Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any characters in this story; it belongs to masashi kishimoto.

Chapter 5: I'm sorry

October 10

Naruto woke up with a gasp. 'That damn nightmare again!' he screamed inside his head. For the last four days, Naruto had been having the same nightmare over and over again. It would start like the best dream ever. He would be walking to the academy with his parents, and they would meet the other parents at the entrance. One moment he would see his parents talk to their old friends and the next, he found himself in the middle of the street, surrounded by those cold eyes full of hatred and contempt.

The days leading up to his birthday were always the worst time of the year for Naruto. Nothing like what happened all those years ago in the graveyard had happened again, but the glares and whispering increased along with his loneliness as his birthday approached. He hadn't stepped anywhere near the cemetery ever since then. Still, he didn't feel threatened at any point. Quite the contrary, strangely, he felt safer around this time of year. He couldn't explain why, but he thought that if something occurred, Inu would help him just like he had done before.

'Maybe I should go look for my parents again.' Though Naruto. He had the whole day free due to being Saturday, after all. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about his parents ever since Iruka's activity.

He sat in his bed, holding his knees to his chest, waiting for it to be late enough. Once it was dark enough, he grabbed his most inconspicuous clothes, which meant orange shorts and a black hoodie with a red swirl on the back. After getting in his clothes, he rushed to the cemetery. He slowly started walking from grave to grave, searching for any signs of family. He was determined that today would be the day he would find out who his parents were. He scrutinized each grave he passed by with concentration that no one had ever seen from the blonde. Naruto had been searching for around twenty minutes before he heard an old voice.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing in here?" Hiruzen very well knew what the blonde was up to. Ever since Kakashi had reported the incident in the graveyard with the drunk man Hiruzen had decided to keep an eye on him on the blonde during his birthday. He had been in his office doing paperwork when he decided to look for Naruto in his crystal ball. As he had suspected, he saw him in the graveyard. He immediately left his office to distract Naruto.

Naruto was sure that his heart had forgotten how to beat for a second too long before it came back in full force. One moment it had stopped, and the next, his heart wanted to beat its way out of his chest. He recognized the voice, obviously. Still, it didn't make it the least frightening. He turned to see the old face of his Jiji.

"Oh, h-hi Ji-chan. I'm mm-m ah-h." stammered Naruto.

Hiruzen just chuckled. "Walk with me, Naruto-kun." Naruto, feeling he had been caught in the middle of one of his pranks, just nodded. He started to walk next to Hiruzen while still looking at the headstones.

"Have you been having a nice day, Naruto-kun?" Naruto didn't reply as he concentrated on names he could see on the graves. He coughed to get his attention and repeated the question.

"Oh yeah, yeah. It's been, you know, nice." He responded as his gaze kept searching for a name.

Hiruzen knew that they were approaching Kushina's grave and internally sighed. 'Forgive me Naruto, but you can't know yet, not with me explaining several things you aren't ready for. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive this old fool one day.' He made a hand sign as Naruto kept looking at the names engraved in the tombs. He never realized that he had just passed his mother's grave as a genjutsu made it seem like a completely different name was written on it. The guilt Hiruzen felt was excruciating, but he endured, believing it was the best for Naruto.

They walked in silence for a while. Hiruzen fought with his conscience, and Naruto with his disappointment. "Would like you some ramen to celebrate your birthday Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's head perked up a bit at the mention of his favorite food, but the lack of response from his stomach made it clear that he wasn't in the mood. "Thank you Jiji, but I think I better get to my apartment before it gets too late." He answered in an uncharacteristic depressive tone. Hiruzen nodded and let Naruto leave for his apartment.

Hiruzen stared grimly at the retreating little blonde, and once he was out of sight, he lit up his pipe and took a large breath. He turned and started walking to a particular grave. Once he found he stared longingly at the inscribe on it, Sarutobi Biwako.

"I'm but a fool, aren't I? I don't want to burden his shoulders with expectations and the truth, but it isn't fair, isn't it?" he spoke to his late wife's grave.

