KG: Hello Everyone. I'd like to thank all the people who gave me their ideas for Kushina's kenjutsu and taijutsu. From all the listings I'd have to say that I like for Kushina's kenjutsu to be called 'Rage of the Maelstrom' from Marick Kel Thalas. Her taijutsu will be called 'Habanero Heat' from Falcon800. Thank you all for your support and help. Your other ideas gave me some ideas of my own.
Kushina watched Naruto pant and huff his frustration as he rested on the ground. Naruto had been training with his mother in kenjutsu for the past three hours and his mother was brutal. She really didn't know how to hold back at all. Naruto couldn't even get one chance at her, but how could he? She was a former kenjutsu legend and she was too fast to see. At times Naruto lost the sight of her all together and Kushina would joke that she would've already killed him at least a thousand times already. Naruto pouted at his mother, but he knew it to be true. He just couldn't match up to his mother, but that didn't mean he would give up. He would beat her at her own game and she would drop her jaw when she saw what he could do.
Currently the redhead and the blonde were still in the training field with Naruto panting and staring at his mother's form over him. She had that arrogant smirk on her face which made the blonde pout.
"Well Naru-kun, your kenjutsu is horrible and your taijutsu...well moving along with that," Kushina said and Naruto's eyebrow twitched. He really would make his mother eat those words. Maybe not today, maybe not in a year, but he would make her pay some day.
"It's not my fault. I've never held a katana before in my life and I tried to make my own taijutsu, but Kakashi-sensei never really taught me that," Naruto said and Kushina raised an eyebrow. She remembered Kakashi. How could she not? The white haired boy spent almost all his time with Minato. She figured it was purely out of simple respect and admiration.
"Kakashi didn't teach you anything? He told me that he'd be more than thrilled to teach you when I had you," Kushina said and Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sounds like people told him and his mother a lot of things.
"He's been training Sasuke the whole time. He never really trained me except in tree walking," Naruto said and Kushina's red hair covered her eyes. Naruto saw her clench her hands into fists and giggled making Naruto gulp.
"Is that so?" Kushina said and looked at the sky. Naruto didn't know what his mother was thinking, but it must have been downright evil.
"Run Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled and back in Konoha, said jonin sneezed and a shiver ran down his spine before he felt the urge to countdown the rest of his life before something happened. Meanwhile, Kushina decided to help her son up to his feet and rested him against the tree for shade.
"Well Naruto-kun we have more than enough time to straighten you out. Tell me what you can do and I'll help you improve on it," Kushina said and Naruto nodded. He went over all of his abilities and told her about the Kage Bunshin technique and his completion of the Rasengan. Kushina smiled at everything. Leave it to her son to have two powerful techniques at his disposal. Naruto had variations of the Kage Bunshin, but other than that those two techniques were all he had currently. He of course told her about the summoning contract with the toads and the Shinigami which made Kushina stiffen, but she seemed to forget about it. When Naruto was done Kushina crossed her arms and smiled.
"Your just like me Naru-kun," Kushina said and Naruto wondered what she meant by that. Kushina giggled and elaborated for Naruto.
"What I mean is that you learn from doing something. I was never one for books. I hated the things, but you give me something to do physically then I got it down in no time at all. That's how we'll teach you Naruto. Remember I told you that I would teach you my taijutsu and kenjutsu. Jiraiya will work on your chakra control and I'll watch him when he does. He told me about these two years you have to train and we'll make every one of those days count," Kushina said and Naruto nodded with a look of sheer determination. Naruto stood to his feet and raised his fist to his mother.
"I'll do it Kaa-san. I'll make you proud and I'll stun Konoha with my amazing skills," Naruto said and Kushina nodded. He really was her son after all. Kushina stood to her feet and patted her son's head.
"Alright then get out to the field Naru-kun. We'll work on your taijutsu first," Kushina said and Naruto nodded. They both walked for a bit and Kushina turned to him.
