Chapter twenty six – Ivy
The ivy plant is an evergreen and strong plant which can grow in the hardest of environments. In symbolism it can refer to dependence, endurance and faithfulness.
It was strange, because Naruto felt like she was on a gently rocking ship. There was movement underneath her, and she felt as if she was steadily moving forwards.
Opening her eyes she noticed the dark spiky hair her nose was pressed into. The hair strands was tickling her neck and got into her eyes when they opened.
Naruto was in a place she didn't remember— a small winding path in the middle of a wild forest, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, making unique patterns on the soft soil.
It took the blonde another moment to realize she was being carried by Madara on his back. Hashirama was strolling next to them while whistling in the morning light. Ahead of them she could see Shin carrying Katsu in a similar fashion as herself. Furthest up ahead Izumi and Kurou were talking animatedly to one another, but she was still too tired to understand what was being said.
The blonde was about to ask what was going on when Naruto remembered what had caused her to end up in this state. It was actually pretty embarrassing, and she felt her cheeks start to heat up at the memory of crying so hard she couldn't move. At one point she must simply have fallen asleep down there in that crater. Or passed out from dehydration, but Naruto was pretty sure it was the first.
The picture of her old family came back to her— everyone who'd shown up on the battlefield, just to wish her well. Naruto felt calm and warm as she thought of her old friends.
It still sent a bite to her heart thinking of them, but now Naruto also felt she had come to terms with it, at least more than she'd been before.
Seeing her precious people who she'd happily die for yet again was more than she had ever dared to daydream of, it had been a desperate longing, not an actual wish.
Her memories showed their smiles and love for her, all of them united in a circle around her. While she couldn't be a part of that circle anymore, Naruto felt they were still with her. Finally she knew with certainty that she'd done the right thing, that she at last could go on with no regrets.
And lying limp against Madara's back Naruto made herself a promise that from now on, she would look forward instead of to her past—building a life in this time, instead of longing for the impossible.
"Are you feeling better now, Naruto?" Asked Hashirama. He was the only one who'd noticed her awakened state, and he smiled warmly up at her. His Hokage cloak, which he had never actually taken off since Naruto asked permission to use the Edo Tensei, was ripped and dirty. But otherwise he seemed healthy as a horse.
She felt Madara's grip tighten around her legs, probably understanding she must have woken up.
The others stopped in front of them and looked back. To her surprise Katsu was awake, and still very blind. They waited for them to catch up before continuing their walk.
It had been very confusing in the heat of the battle to see how hurt the others had been. But everyone except Katsu and herself were awake and walking on their own two feet.
Kurou had a scar reaching from his bottom ear to his nose, there were also bandages on his upper arm but otherwise he seemed fine.
Shin had a black eye while Izumi looked just the same as always, except her clothes were more tattered than usual.
The thought of wounds made her wonder how Madara could possibly be the one carrying her. He'd ended up in the middle of a Bijū Bomb, but was somehow still able to drag her with him.
"Yes… Thanks for staying with me and dealing with my… eh… breakdown. You shouldn't have seen that..." She muttered and held on tighter to Madara. The Uchiha smiled a little as she pressed herself closer to him.
"Nonsense. You had to see your friends disappear again. We understand now how much pain you must have been in. Not completely of course, none of us can truly imagine what that must have been like. But we're trying to understand and be here for you. After all, you are one of our precious persons, Naruto," Hashirama said, smiling at Madara who nodded.
Naruto felt her cheeks warm and she felt grateful for Madara's wild hair, it was so easy to hide behind it. "Thank you… I'm better now. I'm glad you finally know. I've never liked lying and especially not to friends. After this I think… I can finally move on. Knowing I'm not disrespecting them, that they won't hate me for leaving them behind. I've spent so many years wallowing in the past, and I have felt too much guilt to… To make a new life without them." She whispered into Madara's neck. "You can put me down, Madara. I'm fine now."
They halted while the Uchiha let her down to the ground. She tested her own footing and was pleased to find herself in a good condition. It seemed it was only the emotional overload that had knocked her out.
Setting her eyes onto Katsu she walked up to him with a worried look. "Are you okay Katsu?" She asked softly when the Uchiha man turned his head in her direction but kept his eyes closed. He still had patches of blood on his face and clothing, but it was clear the others must have helped him wash of the worst at some point.
"Wonderful." Was the sarcastic reply she received and Naruto couldn't help but snort.
She lifted up her right hand and looked into the palm, not surprised when the sun mark was nowhere to be found. "Shit… I can try, but I don't think I can regrow your eyes Katsu… If this had just been before the battle... But if you just allow me, I can try." Said Naruto softly. She was certain that she remembered the feeling of regrowing Kakashi's eye. But her chakra no longer had the same potency as when she had the sun mark. It had been a loan anyway, it wasn't her own powers at all.
Katsu seemed indifferent and remained silent. Since he didn't reject the idea the blonde took that as confirmation and stepped closer to Shin where the Uchiha still lay limply over his shoulders. He seemed even more stubborn than usual. He had a reason to though, going blind couldn't be a very fun experience.
