章 2190: 2
Summary:
The aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack
Notes:
I'm legit completely blown away by all your responses. You all are so kind, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story! I'm really bad at updating on a schedule but I'll try my best :) I'm definitely feeling inspired to keep writing, and to write some other WIPs for this fandom too so thanks again for the support <3 it really means a lot.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
One moment there was darkness, and then there were flashes of the village. She could see a child's hands in front of her, and the occasional wisp of blond hair. Instinctively, she knew this was her son. Kushina could feel his pain and see through his eyes. He cried, and yelled, and scowled at the people around him. Most of them were strangers, but every so often she'd recognize a face or two. Familiar shopkeepers with more wrinkles than they had now, or a nameless shinobi she recognized from around the village but didn't know personally. None of them stopped to help Naruto when he was thrown out of a shop, or pushed into the dirt.
Since Kushina was seeing the world through her son's eyes, she didn't know how old he was. But based on his vantage point and the high-pitched tone of his voice, Kushina knew he was young. He was a child, wandering alone on the streets, and people were turning their backs on him. They sneered, and spat insults at him. Calling him "monster" or "demon". She saw him scramble up the stairs to a lonely apartment, which had little more than secondhand furniture and a mostly empty fridge. She watched as her precious son sat alone, munching on some chips and playing with a raggedy old stuffed toy. No one came to check on him. No one came to feed him.
Kushina's heart ached. She tried to reach out, to hold her son, but she couldn't. She could only watch his loneliness grow. Anger churned deep within her. She wanted to scream, to pummel anyone foolish enough to harm her son. And she would. She'd tear them to pieces if she ever got her hands on them.
She continued to watch through her son's eyes, seeing the same thing repeated over and over. Day in and day out, alone. Demonized, ostracized, neglected. She wished she could cry and scream, to do something to release the now building rage. It was like torture, watching her son suffer without being able to do anything about it. Was this some kind of divine punishment?
And then as quickly as they appeared, Kushina's surroundings faded back to dark. She felt a vague awareness of the world around her, and whispered voices. Her body was heavy and aching, and it felt like there was a gaping hole in her gut. She tried to put a hand over her abdomen to confirm, but she couldn't move. She was stuck in some kind of darkness, between wake and sleep. At least it was better than watching her son suffer.
Her son…
Panic made Kushina's senses rush back to her. It took effort, like she was being held down by something heavy but she managed to crack her eyes open. She immediately closed them again as bright light overwhelmed her. Kushina groaned in pain, and heard a rustling sound next to her, followed by a warmth on her face.
"It's alright, take it slow."
She knew that voice. Hearing Minato speak softly to her helped her relax for a few moments, but then her memories rushed back to her. The Kyuubi being ripped from her body. Fighting the beast. Its strange change of heart and proposal of cooperation. Sealing the beast in Naruto.
Naruto!
This time, when her eyes opened, she forced them to stay open. She hissed as pain built behind her eyes, but her focus slowly returned. She was, unsurprisingly, in a hospital room. There were scratchy sheets pulled up to her chin and an IV drip in her arm. With great effort, she turned her head. It felt like there was cotton stuffed in her brain.
Kushina found her husband's worried face. He had one hand on her cheek, the other cradled around a small bundle of blankets. He was murmuring something soothing, but Kushina couldn't make it out. She had to know if Naruto was ok. The last thing she remembered seeing was her baby looking far too still.
"Naruto," she rasped, "is he…?"
With a gentle smile, Minato angled the bundle in his arms toward Kushina. Their son's small face was peaceful, his eyes closed, and a little bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. Asleep. And full of life.
The relief hit her so hard it felt like a physical weight was removed from her body. She returned a weak smile to her family, wishing she had the strength to reach out. She wanted to hold her son, to feel his heartbeat and warmth. But for now, she couldn't move. She slipped back into unconsciousness, the release of adrenaline easing her back into her slumber.
From there, she was in and out for a while. Medic nin came to check on her, and she had a vague awareness of the world around her but it was a while before she was able to keep her eyes open long enough to hold a conversation. Every time she opened her eyes, her family was by her side. Each time she saw them alive, and unharmed (save for some bandages on Minato's face and hands), she felt relieved all over again.
Finally, her awareness remained long enough to demand the chance to hold her son. Minato had to help support the infant's weight, because she was so weak, but it was honestly better that way. They sat together in the tiny hospital bed, cradling their son between them. Kushina could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady. He was ok. They were all ok.
"I can't believe all that actually happened," Kushina rasped. Her throat was dry and her voice croaked from disuse.
"Neither can I," Minato admitted. He leaned down to press a kiss onto Kushina's forehead, then did the same to Naruto. "But I'm so relieved that you're both ok."
