Hello, sorry for the delay. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Civilian Sensei: Chapter 03

Legacy Shop

Naruto sat quietly in the backroom of the store, waiting for Braith to prepare some tea and contemplating his surroundings.

It was a medium-sized room shaped like a square, with white walls and a red-frame window that overlooks some kind of yard. The yard had something that didn't sit well with Naruto but he couldn't figure out what.

The room was occupied by a table, three chairs, a painting with some kind of tree and a bookcase. It was full of different kinds of books and scrolls, from politics, economy and philosophy to ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu. It also contained novels of different genres. Adventures, romance, Mystery, Thriller, etc.

While waiting for his hostess, he sat nervous and a little scared, his mind plagued with questions and doubts. He still doesn't fully trust Braith, having met her just a day ago. Maybe she just wanted to hurt him for all the pranks he had done to the other people of the village. Maybe she also hated him like everyone else. Maybe-

'Stop it!' He ordered himself again. 'This may be your only chance to get some information about your parents, don't chicken out now!' He said to himself.

While he was thinking this, Braith entered the room with a tray and two cups of tea. She set the tray on the table, sat in front of him and took one of the cups.

"Drink it while it's hot," she said.

"Thank you," he responded.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, drinking the tea, until he said.

"Braith-nee, is it true that you knew my parents?" He asked.

"Yes Naruto, I knew them," she said.

"Can... Can you tell me about them?" He asked shyly.

She stayed a moment in silence and then said. "I know that you have questions about them, and I will do what I can to answer them, but there are things that I can't tell you, not yet," she said.

"Wha- Why?!" he asks, a little angry.

"Because they were ninjas, powerful ninjas, and as such, not only is their information classified, but they also made many enemies that would love to hunt you down and kill you. Your father more than your mother, therefore I can't tell you who he was and what happened to him, at least not yet," she said.

"When will you be able to tell me about him?" He asked her.

"When you make it to Jōnin," she said. "Only then will you be strong enough to protect and defend yourself against his enemies," she responded.

He silently ponders her words. If his father was such a powerful ninja, it makes sense that he would make a lot of enemies who would want to kill him. But he had no intention of telling anyone.

"I can keep it a secret, I won't tell anybody," he said to her, almost begging.

"Look child, I don't know you very well, but the people who do, think that you might say it by mistake. Even I can tell that you are not the most discreet person."

"Who said that?" He asked, irked.

"The Hokage," she simply said. "And taking into account that all shinobi businesses are his jurisdiction, I had to tell him that I'd talk to you about this."

He scowled at her words but nodded.

"What about my mother, can you tell me about her?" he asked.

"Yes, I can," she responded. "Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, a powerful and beautiful Jōnin of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushio. She was born in the Land of Whirlpools thirty-nine years ago and moved to the Leaf Village when she was twelve."

"'Moved'? What do you mean by 'moved'? Why did she move here and where is this Land of Whirlpools? Are there more of my clan, my family there?" He asked quickly.

"Wow child, calm down," she said, raising her hands. "The Land of Whirlpools was a country located on an island off of the coast of the Land of Fire. It was the country that hosted the Hidden Whirlpools Village, where the Uzumaki clan used to reside," She said and added. "The Uzumaki clan was a powerful clan of ninjas that specialized in Fūinjutsu."

"Fūinjutsu?" he asks, confused.

"Yes, Fūinjutsu is a type of jutsu that seals objects, living beings, chakra, and a wide variety of other things within another object. A classic example of Fūinjutsu is the explosives tags or the sealing scrolls," She responded.

"Oh, yeah, gotcha," he responded.

Looking at him, she continued. "They also have a great amount of chakra and strong bodies that do not tire easily and regenerate quickly," she said, and added, smiling. "Just like you, I guess."

He rubbed the back of his head and smiled, flustered but happy. It was true, he had always healed quickly and could exercise for long periods. More than the rest of the other academy students. He never stopped to think about it, but if what Braith was saying was true, then it was because he was a Uzumaki.

He was happy knowing that there were others like him and that he was connected to other people by blood.

Looking at her, he said. "Do you believe that I could go there someday?" he asked, hopeful.

Taking a sip of tea, and looking down, she said. "Unfortunately, it is impossible."

