Hey guys! Lol, Merry Christmas (oops, too late I guess ^_^)! But oh well, enjoy the holidays! So here's the next chapter-
Chapter-34-The Aftermath
'What the….,' his eyes widened upon seeing the chunin's smirk. Following the messenger's gaze, he turned his head for his eyes to get as wide as saucers.
"N-No way….," he muttered to himself as he gazed at their 'hokage'.
"I'll there shortly. You can resume your duties now," the 'hokage' spoke with a serious expression making the chunins bow before he exited the room.
"K-Kaa-san…..y-you are the g-godaime Hokage?" Naruto as his pupil zoomed out in shock while Kushina winked at him.
"No longer Kaa-san Naru-kun. It's Hokage-sama from now on," she spoke with a smirk while Kin giggled at his gobsmacked expression whereas Tayuya just shook her head.
'Shithead.'
"B-But…but…," his eyes were still widened as he tried to come to terms with this shocking news. HIS mother….no, more so his lover was the HOKAGE now! How big was that!
Kushina however, just stared at him with amused eyes. Walking up to him, she ruffled his hair fondly before approaching the door.
"You coming?" she asked with a smirk, standing at the exit door making him snap out of his trance like state. Slowly, a silly grin faded into existence on his face as he closed his eyes.
"Ayumi-chan! Kaa-san is the godaime Hokage! Can you believe that?" he inwardly cheered enthusiastically when Ayumi deadpanned.
"No, I still can't believe they made Kushina-baka the Hokage. Konoha sure is gonna see some tough times ahead," a smirk on her face when he retorted angrily.
"HEY! Don't talk about Kaa-san like that! It was her dream of becoming the first female Hokage! Don't you understand? She has achieved her lifelong dream! This calls for a RAMEN PARTY!" making the bijuu face palm herself. Coming out of his inward conversation, he noticed Kin and Tayuya staring awkwardly at him-wondering how could his face inhibit so many expressions in such a short time. Laughing at them nervously while scratching the back of his head, he turned his head to notice Kushina missing.
"AH! Where did she go? I have to congratulate her!" he exclaimed before rushing out of the room like a storm making Tayuya and Kin cough out the dust.
"Does that shithead always act like this?" the red haired nin deadpanned with twitching eyebrows making Kin grin embarrassingly at her.
Outside Konoha's General Hospital
"Oi Kaa-san! Wait!" Kushina turned her head back with a smile to see Naruto exiting the hospital, a frown on his face as he panted for oxygen.
"So I still haven't recovered completely Ayumi-chan?"
"Well, I restored all your chakra reserves and any damage to your body. But still, your muscles are exhausted from all the strain you put them through. You still need some time before you can be at your original strength again," she explained making him sigh as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Naru-kun, you haven't recovered completely have you?" Kushina asked as her smile slowly turned into a frown, concern reflecting in her eyes.
"It seems so. I still feel exhausted, I need some time to recover," he spoke with a sigh making her nod.
"Then don't strain yourself. You played a big part in saving the village, you deserve all the rest. No need to be in a hurry you know," her gentle voice made him smile softly at her.
"Yeah," both of them were now standing outside the hospital, the sun shining brightly on the duo.
"Hey look! Isn't that Naruto-sama?" turning their heads, Naruto's eyes widened when he noticed the passerby's staring at him with something akin to respect and admiration in their eyes, though there were still some who held that cold look.
"Hey, can I get your autograph please?" a boy along with his gang came to him with stars in their eyes making him grin at them in embarrassment.
"Sure!" Kushina gazed at him with a sad smile as she watched the youngsters around telling him how cool he was. Some of them were asking him to show them some elemental dragons, making him stutter in response as she laughed at his expense.
"You must be brave to fight them all!"
"Ah hehe, well all of us tried our best. So it was no big deal," he replied with a smile.
"Can you summon dragons for us please?"
"You look so cool! Where did you get this trenchcoat?"
"Naruto-kun is amazing! He even went toe to toe with Orochimaru!"
"Hey! Now who's spreading those rumours? It was jiji….uh, I mean the sandaime Hokage who took on that sanin," Naruto retorted with the big head no jutsu making them nod furiously while the adults smiled at the group.
"Um Naruto-shama?" surrounded by so many kids, he turned his head upon hearing a meek voice. There was a little girl standing with a dark blush on her face as she stared at her feet. She had purple hair tied up in a pony tail, her large green eyes holding a nervous look while she was biting her lower lip. Smiling at the cute little beauty, he bent down to her level while standing behind her was her mother; who had both of her hands on the little girl's shoulder- a smile itself on her face as she gazed at her bundle of joy.
"Hey there little girl," the blonde spoke with a chuckle as her face was burning a crimson red now as she scratched the ground with her sandal in nervousness.
"What's your name?" lifting her face with by her chin delicately, her large innocent green eyes stared back into his oceanic blue ones as he smiled warmly at her making her cheeks burn crimson red.
