The Village was in turmoil. It wasn't everyday that a being with the sheer presence of might and power to rival the Kyuubi, suddenly and without warning, dropped atop your head to pay a visit. Not only was this individual capable of dispatching their most powerful Shinobi, with ease, they had then brought the entire Shinobi Village to their very knees.
Their Hokage was currently crippled. Alive but crippled all the same, breathing through a tube in the hospital. Their Jinchuuriki all but comatose due to the entire ordeal, of which the Shinobi populace had no knowledge of regarding how the being had been dealt with.
Leaderless and without guidance, the Village and its Shinobi turned to the only individuals they could trust for leadership and guidance due to this tumultuous event. The Clan Heads of each Clan, the ANBU Commander, the Hokage's Advisors and several of the Village's notable A-Rank Jonin Shinobi gathered for an emergency meeting, trying, and ultimately failing, to come to a consensus on what to do next.
"Something must be done!" Hiashi Hyuga shouted, stabbing his index finger against the large table reserved for these very same meetings. His usually calm and stoic expression was nowhere to be seen, instead his features tightly knit in anger. "Our leader is crippled and we sit here! Raging back and forth with no plans! Our War Deterrent is in a coma and shows no brain activity! We are less than a month's away from hosting the Chunin Exams and are expected to host the other four Great Nations?! And yet here we are! Dawdling! Wasting time!"
"By all means, take the floor then, Hyuga-san." Kakashi Hatake retorted almost instantly, leaning against one of the walls in the now cramped office. "You're so keen on pointing out our lack of movement yet I don't see you coming up with anything useful to aid. What would you have us do? An unknown entity dropped a bomb on our Village and then proceeded to either vanish or die right under our noses with noone to witness... Please, tell us what we are supposed to do?"
"We have a witness." The Hyuga Clan Head bit back curtly, glaring directly at Kakashi. "The issue is his lack of cognitive function."
Inoichi Yamanaka then spoke up. "I had several Yamanaka members try to mindwalk into young Uzumaki's mind, regardless of the dangers that the Kyuubi may or may not have potentially presented." The man didn't even want to get into the specifics of how unethical and dangerous it was to try to mindwalk into an unconscious and unwilling individual's mind, let alone that of a Jinchuuriki. But, without leadership, desperate times call for desperate measures. "There is a sort of barrier or some mental block of some kind preventing us from progressing. In normal circumstances, this wouldn't be an issue but considering the fact that young Uzumaki is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi..." He let the statement roll of his tongue, not choosing to finish.
"Is there truly no way to wake the young man?" Shibi Aburame questioned.
"Without causing some sort of mental damage?" Inoichi asked in return. "No. And I will not force my Clan Members to do so and potentially cause another Kyuubi Rampage. It is off the table."
"There may be no other alternative." Shikaku Nara muttered quietly, wishing he was in his bed. "Our Hokage is crippled and unconscious due to his injuries and our Jinchuuriki is in a coma. Our main goal at this moment should be to mobilize our force and call for a lockdown."
"A lockdown will only cause more panic and hysteria." Homura, Hiruzen's old teammate, muttered.
"Martial Law or not, our military must mobilize. We cannot allow this information to leak out." Ryu, the ANBU Commander spoke out, voice coming out distorted and androgynous due to the filter of their mask. The individual was currently seated atop the ceiling of the room, hanging upside down in a casual manner. "An acting leader must take the hat until the Sandaime is awake and able to choose his replacement. I've read through the injury report and he will be forced to retire after this incident."
"We cannot even decide on our next course of action and you want us to choose a sitting Kage?" Kakashi questioned his former ANBU commander, craning his neck to speak directly to them.
"You are free to come up with a speedier solution, Hatake." Ryu replied easily.
"Every individual in this room must come to a consensus on an individual to take the seat while we await for Hiruzen to recover." Danzo finally spoke up. "Konoha cannot be allowed to remain without a leader."
"Let me guess..." Kakashi questioned in a sardonic manner. "You nominate yourself, no?"
