Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Broken Branches	By : ChaCha92 Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 8173 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Naruto universe. Some dude in Japan does. Make no money on my stories either.

Chapter List
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- 4
The world is melting.
The thought defies all logic, reason and scientific fact, yet Minato is certain it’s true. It has to be.
How else can the visible rays of heat radiating off the ground be explained? How is it possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk below the Tower? He saw this one himself because a couple of his shinobi tried it. Or the fact it feels like the soles of his ninja sandals seem to have more traction than normal and the consistency of gooey, gum? Why else would he be expecting an urgent report that the earth has suddenly turned to molten lava and Konoha is going up in flames?
How else can anyone explain why he’s entertaining such ridiculous notions? The world is melting or his brain wouldn’t be suffering from heatstroke in order to dream up such nonsense.
Shifting his gaze from outside, he retreats from the windows to settle back behind his desk within the comparable coolness of his office. Reaching for his profusely sweating glass of lemonade he lifts it to take a nice, long draught, completely ignoring the fact it’s mostly water now due to the melting ice.
Setting the glass back onto a coaster and picking up the document he discarded in favor of gazing out the window, Minato supposes he doesn’t have room to complain. Normally, because of the sweltering summer heat, ninja spend nearly the entirety of July indoors. It’s not that it isn’t hot all summer it’s just that July seems to focus it all into a searing pinpoint.
There’s typically a natural decline in commissioned missions during the hottest summer months. There may be a few escort missions, but most nobility and upper class citizens are already whiling away the heat at their favored holiday destinations.
Unfortunately, thanks to the damage caused Madara’s attack, there’s a dire need for funds in order to offset the soaring cost of rebuilding and ongoing medical care for those still recovering from their injuries.
Instead of simply allowing their ninja to ride out the heat and the inevitable work slowdown, Minato and Hiruzen spend much time soliciting work to send them out on to earn money for the village.
The scratching of Minato’s pen breaks the silence of the otherwise empty office. The temptation is strong to simply lean back in his chair and fan himself with the documents he’s reviewing and signing. However, the sooner he finishes, the sooner he can call it a day.
His actions are automatic and mechanical, so his thoughts easily drift back onto the village.
Recovery efforts throughout continued slowly, but steadily, for months. Real progress is seen as long cleared debris is gradually being replaced by new structures. Konoha is finally looking less like a war zone and more like their home again.
It is also important to present a strong face to the world and not just bring in needed monies. Word of a major catastrophe befalling Konoha spread throughout the Land of Fire into the surrounding nations, including the other ninja villages. Because of that, they need to show they are already bouncing back and not a target ripe for attack.
The two Hokage take turns schmoozing and charming past clients as well as new faces from within the Land of Fire and surrounding nations. They take everything including escorts, guard details and fugitive hunting. Hiruzen even successfully convinced the Wind daimyo to hire Konoha to help build an irrigation canal system for a farming community on his eastern border. He soothed the anger of Kazekage of Suna by pointing out it frees his ninja to focus on more important missions as opposed to manual labor that does nothing to enhance their existing, formidable skills.
It didn’t hurt that Konoha also paid Suna compensation from part of the fee from their contract with the Wind daimyo.
When not occupied with generating income, the two men finally manage to shift some of their attention into investigating the Uchiha clan involvement in the Kyuubi attack.
They quietly assign trustworthy shinobi to investigate everything possible about the clan. A couple of nins started a paper chase chronologically documenting every council action voted on or instigated by Uchiha Fugaku. Another pair began reviewing every complaint or sanction levied against any member of the Uchiha clan.
Setting down his pen, the blond briefly pauses in his work to arch his back, stretching with a heartfelt, weary sigh. Relaxing, he glares at the offending stack sitting innocently on the corner of his desk, wishing he could simply ignite it with his eyes. Taking another sip of his watery lemonade he supposes it could be worse. It could be him, and not Hiruzen, stuck in the latest council meeting to discuss the progress of the village.
Refusing to get distracted, Minato reluctantly picks up his pen and continues working.
He remembers wanting to assign a ninja to infiltrate the clan, but was forced to wait. Hiruzen pointed out they didn’t have anyone trustworthy enough or highly skilled enough to successfully infiltrate the Uchiha clan. Their intense xenophobia guarantees failure and would likely incite them to act against Konoha again.
It’s not that Minato doesn’t appreciate Hiruzen’s intelligence and sound logic, but there are times when he absolutely hates when the old know-it-all is right.
Minato knows it’ll take time and will be very difficult to uncover any proof against the clan. They’ve had generations of practice perfecting being secretive and wary. Sooner or later the opportunity will present itself. He’s patient enough to wait for it.
Sighing into the stillness, he tears his thoughts from the Uchiha to idly wonder where his wife is at that moment.
As Tsunade predicted, Kushina started training to get back into shape much sooner than recommended, within days of the sannin leaving. Minato does give her credit for trying to keep from going overboard. In fact, she only focused on getting back into physical shape, something she was capable of doing without injury.
For about two weeks.
He sincerely hopes that she isn’t straining herself if she’s training at the moment. If not, he hopes that some form of divine intervention will help Kakashi finally convince Kushina to take it easy for once and instead of going off to train for a couple of hours.
“C’mon, Kakashi! You need some sun! You’re starting to look so pale people will think you’ve died and returned as a ghost!” Kushina laughs as they arrive at the outer edge of the forests near the Nara clan lands.