"Awwww!" the adults along with Kushina chorused making him glare at them while the girl's whole face now resembled like a tomato.
"A…ne K….ko."
"Huh? I didn't hear you," he spoke before leaning close to her making her sputter a bit as she locked her hands in front of her.
"I-It's Asane Kimoko," she answered making him grin at her.
"That's a great name! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! It's nice to meet you Kimiko-chan!" Kimiko's face brightened into a smile as she nodded at him, her cheeks a cute shade of pink.
"U-Um…Naruto-shama. Can I swee you Richigan pwease?" she asked timidly making her mother giggle while the blonde jinchuriki held a confused expression on his face.
'Richigan?'
"What she means is your Rinnegan Naruto-kun," the girl's mother spoke gently making him open his mouth in an 'o' in realization as he chuckled softly.
"Sure Kimiko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed with his foxy grin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning back, he saw Kushina's concerned expression as he nodded in assurance.
"Here goes," he spoke to the little girl as she watched him with an expression of concentration on her face, both of her small fists in front of her chest. Channeling excessive chakra deliberately for some show off, all of the civilian's eyes widened there when they felt an aura of peacefulness and sereneness engulf them like a warm blanket. Opening his eyes slowly, Kimiko watched mesmerized as they glowed white for a few seconds. Purple sclera, a dot-like black pupil being surrounded by two definite clear black concentric circles defined his doujutsu now.
Kushina too basked in this aura with a smile as she gazed into his eyes, which radiated so much power that civilians found themselves paralyzed at their spots.
"Wow…" the purple haired girl breathed in wonder as her mother gazed at his eyes in awe.
"So, do I look ugly?" he joked with a grin making Kimiko shake her head furiously.
"Naruto-shama's eyes are pwetty," she whispered with a grin of her own, her cheeks pink making him laugh lightly before he pouted.
"Only my eyes? What about me?" this time her eyes widened as she quickly averted her gaze with a dark blush.
"Naruto-shama's pwetty too," she whispered almost inaudibly such that only he could hear with his enhanced senses making him snicker to himself. Gently putting his hand on her head, he spoke quietly so only she could hear.
"Well, you are pretty too Kimiko-chan," her eyes widened as the color on her cheeks got ten times darker. Naruto laughed to himself when she suddenly turned to bury her face in her mother's clothes, the older woman chuckling upon hearing a muffled squeal escape Kimiko.
Standing up, he bowed to the mother with a smile making her smile back at him.
"Alright kids, back out. We have some work to do," Kushina intervened with a serious expression when she noticed that her whiskered blonde was again being surrounded by the little devils. All of them immediately backed down, whispering among themselves that she was the new Hokage of the leaf.
"Well, see you guys later," waving to them, Naruto scurried to catch up to Kushina's retreating form.
"So, how does it feel to be the first female Hokage?" he asked with an ecstatic expression on his face making her giggle.
"It sure feels nice. But the paperwork I have to deal with is something else though," she answered with a frown making him chuckle as they walked towards the Hokage tower.
"It will be difficult for you alright. The village is being rebuilt and dealt quite the damage. To the world, Konoha sure is weak and prone to attacks right now," he muttered making her nod seriously.
"Yeah, it's being rebuilt right now. And we lost quite the amount of skilled jounins and chunins. Well, thanks to you, the damage was much less than it could have been. Those dragons really pulled quite some stunts at the border back then."
"Hmm, I haven't met them since. I'll have to thank them later, all of them had risked their lives."
"Here we are," she uttered as they nodded to the chunins guards before entering the tower.
"Kaa-san, where are the others? You know, the genins and all. Are they helping in rebuilding the village?" Kushina nodded with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Hokage-sama, they are waiting for you," an Anbu bowed to her making her nod lightly while Naruto blinked a few times in surprise as they stood outside the door to her office.
"Oh? I didn't realize. I'll be having a look around the village Kaa-san, you have a village to rule!" he exclaimed with a 'closed eyes' grin, inwardly contemplating that Kushina from now on would be much busy than before. He'll probably have less time to spend with her, but oh well. With position like being a kage of a village as large as Konoha, responsibilities were sure to sit on your shoulders. However, he didn't mind much. It was Kushina's dream, and he'll be damned if he got in her way.
"Naru-kun…" her gentle voice stopped him in his tracks for he had turned around to walk back.
"Huh?"
"Let's rule the village together," his eyes widened as he gazed at the mischievous glint in her violet eyes before being dragged through the door to her office.
"Wait Kaa-san!"
"Hah! You got the joker sandaime-dono!"
"Damn it! Looks like Tsunade's luck got to me."
"Hehe, back in my days-"
"Urusai Ao! I will kill you."
"Poor sempai."
"BEE! I'll have to up your training!"
"CAN IT OMOI!"
WHAM!
