:Chapter One:
-26 years ago-
The young girl ran down the hallway of her home. Her red hair bounced above her shoulders, and her violet eyes were filled with excitement. Wearing a teal-colored yukata her shoes clicked against the hardwood almost musically. Her sister was finally coming back home for a visit, and she had so many questions to ask her about her time as a shinobi.
Her village was extremely small, located on an island on the east side of the land of fire. There often wasn't a lot of traffic in and out, which meant there wasn't a lot of opportunity for the inhabitants to engage with other shinobi in the land of fire, which meant the young girl had to spend time annoying her older sibling.
The island was so small that they didn't even have their own ninja academy. A long time ago a mutual respect between those shinobi in the land of whirlpools and the land of fire allowed for an alliance. Any child that had prospects of learning ninja arts made their way to the hidden leaf for their training.
Reaching the room at the end of the hall, the girl burst through the doors, completely out of breath.
"Lady Mito! Kushina is coming home today!"
The elderly woman smiled down at the child, knowing the young girl adored her elder sibling. Mito was the oldest member of the village and had seen many things throughout her time. The wife of Konoha's first Hokage, she watched as heartless wars raged on in the lands, and had watched countless loved ones die at the hand of that hatred. Losing her husband years ago, she became an elder in the hidden eddy village and did her best to show her clan that love and peace could be possible in such hard times.
"Arisa, you know today is a big day for Kushina, it's going to be hard for her."
Arisa's smile waned as she remembered the teachings she had received from Lady Mito. Arisa had known that Mito's chakra was two types melded together, like the swirling tides her village was named after. For as long as she could remember, she was taught everything there was to know about the nine-tailed fox. Kurama- the fox- was known to cause devastation in the lands and all shinobi were after his power. Due to the immense chakra that beast held, Mito and the Hokage knew that they needed to seal his power in a shinobi so that it didn't end up in the wrong hands. Lady Mito was able to seal Kurama (the nine tails) within her body using an 8 point seal.
Her clan had an amazing skill with sealing jutsus and they all had special types of chakra, or so she was told. Arisa wasn't entirely sure what this meant, but she had heard that Kushina was so special, she was going to be the next jinchuriki host for the nine tails.
The plan was to do the transference of the nine tails today, then once Kushina had her strength back, Arisa was to travel with her sister back to Konoha to begin her ninja training in the hidden leaf village. Arisa was only four years old, but Mito saw something different in the young girl, something that set her apart from the other members of the clan, and even her sister. The elder knew that the best thing for the child was to hone her skills in an environment that would be able to help guide her.
"Lady Mito, is Kushina going to be okay after this?" Arisa voiced her concerns softly. She didn't know what would happen if she lost her sister, she was the only family the young girl had left.
Arisa and Kushina's parents had been killed in battle four years ago -not long after Arisa's birth-, along with many other whirlpool shinobi. It seemed as though the population of the village was becoming smaller and smaller everyday, many of the villagers were leaving for more prosperous villages, or villages with a strong army. Lady Mito had been an amazing guardian to Arisa, and she loved her like a grandmother, but she wasn't sure how she would feel if her sister left her forever. Having Kushina be away for years at a time was hard enough on the young girl.
"Remember what I told you little Ari," the woman smiled. "Kushina will be fine, but she will need you there to love and support her. Being the vessel for a beast like Kurama, is a hard burden to bear, but Kushina is strong. She has grown so much in the last few years and I have no doubts she will be a strong kunoichi."
Arisa grinned thinking of her sisters dream to be hokage. "Shina is so strong. I just know she's going to be the fourth hokage in the leaf village!" Raising her tiny fist as if to show she stood in solidarity, she laughed, "And I will be there to make sure it happens."
"Shina you're home!" Kushina barely had time to blink as the blur tackled her to the ground, the elder sister groaned and attempted to push the little one off of her.
Anyone could instantly tell the two were related. Both had the deep red hair their clan was known for and their violet eyes were practically the same shade. The elder sister had long hair down to her mid back and wore a white shirt under her grey dress. Her hidden leaf shinobi head band was tied around her forehead.