Naruto raised her hand and laid it carefully over his left eye while turning on Bijū Mode but knowing already it would have little effect.
Focusing on Katsu and what made up his body, Naruto tried to find it again, that sense of life force that could regrow his eyes. She found a hint of it, and focused on drawing it out while supplying it with her own chakra. Naruto was pleased when she found out it had some effect, and pushed harder, biting her lip in concentration while she attempted to fix the damage.
But no matter what it still didn't feel right.
After a minute she gave up and looked at Katsu again. His face had more colour to it now and there were less swelling around his eyes, but she knew already she hadn't been successful. "I'm sorry, Katsu… My healing powers have gone away without my sun mark. But do you feel a little better at least?" She wondered concerned.
"Hn. A little." He answered without much emotion.
Naruto folded her arms around herself and sighed at his stoic attitude. "I'm so sorry. I've managed to regrow an eye in the past, but I don't have that power anymore. It was just loaned to me while fighting the enemy. Now that Black Zetsu is gone the Sage of the Sixth Paths must have taken them back… I'm not even sure exactly when it happened."
"Sage of the Six Paths? Seriously?" Asked Shin with obvious doubt in his voice.
"How did you think I could fly? Or get those black staffs or the truth seeking orbs? It's the power I was granted fifteen years ago to stop Kaguya from escaping her prison. I got the Six Paths Yang Power while Sasuke got the Yin." Explained Naruto a little offended, but knowing there was no reason to avoid the explanation anymore. They had already seen way more than she'd ever intended for them.
"We might understand a little better now, but there is a lot of confusion on our part. If we take it slow and walk back to Konoha at this pace you'll have time to tell us about your past and the future you have been working to improve. Will you tell us?" Asked Hashirama gently as Naruto fell in step with him and the Uchiha leader. Katsu remained mute and brooding while he let Shin continue to carry him.
"Yes, I owe you that, and more importantly I want you to understand. It started… In a way I guess with the Clan Wars, but my story really started during the Third Shinobi War. With my dad's genin squad; team Minato, and the battle at Kanabi Bridge. How my sensei became known as Kakashi of the Sharingan." She said while trying to figure out how best to tell them everything. Naruto had already told master Yasu once, but that time had been different. The words had just spewed out and today she had no idea how she'd explained things. She knew she'd gone back a lot to explain things he got confused about.
So after thinking about it for a moment Naruto started telling her story. All of them staying silent and letting her tell them everything without interrupting.
As they walked through the forest of the Land of Fire, slowly getting closer to Konoha, Madara listened with rapid attention as she told them her background story. And the further she got into the story, the more disbelieving it got.
She started by giving a short summary of what she knew about the third war and her father becoming the fourth Hokage.
It developed into how they were attacked when her mother had just given birth by a mysterious masked man of the Uchiha clan and the attack on Konoha by the controlled Nine Tails.
Soon they heard of the sacrifice Minato gave by making Naruto the next jinchūriki and her isolated childhood. Growing up as an outcast in her village and how she struggled at the academy. And how she at the academy started her self-proclaimed rivalry with Uchiha Sasuke.
She told of the Uchiha Massacre, which had been done by their heir— Uchiha Itachi, who also happened to be Sasuke's older brother and how it changed him.
In two hours she went through her genin days and the battle at the Valley of the End, her training with Jiraiya of the Sannin and her return to Konoha.
Naruto explained how she was targeted by the Akatsuki, how they hunted down the jinchūriki's and her own chase after Sasuke to bring him back to Konoha.
They never interrupted as she explained the circumstances of the times when the Fourth Shinobi War broke out. How the masked man together with Sasuke infiltrated the Kage summit and how he had called himself Uchiha Madara.
When she came to this point everyone had been itching to ask about a thousand questions. But with one look at Naruto, they were all forced to let her finish talking before asking questions. It was taxing enough for her to explain all these things without being interrupted every second.
Then she started telling them of the union between the nations and preparations for the fourth war, which was both to protect the remaining jinchūriki and to defeat the Akatsuki.
She spoke of the many battles, deaths and the reanimated people who were forced to battle on the enemy's side against their own.
How they had suddenly been fighting the real Madara who was an Edo Tensei too, and the fake was discovered to be Uchiha Obito of team Minato. The kind and cheery boy who was believed killed in the third war.
The realisation that the real Uchiha Madara was the one who had found Obito underneath the boulders and that he had the love of Obito's life killed right in front of him. How the Eye of the Moon plan stemmed from Madara and that Obito was the tool to see it finished.
How the Ten Tails was reformed and the sudden reappearance of Sasuke with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan on their side. The reunion of Team Seven and the fight against the Ten Tails, Madara and Obito.
By now she wasn't talking to any of them; she just told the story out loud while she relived her own memories as they listened silently.
Madara was disgusted by what he heard, both at the ninja system and himself for becoming like that. He could somehow understand that someone could turn out that way, and at the same time it felt completely insane. But he had seen it many times before, had he not? The Uchiha had a large number of members who became less than mentally stable very quickly when losing someone they loved. The problem was he couldn't identify himself with the person Naruto was talking about. The only solid thing in common was his name.