"Ow!"
"This is so uncool."
"NOT NOW NIBI!"
Both Kushina and Naruto stood at the doors with a dumbfounded look on their faces as they gazed at the current scene in the office.
"Oh, never thought I'd see something like this," came Ayumi's amused voice as the Uzumaki duo continued to gawk at the group in front of them….it was like Sasuke saying that he 'liked' girls.
First thing, Hiruzen and Mei were playing cards with Ao and Choujiro being the spectators. Second, A comically held Bee in a head lock while Samui was drinking a cola. Omoi as usual was sucking on his popsicle with Karui having a vein popped on her forehead, probably annoyed as hell by his anxious behavior. Yugito, just like Naruto had a blush on her face, probably due to her perverted tenant.
"Well, looks like they started the party without us, ne Kaa-san?" offered Naruto with a nervous smile when he noticed the pissed off expression on Kushina's face. He gulped audibly before sighing to himself.
'Here we go again.'
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU'RE DOING?" everyone stopped their respective business to stare at her with wide eyes, sweating bullets as they immediately stood at attention like a commando.
"Yo Kushina, how's it going?" A greeted her with a smirk.
"And its Hokage-dono to you A!" she spoke with an accusing finger making everybody sweatdrop.
'Likewise it's supposed to be Raikage-dono to you,' all of them thought simultaneously.
"Jiji! How are you?" all of their eyes turned to stare at the blonde figure in surprise, they hadn't noticed him yet.
"Yo Naruto! How do you do?" the blonde smiled at his fellow jinchuriki. He was very grateful to Bee for taking care of Roshi during the invasion, it was something he wanted to thank him for.
"I'm fine Bee. By the way, thanks for watching my back back then," he verbalized with a grin making Kushina smile while Mei watched him with a light blush on her face, glad that he was fine now. Samui though hadn't interacted with her fellow blonde much, but strangely she was rather relieved that he was alright. It disturbed her a bit that she was concerned for him when she didn't even know the jinchuriki properly. Yugito however could only blush more furiously, again probably due to the perverted two tailed cat.
"I'm fine Naruto-kun. Though it's all thanks to you that I'm even alive," Hiruzen spoke with a smile making the blonde blush in embarrassment whereas Kushina walked towards her desk.
"So, you guys leaving?" she asked while gazing at the village from her window.
"Yeah, now that Konoha's been attacked. Who knows they might target our village next? We have pull in the defenses tight from now. The fact that Iwa, Suna and this new village Oto attacked Konoha is not a small deal. They are practically declaring war on us!" A exclaimed with his anger rising as the mood in the room suddenly got serious.
"Yeah, but Suna was tricked also. The yondaime Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru even before the invasion, all of them were tricked," Mei spoke making Kushina nod while Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.
'The yondaime Kazekage? Temari's father….was killed by Orochimaru?' he thought, clearly shocked by the turn of events.
"And what's more, Sunagakure has requested a peace treaty as well as an alliance with Konoha. The only defense in course of their actions they have to offer is that nobody knew about Orochimaru's plot. All the while, they thought they were following their Kazekage's orders- while in fact it was Orochimaru. He had the military strength of two villages at his disposal," Kushina said as she rubbed her forearm, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"What I'm surprised is that Iwa too joined in this madness. I'd never imagined that Onoki would be out for revenge for the yondaime Hokage's actions in the third great shinobi world war," Hiruzen considered while Kushina stiffened a bit at the mention of Minato's name, something which Naruto did not fail to notice.
"Hn! And they too claim that they got the 'invitation' from the Suna's Kazekage himself, whom they didn't know was Orochimaru. Do they really think they can get away with this?" A spoke fiercely as everyone was busy in his/her own thoughts.
"Be that as it may, we don't need another war anytime soon. I think it's better that we accept Suna's proposal," the red haired Uzumaki mused making their eyes widen.
"Are you sure Kushina? They backstabbed Konoha this time, what's stopping them from doing so in the future?" Mei said making her turn around to face them.
"They are weak right now. Most of their forces were assigned to attack Konoha and got crushed. So I don't think they can risk another war with us, especially when we are under a triangular alliance with Kiri and Kumo. I think we can safely assume that for the time being, we can trust them," she explained making Naruto and several others nod.
"With Iwa?" A asked with a quirked eyebrow when the elder Sarutobi answered.
"I think we should ignore them for the time being. Though I'd say we send some units to patrol the border connecting Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. What do you say Kushina?"
"I agree. Attacking them now would be futile. The rocky mountain ranges surrounding the village and the country, provides them a natural stronghold. They have strong defenses, and it would be foolish to attack them and further deplete our military resources," she said grimly when A quickly intervened.
"Even if we assist Konoha?" everyone's eyes widened at this making him smirk.
"What are you planning?" Kushina asked skeptically, getting over her initial surprise making him shrug.