"Jeeze Ari, don't just go knocking people over like that," her annoyance was loud and clear to the shinobi passing through the home. The little one smirked.
"I thought that headband meant you're a shinobi Shina? I guess you're not a very good one are you!"
Arisa almost regretted that statement as her sister radiated anger across the room. Ari could feel the frustration seeping through the chakra as her sisters' hand flew to hit her on the cheek. At contact the young girl had vanished, only a puff of smoke in her place.
"Argh! Ari, get back here."
Arisa's eyes were wide as she watched the scene in front of her. The room was on edge as slowly she watched the group of elders extract the hostile chakra out of lady Mito. The elderly woman was breathing heavily, and Ari held the hand of her sister. Slowly the chakra was absorbed by Kushina, and Arisa could tell that Kushina was doing everything in her power not to scream.
"Shina, you can do this! You're strong!" Ari exclaimed squeezing her sisters' hand tightly as if to take away her discomfort. The energy in the room was solemn and Arisa could tell that the more chakra extracted from lady Mito, the less life remained in the woman. "Lady Mito always tells me how strong of a shinobi you are! Soon I am going to be just like you! You are going to have to show me the ninja way."
Mustering what she could of a smile, the two girls locked eyes with each other. Kushina couldn't believe how her younger sister had grown. She was just a child, but there was a wisdom in her eyes like that of Lady Mito. When Kushina would visit back home, she was always pressured by her sibling to tell her stories of her shinobi missions and Arisa would listen simply fascinated. "I am lucky to have you by my side Ari, you know."
The extraction took three terribly long hours, and multiple elders of the village, one wrong move could've meant that the nine tails was released and able to wreak havoc on the land. Kushina was sleeping, attempting to recover her strength and Arisa sat at her bedside, not once leaving her sister's side.
The shuffling of feet startled the young girl as lady Mito came to sit beside her. She had aged considerably after the procedure, and Arisa could tell that it wouldn't be long before the old lady was no longer with her. "Are you sure you should be up lady Mito? You're strength- "
"Don't worry about me Ari," Her smile was gentle as she placed a hand on the girls' shoulders. "Kushina is going to need you now. Your sister is a tough spirit, and will carry this burden for the sake of the world, but it will be difficult. There are always shinobi villages and rouge ninja's after the power of the jinchuriki's. This will mean a difficult life for your sister, but if there is one thing I learned having Kurama's power, the only way to tame the beast is love."
"Love?" Ari repeated softly watching her sister slowly breathe. Mito gently rested her head on top of Ari's as her breathing slowed and wet tears rolled down the young girls' eyes.
'Thank you Lady Mito.'
"So, this is Konoha?" Arisa asked eyes wide as she followed her sister through the large red gates on the outskirts of the village. "This place is huge!"
Kushina laughed at the sheer excitement in her sisters' voice, but quickly placed a hand on her abdomen. Arisa frowned noting the grimace on Kushina's' face. "I am okay Ari, it's just still a little tender that's all."
The two girls had left the land of whirlpools three days ago, escorted by a shinobi back to the hidden leaf village. Lady Mito's passing was hard on everyone in the village, but was also not unexpected. She had lived many years and Kushina was happy she was finally able to relieve the woman of her duty. "Come on Ari, our apartment is this way."
Arisa was surprised by the sheer number of shops that were in the village; there were flower shops, clothing shops, dango shops and-
"Is that a ramen hut?" She asked drooling at the smell as Kushina giggled. "Shina why didn't you tell me there was a ramen hut! Can we get some? Please sis?"
Arisa had never had the pleasure of enjoying a bowl of ramen, but the stories she read about ramen always made it seem like such a delicious meal.
"Can I at least show you our apartment first Ari?" Kushina sighed, the way to Arisa's heart was always through her stomach.
Arisa sighed defeated, but agreed, excited to see where they would be living. They continued their walk through the village, and Arisa thought the scenery was breathtaking. The trees were a beautiful green and the rivers were deep blue. In her home village, trees were rare as much of the ground was mountains and stone from lava, not allowing for a lot of green growth.
