Wohoo! Got some holidays because of a national festival…..sat down and started typing like crazy on my phone and got this chapter out in three days….WTF?
Ahm…so yeah, so here's the next chapter which is really long, much longer than the previous chapters, so I hope you appreciate my efforts for you guys and review. So with nothing else to say…let's get on with the show ^_^:
Chapter-21-Confessions
'I wonder what extra abilities might have been unlocked with this level…..and I never thought….even Itachi wouldn't have thought of the Rinnegan signifying it's pseudo ascension in this way….pretty interesting doujutsu. And I have to develop my Sharingan too…..probably Jiraiya can help me…oh hehe, his face was to laugh upon when he saw me standing in front of him yesterday. And from that….why hasn't that pervert arrived yet?', thought Kushina in irritation as she picked up Naruto on her back, making her blush when she felt his muscled chest.
'Aahh…..so he has finally come, sometimes I really wonder how Tsunade-sama tolerated his legendary perverseness', thought Kushina as she looked up in the direction of where a shadow was descending towards her.
"THE GREAT JIRAIYA-SAMA HAS ARRIVED KUSHI-CHAN!", he screamed with a large grin on his face only to be met by Kushina's foot, making him fall comically on the ground, a large red imprint of a shinobi footwear on his pained face.
"Shut up you pervert….and why didn't you come early like you were asked to?", asked Kushina with narrowed eyes while a large grin again formed on his face, and before he could retort back his eyes widened as his face immediately became serious upon seeing the extra weight on Kushina's back making Kushina look at him in confusion.
"I-Is that Naruto? Kami…..he's a clone of Minato", said Jiraiya in wonder as he leaned in closer to further inspect the boys features.
"And you would've noticed that if you had even a second to look at him when he needed you the most", spat Kushina with venom in her eyes while Jiraiya lowered his head in shame.
"I told you I'm sorry Kushina…..I had to maintain the spy network and find Orochimaru…..moreover, who do you think informed Sarutobi-sensei about the Akatsuki, I also had to work sometimes as a messenger between sensei & Itachi", said Jiraiya in a quiet voice, much to the surprise of Kushina that how easily his mood could change.
"Don't give me that crap Jiraiya…..you could've atleast checked up on him once….and jiji has even more duties to perform than you, but he atleast cared for Naru-kun whenever he needed it. Kakashi, Kurenai, Anko, Hana & Yugao protected Naru-kun whenever they could, but you were the worst case and I know that the only thing you were interested in was to fuck a woman senseless. And why didn't you or jiji tell Tsunade-sama that Naru-kun was alive?", she said with her voice raising whereas Anko watched the scene with a frown, directed towards Jiraiya. Although the snake mistress respected the guy for he was the legendary toad sannin, but he deserved every ounce of ass-kicking that he had reserved for himself for the past thirteen years.
"Tsunade was deep down in depression…..she had already succumbed herself to gambling & alcohol, we believed that she was not fit mentally to host Naruto's childhood", said Jiraiya as he gazed at Naruto, as if studying his every feature, his every skin cell which he had missed seeing grow these past thirteen years. True, Jiraiya loved his godson very much, and although he hadn't personally seen or talked to Naruto in the past, the stories the ice queens, Kakashi & Hiruzen told him was more than enough to make his respect for the boy go high. The fact that Naruto was the son of his student & Kushina made the boy all the more precious to him.
During his times outside the village, Jiraiya would often wonder how Naruto was fairing in the village. And as if on cue, his inner self, the guilty self would always scream at him-
'YOU WONDER HOW HE'S DOING YOU BASTARD? HOW ABOUT ACTUALLY GOING THERE AND HELP YOUR GODSON!'
But he wanted to keep him safe, and when he came to know first-hand about the Akatsuki, he had increased his time out of the village, often navigating between different spy network locations to get even one bit of information about his godson's seekers. To atleast make sure that Naruto was provided with basic necessities , he often sent large sums of money to Hiruzen from which the boy's stipend was provided to him, but those small sliver of efforts to help the boy still didn't explain his absence from the boy's childhood.
And when the triangular alliance was formed along with activation of Naruto's Rinnegan, he had practically flew back to the village. His eyes had bugged out of his sockets when he had read the message about his godson, activating such a legendary doujutsu, which he had thought that was lost with the death of his student Nagato. Moreover, Sarutobi had told him that he need not stay out of the village now seeing as Itachi & Kisame were already working for him, and thus he had reached the village yesterday for him to receive another jaw breaking shocker: Uzumaki Kushina, the supposed dead mother of his godson, and the most strangest thing was that she did not look one day older than she was thirteen years ago.
"So? You think that the villagers were mentally fit to host his childhood?", she asked while Jiraiya sighed in frustration.