"It's just that I believe in attacking my prey rather than just sit and wait for it to make its move. Who knows, the next they attack is Kumo considering we are known for our military strength."
"Now now, let's not make any hasty decisions shall we," everybody snapped their heads upon hearing a familiar voice.
"Jiraiya?" Kushina exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing the voice. Soon, a figure emerged from a small toad's….mouth which was at a dark corner of the office. However, Kushina and Naruto were both taken aback by the serious expression on his face.
'That's one hell of a technique he's got, I couldn't even sense his presence,' the yondaime Raikage thought while eyeing the toad sanin.
"Let's not deviate from the main topic because of which we formed this triangular alliance shall we?" he offered with a frown making their eyes widen, how could they? They had forgotten about it in the midst of this invasion and rebuilding Konoha!
"Damn!" A muttered to himself while Kushina stared at him with a dead serious expression, she did not like that expression on the sanin's face.
"Kushina, they are on the move. I don't know why, they shouldn't be doing that so soon. But from what my spies gathered, Akatsuki is specifically after Naruto now," dropping the bombshell, everyone stared at him wide eyed.
"What?" Kushina asked, as if not believing him. The whole organization of S-ranked criminals, now after Naruto? Jiraiya had a grim expression on his face as he nodded back.
"Yeah, I just got the info this morning. The positive effect of this is that the other eight jinchuriki are safe for the time being, but they are solely concentrating on Naruto now," Kushina could only sigh heavily as she sat down on her chair, her heart beating faster as the redhead gazed at her bundle of joy.
"Why the sudden move? Why me?" the whiskered blonde asked quietly making all of them turn to him, who was still standing at the door's entrance.
"It's because they are afraid. They are afraid of the rates at which you're growing strong day by day. Mostly, they are afraid of the Rinnegan. What my guess is that they don't want to wait in your case, for they must not want the Rinnegan to progress further. One of their spies must have seen you in action during the invasion; it's no surprise to me that they're doing this. You are special Naruto, you hold the strongest of the bijuu inside you. And they know that a combination of a doujutsu such as Rinnegan and Kyuubi's chakra is something they can't possibly overlook," he paused as everyone remained silent, not believing that it could have come to this. Even A had released a relieved sigh that Bee and Yugito would be out of trouble for a while, but Naruto kind of grew on him….so he was worried a little for him too.
The boy had endured so much, possibly more than the other jinchuriki- and he now has such a powerful organization tailing him. Kushina though just stayed silent as she tried to come up with this shocking nows, her 'Naru-kun' was now in more trouble than ever before. And she knew, that even she alone couldn't protect him from these S-ranked nins . If Jiraiya was this serious, then the situation truly was not in their favour.
"But let's not get ourselves down over this," Mei spoke with a smile making all of them blink at her in confusion.
"The fact that they are now solely concentrating on Naruto-kun means that for the meanwhile, other jinchuriki would be safe and we wouldn't have to worry about their safety for now. We can now concentrate all our plans and efforts into defending Naruto-kun," she said when A spoke in agreement.
"Well, you do have a point. Earlier, we had to make sure to watch over all of our jinchuriki. But still, it doesn't make the news any less grave that it's Naruto they are after now."
"Naruto-kun….." Ayumi's concerned voice pulled his attention in as he blinked a few times.
"Don't worry Ayumi-chan, I'm alright. Just a little shaken up over this. I…I never expected things could turn out this way. Earlier Itachi-nii said Akatsuki members worked in pairs, each pair concentrating on their respective tasks. But now that I'm the only task assigned to all of them, those five or six pairs would be after me simultaneously. This is not a good news….definitely not a good one. Right now, even I know that I'm probably no match for any of them. The only way out of this is that I have to increase my training levels considerably," clearly he was disturbed by this while Ayumi could only nod silently as he shifted his attention to the conversation going outside.
A frown slowly took birth on his face as he noticed the others staring at him in concern. Kushina was probably the most concerned right now, well that didn't come as much of a surprise. Samui too felt worried for him, although her stoic and cold expression dictated indifference towards the matter. Karui however, couldn't help but hope he would be alright. He was a jinchuriki, and she knew by observing Yugito and Bee, what he must have gone through. And to be hunted like this, it really must be heavy for the kid.
"Nibi, think we should do something?" Yugito asked in worry as she gazed at the whiskered blonde.
"There's nothing we can do kitten. This burden right now is his alone to carry, and do you think that A would let you do anything?" well, she did have a point. But Yugito, as a fellow jinchuriki and possibly a friend, didn't want to leave him to those criminals like that. Now or later, they would have to face Akatsuki…she just had to do something. Bee too was having similar thoughts right now as he considered his options in this matter.
Founding himself a bit annoyed by their stares, he grinned before speaking, "Oh well, that just means more training. Let them come, I'm not afraid!"
