One Year later
Senju residence
The sound of laughing and running was heard all over the Senju compounds as Shizune stood cooking up the lunch in the kitchen and smiled at the joyful noise ringing in the compounds. It made her happy that Naruto made everything so lively here and was glad at the changes he had brought to her master. She no longer drowned in her sorrows and was actually entirely focused on raising Naruto and seeing how wonderful a mother she was.
"Naru-chan comes back here or else…" she said, chasing the running blonde playfully with open arms laughing a bit as she did so. He had an expensive bottle of sake and her cup in his hands as he ran.
"There's no way you'll catch me, Kaa-chan!" he chirped happily as he ran with her sake bottle in his hands and was laughing as he made her chase him all around the compound. He suddenly tripped as he fell face first and skid a bit as the bottle broke, and Tsunade gasped.
"Naru-chan!" she shouted as she ran towards him and picked him up in her arms as she saw the pieces of the bottle embedded in his palms and the blood that seeped through it.
"Naru-chan, how many times have I told you to be careful when you are running." She scolded a bit angrily as his eyes watered, and he held his head down, and a few tears dropped, seeing her so angry. He tried to pick up the broken pieces to see if he could fix it, and her eyes softened as he sobbed and picked up the pieces collecting them in his bleeding hands.
"I'm sorry." the boy said timidly thinking she was mad because he broke her bottle and was startled as she scooped him up in her arms and held him close to her as she made him drop all the pieces he had in his hands and rubbed his back gently and he cried in the crook of her neck whispering apologies in sobs. She cooed the little boy and soothed him, telling him it was alright.
"I wasn't angry because you broke the bottle, Naru-chan. I was angry because you hurt yourself. I worry about you too much, so be careful from now on, alright?" she asked softly, and he nodded as she kissed his tears away gently and took his hands in hers softly as her hands were enveloped in green medical chakra. She started pulling out the pieces and healing his hands. Naruto winced from the pain, and she kissed his head as she kept healing him gently and held him close to her.
"Shh, it's alright it won't even feel a little painful in a few moments, alright." She whispered gently, and his sobs stopped as she let go of his hands, and he looked at them, amazed that they were all fine already.
"Sugoi! Kaa-chan, how did you do that?" asked with glimmering eyes as he watched her amazed, and she giggled as she scooped him up in her arms. He chuckled as she twirled him around and held him close to her as he watched her curiously with wide cerulean eyes waiting for an answer.
"Well, Naru-chan, that was your Kaa-chan's invention and a medical jutsu that helps me to heal most of the wounds like I just did with you." She said, and he tilted his head to the side cutely, getting him a kiss on the cheek, and he giggled.
"Kaa-chan, what's a medical just-jutsu?" he asked, fumbling with the words making her giggle as she walked into the living room and put him on her lap as she brushed his hair softly and put her chin on his head making him snuggle into her. She smiled as he looked up with those wide, curious eyes that were always eager to learn new things.
"A jutsu is a thing shinobi use to perform amazing things. Your Kaa-chan is a specialist in Medical jutsu, techniques that are used to heal people who are hurt badly. Do you understand Naru-chan?" she asked softly and tried to explain it in the simplest way possible. She saw him with a thoughtful expression on his face and let him absorb it all in, and after a moment, he nodded.
"Hai, you help people who are hurt with that awesome cool glowy hands thingy." He said, nodding sagely. She laughed at how he explained such a complicated thing in his own cute words. She kissed his head and brushed his hair as she held him close to her.
"Hai-hai Naru-chan, your Kaa-chan can help people with the awesome cool glowy hands thingy." She said teasingly, and he looked down, embarrassed.
"I'm not so smart, am I?" he whispered, and she smiled and brought his face up as she put a finger under his chin and kissed his forehead softly and gave him a heart-warming smile.
"No, my Naru-chan is really smart, you are just a little small now to understand these things. For now, we'll let you learn to read and write, alright?" she said softly, and he nodded happily.
"Are you strong, Kaa-chan?" he asked, and she thought for a moment how to answer it.