"Look….I know I've made some mistakes and I'm sorry alright! It's not like I don't care for the boy…..you know I love him very much Kushina. I tried to help him in however way I could, just like Sarutobi-sensei…all I ask for is forgiveness and a chance to redeem myself now that my workload of being a spy for Konoha has lessened considerably", he said with narrowed eyes. He was tired of being lectured about this and that….he was not perfect alright! And there was this stupid prediction of the great elder sage and his search for the child of prophecy. When he had found about Nagato possessing the Rinnegan, he was sure that the kid was the supposed child of prophecy who would bring peace to the world of shinobi and put an end to this constant chain of hatred, pain and revenge.
When the kid had died as informed by one of his summons whom he trusted completely, he had lost hope of ever finding the child of prophecy. And then he had found Minato, a genius who came once in generations but he too died thirteen years ago to save the village. So considering all the events, he began to doubt the great elder toad sage's prediction and had begun to believe that true peace can never be found as long as the system of shinobi exists. And suddenly out of nowhere, his godson activates the Rinnegan, igniting his long lost extinguished hopes that the child of prophecy indeed exists.
'A jinchuriki…..son of one of the strongest shinobi & kunoichi in the world…..someone who doesn't give up no matter what happens, someone who's stubbornness of not accepting defeat, someone who possesses the legendary Rinnegan, someone who has beared the scorn & hate of thousands of people and still comes out of it with a smile and most importantly…. my godson. Naruto, if you aren't the child of prophecy then I will truly believe that there is no such thing as peace', thought Jiraiya as he gazed at Naruto in a daze while Kushina watched him quietly. She did understand that Jiraiya had his own share of misery in his life, so she just decided to keep quiet and let it slide seeing as he did care for her son and it was mainly Naruto who would decide whether to accept Jiraiya or not.
Meanwhile Anko stood up a bit shakily as she was low on chakra and stood besides the pair while Jiraiya have her a nod of acknowledgement with a smile and got a huff in return making him chuckle.
"Oh c'mon Anko-chan…are you angry with me too?", said Jiraiya with a fake hurt tone in his voice making Anko & Kushina roll their eyes.
"Ramen…..ramen", the group sweatdropped as Naruto continued to mumble.
"I guess he really takes after you Kushina", said Jiraiya with a smile while Kushina nodded with a fond smile as she held him tighter to her while Anko looked suspiciously at Kushina & Naruto.
'Guess we were right after all…there IS something lovey-dovey going on between these two, but that was expected considering how much Kushina-nee loved him even before he was born. We always thought that if the age difference was not much, Kushina-nee would've fallen flat for him…..and fate does play a cruel joke sometimes….oh well, there's another addition to Naru-kun's group I guess…..and we have to get back at him for pranking us…oh hehe, who better than to consult Kushina-nee about this, it's time to tell who's the real prankmaster of Konoha', thought Anko with a smile before her stomach groaned making her blush in embarrassment while Kushina chuckled.
"Oooh…..are you hungry Anko-chan? Do you want me to fill you up?", said Jiraiya with a perverted grin but before Anko could kick his ass, Kushina beat her to it by kicking Jiraiya across the village.
"PERVERT!"
And there went the flying projectile form of the legendary sanin: Jiraiya with a bruised jaw as he crossed the village.
"That idiot…let's go Anko-chan, we should get something to eat, Naru-kun is hungry too", said Kushina while Anko gave her a pouty expression.
"Can we eat dango this time Kushina-nee-chan? Please?", pleaded Anko with puppy dog eyes making Kushina smile at her occasional childishness making her sigh as she chuckled.
"Alright Anko-chan….let's go", said Kushina with a smile while Anko whooped with joy before the trio shunshined out.
Konoha: Gohan District: Dumpling's Palace
"Ah…..this is what we call heaven….stomach full of delicious dango", said Anko with a grin as she patted her stomach while Naruto too sat there, fully filled but had an annoyed expression on his face.
"I'd say ramen is still the best", he said making Anko glare at him as he glared back causing sparks of electricity to form between their eyes while Kushina just sweatdropped at their antics as she continued to slowly eat the dumplings, she wasn't that hungry after all.
"Can it you two….stop acting like kids", said Kushina with a glare making them stop immediately as they still glared at each other. We find the trio sitting around a table in a restaurant, which was filled with civilians & shinobi who too were either eating or just chatting with each other, and hence the reason Kushina had made Kurenai apply a high level genjutsu on her this morning so that those who didn't knew that she was alive would see Kurenai in place of her. Meanwhile, almost all the civilians & shinobi there were staring at Anko with wide open mouths. She was an ice-queen, usually had a cold expression on her face and today, she was acting like a giddy teenager, well she was a teenager but usually didn't act like it. Several decent males had blushes on their faces, entranced by her bright smile which they had seen for the first time while Kushina's genjutsu just showed them a typical cold-faced Kurenai.
However, there were perverts in there too but the trio was ignoring everything else except each other. Several civilian females had blushes on their faces along with hearts in their eyes as they stared dreamily at Naruto while occasionally glaring at Anko & Kushina, probably not knowing about him being a jinchuriki. But Naruto was getting his share of the glares too as the males gazed at him hatefully for his presence as well as sitting with two hot women and possibly corrupting them, he had come here for the first time and it seemed like no one (mostly males) liked his presence except the owners, who knew Anko and didn't held any hatred or grudge towards him.