"Alright, from what I observed of your taijutsu...you need a whole new style. It left too many openings and far too many chances for counters. Luckily for you I invented my own which is in reference to my name which is called Habanero Heat. It relies on the fast and swift movements of your limbs. It's more of anticipating your opponents reaction and deadly a mixture of speed and strength. The hardest part of this taijutsu is to find the equal parts of both strength and speed. You only have a spilt second to build up that power, but I found the way to do it. You'll get it down too probably faster than me," Kushina said with a giggle. Naruto's eyes gleamed and Kushina smiled as she took out a scroll and unsealed two pieces of paper. Naruto stared at them intently and turned to his mother.
Kushina picked up the two pieces of paper and slapped one on Naruto's arm. She then slapped the other on his left leg and channeled chakra into each of them. As soon as she did Naruto slammed into the ground like he felt Gamabunta was sitting on him.
"Kaa-san this...is...heavy," Naruto struggled to say and Kushina nodded. She really didn't want to see her son struggle, but she knew it would him him in the long run.
"These are training weights that I made. I am a pretty good seal master if I do say so myself. Right now, you don't have the required speed to do my taijutsu or my kenjutsu. When you reach an appropriate speed the color of the paper will change. Right now it's white and the appropriate speed is navy blue," Kushina said and Naruto widened his eyes. He was supposed to move like this until his seals change color?
"Kaa-san this is evil," Naruto said and Kushina chuckled.
"You said you wouldn't complain Naru-kun," Kushina said and Naruto sighed. He merely nodded and strained his body to get up. Kushina watched the blonde get up and it amazed her that Naruto was already on his feet. When she tried it for the first time she couldn't even get up for about half an hour, but Naruto was already up. The sight only served to make Kushina smile at her son more.
"Well for now, we'll have your body get accustomed to wearing those seals for the days. You won't be completely adjusted to the seals for a few days or even weeks, but it'll serve to make you stronger," Kushina said and walked off. Naruto watched his mother leave and he gasped. She really wanted to kill him, but Naruto didn't let that get him down. He tried to look at the positive. He would be wicked strong when this was all over and he would have his mother to thank for it. Not to mention that Shin wanted to turn him into a human shinigami. He wondered what kind of techniques he would be learning, but first he had to walk back to his room.
"Well Brat, you've gotten into a weird situation," Kyuubi chuckled and Naruto sighed. He knew he was going to hear his tenant sometime and he knew that Kyuubi was gonna laugh at him.
"It's not funny. Man this is hard," Naruto said as he trudged through the plains back to the town where they were staying. Each step was like moving a damn boulder with his body.
"Forward and march Kit! Hup, two, three, four. Hup, two, three, four," Kyuubi said sounding like a drill sergeant smiling all the way as he talked. Naruto grunted his pain. He would give anything to get this heaviness off of him.
As the blonde walked, he came up to the site were his mother had kicked his ass all those times. He saw his sword still on the ground and the blonde narrowed his eyes. He quickly reached for his sword and tried to get it off the ground, but the combined weight of the seals and the sword made it even harder for Naruto to pick up. Naruto steeled his nerves and pulled with all his might and finally he managed to bring his sword to his hands. Naruto looked at the sword and the blonde sighed.
"The hardest part is knowing is to find the equal parts to both strength and speed,"
Naruto remembered his mother's words and narrowed his eyes. If he was going to adjusted to the seals then he would have to do it now. He came on this training trip to do just that...train and he was going to.
Naruto crossed his fingers and the fire burned in his eyes.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto yelled and made ten clones. The blonde took his sword into his hands and struggled to raise it, but when he did he turned to all his clones and waved his hands.
"Bring it on," Naruto said and all his clones charged at him. He wouldn't lose to Sasuke, he wouldn't be considered the dobe anymore. He would change and he would show them all the new him.
Nighttime
Jiraiya and Kushina were currently inside the hotel when Naruto came through the door. The two had waited for him all day and Kushina began to worry if she overdid it with the seals, but they were both relieved and worried when they saw him. Naruto's face was covered in bruises and his clothes were in tears. He really looked like he had seen better days. Kushina and Jiraiya wondered what he had been doing and Naruto smiled.
"Kaa-san we're gonna be training tomorrow so get ready," Naruto said and immediately dropped to the floor. Jiraiya turned to Kushina and chuckled while he held his stomach.
