The eggs sizzled in the pan, the albumen caramelizing into its beautiful golden-brown colour. Naruto glanced at the seven other sets of golden-brown fried eggs piled onto her white plate and then looked at the dining table. There were bowls of steamed white rice, red pickles, as well as the leftover miso soup from the night before. It was overboard for people in this part of the world; they didn't have the same dietary requirements as her and Akari. But she didn't want anyone staying in her apartment to clutch their stomach and groaned about hunger. She shook her head, slid the final golden-brown egg onto the plate, and carried the plate to the dinning table. Setting the plate on the table, Naruto turned around to watch her daughter.
The events from yesterday had, thankfully, not traumatized her daughter. Akari wasn't clinging to her like yesterday but was now standing next to the couch. The toddler had a look of wonder and curiosity as she stared at the white-haired man snoring on the couch. For a moment, she wondered if her daughter was aware of her relationship with the man. She doubted it. Akari glanced at her before poking Gojo in the rib. The man grumbled but didn't swat her daughter's hand. Instead, he turned around and grumbled underneath his breath again. It was a strange sight if you asked her. Her lips curved into a smile when her daughter pouted, clearly unhappy about Gojo remaining asleep. Her daughter glanced at her, violet eyes pleading for her to wake the man up.
"Akari, Mr. Gojo is sleeping," Naruto strolled towards her pouting daughter and scooped her from the ground. "We should let him sleep," her daughter turned her head and folded her arms against her little chest. Her little defiant flower. "Sweetie, I know you wanna play with him, but we have to let him sleep."
Besides, I don't know if he actually wants to interact with you. The thought made her heart squeezed and her throat tightened just a little bit. She respected Gojo's wishes. It was better he admitted the truth, then for him to pretend that he cared and abandon their sweet daughter. Naruto stroke her daughter's white hair and gazed at the blooming lilies on her pot. It was better but she saw the gentle stroke to her daughter's cheeks, the tremor in his body, and the tightness in his shoulders when he insisted that he couldn't play a role. Words lacked meaning if actions showed differently. She could have called him out for his insincere words and actions, but he was already dealing with her heavy blow of his paternity to their daughter.
"Mummy, he has Akari's hair," her daughter whispered, looking at her with awe as she held out her white hair and pointed to the white hair of Gojo. Naruto's chest tightened. He did. That was the trait shared between them. The hint of their parentage but Gojo wanted a DNA test. She nuzzled her daughter's hair, heart fluttering at the childish giggles of her daughter. It was fair, he asked. Apparently, he had a lot of women making the same claims, she made. She exhaled and looked down at the violet eyes of her daughter. "Same hair?" her daughter repeated with that little tilt to her head.
Naruto smiled. "He does, doesn't he?" Oh, her daughter was so incredibly intelligent for noticing the similarities in their hair. When she had been five, she hadn't been aware of her similarities to the Fourth Hokage. To her father. Then again, if her father had been the Fourth Hokage, the Matron wouldn't have smacked her hard on the cheeks. Naruto glanced down at the curious eyes of her daughter. This wasn't the time for her to think about that bitter, cruel old woman. She twirled her daughter around, smiling at the loud childish giggles of her daughter. Akari was going to be different.
"Daddy?" Her daughter asked her once she stopped twirling her around. Violet eyes were now focused entirely on the sleeping man in the couch. There wasn't hope in her eyes but at this age, Naruto doubted Akari fully understood the concept of a Dad. She gazed at the sleeping man, noting the stiffening in his back. It would be easy to tell her daughter the truth. That the man sleeping on the couch was her Dad, but she also had to respect Gojo's verbal wishes. She released a shaky breath and looked to the window, where the birds sat on the tree branch and sang their morning song with so much harmony. He didn't want to have a role in their daughter's life. It meant she couldn't tell her daughter, at this point, that the sleeping man was her Dad. She would try to play with him and would cry if Gojo didn't play with her. She didn't want that heartbreak for her.
Her daughter wiggled and squirmed. "Ji is awake!" Akari declared, tugging on her hair to let her down. Naruto winced and reluctantly set the toddler on the floor. I'm starting to wonder if being apart of the Uzumaki Clan means we're naturally prone to having greater physical strength. Her hair hadn't fallen off, but it did scream from that tug. Shaking her head, she watched with relieved eyes as her daughter dashed straight towards Yuuji, hugging him like the little flower that she was. Yuuji grinned and twirled the giggling little girl around like a merry-go-round. Naruto relaxed her shoulders and glanced back at the sleeping man in her couch. If Yuuji hadn't came in when he did, she would have the difficult job of trying to explain things to her young, innocent daughter.