Danzo said nothing in return but his expression said everything that realistically needed to be said.
"Pass." Kakashi stated instantly, not giving a damn about etiquette and respect. "You're completely senile and I'd sooner slit my throat then allow you to somehow thrust us into a war with your paranoia. Anyone foolish enough to follow you will only see death, despair and suffering. So long as I continue to draw breath, you will never lead this village, Danzo."
Several of the Clan Heads were, not necessarily shocked at Kakashi's words but more so shocked at the way he said them. There was always something off about Danzo and it was no secret that the man coveted the position of Hokage but to have one of Konoha's most notable and decorated Shinobi openly and brazenly tread the line of being treasonous?
It was a bit surprising.
"An opinion," Danzo retorted with ease, not the least bit phased by Kakashi's harsh words. "Is merely that, boy. The Shinobi will pick who they deem to be the most capable. Unless you yourself are offering to lead the village in such a tumultuous period?"
Kakashi didn't want to take the bait but he'd do so without hesitation if it kept Danzo's dirty hands off the hat. Their history was anything but pleasant and Kakashi had been chomping at the bit for the last decade, waiting patiently for Hiruzen to all but order the assassination of his old rival. Kakashi would gut the man with a smile on his face and not lose a wink of sleep over it.
"If it keeps your dirty fingers away from the hat then I'll do what must be done." The infamous Jonin stated with conviction. "Your only realistic alternatives are Jiraiya, Tsunade, myself and potentially Might Gai. And if you believe that your standing within the Village and its Shinobi can rival that of Jiraiya-sama or even Tsunade-sama, then I'll gladly rescind my offer."
"Don't be foolish, Hatake." Koharu scolded lightly from beside Homura. "Jiraiya and Tsunade are the only individuals suitable to take the seat, even if only acting. You overreach yourself."
Kakashi's gaze became venomous as he locked gazes with the older woman. "I've done more for this village in the first decade of my career then you have in your prime. Don't speak to me like we're equals. Time and time again, I've shed blood for this Village! Taken missions that would have killed lesser men and watched, helplessly, as my former comrades sacrificed themselves all so that I could come back and keep taking those very same missions that allow you to sit there on your throne and belittle me so! When you speak to me, do so with respect, advisor." He bit out in an acidic manner.
Might Gai placed a calming hand atop his friends shoulder, calmly and slowly easing the man backwards. "Now is not the time to get angry, Kakashi." He spoke calmly, trying to get Kakashi to remain calm.
"Plenty of men and women bleed for this village." Homura responded, as if Kakashi's statement meant nothing. "You are indeed an exceptional and powerful Shinobi but you let your emotions control you, Hatake."
The infamous Jonin clenched his fists tightly but a firm hold atop his shoulder prevented him from lashing out. He'd have to thank Gai after this was all over. This entire day was taking a toll on him mentally and knowing that his Sensei's son was in a coma with no discernible way of getting out... Well, it was quite frankly stressing him the fuck out.
Shikaku shrugged his shoulders in a lackadaisical manner. "If Tsunade-sama and or Jiraiya-sama do not take the seat, then I for one, vote for Kakashi." The Jonin commander leaned back in his chair as all the eyes darted to him. "Kakashi is one of the most accomplished and decorated Ninja we have. His infamy is known throughout the entirety of the Nations and while he lacks the power that the two remaining Sannin possess, he is not yet in his prime. Kakashi could very well end up becoming the Hokage one day if he continues to progress as he is now."
"I second Shikaku's statement. Why? Because he speaks the truth." Shibi explained blankly. "The Shinobi populace would not question the decision despite Kakashi's eccentric behavior. The Village populace will certainly accept the fact and rejoice that the remaining student of the Yondaime Hokage was chosen to succeed Hiruzen. Of course, this is merely assuming that Jiraiya-sama and or Tsunade-sama do not take the hat."
