A/N: It is my belief that before Uzushiogakure, the Uzumaki were the fearsome privateers everyone dreaded. Yes, Naruto most certainly comes from a long line of NINJA-PIRATES.
Uzumaki Kaien watched his mother's grave silently, concealing himself from his little sisters with all the skill a recently crippled shinobi and middle child possessed. He had originally come to the graveyard to pay his respects to Haha-ue for the first time in far too long, but when he had divined there was already someone visiting, he couldn't resist sneaking a peek at who had dared to come visit the woman no one spoke of.
Kaien had been surprised to see two little girls attending to the grave, cleaning it and laying out the proper offerings. But two random children wouldn't go about cleaning the late clan lady's grave, so they had to be pretty closely related to him, even if he didn't know who they were. At a glance, Haha-ue's grave looked like it had suffered about two, maybe three, years of neglect before someone had started to care for it. Kaien guessed someone had brought the kids out to Haha-ue for some reason, and they had started to care for her grave ever since. The question was who had brought them, and why had the children continued to visit and attend to the grave?
So far as he had been aware, neither his older or younger brother had set foot in the graveyard yet – Chichi-ue wasn't even remotely on the table – and no one else would presume to attend to Haha-ue's grave unless…
Kaien silently swallowed as it came to him who the two little girls must be; the twin sisters he had never seen. He almost hadn't recognized them – he hadn't been aware they were fraternal twins and not identical – but the one he thought was Mito had the exact shade of carmine Haha-ue had had.
While he had been unable to look away from Mito's waist length hair swaying in the salty wind, the twin sisters had finished attending to Haha-ue's grave and were sitting down to talk to Haha-ue. Mito was fidgeting mightily as she addressed Haha-ue, cheeks pinking in embarrassment as she relayed how her prank on "Oba-san" had been turned against her with a startling ease by Maiha's lady-in-waiting and their caretaker. Maiha then forcefully usurped the conversation when she obviously felt Mito was indulging in far more self-pity than was proper in front of Haha-ue.
"Mito, you know how Ryoko doesn't like anything that could harm her hair and you tried to prank her anyways. She's very proud of it because few Uzumaki have a shade like her Alizarin crimson."
Maiha's lips curled up slightly from their neutral line.
"And Kuzuri-san had just complimented her on her hair an hour before you set up your prank."
Mito gasped loudly at Maiha's confidence, cheeks flushing brick red, looking positively scandalized by Maiha indulging in gossip in front of Haha-ue. Kaien had to choke back a guilty laugh at how Maiha had delivered that bit of scandal so placidly when Uzumaki Kuzuri was widely known throughout the entire clan as the shinobi captain every eligible woman was scheming to somehow wrangle into a marriage contract. Though Kaien was surprised to hear Kuzuri had complimented any woman, let alone whoever this Ryoko was. As a comrade and acquaintance of the man he knew Kuzuri had developed something like paranoia regarding women, and he had actually suspected the man was planning to remain an eternal bachelor due to that or other reasons. If Maiha wasn't having Mito and Haha-ue on with her gossip, the clan might see some furious tempests over this issue in the future.
The twins continued talking to Haha-ue about things in a similar vein. They spoke of Mito's pranks, sealing, and escapades; of Ryoko's reactions to Mito, her possibly budding relationship with Kuzuri, and her remarks on her fellow underlings. Maiha spoke not at all of what she did, which Mito didn't protest, but rather she occasionally made dry remarks, observations, and correction. It was all very detailed, very through recounting. Kaien was unnerved he wanted to compare it all to like they were kunoichi reporting to a commanding officer.
If he had his dates correct, the twins were only a little over five years old. And while Kaien himself wasn't a father, he'd been around his baby brother and enough cousins to know Maiha's mental acuity was disturbingly advanced. She didn't act like she was a five year old, and she certainly didn't act like Mito was in any way older than her. Mito even called her aneue, instead of Maiha calling Mito that.
As he continued to watch the twins, he became more convinced that both of the twins were genii, and that they had been left to their own devices for far too long and at too young an age. They didn't act like children at all, and their views on social hierarchy and niceties were far too dim for princesses to hold.
Kaien gulped in dread. He was going to have to be quit avoiding his sisters and be responsible. Thankfully, he was quickly distracted from that morbid thought by Maiha reminding Mito she was going to be late to her fuinjustu instructor if she didn't get going. Mito scrambled up and took off running as fast as she could, and she was a speedy little kid for someone that wasn't in kunoichi training… As far as he knew.
Kaien gave into the urge to groan into a muffling hand, because it was pretty shameful just how little he knew about his sisters. He nearly sobbed when he thought at how he was probably going to have to wrangle his stuffy, busybody older brother and battle-obsessed little brother into helping him with Maiha and Mito. Kimihiro and Kōsuke weren't going to take this well.
His attention was drawn back to Maiha when he felt chakra fluctuating in a way that meant a seal was being activated, and saw her remove a bottle of sake from what looked to be a beginner's storage scroll. Kaien had no idea how Maiha had gotten her hands on what looked to be some quality sake some shinobi captain had acquired, but he was disturbed when she pulled out two saucers and filled them to the brim. She poured out Haha-ue's saucer into the grave's ground, and then pinched her nose and swallowed hers as quickly as she could. Maiha started hacking immediately, little fist pounding against her chest.