They stared at him wide eyed as he grinned foxily, trying to lift off the mood. A, Mei, Jiraiya and Hiruzen smirked at him while Kushina just gazed at him with a worried look. She knew that he was just putting up a brave front, but he was just a human after all; he was her baby. Kushina knew that he must be feeling insecure, anxious, fear….he had to, there's no way he wouldn't feel those emotions. He may be able to effectively clamp up on his feelings, but she knew him all too well.
Naruto was perfectly capable of deluding himself if the situation got desperate. That was one reason he was so stubborn. She knew how he had compressed the darkness in him regarding the villager's treatment towards him; he was just like anybody else after all. The blonde did feel those things, but he just compressed them into the deepest pits of his subconscious.
She was aware of how he felt a bit ticked off that some of the elder villagers had just started treating him as a hero upon seeing his role in the invasion, when before they were the ones who ignored and hated him. It was like those adult villagers, again ignored the fact that they had treated him like a monster and not even one of them had tried to apologize for their actions. It disgusted even her, but they were Uzumaki. They didn't ponder over the negative past, and instead cherished what current positive aspects their life had to offer.
Her son was now recognized by the upcoming generation and some of those old villagers, that's what mattered to her. He was well on his path of accomplishing his dreams.
"So, what should be our next move?" A inquired when Jiraiya answered.
"For now, the only thing we can do is wait for them to make their move. We don't have any information regarding their bases, considering they keep changing their meeting locations everytime. Itachi did say that they meet each other through some holographic projections, which their ring is responsible for. Right now, we should consider training ourselves. We're gonna need all the advantage we can get."
"Also Jiraiya, have you heard from Itachi or maybe Kisame lately? It's been a month since they've reported," Hiruzen stated making Naruto's eyes widen while Jiraiya just shook his head.
"No, that's the reason I had to use my own spy network to get this latest piece information. Does this mean that their leader suspects them?" Jiraiya said as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Least likely Jiraiya, Itachi is extremely careful and catious when it comes to matters like these. And it's difficult to know what goes on in his mind due to his mastery over hiding his emotions completely," Kushina spoke about her student, her hands folded beneath her chin with a serious expression.
"Don't be so sure Kushina. This organization is out of the world, the way Itachi described their abilities earlier clearly suggests so. Who knows what their leader might be capable of, he too must have some sort of special abilities of his own," Sarutobi intervened as he took a puff of his cigar, now wearing the Hokage robes while A and Mei nodded with him.
"But since now Mikoto-chan is alive, it could be that Itachi-nii may plan on sneakily visiting her soon. She's his mother after all," Naruto said seriously making them nod, it was a definite possibility.
"But does Orochimaru know about this?" Mei questioned.
"Who knows? But I'll place my bet that he does know, he has his way of gathering information," the godaime Hokage replied with a shrug.
"Then that means the Uchiha brat too might try to break in here. Then what Kushina?" Jiraiya asked, curious about her decision regarding the ex-'last uchiha loyal to the village'.
"It's simple," she replied with a serious tone in her voice, her eyes narrowed before continuing.
"Uchiha Sasuke attacked a member of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto to be exact during the invasion. He was even seen assisting the Iwa's jinchuriki Roshi, I have no choice but to declare him as a missing nin. It's clear he has joined forces with Orochimaru, probably in search of power to kill Uchiha Itachi," Naruto's eyes widened at the news. So, his fears had come to life. She really was going to declare Sasuke as a missing nin. The blonde however, remembered his conversation with Mikoto earlier this morning.
Flashback: Earlier Today: Konoha's General Hospital: Mikoto's Room
Sliding the door open gently for the second time in just a few hours, Naruto had to say he was surprised when he saw Mikoto laying while staring at the ceiling, as if deep in her thoughts.
"Mikoto-chan," he called making her blink a few times when she noticed him, surprise written over her face as she quickly sat up.
"Oh Naruto-kun! I didn't expect you to be awake so early in the morning," she uttered with a smile making him smile back her warmly.
"I wasn't asleep in the first place actually, was just busy in cuddling up with Kaa-san," he spoke with an embarrassed blush, making her giggle at his expense.
"So, you and Kushina-chan huh? It's weird actually, but something that hasn't happened in the shinobi world for the first time. This however, is a rare case where Kushina has skipped thirteen years; so the age gap is not that evident I think. I guess what matters is that both of you are happy, and the changes in your DNA because of your Rinnegan helps dissolve the matter too. However, concerning Minato; I'm not sure if he would be happy about this," the Uchiha matriarch joked, though the matter only succeeded in wiping out the smile off Naruto's face as a sad expression replaced it.
Noticing this, Mikoto immediately cursed herself mentally.