"What?" he asked bleakly, "Why?"

Turning his gaze to the window, she responded, "During the second shinobi world war, an army made up of three of the great villages attacked the Land of Whirlpools and razed it to the ground," she said solemnly.

He opened his eyes wide at this, not knowing what to say. He just found out that he had a family, only to find out they were all dead.

'Life must really hate me. I just can't take a break,' he thought.

"Wait," he said all of a sudden, "if the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, how could my mother survive?" He asked.

Hearing his question, she said. "Your mother moved to Konoha a couple of years before the second great ninja war," she responded.

"Why?" he asked.

Braith stayed silent for a moment before saying. "Because she had a role to play in the village."

"A role?" he asked. "What role?"

Sighing, she replies. "From the beginning of the village, there has always been an Uzumaki living here, fulfilling a task that only your people can do," She said, "The first one was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of Senju Hashirama, The God of Shinobis and the first Hokage," Braith said, with a sad voice.

He widened his eyes at this, "Really?" Naruto said. "The wife of the first Hokage was an Uzumaki?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded.

Naruto had never heard of this before. While it is true that he was not the most studious person, he should have at least heard something about it in class. Someone would have said something to him. It was strange.

"Do you know something about her?" He asked.

With a sigh, she replied. "She was an amazing woman. Strong and intelligent. Very calm and dignified when she was in public. Always keeping the decorum. But when she was with those closest to her," a smile showed on her face. "One could find her sitting in front of a fire with the rest of her friends and family, dirt staining her immaculate dress, laughing, eating," she shook her head, the movement slow and thoughtful. "She still had an aura of nobility around her, but also one of a warrior like the rest of us. Present. Real," she concluded.

Naruto was listening with glee, happy to learn more about a member of his clan. But while he was listening to how she described her, with so many personal details, a question appeared in his head.

"Um, Braith-Neesan," he said hesitantly. "How do you know all of that?" He asked. "From the way you describe her, it seems that you knew her," he said.

"Oh I did," she responded. "She was my best friend while I lived here in Konoha," she said with a distant voice.

"Really?" He said, with wide eyes. "Wow, that is aweso- wait, wait, wait," he interrupted himself. "What do you mean by that? How could you have known her? Didn't she die, like, a really long time ago?"

"Yes, Mito died more than twenty-five years ago," she confirmed.

"Then how could you have known her, let alone been her best friend, if, by the time she died, you hadn't even been born?" He asked, confused. "You can't be older than twenty."

"Oh honey, you are sweet," she said smiling, making him blush. "Well, biologically, I'm twenty-five," she said smiling at him. "But I'm actually much older than that."

"Really?" He said, looking her up and down. "Then how old are you?" he asked.

She was silent for a few seconds when, with stern eyes, responded. "Don't you know that you can't ask a lady her age?" She said and, with a grim, continued. "If you continued being so rude, you would never get a girlfriend."

Naruto got depressed at her words. "So-sorry Ma'am," he said.

She released a chuckle at hearing this and continued. "It's okay," she said. "All you need to know is that I am older than the village and leave it at that," she concluded. "As for my appearance, I just don't age like the rest of the humans."

"Wow really? That sounds awesome!" Naruto said.

All the things that she must have seen, all the people that she must have known, all the places she must have visited, all the food that she must have eaten! Sounds great.

Braith looked down and sighed. "It does sound great, doesn't it?" She said with a tired smile. "But, as you might find out, living that long is not all rainbows and sunshine, or you will if you don't get yourself killed too soon," she concluded.

Putting his hands behind his head and smiling, he responded. "I don't think that I will live as long as you, though," he said.

"As long as me? No, but your lifespan is greater than that of your peers by a significant margin," she told him.

"Really?" He asked, shocked.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Remember, you are an Uzumaki, and as such, you are also blessed with a long lifespan. There have been documented cases of Uzumakis living for over two hundred years. By the time your body reaches your prime, usually between twenty and thirty years old, you will begin to age more slowly than the rest of the people," she said.

Naruto was speechless. He didn't know how to feel about this information. He had never stopped to think about his mortality, let alone about how old he would get to be. On one hand, if he lived that long, he could do all kinds of things. Travel the world, get to know lots of people, and eat all kinds of food. Imagine all the different kinds of ramen he could taste!