"He's always been the impatient type. You were the same way you know," Jiraiya said and Kushina lightly pouted at Jiraiya being mean. The Sage sighed and picked up Naruto then placed him on the bed. The blonde was knocked out cold if his snoring was anything to go by.
"He must have been training with his clones. No wonder he's so beat up," Jiraiya said and Kushina widened her eyes. She might have slightly underestimated her son's resolve. Kushina walked up to him and ruffled his hair while her finger traced his jawline. Kushina giggled as she watched her son twitch to her movements, but then decided to stop. She ran her fingers over his whisker marks and smiled again. She just couldn't stop smiling now that she was with her son. Naruto muttered something and shifted on the bed and unintentionally grabbed Kushina's hand. The redhead smiled and turned to see Jiraiya going to sleep also. Kushina turned out the light and got into the bed with her son. This made her giggle only because she never figured at her age she would still be sharing a bed with her son, but seeing the circumstances she could understand and she would rather be with her son than Jiraiya not knowing what the perv would try on her. Kushina kissed her son's cheek and closed her eyes allowing the sleep to claim her. She'd never been so peaceful in her life.
One Week Later
Naruto was back in the training field with Kushina going over his taijutsu. Naruto told her about his training with clones and that trying to get adjusted to the seals would take too long and he didn't want any time to get lost on this trip. Kushina nodded in understanding and went a little ahead of the schedule that she planned for herself and Naruto. Naruto had gotten somewhat used to the seals on his body. He could at least walk for the most part and slightly run, but it still had his problems as Kushina said he would.
Currently, Naruto was doing his stretches with Kushina as they got prepared for another day. Kushina told Naruto that his speed would also increase if he was more flexible so she was helping him with that. Naruto was doing the stretch where his legs were spread out while he sat on the ground and stretched forward while Kushina pushed him lower with her hand.
"Kaa-san you're killing me," Naruto said and Kushina giggled.
"No complaining Naru-kun," Kushina said as she pushed him lower to the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth at the pain he was feeling and he heard his bones snap multiple times.
"So...what are we working on now?" Naruto asked trying to grit his teeth through the entire stretch.
"Well after your warm-up I'm going to tach you the correct posture for holding your sword, then after that I'll show you a few movements to my taijutsu. You might not get it right away, but I've got the perfect method with which to show you," Kushina said and Naruto nodded with a smile, but not before he screamed as he felt his back give way to the pain he was feeling.
After his warm-up, Naruto sat on the ground and watched his mother stand in front of him. Kushina smiled as she wanted her son to pay close attention.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Kushina thought and immediately a clone appeared next to her making Naruto widen his eyes. Kushina smiled at his shocked face while Naruto sputtered nonsense like he was trying to confirm what he just say.
"K-Kaa-san how did you do that? You just did my technique with no handsigns," Naruto said with his eyes completely focused on his mother. Kushina chuckled and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Well Naru-kun let's just say that I have a perfect control over it," Kushina said and Naruto's eyes widened again. If he could learn that, then he could surprise so many people that he'd have enough time to do other things. He had to get his mother to teach him how to do that.
"Alright Naru-kun time to focus on taijutsu. I want you to watch me and my clone perfectly. Never take your eyes off us," Kushina said and Naruto nodded. The two redheads squared off and Kushina nodded. The clone grinned and charged at her then let out a punch, but Kushina saw it coming and with a speed that made Naruto gasp she ducked under it and slammed her fist into the clones stomach. The clone coughed, but didn't dispel which was the first thing Naruto noticed, however the clone was quick on the rebound and grabbed Kushina's hand then flung her over its shoulder. Kushina gritted her teeth and with a beautiful turn, she landed on her feet and pivoted her foot to aim at the clone's chest. Her hit connected and Kushina sent the clone flying into the tree making it dispel. She brushed a hand through her hair and turned back to Naruto.
"It's countering at its best Naruto-kun. Baiting the opponent and when you have them, you unleash all your power speed and strength to cause them pain. It's all internal, but it hurts like hell dattebane," Kushina said and Naruto nodded that he understood.