"How is my favourite toddler?" Yuuji asked, tickling her daughter by her belly. Her daughter shrieked with laughter and looked at the pink-haired boy with that bright innocent smile of hers. It made her smile and made her heart ached. These little actions reminded her of how different her daughter's childhood was from hers. Until she became friends with Hinata, she had never given a sincere laugh. Had never smiled from the bottom of her heart. But her beautiful daughter? She could. Naruto turned away and rubbed her eyes. It was time like these when she thought she made the right decision to continue on her paid leave, then come back to Konoha with Akari.
Her daughter giggled. "Big girl!" she insisted with a scowl, and Yuuji laughed at the toddler's insistence. Naruto chuckled and slid her hands into her pocket, strolling to the flowers on her pots. She brushed her fingers against the soft petals and listened to the childish babbles of her daughter. Akari was only one but was already eager to grow up. Naruto smiled bitterly and glanced at the childhood photo of her and Hinata. Just like her daughter, she wanted to grow up. But at the same time, she wanted to act like a normal kid her age. To experience the things that other kids got to experience, but never got to. Their parents had never let her play with them, always looking at her like she was Kurama in human form.
"Play with me?" Akari asked Yuuji with a sweet, hopeful tone. She had that bright, toothy smile on her face and hugged the pink-haired boy like a little sister would hug her big brother. Naruto swallowed the lump in her throat and walked to the bookcase, hand reaching out to the hidden photo in the back. It was a photo of Team Seven, but Sakura and Sasuke's faces were hidden behind the photo of her parents, the rare one Kakashi had gifted her on her 19th birthday. She could have cut them out in the photo like she did in her life, but it would have ruined the image, so she did the next best thing of hiding those traitors from her sight. Naruto exhaled and touched the image of her smiling sensei and her scowling younger self. If her parents lived, would her relationship with Kakashi-sensei mimicked the one Akari had with Yuuji? Or would it be as complicated as their relationship now? Sometimes, she wondered if her mentor resented her for what happened to her parents, to his father-figure. He would never say it, and in his own way he cared for her, but she would always wonder. His insistence she left Konoha to deal with heartbreak implied it but sometimes, she wondered if he did it because he felt a deeper inclination to Sasuke than to her.
Shaking her head, Naruto put down the photo on the shelf and listened half-heartedly as Yuuji promised to play with Akari after her daycare. Her pink-haired student had a smile on his face, but it was strained and insincere. Nothing like his usual smiles. Did he regret what he did? She hoped so. She looked to the photo of her with Hinata and Kiba on their wedding day. There was a heaviness in her heart, a growing grief as she recalled the number of bottles she had drank that day. The photo showed rosy cheeks and a happy smile, but it was all a beautiful lie. She had been wasted, furious and grieving over the loss of her relationship. It was her third heartbreak. If Gojo found evidence that Sukuna was not chained, her student would not live long enough to see his first heartbreak. She exhaled and glanced at her smiling daughter. If Yuuji were to die, it would not break only her heart but her daughter's heart as well.
"Akari," she called out to her daughter with a forced smile. Her toddler turned around, her dress spun around like a twirling flower, and looked up at her with curious eyes. "Can you please to go to my room?" her daughter scrunched her little eyebrows and Naruto elaborated. "Mummy is going to do your hair for daycare."
A large, excited smile broke out of Akari's face. "I pick?"
"You can pick what you want for today," she agreed with a laugh. Her daughter smiled even wider, dashing straight towards her and hugged her so tightly around the leg. Violet eyes looked up at her with so much love and adoration that Naruto felt her stomach squeezed. How could she have ever thought of aborting her? Of giving up her child to some orphanage? She let out a shaky breath and kissed her daughter's cheeks, earning a giggle from the girl. With a heavy heart, she watched as her toddler ran eagerly to her bedroom.
Once her daughter was out of sight, Naruto turned to Yuuji. "How is our little friend?" She folded her arms against her chest and leaned against the bookcase, eyes devoted on the trembling teen before her. "Is he still completely silent? Or have you heard his voice again?" Curses were different from Bjuu, which meant she would always need to do a constant checkup with him. To ensure the seal hadn't been altered or weakened. For all she knew, Sukuna could be like Shukaku. The one-tail had a knack of finding weaknesses in seals as she had come to realize during her training trip with Jiraiya. She grimaced. Yuuji's survival relied on the seal being able to cage Sukuna like an animal.
"Nope, completely silent," her student replied, taking a seat on the dining table. He scooped a bowl of rice, piled on the eggs, and plucked some pickles onto his plate. "But I kinda feel his anger at what you did to him," he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Is that normal?" Naruto nodded and rubbed her stomach. That feeling Yuuji had, didn't just apply to him. She knew Sukuna could also feel what Yuuji felt and knew the thoughts that ran through his mind. "Then, it's all good."