One bold pervert though stood up from his seat and went to stand in front of Naruto, shadowing his sitting form while Naruto continued to ignore him whereas Kushina & Anko had different reactions as they narrowed their eyes at him.
"Hey you trash…..what do you think you're doing here? Outcasts are not allowed here….and you are no exception, so why don't you just scram and let me take care of these two beautiful women", he said with a perverted grin at the end as he stared hungrily at Anko's form making her cringe in disgust. Just as Kushina & Anko were about to stand and make him lose his nuts, Naruto beat them to it by elbowing the guy where his hardened junior was located very hard, making his eyes bug out in pain while all the other guys cringed at the blow. However he didn't stop there and delivered a quick blurry jaw-crushing uppercut to the pervert making him fly off the ground and crash on a table, the littered food decorating his fucked up form.
All of the people sitting there almost shit themselves when they felt monstrous killing intent flowing in waves, they turned their heads to see Naruto standing with an enraged expression on his face while Kushina & Anko too had stunned expression on their faces.
"You insult me, call me names, spit on me…I can ignore you. BUT IF YOU THINK THAT YOU PERVERTS CAN PICK ON THESE WOMEN JUST FOR YOUR SICK PLEASURE, THEN I DARE YOU DO THAT AGAIN! THE REACTION FROM ME THIS TIME WOULD BE MUCH WORSE!", he said with his voice becoming demonic, his eyes turning red for a moment further scaring the shit out of them as they hurriedly left the place while the females looked at him with dark red blushes, probably thinking that he was defending them too.
Meanwhile Kushina & Anko too had tomato red blushes on their faces to see Naruto defending them, they never knew that he was so protective of them. Yeah, he adored his precious people, but they had no idea that he would go to this length for them.
'Naru-kun…', both thought simultaneously with a smile as they watched him, their hearts bursting with happiness & joy.
'You're my knight….aren't you Naru-kun?', thought Kushina to herself with a giggle snapping Naruto out of his anger when he heard her melodic voice. Calming himself down, he sat back with his arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face while Anko just kept glancing at him, her love for him all the more increasing when she saw him stand up for her & Kushina.
"Something on my face Anko-chan?", he asked with a serious expression while Anko jerked her head, a blush on her face as she smiled nervously.
"N-No..nothing Naru-kun", she said with a smile while Kushina just wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck from behind, both of them not having seen her get off her chair.
"Aww…..you will protect us, wouldn't you Naru-kun?", asked Kushina with a smile as she rubbed her cheek fondly against his, making him blush while Anko giggled at him. Wanting to get out of this embarrassing situation, he shunshined out of her grip in a puff of smoke to stand on the other side of the table making Kushina & Anko pout at him.
"Let's just go & resume our training", he said with a cough to compose himself as he started walking out while Kushina & Anko snickered at his back, making his eyebrows twitch for Ayumi too had apparently thought what he did was cute.
"That was so nice & cute of you Naruto-kun…would you do that for me too if I was in danger?", asked Ayumi in a childish voice making Naruto just want to go in there and kiss her into the oblivion, but settling for looking annoyed. Though he didn't understand, what the fuck was so 'cute' about what he did? His blood had boiled at seeing that man's disgusting stare, the way he was seeing Anko & Kushina made him just want to break every bone in his body. Although he himself sometimes acted like a pervert, but that was only in the presence of Kushina, Ayumi, Anko & Kurenai. He liked them very much, for their personality, for their own traits & quirks which attracted him to their soul, and not just their body. But the fact that they were all hot was just an added bonus to him, but not affecting the fact that he liked them for just who they were.
"Ayumi-chan…you're the strongest bijuu in the world, why the hell would you need my protection?", he asked with irritation, also noticing that an Anbu had poofed in behind him and was talking with Kushina & Anko about something.
"Oh I don't know….maybe from the Akatsuki who wants to take me away from you…I can't live without youuuu", she said again childishly making Naruto blush, his heart soaring with an emotion he couldn't describe, but it was positive that was for sure.
'What's this….feeling?', he thought as he shook his head to compose himself.
"Don't worry Ayumi-chan, I wouldn't let those bastards take you away from me…..I would never leave you", he replied honestly with a determined smile while it was Ayumi's turn to blush as she too felt her heart leaping with joy at his declaration.
'And I would always protect & love you Naruto-kun….just you wait', she thought with a smile as she decided to keep quiet for now seeing as there was a commotion going in the village, streets filled with people who were all heading towards the hokage tower making both of them confuse as to what was going on.
"Naru-kun…", he turned to see Kushina & Anko looking at him with smiles.
"It's time to announce Kushina-nee's arrival to the villagers…we should go", said Anko with a grin while Naruto's eyes widened even if more a second before he smiled back.
"Oh…well um…..you see, well I just don't feel like going you know…..so you guys should go. Besides I have some work to do….", he said with a fake smile which Anko & Kushina immediately picked making them frown.
