68A/N: I've been working on this for a bit so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK!
Basically, this whole fic was created around the idea of a 'what if...'
If you want to find out what that 'what if' is then stick around for all the Uzumaki family feels.
EDIT: WHOOPS! Something went wrong with the whole uploading thing. Hopefully, I fixed it
EDIT 2: 7/26 Just fixing up some inconsistencies. No need to re-read though.
ps If I get Kushina's eyes color wrong...well...screw you...It's hard finding her eye color!
"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these,' said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.
'I'm not putting them on,' said old Archie in indignation. 'I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Chapter 1: Tamotsu Uzumaki
Kushina didn't know what to make of the situation she found herself in. She knew that tensions were high with, ya know, all the animosity of war and death hanging over everybody's heads like a noose. But still, that was no excuse for her father! What was up with that? Sure, she wasn't what you'd call the perfect daughter. Some clan elders shared that sentiment. But who cared about what those old farts thought? was he acting so distant all of the sudden? He wouldn't even
There was no reason for this stupid, invisible wall her father had put up! It was very frustrating, leaving Kushina feeling confused and...hurt. He wouldn't even look at her anymore. And if he did, he always looked so sad. No matter how much she rambled about ramen, acted out, and blatantly tugged on his sleeve for attention he would just give her that smile. Ya, know. That sad smile your parents give you just before they tell you that your dog died or something. She understood that her father was a busy man, being clan head and all that, but that was no reason to just ignore her, damn it! What was she? Chopped liver?
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and huffed angrily. Even her mother was acting funny. Her own mother, 'ttebane!
It was almost like they were keeping something from her. Her eyes widened. Hold on second, maybe she was onto something here. Yeah...yeah, that's gotta be it! They were hiding something from her. That has to be why they acting all weird. At least, she hoped that's why. The other stuff her mind was telling her wasn't really what she wanted to think about. Still, it made sense. It was kinda like that time around her fourth birthday. Her parents done everything short of locking themselves up in fear that she would find out too early about her surprise birthday party. She had found anyways, thanks to her grandaunt's loose mouth. But they hadn't outright ignored her not had they gotten all depressed when they did notice her. This was...this time was different...
Kushina bit her lip nervously and stared out her bedroom window. The sun was setting and everybody was on their way home after a long day. Some of the women walked in groups, chatting aimlessly. Others preferred to walk alone, strolling through the rowdy clan compound as its inhabitants settled in for the night. h their eyes
Her gray eyes zeroed in on a trio of shinobi. Their uniforms were dirty and one of them, the kunoichi in the middle, walked with a limp and had to rely on her other teammate for help. The third walked a little behind the two, a hollow look in their eyes. However, they wore such large smiles whenever they were approached by a clan member welcoming them back home or when someone came up asking about their welfare. But Kushina was a perceptive little girl. She saw under their mask. She saw it in the way they walked so closely together. Afraid that if they strayed too far from each other they'd lose them. She saw it in the way their smiles didn't quite reach their eyes, the orbs looking devoid of all light.
War.
Kushina looked away and pulled her legs close to her chest. She knew her clan was in trouble and her poor father was just busy worrying about everyone else. It was something that he'd taught her. The village, the clan, everyone who resided within was family. And family looked after family. Especially when they belonged to such a small village. Uzu only really had one ninja clan and its civilian population was rather tiny. As such, there was no need for a village leader seeing as they kinda already had one. Her father was dearly loved by the people and they trusted him to make the right choice for both the clan and village. This meant her dad made a lot of important decisions regarding the village as a whole. He wasn't the closest thing they had to kage. Tou-chan was a good man. He loved Uzu and more importantly he loved her and her Kaa-chan. He would never just hurt her like this if it wasn't for a good reason.
Her father was a good man. He loved Uzu and more importantly he loved her and her Kaa-chan more than life itself. He would never hurt her like this if it wasn't for a good reason.
She just wished she knew why. Maybe then this pain would be bearable.
The small child turned to the door as someone knocked.
"Kushina-sama, Uzumaki-sama has summoned you," A gruff voice called through the screen door. Kushina quickly scrambled out of bed and ripped through the fragile paper door.
"REALLY!?" Kushina yelled excitedly, her face full of hope.
The guard laughed and nodded, glad to see their number one troublemaker so eager again.
A happy smile found its way on the child's cherub cheeks. Finally, after weeks of handling her father's aloofness, he was finally calling for her. She grinned and ran ahead of the guard to where she knew her father was waiting.
