Wait? WHO is his Mother!

by RWV3N

A collection of One-shots and the like all revolving around Naruto being born to, and/or raised by different mothers. Seeing exactly what that entails. (Multi X-over) (One/shot collection)

2. Mikoto (Naruto)

ANNOUNCEMENT!

This story and many others are a part of a mass update I myself am doing for Christmas this year.

This includes Oneshots with Gorgon/Medusa (from Fate), Penny Polendina (RWBY), Nightingale (Fate), Supergirl (Dc) and more...

Additionally some of my other stories have been updated, including: Phantom of the Underworld, Heart Under a Blade, Hail to the King!, Mockingbird, Wrecked, and a few new stories as well...

Right now FFN's stats aren't working, so only way I can tell a story is doing well. So only way I can tell you like a story is through Reviews, Follows, and Favorites.

So please leave some if you want these stories to be updated, it really helps out alot. And please check out some of my other stories.

And Merry Christmas

:)

~ RWV3N

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other anime I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners: Masashi Kishimoto

12/25/23

Mikoto

"Wahhhhhhhhhh!"

A cry could be heard throughout the Uchiha district of Konoha, as loud, newfound lungs finally found their use as small breaths of life filled the room. In contrast, the second baby was far more silent as he exited her womb with her pained groans.

"Congratulations, it's two boys!" the midwife told her, as the labored woman let out a relieved sigh. Relief that the procedure had gone well, as joy suddenly started to fill her eyes, gazing upon the two children. Each with the usual dark hair and eyes of her clan, but that's where the similarities stopped. As the first body's skin was pale, and his hair was slightly longer, she could only imagine him having a similar, long-haired style like his mother and father, if only a slightly spikier on the back. But the second twin was a contrast among them all, as his skin was noticeably tanner than most of the Uchiha within the room, only fugaku held a similar complexion, likely where he had gotten the genetics. As well as his dark hair being shorter, with spikes standing on end. But those eyes showed with a noticeable joy to them, and curiosity as he gazed all around the room, trying to ascertain exactly where he was, and all the new experiences he had just discovered in the wake of his birth.

"Kiyomi, let me see them" she addressed the midwife, still trying to gain vitality in the wake of her labor. And as the woman handed her two newborn children to her it was at that moment that Mikoto Uchiha knew, she had just fallen in love again, and that this was one of the greatest days of her life. Only contested by the day of her marriage and the birth of her firstborn son as well.

Speaking of which, a small, seven-year-old boy with dark hair and eyes stepped up to her bedside. "Kaa-san," Itachi, her firstborn, spoke up. "What are you going to name them?" he inquired, happy to meet his new younger brothers, even if he didn't show it on his face. But she as his mother knew the truth.

"Well, Itachi-chan, your father and I have thought about names for a while, but we decided we would wait until we would meet them first," his mother told him, looking towards her husband standing stoically off in the corner.

As Fugaku stepped forward, "And?" he asked, finally ready to meet his newest children as well.

It was only then that Mikoto began to stare at her children once again, starting with her firstborn. The little loudmouth he was, she just knew he would be a momma's boy, maybe looking up to his brother as well. The name of Hiruzen Sarutobi's father came to mind, a name her husband had suggested and a person they had both looked up to in their youth.

"Sasuke," she said, as the rest of the people in the room nodded, it was a fine name. Fugaku even smiled slightly at the sight of his wife with their newest children.

As Mikoto turned her attention to the second newborn, the youngest of the two twins, and the one whose eyes shone with life, love, and joy. It was as if he knew all the people around him, and he cared for them all the same, it was almost overwhelming as stray tears started to fill her eyes. The amount of care and love within a person was almost unmatched. And, even if he fell he would have his two brothers to help pick him up, she knew he would go far, as the perfect name came to mind.

"Naruto," she announced.

"Naruto…" her husband said. And she could tell that Fugaku's smile had become slightly more strained in his children's birth. "After Jiraiya-sama's book," he realized, the thought of such a man's tendencies nearly sent him into hysteria. No matter how much he respected the man, he was a pervert of the highest caliber, and the number of times he and his police force had been called just to find the man peeping at the hot springs was immense.

"Yes, Naruto," she affirmed. His wife sent him a look that meant that she would not be changing her mind on the matter. "It was a name Kushina-chan recommended to me, she told me she wanted to use it. But after she and Minato-kun found out they were having a girl they decided to name her after her grandmother," Mikoto told them the origin of the name, having been introduced to Jiraya-sama's book from the red-haired woman and naturally falling in love with it.

"Kushina, Huh?..." Fugaku mused, not particularly liking the idea of naming his child after something his wife's friend had recommended, not that he could change her mind on the matter.

"Well I like it," Itachi spoke up, liking both of the names his mother had picked out, as he stared at his two younger brothers, holding a familial love that they all shared for each other in his eyes, happy that their small family had expanded.

"Well that makes someone," Mikoto smiled, "I have a feeling these two will be doing big things in the future," she spoke aloud.

"Indeed," Fugaku smiled.

XXX

"Kaa-san, what's happening?"

"Go! Itachi-chan, take your brothers and keep them safe!"

"Wahhh!" a cry was heard throughout all of Konoha, and soon more would follow. Out of love, sorrow, remorse, and morning in the wake of their Third Hokage.

XXX

Seven years later.

"Naruto, Sasuke, it's time to get ready!" the voice of a young woman called out through their household.

As two cries answered her, "Coming kaa-san," they both shouted. Rushed footsteps began to shuffle through wooden floorboards, indicating two small figures were moving about as they rushed down the stairs, right where their mother was standing awaiting their arrival. As they came, they noticed her patiently waiting for them at the front entrance, along with another figure standing right next to them.

"Nii-san, You're here?" one of the young boys questioned, the child with long hair framing his face as it was spiked outwards almost like a duck's bottom. The surprise was evident on his face, as he was shocked at the arrival of his older brother, who had been busy in the past few weeks given his introduction to the ANBU black ops.

But, as Itachi began to speak up another voice broke out throughout the room, as they too began to walk towards the awaiting Mikoto at the door. "Of course, he is," the older male told them, their father, who was now wearing his usual Uchiha police force uniform, "it isn't every day that one starts his first steps to becoming a shinobi."

Mitkoto nodded, "Yes, and that's why we decided we are all going to support you two in going to the academy for orientation today." she explained before she noticed something. "Speaking of which, where is your younger brother?" she inquired.

And it was then that Sasuke's face began to contort in confusion, as he began to look at his sides. "Kaa-san, he's right next to me, what do you…" he trailed off, before realizing his brother had disappeared, just as his mother had stated.

"What do you mean I'm right here?" a voice spoke up, as many of them turned to face Mikoto's backside. Sure enough, right behind the woman was her other child, a young boy with spiky black hair, and tanned skin. He was wearing a set of white shorts with the typical black funnel collar shirt with the Uchiha emblem on his back, signifying he had already mastered the Great Fireball jutsu at the young age of Four, much to Sasuke's ire.

Itachi seemed to be the only one to notice his presence, and as such he wasn't surprised by his sudden appearance. But, he was slightly impressed with the young boy's stealth skills, and as such, he only raised a single eyebrow. His mother spoke up, "Huh, Naruto-kun, how did you end up over there?" Mikoto inquired, now staring at her youngest child.

"What are you talking about, I was just testing some of the cool ninja skills that Itachi-nii taught us," Naruto answered, excited that he was finally becoming a shinobi.

Mikoto raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really, and what else did your older brother teach you?" his mother asked, eying her oldest child off to the side. And it was at that moment Itachi slightly gulped in his throat, realizing that he may have made a massive mistake in the form of testing his mother's wrath.

Naruto seemed to not notice this, or perhaps he just didn't care, as he answered his mother. "Oh, well he taught us all sorts of cool stuff, like how to do a flip with shuriken jutsu, or when to properly use a fireball in a fight, I even was able to hit a few of the targets in the middle, can you believe it!" he asked his mother excited, not aware of the sleeping dragon he may have just set upon his brother.

As his mother looked the younger boy straight in the eyes, her sharingan active and spinning rapidly"Is that so, dear Itachi?" she inquired, her eldest son nearly scared stiff in the face of absolute demise.

Allowing Naruto and Sasuke to partake in the Uchiha clan fireball ritual so early was one thing, as truthfully when they had shown it to them they had not expected Naruto to do it. But even then that was something different, as teaching Naruto and Sasuke actual jutsu meant for killing before they had even entered the academy was a whole other thing entirely.

Unable to grasp what was around him, Naruto continued, looking straight at his second brother with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. "Yeah, and Sasuke couldn't even hit one!" he teased.

Sasuke only pouted, saying, "Yeah, well I bet I will be able to hit way more than you next time!" he told him.