A quiet scoff came from the Inuzuka Clan Head. "Why're sayin' 'assuming'...? Shouldn't one of 'em be forced to take the hat regardless? If we're bein' honest, I ain't got anything against Kakashi. But why should we choose the lesser option when the main one is so readily available? No offense or nothin' kid but I'd rather have someone like Jiraiya-sama or Tsunade-sama leading the village."
Kakashi waved off Tsume's words, knowing that they were ultimately true.
"Jiraiya-sama's spy network is essential to Konoha and has been for the past two decades." Ryu explained. "Our security and ability to move and plan missions hinges on the intel we get from Jiraiya-sama and his connections. Forcing him to remain in the Village would actually hurt us in the long run."
"Well, that fuckin' blows." Tsume muttered as she crossed her arms against her chest, leaning back in her chair.
"Tsunade-sama had been granted the same vocational status as Jiraiya-sama." Asuma Sarutobi piped up, itching to be over with this entire thing so he could take a smoke break. "Are there any things potentially preventing her from returning and or not taking the hat?"
"That is... complicated." Koharu muttered with thinly veiled disdain.
"Pfft." Tsume scoffed harshly. "Don't fuckin' blue ball us. It's not like we're in a hurry er anything! Pleaseeee! Take yer time!"
Ryu picked up where Koharu left off. "Tsunade-sama wished to be exiled due to her past traumas and experiences from the Second Shinobi War but Hiruzen-sama forbid it. He granted her the leeway to come and go as she pleases but she is more or less an exile."
That seemed to shock a majority of the active Shinobi who didn't know of Tsunade's tragic past.
"Whaddya mean she's more or less an exile?!" The feral Inuzuka questioned in confusion and annoyance. "If the bitch doesn't have a slash through her headband then she's obligated to be here just like the rest of us!"
"You can place the blame on the Sandaime." Danzo said easily, not foregoing a chance to take jabs at Hiruzen at any and every opportunity he could. "He has enabled the woman rather then deal with her issues. She has become little more than a drunken vagabond, skirting debt collectors and causing problems through all of Fire Nation. Tsunade has been nothing but a massive disappointment for the last twenty years. She is not the only individual to have struggled and despaired under Konoha."
It was probably the only thing that Kakashi could say he agreed with when it pertained to Danzo. Tsunade has been granted leeway for years and it was clear as day that the woman abused her relationship with the Sandaime. However, Kakashi also knew what grief could do to someone.
Tsunade had suffered, of that, there was no doubt. Comparing ones despair and suffering to another would, and never did, go any where. But Kakashi refused to judge how people grieve. Ultimately, that is their decision. Whether or not they overcome it or not is up to them and no amount of threats, verbally or physically, would change their minds.
So, was Kakashi justifying Tsunade's actions? No. He actually vehemently denied it however, it wasn't ultimately his business. If Tsunade ever returned, then that was that. She was definitely crippling their home with her absence but aside from sending ANBU squads to hunt her down?
Kakashi didn't really see a situation in which she'd return willingly. Which meant...
"Are we going to declare her rogue?" Kakashi asked quietly, differing to Ryu when it came to the overall chain of command in the Village.
Ryu craned their neck to gaze down at Kakashi before shrugging. "Tsunade-sama must understand that actions have consequences. While our leader is crippled and comatose, she is off drinking to her heart's content, unable to lend her services to the man who molded her into the woman she ultimately became." The ANBU Commander tilted their head in an eerie manner, bearing their presence down upon the Shinobi in the room. "I ask you this, Hatake, would you be willing to hunt her down if it came to it?"
Despite having been under Ryu's guidance, leadership and even at one point, instruction, the fact their presence could still unnerve him so... What a monster, truly.
Kakashi shook off his unease as he replied. "Whatever the Tree asks of me, I will do."
Ryu continued to bear their presence upon the Jonin before clapping their hands, androgynous voice sounding somewhat amused. "Always so willing and eager to throw yourself to the wolves, Hatake. You are so much like your father."
Kakashi nearly flinched at the reminder, only held back by his ironclad will.
