A/N: I'M ALIVE!
I'm sooooo sorry this took five months to come out. It isn't intentional I promise you. So many things unexpectedly happened and this one took longer to come out (especially the beta problem), but here it is. I read all your comments and I thank everyone who followed and favorited this story, I normally just reply to your comment via pm so check out your inbox.
Before going to the chapter, I would like to address one review that really really pissed me off.
2 up: seriously mate stop with the fucking baby that's just annoying. I'd also ask you to stop rehashing the same event from different perspectives and just get on with it.
That's what he said. So here's my answer bud, since you seemed to be asking for attention. First of all, maybe you haven't talked with a 2 year old kid yet, because dude, that's just sad. You criticize without really knowing what you're talking about. I have a two-year-old baby sister and she talked exactly like that. She stumbled over too many words and often misspoke words. Aside from that, this is my story, if you don't like it get out of here because I don't have any obligation to follow your demands. This story will progress according to how I want it to progress. I'm the writer, not you. Everything written here is here for a reason. If I hadn't come back to Naruto's point of view of meeting Itachi, the Kyuubi's power involvement would've been a plot hole.
Anyways, I'm sorry for the rant, that one really irritates the hell out of me for a while now. Putting that aside, here's chapter 6.
Warning: LANGUAGE! LANGUAGE! Kushina has a foul mouth! TORTURE SCENE AHEAD! This story is Rated M for a reason.
The Fourth Hokage's Son
Chapter Six
The sun slowly rose up to the horizon; a canopy of gold light amid the blue bidding the darkness of the night goodbye. It was supposed to be a fine morning for Onoki.
Today, he was supposed to finally be able to start training the new Jinchuriki to become his most powerful weapon. He was supposed to be a step closer in his plan to destroy Konoha's Yellow Flash. Instead, he was rudely awoken by his ANBU guards at the crack of dawn informing him of a prison break, and not just any prison; but the prison where his prized jinchūriki had been held.
It took Onoki a few moments longer than he'd like to admit to realize what kind of prison break his shinobi were implying, and it was like a bucket of icy water had been dumped on his balding head, his drowsiness forgotten in an instant. His eyes bulged and he was out of his bed in seconds, flying towards the deepest section of Iwa's dungeons in nothing but his pajamas.
The almost drum-like alarm bells for the prison break echoed through his ears as the shinobi assigned to the dungeon ran in panic and confusion.
Those were the questions within every Shinobi on call. One thing was abundantly clear to all:
It was utter chaos.
A few things stood out amidst the mess of rocks and running shinobi: the scattered playing cards and bottles, the occasional half-chewed meal scattered haphazardly against the walls, clearly the afterthought of many a guard due to the attention-demanding alarm blaring.
A pulsing nerve ticked on his forehead and his eyes twitched. Onoki landed slowly on his feet, gazing at the crumbled wall of their underground dungeon with rising fury.
"You insolent fools! Who told you to slack off outside of those women's cells! You-you–" His eyes were bloodshot red, the veins in his temple threatening to pop from rage.
"FIND THEM, OR SO HELP ME I WILL USE YOUR BONES AS TOOTHPICKS FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS!" Onoki roared and the three unfortunate guards inside the now empty cell room scrambled to obey his command.
"Cursed Uzumaki women!" He hissed as he stared disdainfully at the destroyed wall and the irritating remnants of a seal written in blood.
Kushina had often hallucinated about being rescued and coming back home to her husband, and each time she was caught within one of these fever dreams, it became increasingly harder to come back to reality. Many times, she had imagined Naruto and Minato's first meeting. She could just imagine his surprise, his adorable fumbling, and stuttering before his brain ground to a halt. Minato would faint in shock and she would laugh merrily at his prone form while cute, clueless Naruto grasped at her skirt in confusion.
Then she would introduce her baby boy to her friends. She would brag and parade her incredibly cute baby who was something of a carbon copy of Minato. The village would pamper her son, but she would teach him humility. Together with her husband, they would raise Naruto to be the greatest, kindest, and bravest shinobi to ever live. She would finally move on from captivity and live the life that she had longed for with her little family.
During these hallucinations, she was rescued by different people from Konoha. More frequently, it was her husband who busted her out of Iwa's dungeons. At times, she dreamed that Konoha's most elite shinobi would rescue her. But right here, right now, face to face with one of Konohagakure's ANBU operatives, reality felt like more of a dream than the times she had hallucinated while in captivity.
He was donning a standard set of Konoha's ANBU uniform with his ceramic animal mask strapped to his hip as he stared at her with a face bare of emotion.
A familiar face. One that she had seen so many times back in the village. She could remember vividly the first time she had laid eyes on him; he was so small, with such little hands and cute toes. Little Itachi, Mikoto, and Fugaku's firstborn. Her godson.
'Itachi-chan.'
If not for her injury, she would have tackled Itachi to the ground in an unbreakable bear hug of love, just to make sure that he was alive and real and there. It had been years since she last saw him, back when he was only about nine years old if her memory served her right. She didn't know if Itachi knew that she was his godmother. When Itachi was born, they were forced to keep her close relationship with the Uchiha hidden for political reasons. As Konoha's only jinchūriki, Kushina really should not be open about her connections to the secluded Uchihas so as to avoid political drama before Minato's appointment as Fourth Hokage. It had been more than four years since Minato had become the Hokage so Kushina didn't know if Itachi knew their relationship or not.
She did not know how long she had been staring at him since his introduction. She was having a hard time processing what the 14-year-old was saying to her.
For the past four years, Kushina had put a strong front for the sake of her son and sister. Through all the pain and hardship she had endured for so long, she swore to herself that come hell or high water she would return to her beloved village. She had never let them think that she believed otherwise. However, no one can lie to themselves forever. The more she deceived herself, the more lost she became, amongst waves upon waves of soul-shattering hopelessness.
As time passed by, months and years came and went, and she continued to wake up inside a cold cell in Iwagakure, the idea of Konoha became the subject of fantasies that she could only reach in her dream.
