NHRK Chapter 70

Here is the latest chapter on the public reading doc. My mate who had cancer passed away this Monday. I will be making an announcement on it later. I feel at peace, and for some reason glad that he doesn't have to suffer anymore as he stepped into the afterlife before us. I will miss him dearly, and will hold him in my heart moving forwards.

He was a theatre student, and I will post his final work on this patreon on the later announcement. It's long, it's a bit sad, but it was his truth, his mind before the end. if you guys have time, do check it out.

Without further ado:

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“Sorry I’m late, Jiji,” Naruto said to the old Kage as he entered.

Hiruzen only huffed in response, likely having already seen where he was headed through his crystal ball.

In front of him, Tsunade and Jiraiya stood impatiently, a little irritated that they had to wait for someone that was their junior in age to come.

“Ahem,” Hiruzen cleared his throat once Naruto stood in line with the Sannin, “I see that the mission has been successful. Once again, welcome back Tsunade, your presence has been missed.”

Tsunade rolled her eyes and looked away. After checking on Shizune’s health condition through practically barging into the hospital, she was relieved to find that Shizune was already up and healthy, only being held for a certain period of time longer to check for side effects.

Strangely enough, as she walked out she’d overheard a few things about some of the medical staff grieving over ‘Sakura’s day off’ and that she should have been here to stop her, a Sannin, from waltzing around the medical ward.

She didn’t know who this Sakura was, but she did not appreciate that her strength as a legendary Sannin was so looked down upon now.

“You must be wondering why you have been brought back, my long lost student,” Hiruzen continued, bringing her attention back to him. “I have brought you back to evaluate your potential to be Hokage.”

That stopped all of Tsunade’s thoughts in its tracks.

“...what?” she got out, baffled at what she’d just heard.

“You heard me,” Hiruzen said. “As you can see with your own eyes, I’m getting old and my recent stint with Orochimaru showed exactly how overdue I am to hang up the hat once again.”

“And you chose me, of all people?” Tsunade asked. “That’s preposterous.”

“Well, you are the most appropriate candidate, and despite your…habits, I know that you are going to do well in this role. Besides, you can work off your debt that you’ve accrued over the years.”

Tsunade scowled. “That’s bullshit.”

She turned away, looking out of the window, taking in the scenery that was Konohagakure. So much has changed. Yet so much has stayed the same.

“I’ll let you take a moment to absorb it,” Hiruzen said before turning to Naruto, “in the meantime, recount your mission please, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto merely nodded and did so. He glossed over the details of his…spat with Jiraiya, but did mention his bet that he had with Tsunade, which made her turn to him and scowl.

Hiruzen merely laughed. “That’s such a Tsunade thing to do, to back off from a wager.”

Tsunade looked like she was about to show that old man the meaning of pain, no matter how old he currently was, but managed to reign herself in.

She would not hurt the old fool.

She would not hurt the old fool.

Hiruzen turned toward Jiraiya.

“And what about your mission?” Hiruzen asked.

Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side in puzzlement. “What do you mean, Jiji, I just told you–”

“He’s the best I’ve seen,” Jiraiya interrupted, “Strong, smart, patient, and has a backbone. He’ll do fine as another candidate for Hokage.”

Naruto’s words died in his throat and all he could manage was an elegant sounding “W-wuh?”

Hurzen nodded, smiling. “This mission was to search for potential candidates for the hat, and you were one of them, Naruto. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that Jiraiya has been acting strangely from what you know of him, did you not?”

Naruto thought about it, and indeed his behaviour had been suspicious. Especially that time when he questioned him about Kushina, which sort of felt like the old fool was probing him to see what he’d do.

Naruto’s shoulders sagged. “I see…you must already know my answer then, Jiji.”

Hiruzen merely nodded. “You have a mission to unite the world, and your goals lay even beyond the borders of Konoha, but the entire world. You’ve told me once already.”

Tsunade took a step back as the words he’d spoken rang in her ears. She glanced at Naruto, and for some odd reason, she could not help but see Nawaki and Dan within him. She still had those questions. Her eyes defied his necklace. She wanted those answers.