Ryu continued to speak, ignoring Kakashi's unease at the comparison. "Thankfully, it will not come to that. Sandaime-sama had a contingency in place in case an event such as this were to occur."
Danzo's visible eye narrowed in anger as he spoke. "If that is the case, then why beat around the bush? You had the solutions this entire time and yet kept them to chest? For what?"
Ryu's cruel chuckle caused an uneasiness in the office room. "For what?, the blind apostle questions, with his pride so thoroughly beaten..." The ANBU Commander slowly, and deliberately, crawled down the walls like a spider, inching ever so closely to the floor whilst speaking. "How do you believe I rose to the position of ANBU Commander, Danzo-san? Do you think I posture myself and scheme in the dark, like you?"
Ryu slowly placed their hands into the wooden floors of the office, bending their legs over their back to place their feet upon the ground. The maneuver was downright disturbing, watching their body contort in such a flexible manner, as if they lacked the proper bones and joints within their body.
"The answer, esteemed political Advisor, Danzo Shimura..." Twisting their spine and contorting their body in a gruesome manner, Ryu slowly spun to face the Sandaime's Rival. "Is that I am efficient in what I do. When rats threaten to burrow themselves in your home, you call me." The ANBU Commander took out a kunai before stabbing the weapon into the table. "I merely wished to gather a measure of the Village's more... influential Shinobi. It is no secret that Ninja are nothing more than a cog in the machine. It is what we are created for."
Ryu, still gripping the kunai they stabbed in the table, began to slowly drag the bladed weapon through the table, carving a crude symbol of Konohagakure into the table. "However, there are plenty of Ninja who believe themselves to be better than the cog. They see themselves as an axel or as a wheel, if you will. No, no no." The Commander shook their index finger, like a parent disciplining their child. "We are all equal, Danzo Shimura. We are just cogs in the machine... Do not forget your place, lest I be forced to remind you of it." Ryu's kunai sliced off a large portion of the table before they pointed the weapon in the man's direction.
"Your love for Konoha will be your grave... And I shall, gladly, shovel mud and dirt upon your coffin." The ANBU Commander threw the kunai towards Danzo's seated position, chuckling cruelly as the weapon embedded itself deeply into the table before the supposedly crippled Shinobi.
The threat was there and heard. Every Shinobi in the room dare not question it, whether that be fear of the unknown or what the ANBU Commander would and could potentially do. In all things standing, in a crisis such as this, the ANBU Commander was technically second-in-command.
Ryu glanced about the room, content with the knowledge that every Shinobi was cowed by their words. It would do the Village no good if a power struggle were to break out among their Shinobi Force. It mattered not who took the seat, temporary or not, but Ryu would not allow the Shinobi to become undone. A civil war was the last thing they needed at a time such as this.
ANBU Commander Ryu clapped their hands, speaking in that same amused tone. "It is good that I do not have to remind any of you about what it means to be a Konoha Shinobi." That amused tone was followed by a sinister chuckle. "Now, shall we proceed?"
No one dared challenge the man/woman.
"Good, good." Ryu nodded, seemingly happy with their cooperation. "Now that I have been granted a glimpse of the more notorious Shinobi in our Village, I daresay, I am..." They paused for dramatic effect.
"Unimpressed." Ryu made to walk towards the door of the office, forcibly parting the crowd of notable Jonin with ease. "Sandaime-sama granted Tsunade-sama one chance to return if he was ever incapacitated in a manner that would cause a potential power shift within the Village. If she refuses, then she is to be..." The office door opened as Ryu casually left the room, letting their words echo as the door shut with a soft click.
"Hunted."
Naruto had always assumed that death would be cold. He didn't know why but it just seemed fitting, to be honest. But for some inexplicable reason, he was warm.
So, incredibly warm.
The only proper way to describe it was like jumping into an ice cold lake then immediately sitting beside a camp fire to dry off. Yes, very specific, but nonetheless accurate.
