Naruko: A Story Redone

By: dbrame91

AN: With no real knowledge of how the people of Uzushiogakure fought it is left open to personal opinions. In my story I am thinking of it as a mix of China's Crane, Snake, and Ba Gua styles of kung fu. With this mix it is a bit like Juken from the Hyuuga family, but it utilizes turns and spins to build more power. Ba Gua uses the same principle in order to build a lot of power. Crane is to keep the initial stances wider and the reach a bit longer. Snake is for the strikes and awkward angles a user can hit from. It is my desire for it to draw a similarity to a whirlpool, a powerful force (Ba Gua) that catches with the barest part of its reach (Crane) and then pulls you in where it is harder to resist (Snake).


Chapter 8: Kushina

Kushina was still dragging Kakashi behind her as she walked through the woods, trying to find a spot far enough away that no one would hear Kakashi scream. After about ten minutes of trudging through the perpetually muddy woods of Wave she stopped, lazily throwing the squirming Jonin in an underarm toss. "Talk Kakashi. What did you do to my daughter?"

"Kushina-san, shouldn't we talk about the mi..." Kakashi started, trying to divert her while he worked on what to say, before being cut off.

"No. I may be here as a Jonin, but I came because it is my daughter's team." The red haired woman crossed her arms slowly, her eyes locked on the silver haired man she had known for years. "Did you really think I wouldn't hear about this happening?" Kakashi nodded. Not a smart move in hindsight for him. The area was flooded with an almost motherly killing intent, like a momma bear.

"H-hai Kushina-san. It was a one time thing, though at the time it was not discussed if it would go past that." Kakashi slowly backed away a bit. "About five days ago we stopped in Koriyo village, at the command of Naruko. While there we stayed in a brothel ca-" Kakashi explained the events leading up to finding his student as he had that evening when the Uzumaki head cut him off again.

"The Golden Garden, it's the only place Naruko would go to in that town." The redhead was nodding slowly, her foot tapping was gentle and slow.

"While there some events occurred, as outlined in the request for backup that I sent to the Hokage. After those events Team 7 and our client met in one room to discuss what happened and why." Moving a hand slowly to the pouch on his lower back he fished out two books, one his ever present orange delight and the other the unmistakable bingo book most ninja carried. He opened the second book to the two pages for the demon brothers and handed the black bound watch list to his senior. "One of those two recognized the way Naruko fought, and even recognized her sword as a smaller version of Zabuza's. This brought more questions which she answered for us." After taking the black book back he put it in his pouch, keeping the orange one in hand and opening it slowly. "After hearing that Naruko wasn't fully trained in the Kubikiribocho's forms I restricted her use to situations of extreme need only."

"That...limitation had a negative effect on her mood, as it is a big part of who she is. That in turn lead her to send a clone back to the room after she left to 'return' a bottle of sake. A few hours later I found her in the main room of the Golden Garden, having woken her up, where she admitted to having consumed most of the sake. She wasn't drunk when I found her but she says that is normal for her." Kushina nodded at that part, her head tilted to the side a bit. "After she confessed to the deed she explained why. That is when she kissed me and things escalated from there." Kakashi didn't want to go into exact details about what happened, and he wasn't made to as Kushina hit him once in the chest.

"Well, it seems like everything else is done, don't let it happen again." Kushina began to walk away, past the masked man back towards the house. Kakashi was shocked and stayed still, waiting for another hit. Just as he turned to follow Kakashi was hit, right as he lowered his guard. "I hope you don't think punishment is over, I'm just waiting till we get back home to let you have it."

The man's visible eye began to shed tears quickly. "Please no Kushina-nee?"

She turned on him with a falsely sweet smile plastered on her face. "Oh, if you want to play that card do it when you haven't slept with my daughter recently. Let's go back, you need to rest so you can train Sasuke and Sakura tomorrow."

"What about Naruko? I told her she would be training too." Kakashi spoke up, not wanting to go back on his word to the blond.

"Not with you, pervert." Kushina huffed as she continued walking back to the house. "I'll work with her while we watch over the work site. You can stay here and help the others."

