章 2191: 3
Summary:
Kushina's disturbing dreams continue while tensions rise at home.
Notes:
Seriously, thank you guys for the continued support. I don't really have the spoons to respond to every comment like I used to be able to but I read them all and I appreciate all of them so much. I really couldn't keep going without you all <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It had always been obvious that caring for an infant wouldn't be easy, but Kushina always thought she and Minato would tag team everything that they could. They knew it would be hard with his duties as Hokage, but they'd come up with so many plans and power shifts to allow them to share their parenting responsibilities as much as possible. Unfortunately, all of those plans had gone straight out the window as soon as the Kyuubi attacked the village.
She barely saw Minato, and when she did, it was usually when he was stumbling into the house well after dark and passing out without bothering to change out of his clothes. More than once, she'd had to rouse him from a deep sleep to make sure that he ate, and bathed. Sometimes it felt like she had two infants to care for, and it was exhausting.
Kushina didn't blame him. She knew that Minato was trying his best to balance the chaotic aftermath of the Kyuubi's rampage with his newfound parental responsibilities, but unfortunately the balance was not in his family's favor. He was barely home to help, and when he was, he was usually passed out from exhaustion. He was even starting to look a little pale and sickly from all the stress. Kushina tried to help, organizing fundraisers and rebuilding efforts from their home, but there was only so much she could do. She was still recovering herself, although she'd regained a significant amount of independence. Still, she was far from her previous battle-ready self, and there were plenty of simple tasks that still caused her trouble.
It didn't help that she was barely getting any sleep. Part of it was the inevitable late night baby crying fits, but more so than that, it was the stressful, vivid dreams she kept having. Ever since that night in the hospital, she'd been having these strange dreams, all from Naruto's perspective. She'd assumed they'd stop once she got Naruto settled in and she stopped worrying so much, but they only shifted. The dreams seemed to respond to whatever, or whoever, was taking up a lot of her life. Since Kakashi had stepped up his guard duty and functionally moved in, she found herself dreaming about an older, but still recognizable version of the teen. She dreamt about oddly specific scenarios, like him running training exercises while reading Master Jiraiya's porn books. She dreamt about him fighting too, alongside the dream-version of Naruto against enemies she didn't recognize. All in all, she thought her subconscious did a pretty good job imagining what Kakashi would probably be like when he was older. Except, for some reason, her subconscious liked to picture Kakashi as a jounin instructor.
The thought of Kakashi in charge of a group of kids was laughable. He'd proven to have absolutely zero parental instincts, and still didn't know what to do when any of the kids started crying. Once, and only once, Kushina and Mikoto had left Kakashi in charge of the boys so they could step out. When they came back, the house had been in absolute shambles, because for some reason, Kakashi thought it was a good idea to give a 4 year old unrestricted access to the kitchen and all the cooking appliances. Something in the oven was on fire, all 4 of them were covered in flour and egg yolks, and Kakashi was trying to wrestle a nearly empty bag of chocolate chips from Itachi, who promptly threw up everywhere after eating so much sugar. That was the last time either of them left Kakashi in charge of the kids.
Kakashi wasn't the only familiar face she saw in her dreams. Mikoto's boys, especially Sasuke, featured in a lot of them too. She'd figured out quickly who they were supposed to be, but she didn't understand why her subconscious was making them so adversarial. They seemed to either be fighting each other, or Naruto, in every dream. She'd actually woke up with a start after a particularly nasty dream that involved what appeared to be a pre-teen aged Sasuke aiming lightning at Naruto's chest. That had been one of the worst, closely tied with a very vivid and confusing dream involving Naruto and Master Jiraiya watching as Mikoto's boys tried to kill each other.
On the occasions when she dreamt about the Kyuubi, she was actually grateful. It was ridiculous to think that her dreams about the Kyuubi were the most normal and least stressful, but it was the truth. It was probably because they were the most boring and predictable. The fox was always asleep in its cage, curled up with its tails over its nose. It never stirred. Aside from its heaving chest and the occasional twitch from an ear or tail, it didn't move at all. In those dreams, Kushina just stared at the sleeping fox until she woke up, grateful that she at least wasn't having another nightmare about her son being lonely or fighting for his life.
Kushina didn't dare tell anyone about her bizarre dreams. They'd either think she was crazy, or creepy. There wasn't exactly a protocol for telling someone that she was having recurring dreams about their grown children trying to kill each other. She didn't even tell Minato, mostly because he was already stressed enough. He had enough on his plate without worrying about her weird stress dreams.
Naruto, at least, was thriving. He was growing steadily, and hitting his milestones on time. He was starting to smile and make happy babbling noises. The only problem was that he seemed to recognize Kakashi more than Minato. He'd been so absent because of his Hokage duties that Naruto wasn't responding to him as readily as Kushina or Kakashi. That seemed to distress Minato more than any of the problems in the village.
"Come on, Naruto, smile! You can do it!" Minato was making increasingly ridiculous faces at his son, on one of the rare occasions that he'd made it home at a reasonable time. Naruto remained unimpressed, staring blankly at his father. Minato sighed in defeat, leaning back against the couch behind him.
Kushina chuckled. "Wow. The infamous Yellow Flash, subdued by a baby."
"It's not that," Minato whined. He picked up Naruto and held him so he could see Kakashi sitting at the table, where he was sharpening a kunai. Immediately, the infant started making a series of happy gurgling sounds. When Minato turned the boy back toward him, the sounds stopped. "He doesn't like me."
From her spot curled up on the couch, Kushina reached down so she could run her fingers through her husband's hair to comfort him. "You've been gone a lot these past couple of months. He just spends more time with me and Kakashi, that's all."