It wasn't all good if you asked her. Naruto glanced at the door, then to her smiling student and locked her gaze on the photo of her parents. As a child, she had no understanding of why the Fourth Hokage had chosen her. The excuse, in her mind, had been that there had been no other child available. That her parents had been traitors to the village and she had to be the one to pay for the crime. But she had the conversation with her mother about her and the first jinchuuriki. Only an Uzumaki could contain Kurama. She tilted her head to the side and studied her student carefully. If his grandfather hadn't mention Itadori's mother being possessed, she would have dismissed the coincidence of her student's ability to remain alive after eating the finger. This action, she realized with a sinking heart, might explain why the woman would have a child with Itadori's father. To create a jinchuuriki capable of housing Sukuna. Only question was what did that person gain? And who were they?
She inspected her flowers once more. "Yuuji, what actually made you think that it was a smart idea to eat that finger?"
"I didn't want him to kill a lot of people if your idea didn't work," her student answered without a moment of hesitation. He took a large bite of the eggs and let out a groan of delight. "You make the best breakfast, Uzumaki-sensei!" he praised her, but Naruto didn't smile. She gave him an unimpressed look and her student slumped his shoulders. "I thought I could save people by eating it," he confessed. "It seemed like a better idea than your one at the time," he winced. "But your seal is working, so maybe I was wrong?"
Naruto thinned her lips. "You should've trusted me to do what was right, Yuuji," her student flinched and nodded. She looked to the photo of her and her friends. "If my seal hadn't worked and if I hadn't told Gojo about Akari, you would've been executed on the spot," her student remained silent but there was a tremor in his shoulders. She exhaled and brushed her hand against his soft, spikey hair. "If Wasuke was here, he would be screaming at you and whipping you with that cane of his for your reckless action."
The boy stiffened. "Gramps would've agreed with what I did," he mumbled, unwilling to meet her eyes. "He told me to help people, Uzumaki-sensei." His voice became numb. "He told me to do it whenever I can, those were his last words to me," his voice became heated. "I'm doing what he told me to do, Uzumaki-sensei."
Your grandfather said to help people, not get yourself killed. She bit her tongue and withdrew the inevitable tongue lashing from her throat. "There are a million ways to do what he wished but what you did? That wasn't what he wanted for you," she gazed at the flowers and listened to the loud babbles of her daughter in the background with a weary heart. "He wants you to make something of yourself, to continue with what you've been doing in the hospital but not this," she shook her head. "He loved you, Yuuji and if he knew what you did, he would tell you what I'm about to tell you: don't kill yourself for the sake of other people." Her eyes softened when she saw the tremor in his body. "He would've wanted you to live your life in meaningful ways: to help others, to grow old and have your own family."
It felt like the room was holding its breath as they waited for Yuuji's response. Naruto glanced at her student before strolling to the open door of her room. From where she stood, she saw her daughter opening her drawers and picking up her lipsticks with excitement. She should stop her but that growing excitement and confidence in her made her paused. The little girl struggled to open the cap with her pudgy fingers before grinning when it opened. I wish Mum was here to see this. The thought lingered on her mind on most days. A wish for her mother to see her granddaughter and bond with her in the ways that her friend's kids could experience with their living grandparents.
"I couldn't live with myself if anything happens to the world if Sukuna could kill everyone," Yuuji confessed.
Naruto turned. Yuuji's eyes showed sincerity and her heart ached just a little bit at his words. Oh, she understood him. As a child, she resented the fact that she was the container for Kurama. Had hated him for ruining her life and destroying her childhood. But she had reasoned with herself, it had been better for an orphan for her to contain it. That she was the reason Kurama couldn't kill the villagers and if she ripped the seal, it would be the villager's blood on her hands. It wasn't the right line of thought. It made her sacrificial. Made her even more resentful and angry too because she glared at the villagers for not appreciating her. For treating her anything less than human. She tugged on the locket and smiled when her daughter began to draw scribbly figures on the dressing table with her lipstick.
"Your concern isn't one for you to care but the adults, who are responsible for the finger," she finally said with a tired, weary voice. She turned to her student and gazed at him with tired eyes. "Your grandfather would whack you for thinking like you've to be a sacrificial fool for some idiots, who couldn't do their jobs properly," Naruto exhaled. "What you did, Yuuji, while noble put you in a very difficult position," he blinked and she stared at the group photo with Konoha 9, where her smile had been insincere. "There will be people out there in their society, who wouldn't see you as human, who would treat you like you were Sukuna himself." Her voice hardened. "People will not see you as the warden to Sukuna's prison, they might do things to tempt you to neglect the prison and allow your prisoner to come out," she levelled her eyes with him. "Under no circumstances, do you let him out."