At dinner Kushina laid out the new plan, only saying that she would be taking Naruko with her for training during bridge guarding and the other Genin would stay with Kakashi around the house. The blond's feeling of dread for the upcoming weeks pulled her stomach into an uneasy frenzy. Using that as an excuse, Naruko was the first to leave for bed. In the room that she and Sakura had been sharing the Namikaze girl found an extra set of possessions that belonged to her mom, if the red hair packed brush was any clue.

Next Day

Kushina was the first in the entire house to wake up. Naruko was the next as her mother dragged the lightly snoring girl, futon and all, down the stairs. "OWWWWWW. WHO THE FUCK DID THAT?!" The blond yelled as she gripped her head from having it bounced off the stairs unceremoniously, only to be hit in the arm as an answer.

"Quiet down or you will wake everyone up." Kushina looked down at her daughter, eyes daring her to speak up. "You are going to help me make breakfast, and while we do that you will tell me about your run in with Zabuza." The older of the Uzumaki family's two women then turned around and walked into the kitchen. "But first I want you to tell me what you and Kakashi did, in detail. I need to know how badly to beat him when we get back to Konoha."

"I would rather not. That is way too embarrassing Kaa-san. Why do you think I didn't tell you about my first time?" Naruko begrudgingly followed her mother who was already getting out the things needed to make breakfast.

"Do you mean your first time with the Akimichi boy, or with Hinata?" Looking over at her shocked/appalled daughter made the redhead laugh. "You weren't exactly quiet in either case. Why do you think I got you and Sasuke those silencing seal slips?" Now Naruko was blushing furiously as she tried to steady herself. "You are great at stealth Naru dear, but horrible with volume control."

"Please stop Kaa-san, I'll die of shame at this rate." The crying plea of Naruko was weak and fragile, she had been made exceedingly uncomfortable when she heard all that. "Why attack my ego too? Kaka-sensei was right, you are overly cruel."

"Hahaha, she knew the whole time." Both women looked through the threshold into the dinning room and found Sasuke sitting at the table, a smirk on his face. His quirked lips only grew further apart into a large stupid grin when he saw Naruko go beet red. Again the black haired teen laughed, as he got to his feet he turned around and left the house to start a light warmup.

Turning back to her mother, Naruko begged again. "Please can we save this till we are home or something?"

"When we get to the bridge we'll talk." Kushina's tone held some remorse but not enough that the blond would think she could put it off somehow. The Uzumaki matron returned to her original task of making breakfast. Naruko was given dishes, silverware, and other things to set the table. When Naruko was done with her task she went to leave but was dragged back into the small kitchen to start washing the cookware that the redhead was done with. The blond made a shadow clone to do it but had it popped immediately. Sighing the teen got to work and finished just as her team's client came down the stairs, the last to wake up.

After the meal had broken up Sakura went to help Tsunami with the plates while the rest of the Konoha ninja met outside. Kakashi took the lead. "We all know what we are doing today, I will be here with Sakura and Sasuke to help them. Kushina-san will be with Tazuna and Naruko at the bridge." He watched his three Genin nod their understanding, and smiled at them.

"Nope none of the Kakashi." Kushina called out, ruining the pride he felt. When she looked at the confused Sakura she amended her statement. "The training is still fine, but you know what I am talking about right Kakashi?" Her answer was his silent nod and hands up, already declaring his submission. "Good."

Sasuke leaned over to his pink haired teammate. "I'll tell you later at lunch," he whispered in her ear before kissing her once on the cheek. She returned the kiss and whispered her okay.

Kakashi made a clone to work with his male student, the Uchiha was going to work on his ninjutsu at a basic level for a while before being thrown into sparring with the silver haired man. "We will be working on your current skills, as well as getting your Sharingan to manifest. It could be very helpful in a few weeks." With the original Kakashi turning to the pink haired teen of his team he handed her a few scrolls with the markings for Med classed jutsu. "I will work with you personally when it comes to genjutsu, for now read those so you at least know the proper procedures for them. When you are done with that we will work on your chakra augmentation."

Slapping a hand down on her daughter's shoulder Kushina turned to the Namikaze girl. "Let's go Naru dear, can't keep Tazuna waiting." She turned around and began to walk down the path with Tazuna falling into line beside her.