Kushina hummed in agreement. Her eyes raked over both her husband and her son, checking for injuries. Naruto looked content, and appeared unharmed. "How bad are your injuries?"
Minato shrugged nonchalantly. "Not bad, all things considered."
She nodded, but didn't feel like she could say the same about herself. If the fox's words had been true, she'd escaped certain death. Hell, she'd felt moments from death just before the fox shared its chakra with her. So really, she was lucky. But it was hard to feel lucky when her insides felt like they'd been ripped out of her. Was this a normal consequence of childbirth, or related to the Kyuubi's extraction?
As if reading her mind, Minato told her, "You'll be on bed rest for a while, but none of your injuries should cause lasting damage."
"That's good, because I don't think an entire army could convince me to get out of bed right now," she joked. "And Naruto?"
The Yondaime smiled warmly. "A perfect, healthy baby."
Kushina released the breath she didn't know she was holding, leaning back onto her pillow. She absentmindedly rubbed her thumb on the sleeping infant's cheek. His skin was soft and warm, and full of life. She didn't want to think about how close she'd been to losing him. How close she'd been to losing both of them, or how Naruto almost had to grow up without them. The contents of her dream were still fresh in her mind, and it was making her clench her jaw irritably. She didn't want to think about Naruto being treated like that, or being left so alone. She'd have to be careful if she ran into anyone from her dream, because she might do something stupid and take her anger out on them. She had to carefully remind herself that it wasn't real. The Kyuubi's words probably just got in her head and influenced her dreams. Speaking of the Kyuubi…
"How's the seal?" She asked next.
"Holding," Minato confirmed. "The fox has been…quiet."
Another sigh of relief. "Do you think we did the right thing?"
"I don't know," Minato admitted. "But I think we did the best we could given the circumstances."
She nodded in agreement. It was likely that only time would tell if the Kyuubi was true to its word, or if they'd made a terrible mistake. "So, what do we think about its mysterious prophecies?"
A shrug. "I don't know that either." He groaned. "I should've asked it about the masked man that controlled it. Do you think it would've told me?"
If Kushina had been asked a question like this a few days ago, she would've laughed at the thought of the Kyuubi cooperating in any way, shape, or form. But now? "Maybe. It seemed willing enough to give us information, but only on its own terms."
Out of habit, Kushina reached for the fox's chakra within her. She tried to pull herself into the mindscape with the fox, but nothing happened. It took her a few beats to realize that she'd never be able to go into the mindscape again. The fox's prison was gone, because the fox was gone. It was both a relief and a source of anxiety. The Kyuubi was gone because she'd put it into her son. She really hadn't stopped to think about what would happen after the Kyuubi had been removed from her permanently. She could still feel the chakra that the fox had given her to keep her from dying, making her wonder if it was now a permanent part of her own chakra system. It was subtle, at least compared to the fox's previous presence, but she could still reach for the threads and tug them into her own chakra. It didn't resist like the Kyuubi did, but it did seem to have a natural stubbornness that didn't surprise her in the least, considering the source of the chakra.
"I'm so used to having access to the Kyuubi that I didn't even think about what would happen after. We don't really have any way of talking to it," she explained.
Minato sighed. "I thought as much. Well," he smiled softly, "at least we're still both here. Since we weren't alive in the Kyuubi's future, that means we've already managed to change things."
She nodded, her heart clenching again at the thought of Naruto growing up alone. Her arms tightened around the infant. Now, it was just a bad dream. He would never have to face a future like that. If anyone dared to call him names or put him down, Kushina would absolutely destroy them. Naruto would never be alone, not in this new future.
Truthfully, she did want to ask the Kyuubi more questions, but not about the end of the world. She wanted to know why none of their friends or comrades looked out for their son. She hoped the Kyuubi had been exaggerating to get them on its side, but she couldn't shake the vision of Naruto alone in that empty apartment from her dream.
"Kushina?"
Kushina snapped out of her thoughts. Minato was looking at her with a heavy frown, not masking his concern. She made a show of grinning, nudging him with her elbow. "Don't worry about me, just got lost in thought, y'know? So," she changed the subject, "what have you been telling everyone?"
Minato gave her a look, but didn't push. He knew it would be useless to get her to talk if she didn't want to. "I told them about the masked man, and a manhunt is currently underway to find him. I also told them about the Kyuubi being ripped out of you, but I may have made something up about you managing to hold on to some of its chakra to stay alive."
"Makes sense." Kushina nodded in approval. "And are they asking questions about sealing it in Naruto?"
"No," Minato confirmed. "Fortunately, they're trusting the story." He shook his head in disbelief. "To be fair, the alternative is crazy. No one would ever believe that the Kyuubi was working with us."
"True." She tried to glance out the window, but the curtain was drawn. "How bad is it out there?"