The guard watched her go with a smile on his face. That is until he realized he was going to have to repair the door. Again. He cursed under his breath and left to go get the necessary equipment
Hello, I am the God of page breaks. Kneel before me!
Kushina burst into her father's study with much gusto. She grinned happily up at the middle-aged man waiting for her.
"TOU-CHAN! What's up!? Did you need me for something, 'ttebane-" She stopped mid exclamation. Why…why was he looking at her like that? Everything about was normal except his eyes... eyes filled with such sorrow had no place on her father! Her mother was also in the room, standing faithfully beside her husband. Was her mother crying!? Her mother never cried! She was the strongest woman she knew and to see her cry was… weird.
Kushina's eyes widened. Something terrible had happened. She could feel it. Was the village in trouble? Had the war finally reached Uzu? Maybe the thing she'd been summoned for had something to do with the depressed air filling the room. Maybe someone's dog had died…or worse.
Her mother subtly wiped at her face before she spoke.
"Hello, Kushi-chan." She turned slightly to her left. Kushina started. Ah! There was someone else in the room! How had she not noticed that? Kushina blinked and openly stared at the pretty lady standing next to her mother. "I want you meet someone."
The girl gave the three people a confused look.
"Eh? What's going on?"
Her father spoke to her for the first time in days, "Kushina, daughter, there is something we must tell you." The grave tone in her father's normal jovial voice had her on edge immediately. Kushina frowned slightly and looked at the stranger standing next to her mother and pointed to her at her rather bluntly.
"Does it have anything to do with her?" She asked.
The woman beside her mother flushed at the sudden attention. Her mother actually cracked a smile and her father chuckled lightly.
"Kushi-chan," her mother softly scolded, "where are your manners?" Kushina mumbled out an apology. Fire simmered in her mother's eyes. The two adults sweatdropped as her mother forcefully asked, "What was that? We couldn't quite hear you, dear."
Kushina blanched, "Eh!? Oh, er!" She turned to the unfamiliar person and bowed quickly. "S-Sorry! That was very rude of me to point like that!"
Then, just like that, her mother's ire dissapeared.
She smiled and in a voice too sweet to normal she said, "Ah, much better, Kushi-chan."
All three of them blew out a sigh of relief. Their matriarch could be downright terrifying sometimes.
"As your mother mentioned before, Kushina, we want you meet someone." The sudden lightness that had momentarily returned to her parent's eyes faded as the newcomer fell into the limelight. "Please, introduce yourself, nephew."
"Wha? Nephew? He's a boy?!" Kushina watched as the 'man' soundlessly stepped forward. She frowned. The dude looked...familiar. Now that she thought about it her father had a picture of him on his desk.
"Ah, yes, I a-apologize for not introducing m-myself earlier, Kushina-kun." The unknown shinobi pulled nervously on the wrapping covering his arms and hands.
The young girl's nose wrinkled. Why'd he call her '-kun'? Who is this guy? Does he know her? More importantly is really a guy? This was just too confusing!
"Hold your horses!" Kushina held up her hand. "Are you a boy or a girl? And be honest, 'ttebane!" She demanded, staring her 'cousin' down. "It's really hard to tell." The woman, boy, girl, ugh, person sputtered indignantly as their face turned the same color that their clan was so renown for.
"W-What!? Of course I'm a b-boy, 'ttebaru!" He replied frantically. Kushina raised a red eyebrow.
"Are you sure? Have you checked?" The man's face, if possible, grew redder and his eyes widened at her gall. How could she ask such a personal question!? And at such a young age too!
Kushina continued her stare-down. She tapped her foot impatiently. Tamotsu wilted under her intense scrutiny.
Her father attempted to mask his chuckle with a polite cough. He was the clan head, after all. He had an image to uphold even in front of his family. His wife, on the other hand, held no such reservations. The Uzumaki woman erupted in laughter, unable to keep it in any longer.
She quickly composed herself, for her nephew's sake, and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.
"Yes, Kushi-chan. He is indeed a boy." Her mother let loose another round of giggles. "I should know. I was there when he was delivered."
"Oba-sama!" The young man whined petulantly.
Lady Uzumaki, ever pristine and proper, snorted. Well, at least she was in front of the council and visiting dignitaries. She slapped the poor boy good-naturedly on the back. "Haha, carry on, dear."
The boy, as it turns out, composed himself and nodded shyly. He faced Kushina once more and the girl couldn't help but be suspicious all over again. He really did look like a girl, but he made for a very pretty man.