Minato was sitting cross legged on the floor with Naruto in his lap, pouting at the infant. "He smiled at Teuchi yesterday. It was the first time they'd met," he reminded her.
"Well, Teuchi does make the best ramen in the village. You can't blame Naruto for sucking up a bit," she joked. "He did end up getting us a discount because he was being so cute." The memory made her grin. She couldn't wait until Naruto was eating solid foods, so she could introduce him to Ichiraku. Hopefully by then it would be completely rebuilt, and not the half-destroyed stand that was being utilized now. Not that Teuchi needed anything fancy to make delicious ramen.
Once again, Minato tried making silly faces to get Naruto to smile at him. He even started making nonsensical sounds and blowing raspberries. From the table, Kakashi didn't bother to hide his laughter. Neither did Kushina as she watched her husband, who she remembered was listed as a "flee on sight" for enemy villages, puff his cheeks and stick his tongue out. Still, Naruto just blinked up at his father.
"Why are you so hard to impress?" he groaned.
"You're trying too hard," Kakashi chided. "He's a really outgoing baby, he'll come around if you just let it happen naturally. Although," he chuckled, "I definitely enjoyed that display."
Minato glared at his student. "Don't you have training or something to do?"
"Hm, I seem to recall being assigned as a long-term guard for the Hokage's wife and son." Even with his mask on, Kushina could tell he was grinning like a fool. "So I'd say I'm doing exactly what I should be."
Kushina shook her head fondly as the two of them kept bickering. It wasn't what she'd expected when their son was born, but at least some things seemed to be working out alright. Kakashi seemed to be slowly losing some of the sharp edges that kept everyone else at bay. And if nothing else, they were all alive in this reality, unlike the one the Kyuubi had told them about.
The fact that they were all together, and all alive was enough, right? It should be. Even if she was basically stuck at home, functionally playing the role of doting housewife while her hard working husband barely had time for his family. It was fine. It was temporary. Forget that she'd spent her entire life either two seconds away from being sent to war, or watching over her shoulder for enemies that might try to kidnap Konoha's jinchuuriki. Forget that every muscle in her body, every instinct was chomping at the bit to get back to training. She could handle it. She could be a housewife for a little while, until the tensions in the village calmed down enough for Minato to step back a bit, just like they'd originally planned. Except, how long would that be? How old would Naruto be by then? Minato had already missed his first smile and the first time his eyes started to track one of them across the room. He didn't respond to his father the same way he responded to Kushina or even Kakashi. It wasn't supposed to be like that. He was supposed to be here.
"Kushina?"
She hadn't realized she'd started frowning until Minato's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She grinned back at him, although she knew her smile was strained. "I zoned out a bit, sorry. Guess I'm pretty tired today."
Minato smiled gently at her. "You can sleep if you want."
Tempting as it was, she really couldn't. "I've got bottles to prep, baby laundry to do, and a million other baby-related things that need to get done, y'know?"
"I can do it," Minato insisted. "Just go nap."
The gesture was appreciated, but useless. Kushina tried to tell him so. "No you can't. You don't know how to do any of this." He should know how. He should be here pulling his weight. It had become part of Kushina's daily mantra to remind herself that Minato couldn't help not being here.
"How hard can it be?" Minato pressed. "I've done laundry before and managed to not burn the house down," he grinned.
His joke fell flat. "You don't get it. There's a specific way everything has to be done." She barely kept from adding, you'd know that if you'd been here like you were supposed to be. She didn't know where the sudden irritation was coming from, but she couldn't push it down today. Even if it had been a quick excuse that she made, she really was extra tired. The dreams were starting to get to her and the lack of sleep was leaving her completely drained.
Minato didn't seem to be picking up on her irritation. "Really, it's no big deal. I want to. I'm sure I'll figure it all out."
The response tumbled out before she could stop herself. "You shouldn't have to 'figure it out'," she snapped. "You should have been here all along."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Both Kakashi and Minato stared at her in stunned silence. She could feel her face heating with embarrassment and shame following her outburst. It wasn't Minato's fault, she knew that. They'd always planned to raise their son as equal partners, it wasn't his fault that the Kyuubi destroyed the village and threw everything into chaos. He was the Hokage, he had more than just their little family to worry about. She knew all of that, but it didn't make it any less difficult to deal with.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," she added immediately. "I know you're not staying away on purpose." It was clear as day that he didn't want to. Neither of them were happy with the current situation.
"No, I'm sorry." Minato shuffled up onto the couch next to her, Naruto still bundled in his arms. "We were supposed to do this together, and I haven't been pulling my weight."
Kushina immediately leaned into him. "It's not your fault. I know you're trying to be here."
"Things didn't exactly turn out the way we planned, did they?" He sighed.
Smiling bitterly, Kushina replied, "No, I guess not." She leaned her head onto her husband's shoulder, reaching down to rub Naruto's chubby cheek with her thumb. "But I feel like I should still be grateful, because we're all together." She couldn't elaborate with Kakashi in the room, but she knew Minato understood.
He nodded in agreement. "I get it. I feel the same. But I've already missed so much and I hate it," Minato sighed.
"I don't suppose there's any kind of easy resolution in sight for all of the village's problems?"
Minato chuckled dryly. "Unfortunately, no." He hummed thoughtfully. "What if I took Naruto with me on some days?"
Kushina snorted at the thought. "Very funny."
"I'm serious."
She craned her neck to look up at Minato's face. "Somehow I don't think the elders would like that."