Holding Naruto, Kakashi arches a brow and sardonically replies, “Maybe if you and Sensei hadn’t saddled me with the nanny detail for the past nine months that wouldn’t be an issue, would it?”
Ignoring the conversation, Naruto wiggles and stretches in his arms, trying to look at everything around them in wonder.
“It keeps you versatile,” she quips, setting down her pack against a tree. Walking out into the middle of a small clearing she begins stretching and warming up her muscles.
Kakashi rolls his eyes before glancing down at Naruto when her movement stills. Seeing she’s fixated on a nearby tree he follows her gaze and smiles at the butterfly resting on the tree trunk.
“Want to see the butterfly, Naruto?”
Not expecting an answer, he carries her over for a closer look. He watches in amusement as she stares transfixed on the Rice Paper butterfly gently opening and closing it’s beautiful black and white wings.
“Like the pretty butterfly, Naruto?” he enunciates carefully for her.
In response she begins babbling at the butterfly. His smile widens when he hears her mangled attempt to say, “butterfly.”
While Naruto continues watching the insect and babbling at it, Kakashi asks, “Is it okay for us to go on a training run with Naruto?”
Kushina answers while folding her body in half to touch her forehead to her knees. “We’re not running a course through the Forest of Death or over a rocky terrain or anything too rugged. Besides, this kills two birds with one stone. I can have Naruto with me while extending my training and conditioning time.”
Shifting to spread her legs wide, Kushina continues stretching by touching her forehead to one knee at a time.
“She also gets to see the great big world instead of being cooped up in the tower all the time. We really haven’t taken her out much these past few months because of everything going on.”
Shifting her body again to a splits position, she arches her back and reaches back over to grab her ankle, touching the top of her head to her knee.
“And I’m not comfortable with Naruto being too much in one place either. Not with all the vipers out for her blood.” Releasing her ankle, she bends forward over the leg extended out in front of her. “And we both know a stationary target is an easy target. Even in the Tower.”
“True,” Kakashi agrees as Kushina bends both legs together at the knees in front of her and holds her hands out for Naruto.
Stepping over, he hands the baby over and starts stretching and warming up. Kushina positions Naruto’s body to lean against her shins facing her in a standing position. Gently rolling onto her back, Kushina lifts her legs, much to Naruto’s delight, tilting her forward as she slightly extends them before bending her knees again. Kushina smiles and laughs with Naruto who loves being nearly turned upside down.
Minutes later Kakashi is finished and helps securely strap Naruto to Kushina’s back in a baby sling.
“Ready?” Kushina asks. At the teen’s nod she takes off in an easy jog, gradually increasing speed into a steady run.
Weaving between the trees, Kushina leads them on a scenic course, passing through rocky clearings or by small waterfalls. She smiles hearing Naruto’s eager babbling behind her.
Keeping pace behind the redhead, Kakashi still wonders if taking a nine month old out like this is a good idea. However, his concerns are squashed when it’s evident Naruto loves being out with them, especially if Kushina throws in the occasional summersault over a large root or rock.
An hour later they take a break by one of the countless waterfall streams dotting the forest. The Nara deer give the trio a cursory glance before resuming drinking out of the stream or grazing nearby in a small meadow.
Kushina breast feeds Naruto, giving Kakashi a chance to eat his lunch. When he’s finished, Kushina hands her over to him. Rising to his feet, he carries the enthralled baby closer to look at the deer while giving Kushina the chance to eat her food.
She watches with pride and amusement as Kakashi quietly talks to Naruto, continuing to carefully enunciate his words while telling her about the deer. She wishes Sakumo was alive to watch his son finally emerge from his emotionless shell, albeit practically fighting it tooth and nail, to become a loving big brother.
A couple of the younger deer step closer to study Naruto in Kakashi’s arms. He remains still as Naruto gushes and babbles while pointing at the deer. One of the braver bucks extends its muzzle out to sniff near her hand, causing the baby to laugh. Once their curiosity is satisfied, they step away to resume their grazing.
After Kushina finishes eating, they leave the forest and head over to one of the main training grounds. Kakashi settles with a drowsy Naruto under the shade of a tree as Kushina starts doing chakra exercises to strengthen her network. He acts as her safety spotter while she runs through simple academy level exercises.
As Kushina progresses through her routine, she’s unaware of Minato watching them with the crystal ball he inherited from Sarutobi when he took office.
He found it too difficult to continue focusing on work once Kushina crossed his mind. Naturally, he’s been concerned about her resuming her training so soon, but refrained from commenting to her much about it. It clearly makes her happy and gives him peace of mind seeing she’s not overdoing it.
It’s also amusing to see his student holding a slumbering Naruto cuddled on his shoulder as he observes Kushina’s training. Minato wishes he could take a picture to use as blackmail against his former student. All of Kakashi’s rabid fan girls would go wild seeing him with an adorable baby sleeping in his arms.
“Well, that was fun,” Kushina declares walking over to Kakashi after finishing the exercises.
Rolling his eye he rises to his feet, being careful not to jostle Naruto awake.
“I think it was more fun for Naruto,” he points out, gently passing the baby over to her. Without opening her eyes, Naruto squirms and grunts a little in annoyance before drifting deeper back into sleep against Kushina’s right shoulder.
