AN: Hello readers
So we come at last to the last chapter, and it is a doozy. Though not the last update to this, as there is an epilogue to follow. And after that there will eventually be the sequels, so we are far from really done following the Namikaze family and the connections they will make along their journey.
Chapter XXIV: Circumvention
There was a light murmuring sound from one of the twins, which again caused Minato to tare his eyes away from Kushina to look toward the twins. It's not the first time one of them had made a sound, or moved, since Kushina arrived. Still he can't stop himself from checking every single time, as it really could be a sign of the waking.
This time however he sees that Makiko's eyelids are shifting, and then fluttering.
He almost knocks his chair over with how quickly he comes to his feet and moves to her bed-side.
And as he reaches her and her eyes start to open, Masato starts murmuring something as well. He starts to turn, but Makiko's eyes actually do open, and somehow immediately find him. "Ni-san," she says in a whisper, and then she smiles.
She doesn't ask where she is. Doesn't look around. Just looks right at him and smiles.
And he remembers thinking he'd heard her telling him everything would be okay now… but how could that possibly be…
And yet… she's not at all surprised by where she is. And she shows no sign of… of being afraid because of what had happened. Something… something about this is weird. And unsettling.
"Ni-san," she says again, she lifts her hand to reach for him.
"Hey Makiko," he finally manages to speak, bringing his hand to hers. Her smaller one moves about his, and then wraps tightly around two of his fingers.
Oh. It's not that it hadn't frightened her, he realizes… she's trying to hide it! She's trying to be strong… for him. Because her small hand holds his fingers as tight as she possibly can, and though she's smiling, her eyes are a little glassy.
Toddlers normally don't hide their emotions like this for the sake of others, do they?
But… well… his siblings weren't… normal. They really had to grow up so quickly… This could just be one more sign of that.
He almost pulls her into his arms for a hug. Almost. But she's still hooked to a heart monitor he remembers before he can do so.
"How do you feel, Maki?" He asks gently instead.
"Okay," the girl answers immediately. "Masa-ni?"
"He's fine," He assures her. "I'm sure he'll wake up soon as well," The older brother adds. But Maki's hand squeezes his fingers tighter, and she tries to sit up in bed. Words aren't going to satisfy her. Keeping himself from frowning, he shifts to the side a bit, and then uses his other hand to help her sit up so she can look around him and see her twin brother in the next bed. "See. He's alright," he says gently to her, before he eases her back.
The girl is silent for a bit, before she nods. And then she looks almost sheepishly before she whispers. "Nii-san… I'm thirsty."
Oh.
He almost bursts out into laughter, as her sheepish admittance of being thirsty somehow releases the rest of the tension that he'd been holding onto subconsciously all this time. He reaches over and presses the call button with his free hand. "Then we'll make sure you get something to drink, alright?"
The girl only nods. And she still tightly grips his fingers.
"Ni-san?"
Masato's voice comes from behind him, and Makiko releases his fingers, a smile spreading across her lips. "Masa-ni!" She exclaims happily.
He half registered that there is the sound of muffled laughter from the side of the room, as he turns to Masato's bed to see him… sitting up, and rubbing at his eyes. "Masato, how are you feeling."
"Thirsty," The older twin answers immediately.
He can't quite keep his own laughter back at this.
As a Nurse and a doctor slide the door to the room open and enter, he covers his mouth with one hand to muffle his laughter that is a mix of relief and amusement. Because they are awake. And well and truly fine.
They weren't typical toddlers… but what did that matter?
He'd been scared to the point of hysterics when they'd been dying in front of him… but now, the first thing they have to tell him is that they're thirsty. How did that work?
He wasn't so sure he'd ever truly understand young children… or get used to all the things one had to consider when raising them… but really, it well and truly didn't matter if he did.
They were alive. Well. Happy… and yes he could see they were holding back something… but he could also see it was for him… so for the moment, for them, all those worries… they simply didn't matter.
Kushina decided to stay with Minato and his siblings for as long as the hospital allowed her to. She would never admit it to anyone, but she actually enjoyed the time she'd spent talking to Minato while they waited for the twins to wake. And seeing how happy the three siblings were together had been very touching. Though she sort of felt like she was invading on what should have been a private moment. Yet she couldn't quite stop herself from laughing at their interactions, just a bit.
But after the doctor (Tsunade-sensei) and nurse had looked at the readings from the monitors, taken a few more vitals, the doctor had pulled Minato aside to talk to him, leaving her with the nurse, and the twins, who had seemed to finally notice her.
"Kushi-nee!" Masato had been the first one to greet her excitedly, though Makiko very quickly echoed him. And she had never really thought anyone would call her like that… but she found she didn't mind it in the slightest.
"Hey Masa-kun, Maki-chan," she greeted them both with a wide grin of her own, getting up from her chair to stand nearer their beds. She didn't get any closer yet though, as the nurse was currently disconnecting the two little Namikaze from the monitors.
"Why is Kushi-nee here?" Makiko then asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Well of course I'd be here to check on my two favourite little twins ttebane!" She declared. "And I brought you both a few things for your stay here."
"Stay?"
Oh. She worried that maybe she had said too much now. They didn't know they would be here for a bit yet, and probably it would be easier to hear that from their brother? But it was too late now. "Ah… yeah, Maki-chan and Masa-kun are staying here with your brother for a little while ttebane." She explains, and hopes they won't ask why.
"Why?" is a twinned question. Because of course it would be.
And then the nurse… glares at her. For her big mouth, she assumes. But it's irritating. And she can see the Nurse is about to speak, but the look almost reads 'now i have to clean up your mess.'
"Well Maki-chan and Masa-kun are new to this hospital," she says on impulse. "So that makes it harder for them to do their job ttebane. Do you know what hospitals do?"
"Make sick and ouches go away!" Makiko chirps happily, seeming pleased that she knows this answer.