"Well, then they should stop monopolizing so much of my time so I can come home," he shrugged. "Besides," he held Naruto up again. "This adorable face is probably just the bargaining tool that we need! Who could say no to him?"
Kushina laughed, swatting her husband playfully. "Don't turn our son into a political tool before his first birthday, ok?"
They both shared a laugh. Minato pressed, "Seriously, though. I could bring him with me. There's no rule that says I can't. I should know, I had to learn all of them."
It would definitely piss off some of the more traditional council members, but there really wasn't any harm in it, was there? This was a way for Minato to bond with his son, and also take on more of his share of parenting responsibilities. It wasn't like he'd be taking the infant anywhere dangerous, just to his office.
"Ok, but if he does anything cute you better cancel all your meetings for the day and call me right away, got it?" Kushina joked.
Minato laughed heartily in response. "Deal." They shared a tender kiss that made Kakashi cough awkwardly from the table.
Kushina rolled her eyes at him. "If you just took the spare room like we told you to, you'd have somewhere to hide when we get all mushy," she teased.
"Or," the teen countered, "you could be less gross in front of your guests."
"You're not a guest," she responded, "you're family!"
As much as he tried to hide it, she could tell Kakashi was genuinely touched by the admission. She swore he might've teared up a bit, but she knew he'd deny it. He just muttered something unintelligible in return, returning to his already sharp kunai.
Their new agreement had lightened the mood considerably, leaving them to joke around and chat amicably until neither parent could keep their eyes open. Kakashi shifted to his ridiculous late night patrol duties (which Kushina repeatedly failed to convince him were unnecessary), leaving the two of them to put Naruto to bed. Thankfully, he was a heavy sleeper. That night, Kushina could relate. She practically passed out the moment her head hit the pillow, and she didn't wake up until she was being gently shaken. She'd dreamt about the Kyuubi again, standing in shallow water while she watched the fox sleep. There was something oddly peaceful about it.
Kushina grumbled irritably as the morning light seeped through their window. "Wha' time issit?" she slurred, voice heavy with sleep.
"Early," Minato assured her. "Sorry to wake you, but I thought you'd want to see us off."
She did, but it still took far too much effort to pull herself into a sitting position and focus on the world around her. It was definitely early, based on how dim the light outside still was, but Minato was already dressed. He had his Hokage robe on, as well as a wrap to hold Naruto against his chest. Kushina thought she was going to swoon at the sight and suddenly felt more awake.
"Oh my god, you two are so cute!" She scrambled out of bed, tossing the covers off of her. "Let me get my camera, I need a picture of that!"
"I'm already late!" Minato called after her.
Kushina ignored him, digging through drawers and cabinets until her sleep-addled brain remembered where the camera was. "The light's better in the kitchen, get in here!"
Minato complied, and pretended to be upset about being late, but it was obvious that he was very much enjoying himself. He even made her take a few extras to ensure they turned out well.
Kushina sighed, purposefully over dramatic. "My baby's first day at work. They grow up so fast." She pinched both Naruto and Minato's cheeks. "Make sure your dad is on his best behavior, ok? Don't let him fight with the other kids."
Minato laughed at her antics, shaking his head fondly. "Very funny. Now, do you want to be the one to explain to the council why I'm late, or am I allowed to go?"
A snide remark about the council was very tempting, but Kushina kept it to herself. She gave them both a kiss, before walking them to the door and seeing them off with a wave. It felt odd to be home without the baby, and she knew it wouldn't take long for her to relent and go visit the two of them at the Hokage's office, but right now she could only think about getting back into her bed. She shuffled back into the bedroom with a yawn, plopping down face first on the mattress. It didn't take long for sleep to find her again.
Unfortunately, that also meant that it didn't take long for the dreams to find her again too. Kushina found herself wishing for the monotony of watching the Kyuubi slumber. Instead, she was once again thrust into the irritatingly familiar, vivid dream world. She'd started to pick up on patterns, guessing Naruto's age based on the people around him. The dreams were happening so frequently that she was recognizing faces of people she'd never met, and she'd even turned down the wrong street in the real world when she confused it for a location in one of her dreams.
This time, Naruto was in his teens. She knew this because of how he carried himself, but also because he was with an adult Kakashi. Kakashi never appeared in the dreams when Naruto was young. She didn't recognize where they were, somewhere in a snow covered town that probably didn't even exist in the real world. However, she recognized the person standing in front of them.
It was the masked man. Kushina felt her blood boil as she remembered the last time she saw him. She'd give anything to punch that stupid mask right off his face, even if it was just a dream. This was the person who had sicced the Kyuubi on the village and caused so much death and destruction. He'd also nearly killed Naruto, and almost tore their new family apart. They almost died that night because of him. If it hadn't been for the Kyuubi (and wasn't that a strange thought) they would have died. In another future, they had died. No one knew who he was or where he went, because after the attack he had vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind but a heavy suspicion on the entire Uchiha clan.
Kushina didn't want to hear what he had to say. She didn't want to see him, or hear his voice in her dreams. If she could turn away, she would. But she couldn't. She could never ignore what the dream Naruto was seeing or hearing. She'd tried leaving, and even waking herself up, but she couldn't. She couldn't interact with the world around her, and she couldn't control what was said or done.
The masked man started speaking, his voice dripping with as much malice as she remembered. Kushina found herself wishing for a fight, to watch the dream versions of Naruto and Kakashi tear the bastard apart, but they didn't. Kakashi's suspicion was evident, and both of them occasionally interjected, but the masked man's words were free to permeate her dream.
He uttered the phrase she'd heard whispered in her other dreams, one that she'd tried desperately to block out; Uchiha massacre.