“Probably,” Kushina chuckles as she reaches up to lightly stroke her slumbering daughter’s head. “I’ve done enough training today, so why don’t we head back to the tower? I can put in some desk duty with Minato and the Old Man.”
Kakashi nods in agreement. Picking up his pack he follows her out of the training ground.
Minato smiles in relief as he slips the crystal ball back into a drawer. Picking up his pen, he resumes his work, grateful that Kushina really isn’t over doing it.
Days later Minato has begun wondering if time is perpetually frozen in summer and they’re all doomed to roast to death as it continues being exceptionally hot outside.
On the plus side, the heat forces Kushina into cutting her training short for the day. Glancing over at his wife who’s sitting at Hiruzen’s desk scowling through a report, he appreciates her help with the never ending paperwork. Still stuck putting in long days, Minato gladly snatches every chance he gets to spend time with her even if it’s spent tediously toiling over documents.
“No wonder that cagey, old bastard seemed overly eager to take his turn walking around the village checking on the reconstruction. This is incredibly boring shit!” Kushina growls irritably while running a hand through her bangs.
Minato can’t resist chuckling, adding, “And you know he’s going to take longer than usual since he’s got Naruto with him. He’s going to make sure to stop and talk to a lot of people or stop to show her every little wonder.”
“He’s a smart old bastard,” she smirks back, setting the document she’s reading down to raise her arms and stretch her back. “It also gives Kakashi the rare chance to act like an actual ANBU for a change since he gets to shadow them in uniform.”
“He’s lucky you were in a good enough mood to give him that chance. I wouldn’t have been that nice,” Minato mutters while signing off on the latest document.
Rising from her seat she saunters over to start massaging his shoulders. He can hear the smirk in her voice as she adds, “It’s just for today, blondie. I know he’s still not back in your good graces for sneaking into ANBU.”
Closing his eyes, Minato sighs while enjoying her hands deftly kneading his stiff muscles.
“It’s going to be awhile before that happens. He’s too young to be doing ANBU. He almost literally went from being a toddler to an adult. That’s why I had said ‘no’ to him enlisting. He doesn’t need to get mired further into the blood and darkness.”
“It’s hard to get buried in the darkness when you’re stuck with diaper duty and locating misplaced, in-demand, plushie frogs,” Kushina chuckles while working out a particularly tough knot between his shoulders.
Minato grins, “I still need to catch him off guard in a cute baby moment with Naruto so I can use it as future blackmail against him.”
Leaning in, his wife whispers seductively in his ear, “Don’t worry, blondie, I’ve already got a really good one for you to use.” When he turns his head to look at her questioningly, she adds, “I got it during one of our many training runs through the Nara forest. It’s a picture of him crouched down low with Naruto in his arms as a doe and fawn sniff at her. It’s definitely too cute for words.”
“You know,” he smirks, turning forward so Kushina can continue her massage, “I don’t even think I’m going to bother with the fangirls. I’ll save that for his ANBU teammates.”
Kushina busts out laughing. Calming down somewhat she adds, “And people think I’m the sadistic one in this relationship.”
Reaching around, Minato reaches up to tangle a hand in her hair, pulling her close while he angles himself to soundly kiss her. Pulling back, he touches his forehead to her, gazing deeply into her eyes before saying, “Not by a long shot.”
A knock at the door causes him to sigh heavily. Both straighten up as he calls out, “Come in.”
Raido pokes his head in. Minato notes the burn on his face is healing nicely since he got injured during the Kyuubi attack.
“Sorry to bother you, boss,” Raido states, stepping fully inside the office when it’s clear he’s not interrupting something. He’s certainly interrupted Minato and Kushina enough times to warrant such caution. “There’s a delegation here from Whirlpool that wants to see you.”
Minato gapes in shock, giving Kushina the chance to snarl, “Who is it and what the fuck do they want?”
“The leader’s name is Uzumaki Hiroto and he’s got three other Whirlpool nins with him. He refuses to say anything more other than they’re a diplomatic envoy and would like to meet with the Hokage,” Raido explains.
“Tell that son of a bitch cousin of mine…” Kushina begins before Minato cuts her off by taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Let’s see what they want first so we can try figuring out what they’ve got up their sleeves and stop them ahead of time,” he calmly suggests.
Glowering, she considers his words before nodding.
Minato turns back to Raido. “Show them in, but stay alert.”
Raido nods before stepping back out again.
Moments later four men bearing Whirlpool hitai-ate file into the room and line up before Minato. The leader, a tall, wiry man with his light red hair tied back into a long ponytail steps forward and bows, opening his mouth to greet Minato when he straightens up.
“What the fuck do you want, Hiroto?” Kushina demands, cutting him off.
Amusement lights up his pale, blue eyes as he replies, “Nice to see you too, cousin. You haven’t changed much. Still just as sour and bitter as ever.”
“What brings Whirlpool all the way to Konoha, Hiroto-san?” Minato asks, cutting off Kushina’s biting reply to get down to business.
Hiroto smiles at Kushina as she murderously glares back before answering.
“We’re here to try and mend fences between Whirlpool and Konoha. It’s long past due both start being allies again like they used to be. Raiden-sama sent us to reestablish ties with Konoha and help with recovery efforts from the demon attack.”
“Wait a minute,” Minato interrupts, frowning in concern. “Who said it was a demon attack?”
Hiroto blinks in surprise.