“Then–” Naruto tried to say.

“But I simply wanted to know whether you’d do it if no one else is up for the task,” Hiruzen cut him off, eyeing Tsunade as he did so. “We have only one viable option so far. Jiraiya has his family to take care of, and his duties as Konoha’s spymaster is something only he can do.”

“Damn straight,” Jiraiya agreed.

“And that leaves me,” Tsunade muttered. “I need a drink.”

“Ah, that reminds me,” Naruto muttered, finally taking out the bottle of sake that Hiruzen told him to give to Tsunade beforehand. “I was going to give this to you anyway, but we got sidetracked.”

Tsunade huffed and snatched it out of his hands, immediately opening the cork and taking a long sip.

Hiruzen’s eyebrows twitched.

When she was done with her chug, she seemed a bit more relaxed. She turned to Naruto.

“Now, it’s time for you to tell me everything about you, Naruto Hagoromo,” Tsunade said, “especially how you got that necklace.”

Naruto looked worriedly at Hiruzen, who only shrugged.

“It is your story to tell, Naruto-kun,” he simply said.

Naruto sighed. “Alright, I will tell you the risks and make sure that if you truly want to know, you must be prepared for what comes after.”

He looked to Jiraiya as well. “Both of you.”

The old sage only arched an eyebrow. “I hold secrets better than anyone on the planet, boy, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“It’s not just that, it's…” Naruto shook his head. “Look, if you truly want to know about my…admittedly strange appearance here, it comes with the cost of knowing what’s coming, and being able to hold the world on your shoulders.”

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade looked sceptical, and turned towards Hiruzen for his reaction.

To their surprise, they were met with an intense gaze from the old man, to validate Naruto’s words as truth beyond their simple understanding, and not just the boastings of a youngster.

Tsunade shrugged and nodded. “I still want to know.”

Jiraiya…thought for a moment.

“Hmm…do you want me to know, Naruto-san?” Jiraiya asked formally.

Naruto’s throat was dry in his response. “If it were just up to me…I wouldn’t want you to see the truth of me…but you, beyond anyone else, have the most right to know what’s inside here.”

He tapped his head with his forefinger. “I will let you both in my mind, and Yamanaka Ino will conduct the mind walk this time.”

Jiraiya nodded.

“Oh? Has young Ino truly improved so much already?” Hiruzen chuckled.

Naruto gave a small smile and nodded. “She has.”

Tsunade took another swig before speaking again. “Alright, let's get this over with then.”

“Wait!” Naruto abruptly said, “Let’s do this tomorrow. I’m…busy tonight.”

Only Hiruzen knew Naruto well enough at this point to grin. “Well, that concludes the debrief. Tsunade, you have a week to come to a decision.”

With that, all three left the building.

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Naruto walked through the Yamanaka flower shop, and this time Ino was working her afternoon shift.

“Naruto-kun, you’re back!” She screamed excitedly before leaping over the counter with her kunoichi grace and practically ran him over in her need to embrace him.

Naruto could only laugh. “I’m home, Ino-chan.”

She wasted no time in putting her arms around his neck, pulling him down, and planting her lips on his as he smiled into it in amusement.

She was off on another world again, just from the kiss alone, and she thought of the first time he’d kissed her, so long ago on her birthday. That kiss had accompanied her dreams for months upon months upon months.

This kiss was different. She’d been accepted already as one of his women, and thus it had less of that uncertainty, that thrill of whether it was fleeting, making her drown in it in the moment.

Now, kisses with him warmed her soul, comforted her mind, soothed her heart, and made her fall in love with him all over again. That isn’t to say there wasn’t that hunger, that desperation in their passion no. It was the simple fact that Ino knew that she could have this whenever she wanted, perhaps even wherever she wanted, and it made her feel on top of the world.

They broke apart, Ino smiling and looking up at him with half lidded eyes.

“Tell me, future husband, are you ready for our date yet?” Ino asked.

Naruto blushed–she loved that she was the cause of that–but he ultimately shook his head.

“Actually…” Naruto nervously stretched on.

Ino pouted. “Don’t tell me Sarada made arrangements before I did?”