"Well, I can hold my own against most people, and there are only a few people that can stand up to your Kaa-chan, including that pervert Jiraiya. He may not look it, but he's powerful." She said, and his eyes widened.
"Really, Jiraiya Oji-san is that strong?" he asked, and she nodded with a smile, and he frowned. "There is no way he is stronger than you; you always beat him when he comes to meet us. Kaa-chan is the strongest." He said in a determined voice, and she giggled and nodded as suddenly there was a puff of smoke and the sound of wood clattering, and Tsunade sighed.
"From east to west and north to south, the women fall to my feet and succumb to my charms, the legendary toad sage of Mt. Myoboku Jiraiya has arrived." Said Jiraiya doing his strange dance on his samurai toad as Naruto beamed and clapped.
"Pervy Sage!" he said happily, and Jiraiya face faulted, and Tsunade laughed wholeheartedly.
"Don't call me that you damn brat!" he said indignantly and huffed and crossed his arms as Tsunade and Naruto giggled at him.
"That's a great name Naru-chan call him that from now on, alright?" she asked, and he nodded as Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the ground.
"Hey, my dear godson won't call me that now will he?" he asked hopefully as Naruto looked at him confused and tilted his head to the side cutely.
"Call you what pervy sage?" he asked innocently, and Tsunade snickered as he cursed under his breath and dispelled the toad. Shizune walked in and saw Jiraiya there and smiled as she served them some tea and all sat at the table.
"So Jiraiya any special reason you came, or is it just a regular visit?" she asked, and he frowned as he made a short signal towards Naruto that she caught and gave him a curt nod.
"Naru-chan, can you go and play with Shizune for a while until I and Jiraiya talk?" she asked. He was saddened as he sat on her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Do I have to go?" he asked softly, and she smiled and brushed his hair softly. He never liked it whenever she sent him away to talk to Jiraiya personally, but these things were just not for him. She brought his face in front of her cupping it in her hands as she smiled at him.
"Please, Naru-chan, we'll be done shortly. This is something for us adults, and it would make you bored, so you go and play with Shizune, and we'll be with you shortly, alright?" she asked softly, and he nodded and kissed her on the cheek as Shizune took him by his hand to the clan grounds. Jiraiya smiled as he saw the interaction between the two and couldn't be happier.
"So what is it, Jiraiya?" she asked, and he snapped his attention back to her and turned serious.
"Tsunade, I'll be straight Kushina has asked me if you could maybe come back to the village so she could meet Naruto." He said bluntly, and Tsunade immediately stiffened, and her face turned emotionless.
"And why would I want to do that?" she asked coldly, and he flinched under her gaze and knew how protective she was of Naruto.
"Well she has realized the mistakes she made in her grief and sorrow and is repenting what she did, she wants to meet her son…" he was cut off as Tsunade interrupted him. "My son." She added coldly, and he nodded as he continued. "… yes, well, and she wanted to meet up with him and make up for all the lost time." He said, and she stared at him blankly, not giving away any emotions and was silent for a few moments.
"And you honestly believe me to return to the village so that she could meet the boy who she threatened to kill as an infant. You believe I would risk Naru-chan's safety and let him see the villagers glares just because she feels repentance? What will I do when Naru-chan asks me the reasons for what happened all those years ago, will he be able to understand and stand the burden he holds?" she asked in an icy tone and he grimaced knowing every point she made was right.
"But Tsunade is reasonable she is his moth…" he gulped as she leaked her killing intent and continued. "She wants to make amends, and her guilt is genuine, and he will have to return and face the village someday even Sarutobi-sensei believes you should let him meet her. Don't worry, ANBU will escort you, and he won't even see the villagers I guarantee you." He said in a desperate tone to persuade her to return, and she just stared at him icily.
"No.," she said coldly and cut him off before he could protest. "I don't care whatever you or that old monkey thinks. I won't let Naru-chan near Kushina or that village until I see it fit or if I ever see it fit. I don't care if she feels guilt or whatever the hell she feels; you all are selfish no one thinks of what effect it might have on my little boy. You just want what is best for you. I'll keep my boy safe here until I think he is ready to learn the truths and lay it out gently." She said with finality leaving no room for arguments.