“Word around the shinobi grapevine is the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked you guys, but you figured out how to defeat it. No one knows how, but you’ve got most of the other nations pissing their pants in fear or extremely wary of your abilities. That’s why no one has tried attacking you guys while you’re down.”
“And you came to gauge the damage and our weakness for yourselves?” Minato bluntly asks, arching a brow.
Hiroto raises his hands in a placating gesture, “If that were the case, we’d have showed up months ago and tried attacking Konoha. Other rumors said things were in really bad shape, so it would’ve been easier nailing you guys right after the attack. Raiden-sama wanted to wait a few months for that reason, so it wouldn’t look like we’re trying to cozy up before sticking the knife in your back. We’re here to help if we can as a gesture of good faith.”
“Go to hell,” Kushina snarls. “We don’t need your help.”
Angling his head slightly, Hiroto gives her a sardonic look.
“Don’t you think it’s past time to let go of old grievances, Kushina? You made your choice to remain in Konoha married to Minato. There’s no changing that fact,” he shrugs. “Konoha and Whirlpool would benefit greatly by renewing old ties and maybe hashing out a new treaty. That we can discuss later. For now we’re offering our assistance to help however we can. Or are you going to continue denying your need for able-bodied ninja when it’s obvious your resources are stretched thin?”
Glowering, Kushina really wants to smash the smug look off her cousin’s face before glancing down and sharing a look with Minato.
Minato sighs softly. He understands and agrees with his wife’s sentiments, but he can’t deny they desperately need as much help as possible, no matter how small.
“All right, we accept your help,” he replies reluctantly. “We can use your team to help with security.”
Hiroto smiles and bows low to them.
“Thank you for giving us a chance to prove our sincerity in making amends, Minato-sama. Oh, and before I forget,” he adds as an afterthought, his next words causing Minato and Kushina to tense. “Congratulations. We’ve heard that you two had your first child a few months ago. Raiden-sama and Jun-sama both send their regards to you, cousin.”
“Thank you,” Minato replies stiffly as Kushina’s glare turns flinty. “Please go get settled in and in the morning stop by the Mission Room for your assignment.”
Hiroto nods and leads the others out.
After they leave, Kushina whirls on Minato demanding, “Why the fuck did you accept their help? The village is doing fine without them!”
“The village is doing okay, but the ranks are stretched thin and you know it,” he points out calmly. “If we weren’t deliberately tying Kakashi up with guard detail, I’d have to send him out on S ranked missions because we took a huge hit in the ANBU ranks.”
“That smug bastard cousin of mine is up to something and you know it, Minato,” she snaps back with her arms crossed and body tense.
Minato inwardly cringes, knowing when she calls him by his full name she’s truly pissed at him.
“I agree, but with all the holes in security right now, even if we turned down his help, he’d simply bide his time and wait for the chance to do whatever the hell he wants. This way we can keep an eye on them,” he reasons.
“That’s bullshit,” she hisses, heading for the door.

Minato watches her storm out of the office, slamming the door closed behind her. Closing his eyes, he rubs a weary hand across them. He’s certain she’s gone to find Hiruzen and take Naruto home. There’s no way she’d trust the baby out of her sight with her cousin and his team loose in Konoha. He considers calling it a day to wait for her in the mansion, but decides to give her some space and push through as much work as he can so he can sneak out early.
“You’re back early,” Minato comments, glancing up briefly from the latest parchment.
“I had no reason to stay out when my best excuse was recovered by her very tense and obviously upset mother,” Hiruzen quips, resuming his seat and reaching for his discarded pipe.
The younger man closes his eyes and rubs a weary hand across them.
“A delegation from Whirlpool showed up, led by Kushina’s cousin Hiroto, offering aid to Konoha.”
Dropping his hand he looks over at Hiruzen who gapes back, having briefly paused in lighting his pipe. Recovering his senses, he continues lighting it and takes a puff before speaking.
“Obviously it was not a happy family reunion.”
“Not at all,” Minato readily admits. “Didn’t help hearing him say that Whirlpool and just about all the shinobi nations know we were attacked by the Kyuubi instead of simply suffering a natural disaster.” Ignoring Hiruzen’s arched brow he adds, “The icing on the cake was when Hiroto offered us congratulations on behalf of Kushina’s parents on the birth of our first child.”
Hiruzen frowns deeply in thought, clearly upset at the news.
“Someone has been rather free in sharing information outside this village.”
“My vote is for Fugaku or Danzo. Could even be both,” he replies, setting the latest document down and reaching for the next one.
Sighing heavily, Hiruzen chews on his pipe for a few minutes. “As spread thin as we are now, it’s going to be very difficult to stop these information leaks.”
“We’re probably going to have to be even more careful and restrictive in who is accessing classified information in particular.” Minato sets down the document and leans back in his chair. His gaze is intense as he looks over at Hiruzen. “I declare an immediate moratorium on all council meetings.”
Taken aback, the aged Hokage blinks at the blond in surprise.
“You realize the council will vehemently protest that.”
“They can protest all they want,” Minato replies tersely in a tone that brooks no argument. “We waste more time keeping them informed and listening to their demands instead on focusing on what needs to be done. They are getting far too comfortable in their expectations and are forgetting we do not answer to them. They answer to us. Since some members can’t be trusted to keep certain information quiet, we can’t trust them to be our advisors. The security and safety of the village takes precedence over their outrage.”