Naruto wasn't having any of it, "No you won't!"

"Hn. Yes, I will!" Sasuke argued back, and eventually, this turned into a petty argument between the children.

"No, you won't!"

"Yes, I will!"

"No, you won't!"

"Yes, I will!"

Not listening to any of this, Itachi's mother stared him down with such an intensity it would put the fear into the devil. Fugaku stepped into to intervene, stepping up to his wife as he laid a hand across her shoulder. "Come on Mikoto, he was only teaching them a few jutsu, stuff they'll learn in the academy, and it was only for a few hours, so it can't be that bad, right?" he asked, trying to save his son.

Mikoto sent him one look, a look that meant absolute death or obedience. And with that followed a question, "How did you know how long they trained for?"

That settled it… he was dead, or at least it seemed so to Fugaku.

XXX

Sometime later.

(Konoha Ninja Academy)

Two very petrified Uchihas tailed behind both their children and younger brothers respectfully, as well as a very satisfied Mikoto as they walked through the crowd to prepare to send off their children. Currently, all they were waiting for was all the classrooms to open up, as they had all just listened to the academy orientation speech. Which was given to them by the academy administrator, with a little bit given to them by their very own Hokage for a brief period, as done every year.

Naruto seemed rather excited, as he was weaving in and out of the crowd, almost too fast for his family to follow, what he didn't expect was to run head first into what seemed like a golden blur, one that was a similar size to him.

"Owww" Naruto said, nursing his head as he had fallen on the floor, unable to grasp what had just struck him as he was almost left blind from the pain.

But sure enough, he wasn't left without hearing as he heard a young girl cry out, "Hey, watch where you're going, dattabane!" another person yelled as they too nursed their head. And as Naruto opened his eyes to see just who he had run into, time seemed to stop.

It was a young girl, about his age, with the brightest shade of blonde hair he had ever seen, resembling that of bright gold, almost like the sun itself, as it was left tied into a set of pigtails at each side of her head. Her skin was tanned too, almost emphasizing the long hours she had likely spent under it too. And then were her eyes, a cerulean blue, like the ocean itself as he gazed within them. Two sets of three whisker-like marks were laid upon her big round cheeks.

All in all, he thought she was beautiful, but it seemed that the girl didn't feel the same. She got up and glared at him with an intensity that would make water freeze in place. "And why do you even dress like that, wearing all black, are you some kind of emo or something?" she questioned angrily.

Naruto blinked, almost not registering the fact she was yelling at him focusing on their proximity that they were in, as their faces were almost touching were it not for the fact that he was still on the ground as she was leaning down.

It didn't take long for his family to arrive back to meet him, as they saw a young girl sarong at their son with an anger that would light a fire. She seemed to notice them too, and the fact that they were family by the resemblance and the similar markings against their backs. "And is that you're family? Who do all of them look like emos too!" she accused with a pointed finger before she turned it on his youngest brother, Sasuke. "He looks the dumbest out of all of you, the back of his head looks like a duck's butt with his hairstyle!" she said, and that did it.

Naruto was in love, although he wouldn't come to know the feeling for some time.

Sasuke most certainly didn't feel the same, as his eye was ticking violently. Just who was this loud blonde-haired girl who was mad at his brother?

But as he was about to speak his petty insult a new voice stopped him, as it was the sound of a woman seemingly calling out for her child. "Kasumi! Kasumi! Where have you– Oh, Mikoto-chan?" she started asking before noticing where exactly her daughter was and who she was talking to.

The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow, noticing the woman as well. "Kushina?" she questioned, sure enough, it was her red-haired friend. Kushina Uzumaki was a volatile and temperamental woman who hadn't mellowed out in the years. At first, they had met at the academy, where Kushina seemed to stand out among everyone. And even though they were a few grades apart they had hit it off, eventually developing a long-lasting friendship that had stuck with them even up to their marriages and the births of their children.

As the woman's violet eyes surveyed the situation; she was wearing a white high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, green, loose-fitting dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard shinobi sandals.

Her husband stepped up to her side, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Who had similar hair, skin, and eyes to his daughter, although his hair was far shorter and even spikier. He wore a standard Konoha uniform with two bands on both of his sleeves, a green flak jacket, a blue forehead protector, and blue sandals. Along with wearing a short-sleeved long white haori over his attire, closed in the front by a thin, orange rope. The haori was decorated by red flame-like motifs on the edges, with the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" written vertically down the back.

"It's been a while, I haven't seen you in forever," Mikoto commented.

Kushina agreed, "I know, ever since you and I both had kids we haven't had the chance to talk much," she said, as Kushina's young child, 'Kasumi', as her mother addressed her, tugged at the edge of her skirt.

"Mommy, do you know these emos?" she questioned aloud, as her mother laughed at the remark. Mikoto too found it funny, especially given that Kushina's daughter seemed to act just like her.

With the males, their conversation was more different, as the two stood idly by as their wives converse. Although Fugaku had the decency to sigh, trying to bring up a conversation, "Of course, I should have expected a girl with that type of temper to be Kushina's child," he remarked.

Minato smiled slightly, "Yeah, well that Kushina-chan, always the fire within the room, I guess I'm lucky that our child is the same."

Fugaku nodded, although truthfully he didn't understand the appeal. It was best to just change the subject with these things, "Your speech this year was adequate, for children, that is."

"Thank you," Minato said, although he didn't know if that was supposed to be a compliment, but he just took it in stride.

Meanwhile, their two wives conversed, and Sasuke seemed to have gotten over his anger in favor of slightly pestering his brother. As Naruto was left still on the ground, staring at the new beautiful blonde goddess that had seemingly run right into his life.

It didn't take long for the classroom to open, as the parents departed, leaving the children alone with their thoughts.

XXX

It didn't take long for them to meet with their teacher, a young man named Iruka Umino, and their teaching assistant Mizuki. Although it seemed like the former was more enthused about teaching than the latter, as the day had mainly just been about introducing the new students to a few guidelines and going over mainly what they would be learning over the next few years, as the rest of their time was spent allowing the children to converse and talk with one another.

Naruto had even met some of the kids as well, many of them being heirs to their respective clans, as a few civilian children had been thrown in for good measure and to fill the numbers. Some of the names he recalled were a lazy boy named Shikamaru Nara, a rather plump-looking young boy named Choji Akimichi, and the Abarame whose name he had already forgotten.

Additionally, Sasuke had also met people, or more specifically, people who had tried to meet him. As it seemed practically every girl within the room had hearts in their eyes at the sight of his brother. Seriously, sure he was good-looking with his Uchiha genes, but what was he? Chopped liver. Nevertheless, it didn't matter, as he didn't desire any of those girls' attention in the slightest.

He had also been keeping an eye on that one girl, with blonde hair as golden as the sun. Her name was Kasumi Uzumaki-Namikaze, and she was the first and only child of the current reigning Hokage, Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash, the Hero of the Village. And for many of the children around her, that was more than enough for them to try and huddle around her, girls and boys alike, as they all were attempting to get into her–and by extension, her father's– good graces for their parents. It was all so sickening, and he could tell that Kasumi wasn't having any of it.

But eventually, many of the children left her, or more accurately the girls left to bother his brother. Many of the boys were scared off by the scariest of them all as they were forced to move away. That left Kasumi with the tallest and the strongest of them all, as they had practically dragged the girl off to the corner of the room, away from prying eyes. Mizuki, who was their caretaker, didn't seem to be paying much attention, as he would much rather be dozing off in his chair than watching a bunch of brats horse around. That left Kasumi alone, surrounded by the lions…

"Hey! Our parents told us that we were supposed to be nice to you, I don't see why," One of the boys called out, pointing a finger towards the girl.

"Yeah, she's a no-good brat raised by the Hokage, I bet she thinks she's some sort of princess or something," the second one chimed in.

"I am a princess!" she chimed in. As Kasumi's azure orbs stared into the three, anger within her eyes. "I'm the last heir to Uzushiogakure, the village hidden in the whirlpools, and I don't have to listen to any of you losers mock my family like that!" she yelled out definitely. Although truthfully she didn't give much care to the title, she cared deeply for her mother's homeland, and wouldn't dare to have its legacy trampled on.

The third one got angry at that, as he grits his teeth, yelling. "Hey what did you call us, you no good blonde-haired freak!" he roared.

As the other followed, "Yeah, with her yellow hair and round face, she almost looks like a fruit!" he laughed, which only seemed to cause his friends to do the same as well.

"She looks like a yellow pepper!" one realized, as they all began to chuckle.

Yelling, "Yellow Pepper-chan!" "Yellow Pepper-chan!" "Yellow Pepper-chan!" they all mocked. All the while Kasumi started to grit her teeth, anger building up inside of her.