"That's right… but to do their job, they have to know a lot of things about the people they are helping to make those bad things go away, ttebane. So the hospital needs to learn more about Maki-chan and Masa-kun."
"Oooooh," the twins say together, and then they nod in a strange sage sort of manner as if they really do understand.
"How long does that take?" Masato then asks.
"You'll be here for two sleeps of the sun" Tsunade-sensei answers as she and Minato re-enter the room. "Hello, Makiko-chan, Masato-kun. I'm your doctor, Tsunade and this lady is one of your nurses, Rika. It's our job to get to know you so we can help you better in the future."
"Hi Su-ade-san!" Masato immediately greets the woman. "Hi Rika-san!"
Makiko on the other hand regards the nurse, and Tsunade with more trepidation (though she thinks it seems more directed at the nurse) and only murmurs a quiet "Hello."
She sees the nurse give her the stink eye, before she smiles to the two. "I'll be back with something for you both to drink soon." Then she leaves the room without another word.
"I just wanted to say hello for now," The doctor continued. "We'll be seeing each other more tomorrow. I hope you get a good night's sleep." Her sensei says calmly, before she looks to her. "Kushina, Make sure you don't have to be escorted out for staying too long."
She huffs at the woman, a little annoyed that she would give her such a warning. She wasn't going to cause problems in a hospital.
She isn't given the chance to defend herself however, as after saying this Tsunade turns and leaves.
Minato passes her on his way to grab his chair, presumably so he can sit between the twins beds. As he does he whispers "Thanks, I wasn't sure how I was going to explain why they'd be here for a bit."
Oh.
So she guessed she'd actually done something helpful with her speaking before thinking, this time.
"Would you two like to change? Kushina-san brought some pajamas for you." He then spoke more loudly, for the twins to hear, as he stopped by the chairs.
"Yes please!" Masato answered immediately before Makiko added with just slightly less enthusiasm. "Change."
Minato smiled, and them dug through the bag, finding the jinbei and pulling both. "Alright, Masato first then."
"Why?" Makiko huffed.
"He spoke up first Maki," Her oldest brother answers easily. "And you were first last time."
"But… but…" The girl tries, and then stops, "Okay…"
She almost snorts at this, before she looks to Minato. "I can help, if you think she wouldn't mind," she offers quietly.
"Ask her then," is his simple response with a raised eyebrow.
Well… she supposed it would make sense to ask the child she was offering to help, wouldn't it? She flushes just slightly in embarrassment… but really, she hadn't known if Minato would be okay with the offer…
Oh he was nothing at all like the wuss she had thought him. Really, absolutely nothing like that. And it was so very weird… But… well he wasn't a jerk. Nothing like any of the other boys around her age. And… she kind of liked this new, weird Minato a lot better than the wussy one…which she already had liked a bit more than the jerky cowards the rest were.
And he'd let her talk on and on about her village, as much as she'd wanted to, until she couldn't talk about it anymore without choking up. That had… well it had been something she'd needed, she realizes now. To remember those people that meant so much to her, that she would never be able to see again. To put her memories into words rather than just holding onto it silently… and fearing that she would forget.
Talking about them almost felt like it cemented the memories.
Yes… Minato Namikaze was not at all like others… She might even go so far as to call him… a friend. Privately to herself.
And Mito-ba would absolutely enjoy meeting him. Having someone else to talk to for once. Someone who could be very respectful… but who was also a strong, determined individual.
She smiles to herself… some how rather pleased with… whatever this connection between her and the Namikaze was.
"Ne, Maki-chan," she calls to the girl, as Minato sets her change of clothes at the foot of her bed and then turns to help Masato. "Would you like me to help you ttebane?"
"YES!" The immediate and excited response of the girl, coupled with how she starts bouncing where she sits in her bed takes her momentarily by surprise.
She thinks Minato snickers.
Oh she was definitely going to tease him about his toothbrush later, for that.
But for now she moves to the bed and takes up the jinbei to help Makiko change. A task she hadn't actually been sure would be all that easy. She remembers it had been a struggle on her last babysitting d-rank mission. But Makiko is nothing like that kid had been she learns, as the girl moves quite easily how she asks her to, and with no difficulty at all she has her changed out of her hospital gown and into the jinbei.
She folds the gown when she sees Minato laying Masato's folded one over the back of the chair with the duffel. He takes the folded gown from her, and adds it to her brother's.
Then, quietly, he gestures to the two orange wrapped gifts.
"Now?" she can't help but question. He again just raises a brow at her… this boy… Oh he would really get along with Mito-ba. Respectful, but determined… and a little mischievous.
But she had said she'd sneak him in. So now… she had to plan out the route she was going to pull that off with. As easy as she'd made it sound… it was anything but easy. She was going to spend every day until then working on it…
It should bother her, she thinks idly… but it doesn't.
It was like he had said, maybe… it would be worth it. If this could help the twins who had clearly had a very rough start, but were just so lovable anyway. If this could do anything for them at all…
"Masa-kun, Maki-chan, I have have a present for each of you ttebane!" She declares excitedly, as she picks up each package carefully and turns.
"Pre-zent?" The twins voice together, confused. But a soon as they see the wrapped packages the confusion slowly changes into excited smile, and they clap their hands together. Minato chuckles, and then moves past her, lifting Masato off his bed and setting her next to their sister, before he sits on the edge, and gestures her over to the other side.
She moves to the bed quickly and sits on it's edge, twisting towards them, as they both shift onto their knees and then hold out their hands. "This one is for you Masa-kun," she offers him his first, and he takes the package with twinkling eyes. "And this is yours Maki-chan," she offers the girl her's then.
Masato doesn't try to open his until Makiko has hers in hand, and then looks over at him. The twins grin at each other and then, to her surprise, count. "Three, two, ONE!" And as they finish counting they start pulling at the paper with their small hands, tearing it away with surprisingly little difficulty.