"But what are we going to be working on?" The blond asked when she had caught up with her mother. The red haired member of the Uzumaki family gave her a simple look and told her to just wait. When they got to the bridge they found a group of civilians trying to get past a group of about thirteen thugs. When the assembled henchmen saw the two hitai-ate of the Konoha ninja most of them ran for it, only one chose to stay behind. He was dressed in a dingy men's shirt that was on the large side for his build with plain pants. On his hip was a sword in a worn scabbard, gouges and other marks bit deep into the matte black wood.

'Probably uses a bastardized two sword style, with the scabbard to block.' Naruko thought to herself as she looked him over. 'No real defined build either, maybe more of a random cut and stab guy?'

"I work for Gato. My name is..." The man started to say before he was cut off. Kushina had stepped forward and slapped a silencing tag over his throat, keeping the words from forming despite his mouth moving. The red head then grabbed the man by his head and slammed him back into the ground.

"I don't care what your name is, how long you have been a fighter, or anything like that." Seeing that the man had been knocked out from the one time she caused him any harm Kushina tied him up and disarmed him. "He'll be able to tell us something later on at least." Looking at her daughter she pulled out the only scroll she had brought with her and unsealed the contents. She then handed the released supplies to the blond. "Read those and then work on your calligraphy. We are going to work on your seal skills for now." Naruko groaned at the thought of working with seals. "If we can get them to improve I will show you how Minato made the Hiraishin. After that, we will work on your sword forms. I'm not letting you go rusty when they can be the deciding factor against our opponent." Both of the later mentioned trainings cheered up the only living Namikaze instantly.

A few hours later, while Team 7's heiress was eating lunch, a yell of shock was heard from the direction of Tazuna's home. The blond was pulled back to The Here when her mother called to her. "On your feet Naruko, we're going to warm up with some quick taijutsu." Kushina demanded as she stretched out her arms and then kicked out her legs, loosening her muscles up. The blond started sweating as soon as she thought about it. She knew her mother was just as chakra packed, if not more so, and with stamina that hands down was greater.

"I think I feel sick Kaa-san. We should hold off on that, besides I still have a lot more reading to do." Trying to use logic was never any help against Kushina.

"And you need to move. It helps you process what you learn. You've been like that since Zabuza started teaching you." The blond growled a bit to herself. Leave it to her to get trapped like that. With a huff she got up, stretching as well. Once she was ready Kushina lead the way to a small clearing where the bridge was still within sight and earshot. The redhead took up a stance her daughter only knew was from one of the Uzu fighting styles. The teen followed suit, slipping into the Kiri style she preferred.

In an instant Kushina was gone and then back right in front of her daughter. Bringing her right arm out and around, the fingers gathered similar to a Hyuuga's Juken but her arms spread wide and kept in a slight curve. The younger of the two brought her left arm up and curled her body together, keeping herself on one leg. The fingers hit the blond in the shoulder, jamming the socket together. As soon as the hit landed, even though it was blocked, Kushina spun around and tucked herself lower, sweeping her daughter's leg out from under her. The redhead disengaged and allowed the heiress to get ready again.

Again mother charged at daughter, this time she started out low, letting her bring the first strike up through her daughter's guard. Naruko jumped back when she realized what her fellow ninja was trying to do. "Good dear. Keep on your toes. Uzushio taijutsu was all about bringing big movements into small ones, and keeping all the power from the wind ups." This time it was the blond who made the first move. Using her slightly greater speed she closed in behind the mature woman and drove an elbow into the thick back of the vest, forcing the redhead to stumble forward. Kushina caught herself and turned around, still ready. "Well this is our chance to talk Naru dear. Just what did you and Kakashi do together?"

Naruko shook her head, forgetting to keep an eye on her mother. Kushina used that to close the distance and, while in a crouching backspin, pulled Naruko's right leg forward which forced the blond into a kneeling position. Naruko shifted to her left, dropping to the ground in order to evade a strike from her left. "Ugh, I don't see why you care, but we did a few things." The blond pushed herself up and forward as she shifted around her mother's jab as she put her own foot behind her mothers and kicked it out, only for the redhead to shift her balance to the one stable leg and turn.