It was a special kind of hell, being powerless to turn away or close her senses to any of the masked man's poisonous words. She couldn't even cry. All Kushina could do was listen to this horrible story about one of her dearest friends, along with her entire clan, being slaughtered at the hands of her own son.
The entire story was incredibly convoluted, and ridiculously detailed. Before the incident with the Kyuubi, her dreams had been pretty normal, as far as she knew. They were disjointed in the way that dreams always were, and lacked any kind of continuity or clarity. These dreams were different. They were all related, and referenced events that occurred separately while she slept. She could have a dream one night, then dream a continuation weeks later. Sometimes she got the clear impression that she was missing an important piece of the puzzle, but it was never nonsensical. And it was always from Naruto's perspective. If it wasn't so horrifying, Kushina would be impressed with how imaginative her subconscious was.
When Kushina finally, mercifully, woke up, she was in tears. For a few moments, she was convinced the dream was real. The Uchiha clan had been slaughtered in the street, and in their homes. Mikoto, her closest friend, was gone. The clan had been planning a coup. The village felt threatened by the potential for civil war. Itachi killed them.
It took several minutes for Kushina's breathing to calm, and for her rational mind to remember that she saw her friend just a few days ago. Mikoto was very much alive. The Uchiha clan was fine. And Itachi was 4 years old. She didn't know why her subconscious was so adamant about making him a murderer. She wanted to chalk it up to some kind of subconscious motherly instinct that she'd sensed that he was a danger to Naruto, but that wasn't true. Itachi was a doting older brother to Sasuke, and had really taken to Naruto too. He played with both of them, and made silly faces when either of them cried. She even saw him befriending the neighborhood crows. Not exactly any red flags there.
And then there was the clan itself. It had to be related to the stress Minato was under because of the suspicions the Uchiha were facing. Except, she never for a moment thought the clan was responsible for the Kyuubi attack. They might have a rogue clan member, which was terrifying, but that didn't leave the entire clan at fault. Blaming the entire clan for the actions of one madman would be the same as blaming the villages for the crimes of their own missing nin.
The only part of the insane story that Kushina could have believed was Danzo's involvement. It wasn't exactly news to her that her subconscious thought Danzo was secretly a villain. Although, his actions in her dream were disturbing, even for the distaste she had for the man.
Kushina laid on her back, both hands over her eyes and rubbing at them so firmly she saw stars. She wanted to erase the vision of the masked man from her mind, but she kept seeing him when she closed her eyes. Even with his face covered, Kushina just knew he'd been smirking and it made her want to punch him even more.
As tired as she was, she didn't want to fall asleep again and risk another dream, so she forced herself to roll out of bed. Her body felt sluggish and heavy as she went through the motions of making herself presentable for the world and ate a quick breakfast. Or, lunch. Apparently it was later than she thought.
Truthfully, Kushina had no idea what to do now. She was on edge from the dream, and it left her itching for some sort of outlet. Normally she would blow off some steam at the training grounds when she felt like this, but unfortunately she was still on restricted activity. Having the Kyuubi ripped out of her had done a number on both her physical body and her chakra, and giving birth hadn't exactly made it easier. She was only allowed to do light physical activity, and that was basically torture for any experienced shinobi, particularly since she was so used to the Kyuubi's enhanced healing abilities. With those gone, it felt like she'd never fully recover. At least she'd been kept busy with the baby, but now he was with his dad and the house was unusually quiet. It made her feel even more antsy. She was so used to Naruto's near constant stream of happy babbles, and Kakashi's exasperated yet fond sighing. But today Kushina had convinced Kakashi to stay close to Naruto, instead of her. He'd been torn, but ultimately gave in to her demand. She didn't need a babysitter, and she'd rather have Naruto guarded and safe, and that at least was something Kakashi could agree to. Kushina realized this was the first time she'd been alone since Naruto was born, and it felt wrong. The stillness of the house was suffocating.
Kushina tried, and failed to keep herself busy. She attempted to read books, but she couldn't focus. She tried fiddling with one of the seals she and Minato were working on, but her lack of focus almost resulted in setting the whole thing on fire. She even tried watching whatever was on television, but the program couldn't keep her attention. It was clear that staying at home was not an option for her sanity, so Kushina decided to go into town instead.
Villagers waved at her, and asked where Naruto was, since they were so used to seeing him with her. She'd laugh and tell them he was with his dad, then make a joke about a baby being Hokage. They'd laugh at her joke, wish her family well, and leave. Occasionally she'd run into a friend or more well-known acquaintance, but mostly it was vaguely familiar faces that knew her by reputation even though she couldn't recall their names. Inwardly, she wondered how many of them had been cruel to Naruto in the Kyuubi's future. How many of these friendly faces, that stopped and asked about his well-being, had turned a blind eye to his neglect? How many of them had refused him entry into their shop, or even physically attacked him? She tried not to remember the faces from her dreams, because she knew it wasn't real, but it was impossible not to. It was hard to forget the faces of her neighbors that were making her son's life miserable, even if it was a dream world. If her smiles were a little more forced with them, they probably didn't know her well enough to notice.
She wasn't foolish enough to think that no one in this timeline would have a problem with the Kyuubi being sealed in Naruto. Jinchuuriki were always kind of outcasts anyway, and the monster's attack was fresh in everyone's minds. There were glares, or disapproving murmurs that Kushina didn't miss. Except, unlike in the Kyuubi's time, she was here to shut them down. She would make sure no one made Naruto feel unwelcome in his own village. He should've been treated as a hero just for containing the Kyuubi, let alone everything else he'd done in the other timeline. There was a part of her that wanted to tell every person she saw about how amazing her son was, how he'd saved the world and even turned the infamous demon fox to his side. She wanted to scream from the rooftops how wonderful he was, and how grateful they should be that a boy they'd never met had softened a demon's heart enough to make it try to stop the end of the world. Of course she didn't, but she wanted to. She'd settle for whispering it to him as she tucked him into bed every night instead.