Ari sensed hundreds of different chakras in the village, yet noticed that one in front of them had stopped moving. This one was certainly powerful, and Ari made note to keep an eye on it.
"Kushina, you made it back!"
Ari couldn't help but notice the blush that rose up her sister's cheeks. The teenager in front of them had a kind smile and bright blue eyes, his yellow hair stood in a bunch of different directions and his hidden leaf shinobi headband was tied around his forehead.
"H-Hey Minato," Kushina stuttered trying to hold herself together. "No missions today for team Jiraiya?"
"Sensei is busy working on his novel, so we are all taking a break today."
Ari cleared her throat, feeling as though the other two were lost in their own worlds and she did not want to be ignored. Kushina quickly snapped out of her daze sighing and raising a hand towards her sister. "Minato, this is Ari, my baby sister."
Arisa smirked and waved at the boy. "Nice to meet you Minato! You know Kushina talks-"
"Okay I think that's enough Arisa, come on now we should get to the apartment." The older of the red headed siblings began pushing the younger forward to escape the embarrassment that was likely to come from the younger's mouth. "Talk to you later Minato."
"He seems nice Shina," Arisa stated as Kushina grinned. "He's the one who saved you right?" Kushina nodded as she heard her sister mumble. "Kushina Namikaze…has a nice ring to it hey sis?"
Kushina blushed punching her sibling in the arm as Arisa winced in pain. How was she ever going to survive living with her sister and her sister's temper?
-Two Years Later-
"Are you nervous?"
Kushina couldn't remember the last time she had seen her sister silent. The young girl had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in weeks, and Kushina knew that to be accurate. Since moving to Konoha, a lot had changed for the siblings. Their village was destroyed shortly after Arisa's arrival to the hidden leaf village. They were told it was a massacre, and only those clan members that had managed to escape to other shinobi villages days before had survived.
"What if I fail?" Arisa's voice was soft and Kushina rolled her eyes.
"Ari, I have never met a more determined ninja then you. Come on I mean you're only six! Normal kids don't even start the academy till their eight! I mean I didn't. You're one of the smartest people I know."
"You mean besides Minato."
Kushina tried to hide her blush, but was happy that the young girl was able to at least smile. "Minato was the one who told the Hokage about you! He sees your potential too, you know."
Ari couldn't believe how much her sister had grown. She was sixteen and one of the toughest ninja's in the village, Kushina never took crap from anybody and almost the entire village was blissfully unaware of her jinchuriki status. In fact, the only ones that knew were Kushina's sensei, Jiraiya, the Hokage and Minato. She also knew that Minato often made late night stops at their apartment, simply by his chakra signature.
"Thanks for the pep talk Shina. I am just going to go in there and do my best."
Kushina grinned, giving her sister a hug before sending her through the academy doors to find her ninja way.
-Present Day-
'It has been too long.'
She could see the red entrance gates and smiled as the rain soaked her clothes. It had been far too many years since she had been home, since she had seen her nephew, since she had seen him. Her red hair was shorter than when she had left, hanging above her shoulders, she had the top half gathered into a top not on her head. Her shinobi headband was tattered and worn and the leaf symbol barely recognizable. She wore garments she would normally never be caught dead in. 'Not like I didn't come close multiple times.' Her shirt and pants were the same murky brown color, the color of burlap, and rough against her skin. Her left arm was wrapped entirely in bandages and her right arm still had the scar that covered the entirety of her bicep.
She was home though. Finally, her mission was complete, or at least as complete as was possible. She had much to discuss with the hokage, but first all she wanted to do was go to her apartment, shower and see her nephew.
She had barely made it three steps into the gates before sensing chakra behind her. Smirking she rolled her eyes and raised her hands to show she was peaceful.
"You there, who are you?"
She let out a laugh catching the shinobi off guard, as his partner grinned.
"Arisa is that you?"
"Well at least someone recognized me, thanks Kotetsu."
Izumo couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. It had been years since she had left the village and the rumors always made a point of stating she was dead.
"We all thought you were-"Arisa stopped the chunin from finishing his sentence by raising her hand. Izumo couldn't help but notice that her eyes had changed. they didn't sparkle like they used too.