"Alright you try it. Remember that the object is to anticipate, then react and finally counter at full force," Kushina said and Naruto nodded. He crossed his fingers and yelled.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto yelled making one clone. Both stood away from the other and cracked their knuckles. Kushina gave them the signal to begin. The two Narutos ran at each other and began their spar.
Kushina sighed as she saw Naruto's form. He wasn't countering like she was. His countering was slower and his chakra control was shot. One hit to his clone and it was gone. She'd have to get him on kenjutsu and chakra control before taijutsu or they wouldn't be getting anything done.
Naruto seemed to sense his mother's slight frustration and sighed. He wondered if this was really his preferred style of fighting and was about to apologize to her, but Kushina patted his shoulder.
"Keep trying it Naru-kun. It's not going to be easy, but here we go," Kushina said as she walked in front of Naruto. The blonde raised an eyebrow and Kushina smiled.
"Hit me," she said and Naruto raised an eyebrow. Kushina pointed to her face and said, "Hit me, come on Naru-kun," she said to him.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and wondered if this was alright, but sighed and let out a punch. Kushina's smile turned into a smirk as she grabbed Naruto's hand and kicked him in the stomach making the blonde skid back and hit the floor.
"Come on Naruto-kun. Hit me, if you don't then your not getting dinner," Kushina said and Naruto gasped. He wouldn't get dinner?
Kushina sighed and rushed at Naruto then punched him in the face.
"Your not gonna let your mother kick you all over the place are you?" Kushina asked and Naruto gritted his teeth as he stood up from the ground. Kushina appeared behind him and kicked him across the field. She didn't like this, but felt like she knew Naruto's thoughts. It was like saying 'if I experience it then I will learn how to do it'. That's what Kushina thought anyway.
Naruto coughed and held his stomach in pain. The blonde cursed under his breath. He didn't want to hurt his mother, but her punches and kicks were bone-shattering. Naruto huffed and got to his feet as Kushina appeared in front of him. She let out a punch and Naruto eyes burned. He quickly sidestepped Kushina despite the heavy seals on his body making Kushina widen her eyes. She smirked and nodded.
"I knew I was right," Kushina said and ran back at Naruto. The blonde struggled to stand, but he clearly saw his mother's hit. After a week of getting hit all the time and the pain that came with it, Naruto was more than able to try and counter it all he had to do was know that he could. Kushina let out a kick and Naruto jumped over it. His body was heavy. It was weighing him down and making his breathing hitch even more, but he was known for his stamina and he'd be damned if he didn't try anymore because of a little setback. The blonde quickly backflipped away and Kushina smiled. Naruto's stretches we making him more flexible. He was getting more and more into it.
It was all too fast. His mind didn't have the time to think about anything, but Naruto was moving on instinct. The feeling of getting hit, the pain that came with it, the bitter memories of getting hit by Sakura. They were all fueling his senses at the moment. Naruto breathed easily for a second, but blocked a punch to the gut and tried to slam his foot into Kushina's side, but the redhead wouldn't have that and blocked it easily. She was impressed. Naruto had the countering now. He had been working on it all week, but he got it. Kushina just found the perfect method for training her son.
Unknown to either of them, the Shinigami was watching and a small grin appeared on his face.
"He'll make a great human shinigami when I'm through with him," Shin said and continued to watch.
Naruto gritted his teeth and gasped. He backed away from Kushina as his mother tended to her side. Naruto had at least one hit on his mother. Kushina winced slightly, but smiled as she stopped her movements.
"You did it Naruto-kun. Even if it was just a scratch you did it," Kushina said and Naruto smiled. He huffed and fell to the ground, well almost. As he fell he landed into Kushina's arms making the woman smile. She pulled up his sleeve and looked at his seal. Sure enough it change from white to yellow. Kushina grinned and hugged her son.
"That's my son dattebane," Kushina said as she and Naruto rested in the field. Jiraiya chuckled at the sight he had been observing. He would teach Naruto how to improve the rasengan and control some of Kyuubi's chakra, but Kushina was probably the best teacher that Naruto could ever ask for.