"But that is his home; he belongs in the village." He pleaded, and she glared at him.
"He belongs here in my arms and safety, he will return to the village if he ever wants to, and if he doesn't want to do something, then Kami herself will have to first go through my punches before touching my boy." She said, and he knew she wouldn't change her mind.
"And I know this isn't the only reason you said this, is it Jiraiya?" she asked, and he grimaced at being caught.
"Well, Tsunade-hime, the village is requesting you back after it leaked out that you have left the shinobi forces and adopted Naruto. The villagers, after knowing that you are living happily with him after all these years, are willing to accept him, and the council, too, along with the elders, are willing to accept him back with open arms." He said, and she silently took it, and Jiraiya continued knowing this was his chance. "And Tsunade, the village needs you back. They are willing to implement the medical plans you laid down and want the Senju clan to represent…" he was cut off as Tsunade spoke up.
"That's it. You don't want Naru-chan or me back; you want what we represent. You want the Senju clan head and its heir back. You want to show that the village still stands strong with me in it." She said, and he opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "And let me guess the council found out that Minato left all of his knowledge to his son and they want the feared Namikaze heir back with them. I know the Uzumaki twins haven't inherited any of their father's genes and are Uzumaki's in every sense of the word, and now that they realize what they have lost in Naru-chan, they want him back. The council doesn't want the Senju fortune to be lost from the village while the villagers will do anything to keep the founder clan of Konoha in the village." She said, and he looked down ashamed as she kept every point in front of him correctly. He always knew that she was good at political matters, and this proved it.
"Naru-chan and I will return if and only if we want to return. I won't force him into anything he doesn't want to do. I'll train him a bit so that he can have enough skills to protect himself, but if he doesn't want to be a shinobi, so be it." She said, and his eyes widened as he started to speak, but she stood up.
"Leave Jiraiya, and this is the last time I'll let it slide since I know the council forced you and Sarutobi-sensei into this. But if you ever come with this sort of a thing to me again, I'll cut all ties with you." She said icily and left the room, leaving an ashamed Jiraiya behind. He clenched his fists and cursed those damn elders and the council that put him up to this and ruined the already volatile image that Tsunade held for him after his hesitation at adopting Naruto. He stood up and left towards Konoha to report this to the council and suddenly smiled. He would be smiling smugly when he smashed Tsunade's answer in their faces.
Tsunade walked out and let her emotionless mask drop as she sighed tiredly, feeling drained and walked through the hallways towards the living room and took out a bottle of water and drank it crushing it in her hands from the anger she felt and let her killing intent lose at those damn elders. She knew those bastards were the ones behind all of this. She felt a tug on her kimono and looked down to see a whimpering Naruto clutching to her leg and let her killing intent disappear as she picked him up and cradled the sniffing boy in her arms. She scolded herself for allowing loose her emotions and scaring him and rubbing his back gently, calming him down.
"Kaa-chan, are you angry?" he asked softly, and she smiled and kissed the top of his head as she sat on the porch of the house with him cuddled up on her lap.
"No, Naru-chan, I was angry, but you took it all away. You always give your Kaa-chan a lot of strength, you know that?" she asked, and he looked at her with wide, curious eyes and smiled happily.
"Really?' he asked. She smiled and nodded as he wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her on her cheek and snuggled into her neck. She smiled as she wrapped him up in her arms. She would never let anyone do anything to him as long as she had her eyes on him, she promised and would save his innocence for as long as she could.
"So Naru-chan, let's begin your writing practice now, alright?" she asked. He nodded as she picked him up and walked into the traditional Japanese living room and sat on the cushion, pulling out the calligraphy kit that her grandmother used to use and rubbed the stone on the calligraphy set's ink equipment to create some fresh ink.
"Alright, Naru-chan, I explained this to you last time right. Now show me how to rub this stone to create ink properly." She said to the boy on her lap who nodded and picked up the stone and started rubbing it carefully the way she showed him, and she smiled.