After the absolute desolation, she had endured at the hands of the many Iwa shinobi, seeing someone familiar, someone from her beloved village, and especially her best friend's son–her godson–in front of her after four years of imprisonment, tore the mask she had been wearing into pieces. She gently, nearly shakily, cupped Itachi's face and stroked the warm skin that lay beneath.
'Goodness, he's definitely Fuku-face's son.'
At the sudden reminder of her friends, she couldn't help the tears that burst out of her eyes. Just the thought of Mikoto's demure chuckles, of Fugaku's irritated face, flung her back into the sea of repressed memories she had tucked away deep in her heart in hopes that someday she would be able to look back on them with joy rather than sadness.
Seeing little Itachi's face devoid of his baby fat and innocence made her painfully aware of the lost years that she could have spent together with her precious friends and family. The lost opportunity she had to bond with her godson. She could not help the feeling of regret that welled in her heart as wave after wave of memories assaulted her mercilessly. She wondered if Tsunade had stayed in the village or decided to continue her plan to travel and stay away from Konoha? Or if Miko-chan succeeded in making her stay there for the rest of her life.
'Tsunade should be there. She's waiting for me.'
At the thought of her blonde friend, her thoughts couldn't help but drift towards Minato. Their final farewell at the village's gate. How he looked like he hadn't wanted her to leave but afraid to tell her thinking that he didn't have the right to make the decision for her. She remembered their final embrace, the last time she had tasted his lips on her. How he had clutched her to his person like a last lifeline. She knew back then that Minato hadn't wanted her to leave, but her thoughts were clouded by her desire to prove her worth to the village, blissfully unaware that she was walking blindly into a four-year hell that just seemed to make her life miserable.
She regretted it. She shouldn't have let Koharu's taunt affect her and her opinion of herself. Now, look where it had got her. It's funny how she thought that she was powerful and skilled enough to take on anyone in a simple B rank mission. Now, she couldn't do anything but wallow in self-pity and regret. She had even dragged their son into this mess. If only she weren't so selfish and prideful back then, if only she had been more mindful of the visible hesitation on Minato's face, she and their innocent baby boy wouldn't have experienced such hardship.
If only, if only.
The tears came faster than before, big drops of salty water covered her whole face, and she bit her lip to stifle her sobs. She was probably a sight to behold. She hadn't taken a proper bath for so long, she was filthy and bloodied, and she was probably freaking out poor little Itachi.
Seeing a grown woman bawl her eyes out in front of him, the wife of the famous Yellow Flash at that was probably sending the teen's pulse into a frenzy. She could practically see the many stages of panic crossing through the young Uchiha's onyx eyes. He put a hand on her arm, his gentle touch soothing her broken body. The tears cascaded down her cheeks and seem like they'd stop anytime soon. She imagined that she resembled the most pleasant picture Itachi had ever seen.
"Kushina-sama, what's wrong?" said Itachi, tensing his arm like he was deactivating a paper bomb.
This time, Kushina didn't hide her grin and laughed at the look on the ANBU's face. It reminded her of a hyperventilating Fugaku when a very pregnant Mikoto almost tripped on an unsuspecting rock. She couldn't help but laugh harder and harder. She was definitely freaking out her son and godson, but that mental image was something she'd never forget.
'Seeing the stoicism of the Uchiha crumbling down is always a sight to behold. Oh, Miko-chan, if you were here, I'd request a set of photos so this moment could be remembered.'
It took all of Itachi's ANBU training not to twitch in front of the woman as she looked at him like a being worthy of praise. It made him uncomfortable to be stared at for so long, especially when the person who was staring at him was the famed Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. To make matters worse, said woman had started to cry in front of him.
'W-what did I do? Why is she crying?' he thought a bit frantically, startled at the sudden waterworks. He'd immediately put a hand on the woman's arm and awkwardly tried to sort out the problem.
'And now she was laughing too! -I already made the Hokage's son cry earlier, and now his wife?'
"You've grown up so much," said Kushina as she recovered from laughing, the tears were still visible on her cheeks, and yet, an uncertain, wobbly smile was perched on her lips.
'She knew me? Quick, say something impressive to stop her from crying, Itachi!'
In his haste to stop the waterworks, he opened his mouth without thinking.
"Uhh, yeah that happens to people."
Silence...
They stared at each other for three long agonizing seconds before Kushina burst out laughing again, then moaning in pain and clutching her hip injury. Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them, looking lost while Itachi felt like dying inside.
He didn't know how to react to that.
'Smooth... well, at least she's not crying anymore.'
This was so bizarre. All that had happened in a span of four hours was mind-boggling. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"You remember me?" He asked. He hadn't expected to be recognized immediately. In fact, if he were, to be honest, he hadn't expected that the famous woman would remember him at all.
He, on the other hand, remembered the redhead woman accompanying his mother a few times when he was young. There were a couple of house visits too, how could he ever forget her? She was known and feared all over the Elemental Nation for her expertise in Fuinjutsu and Kenjutsu.
The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.
A name that goes with the Yellow Flash of Konoha and the Legendary Sannin. He had grown up and he hadn't expected to be immediately recognized by someone as high profile as her.
"Of course I would remember you. I carried you a couple of times when you were a baby and your mother is one of my best friends," Kushina replied.
Itachi felt his ears burn in embarrassment as the woman looked at him fondly.
"Ah...well..." he stumbled, not knowing what to say.
To be looked at so fondly by Kushina Uzumaki, was...humbling.
"It's an honor to be remembered by you Kushina-sama. However–" he paused.
It had been four hours since he met little Naruto, and the allotted time given to them to return from their individual investigation had run out. He needed to get down to business.
"Kushina-sama, I'm here with an ANBU squad and we were supposed to return from our individual investigations an hour ago. I believe they are already looking for me," he informed the woman seriously. Kushina's eyes widened in alarm at the information.
"There are others with you? They can't know about my son and me!" Kushina said, wincing a little as she felt her wound sting.
Itachi's brow furrowed in curiosity at the sudden outburst.
"Kushina-sama, why don't you want them to know about you? They can help us escort you back to Konoha," he asked.