But thinking more deeply about it, he realized that not all of it is good news. Unless his situation changes, he looks at himself living all alone and hated for the next hundred years. And even if he, somehow, found someone to have a family with or even just friends, they would all die before him, leaving him alone again.

'And the punch just kept on coming. I said it once and will say it again, life must really hate me,'

Seeing his gloomy expression, Braith decided to intervene. "I won't worry too much about it if I were you," she said. "If you do become a shinobi, there is a high chance that you will end up dead before you're thirty."

Naruto gave her a deadpan glare. "You do realize that that is not a good thing, right?" He said.

"What I meant to say, is that the future is not set in stone," Braith clarified. "Just last week, a retired shinobi fell down the stairs and broke his neck. He didn't die fighting an enemy shinobi, completing a mission, or even of old age, but in a stupid and very common accident," she said. "We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone more far into the future. The only thing that we can do is prepare as best as we can and try to live without regrets. Spending time thinking about things that may never come to pass is just a waste of time and energy," she says with a grave voice. "Trust me, I know this from experience," Braith concluded.

Naruto considered her words. She is right. He too has wasted a great amount of time thinking and getting depressed about his life. And just thinking about it didn't resolve anything. All it did was make one more depressed and angry without really changing anything.

But on the other hand, it was easier to say something than actually do it. He just discovered that he may live an extremely long and possibly solitary life, or that he may die in a stupid accident like walking the stairs, getting hit by a carriage, or even choking eating ramen.

'Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad way to go,' Naruto thought. 'There certainly are worse ways to die than eating the food of the go- snap out of it Naruto! Stop thinking with your stomach and focus!' He reprimanded himself.

Getting back on topic, Naruto couldn't put his mind at ease, the possible future terrifying him. He didn't want to die young or very old and alone. Although, if he lived a long time, he would have more chances to fulfill his dreams. Or maybe he will live a long life of disappointment. Or perhaps he will have a normal life and die in his eighties from some disease.

Maybe, perhaps, if. So many uncertainties. 'Ugh, why does my life have to be so complicated?' he complained.

Seeing that Naruto was silent for several minutes, Braith called out to him. "Naruto?" No response. "Naruto!" She said, raising her voice.

Startled, Naruto replies. "Y-yes, Braith-Neesan?

"Still with me hun?" She asks, gently.

Blushing at her words, he replied. "Yes, it's just a lot to take in," he said.

"As I said, don't worry too much, you are young and will have time to think about this and many other issues," seeing him still a little unsure, she added. "Besides, even if you manage to live a long time, you won't be all alone."

Naruto looked at her, confused. "I won't?" He said. "What makes you think that?" Naruto asked.

"Because I will be here," she replied with a gentle smile. "You will still have me in your life. Just like you, I too will live more than most and while I can't promise that we will always be close, I can promise you that I will live longer than you."

Naruto cheered up when he heard this. At least he will have someone, even if it is just one person.

"Well, I can promise that I will always be your friend Braith-Neesan!" he said with a big smile on his face.

Braith returns his smile. "I am glad to hear that Naruto. But I think we've gotten off topic."

He straightened his face. "Right, you were telling me about my mother," he said.

"As I was saying," she said, going back to the story. "Your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina and she was a very brave and strong ninja. She moved in when she was twelve and entered the academy not long after, being a classmate of several promising cadets, like Hyūga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Mikoto, Akimichi Chōza and more," Braith said, serving herself more tea.

"At the beginning, it was difficult for her to integrate into the class, the group of children already knew each other and, until recently, she wasn't even in the country. To that, is added that she had a verbal tic plus that she was the only one with red hair in the village and you had the perfect victim for bullies," she paused, looking him in the eyes. "You should know this better than anyone, how cruel kids can be with people that seem different."

He grunts at her words. Naruto indeed knew this. He too was beaten and harassed when he was younger. Nowadays, it was more apathy, cold words and insults than physical ill-treatment. It still hurts, but it was more bearable.

"So my mom was tormented too?" He asked angry, when all of a sudden, he heard a little giggle.