"That's very good now let's start your calligraphy practice then." She said, and he nodded as he picked up the brush and put his tongue out and had a frown of concentration on his face with his tongue sticking out a bit as he drew the same Kanji carefully that she drew. She was starting his writing skills and combining it with the calligraphy art as her grandmother did when she was younger. She saw his strokes were a lot sloppy, but there was an improvement. They went it for a couple of hours before Naruto started getting tired and rubbed his eyes as they showed he was tired, and she pulled him back, pressing her closer to him and wrapped him up in her arms.
"So is Naru-chan tired?" she asked softly as she put her cheek against his after kissing it, and he nodded, making her smile." Well, you did very well; today, Naru-chan, and I am proud of you." She said, and he grinned foxily and turned around in her arms and snuggled into her embrace as he yawned and put his head on her shoulder, holding him close to her rubbing his back softly as his eyes drooped from exhaustion. A few minutes later, he fell asleep, and she picked him up and went to her room, tucking him in her bed and kissed his forehead, and went out. She was surprised at the rate he was improving and knew he was taking after his Uzumaki heritage in the calligraphy arts and may even want to pursue sealing one day.
She walked out and saw Shizune coming in with bags in her hands and smiled. She wondered where she was all this time, and now she knew she was out shopping.
"How did the writing practice go, Tsunade-sama?" she asked as they walked into the kitchen, and she smiled.
"He is improving at an outstanding rate, my grandmother's trick still comes in handy, you know, even after all these years. He's learning how to write and getting calligraphy practice at the same time. Mito-baachan used to do this with me to help if I ever decided to pursue sealing, but it was never my field of expertise. I have some skill in it, but not that much." She said, and Shizune looked at her, surprised.
"I didn't know you knew Fuinjutsu Tsunade-sama." She said, surprised, and Tsunade nodded.
"Well, having the Uzumaki clan heiress as your grandmother certainly has its perks." She said, and Shizune nodded. Both of them had dinner and finished it as Tsunade stood up and was helping Shizune with the dishes when she felt a tug on her kimono and looked down to see Naruto rubbing his eyes and looking at her sleepily. She picked him up as he yawned cutely and snuggled up in her arms.
"What's the matter, Naru-chan?" she asked, and he snuggled more, and she heard him sniffing and was worried as she felt him sobbing a bit.
"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked softly, and he nodded a little as she rubbed his back and calmed him down.
"There was a big fox with so many tails, and he was running and destroying everything Kaa-chan." He said softly, and she stiffened as she held him tighter to herself. She glanced at Shizune, who wasn't paying attention to her and walked into her room and sat on the bed with Naruto in her arms.
"A big fox you say, did he say something to you?" she asked softly, and he nodded.
"Yes, he said that he'd make me see the truth, but I don't know what he meant, and then he laughed, and I was so scared…" he said, trembling, and she cradled close to her cooing him.
"Shh Naru-chan, there is nothing to worry about I am here for you." She said softly, and he fell asleep crying as she put him to bed and lifted his shirt softly, gazing at his stomach. She saw that the seal was perfectly fine and sighed in relief. She had read Minato's notes on the seal and knew there was no way the fox could contact him unless he accessed his mindscape. It was just the process of the seal strengthening itself over time that must have let some memories of the fox seep through. That meant that Naruto's chakra coils were now beginning to develop, and she smiled. She laid down beside him, and he cuddled up against her with a small smile as she wrapped him in her arms.
Later in Konohagakure no Sato…
Hokage Office
Jiraiya entered the office through the window and saw Hiruzen sitting and puffing his pipe and the three esteemed elders waiting for him. He made himself known with a small cough as Hiruzen smiled at his student.
"Ah Jiraiya, I was waiting for you, so how did it go?" he asked and noticed Jiraiya's flinch and sighed.
"She burned me off sensei, didn't even listen to one reason, and deducted everything from the elders and council's plan to Kushina's plea to meet Naruto. She said that if Naruto didn't want to become a shinobi or return to the village, she wouldn't let anyone force him into anything. And this is the last time I have done this for you. She has threatened me that another attempt, and she would cut off all ties with me." He spat the last sentence venomously at the three coots who flinched and looked down.