Itachi watched as Kushina gnawed on her lower lip, looking worried. He was immediately confused.
"T-there are things that happened. What happened f-four years ago wasn't an accident. I-It was planned, and I–I don't really know who to trust." Itachi frowned. He opened his mouth to ask something but stopped when he felt five flickers of chakra nearing their location.
"We have company," he solemnly informed.
"Naruto, watch over your mother. I'll take care of our uninvited guests," he instructed the little boy as he brought his ANBU mask back on his face, a mere flicker of his form giving away the tell-tale signs of a precisely controlled Shunshin.
"Come back safely, Tachi-niisan!" the blond child shouted to the wind as he stared at the opening of the cave with tears prickling the sides of his eyes.
The forest was eerily quiet. The birds weren't singing, crickets remained silent, and even the wind held its breath. Itachi looked down from the branch he was crouched on. Just a few meters away there were five Iwa shinobi who looked to be scouting the area, chakra well hidden. Itachi observed them, gauging their abilities. Two Jounin and three Chunin-level chakra signatures.
He soundlessly slid out his tanto from the sheath on his back and with well-practiced ease he shunshin'ed behind one of the shinobi and swiftly slit his throat, covering his mouth so that his team wouldn't notice until it was too late. Blood spluttered out of the Iwa-nin's mouth and Itachi gently placed the body on the ground and dashed forwards to his next target.
'One-D, Four-R. I can't afford to prolong this skirmish; the objective must depart from the area to receive medical support asap.'
Another shunshin, another body laid soundlessly on the ground. It was unfortunate as this time the team leader turned his head to check his squad and widened his eyes in shock and disbelief.
Now that Itachi had been spotted, stealth for all intents and purposes was thrown out of the window.
The three remaining shinobi whipped around to glance at the inbound adversary before they pulled out their own collective kunai from their holster. One of them was rapidly forming hand seals.
"Earth Style: Bedrock Coffin!"
Around Itachi, two giant rock walls rose from the ground to crush him in-between, of which he managed to dodge by a hair's breadth through a quick execution of Shunshin. He landed behind two of the Iwa-nin and with a chakra boost on his legs, he swiped both of them at the same time. Their kunai made an unpleasant grating sound as they pressed against his tanto, the two kunai left with deep grooves in their tips and effectively useless for all future use.
The Iwa-nin weren't Jounin for nothing though and locked his blade in with another kunai each. Itachi pulled hard on his tanto, but the Iwa-nin did not budge. One of them cackled, a toothy smirk present on their face, his nervousness only given away by the beads of sweat trailing down his brow.
"You're done now, little leaf trash."
Itachi's Sharingan darted around, taking stock of the situation and catching a glimpse of the team leader going through a series of hand seals again while he was occupied with the other two. It seemed clear that before he dealt with these two, the other one would surely catch him in some unpleasant Earth Jutsu, and he wasn't willing to relinquish his blade without dealing any damage beforehand.
He exhaled lightly, and channeled chakra to his arms, amplifying his strength briefly, before pulling his tanto back and flipping forward, throwing three kunai while airborne: two at the heads of the Iwa-nin keeping his sword hostage, and one explosive tag at the remaining opponent.
The instant his feet touched the ground he sped forward, hand seals flashing in and out of existence as he approached the Iwa-nin, muttering the jutsu's name as his right palm flamed alight as if it were doused in gasoline, flames licking the sleeve of his ANBU uniform, the kanji for fire distinctly visible among the roiling red flames.
"Fire Style: Immolation."
The presumed leader ground his teeth in frustration as he abandoned the jutsu and threw up an Earth wall with the stomp of his foot to shield himself from the explosive tag. Itachi launched himself off the ground with a powerful leap, to a tree a bit behind the wall and at breakneck speed, dived and slammed his flaming palm against the body of the Iwa-nin, who wasn't given any time to even draw the sword on his waist. Itachi's opponent screamed when he realized his whole body had ruthlessly caught ablaze, neither removing his clothes nor burying himself in the dirt would douse the flames.
It had been Itachi's attempt at recreating a technique that was rumored to catch an object alight, and once caught in the technique, the flame would not go out for seven nights and seven days. It had been echoed in a few legends and myths from the Uchiha Library, and when he found out about it, his curiosity was piqued so much that he developed a jutsu that resembled the mythical technique. Regrettably, a knock-off was still a knock-off and his version only lasted for ten minutes, but it was enough time to disable a lesser opponent.
Itachi glanced back at the other two and saw only one had fallen to his surprise attack, the other glaring hatefully at him with a bleeding hand that had been impaled by his kunai. The Iwa-nin made to escape and inform other forces where this rogue Konoha ANBU was, but it was all for naught for he had already been caught in an intricate Genjutsu, and Itachi slit his throat without a second thought.
After Making sure his surroundings were clear with his Sharingan, he vanished from the bloodied clearing.
When Itachi returned to the cave a few minutes later, Kushina was already sitting with the help of her son.
They didn't have enough time to share information, this was necessary. With his Sharingan still spinning hypnotically, Itachi kneeled in front of the wounded woman with a grim face.
"Forgive me Kushina-sama, but we don't have much time," he informed her before he locked eyes with her.
Kushina stared straight back at his Sharingan, understanding without words what he had intended to do.
The kunoichi managed to nod before Itachi entered her mind, reliving Kushina's four years of imprisonment in seconds.
Itachi stood inside Kushina's mindscape, looking through the kunoichi's memories for the day of her abduction.
Once he found them, he started to manipulate them, making sure everything happened quickly to avoid causing any lasting damage to the Fourth's wife.
For Kushina, she would only see the flickering of memories starting from when she was ambushed, but for Itachi, the scenes were playing at a normal pace as his Sharingan transferred the memories into his mind.
Everything was going smoothly until the memories of her torture started.
Kushina's mind immediately latched onto the trauma and the flickering memory came into focus. Itachi was suddenly plunged inside the woman's body, experiencing the moments as if he was a part of her and seeing through her eyes.
'This isn't good,' he grimly thought before everything was swallowed by darkness.