“That is true,” Hiruzen nods in acceptance. “Their requests have been sounding more like demands we should follow and certain councilors have been getting bolder. The fact our enemies are so well-informed means it was someone from among our ninja ranks or someone who would likely have contact with other shinobi nations.”
“Which points right back to Fugaku and Danzo. Both are nins who’d have the ability to easily leak that information and have every reason to go out of their way to share that information,” Minato points out. “We may not be in a war, but the village is in a vulnerable position where security is of the utmost importance. If the council wants to know how the village is progressing, they can walk around and see it with their own eyes. They don’t need us to tell them.”
Hiruzen chuckles and takes another drag on his pipe before asking, “What do you plan on doing about the Whirlpool nins?”
“Keep as close an eye as possible on them,” Minato sighs heavily. “It’s going to be hard, though.”
“Their arrival certainly raises a lot of questions, especially after all these years of veiled threats over not forcing Kushina to return to them,” Hiruzen muses. “Since they know it was the Kyuubi that attacked us, they certainly are aware that it had escaped Kushina somehow. It’s safe to assume that since they know about you two having a child they probably know about the Kyuubi being sealed in her.”
“I’m going to send a message off to sensei to find out what exactly has been leaked and by whom,” Minato declares coldly. “Whether it was Danzo, Fugaku, or both, if either one did it after the law went into effect, I will happily carry out their execution myself.”
Hiruzen calmly scrutinizes Minato, tamping down the shiver the younger man’s glare and words gave him. Not saying another word, both men resume their work.
Minato didn’t even have to sneak out of work when he left early. Questions as to why he isn’t finishing out his day die unspoken on the lips of his staff when they sense his mood, knowing it never pays to piss off one’s Hokage by annoying him with questions.
Since he and Kushina still live in the mansion he’s home within minutes. Stepping through the front door, Kakashi looks up in surprise from where he’s reading sprawled across the sofa. Remembering the Icha Icha in his hand, he immediately tucks it out of sight as he sits up.
“I’m pretending not to see it today, Kakashi,” Minato smiles wearily while removing his signature flame overcoat.
Kakashi doesn’t reply and watches Minato hang the overcoat in a nearby closet before unzipping his flak vest to hang it up as well.
As Minato slides the closet door shut, Kakashi quietly asks, “What’s wrong with Kushina, sensei? She seemed upset when she retrieved Naruto from the Third Hokage this afternoon and has been quiet and moody since.”
Before Minato can answer, Kushina walks into the room at that moment.
“Sorry for worrying you, Kakashi.” Crossing her arms and glaring across the room at Minato, she adds, “I just wasn’t happy with one of our Hokage’s decision today.”
Minato opens his mouth, but is cut off by Kushina’s raised hand.
“I’m not mad you made that call, blondie. I know it was the only one you could make. I’m mad because you had no choice. And I’m mad my asshole cousin is daring to show his stupid face around here like nothing happened.”
Glancing over at the silver haired teen still sitting on the sofa looking confused, Minato suggests, “Let’s have dinner and we’ll explain what’s going on.”
“You boys get started while I wake my girl up,” Kushina states, disappearing back down the hallway.
Kakashi follows Minato into the kitchen and both start pulling out the ingredients and items they need. Minato briefly explains to Kakashi about the Whirlpool ninjas showing up wanting to help.
“The Third Hokage agrees with Kushina and I that the Whirlpool nins are up to something. There’s simply too much bad blood between us for them to truly want to make amends with Konoha.”
“Isn’t Whirlpool supposed to be our allies, sensei?”
Stepping into the kitchen with a sullen Naruto firmly attached to her neck, Kushina’s snort cuts off Minato’s reply, “Only when they can get something out of the deal. Otherwise, your ass is on it’s own.”
Knowing Naruto would not be happy if she tries putting her in the high chair right now, Kushina continues while settling in a chair and her daughter cuddles further into her neck.
“Back in the day when my grandfather was alive and in charge, yeah, Whirlpool would offer aid without any strings attached. My father Raiden isn’t remotely as honorable and would gladly hogtie you when you aren’t looking and throw you to your enemies if it benefits him.”
“Raiden wanted to increase Whirlpool’s wealth and power,” Minato clarifies as he starts heating up the wok. “He didn’t have the strategic savvy and skill to pull it off. Thanks to his bad decisions, Whirlpool has been in a steady, rapid decline for years.”
“One of the biggest mistakes my father made was sending me to Konoha to train,” Kushina smirks. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking or making you act as our ANBU nanny, Kakashi.”
Pausing in dicing up the Daikon radish, Kakashi glares over his shoulder at the grinning redhead. Minato laughs before taking his turn again.
“What’s not commonly known is that Kushina is the only child and heir to the ruling ninja clan in Whirlpool. Instead of a Daimyo and a ninja village, the Uzumakis rule all. Over the years Whirlpool has lost a lot of territory to other countries because of bad treaties and war. Raiden believed sending her under the guise of training would strengthen ties between Konoha and Whirlpool, attempting to gloss over the fact they were the ones eroding those ties. While she was here, it was determined that Kushina would also make an excellent candidate to become the next Kyuubi jinchuriki. Raiden realized that her becoming the next container would give control of the Kyuubi to Whirlpool.”
Kushina grins adding, “What my parents hadn’t counted on was my meeting Minato and taking so well to my kunoichi training. My father wanted to arrange a marriage for me that would've brought more power and the future opportunity to make Whirlpool a major political player again. So while I was here, he insisted I endear myself to the Uchiha clan.”