Two Weeks Later
Naruto, Kushina and Jiraiya were currently in Hot Springs Country just traveling for the moment. They were looking for a few a short break from their walking and training. Naruto had gotten into further depth of the Habanero Heat taijutsu style from his mother and he had the aches and pains to prove it. He had gotten countering down so now he was working on the next step to her taijutsu. He still had his flaws, but slowly and surely Kushina was literally beating it out of him. Jiraiya had told Naruto a bit about fuinjutsu since the blonde was developing an interest into the art. When the sage told him that it was the hardest study out of all the shinobi arts Naruto just replied stating that he didn't care and he'd have it down making Kushina and Jiraiya chuckle. Kushina had also told Naruto about her unique chakra ability which consisted of chakra chains which she demonstrated about a few days ago. Naruto had asked her if he could do it too since he was her son, but Kushina said that she wasn't sure.
However things weren't all that bad as Naruto stared to show the early signs of success with the seals that Kushina used on him. He still had them on, but his body was slightly lighter and he could run normally as he always did. He could do his standard exercises with them on and he could counter most of Kushina's attacks, when she wasn't full-blown serious. In the meantime Naruto had spoken to the Shinigami about a week ago and agreed that he would like to be the full summoner to him and have his complete training in the arts of the Shinigami. Naruto still had the scar on his upper chest from the encounter.
Flashback
Naruto quietly left the hotel room and walked out into the woods. He quickly walked deep into the woods and asked Kyuubi to make sure that no one was following him. Kyuubi gave the blonde a nod that he was in the clear for a least a good half a mile and Naruto nodded with a thanks. He looked at the seal on his right hand and narrowed his eyes. Naruto breathed slowly and bit his thumb. The blonde bit his thumbs and traced the blonde over the seal.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Naruto yelled and his seal glowed bright as usual. Naruto covered his eyes and soon the seal faded. The blonde felt Shin's presence behind him and turned around. Sure enough he saw the Shinigami right behind him. Now if you keep seeing something over and over it won't scare you all the time and Naruto was beginning to feel that way with the since he had known Shin for a bit.
"Something I can help you with Naruto?" Shinigami asked and Naruto looked at the ground and smiled. Shin waited for Naruto's response and the blonde grinned at him making the Shinigami raise an eyebrow. Even Kyuubi didn't know what Naruto wanted with the Shinigami. He knew it wasn't to revive someone since Naruto was still at odds with himself considering it. He had tried to put it in the back of his mind at times, but it would resurface and Naruto would go silent every three hours that it happened.
"Yeah Shin. I summoned you to say that...I want to be your full summoner and I'd like you to teach me how to be a human shinigami," Naruto said making Kyuubi and the Shinigami widen their eyes. Shin never expected an answer this early.
"Are you sure?" Shin said and Naruto nodded with an absolute resolve that told Shin all that he needed to know. The Shinigami stared at Naruto for a second, but the blonde stared at him back. He wasn't sure if he could handle the responsibility, but he knew that he could handle whatever Shin threw at him.
"That's right I'm sure dattebayo. You made me your summoner because you said I was interesting. Well, I'm gonna keep showing you the things that make me interesting. I never back down and I'll never run from my responsibility," Naruto said and Shin grinned. Kyuubi smirked inside his cage and the Shinigami took his sword out of his mouth. He looked at it longingly and turned to Naruto.
"I will never be using this sword again," Shin said and Naruto widened his eyes. It was then that Shin held his sword out and made Naruto gasp when he pushed it through his body. Naruto felt his life flash before his eyes and he thought he would die, but instead of feeling his life leave his body he felt his soul filled. He'd been embraced with a slight warmth, but a small coldness. A small aura flowed around Naruto's body and the blonde turned to the Shinigami. Shin just stared at him with his menacing gaze and after awhile he set Naruto down and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki noticed all the aura directed into his sword. It glowed for only a small second, but then faded. Naruto also noticed that he had a scar in the middle of his chest showing where the Shinigami had pierced him.