Smack.

A harsh fist embedded itself within the first bully's face before he could even react. A second was soon to follow, as a heavy kick was launched at the third bully, instantly incapacitating all of them before any of them could move. Luckily, none of this was seen by their teacher, as he was too busy snoozing off. It was however seen by one dark-haired Uchiha, as he stared at the girl, shocked that she was able to do so much damage in such a short time frame.

Subsequently, the girl seemed to notice him as well, as she looked at him, her fist ready to strike at him if he said the wrong thing. "Hey you, Emo! You weren't lookin' to make fun of me as well, Dattabane!" Kasumi yelled out.

As Naruto gulped, raising his hands in a placating fashion, fearful that the girl might turn her anger on him as well. "No, I wasn't, promise," he told her, but the girl still looked at him skeptically.

"Hmm, I bet you were. Yeah, you probably think my hair to weird as well, or that my face is too round, or that my whiskers look stupid!" she accused. "You were, weren't you!" Kasumi glared.

Naruto shook his head, but even then Kasumi didn't believe him, as she only got even closer to his face. "Oh yeah, then what were you thinking? Huh?"

Naruto bristled, "I… uh, well— was thinking…" he tried to say, but his thoughts were more embarrassing than anything.

Kasumi wasn't having any of it, "you were thinking what?!" she interrupted, not taking nothing for an answer.

"I-I, well…" Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head, as he sighed, finally resolving to tell the girl his thoughts. "I was thinking that your golden hair makes you look like a Yosei" he stated.

Silence.

All was calm when his words left his mouth, as Kasumi was utterly frozen stiff. Her? A Yosei? An immortal woodland spirit renowned for its beauty. Preposterous, the idea was preposterous… That didn't stop the heat from rising to her cheeks.

"I-I… Y-you…" Kasumi tried to say but no words were able to leave her throat. Nobody had ever complimented her hair before, well nobody that wasn't her relative that is. But for this boy to say it so blatantly, and when all she had done was yell at him, she was left utterly shocked.

As such all the young girl could do was hide her face in her bangs, each of her temples becoming beet red. But she did swipe down at him, but where Naruto was expecting a blow to his cheek none came, as she grasped ahold of his wrist, dragging him somewhere else.

"Kasumi, where are we going?" he asked, not understanding what was happening, as she was only further dragging him away from prying eyes.

"Out! You idiot, I need to pummel your face away from all these idiots," she stated, although both of them knew that she wasn't going to do anything of the sort.

Naruto smiled, still raising his arms placatingly, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say… princess."

Kasumi's face only started to grow even more red.

Yes truly, this was the start of a beautiful friendship, and maybe even more to come. Kasumi had found someone who didn't see her as the Hokage's daughter, and Naruto found someone who was just as wild and spontaneous as him sometimes.

Truly, a match made in heaven.

XXX

Five Years Later.

"I've had it up to my rope, Kasumi, I've had it with all your pranks. You can't keep continuing these if you want to become a ninja," their sensei, a tanned–usually– brown-haired male with his hair tied up and a scar over his nose, told her, as she was tied up on the classroom floor. Although at the moment it seemed that his hair had been colored, dyed a bright orange. How Kasumi was able to do it and cause Iruka not to notice until he walked into the room nobody knew. But as he caught wind of the kids laughing at him he knew instantly who was responsible, as she ran like the wind. Which caused a chase to ensue which left the girl within her current condition.

"HA! You're gonna have Orange hair for next week!" Kasumi laughed, happy that her latest prank had come to fruition. And although she had wanted to do something grand for her finale, like painting the Hokage Monument. Naruto was eventually able to dissuade her from that idea after telling her that it might get her dad in serious trouble. Given that he likely wouldn't punish her and his ninja might not condone his favoritism. This was the next best option.

Iruka smirked, leaning down to face the girl, " Is that so?" he asked, getting a nod from the girl. All Iruka did was a single-hand sign, "Henge Jutsu!" he shouted, as his form was engulfed in smoke. It wasn't long before a normal-looking brown-haired Iruka stepped out, having neutralized her prank in its entirety.

Kasumi gawked, not expecting their sensei to pull off such a move. Sure the Henge wasn't a high-level transformation jutsu, but it was an illusion that was low-cost in terms of chakra. And it would be perfect for a chunin like him to maintain; she was sure he would end up either keeping the transformation the entire week or just figuring out a way to remove the hair dye. That did it, her last prank had been ruined, as Kasumi held her head low.

The rest of the class was amazed, as they saw Iruka had remained triumphant. Iruka stared at them, his head held high, as he addressed them all. "You see class that is how you do a proper transformation, and to commemorate your final day, you're going to have one last final review on how to do it!" he stated, as all of the children groaned.

"This is all your fault, Kasumi!" "We're always being punished for your actions!" many of them yelled.

As Iruka's eye ticked performing his patented Big Head Jutsu, he shouted, "WILL YOU ALL JUST GET IN LINE AND DO IT!"

It didn't take long for them all to get organized, and like usual, the pink-haired bookworm was the first in line. "Alright Sakura, why don't you go first," he stated, as the green-haired girl stepped up. Performing the hand sign and being engulfed in a plume of smoke, out popped an almost perfect replica of Iruka, down to the scar on his nose. "You transformed into me, good" he spoke, writing the girl's score down on his clipboard.

"Alright, did you see that, Sasuke" the girl cheered, looking at her dark-haired crush.

"Hn," the boy stated, having not changed much in the years apart, although he did now wear a set of white cargo shorts, a blue funnel collared shirt, and arm warmers. As Iruka looked up and called on him, he transformed into a perfect replica of Iruka as well.

This happened to everyone within the line, even Naruto, who was perceived to be the dead-last within the group as able to perform the transformation, although he had elected to forgo a few of his features. Soon it was Kasumi's turn to perform the henge, as she was untied and released from her rope confinements. "Alright Kasumi, it's your time to perform the Henge," Iruka told her, thinking that he had gotten the last of the girl's defiance. A smirk across her face, not that any of them noticed it.

"Alright, transform!" she shouted, as her form was engulfed in smoke like the others. Expecting to see another copy of himself, all were surprised when they saw the form Kasumi had chosen instead. As a near-naked–sans for the trails of smoke that covered her privates– almost an older version of the girl with perfect curves and a figure many would die for appeared before them all. As Iruka nearly passed out from blood loss as he saw the sight. As Kasumi transformed back into her usual self, laughing, "Haha! That's my sexy-jutsu, I totally got you!"

Recovering, Iruka got back up, yelling as well. "Kasumi what were you thinking? Cut the stupid tricks, this is your last warning!" he yelled, as the bell rang dismissing the class for the final day, as all of them left.

But not Kasumi, as a young boy her age walked up to her. "Y'know, Kasumi, that transformation was something," Naruto stated, not expecting to see such a sight.

As the girl perked up, "Oh really, I knew you would like it!" she stated, that was her ultimate jutsu, able to take out any pervert within a thirty-block radius. She had gotten the idea after seeing her Godfather getting destroyed by angry women for the hundredth time and realized just how powerful such techniques could become.

Naruto only flashed her a thumbs up, "Yeah, you should transform into that more often," he stated, a slight amount of blood trickling down his nose at the thought.

Wham!

"Pervert!" Kasumi shouted. A harsh fist laid across his cheek sending him flying back, not that he minded, it was worth it though. As he got back up Naruto saw the heavy blush across the girl's face, as she refused to meet his eye. "Honestly, you've been spending too much time with Shisui-nii," she remarked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Hey, I can't help it, especially when I see someone as beautiful as my Yosei-Hime," he told her, not an ounce of shame in his voice. Such a statement only caused the girl to become even more red.

"I-idiot…" she spat, not being able to speak anything else, as she then dragged him out of the room.

"Hime, where are we going?" Naruto asked, with a raised eyebrow as he was forced into the hallway.

"O-out, you and I are going to get some ramen," she stuttered out.

"Oh, so like a date," Naruto realized.

"NO!"

Naruto laughed.

XXX

The Next Day.

Graduation came and went, and the test was overall pretty easy, as all you had to do besides a small written exam was perform the three jutsu taught at the academy, which included a clone technique. Surprisingly, all students managed to pass the exam, something that Iruka had been proud of, considering the academy's usual graduation rate being close to around sixty percent, and although not all of them would pass their exam to become a genin, the chunin instructor was proud of them.

"And then Kasumi did the shadow clone jutsu, shocked both Mizuki and Iruka-sensei on their asses—" Naruto explained to his family at the dinner table, as he received a harsh pull on his cheek. "Hey! Why Itachi-nii?!" he questioned, but his enigmatic brother only gestured towards their shared mother.