Minato's face fell. "Bad. We lost a lot of good shinobi, and many buildings were destroyed. If another village tries to take advantage of the chaos, we won't stand a chance."
"Is it possible another village caused the attack?" Kushina asked. "It obviously wasn't random."
"I don't know. Whoever that guy was, he had a Sharingan. I don't know if it's worse to think about someone outside the village controlling the Kyuubi, or someone within," Minato admitted.
"But it couldn't have been any of the Uchiha," Kushina insisted. "What motive would they have?" Minato tried to keep his face neutral, but Kushina wasn't fooled. She could read him like an open book. "If you don't tell me, I'll just ask Mikoto," she threatened.
Minato gave in immediately, rolling his eyes at her. "There's been a lot of tension with the clan lately, and I'm afraid everything is going to be much worse now." Seeing Kushina's confusion, he explained, "The fact that a Sharingan user was controlling the Kyuubi puts the entire clan under suspicion. On top of that, apparently they were ordered to keep away from the battle and protect the civilians because of that suspicion. They're not happy, and the rest of the village is questioning why they didn't help fight."
"Who ordered them to do that?"
Minato gave her a flat look. "I'll give you one guess."
Kushina swore. "It was that slimy bastard Danzo, wasn't it? He always has it out for the Uchiha clan. Why do you keep him around?"
"I can't exactly send him away," Minato sighed. "He's been on the council longer than either of us have even been shinobi, and the rest of the council trusts him. I don't have the power to remove someone from the council without the majority support." He groaned. "Trust me, I'd love to get rid of him."
Kushina scowled. "What's the point of being Hokage if you can't even pluck out a few weeds?"
Sensing she was getting riled up, Minato nudged her with his shoulder. "Normally it's a good thing that the Hokage doesn't have all the power. Otherwise I could just get rid of the entire council and appoint whoever I want to get things done without any opposition."
"Are you trying to make this sound like a bad thing? Because you're not doing a very good job," Kushina joked.
Her husband grinned at her. "You know that if I had the choice, I'd put you on the council in a heartbeat. You could really shake things up."
Kushina snorted. "Oh, there are a few of those old geezers that I'd like to have words with, y'know?"
Minato laughed. "I would pay money to see that confrontation."
They both chuckled, but the somber mood returned quickly. Kushina was digesting the new information. She knew Minato wouldn't go along with Danzo's witch hunt, but she couldn't help but worry for Mikoto and her family. They'd been friends for so long, Kushina couldn't even imagine that she could have a part in anything as horrible as the Kyuubi attack.
"So what happens now?"
Minato sighed. "Well, I'm about to be very busy for a while. There's a lot of cleanup to coordinate, barriers to reinforce, and so many meetings." He groaned, a pained expression crossing his face. "You wouldn't believe how many I've had to sit through already. The Sandaime has been picking up a lot of the slack so I could stay with you, but there's some things I've had to be a part of."
It made sense, that Minato hadn't been able to stay with her the whole time, but she was still surprised at that information. Every time she'd woken up he'd been there, so she just made an assumption. "Who was watching Naruto when you weren't here?" She was curious, not accusatory.
"Oh, I had Kakashi watching over the both of you." He laughed. "One time I came in and he was frantically trying to figure out how to change a diaper. I've never seen him look so frazzled before."
Kushina snorted in amusement. "I guess you finally found something he's not good at," she joked.
"Mhm. I don't think he has the best parenting instincts," he chuckled, "but he cares. It was very sweet watching him hold Naruto."
Kushina smiled at that. She knew Minato's student was lonely, and she'd been trying for ages to get him to spend more time with their little family. He always seemed to think he was some kind of burden, but she hoped that would change. "That's good. I hoped they would bond."
Minato nodded. "I think he's really shaken by this whole thing. I thought he would be throwing a fit about not being out in the village, but he's been uncharacteristically clingy. I've had to practically chase him away a few times." He smiled sadly. "I think he was genuinely afraid we didn't make it."
"Well, you're probably the closest thing to family he has left," Kushina reasoned. "It's easy to forget, but he's really still a kid, y'know?"
"Yeah, it is too easy to forget," Minato said sadly. "I hope by the time Naruto is his age we won't still be sending kids off to war. I don't want to ever have to do that."
Kushina agreed completely. "Well, you've at least increased the minimum graduation age for the academy, and added in some non-combat related topics to the curriculum."
Minato shrugged. "It's not much, really. The council is pushing back so hard." He shook his head. "It's only going to get worse now. I'm sure they'll use this attack as an excuse to try and push more young graduates through way too fast."
Kushina scowled at that, but she knew it was the truth. She didn't want to even think about having to send her son off to war. "What other updates do you have?" She carefully changed the subject.
