alive after all."
The Sandaime gave another smile, and a nod, before mito left the room, leaving Hiruzen to think over her words. She was, unfortunately, right about the apparent curse of pain that the Uzumaki seemed to have, but he wasn't going to let it strike on Kushina and Kasumi, if at all.
With a shake of his head, the Hokage looked towards his desk with a look of dread. With a grimace he said "So we meet again my nemesis..."
With a groan, he started to work on the pile of paper work on his desk once more.
Back at home, Mito had gained a thoughtful look, but it quickly disappeared when the front door was heard being opened up, followed by a yell of "Where home Dattebane!"
"Do you always have to yell dattebate?!" The voice of Kasumi yelled right back, which was followed by a groan.
"Your both to loud..." The voice of who was obviously Shikaku stated.
Not even a second later, both sisters had yelled once again "WHAT WAS THAT DATTEBANE/DATTEBATE?!"
A softer voice let out a laugh as the voice of Minato said "Maybe we shouldn't be so loud? Mito-sama could be asleep for all we know."
"With all their yelling, they probably woke up half the village at this point." Shikaku's lazy drawl stated, though you could hear the smirk in his tone.
Mito, deciding to go greet the children at this point, walked into the halls, a smile on her face "Kushina, Kasumi. Welcome back. I see you've brought friends as well."
Kushina gave a large grin towards Mito, but Kasumi had a furrowed brow. Something wasn't right with Mito, that much was obvious, but she knew that if she came right out and said anything, and Mito would deny it right away no matter what anyone said. The younger Uzumaki was worried, no doubt about that, but the real question would be as to what the problem was.
Kasumi sent Mito one last critical stare, before she sent a side glance towards Shikaku, who also seemed to notice. He gave a subtle shake of his head towards her, but nothing more then that. The message though, was received by Kasumi, and she just side in response.
"Mito-Obachan." Kasumi stated with a grin "Would it be alright if they stayed over for the night?"
Mito gave a smile along with a no, but it was a bit obvious to the rest now that she wasn't completely there. Before anyone could ask her what was Wrong, Kasumi dragged them away with a smile, and a thanks. When they arrived in a private room, Kasumi turned towards them, Kushina having a confused look, but she didn't say anything.
"Kushina." Kasumi stated with a soft tone "I don't know what's wrong with Mito-Obachan, but I know she won't tell us..."
Kushina gave a frown towards her sister "Then what should we do?"
The younger Uzumaki gave a look towards the boys, or more specifically Shikaku. The boy gave a simple nod, though there was an obvious sigh trying to break through, and he turned away from Kasumi.
"We wait and see if she wants to tell us herself."
Kind of anti-climactic end right? Well, it's mainly for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that I've been stressed out with my classes recently, which is making me wish I didn't have so many AP classes, and en there's the fact that I'm helping my girlfriend, the owner of this account, rewrite the first story on this account. It's a RWBY fanfic for those interested, but anyway, back to other topics.
I think of this chapter as a bust honestly. There really wasn't much plot boosting with this chapter, and then there's the fact that it was anti-climactic at the end, but in all, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, as I was kind of disappointed by it, as I know I can do better, whatever the case, here is the end of chapter 9, and I hope you all enjoyed it.
Question time!
What do you think Kasumi's blocked memories involve?
What do you think will be the first thing to happen in the war with the siblings?
Are the progress rates by the Genin realistic with their new drive?
What did you think of Mito comparing Kasumi and Kushina to Tobirama and Hashirama?
What did you think of Kasumi's Affinity assessment?
Did you find the aftermath of the Mito VS siblings fight funny?
Did the Uzumaki curse make sense?
That's it for questions till next time!