She had been lucky with Kurama but Sukuna? He was a whole different ball game if you asked her.
"You caged him, didn't you?" Yuuji asked. "Shouldn't it be impossible for him to come out?"
Naruto stared. "I did but the cage will only remain intact if you don't rip the seal from the cage," she reminded him. "There are people out there that might want to see him come out, might have intentions with him," she grimaced as she recalled the Akatuski. "Never give them that opportunity because you'll hurt people at some point if you let him out," her heart whimpered as a bloodied Hinata came to her mind. "People you love and care for, so don't ever give into the temptation or else you'll carry those regrets for the rest of your life."
The world had moved on. Naruto stared at the ashes and bones of Wasuke Itadori with a heavy heart while the birds chirped. Beside her, Itadori picked up the chopsticks. She stared at him for a moment before gently taking the chopsticks from him. He didn't protest or put up much of a fight, only shot her a grateful look. With a heavy sigh, she began to gently pick up the bones of the deceased old man. It was a good thing she had put Akari in daycare, she would have been weeping and asking all kind of questions about why she was doing this. She glanced at her solemn student and noticed the tremor in his body.
"He's at peace, Yuuji," she reminded her student. The ash bit right through her nose, clogging all her other senses, but she held herself from coughing at the dust and ashes. Yuuji turned away from her and looked straight to the windows. The sunlight glowed with a sombre, frowning upon the ashes of the deceased man. "He was in a lot of pain during the last days on this world," he remained still and she continued on. "Now, he's with your grandmother and father." He remained still and Naruto sighed. "Yuuji, you don't have to hold back your emotions. You just lost your guardian."
"Uzumaki-sensei, have you ever had to bury a family member?" Her student asked her in such a soft, quiet voice. It sounded dead to her ears, completely numb and void. Her heart cried, and a part of her wished he didn't have to react like this. He looked at her with dull eyes. "Yesterday, he was yelling at me and complaining about the nurses," he shrugged and gazed numbly at the ashes. "And now, he's ashes and bones. I won't be able to hear his complaining," he repeated. "I won't be able to go to the hospital to visit him."
The birds stopped their singing. "My parents died when I was a baby," her student swirled his head at her, gazing at her with wide eyes, and Naruto looked at the ashes of Wasuke with a heavy heart. "So I didn't bury them, I think my father's student did that job instead," she shrugged her shoulders. "My grandparents? My mother was an orphan like me," Yuuji looked at her with wide eyes. "My father? His parents died a few years before I was born so no, I didn't bury any family members," she smiled wearily. "But I've buried strangers and gave their ashes to their family members or made a burial for men, who had no family to mourn for them." She could see Haku and Zabuza's resting place in her mind. "So I don't fully understand how painful this is for you, but I know it hurts. It always does."
"How?" Her student struggled to keep his voice void and looked at her with such wide, curious eyes. "You're a teacher, aren't you?" She remained silent and Yuuji pressed on. "How can a teacher do these things?" His voice rose slightly. "What have you done for you to be the one to bury the dead?"
Naruto kept silent as she considered her next words carefully. It was the first time Yuuji had asked her a good question, one that required her to be slightly earnest with him. In the background, she heard a door being opened and the sombre chatter from the corridors. Yuuji continued to inspect her with wavering, disbelieving eyes. Oh, she wished she could be like him again. Except when she had been his age, she already buried two bodies. I never got to bury Jiraiya's body. Her mentor's body was deep in the ocean, alone with the fishes. But it was probably for the best. No one, she decided, could use his body for their own personal gain.
"Before I came to Japan, I was a kunoichi," Yuuji's eyes widened, and Naruto picked up the chopsticks once more. "My job required me to bury the dead, to burn their bodies to make sure that their secrets wouldn't be given to any enemies," she let out a sigh. "Sometimes, I had the job of telling their family members that their parents or children had died in the line of duty while giving them their ashes," she inspected the bones. "To be a shinobi means to endure but it's a fucking terrible idea because there is only so much a human can endure," she shook her head. "I buried my first body when I was 12."
Yuuji swallowed. "Why did you come to Japan if you had a job as a kunoichi?" His voice became higher, not with excitement but with a dull curiosity. "Why did you become a teacher?" He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Isn't being a kunoichi more exciting than becoming a substitute teacher?"