But she worries a bit the won't like them…
"CUTE!" Maki squeals in delight. She holds her plush in both hands, up to the light, and then turns it about to look at it from every angle. It's predominately white, but it's long tail, paws, and nose is orange, and there are a few more orange spots on its body.
"COOl!" Is Masa's version of that delight. Like his sister he turns it about to get a good look at it. Similar to his sister's it has an orange tail, and paws, and a few other markings, though this orange is a little darker and more vibrant from his sister's more pastel orange. Rather than white, the rest of it's body is a sort of medium grayish brown.
"Ni-san, Ni-san, its white and ORANGE!" Makiko goes on, waving her new plush infront of both of her brothers, before she hug it tight, and then turns to her. "Kushi-nee, what animal? What?"
"What animal!" Masato echoes his sister.
"They're called otters," she explains. "They may be furry, but they actually really like to swim and spend a lot of their lives in the water."
"Like froggies!" Masato declares.
"But soft like Foxes!" Makiko adds.
"We LOVE THEM!" They say together. "Thank you Kushi-nee!"
Oh. Well… she supposed just because there were frogs or toads, and foxes all over the Namikaze home, that didn't mean they disliked other animals, did it? They also had dog plush toys, Minato had told her earlier. It seemed what most mattered was that it had orange.
The way their faces light up into vibrant smiles really just fills her with a giddy sort of joy that has her cheeks hurting with her own smile. And as she twists about to see Minato's reaction… seeing his shoulders shaking, and tears in the corner of his eyes from held back laughter, she nearly starts laughing too.
Yes, it was absolutely worth it.
We have to try, Makiko.
She has to keep herself from grimacing as this is easily the thirtieth time since Kushina had left and Minato had fallen asleep that Masato had said this to her.
And yet she knows he's right.
Sure what he is proposing is incredibly dangerous. A little insane. But… they'd done something comparably crazy that night at the valley of the end.
So why was she hesitating?
She'd gotten… complacent. Finding herself back in Konoha, suddenly with a family… had made her… less cognizant of the dangers they could be facing. And it had probably been the same for him. They'd simply said… we can't really do anything else but talk about what to do in the future… and then went on, enjoying their new lives in a place that's spirit was similar enough that it had lulled them into a false sense of security..
That complacency could have killed them both. If they let it continue, it still could. So… he was very right… they had to try. Even with all the risks it could entail. All the things they didn't understand about it.
They needed to try and use that… ability to send their… spiritual selves out of their own body… and whatever it was that connected them. That allowed them to talk, and allowed them to, as they had just learned, actually have their spiritual self take control of the other's body.
They had to figure out just how it worked… Its drawbacks, aside from genjutsu blocking their connection. Because being so young it was true that there wasn't much they could do… but this… this could be a tool they could start using now, before they were able to start training.
Even just attempting it though could kill them, and leave Minato alone. And she had seen (or rather she had heard), more than Masato had, how Minato had broken watching him dying in front of him. She never wanted to put their older brother through that again…
And yet… this was their best way to do something, anything to move forward. Perhaps the only way they could… get around how their age made getting new information nearly impossible. And not doing it did not mean they'd save Minato from suffering through something like what had just occurred again.
Fine… you're right. But we have to test it out first. This is crazy Masato… and it's all we can do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try to take some sort of precautions.
Then… I'll be the one who goes first, and you'll stay with our bodies he suggests. Plan?
She can't help but to swallow. On one hand… she doesn't want him to take the risk because it had been him who'd gotten stuck outside his body and nearly died because of it. But on the other hand… she knows he's also right that she should be the one to stay with their bodies, since she had kept them both alive for minutes, until Masato had managed to make it back. She'd basically brought Masato back from the dead, though her own body had suffered…
She hadn't had a seizure though.
A questionable plan is still a plan.
She shifts on the hospital bed they are currently sharing, and fumbles about for his hand… but he pulls it away.
Wait a few minutes, and then take my hand… I'm going to try and anchor to you first, and it might not work if we are touching each other.
He has a point it might not work. Alright… she agrees, and then she waits for her to tell him he can start the count.
She can feel his nerves acutely enough to make his own stomach flip.
Now.
She takes in a breath and holds it. Listening to his body… still… breathing?
Well… it was… but she could hear it slowing… and somehow she could sense his heart beat also slowing. Though, maybe it was akin to sleep.
It's difficult, but she counts the seconds, waiting, sensing. Thirty seconds… it really does feel as though this is akin to sleep.
It still drops. Slowly.
Don't drop. Keep stable. She thinks to herself, and tries to will it to be so.
At first, there is no change… and then she realizes… There is no change. Either way. His pulse has evened out. So she concentrates a bit more… and she can feel an odd sensation of air moving through her nose… and his at the same time.
The doubling of that sensation… tickles. She sneezes.
"Makiko?" Minato's voice calls from nearby. She closes her eyes and tries to keep his breathing steady, as she hears her older brother getting to his feet. She can feel him approaching.
What if he could tell something was… different with Masato?
She snags Masa's hand.
-o Maki… damn it, that was barely a minute and a half! Masato's voice fades in. Didn't you hear me say to wait and see if he noticed anything? We kind of need to know if it's noticeable or not.
She doesn't answer him yet, waiting to see what Minato is going to do.
The girl senses the genin kneeling next to them… and then reaching over to check her pulse and then Masato's. An action that makes a lump form in his throat. This was the third time she'd caught Minato doing this very thing since they'd woken up earlier.
"Maybe she's a little cold," Minato murmurs, before he stands, and he can both hear and sense him walking away. Some fabric rustles, and then Minato returns. Soon she feels a new weight over her body, though it isn't much. Just enough to know Minato had placed a second blanket over her and her brother.