She squinted, studying him more, now that he was closer. She could fell him doing the same, his eyes scanning her person. He was older than her, that much was obvious- he was taller than her, but was shorter than both her father and mother. His shinobi uniform was worn, the flak jacket sporting quite a few ink stains that had been too stubborn to come out in the wash. The fact that he wore the standard, burgundy and grey ninja uniform of her village meant he was either a chuunin or a jounin. Either rank spoke years of experience far greater than her own.
But there was just something about him that was different. Most shinobi Kushina had met had this hardness to them. Jaded and disillusioned by a path so full of bloodshed and suffering. They hid it well, but she'd always been able to see through them. It made her sad and she worried what would happen to her once she graduated from the academy. Would she also don that mask? Would she be forced to go to war like the ninjas she'd seen earlier? What would happen when she assumed the mantle as head of the clan? Would she be ready?
However, Kushina didn't see any of that in her cousin. Yes, there was tenseness to him, but his overall countenance was...nice; soothing. His face was smooth and round (kinda like hers), his eyes were a really nice calming color that put her immediately at ease, and the soft aurora he emitted threw any evidence of his masculinity out the window. Seriously, this dude looked like a girl. She eyed his clothed body closely. He even had hips! And only girls had hips like that!
Wait. Something niggled at the back of her mind. There was feeling again. Kushina hummed quietly to herself and leaned closer, trying to catch a fleeting memory. There was something about him...but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Her observations were interrupted by her cousin. He addressed her father, "It's fine, Uzumaki-sama." The young redhead sighed dejectedly. "It happens a lot as I k-know you're aware of."
Kushina's mother smiled warmly and patted his arm affectionately. Kushina blinked. The two seemed really close with how near they stood next to each other. This was further proved by the shinobi's semi-relaxed stance. He still looked nervous, but he probably always looked like that.
Kushina scrunched her brows together in confusion. Her mother had called him her nephew. Did that mean they were cousins? (it'd be weird if wasn't considering she'd been referring to him as such in her head this whole time.) Well technically her mother had a habit of calling everyone nephew or brother since the whole clan was related to one another by either blood or marriage. Nonetheless, now that she had been in the older boy's company longer he seemed kinda…familiar. DARN IT! She'd figure it out or so help her! It was like she'd seen him before. Not just in those pictures, but like in real life. And not just around the compound, either. It was somewhere...closer...?
The feminine redhead bowed and introduced himself, "My name is Uzumaki T-Tamotsu. You probably don't recognize m-me since I've been away for a while on a mission." So he did know her! Tamotsu continued, "My mother and your father were very close, cousins in fact." Okay, that would explain why there was a photo of him on her father's desk. "I've known you since you were this," he held his index and thumb up and made the universal 'small' gesture, "t-tiny. You were just a cute little girl when I left, Kushina-kun, but now that the war has c-come to us I've been called back to escort you to Konoha." He said the last part firmly, but the way his hands clenched so tightly raised her suspicions. There was something he wasn't telling her something. She glanced at her parents. Something they all weren't telling her.
Kushina chose to ignore this in favor of the bigger problem here.
She turned to her parents and asked them inquisitively, "Konoha? Isn't that kinda far from here? Hey! Are you guys coming too?" Her parents looked at her sadly. Kami, she was starting to hate that look. Her mother patted her chubby cheeks. Kushina blinked and looked back and forth between the two adults. The Uzumaki matriarch opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
Her father was the one who spoke, "I'm sorry, Kushina but as head, I must stay behind to guide both the clan and the village with your mother. " He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, small one, Tamotsu will take good care of you."
Kushina backed away from her parent's touch. Her eyes were wide with fear. She hadn't wanted to believe but all the evidence she needed was right here. No! No! She refused to given in to those darker thoughts!
"You're sending me...away? Why can't I just stay here with you?" Tamotsu reached out for her. Kushina flinched and he withdrew. "I don't want to pack up my stuff and leave Uzu! This is my home and no stupid war is gonna drive me away, 'ttebane!" She yelled defiantly, her arms straightening out on either side of her in closed fists. The thought of being separated from her village, her clan, her family just because of some war was crazy talk!
An old fear gripped her heart as a lone thought slipped in and echoed throughout her mind. One that she had been fighting against in vain for a while now. What if…what if they didn't want her anymore? Was that why they were sending her away? Had they finally gotten sick of her? Oh, she knew she shouldn't have pulled that prank this morning! All they needed to do was wash it with warm water! It's not like it was permanent or anything!