Being a kunoichi was all she had ever known, she had never once thought of a life, where she wasn't one. Naruto inspected the subtle ash marks on the chopsticks and ignored her student's questioning gaze. What could she tell him? That her boyfriend of three years, her best friend, had cheated on her with a woman, who she considered as another sister. That her eyes had gone red with fury while her heart howled with grief when Ino informed her of what happened. She exhaled. What could she tell him? That the civilians thought she had went mad on screaming at a pregnant, scheming woman? A woman, who managed to twist the story around to make it seem like she and Sasuke had been in love while she was just some insane bitch? Even though, she won their hearts by saving the village, it didn't mean that they truly believed the best in her. She tightened her grip on the chopsticks. It was why she didn't return to Konoha yet. Her daughter? She didn't need that negativity in her life.
"My mentor believed I needed a break," she explained with a shrug. It was both a lie and a truth. That was what Kakashi claimed but she knew he was disappointed in her for throwing that fit in the marketplace. For charging straight at Sakura and screaming at her. She tightened the screw in her jaw. "I've been working since I was 12, Yuuji," his eyes widened and Naruto shrugged. "So I was due for a break." Her voice hardened. "A long break that doesn't need me to see the reminder of everything." She paused and looked at the trees. "And I'll go back home at some point with Akari, she won't last long here with those curses." She shook her head. "My part of the world doesn't have them or else I would be feeling that sensation all the time."
Her student looked away. "I'm sorry for bringing her to the school," he whispered for what must have been the fiftieth time in two days. "I didn't know she could see them," he let out a shaky breath. "I didn't think curses were real until yesterday, if anything happened to her…" he trailed off and trembled just a little bit. "I'm sorry, Uzumaki-sensei."
"You didn't know," she acknowledged with a tightened voice. "I never told you that we could see them because it didn't seem like a big deal," he trembled even more, and Naruto shook her head. She strolled towards the boy and squeezed his shoulders. "Look at me, Yuuji," he stared at her with trembling eyes. "The only fault you had was taking her into a dangerous situation but that was it. She's safe," she smiled at him. "And she hasn't had any nightmares, so we're good." She flicked his forehead. "Now cheer up, Akari will throw a fit if she sees you like this," Naruto smiled. "She loves you like a little sister loves her big brother."
There was a long moment of silence between them. Yuuji hunched his shoulders like he was holding himself back from crying at her words. Shaking her head, Naruto put down the chopsticks and hugged the boy. It was funny, she realized, how far she had came from being a little girl who hated showing her soft side to the world. How much she held herself back from acknowledging her negative emotions. She patted the boy's hair, listening to his shaky breaths. You better try and stay alive or my daughter will never forgive you for dying on her. The words were on the tip of her tongue but it was harsh if you asked her.
"I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happens to her," her student confessed to her. "I should've been more responsible," he continued to shake despite her patting his back. "Fushiguro told me not to bring her," he let out a shaky breath. "Maybe if I hadn't brought her, I wouldn't have eaten the finger and you would've stored it away like you planned," his voice broke. "I thought if anything happened to you, I would have to be the one to raise her." He let out a shaky laugh. "I wouldn't know how to raise her, Uzumaki-sensei. I don't even know how to raise myself."
You would raise my daughter despite being a teenager yourself. Her throat tightened at the willingness of her student to take on the huge responsibility of raising a child. Her daughter was so loved. She was having and experiencing all the things that she never received. If you were a little bit older, I would have been happy with your words. Naruto exhaled. He was a kid. A kid, she decided, shouldn't raise another kid. "If I died, I would expect her to be raised by her godmother and husband," she informed Yuuji with a chuckle. "Hinata has been dying to meet her," she shook her head. "She has high hopes that Akari would become good friends with her own daughter; another mini-me and mini-her to terrorize the Academy teacher," Naruto chuckled. "Except my daughter is more angelic than I was at that age…I think." She gently removed herself from him and flicked his forehead once more. "If I were to die, I would have wanted you to live your life, Yuuji." She smiled. "Just like your grandfather wants for you."
Her student remained silent for a moment, mulling over her words, before he asked. "The first person you buried, did he die a proper death?" Naruto raised her eyebrows at him and her student elaborated. "Like my grandfather?" Naruto kept her expression blank. She understood what her student meant but she wanted him to say it outloud. "Did he die by achieving something meaningful in his life?" Naruto blinked and her student continued on. "Gramps told me to die being surrounded by friends and making an impact to the world, did that happen with him?"