Naruto said nothing.

Ino blinked and stepped back to look at him curiously.

“Wait…if not Sarada…Haku?” Ino probed.

Still nothing.

Ino simply stared at him in the eyeballs, or wherever they were beneath his blindfold until he cracked.

“I’ve…sort of made arrangements with…Kushina…” Naruto muttered.

Silence.

Ino’s jaw hung open.

“No…” she said disbelievingly, “you…you bagged lady Kushina motherfucking Uzumaki?”

Naruto nervously chuckled. “Sorry, Ino. I promise to set up our date as soon as I can.”

“No, no!” Ino shook her head, “you take your time! God knows how long Lady Kushina was lonely for. I’m…impressed even, but knowing you, maybe even Lady Tsunade herself isn’t safe…”

Naruto’s nervous chuckle gained a more artificial rhythm though luckily Ino was too distracted to notice.

“I still dibs next though,” Ino admitted, blushing and smiling at him.

Naruto nodded. “Of course. Actually there was a reason I came by today, other than to greet one of my girlfriends ofcourse.”

Ino’s heart swelled as she reattached herself to him, planting her face in his chest, taking a good whiff to remember his scent, before looking up at him.

“Anything,” she whispered.

Naruto shuddered. “I wanted to check whether you’re available tomorrow for a mindwalk. Tsunade and Jiraiya wanted to pick at my head.”

Ino nodded. “Of course. I can erase my own memories of it afterwards to give you privacy if you want.”

Naruto shook his head. “No, I trust you, Ino.”

She smiled at that.

“...also, I was wondering if you could help me pick out some clothes for my date with Kushina,” Naruto asked hesitantly.

Ino’s eyes gleamed.

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It was evening, 4 pm, and Naruto was ready for his date.

He was standing outside of his home, with a box of this strange candy Ino told him to get called ‘chocolates’ and with nerves that were tap dancing on his gut.

He was nervous.

Perhaps more so today than squaring off against Pain himself in his old world.

He took a deep breath and gathered himself before knocking.

Surprisingly it was Haku who opened to greet him.

She looked at him up and down, taking his attire in before meeting his eyes, a mischievous smirk on her face and eyes twinkling in unsaid thoughts.

“Welcome back, Naruto-sama,” Haku greeted, “Lady Kushina is waiting for you in the back.”

Naruto nodded, too nervous to muster up a response, and followed Haku as she led him to the back door.

She left right after, stopping for a moment to lean up and planted a kiss on his cheek before scurry off with a giggle.

Seeing the ever stoic Haku open up warmed his heart, but Naruto had to focus on the task laid before him.

He opened the door, and breath left his lungs.

For a moment, the sight before him was captured by his eyes, images in real time unable to compute in his brain, and he almost malfunctioned before his first step.

In the meadows of their garden, Kushina was standing in her finest garment, a simple dress of green that reached down to her thighs, exposing those wonderful long legs and laid her arms bare. It flowed with the wind, making it feel as if Naruto was dreaming, for a creature this magnificent could not have possibly existed in the real world.

She turned towards him and smiled, a slight touch of makeup enhancing her features.

Naruto almost died right then and there and went to heaven.

“G–good evening, Lady Kushina,” Naruto greeted, stuttering like a fool.

Kushina giggled to herself and the sound was like wind chimes to a soft summer breeze.

“Good evening to you, too, Naruto-kun,” Kushina responded, stepping towards him.

Naruto wanted to move, to reciprocate the gesture, but he found that he could not control his legs.

There was no jutsu holding him back, it was the simple reason that he was so mesmerised by her that his body parts were ceasing its functions.

Kushina only looked more amused as she stopped right in front of him, looking down at the box of chocolates shaking in his hands.

Her eyes warmed as she pried it off his grip and placed it to the side on a table under the patio.

“Thank you for taking the efforts to bring me yet another gift today, my love,” she whispered.

“Of–ofcourse,” Naruto managed to get out.

Then she smirked and tiptoed up to him, kissing him gently on the lips.

It was strange that such an act of love was just the thing to get Naruto to function properly again, and not make him malfunction even more.