Without realizing where she was going, Kushina eventually found herself outside of Hokage tower. To be fair, she'd tried to keep herself busy. She'd wandered in and out of shops, and around construction sites to assess the village's progress. The village was rebuilding, and many areas were starting to become unrecognizable from all the renovations and new construction that needed to be done. Other parts of the village were still completely demolished, with not enough labor available to fix everything at once. One of those places with the Uchiha compound, which still hadn't been touched thanks to the allegations against the clan. Minato at least had managed to set up some temporary housing for all the displaced residents, the clan included. It was nothing luxurious, but it was better than tents. Still, the problem with the Uchiha clan and their compound was one of the major headaches he was dealing with as Hokage.
Kushina was met with polite nods and greetings as she ascended the stairs up to the Hokage's office. Obviously, no one tried to stop her. The ANBU guarding the door to the office even opened it for her in invitation. She smiled politely, ducking into the office.
Minato looked up from his desk as he heard the door open, his haggard expression quickly morphing into genuine joy. She couldn't help but grin right back at him. She also noticed that a little crib had been set up for the baby, with a whole pile of stuffed toys surrounding him.
"When did you have time to do that?" Kushina asked curiously. She padded over to kiss Naruto on the head.
"I didn't." Minato laughed. "I'm pretty sure it was all Kakashi. He won't admit to it but this was mysteriously set up this morning, and no one else besides the three of us knew I'd be bringing Naruto today."
Kushina shook her head fondly. "When will that boy just admit that he cares?"
Minato's smile turned sad. "Probably never."
There was no doubt in her mind that would be the case. She decided to change the subject before the mood was brought down too much. "How did everything go today?"
The Yondaime's smile returned. "Ah, great! I feel like everyone was more civil because they didn't want to scream and wake him. Oh, and I think he's already got a knack for politics." Minato laughed heartily. "He very conveniently needed a diaper change when the elders were hounding me about some ridiculous minute detail."
Kushina leaned on the crib, reaching in so she could pat her son's head affectionately. "Wow. Already got everyone wrapped around your little finger, I guess." She glanced back up at her husband. "Any news to share? Oh, and I walked around town earlier and saw a few projects that I think need your attention. Sorry to put more on your plate."
Minato waved her off. "Eh, it's my job to have a lot on my plate." He sighed heavily. "As for news, there is one thing." He sat back down in his chair, leaning back. "I hate giving into the stupid, petty demands of the council, but I have to."
"Oh?"
He continued, " Certain people have it in their head that the Uchiha clan's residence should be moved elsewhere."
Something started to prickle at the back of Kushina's mind. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her heart started pounding. Why did such an innocuous sounding statement make her feel so anxious?
Unaware of Kushina's reaction, Minato pressed on. "I don't think it's a good idea, and it's very obviously a 'screw you' to the clan, but it's one of their more harmless suggestions. If I agree to it, I'll at least have some leverage against the more intense restrictions they're trying to enact."
Every instinct was screaming at her that it was a bad idea. But why? Why was her mind rebelling so firmly against moving the Uchiha compound? There was some half-buried thought or memory that was whispering that it would only make things worse. That it would isolate and offend them. She almost felt like it had happened before.
Minato shrugged, then continued, "In the long run it'll cost more money to rebuild the compound elsewhere, but at least construction can start. I know Fugaku isn't happy about how long rebuilding efforts have been delayed."
Kushina was not a politician. She had no interest in all of the intricacies of clan politics, nor did she have that much experience. But this was something that she just knew in her gut. It was a horrible idea. She had to tell Minato as much. She hoped he didn't ask too many questions, but Kushina felt like she'd burst if she didn't say something.
While Minato was still in the middle of talking, Kushina interrupted with a loud, "You can't!"
The statement was met with a few surprised blinks, and Minato's shocked face. "What?" He scratched at his chin. "I mean, it's going to be seen as a sleight against the clan, and it will definitely be inconvenient for the police force but in the long run–"
"No, you can't," Kushina insisted. Her explanation left her mouth before she even realized what she was saying. "That has been the Uchiha clan's land since the village was founded. It will be more than just a sleight against them, it will be a grave insult to all of their traditions and their position in the village. Plus," she added quickly, her mouth still running ahead of her brain, "it will isolate them more from the village. It won't just be the police force, it will be all of them. It will only serve as a confirmation in the village's mind that they did something wrong, that they're too dangerous to be near everyone else."
The office was silent, save for the slight echo of her last few words. Minato's eyebrows were furrowed and he was frowning heavily in thought. He stared at Kushina with analytical eyes, soaking in all of her words and weighing them carefully. Meanwhile, Kushina was rapidly sifting through her own thoughts to figure out how the hell she came up with that. Minato seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"Huh." He replied thoughtfully. "I didn't know you had such an interest in clan politics."
Neither did she. "It was just a thought," she murmured awkwardly, trying to make the entire situation a little less weird.
Minato considered her words. "I think you're right," he concluded. "I didn't even consider either of those points." He smiled gratefully. "I knew I kept you around for a reason," he joked.
Kushina laughed dryly. Normally a joke like that would catch her interest immediately, and they'd bicker light heartedly. This time, she couldn't shake the weird feeling of familiarity, deja vu even, as she thought about the Uchiha compound being built elsewhere. She was so certain that it was a bad idea, and she didn't know why.