"Haku did make an impact on me," she acknowledged, picking up the chopsticks once more. Naruto breathed in the ashes and resumed picking up the remains of Wasuke. "When you grow up in a village like mine, you see the world as either: black or white but Haku taught me that the world is actually a shade of grey," Yuuji frowned at her and she smiled. "He worked for someone I saw as a monster and I asked him why he worked for such a cruel, evil man," her voice softened. "Y'know what he told me, Yuuji?" Her student shook his head and she flashed him a bitter smile. "The most painful thing in this world was to know that you're unwanted," she smiled wearily. "I understood that pain and I realized even I could connect with my own enemy," her eyes softened. "Humans, I came to realize, can understand one thing: pain and grief. That's something we can understand even when we don't know that person," she smiled. "In some ways, Haku began the path that led me into becoming the woman that I am." She looked out to the trees tickling the windows. "But I wouldn't call his death: proper, I would call it tragic. He died believing that he was useless to the man that gave meaning to his existence," she looked straight into Yuuji's eyes. "It's tragic because he was a 14-year-old boy and he will forever be stuck as a 14-year-old."
Yuuji trembled and looked sick to his stomach. "Sensei…"
"Your grandfather's death was much more beautiful than the death Haku had, it was a death that most shinobi and kunoichi would dream to have," she told him. It was cruel of her to tell him about Haku but she wanted him to understand that a proper death couldn't be achieved by anyone. "He died with his loving grandson by his side," she smiled. "He died from illness and not in the hands of another man," her voice softened. "It's a good death compared to some old men in my village," the image of a crying Konohamaru came to her mind alongside the faded memory of the Third Hokage. "Some men will die in the hands of their students or die trying to protect their families," the image of her father crept into her mind. "They might die because they couldn't handle the idea of their loved one dying while they have to move on and take care of their responsibility," she exhaled. "So you can't force the idea of a proper death on them. There is no such thing as a proper death in my eyes because you can't always get it."
You should've killed me that day in the Valley. Those cruel words had been shouted at Sasuke when she had been drunk out of her mind when he tried to confront her after seeing her in the bar. She inspected the bones with heavy arms as Yuuji just gazed at her. Black eyes had grown wide. His whole body had frozen like he only realized what he had done to her. Sometimes she wondered if he had ever truly loved her. Why did it have to take her screaming those words for him to realize the damage he had done to her? To her heart. She let out a shaky breath. Her daughter, she decided, would not be like her. She would teach her to value herself more than the empty words of some selfish boy. To find someone to love her like her grandfather loved her grandmother. If there was one thing she appreciated about her father, it was the undying devotion he had for her mother.
Her student strolled towards the window and gripped the ledge. "Sensei if you could have a choice on how you could die, how would you want to die?" He turned to stare at her. "I know you don't believe in proper death but if you could have a choice, what would you wish for?"
Naruto rubbed her chin and lowered the chopsticks. How would she want to die? Such a morbid thought that never crossed her mind. Then again, she never thought she would live to be 24. She never believed she would ever have a child after what Sasuke and Sakura had done to her. But Akari existed. She stared straight at the dim lights. How do I want to die? Her mind wandered to Jiraiya. His death had brought so many tears, had made her lie in bed and looked at the world with such a dark view. But when she looked back to the times that they had, she remembered the shared ice popsicles, to the ridiculous antics of her mentor, and their silly arguments whenever he tried to steal her mind. He wasn't a perfect man but he had been a father-figure to her. She knew even then, her godfather would have wanted her to remember him with a smile and not with grief.
"If I were to die, I would want to be surrounded by Akari and her children, with my friends and their children," her voice softened as her eyes focused on the flock of birds sitting on the tree branch. "I would be lying in bed and telling them stories about my adventures and my silly antics, getting them to laugh," Yuuji looked at her with wide eyes and Naruto looked down at her burning, heavy locket. "Most people see the tragedy of death but just like how new life can be a celebration, death could also be a celebration of the life that person lived, Yuuji." She placed the last bone and ash into the urn and gently handed it to him. "You will always grieve for them but you also need to remember the positive things they have done because you remember the good times you had with them," she gazed at the urn. "Your grandfather was grumpy, but he made Akari laugh, he gave me advice and had quite the wit on him," she grinned. "You should be proud of your grandfather."
Ruffling his hair for one final time, Naruto turned around and blinked when she saw Gojo standing before them. He didn't have a smile on his face. His expression was blank but there was a tremor in his shoulders. She raised her eyebrows at him but he didn't utter a word to her. Just stared at her before glancing at Yuuji. She wondered how much he heard before shaking her head. It didn't matter, she decided. He was the father of her child but that was the only bond between them. She squeezed her student's shoulder for the final time and gently took the urn from him. While Gojo did the verification of her claim, she would put the cremated body where Wasuke had requested. Beside his wife and son.
"I'll let you do your verification while I bury his grandfather in his requested burial spot," she informed Gojo with a soft voice.