After a long silence, he gave a humorless chuckle. "I'm a hypocrite. I always tell him that nothing can bring back the dead, yet here I'm, looking for your counseling as I used to do until we were separated."

Hiruzen took a deep breath and painfully let it out. His eyes glazed, and he spoke in a voice that told a story of sorrow and yearning. "Goodbye, Biwako."

Naruto dejectedly looked to the ground and made his way to his apartment with his shoulders sagged. He had looked at every name in the graveyard and couldn't find anything that gave him a sense of belonging. Wordlessly, Naruto got into bed and drifted off to sleep.

Naruto was walking in the middle of the street looking around his surroundings as if searching for something. He felt lost, and he didn't know why. He knew he was just a couple of blocks from Ichiraku's, but the feeling of not knowing where you were filled him. He was walking without a sense of direction, keeping his eyes alert in case he found what he was looking for.

He started to notice that people were surrounding him slowly, their eyes as cold as the harshest blizzard, and he could hear them whispering.

"What a waste of space."

"No wonder nobody loves him."

"What a pest."

"My kid goes to the academy with him and says he is an idiot."

"Monster."

"He is that kid."

He felt like they were closing in on him as if they were about to smother him, and all he wanted to do was to cry out for his mom and for her to come and help him, just like he had seen several kids do at the park.

"Naruto." He froze entirely and briefly wondered if he had imagined it until he heard it again.

"Naruto." He heard it properly now. A beautiful and melodic voice was calling his name, and he felt he needed to follow it. He pushed the villagers away and started to run, hoping to hear his name again.

"Naruto." The voice repeated, and he did his best to follow it. He had never heard anyone say his name that way, it was cheerful, but it also carried an air of anxiousness and eagerness.

"Where are you?!" screamed a frantic and panting Naruto, fearful that he wouldn't be able to find the one calling out his name.

He heard it again, though it was coming from the forest, and he ran into the woods without thinking twice. The tall and thick trees didn't let a single ray of sunlight go through their branches; thus, most of the forest was dark even when the sun was still out. But he could see the light not far ahead, not unlike the light you can see at the end of a dark tunnel. He continued to run towards it in extinct; his heart was pounding, and his breath was ragged. The light continued to shine as he got close until it became too much, and he had to close his eyes.

He continued running until, instead of hearing his name, he heard a giggle. He snapped his eyes open and saw that he was no longer in the forest but in a grassy clearing in front of a beautiful waterfall. He was surprised by the beauty of the place that he momentarily forgot to turn around.

"Naruto." This time the voice was trying to hold back its laughter.

He turned and saw a woman wearing a long green dress trying to stop her laughter and failing miserably. She probably had to be the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. The long and shiny red hair crowned her delicate and refined features in a way that made her look like a princess and a laugh so contagious and unapologetic. He was so entranced by the sight of the woman that he could only cock his head and watch her calm down.

The woman finally managed to get her laughter under control. She smiled sheepishly at him before walking in his direction with grace in each of her steps. Naruto only stared at her; It went deeper than her beauty, he didn't understand why, but she had a face he would like to remember forever. When she got close enough, cerulean eyes met violet ones. Her eyes were unlike any he had ever seen. They weren't freezing with disdain, searing with rage, or sad with sorrow. They were like a warm blanket on a winter night or a cool breeze in the middle of summer. They were... comforting.

He stared intently into her eyes, engraving them into his memory forever. He then blinked and lost sight of her violet, but the feeling of comfort never left. If anything, it increased. He had no other words to describe it other than perfect. He felt as if he had never felt before, and perfect was the only thing that came to mind. He realized that she was hugging him, and instinctively he brought his around her waist and burrowed his face into her stomach, holding on for dear life. He stayed like that for a while, willing his eyes to remain dry until he felt a hand lift his chin, and cerulean orbs met violet ones again.