The topic switched back to the happenings outside of Kushina's hospital room. Apparently Minato had been in and out a lot, coordinating rescue efforts and meeting with each clan head to assess losses and damages. It was a very difficult, and tense situation. They didn't have anyone they could spare from rescue and repair efforts to patrol their borders, but they had to pull people anyway. Relations with the other villages were still too tense and letting their guard down would only leave them vulnerable. There wasn't an official count yet of how many were dead or missing, but the number was already too high.
"Which clans do you still have to check in with?" Kushina asked.
"The Hyuga and the Uchiha," he responded.
Kushina rolled her eyes. "Did you purposefully leave the two most stubborn, bullheaded clan leaders for last?"
Minato laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe." He sighed. "I'm not particularly looking forward to meeting with either of them, but it can't wait any longer."
Nodding, Kushina responded, "I get it. Well, it's been nice knowing you," she joked. "I'll make sure Naruto remembers his father fondly when one of them skins you alive for making them wait."
"Hey!"
They laughed, and then Kushina found herself yawning again. Considering how long she'd been asleep, she was surprised at how much more rest her body wanted. But she knew she needed to heal, even if she didn't want to miss any time with her family. These first precious moments with the three of them weren't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be safe at home, bickering over whose turn it was to change diapers. They weren't supposed to be dealing with a horrible tragedy like this.
With her eyes getting heavy, Kushina felt another kiss placed on the top of her head. She mumbled a weak protest, saying she would stay awake, but it was obviously a losing battle. She slid back into unconsciousness, once again dreaming about Naruto being left all alone. Even in her dreams it made her heart ache.
—------------------------------
When the time came for Kushina to finally leave the hospital, she was so sick of being there that she almost cursed out the poor nurse doing her final check over, despite knowing they were just doing their job. She didn't like being stuck in the sterile room, or eating the bland hospital food. She didn't like being out of the loop with everything happening in the village, and she didn't like feeling useless and weak. Minato kept assuring her that her job right now was to heal and spend time with their son, but it was difficult to convince a battle-hardened shinobi to sit out from a fight. Even if her muscles still protested when she sat up too fast, or if she needed someone to support her weight to walk to the bathroom. She couldn't recall ever being so dependent on someone else's care. Kushina would have a long recovery time, and she'd been told she was damn lucky to be alive. She'd almost burst out laughing at that, because they had absolutely no idea.
Finally, the last of the paperwork was signed that freed her from the room that smelled too much like alcohol and bleach. Other than her small window, which had a very unfortunate view consisting of only a few damaged buildings, she hadn't seen the outside world since she'd been brought in almost a week ago. Her only exercise had been slow, heavily supported walks up and down the hall, and her only stimulation had been snapping at the ANBU stationed outside her room out of sheer frustration.
A wheelchair was rolled up to the bed, and as much as Kushina wanted to say she could walk herself out of the hospital, she knew she couldn't. At least, not without spending half the day limping through the maze of a building. Even if it wasn't hospital policy, she probably would've asked for one anyway. Plus, she'd be able to hold Naruto like this. She couldn't do that if she was leaning on every wall and handrail that they passed by.
To make matters worse, Minato wasn't here. She'd barely seen him since she woke up a few days ago, and they hadn't really had a chance to have any more long conversations. From what he told her, things with the Uchiha clan had gotten significantly worse since he met with the clan heads. He hadn't given her the details, partly due to their lack of privacy here, but also partly due to lack of time. She could tell from how hunched his shoulders looked and how dark the circles under his eyes were that her husband was struggling with the weight of it all. She hated that she couldn't bear some of that burden for him, like she'd promised when he'd agreed to take the hat.
Both of them knew that Kushina's pregnancy would be risky, with her status as a jinchuuriki, but they'd never imagined something like this would happen. She knew Minato wanted to be here, and had tried to be here, but Kakashi had whispered to her that things were possibly bad enough to turn to civil war if he left his office right now. Kushina wasn't so selfish that she would prioritize herself over the entire village, even though she definitely wanted to. If she hadn't been injured she would probably be by his side, their infant son bundled safely in her arms. She could picture the three of them together, facing whatever threats came from outside of the village, or from within.
Instead of Minato, Kushina had his student to accompany her. Kakashi was apparently taking his role as her guard very seriously. She knew he'd been keeping an eye on her during her pregnancy, because there was no way in hell Minato would order such a thing without asking her first, but apparently he'd insisted on continuing this particular assignment after Kushina was admitted to the hospital. Minato was probably right about him being shaken, because she'd never known her husband's student to willingly choose such a low-risk assignment like this. He was always far too willing and eager to jump straight into danger.