There was blood on the floor coming from Kushina. Itachi could feel the pain through his soul, making him grit his teeth while he tried his best to split his consciousness from hers, but it was harder than he thought. The trauma that Kushina experienced was too strong for him to flawlessly control like he previously had. She was unconsciously making the memories resurface and Itachi had been unwillingly pulled into it.
The back of Kushina's skull throbbed as if it had been used as a wrecking ball; her body was stiff with pain when she suddenly jerked upright.
Itachi observed through her eyes as he slowly succeeded in untangling himself from feeling her pain directly. He knew though that the woman was panicking, right before an epiphany came through her and she finally remembered where she was. She bit out a curse and moved her hand, but her wrists refused to budge.
As if on cue, Itachi's consciousness was once again inside Kushina, feeling something on his wrist–well Kushina's wrist–restraining her.
Tomoe's spinning again, he tried to remove himself from being inside of the woman's body when a string of thoughts zipped through his mind.
'Oh right, I forgot. Every time the torture starts, they hang me on these chains.'
Indeed, she was being hung up; Itachi could feel her arms suspended in the air, though her knees were on the icy ground of the cell. Itachi could feel numbness spread in her arms after being in so much pain from having them up. Her eyes were blurry, and her memories were still a bit hazy.
Itachi blinked through Kushina's eyes and suddenly, without even realizing it, something sharp and cold had dug into her skin. If Itachi could stiffen, he would have. Instead, he tried his best to separate himself from the woman again, but the pull of the memory was still too strong.
Itachi felt a sting on his – her – lower lip – she was biting it so hard – and from the multiple cuts on her skin.
"Now we've been doing this for ages, Uzumaki. TELL ME YOUR VILLAGE'S SECRETS!" the man shouted, his voice reverberating around Kushina's mindscape.
She winced visibly before squinting her eyes as if trying to see clearly even through the blood dripping from her forehead and over half of her face, making Itachi synchronize with her every action.
"Fuck you 'ttebane." she spat out, venom lacing her raspy voice.
Itachi felt a twinge of vindictive satisfaction at the woman's crass attitude towards her torturer.
'That's right Kushina-sama. You're the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of Konoha, you don't just bow down to anyone.'
Kushina grinned crookedly, teeth bloodied, and he could feel blood dripping down his chin. He even tasted the metallic copper in his mouth.
Kushina's voice echoed around the mindscape while Itachi concentrated on detaching his mind from hers.
'You can't break me! I'm Kushina-fucking-Uzumaki, dattebane!'
"YOU INSOLENT WOMAN! TELL ME THE YELLOW FLASH'S WEAKNESSES!" The order was quickly followed by a whip to the woman's legs.
Itachi just then realized that there was another torturer in Kushina's range. He gritted his teeth as he continued to see and feel them mercilessly strike her. Her body quivering as pain skyrocketed through her. Itachi could feel them too, making his whole being shudder.
She still refused to answer their questions.
Strike after strike echoed around the mindscape followed by restrained grunts and whimpers of pain.
Itachi suffered the same agony, felt every whip she received, every speck of blood that had dropped to the unforgiving floor. He held strong, using all his shinobi training to continue the technique even when the strikes struck the heart of his very being.
In ANBU, they had been submitted to countless torture sessions to increase their pain tolerance in case they were held hostage by other hidden villages. Hiding and silently bearing pain was one of Itachi's strong suits. So, he endured until finally, he succeeded in fast-forwarding the memories again. It continued to move faster through Kushina's mind until another gruesome scene worked the woman's mind into yet another frenzy.
The violent hum of electricity streaking through the air had been continuously assaulting her battered body, calling forth a grimace of agony as her current torturer electrocuted her with a high-level lightning jutsu, and Itachi was once again plunged into mind-numbing pain.
She threw back her head and screamed as thousands of electric shocks ran through her nerves and cells. Itachi almost screamed with her, shocked at the sudden surge of agonizing electricity coursing through his nerves.
Kushina's body spasmed as if pricked by thousands of needles, transmitting the same experience into Itachi's mind.
"TELL ME YOUR HUSBAND'S WEAKNESSES!"
Kushina refused to back down and reveal information about the Fourth, she just kept on screaming and screaming until her vocal cords could no longer produce any sound. Itachi's ears rang from her screams, resonating and echoing through his mind.
"I won't say anything 'ttebane...fuck you monkey cocksucker!" she laughed with what little sound she could provide and was greeted by another painful kick to the face. Itachi was finally able to disconnect once again and succeeded in pacing through the memories. It continued for a while, memories after memories passed through with important snippets slowing down the process, especially one conversation that seemed to never leave Kushina's mind even after a year had passed since it happened.
"Ahh, feisty as ever. Danzo really outdid himself this time." Onoki's voice rang throughout the mindscape.
This was a memory that continued to flicker in her mind; even in her dreams, she heard them.
'Danzo Shimura colluded with the Tsuchikage. This betrayal lingered through her even after four years of imprisonment. This is the reason why Kushina-sama is reluctant to inform the other members of my squad. We don't know for sure who's with Danzo aside from the former elder council.'
Somehow, Itachi wasn't that surprised with this information. The Fourth had been wary of that man along with the rest of the elder council, though for the past four years the three of them had seemed like well-behaved puppies. It was a bit suspicious in Itachi's opinion, however, the Fourth and his advisors thought that the elders were finally satisfied with how he ran the village.
They had been wrong, so wrong.
Itachi blinked as he was once again in the world of darkness. Yet, the thoughts continued. Kushina's thoughts.
'How long was I out cold?'
A sudden shift happened in the darkness and Itachi could finally see something. The view was horizontal. Kushina was lying on the ground. Her lips were parched and Itachi could feel the pang of hunger in her stomach.
She was lifeless as she laid there alone. Itachi could feel the harsh coldness of the bare floor as it seeped through Kushina's raw, aching back. He could clearly feel the emptiness the kunoichi was feeling and his stomach lurched in disdain at what the Iwa shinobi, the Tsuchikage, and the traitor Danzo had done to her.
