Shaken.
That was the first word that came to mind after hearing Sakumo's story. It hit too close to home for my taste, and it made me reevaluate things from both lives.
"Family and love, huh?" I chuckled a little, letting out a soft sigh.
Among the many things I had to consider, one of them was having a Sharingan. I found a possible explanation in the fact that I once died, and how those emotions still haunt me.
Second were those mangled ninjas who tried to, lacking a better word, devour me whole. Sakumo didn't offer an explanation, so I'll have to ask Senbonzakura when he comes back.
At least I could feel that those things, whatever they were, weren't alive in any way.
'What was I doing when I saw them?' I wondered.
And then it clicked. I was sending reiryoku to my eyes to emulate Gyo. Then the pain. The chase. And…
"Sora! Come down, we have visitors!" Mikoto shouted.
'Oh well. Looks like it'll have to wait until another day.'
Then, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
'My arachnid sense is detecting danger,' .
_ _____________ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _
Kushina's POV
Kushina's day had been stressful.
Minato had been deployed alongside his genin team. As the village's jinchūriki, she wanted to tag along. But the current Hokage, pressured by the elders, denied her request. She was, after all, the village's ultimate weapon, a massive tactical advantage capable of singlehandedly changing the course of the war. Sending her out now would be… unwise, to say the least.
She understood, of course she did, but worry, doubt, and fear were creeping into her heart little by little.
As a small consolation, her research into the seal within her had made some progress. Not much, but still something.
A legend that predated even the origins of the Uzumaki Clan.
It spoke of a time long ago when deities walked among men, until "IT" came.
The Kotoamatsukami, the gods of creation—Ame-no-Minakanushi, Takamimusubi, and Kamimusubi—fought against IT.
IT could die. The gods could not.
So IT sealed them in a place beyond time and space, its key guarded unknowingly by the gods' most fanatical believers.
Weakened but not defeated, IT continued its conquest, until the great goddess Amaterasu burned her essence to protect her children.
The old gods were finally sealed away, but IT now lay dead.
From its ashes, a redhaired clan discovered the power of seals, just a glimpse of the divine power left behind.
Kushina sighed.
'If, and only if, this is real, then it changes everything.'
She continued walking, heading to the only place where she might find answers.
She was about to knock when Mikoto opened the door, smiling gently.
"Kushina, I wasn't expecting you," said Mikoto, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Kushina began to apologize, but Mikoto waved her off.
"No worries. Want to come inside for some tea? Sora-kun made a Black Forest cake, and it would be a shame if Itachi-kun ate it all by himself," she said cheerfully.
"Itachi… Itachi likes sweets?!" Kushina blurted out. She couldn't process how that quiet, serious boy could have a sweet tooth.
"But of course! Sora-kun loves cooking, but he prefers savory dishes. Still, he pretends to like sweets just to give his portions to Itachi-kun. They think I don't notice the crumbs near their mouths." Mikoto laughed like a happy, normal housewife, overjoyed at the mischief of their boys.
The gossip was juicy enough for Kushina to step inside and completely forget about her "serious talk."
__ ____________ _____
Later...
Delicious.
That was the only word Kushina could think of.
The moistness was just right. The sweetness, strong, but not overwhelming. The texture? Sublime. Each bite was a flavor explosion. And then…
"Kushina? Are you listening?" Mikoto asked, smiling.
"Uhh?" Kushina was so lost in cakelan, she hadn't heard a thing.
"I asked if you wanted another slice," Mikoto repeated.
"Yes, please!" Kushina answered quickly.
"My, my, Kushina-san. That's your fourth slice. Aren't you worried about getting fat?" Mikoto teased, a sly glint in her eyes.
"Wait, what!? The fourth!?" Kushina gasped.
Mikoto laughed. "I lied. This is only your second."
Kushina's cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment.
"Mikotooo!" she cried.
"Kushinaaa!" Mikoto echoed back.
Pfffft.
They both burst into laughter. Not polite giggles, real, heartwarming laughter from deep inside.
Mikoto eventually calmed down and whispered, "Thanks."
"For what?" Kushina asked.
"I was… no, am… really stressed. Fugaku's in Kirigakure. The war. Managing the finances. Raising twins. It's a lot. Just like you're worried about Minato."
Kushina let out a heavy sigh.
"It's been stressful, yeah. Now not just Minato, but the three brats are with him. I'm worried sick," she said.
She chuckled and added, "Tell you what, I also miss pinching that Uchiha brat's cheeks."
Mikoto laughed. Then a mischievous thought bloomed in her mind.
"Well… maybe I can help with that…" she said with a grin.
"Sora! Come down, we have visitors!"
___________ __ __________
Sora's POV
Betrayal.
Nothing new, really. Like Judas to Jesus, Aizen to the Gotei 13, and now… my mother, offering my soft, cute, precious cheeks to this… this demoness.
I gave one last look, eyes pleading for mercy.
But it was too late.
Her claws reached out for my face.
*Click.*
Was that… the sound of a camera?!
Betrayal!!!
My revenge will come.
Her hands gripped my cheeks like malleable putty, while the traitor laughed and snapped more photos.
"Okay, okay, I think that's enough. Sora-kun, go wait in the backyard," the betrayer said.
I dragged myself to the backyard, cheeks burning, mind filled with plans for revenge.
And not even Hari Seldon will match the extent of my machinations.
__ __ _____ _ __ _ ________
Meanwhile...
"Why'd you do that? Not that I'm complaining," Kushina asked, still fantasizing about Itachi's cheeks. They should feel the same, right?,
"but why?"