It was almost comical, watching Kakashi skulk around like a guard dog. Literally, in some cases, when he called his ninken to aid him on his patrol. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't really necessary, but she held her tongue. Considering that the masked man had taken out her ANBU guard like it was nothing, and even gone toe-to-toe with Minato, she couldn't brush off the potential danger. She was proud, but not so proud that she'd risk leaving her infant son vulnerable while she couldn't defend him. Kakashi was practically family anyway, so it wasn't particularly a burden to have him around so much. Plus, Minato's goal had been to try and get Kakashi to do something other than ANBU assassination and infiltration missions, right? It seemed like a win-win concerning Minato's only remaining student.
Once Kushina was comfortably settled into the wheelchair, Kakashi gently slipped Naruto into her arms. Tension that she hadn't even noticed started to melt away as she smiled down at her son. Once again, she was filled with so much relief that she got to be by his side. She'd had more dreams about Naruto being bullied and alone, and it always left her feeling on edge when she woke up. That damn fox had really gotten in her head, apparently.
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, and Kushina glanced over her shoulder at him as he pushed the chair out of her hospital room. "What's that look for?" She asked playfully, seeing the telltale crinkles at the corner of his eye that indicated he was smiling under his mask.
"I was just looking at you and Naruto together," he explained, "and I realized how much he looks like you. Everyone sees his hair and eyes and says he looks like Sensei, but his face is all you."
Kushina grinned. "Fortunately, he got my good looks! I'd hate to think about if he looked too much like his dad," she joked.
Kakashi laughed at that. "I'm sure Sensei would be greatly offended if he heard that."
"But you're not denying it," she pressed.
The teen shrugged, but his visible eye was shining with mirth. "I'm not going to get involved in this kind of debate."
Kushina rolled her eyes fondly. She glanced down again at Naruto, tracing the shape of his face with her fingers. Right now he kind of just looked like a chubby potato (albeit a very cute chubby potato), but Kakashi was right. She could see echoes of her own features on her son's face. It made her heart feel impossibly full. She wondered if she'd ever stop being amazed that she and Minato brought this little life into the world.
"Oh," Kakashi said suddenly, "Mikoto Uchiha has been asking about you."
Kushina perked up at the mention of her friend. "Is everything alright?"
Nodding, Kakashi continued, "Yes, she was just worried, I think. She wanted to come visit you but…" he trailed off awkwardly.
It wasn't too difficult to fill in the gaps. Her clan was currently under a lot of suspicion, and Kushina was married to the Hokage. Stupid village politics probably kept her from visiting, and that made Kushina furious.
Apparently, her temper was obvious, as personnel gave them a wide berth as she was wheeled by. Kakashi seemed to pick up on her irritation as well. "Ah, don't worry. Once you're out of here, no one can really say anything about how you spend your time."
They both knew that wasn't quite true. Certain village leaders would absolutely butt in and protest about how Kushina spent her time. She'd already been lectured multiple times by one of the elders about how the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki shouldn't be so cozy with a Sharingan user. Not that she gave two shits. Mikoto was one of her closest friends, and the two of them already decided their sons were going to be friends as well.
"I don't care about village politics," she finally responded. "No one will stop me from making sure my friend and her family are ok."
Kakashi huffed in amusement. "You know, she said the same thing. That's why she's waiting for you at your place."
That made Kushina smile. "Good. I gave her a spare key for a reason."
"She insisted on prepping some meals and," he waved a hand vaguely, "doing some baby stuff."
Kushina laughed. "Baby stuff?"
"I don't know about that sort of thing," Kakashi mumbled awkwardly.
Reaching a hand back, Kushina patted Kakashi's arm soothingly. "There, there. I'm sure someday Minato can tell you all about the birds and the bees–"
"Ah, not that kind of baby stuff!" Kakashi stuttered.
Kushina threw her head back in laughter. Even Naruto seemed to pick up on the good mood, gurgling happily. Teenagers might be a pain in the ass, but oh they were so easy to tease. She couldn't wait to embarrass Naruto in front of his friends.
The light mood faded as Kushina was wheeled out of the hospital doors. She gasped as soon as she saw the scale of the destruction from the Kyuubi's rampage. The village was in shambles. Buildings were crumbling down to the foundation, and there were craters where homes and businesses used to be. A glance behind her also made her realize how busy the hospital must be. The waiting room was packed with makeshift triage and treatment areas. She'd probably only managed to get a room because of who she was and how critical her injuries were. Fortunately, the hospital's foundation seemed solid, and the building had remained relatively unscathed. There were some shattered windows and a few rooms were likely too damaged to be used, but overall it was one of the few buildings that remained standing in the area. She shuddered as she thought about how much worse things would've been if the hospital had been destroyed.