She was reduced to a lamb awaiting her slaughter, poultry breathing its last lungful before the bloodied knife stole her life away. There was a slight tremor in her body that slowly increased in intensity until she physically shook in time with it.
Itachi blinked through her eyes as Kushina stared at the empty room of her cell and carved every detail into his mind, every suffering moment she had endured. She wouldn't be alone in this hell. He would be with her at least, even if it was just through her memories.
'It's all a dream, all a dream. Only a nightmare. I'll wake up any second now. Just a dream. Not real, not real. Not real! Minato is still waiting for me. Minato...Minato...' Kushina's thoughts fleeted in her mindscape.
Itachi felt and tasted the salty liquid that ran down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep with images of the Fourth Hokage's sunny smile floating in the recesses of her mind.
Before the torturous memories disappeared and he continued browsing through all of Kushina's memories, one question kept on bugging Itachi's mind.
'How did Naruto survive all of this torture while in his mother's womb? Had it been the Kyuubi's doing?'
Kushina emerged from the haunting memories of the past four years of her life with a loud gasp. Her breathing was labored as her body shook on where she sat.
The sudden reintroduction to her most traumatic memories caused her mind and body to be wracked by a panic attack, skin turning far paler than before as her breathing became more and more erratic. She gasped for air, feeling like all the oxygen had been forcefully sucked out of her body, white knuckles unconsciously tightening as sharp nails dug into her own skin.
In the grip of silent panic from the sudden memory assault, her trauma started replaying like a broken record, making her eyes go wide. Pupils dilated, her heart racing as if she just finished running the last lap of a marathon. She almost threw up, her brain feeling like it had been pickled in brine — until she felt two small hands wrap around her arm and heard the voice of her son breaking her out of her panic.
"Mommy!"
Kushina wheezed and panted as if emerging from the deepest pit of the ocean. The first thing that she took note of as she came back from her small panic attack was the abnormal beating of her heart as it thudded painfully inside her chest. She tried to control her breathing, mentally reciting basic breathing exercises to calm the sudden attack.
'Take a deep breath in...in...out...in...in...out...' She recited like a mantra inside her head, breath slowly calming down after a few moments of inhaling and exhaling. She blinked her eyes open and was greeted by Itachi's onyx eyes.
"Forgive me for the short warning, Kushina-sama, but we're running far shorter on time than I am comfortable with," Itachi apologetically said to her, eyes flickering with so much worry that a grimace appeared on his normally stoic face.
She heavily leaned on the cold wall of the cave and Itachi helped her through with a soothing rub on her back. She nodded in gratitude as she tried to control her breathing.
"I-I understand," she gasped.
Itachi needed the information to know what they were dealing with. He was their only hope.
She may have understood the need for intel, but hadn't been glad to re-experience her past sufferings.
"Kushina-sama." A soft voice called her, and she shakily stared at a pair of onyx eyes filled with overwhelming emotions: Pain, gratitude, admiration, and understanding.
"Thank you for never giving up." A gentle touch on her shoulder, and a squeeze of reassurance and comfort.
That was all Kushina needed at that moment, Itachi understood her, her fears, worries and sufferings. Her lips quirk up in a small smile of gratitude.
Kushina trusted him with her and Naruto's lives and Itachi would do everything in his power to keep them safe.
"Awr you okay mommy?" Naruto worriedly asked, tears already threatening to fall.
They shifted their attention back to him and Itachi respectfully stepped back to give both mother and son a moment.
He could still notice the tremors in Kushina's arms as she hugged Naruto, but it seemed she had it under control. Her face was slowly returning to its original complexion. He sighed in relief.
'It's time.'
"We need to go now, Kushina-sama," Itachi said as he unsealed his blanket from the scroll strapped on his hip. ANBU didn't normally carry much during missions, opting to seal all the necessary things they needed inside a scroll to lessen the cargo.
"Itachi-kun..." He looked up, eyes blinking in confusion.
"Yes, Kushina-sama?"
Kushina stared at him and sighed. There was something in her eyes that Itachi didn't like at all. Something that wasn't supposed to be there at all.
A look of utter defeat.
"You can't bring me with you, I will only slow you down." His eyes widened in realization as he stared at the bandages surrounding her stomach.
'She is too wounded to stand on her own and I can't carry them both,' Itachi thought as he gazed at the tired-looking woman in front of him.
'However, I cannot leave Kushina-sama here.' Clenching his fist tight, he racked his mind for a solution.
'There's got to be a way. There's no such thing as only one option.'
Another choice to make, another burden dumped on his shoulders. He needed to choose again. He needed to make a decision.
Logically speaking, it would be easier for him to carry Naruto, however, he promised himself that he would protect them. Leaving one behind was out of the question; how would he explain this to the Fourth? There was no excuse he could make. Failure was not an option.
'Decisions...decisions.'
He was snapped out of his conflicting thoughts when a loud wail echoed around the cave. Naruto was crying.
"You're going to be a strong shinobi, the strongest there ever was." She placed her hand over Naruto's heart, "I'll always be with you, in here."
"No, No mommy! I will never leave you behind!" Naruto cried as he clutched his mother's arm. "Pwease mommy!"
"Naruto, do you remember the stories I told you about daddy?"
Naruto sniffed before nodding, "Yes, daddy's strong and he loves us. But, daddy's not here, mommy."
Kushina hummed and hugged her son.
"Daddy's always been with us, although not physically, you're meeting him soon."
"I'm...meeting daddy?" The voice was small, barely a whisper as if the very idea was foreign.
"Of course, and you will witness how badass he is. Although he's a bit of a sissy, dattebane!" Kushina chuckled.
"What's a sissy, mommy?"
The innocent question was answered with a bark of laughter. Even Itachi couldn't help but crack a small smile.
"Don't mind that, ask daddy later," Kushina answered between laughters as Naruto looked at her in utter confusion.
"Okay, mommy. I'll ask him later, dattebayo! Once we meet him together!"
Kushina's laughter died down, replaced by a sad smile. She caressed her son's cheek as she stared at him, eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
"Daddy will protect you in my stead."
