Sharing the Sky
Chapter 5. Family doesn't end with blood
Naruto brushed her hands over her new clothes, smoothing out creases and savoring the feeling of soft material against the skin. Her mom's kimono and black shorts fit snugly around her small body as if made specifically for her.
Naruto was looking down at herself and her chest inevitably ended up right in her sight. Her very flat chest. As in, flat like Sasuke's sense of humor. Like it was when she had been a kid before she grew up into a fit young adult. She worked hard to condition her body after neglecting it almost all her childhood and, once she finally started looking like a woman, no one was able to mock her.
And now she returned into this scrawny, flat-chested, short form!
Not to mention, this body was weak. Naruto doubted that she could keep the Kyuubi's mode for long. Or use it at all. No matter that she had a bond of deep friendship with Kurama now, younger her just couldn't handle the sheer force of the Bijuu chakra and the toll it brought on her physical body.
Naruto tore her eyes away from her chest with an angry growl.
Hopefully, she wouldn't need the Kyuubi's mode anytime soon.
To get her mind off of what she had lost by being forced into her early teen's body, Naruto started to run her fingers through her wet hair, constantly building up the wind-natured chakra and then releasing it in a steady stream. A neat little trick she had learned during the war when all anyone could afford was a quick dip in a river before moving on to avoid being spotted by the enemy. She should have cut her hair, just like Sakura and Ino did, but she couldn't. Her red hair that she inherited together with the Uzumaki blood was the only thing she had of her mother's.
Naruto had cut it once before and the process was tainted with bad memories.
She had always been an angry child. Constantly stewing in a deep hatred all around whenever she went, Naruto was a walking disaster waiting to explode. So when an eight-year-old her got ambushed by a group of older Academy students in a remote location and poured pig's blood all over her while hearing mockery about her bloody hair, she had completely lost it. The first thing she did was grab the kunai from one of those boys and slice her hair off. She didn't even try to hold them while doing so, she simply twisted her arm up behind her head, put the blade to its side, and slashed it across her scalp.
There was much more blood on her after that.
To say those boys got terrified by her extreme reaction would have been an understatement. They were soon pushed into a mindless panic when Naruto turned towards them with the same kunai gripped tightly in her hand, a wild look in her eyes, and a grin upon her lips.
She was ready to kill. She would have done it, but at that moment Kakashi swooped in to stop her and bring her to the hospital.
Her life changed after that incident. Kakashi refused to leave her alone any longer, to the silent discontent of the Sandaime. The latter finally changed his opinion after realizing that Naruto had developed an emotion-sensing ability and was on a brink of mental breakdown by living in constant hate and anger without any positive interactions.
Kakashi was finally allowed to take her under his care. He did so much for her. Helped to figure out her emotion-sensing ability. Taught her how to look after herself. Told her about the Uzumaki clan and her mother. Introduced her to the Art of Sealing. Became someone who saw only the best in her and gave her unconditional support without reserve.
He also showed her something no one else ever did before: genuine love and care.
Naruto owed everything to Kakashi-sensei for making her into the person she was today. He was the only person who accepted her when no one else did.
Her hair was dry now, Naruto realized with a start. She straightened up, shaking creeping memories like water from her hands. No time to wallow in the past when she had so much work to do.
Besides, Kakashi-sensei was going to live a much different life this time.
Naruto took a deep breath to anchor herself back into reality. Then, she focused on the pile of dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. It was too dangerous to leave them here for Konoha ninjas to pick up. Who knew what kind of secrets they could tell them.
Naruto squatted down, gathered chakra at her fingertips, and started drawing a seal on the floor. Foundation built out of earth elements for stability, a layer of fire circling it for destruction, four earth-based pillars in all corners for safety, and four air-based joists in between them for control. Once the seal was finished, she collected her old clothes and dumped them in the middle of it. Then, quickly formed a few handseals to activate it.
