The New Otokage

Chapter 25: Something borrowed

“Friends, may I present my birthmother Uzumaki Kushina and my younger brother Ryû.” Naruto told his friends calmly.

“… Your mother? Your real mother?” Kiba asked as he grabbed Kankurou´s hand for support.

“And a brother? How is that even possible? I thought that you were an orphan, Naruto-kun?” Neji added. He wrapped an arm around Hinata´s waist as the young woman looked quite shocked at the news.

“I have seen pictures of you.” The Hyuuga heiress whispered. “You were on a photo that my father has in his office… a picture of the honorable Yondaime and his… pregnant wife.”

“You´re Hiashi´s daughter, aren´t you?” Kushina asked the young woman. “Minato was considered by the Hyuuga family as friends even though he never approved of the way that the elders of the Hyuuga clan divided your clan… by splitting up your father and his twin brother. Minato tried to help… but sadly he died before he succeeded.”

“I am Hiashi´s daughter, Hinata, lady Kushina. It will please you to hear that the clan has been united again… thanks to my cousin Neji and some help from our friend Naruto.” Hinata said with a smile.

“Naruto has helped all of us in some way and he is very important to all of us.” Kira said. “I haven´t know Naru-kun for more than a few months but he has changed my life a lot.”

“Yes, even Sasuke-kun hasn´t been this anywhere close his old self since we have been here. He seems truly happy… like all his dreams have finally come true. It must be the power of youthful love that has changed him.” Lee flashed a bright smile and did the good guy pose.

“… My son is finally considered a hero?” Kushina´s face lit up in a bright smile. She was overwhelmed with happiness. “Minato would be so proud of you, Naruto,” She smiled as she walked over to her oldest son and placed a hand on his shoulder as she wasn´t sure if a hug would be appreciated.

“… I didn´t do anything else than to follow my gut instincts and my heart.” Naruto whispered, his face burning red of embarrassment as he wasn´t used to being praised like this.

He had never imagined that his friends thought about him as someone who had such a huge influence on their lives.

“You made Tsunade-sama return to Konoha and talked her into becoming our fifth Hokage. You have defeated not only the anger of the villagers of Konoha but also fought Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. You brought back Gaara from the dead with the help from Chiyo baa-sama… you have a unique ability to make the best parts of us to grow and become strong. You did the impossible as you were able to master the Rasengan within a weak… you are my best friend.” Sakura whispered as she hugged him and kissed him on a whiskered cheek which earned her a jealous growl from the Uchiha.

“You master the Rasengan? It was Minato´s strongest attack… he spend ten years to learn how to control it… And you brought back the current Kazekage from the dead?” Kushina asked with wide eyes.

“He sure did. He never stops to surprise us with his ability to find solutions where everyone else has already given up. It has long ago earned him the title of Konoha´s number one ninja at surprising people.” Jiraiya said with an amused look on his face. He was happy that the blonde brat finally heard how important he was to his friends… to hear how deeply he had affected their lives.

“You have a special gift, my friend.” Gaara said. “You forgave me even after I tried to kill the people precious to you… you made me see that I was a human who is capable of love. You saved me from the path of darkness and destruction. You saw me as someone who shared your pain… the pain and loneness of a Jinchuuriki and you showed me how great live really is, thank you.”

Naruto was speechless and so was everyone else. They had never heard the Kazekage talk so openly about his feelings before – it kinda suited him.

“Thank you Gaara.” Naruto whispered softly.

“You´re Sabaku no Gaara?” Ryû asked while staring at the redheaded Suna leader. “The Kazekage of Suna?”

“Yes, I am.” Gaara replied as he fell back into his old closed-off behavior.

“Well, I guess I should tell you our story then,” Kushina broke the awkward silence.

She walked back to the table and sat down on one of the chairs with a sigh and told them her story.

Everyone´s eyes grew wide and soon they were all sitting around the table, wondering why Uchiha Madara and the council of Konoha would want to inflict so much pain on Naruto and his family.

“That´s terrible.” Hinata whispered. “How could they!”

