I'm back from the dead...somewhat. My writing still seems blocked and I'm having to write bits and pieces at a time instead of large chunks like I usually do. Anyways, this chapter is a little bit of a filler but filled with things that will be used later. Let's see if you can catch them all...I know, bad reference.

Chapter 12: Mysteries Uncovered

Utter silence rules the kitchen. Kushina looks at Naruto, not sure of what to make of his statement.

"What?"

This is the point that Naruto is dreading, even more so after hearing Kushina's story.

"The woman we found, the initial report that she is a dead match for Mikoto, down to exact eye color, facial structure, height, and length of limbs. From her story, she claims she was kidnapped just before I was born."

For once, Kushina's mind seems to be blown.

"But…wha…how…"

If this were any less serious, Naruto would have chuckled at her reaction.

"We don't know. We are running additional tests on her to see if it there is any discrepancy. However, the Mikoto you talked with after the Uchiha Massacre has disappeared recently so the one in the hospital is our only lead right now."

Kushina sits in silence while she processes what she has just heard, her head bowed and her eyes covered.

"…"

Naruto leans in closer.

"What did you say?"

Kushina leans across the table far faster than he had known her capable to grab the collar of his shirt and pull him towards her mere inches from her own face. She looks into his clearly stunned eyes at her reaction, her smoldering amethyst eyes blazing with strong emotions.

"Take me to her!"

Naruto is shaken by her almost violent reaction but it is the tears streaming down her face that get to him.

"O…of course Ka-chan. I was rather hoping you would see her."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kushina nearly shouts as she stands quickly as she releases his collar. She nearly makes it to the door when a voice stops her.

"Hold on."

The brakes are put on by someone they forgot was in the room, which is amazing in-of-itself after the comments she made.

"What's the hold up?" Kushina asks in an irritated tone, not bothering to hide it.

Kyūbi levels her with a steady and calm gaze. Kushina eyes that burn with a fire stare right into Kyūbi's amused ones.

"Sit, because there are complications that we have to discuss first."

Kushina glances at Naruto in hopes of…

"Don't look at him. He will back me before you in this matter because of the sensitivity of this. I am his boss after all," Kyūbi authoritatively states, intercepting and saving Naruto from being caught in the middle of this.

With no other option since Naruto has decided to suddenly find the newspaper very interesting, she sits down with a 'Hmph' and listens.

"Let's hurry and get this over with."

Kyūbi seems to understand Kushina's hurry and doesn't waste time getting into it.

"Mikoto doesn't know just how much time has passed. She thinks it has been a few years to name one issue. Another is the fact that Naruto has been talking to her as Minato. Yet another is the fact that her entire clan has been killed by her son, while the other one is now in the hands of the most wanted criminal in Konoha."

This gets a surprised look from Kushina who looks to Naruto to confirm it.

And she gets it.

"When I found her on the Monument, she seemed to recognize me or my position. I didn't recognize her then, but later in the hospital. It took me a while but she firmly believes that she is Mikoto. I knew you and she had been friends since before I was born and so I figured that she believed me to be Tou-san since we look so much alike.

"I asked Kyu here to hide my whisker marks later in the hospital, figuring it would be easier to get answers out of her and better on her mind."

"However, that leaves us where we are now. It is getting harder to hide just how much time has passed, that and Naruto isn't Minato and she is getting suspicious as to why he can't answer many of the questions she is asking."

"I don't get the problem."

"The problem is that Mikoto is in a fragile state right now. If you go in there saying how you missed her these sixteen years, it will shatter all the trust we have built up and make her more unstable. She doesn't know about the happenings of the last sixteen years and doesn't need to know.

"She isn't ready yet to know these things. It will break her."

Kushina doesn't like it one bit.

"So what? We lie to her for the rest of her life? I refuse to do that."

"I'm…we aren't saying that you should. There will come a time when all will be revealed to her. But right now isn't it. In order for you to see her, there are a few stipulations I must insist on."

Kushina has an angry expression but looks at Naruto to override Kyūbi. Naruto puts up his hands, stopping her train of thought dead in its tracks.

"Don't look at me. This is her department, not mine. Listen, Ka-chan, Kyu has been alive far longer than either of us combined. She has exponentially more experience reading and dealing with situations like this than us. I trust her to know what is best."