"If your so sure of your responsibilities then you will bear them. I'll keep watching you. Your sword will on my sword properties. Don't abuse it. Your training will begin when I deem you fit," Shin said and disappeared. Naruto continued to look at the darkness and turned to his sword. He took up the sword in his hands. The weight was still there, but the blonde wasn't focused on that at the moment. He unsheathed his sword and started at it. It didn't look any different from the shiny metal that it already was, but for some weird reason Naruto could feel the essence inside the sword. Maybe he was dreaming or not, but he knew what he was feeling. It wasn't a normal sword anymore. It was...the sword of the Shinigami.
Neither Kushina nor Jiraiya were aware of what happened that night nor the destiny that would await Naruto because of his choice.
Flashback End
Naruto snapped out of his stupor when he realized that they stopped walking. He looked up and raised an eyebrow when he saw them stop in front of a shinobi store. The blonde raised an eyebrow and turned to Jiraiya like he had expected better.
"I'm being trained here?" Naruto asked and Jiraiya sighed. Kushina giggled while Jiraiya shook his head.
"Of course not. Give me some credit here. We're going to be doing missions. This is one of the contacts to Konoha that handle missions for people like me," Jiraiya said and Naruto crossed his arms and tried to wonder what the hell Jiraiya was talking about. Even Kushina was confused with that one and Jiraiya sighed.
"I'm surrounded by idiots," Jiraiya thought to himself and turned to the Uzumaki duo.
"You both know I'm not in Konoha the whole time, but I still take missions. It's because of outposts like this. I receive a mission to this location every two weeks to a month and I submit my reports here. Sarutobi-sensei would give me my pay and it would be added to my mission record," Jiraiya explained making Kushina and Naruto nod that they understood. Kushina didn't know because such a system wasn't around when Minato was the Hokage. Naruto had no idea since he didn't know what it was like to be an S-rank shinobi, but he would one day.
"So we're here for a mission?" Naruto asked and Jiraiya nodded. Naruto gulped since he was shaky with his fighting. He could run, walk, use chakra to a certain degree, but fighting was kind of different. He doubted he could even take on Sasuke with this much weight holding him down. He was probably lucky he was walking and running let alone training, but that's how he did things.
"So what are we going to do? Fight bandits?" Naruto asked and Kushina turned to Jiraiya. The sage sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"I haven't checked yet. Remember she won't give me anything over the top if your with me. I haven't even told her that Kushina is alive because of you. I can only imagine her surprise," Jiraiya said and Naruto turned to his mother who was smiling, but he wasn't looking at that. He was shuddering because he was looking at her eyes.
"Her eyes aren't smiling. Their not smiling. She's not happy!" Naruto yelled out mentally while Kushina thought over her meeting with Tsunade and how it would go.
"Well that aside, let's go inside. It'll give us the chance to test your skills and see where you still need improvement," Jiraiya said and Naruto gulped. He didn't really have anything to go one. His mother taught him her taijutsu for the few weeks and she taught him a few katas for his sword which he had gone quite a ways with the Kage Bunshin technique since his mother told him the secret to it and why it was considered a B-ranked jutsu. Whatever the clone learns and does then dispels then the user will learn it also. That's why it was great for stealth missions and infiltration missions. Ever since then, he had used his clones to learn how to use his sword to at least genin level and train his taijutsu to mid-chunin. He had a lot of pain and suffering from it al, but it was all in the interest of training.
"Alright let's go. I hope we get something good," Naruto said as he followed Jiraiya and Kushina followed Naruto inside. They came to see an old man behind a desk. Naruto and Kushina took the chance to observe the inside of the shop. It was filled to the brim with all the latest weapons and outfits from Konoha. It was then that Kushina took the chance to get some things since she hadn't really gone shopping. Kushina tapped Jiraiya shoulder and smiled. Jiraiya groaned and gave her his wallet and the woman went on a spree as she picked out several weapons, outfits, and tools for herself. Jiraiya tried not to cry while Naruto chuckled at the sight. Finally all those times Jiraiya took his money were coming right back at him.
"Karma is awesome dattebayo!" Naruto yelled out mentally making Kyuubi nod even though he couldn't see it.