"Naru-kun….what's the matter?", said Kushina in a concerned tone while Naruto just shook his head, turning away from them as his back faced them.
"Just go Kaa-san, Anko-chan…they would be happy to see you. I don't want to ruin the mood by being there", he said in a sudden emotionless tone making Kushina's & Anko's eyes widen.
"Shutup Naruto! Don't you dare talk like that!", said Kushina with narrowed eyes while Naruto just ignored her.
"It doesn't matter if I talk like that or not….it's just the truth and you know it. For the villagers & the shinobi alike, you have just returned to the village after thirteen years, and I don't want them to hate you immediately. You have done so much to gain their respect & recognition, and I don't want that to be ruined just because of me…..just because of you associating with me publically", he said, his voice getting colder while Kushina was on the verge of tears, her heart tearing at the fact that her son has to bear such burden, such large amount of hate, he was only thirteen years old for goodness sakes.
'Damn you Minato! Damn you…look how much my son has to bear….damn you', she thought before suddenly taking Naruto in a tight hug from behind, a few tears streaming down her cheeks while Anko just continued to watch them with a sad expression. She understood perfectly what Naruto was feeling right now, she had gone through it, but now she was much accepted in the village because of her elite jounin status and the fact that she was an ice queen, she was recognized much more than before while Naruto status was still the same.
"Naru-kun…please..don't talk like that…it hurts me. Please, come with me…we will bear this together, I don't care about recognition or respect, I just want you…if they hate you, then they have to hate me too", she said in a choked voice, her arms around his form tightening while Naruto had his eyes shadowed with his bangs.
"No…I can't come Kaa-san. That's the main reason….I don't want them to hate you. You don't know the pain of being a jinchuriki, especially mine…..and I would never subject you to that EVER, if that means keeping distance from you in public until I'm recognized….then so be it", he said in a monotone voice as he forcefully got out of the hug and started to walk towards the exit. Kushina grit her teeth, tears falling on the grouund as she clenched her fists by her side, her frustration rising that Naruto was dealing with such a heavy burden alone.
"Why are you being so selfish? Why can't you let me help you…WHY CAN'T YOU LET ME BEAR THIS BURDEN WITH YOU NARUTO?", snapped Kushina, her tears falling while Naruto stopped just before the exit, the streets now becoming empty as the owner too had gone.
"Ayumi-chan is not a burden….she's a gift to me from my father on my first birthday….that's how I see it. It's just that some don't like this gift, some hate it, some want it for their own purposes & some see it as a curse….it's all about how you see it….Kaa-san. It's probably the best gift, which I cherish & love with all my heart….which will help me defeat Akatsuki and the mastermind behind the events thirteen years ago" , he said quietly making Anko's & Kushina's eyes widen. Turning around, he had a grin on his face, his eyes closed while tears were streaming down his face.
"If protecting my precious people is being selfish….then so be it. And as to why…it's because I love you….Kushina-chan, Anko-chan", he said, his grin turning into a smile while Kushina's & Anko's eyes were as wide as they could get, stunned at his declaration. Their mind and heart still processing what he had said…making sure what they heard was true. Meanwhile Kushina was stunned, Naruto had called her by her name for the first time…..her heart filling with unexplainable happiness beyond words….heat rising to her cheeks when her mind registered that he had called her 'Kushina-chan'. Anko too was feeling such foreign emotions….such happiness…was that how you felt upon hearing those three words from the one you loved?
"And besides…", he wiped his face with his forearm, "…one day, they will recognize me…they will love me, just like you Kaa-san…and I promise you that we would stand next to each other proudly, with smiling faces as we gaze upon the village", he said while grinning widely before exiting the restaurant, leaving a still stunned but-happy-beyond-words pair.
Timeskip: Thirty Minutes Later: Konoha: Team 7's Training Grounds
Here we find Naruto laying on a grassy slope, his eyes closed with a serene expression on his face. There was a light comforting breeze flowing rustling his hair & clothes a bit while he just seemed to lay there motionless, as he was in his mindscape with Ayumi while Kushina's announcement of her arrival was going on.
Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto had his head again in Ayumi's lap who was sitting under a large Sakura tree, it's pink petals falling on their forms and around them, truly making it seem like heaven, trees surrounding them. It was night time in his mindscape with the moon shining brightly, lighting up the forest in whose one of the clearings, both of them were present. Their forms were surrounded with several animals, playing with each other, their sounds sounding music to Naruto. Most of them were so cute that it would make almost all the females squeal 'KAWAI!', which were requested specifically by Ayumi making Naruto sweatdrop at the time, cause he didn't expect the strongest female bijuu to behave like every other normal female. The present scene was so majestic that sometimes it made Naruto think that how come being a jinchuriki is a curse, he could bear the usual shit with the villagers if this was what he got in return.