Having started washing some of the dishes while Minato cooks, Kakashi pauses again to gape at her for a moment before shuddering in horror.
“My sentiments exactly,” she laughs, causing a now more alert Naruto to laugh. “I loved being a kunoichi for Konoha, so I decided to stop playing along with my parent’s wishes. I went to Hiruzen to snitch out their plans and tell him my desire to renounce all ties to Whirlpool. I had the Kyuubi at this point, so the Old Man wasn’t willing to allow me to end up under Whirlpool’s complete control. It didn’t hurt that I had fallen in love with blondie at this point.”
Throwing in the rest of the ingredients for the stir fry, Minato adds, “Although we were very young and would’ve liked to have waited until the war was over, the Third suggested we marry quickly to strengthen Konoha’s overall claim on Kushina. It’d give Whirlpool very little legal recourse, not without becoming an outright enemy. As it was, Whirlpool attempted to remain neutral during the war instead of helping their allies. They became targets of Iwa and Suna. Had they assisted Konoha, they would’ve had help in return from us. Since they didn’t, they came out with heavy losses. That’s how you and Rin ended up witnessing our marriage in the Hokage’s office.”
Pausing to dish the food onto the plates next to the rice he made earlier, Minato continues speaking.
“Kushina’s parents tried insisting that a binding marriage contract had recently been entered with the Uchiha clan where she’d wed the clan head, Fugaku. However, the Third outmaneuvered them saying since the contract wasn’t entered into earlier the only way a recent arrangement could be binding was if the Uzumaki and Uchiha had sought his approval first. We asked for permission to marry before they tried claiming such an arrangement already existed and since the Kyuubi belongs to Konoha, he wasn’t inclined to withdraw his approval.”
Kakashi and Minato finish setting the table before sitting down while Kushina places Naruto in her high chair and starts feeding her.
“My parents weren't happy about missing a good opportunity. They make a great example of why some people should never have kids,” Kushina rolls her eyes, before giving Naruto another bite of food. “They definitely didn’t love me and had always been clear my value depended heavily on my usefulness to their goals. It’s why they focused on raising me to be a well-rounded woman, so I’d be more appealing to whomever they decided to marry me off to. Of course, I’d jump at the chance to come to Konoha,” she smirks, causing Naruto to smile. “At first, my parents were upset when it was discovered I was the best candidate to become the next jinchuriki until they saw the potential in snatching the Kyuubi away from Konoha.”
Giving Kushina a chance to eat her food, Minato takes over feeding Naruto, as she sips her tea and continues her narrative.
“But I’m a typical Uzumaki in terms of stubbornness and determination and wasn’t gonna give in to them. So they tried everything they could to get control of me again. The Uchiha definitely were hoping they’d succeed because they were practically pissing in their pants in excitement to get me in their midst after my parents told them about my foxy secret. When they exhausted all legal avenues they tried every other means they could think of to get me back, including threats and bribery. But since I had asylum in Konoha there wasn’t much they could do except return me by force.”
“A couple of attempts were made to kidnap Kushina when she was on a mission,” Minato adds, giving Naruto another piece of carrot. “But she proved beyond a doubt that she took to her shinobi training like a fish to water. Kushina and her teammates easily foiled her kidnappers. Raiden denied all accusations, claiming the ninja trying to kidnap her were rogues. Naturally, these attempts further strained Whirlpools relations with Konoha.”
“Why accept their help then?” Kakashi asks. “Recovery efforts are progressing well.”
“Because Konoha needs every able bodied ninja we can get thanks to the Kyuubi attack,” Kushina sighs heavily. “As loathe as I am to accept my kinsmen’s help, I had to swallow my pride when Minato accepted their offer.”
“That doesn’t mean we won’t be watching the Whirlpool ninjas closely,” Minato states pointedly.
“A classic case of keeping your enemy closer, right?” Kakashi asks, finishing his food.
Kushina nods. “We’re going to have to become more vigilant because I don’t doubt they know about Naruto containing the Kyuubi now thanks to Danzo’s big mouth and everyone, including Fugaku’s dead grandma knowing about it.” A determined glint lights up her eyes as she adds, “Even if they don’t know about that, I’ve got to get back into top form as soon as possible because my kinsmen aren’t above using Naruto against me.”
Arching a brow while eyeing her over Naruto’s head, Minato pointedly states, “I’ll put more guards on you two if I have to if you’re not going to stay within my sight 24/7, but you are not going to push past the boundaries of Tsunade’s orders any further than you already do and risk killing yourself, Kushina.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” she snarls quietly, narrowing her eyes at her husband. “Our ranks are stretched too fucking thin. Hell, funeral services are still being held, Min! I’m not talking about taking ‘A’ and ‘B’ ranked missions. That’d be suicide, but give me a couple of months and I can easily handle a couple of ‘C’ ranked just so we can show my bastard cousin we don’t need his sorry ass.”
Recognizing this is the start of one of their rare blowouts, Kakashi quietly maneuvers over to Naruto. She finished eating and is staring at her parents wide-eyed, picking up on their anger. Slipping her out of her high chair, he quietly leaves the room.
“It’s too soon,” Minato snaps angrily. “Tsunade’s orders are for you to take it easy for several months before taking to the field again.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Kushina snaps back.