"Even though it can be a bitch at times," Kyuubi said and Naruto nodded in agreement. He could attest to that and so could Kyuubi. Jiraiya simply watched as Kushina bought more tools and clothes until she brought them up to the counter.
"Ring this up please," Kushina said with a grin and the man turned to Jiraiya and the sage sighed and nodded. He rung up the price and Kushina 'paid' for it all and gave the wallet back to Jiraiya and give him her thanks. Naruto and Kyuubi continued to grin at Jiraiya's expense while Kushina sealed all of her clothes and new tools into some of the scrolls she bought in the last town they went to. They sold some high quality scrolls and even some high quality ink. Kushina was really ecstatic about it, but Naruto wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just her thing, but that was beside the point.
Jiraiya walked up to the counter and flashed his papers to the old man. The man nodded and pulled out a scroll and handed it to Jiraiya. The sannin nodded and walked out of the place with Kushina and Naruto following him.
When they were out of the shop Jiraiya pulled out the scroll and opened it.
"So what do we have?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya hushed him and looked it over the closed it with a grin.
"We're in luck. We have a B-rank mission," Jiraiya said and Naruto's eyes gleamed. Kushina grinned at her son's enthusiasm and listened as Jiraiya explained.
"Basically, we need to go Tea Country and help protect their Daimyou's treasury from thieves. His elite guards aren't capable of handling the bandits since these guys are ex-shinobi. Tsunade says it's a B-rank because there is the possibility of an A-rank missing nin in the group. Nothing too hard I suppose," Jiraiya said before seeing Kushina and Naruto grinning with excitement. He had to sweatdrop when he realized just who he was talking to.
"I can't wait for this!" Naruto yelled out and Kushina grinned.
"I'm gonna have some fun today dattebane!" Kushina said and the Uzumaki duo were already ready to go. Jiraiya sighed as he brought them out of their celebration.
"I don't know if you two realize, but Tea Country is at least three to four days away. Not to mention that the sun is going down so we should head out tomorrow," Jiraiya said making Kushina and Naruto pout.
"We'll get a motel for the night then we'll leave first thing in the morning," Jiraiya said and walked off. Kushina and Naruto sighed as they followed Jiraiya towards their motel for the night.
Nighttime
Naruto sighed as he looked up at the ceiling in his bedroom. He still thought about his interaction with Shin that week ago and it unnerved him to not know what happened to his sword. It was the same when Kushina had taught him the right stance to begin with and even the right posture. He had used the sword in small practice matches with Kushina and his clones so he was getting the natural feel for it. It made him happy that he was progressing, but he knew he still had much to learn. Then there were the 'responsibilities' that Shin said Naruto would have, but he said that Naruto wouldn't be trained until Shin felt he was sure of Naruto so the blonde merely dealt with it for the time being.
Naruto shifted in his bed and sighed again. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he was becoming more like Shikamaru with each sigh that escaped from his lips. He turned in his sheets and closed his eyes, but then the door opened. Both Jiraiya and Kushina came through the door with Jiraiya immediately going to sleep. Kushina straightened her hair and left the room for a second and went into the bathroom. Naruto wasn't sure what she was doing, but he figured she was preparing for bed just like him. He was facing the wall, but he still had a good view of the room out of the corner of his eye and the sight that Naruto saw surprised him. Kushina came out of the bathroom with a simple T-shirt showing her lovely breasts and flat stomach. She was also wearing some red shorts that complemented her hair. Naruto gulped and cursed the fact that no motel ever had a three bedroom setting or none that they could find. His eyes roamed his mother's form for a bit before she was out of his field of vision. He heard her creep into the bed next to him and Naruto felt the urge for sleep leave him. He was also mentally berating himself. This was his mother for Kami's sake. This was so sick, but the closeness of the two made it hard for Naruto to think of anything else. The smell of her hair invaded his senses and the movement of her body as she wrapped him in the usual hug was also agonizing. He could feel her mounds against his back and her breath on his neck.
"This is not good. Why did she have to be my mother?" Naruto wondered and Kyuubi chuckled at his container's problem. This was so funny to watch to the fox spirit.