The woman kept staring at him, and he could see in her eyes that she was encouraging him to speak. He had a suspicion about who this woman was, but he was too scared that the answer might not be what he hoped for. As the seconds passed, the fear of disappointment was replaced with the need to know. His mind was split into two halves arguing whether to ask or not.

He felt he knew but was too afraid to ask directly, so he settled for a neutral option to minimize his disappointment. Slowly and with a hesitant tone, he asked. "Who are you?"

The soft smile she held was instantly broken into a million pieces and was replaced by a shocked expression that turned into a pained one, and it finally rested on an angry one as her hair started to sway menacingly.

Seeing the rage on the woman's face, Naruto quickly detached himself and started apologizing without really knowing why. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Watching his outburst, Kushina schooled her features and approached him with care. "You don't have to be sorry for anything Naruto." Seeing that Naruto remained slightly apprehensive and scared, she panicked a little. This was not going how she had hoped for. "I'm the one who is sorry. It's just... I didn't expect you not to know my name or who I'm, and I just don't... I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Naruto gave the slightest of nods.

"Sorry, but when I get excited or anxious, I just can't stop talking, dattebane." She explained sheepishly.

Naruto might as well only hear the last word she spoke because it was the only thing he was concentrating on at the moment.

"Dattebane?"

Kushina became even more sheepish at the mention of her verbal tick. "I use some weird phrases when I talk fast. I tried to control it, but it sort of slips out when I'm nervous or excited. What about you? I hope you didn't get any of my bad speech patterns."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but could not make an intelligible sound.

"No one told you anything?" she asked in a sad and bitter tone.

Seeing that Naruto shook his head, she decided to introduce herself. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina, and I'm your..."

She never got to finish her introduction because she was tackled into a hug just before she could get the remaining words out. She looked down at the mop of blonde hair hugging her, locked eyes with him, and heard the words that made her feel like the happiest woman ever.

"Kaa-chan?"

She nodded with a gentle smile, and both enjoyed the reunion in silence for a moment.

After a few minutes, Naruto separated himself from her with tears dancing in his eyes. He was barely able to contain them. "This is not a dream, right? Are you real? I really have a mom?"

This time Kushina managed to keep her anger in check. "You always had a mom, and yes, I'm real Naruto." Naruto nodded still willing his tears back into his body.

"You know... it's okay to cry."

"But it never fixes or changes anything..." She was surprised by the fire with which her son said that.

"True... but it's alright to cry when you are happy since it won't change what you are happy about." Naruto nodded, letting his tears fall.

Kushina closed in and kissed son her son on the forehead as she patted his shoulder. Naruto was startled by the demonstration of affection and blushed a little, but nonetheless, he liked it. "I have wanted to meet you for so long, dattebayo!" He said as he again wiped tears from his eyes.

Kushina beamed at the verbal tick, secretly glad he wasn't also a copy of Minato personality-wise. "You definitely are my child."

"There are so many things I always wanted to ask you!" said Naruto excitedly as he quickly wiped the few remaining tears from his eyes.

Kushina's happy smile never left her face. "Sure, you can ask me anything you want, but first I have to ask you some questions, okay? For each question you answer, you can ask me one." she said in an innocent tone that masked her anger at why Naruto didn't know her. "Come, let's sit down."

Naruto's excitement went through the roof at what seemed to be a game with his mom, and he sat on the grass beside her.

"Okay, Naruto. First question, how is Jiraiya treating you?"

Naruto's excited face changed to one of confusion as he repeated the name. "Jiraiya? I don't know who that is."

Kushina became pale for a second before she started to gain red color to her complexion, not unlike her hair while doing her best not to scare Naruto. "He is tall and has long white hair. He is supposed to be your godfather."

"I have a godfather?" Kushina had to take a few deep breaths before continuing to speak.

"Yes, he was to take care of you if anything happened to Minato and me."

"Minato? Who is that?"

Kushina's anger was put on hold as a new smile formed on her face. She figured that if she didn't know her, he also didn't know about Minato. "He is your father. You got your handsome looks from him you know. Your hair and face are practically a carbon copy of him. You are a chibified version of him with shorter hair." she said while giggling.