With a hum, chakra walls rose from the lines of the seal and converged at the top. A moment later, a fire sparked inside, instantly filling the insides of the barrier.
Naruto was the one who designed this barrier, but it was the others who named it—the Barrier of Funeral Pyre. A fitting name for something they used to burn their fallen comrades so no one could disturb their passage to the Pure Land.
Naruto stared at the fire slowly devouring her old clothes.
In some manner, this could be called her funeral. Her old life was gone. Naruto Uzumaki—the daughter of the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the pupil of Kakashi Hatake, and the member of Team Seven—was gone. Never had been born even. No one here knew such a person existed.
Naruto slapped her cheeks, then rubbed them roughly, just enough to feel the sting. She needed to get her mind out of this grim place before it spiraled down too deep.
She was still here, even if her old life had burned to cinders. She still had Kurama with her too. Not everything was lost. This story had only started and she was going to change its crappy ending.
First things first—getting out of this accursed place.
Naruto let the fire do its job for another minute until it burned all that was inside. Then, she deactivated the barrier, used the shower to wash the ashes into the drain, and cleaned the chakra ink from the floor.
Naruto was ready to leave this small haven, free from any judging eyes and hidden observers. Or as ready as she could be in this situation.
She stopped with her hand on the door handle. Time to slip into her new persona and continue putting on this act.
With a deep breath, Naruto pushed the door open.
Silence blanketed the room. Someone had opened the window and the warm early evening breeze filled the room with the variety of scents and ambient of the village. The early evening sun streamed rusty gold light through the window, painting the interior in a vibrant amber glow and softening the blinding white of the walls and bedding.
After a quick survey of her surroundings, Naruto's gaze settled on the only two people in the room.
Minato was sitting at the table, cradling his face with one hand, his eyes closed, his breathing calm and even. He must have fallen asleep while waiting. No wonders. He had no proper rest after traveling non-stop from the mission back to Konoha.
Kushina practically lay halfway on the table in front of Minato, busy doodling something on his face.
Naruto blinked. Nope, she didn't see it wrong. Her mother really was drawing on her father's face.
Kushina's tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she focused on her task to not wake him up while she carefully traced the lines of a silly-looking moustache with a black pen. She looked up a moment later and smiled at Naruto. Just a sly little smirk, full of mischief.
Laughter built up inside Naruto's chest and would have spilled out if not for her slapping a hand over her mouth. Despite her attempt, a snort still slipped out and it was enough to make Minato stir from his sleep.
Kushina jumped back, swiping her arm behind to tuck the pen inside her weapon pouch. The moustache had been done already, she was simply tracing lines to make them more visible. "Hey, sleepy-head!" Kushina slapped Minato's shoulder, causing his chin to slide off his hand and almost bang on the table. "Naruto finished her shower, time to go, 'ttebane!"
Minato blinked once, twice, slightly disoriented after being awoken so roughly. Then rubbed his eyes. "Ah, sorry," he mumbled finally. "Must have fallen asleep."
Naruto stared at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to do here. Should she tell him? Though he looked so ridiculous with that moustache, she didn't trust herself not to burst out laughing if she tried to speak right now.
Minato must have noticed her bizarre behavior, because he narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong, Naruto?"
Naruto opened her mouth—
Behind Minato's back, Kushina pressed her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
—and closed it before she could utter a word.
"Come on, Minato," Kushina chimed in, tugging at the man's sleeve. "Poor girl is obviously starving. Right, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded. She couldn't quite peel her eyes away from those moustaches.
Minato obeyed his girlfriend's insistence to stand up. He helplessly motioned towards the bathroom, "Wait, Kushina, I want to wash—" but wasn't allowed to finish.
"Stop being so fussy about your looks, 'ttebane! You're pretty enough already. I bet Naruto will agree with me."
"Y-yeah," Naruto stammered out, caught off guard to suddenly be pulled into this conversation. "I already told him that he's as pretty as a sunflower."