"Language, Naruto," his mother scolded, before turning towards her other son. "Thank you Itachi," she stated before her husband began to interject, his arms crossed.

"Hn. While I do agree with you mother, I have to say that it is surprising that Minato would teach his child such a dangerous technique," the police officer commented.

At that Naruto perked up, "Oh, that, Aunty Kushina taught her that after she said we were having trouble performing the clone jutsu, mostly because she has so much chakra it's pretty hard to control for her," he explained, to which his parents nodded, that would make sense given what exactly she was, not that Naruto knew that.

But his second brother at the table caught wind of something else within his words. "Hn, figures a dobe like her wouldn't be able to do one simple clone," Sasuke remarked, letting his dislike for her known. And even after all these years, he hadn't warmed up to her in the slightest.

As the dark-haired boy reached for more of the tomatoes at the table, his brother's hands got to them first as he moved his brother's favorite vegetables away. Instantly catching Sasuke's attention with that move."Hey–" he tried to say but he was interrupted.

"What? You're just mad that she almost beat you in getting Rookie of the Year," Naruto remarked, as Sasuke turned away.

"Whatever, not like you have anything to say about it, dead last," he tried to argue.

Naruto only shrugged, "So what if I'm dead last, I could still kick your a— I mean, butt– any day of the week," he fixed his language to not get hit by his brother again, as Itachi silently nodded at his brother's quick save. The twin brothers eyed each other like ravenous animals fighting over territory, as none were going to back down.

Luckily, their mother decided to put an end to it, "Boys, no fighting, you're Shinobi now," she scolded.

As they both froze, knowing not to get on their mother's bad side, "Yes, Kaa-san," "Yes, Kaa-sama," they both sounded, instantly shutting themselves up for fear of what the Uchiha matriarch could do.

Mikoto nodded, and Fugaku and Itachi silently did as well, knowing the two had made the correct decision on the matter. But that was before Itachi noticed something, "So the Rookie of the Year, Kunoichi of the Year, and the Dead last? Hn." he spoke out loud, recognizing that was the current class rankings of Sasuke, Kasumi, and Naruto respectively.

Fugaku knew what his son was getting at, as he pondered while grabbing his chin, "Hmmm… that does seem like a rather odd combination," he stated, eyeing his son, who was doing his best to look not anywhere in his father's direction. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as well, but in this instance, it was more out of confusion than anything. As both knowing Uchiha's looked at the youngest of them all.

But still, they all said nothing, as they continued to eat their dinner. All was calm within the Uchiha household after that, that was until…

Another Uchiha ran into the room causing everyone to stir, a dark-haired male with spiky hair around Itachi's age, although he appeared to be a little older. Fugaku raised an eyebrow, seeing one of his subordinates right in front of him, "Shisui, what are you doing here?" he asked, and it was only then that he began to hear the massive uproar outside. "What's happening?"

Shisui cringed, seeing all the people in front of him, but he realized that informing Mikoto, a former Jonin, and Itachi, an ANBU captain would be necessary in their search. Plus informing one of the twins could prove rather interesting. Resolving himself, the body flicker user took a deep breath and continued, "The scroll of seals, it's been stolen," he revealed, as all of them stopped in their place.

Fugaku's eyes widened in surprise, realizing the destruction that could occur should such a scroll be released to any of their foreign enemies. "What! By who?"

That only made Shisui grimace even more, "well, rumor has it… it was blondie, Fugaku-sama," he explained, causing all of them to stiffen, knowing who exactly it was that Shisui used that nickname on.

The silence broken after was spoken by the youngest of them all…

"What!" Naruto yelled in surprise, as he rose from his seat, wanting to get out there and find her.

His father stopped him, "Naruto this is for games, you still aren't a shinobi so you have to stay here!" he instructed, not allowing any room for argument, which caused Naruto to freeze in place. His father left his chair as well, staring at his subordinate. "I want her last sighted location. And then I want an accurate number of how many shinobi we have looking for her–"

"Father," Itachi spoke up, but Fugaku wasn't hearing any of it.

"...Then I want to know where we've searched and any possible leads we have on her current location-" he continued, but his eldest son was still trying to get his attention.

"... Then I want to know how a god-damn genin managed to steal the scroll in the first place."

"Father."

"What is it!, Itachi!" Fugaku snapped, finally looking at his son.

Itachi kept his face calm, staring at his freshly angered father, "Naruto-kun, he has gone off," he pointed out, nudging Naruto's seat.

But that only caused Fugaku to grow confused, "What are you talking about? He's right there–" he tried to say, and indeed the spiky-haired Uchiha was sitting at his seat silently, almost too silently.

As Naruto had a somewhat strained smile on his face at the attention of the three Uchiha, he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, Itachi-nii, what are you talking about–" he said as well, not noticing the kunai that was launched at him, courtesy of his brother.

Poof.

Naruto's form was engulfed in a plume of smoke as he was struck. "It seems Kasumi taught Naruto shadow clones as well," Itachi stated calmly as if he hadn't just technically killed a copy of his brother. Having caught Naruto subtly creates the clone and substitute with it seamlessly so as to not draw attention to himself.

Fugaku's eyes widened, "Shadow clones… at that age?" he questioned, before realizing that his youngest son had indeed gone off.

Shisui was the first to react to this information, especially the fact that Naruto was currently rushing towards the girl he ever so obviously had a crush on.…

He laughed.

XXX

Sometime later

(With Kasumi)

"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto, since the decree 12 years ago." their silver-haired teacher revealed, as he loomed over her high above the treetops.

"What decree?" Kasumi asked in disbelief.

"Everyone knows except you," Mizuki told her. "Iruka is trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up," he mocked, as the chunin instructor stood next to her.

"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?" Kasumi questioned, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Don't tell him it's forbidden!" Iruka demanded, but it was already too late.

"The decree is… no one can tell you the Nine-tailed fox is inside you, the same beast that almost killed your father the night of your birth!" Mizuki revealed as Kasumi widened her eyes even more, as the truth began to set in. "The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body, you are the Nine-tailed fox!"

"Stop it!" Iruka yelled out.

"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life," Mizuki told the girl. "Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you?" He asked. "Like royalty one minute and then dirt as soon as you look away like they hated you for just being alive!"

"No, no, no, No!" The blonde-haired girl said, refusing to believe his words.

But still, the white-haired Chunin continued, "That's why you will never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!"

Suddenly it all made sense. All the scornful looks, when she turned her back. Why she was never treated like the other kids, all the hateful remarks she had heard in the distance? The fear in some of the villagers' eyes as they stared at her and realized she was getting more powerful. Even the hushed whispers in her own home sometimes when her parents thought she wasn't listening.

Everything.

Did that mean they were lying to her as well? Iruka, her parents, Pervy-sage… who else was keeping this from her?

The truth was that she was a monster, that she was a murderer.

A large Fuma shuriken was launched toward her, ready to bisect her in two–

"What the hell are you doing to my best friend?!" a voice demanded, as he appeared at the girl's side, getting her out of the way of the massive shuriken aimed towards them.

It wasn't long before Kasumi registered what had happened. "N-Naruto?!" she stuttered out in surprise, as she blinked, blushing at the current situation they were in. Because indeed Naruto had taken her out of the way of Mizuki's weapon, but it was the way that he did it that gave her pause.

Instead of just pushing her out of the way he was holding her completely within his arms in a princess cary.

Naruto smiled, even as the girl in his arms was blushing up a storm at their current predicament. As he gently set her down on the soft grass he soft grass, "It's alright now, Kasumi, your super awesome best friend is here to save the day," he told her confidently, with a show of bravado that eased her heart.

But Iruka wasn't so sure, "Naruto, now isn't the time for jokes, you need to get out of here now while I handle Mizuki, he's a chunin, you'll never be able to take him on!" he spoke, not out of malice or a complete underestimation of his student. But more out of worry that he would be unable to take the white-haired man on.

But as Naruto merely looked at him his sensei froze, completely and utterly petrified by the sight he saw. "Don't worry Mizuki-sensei, I can take him. After all…" he paused, taking a look at the white-haired traitor, still standing within the trees. "I'm not going to let anyone lay a hand on Kasumi-chan and get away with it!" he spoke with such conviction it shattered the very air itself. As he sped towards their former teacher at speeds hardly any of them could see.

'Fast!' was Kasumi's line of thought, as she had not predicted Naruto would be able to move so quickly. Before her mind caught up to Naruto's words, realizing exactly what he had just said, she blushed even harder at the thought.

Mizuki and Iruka were far more knowledgeable, as they knew exactly what Naruto was doing, and it left them all completely and utterly baffled. 'What? A Shunshin?!' they both questioned within their minds. Not able to comprehend how a genin–No, an academy graduate was able to use such a technique, especially with such mastery. The dead last no less…

And soon Naruto was upon him, closing the distance between him and his sensei within an instant, dealing a vicious and heavy kick towards his face, instantly knocking him back and sending him spiraling from the treetops.