Naruto blushed at the compliment. "Did Tou-chan also have this?" Naruto pointed at the whisker-like birthmarks he had on each cheek.

Kushina chuckled and was about to explain before she grimaced. 'Does he even know about the Kyubi?' she wondered briefly but seeing that Naruto's question meant that most likely he didn't know anything about it. 'If he doesn't know, I have to tell him. I was about his age when I learned I was about to become a Jinchuriki, and Mito-Sama was so valuable to me during the process.'

"No... those are for a different reason. I'll tell you in a bit, I promise. But I have more questions that I need to ask you before that." Naruto nodded in acceptance.

"So, if you don't live with Jiraiya, who do you live with? Kakashi? Tsunade came back to the village?"

"Kakashi? Tsunade?" he repeated in the same tone as before, and realization struck Kushina.

"You live alone, don't you?" she asked quietly as she became deeply saddened and disappointed.

Naruto nodded in confirmation. "Since I can remember, Hokage Ji-chan sometimes stops by to give me money, take me to Ichiraku's, or sometimes just to talk." Explained Naruto with the slightest change in his cheerful tone.

"Hokage? Are you referring Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

"Yeah, the old man is one of the few that are kind to me. He is really busy most of the time, but he sometimes invites me to-" Naruto stopped abruptly as his brows furrowed.

"What do you mean he is one of the few people that are kind to you?" as soon as she asked, she dreaded the response she was going to get. She could feel Naruto retracting into a shell and a lump forming in her throat as she mentally prayed to every god she knew. She closed her eyes, waiting for Naruto's answer. The seconds felt like years as she hoped for her son to be able to live the normal life of an orphan at least.

Suddenly Naruto's demeanor did a 180, and he became cheerful, too cheerful. "It's nothing Kaa-chan." He said with a huge grin. "I just play a ton of pranks in the village; most people don't appreciate how funny they are thought."

Kushina gained a soft smile on her face. 'He may look like Minato, but his personality is more like mine.' She mentally celebrated before opening her eyes and turning her head to Naruto, but as soon as she locked eyes with him, she knew something was wrong. How did she know? She honestly couldn't tell, but she could feel Naruto wasn't being honest, at least not entirely.

She lost her smile and stared and Naruto. "Naruto! I don't appreciate being lied to! I'm your mother, and you shouldn't lie to me!" she scolded him.

Naruto was startled by the scolding; he was used to people scolding him, but this was different. Instead of getting mad or brushing it off, he felt a deep shame, and it hurt. It hurt a lot. He could only stare at the ground as his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry." he mumbled before going deathly quiet.

Kushina kept her severe gaze for a few seconds before dropping it and sighing. "Naruto, I don't want to make you sad or be angry at you. I scolded you because I love you."

Naruto's head turned in the blink of an eye to look at his mother. "You love me?" his tone almost disbelieving.

Kushina was surprised by the question. "Of course, I love you. I have loved you ever since I learned that you were going to be born. I have never loved anyone more than I love you Naruto." She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world but with a bit hurt in her voice at the question.

Naruto smiled at the words. It made him feel something warm all over his chest, a feeling he didn't think he couldn't describe, but soon his face became confused. He seemed to be thinking over the answer, which worried Kushina even more. She was about to ask if something was wrong, but Naruto surprised her with another question before she could ask.

"What does love mean Kaa-chan?"

Kushina blinked a couple of times before she when into deep thought. "It means that I will always accept you no matter what you did wrong, that I won't stay mad at you for long, I will always want what is best for you, and that I want to see you achieve your dreams."

"And you really love me?"

"I can only hope you understand one day how much I love you Naruto." She said before she crushed Naruto in a hug. They stayed like that for a while before Kushina resumed the conversation. "Okay Naruto, let's try again. What did you mean by that the Hokage is one of the few people that are kind to you?"

Naruto swallowed hard as fear began to creep up inside him, and he struggled to get the words out. Would she still love him if he found out he was a monster? "You promise you won't hate me?"