Kushina looked at Minato with a raised eyebrow. "Is that why you asked me if I liked sunflowers?" A grin slowly spread across Kushina's face when a faint tinge of red dusted the blond's cheeks.
Minato cleared his throat. "I was simply curious."
Kushina tried to keep a straight face, but failed in the end and doubled over with laughter, her whole body shaking from the force of it.
"Do you have to laugh this hard?" Minato sounded genuinely upset, however, his chakra bloomed with nothing but pure affection.
"Sorry, sorry," Kushina wheezed in between her fits of cackle.
Minato gave her the most brilliant deadpan expression.
The redhead reached for his vest, pulled him closer, and pecked his cheek. "There," she said, doing her best to hide the grin that still graced her lips. "Now, let's go eat before we shrivel into ourselves, become all wrinkly and dry, wrap ourselves with a ton of bandages, and shove a stick up our asses."
Minato rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched up. "Alright, alright." He glanced at Naruto over his shoulder. "You coming, Naruto?"
Naruto couldn't contain the smile straight from her heart. All the emotions coming from her parent's interactions with each other enveloped her like a warm blanket and cocooned her into a bubble of joy and love. This was how it should be: her parents alive and happy. And this was how it would continue to be, Naruto swore to herself.
Both adults kept looking at her expectantly, yet patiently, standing at the exit.
"I'm coming, 'ttebane," she replied, moving to catch up. She didn't even notice the verbal tick slipping out, too relaxed and fuzzy from all the good emotions around her after her mental breakdown during the shower.
But both adults noticed if the glance they shared was any indication.
Hospital personnel gave them weird looks as the three of them walked down the hallways, but no one dared to voice the question that definitely popped into everyone's minds. Kushina and Naruto distracted Minato every time his suspicion started to grow. By the time they finally made it outside, Minato had mostly forgotten about it. He still looked suspicious, but he wasn't as worried now.
The sun was setting now, cosseted behind soft gray clouds in a sea of gold, orange, and red. The air wasn't as hot as it was earlier, but comfortably fresh. Especially after spending half a day in a stuffy hospital room.
Naruto took a deep breath of fresh air and her heart soared. No smoke, no ashes, no death. Only dust, greenery, sweat, spices, and a variety of other smells, usually found in places where people lived. People who were alive, not burned corpses covering the ground among the looming ruins of—
"We're aliiiiiive!"
Naruto flinched, a shout ripping her out of her dark thoughts with a force that left her reeling. She whipped her head to look at her mom who was fist-pumping the air, a big grin upon her features, not bothered that her exclamation earned her multiple odd looks from passersby.
Kushina felt the girl staring and she turned to smile at her. Much softer now, more motherly. More familiar.
This young version of her mother was wild and mischievous, definitely not what Naruto had imagined, but there was just something about her that instantly put Naruto at ease.
"As lively as ever, Kushina."
All three turned back to the hospital's exit from where the voice came. Shikaku was visibly startled the moment he saw Minato's face, but his surprise didn't last long. One blink and his poker face was up.
"You were here too, Shikaku?" Kushina asked with a tinge of concern in her voice.
"Ah, I had to do a quick check-up." The man sighed. "Honestly, so troublesome."
He did feel untroubled and the chakra fluctuation due to the pain disappeared as well, but Naruto had to be sure. "How did it go?" she asked. "Nothing long-lasting?"
"Nah," Shikaku waved his hand in a dismissing motion. When it didn't help to lessen the intensity of the girl's stare, he elaborated, "Your attack seemed to shake up the parts in my ears that are responsible for the balance."
Naruto nodded. It was one of the things that technique did, true.
"But the damage is negligible. It'll heal with no issue, don't worry." Nara offered her a lop-sided grin. "Welcome to Konoha, Naruto."
It came out of nowhere and caught Naruto off guard. For a few seconds, she simply gazed at the man, not knowing how to even react. This was such smooth sailing so far, she dreaded the moment when the other shoe would inevitably drop. "Th-thank you…" she stammered out in the end.