By the time Satoru was done verifying Uzumaki's claim, the sun sat high on the sky, smiling down upon them as they walked towards his potential daughter's daycare. Yuuji had left them alone, saying he needed to spend some time with his friends. He could have left Uzumaki alone at that point but there was a part of him, a selfish part of him, that wanted to bask in her glow and warmth. Death can be a celebration of life. Those words had been beautiful and kind, a positive outlook for a concept so grim. He glanced at the woman. The sun shone down on her golden hair, giving her an unearthly appearance. Then again, he doubted a woman like her truly existed.
It was difficult to keep a positive outlook. Satoru slid his hands into the pocket and ignored the subtle admiring looks from the women around him. Although, he would admit to glaring at the men eyeing the woman beside him with anything less than admiration. He looked at the floating clouds, strolling through the open blue sky without any care in the world. The sun smiled down. He looked away and glanced once more at the woman beside him. She was kind, he knew. Kind enough to comfort her student while dealing with his loss and to give him a different perspective on things. Someone like her would be needed for his students. They needed someone to guide them to look at things in different perspectives to find other values in their life. They needed someone with so much empathy, a willingness to acknowledge their pain while he was incapable. He exhaled and clasped his hands behind his head. If Akari was his daughter, she had a good mother. He hoped she would grow to become like her mother.
"You were right about the cage," he mused, quirking his lips into a smile. Uzumaki turned to look at him with amused, confident blue eyes and a bright smile on her lush pink lips. "Sukuna really couldn't come out of his cage," Satoru laughed and looked at the floating white clouds. "Yuuji couldn't switch with him even when I attacked him," he quirked his lips into a grin. "You're really something, aren't you Uzumaki?" He stared at her twinkling blue eyes and let out another laugh. "Sukuna, the King of Curses, has truly been caged like a rabid dog."
Uzumaki grinned. "Told you, didn't I?" she declared with a smug grin that was way too charming if you asked him. "He can't escape from an Uzumaki-style cage." She grinned and twirled around till her eyes met his own, her lips curved into a smile. "If there is one thing, I take pride in is the fact that I know my way around seals," her voice became slightly higher. "I can't wait for the day when Akari gets older and I get to pass down my knowledge to her; keep my mother's clan traditions alive." Her smile dropped and her expression became sombre. "So since I proved that Sukuna is now a caged dog, does that mean Yuuji won't be executed?" There was a subtle hope in her tone, a plea for him to keep her student alive.
Satoru heard the question with a heavy heart and dropped his smile. In his opinion, if the seal was kept in place, the boy should remain alive and continue to live his life without consequences. But the higher ups? They would want to either constantly monitor him or kill him right in the spot, not taking any chances. He ignored her questioning gaze and looked at the lush green leaves, waving to the wind with a sombre goodbye. He would have kept the boy alive even if Uzumaki hadn't done what she had done, but only if he showed he could restraint Sukuna, if he could control him. "It means I'll make sure to push back his execution date," her smile wavered and he looked at her. "The higher ups won't be pleased he hadn't been killed but I would do something," he reassured her with a grin. "Megumi made the same request before I met up with you and Yuuji." He smiled. "I got to do what my student requested and the request of a beautiful woman."
She didn't blush or look away from his compliment but that didn't surprise him. Satoru chuckled and looked at the buildings that all looked the same. Uzumaki had never blushed at his compliments, always making some kind of witty comment to him in the bar. It had been a miracle, he knew, they had even spent the night together. Uzumaki rolled her eyes and informed him with a soft voice. "You should also do it for Akari's sake," he remained still as the woman looked at the small building that had images of smiling children. "She loves Yuuji and if he were to die, she would go through her second heartbreak," he frowned, and she elaborated. "His grandfather's death would be the first; she loved that old man to the point that she called him: Gramps." She looked at the pictures of smiling children. "In Akari's eyes, Yuuji is her brother in everything but blood."
The silence stood. If she expected him to sway even more under her words, Satoru would admit it did work. Uzumaki offered him a bittersweet smile and began to walk away from him. With her back turned away from him, Satoru held back the urge to follow her. He ran his hand through his hair and decided to ask the question that had been on his mind for the whole day. "Megumi told me that you defeated all those curses without weapons or cursed energy," he paused and circled around her for a moment. "Mind explaining to me how that was possible? How could you use talisman without using cursed energy?"
Naruto gave him a thoughtful look. "Does it really matter? I kept your student alive when you weren't there." She studied his face as if to gauge his reaction before she resumed walking away from him. "How I did it? It doesn't matter," she shrugged and looked directly into his eyes. "What matters is the fact that I managed to make sure that Sukuna is now Yuuji's little bitch," he bit back a laugh as the woman gave a chuckle. "So really, it doesn't matter how it's possible."