The blanket from the other bed. Meaning Minato wouldn't have one.
Then the Genin returns to the other bed, and after a little longer he hears his breathing start to even out, though not quite in a normal restful sleep. He's only dozing.
Sorry Masa. She apologizes at last. But it was a successful test… and we've learned a lot from it, even if it was cut short.
She gets the sense of his annoyance, and can almost picture him ruffling his hair near violently as he used to often do when he was frustrated. How so. Save for the fact it can be done for a very short period…
I couldn't hear you. Yet we communicated clearly when I was possessing your body.
She points out. So while we lose our connection when one of us is in that state, the connection returns if the other one possesses the first's body. Maybe there is a point in between completely possessing and just… controlling a bit, when that connection is possible.Masato doesn't answer right away, but he does lightly squeeze her hand, and she knows it's a small apology for being short with her.
So… should we try again then… and see if we can find that sort of point? Or… should it be you who goes next, so we can be sure both of us can do both sides of it?
She knows he's not really asking if they should try again, Or how they do it. She's asking if they should do so now. If he is ready to try it again. He doesn't feel quite ready… but he probably never would.
We have to accomplish both, but let's take turns going.
And she braces herself for the nerve wracking knowledge that she is about to hand Masato the responsibility of being so intrinsic to her continued life that he literally has to breathe for her.
Just a heads up though… feeling the breath from two bodies… kind of tickles.
It surprises Minato how quickly things go back to… as near to normal as they can be after the incident. Even though Sakumo is still recovering from whatever mission he was on that had very nearly killed him when the Twins are released. And he finds himself having the new, ridiculous need to keep checking that his siblings have a strong, regular pulse rather frequently.
But by the day after their release he has returned to taking academy students on D rank missions. And stopping Tsume from trying to beat up Kawazo… and the few instances she tries to take her frustration out on Kotome the first few times she hears her call the boy by his name, as he thought would be the case.
He's able to leave his siblings with the Kato's, the Yuhi's and Ibushi without feeling excessively nervous about it. He's a little on edge…but not really that much more than he had been before.
Granted he has to tell Dai that he doesn't feel comfortable with the man dividing his attention amongst his siblings and the orphanage children anymore… but when the man easily agrees with this, he even feels… alright leaving the twins with him. Though on that count, it helps that Dai decides it would be better to bring them to the library instead, where they sit and flip through picture books in the child's play area… and he can pick out several Uchiha vigilantly watching.
It's still a huge relief that is often nearly enough to send him to his knees whenever he catches sight of them after he's been away from them for even just those few hours he's doing missions.
As the days continue to pass after the event… he grows restless for another reason however. The Hokage doesn't call for him… and that's frustrating. He'd half hoped he would… his siblings were very nearly kidnapped! The village was infiltrated! And yet the only official follow up he gets on the incident comes from Fugaku first, followed only briefly by a summons to see Shikatsu, the Jōnin commander. A meeting that is clearly just to go over the statement he'd given to Fugaku… and then for him to be told what information concerning the incident he is not to spread about.
That's all the acknowledgement of the incident he gets.
In the past, if something like this had ever occurred among his peers, he never would have said it would be members of the Uchiha clan who would step up to help the affected feel more secure in the aftermath… And yet here he was, with a sense of thankfulness towards Fugaku that he was sure would take years to repay in any meaningful way. Because whenever the unease in his own village really begins to gnaw at him, he spots one of the Uchiha officers. And it's pretty clear to him the very purpose of him noticing them now, when he would have to have searched purposefully for them before, was to give him some peace of mind.
And perhaps to serve as a warning against further attempts to kidnap the twins.
And then there is the unexpected way he is now seeing a lot more of Kushina. She always seems to find him at least once a day. Most often when he goes to lunch with the twins who now wholly expect to eat out every day he is doing these d rank missions. Kushina makes a point to pay for herself, and even keeps offering to pay for one of the twin's food on top of hers… and because she is so emphatic about it, he lets her.
A month ago he never would have thought it would be possible for him to regularly be having lunch with Kushina. Nor that he would get used to her presence enough that he would almost stop stumbling over his words entirely around her. It was only when the girl teased him that he would sometimes forget how to speak for just a moment.
He didn't think that much would ever change… and somehow… he was alright with that. Because whenever she did get him to stammer from her teasing the way she would laugh and smile was something that took his breath away, every single time.
And then it was finally the agreed upon day that she would sneak him to see Mito-sama. The day they were going shopping. The day before the twin's birthday.
Minori had insisted she bring the twins to stay with her after their lunch out, because Sakumo was to be released that evening, and he had expressed a want to see them. He couldn't argue with that, though he did make sure to tell Minori that he would be coming back later today, since he needed to buy them gifts for tomorrow now that he had been paid.
She'd looked… a little unimpressed that he hadn't asked to borrow money, and had waited until so last minute… but after saying as much, she'd actually smiled some sort of knowing smile that made him wonder just what she thought she knew.
Then he had to run back to the academy so he could take his now favourite trio of students on their mission. (well, Tsume was still too quick to anger… but she was a good kid even with that)
Are you sure about trying this now?
Masato's nervous words reach her, and the energy is a little contagious. She had been… well, not exactly confident… but sure that it was the right time to take their testing of their odd ability further. With his nerves… she feels even less confident about it. What's the next step if not this?
Maybe we shouldn't be moving on to the next step so quickly. It was only yesterday that we each were able to anchor to Minato when he was on his way back from the academy.
That was true. This would be a quite a step from that. Both times yesterday they had been all but certain of where Minato was, and how long before he was near enough they could change anchor to the other. Today it seemed he was going to be shopping, meaning they wouldn't know where he would be, and how long it would take him to return. When are we going to get another chance like this though? Ni-san has to go back to regular missions soon… I'd give it two more weeks at most. She says to qualify this next step. I doubt he'll take that long to do his shopping… and if it comes down to it we do know it's possible to transfer the anchor to even strangers in line of sight. I can use that to get back here.