Meanwhile, Naruto just stayed silent and tried to sleep it off. When he revived his mother had had to admit that she was a hot woman. He had remembered her face against the moon and her presence. Naruto sighed and simply forced himself to go to sleep. He'd just have to put up with his mother's closeness for now, but this would be bad if he didn't do something.
Next Morning
Naruto groaned as they walked along the trail towards Tea Country. He hadn't gotten that much sleep or rather he did, but he was more tired than when he was last awake. Naruto stared off into the distance and remained quiet for the trip. He wasn't sure what to talk about, or rather he was worried that he was the only one who found the situation to be awkward.
"Kit you must be weird to even think what your thinking," Kyuubi said and Naruto blushed before he narrowed his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked feigning ignorance, but Kyuubi wouldn't have any of that. Oh no, he would enjoy having fun with his container until it was no longer funny, but Kyuubi wasn't sure that it was ever going to be that way.
"Don't play dumb with me Kit. I never thought that you'd be a little mother-,"
"SHUT UP! Right now! Don't you dare complete that sentence!" Naruto mentally yelled and Kyuubi cackled. Oh this was going to be too much fun for the fox demon. Naruto sighed and cut the connection with Kyuubi and continued walking.
Kushina stared at her son for a few minutes and based on his face, she knew something was wrong with him. He was more tired than usual, he was being very talkative and he was muttering to himself. She had stared at him for a bit of time and could only wonder what he was thinking.
"Naru-kun are you alright?" Kushina asked and Naruto snapped out of his stupor. He turned to his mother and while it was hard he managed to force last night down and talk to her.
"Yeah Kaa-san I'm fine. Why?" Naruto asked and Kushina simply shrugged her shoulders. For some reason that answer didn't sit well with her, but she decided to let it go for now.
"Oh nothing. Your just not being your usual self," She said and Naruto widened his eyes. Seeing that reaction, Kushina felt like she hit the nail on the head, but waited for Naruto to talk.
"Oh I'm just thinking about something. Namely my contract to Shin," Naruto said keeping the last part to himself. Kushina nodded and turned her head forward. Naruto sighed and merely kept walking with the two.
Jiraiya seemed to notice the interaction between the two, but ignored it. Mother and son situations were best if they were worked out themselves and he'd rather not do anything that would have Kushina target his wallet again. So Jiraiya just calmly stayed out of it, for now.
4 hours later
Evidently the entire trip had been uneventful. The sun was now high in the sky and it was quite hot fro everyone. No one found anything to talk about other than casual conversation, but it was then that Naruto decided to try and break the ice when he wanted to know something interesting.
"So Kaa-san, you never told me. How could you do the Kage Bunshin without handsigns?" Naruto asked while Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched showing that he wanted to know also. Kushina giggled at the sudden question, but knowing her son she knew it would come sooner or later.
"So you want to know that. Well I'll say that I had a knack for it or better said that the Kage Bunshin complemented my unique chakra. Just like I showed you I had chakra chains, it turned out that my control of the Kage Bunshin wasn't so normal either. At first like you I had to cross my fingers and yell, but after awhile I was able to do it, by thinking it. The trick is to release your chakra and turn it into what you want. If you want a clone then think it and think the number. You also have to measure how much chakra to put into the clone to make it more durable. If you want to learn it then I'll show you Naru-kun," Kushina said and Naruto's eyes gleamed before he raised an eyebrow. He hadn't noticed all those weeks so he had to ask.
"Why are you calling me Naru-kun?" Naruto asked and Kushina smiled. She wasn't aware of the situation already planted in Naruto's mind and quickly hugged him making the blonde blush in embarrassment.
"Because it's cute dattebane," Kushina said and Naruto gulped. Yep this really wasn't good, but he'd deal. He always has and always will. Unknown to the three someone was looking over them and slightly chuckled.
"Enjoy yourself Naruto Uzumaki. You have no idea of the destiny that awaits you as the first human shinigami," The Shinigami said and then faded into nothingness.
KG: To anyone who thinks I rushed this a bit, don't worry. I know how to make a slow romance. Just trust me that it won't be as spontaneous as all of you might think it will.