"They tried, but your mother kicked the ass of any kid who tried. Some of those kids went to their older brothers, and then they too were beaten by her hands. After a whole month of this, she earned the nickname of 'The Red Death' by many of their classmates," Braith said smiling.

Naruto gulped at hearing this. 'Wow, moms are terrifying. No wonder Shikamaru always seems scared of his mother.'

With a fond smile, she continued. "I remember Mito telling her that that wasn't the right approach, that she should try to talk to his classmate, instead of straight up beating them, and you know what she always answered?" She asked with a smile.

"What did she say?" He asked, stuck to his seat, happy to hear more about his mother.

Between giggling, she responded, "She used to put one hand on her hip, the other hand pointing to the ceiling, in some kind of ridiculous power pose and said 'I'm Uzumaki Kushina, proud daughter of the head of the Uzumaki clan and future fourth Hokage ttebane! And I will not let any stupid bullies try to- to bully me!', she said with a serious face like she was done telling a speech to the masses or something like that. She was just adorable!" She exclaimed. "When Mito heard her, she facepalms herself and started muttering something about stubborn redheads and having to talk to the parents of the children that Kushina had hit."

Naruto listened to her words with absolute joy. He was happy that her mom could resolve her bullying problem. He too thought of beating the kids who mistreated him, but he felt that doing that would just make people distance themselves from him so he settled for pranking them. His mother had other people who cared for her while he had no one.

Well, not anymore. He had Braith now.

"Curiously, those fights that she has were the reason that she started making friends," she explained. "Many of her classmates were clan kids, and seeing her strength and resolve attracted them to her."

"Really?" he said, surprised.

"Yes, many clans, like the Inuzuka and Uchiha, value courage and power. Seeing how she defended herself from the other kids drew the heiress of those clans, Inuzuka Tsume and Uchiha Mikoto, and after them, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the clan kids followed them," and then she muttered. "At least most of them."

"And the civilian kids? Did they hate her like they hate me?" He asked, concerned.

Braith laughed at his words. "Well, most of them were scared of Kushina but some of them developed a crush on her," she said. "Of course, your mother, being as dense as only an Uzumaki can be…"

"Hey!" Naruto protested.

"...didn't realize this and thought that all the looks that she was receiving were hateful looks, and didn't try to engage in any sort of relationship with most of them," she said.

Naruto crossed his arms, looked down, and began to mutter about not being dense. He suddenly raised his eyes and said.

"Was my father one of them?" He asked.

She looked him in the eyes and then began to shake her head "Naruto…" She began to say.

"I know, I know!" He said standing up. "I know that- that you are not permitted to tell me who he was or anything that has to do with his identity," he said a little agitated. "But can you tell me something, anything, about him? Please!" He begged her.

He was very happy to hear about his mother, but he also wanted to know about his father. How he was, what hobbies he had, what type of food he liked, how he and her mother met each other and so much more. Now that he found a source of information, he couldn't let the opportunity pass. He won't let it pass.

Seeing his desperate face, she muttered. "Saru is going to be furious with me," before responding. "Okay, I will tell you some things about him, but," she said seeing that he was going to start celebrating. "There are a couple of things you must know," she said.

"What things?" He asked.

"First of all, you won't use the information that I tell you to inquire about your father's identity," Braith said.

Naruto nodded his head, already expecting that.

"Second, it won't be free, it is gonna cost you," she said smirking.

"What?!" He said. "You want to charge me for information about my own father?" Naruto said as if he couldn't quite believe it.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing in this world is free, everything has a cost," she said, still smiling. "Even my help with your training will have it but don't worry," she said. "I will make sure that the cost will be something that you could afford."

He sat down again, not happy with her terms. He understood the first one, even if he didn't like it, but the second pissed him off. He didn't even know what kind of information was he gonna get from her and she was already saying that it was gonna cost him.

But she was the only one willing to tell him about his father so, with no other choice, he nodded his head again.

"Excellent," she said. "We will talk about your father and the price of the information later, for now, let's continue with our talk about your mother," Braith said to him.

"Ok," he said, still irking about the deal he just made.

"After getting some friends to spend time with, Kushina's life became better. It was much more pleasant and fun. She went to the academy every day with a smile on her face and she came back to her home tired but happy. Of course, there were still difficulties and obstacles that she had to overcome but she did it with the help of her friends and family," Brait said, smiling as she remembered those days.