“I´ll look into it as soon as we return to Konoha!” Tsunade told them firmly. “I can´t allow this to go unnoticed. I´ll find them and make them pay for what they did to you and your entire family, Naruto. Your father was a great man and a loving father. I can only speculate on how he must have felt as he thought that everything he loved so dearly was lost.”

Iruka walked over to Kushina who stared at the ground. She felt like she was being torn in half as she wanted revenge for past pain… yet she loved Konoha and wouldn´t want to cause trouble.

The brunette recognized the torn feelings in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her as she looked up.

“Would you like me to tell you about Naruto´s childhood, lady Kushina?” The brunette asked. “He is like a son to me and would be happy if we could become friends.”

“Thank you, Iruka-sensei. I would like that,” she said. “I have already missed out on so much in his life…”

“I´m sure that everyone in here has a tale or two to tell about Naruto. He has influenced all our lives.” Kakashi told her as he, Iruka and Kushina walked into the garden to tell her about her son´s life.

´I hope that you will allow me back into your life, Naruto-kun.` She secretly wished as she listened to Iruka and Kakashi´s tales about her firstborn son.

~ # ~

“… It´s all so new to me.” The blonde man whispered as he sat down on Sasuke´s lap; allowing his pale lover to wrap his arms protectively around his waist. Thankfully, everyone had already left as they had made sure that Naruto and Sasuke was alright.

“Get used to what, koi?” Sasuke asked as he wrapped his arms around his pregnant blonde´s slim waist; holding him close to his heart.

“Well, to have a family. Don´t get me wrong, Sas´ke. You are my family and Iruka, Kakashi, Kira, Gaara and all the others are my family too… but…”

“I know what you mean. This is your family by blood while we are your family because of the bonds we share.” The Uchiha smiled softly.

“Exactly.” Naruto said as he rested his head against Sasuke´s strong shoulder; drawing in the scent he had long ago become addicted to. “It´s just… it feels strange, you know… to know that this is… my mother… and brother… It´s all so confusing to me.” Naruto sighed as he ran his hands playfully through Sasuke´s soft dark threshes.

“Give it some time, koi. I have known you for quite some time and I can assure you that things will turn out as they should. Maybe you have more in common than you think, though one dobe is more than enough.” The Uchiha chuckled as he kissed Naruto´s forehead.

“Teme!” The blonde growled as he looked into coal-black eyes with light annoyance.

“Yes, dobe?”

“Don´t call me that or I might not be in the mood for some snuggling till after the twins are born.”

“Really? But that would mean that you wouldn´t get any either.” Sasuke smirked as he captured his kitsune´s pouting lips. “Oh and have you noticed that you brother has been staring at you since your mother went outside with Iruka and Kakashi?”

“He has?” Naruto asked as he moved his lips against Sasuke´s. “Perhaps I should get to know him while Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei fills my mother with all the embarrassing stuff I´ve done in my life. Perhaps we have more in common than our looks.” Naruto grinned as he climbed of his lover´s lap.

“Oh and I´ll help you with that later.” The blonde whispered into raven-haired locks as he brushed his palm against the Uchiha´s crouch and the tent that was forming there.

“You better, koi, as you´re causing it.” The Uchiha smirked back at his kitsune. He reached out and groped Naruto´s ass as said blonde turned away to meet his younger brother in the living-room.

“I´ll take a shower and then I have to do some paperwork. Send a frog if there is anything you need, anything at all.” Sasuke told his dobe.

Naruto would be perfectly safe with Kakashi and Iruka and he could sense Jiraiya´s presence on the roof. Tsunade had probably asked him to keep an eyes on Kushina and Ryû as she didn´t fully trusted them yet – and the Uchiha was grateful for that as he too didn´t trust yet either.

~ # ~

“Hi, can I sit next to you, Ryû-kun?” Naruto asked as he pointed at the seat next to his brother on the couch.

“Sure,” the younger blonde whispered. He wasn´t sure how to act in front of his brother. His mother had told him that he had a brother… her firstborn son and the pride of both the Uzumaki and the Namikaze family. He had always considered himself as a lesser person next to his brother… the heir to their clan and to the whirlpool country. He wasn´t sure if he was jealous of Naruto or if he should give him a chance and let him into his heart.