"Well, I'll leave you all to it." Shikaku turned to leave, but stopped mid-move and looked back at Minato. "Oh, by the way, Minato," he said, "an image change?"
Kushina's eyes widened before they darted to her boyfriend's face.
Minato frowned. Naruto could see the exact second the realization dawned on him. "Kushinaaaa!"
The redhead vanished in a shunshin, leaving only the sound of her cackle in her wake.
Shikaku laughed too as he proceeded to leave. "See ya around," he bid his farewell, throwing a lazy wave over his shoulder.
"I can't believe it…" Minato grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He inhaled, held it in, and exhaled till the last drop in his lungs. Only then, he asked, "What exactly did she do?"
"She, uh…" Naruto nervously clasped her hands together, massaging her knuckle with her thumb. "She drew a moustache on you."
"Moustache? Of course, she did," the man sighed before pinning the girl with a hard stare. "And you didn't warn me either."
Naruto winced. She felt guilty about it, but at the same time, she didn't want to push her mother even further away than she already did after her freakout earlier. "Sorry…" was all she could offer in this situation.
Minato's shoulders slumped with a resigned sigh. "It's alright, I don't blame you. You're not the first one who Kushina roped into her antics. She's only like this when she's in an especially good mood."
Naruto tilted her head, curious. "Did something good happen to make her happy?"
Minato's lips twitched down into a small frown. "You, Naruto," he finally said, sounding a bit incredulous. "You happened."
Naruto blinked, her mouth opened, but her mind drew a blank. She didn't even think of that. After a moment, a tiny, quiet, "Oh…" left her lips.
Minato's features softened with sympathy. "Well, anyway," he said, trying to change the subject and not let the girl dwell on whatever demons followed her around. "Does the moustache fit me?" he asked, spreading his arms to the side in a 'ta-dah' pose.
He looked so ridiculous, Naruto couldn't stop the sudden bark of laughter.
"Maybe I should try and grow a real one?"
Naruto shook her head, brushing laughter tears out of her eyes, and replied, "Don't."
"Fine." A good-natured smile warmed Minato's features. "Maybe once I'm old and retired, it would fit me better."
Those words made Naruto's heart heavy. Imagining both her dad and mom as an old couple, living a peaceful life of retired ninjas stretched her lips into a smile that didn't reach her blue eyes. "I'd love to see it…" she murmured.
"Konoha can become your new home, Naruto," Minato stated. "You just need to want to stay here."
"Thanks." Naruto looked into her father's eyes. "I'm glad you found me."
"As do I." He motioned towards the street. "Shall we get going to grab some food? There's this new ramen stand that opened recently. Kushina loves it and she wants you to try it out as well."
A new ramen stand? Was he talking about Ichiraku Ramen by any chance? Naruto couldn't remember when she ate Ichiraku ramen the last time. It must have been months… Not since Obito attacked Konoha and turned it into smoldering ruins.
Despite her grim line of thought, Naruto's stomach rumbled.
Minato chuckled when the girl's cheeks heated up. "Come on, let's go. Kushina should be waiting for us there already."
"You, uh, you want to clean that up?" Naruto asked as she rubbed the spot just under her nose.
"Oh. Right," Minato floundered, rubbing the back of his head. "Right, I should do that." He made a half-step towards the hospital, but then stopped and swiveled back around with a raised finger. "Wait here." And with that gentle order, he left to wash his face.
Naruto sniggered under her breath. For such a brilliant genius, her father could be spectacularly scatterbrained sometimes. It never failed to amuse her.
"I still can't believe that you drew a moustache on me," Minato grumbled as he unlocked the front door to his house and pushed it open. Kushina burst out laughing behind him. "On top of that, you just let me walk like that through the hospital and into the street."
"If not for that tattletale Nara, all Konoha would have seen your moustache, 'ttebane!"
"Thank goodness, he was there."