Kushina loses the angry look and lowers her head as she takes in what Naruto said.

Can they trust Kyūbi to know what the right course of action is? Kushina almost scoffs at the thought. Of course they can. She is by far the oldest person she knows not only that, but the fact that Kyūbi is one of the few beings dedicated to preserving stability only adds credibility. She must have had to talk with people in this situation before. Maybe not the exactly this one but close enough.

But Mikoto is her friend, her best friend. Lying to her feels wrong, especially after hearing her Mikoto may have been kidnapped. She may very well need her help in getting better and lying to her may do the exact opposite.

But as she looks towards the ageless Bijū, she is reminded that the woman sitting across from her is just that: a being of superior experience and knowledge. It doesn't matter that she could crush the five main ninja villages at the same time. What does matter is the vast ocean of information this, for all they know, goddess possesses.

"Alright, I'll play by your rules but we are telling her the truth the first chance we get. And if this backfires, I'll be coming after you."

Kyūbi shrugs off the threat and nods once.

"Good. I would hate to have to do something to someone so close to Naru-kun even if it is denying them access to a friend.

"Now then, I propose this: Naruto goes as Minato, and the two of you act as if you're married."

Naruto chokes on his orange juice and Kushina just sits there with a blank look on her face.

"Hehe, I think I broke her."

"Kyūbi!"

Said Bijū looks to her counterpart who has just recovered from the orange juice going down the wrong pipe.

"What?"

"Remember that conversation we had the last time we were here?"

Naruto sees her grimace.

"This isn't a joke. One or both of you going by yourselves would just create more questions. Mikoto is already getting suspicious enough. With both Kushina and 'Minato' there, she can help you out in answering some of the finer details that only they would know.

"The two of you need to get together and talk about some things that only the three of you would know. Or…"

"Or what?"

They look to see a serious Kushina.

"There is a way to transfer memories, something that is a lot faster. However, it is far more personal. There is no way to filter specifics. You pick a starting memory and an ending memory and everything in between is transferred."

"You…you mean that Naruto would see…"

"You having sex with Minato, yes. You giving birth, yes. Your feelings, emotions, thoughts, and senses. Your most intimate moments between those two memories. Everything. As I said, it is much more personal but much quicker."

Kushina battles with herself. She wants to get to Mikoto as quickly as possible but she doesn't want Naruto to see her like that. She's his mother for crying out loud! He would see her naked, see every intimate moment, every conversation of girl talk, going to the bathroom, using a pregnancy test, showering, shaving, picking out underwear…lingerie for Minato, masturbating to Minato's image. The list goes on and on as the things that would be mortifying for her son to know about her, for anyone to know about her.

She shakes her head clear and looks at Naruto. His shock is clear on his face as well as one of the largest blushes she has seen. His eyes are glazed over as his mind shuts down.

She shakes her head again. She can't believe that she is even contemplating do this!

Before she can answer, Naruto speaks up.

"No. Ka-chan, no offense but there are some things that I don't need or want to know. On top of that, I don't want to invade your privacy like that. I know there are things that you will never wish to share with people and most certainly not someone you gave birth to."

Kushina feels relieved that Naruto doesn't want to do this either as much for her sake as his. The look in his eyes tells her that he knows just how many things that she doesn't want to share. She sends him a grateful look.

"Well then, I guess you two should get talking," Kyūbi says as she disappears into the seal.

Naruto is very worried about her chipper voice. She is planning something.

Scene Shift

Naruto appears in his mindscape later that night. He and Kushina spent the entire day talking about what she, Minato, and Mikoto did in the past, things that they talked about, how Minato referred to her and such.

After they finished, Kushina immediately wanted to go and see her but Kyūbi reminded them that it is late in the evening and she is probably asleep. So they spent the rest of the time talking about what has changed in the time since they last saw each other.

Tired from the long day, Naruto retreats to his room where he gets ready for bed. Once under the covers, he closes his eyes and goes into seal. He locates Kyūbi fairly quickly and sets out for the bedroom. He opens the door without knocking but isn't too worried about it. The rule of knocking first doesn't pertain to someone you are married to…most of the time.