Kushina's voice echoed around the cave and Itachi snapped his eyes up to stare at the two of them for a few seconds. The gears in his mind finally clicked into place and a sudden epiphany came to him at the mention of the Fourth, making him remember a certain conversation.
"What do you mean, mommy? I'm the one who's goin to protect yah and daddy! We'll be together, ttebayo!"
"Listen to mommy sweetheart. Itachi-niisan can't carry the both of us and I'm wounded so I wouldn't be able to keep up. I'll only slow you down, and with the number of Iwa shinobi pursuing us, we can't afford to slow down," Kushina softly explained to Naruto.
The explanation was lost to Itachi's ears as a plan slowly came to him.
"NO! Mommy, pwease. No, Mommy!"
The child latched his arms around his mother's neck, refusing to let go.
'That could work.' Itachi thought, gazing at both the mother and son.
"Am not leaving without you!" Naruto wailed louder as he literally bawled his eyes out.
"N-Naruto, y-you need to understand," Kushina choked in her tears, "I-Itachi-kun c-can't c-carry–"
"I could carry you both." The conversation and crying ceased, two pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise.
They seemed to forget his existence, but thanks to their exchange Itachi remembered something that the Fourth Hokage told him once.
Sniffling, the duo stared at him as he had just blurted out the most incredulous thing they had ever heard, like banning ramen in all Elemental Nations.
"W-what? Y-you can't carry the two of us! It will take forever–" Kushina tried to protest, but she was cut off so abruptly that she choked on her own saliva.
"I can and I will." Itachi firmly stated as he stared at the woman seriously.
Kushina was stunned, her expression slowly morphing into a hopeful look.
"H-how?" she whispered, arms tightening around her son.
"Listen closely, here's what we're going to do."
Back in Iwagakure no Sato, Onoki was barking order after order to his shinobi. His office was in chaos and groups of Iwa-nin were being dispatched one after another.
Ever since he was informed of the Uzumakis' escape, none of the teams he sent had returned to give him an update. Even the patrols who ran after them at the first sound of the alarm still hadn't come back and Onoki was getting anxious.
The door of his office was abruptly opened, and he snapped his head so quickly–making his neck protest–to receive his shinobi's report. Onoki ground and rubbed his neck, staring expectantly at his shinobi.
Two Chunin were standing in front of him looking grim.
"Tsuchikage-sama, we found a group of incapacitated shinobi outside of our country's border. A tracker team was already sent to look for the prisoner's whereabouts an hour ago, but still, no one has come back," his shinobi informed him.
"It's been hours since their escape! They're probably out of the Earth country's border by now! What the hell are you standing there for? Get back there and bring me those pesky women and the Jinchuriki!" He screamed in rage, slamming his hands on his desk.
The two Chunin straightened and saluted.
"Y-yes, Tsuchikage-sama!" The two chorused before they ran out of his office, almost tripping in their haste.
He sat heavily on his seat, seething in fury.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Those useless fools!" Onoki hissed only to jump in his seat as the door was once again, slammed open and three other Iwa shinobi rushed inside.
"Tsuchikage-sama, we caught sight of the Jinchuriki, but we couldn't find the Uzumaki women with him," A wounded Chunin reported.
Onoki perked up.
"Where's the Jinchuriki? Did we capture him?" he asked eagerly.
The three shinobi glanced at each other reluctantly.
"W-we apologize Tsuchikage-sama, we were planning to, but we were attacked by a Konoha ANBU wearing a Weasel mask," the one in the middle informed Onoki, his knees shaking as they looked at him in fear.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHY IS THERE A KONOHA ANBU THERE? AND WHY CAN'T YOU DEFEAT A SINGLE ANBU!?"
The three whimpered pathetically, huddling together.
"H-he's very skilled and fast, T-Tsuchikage-sama, and we caught a sight of red and black patterns in his eyes before he threw an explosive tag on us," The Chunin on the left stuttered.
Onoki's eyes narrowed.
"Eyes with red and black patterns, an Uchiha eh? Goddamn it!" He punched his desk in his anger, breaking it in half.
The three Chunin jumped in fright, shaking more visibly than before.
"W-We apologize, T-Tsuchikage-sama. We t-tracked him down once we regained consciousness, but we only saw signs of a battle with five of our shinobi d-dead. Two of them were Jounin level, and there's no sign of the ANBU or the Jinchuriki."
"W-We found bloodstains inside a cave, a-and since the Jinchuriki isn't injured, i-it's probably from the Uzumaki women."
The three bowed their heads in shame and fear in front of him and despite not believing it to be possible, his blood pressure went up a notch.
"Then Kushina and Kaoru are alive. Find information on that ANBU you encountered! Give me his descriptions and tell one of our portrait artists to draw his appearance!" Onoki ordered.
The three bowed, "Understood, Tsuchikage-sama!"
"Find our most talented Jounin and send them out to that ANBU's trail, we're up against an Uchiha and those pesky eyes of theirs are a pain to deal with. Tell them not to come back until they have the Jinchuriki with them. Now get out of my office!"
"Y-yes, Tsuchikage-sama!"
The three of them, like the previous duo, immediately scrambled out the door as if the Yellow Flash was out for their lives.
Onoki rubbed his forehead when the door to his office opened, yet again and a huge man entered.
"Tsuchikage-sama," the man greeted, bowing in respect.
"Akatsuchi, I hope you're already aware of the situation," Onoki said, sitting back on his seat while ignoring his destroyed desk.
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
"I have a mission for you." Onoki laced his fingers in front of him, looking grim.
"An Uchiha was protecting our weapon and the Uzumaki women. Lead a group of powerful shinobis and retrieve them. If possible, kill the Uchiha. Make sure that those three don't make it back to Konoha and send a message to that rotten village before you go. Tell them that Iwa is demanding the return of the child immediately or there will be war! We need to get the Jinchūriki before the Yellow Flash lays his eyes on him!" Onoki ordered urgently.
Akatsuchi bowed, "By your command, Tsuchikage-sama." He straightened up and immediately departed from the irate man.