Kushina again squeezed Naruto in a hug and let a few tears out without him realizing before softly speaking. "I could never hate you. No matter what, I will always love you."

Naruto took in a deep breath and spoke. "Most people in the village don't like me. They say I'm a monster or a demon." He then turned to see his mother in the eyes. "I'm a monster?"

Kushina couldn't hold it anymore, she had tried to keep her emotions in check to make this reunion a happy one for Naruto, but the last bit of control had left her as soon as she heard her son ask that question. She crushed Naruto into a hug and held on to him for dear life while letting out a few strangled sobs.

'It's not fair! He somehow ended up living the worse parts of Minato's and my life! He is an orphan that lives in a village that hates him for being a jinchuriki!' she cried out in her mind.

Naruto was confused and a little scarred by her mom's reaction. Was he really a monster?

"Kaa-chan?"

Kushina gripped him harder before letting go and wiping her tears off. She placed a hand on Naruto's cheek and tried putting as much of her feelings as possible in her words. "Naruto, I want you to listen to me very clearly. You are not a monster and never will be one! I want you to understand that, okay?" she pleaded.

Naruto gave her a small nod in response and asked. "Why do people say that Kaa-chan?"

Kushina pondered how to break the news about Naruto's status as Jinchuriki for a while, and after a moment she got an idea. "Naruto, do you know anything about the Kyubi?"

Naruto thought hard for a while and remembered. "It was a beast that attacked the village nine years ago. I think the Yondaime died killing it to protect the village."

Kushina took in a deep breath. "That is not exactly what happened." She said in a heartbroken tone as she began reliving her final moments.

Naruto tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Then what happened?"

"I will tell you, but you got to promise me you won't interrupt me, okay?" she got a little nod in response. Good, well, do you know anything about fūinjutsu?" she asked.

"Fūinjutsu? Never heard of it." he answered as he scratched the back of his head. Kushina nearly had a heart attack when she heard that.

"Fūinjutsu is the art of sealing things into other things. Such as sealing a kunai into a scroll. Our clan was known and feared for our knowledge of fūinjutsu."

"Clan? What clan?"

Kushina had to grip the grass hard to keep her anger in check. "We had a clan, The Uzumaki clan. I assume you haven't heard anything in the academy?" she said bitterly as she mentally cursed the old monkey for letting her clan be forgotten. She received a confused stare and a shake of his head.

"I'm sure I would remember Kaa-chan, but I never knew we had a clan." he answered honestly.

Letting out a sigh, Kushina spoke. "I tell you everything about our clan later, but getting back on topic, do you know what are the bijū?" the blank stare from her son was all she needed to elaborate. "In this world, there are nine massive masses of chakra known as the Biju, and the Kyubi is one of them. You understand that?" he nodded in response.

"Well, the bijū are extremely powerful, and they have caused incredible amounts of destruction throughout history, causing people to refer to them as demons and monsters. The bijū are often sealed into other people to gain that power or be protected from it. The people who have a bijū sealed inside them are known as Jinchuriki. They are not the beast. They contain merely that, their container." Naruto's eyes when wide as saucers as a bad feeling and questions filled his mind, but he kept quiet for the moment.

"I was one of those people." Naruto instantly made to interrupt, but Kushina held a hand up, telling him to let her continue. "I was chosen to imprison the Kyubi. I'm not originally from Konoha. I was brought here from my home village Uzushiogakure due to my special chakra. I held the Kyubi for several years in secret. Only a few people knew my status as a Jinchuriki in the village, and I was able to grow up without much trouble."

"So, I'm a Jinchuriki? Just like you?" asked Naruto, a little nervous.

Kushina gave a sad smile. "The day you were born..." Kushina was thinking about how to explain everything that happened without letting out the more morbid details or the role the masked man played. She didn't want Naruto to learn there was someone to blame for what happened that night, at least not right now.