Mizuki's eyes were wide, and it didn't take long for him to recover. "B-but how? How can a lowly genin be able to stand up to face me!" he couldn't help but question. He had it all planned out, trick Kasumi into getting him the scroll, lure her out here to kill her, and he would be long gone before any found her body. He could practically feel Orochimaru-sama's power within his grasp. And sure, Iruka had been a hindrance, but he was sure he could take him on.

But this kid was able to move so quickly, to fight so strongly, and for some reason, just looking at him terrified him to his very core.

… all the while, Naruto was gazing down upon him from the treetops. His Sharingan eyes spun angrily at the thought of someone hurting the person he cared about.

XXX

Elsewhere.

"Oh, they're so cute!" Kushina squealed, as Mikoto giggled at the scene as well.

They were all in the Hokage's office, watching upon the crystal ball that had eyes all around the village. Truthfully Minato had been a little worried there, although in all actuality there had been nothing he really had to worry about, as he could just use his Hiraishin seal he had placed on his daughter should things prove too worrisome. Originally he had planned to use it when Mizuki had launched the shuriken towards Kasumi, but it turns out things had played out well in the end. As he saw the traitorous sensei being trapped within the torture of his making, his mind was completely engulfed in a genjustu made by a very angry Uchiha. He could only hope not to see what sort of horrors the man was facing now.

Fugaku scoffed at the woman's words, "Oh, please, like my son could ever fall for any child of yours," he spoke, clear confidence within his voice. He didn't doubt in his mind that his children would find Kushina's antics as utterly revolting and uncouth as he did. And even though his son did have a friendship with that woman's child, he was sure that Naruto would see the light one day.

No, his mind was more focused on the fact that Naruto had unlocked his sharingan, at the young age of twelve as well. And although it was a few good years after Itachi did so, the boy unlocking his when he was eight, something else caught his attention at his youngest son's awakening…

Naruto had three tomoe spinning in his eye sockets. Yes, he was surely taken aback, as the fact that Naruto had unlocked a fully matured Sharingan from the very start gave him a surprise. Especially given his son's already magnificent mastery of his ocular Doujutsu. Just what else would Naruto accomplish with such clear potential?

But Kushina only wagged her finger, "Well I don't know about that, Dattebane," she said, giving him a knowing look. Eying her husband, "Minato and I were the same way, and with the way Naruto saved our little Kasumi I think she might just end up smitten as well," she stated, remembering when she had been captured by Kumo ninjas back in her youth. Then she had thought all hope was lost, and that she was surely done for.

But then, when all hope seemed lost, Minato had been there to save the day. He had her in his arms just like Naruto had done and she had fallen for Minato at that very moment… She only hoped Naruto would be a lot less dense for her daughter than Minato had been for her.

Fugaku paled, remembering being told that story by his wife, as she reminisced at how romantic it had been. Judging by the way he saw Naruto holding the young girl, plus the fact that Kasumi seemed to be blushing when he had done it, that gave him a slight pause.

But surely Kushina was wrong about this?

Surely his son would be smart enough to steer clear of any children spawned by her?

… Right?

XXX

(With Naruto)

With Mizuki sorely handled, Naruto turned his attention back to his longtime friend. "Kasumi, are you okay?" he asked, rushing towards the blonde girl.

"I'm fine," she answered, nursing her head a little but otherwise sorely unharmed. "I can't believe you came here—How did you get here?" the Namikaze questioned.

Naruto smiled, "Of course, I would come here; as for how I found you…" he trailed off, retrieving several strands of golden hair from his pouch. "I just followed your beautiful hair out in the forest, and it led me right to you," he spoke, as Kasumi blushed from his words.

Before the memories caught up to her at what exactly had happened, particularly what Mizuki had told her. As the doubt and worries seeped into her mind. "Naruto?" she inquired unsurely, gaining his attention.

"Huh?" the blonde asked with a raised eyebrow, not understanding what his friend was thinking.

The girl gulped, but she had to ask, "Did you… did you hear what Mizuki-sensei told me. Before… before you saved me?" she wanted to know. As that particular discovery still weighed heavily within her mind.

Did Naruto hear what he told her? Did he find out about the fact she was related to the Kyuubi-no-yoko? She had heard mentioning how much his clan had been impacted by such an attack, and surely he would have his own opinions as well.

"I-I, um… yeah, I did," he stated, deciding to be truthful with the girl.

That did it, Kasumi realized, as soon Naruto would look at her the same way some of the villagers did so as well. Surely he would hate her, surely he would think she was the monster she truly was. Surely…

"But enough about that," Naruto spoke as if he didn't care at all about what he had learned. Kasumi's eyes snapped upward to meet his, and he gave her a look of utter seriousness that would scare most people, dead or alive. "Now, why don't you tell me why I hear you stole the scroll of sealing," he inquired, as Kasumi gulped, utterly ashed with herself as she looked down.

Unable to meet her friend in the eye any longer, she explained her reasoning. "" W-well, I… Mizuki sensei told me there was a test that would allow us to decide who would be on our genin teams. And I just… I wanted to make sure that you and I were on the same team," she spoke. She didn't want to leave her only best friend should anything happen to them. And sure, she had other friends, namely Hinata and Ino, but the way she felt towards them wasn't the same. She didn't want to be separated from the blonde, and she was worried they wouldn't be as close as they were before should anything happen to them.

"I see…" Naruto spoke, his voice emotionless, as Kasumi's head reached even further down.

Before Naruto's eyes softened, "You really are an idiot, aren't you…" he spoke, using a similar name that she called him, placing her fingers near her forehead as he lightly tapped her.

"Owww…" Kasumi pouted, not expecting the tap to land across her. "Hey, what was that for, Dattabane?" she whined.

"It's cause you were being an idiot!" Naruto yelled back, tapping on her forehead a few more times for good measure.

"But why…?" Kasumi cried, not liking this new experience she was feeling, a few stray tears leaving her eyes.

At that Naruto sighed, "Y'know, if you had just stayed put and gone to class next week we would have been on the same team no problem." He told her, and at that, the girl gained a questioning look.

"What! But how?" she asked in surprise.

The blonde only flicked her forehead once again for good measure, before explaining, "Look, the dead last, the rookie of the year, and the kunoichi of the year have always been put on the same team, it has practically been like that since… since forever!" he spoke, and at that Kasumi gained a look of realization.

Her eyes went wide, "So that means… you were planning this all along," she surmised. She had always wondered why Naruto had always seemed to hold back during their spars. And why he only ever seemed to get the bare minimum for all the tests.

The blonde nodded, "Yup, Itachi-nii and Shusui-nii told me the best strategy for a ninja was deception, I just happened to start a little early," he told her before turning to their still surprised teacher. "Speaking of which, we should probably get moving now, my genjutsu will only work on Mizuki for so long," Naruto announced.

As Iruka blinked, still processing the information Naruto revealed. They still needed to restrain the traitor and take him to the T and I department, as well as return the scroll of seals to its rightful owner. He supposed now would be as good a time as any, especially considering Kasumi still seemed shaken up by a few things.

But, as Naruto began to leave, a hand stopped him. "Huh, what is it, Kasumi?" he inquired, seeing as the girl grabbed his hand unsurely.

"So, does that mean you wanted to be on my team as well?" she asked, a slight blush on her face.

Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head embarrassed as well, "Well yeah. I mean… you would be pretty much lost without me," he teased.

Kasumi huffed, crossing her arms, "Yeah, right, we both know it'll be you who needs me," she said cheekily, and at that, Naruto smiled.

But as Naruto was about to head out again the girl stopped him, "Hey Naruto?" she asked, gaining his attention.

"Huh? Kasumi, what are you– oh?" he asked, his mind going blank.

Soft.

That was the only way to describe it, as the young Namikaze's lips were planted upon his cheek.

But as quickly as the kiss came it left, "Thank you… for everything," she spoke.

Naruto could almost hear delighted squeals off in the distance.

XXX

Months later.

Time seemed to move on from there.

After Mizuki was captured Minato was able to spin the tale that it was all some undercover mission sanctioned by him to lure out the traitor with the scroll of seals. He had to hand it to the man, the man was crafty when he wanted to. He knew that if word got out that Kasumi had stolen the scroll of seals intentionally many would call for her punishment. Putting the Hokage in a tough position seeing as how they would desire retribution against his daughter, something that he couldn't allow.

Speaking of Kasumi, after the whole ordeal with Mizuki she and her parents had a long talk. One namely about the kyuubi. How the Third Hokage had sealed it within her, how Minato had tried to do the same before he was stopped. How Kushina was a former Jinchuriki and how while they did keep this big secret from her they never intended to hurt her. They also said how much they loved her, and how if she ended up hating them then they would wholeheartedly understand.