Her voice cracked, "Don't…don't you guys…want me? Don't you l-love me anymore? You've all been so far away and…" Unbidden tears formed in her eyes. Kushina growled and stubbornly wiped her face. Why was she crying! She was supposed to be angry and...stuff.
Next thing she knew she was engulfed in warmth. Her mother held onto her tightly, petting her hair.
"Of course we love you, Kushi-chan! I'm so sorry, sweetie. We didn't mean to push you away. We just," the redheaded woman hugged Kushina tighter, "we just didn't want to see you go. It hurts us to send you off like this, but it's for the good of the clan, for the country." Her mother pressed a firm but loving kiss to her forehead. Her father was at her side, gently wiping her tears away. He smiled and wiped her nose with her sleeve. Kushina swatted his hands away.
"Don't fret little Kushina. The leaf village have been great allies to us for many years. They and Tamotsu," the boy quickly nodded his head, "will keep you safe. I promise you that, daughter." He gave her shoulder a tight squeeze in reassurance. The older Uzumaki turned to her cousin. "Tamotsu, please see to it that Kushina gets packed."
Her mother smiled again at her, albeit it was a little sad, and ushered her forward. "Go on, Kushi-chan. You two leave at dawn tomorrow." Kushina opened her mouth to protest but the pain in their eyes and tight smiles silenced her. She trudged on to her bedroom obediently.
Tamotsu made to follow her but was stopped by the clan head's powerful voice. It resonated through his office, spooking the guards standing sentry outside the study's doors.
"Nephew, I trust that you will take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of my daughter, yes?"
Tamotsu looked into his leader's stern gaze and nodded anxiously.
"Need I remind you that if any harm befalls my daughter you will not only invoke my wrath but potentially set events into motion that can never be erased." The sudden visage of a chakra beast tearing through the Elemental Nations took form in Tamotsu's mind. He knew that should he fail this mission the consequences would be unimaginable. He bowed low in deference. Not a single stutter plagued his voice as he gave his reply.
"Hai, Uzumaki-sama. I will not let any harm come to Lady Kushina."
The patriarch of the Uzumaki marveled at the sheer amount of conviction shining in the young man's eyes. His cousin, Kami bless her soul, had raised such a fine young man. The clan head's intimidating gaze softened and he smiled and nodded his head in the direction Kushina had wandered off.
The patriarch spoke kindly, "Very well, Tamotsu, I shall hold you to your words. Please go ahead and reacquaint yourself with Kushina." He chuckled lightly. "She's grown into quite a handful during your absence."
His wife smiled wistfully, "Our own little whirlpool, ne? I'm sure you two will benefit from some time spent together before you leave."
Tamotsu's shyness returned and he meekly nodded, making sure to give a long deep bow to the two before scurrying off after Kushina. The pair watched the young shinobi scamper off.
The clan head felt a little bit of the weight on his shoulders lift. His nephew may be the black sheep of their clan, but Tamotsu had fought tooth and nail against the clan's persecution and had won his and the clan elder's respect. Although to be fair, he had always had a soft spot for his cousin's only child. The two had born a few days apart and had grown quite close as the years progressed. Tamotsu's mother had been his closest friend and confidiant. She'd been the one to introduce him to his wife all those years ago. Her passing had hurt him and his aunt dearly, but none more so than the son she left behind.
Through time, Tamotsu had become a model example for his peers to follow in. If they ever got the courage to remove the sticks up their asses, anyways. Honestly, his clansmen could be just as bad as the Uchihas. All they saw was a weak, spineless shinobi unworthy of the clan name. But there were few who saw his true worth.
All they saw was a weak, spineless shinobi unworthy of the clan name despite the milestones Tamotsu had made. But there were few who saw his true worth. He was proud to count himself among those few.
Despite the twenty-year old's young age and, ahem, feminine appearance, he was a fearsome shinobi in the field and had garnered much fame throughout the Elemental Nations. Which was a grand feat for someone so young.
Though that fame wasn't exactly the type of fame you would wish for, but it had earned him a nickname at least. He was easily one of the most promising aspiring seal masters of his generation and in a clan that boasted the best seal masters in all the Elemental Nations that was quite an accomplishment. Though his timid personality and looks earned him many jeers and sufferings in his childhood he had managed to overcome that and tuned all his energy into becoming an exceptional ninja. He held no worries that Tamotsu would fail. He would sooner take a kunai to the heart than let any threat come into the same village as Kushina. But with his reputation and famed nickname, killing him wouldn't be such a simple task. After all, they don't call him the Uzumaki's Zombie Kunoichi for nothing.