"Good news then that I am here. That is assuming you're both going to let me back into the village?"
Izumo and Kotetsu stepped aside letting the shinobi pass. "Did you notice Izumo?"
"Yeah Kotetsu, she's definitely scarier then when she left… do you think we should've told her about Naruto?" Izumo gulped and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Nah, let's leave that for the Hokage."
Arisa couldn't help but feel all eyes on her as she walked to her apartment. She was certain that most had forgotten who she was and were all focused on her attire. Escaping the southern hideout in the sound village took more effort and time then she had wanted, but the knowledge she gained being there would no doubt help the village. The rain slowed as the sun slowly peaked through the clouds.
On the outside, the apartment looked the same. Memories of sharing the space with Naruto flooded back into her mind and she sighed. 'I hope you can forgive me for being away so long.'
The spare key still remained where she left it and she slowly opened the door, instantly she was hit by a horrendously foul odor. Eyes wide, she was disgusted by the state of the apartment. Empty food containers everywhere, spoiled milk in the fridge and the musk that only accompanied dirty sweaty boys' clothes.
"Naruto…" She growled under her breath. She certainly did not raise him to be a slob, but without having someone around, how could she truly be upset at him. He had to live the last six years on his own.
Doing what she could, she quickly tidied the space, and finally proceeded to shower. She unwrapped the bandages on her left arm and glared at the scarred skin underneath. To the average eye it would look as though that arm was burned, but in reality, what had happened was much worse. The warm water hitting her skin was exactly what she needed, but memories of the last six years came rushing back to her. She tried to bury them as deep as possible, but being home, and being safe she let them rush out, hoping they would wash away with the water and her tears.
He had sensed the chakra near the apartment, but couldn't trust what he was feeling. Over the years he had continued to keep an eye on the place, but the last few years the apartment was vacant, no one even attempted to go in because of the mess that existed inside. His onyx eye widened in surprise when the door was unlocked. There was one chakra signature inside, the malodor of the apartment had vanished as well, meaning someone had cleaned up.
Stepping inside, he sighed under his mask. Hearing the water running in the bathroom, he was wondering who had broken in. Surely a vagrant was looking for somewhere to shower, and thought this would be an easy target. Hearing the water stop, he pulled a kunai from his belt, hovering it in between his fingers.
What the silver haired jounin was not prepared for, was for a red headed beauty to step out of the bathroom door, covered only in a towel.
"H-Hatake?!" Arisa squeaked having been so lost in her own world, she never picked up on the familiar chakra standing in front of her.
Kakashi remained frozen. 'How the fuck do I get my legs to work?'
"Don't look!" She screamed dashing to her bedroom, breathing heavily. She could not believe he was there, in her apartment. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and she looked at her left arm in disgust. She could barely handle the look of it, so no doubt he saw the arm in all its glory. 'Probably thinks you're a freak now.'
Her clothes in her closet were the same as she had left them. Her plethora of kimono's all looked so inviting after the outfit she was wearing prior. The teal-colored kimono caught her eye and she wrapped herself in it, surprised at how large it had become on her frame. 'Guess I did lose more weight than I thought.' She tied the purple obi around her waist and grabbed the roll of gauze off of her shelf. Re-wrapping her arm in bandages she mustered all of her courage. She realized that Kakashi was still outside the door, and that she was going to have to talk with him, something she had hoped to do after talking with the Hokage. After all, he was one of the reasons she held on as long as she did during this mission.
Her bedroom door opened and Kakashi's uncovered onyx eye met her amethyst ones for the second time since arriving. Kakashi could see the hurt in them, the brightness they once had having been melted away by what ever horrors had occurred on the mission. Her body was thin, far thinner than he remembered and her freshly bandaged arm hid something of horror underneath.
"Kakashi I- "Arisa couldn't finish because his lips had captured hers. Her knees buckled slightly and her arms found their way around his neck. She could feel all the love he had for her in the kiss, it was so powerful it sent goosebumps over her entire body. Their tongues fought for dominance, their bodies struggling for closeness. Arisa had lost track of time, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel the defeat in her body once he broke the kiss.