"I'm your mother, it is my job." Kushina said straight faced as she got out of her stance. She walked over to the edge of the clearing. "Now what is the easiest way to discover an unfamiliar seal's purpose?"

"Depends on the form of the seal itself, however it is usually to go in a counterclockwise spiral. If that doesn't work then you have to study it point by point. Otou-san's Hiraishin was far more complex as it had just a line of text, however that line used slightly different colored symbols hidden in the main body to remain undetected." With a sigh of annoyance and rubbing a hand through her hair Naruko sat down with her mother on a fallen tree. "Fine, but you can't hold what sensei and I did against him." For the next hour she went over most of the details about that night, starting with the same info about being told her preferred weapon was to be a last resort. She then went through the more intimate details, avoiding things like how many times either of them climaxed or how big Kakashi was.

After it was all out in the open Naruko was red from the embarrassment and less than willing to remain seated. Choosing to spare her daughter any further discomfort the Uzumaki matron handed her another book on fuinjutsu and stepped away. Naruko grumpily opened the book, finding it to actually be a notebook used by her father to keep track of his sealing discoveries and methods. Realizing what she was holding gave her a new wave of inspiration in the study, especially when she realized that she was just having difficulty with properly charging the seals like her father and how he had gotten around it.

After another slow hour the bridge's crew was released for the day. On the return to Tazuna's house the three passed through the town area to pick up some things, including vegetables and some fish. Kushina insisted on paying more than was asked, trying to help out the saleswoman. As they left the town Naruko and Kushina discussed Team 7's run in with the wielder of the Kubikiribocho. "He wasn't as muscular as I remember Kaa-san. I think being on the run has left him slightly malnourished. He also wasn't keeping to the forms, but I know for sure it was really Zabuza-otou-san." The red haired woman nodded her head as she listened agreeing that always being on the run usually left a nuke-nin weaker than their best.

When everyone was back at the house the Genin discussed their day and what they learned while Kushina and Kakashi discussed anything that related to the mission. At dinner Naruko spoke up, "Why don't we eliminate Gato before a second attack? With out a client Zabuza has no job, and therefore no income." Kushina had thought of the same thing earlier but had not figured out how they could even find the tyrannical tycoon's hideout. "Hey Old Man Tazuna, does Nami have any brothels or clubs?" Again it was Naruko who brought up the idea. As an infiltration and stealth specialist she knew some of the best ways to work her way into a problem was to 'have some fun' and get noticed by a target.

"No, you are not infiltrating Gato's merry band of scum. You need to be ready for when Zabuza strikes again." Kushina said in a calm anger, her voice carrying the demand. Naruko nodded, saying she hadn't planned to. Her plan was to actually have Kushina go in, that way if Zabuza had passed on any info it wouldn't include her and if she happened to find the swordsman he would be even more willing to listen and help. Kakashi nodded his head, seeing the logic behind his blond student's words. Kushina was not willing to play along with the idea though, shaking her head, and claiming that there was usually months of planning and intel gathering before even trying a seduction infiltration. "Besides, every infiltration on this scale needs a two people approach, and I am not putting any Genin or civilian into that situation where I may not be able to protect them."

With a poof and a clearing of smoke everyone turned to the sound, looking at Naruko. She had used a quick henge to look like a slightly younger version of her mother. "Like this I can pass for 25. And if you use the henge too, not that you need it you can pass for around three years older. Then we act as sisters visiting from somewhere like Land of Iron or somewhere else and we get in." Naruko released the transformation and looked her mother in the eyes. When the older woman went to object because Naruko was still too inexperienced the blond countered. "I grew up in Koriyo Kaa-san, and this is part of my expertise. I can handle knocking out a few dim bulbed mercs." In a silent stalemate the two tried to stare each other down, their silent argument going for so long that they went blue while holding their breath.

"It isn't a bad idea Kushina, and I know she can defend herself against most superior ranked enemies." Kakashi looked between them both as each started breathing again. 'Both of them are so alike it is scary.'