Besides, he is only other person besides Kyūbi who can come and go into the seal as he pleases.

He sees Kyūbi reading a book while under the covers and laying her head on a pillow. He crosses the room and sits on the bed, drawing her attention.

"That time already?" she asks, looking out the window to see that it is dark.

"Yeah but I wanted to talk to you first without the possibility of someone overhearing."

Kyūbi sits up against the back board, knowing that this is a serious conversation.

"What are you planning?"

Kyūbi blinks. She has to go back into her memories of this morning to find out what he is talking about seeing how she has been in the mindscape and distracted with the book for most of the day.

"I'm not…"

"Don't lie to me. I know you are so tell me what it is and why."

Kyūbi's words die in her mouth seeing how she has been caught red handed.

Not only that, but Naruto's voice was very serious. This is territory that Naruto does not mess around with. His family has always been off limits to anything that would harm them in any way. Something like this could potentially ruin their relationship or at least put a serious speed bump in it, and that is not something she is willing to risk. She has no doubt that he would choose Kushina and Naomi over her. It wouldn't be an easy choice, but he would choose them over her.

With no choice but to talk, she sighs and puts her book away before gazing at him.

"My plan…Naruto, you have to realize something. I'm not doing this just because I like pranks or I like manipulating people. I mean, I like to do those things sometimes for small things but that isn't my motivation for this.

"Kushina...she is an amazing woman. A great mother whose children love her, a shinobi whose strength and skill are to be admired and respected. But most of all, she is a woman who is hurting."

Naruto opens his mouth but Kyūbi keeps talking.

"I've seen it a thousand times in men and women young and old. When you love someone with your entire being and are loved in return, he or she will never get over the death of that person. I've gone through it before myself and it took years to get over him even with my friends and other hosts to help me get through it.

"Kushina is a very lonely woman, though she will never admit it. Her pride of being a mother, a shinobi, and a woman prevent her from doing so. She misses her husband and that leaves a hole that nothing but the love of another can fill.

"But I'm not talking about the familial love, the love between mother and child or even brother and sister. No, I'm talking about the love that a married couple has, what we have. She has cut off her heart, telling herself that the love you all share as a family should be enough to fill that gap.

"For a long time, she has been lonely and grieving for your father. She bottled it up in lieu of talking care of you and Naomi. I believe that is why she has taken to doing so many missions in a row. With Naomi and you being so independent now, she is losing the excuse she once had and is fighting a losing battle until she explodes.

"I believe that she convinced herself that you two are enough to fill the hole in her heart. I believe that she has chosen to ignore that you and Naomi aren't enough to repair the damage. I believe that the she feels guilty for that reason but refuses to give that guilt purchase because she rejects the idea in its entirety.

"In other words, she is hurting and doesn't allow herself a chance to really get to the bottom of why. My plan is to get her to let all her pent up emotions lose on you. What happens after that is up to you but by pretending to be your father and by virtue a couple, it is forcing her to feel those emotions again, forcing her to confront them instead of letting them tear her up."

Naruto is silent as he process what Kyūbi said. He thinks back on his mother and as he does so, he sees just how busy she kept herself. Between missions, watching them, training them, and spending time with them she didn't have a lot of down time.

He realizes that Kyūbi is right but he has a hard time believing it. To him, she is the one constant in his life, the one pillar he can always rely on. She never falters, never wavers, always strong and ready to fight. She is his idol, his source of strength, his everything until recently. He would gladly give his life for her, do anything she asks, give anything she wishes for. She has fought for so long and so hard just to give them even a chance at a normal childhood.

To even hint that she has been suffering this whole time brings a great pain to Naruto's chest. How could he and Naomi have been so selfish not to notice? How self absorbed were they that the one who raised them, gave them food, clothed them and loved them above all else and not help?

"Because that is what a mother does," Kyūbi offers like she can read his mind. "She did exactly what any mother should have done. She put aside her own needs for those of her children. She chose this path, probably knowing that she would never really love another like your father. And that is alright if she does but she needs to truly accept that he is gone and her children can't be enough first.