But other than that, Naruto had come to his mindscape or rather Ayumi had pulled him in and had immediately hugged him, cuddling with him to show her support as she had held him tight while he released some tears. She knew how much broken he could get from time to time seeing as he had to constantly bear such pain, and wanted to help him every time he felt down, even if it was the slightest bit. Meanwhile, Naruto was playing with Ayumi's tails which he had two or three of them held to his chest while Ayumi was smiling at him fondly, her hand tracing his face as she affectionately held him to her.
"You know Ayumi-chan….thank you very much…you don't know how much you're precious to me. I've been holding myself up since I could remember….but I guess I was finally reaching the limit and you're constant support has helped me so much….thank you", he whispered with a smile as he hugged her tails closer while she had a blush on her face, warmth spreading through her heart at the fact that he was recognizing her efforts, appreciating it, something which he himself was longing for from the villagers and other shinobi. Though most of the shinobi were neutral towards him, except maybe the clan heads, no one accepted him, his die hard efforts, he was only a dead last for them until now.
"No….it's thanks to you Naruto-kun that I'm this happy even when I'm sealed in you", she said after kissing his cheek, a blush on his face as he smiled back before a look of confusion came on his face.
"Huh….you're happy to be trapped inside of me….how come?", he asked with confused eyes making Ayumi giggle at him.
"Hehe….just look around you, isn't this like heaven? Well it is….atleast for a demon like me. Add to the fact that living here makes me feel closer to you", seeing his confusion increase, she continued.
"This is your imagination Naruto-kun…..I'm living in a world created by you…..I want to live by you. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to get out of the seal…...for that will prevent Akatsuki coming after you", she said while Naruto frowned.
"And risk your life….no thanks. Even if you're the strongest bijuu in the world…..who knows that mysterious man will appear again and make you go into rage and do what not…no, I will not let that happen. I will protect you!", he said with determination while Ayumi just sighed in defeat, it was no use anyway arguing with him when he put his mind to something. Lifting his hand, he cupped her cheek making her blush while she gazed into his sapphire blue eyes, getting lost in them as she leaned into his touch.
"I mean it Ayumi-chan…I will not let those bastards touch you because…", he just smiled at the end making her frown.
"Because?", she asked eagerly, anticipation showing on her face before both of them felt a somewhat familiar chakra source approaching Naruto on the outside making Ayumi curse inwardly. Getting up, he watched her down expression, an amused smile on his face as he dusted himself lightly. Bending down, he lifted her chin as her beautiful flawless heart shaped face reflected the moonlight, making her look like a goddess all the more.
Her heart was thumping in her chest, a pink tint on her cheeks while Naruto's eyes were shining with mirth & brightness which she loved so much.
"Because….I love you Ayumi-chan", he said with a smile making her eyes widen, tears welling up in her eyes. Leaning closer, he kissed her lightly on the lips, their lips brushing against each other softly making sparks fly throughout their bodies as Ayumi's heart bounced & pumped with heavenly happiness. Releasing her, a dazed expression on her face, he spoke enthusiastically.
"Always remember that!", he grinned foxily, again leaning down & kissing her nose before vanishing from his mindscape leaving a stunned Ayumi under the shining moon.
Outside Naruto's Mindscape: Team 7's Training Ground
Slowly opening his eyes, he had never felt so light & happy in his life, except maybe when he had met his mother and found that she loved him. He had his moments, but confessing his feelings to not one, but to three of whom he loved, it felt great! A smile gracing his lips, though he lifted his head when his form became shadowed.
"May I join you Naruto-san?", said one familiar red head while Naruto just nodded with a smile as he patted a spot besides him.
"So Mizu-", he stopped mid-sentence when he saw her glare at him, which he responded to by smiling nervously.
"So Mei-san…I'm surprised that you're not attending Ka….Uzumaki Kushina's arrival ceremony", he said with a look of confusion on his face while Mei just looked at him, sadness in her eyes as she smiled at him. This was a part he hadn't seen from her, this smile was the true one….he could tell that, his cheeks red as he stared at her beautiful face. Lying beside him, closer than what would be considered as a level of acquaintance, she stared up into the blue sky.
"So….I didn't notice it yesterday…but your faces do match up, I should have known", she said with a smile as she continued to stare upwards, as if watching clouds just like Shikamaru while Naruto's eyes were as wide as they could get.
'What is she talking about….does she know?', he thought as he gulped nervously.
"Should've have known that a prodigy like you….must be the son of the famed Uzumaki Kushina", she said making his breathing hitch in his throat, a stunned silence following her statement.
"H-How?", he asked after a while with an astonished look on his face while Mei just watched him with a soft expression.
"Don't worry….Naruto-san, I wouldn't tell anyone. I heard your discussion back at the restaurant….I'm sorry, I didn't mean to but I couldn't pry my ears off once I heard her screaming", she said while Naruto just closed his eyes, trying to process the situation, what should he do now? This was so not happening to him! The reason he wanted no one to know about Kushina being his mother was because the fact about him being romantically involved with his mother, even though they were no longer biological related, would tarnish his already fucked up reputation not only in Konoha, but across the elemental nations…..well, that's what his thoughts were upon this matter.