"The day you were born, my seal weakened, and the Kyubi was able to get out, causing great destruction in the village. To prevent his destruction, your father decided to sacrifice himself to seal it in you to prevent more destruction." Naruto visibly gulped at the explanation but remained quiet.

"The life of a Jinchuriki is never easy Naruto, and I'm so sorry that you have to experience it just like I did."

"Why did Tou-chan do that to me?"

Kushina let out a huge sigh. "Naruto, first of all, I want you to understand that your father loved you as much as I do. It was a difficult decision for him, but he was responsible for the villagers' lives and the village's future."

"Why?"

"The responsibility of the villagers' lives and the village's future?"

Kushina nodded. "It was what he swore to do once he took that forsaken hat."

"Hat? What hat?" now Naruto was extremely confused.

Kushina blinked a couple of times, and then realization dawned on her. "Your father was Namikaze Minato."

Naruto furrowed his brow in deep thought, the name did ring a bell, but he couldn't quite remember.

As Naruto continued to struggle, Kushina let out a small smile at how Naruto's brow furrowed similarly to her husband when he was deep in thought.

"My father is the Yondaime Hokage?" he asked more to himself, and then his eyes widened in realization. "My father is the Yondaime Hokage!" he then turned to his mother with the question evident in his eyes.

Kushina nodded in confirmation. "My father is the Yondaime! My father is the Yondaime! My father is the Yondaime!" Naruto started to move around excitedly as he screamed, which made Kushina feel a twinge of jealousy, but she continued to smile.

"I'm going to be Hokage like Tou-chan -ttebayo!" Now Kushina's smile did falter ever so slightly.

"Okay, okay, calm down. You understand why he did, right? A Hokage has to sacrifice himself for the village, and what he did was the most difficult sacrifice he ever had to make. Your father was also a very noble and honorable man, and he wouldn't let anyone else make that sacrifice if he wasn't willing to do it himself, but he had a third important reason. The most important one actually."

Naruto calmed down and prepared to continue listening attentively. "Your father sealed the Kyubi in you because he believed you could one day control its power."

"Tou-chan believed in me?" he suddenly became a little reserved, he didn't know why, but he didn't feel the necessity of pretending to be cheerful right now.

"He believed in you blindly."

"D-Do you believe in me?"

Kushina nodded. "I didn't want you to become a Jinchuriki, not because I didn't think you wouldn't be able to handle it but because I didn't want to place such a heavy burden on you, but I don't have any doubt you will be able to handle it even better than I did." She said with a sweet smile. The words had the exact opposite effect she would have expected. Instead of looking happy, he seemed rather gloomy as he looked down at the ground.

"What's wrong Naruto?"

"Are you sure I can? I mean, I'm not good in the academy. I can't even do a proper bunshin: (clone), I'm bad with the henge: (Transformation) or throw a kunai straight, and there are a lot of things I don't understand or know."

He continued looking at the ground when he felt a hand tilt his head to the side and locked eyes with his mother. "Remember that everyone has weaknesses and strengths. I also used to struggle in the academy, and believe it or not, I also had problems making a standard bunshin. Uzumaki's have huge chakra reserves that are hard for us to control at first. If you train your chakra control, you should be able to perform the bunshin without a problem." She said in encouragement, which seemed to work but not all the way, so she continued. "Don't get depressed if you can do something on your first try, and if you need help or don't understand, just ask your teachers in the academy." Naruto broke eye contact as he heard the last part.

"What is the problem Naruto? You shouldn't be afraid of asking questions. It's part of learning and growing up.

"I-its just that when I used to ask questions because I didn't understand something Iruka-Sensei would always ignore me. He doesn't pay me any attention unless it is to scold me for one of my pranks. He tries not to look at me, but when he does, I can see him glaring at me just how... how the villagers look at me."

Kushina pursed his lips at the statements and was inwardly fuming. She thought for a second until he came up with a solution. "Why don't you ask your friends for help?" instead of seeing his eyes light up at the suggestion, she had to observe how they filled with even more sadness.

Naruto let out a mumble that she couldn't understand.