What he really couldn't grasp was Naruto's actions. It made no sense how she'd dealt with things if what he had heard so far was true. Kurou and Hashirama had already told them what they knew of Sasuke and Naruto. So he'd already heard the impossible word time travel before Naruto got to that part of her story.
Therefore he couldn't grasp how she could have spared him after being thrown into the past. Had their roles been reversed he'd have killed her before she had left the mountain top the day they met so many years ago.
It was incomprehensible that she'd fought so hard for him. Unbelievable that she had tried to save him from himself, and that she had believed in him from the very start.
As she got to the final battle against Kaguya she got sad again. She told of how Black Zetsu was the one to orchestra everything, including guiding Madara down the darkest path there is. How they were transported to another dimension where they had been separated. And then how Obito had changed sides and worked for them to get Sasuke back.
And when things had finally started looking up it was only so she'd be targeted. The consequences had been earth shattering for her, because she hadn't been quick enough to get out of the line of fire.
The story came to an end when she told them of waking up in the same place as they had been on earth before being transported into Kaguya's dimension. But it was now many decades earlier, and Naruto had not understood what had happened. For a while she'd been thinking she was under some genjutsu or in the afterlife when she couldn't find anyone and discovered she'd been turned into a six year old.
She didn't seem interested in continuing after that and stopped talking.
There was a heavy silence between everyone once the story came to its end. Madara especially was tongue tied as he stared emptily into the forest. His mind trying to picture the many scenarios Naruto had just told them. He still came up blank at the idea of himself as some world destroying avenger. But apparently he'd been fooled by Black Zetsu too, just like the other Uchiha Madara had fooled Obito. Use the darkness in people…
No, he still couldn't get to grips with this. Maybe she was crazy after all.
"You've lived a harsh life, Naruto. To be this kind and still believe in us after everything you've seen and been through," Hashirama murmured, breaking some of the growing tension in the group.
"Yes… You are really… Fighting for me even after everything..." Added Madara depressed. He could comprehend now why Naruto had been so reluctant to get in a relationship with him. It was a sobering story that was for sure.
"I've always wondered where you got your conviction from, especially when we fought against each other during our failed attempt to capture the Yōnbi. I now understand better than I did before..." uttered Madara and sighed. He understood Naruto's side better, but had it not been for the abnormal spirits they'd ran into so recently there would be no way in hell he'd believe any of this.
The others gave some comments too, but Madara was still too deep in his head to register them. That was until the only female Uchiha in the group spoke up again.
"Wait a minute… Does that mean..." Said Izumi and started chuckling.
All of them looked surprised at the laughing Uchiha woman. "That you're actually thirty two years old?" She laughed again as Naruto started pouting.
Madara smirked despite himself as the mood lifted. "You must either have been a very good actor or very immature as an actual seventeen year old, Naruto. I never thought of you as more mature than us when we were twelve." Added Madara. "You still act as a kid sometimes."
Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "It's just my mind. My body is twenty one you know. And as an Uzumaki and a jinchūriki, I'll stay in better shape than you two as we grow older, dattebayo!" She retorted with a small crooked smile. It was very clear that Naruto felt better now than she'd been in a very long time.
After bickering for fifteen minutes they finally started reaching more familiar places. The discussion was far from over, but Madara knew he wanted to have this talk when he'd processed the information better. They were now only a few kilometres away from Konoha.
"So what will you do now?" Asked Hashirama eventually, stopping Madara from telling Naruto exactly why she fitted better as an academy student than a jōnin when it came to organizing things. "You've finally done it. You've managed to seal away Black Zetsu before he could cause more damage. The future will change, many people who should have died will be alive, and people who were born might never be conceived." He told them looking worriedly at Naruto.
"I know. Mito is the prime example of that… But I've come to terms with that now. Seeing them all again finally convinced me that I did the only right thing I could have done. To be a ninja is to make impossible choices. You've told me that yourself Hashirama." She answered while playing with a kunai she'd threatened Madara with five minutes earlier.
"You will still stay right? There's no big evil God trying to get out of her prison anymore. Or there is and she just has no chance of escaping now. Black Zetsu is gone. You can stay in Konoha now." Said Madara hopefully.
She smiled back at him and nodded. "Now… It's time for me to just live my life… I haven't done that in this time yet. It's always been about the future… What everyone after me would get to do." She said looking up at the clear sky.
Her blue eyes glinted in the sunshine and her smile widened as she let her eyelids close. Slowly a thoughtful expression grew on her features.
"I guess it might be boring you know? I mean, not having anyone determined to kill me. What on earth will I do with all the time?" She chuckled and shook her head back and forth. "I feel so aimless… Oh well, I guess there's still one dream I haven't archived yet." She said and looked towards Hashirama.
"I still have to claim that hat from you Hashirama! I always used to say I'd be Hokage one day."
Madara laughed and patted her on the back. "I think you might just stand a chance, Naruto. You have to start doing more missions, though. And no bailing either. Izuna and I can't be the only one voting for you whenever Hashirama decides to retire. People need to see what you're made of. Just like we have first now truly seen." He said teasingly, seeing determination fill up her eyes once more. She obviously saw that as a challenge to be accepted.
