Okay all, here's the first chapter of Redemption. I hope you all enjoy it.
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Redemption.
Chapter 1 – Watching.
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In the shadows, someone watched the Uzumaki family home. They noted the presence of a tree swing, and a sandbox in the back garden. They also noted a target, set up on one of the various trees, along with a practice dummy and some climbing equipment. The person smiled softly to themselves, as a red-headed child wandered out into the back garden and sat on the tree swing. The girl used her feet to move herself gently, backwards and forwards, and her long red hair fanned out behind her. The watcher took note of the new forehead protector tied around her arm. The child seemed sad although it was obvious she had just graduated. That was when a dark-haired child walked out into the garden and over to the elder red-head.
"Kushina-Chan, what's wrong?" The girl asked. "Nothing imotou-chan. Everything's fine." Kushina said. A wide grin spread on her face, but it was a fake grin. "Then why are you out here in the garden by yourself? Daddy and Mommy are inside waiting for us." The girl asked. "Maybe I don't want to celebrate Hinata. Maybe being a ninja isn't something I wanted." Kushina replied bitterly. "Well what do you want then?" Hinata asked wisely. "For everyone to stop thinking I'm just the child of the sixth Hokage. Everyone thinks I'm fantastic Hinata. They only believe that because Dad is the Sixth Hokage and Mom was a Hyuga. Grandpa was the Fourth Hokage. When do people stop looking at your lineage Hinata?" Kushina said sadly. "Maybe when you become all famous by yourself?" Hinata replied thoughtfully. Kushina sighed and looked at various flowers in the garden. "I don't know if I can think the way you do Hinata." Kushina said. "You don't have to think the way I do Nee-Chan. Daddy always say we're different people." Hinata replied. Her smile was wide and Kushina gave Hinata a weak smile back as she carried on staring at the flowers, thinking deeply about something. Hinata stared at Kushina, as though she wanted to say something else to her older sister but couldn't think of the right words to speak.
Before Kushina or Hinata could say anything else, a tall, blonde teenager, traipsed into the garden. "Kushina, Hinata, come on inside. Your Dad's waiting for you." The girl said. A cheeky grin on her face. Hinata ran off into the house. Kushina stared at the blond. "Hi Mayumi-chan." Kushina said sadly. "Oh don't be so morbid kiddo. You just graduated." Mayumi said cheerfully. "I..." Kushina wanted to say something, but she seemed to trail off and stay silent. "What's wrong kiddo?" Mayumi asked kindly. "Nothing Mayumi. I'm fine. I'll come in soon. Just give me a few minutes." Kushina said sadly. Mayumi shrugged and traipsed off, leaving Kushina to stare down at her feet.
The someone who had been watching Kushina, saw a blond male come out. He was tall, tanned, and cut an impressive figure. He'd changed since he'd been the little Genin who liked to pull pranks. Naruto Uzumaki strode over to Kushina. He waited for her to notice him, which didn't take more than a few seconds. She looked at him warily. Hi Dad." She said softly. "Can I sit down Kushina?" Naruto asked. Kushina moved up on the swing and Naruto sat next to her. Naruto smiled down at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong with you today sweetie?" Naruto asked. Kushina looked up at him blankly. "I don't always know what you're thinking, but I know you're not happy today. You haven't seemed happy for awhile." Naruto added. Kushina looked at him carefully. She couldn't judge whether or not she really wanted to voice her fears to her father. "Dad, when you were little, did you have dreams?" Kushina asked. "Sure I did. I always wanted to be Hokage. From when I was a little kid like Kasumi I dreamed about the day I'd become the Hokage and protect the village." Naruto replied. Kushina bit her lip. "Do you have a dream carrot top?" Naruto asked. It was an obvious pet name that Naruto had used for years, as Kushina smiled happily. "I...... I don't really have a dream Dad." Kushina said timidly. Naruto blinked for a few minutes. Then he grinned at her widely. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I trust you'll do the right thing no matter what." Naruto said softly.
Kushina shook her head wildly, her red hair flying all over the place, and hugged Naruto tightly. "I'm not so sure about myself Dad." Kushina said tearfully. Naruto blinked as he looked at his twelve year old daughter. "What do you mean Kushina?" Naruto asked. "I-" Kushina was about to speak but Sakura came out of the house. "Come on you two. Tsunade-Shishou just got here with Jiraiya, Kakashi-Sensei and Anko came about a minute ago. Saiyuri is running around like a maniac looking for you Kushina." Sakura said happily. "Thanks Auntie Sakura." Kushina said softly. Sakura smiled at Kushina and then walked back into the house. Naruto smiled at his daughter. "What were you gonna say sweetie?" Naruto asked. Kushina shook her head vigorously. "Nothing Dad. Nothing at all." Kushina said cheerfully. The cheer didn't seem to spread to her eyes. The pair stood up from the swing and walked inside. None of them had noticed the presence watching them all that time.
In the tree, Sasuke looked around, and watched. He had missed out on a real life. He knew it too. Now was very different. Now Sasuke knew it was time to come back to where he had been born. Two dark-haired boys were with him. One was twelve, the other was two. There was also a girl of seven. The twelve year old looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Father, why are we here?" The boy asked. "We're here, Itachi, because this was my home. It still is my home." Sasuke said softly. The girl looked up at Sasuke. "But Daddy, if it's your home why did you leave it?" The girl asked softly. "I left for reasons that are hard to explain now, Hikari. I will try and explain it to you soon." Sasuke replied. The girl seemed placated with that answer. The two year old child was wriggling around in Itachi's arms. "Naruto, hold still, or you're gonna fall." Itachi said softly. Sasuke smiled, and the group jumped down into the garden, ready to crash the party.
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Okay all this is just the first chapter. The next chapter will be longer. But these first two are just the start. I hope ya enjoyed the chapter and I'll be updating next week people.