A deep, cold, all too familiar voice seemed to be whispering in her mind; Uchiha massacre .
The dreams. This tidbit of information about the Uchiha clan was from her dreams. She couldn't even remember if the masked man had said it, or if it had been brought up in one of the other dreams she'd been having about the clan, but she knew that was the origin. The knowledge had come to her completely unbidden, far more like a memory than it had any right to be. What the hell did that mean? Dark as they might be, having stress dreams about the Uchiha clan was very different from having a weirdly prophetic dream about them. She searched her memory, for a time when Minato had mentioned the possibility that the clan might be moved. She couldn't recall. It was only in the memories of her dreams. Was it reasonable for her mind to have conjured this scenario on its own, or was that too much of a coincidence?
"Kushina? Are you ok?"
As much as she wanted to say that she had no idea, Kushina forced herself to take a steadying breath. She smiled at her husband. "Yeah. I just forgot that I have somewhere to be, sorry."
"Wha–but you just got here!" Minato protested with a frown.
She kissed her husband's cheek in apology, but didn't give into the temptation to stay. Her mind was reeling and the room was starting to feel claustrophobic. There was something that wouldn't stop nagging at her, a tingling under skin that felt like a pull. What the hell was going on? She turned on her heel, ignoring Minato's confused voice as she nearly flew out of the room. Maybe she should re-evaluate her decision to keep the dreams a secret. She was losing sleep over them, and now she felt like she was losing her mind. The stupid dreams were making her question what had really happened and what was just a figment of her imagination. She'd never had dreams like this before, not until the Kyuubi was removed from her.
It couldn't be a coincidence. Had the fox done something to her? Had it put some kind of curse on her before it was removed? Or was this just her subconscious feeding into her guilt about sealing the demon in her son? She wanted to scream at the fox, to demand answers. She just couldn't make herself believe that the Kyuubi wasn't connected to these dreams somehow. Those kind of coincidences didn't exist.
It was still a habit to try to reach for the fox's chakra, even though there was barely a wisp of it there. The chakra that had saved her life after the Kyuubi was pulled from her was still there, thrumming under her skin, but she couldn't follow its pull. She knew she couldn't, because the Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto. But logic was a difficult thing when you were sleep deprived and anxious, so Kushina kept tugging at the thread. Nothing happened, of course, but she kept pulling. She started to feel a slight tingle under her skin, that slowly rose to an uncomfortable burn. It rippled in her body, weaving in and out of her own chakra. Pulling at the thread probably wasn't a good idea, but she was just so frustrated and confused, and wanted answers, or at the very least some kind of relief.
Pulling on the Kyuubi's chakra was second nature to her after living most of her life with the beast. Learning to separate its corrosive chakra from her own, and following it to its source had been an essential skill. So it was all too easy to keep picking at that thread. She yanked hard, feeling a brief but intense flash of pain in her gut that made her stumble.
Unfortunately, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking. She'd been completely lost in her own mind, and didn't even notice that she'd reached the tower's stairway. When the pain surged through her, she tripped over herself and put one of her feet down awkwardly on the step. She immediately lost her balance with a startled cry and tumbled forward. A hand grabbed her arm, one of the ANBU trying to keep the Hokage's wife from injuring herself in the most ridiculous ways possible, most likely, but she had too much momentum. Even though she was saved from falling head over heels down the stairs, the stairway was so narrow that she wasn't saved from smacking head first into the railing. Kushina saw stars as she heard her name, gritting her teeth against the pain.
As she recovered and stumbled back, she realized that there was no longer a hand holding her upright. She also realized that when she set her foot down, it landed in water. Except, her leg didn't actually feel wet. And her head wasn't hurting, even though she distinctly remembered headbutting the stone wall. She also wasn't standing in Hokage tower anymore.
Kushina blinked rapidly to try and clear the illusion from her vision, but it remained. She was in a very familiar place. Tepid water, cage bars as thick as tree trunks, and a slumbering demon. She was seeing the Kyuubi from her dreams. But why? She had been awake…
Oh. She must have knocked herself out, and was dreaming now. She winced. How embarrassing. Minato would never let her live this down. Apparently thinking too much about the Kyuubi was enough to make her dream about it. That was still preferable to the other dreams she'd been having, but seeing the fox still filled her with rage. This was its fault, she knew it was. It couldn't be just a coincidence that the dreams started after it was removed from her. It had to have left a curse or something to torture her. Whether it was the old Kyuubi or the one from the different timeline, she didn't know. Either way, she wanted to shout a few choice insults at it, just like she used to when it was in her mindscape.
Kushina stalked forward, the water splashing around her but still not actually getting her clothes wet. She stopped in front of the cage, glaring at the fox's sleeping form. It didn't move, or react in any way. Just like always, it snored loudly, curled up in the same position as when she always saw it. She hated this stupid dream about the stupid fox. In the past, she'd done nothing but stare, too drained from the other dreams she was having to bother disturbing the peace. But now? She needed to release a bit of pent up anger. A sleeping dream-Kyuubi was the perfect target.
Her fists clenched at her side. "I know you did something to me, you stupid fox! I don't know if this is some kind of curse, or divine retribution, or guilt, or whatever, but it started with you!" The words echoed around her. "I just want to make it stop!" Kushina breathed heavily, not expecting a response, so she jumped back in surprise when she was met with low, rumbling laughter.
A single red eye stared at her through the cage bars. "I was beginning to think that obliviousness was an Uzumaki bloodline trait."