"Naruto, Kushina is a person even I admire. I wish I could be even half the mother she was to you despite her going on missions and not being able to spend time with you like she wanted. She gave you everything you needed even if it cost herself something. She hid her pain from everyone, especially you and Naomi. She didn't want anyone to see her like that and it even took me a while to notice it."

Naruto sighs as he shifts in the bed. He is now laying down, facing the ceiling. He feels Kyūbi crawl and place her head on his chest. His arm instinctively finds its way around her, his hand stroking her back.

"I…I just can't help but wonder what else she is keeping from us, Nao and I. I had no idea that she and her best friend had a falling out and now this. Just how much pain is she in?"

From her place on his chest, Kyūbi can see all the emotions in his eyes and feel them through their bond.

'I sure picked a winner...'

"Alright…I'll go along with your plan. However, I will not actively participate."

Kyūbi has a frown on her face instantly.

"What do you…"

"I mean that I won't interfere with your plan but I won't help you. This has to be something that Ka-chan does on her own. I won't push her."

"So you get all the benefits while taking none of the flak should things go wrong? That hardly seems fair."

This time, Naruto has a grimace. "You're lucky I'm going along with it at all. The only reason I am is because I think it is in her best interest."

"So why…"

"Because…because I'm not exactly comfortable with my mother seeing me in that fashion. Naomi is different. We just fit like two puzzle pieces. Ka-chan…I'm not sure I want to see her in that light. Sure she is a beautiful woman but…but…damn it, this is harder than I thought."

Kyūbi gives a small grin at his inability to form the right words.

"Because she gave birth to you and therefore should be off limits. Right?" Naruto gives her a grateful nod that she understands his feelings. "Alright, so we don't use you. Who do we know that Kushina trusts, loves, and likes to talk to? Hm…

"Kakashi…well besides the fact that he is a pervert, your mother probably sees him in much the same way you do Inari. There is affection there but it doesn't come close to anything like what you feel for me or your family. He's not an option.

"There is Asuma. However, he smokes and I do believe that Kushina told you that if she ever caught you smoking, she would cut your lungs out as it would be a far less painful death than lung cancer. Besides, I saw him and that Genjutsu Jōnin eating at a restaurant and holding hands. That takes him out.

"Then there is Guy. I won't even go into that as we both know why that wouldn't work out.

"Naruto…there really isn't anyone that Kushina even allows get close to her besides you and Naomi. She trusts you implicitly; she loves you and is willing to die for you. You both have facets of the same personality.

"Don't you see? You are the only choice to heal her. To any other male, she has built this enormous wall up, believing that it would be cheating on Minato. No one even has a sliver of a chance. If you want to help her, it has to be you. You can't go half-assed into this and expect it to come out alright. It is all in or nothing."

Naruto had stayed quiet during Kyūbi's explanation/rant, learning long ago to let the woman say her part before talking. Not just because it would be rude to interrupt but because of how often she is right.

"I…I don't know. I hear what you are saying and I know it makes sense…but…but I'm just not comfortable with the idea right now. Ok?"

Despite his previous answers and thoughts of 'if it happens it happens', now that the possibility of it actually occurring…the idea just isn't sitting right with him.

His answer gets him a kiss on the chin.

"I understand. This is the woman who raised you and you think the most of her. I know it will take time and if I've learned over my long life, if anything, is patience. Now you have a big day ahead of you. Let's get some sleep."

Naruto agrees wholeheartedly with her and takes them out of the seal where they wrap each other up and fall asleep without their usual act of sex.

Next Day

Naruto and Kyūbi are up early, getting mentally ready for his meeting with Mikoto. They are in the kitchen, reviewing what Kushina told them yesterday. That is until a blur moving through the kitchen appears, making for the door.

Naomi may be naturally speedy, but Naruto has worked hard to be just as quick.

He grabs her wrist, stopping her before she can successfully get out of the house.

"Where are you going?" he asks her calmly.

Naomi hides her face in her red hair to avoid Naruto seeing her blush at the contact, innocent as it is. His hand is still very close to her hand.

"I…I…I'm meeting some friends."

Now Naruto doesn't normally press, but Naomi's behavior the past few days have all but pushed him into panic mode. He knows something is wrong but she won't tell him and he is just about at his limit of being patient with her.

"You're lying."

Naomi goes stiff and Kyūbi silently cheers for Naruto.