"I'm intending to, Madara! I'll show them all what Uzumaki Naruto can do, dattebayo!"
"Um… Naruto, I think that would be Namikaze Naruto. That's your legal name after all, and strictly speaking you're not allowed to use that name since you're not a resident of Uzushiogakure." Added Hashirama and looked at Kurou who chuckled at the blonde's antics.
Naruto looked wide eyes at Hashirama, she probably hadn't realized her slip up, but she quickly gathered herself again. "Oh… Right. Namikaze Naruto then!"
Tobirama was waiting at them with a furious expression by the gates. His arms were folded and he tapped his foot impatiently as they came into view.
After sending Shin, Izumi and Kurou to the hospital with the weak Katsu he cornered the last three with a glare that could break glass with its intensity.
"You three… Leaving the village at a time like this… No patience… Completely careless… What if someone attacked?" He muttered under his breath as they all tried to look remorseful.
"And you, brother… What the hell? You're the Hokage! Do you remember what that role entailed? You wrote that law yourself! The leader that has to remain in the village! What sort of Hokage wanders out in the middle of the night without an explanation? I thought something horrible was going on! Damn it! Where the hell were you? I thought you were being tortured in a dungeon at one point!" He said getting louder with each word while his temper grew more furious.
"Eh… We sort of went after Katsu. He was in trouble, and you know… The rebels?" Hashirama stated remorsefully as his shoulders slumped.
"You… If the enemy was that powerful you should have raised the alarm, Hashirama. Not take yourself and Naruto out of the village to play heroes together with some Izuna look-alike!" He growled.
He sent Naruto a furious look before continuing to put Hashirama down for his short sightedness.
"I have half our forces out in the woods as we speak! You can't do that anymore, brother! You three can't sneak around the villagers' backs like when you were kids!" He continued but finally seemed to have gone through most of his insults and arguments since he was rapidly calming down.
Madara realised the one who had been the most scared was Tobirama, since he saw Itama coming towards them with a wide smile and a thumbs up.
"What the hell happened anyway? Where did you go? And master Yasu is gone. We found his will on the table in his room. We've been really concerned." Tobirama groused. Naruto held up her hand to stop him from continuing.
"We have Master Yasu with us… he… he died, in fact he sacrificed himself for us. The danger is gone now thanks to him and we sealed Black Zetsu when he was trying to kill us." She summarized.
Madara shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot but nodded when Tobirama looked at him.
Hashirama laughed nervously, but in an instant grew depressed again. "I'm sorry brother. I acted carelessly. Naruto was going after Black Zetsu with that stranger, but she was so stressed and worried I felt I had no other choice. Forgive me."
Sighing Tobirama let his arms fall to his side.
He then handed Hashirama a rolled up scroll and started telling him a bunch of chores that needed doing right this instant. Neither of the others envied their friend in that moment. It sounded like Tobirama had added to the list out of spite for their action. Once Tobirama had given the gist of what was to be done he addressed Naruto and Madara. By then Hashirama was walking hunched back away towards his office.
"I need you two to help me get in touch with the ninja I sent out this morning. They need to be informed of everything that's happened." He explained to the duo who were tired but agreed just to calm the Senju down from his bad mood.
It took Naruto a second before she changed her mind again though. "No wait! Madara got hit by a Bijū Bomb and he shouldn't even be walking! I'll use my Kage Bunshin and inform everyone, Madara should really follow the rest up to the hospital and get checked over." Explained Naruto hurriedly. Turning towards Madara she was met by scornful eyes, clearly he disagreed with her assessment.
Tobirama looked confused for a moment, looking hurriedly up and down Madara before he nodded. "Alright." Was all he answered, but his voice was much less stern than earlier. And some concern was showing in his eyes.
As Naruto turned and left the gates while Madara walked quickly towards the hospital, the blonde could hear Tobirama mutter silently to himself. "What on earth happened out there?"
"What's the verdict?" Naruto asked coming into the hospital room and seeing Izuna sitting in a chair next to his older brother's hospital bed. The young man looked up and smiled brightly.
"Naruto, it's great to see you're feeling better." He answered and looked with a small smile back to his brother. "He'll be fine... eventually. But he had three ribs, two toes and his right leg broken. I can't believe he actually carried you for so long, he's actually a mess. There was also a concussion and third degree burns to his arms and chest, but they were already healing when he returned to Konoha." Listed Izuna and shook his head from side to side. Madara was sleeping after the operation he'd been forced into, and the Uchiha leader looked surprisingly fragile where he lay in white sheets.
"Katsu is still blind as a bat, and we don't have any donor eyes at the moment. Once big bro wakes up we might find something, but he can only regain his sight in his left eye. I don't really understand what the medic nin talked about, but something about the connection to the brain or something was messed up in his right eye. At best he'll be a one eyed idiot from now on." Continued Izuna with a deep sigh. Naruto could see that he was worried, but hid it very well.