The concept and belief of the Shinigami had always been a iffy subject to Naruto. A Death God that feasted on the souls of living? Ghosts are scared the hell out of him and the fact there was a Death God Ghost that just ate souls?!
Yeah, nah. Not cool. Not cool at all in the slightest.
But that was neither here nor there because he was sooooo... very... warm.
"If this is death, then I gladly welcome it."
"So eager to pass on yet all too stubborn to stay."
Naruto's eyes snapped open as the unknown voice and presence suddenly bared itself to him. The comforting heat provided seemed to be snuffed out as Naruto desperately tried to distance himself away from the individual.
"So skittish." The unknown but kind of familiar voice spoke. "Doest mine own issue truly bethink so base of me?"
The ancient dialect nearly broke Naruto as he struggled to decipher the meaning of the woman's sentence. He could... make out a humanoid figure of some sort. But he couldn't see them. It was so odd.
They wore a white traditional, high-collared kimono, fit with several tomoe designs running down the abdomen. The edges of the gown and its sleeves were adorned with intricate golden lines.
Naruto's eyes slowly rose to the individuals face and he nearly recoiled at the sight. He... couldn't make out a face. It was like looking at a painting that had been completely smeared. It was disturbing, if he was being honest. Other then not being able to make out their facial features, the woman(?) possessed incredibly long tresses of hair.
Like, hair that touched the floor, long. That kind of long. Hell, Naruto was sure that if the woman(?) stood to her feet that it'd still be on the floor, dragging along behind her. She also had some kind of... horns jutting out her head?
Naruto, ignoring the ankle deep water in his mind scape, stood defensively as he stared at the horned woman with white hair. He noted that her hands and feet were also pale white, similar to the monster that had just attacked him.
"Who are you?!" He demanded nervously. "Why are you here?! How are you here?!"
The woman only seemed amused. Or, Naruto atleast assumed that to he the case. He couldn't actually see her face. Only the fact that she had tilted her head, like a cat gazing upon its prey.
"Skittish, untrusting and ev'r wond'ring." The woman quipped in a soft tone. "Doth thee not wanteth to talketh to me?"
Naruto's face contorted in physical pain as he tried to decipher the woman's ancient dialect. It was nearly similar to that of the alien who had nearly killed him but it seemed even more ancient.
"I... I'm sorry but haaaaah?" He said in confusion. "I don't understand a damn thing you're saying! Make some sense lady!"
The woman sat motionless for the next few moments, completely unmoving. Like a statue.
A very creepy statue with a blurred face that was honestly making his stomach kind of queasy. It was just... so wrong and unnatural.
The woman brought a hand to her mouth (he believed so atleast) before he heard a quiet coughing-like sound.
"I asked you, do you not wish to speak with me?"
Naruto blinked at the sudden change in dialect, completely able to understand her with ease. "I... don't even know who you are. First of all, how are you even here? You shouldn't be here in the first place. It's my mind scape. Only the Kyuubi should be in here."
The woman chuckled to herself, a pleasant and low sound. "How, you ask? I created you, Naruto."
Created him? What...? What in the hell was this woman talking about?!
"Quit the crap, lady! Who are you?!" Naruto huffed in annoyance as he stared down at the faceless woman.
He was so over this day! He'd cried his eyes out during the joint training session then met with the Old Man to talk about his alien-like father, of which he clearly seemed to possess some unsolved daddy issues regarding the man, and then he'd almost been fucking killed by some dickhead with horns on his head! Now, he was talking to some lady who looked incredibly similar to the monster that nearly killed him, claiming she had created him?!
Was he ever gonna catch a damn break?!
It was bad enough thinking about his real mother, who had likely all but abandoned him but to be sitting face to face with a woman, who lacked a freaking face, claiming to have created him! In his mind...?!
He could put up with a lot of bullshit but at some point, there was just a fine line he'd have to draw! And right now, it was here!
The woman seemed to find amusement at his words if the quiet chuckle was anything to go by. "Like a frightened kitten... Come, take my hand, my son." She offered her dainty appendage for the boy, still remaining seated where she was, hovering atop the ankle deep water of his mind scape.