"Sorry, Naruto, I couldn't hear you; can you repeat it, please?"

"I don't have any friends!" he let out a little louder than he intended.

A heavy silence fell, and after a while, Kushina asked. "Do they... do they look at you like the villagers?" Kushina's right hand was balled into a fist, and she felt a huge need to hurt someone.

"Some of them do, but it's different. They just say that I'm a loser or annoying. I've heard some kids say that their parents told them to stay away from me." He answered dejectedly.

Kushina had to swallow the lump in her throat. "Is there anyone in the village that is kind to you?"

Naruto nodded. "Teuchi Oc-chan and Ayame nee-chan always welcome me to their restaurant, and Hokage Ji-chan and there is also..."

"Also, who?"

"Well, there is Inu."

"Inu?" he felt that she knew that code name. 'Wait wasn't Kakashi's code name Inu?' she asked herself.

"He is an ANBU guy that has been kind to me. He once saved me from a guy in the cemetery." He recalled a little more upbeat.

"Saved you from a man in the cemetery?" Kushina repeated slowly.

"One time, I went to the forest, got lost on my way back, and ended up in the cemetery. I saw a man crying near a tomb, and I got close to ask him if he was okay. He said that I took the woman he loved away from him. He tried to attack me, and I twisted my ankle, but Inu appeared to save me, and then he carried me home." Naruto had started the story rather excitedly, but his voice became slower with each word. He now understood why that man had said what he said.

"Don't even think it's your fault for a second." She said as if she could read his mind, which made Naruto go wide eye.

"How did you know?"

"Because I'm your mother." She replied with a proud smile. "Listen Naruto, you may not believe what I'm about to tell you, but it is the truth. The truth is that you are a Hero and have been ever since you were born."

"I'm a hero?" he asked with clear disbelief in his tone.

Kushina nodded. "You are a hero for holding the Kyubi at bay. Each day the sun rises and sets, it's another day when you save the village, so don't think that what happened was your fault in any way. Understood?"

Naruto nodded and fell silent as he digested all the information he had already been told.

After a while of leaving his son to his own thoughts, Kushina spoke. "More happened that night, but I'll let your father tell you when you meet him."

Naruto was broken out of his thoughts as excitement started to fill him. "I will be able to meet Tou-chan?" he asked as he completely ignored the first part of the sentence.

"Yes, he sealed a little part of his chakra into the seal so he could meet you, but it works differently from mine, so I'm not sure when you would be able to meet him."

Naruto nodded excitedly as he couldn't wait to talk to his dad. "Well, now that I finished with every major thing, how about we get to know each other more."

"Yeah!"

Kushina brought a hand to her chin as he started to think about what to ask her son. "Let's see... oh, I know. What is your favorite food?"

"Oh, that's easy! Miso ramen with extra pork from Ichiraku's! is the best dattebayo!"

'Yep, he definitely is my son.' She thought as she laughed. "Mine is salt ramen. It seems that you got more than your speech from me." She said playfully. "But aside from ramen, what is your favorite food? I guess mine would be red bean soup, and you?"

Naruto when into deep thought for a moment before coming up with an answer. "I'm not really sure. I mostly eat ramen; if it's not from Ichiraku's, I buy instant ramen. It's not as good, but it still is ramen." He replied happily. Kushina's brow furrowed as she went into her mother mode.

The pair of them continued to make up for the lost time by sharing stories about pranks and how Minato and she got together until they arrived at another topic.

"What is your dream Naruto?"

Naruto closed his eyes as he brought a hand to his chin in a thinking pose. "I want to be Hokage so that everyone in the village would have to respect and acknowledges me."

Kushina nodded in understanding. "You know, when I was in the academy, I also wanted to be Hokage. The first Kunoichi to be Hokage and someone from another country no less, but as I got older, I realized that it's not what I wanted."

"Really?"

"Yes, I realized what wearing that hat meant, and I figured it wasn't what I really wanted. I didn't give up; I just changed my dream."