"I know you. I know that you chew your left thumb nail when nervous; I know you fiddle with your gloves when embarrassed. I know that when you have your hair up, it means you are too lazy to brush it out. I know your left pinky finger twitches when you are annoyed.

"I know you," he emphasizes again. "I know something is bothering you. I've tried to be patient. I've tried to keep out of your business. But there something is wrong and I want to know what."

Naomi stands still as a rock while her mind fights over whether or not to tell Naruto. Naruto can't see her changing expression because of the cascade of hair that blocks his view. But if he could, he would have seen Naomi's struggling emotions: pride, fear, worry, anger, hope, embarrassment, acceptance.

She knows that Naruto is worried rather than curious. He is concerned about her and who might need an ass-whooping for messing with her. The thought warms her stomach but a giant bucket of ice quenches that warmth in a second. The thought of him knowing…of him rejecting her, him thinking that she is disgusting for wanting him to fix her problem makes a tidal wave of fear wash over her and threatens to drown her.

She slowly and deliberately extracts her wrist from Naruto's grip before facing him. Her eyes are soft as she looks into his. He is surprised when she grabs one of his hands and holds it in hers.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm not ready to tell you. I don't know when I will be, but you will be the first to know. Ok?"

Naomi's words and her tone completely disarm him. He has never been able to say no to his sister, not once.

"Ok, Nao-chan."

Naomi smiles at him before turning towards the door. However, she catches Kyūbi's eyes as she turns and stops for a moment. Kyūbi nods but taps her wrist where a watch would be, giving Naomi the signal that time is running out before she takes action.

Naomi nods once and exits the house while under the concerned watch of her brother. She has no idea that she is hurting him by refusing to tell him, underestimating just how much he wants to help her. He feels a pair of slender arms around his neck and Kyūbi rest her forehead on his shoulder.

"This is something that she has to come to terms with. You can't help her make the decision to allow you to help her. She has to want be helped before you can give it. All you can do is be there for her when she is ready."

Naruto nods but still feels hurt. He feels Kyūbi give him a kiss on the back of his neck before steering him back into the kitchen.

"Come on, let's relax a little before Kushina comes down."

Scene Shift – Hospital

Naruto walks down the hallway his hands are sweating from the nervousness. Beside him Kushina eyes him from the corner of her eye. It is quite clear that he isn't comfortable with the whole thing.

Kushina smiles as a thought makes itself known. 'Even though he isn't comfortable with the idea of us acting like we're married, he is still willing to go along with it for me.'

Kushina suddenly stops in the middle of the hallway, making Naruto stop with her.

"What's the matter?" he asks her.

Kushina smiles and shakes her head at him. "Nothing. I just wanted to thank you for doing this for me. I know that you are nervous and a more than uncomfortable, but I appreciate it very much."

Naruto can't help but blush. His mother's positively gorgeous face smiling at him and the thoughts of what they are going to do send the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"N…no problem, Ka…Kushina-chan."

He still isn't used to calling her by her name. It would ruin the façade if he started calling Kushina his mother.

Kushina's smile gets bigger. She takes one of his hands into hers and does something that startles him.

She kisses him on the cheek.

She hasn't done that since he left for Throne…four years ago. His body stiffens, not used to the physical affection of anyone besides Kyūbi.

Kushina sees this and chuckles at him, deciding to take a jab at him.

"You know, it won't be any good for you to go all red from such a simple kiss. Just imagine I'm Kyu and try not to blush. Miko-chan may not be a ninja but she is very observant. Just relax and try to relax."

Naruto nods and steels himself for this. He still feels as nervous, just like Kushina must be. The difference being she has far more experience in these matters and therefore more control over herself.

They walk hand in hand to Mikoto's room, which is now in a regular, but guarded room and not in the I.C.U. now that her body isn't dehydrated and malnourished to the point of near death. Her recovery rate still baffles Tsunade and the medical staff. They have no explanation yet of how she is gaining weight and muscle so fast. Even her dystrophy is going away with no rehab or stimulus.

However, the rest of the results are going to be finished any day now. If those come up empty, then they are out of options as to ascertain the cause. It is obvious to say that Tsunade is most eager to get her hands on the blood and DNA analysis to see if this woman is who she claims to be and how this medical impossibility is occurring.