"Hey Naruto-kun, I'm so-"
"No, it's not your fault. Now that I think about it, Tou-san would be mad at me. I mean, what kind of a son I am?" he spoke with a depressed sigh when Mikoto signaled him to come closer. Sitting on the bed side besides her, she smiled warmly at him before putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, he may be. But you should know how happy you make Kushina. I've never seen her smile so brightly, even when Minato was with her. I've noticed the way she sees you, the way she talks about you. I'll say that she's head over heels for you, she really loves you. As a lover, she doesn't want anyone except you, she wants to fill the hole in your heart which was created over the years. As a mother, she's really overprotective of you and wants to keep you away from all kinds of dangers. So I guess, her love for you is complicated…..but definitely something pure, which she cherishes with all of her heart," with the look of concentration on his face, she knew that he was taking this serious. And the way he blushed over the fact that Kushina loved him really made the blonde look so cute to her.
"But….what about Tou-san? A month ago, Kaa-san said that she hated him. But how…..how could she hate someone she married and loved? How could she forget all those moments she must have spent with dad?" he asked, such innocence on his face that it made Mikoto hug him tightly, his eyes widening in surprise.
"You see Naruto-kun, Kushina-chan is just trying to deny the situation. I know for a fact that some small part of her still loves Minato, but at the same time she hates him for the burden he put on you. But I think with time, she'll get over that. I mean, it's been only a month for her since it was sealed inside you. So I think that a small part of her will never stop loving Minato, that is something which is completely normal. But now, she loves you more than anything in this world. That baka, she really sometimes acts like a teenager when it comes to you," she verbalized with a sigh making the blonde smile, he somehow understood the situation a bit; but still this was complicated as hell!
"Earlier I thought that since I resemble Tou-san so much, she might have seen him in me and that's why she was trying to fill that hole in her life," he spoke a bit shakily making Mikoto frown deeply at that.
"But I thought, if it meant Kaa-san's happiness….then so be it. Atleast, I still would be able to have her," he mumbled when she pulled him back harshly.
"No! It has nothing to do with Minato you idiot!" his eyes widened at her outburst, the gentle woman never talked like that. Realizing that he was gaping at her, she blushed in embarrassment while loosening her hold on his shoulders.
"What I mean Naruto-kun is that you have something else that pulls her in, which attracts every fiber of her being very strongly. She sees you for you, separately from Minato. You are not the yondaime Hokage, you are not famous like him, you are not the yellow flash or the one who was feared all over the world. To her, you are a young man who despite what was thrown at him, how he was treated, strives each and every day of his life to achieve his dreams, to prove himself. Minato didn't have the strongest bijuu sealed inside of him, he didn't have the villagers hating him every single day since he was a child, he didn't have an organization such as Akatsuki after him at the age of twelve. In looks, you may be similar to him….but personality wise, you're both completely different. So remember that she's sees you for the admirable person you are, and not just a replacement. And I think she doesn't even want any replacement, she only needs you," moisture gathered in his eyes at hearing that as the blonde bit his lower lip.
He didn't tell anybody, but he has been having these thoughts during the month before. To think, he thought of Kaa-san as a sort of…..'using' him, it just made him sick to his stomach. How could he have doubted her? But that was again something which he just compressed deep within himself. He knew dark thoughts, after all those experiences with the villagers, took birth within him. It was difficult for him to trust anybody in the first place. But talking to Mikoto, somehow compelled him to spill those things to her….he really trusted the kind and gentle woman. She was someone he was most comfortable with in sharing every little aspect of his life.
Both of them now sat in silence as he gradually calmed himself down while Mikoto rubbed his back gently in a comforting gesture.
"Mikoto-chan, thanks. I don't what I would've done if it was not for you. You were always there to support me, even before Kaa-san. I owe you so much," he said in gratitude, a warm smile tugging his lips whereas the Uchiha blushed lightly at his words, for some reason finding herself happy about the special place she held in his heart.
"If only…..," he started with a sigh before continuing.
"If only I could make you smile too," she blinked in confusion at that, what was he talking about?
"Huh, what do you mean? You do make me smile, aren't your pranks enough that sometimes I think I might die of laughing?" she joked with a chuckle making him snort before the blonde became serious again.
"I'm talking about Sasuke. I wish I could change him, I'm sure Kaa-san told you all about him," he spoke nervously, not sure how to approach the subject when Mikoto's smile disappeared.
"I was on the same team as his, but I couldn't make him open up to me. He was always dead set on trying to become stronger, and I….trying to match upto him. But all of that changed the day I got my Rinnegan, I suddenly became stronger. He became jealous, frustrated and isolated himself from the rest of us even more. I'm sorry Mikoto-chan….I'm really sorry," his voice melancholic as he stared at his lap, not daring to meet her gaze.
"N-Naruto…." Lifting his head up, his eyes widened upon noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks. Panic rushed his body as he stared at her shaking form. Mikoto had her eyes closed while she was biting her lower lip to restrain herself from losing control.