And although, in the world of shinobi incest wasn't particularly frowned upon, but him being a jinchuriki changed a lot of things. For one, the first thing the villagers would think of was that he had corrupted their living legend, and would turn more violet not only against him but also against Kushina, thinking that she was under the control of the demon. The civilians weren't shinobi, so their thoughts usually followed no logic but mass & collective biased views which couldn't be changed easily. And now, if she had listened to their conversation, then surely she would have heard his confession.
"I didn't know that you had hots for your own mother", she said with a giggle.
FUCK!
"Ehm…well….you see, the Rinnegan changed my DNA completely, so you can say that we are no longer biologically related", he said with a nervous smile making Mei continued to giggle.
"You don't have to worry….even if you were biologically related, I still would have had no problem with it", she said with a smile making his eyes widen but he just settled to keep quiet about the matter.
"Naruto-san….what you're doing is hurting you, your mother & your loved ones", she said seriously making him look at her in confusion.
"You don't have to shut yourself completely….you don't have to hide your pain, especially from your loved ones, cause that will make them feel that they are not trusted enough…that they are not close enough to you and in the process would hurt them. What you did today hurt your mother tremendously….and you hurt yourself too", she said making him narrow his eyes at her.
"I only did that to protect her!", he growled while Mei just looked at him in sadness.
"Yes…..and that was very thoughtful of you, but I think sometimes a person's thoughts are needed to be bent by someone else. As much as I don't like to say this Naruto-san…..but she doesn't need your protection from physical harm….she's a kage level kunoichi who'll give me a run for my money in a one on one battle….even if the villagers turn against you & her, she can take care of them without even breaking a sweat. But what she needs from you…what she desires from you is love…and emotional protection, it was clear in her eyes when she was pleading to you, though the way you pushed her away hurt her emotionally but at the same time your confession made her feel loved and happy inside", she said while gazing upwards whereas Naruto had a thoughtful expression on his face.
"What I'm trying to say is that you let her enter into you….let her break through your shell…let her share your pain…and I'm saying this for Anko-san too….cause she too has suffered if I'm not mistaken because of the curse seal….that's all I had to say. Besides…it's not like I'm a philosopher or something, but I just wanted to give a friendly advice and say goodbye….Raikage too has left the village you know", she said with a smile as she stood up while Naruto nodded at her. He knew that they would have to leave considering that they had their own villages to run.
"But…..you will come after one month, wouldn't you?", he asked with an eager expression making Mei grin at him.
"My…..would you miss me Naruto?", she said with a mischievous grin making him blush in embarrassment.
"W-Well….I will….Mei", he said with a stutter while catching Mei completely off guard as he grinned at her, both of them now dropping the polite formalities.
"You have helped me….usually no one even bothers with me, but you…a complete stranger who must have had loads of other things to do rather than give friendly advice to me..so you are now one of my precious people…it does not matter to me if you're the Mizukage or a genin", he said with a smile while Mei had a light blush on her face as she smiled back at him, her true smile which looked so serene & peaceful. He was sure that that smile was really dangerous and could make men follow her like puppies wagging their tails.
Though his expression turned into a confused one when he saw do a half ram seal followed by some unknown handseals, before her right hand was covered in bright orange-yellowish flames. His eyes widened when she extended her hand towards him, a smile on her face.
"This…is the Terumi clan's way of sealing a strong bond of friendship Naruto. Don't worry…..these flames wouldn't hurt you….rather they act as conditional barriers. If these flames deem you fit to be a really close friend of mine…then your hand would pass through them harmlessly, or it will just feel like your hand is touching a barrier if you're not deemed fit…no harm done", she said while smiling whereas Naruto eyes widened at her explaination, he never knew such things existed.
"And the best part is that….whenever a Terumi was born in the past, an Uzumaki would apply a seal on him/her which gives us this ability to determine one's nature", she said while Naruto just looked at her in a 'you-gotta-be-fuckin'-kidding-me' way.
"The Uzumaki clan & the Terumi had healthy relations with each other….so now you understand…..technically, some days ago…you & I were the last of the once great extinct clans", she said softly while Naruto nodded with a smile as he slowly extended his right hand towards her ignited one.
His hands finally reaching the flames, his eyes widened when it passed through without any harm and shook her right hand gently, while Mei's face lit up with a bright smile.
'Great! He passed the test…I guess the seal does recognizes him as a potential mate….though I feel guilty for lying to him about the friendship part…but this was a bit personal', she thought with a blush but what happened following their hand-shaking completely took both of them by surprise. Tendrils of flames started to rotate around their now glowing yellow hands as wind began to rustle around their forms.
"Wh-What's happening?", he asked in a bit of panic as Mei too had widened eyes.
"I..I don't know Naruto", she said as the now the harmless flames completely covered their stunned bodies, igniting their forms while the bright tendrils continued to rotate around their hands, both of them speechless as they just waited for something to happen, not daring to release each other's hands. Slowly, but steadily the flames receded back to their hands before they died down until there was only a glowing symbol left on both of their hands.