He leaned into it, placing his hands gently on her back and pulling her in slightly.

The kiss had no tongue, only the caress of their lips, but it was enough to turn Naruto into a puddle and make Kushina’s spine tingle in pleasure.

Naruto deepened it, and Kushina closed her eyes to lose herself, her heart already thumping in her ribcage despite her confident front.

She felt the tug of a Hiraishin going off, and by the time she opened her eyes, she was in a different place altogether.

A place miles and miles away from Konoha, yet a place she knew all too familiarly.

She separated from Naruto to take it all in.

Her heart skipped in her chest.

“It…It can’t be…” she whispered disbelievingly.

She stood on the heart of Uzushiogakure, rebuilt and…whole once again.

Naruto smiled at her reaction.

“Ever since we came to Uzu to find Kurama, I made my human clone Hiraishin here everyday to leave shadow clones to work on this…project.”

Kushina turned towards him, tears shining in her eyes.

Naruto’s smile softened. “I wanted to rebuild your home so you could see it once again.”

The kiss that followed this time as she launched herself towards him wasn’t soft or slow, it was hungry, desperate, intoxicating.

They warred their tongues, battled through their techniques, and in the end they were both defeated by their need to breathe, of which they both forgot to take before diving in.

When they looked into each other's eyes, panting and confused, they both laughed at their own folly.

“I’ve prepared something,” Naruto said, setting her down from his grasp and leading her towards the beaches of Uzu.

Kushina’s heart stayed at the cadence in which it started: rapid, almost concerningly so, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Naruto led them through the stone streets and Kushina wondered how he was able to achieve such intricate building details with earth jutsu. How much he learned to rebuild whole infrastructures, whole villages even. How he even found what Uzushio looked like in the first place.

So many questions, and yet when Kushina looked towards the man who would build cities for her, and no doubt conquer more if she so wished for it, she felt her already blinding fire of her love flare up even more.

It was consuming her very soul, her love for him too much for her heart to handle.

“I love you, Naruto Hagoromo nee Uzumaki,” Kushina said to him as he was gesturing to a building to tell her how he built it.

He stopped in his tracks, letting the words go into his ear and bounce around in his skull before it registered.

His throat dried as he looked at her and his heart almost stopped at the amount of love and adoration shown on her face. She was looking at him like he was her universe stuffed into one person.

He tried to crack a smile, and knew it was no doubt shaking in its formation.

“I–I love you too, Kushina Uzumaki,” he said.

Needless to say, he could not wait for what came of tonight.

He finished leading her to where he wanted her to go, and she gasped at the sight of the beach. The waves stretched on and on, the skies, now orange from the near sunset meeting it on the horizon. The palm trees were decorated with strings of glowing lights by Naruto beforehand. Between two trees, there was a simple table, set up with candles and freshly served appetisers. A group of Naruto clones were at the side, each holding instruments that she didn’t even know he knew how to play, nor realised when he had learned to do so, even with his shadow clones.

Kushina felt butterflies in her stomach and she almost jumped in her place and squealed at the effort he went through to make this happen.

She loved him, loved him, loved him.

He made her feel like a teenage girl again.

“From how wide you’re smiling, I take it that you like it?” Naruto chuckled.

Kushina wanted to pinch him for even asking. “Of course I do! I love it!”

She practically dragged him towards the table, as she regained her elegance.

She was a mature woman now, not a teenage girl like she was feeling internally. She would act that way, and knew that ‘maturity’ drove Naruto wild.

She sat on the chair opposite him just as the music started to play. Instruments like the Kokyu, Koto, flutes and other varieties of wind and string instruments began to flow through the sea breeze comforting him.

Naruto opened up the dish covers to reveal…ramen?

Kushina laughed.

That was just so Naruto.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ramen was her favourite food after all.

“I want to walk by the beach and catch the sunset, so we should dig in,” Naruto said, smiling at her.

Kushina nodded. “Thank you for the meal, my love.”

“My pleasure.”

The ramen was suspiciously good, and Kushina had no doubt that Naruto had begged the Ichiraku’s for help.

This…this was…this was everything she ever wanted.

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