"Changed your dream?" he repeated slowly, wondering if it was possible.

She nodded. "I realize that there were things that I wanted more than being Hokage but also that I didn't love Konoha the way I loved Uzushio."

"What could you possibly want more than being Hokage?" said Naruto in genuine wonder. "And why does it matter that you didn't love Konoha as much?"

Kushina smiled and responded. "The answer to your first question is very simple, you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. I wanted to be a mother and have a family to be happy with and reestablish the Uzumaki clan in Konoha. You are my dream Naruto." She finished with a sweet smile.

Naruto's eyes filled with tears, but he quickly wiped them off and hugged Kushina while mumbling "thank you." over and over again.

"As for your second question... Well, your father used to say the village was like his family to him. He loved the village so much that he would do anything for it, something that I can't say is the same for me." she admitted. "Being Hokage means more than being the strongest or doing paperwork. It means you will care and protect the village's future and will be the first to lay down your life to ensure the future is bright."

Kushina rubbed the back of her son in comfort while she spoke. "I'm not saying this to discourage you, Naruto. Whether you want to be Hokage or not, it's up to you, and I will be happy with whatever your dream is. But I want you to know it's okay to change your goal if you work hard to achieve it and never give up."

Naruto seemed to be giving Kushina's words a deep analysis before his face of concentration was replaced by a huge grin. "I won't ever give up, I promise!"

Kushina smiled at her son before she felt her chakra begin to dwindle, so she closed and tightly hugged Naruto one last time. "Naruto, I know part of you believes this is a dream and that I'm not real... There is a clearing just like this one near the old Senju compound. Minato and I left some gifts for you there." She felt Naruto nod in affirmation against her shoulder.

"Remember everything that I've told you. Don't be picky with your food. Eat vegetables and more foods other than ramen to grow up strong. Also, don't stay up late; you will need lots of sleep. As for friends... You don't need a lot of them. You need one you can trust, and that will be enough. I know you don't like the academy much, but you still have to graduate, so keep up your studies and train hard. I know you inherited my sense of humor, so if you are going to do some pranks in the academy at least don't get caught. Also, about the three Prohibitions for Shinobi, save as much money as possible from your missions and don't waste it on unnecessary things. Too much alcohol will ruin your health, so when you are of age, please drink in moderation. Finally, about women, I'll admit that I don't understand much about this since I'm a woman but try to find someone that loves you just like I do. Someone who will see past your defects and mistakes and love you with them. I would normally say to find someone like me, but since our personalities are so similar, maybe someone more like your father will help you keep you in check. I want you to always be the perfect gentleman with whatever girl you end up with, just like your father was with me."

She continued with tears flowing down her face and in a broken voice. "Im so sorry, my little Naruto... I'm sorry for placing such a heavy burden on your shoulders by making you a Jinchuriki. I'm sorry for being able to live by your side. Im sorry for not being able to show you each day how much I love you, and I'm sorry fo-"

"You don't have to apologize for anything Kaa-chan. I understand why you did what you did, and I don't hold it against you or Tou-chan, and now that I know that you love me, I will never forget the feeling. Im glad that I'm the son of two awesome people." he said as he tightened his grip on his mother. "I love you, Kaa-chan."

Kushina let out a few sobs, not wanting to let go of her little maelstrom but feeling that her time was ending; she separated herself enough to kiss his forehead and look at his face to make sure she memorized each part of it. "I love you too, Naruto. Never forget how much momma loves you, and thank you for being born to us..."

With those last words, her figure dissolved into the air, and Naruto was left alone in the clearing as he wiped his eyes from the tears, but for once, he didn't will them to stop since it was alright to cry when you are happy.

Author's notes:

Hi! I hope you like this chapter. I tried to make it really emotional, so hopefully, it doesn't fall flat. Thanks to Redx3r0, LuisAM21, and Gouravsilentreader for the comments and reviews, I have responded to all of you privately, and the same goes for anyone who comments and reviews. I appreciate every comment regardless of criticism or praise so don't be shy to comment.