“How old are you, Ryû?” Naruto asked as he sat down next to his brother.

“I´ve celebrated my eighteenth birthday in august … you´re turning twenty in October, right?”

“Yup. So did you have a huge party?” Naruto asked with a smile.

“No. Everyone is so busy with the rebuilding of our home that it didn´t seem appropriate to have a party just because I gained a year.”

“Rubbish. Birthdays are important, especially when you become a man.” The fox grinned and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. “I guess we just have to have a party for you here sometime.”

“You would have a party for me? Why, you don´t even know me.” Ryû asked in wonder. How could Naruto just accept him so easily? It was as if he just opened his heart and let the younger boy in without hesitation.

“Oi, you are my otouto. What better way is there to get to know each other than a party? But I guess it has to wait till after the twins are born or else I won’t be able to drink a toast with you.” Naruto grinned.

“… Why are you letting the demon inside of you put you through this pregnancy? It´s not normal for a guy to have children like this,” Ryû asked softly. He wasn´t disgusted or anything… he just found it a bit strange that someone as strong as his aniki would allow the Kyuubi to get him pregnant.

“There is a special bond between me and Kyuu-chan.” Naruto explained. “We didn´t have the best start and life wasn´t easy in the early years… I guess that´s what made us friends in the end. In the beginning there was no one who cared for me because of her. Actually they hated me because of Kyuu-chan… it was rough but Kyuu was always there to heal me and she talked to me when no one else did.”

“She knew even before I did that I had feelings for Sasuke and so she told me that it was alright to have feelings for another man. I guess Kyuu-chan just wanted to make it possible for Sasuke and me to have a family of our own as we both grew up alone. I´m forever grateful that she made it possible for us to have children of our own also because it is Sasuke dream to continue his linage.” Naruto said.

“So he was willing to give up on his dream of children to be with you? Or did he know that you had the ability to get pregnant?” Ryû asked.

“How could he have known? No, he told me that he was willing to give up on everything if I would return his love… The part with the pregnancy was… well… a benefit of a little playfulness.” The blonde chuckled. He wasn´t going to tell his brother about the Orike no jutsu just yet.

“But enough talk about me… Tell about yourself, otouto.”

“There isn´t much to tell. I´ve was raised by my… our mother and our grandparents and I´ve had some shinobi training though I never took the exam as mother didn´t like the idea that I was going to become a Kiri-gakure nin. She always told me that if I wanted to become a ninja I had to become a Konoha nin like our father would have wanted me too.” Ryû said.

“… Well you could always take the test here. I´m sure that Sasuke would allow you to train here if you like. The Sound has been accepted as an official shinobi city and we are allowed to train and educate our own nins… it´s not Konoha… but we´re just as fair… Kakashi sensei and Iruka-sensei have agreed to help us get stated.”

“That would be cool. I would love to… if mother lets me, of course. That way I could spend some time with you and get to know you, Aniki.”

“We should ask her about it after the wedding, ne,” Naruto grinned as he hugged his younger brother before he and Ryû decided to cook dinner.

~ # ~

“Did he paint the stone heads of the past Hokage?” Kushina chuckled as Iruka and Kakashi told her about Naruto´s past filled with pranks.

“Yes he did and as punishment he had to wash everything clean before I treated him ramen at Ichiraku´s.” Iruka told them with a smile.

“… Well I guess he takes after me with the urge to pull pranks on everyone as I once did the same as I was thirteen. Both he and Ryû has the crave for ramen after Minato as I wasn´t much for eating that stuff each and every day.” The redheaded woman grinned.

“I remember that incident. Sandaime was furious as you painted bogies from his nose to his jaw.” Kakashi chuckled. “I wasn´t around as Naruto pulled the same stunt as I was away on a mission as far as I recall.”

~ # ~

“Isn´t this a cute sight?”

Naruto and Ryû turned around as they heard their mother´s voice behind them.