"Don't be such a party pooper, Minato!"
"It's not a party if you're the only willing participant, Kushina."
While the two bickered in the doorway, Naruto stood at the bottom of the staircase, peering at the house. Of average size, built in the usual Konohan style with cream-colored walls and red-tiled roof. Secluded among trees and bushes in one of Konoha's residential areas with a yard surrounding it to give some privacy from neighbors.
"Naruto!"
Naruto jolted out of her reverie, quickly hopping up the stairway. Kushina waved her in and ducked inside the house herself once the girl neared the entrance.
Throughout this day both Minato and Kushina were so kind to Naruto, so understanding, it truly warmed her heart. They never forced her into any interactions, always knowing when she wanted to stay only an observer and not to be included in conversations. At the same time, they never let her feel alone or left out.
It was a dream come true.
Throwing the last gaze over the yard below, Naruto stepped inside too, bending down to take her sandals off the moment she crossed the doorway.
The inside was more spacious than it looked from the outside, but as welcoming as Naruto had imagined. Cozy and tidy with things neatly placed in their appropriate spots, framed photos of Minato and Kushina hanging on the walls, and a few house plants that were obviously taken care of.
This place was a home that her parents created with their own hands. A place where she should have spent her childhood and made memories with her mom and dad. A place where she should have felt loved and appreciated and could have let herself be vulnerable and real. A place she could have called home.
Naruto never found such a place in her previous life. Her apartment just wasn't it. There was no soul in that place, no sense of serenity to her heart, no feeling of home.
Kushina allowed the girl to inspect the house before speaking, "This is nothing special, but I hope you'll like our place, Naruto."
Naruto almost snorted. Her mother had no idea how special their home was to her. "It's lovely," she replied quietly instead.
Minato put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Feel free to make yourself at home," he said when the girl looked up at him with as much honesty as he could manage. "You can stay here as long as you like."
"Thank you." The words were sincere, if not a bit sad and layered with wistfulness.
"Alright!" Kushina clapped her hands. "While Minato will go to wash himself, I and Naruto will get her room ready!"
Minato took one glance at his girlfriend and sighed in resignation. "Yeah, I could use a shower." He flashed a tired smile to Naruto. "I'll join you two later." He turned and walked away down the hallway.
"Okay, come on, Naruto," as she was speaking, Kushina reached for Naruto's shoulder to guide her into the room she had in mind. "We'll have to clear the room first and then—"
Do not let her touch you.
With Kurama's words echoing inside her head, Naruto flinched away from her mother's hand. She regretted it immediately when Kushina's expression fell. Though she didn't know the exact reason behind Kurama's order, all Naruto knew was that he would have never said anything without good justification. If she had to guess, it was most likely tied to the fact that Kushina contained the past version of his.
Kushina winced, letting her arm drop lifelessly at her side. "I apologize," she said at the same time as Naruto muttered, "Sorry…"
"That's alright." Kushina smiled, a bit sadder than just a minute ago. "We all have things we don't like." She paused, visibly hesitating. "Can you, um, tell me the reason why you don't want me touching you?"
Naruto's heart might as well turn to dust; it sure felt like it already had. "I'm sorry, I can't…" she choked out, feeling her throat closing in. She didn't want to lie to her parents, but she couldn't tell them the truth either. "It's not because of you. I don't-don't hate you or anything, it's purely because of me, but I can't tell you the reason. I'm sorry."
The momentary silence burst with more apologies, the genuine regret was evident in the troubled lines of the girl's face, so Kushina hurried to reassure her, "Hey, it's okay, Naruto, calm down." Her arms twitched, wanting to reach, to pull the distressed little Uzumaki in for a hug, but holding herself against doing so. "Whatever the reason, I can wait until you trust me enough to tell me."
Naruto sniffled, brushed her hand across her nose, and nodded.