The blonde found a chair and plopped into it without taking her eyes off Madara. It had been bad then, she had known just from the fact that he was being so corporative when she'd told her story, maybe he had been in too much pain to register much of what she was saying.
'Maybe he just has a higher pain tolerance than you, Naruto.' Said Kurama with a chuckled at Naruto's worried thoughts. 'I always heal you up so you don't really understand pain over a longer time period.'
'I can deal with pain, dattebyo! I'm just worried I'll have to explain everything a second time. We never really had the chance to discuss the other Uchiha Madara with Madara.' Retorted Naruto stubbornly.
'He might be different from the Uchiha Madara we once knew of, but they still have the same body. I'm sure that pain was nothing compared to what I know he can deal with.' Explained Kurama in a bored voice.
Naruto thought about that for a moment and then agreed. 'I just hope he'll be alright…'
'Sure you do.'
'Why does that sound like you're making fun of me?' Naruto asked accusingly, but Kurama didn't bother to reply. He only laughed in his booming voice before pushing her out of the mindscape.
While beating herself up mentally, hoping it somehow would affect the stupid fox, she continued watching the Uchiha leader. "So you are concerned. That's good to see. And another thing, when are you going to confess your undying love for my big bro?" Asked Izuna nonchalantly.
Naruto sputtered and finally dragged her eyes away from her ex-lover. "Wha- What do you mean?" She muttered and felt her cheeks heat up.
"Oh, come on! I wanna win the bet I have with Hashirama."
"Bet? What bet!?"
"Well, it's not like I can tell you the specifics," exclaimed Izuna, huffing as if that was obvious.
"Why not? You just said you had a bet going. If you didn't want me to know you wouldn't have said anything at all, dattebyo!"
"You can know there's a bet going, and it's been going for a while now, you just can't know exactly what it entails." Said Izuna and smiled wolfishly. "Right now Itama is the one who's closer to winning and I just can't have that. So when are you gonna tell him?"
"You are so blunt sometimes, Izuna." Muttered Naruto.
Izuna raised one eyebrow at that comment and smoothly replied, "And you keep avoiding the question, blondie."
"I'm not avoiding it, I choose to ignore it," answered the jinchūriki, smirking right back at the Uchiha.
Izuna looked back to his brother and rolled his eyes. "Typical woman."
The smirk wiped away from Naruto's face and she shot up from her chair. "What the hell did you just say, you brat?!"
One week later...
Kurou and Hachirou were standing by the gates together with the squad that had faced Black Zetsu the final time. He was hugging Naruto tightly in farewell before he and his twin brother would leave to go back to Uzushiogakure.
This parting would be just one of many, since Kurou had promised to do his very best to patch up the relationship between their two villages. Uzu was having an easy time since the rebels had targeted Konoha instead of them, they would be happy to hear that Konoha had not only gotten rid of the threats to the village, but Mito's murderer as well.
Naruto had made him swear to never tell where she came from, not even to Hachirou. After some discussion he had happily agreed to those terms, and in the end called her Uzumaki Naruto, which had almost made her start the water works again.
None of the witnesses who saw that battle were allowed to say a word to anyone else but those who already knew. They were relatively sure all the enemy ninja who'd been there were dead or too far away to have heard anything, so her not-so-secret secret was still safe. She hoped...
Izumi was eating soup with Ketchup while leaning against the village boarders. Technically she was still on guard duty, but she had convinced Kurou to have a farewell feast with them before leaving.
Hashirama and Shin had politely declined by bringing their own food, and the rest found out why after the first spoonful.
Madara seemed healthy again, but that was only because of the act he kept up. When he was released from the hospital he had refused to use the crutches the nurses had tried to push on him.
Truthfully they hadn't tried very hard, like most people they were terrified of Madara. In the end Naruto had sneaked the two wooden props into Madara's living room while he was asleep, which had not sat well with him.
He still didn't use them, and had chosen to ignore the fact he'd been one blow away from being a cripple for the rest of his life. Katsu was still getting used to being blind, and it was making everyone depressed. He was furious about what had happened to him, and was often heard muttering curses he wished to inflict on Black Zetsu.
It was also strange that he refused the donor eyes Izuna had offered him. They were Izuna's old eyes. After his father's death Madara had taken his eyes when his eyesight started failing due to the overuse of his Mangekyō Sharingan, making them the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and stored away his original eyes.
A few years later when Izuna had gained the Mangekyō Sharingan he had taken Madara's eyes when he started going blind, so Izuna had offered Katsu his old eyes, but that had not been a popular suggestion. Katsu seemed hell bent on never having anything to do with that dōjutsu ever again. Even if it meant he would remain blind for the rest of his life. It was a good thing Hana, his fiancé, was such a supporting woman, or the man would be completely unbearable to be around. But Naruto hadn't written him off just yet. Once he'd snapped out of the shock the jinchūriki was planning on having a long talk with him. They always said she had a way with words. Clumsy and incomprehensible though they sometimes were.