"Ugh, that was nasty. Much rather have some vodka. Ah, Saya-san, it's been awhile since we've talked to you, and even longer since I've talked to you by myself. My most humble apologies, honored mother."
It was rather startling to hear Maiha suddenly switch to most polite and formal form of speech after hearing her talk to Mito and Haha-ue informally.
"Normally I wouldn't risk trying to bring you sake Saya-san, but I figured something extra special was needed to help soothe your spirit. I apologize for Mito Saya-san. We came here for her to apologize to you, but as you can see, she didn't feel like apologizing for doing what she sees as right and proper."
Maiha poured Haha-ue more sake and emptied the saucer again.
"Mito calling Ryoko kaa-san must have hurtful."
Kaien ignored the sudden burning in his eyes. Maiha was right. Haha-ue would have been deeply hurt.
"I know why she did it. Mito hates how everyone ignores us, and Ryoko is practically the only Uzumaki who interacts with us on a day to day basis. Mito can't help but see her as her mother because Ryoko is all we have. Even if she is my lady-in-waiting."
Maiha poured more sake and poured it out, as Kaien kept listening.
"The fact Ryoko is now my servant is what makes it worse. She was going to be an apprentice medic a couple months after we were born, since she apparently impressed somebody enough with how she handled you during labor. But she gave up on her dream to take care of us. Then the others started pressing recently, saying how we didn't need a wetnurse or a nursemaid anymore. That's when Mito got upset, and said Ryoko was her kaa-san, so she couldn't leave her or me."
Kaien stared numbly as Maiha kept talking as she served Haha-ue another drink.
"Mito's words made it worse, because it was fuel on the flames. Suddenly the clan was in an uproar over how Ryoko was disrespecting you, usurping your place, rising above her station, and such. It was getting pretty bad, and Mito took it very poorly, despite what I said to her. As you know Saya-san, Mito isn't one to shy away from doing what she thinks is right. So she went and confronted one of the ruder clan members, behind Ryoko and I's backs."
He honestly didn't know how he didn't know about this. An incident of this magnitude shouldn't have slipped by him, even if he had been ignoring and avoiding all mention of his sisters. Kaien had to wonder just what had been going on, and how much of what Maiha was saying was the truth.
None of them had handled Haha-ue's death well, and Chichi-ue had made some comments after he had arrived home to find Haha-ue dead. So everyone had agreed that they wouldn't have anything to do with the twins until they got a hold of themselves. But they never did get a grip and learn how to deal with it, they had done the easy thing and completely avoided the twins. They hadn't acted responsibly, and Kaien knew it. They had abandoned Mito and Maiha, and he wouldn't be surprised if the girls thought they were orphans.
But it was one thing for him and his brothers and father to act like they had, and another for the entire clan to do the same. Kaien knew he had thought the clan would step in until they could handle dealing with the twins, because that's Uzumaki were supposed to do. Support one another, and hold their precious people, their family, above everything else.
If Maiha was telling the absolute truth, and that the clan had treated their princesses like pariahs… Well. There was a reason he had survived a Lava Release user in close combat, and had come out the victor.
"That was a disaster. If Mito wasn't the greatest budding fuinjutsu-user… Well, cousin Samuru might never recover, but as far as I'm concerned he deserved it. We had to do some quick thinking to get Mito out of the fire for that, and Ryoko ended up swearing herself to me after all of it in order to ensure she couldn't be separated from us. Though I think it was more on Mito's behalf she swore herself to me than anything on my side. I'm pretty sure Ryoko sees Mito as her daughter, and the loyalty she's displayed to us has attracted that captain to her.
Heh. A ninja-pirate captain.
But you know me Saya-san, I've been dithering over telling you why I stayed behind this time."
Maiha poured the sake out directly from the bottle, soaking the ground and the grave in alcohol.
"I've been told sake can soothe enraged spirits, so I thought I would bring you some Saya-san as an apology for Mito's actions. And as a bribe.
Mito loves Ryoko, and Ryoko loves her back. I can't change that, and I wouldn't even if I could Saya-san. I can justify reprimanding her for calling Ryoko kaa-san in public, or if we're around people. I can't order her to do so in private, and I know Mito will continue to, despite my disapproval. Forgive me Saya-san, but I beg you to allow this."
Maiha, the overly formal and polite child, bowed with utmost deference.
"She is my sister, and Ryoko is unwaveringly loyal. I would see them happy, even if that means you focus your displeasure upon me alone."
Maiha poured out the last of the sake and stood.
"For I am an Uzumaki, and they are my precious people as he will say. I will do anything for them Saya-san. So, please, let them have this."
Maiha left after that, and when he was sure his sister was gone, Kaien emerged from his hiding spot. As he stood over Haha-ue's grave, the marker glistening with sake and the ground wet, Kaien talked to his mother for the first time in nearly six years.
If his cheeks were as wet as Haha-ue's grave, that was his business.