Kushina broke into a grin that worked miracles on Naruto's deep-rooted worries. "Let's get working on that room now and then we can have some tea." She started moving through the house and motioned the girl to follow her. "I think there should be a few cookies left. I baked them for Minato to eat once he'd returned from the mission, but they turned out so good I almost ate them all myself..." she trailed off with a sheepish shrug and beamed when Naruto chuckled. Then, she stopped at the closed door and said, "This is going to be your room. The next room is ours." Kushina pointed at the next door. "Don't be afraid to call either of us if you need anything. Even in the middle of the night, okay?"
Naruto nodded again, not trusting her voice not to betray all the turmoil brewing inside her at the kindness both her parents kept showing.
Kushina entered the room and, after flicking the light on, beelined to the window to open it.
Naruto curiously looked around. A small room was clearly unlived if the clutter of boxes, a few stacks of books and scrolls, and some other things were any indication. A futon was rolled up in one corner with bedding laid neatly on top.
"Sorry about this mess," Kushina apologized, going around and picking up a few stray scrolls that must have rolled from the stack. "We'll have to move this entire pile out. I hope you'll be fine with a futon tonight, we can get you more comfortable things later. Also, decorations. This is your room from now on, so you're allowed to decorate it as you want."
"I, uh, I'm fine with the room as it is," Naruto mumbled. She didn't quite plan to stay here for that long after all. Just sleeping under the same roof as her alive parents was already more than enough. The dip in Kushina's enthusiasm made Naruto anxious. "Honestly, this is better than what I had in the past few months and could have hoped for when I agreed to come here. I'm fine."
Kushina pursed her lips into a thin, crooked line, her frown deep and sad as she started, "Naruto, that's not—" but then cut herself off with a shake of her head. "Nevermind. How about you air the bedding and the futon on the balcony while I carry all this stuff out?"
Guilt lay like a chunk of ice inside her stomach, but Naruto swallowed words that she would have loved to say to her mother and pushed forward. With a quiet, "Okay," she picked up the bundle and padded out.
The moment she came into the balcony, Naruto took a lungful of fresh air, letting the cool breeze soothe her anxiety. She had always found nights to be a comforting presence when there were little to no people around. Those who were still up and about on the streets at night had better things to do than to hate on a child.
Night blanketed Konoha. The sky was black canvas dotted by millions of stars crowding around the full and bright moon. A warm, orange glow spilled through the windows of houses and illuminated empty streets.
Naruto allowed herself to relax, to take a moment to just breathe in the air free of ashes and untainted by the stench of burning corpses as she listened to the typical village ambiance rather than deathly silence screaming into her ears.
Once she calmed down, she pulled herself back into reality. Quickly airing the futon and the bedding, Naruto headed back inside. She must have lost track of time and stayed longer on the balcony than she had realized, because as she was passing the living room, she found Minato sleeping on the couch.
He must have been too exhausted and passed out while working on some notes as he still had a journal and a pen in his hands. Naruto paused, staring at his smooth, relaxed, and stress-free features.
Minato from her time never slept.
Naruto's eyes flicked to a blanket draped over the back of the couch. Carefully, she put her cargo down and tiptoed around the table. Holding her breath, she reached for the blanket and, when her father didn't wake up after she picked it up, she spread it over his sleeping form.
Minato really must have been exhausted to not stir even as it settled on top of him.
Naruto kept her eyes on him, imprinting the peaceful lines of his face into her memory. Looking up, she was startled by finding her mother watching them both from the end of the hallway.
Kushina smiled to put her at ease as she walked over without making a sound, as silently as every ninja. After carefully lifting Minato's head, she pushed a pillow under it.
This time Minato stirred, but not yet enough to wake up. A few gentle strokes from Kushina and he quieted down again.
A journal he had been working on slipped from his lap and would have fallen on the floor if not for Naruto snatching it from mid-air. Straightening up, she was about to put the journal on the table when the drawing caught her eye.