You only tried out two transfers Maki… we don't know how many you'd need to get back, and if there is some sort of strain to doing that would only become apparent with repetition.
Also a very good point.
If it comes down to it… I was able to sort of follow me to my body… I can do that.
Which would surely freak Minato out, and possibly bring up some questions. Still, as nervous as she was to try… she felt now really was the best time. They had no idea if they would get a chance to try it after this. Not with Minato at least… and using Minato as an anchor was a lot easier than using other people, aside from each other.
Fine. But you need to come back on your own if Ni-san isn't on his way back within an hour.
She couldn't argue with that. Alright. Then… I'll be going Masa.
He's silent at first, and she worries, hesitating on sending herself out. Finally though he replies. Be careful Maki. Don't take any chances.
Got it.
Then she takes a steadying breath, before she concentrates on feeling out the… division between her physical and spiritual energy. It's… an odd feeling. Her finger and toe tips tingle when she gets it right, and then the sensation spreads throughout her body as she kind of… lifts out. Then nothing for a moment, not even the sounds of her or her brother breathing.
Then those sounds come to her, and she is able to see herself from just behind her brother's unruly mass of hair. That part is the worst, she personally feels. There is just something so unnerving about seeing her own self from… outside of herself.
She doesn't linger on it, instead focusing on finding and linking to the familiar feel of Minato. She'd been able to find him on his way back from the academy without too much trouble yesterday. But this attempt she is doing a little later than that… and there is the fact he is going shopping, so she doesn't have a good direction to search in. So it understandably takes much longer to find his chakra.
Then she has they strangely dizzying sensation of being pulled at great speed away from Masato and towards her new anchor, Minato. Through walls and trees and any other non living or plant based obstacle. It's made more jarring with how it weaves around people and animals instead taking a direct path through them.
And then suddenly, when she knows she's almost made it to Minato, it feels as if she has been pulled into… something almost like a viscous liquid. She can feel the connection, the anchor straining, as Minato moves further away because suddenly she isn't being pulled to him with any real force. The further he goes… the worse it gets.
No, she realizes… its the further she goes, the worse it gets. Because what she has hit… is chakra. It has to be Chakra, because she can feel it, and she knows there isn't much of anything that spiritual state can feel. Genjutsu is the only one they know it can… but this… she doesn't think it's Genjutsu.
A barrier? It could be some sort of barrier? Barriers did stop the spiritual transformation jutsu didn't they?
But why would there be such a large barrier in the midst of Konoha? One that was clearly not affecting regular people at all? Could there be such a barrier?
No… not a barrier. Which left her with only one other option, they had not really considered could be a problem in this way.
A seal.
She's almost coming to a stop.
Whatever this seal is, she can find out later. This is getting dangerous, she determines. She might get stuck in the seal if she is pulled much further into its area of effect. So she does her best to turn about, always a difficult task in this state but now even more so. The first person she sees heading out of this area she wills herself to connect too.
It doesn't seem to work. She comes to a stop.
Shit shit shit.
And then she is moving ever so slightly. Okay… don't panic. Just keep trying to edge yourself out of here.
She finds another person. Then another, and another and another.
It's then she notices that what she's seeing has started to darken on the edges. What could that mean?
She redoubles her efforts to get out, desperately changing anchors one after another, with her vision continuing to become more narrow. She feels… tired… and small.
And then all at once… she's free, and being pulled along at a normal rate behind a woman with curly brown hair. As soon as she realizes she's free of the seal she starts trying to sense out Masato to send herself back to her own body as quickly as possible.
The tug back through Konoha is dizzying, and when she snaps back above Masato she almost can't manage to tell him back.
You were barely gone! His voice reaches her, but it sounds like it's from the other end of a long tunnel. Even when he akes the needed contact with her body that sends her crashing back into it.
She sputters as she finds herself suddenly corporeal again, and gasps for breath. She's broken instantly out into a cold sweat, and is even trembling. Not to mention how tired she feels. So very, terribly tired… she could sleep for days.
A part of her registers that these are rare symptoms Sakura-chan had once mentioned could occur from chakra exhaustion coupled with an imbalance of the two parts that made up chakra… the physical and the spiritual. And there was no treatment but to rest.
Maki what the hell happened? Masato asks… but she can't seem to answer him right away. She tries, but the words don't seem to be conveyed… like she doesn't have the energy too.
But each moment she feels just slightly less drained.
Maki, squeeze my hand if I should call for Minori-san, Her brother tells her now, sounding even more concerned. She instead shakes her head just a bit.
Sorry… just so… tired. She finally manages to get across.
How? Why? I felt a little tired yesterday after testing anchoring to other people a few times but… not anything like this! You're in a cold sweet Maki.
Seal. Some sort of huge sealing array, she manages. It slowed me down. Almost got stuck.
A seal? A seal caused this? And it didn't just trap you immediately?
She nods slightly, and then shakes her head in just as small of a gesture.
Well that's a problem… there's seal tags on a lot of the structures which might make it hard to use this to spy on important individuals.
Oh… she hadn't thought of that problem yet. Crap.
Well… I'm glad you were able to get free. But we'll need to slow down our experiments with this… this new limitation makes it even riskier. He tells her more calmly than she thinks he actually feels. Rest Maki.
Well… she is very tired… and there isn't anything else she can do at this point. So she lets herself fall surprisingly easily into a deep sleep.
She was glad she'd looked around whenever she had a chance for any ideas on things that would match for Minato to purchase as gifts. It meant that when they met in front of the Academy they didn't actually have to spend too much time on the shopping part of this… meeting. Though she is a little surprised by the fact that Minato chooses what he does. She thought perhaps he'd go for a bracelet or something that could be hidden by his sleeves when he wasn't with the twins and not on missions, when he'd probably leave it behind. But he seems to have wanted something a little more versatile than that.