Kurou and Hachirou were now starting their road home, and it was strangely bittersweet to see them leave. Hachirou was still pretty clueless about what had happened, but he knew his brother well enough to know something had gone down. Naruto wondered how he'd try to get the information out of Kurou, but knew at the same time he'd have as much success as if he were trying to get the info out of a rock.
Kurou always kept his word; it was what she liked the best about him. Hachirou knew this too, but he also enjoyed riling up his younger twin brother by three minutes.
"I hope they'll come back for my wedding." Said Izumi, startling all of them from the comfortable silence that had until now fallen between them.
"What? Who're you engaged to? In fact, I've got no recollection of you even being courted by anyone." Muttered Madara with confusion in his voice.
Izumi smiled mischievously and chuckled. "Oh, I'm not, but I'll still get married. You'll find out who it is eventually, Madara-sama."
Two months later...
"It was obviously not a cat. It had hanging ears and dots all over its fur. What cat has those things?" Naruto stated while brushing away her hair from her face. It had turned sweaty from the exercise, and she wished she could take a bath instead of having this argument with Madara.
"It was a cat." He replied in a bored tone.
"That's not an answer." Bit back Naruto while folding her arms over her chest.
"And as usual you're avoiding the real discussion, I think you're using this stupid argument to avoid the elephant in the room." Madara replied, rolling his eyes.
"...I'm not," replied Naruto, lying through her teeth. "I just think it can be postponed until another time, dattebyo."
Madara snorted and turned towards her. "That's what you always say. I on the other hand say we should get married." He stated and watched as Naruto grimaced before starting to pout. Same old, same old.
"Why?" Naruto moaned and moved away from Madara. "It's not like there's a law that say you have to be married to be a couple."
"Actually there is. While kissing publicly or in private is only frowned upon, if you got pregnant we'd be in serious trouble." He said and looked pointedly to her. Naruto felt even more naked than she already was under his heated stare. They'd been good on their way to a second round when this stupid argument had come up. Again. Not the cat discussion, the marriage one.
Naruto didn't like the fact that these times were still so old school when it came to relationships. She remembered clearly that Asuma and Kurenai had a child out of wedlock in her original time. Why did everyone have to be so darn strict about those things in these days? It was a private matter that had nothing to do with anyone else.
"Well, I'm not getting pregnant anytime soon. I'm careful about taking those herbs within twenty four hours." She said and rolled over on her side so she was facing Madara. His eyes trailed down her flushed body before coming back up to her face.
"Well, you cannot get pregnant and be married to me at the same time you know." He said and rolled his eyes before fixing them up into the ceiling. "I can't figure you out at all, Naruto. What sort of woman doesn't want to be married anyway?" He added as an afterthought.
"Many women don't want to get married, Madara. But anyway, I didn't say I wouldn't want it eventually, but right now I'd like to figure out if we can actually be together without ripping out each other's throat in the long haul. It's called dating." Explained Naruto knowingly, letting herself rest into the futon again.
"Dating?" Asked Madara confused, his eyes trailing back to hers when he asked.
"It's when two people like each other very much and they try to be together. You date when you want to find out if you're compatible, or if it's simply just lust." Stated Naruto teasingly. She came closer to Madara and laid her hands on top of his bare muscled chest while trailing a finger down between his pecks. A small blush growing on her tanned cheeks when she looked up to his burning stare.
"Dating is the stage you get to know someone and find out the things that makes the other tick. Find out if you're in love." She continued, trying to keep her thoughts to the conversation instead of the many new ideas she got. Madara was following her movements with unrivalled attention. How her bare chest rose and sank in rhythm of her breathing, how her blonde hair fell over his right arm and tickled his skin. She was simply gorgeous. And while there were no official papers who said so, she was still his.
"We know everything about one another and what makes us tick. We already love each other." He said in a slightly rougher voice than he had been meaning to, his searching hand moving to her neck. Gently he caressed the soft smooth skin there. It was amazing that a ninja of her level didn't have a single scar except for her birthmarks. No scraped skin, no burns or a freckle. There wasn't even a tan line. The Kyūbi must be the best healer to ever exist.
"Oh? Dating leads up to a relationship, and if the relationship works for some time you can then decide if you get married or not. If you truly want to see his or her face every day for the rest of your life." Continued Naruto and slowly moved her own body on top of Madara's, making his hand slide down her shoulder and down to her waist while she changed her position. Their skin was pressed closely together, and it was making it difficult to focus on anything other than the others reactions.
Madara let his other hand go up to her waist too, stroking slowly up and down before moving both callous hands further around her. He held her in place, not letting her escape.
"Could you, Madara? One day I'll be Hokage and then I'll be much less available. It's a busy job after all." Said Naruto a little breathlessly as the Uchiha's hand started wandering down towards her ass instead. Their faces were so close all Madara had to do was tilt his head a centimeter up to touch their lips together.
"You seem awfully sure of yourself, Naruto. You still have to gain that hat from the current Hokage. I've also heard that since I don't want the position, both Tobirama and Izuna are being considered too." He replied as Naruto sat up so she was straddling him, theirmore intimate parts being the only thing connecting them now. Naruto was already feeling the odd fluttering sensation in her lower stomach, the feeling of wanting Madara like this. From the poking between her legs the blonde knew very well that her lover felt the same way.