Kushina peeked at it and whispered, "A seal he'd been working on recently, albeit unsuccessfully." Throwing a glance at the sleeping blond, she furrowed her brow. "Maybe you should sleep early as well, Naruto," she suggested with a sigh. "I bet you're just as exhausted as Minato. Or you can join me for tea and cookies. Your choice, but I don't want you to push yourself."
Naruto thought it over. There were a few things she wanted to ask Kurama about, so retreating now would be the best. "No, I'd like to hit the bed early as well."
Kushina nodded. "Goodnight, Naruto," she said with a soft smile. "See you tomorrow morning."
"Goodnight…"
Naruto watched her mother walk away, but the unfinished seal in front of her tugged at her attention. She could see the solution in the design her father had already put down, but was unable to make it work. She knew how to do it.
Against her better judgment, Naruto fished out the pen from under the blanket and scribbled her suggestions in the notes before putting the journal on the table and leaving.
Once the door to her room closed and she made her bed, Naruto let herself fall onto the futon with an exhausted blow of air from her lungs. With her head resting on her arms, she stared at the opposite wall for what felt like hours. In all the time that had passed since she arrived, she knew she would have to leave eventually. Even though every part of her wanted to stay, she couldn't do so. But this…
With a sigh, Naruto turned on her side, closed her eyes, and let her inner self sink into the depths of her being. Wincing, she prepared to get beaten by the unrelenting downpour in the sealscape, but instead what welcomed her was a light rain. Dark, stormy clouds continued to roll above the murky endless ocean.
Naruto jogged forward through the three Torii gates and stepped on the island, eyes zeroing on the spot where Kurama had been sleeping the last time. Despite knowing that he was here, she still felt worry flittering away upon seeing his curled form with his face hidden by the tails.
Naruto approached her friend and hesitated a little, not wanting to disturb his rest, but needing the answers all the same. Ultimately, she reached out and brushed Kurama's ear with a whisper, "Kurama?"
The ear twitched and a moment later, slits of red eyes peeked from behind the fur wall. The tails moved, rose as if inviting the girl to come and rest together.
Naruto gladly accepted that invitation. She snuggled to her fluffy friend, the tails wrapping around both, trapping them in a cocoon of warmth and safety. After a moment of letting herself bask in the encompassing presence of the Bijuu, the girl asked, "How are you feeling, Kurama?"
"I am well, all things considered," Kurama replied. One of his eyes opened, a tiny bit, just enough to stare at his Jinchuuriki. "It is a question that should be addressed to you. Your emotions have been fluctuating quite wildly today."
Absent-mindedly, Naruto traced nonsense in the fur with feather-light fingers. "I don't know…" she murmured. "It's hard. They're treating me too kindly."
"Who? Your parents?"
Naruto's fingers curled around a handful of Kurama's fur as she buried her face into it. "They might be my parents, but I'm not their daughter anymore."
"Che." Kurama somehow managed to show all of his distaste for that statement with a single click of his tongue. He shifted slightly to accommodate the human clinging onto him better. "Family doesn't end with blood, girl."
"I know, but… I think Obito Uchiha is still part of Konoha. The Third Ninja War is still obviously ongoing and Kakashi-sensei told us that the mission during which he'd gone missing ended up being a deciding factor in its end. And I don't think Dad and Mom would act as they do if one of Dad's students were presumed dead," Naruto babbled. "That means… that I'll have to stab them in the back by killing Obito myself."
Kurama stayed silent, watched the girl for a moment. "Your view is tainted by the horrors you had witnessed in your time, however, Naruto, remember," he paused, a single slitted eye drilling into the pair of blue ones. "If your observation is correct, this is the time before all the madness started. Do not let your future knowledge poison your mind and interfere with your judgment. Observe and then make a choice."He closed his eye as a sign that he had said his piece. "That is the only advice I can offer, but know—I will be on your side regardless of decisions you might make."