What he buys is finely woven cords of wire in a surprisingly orange colour. Wire, not woven material. Which could only mean it was for durability. And she doesn't white understand why, until he pulls out three small sort of charms of his clan symbol, and then deftly attaches them to each cord. And when she'd asked, he told her that he'd been holding onto charms for awhile, as his father had them made for the family not long before his death… and that the metal conducted chakra. Though being so small, he didn't think they'd be much use.
She knew better. Even so small, that would be ridiculously useful if you knew how to take advantage of the chakra conductive metal efficiently. Sure, they wouldn't likely be able to be utilized as weapons… but in sealing there were quite a few applications they could be used for. And putting such in the hands of toddlers seemed almost wasteful…
But she couldn't argue that they shouldn't have them. They absolutely should because of that sentimental value alone. And one day maybe she could teach them how to utilize them properly.
Not any time soon though.
After that she'd had to focus on guided Minato through her chosen route to sneak him in to see Mito-ba. And that had been more than a bit nerve wracking. She hoped he didn't notice. Especially when they were finally just about there after nearly twenty five minutes of ducking through narrow alleys, slipping under or over pipes, and then finally actually going through a storm water drain which had a secret connection to another secret connection, through which she would often pass to sneak in to see Mito when she was especially upset.
Then she'd had to hide him and tell him to wait for her in that spot. Because it would be weird if she wasn't seen going in to visit Mito-ba, so she had to sneak back away and come back through the front gate like she was supposed to.
He didn't complain even once. And he was actually extremely good at this whole… stealth thing. To the point she'd almost thought she'd lost him twice because she couldn't hear him behind her, only to turn back and have him nearly be in her face.
Finally though she was back inside, and pulling open the low storage cabinet she'd had him hide in. From there all they had to do was quietly make their way to Mito-ba's bedroom. Just quietly enough that those outside wouldn't be able to hear there was two of them. Once there, then they could relax, because Mito had complete sound blocking seals on her room, since she didn't want anyone… well… sneaking into Kushina's sealing lessons.
She knocks on Mito-ba's door, and tries not to shift nervously on her feet. "I'm here Mito-ba," she calls as evenly as she can.
"Come in child," the woman's voice greets her.
She slides the door open, and steps in, then waits for Minato to do the same, before she close the door. And she feels the activation of Mito-ba's seals tingling on her skin.
"Well now this is such a pleasant surprise child! You've never brought someone along with you before." The old woman's usually slightly tremulous voice is steady, and quite cheerful. "Come, come, let me see you closer, friend of my dear relative."
She looks over at Minato, and sees him swallow in clear nerves, as he is rooted to the spot. She rolls her eyes at him, and pushes at his shoulder, as she also moves through the room toward Mito's bed.
As she often was when she visited the old Uzumaki is sitting on the edge of her bed, her hands in her lap. The room is well lit with light from the windows, and countless candles scattered about to banish any shadow from more shielded corners. Most of the room around Mito's bed is clear and open space. But the wall opposite her bed is almost filled with floor to ceiling shelves, filled with scrolls and books. Most of them written by Mito-ba's own hand she knows. There's even a number on the floor around a permanently drawn circle, where she had recently started practicing extremely complex fuinjutsu with the woman.
On this side of the bed though there is a cabinet, which she opens, and she pulls out two cushions from inside to set them in front of Mito's bed for now.
"No no, don't sit quite yet. Let me see you… lad. Yes you are a lad aren't you," the woman is saying, calling Minato up from his attempt to take a seat after she'd placed the cushions. He hesitates again, until she pushes his shoulder a second time. Then he finally approaches the woman until he is standing right in front of her.
"Ah yes… a fine young lad aren't you," the woman seems to ponder aloud. "Blonde hair and blue eyes… but not after a Yamanaka fashion. Yet something about you is familiar… I've seen a boy just like you before. Years ago now."
Seen a boy like Minato?
"Now what was his name," the woman goes on to question herself. "I apologize, My memory is not what it used to be… but when you've lived as long as me and need to remember so very much in terms of history and techniques to be passed down, a lot of other things just escape you."
She knew that these words from Mito were entirely truthful. There wasn't much she seemed to remember of people's faces from her past, but details on fuinjutsu, and history she had lived through… every single important bit, she remembered.
"Mito-sama… Perhaps his name was Namikaze Reko," Minato offers up, and then he boys his head. "I'm his grandson, Minato."
"Namikaze… Reko," Mito murmurs, as she looks Minato up and down. "Raise you're head lad, I can't see your face like that." Minato straightens at the words… a little stiffly. "Reko… Namikaze…Ah yes… the Namikaze who left Uzushio!" The woman finally declares. "No… no… his son. Reko was the son. The upstart who visited me the last time his father came to pay me his respects." The woman works through her memories until she comes to a conclusion on who it was. "So his line is still in Konoha. I wonder if that was why Little Hiruzen was by to bother me about that odd scroll."
Hirzuen… the Hokage had been by to bother Mito-ba about a scroll?
"Kushina-chan, would you please grab it for me, now It's on my mind, I want to have a look," the woman goes on. "It's… now where did I put it?" As the woman tries to remember, she moves over towards the scrolls that are out and open, scanning them for anything she doesn't recognize. It's not among those that are open however. But off to the side, atop a pile of old books that she knew were normally up near the top of the shelves, she sees a scroll that appears a little scorched.
"Mito-ba, is it burnt?" She calls back to the elder woman.
"Yes, yes, good eyes child. That's the one." The older Uzumaki confirms, smiling quite brightly now. "Bring it here."
She goes to it, and stands up on her toes to reach it on the top of the pile, before quickly moving to the bed to sit next to Mito and place the scroll in her hands. "Here you go."