Their journey home was solemn, and silent. Kushina took in the destruction around her. A restaurant where she and Minato had one of their first dates. Demolished. The tea shop where she always met up with Mikoto. Reduced to rubble. And Ichiraku! The shop had collapsed in on itself and was completely unrecognizable. Fortunately, Kushina spotted Teuchi and his daughter, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Clean up had clearly been underway while she was in the hospital, but it would obviously be a slow process. There were piles of rubble and debris that had been collected, and ninken were sniffling over the ruins of buildings. Kushina's stomach dropped as she realized they'd be looking for corpses at this point. The thought made her sick. The realization that it was the Kyuubi's extraction from her made her feel even sicker. Was this her fault? Could she have done something to prevent this? How many lives were lost so she could bring one into the world?
No, she couldn't think about it like that. Kushina clutched Naruto closer to her chest, chasing away that particular train of thought. She was going to love her son, and give him the life he deserved. Both of his parents would. She didn't understand the complexities of time travel, but she wondered if the other Naruto, the Kyuubi's Naruto, was out there somewhere. Did he exist in another timeline, or other dimension? Or had he been lost as soon as the Kyuubi traveled back to their time? Her heart ached for him. Alternate timeline or not, that was her son. Her baby that had sacrificed so much, and apparently grown into such a fine young man. She looked down at the infant in her arms and wondered what kind of person he would be. Would this Naruto still become a hero, or had the future already been changed too much because he was going to be raised by his parents?
Kushina liked to think that she and Minato would do a fine job raising Naruto to be just as kind and selfless as the Kyuubi had described, but she really didn't know. How much of who he was had been shaped by his experiences? Ugh, her head was starting to hurt thinking too much about this time travel bullshit. At the end of the day, it didn't matter if things were different. She would love her son enough for this timeline and any others.
When they reached Kushina and Minato's home, she let out a sigh of relief as she realized this area had been mostly spared from the attack. Their home and the ones surrounding them had smashed windows that were boarded up, but only minor structural damage. She wasn't a religious woman, but part of her believed that the only way they could have gotten this lucky was because of divine intervention.
She smiled down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "Welcome home, Naruto." Kushina's soft smile turned to a frown as she realized a very important flaw in their home's design. "I'm regretting picking a house with so many stairs." She'd never even thought about it, but damn this village had a problem with accessibility, didn't it? She would have to tell Minato about that, particularly since they were rebuilding so much right now.
"Ah, that's alright, I can carry you." Kakashi offered.
Kushina gave him a flat look. There was no way in hell her dignity would remain intact if she was carried into her own home by her husband's teenage student. "Absolutely not. You carry Naruto, and I'll manage on my own."
"But Sensei said–"
"You better worry less about what Minato said and more about what I am going to say if you don't listen," she grumbled.
Kakashi held up his hands in surrender. Kushina smiled victoriously, then kissed Naruto's chubby cheeks before handing him off to Kakashi. The teen took him carefully, holding him like he might disappear at any moment. His grip was gentle, but protective, and it warmed Kushina's heart. Her son would be safe with Kakashi, and they would have a chance to bond. All of them, as a family. She wondered if the Kakashi in the Kyuubi's timeline had gotten to know Naruto. He was so young, she wasn't going to blame him if he wasn't involved in raising a baby. But others in the village? Oh, she wished she could know who all was responsible for leaving her perfect baby all alone. She'd throttle them within an inch of their life, and make them beg for her son's forgiveness.
Slowly, and painfully, Kushina pulled herself up the stairs, one by one. Kakashi hovered close by, but he was too busy making sure Naruto was safe to interfere. He even gripped the safety rail in one hand, with Naruto carefully tucked under his other arm, and he took very purposeful steps. He was obviously making every effort to be as safe as possible while carrying the infant, and it was both adorable and hilarious.
It took an embarrassingly long time, and Kushina had to make multiple stops to catch her breath, but she managed to make it up the stairs by herself. Kakashi seemed to be about to make a sympathetic comment, but a single glare had him looking away very pointedly with his only visible eye. Kushina leaned against the railing, breathing heavily as all her muscles shook from exhaustion. She felt like she was about to collapse and couldn't wait to get back into her own bed.
Kakashi had just started to reach for the door, when it was slowly pulled open. They both blinked in surprise for a moment, because there didn't seem to be anyone there. Then, Kushina glanced down to the small child that was hovering in her doorway, staring up at her curiously.
A very familiar voice called from inside, "Itachi, help Kushina inside!"
Kushina recognized Mikoto's oldest son. He nodded, quiet as always, and reached up to grab her hand to do as his mother instructed. Really, she needed to lean on someone, but she wasn't going to tell a kid that he was doing a bad job so she grit her teeth and let the boy lead her into her home with his tiny hand gripping her own. Her home was warm, and something in the kitchen smelled absolutely divine. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of eating something other than gross hospital food. Mikoto turned to her as she limped into the living room following behind Itachi. Her face went from smiling to concerned, and she swept across the room in an instant to catch her friend before she fell.