Naruto froze at the woman's words, nearly outstretching his hands on pure instinct.
It was so funny how two simple words could leave you so vulnerable. How it could diminish and demolish any preexisting walls you so painstakingly put up to distance yourself from others. How it could bring forth such powerful emotions...
Two, simple words.
But they meant everything to Naruto.
"My son."
Naruto's hand so desperately wished to twitch. Wanting to take the woman's own in his hand. To believe what was being said. To hope that, despite all his negative thoughts and misgivings about his parentage, that this woman was speaking the truth.
He wanted to take her hand. He wished to do so, so badly.
But the fear of being burnt stayed his hand.
Naruto clutched his right hand so tightly, he could feel his bones begin to grind together. The pain stabilized his thoughts, allowing him to center his thoughts and calm down.
"You..." His tongue betrayed him as he shook his head, frustration flooding through his veins. "You can't just... You can't just show up and act like everything is fine! Like... Like I didn't go to sleep every night, scared and alone! You think I'll just... that I'll just grab your hand and everything will be fine?! Like all that pain...! All that sadness! That it'll... It'll just go away?!" His voice came out hoarse as he screamed, staring at the woman with wet eyes. "You can't...! You just...! You can't be my...!"
Naruto didn't wish to finish those words. He couldn't say it. Couldn't claim her to be something she wasn't. He'd gone nearly fifteen years of his life without the guidance and love from parents. He didn't need them! Not now! He'd been fine on his own so far!
So what, if he got a little sad every now and then? So what, if his chest ached when seeing others interacting with their mothers or fathers? So what, if he... if he cried sometimes?
There wasn't any shame in that! He'd cried a lot! He hadn't cried in a long time too! It had been awhile, atleast up until the joint training session...
But still! He was strong! He'd always been strong!
So why...?
Why did his heart still heart?! Why did it still ache?!
The woman said nothing for a few moments as she stared at the boy. When she spoke, her voice was soft and filled with an emotion that only caused Naruto's heart to ache even more.
"All these years, my sweet son, have you been forced to carry this burden." In an instant, the woman's blurred face began to shift and morph before Naruto's very eyes. "All these years... You've been forced to be strong. All that pain..." Soft features began to slowly appear on the woman's face, a pair of very short eyebrows, depicting an air of ancient nobility, suddenly appeared. A pair of milky white eyes that were incredibly similar to Hinata's suddenly sprang to life, gazing at him softly. "My sweet, sweet boy. You have grown strong haven't you? I'm so very sorry that I could not be by your side." Full lips, painted in a very striking shade of crimson, then appeared as the woman's full face was now visible. "Take my hand, would you so kindly?"
He wanted to! He did! He wanted to believe her!
But he just... couldn't!
"You're not real!" He clenched his eyes shut, fists balling at his sides. "You're just... You're just a figment of my imagination! I created you when I was desperate! When I was young and terrified!" He clenched his fists so tightly that he could feel blood began to seep through his fingers. "And... And when I open my eyes, you'll be gone!"
Naruto took a calming breath before suddenly opening his eyes.
...!
The woman was now gone.
Ha! He was right! She wasn't real! He knew it! See?! He hadn't been crazy! She was just... She had been a creation of his mind. A placeholder to attach and cling unto, born from a childish desire to possess the loving touch of a mother.
She wasn't real.
She... wasn't real.
She... wasn't... real...
It pained him all the more.
Had it truly just been in his head? Was this seal nothing more than a... Was it just a byproduct of the Kyuubi or something? Or something his father had created in the off chance something bad happened to him?
It was a stretch... It also just didn't sound as believable as him having an alien for a mother who lived in his mind scape...
Or maybe... it sounded more realistic.
The, in his opinion, dumb vindication about being 'right' only left him feeling more hollow. So what if he was right? All it did was bring him more pain.
He had even begun to hope, (just for a second!) that the woman had been real. It had felt real...