Onoki could only hope for Akatsuchi to succeed, lest they go to war without any tangible advantage and their military power would decline, so much so that Kumo and even Kiri may attempt to take advantage of the situation.
'Damn you, Kushina and Kaoru Uzumaki!' Onoki cursed the Uzumaki for their vast knowledge in Fuinjutsu and cursed himself for being careless. He shook his fist in frustration.
"Tch. Damn you, Namikaze!"
Like before, the wind was blowing softly, yet the forest was eerily quiet. No chirping birds or the sound of the crickets. It was like the calm before the storm.
Itachi emerged from the cave, carrying a bundle in his arms wrapped securely in a grey blanket, hidden from prying eyes.
He took a deep breath as he sensed several different signatures coming from his fellow Konoha ANBU and another squad of Iwa shinobi heading their way.
"Hold on tight, Naruto," Itachi warned as he concentrated chakra on his legs.
Naruto managed to nod before he leaped through the trees just as a group of Iwagakure shinobi burst from the canopies.
They leaped towards him, aiming to snatch the child from his stronghold. Itachi would not let them.
He pushed chakra into his legs as he jumped from the last branch he leaped on and flipped to the air, kicking each one of their pursuers in the face and using them as leverage to leap through the trees, throwing one explosive kunai behind him to slow down their pursuit for a few minutes. He never looked back, willing his legs to run faster.
There was a loud 'BOOM' as the kunai detonated and Itachi dropped down from the trees onto the ground when he was intercepted by the ANBU team.
Ibiki Morino with their ANBU Captain beside him blocked his way. Itachi gazed impassively at the ANBU with the Dog mask who had replaced Kakashi after the Hokage asked him to leave ANBU for his well-being.
Silence reigned over for a few seconds, both sides quietly assessing the situation. In the end, the Captain took the first step. Itachi braced himself, desperately trying to think of an escape plan.
"Weasel, stand down!" Dog ordered.
Itachi still remained silent.
"What are you carrying, and why are you being pursued by Iwa shinobi? We were ordered to be discreet and you revealed our presence here," Ibiki asked as the man scanned the bundle in Itachi's arms.
Before they could properly analyze his baggage though, he threw a smoke bomb, forcing his ANBU team to take cover.
Smoke covered the whole area giving Itachi time to escape.
"After him!" Dog commanded as every ANBU jumped into action.
"Weasel! I'm ordering you to stand down. You're going to be charged with insubordination and treason!" Dog boomed.
Itachi didn't relent no matter what they said, he didn't even utter a single word or spare them a glance. Eyes only staring forward while still leaping through trees with his ANBU team hot on his tail. Nobody could be trusted: only his trust in the Fourth was absolute.
Ibiki narrowed his eyes as he and Dog managed to catch up and ran on each of his sides. Itachi immediately noticed the Head of T&I staring at a pair of small legs peeking out of the blanket.
"Is that a child?" Ibiki asked incredulously.
"A child?" Dog balked, almost tripping on his feet in disbelief. He still managed to leap on the next branch without a problem before he focused his attention on the bundle on Itachi's arm, finally taking notice of the child-like shape of the bundle.
Itachi immediately rearranged the blanket in a futile attempt to hide the child's legs, internally scolding himself for being careless.
"Have you lost your mind? Why are you kidnapping a child from Iwa, do you want to start another war!?" The Captain barked at him still, making his own conclusion based on Itachi's pursuers.
He ignored them all and replied with the sound of explosive kunai embedding themselves into trees.
The team of ANBU immediately went on a series of hand signs to protect themselves from the following explosions.
With a single hand seal, Itachi made a few Shadow Clones to confuse their pursuers. Leaping through trees at top speed, he made sure that when his ANBU team re-emerged from the smoke, he was long gone.
In the dim lighting of the room, Danzo sat on his throne-like chair and stared impassively at the ROOT operative that he assigned to infiltrate Iwa.
"Hm, so Onoki was fooled by the Uzumaki women and they're currently on their way back to Konoha with Itachi Uchiha as their escort?" Danzo summarized.
"Yes, Danzo-sama," the masked figure answered.
"Then I'll influence the council to sentence the Uchiha for treason. Tiger, Hawk, and Eagle. Assemble ten of the most skilled operatives and intercept Itachi Uchiha before he arrives in Konoha. Snatch the Jinchūriki, kill the Uchiha prodigy, and bring me his Sharingan eyes," he emotionlessly ordered, lips curling into a smirk at the prospect of a new pair of Sharingan and the power to control the Jinchūriki.
"Understood, Danzo-sama." The kneeling ROOT agent acknowledged and left with a Shunshin to do his master's bidding.
"One more obstacle to eliminate. I'll definitely crush you Minato, and then I'll be Konoha's new Hokage," Danzo murmured with a sinister smile, eyes glinting with wicked desires.
After making a lot of detours to throw their pursuers off their tracks, Itachi finally made it to the border of the Fire country, they made a quick stop at the small town where Kushina had attempted to complete her B-rank mission four years ago, buying a new medical kit set, paper for the express use of making seals and food for the three of them to eat.
After buying everything they needed, Itachi rented a room at a small inn, paying without confirming how long they were going to stay.
He grabbed the keys and went up the stairs to look for their room without glancing at the shaking clerk in the front desk, not aware of the intimidating aura he was emanating because of his ANBU gear.
He walked down the hallway, looking for their specific room number. Stopping in front of the correct door, he proceeded to unlock it and immediately put Naruto on the small bed once securely inside.
The child quickly emerged from the blanket and gently lay down a small white rabbit he had been cradling in his arms.
There was a gust of smoke as Kushina transformed back into her original body.
Heavy breathing resonated around the small room as Itachi removed his ANBU mask and proceeded to clean and rewrap the woman's wound.
"M-mommy?" Naruto shakingly called out as he tightly clutched his mother's hand.
"I-I'm okay baby," Kushina answered as she drew another seal on a sealing paper that Itachi had bought earlier.
"This will last longer Itachi-kun, however, the stasis for my wound will probably only last for six hours," Kushina informed him.
Itachi nodded as he placed one of the seals directly on the kunoichi's wound and applied it with his own chakra.