Naruto also smiled, happy for her mother. Hearing about her days at the academy brings him joy. But a question popped into his head.

"Um, when you talk about her family, who are you referring to?" He asked, confused. "I thought that her family was in another country."

Seeing his confusion, she responded. "Well, Mito for starters, she was her great aunt and for the first couple of years in Konoha, Kushina lived in her compound," She said and, with a dry tone, she added. "She also had a good relationship with Senju Tsunade, the granddaughter of Mito and Hashirama, and distant cousin of Kushina."

Crossing his arms, he muttered. "Tsunade… where did I hear that name?" Naruto said, trying to remember.

With the same tone of voice as before, she answers him. "You probably learned of her at the academy. Tsunade Senju, also known as the 'Slug Sannin', is one of the three Sannin and the princess of Konoha," Braith told him.

"Ha, yeah, yeah," he said, remembering. "We learn of her in class. She is the best medic in the world and supposedly the strongest kunoichi in all the land," he said. "Wait, if she was cousins with my mom, does that mean that she is also my family?" he said, excited.

If she was her mother's cousin, then she was her aunt! Maybe, sort of, kind of... Doesn't matter! She was his family, so maybe he could meet her and- and have some kind of relationship with her, spend time with her, eat ramen with her, hear stories about their family and so much more!

'Maybe I will have another person by my side, besides Braith-Nessan,' He thought.

"I supposed," said Braith. "But don't get your hopes up Naruto," she said, seeing his bright face. "Tsunade hasn't been in the village in more than twenty-five years, not since Mito died," she said.

"Eh, why?" Naruto asked.

"Doesn't matter, just know that, while she may be your family, she won't be here for you," she said and added. "Sorry Naru," she told him gently.

Naruto gets depressed when he hears this. Just his luck, he found out that he had a member of his family, only to learn that she wasn't even in the village.

'Will my luck ever improve?' He asked himself.

Noticing the tone of voice she used when talking about Tsunade he asked her. "Do you have some kind of problem with Tsunade? Why don't you like her?" he asked.

"I don't have a problem with her, per se," she said. "I just disagree with how she is living her life nowadays," seeing his still inquisitive look, she added. "It's something personal, so I won't be telling you about it at this opportunity," she concluded.

Hearing her ending tone, he said. "Of course," and then added. "Can you keep telling me about Mom?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, "After she graduated from the academy she formed a 3-man cell with Uchiha Mikoto and Haruno Kizashi under the orders of Hatake Sakumo, who was also known as 'The White Fang'..."

The two of them spend the rest of the day and part of the night talking about Kushina, her accomplishments, her failures, and her life in general. How was the relationship between her and her teammates. Her life as a Genin, her various missions. Her participation in the Second and Third Ninja world and more.

Naruto felt a whirlpool of feelings during her narrative. He laughed, screamed, cried, jumped with joy, and more. But above everything else he was happy. Happy to know about his mother, happy to know about her life, and happy to know that she loved him. That, if she could, that amazing woman would have raised him and loved him with all her heart. He was just happy. As simple as that.

At the end of the story, Braith saw the clock and said. "It is late, you should spend the night here in the guest room and get to your house in the morning," she offered him.

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "Won't I bother you?" he said.

"Not at all," she responded, standing up. "Come, follow me." She said, starting to walk.

Naruto followed her to a medium-sized room, furnished with a bed, a small desk, and a chair. At the end of the room, there was a door.

"That door leads you to a bathroom, where you can wash," she said. " I must close the store so, goodnight Naruto," she told him.

"Goodnight Braith-Nessan," Naruto responded.

Seeing her leave, Naruto, feeling emotionally exhausted, decided to take a quick shower and go to sleep.

After the shower, he entered the room and found pajamas with little pictures of bowls of ramen on them. Smiling, he put it on and lay on the bed.

While looking at the ceiling, he reflected on all the things he learned about his mother and the woman who told him all of it. He was really grateful but also curious about Braith. Who she was, how she lived for so long, what she would teach him, how much she would charge him for the information about his father, and a million things more.

While he pondered all these things, he slowly entered the world of dreams.

Hope you enjoy it.