Kasumi broke down before him after, and things were sort of up in the air between her and her parents. Eventually, she forgave them, and they were the same small happy family they always had been.

A week passed by and sure enough, he, Kasumi, and Sasuke had been on the same team, much to the two's displeasure, as the infamous Copy-ninja Kakashi had been selected as their Jonin instructor. And after a great number of D-rank missions– namely the capture Tora mission. Who for some reason the cat seemed to really like Naruto, especially after he put on some strange cat ears. They then were able to take a C-rank, which turned out to be an A-rank in nature. But through their own perseverance, quick-wittedness, and intense training, they were able to take Zabuza of the Mist and his apprentice as well.

In the wake of that near deathtrap, the months flew by, and eventually, they were introduced to the Chunin exams, with each of them making it pretty far, Naruto even won the tournament thanks to his prowess with the Sharingan he was even able to best Neji Hyuga, his brother Sasuke, and even Kasumi using the kyuubi's chakra, much to her displeasure. Not that he had too much time to celebrate, as Orochimaru, the rogue member of the Densetsu no Sanin had staged an attack on the village. One that involved another contender within the exams, was Gaara no Subaku, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Tanuki.

Death and seiges permeated the village, as they were forced to evacuate the citizens inside the Hokage mountain. All the while Minato was forced to battle the elusive snake, who had managed to capture one of his clan members and steal their body in his quest for immortality. But even with the Sharingan the Sanin was no match for the Yellow Flash, as he was swiftly eliminated.

Unfortunately for him, Orochimaru had put up a countermeasure in place, as a deadly poison leaked from his body. Leaving Kasumi and her new sensei, Jiraiya the Toad sage, to retrieve his long-lost teammate, and the greatest healer in the world.

Returning from her trip the girl was excited to spar with him, showing off her Rasengan in a might clash with her supposed 'rival', and best friend. She was less enthused to be eating the dirt, as he had spent in the wake of the attack from Suna training with both Shisui and Itachi. Trying to get stronger as he had expelled a great deal of effort to take down the Ichibi Jinchuriki, and even then he had only been able to do it with both Kasumi's and Sasuke's help.

With Minato's subsequent healing, he had gone over the latest Chunin exams records. Promoting four promising Genins to their newest rank. He, Sasuke, Kasumi, and Shikamaru had surely done their sensei proud, and the victory meal that had followed afterward had been one of their finest.

It had also been one of the last times Team 7 fully had gotten to enjoy each other's company.

"I can't believe you are leaving," Naruto smiled somberly, seeing his longtime friend at the gates of Konoha, a large bag against her back, and an enthused but unsure look on her face.

"I know, I can barely believe it either," she told him honestly. Kasumi was leaving the village for a long time, three years to be exact, as that had been what her sensei, Jiraiya, had proposed.

Orochimaru had been a part of a group of elite ninjas, each rivaling a Kage in strength. This group of S-ranked ninjas, known as the Akatsuki, were hunting for the Bijuu, including the one sealed inside of her. And even with Konoha having some of the strongest ninjas in the entire Elemental Nations– Minato Namikaze, Maito Gai, Kakashi Hatake, Jiraya the toad sage, Tsunade Senju, Kushina Uzumaki, Itachi, Fugaku and Shisui Uchiha. There was just no telling how many ninjas this group held, and if any of them were stronger than them.

Plus, even if all of them could be with Kasumi every moment of the day, that concept was simply unfeasible. These men were elusive, ninjas of their own craft, and they would wait for the perfect opportunity to strike and get the Kyuubi from her when nobody was looking.

The best option for the girl was to train her well enough to protect herself even a little so she could delay for backup. That left her needing a strong sensei to teach her what she needed, and the time to do so, which left them in the situation they were in.

Naruto nodded, "I know, it feels like just yesterday you stole the scroll of seals," he remarked, causing Kasumi to blush from embarrassment.

"H-Hey, that's not fair, and I'm sure you had moments of stupidity too, like that one time you tried to take Itachi-nii's pocky," she spit back, as Naruto grimaced, remembering such a day. He had never seen such emotion within his brother's eyes until that day, and he had learned just how much Uchiha hatred could go… it was scary.

Naruto waved his hands in a placating fashion, saying," Alright, alright, but it all worked out in the end," he said.

Kasumi gained a slight smile upon her pink lips, "Yeah, it did, didn't it," she mused, gaining a smile from her friend as well. Team seven turned out to be something, with all of them benign able to hold their own–albeit briefly– against Zabuza of the mist, to get their sensei freed.

And now they were being split apart.

Sasuke was going into the police force, as training with Shisui and his father he had found his calling. And so did he, as he had chosen to remain within the Standard Shinobi Force of Konoha. With both Kakashi and Itachi there to train him and to whip him into even greater shape.

Musing about the time that had gone by, he couldn't help but remember the day they had met, and how things had led from there. "Y'know, I'm really going to miss your company," he stated, and Kasumi could tell that he wasn't lying. But even still Naruto needed to take a deep breath, "I guess what I mean to say Kasumi is that you're my best friend," he stated.

"Awww, you're my best friend too," she told him, giving him a hug over his shoulders. Although much to her frustration, it seemed their sizes differed, as Naruto had grown a few inches taller than her, ever since the day of graduation.

The hug that was meant to be rather short turned into a long one. Naruto took in the girl's rather strange, but sweet scent, almost like strawberries. The girl felt his already building muscles, each blushing at the proximity of the other.

But soon this rather awkward moment had to end, as a familiar white-haired figure called out to them. "Hey, hey! Come on, Kasumi, we're burning daylight!" the Toad sage yelled out, ready to get the training trip started. Oh, how many hot springs he would visit in time?

"Can it, Pervy-sage!" Kasumi called out to Jiraya, as she released herself from their hug. Looking back at him, "Well, I got to go," she told him, she had already said goodbye to her parents, to Kakashi-sensei, the rest of the Konoha 12, the Ichiraku's, even Sasuke-teme and his family… but why was her goodbye to Naruto so hard?

Naruto frowned, "Yeah, I guess this is goodbye," he stated, this being equally hard for him.

"I guess it is…" Kasumi stated a bitterness within her lips. "Goodbye," she stated, as she turned away.

Her back leaving him was the first thing he saw, the girl's long golden tendrils flowing down her back, a sight he would not see for some time. But even still he couldn't help but call out to her, he needed to tell her…

"Hey, Kasumi!" he called out, grasping upon the hand at her side, but as she turned to face, him, shining those cerulean blue eyes his way, he froze.

"Huh? What is it, Naruto?" she questioned, cocking her head sideways in confusion.

"Well, Kasumi, I-I…" he tried to say, but his words died in his throat. What could he say? What should he say? He wanted to talk to Kasumi more, he didn't want to say goodbye. Could he even speak? Eventually, words escaped from his lips. "Have a safe trip, will you?" he spoke, but that wasn't what he truly wanted to say.

Kasumi nodded, "Thanks, you stay safe as well. I'm sure you'll get hella strong, enough to give me a real challenge when I get back, Dattabane," she said confidently, throwing in her signature tick in the excitement as well.

"In you're dreams," Naruto chuckled, although there didn't seem to be any joy in it. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to say it.

He watched as she left, his fist tightening at the thought of someone hurting the girl. He wouldn't allow it, he wouldn't allow anyone to lay a finger on his best friend. That was why he was training so hard, that was what he strived for.

The girl wanted to become Hokage, he would be at her side long enough for her to accomplish it. She wanted the village to see her not as the Hokage's daughter, or the Kyuubi, but as herself, he would gain the strength so she could do it as well.

It was the same for his family, his father, mother, Itachi, and even Sasuke, he would get strong enough so that he would never have to worry about them again.

Such was his conviction for the people he cared about…

Unknown to him, his Sharingan eyes were spinning menacingly.

As the Uchiha Curse of Hatred was fully upon him.

XXX

Three Years Later.

(Uchiha Household)

"H-Hey, Kaa-san?" a voice spoke through the kitchen, interrupting his mother's merry tune as she was humming to herself as she did the dishes.

Turning, she was left with the sight she had come to expect, that of her youngest son, and one of the most promising ninjas of his generation. Yes, Naruto Uchiha had filled out within the last couple of years, growing to the height of most adults of 168 cm. His body was lean, well-built, and not overly muscular, but powerful enough to be well-conditioned for the act of fighting. And, with his spiked hair and black eyes, almost like an older version of her late cousin, Obito. As he wore a black and blue jacket, with the Uchiha clan symbol on his back as well.