“You know it, but choose to ignore it,” he argues glaring hard. “Tsunade knows what she’s talking about and if she says it’s too dangerous to push training then it is.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit!” she yells. “We’ve both taken to the field against doctor’s orders because there was no choice. How many times did we step back onto the battlefield because there weren’t enough ninjas?”
She gives him a chance to answer, but he merely glares back harder.
Taking a deep breath, she continues in a calmer voice.
“If we had the manpower, I wouldn’t be pushing so hard to get back out there. I want to be around to raise our daughter, so I’ve got no problem swallowing my pride to wait until I’m completely healed before taking missions again.” Her gaze drops off to the side before meeting Minato’s inscrutable gaze. “I really love the time I’m spending with Naruto. If I could, I’d seriously be considering retiring from the field altogether. Who would’ve thought I’d ever say that, huh?” she snorts with a smirk.
“I’ll have to check to see if hell has frozen over,” Minato quips.
“Shut it, blondie,” the redhead snaps playfully. Becoming serious, she bores into his eyes. “We don’t have the luxury where I can kick back and recuperate. The village needs money. I’ve seen the ledgers; we’re in the red so bad it looks like a stuck pig bled all over them. And if the world thinks we don’t have enough ninja, they’ll go elsewhere with the jobs. And we can’t risk having a viper like my cousin around, especially since we don’t know what he’s up to and could strike at any time. I have to be in shape to handle that. It’s why you dragged Tsunade back.”
Resting his elbows on the table on next to his empty plate, Minato buries his face in his hands with a groan. After a few moments he drops them to lean back in his chair with his arms crossed.
“Okay, this is my compromise. It’s been about three months since your last treatment with Tsunade. I’ll give you another three months and we’ll settle this with a spar. If you beat me, I’ll let you return to the field. If I win, you stop all training and follow Tsunade’s orders to the letter for another six months when I’ll summon her back to check on your progress. Deal?”
Kushina mulls it over before a huge grin spreads across her face. “Deal!”
Briefly closing his eyes with a soft sigh, he quietly adds, “Please don’t make me regret giving you this chance by getting yourself killed later if you win. I don’t think I can do it without you.”
Her grin drops as she rises to her feet and moves around the table to settle herself in his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she feels his arms wind around her waist as she leans her forehead against his to gaze deeply into blue eyes.
“I don’t plan on letting that happen. I want to raise the family I always wished I had. One where children are genuinely loved without conditions or expectations of what they can do that could benefit us. I want to watch our baby girl grow up and protect her and give her as normal a life as we can. It’s going to be hard enough thanks to Danzo’s vindictive big mouth, so it’s going to take the two of us to accomplish that.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, you know,” Minato smiles softly.
“I don’t doubt it,” Kushina replies before pressing her lips to his. “Now let’s clean up so we can spend some time with Kakashi and our girl without discussing my asshole family.”
“All right,” Minato agrees, pressing another kiss to her lips before letting her move off his lap so they can clear the table.
Things happen in their own due time.
It’s a belief Hiroto always held tightly to. While others demand immediate satisfaction, he’s content to let things happen, when they happen and take advantage of every opportunity presented. He doesn’t do it because he’s lazy, he simply doesn’t like feebly trying to plan for every contingency when it’s easier and far more beneficial to see all the cards laid out and then act accordingly.
It’s why he took a couple weeks to settle his team in Konoha before accepting a standing dinner invitation from an old friend. He wanted to see how his team would be treated and how obvious Minato would be with his suspicion. Once he understood their current environment then he could comfortably accept the dinner invitation.
Being in no particular hurry, the redhead maintains a leisurely pace while taking in the sights as the sun slowly sinks on the horizon, deepening the shadows.
The temperature is still leaning toward the hot side of warm, but compared to earlier in the day it feels quite comfortable. Despite the devastation, Hiroto thinks the reconstruction is coming along nicely.
The eyes he feels watching him from the shadows don’t bother the tall man in the slightest. He mentally applauds Minato for not letting the position of Hokage dull his sharp wit. He’s certain the blond has figured out why his team is in Konoha. The knowledge the other man has doesn’t upset him in the slightest, either.
It’s not long before he arrives at his destination. Knocking on the impressive gates, Hiroto calmly waits to be ushered inside. Within minutes he is greeted respectfully before being led through the footpaths to the main clan home. He no longer feels the eyes hidden in the shadows tracking him and smirks knowing they can’t follow him inside these well-guarded walls, not without serious repercussions.
It’s mere minutes before his guide ushers him inside the grand home before taking their leave with instructions that his host will be with him shortly. True to their words his host enters the room and Hiroto smiles warmly at the face he hasn’t seen in years.
“It’s nice to see you again, Fugaku,” he bows deeply in greeting.
“It’s been far too long, my friend,” Uchiha Fugaku replies with his own bow.
“It would’ve been hard stopping by to visit, all things considered,” Hiroto smirks.
“So true,” Fugaku concedes. “Dinner is just about ready. Why don’t we eat and then we can catch up with each other afterward.”
“Sounds good to me.”
As always, Hiroto enjoys dinner with Fugaku. However, now he has the added pleasure of meeting his friend’s wife and children. He feels Fugaku made an excellent choice with Mikoto. She makes a far more appropriate wife for the clan head than the obstinate Kushina would have. Hiroto also enjoys talking to the oldest child, Itachi, finding the small boy incredibly intelligent and precocious.