'They're twins' she thought. 'Maybe his are even softer…'
Mikoto sighed.
"I'm not the only one stressed in this house. Sora needed that, even if he doesn't realize it. He's still just a kid."
Kushina nodded.
"Want me to play with him for a bit?"
"That would be great. I'll be in the office if you need me. And don't wreck the house."
"Sir, yes sir," Kushina saluted.
__________________
Sora was still plotting when he felt a chill on his back.
"You're it," whispered a voice in his ear as a gentle claw tapped his cheek.
"Wait, what?" he blinked.
"C'mon, Sora-kun! Catch me if you can! I'll even give you a handicap—I'll stay in this one-meter circle! Let's make a bet!"
Kushina drew a circle in the dirt.
Sora, caught off guard and burning with vengeance, joined the most one-sided game of tag in history.
A jōnin vs a four-year-old kid—even with a handicap, it was doomed from the start.
__ __________ ______
A while later
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Sora lay on the ground, panting.
"You… you… cheater…"
"I told you I'd stay in the circle. I didn't say I wouldn't be above or below it," Kushina said innocently.
"Now say it."
"I… refuse…"
"I have those cheek photos. Maybe I'll show them to Itachi!"
Sora growled.
"What? Can't hear youuu~!"
"…Kushina…-nee…-san…"
"Shorter!"
"…Onee-san…"
"Much better," Kushina grinned. Then she asked, "Sora-kun, could we talk for a bit?"
Understanding the shift in tone, Sora nodded.
They entered his inner world.
"So…" Kushina looked around, unfamiliar with the space. "Where's your 'friend'?"
"You mean Senbonzakura?"
"Yeah."
"I asked him to protect my dad," Sora said.
"Oh…" Kushina seemed disappointed.
"What did you want to talk to him? Maybe I could help," Sora offered, unsure.
"Well, I found some records about my clan, a kind of fairy tale. It talked about gods and demons roaming the earth, a great enemy appearing, and how the gods were sealed and It was killed. Then, my ancestors discovered strange seals connected to that battle. The weird thing is, the old seals in that legend… they look exactly like the one your 'friend' placed on me."
Sora.exe crashed for a moment.
"I… I have no idea. Sorry, Kushina-san."
Kushina counted on her fingers. Sora noticed.
"Sorry, onee-san!"
"Much better," she smiled. "And don't worry. Let me, an adult, handle it."
Sora sighed. Only in this world would a twenty something woman call herself an 'adult' while piecing together a soul seal inside a ninja body containing a monster.
Back in his world, her biggest concern would've been passing her exams.
"Sure, onee-san. Sure. So… how's your relationship with the fox going?"
The proud, mighty, redhaired Valkyrie deflated instantly.
"…Not so great, Sora-kun. I really tried, but that damn fox says the meanest things…"
"But you're still trying?" Aware that the prince and the little fox relation took quite some time to grow.
"Yeah… unfortunately."
Kushina showed me the seal, and after that, we went our separate ways.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __
I had a few guesses about who they could be, but they'd remain just that, guesses, until I asked Senbonzakura.Senbonzakura, the war, and Dad fighting out there...
Maybe I could help somehow.
But how? I'm weak. Even if I tried reaching out to the ghosts, the information would be erratic at best—and always too late.
And... damn.How did I not realize this before?
___ ______ __ _ _ _ _ _
"A song?" asked the matriarch of the Uchiha clan, her eyes scanning over a scroll.Out in the training field, kaa-san had made it clear we were to distinguish between her roles—as a mother, a shinobi, and the matriarch.
"Why?" she asked again, gaze sharp.
"Because out there, their morale has to stay high. A weak willed shinobi is a dead one."Something I learned thanks to Sakumo's teachings.
"Sing it," she ordered.And so, Sora began.
...
"Request denied," said Mikoto, without so much as a blink.
Sora blinked instead, surprised.He genuinely thought it was a perfect choice for the village.
Mikoto looked at her son, the only reason she even considered the request, and continued:
"Don't get me wrong. It would be an excellent choice... for the village.But the song must be for the Uchiha clan. And that choice doesn't represent us.Come back when you understand. Dismissed."
A disappointed Sora left the office.
"The clan's essence, huh…" he muttered, lost in thought.
She didn't say no. She wants another song. But which one?What are the Uchiha? What do they represent?"
Then he smiled.
"Great. Another existential crisis."
So Sora did what he always did when existential dread kicked in,he cooked.
"I miss soda. Maybe... Oh! I still remember that Nuka-Cola recipe from the Fallout cookbook."
And as the kitchen filled with the scent of sugar and fizz, Sora's mind finally started to relax
A/N:
Hellooo, its mee. I think the song will be out for the next chappie. In case you were curious about wich song sora wanted to use, it was sasageyo. But then i crossed that out. Because while it would be a great song for the village, Mikoto's autorithy is only for her clan. Imagine reuniting a bunch of ninjas of the whole village only for him to sing a song, hilarious and an absolute political suicide. But inside the clan? why not. And also I had to create a way so that Sora can earn his way from the uchiha clan's (Because *redacted for obvious spoilers*).
I also had to create more background for the uzumaki clan and why their seals are and were so OP while giving more credit to the spiritual side of the story. Land of the demons? ninja monks? priestess? Rashomon? suppoused shinigamis? not a coincidence, but remanents of the old ways.
Also, can you recognize who said this?
"Not even Hari Seldon will match my machinations! But, right, not gloating." She.
Extracted from a really good story, whose universe I will extract different stuff. I also take my time to recomend another ff that I am making. It may have some chapters, but the original story is one if not the greatest story that I ever read.
Bye