"Thank you. Such a helpful child," The woman says breathily, before she squints her eyes to focus on the scroll. She watches Mito for a moment, before standing, and moving next to Minato.
"We can sit for now. It might take her awhile to decide she's done looking at it," she whispers.
He nods, though she can see he's still quite nervous… antsy even. He probably is worried about this taking a long time, she thinks.
They wait in silence for nearly five minutes while Mito turns the scroll around in her hands, before the woman finally sets it in her lap, and looks at them. "So, Kushina-chan… for what reason did you bring this lad… Minato was it?"
"Well, I just learned the other day that the Namikaze clan was from Uzushio originally," she explains to start. "I thought perhaps you would like to see a new face. But I also hoped maybe you knew something about his clan."
"Curious for yourself girl?" The woman asks, eyes narrowing slightly. "No… no, that isn't really like you is it? So you are hoping I know something because it would be helpful for your friend then… but why would the grandson of Reko need to learn about his clan from such an old and reclusive woman." The woman looks to Minato then, though its questionable how well she can see him from where she sits. "Boy, who is the current clan head here in Konoha?"
"No one, Mito-sama," he answers her clearly. "There is only myself, and my young half siblings, twins, left in Konoha. I am clan heir."
Mito raises an eyebrow. "Clan heir… how old are you… ah… around ten. Very young to be the oldest… Twins you said?"
"Yes."
"Twins… twins… there was something about twins… Something they would ask for our help in… but it was so rare," the woman murmurs now, and she can barely hear it. "Ah, I can't quite seem to remember… put perhaps it is somewhere in these shelves."
She looks at the massive shelves… somewhere within them, knowing each and everything had a seal of some sort applied to it… it would take Mito-ba at least a year to find it because of her age… and anyone else twice as long thanks to the seals.
But maybe the didn't need to hope to find that particular needle in this haystack.
"Mito-ba… There's an Uzumaki seal in the Namikaze home… do you know anything about it?"
Minato tenses next to her, because she hadn't been able to forewarn him about that detail. She'd explain to him afterward why she hadn't told him before.
"An Uzumaki seal… in a Namikaze home… curious, very curiou-" The woman is saying, and then she stops abruptly. "Oh yes, I do remember that… It was why Reko visited with his father, to have himself registered for it." The woman declares. Then she looks between both her and Minato. "Well, You'll have to take care of that from now on Kushina… I certainly can't travel so far away, so late in my life as I am now."
Wait… she'd have to take care of it? It involved some sort of registration… that was… well, she had a decent understanding of such sealwork since it worked off a similar principle to summoning contracts but… It wasn't easy. With how she was now it could take her months just to map out the seal array, and then she'd have to interpret it. Only after that could she reverse engineer the array to the point that she could figure out how to register it…
"Mito-ba that could take years," she states. "And Minato-kun really could use more information on his clan now. His siblings were nearly kidnapped out of the village not even a week ago, and it may have to do with them being twins. How can he keep them safe when there is so much he doesn't know?"
The woman is silent. But she can feel the new weight to her gaze, even as it slides from her back to Minato, and then returns.
"Children… some knowledge can do more harm than good, especially when one is not truly ready to hear it." The old woman says firmly. "I could show you exactly what you need to do, Kushina… but then you would not truly learn it in a way that would assist you moving forward. You would not understand it as you would need to." The woman goes on ominously. "The same can be said for learning more of the Namikaze. Simply handing over dangerous, or potentially dangerous knowledge to young minds would be a folly I am not foolish enough to make at my age."
Then she gives them a small smile. "You must learn. You must improve yourself. You must prepare for those answers. Strengthen your minds and your resolve."
Minato clenches his fists. "I mean no disrespect Mito-sama… but I have resolved… and I can't waste time. My siblings nearly died… and whoever is after them will probably try again, but the village won't give me anything it might have on my clan until I make Jōnin, or for six years. That's far to long."
Mito turns her full attention back to Minato, measuring him up, she thinks. "I still cannot be so negligent as to hand you dangerous information, untested," The woman declares authoritatively. "Though I do not know how dangerous it may truly be, my memory is too hazy on it… that does not change what this village was established for. The safety of the children," The woman goes on.
"And children are at risk," Minato daringly states. "Please… Even if you must test me some way… I need to know."
Silence for nearly five minutes once more, and Minato bows his head before the elderly woman and waits, though tension clearly continues to grow in his frame.
"Now you're quite a good lad," the woman suddenly says in a more kindly voice. "Kushina-chan, on the third shelf, five up, seventeen over there is a woode box. Bring it to the boy, along with ink and brush, and those books I had you read four months ago."
Four months ago? But… that was not basic fuinjutsu by any means and… just what was Mito-ba planning?
She knew better than to actually question her though, with such clear instruction. So she gets back to her feet and moves to find first the box, and then the books that the woman requested.
"Minato, have you any familiarity with fuinjutsu? Not the academy taught storage scrolls."
"Familiarity… yes. I've learned and discussed theory behind Fuinjutsu with my sensei at length," Minato answers easily, confidently.
Wait… had he? Sure it was just theory but… to be able to actually discuss it? He wasn't exaggerating was he?
"We shall see if you learned anything you can practically apply then," the woman states, as she make sher way back with all the requested items. "Kushina-chan, give what you have brought to the boy, then we will proceed with our lessons." She purses her lips, but sets the items in front of Minato, before she helps the old woman rise from her bed. "Namikaze Minato, If you can open that box without damaging it's contents, what is inside is yours to keep. If you can come to utilize that content masterfully then should I still be alive, I will more directly involve myself in seeing this secret sealed in your residence be unlocked to you." Then the woman gives another one of her kind smiles. "But know this… even should you fail at either, that does not mean you can not gain access to those answers you seek swifter than the limitations of this village's bureaucracy would allow. You do after all have my prized pupil around to assist you. So do not be hasty. Be deliberate, and careful with your actions."