"I had no idea you were in such rough shape!" She fussed, ushering Kushina over to the couch and helping her lay down. She had her own baby in a sling around her body, which she carefully unwrapped and gently passed the infant to Itachi, who clutched at his little brother like a lifeline.
The soft cushions were a relief to Kushina's aching muscles. "Oh, I'm alright," she promised. "Just need a little time to heal."
Mikoto didn't look convinced, but her entire demeanor changed as she spotted Kakashi holding Naruto. Her smile was warm as she strode over and took her time fussing over the baby, saying how cute and healthy he looked. Kakashi looked incredibly uncomfortable during the whole ordeal. He probably didn't know how to react when someone was cooing over the baby in his arms, plus he wasn't exactly on the best terms with the Uchiha clan after the incident with his teammate's eye. Mikoto was not one of those that held it against him, and Kushina had told him that, but Kakashi had this horrible tendency to believe people only saw the worst in him.
Kushina smiled at the sight. If Minato was here, things would be perfect. But he wasn't, because he was dealing with the fallout from the Kyuubi's attack. He was trying to prevent tensions from rising even more with the Uchiha and the other clans. He'd barely been able to spend time with his family.
Something on her face must have reflected her thoughts, because both Kakashi and Mikoto were giving her concerned looks. "Do you need your pain meds?" Kakashi asked. "I can get them for you."
"No," Kushina insisted. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed, y'know?" She sighed heavily.
Both of them nodded. Mikoto returned to her side, kneeling next to the couch. "I get it. Having a newborn to care for is hard enough, let alone everything else that happened."
With her friend's familiar presence, so many of her worries started pouring out. "I feel like this is my fault," she admitted. "The Kyuubi was pulled out of me, and I was too weak to do anything about it. Now so many people are dead, and the village is barely standing."
"Kushina," Mikoto chided, "you were in the middle of childbirth, you couldn't exactly be expected to fight off the Kyuubi single handedly."
"I know," Kushina insisted, "but I just feel like I could've done something different, y'know? That masked guy, you know about him, right?" A nod of confirmation. "He was ready for everything. He knew where we were, how to get to us, and when to break the seal. He almost–" she barely held back tears as she remembered how close Naruto had come to dying at the stranger's hands.
A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. "You took so many precautions, I know you did." Mikoto sighed in relief. "I'm just so glad you're all ok. When I heard what happened I thought–" she shook her head, willing the thought away.
Kushina reached back to squeeze her friend's hand. "And what about you? Are you all ok?"
Mikoto's face fell, "The clan didn't suffer any losses, so we should be grateful."
"But?"
"But," Mikoto continued, "it's apparently suspicious that we didn't." Her face hardened. "As if we weren't asking to be put on the front lines to help! We were ordered to stay with the civilians, away from the battle."
"Minato told me," Kushina replied with a nod. "Neither of us believe that the Uchiha clan had anything to do with the attack, you know that right?"
Shrugging, Mikoto replied, "I know. But the rest of the council doesn't necessarily see it that way. Whoever the masked man that attacked you was, he had a Sharingan, and he controlled the Kyuubi. It doesn't exactly make us look good."
From the otherside of the room, Kakashi coughed awkwardly. Kushina assumed it was his attempt at dissuading the discussion of classified information with a member of the clan that was currently under investigation. Not that Kushina cared. She shot Kakashi a glare, raising her eyebrow to challenge him to say something. He immediately looked away, choosing instead to focus on a very interesting spot on the floor.
Kushina glanced back up at her friend. "How is Fugaku handling it all?"
Mikoto shook her head sadly. "About as well as Minato, I'd imagine. I've barely seen him since the attack, and whenever I do he's just cranky and exhausted." Her face hardened. "I should be at these meetings too, but you know how the elders are."
Kushina scoffed. "Yeah, I do. Damn misogynistic bastards. I don't suppose any of them died in the attack?"
Mikoto snorted in amusement, but Kakashi made a concerned noise. Kushina rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry, Kakashi, we're not discussing anything treasonous over here…yet." She laughed darkly, and Mikoto joined in immediately. It reminded her of missions they'd done together in their younger days, when they'd become friends. They worked perfectly as a team, which was why they managed to keep getting paired up despite how much trouble they'd get into together.
Their laughter died down, and the pressing weight of reality hit both of them again. "The compound was destroyed," Mikoto said quietly.
Kushina gasped. "What? Where are you staying then?"
"Most of the clan is in pop up tents, because there's just no space available anywhere. We've got a hotel room because, you know, clan head and all that."
That made Kushina frown. "You should stay here. No friend of mine is going to be stuck in a dingy hotel room!"