Kushina watched as the Kyuubi rose from its curled up position, making a show of stretching its long limbs and tails. Light reflected off of its giant teeth as it grinned at her, both eyes now trained on her position. She swallowed hard. No matter how many times she saw the Kyuubi, it never failed to leave her awestruck. Even in her dreams, the fox was a sight to behold.
She scowled. "Ugh, I don't want to dream about you. I don't want to dream about any of the things I've been seeing!" She shook her head violently, trying to will the fox away. This was the first time it had ever spoken to her in one of her dreams, but she realized that it was also the first time she'd ever spoken to it too.
The fox laughed again. "You still think this is a dream?" It scoffed, but appeared amused by her distress. "You humans are so blind to everything around you."
"Of course it's a dream! You're not here. I'm not here with you," she insisted. "You're sealed in Naruto. I'm just stressed," she reasoned.
"Once again, I am floored by your lack of awareness." The Kyuubi rolled its eyes. "You cannot even tell the difference between wake and sleep? Or were you so unwilling to realize the truth that you had to convince yourself of your own fantasy?"
She couldn't stand hearing the condescention in the stupid fox's voice. "Ugh, just shut up! SHUT UP!" She snapped, her whole body shaking with rage. "All my life I've been stuck with your damn voice in my head, feeding me lies and anger. I just want to be rid of you! I don't want to see you in my dreams, or anywhere else, you demon!"
Of course, the Kyuubi was not impressed with her outburst. It narrowed its eyes. "Oh, poor human, cursed to bear near unlimited power. It must have been such a burden," it mocked her.
"It was a burden, and you know it!" Kushina yelled in return. "I was shunned because of you, kidnapped because of you, and all you ever did was feed me your poisonous words!"
"I told you, bijuu do not appreciate being caged," it reminded her.
"I don't give a damn about what you appreciate!"
The fox growled, its hackles rising. "No, and that's the problem with you humans! It's all about you. Only your vile species could enslave another and then act like you're the victims." Its voice was dripping with malice, to the point that it felt nearly tangible.
Kushina laughed dryly. "Victim? You?" She snorted. "I'm not going to pity you, if that's what you want."
"I don't want your pity," it snapped.
"Then what do you want?"
This time, the fox's growl was loud enough to make ripples appear on the water. "How about a little gratitude, you ungrateful wretch?"
Oh, it did not just go there. "Oh, thank you , great and powerful Kyuubi!" Mocking a giant chakra demon, dream or not, was probably stupid, but she was too angry to care. "Thank you for making my life hell, and for attacking my village. It was so generous of you to try to kill us," she spat.
" I didn't! But," it grumbled, "even if that damn Uchiha hadn't controlled me I still would have enjoyed crushing you. You kept me chained up, do you expect me to thank you for that?" It gestured around them with a massive paw. " This has been my entire existence since I was sealed in Mito before you. This is all there is for me, and my siblings. And you have the gall to complain about the hand you were dealt?"
"Fuck you, stupid fox!" She kicked out at the water blindly in anger. "I hate your stupid face, and your voice, and everything about you! I hate you!" Maybe it was childish to yell such things at the Kyuubi, but she had a lifetime of repressed anger to work out. "You're a vile, wicked monster and I would imprison you for a thousand lifetimes if I could! I never should have listened to you. We never should have sealed you in Naruto." Kushina took another step forward, refusing to break eye contact with the beast. "You're just a monster, and a demon. Nothing about you is worthy of the kindness my son supposedly showed you."
Kushina waited for the fox to explode on her, to come after her. She was close enough to the cage that it could probably reach through and grab her if it wanted. Instead, it just stared at her, barely reacting to her anger. "That, at least, is something we can agree on." Its voice had softened, and its fur was no longer standing on end. It returned to its curled up position, its back facing Kushina. "What you have been seeing are my own memories, through Naruto's eyes. Certain events will come to pass that he wanted to prevent. Use the information I give you as you will."
Kushina stared at the fox's back in disbelief. "What, that's it? Get up and fight me, fox!" Hot, angry tears blurred her vision.
"Unfortunately for you, we are out of time. But I'm sure I will see you here again."
Sure enough, Kushina felt something tugging at her consciousness. She tried to fight it. She wanted to stay and yell at the fox some more. She wanted to blame it for her problems, for the village's problems, and she wanted it to yell back at her in return. That's how it had always been for them. The entire time the Kyuubi had been sealed in her, she couldn't recall a single conversation that wasn't screamed at each other through the bars of the fox's prison. And now, after everything, it was just going to lay down and ignore her? Damn this stupid fox and its mind games.
"Fuck you," she spat again. "I don't want your help."
The fox sighed. "You're a fool, Kushina Uzumaki."
She actually startled, realizing it was the first time she'd ever heard the Kyuubi use her real name. When it was sealed in her, it was always rude nicknames that she didn't want to think about. Even when it appeared from the future, it still had called her "Tomato Head" instead of her name. She got one last look at the fox before she returned to consciousness. It never once looked back at her.
When she came to, she was surrounded by blurry faces and bright lights. She groaned, and tried to sit up, but a hand gently pressed her down.
"We've got a medic nin on the way." It was Minato's soft but worried voice. "You hit your head so you shouldn't move."
The world started to come into focus. The Kyuubi's cage and the tepid water were gone, replaced by the cold stone floor of Hokage tower. Minato was leaning over her, concern written all over his face. He was flanked by two ANBU, one that she recognized instantly as Kakashi, the other was not one that she knew beyond their mask.
"How embarrassing," she mumbled, wincing in pain.
"What happened?" Minato asked.