"W-What…the hell just happened?", asked Mei as they released their hands for their eyes to go wide when they noticed the yellowish-orange glowing symbols on their palms. Mei had the typical swirling sign of the Uzumaki clan on her hand surrounding which were nine tails of red colour.
Meanwhile Naruto had the sign of a typical katana which looked to be ignited on fire as it's blue metal was covered in transparent yellowish-orange flames while it's black sheath looked to be drenched with lava. Both of them watched their marks in wonder which continued to glow for a while before they vanished or rather became transparent with the glowing died down.
"What….was that?", he said with a confused expression before he sweatdropped when Mei looked at him with the same lost expression, though she had a blush on her face as she somewhat understood the meaning of what had just happened.
'It's reaction was so strong…..oh my god…is this a mate mark?', she thought with a blush upon understanding the significance of these unexplainable events before she realized that they were getting late.
"Naruto…..I'm happy it chose you…but I have to go now, and I hope that someday you'll visit Kirigakure…I'm sure you'll like it", she said with a smile while Naruto smiled back sheepishly as he scratched the back of head.
"Sure…Mei. I would love to come to your village….I guess I'll see you in a month then, cause I'm gonna kick some serious ass and get much stronger", he said boldly with a smirk while Mei nodded with a grin of her own.
"I'm looking forward to it then Naruto…maybe then we can spar and see if you can match upto a kage", she said with a sweet smile while Naruto paled at the mention of fighting a kage as he remembered the uber ass-kicking he got from Kushina.
"I..I don't think I'm ready for that yet…but rest assured that I'll be much stronger and maybe I'll be able to stand up against you", he said while she giggled at him.
"Don't worry Naruto…you're already a genius to be so strong at this age. I'm sure when you reach my age…you'll be like, possibly the strongest shinobi in all of the elemental nations", she said with a smile as she walked upto him and hugged him gently while Naruto although surprised, hugged her back.
"Take care Naruto….and don't let anyone make you doubt yourself…and always keep your loved ones close, for they give you the strength to fight the hard times of your life", she said as Naruto just took in what she said to his heart. Releasing him, she waved to him before vanishing in a swirl of water while Naruto had a fond smile on his face.
"Sayonara Mei…..Arigatou", he said with a smile as he gazed at his right palm, which had the now invisible mark on it.
'And I guess…we have found another addition', thought Ayumi with a smirk.
Timeskip: Around 9 PM: Konoha: Naruto's Apartment
After Mei's departure, Naruto had trained the whole day or rather had started reading the sealing books which Kushina had gave it to him in the morning, before his training. Completely mesmerized by the phenomenal art that was fuinjutsu, he completely lost track of time and now was standing in front of his apartment door, a nervous expression on his face.
'I hope Kaa-san is alright…but…what would be her response to what I said….will she even talk to me', he thought as he started to doubt himself.
"Nothing like that would happen Naruto-kun….I assure you that she too loves you..I saw in her eyes…I know her too well, you just go in and STOP BEING A COWARD", yelled Ayumi while he grumbled to himself in his breath as he slowly turned the knob and entered his apartment only to be blown aback by what awaited him. The lights were on to which he had suspected that she might have had slept because it must be a tiring day for her. On the dining table, there were like dozens of bowls of ramen, which he just by watching them could tell that they were all of different varieties and flavours making his mouth water.
"Welcome home…..Naru-kun", upon hearing the familiar angelic voice which he loved so much, he looked up to see Kushina standing there with a silky apron, which did nothing to hide her curves and her generous bust.
"K-Kaa-san…", he stuttered in surprise as she smiled back at him sweetly making him blush.
"D-Did you made all this?", he asked while she nodded.
"Yeah…you love Ichiraku's ramen…but my version isn't that bad too", she said with a giggle while his eyes became teary upon seeing that she did so much for him….even after being so tired..she must have been tired.
"Oh….and I talked to jiji…he said that he would give us a brand new luxury apartment in a couple of days to live in. And also….Kakashi said that he too wanted to train you, so from tomorrow, you're training schedule increases. Also, I think it's time that you meet your godfather tomorrow…..and I want to give you a summoning contract that made our clan a force to be dealt with along with our sealing. And-", she was interrupted when Naruto suddenly ran upto her and hugged her tightly to him, making her blush which turned into an expression of concern when he started sobbing.
"I'm s-sorry K-Kaa-san…I'm an i-idiot…I'm s-sorry", he said while sobbing as Kushina rubbed his back with a worried expression.
"Naru-kun….what's wrong? Please tell me…sochi", she said as Naruto held her to him tighter than ever, not wanting to leave her.
"Y-You're doing….s-so much f-for me…and a-all I d-do is h-hurt you", he said while Kushina too hugged him, as she caressed his back head tenderly.
"That's not true! You never hurt me…and you deserve everything that I do for you, if not more!", she said forcefully as Naruto released her to look back in her soft eyes while Kushina wiped his tears with a loving expression on her face, whereas Naruto just took in every ounce of her godly facial features before his eyes rested on her enticing lips, which were pink, so luscious & wet.