"This is bad, Hiruzen, the Senju clan belongs in the village. Do something." Said Danzo and Hiruzen stared at him blankly.
"And pray, do tell what do you want me to do. She isn't a part of the shinobi forces anymore and is an honored retired Sannin. She is the clan head of the Senju, the most powerful clan of the hidden leaf. If she wants, then she could go to the Daimyo himself, and he would definitely help her with the prestige the Senju clan still holds. You all should have thought of that before ostracizing and glaring at her son." He said icily, and the three flinched as Koharu protested.
"But the child is the Namikaze clan heir along with the Senju; he belongs in the village. He needs to form bonds in the village, and the whole village is now willing to accept him, seeing as he is living peacefully with the Slug princess herself and see that he couldn't be the demon and want both of them back." She said, and the other two nodded while Hiruzen shook his head. He still didn't understand how they got a sniff of Minato's knowledge being passed on to Naruto, but he regretted the leak now.
"There is nothing I could do now; the matter is out of my hands. This is the last time I have listened to the suggestion of the council on this matter. He will return with Tsunade if and when he wants to. Your forcing is only making matters worse…" he said as Homura and Koharu started to protest but put his hand up silencing them. "… I've heard and said enough this matter is closed, you've heard her decision, now leave." He said, and they glared and stood up, walking out.
Danzo was seething on the inside. That damn monkey had let too much freedom to be enjoyed by Tsunade, and now he didn't have the chance to manipulate the boy to his way and use his influence and power to gain. The boy held the knowledge of his father along with the importance of the Senju and would have been a useful pawn to him after failing to get his hands on the twin Uzumaki sisters. He had tried to get the children trained by him, but Sarutobi had ruined it by saying that Kushina being a former Jinchuriki, was a better teacher than he ever could be. He plotted other ways to get some power and walked into his deep underground lair.
A moment later, Jiraiya turned to Hiruzen and glared at the man.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" he asked, and Hiruzen smirked and nodded.
"Of course I did, I have to lead the village through two wars and am called the Professor for a reason. I know this game of politics better than those three could ever play. I knew Tsunade would slap a 'No' on your face and rub it in their faces. They have gained too much power on the council, and this will remind them of their place. I'll strip them of their newfound influence slowly and re-establish the village with the will of fire that it has always held. I am proud that Tsunade sniffed each of their ploys as I expected her to." He said, and Jiraiya smiled slightly at his sensei. That was his plan. He wanted to build the same amount of power he held before he retook the position to call Tsunade back in a safe village.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and both looked at each other perplexed that who could it be at such a late hour in the night.
"Come in," said Hiruzen and in walked Kushina with a smile, and their smiles dropped, and Jiraiya groaned inwardly, seeing her happy face that was about to be destroyed.
"Jiraiya I am glad I found you here, I came to ask Hiruzen about you -ttebane!" she said happily, and he smiled sadly at her enthusiasm.
"So when is Tsunade-chan bringing back Naru-chan?" she chirped happily, and both the men averted their eyes, and her smile dropped at seeing their reactions.
"What's wrong?" she asked, and Jiraiya took a deep breath and spoke up.
"Kushina, things aren't the way you imagine them to be." He said sadly, and she frowned a bit confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding the problem, and he sighed.
"Well, Kushina Tsunade has refused to return to the village or let you meet Naruto until she believes the time is right." He said, and Kushina's eyes widened in shock.
"What, but I am his moth…" she was interrupted as Hiruzen interjected. "Was his mother." He said icily, and her eyes watered.
"That was a mistake, I was drowned in sorrow and grief, and I took it all out on Naru-chan. But I am willing to make amends now." She said, and both men shook their heads.
"It isn't that easy now, Kushina, you evicted Naruto, and Tsunade adopted him. She isn't some ordinary civilian that we could push around for you. She is the head of the Senju clan, and Naruto is the current heir of her clan now. He is under her protection, and we couldn't touch a hair on him without her permission, or the whole Fire Capital will be rumbled. There is a reason the Senjus are so respected in the Land of Fire." Said Hiruzen she glared furiously at the man.