"Akari," he pointed out. The mother of his supposed child dropped her smile and stared at him with emotionless eyes. "If she's my daughter, then shouldn't I know if she has something that would allow her to protect herself?" She blinked like she didn't expect for him to bring her up. He smiled at her but his mind wandered back to the toddler from last night. His supposed daughter. "I deserve to know these things about my daughter, don't you think? Or would you keep me in the dark?"
He suspected if he never brought up this topic, Uzumaki would keep him in the dark about her abilities. About his daughter's potential abilities.
"We have chakra," he blinked and Uzumaki sighed. "Chakra is a combination of spiritual and physical energy," she shrugged casually like it was not some big deal and Satoru held himself back from shaking his head at this strange but wonderful woman. "Akari has a lot of energy like me, except her reserves are just slightly lower," he frowned, and the mother of his supposed child sighed. "It isn't because her father doesn't have it, I just have unnatural amounts of chakra." She gave him a knowing look. "That night we had? That is one of the effects of having a lot of chakra; unlimited stamina."
Although he had wanted answers, he hadn't expected her to bring back that night. For a moment, he considered questioning her about whether she recalled everything but decided against it. This was not the time for him to think about it. He let out a shaky breath and changed the topic. "We should do a DNA test when I get back," he declared, turning away from her. He cleared his throat and controlled his voice, unwilling for the woman to know how much her words affected him. "I need to go and inform the higher-ups about Yuuji."
"I noticed you haven't mention about telling them about me," she commented, her voice sounded soft and probing like she wanted to know what changed his mind. "Have you changed your mind, Gojo?"
Yes, he had a change of heart. Satoru looked straight at the daycare centre, where his supposed daughter went, and then to the mother of his supposed child. If the higher ups knew the extent of her abilities, there was no telling of how they would react to her child. Their child. They wouldn't call for her death but exploit her when she was older. He wouldn't allow it. No child should be exploited like he was. Yes, he loved his job but not everyone did. He couldn't fully understand why they didn't love it, but a child should be given a choice in their future. His child deserved to have a better childhood than he did. "I changed my mind, Uzumaki."
Her lips quirked into a smile, and she teased. "I thought you wanted them to have a heart attack?"
Some tiny part of him longed to hear their shrill screams and their annoyed-filled voice, but not at the risk of his potential daughter's freedom. Satoru glanced at her, uncertain of whether to confess the truth or to pretend to be messing with her. It would be wrong to mess with her when it was her child's safety on the line. "Oh, I want to see it but not at the expense of your daughter," she remained silent and there was a strange emotion in her eyes like his words moved her. "I don't want them to think they can take advantage of your daughter," my daughter, he wanted to say but he wasn't going to form attachment to the child. He shouldn't become attached to her. "She should be free."
She stared at him with such a warm, happy smile that it felt like he was staring at the sun. "Do you want to join me inside?" she gestured to the daycare centre standing right in the middle of the tall buildings, where the clear laughter of children could be heard. "Akari wanted to play with you," his heart wavered as blue eyes continued to study him. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her that you were her Dad," she looked at the daycare with blank eyes. "She guessed you were Dad, though. She said you two had the same hair," his heart swelled as blue eyes glowed with pride. "She's a smart kid, probably takes after you than me," he remained silent and the woman looked away with a small smile. "She also likes being around people, my little social butterfly."
Oh, it would be nice if he had more glimpses of his potential child's life. Satoru forced a smile and forced himself to shake his head at Uzumaki. "I don't think it's a good idea if I went in." He looked straight at the daycare, shoulders trembling for a moment, and then turned away from her. "You should hope I'm not her father, Uzumaki." He felt her questioning gaze and laughed, insincerely. "I'll make a bad Dad to her. I'll always let her down."
He took a couple of steps forward and froze when the mother of his supposed child called out:
"The fact you say that makes me believe you'll be a good Dad to her. You already care for her freedom, not all Dads would care Gojo." Satoru swirled around and froze when he saw the warm smile on Uzumaki's face. "I know you doubt it but I know you are her Dad, and I know my daughter is lucky to have someone like you as her Dad." She gave him a rueful smile. "I wish my Dad cared about freedom like you do, Gojo."
It had never been harder for him to walk away from someone until today. Uzumaki could believe all she wanted but her daughter deserved a father without any enemies. Her daughter deserved to have a Dad that could always be there for her. He couldn't be that father to her. Satoru exhaled and heard the lively laughter of the children behind him. He looked up at the floating clouds and turned his head to the daycare. Yet even though he had all the reasons not to be in his daughter's life, a selfish part of him wanted to spend time with the girl. With her mother. He wanted to spend time with them before her mother took her back to her village.
It would be a risk, but his students deserved to have someone willing to connect with them, and if Akari was his daughter, her mother deserved not to have all the burden placed on her.
A/N: Please do give me some feedback on this chapter and thank you for reading this chapter.