'Should I..', he thought while Ayumi, as if reading his thoughts, spoke.
"Go for it Naruto-kun", she said while quietly giggling perversely to herself.
"But what if she.."
"JUST DO IT YOU IDIOT!", he heard her scream before he, without thinking, leaned in closer making Kushina's eyes widen as she saw his lips coming near hers.
"Naru-kun…", she spoke softly, her lips parting slightly while her heart started to beat faster, of which Naruto took the opportunity & leaned in quickly, both of their lips now touching as it sent alarming pleasurable bolts throughout their forms. Being somewhat experienced in kissing now, he started to rub his lips softly against hers as Kushina just closed her eyes, before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer & deeper into the kiss. As he continued to attack her hungry lips, he bit lightly on her lower lip making a throaty moan escape her before he sucked her lower lip vigorously while both were breathing heavily.
'Kami….her lips are so soft…and they taste so good too', he thought as he continued to kiss, occasionally parting his lips from hers before attacking them with new vigour as he cupped her cheeks.
'Naru-kun…oh Kami…I'm really getting turned on…why does even your slightest of touch sends me over the edge', thought Kushina as now both of their bodies rubbed against each other while Naruto pushed her against the wall as they continued to kiss each other, none wanting to stop as they hungrily tasted each other with Kushina's breast rubbing against his muscled chest increasing her pleasure all the more. Soon…their kissing started to get hot and Naruto knew that things were getting out of hand too early.
Begrudgingly, he released her addicting lips as he backed down from the kiss while Kushina just whimpered from the lack of contact, following his retreating lips while Naruto gently pushed her back.
"Naru-kun…please…more", said Kushina with half-lidded eyes as they both were now panting while Naruto just shook his head.
"I don't want to take things too far so soon…but….I love you…Kushina-chan", he whispered in wonder as Kushina blushed heavily at his words, him calling her by her name sent unexplainable sensations of happiness through her.
"And I love you…Naru-kun", she whispered back with a sweet smile, her cheeks red while Naruto's heart back flipped with joy as he tightly hugged Kushina to him.
"I would never leave you Kaa-san", he said with a smile while Kushina too hugged him back tightly.
"Baka…like I'll ever leave you", she said with a chuckle as Naruto smiled back.
'I guess I will be finally meeting my godfather..but I'm not gonna forgive him, not yet for how he abandoned me…but everyone deserves a chance. But please….don't let him be a pervert too…..though I wonder what Anko-chan's & Ayumi-chan's answer will be….but I don't care as long as they are with me…..heh….this will be one long month', he thought with a sigh.
Timeskip: One day before the Chunin Exam Finals: Night time: Konoha: Naruto's New Apartment
"Naru-koi…hurry up and come to bed", said Kushina childishly, as she wore a silky pink nightgown, her voice melodic as ever making Naruto blush, who was sitting on a study table just besides a lavish king sized bed on which Kushina was laying. The table was littered with several scrolls with complex seal structures with books lying here & there on it. Standing up, he stretched his body while yawning, he had grown an inch this past month, though they didn't notice this considering that he had completely immersed himself in training.
Switching off the lamp, he slipped under the covers with Kushina who was looking at him with a pout before she burst out giggling.
"So…is your secret seal which you have been working on ready?", asked Kushina with a bit of seriousness in her voice while Naruto looked at her with a smile.
"Well…it's almost complete", he said as Kushina cuddled with him while they intermingled their legs with each other. Kushina just sighed in content, a serene smile on her face while he played with her long hair as he too embraced her, the moon shining lightly on their forms in the dark room.
"I love you Naru-koi…goodnight", she whispered softly as she closed her eyes.
"And I love you too Kushi-chan….goodnight", he whispered to her as he too closed his eyes while Kushina had a light blush on her face. Him calling her by her name, always made butterflies go crazy in her stomach.
Meanwhile, Naruto started to reminisce about what had happened in this past month, him & Kushina passionately making love with each other as he lost his virginity, his training and what he was capable of doing now….oh the Raikage, Mei and almost everybody would be surprised tomorrow.
Aaaannnnd cut! So yeah…we are finally to the chunin exam finals arc. As we progress with the next chapter..things will be explained about the major events during the one month skip. And don't worry…the next chapter would contain NaruKushi LEMON! So yeah…everything will be explained next chapter…and also, no I haven't forgotten about Ino, Kin & Temari….their interaction too would be explained with Naruto.
And pleeeaaaaseeee review…the past few chapters are getting extremely low reviews. I'm trying hard but it seems it's not enough for you guys, so I'll try harder but please review people. I'm not even getting the borderline fifty reviews like I've been getting till ch-18…so yeah, I request you guys to pleeasseee review. I'm really straining my ass & fingers to type all this on phone…so yeah, the least you can do for my efforts is REVIEW! So take care you guys and I'll see you next chapter ^_^
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