"Hmmm, what is it, Naruto-kun?" Mikoto asked, noticing the unsure look on his face, almost as if he couldn't process all the thoughts running in her head. "You look unwell, are you feeling sick?" she inquired, wanting to get to the heart of the problem.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, shaking his head into the negative. "Uhh, No, I'm fine," he denied, he hadn't felt this well in years. But still, something had been on his mind as of late. "I-Its just… well I— I… I wanted to help you this the dishes," he said unsurely, before resolving that he might need a little more time to come to the topic that he discussed.

"Oh? Oh really? "Mikoto asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at her son inquisitively. Naruto nodded, although her keen eyes could still tell that he wanted to ask her something. "Alright, well you're so sweet!" she stated, leaning in to give her son a light kiss on the cheek for her gratitude decided to accept things as they were and realized her son would come to her on his own.

Naruto blushed slightly, although it was more out of embarrassment than anything. Especially since his mother liked to treat him like he was still the youngest sometimes– well he was, but he was 15 damn it! And a shinobi– practically a full-grown adult.

"You've always been such a good boy with these things, your brothers and father could learn a thing or two from you," she remarked. It had been times like these that she cherished deciding to leave the shinobi registry, and although her husband did often come home. He was usually pretty exhausted to help her with such things. And with Itachi moving out, living with that sweet girlfriend of his, and Sasuke usually being swamped with police duty as well, that left her usually alone within the house more often than not. But Naruto was different, and although he was usually training and or on missions, he always tried to spend time with her. Although don't get her wrong, she loved her family, it just got a little lonely sometimes.

Naruto smiled, and soon the two got to work. His mother hummed a tune to fill the air, as Naruto felt a warmth of nostalgia run across him. He always liked his mother's voice, even when he was a baby, it was both soothing and comforting, especially from his awesome mother.

But, as they were nearing the end of their scrubbing, with Naruto drying off their last plate, Mikoto finally got to the heart of the matter, "So, Naruto, what were you trying to ask me?" she inquired, as her son froze in place, nearly dropping the porcelain dish within his hands. But, as he tried to deny her, his mother put a stop to it instantly. "Don't act like there's nothing, I am your mother after all," the Uchiha Matriarch said knowingly.

He stared at her gaping like a fish, wondering just how she knew what he was thinking, although he supposed he hadn't been hiding it very well. Sighing he answered her, placing the last dish in the pantry as he did so. "Well, umm… it's about time Kasumi got back from her training trip," he told her.

As his mother grew a bright smile at the thought, asking. "Oh really, is it now, she always was such a nice girl," she mused, guessing that it had been three years already. Before another thought popped into her head, she looked at her son knowingly, but if she wanted to get her son to say it she had to be. "So what made you bring this up so suddenly?" she prodded.

Naruto looking for the right words to say, "Well, Mom… you were a girl, right?" he spoke up, although he soon realized that his words were not the right thing to say.

His mother only smiled dryly, "I still am a girl, Naruto."

Naruto paled, "What? No, what I meant to say was… I mean, you were a girl, once?"

Mikoto's smile only grew, "Why yes, Naruto, I once was, as you put it, a 'girl'," she told him.

Naruto shifted in place, "No! What I mean is… what I want to say is… what I–" he rambled on before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking down, seeing his slightly shorter looking at him as she giggled.

Smiling at her son's remaining childishness, she told him. "Naruto, I know what you try to mean, and yes… I was a young girl once too," she answered, getting to the heart of what Naruto was really asking.

"Yeah, that…" Naruto sighed, as his mother moved them onto the couch in the other room, trying to relax her son. "What I meant to say was that you were young once, right?" he asked, although that didn't seem right either.

Mikoto gave her son a slight grin, "Why yes, I was young, a long, long, time ago," she remarked.

Naruto waved his hands placatingly, "No, Kaa-san, you're still pretty beautiful and awesome too," he tried to rectify, not meaning to say that his mother was old. "What I meant to ask was, you know how girls think, don't you."

"Why thank you," His mother smiled at her son's compliment, "But yes, I do still how to remember what it was like at that age, even if it was so long ago," she added jokingly, not being at all insulted by the comments about her age. She was older, so what, she could still give any of the younger girls a run for their money. Not that she would, she was married after all.

"But I'm guessing this is about Kasumi, isn't it?" she got back on topic. Her son nodded as well, not trusting his own voice to speak on the matter.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you if you can help me know what she's thinking," her son stated.

His mother hummed, not really giving a response, "Hmmm, hmmm… well, if you want to know how she's feeling, you should probably say how you feel about her," Mikoto told him.

"How do I feel about her?" Naruto repeated questioningly, "But what if I don't know how I feel about her?" he stated. That was what he was so unsure of, as every time he thought about the girl, even from a young age, he had always felt a warmth within his chest. His heart also started racing, and he didn't know why.

"Well then that's easy, I mean she's your best friend, right? So what do you like about her?" His mother said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and in most ways it was.

"Well, that's easy!" Naruto nodded, as soon as it came to mind, "... her breasts."

"Her breasts," his mother repeated in a deadpan.

Naruto nodded, "Mhmm, Kasumi sent me a picture a few months ago, they've grown out quite nicely," he said. The two had been sending messages for some time, him with his cat summons, and the girl with her toads. And in that time he had received several souvenirs, mementos, and even a few photographs of the place Kasumi had been, and he did the same over some of his more eventful missions. Seeing his best friend's photo of herself had been surprising, and seeing how well she had grown even more so.

"I see…" his mother said, her head down low. Although Naruto was too immersed in his thoughts to notice. Before she raised her head, her three-tomoed Sharingan spun fiercely, "Naruto Uchiha, I hope the only reason you like Kasumi is just because of her breasts!" she said in a dark tone, which instantly caused Naruto to stiffen, as a chill ran down his spine.

Worried, the Blackett tried to correct his previous blunder. "What? No! I mean, yeah, she's beautiful, but she's also funny, fun, confident, fiery, supportive, thoughtful, a great friend… and… and…" he listed off, becoming more and more passionate with each word. "I mean, I get this feeling, each time I look at her, like I think she is amazing, and if I could just be around her, for the rest of my life, I would be happy," Naruto said, his head low, a light dusting across his cheeks as he smiled.

His mother became increasingly less angry the more he spoke, and by the end, she had formed a sweet serene smile. "You sound like you love her…" she stated, as Naruto's eyes went wide with the realization.

It took several moments to respond, but when he did, he was assured. "Yeah, I guess I do…" he trailed off. "I really do love her, don't I?" he said in a near-whisper, the revelation almost being too much for him.

Mikoto nodded, satisfied with herself. "You do, and what are you going to do now?" she inquired.

"I-I… I don't know…" he stated. What could he do now? He loved Kasumi, he had ever since he had met her, but would he be willing to risk their friendship? What if she turned him down, or worse, outright rejected him, ruining their friendship entirely? He didn't want to do that.

His mother looked at him in sympathy, it was really hard when you were young, wasn't it? "Well, do you know what you should do?" she spoke up, to which her son nodded. "You should do what is right, and what your heart tells you," she said honestly.

"But won't that just mess things all up?" Naruto asked.

To which Mikoto sighed, why couldn't he listen to her with such things? Well, he was like his dad in those regards, always needing a helpful push, or a harsh slap to get her point across. "Well, perhaps a story might help get my point across," she said, and Naruto was wondering where things were beginning to go. "Truthfully, ever since the Kyuubi rampaged on the village, our clan has been blamed for the incident," she told him, as Naruto's eyes widened.

"What! But how? Our clan would never do such things–" he tried to speak, but his mother cut him off with a raised hand, Naruto could tell she was very serious.

"I know that, but our clan has always been under vast scrutiny, ever since Madara Uchiha left the village." Naruto nodded, knowing the name well, he was the strongest, and most feared member of their clan. "The Sharingan has always had the power to subdue the bijuu, which caused many of our clan to be feared and suspected to have released the Kyuubi. Especially given many of the ninjas who fought that day remember seeing a Sharingan within the beast's eyes, almost like it was under a genjutsu. After the incident, tensions only grew higher and higher, and eventually, the clan was ostracized to the outskirts of the village," Mikoto paused, remembering the incident as if it were yesterday. But in the end, she knew her son was ready to hear such information, and it was about time he realized the truth about what happened.

"Many of our clansmen, your father included, believed that things would only get worse. Which led many of our family to encourage the clan to perform a coup deta against the Hokage…" she revealed.

Causing Naruto to cry out, "What? But how could father ever allow it?!" he questioned in surprise.

Mikoto sighed, "Your father is a lovely, caring, but somewhat arrogant man, and he saw that his people were suffering, and he was only just trying to help our family," she told him, and those were his true thoughts on the matter.