And then Mito burgers her away from Minato to the circle upon the floor, were she settles the woman on several cushions and then, a little reluctantly, proceeds with her lesson.
Ten minutes pass. She hears very little from where Minato is working, while she tries to concentrate on her lesson. But she can't help but feel antsy herself… because It had been over an hour now since they'd met up, and soon she'd need to help him leave so he could get back to the twins. She expects any minute now he will clear his throat and apologize before saying he really needs to get back.
But another fifteen minutes goes by. Twenty. Thirty. Thirty five.
"I did it!" Suddenly rings out in the room, as she hears Minato jumping to his feet, and to her great surprise when she looks over… he actually, truly has. The black wooden box sits open on the floor, and in his hands is an old scroll, wrapped in two tags with an intricate seal on each.
"Well now that is quite impressive," Mito comments softly, before she rises to her feet. "Help me back over there, Kushina."
She does so, and settles the woman back on the edge of her bed, where she takes up that burned scrol from before. "Come close, children," the woman bids. "And look at this. For perhaps it can tell you, young Namikaze, just who is after your siblings."
The atmosphere in the room becomes tense once more with thos words. And Minato quickly moves to join her in standing before the woman.
Then, as though it is the simplest of tasks, the woman begins to use threads of her chakra to unwind a seal she makes appear before her, since the array has been singed to illegibility. In under a minute the scroll rolls open upon the womans lap. "As I suspected. This, children, is a genealogy, so to speak. A list of surviving bloodlines from those who left Uzushio. The ones who have died out, are now blotches of ink… those that continue by their descendants indicate the number of generations passed."
She looks down at the scroll more carefully. It's mostly filled with appears to be smears of ink. Only two names remain. The first is Ryouga Namikaze, and next to it are lines indicating the current descendants are his great great grandchildren.
The second name though causes her to furrow her brow. "Mito-ba… this one is darker than the other name."
"That means he's still alive," The Uzumaki elder answers. "And with children too."
Namikaze Satoru.
She glances over at Minato, expecting confusion… instead she sees horrified understanding.
Then he has stepped back. "I'm sorry, I need to get back," he breaths out in a rush. "Thank you very much for… your help… this opportunity… Mito-sama."
"I see… such a shame. But perhaps you will join Kushina again in the near future, while I still live," the old woman comments, seeing un bothered. "Go ahead and see him out Kushina-chan. We're done with our lesson for today."
"Yes Mito-ba," she answers, bewildered… and worried.
Minato shoves the scroll in his hand into one of his pouches, and then quietly they make their way out.
When they have finally gotten past where they have to worry about being caught, she realizes he's about to leap away, and she grabs him quickly by the arm. "Minato-kun… well… Just… I'm you're ally, okay?"
It had looked like he was about to pull away roughly, but at these words he stills. His brows knit, and he bites at his lower lip. Then he smiles weakly. "Thank you, Kushina-san… that… means a lot."
She supposes that's the best she can do right now then. "I'll see you later ttebane."
"Later," He agrees… and then he's gone, already up on the roof across from the alley they'd been standing in, then further, and further. It's only a few seconds before she can't see him any more.
Masato was beginning to worry that Minori-san would go looking for Minato since he had yet to return, and it was nearly time for her to go and pick up Sakumo from the hospital. Or that she would decide something weird was up with Makiko, because the girl kept dozing off. She'd fallen into his side twice now while they were supposedly playing in the Hatake's living room. And it was becoming harder to cover for her.
Then finally the door to the home opened.
"Sorry I'm so late Minori-san," Minato's voice called from the door. And Minori rushed from the kitchen, pulling her apron off as she went.
"You better be sorry Minato… I've barely got any time now to get to the hospital for Sakumo's release." The woman berates the genin, before she sighs. "Well, what's done is done. But you may want to go ahead and start on your reports while I'm gone. I suspect poor Makiko-chan had nightmares during naptime and didn't get any proper rest."
Oh… shit… she'd noticed after all.
"Nightmares?" Minato asks, and there is an edge of concern. "Is she alright?"
"Just very tired. It's probably a good idea to have her take another nap while you work on reports. I'm sure Masato won't mind playing quietly… he's a very good brother to her and has been keeping an eye on her since he woke up." The woman is saying. "Now, I really do have to be going."
"Ah… sorry for holding you up… thank you Minori-san," His brother is saying. Then he hears the door open again, and knows Minori has left.
Soon enough Minato appears in the living room. And Makiko has fallen asleep again. He looks at his sister, then decides he might as well try and shift her to lay down. "Welcome back Ni-san," he greets his brother in a whisper, a finger to his lips. "Maki very sleepy."
"I see that," Minato replies with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "And you've been looking out for her. Thank you Masato."
"Course I have!" He tells his brother. "We promised we'd help eachother. All of us," he declares.
Minato's smile fades a moment, and then returns, and this time it seems more genuine. Still, there is something troubling in his brother's eyes. Then Minato states far too emphatically for this to be a simple promise with toddlers.
"We did. And we will."
And he really believes his brother, with the fire in his eyes, that nearly masks whatever shadow he had spied in their depths.
But that shadow… doesn't matter. Because he had never gone back on his word. Neither had his sister. And he knew with certainty now that Minato was just like them.
They'd said they'd do it. So they would. No matter the trials and tribulations.
The Uzumaki had been had lived by that belief. Everything else from that life might turn out to be extraneous to this one and their purpose for coming here. But that principle would endure.
Just like them.
Word count: 10301
To the Reviewers:
Again thank you to everyone who has reviewed this. I appreciated all the kind words, and greatly enjoyed seeing individual reactions and in some cases theories on certain points.