"There's no way I will lose, Madara." She said huskily, and Madara watched as she grabbed his hands which he had been trailing down her thighs and let her hands fist around his wrists. She made him let go of her before forcing his hands above his head. Pinning him down while her hair made a curtain of golden hair, separating them from the rest of the world.
"I'll take that position one day, but right now there's some positions I'd rather try with you instead." Madara couldn't find a proper reply to that. He vaguely wondered if all girls from the future were this forward in bed, or if this was just another one of Naruto's quirks. He didn't dwell on it for long since he felt very agreeable to the direction this was going.
"Well, I won't complain too much if you continue letting me do this. But I'm not known for my patience, Naruto, and I've already waited long enough. You're mine." He muttered just before their lips connected for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Naruto seemed pleased enough with that answer, and moulded their bodies together so closely even air couldn't separate them.
"Oh, and..." Said Madara against her lips as they connected by the hips. His breath getting caught in his throat at feeling her warmth. "... that... really was a cat... earlier."
"No it... wasn't."
Six months later
Itama looked sullen and more than a little angry as Tobirama handed his older brother the latest documents he'd brought back from the office. However his brother wasn't interested in reading them, instead he was gloating over something else entirely.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Naruto had just left the house. "Yes! I won, Tobi!" Hashirama said the moment he spotted his advisor standing in the same room as him. "Izumi, Izuna and Itama owe me now." He exclaimed happily, and Tobirama realised instantly what this was about.
There were not many things that involved Itama, Izumi and Izuna owing his older brother something.
"What? Really?" Muttered Tobirama and placed the papers on the bookshelf instead. He decided to remind his brother of them when he was less excited. "I've never heard of a woman proposing before though. I can't believe Madara actually accepted that." He said honestly surprised.
"Then again, he has asked so many times and got rejected each time I can imagine it was just a tactic to get his way." Said Tobirama and felt himself smirk at the idea of the Madara of the Uchiha clan being proposed to by his not so secret lover.
"I'm not paying that." Stated Itama sullenly.
"Stop moping, Itama. There are more women in the world than Naruto-san." Said Tobirama and rolled his eyes. Hashirama nodded seriously, but couldn't stop his growing grin from spreading over his face again.
"So Izuna lost because Madara wasn't the one to propose, while Itama lost because he bet they wouldn't get together at all. While Izumi bet they'd just elope so she owes you money too. I have to say your luck is uncanny when it comes to gambling. A woman proposing..." Said Tobirama and shook his head.
"That's not going publicly though." He added as an afterthought.
"Oh, who're you kidding, Tobi? This is Naruto we're talking about after all. There will be flocks of women who'll ask about the proposal. I remember that after I asked Mito. Do you really think she'll tell anything but the real version?" Chuckled Hashirama gleefully, still eyeing his youngest brother while wondering if he should demand the sum now or later. Probably later, Itama was still pretty upset after all.
"I have no idea how Madara can put up with her, they're like oil and water." Tobirama said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. The idea of two unlikely people was hard to imagine.
"Yes they are! They're so going to regret this." Added Itama, but the white haired man sent him a stern look which made him shut up and continue moping.
"Don't worry, Itama. You just experienced your first heartbreak, but that's natural. Especially when you go for an older woman and you're still a little kid." Started Hashirama saying.
"I'm not a little kid, brother! I'm sixteen and I've killed! I'm a soldier of Konoha!" Cried Itama indignantly.
Hashirama ignored the outburst and continued as if nothing had disrupted him. "But sometimes love doesn't go the way you want it to. Be happy that Naruto is happy. That's all you can do little brother." He finished with a warm smile.
"I am happy for her. I just think she has horrible taste in men. I mean, Madara isn't exactly the kindest person out there. They're always arguing about something and I can't understand what they possibly can have in common." Ranted Itama frustrated.
"They're both powerful ninja and they both enjoy battling." Explained Tobirama after a moment silence. "And arguing isn't always a bad thing. Family argue all the time but that doesn't mean we don't love each other."
Itama made a grimace at the word family, probably picturing Madara's offspring at those words. "I'm starting a new mission today." Said Itama with certainty.
"Oh?" Asked Hashirama. The change of subject had been a little abrupt and he didn't remember assigning him anything this weekend.
"Yes. I'll find myself a girl to court. That way Naruto can see how it's supposed to be like." He explained and ran out of the room.
"Oh, kami..." Muttered Tobirama staring after him while his older brother chuckled loudly. "I doubt the jealousy tactic he's planning will have much effect." He said and smiled to Hashirama. "I'll let him figure this one out on his own."
The Hokage had problems stopping his laughter and nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes you should. I always say most things are better learned through experience."
"That's just an excuse you use whenever you put down a ludicrous bet, brother." Tobirama stated with a sigh at the memory of his brothers more insane gambles.
"And I've yet to lose, Tobi! I'm seriously starting to think there's something supernatural going on here."
Ten months later...
Naruto was sitting together with Madara and Hashirama up on the Hokage Mountain while Hashirama told them what to expect when they left for their next mission.