"She is trying to use her influence to keep me away from him? I am the clan head of the Uzumaki clan head, too, you know. She knows that Naruto will come to me and is purposely trying to keep me away from him." She said, and Hiruzen sighed, knowing her stubbornness, but she needed to face the facts.
"And she has every right to do so. He is her son, whether you want to admit it or not, and she blindly loves him. I cannot do anything in the matter since she doesn't belong to the shinobi forces and isn't under my command; neither does she come under the civilian council seeing her prestigious clan status. We cannot interfere in clan affairs anyways and as for you being the Uzumaki clan head and challenge her. You could do so, but I am pretty sure we both know who the Feudal Lord will side against." He said calmly, and a tear rolled down her eye.
"Kushina just waits; that is all you can do. Give her time and let her see that Naruto needs to meet you, and she will do it. She doesn't hold any hatred for you personally, but she is really protective of Naruto and is afraid to hurt him. At least you have come to realize your mistakes and want to repent. You'll get your chance, don't worry." He said calmly in an attempt to calm her down.
"But I want to meet him; his childhood is slipping away from my fingers. What would Minato say that I abandoned our only son because of my stupidity? How will I face him, Jiraiya? I hate myself for abandoning my own son to hide from my pain, and now I can't even meet him." she said as she cried in her hands, and he hugged her with one arm and consoled the crying woman.
Hiruzen smiled sadly, knowing the decision lay with Tsunade. He also wanted her to come back and have Naruto live here but knew this wasn't the time for her or Naruto to return, and they could only wait and watch what the future held in store for them.
That night, back at the Senju residence.
Naruto awoke, not in his house, but somewhere he had never been before, yet the metallic corridor lined with pipes he found himself in felt oddly familiar. Recalling the events of the night, he remembered going to his mom because of a nightmare and her holding him,' so I must be dreaming,' the blonde thought to himself as he explored the tunnel.
Further down, he came to a fork in the path that diverged two ways. One led to a closed-door while the other led to a more open room with a majority of the pipes leading to and fro. Deciding that the open path seemed more relaxed, he chose to head down that way. After a few minutes of travel, Naruto reached the HUB, as it were, where all the pipes converged and led off into countless directions. At the center of this room, a larger pipe from which all other pipes splintered off of, Naruto chose to follow this pipe to a door and opened it.
Once opened, the door glowed with a bright purple light, and the luminosity of the energy source temporarily blinded naruto. Quickly shutting the door, Naruto returned to the fork by feeling around until his sight fully returned. This time wearier of doors. Naruto squinted and pushed forward this time to his relief the dimly lit room held a hallway of doors, three to be exact. Each entry had hinges on his side, signifying that he had to pull to open; however, two doors had no handle for him to grasp.
The two, one way, both had an image of a swirling flame (The Uzumaki Crest but with a peak on the top to represent the land of fire and not whirlpools), and each held on half of the Yin-Yang. Putting that information aside as he couldn't access it, his focus shifted to the third door; this one too had a swirl, but this one at its center was a nine who's tail spiraled around it in nine distinct lines entrapping it. Once again, wary of what's behind the door, he cautiously proceeded.
Just as the room came into view, Naruto burst into a fit of laughter, he couldn't explain what brought this on, but as he convulsed in bliss, he once again found himself somewhere, he was not previously. This time, however, he found himself in his mother's bed, being tickled by said smirking mother." It's about time you wake up sweety. She said in a giddy and loving manner.
"Did you have any more bad dreams, honey?" Tsunade asked trying to not bring down his mood. "Umm, none that I can think of, I had a dream but I was just walking around.." the blonde boy said trying to remember his dream last night but could only rememeber a tunnel he was walking through.
Authors note: So two chapters one day, you must feel special, I woke up and thought it was Sunday so I skipped all my online classes and had time to work on and edit these two chapters, oops. But all that aside, I feel this chapter is a good branch point for my story to take form. I was tempted to write more but then I would just ruin the next chapter. So ill keep the pacing slower regular updates and such anyway fell free to comment or message if you have any ideas or complaints or anything really.