"I've been waiting way to long to do that."
Arisa blushed, realizing he had left his mask down, her hand found his cheek. His skin was soft and clean shaven and he was as handsome as she remembered. "Would you like a photo? It will last longer?" His laughter caught her off guard and slowly he raised his mask, watching the kunoichi smirk.
"Smart ass."
The silence in the air was awkward. Arisa couldn't believe that Kakashi had waited all these years for her to come back. Surely, he must've settled down with someone in the village. She walked towards the door, leaving a confused jounin standing in the dining room.
"You're leaving?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow, not sure why the air was so cold.
"I need to go and report to the Hokage, and believe me when I say, there's a lot to report…"
"Well, I will just come along with you then."
"Suit yourself."
The murmuring was annoying as the two made their way to hokage tower. Kakashi couldn't help but notice the tension running through the kunoichi every time someone muttered about her. "Ignore them Ari, no one needs to know anything."
She tried to listen to the jounins words, but that was easier said then done.
Arisa grinned at the Hokage monument, noting that the fifth Hokage had been added to the sculpture. She had heard amazing things about Lady Tsunade as hokage during her missions and knew that the leaf was in the best possible hands. The tower was still the same as she remembered, shinobi were busy completing paperwork and the halls were filled with members running everywhere. A young shinobi with dark hair ran past her a pile of paperwork piled on her arms. Reaching the doors, Arisa sighed.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi was completely confused by the girl in front of him. She seemed so different than she did before leaving six years ago. 'What happened Ari?'
"The last time I was here, was the last time I ever spoke with the third Hokage."
Kakashi's eyes widened. She was right of course, Arisa was away on her mission when Orochimaru attacked the leaf village, assassinating Hiruzen Sarutobi. So much had changed while she had been gone, so no wonder it was so tough on her being back. "I am sure he would be proud."
Arisa nodded softly, appreciating what Kakashi was doing for her. 'Whoever you're with is lucky to have you Hatake.'
"Come in."
Arisa couldn't help but notice how Tsunade sounded the same as when she had met her many years ago. Entering the room, she also took in how the Hokage looked exactly the same. She looked as she did twenty years ago. Her blonde hair tied back, and her grey shirt showing ample cleavage. Arisa had to admit she was jealous of females who had the confidence to pull that off.
"Kushina?"
Ari's breathing stopped and Kakashi's eyes grew wide. The hokage was looking at the kunoichi in front of her and realized almost immediately she had made a slip up. Although the shinobi looked like her former student, her eyes were very different and the sadness coming from her was palpable.
"Sorry Lady Hokage," Arisa coughed out, not really sure why the Hokage had spouted her sisters' name. "I am Arisa Uzumaki. Six years ago, I was sent on a S rank mission by Lord Third to gather information on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, I am sorry it has taken me this long, but I have a report for you."
Tsunade looked wide eyed at the girl. Although she had heard of the team dispatched to gather info, she was under the assumption they had all been killed as correspondence had stopped approximately three years ago, right after she had become Hokage. There was a darkness in the eyes of the kunoichi and Tsunade knew that the information she had gathered did not come easily. Tsunade's medic-nin abilities zeroed in on Arisa's bandage clad arm causing the girl to tuck the arm behind her.
"Thank you for your service Arisa," Tsunade's voice was gentle, as she noticed the close proximity between the Uzumaki and Hatake ninjas. "We will take as much information as you were able to gather."
"Of course, Lady Hokage." Arisa squatted down so she could place her right hand over a small mark on her right ankle. "Sealing Jutsu: Two-point release." A small puff of smoke filled the area and Arisa stood slowly the scroll in her hand.
Kakashi and Tsunade were both looking at the girl like she had grown two heads. 'She sealed the scroll inside herself?'
"Unfortunately, I was unable to gather as much information about the Akatsuki as I would've liked, but I was able to learn a great deal about Orochimaru, and his plans for Sasuke Uchiha."
Kakashi was curious if Arisa's mission had led her to meet up with the young Uchiha, and he had finally gotten his answer.