"So what happened?" Naruto had to know, and his mother was more inclined to tell him.

As his mother gave him a foxy grin, almost like that of her friend Kushina, there was a reason the two were friends, after all, as each of them had a fiery side. She was just better and keeping it in check. "Well, your kick-ass mother happened…" she stated, not even bothering to watch her language in front of her son, but as he tried to call her out on it she once again gained a serious look across her face. "I was able to convince your father to talk to the Hokage into helping our clan mend things, he did, as he foresaw the outcome of his actions. He didn't desire the clan to die off and have all of you killed, and it was his love for all of us that caused him to see through what the clan wanted to get what the clan needed."

The story was enlightening, that was for sure, but even still he didn't know what his mother was getting at."Kaa-san, why are you telling me this?" he had to ask.

Mikoto's serious expression faded, as she truly looked at her son, he had learned a great deal tonight. But even still her story had a point, "Son, the point is, that your father trusted his heart, he knew that he loved his sons, you three, and he couldn't risk you three getting hurt, so he did what he needed, and kept you three safe," she told him, fully looking him in the eyes. "But with you and Kasumi, things cannot remain the same, if you truly feel as you do then you have to tell her, be honest with yourself and her, and only then can you figure out things from there."

"I see…" Naruto, his head low.

He had much to think about.

XXX

A Few Days Later.

Silence was what encapsulated the three brothers as they walked about the village, this being one of the first times they had been able to do so in years. Naruto was awaiting a mission, and Itachi was as well, as Sasuke was on patrol with his brothers helping him. Not a word was spoken.

Naruto hated it, while the other two couldn't care less.

"So, Itachi, how are things with you and Izumi?" he inquired, tapping his foot on the ground to alleviate some of his boredom. As he finally resounded on a topic to ask upon, rather than leave themselves to this endless abyss that seemed to kill off everyone.

His eldest brother only seemed to raise an eyebrow, wondering why Naruto was so interested, nonetheless, he did answer. "Things with Izumi are amicable, there are no problems we have discovered, and the future is looking promising," he said resolutely.

As Naruto groaned, "Oh, come on Itachi, you've been dating a girl for six years and all you can say is things are going amicably?!" Naruto questioned dryly, much like his own cousin, Shishui had done the same. Sighing, he turned to his other brother inquisitively. "Well, Sasuke, what about you?" he asked. He had seen his brother sneaking off from time to time, no way he was doing it other than because of some girl.

Sasuke only answered emotionlessly as well, "Hn. Wouldn't you like to know?" he said accusingly, as Naruto grit his teeth. Before calming himself down, he realized his brother was trying to get a rise out of him.

"Hmm, you're probably just not telling you because I still won our last spar," Naruto remarked, as Sasuke's eye began twitching. Itachi watched on, prepared for the two to get into another fight. "Yeah, you're probably just butt-hurt, I mean, you falling for a genjutsu? An Uchiha, that's almost–" he stopped, something telling him that he needed to go off in the distance.

His brother, not noticing Naruto's distraction, stated. "Hn. It's not like you could beat me a second time, dobe," he prodded, but his youngest brother didn't respond.

Naruto waved his hand, still focused on something else off in the distance. "Yeah Yeah… Hey Sasuke, Itachi-nii, I have to go…" he stated, before bodyflickering off into the distance.

Sasuke blinked, before looking towards his sibling. "Should we?... Should we go after him?" he inquired.

Itachi only shrugged, he didn't have much better to do, and this could prove interesting. "Why not?"

Soon the two body flickered as well.

XXX

At the Village gate.

"Izumo is that…"

"You know, I think that is…"

Two figures could be seen walking at a sedate pace through what looked like to be a mix of both modern and ancient Japanese-style architecture.

The first appeared to be an older man. He was tall and well-built and had waist-length, spiky white hair that was tied back into a ponytail. With two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. There were red lines under his eyes, and he had wrinkles around the corners of his mouth, with a wart on the left side of his nose. He wore a strange getup, which consisted of a green short shirt kimono, and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armor that was visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. And atop his head was a horned metal headband with the kanji for "oil" on it.

But the second was far more noticeable.

Her hair was as golden as the sun and stretched down her back like long tendrils of light. Her skin was tan, her eyes like the ocean, and her body was both bountiful and curvacious that many women would die for. A set of strange, whisker-like marks were held across her cheeks that only accentuated her exotic beauty. The clothing she wore was a peculiar, bright orange and black jacket that was open enough to show the black tube top she wore underneath. And an orange short skirt over a pair of dark shorts with her ninja hostler on her right thigh. Which brought attention to the girl's long, lustrous legs, that only seemed to stretch on for miles.

As the duo stopped right in the middle of the road, the reunion within their village almost being too much for them. Suddenly, the blonde boy stopped in the middle of the road, right in front of what appeared to be a large metal post.

In an impressive show of superhuman abilities, she was able to walk along the post and reach the top almost instantly.

The blonde observed the scenery, looking upon a large mountain overlooking the village, with four large faces carved into the side. Laughing as she did so, seeing the many happy faces down below, all chatting in the village she loved

"Well isn't this nostalgic, the village hasn't changed a bit," the blonde mused, as she outstretched his arms, feeling the wind across her fingers. "I'm home, everyone, Kasumi Uzumaki has returned to the hidden leaf village!" She shouted before she caught sight of something. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, as she saw a figure rushing towards her.

The person she longed to see with every fiber of his being?

"Naruto! Naruto, is that you?" A girl shouted from up above.

As Naruto spotted the girl, surprised. "Kasumi! Kasumi!" he shouted, jumping high up into the hair, and landing right next to her. They were both left standing on the tall pole that could not fit both of their figures, both using chakra to keep themselves.

As Kasumi observed her best friend whom she hadn't seen in years. "Wow, Naruto, you look great!" she told him honestly, slightly blushing at seeing how well he had filled out.

"And you look amazing," he told her, marveling at how the picture didn't seem to do her any justice."I mean, wow…" he said astonished, she really did look like her old sexy-jutsu that she used to perform.

"Thank you," Kasumi said as she hugged him, reaching her hands above her his neck as Naruto froze, instinctively placing his hands upon her hips to keep them both steady.

And, as she let go, Naruto was still frozen, his eyes widened, as the girl rambled on. "So, how's Konoha been? How was my father? How's the Teme? Did Sakura finally get with him? What about Mikoto-Obaasan? Is she doing alright? What about you? Are you still a chunin? What Jutsu did you learn, did you get stronger, did you— mftp!?" she was interrupted, as her eyes widened.

A strange feeling began to come across her lips, one although not unwelcome, it was surprising, and as such she could only barely react. Naruto was kissing her! Her! She couldn't believe it! How she had dreamed about such an incident occurring, how she had been caught in surprise. Did he intend for such a thing to happen? Was this his way of trying to get the best of her? She should kill him. She thought, as her face reddened into a royal red hue that would put a hyuga to shame.

Naruto pulled back, realizing he had been so caught up in seeing her that he let his body take control. And given that Kasumi wasn't responding, he might have messed something up. "H-hey, I'm really sorry— it's just that seeing you… and being so close I-Mftp!? "

This time, it was his turn to be surprised, as Kasumi was upon him. Her soft lips fell upon his own, as she lifted own of her legs to coil around his, pressing her body up against him.

She then pulled away, telling him. "I-Idiot, I've been waiting for you to do that for a while now. I-I… I love you," she told him honestly, awaiting his response.

Naruto's eyes widened, "I love you too," he said resolutely, cupping the girl's whisked cheeks as they once again pressed their lips together passionately.

XXX

Down below.

"Should we… should we do something about them?" Sasuke asked, finally having caught up with his brother.

"Hn. The two have been practically like this for a while now, I'm sure they deserve to have their moment," Itachi said impassively. "Besides, it's not like you haven't done the same, especially with that girlfriend of yours," he said knowingly.

To which Sasuke lightly blushed, finding out that his brother knew more than he had let on in regards to his relationship with Sakura. Itachi pulled out a box of pocky sticks from his pocket, offering him one as compensation.

"Oho-ho! Don't mind if I do," Jiraiya chuckled from next to them, grabbing a pocky stick of his own.

The two deserved their little moment, heavens knew Kasumi needed it. And who knows, maybe they would end up providing some research material for him in the future…

A guy could dream.

Little did he know, if he ever tried as such, he would have two angry mothers in his way. Not to mention Kasumi, who could be pretty damn scary when she put her mind to it.

The End.

AN: This was really long. Not sure why, it I guess it turned out okay.

Let me know if you guys liked this one, I'll try to get back to some of you in PM's since I likely won't post too many replies on this fic.

Also, here's a hint for one of the next mothers I'm working on, try and see if you can guess who it is.

Next Mother: Succubus in Scarlets