The Hokage was fed up with paperwork and Naruto had given him the small hint that a Kage Bunshin could go a long way if all he had to do was paperwork. The Senju had looked downright shaken for a moment, before he'd joined them out for a walk and left three clones back at the office who all grumbled over the work load.
Instead he decided to give their mission briefing up by the mountain as the sun set on the horizon. They would leave the next day together with Tobirama and scout the area, but the younger Senju brother already knew everything.
There was still no peace, and the troubles were far from over. But Naruto felt much more optimistic that the world was closer to reaching that goal than ever before. Though, while the Yuki Akebino, Terumī and Hōzuki clans were not a problem anymore there were still other problems to be handled.
So while they talked and considered the next mission the three childhood friends sat with their feet dangling from the edge of the mountain. Feeling the fresh air hit their face and rough up their long hair.
"Oh, and I got some wonderful news from Itama today. He came back from his scouting mission this morning." Said Hashirama and smiled brightly to the others. "It seems we have a new hidden village to start cooperating with. A village just signed the official papers to the capital of the Land of Wind as a new settlement for ninja. They named the village Sunagakure." Said Hashirama knowingly.
Naruto perked up the moment he said the last words, her eyes shining in excitement as she understood what was happening.
"Suna? Seriously!" She exclaimed excitedly, wanting to dance with joy at the idea of the desert village hidden in sand. "That's wonderful, dattebyo." Naruto said, feeling overwhelmed and at the same time carefree at these news.
It would be the second of the hidden villages to be officially made, and it made her heart sing at the memory of Gaara and his siblings. Maybe she could make sure they too had a better childhood this time around. Suna probably had Shukaku already, but that wouldn't stop her from giving them some healthy advise about the use of bijū.
"Yes, I knew you'd be excited to hear that." Chuckled Hashirama while Madara only smiled.
"I guess we'll have to go there soon and congratulate them." Said the Uchiha leader while Naruto was having problems sitting still.
"Yes! We should create an alliance with them!" Added Naruto.
"That's probably for the best. I was going to send you, Naruto. Since I was pretty sure you'd be up for the job." Hashirama said with a knowing smile, thinking back to all her diplomacy work in the past and her continued dedication to make new bonds between enemies.
The blonde gave a brilliant smile in return, her whole face lit up at the idea of making the familiar trip from the gates of Konoha to the fortress like village in the desert. It would be great to see that place again.
"I'll go too." Said Madara thoughtfully. "Just to make sure she isn't set up. Naruto has quite the reputation these days."
Naruto scowled at the reminder. It had been a lot harder to go unnoticed these days. Apparently some of the rebels must have survived to tell the tale, since she was now being targeted quite frequently.
"Yeah, probably for the best." Naruto agreed, taking both men by surprise. She was usually stubborn about managing on her own. The growing number of arguments usually revolved around Naruto feeling the need to do everything on her own.
The blonde noticed the odd looks her fiancé and Hokage were sending her, and she wondered what she said wrong. "What?" She asked confused.
Madara shook his head and leaned back on his hands. Letting his feet dangle with the wind while watching the darkening sky above them. The last sun rays of the day were hitting the underside of the clouds, giving them a rich orange colour which bathed their surroundings in a golden hue. "I'm just glad you're finally letting us in is all." He said quietly, making a small smile appear on Naruto's face.
They didn't speak after that. All three sat with a sense of calmness inside them while watching different aspects of Konoha: the big sculptured face of Hashirama who watched over the village, the trees being rustled by the evening wind, and the few falcons lifting up from the tree tops. It was a serene view of a village filled with people that mattered to all three of them.
It had been a long road that led Naruto to where she was now. It had been a steep one at times, and at some occasion her feet had lost all contact with the ground. For the thousand time in the last ten months the blonde thought over the one question which had kept appearing in her head; If she'd been given the choice, knowing what she'd be forced through, would she have done it?
Right then the only answer she had was yes.
Sneaking a look at her two friends Naruto decided to stop asking herself that question. She had made her choice, and the conclusion was still the same. Maybe time travel wasn't all that bad after all.
Author note: Thank you so much for reading! And thanks to everyone who has left a review, (over 600!) also Second Wind have over a thousand followers, which I never thought would happen but couldn't be more happy I was wrong. Now there's only the epilogue left. After that's posted I can finally check off the box saying 'complete' on this story. Gyah! Still can't really comprehend that...
I also added a few words to the previous chapter a few days ago. Because a guest review kindly reminded me that the fate of Saiken and Chōmei remained a mystery after the Chibaku Tensei. So, um… I didn't forget…about that... no… Not at all… Oh, who am I kidding? Thanks for the heads up GaaraRules29, I edited it and now it explains how they got away in chapter 25 (It didn't really fit in this chapter)
The next chapter will be shorter, about the same length as the prologue. And it'll take place many years after the last scene of this chapter. In a way you can say this chapter is the "real" ending of Second Wind.
This chapter has been beta'd by Jayden-the-Jaded. Thank you so much, you do a great job correcting and giving me tips.