Mikoto smiled gratefully. "I appreciate it, but I don't think it's a good idea, considering everything happening with the clan right now. You know how the council is. They would say it's special treatment or something."
"It is special treatment," Kushina snorted. "Because you're my friend. And you've got your two boys to worry about! I'm sure you'd be more comfortable here." She looked around, finding both of Mikoto's sons. Itachi was holding his younger brother, murmuring some kind of nonsensical story. It made both women smile.
"I'm lucky, really," Mikoto insisted. "The fact that we have a hotel room, and the fact that our movement hasn't been restricted."
Kushina frowned again. "What do you mean?"
"Most of the clan has been functionally placed on lockdown. They can't go anywhere."
"What?!" Kushina sat up, grimacing in pain. "Minato wouldn't order something like that!"
"He didn't," Mikoto replied. "That's the problem. The order was given when the Sandaime had temporary authority. While you were in critical condition and Minato was in the hospital with you."
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kushina grumbled, "I think I can guess where, or rather who, the order came from."
A memory of the Kyuubi's rumbling voice came to her unbidden:
For now, beware the company he keeps.
Is it possible that the fox was talking about Danzo? She opened her mouth to tell Mikoto her theory, before remembering that no one besides her and Minato knew about the Kyuubi's time travel story. Plus, they had promised that other than the two approved Sannin, they wouldn't tell anyone. Kushina should have thought to include her friend on that list too. Mikoto was her closest confidant, and it would hurt to not be able to bounce ideas off of her, and to have to lie to her. But she wouldn't break her word. That would only give the fox a reason to break its word too, and she didn't want to think about what that would look like.
Fortunately Mikoto didn't notice her internal struggle. "Most likely," she confirmed bitterly.
"Well, you know we're on your side," she insisted. "And if Minato does or says anything stupid, just tell me and I'll set him straight." Kushina grinned.
Mikoto laughed. "Of course. Now," she changed the subject, "I'm guessing you probably want some real food, and maybe a hot bath?"
"That sounds heavenly," Kushina groaned. She turned to Kakashi with a shit-eating grin. "Don't worry, Kakashi, Mikoto can help me with the bathing part," she teased.
Predictably, the teen's face reddened. Both women laughed at his discomfort. "Oh," Mikoto added, "but you can watch the boys, can't you Kakashi?" Her tone was deceptively innocent.
"Uh," Kakashi replied intelligibly. He glanced between the baby still in his arms, and Mikoto's two boys. "I don't really know much about kids…" As if on cue, Naruto started fussing in his arms, prompting a look of alarm from Kakashi. Kushina hoped that her son was going to enjoy jokes and pranks as much as she did.
Kakashi was looking increasingly frantic as Naruto's fussing worsened. As much as Kushina wanted to mess with Kakashi, every instinct in her body was protesting against hearing her baby uncomfortable. She was about to tell Kakashi to bring him over, but she didn't have a chance to.
Mikoto's oldest had marched straight up to Kakashi and declared, "It's because you're holding him wrong."
Kakashi looked taken aback at having a 4 year old tell him off. "What?"
"You're holding him all crooked," Itachi insisted. He demonstrated how he was holding his younger brother.
Sure enough, when Kakashi adjusted his grip, Naruto quieted. Kushina laughed at the scene. "Wow, you're a really good big brother, aren't you Itachi?"
The boy nodded, taking the compliment very seriously. Mikoto leaned down and whispered to her, "He's barely put Sasuke down since the attack. The two of them were alone at the house when it happened. Itachi had to carry him all over the village, and I think he's afraid something is going to happen again." She looked sad, but also proud of how well her oldest had taken charge.
None of them missed how Kakashi knelt down and tried to subtly whisper, "Got any other tips, kid?"
With Kakashi kneeling, both infants were almost level with each other. From his brother's arms, little Sasuke's eyes seemed to fix on Naruto. He made some kind of garbled sound, and Kushina almost swore he looked like he was trying to scowl. Immediately, Naruto burst into tears and started wailing.
Kushina finally took pity on Kakashi and held her arms out. With all the swiftness of his ANBU training, Kakashi crossed the room and deposited the screaming infant in his mother's arms, looking relieved. Kushina chuckled, gently shushing and rocking Naruto.
"Well," Mikoto laughed, "hopefully that isn't an indication of how their relationship is going to be." Both of them chuckled warmly at that, enjoying the brief respite from the harsh realities of the outside world.
Notes:
This chapter, especially the second part, was really fun to write. This show doesn't have enough female friendships so it was fun to write some Kushina and Mikoto shenanigans. And also baby Itachi being a good brother. I'm 100% convinced that he would've ended up as a babysitter in any scenario where Naruto's parents don't die. And does he do a better job with the kids than Kakashi? Why yes, yes he does.
週次パワーステータス
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