"There is not a lot of time left before Orochimaru plans to use the Uchiha as his next vessel. I do know that with each day Orochimaru's strength is dwindling."
Arisa handed off the scroll to the hokage who nodded in agreement. "Yes, we knew it wouldn't be long before Orochimaru needed to use someone as a new vessel, but all of this information is going to be extremely helpful for us."
Arisa was happy with the praise from the Hokage. She had been beating herself up, knowing she could've tried for more information. Yet, she needed to get home, she needed to see her nephew.
"Now am I able to ask a question?" Arisa asked as the hokage nodded. "Where is my nephew?"
The blonde-haired shinobi was grinning as he practically ran down the trail. He was finally home; he was finally ready to show everyone how strong he had become with his training. He only had one goal, and that was to get his former teammate back from the snake sannin Orochimaru.
"Calm down Naruto," The older shinobi whined. "It's not as if the village is going anywhere."
He couldn't believe the gumption of the kid. He had spent his entire morning training, and somehow still had the energy to run the entire rest of the way home to the village. 'The power of the nine tails.'
"I can't wait to eat some ramen though pervy sage," Naruto drooled, thoughts of Ichiraku Ramen Hut filling his mind.
"Well before we do any of that, we've got to stop by Hokage tower."
Naruto groaned and Jiraiya laughed. Although Naruto had matured these last few years, he was still just a kid.
Walking through the gates of the hidden leaf, Naruto was surprised that nothing had changed. "Hey look they finally put Granny Tsunade's face up on the monument."
Jiraiya nodded as the two were greeted by the chunin shinobi at the gates. "Nice to see you back Naruto and Master Jiraiya."
Kotetsu and Izumo couldn't believe it was Naruto in front of them. The trouble making kid had certainly gotten taller over the past three years. "I am sure the Hokage will be happy to see you."
"And Ari too," Kotetsu murmured, going unheard by the genin and his master.
"Well let's get moving pervy sage!" Naruto hollered once again taking off with full speed as the sannin sighed.
Arisa sat with Kakashi outside the window of the Hokage's office. She was just brought up to speed on everything that had happened whilst she was gone, and it felt like she was going to vomit. She had no idea the suffering that had occurred while she was gone and the guilt, she felt was eating through her.
"You can't blame yourself Arisa." Kakashi stated watching the woman grow paler and paler. "You had a mission, and sure it might've taken longer than you wanted, but you did your duty as a shinobi."
"Yet, in the mean time my nephew has almost been killed numerous times, was friendless at the academy and was almost kidnapped by the Akatsuki. What kind of guardian does that make me? I basically abandoned him to the wolves. Not to mention you almost died for him on multiple occasions Hatake."
He was taken a back by her concern for him. The way she was cold after their kiss, he didn't understand her emotions. 'Females', he thought shaking his head.
"What if he hates me?"
Ah, there it was. He wasn't sure the last time he had heard such fragility in her voice. Kakashi moved closer to Arisa, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She tensed at first but slowly sank into his embrace.
"How is this okay Hatake?" Arisa asked catching the shinobi off guard. "I am sure your girlfriend wouldn't approve…"
Kakashi choked back a laugh and Arisa looked up at him confused. "Ari, if only you knew how long six years has been."
He could see the wet tears forming in her eyes and she shook her head. "I never asked you to wait for me Kakashi."
He knew that. Kakashi Hatake was usually a private person, not very many members of the shinobi world knew of his past, and even fewer accepted him once they found out, but Arisa had never once treated him differently. She had accepted him whole heartedly all those years ago, and so it was absurd to think he would ever find anyone else for him. The entire village had remained blissfully unaware of their relationship prior to her leaving, minus a few of their jounin friends, and to those villagers, Kakashi remained the unattainable bachelor of the hidden leaf.
"I knew you would come back Arisa." Kakashi placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I don't know what happened the last six years but I am here when you're ready to tell me."
"Thank you."
The two jounin sat together both taking in the peaceful sounds of the village while they could. Arisa kissed Kakashi's masked cheek as she stood slowly. Kakashi was confused, but couldn't help but see the toothy smile covering the pale face of the kunoichi.
"Naruto's home!"