"K-Kushina did told me everything. I….I don't know what to do. First I th-thought that it was all Itachi's fault, but it seems I was w-wrong. Then the w-way S-Sasuke turned o-out…..," trailing, a few sobs escaped her lips before she threw herself at him. Naruto hugged her tightly in comfort as she began to sob uncontrollably in his chest, warm tears flowing like a river as she released all her grief.
It clenched his heart to see a strong and gentle kunoichi like Mikoto to be in such a shape, what had she done to deserve this? She was always trying to help others, going out of her way to make sure others weren't hurt.
"I….Naruto-kun, I d-don't know w-what to do!" she yelled loudly, her voice muffled as the blonde hugged her tighter, his arms wrapped protectively around her.
"Mikoto-chan, don't give up so soon. Itachi-nii is on our side remember? I'm sure that when Sasuke comes to know of you being alive, he'll change," he tried to comfort her Eas she continued to cry for a few more minutes while he just chose to stay silent.
Leaning back slowly, she began to wipe her eyes as the blonde wiped her cheeks with his thumb making her cheeks turn a light shade of pink at the contact.
Naruto just smiled warmly at her as she too smiled a bit hesitantly with puffy red eyes, wondering how those villagers could have hated this angel. Yes, to her….he was just like some angel, always comforting others and trying to make others happy at the expense of his own desires and needs.
"I-Itachi-nii?" she questioned, stressing at the 'nii' part making him grin sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I began to call him that during the time he trained me in Tsukiyomi," her black onyx eyes warmed at him as she smiled softly, glad her eldest son was so close to him. It really warmed her heart that they got to be so close to each other.
"And what did you call Sasuke-kun by?" she asked, curious about how both of them called each other by. However, the Uchiha already had a hunch.
"Sasuke-teme," he deadpanned making her sweatdrop at that, yeah….she was right. Gazing outside the window, her expression then turned despondent.
"Do you….do you think Sasuke could change when he comes to know of me. I…..I really want to see him. Atleast for once, I want to talk to him," she asked softly making him smile at her; it was good that she hadn't lost hope completely.
"We wouldn't know until we give it a try, now would we?" he asked with silly grin making her giggle at his antics.
"But the way Kushina described his actions, I wouldn't be surprised if he's marked as a missing nin. He did attack you during the invasion after all," she said with sadness, not understanding why he would go so far as to attack Naruto when he was after Itachi…..not that the latter was a good thing too anyway.
Naruto's expression however turned contemplative as he thought over the events that had taken place during the invasion. So much was going on back then that he didn't have time to concentrate on Sasuke right then. A small smile tugged his lips as he gazed outside from the window.
"Don't worry, I think I have a plan."
Flashback Ends
"Actually Kaa-san, now that I remember….Sasuke didn't attack me of his own will," Naruto intervened making ALL of them turn towards him, taken by surprise.
"What do you mean Naruto?" Kushina asked, using his full name to reflect her seriousness over the situation, making him wince inside at the way she was staring coldly at him.
'I guess she already knows where I'm going with this. She knows me too damn well for her own good,' he thought with an inward sigh.
"What I mean is that, just like Roshi of the Lava Release…..he too was under a genjutsu at that time."
"WHAT!" A exclaimed loudly in astonishment while the others were stunned. Kushina however, knew something else was going on.
"Are you sure Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes making the blonde nod.
"Yeah, I saw it with my Rinnegan. Both of them were under extremely strong genjutsus, so I think both Sasuke and Roshi didn't attack of their own free will," he spoke seriously, trying to act as natural as he could while a deep frown settled on Kushina's face. She had a hunch that he was hiding something, but she also had no proof in the matter. Naruto was the only one who had confronted the Uchiha during the invasion.
"And earlier too, he never left the village willingly. While unconscious, he was kidnapped by Orochimaru. And this time too, he was taken by Kabuto….if what Kakashi-sensei said was true. So we have no exact evidence to mark him as a missing nin yet, all we know is that Orochimaru could be controlling him….or making someone else control him," the blonde uttered grimly.
'Bingo!' he exclaimed mentally with an internal smirk, knowing he had the perfect valid reasons to defend the 'teme'.
"Well, he does have a point Kushina. We can't mark him as such, he has showed no signs of leaving the village willingly yet," Hiruzen said making Kushina narrow her eyes at Naruto while the blonde acted to be deep in thought, whereas in reality he was just avoiding her accusing stare.
'I don't know what you're planning Naru-kun, but this had better be good.'
Okay okay, don't get all flamy on me just cause the blonde here is saving Sasuke. I have stated the reasons above, and if you don't agree….well screw me. And believe me that whatever is happening or gonna happen in the next few chapters will be for a reason. I think you guys would enjoy with what I have in store for you from here on out :)
Oh, it seems the Akatsuki is after Naruto….not just Itachi and Kisame, but ALL of them. Damn, the situation is realistic I think, but at the same time….hopeless for our favourite blonde, ne? So thanks for the review people, I really appreciate your support even when I've made so many mistakes in this fic.