That warm feeling when he 'awoke' in his mind scape was similar to the feeling at the training grounds. Had his subconscious really just imagined all this?
That... that wasn't fair...
A quiet sigh escaped through his lips as he tilted his head down to stare the water. His eyes widened to saucers at the the image.
Someone was behind him!
"You are so alike the very woman I based your personality off." Slender arms suddenly engulfed the blond teen from behind, wrapping around him and holding onto him with a firm but gentle touch. "You wear your heart on your sleeve, my sweet son. It fills me with joy to know that there is love in that heart of yours despite all the pain..."
Naruto scarcely heard the woman, completely shocked at the woman, who claimed to be his mother, wrapping him up in a hug.
On one hand, he very nearly tried to bolt. His heart was absolutely racing. The only sound he could hear was the blood currently racing through his ears!
On the other hand... he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and succumb to the unfamiliar gesture.
That similar feeling of warmth and love from earlier in the day, emanated from the gesture, satiating his bleeding heart. It tore and scratched, bringing down those cement walls he'd built over the years. In but a span of a few seconds, he'd been reduced to nothing more than a vulnerable child once more.
All his efforts. All his pain. All his sadness...
He felt...
Tears swam in his eyes and he was but a slave to it. "Let me... go..." He whispered in a pathetic manner, but made no move to remove himself from the gesture of love and affection.
The pale skinned woman only tightened her grip on the boy, bringing him closer to her. "I will not."
"You're not real..." He whispered once more, clenching his eyes shut but still remaining motionless.
"I have always been here." She spoke softly, lovingly. "I'm so very sorry I could not physically be with you."
"...s'not fair...!" Naruto mumbled quietly, tears slowly creeping down his cheek. "You can't... just do this...! Not after all this time...!"
"I'm here now, Naruto." The woman assured softly, slowly laying her cheek atop the boy's unruly spikey locks of hair. "And I will never leave you alone again."
"No...!" He shook his head, eyes still clenched shut. "You can't... You aren't..." His shoulders began to slowly fall, tension bleeding away. "Please..."
"There is no need to front your strength, my son." She cooed quietly, slowly moving to a seated position and all but dragging Naruto into her lap. "Should you cry, none shall know. Only I, for it is I, who should have shouldered all those burdens. Rest now, my sweet son. Mother is here... And she is going nowhere no longer."
Naruto bawled like the child at heart he truly was. The only witness to his outburst was the woman who claimed to be his mother. Naruto didn't care if this was reality or not. He didn't care if this woman was just a figment of his imagination or if she truly was who she claimed to be.
He didn't care about anything!
For the first time in his fourteen years of life, he wept for the love he had been so deprived of, uncaring of anything else.
Kaguya lovingly stroked her son's sleeping face, making sure the boy was comfortable in her lap as he snoozed away. Such an adorable child he was. The spitting image of his father in every way yet possessing the personality of Kushina Uzumaki.
It would have done her no good had Naruto grown with the personality of his father. Minato was a very... special case and the less said about that the better.
All that pain and hate that her sweet son had pushed to the side... She'd need to deal with it. They would need to deal with it. Her sweet son could not become who he was supposed to be if this imbalance persisted.
However, that was in the future. For now, Kaguya would enjoy her time with Naruto.
The Otsutsuki gingerly stroked the boys face, smilingly at his blissful expression. Her son would be the death of her people. She promised it.
Naruto would be the savior of this world.
A Heretic to her people.
A Harbinger who would devour her kin and grind their very existence into nonexistence.
So long as Kaguya lived through his modified Kama Seal, then she would see to it that the Otsutsuki race be permanently erased.
On this, she swore.
"My name is Kaguya Otsutsuki, my sweet son. And she will never abandon you." Kaguya's eyes grew slightly manic as her Byakugan activated. "We shall see to it that my people never draw breath again. Rest, my sweet son. You deserve it."
AN: WOWEEE. Chappy donerino. Two percent plot progress! Ez Dub.