The devotion, the pure faith ringing in Kurama's words made Naruto's tongue heavy with the weight of emotions. "Thanks, Kurama. I'm glad you're here with me." She smirked, masking the slew of all those feelings with a surge of wit. "We might not have started with the best relationship, but now I think of you as Like a grumpy uncle I never wanted, but didn't know I needed."
The Bijuu scoffed. "I have no use of these pesky human emotions of yours." And yet, he couldn't quite hide the lilt of happiness from his voice. Nor could he stop his chakra humming in contentment.
Naruto puffed a short laugh into Kurama's fur. The conversation fizzled out into a comfortable silence. A few minutes passed by while neither needed nor felt like breaking it. They lay there, simply enjoying each other's company.
Until Naruto broke the calm with a low murmur, "So, I was thinking since you warned me not to let my mom touch me… Why?"
A short pause before Kurama spoke, "Because she is the Jinchuuriki of my past self," followed by the flick of the tail against Naruto's shoulder blades.
"I wondered how two of you can exist at the same time."
"I cannot. That is why one of us will cease to exist."
The girl shuddered, her head snapping up to stare at the Bijuu with her eyes blown wide.
"Do not need to worry. Despite this being my past self's time while I am merely an intruder, the natural order dictates that my existence takes precedence over my past self because I carry the imprint of the universe longer. That is why I am still here." Kurama shut his eyes again as he carried on with the explanation. "However, we are the same being, so we have to become one in the end. It is not easy, my past self is fighting against it and trying to take over me instead. I am weakened, but I possess great freedom to exert my influence whereas my other self is limited by the restrictive nature of Kushina's seal."
"What would happen if I and Mom touched each other?"
"Currently, I am slowly assimilating the chakra of my past self through the natural Bijuu link we both have access to, keeping the flow of it at a minimum. If physical contact is made between the two Jinchuuriki and consequently between the two of us, not even I would be able to go against the laws of the universe dictating that multiple variations of the same life essence cannot exist at the same time."
Naruto's brow furrowed. "What does it mean exactly?"
Kurama heaved a sigh in a way that ruffled Naruto's feathers. She wasn't stupid, dammit! It was a hard topic to understand, that was all!
"It means that either I or my past self will get absorbed by the other side in an instant. You know well what happens to the Jinchuuriki once their Bijuu gets extracted." Kurama pinned the girl with a hard stare. "And it will not be me who will lose this tug of war."
Naruto blanched. "Mom's Kurama will get ripped off from her and she'll die…"
Kurama settled down again with a flat, "Correct. So heed my warning." His voice grew quieter as he started to drift off. "Once the process of slowly trickling all my chakra from Kushina is finished, my full power will get restored as I will merge with my past self, but your mother will stay alive. It is a loophole I am happy to use," he rumbled out before it faded away completely into steady breathing.
Naruto stared at the slumbering Bijuu for a while longer, processing all the information she just received.
As long as she wouldn't screw up, her mother would stay alive this time. Even if, in a very low chance, Naruto wouldn't be able to prevent Madara from getting his hands on Obito, Kushina would never become their target as she wouldn't be the Jinchuuriki anymore. They would never get a hold of the Kyuubi either as she would protect Kurama till her last breath. And no matter what they would throw at her father, she had absolute faith in him to be able to protect himself and the village once the Kyuubi was out of the equation.
With those comforting thoughts, feeling safe and secure in her current position, and with exhaustion still holding a strong grip on her body and mind, Naruto started to drift off herself until sleep pulled her under.
A/N
I was thinking about you guys while writing this chapter, about how you all want an update and that motivated me enough to finish it. But it did NOT want to vibe with me at all, so that's why it's kinda meh. I might return to it later if I figure out how to fix it, but for now you get what you get. I tried my best, so I hope you enjoyed it regardless! Leave your thoughts on it?
I know these setup chapters are necessary, but honestly, I'd love to just jump to the second half of this story… But, well, we can't do that, so let's just suffer through this together, shall we :)
Thanks for reading and especially for commenting!
I have a discord channel now: discord. gg/a7tQPPa