After dinner, Mikoto excuses herself to put the toddler Sasuke to bed, taking her oldest with her so the two men can retire to Fugaku’s study to catch up.
“You’re looking good, Hiroto,” Fugaku comments, handing the redhead a saucer of sake before settling onto a cushion nearby. “You’re not being made to feel too unwelcome in the village are you?”
Hiroto waves it off, “Nothing I can’t ignore. It’s not entirely unexpected you know. I never thought Minato a stupid man and he certainly hasn’t disappointed. He certainly was an excellent choice for your Hokage.”
Glancing over at Fugaku, Hiroto laughs at the look of annoyance that briefly flits across his face.
“Don’t take offense, my friend. I’m merely stating the truth, but I’m not saying he was the only good choice for Hokage. There were others who would’ve been as good.”
“Or better,” Fugaku mutters.
“Perhaps,” Hiroto concedes. “But that depends on the circumstances presented to the individual, so that is too subjective a point to judge accurately. However, I’m fairly certain that had Minato not become Hokage, circumstances wouldn’t have worked out to present Whirlpool with the golden opportunity to reclaim what should’ve been rightfully ours years ago.”
“So you’ve been receiving my missives with little trouble then?”
“Yes. Your clansmen’s skills are to be commended because I imagine it couldn’t have been easy sneaking those letters to Raiden-sama considering how restricted their movements have been.”
“Glad we could continue being of assistance to our allies.”
“Help that’s been greatly appreciated, Fugaku,” Hiroto nods. “It’s hard keeping a close eye on things from a distance, but as the Uzumaki heir, Kushina was too valuable to give up completely. It simply became a matter of biding our time, waiting for the right opportunity.” Pausing to sip his sake, he smiles, stating, “This is really good stuff.”
Fugaku merely nods, sipping from his cup while the redhead continues speaking.
“When you informed us about Kushina’s pregnancy we realized it was the perfect time to strike. She’d be vulnerable while pregnant. Even now, arriving after she’s given birth, the situation is still to our advantage.”
“It worked out better that you arrived now. It would’ve been impossible to get close enough to her prior to the Kyuubi attack,” Fugaku points out.
“Absolutely. She is far more vulnerable because not only does her child make for the perfect leverage if needed. There’s the added bonus that she no longer contains the Kyuubi. That’s two ways she’s considerably weakened.”
“Despite her weakness, it will be difficult to get both of them back to Whirlpool.”
“Who said anything about getting them both back to Whirlpool?” Hiroto arches a brow. At Fugaku’s confused expression he smirks, “The baby holds the Kyuubi now, why would we bother with her obstinate mother when it’s much easier to raise the child from infancy, correcting the mistakes we made with Kushina? It’s simply easier to attempt claiming the child now when Kushina is at her weakest.”
“It will still be difficult getting close. Your presence has put them on alert,” Fugaku reasons.
Taking another sip of sake, Hiroto waves it off.
“There’s no rush. Let them play their hand and we’ll simply take advantage of their mistakes. My question is, are you willing to help when those mistakes happen?”
Fugaku holds steady blue eyes before observing, “It seems that you already have in mind the role you’d like my clan to play.”
“That’s what I’ve always liked about you, Fugaku, I hardly have to explain anything to you,” Hiroto smirks. “Your role is to help us get the baby out of Konoha. In exchange for your help, Whirlpool will help the Uchiha rule Konoha as they should have from the beginning.”
“The ruling factions of Konoha always stand ready to subdue any attempts on our part to escape our pigeon hole. We could lose a great deal,” Fugaku intones coldly.
“Or gain a great deal. Uzumakis have a very long memory, Fugaku. Once we have the baby, she’ll replace Kushina as the clan heir. Children grow fast and before you know it, she’ll be of marrying age.”
Hiroto pauses to hold out his saucer, silently asking Fugaku to refill it. Fugaku arches a brow, but silently complies, watching as the redhead takes a sip before continuing.
“By the way, that boy of yours, Itachi, is a sharp lad. What is he, about four? And your youngest, isn’t he about one? Almost the same age as Kushina’s child from what I’ve heard.”
Fugaku intensely stares at Hiroto before offering a rare smile.
“Exactly,” Hiroto nods. “There is a great deal of risk in helping us and it might cost you a clan member or two, but the future return is well worth it. Having a jinchuriki marry into your clan would be quite helpful in reclaiming the glory of the Uchiha.”
Fugaku nods his agreement.
“Yes, that it would. I’m not one to callously throw away the lives of any of my clansmen, but their sacrifices will be noteworthy as it only furthers the agendas of both our clans.”
“Glad you see it that way,” Hiroto grins. “I’d like to suggest you don’t sacrifice your best people. Select ones capable of helping us get the baby out of the tower. It will help deflect some of the suspicion as it would make more sense for you to use your best people if you were truly involved in such a fiendish plot,” he finishes facetiously.
“You enjoy the intrigue far too much, Hiroto.” The redhead merely grins wider, not denying it as Fugaku continues. “That is a good idea. Just as it wouldn’t be a good idea to use my weakest clansmen or the plan could fail.”
Raising his saucer in toast, Hiroto declares, “To the birth of a great plan and a brighter future.”
Fugaku raises his saucer to clink lightly against Hiroto’s in toast before both men take a sip, sealing the deal.
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Broken Branches