“Hi mom.” Ryû greeted their mother. “Niisan and I are just making dinner. Did you know that we both love ramen and have the affinity for wind elemental jutsus?” Ryû and Naruto were already beginning to feel like real brothers and acted as if they had known each other their entire life.

Kushina felt like hugging them both but was still a bit insecure on how Naruto would react if she did.

“Naruto-niisan has invited us to the wedding tomorrow and he says that we can stay as long as we want.” The younger blonde babbled on about all the things that he and Naruto had been talking about.

“… Thank you.” She whispered happily. Her two sons got along just fine and she knew that it was more than she could ever had wished for.

“… Kasan?” She almost jumped in surprise as Naruto called her mother. She felt tears of happiness appear in her eyes. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck; letting the tears run down her cheeks and onto his shirt… Naruto smelled just like Minato used to do. It wasn´t fair that he had been taken away from her… they had had so many things they wanted to achieve in life… now it was up to their sons to become happy.

She sobbed loudly as she felt his arms around her waist; hugging her back.

“Thank you… for giving us the change… to be a part of you life, Naruto-kun. We missed you in out lives… there was always something missing… and finally… we´re reunited as a family.” She whimpered onto his shoulder, clinging to him as if he would disappear when she loosened her grip.

“I´m happy too. I have a family and a lot of friends who love me.” Naruto whispered. “Kasan, can I ask you a question?”

“… Sure, you can.” She said as she wiped away the tears after letting go of him. She followed both her sons to the kitchen table and sat down between them.

She took the cup of coffee that Ryû had brought for them and felt the soothing warmth of the hot coffee as she sipped at it.

“So what did you want to ask me?” She said.

“Would you mind telling me about your wedding? What kind of ceremony did you and otousan have?”

~ # ~

Sasuke finished the last report and let out a sigh in relieve.

He had managed to get all his work done in only two hours and felt good about it. Soon he would be able to go home to Naruto… it was a soothing thought that his dobe was there when he returned from work.

´I have lost my entire family; I have found a new family in Naruto. We are becoming a family… Uzumaki-Uchiha… This time tomorrow… we´ll be married and in six month we´ll be parents. I wonder what they´ll look like? Will we have two boys, two girls or one of each? I would prefer one of each… but as long as they´re healthy I´m happy… I guess we should ask Kushina about the Uzumaki family traditions…` Sasuke thought as he cleaned his desk for the day and went home to be with his lover and his family.

~ # ~

“Tadaimasu, I´m hom-” Sasuke called out but stopped mid sentence as he saw Kushina holding a kunai in front of his dobe. He rushed to the table where Naruto, Kushina, Ryû, Iruka and Kakashi were sitting; drinking coffee and eating fruit snacks.

“What are you doing with that kunai in front of my Naruto?” Sasuke growled as he wrapped his arms protectively around Naruto´s shoulders.

“Calm down, Teme. Kasan was just telling me about her wedding. Did you know that she and my father did a blood oath?” Naruto told him while looking up at him with his beautiful blue eyes.

“… A blood oath?” The Uchiha asked as he gave his lover a chaste kiss on his cute pouting lips.

“Yeah, they bond themselves to each other by blood and became a real family.” Naruto chirped. Sasuke knew that this was one of Naruto´s major dreams… to have a real family with him.

“The Uchiha´s used to do the same, if I remember correctly.” Kushina said as she handed the Uchiha the weapon.

Sasuke grabbed the kunai and inspected it. It was made from a black metal and had been polished so it shone in the rays of the light that illuminated the kitchen.

The Uzumaki swirl was imbedded in the blade and Sasuke immediately knew that this wasn´t a kunai that was meant for battle… but that it was a piece of craftsmanship that was of great importance to the Uzumaki-Namikaze family.

“… My parents used a blood oath to seal their marriage too.” Sasuke told her.

“Call Tsunade-sama. I think that there is going to be a slight change of in the ceremony for tomorrow.” Iruka whispered to Kakashi.

“So they are going to be a family… not only by love but of blood as well.”

TBC