Okay, so I just wanted to respond to an anonymous reviewer 'truetalker05' who reviewed the previous chapter. I don't usually do this, but I felt compelled to after reading it-
Alright, so first of all….I'm really glad that you liked this fic and it used to be your favourite. I also respect your views as to how you view my work. Also, thanks for being honest….that's something I really appreciate! :)
But I think I have the right to defend my story too. So your first reason for losing interest in this is the 'OOC'-ness in Naruto's character right? I understand what you're trying to say. I know I started this fic with enough clichés like his mask, blind Sasuke and Sakura bashing and other things, but believe me when I say this IS Naruto. If you're saying that most authors make him predictable, completely change his personality except his love for ramen….in some places you may be right, but this is fan fiction and people are tired of seeing the manga Naruto. We tweak his personalities to make it more interesting, but I agree that we should not make a complete OOC out of him. Taking this fic for example, you say he's really predictable and not really Naruto.
How can you say that after the most recent stunt he pulled by 'faking his death' during the invasion? That is something I prefer extremely 'Naruto-ish'. The Naruto in this fic, as many have said already is someone who can be serious if the situation calls for it, is more considerate of other's feelings….but is still goofy and has his idiotic moments, is a prankster and is sometimes clueless when it comes to women.
You say that he shouldn't have been mad when Hiruzen got hurt and was about to die. Um….that's something I really don't agree with. Even in the beginning of this fic, Itachi had used Hiruzen to awaken his Rinnegan (when he killed the sandaime in front of Naruto in Tsukiyomi), that itself signified how close Naruto was to his 'jiji'. In the canon, he might have not been THAT close to the old guy….but in my fic, he is. Do note that the original Narutoverse and my fic's universe are completely different, actually…..almost all fics are completely different than canon, so you can't compare it to Kishi's work you know.
The second reason you state is that Naruto should have more darkness in him. Now this reason I think contradicts your statement of Naruto not really being 'Naruto'. In canon, he NEVER did anything which signified he had darkness hidden in him….I think only Gaara did that. Naruto in canon, hid his darkness behind his happy go lucky personality. The 'dark Naruto' was introduced just recently in the waterfalls of truth on the island where he went for training with Bee.
But here, you're demanding that Naruto should have more darkness. I think I already explained that (excluding this chapter) that he DOES have darkness in him, he just keeps it compressed. Example: his conversation with Kurenai in the Forest of Death. If you haven't forgotten….even then he himself admitted that he hated those elder villagers for their stereotypical views and for making the younger generation against him. So he does have darkness, he just doesn't show it that much (and there was an instance in this fic when he did. Remember when he blasted the civilians with a shinra tensei earlier after preliminaries?). And now since the villagers are changing, and seeing his personality….I don't think he would show it that much, but nevertheless, darkness and negative emotions is something which is definitely deep inside him, it's human behavior after all. No one is a saint and keeps bearing that shit, but oh well….I guess Naruto is different. ^_^
And now, why would he be angry of Kushina? She's someone he really loves….I just can't imagine a scenario of him being angry with her for becoming the Hokage. In canon, he was mad with Tsunade because she insulted the previous Hokage in the first place….so she was immediately on his 'The Teme's' bingo book for a while. So an angry outburst right now, I atleast think…..would be completely out of place.
Actually, the ONLY thing that bothered me in your review and other reviews was that you guys are not giving me a chance, and plainly saying 'WTF, Kushina shouldn't be a Hokage!'
If you think over this realistically….it's a quite expected decision that she's becoming the Hokage considering that she's already respected, liked and acknowledged by the villagers. And if you think things between her and Naruto are gonna get dull and that her action life will be fading, well then….think again pals!
The only thing I'm saying is that have a little more faith in me will ya? I know I made many mistakes in this fic, but still do remember that this was my first story and it's bound to have mistakes. I'm trying to improve at every step, so try to have some faith in what I'm writing. Nobody wants to ruin their plot deliberately you know. I've got this fic planned out for a long trip, so there's a reason I'm doing this. It's not like-"Oh let's make Kushina the fifth hokage! It would be so cool and original!" That was NOT my thinking when I decided this three months back, her role as a Hokage would fit in for the future plot and it's not just to make her look badass or anything.
And finally 'truetalker05', thanks pal! I really appreciate you being honest and telling me of your views. Even though it got me a little ticked, but you plainly said what you felt about this. So no hard feelings between us, ne? :)
And to the ALL of my readers and reviewers, if you don't like something in this…..don't hesitate and say so. At least that way, I'll be on track. And for those who already like what's going on currently, well then…..this sucker is going to get even better in the coming arcs, I promise!
So, sorry for my rant and I hope no one was offended by this. I really hope so. Ahm, so please review and be HONEST! Lol ;)
See you guys in the next chapter! Ja ne!
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