The redhead threw her arms up as she screamed and refilled her lungs with air, giving in as she saw no way of actually winning this argument. "Fine. Only one time, we get in, gather info, get out and then we prepare for the fight with Zabuza." All of the Konoha ninja nod as they go over it. "I want this done right, so we will be in communication. Naruko and I will be team A. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura; Team B." Again everyone nodded. "Team B will shadow Team A to the hideout and remain well hidden, taking any notes they can from the outside. I want the number of mercenaries this rat has on his payroll, how many ninja ex or otherwise. When we can afford one I also want a clone following him to see if he has any other plans, like betrayal."

"That is all standard info gathering Kaa-san. Even Sakura knows that from our classes' joint exercises. Sasuke may not, but that is because he never showed up for joint classes." Naruko said as she stuck her tongue out at the annoyed Uchiha, Kushina had not been told about him skipping classes. "I'll provide the clone. I have the most chakra for it so I can make it last all day."

"Then we put this plan into effect tomorrow night. Tazuna-san, where would we be able to draw the most attention without causing a scene?" Kushina asked as Naruko got up from the table and walked off to the room she shared with the redhead and her female teammate. The blond came back about 10 minutes later, carrying two slightly larger than her usual scrolls in her arms. Both were cream colored scrolls, but one had a red binding on it while the other had a wax seal on it with the Uzumaki spiral pressed into the light blue wax. With a slight huff she put them both on the table and opened the red scroll first. Inside were several storage seals with a list of contents next to each. She wrote down a list of needed items and what seals the were in before handing it to Kakashi.

"Kaa-san." The blond drew her mother's attention as she slid the Uzumaki scroll towards her. "You need to open that one, but we can't do it here." When she noticed the questioning looks from her team she shrugged. "Clan secrets, sorry."

After relocating themselves outside, the sun setting to Naruko's left and Kushina's right, the two Uzumaki clan members found a dry section of grass and opened the scroll. Inside were Uzumaki style seals ranging from storage to imprisonment. Each seal looked roughly the same except for one or two markings being different. "I think if we take a few of these," Naruko starts as she points to the tenth seal in, "we could keep most of Gato's men subdued. And we could always use a few of the Genjutsu ones to keep them distracted at least." Her and moved from the tenth seal design, one that created a paralysis effect in the body, to the seventh after it.

Kushina nodded her head and looked at the seals in question. "But how will we apply them. It would be too obvious that something is wrong if we start drawing on people or putting paper tags on them." Naruko nodded her head in agreement before answering.

"Otou-san could use his own chakra to make the Hiraishin seal with out ink or anything else right?" The Habanero nodded her head. "Well I think I figured out how he did it. After reading his journal a bit I found a hint to it." Thinking carefully, Naruko brought the design for the simplest Uzumaki storage seal to mind before focusing chakra to the palm of her hand in the familiar swirls and strokes, but in reverse, and placed the hand on her left shoulder. The effect was immediate as thick black lines took shape on her shoulder. When she was done she carefully took a kunai from her holster and pressed it to the seal as she applied chakra to the black marks. Suddenly the kunai was gone in a puff of smoke before it was brought back out. "See? It takes a bit more effort because you have to flip the end result, but it works."

Kushina stared at her daughter carefully, shocked but happy. "I'm glad to see your tou-san could still teach you something. Even if he isn't here." Her happiness faltered slightly as she remembered the first man she had come to love so much. "I know he would be endlessly proud of you." The redhead slowly took her daughter in a gentle hug and gave her daughter a soft squeeze before wiping her right eye. "Tomorrow while we are at the bridge we will work on your speed and skill with this. After we get in to Gato's little group you will be in charge of immobilizing them while I look for any sign of Zabuza."

Chapter End


A/N: Sorry about the long wait between posts. I was away for a weekend, didn't help that I had some personal misgivings about this chapter (always wanting to go back and undo one thing to do something else that I disliked more than the original). Next chapter I will do a bit of glossing over "Operation Rat-catcher" where the two Uzumaki clan members try to get into Gato's base. Then a bit of a skip into the Battle of the Bridge so there can be some surprise during it.

Thank you for reading everyone.