Kushina bit on her lower lip to stifle a scream as the seal activated and slowly exhaled in relief. It was the same seal that Kushina used to numb the pain in her wound before they made it to the cave, Itachi clearly recalled.
Once he made sure that Kushina wasn't in so much pain, he grabbed a scroll from his pouch and unsealed the contents, handing Naruto a bento box and another to Kushina who was leaning on the headboard while grabbing a pair of chopsticks. The duo simultaneously opened the lids of their bento box and grinned at each other. Both mother and son proceeded to eat their portions with gusto.
Itachi grabbed his own bento box and started eating his.
"Itachi-kun..." He looked up from his silent eating and was greeted by a watery smile from Kushina.
"Thank you so much, we are forever indebted to you," the woman said.
Uncomfortable with the smile and overwhelmed expression visible on the kunoichi's face, Itachi shoved rice in his mouth in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
"We still need to make it back to Konoha before you can really thank me," Itachi murmured, his well-practiced poker face never wavering as Kushina chuckled in amusement.
"I am still thankful. After all, it's because of your awesome idea that we are still here, together right now," the woman countered followed by a few furious nods from her son.
"Tachi-niisan is amazing!" Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed, making Itachi smile a little as he patted the boy's head.
"I just remembered what the Fourth Hokage told me back then," he said, unconsciously chewing on his food.
"Mm, good thing you had a discussion with him regarding this aspect of the transformation jutsu. This is the kind of information that you don't normally find in books since it's considered a clan secret of some sort."
Itachi stopped chewing. He wasn't aware of that. He just knew that it was an Uzumaki trait, not that it was an uncommon knowledge. In the academy, they were taught that the Transformation Jutsu was a form of Genjutsu that wasn't real.
"Solid transformation to inanimate objects and inhuman forms is unadvisable since it could probably kill a non-Uzumaki shinobi on the spot. Not having human organs and chakra pathways can result in that," he said, biting his last rice ball.
"Yep, solid transformation takes a lot of chakra to maintain for normal shinobi. Transforming into animals, insects, and inanimate objects is a privilege only for those of Uzumaki blood," Kushina replied.
"Hokage-sama told me that the Uzumaki have a huge chakra reserve. That their bodies are made to adapt immediately, the reason why they can immediately survive the solid transformation into inanimate objects. That's also why they're also the most ideal host for a Bijuu," he unthinkingly blabbed, not realizing the kind of topic he was heading towards.
"Hm, you're right. Our chakra coils can easily adapt to the Bijuu's potent chakra," Kushina whispered.
Itachi –noticing the sudden change to her tone– looked up from his food and immediately realized his mistake.
"Ah, I apologize Kushina-sama. That's uncalled for," he immediately said, head bowed.
'I slipped.' Itachi was tempted to smack his head.
Maybe after this mission, he would haul himself inside his room and reflect over his multiple mistakes.
"No, no, it's alright. Don't worry about it, Itachi-kun." Kushina gave him a smile and he nodded stiffly.
Silence reigned over them as they quietly finished eating. Naruto –who was oblivious to the whole conversation– was still busy enjoying his food.
"Do you still have enough chakra to apply the next seal for the transformation jutsu?" Itachi asked as he closed the lid of his bento box, unaware that he finished eating between his internal musings.
Kushina nodded.
"Maintaining the jutsu in a traditional way is chakra consuming but using seals as leverage and as an anchor for the jutsu to remain in place was a smart way of conserving chakra while still under the jutsu. Minato's a genius for thinking of that," she said while wiping Naruto's messy cheeks.
"I believe that you, creating a seal on the spot just from me sharing Hokage-sama's hypothesis is much more admirable, Kushina-sama." Itachi said matter-of-factly.
Kushina chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's nothing, dattebane! I'm sure Minato can do that too."
"Maybe, but still admirable, Kushina-sama." Itachi insisted.
"Yah! Mommy's awesome, dattebayo!" Naruto suddenly chimed in, fist-bumping up enthusiastically, apparently only hearing the part where his mom was awesome.
The three of them chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm.
Their meal over, Itachi took a moment to look out the window to where the trees met the horizon. Somewhere in the distance was Konoha, their home.
He gestured towards the Uzumakis, unable to hide the concern in his voice.
"You two rest for a few hours, and then we have to move. We'll be up at dawn; we should keep moving before the Iwa shinobi find a trail on us again."
The council had been called as soon as Ibiki had returned to Konoha with news of Itachi's whereabouts and the trouble that looms over their village. Most of the council members were demanding for Itachi's head.
Minato was worried.
He stood in front of the window in the Hokage Tower overlooking the village. His eyes lingered on the Hokage Monument, gazing at each of his predecessor's visages as he contemplated Itachi's actions.
Minato knew that war was coming again; he could feel it in his bones. Something big was happening out there and one of his most talented shinobi was involved.
The former advisors were adamant for Itachi to be sentenced for treason. The civilian council members as well as the Heads of the small clans agreed. The Hyuuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Inuzuka clans were neutral and refrained from saying anything, though they were probably waiting for his decision. Their faith was greatly appreciated.
The Uchiha's however...
On cue, the door to his office opened and a group of shinobi entered. Minato turned, facing them.
"We are ready to leave, Hokage-sama."
Fugaku Uchiha, in full shinobi attire, stood at attention in front of Minato with two of his trusted shinobi from the Uchiha clan flanking him: Shisui and Obito Uchiha. For non-Uchiha, Genma Shiranui and Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan were among them. These shinobi consisted of Minato's most talented and trusted men.
"I trust that you'll lead Itachi Uchiha to me, unharmed with the child he rescued. He will not speak to anyone but me, do you understand?" Minato's commanding voice boomed around the room as the shinobi straightened in attention and simultaneously answered.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Minato nodded in acknowledgment as his hands fell behind his back.
"Good luck with your mission," he said.
They bowed one last time before the group flickered out of sight. He could only hope for them all to return alive with Itachi.
*End of Chapter Six*
A/N: I have a question, do you want me to reply to all of the comments after the chapter instead of sending a pm?
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