How the hell did she even explain it? Maybe she'd tell him later, when there were no prying ears. Or, maybe not. She was going to have to come to terms with the fact that her dreams probably weren't dreams. As much as she wanted to write everything off as some sick, vivid nightmare, the Kyuubi had been right about her denial. Her visit with the beast had confirmed it. That had been the real Kyuubi. She'd know its presence anywhere, and now it was painfully obvious that she'd somehow been visiting the real Kyuubi in her sleep. It should be impossible, since it was no longer sealed within her, yet somehow it kept happening. And if that was the real Kyuubi, the dreams were probably real too. At least to some extent. She still wouldn't rule out that it was lying to her, but she could at least believe that the fox was the source of them.
Minato seemed worried when she didn't answer, so she tried to offer a small smile. It probably looked more like a grimace. "I just tripped. It was stupid."
She knew it was a horrible excuse. Trained shinobi didn't just trip on the stairs. And if she did, she should've been able to catch herself. Technically it wasn't completely a lie, she just omitted the spiraling thoughts that led to her unfortunate tumble.
"That's not like you," Minato responded, not willing to believe the half-truth.
"You know how tired I've been," she countered. "I guess it just caught up with me at the worst time."
Minato still didn't look convinced, but whatever reply he had was interrupted by the arrival of the medic nin. They looked Kushina over and started using their healing chakra. Minato was sitting cross legged on the floor next to her, frowning and deep in thought. A few administrators that scrambled by did a double take at the sight of their Hokage sitting on the dirty floor, but they wisely didn't comment on it.
Fortunately, the medic nin told them Kushina would be able to go home, but she'd need someone to keep an eye on her. She wasn't supposed to fall asleep for too long, so someone needed to wake her up. Kushina didn't know if she was relieved or horrified. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but she also didn't want to see any more visions from the Kyuubi.
Unsurprisingly, Minato immediately offered to clear his schedule to take her home. "Absolutely not," Kushina insisted. Her head was starting to clear thanks to the medic nin's efforts. "You have too much to do."
One of the ANBU, the one she didn't recognize, murmured that he did in fact have a meeting in 45 minutes. Minato waved him off. "I'll reschedule. I need to take care of my family," he insisted.
Kushina frowned, looking up at him. "Is it about that thing we talked about?"
Minato hesitated but nodded. "Yes."
"Then you can't reschedule."
"Kushina–"
"I'll keep an eye on her."
Both of them looked over at Kakashi, or rather Hound, since he was wearing his ANBU mask. Kushina smiled in encouragement. "What could be better than having one of the Hokage's best operatives watching over me?"
Both Minato and Kakashi snorted in amusement. He considered the offer, then nodded reluctantly. "Ok. If it's that important to you for me to talk about that thing you said, then I'll let Hound take you home." He turned to his former student. "If anything, and I mean anything seems out of the ordinary, you contact me immediately, got it? That's an order from your Hokage."
"Of course, Lord Fourth."
Once the medic nin gave the all clear, Minato gently helped Kushina sit up. She felt a little dizzy, but she was assured that was a normal side effect. Minato tried to offer that Kakashi could carry her home, but she just gave him a flat look. It would still be too much for her dignity to allow.
Her skull ached with every step, but she insisted on going to say goodbye to Naruto before heading home. When Minato hugged her goodbye, she didn't complain when he held on a little longer. He promised to be home as early as possible, and she wished him luck with his meeting.
Kakashi remained Hound until the front door had closed behind them. He'd hovered obnoxiously close for the whole walk home, particularly when any stairs were involved. She kept reminding herself that it was because he cared, but her head was aching so bad she couldn't help but snap at him to give her a little breathing space.
As soon as they were inside, Kushina stumbled over to the couch and laid down on her back. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth against the headache. Kakashi appeared a few minutes later with a warm compress and some doctor-approved painkillers. She took them without complaint. Kushina didn't really feel like talking, and Kakashi was not one to push that sort of thing, so he let her be. Occasionally he'd have to keep her from nodding off, but he didn't interrupt her brooding.
When the medications kicked in enough to cut some of the pounding in her head, the reality of the situation set in. The outburst she'd had in the Hokage's office, her insistence on not moving the Uchiha clan, was because of the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi had been planting some kind of story about Itachi slaughtering his entire clan. But why? Because the Sharingan could control it? Did she make a mistake telling Minato not to let the council move the compound? What if it was trying to weaken them so it couldn't be controlled again? At the time, she had felt so certain that she was saying the right thing, but now she wondered if she'd been manipulated by the fox. If she was playing into some kind of trap set by the Kyuubi, it would surely end in disaster for all of them.
For once, she was actually a little eager to dream. She wanted to go back to where she'd talked to the Kyuubi and ask more questions. She wanted to yell at it some more. Most of all, she wanted to try to figure out what its plan was. Why was it giving her these visions? She could assume that the visions about Naruto being alone and bullied were to make her miserable (and it worked), but she couldn't quite figure out what its goal was for the Uchiha clan.
When she was finally allowed to sleep for a little while, she didn't dream. It was the first time since she'd woken up in the hospital that she hadn't experienced one of the Kyuubi's dream visions. She should be relieved, because it was what she wanted, right? She could get a better night's sleep without the disturbingly vivid visions. Except, now that she had realized where the visions came from, she couldn't help but worry. Kushina had given Minato advice based on something the Kyuubi had shown her, even if it was unintentional. In doing so, what if she was the one that ended up dooming the Uchiha clan by playing into the Kyuubi's hand?
Kushina wasn't given the opportunity to interrogate the fox again. It didn't appear in her dreams that night, or any other night.
Notes:
Kakashi is a shit babysitter and no one can convince me otherwise.
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