Naruto and Kushina stop outside Mikoto's room. There are three Anbu guarding the door, only one of them visible. Inside the room is another one plus one outside the window, of course invisible to the naked eye.

However, none of the Anbu know that Hibiki is inside the room at this very moment.

The visible Anbu looks to see Naruto and Kushina and nods to allow them to pass. Naruto moves forward but is stopped when his arm pulls taunt. He turns to see Kushina suddenly very nervous and twitchy.

"Something wrong K…Kushina-chan?" Naruto asks, forcing himself to use her name in such a familiar way. He finds it very strange that he has no problem saying her name when in a serious situation but in a less stressful situation, his composure completely goes to hell.

He feels a slight shaking in her arm, betraying just how much she is either dreading this or very excited. Though from the look on her face, Naruto surmises it is the first one.

He pulls her until he is hugging her comfortingly, making her go stiff.

"It's going to be ok. We'll get through this," Naruto whispers.

He can feel Kushina trembling, making him concerned.

"But…but what if she hates me for lying to her? I lost her as a friend once; I don't think I can do it again."

Naruto can only sympathize with her. While it is Kyūbi's call, Kushina is the one who carries all the risks. Kyu doesn't really care if the woman hates her or not and it won't affect Naruto much either. Kushina, on the other hand, is emotionally invested in Mikoto and with living in the village and unable to get away from her for very long.

"I understand…Kushina. But it is the only way. I'm sorry but it has to be this way. I can't say that it will be ok, but I can tell you that whatever happens, I'll be here as much as possible and continue to love you."

Kushina nods with teary eyes and wraps Naruto in a strong hug. It means the world to her that her child will be with her even if things go south. She crushes a small blush that creeps up on her but doesn't break the hug.

They break apart and they both smile at each other.

"It's now or never. Kyu if you please."

Kushina brushes away the tears in her eyes, never breaking contact with Naruto. Suddenly the whisker marks disappear and she has to hold in a gasp. If she didn't know better, she would think that Minato is standing in front of her. He and Naruto are so identical it is scary. They have the same eyes, cheeks, nose, hairline, smile, oh god that smile.

It makes her weak at the knees just looking at it.

It seems like an eternity as she stares at that smile. It haunts her but brings back a flood of memories, all of which makes her emotions flare. Things she hasn't allowed herself to feel since that night…

Kushina blinks back her thoughts and regains her composure. Naruto had been saying something but she hadn't registered it until now.

"Are you ok?" he asks.

Kushina is quick to nod her head and look away. Looking at Naruto is bringing up things that she would rather not feel. Not now, not ever.

"Good. I'll go in first and see how she's doing."

She nods absent mindedly, still trying to shut off those emotions that she had long since locked away. Time, however, seems to not think it is such a good idea. Ever since Naomi became a Chūnin and busy with her own life, she has been increasingly idle, which makes her think. And thinking brings about memories, far too many memories.

From the side, Naruto expression turns worried as Kushina is, once again, lost in thought. He puts his hand on her shoulder with a sad smile on his face.

"It'll be alright."

And with that, Naruto opens the door and steps into the sparsely lit room. Mikoto had requested that they keep the lights low. Tsunade had found that Mikoto was light sensitive to a moderate degree which she seems to have acquired during her captivity.

Naruto found Mikoto snoozing but his entrance seems to have startled her out of her nap.

"Minato-sama, so nice to see you again," she says from the bed.

'Minato' nodded once.

"I'm sorry to wake you but I brought you a visitor. I was just looking in to see if you are well enough to see her."

He can see Mikoto's eyes sparkle as she tries to anticipate and guess just who this guest is. After a moment, he can see her figure it out. Her eyes practically glow with excitement, so much that she starts to squirm in her bed at the thought.

"I believe I am," she says as hurried as grace allows.

'Minato' smiles at her before going to the door and opening it up. And true to her prediction, Kushina makes her way into the room. Mikoto squeals and tries to get out of bed but Kushina beats her to it. They share a fierce hug as tears stream down their faces.

From the door, Naruto smiles happily at the reunion. He lets them hug for a while, a long while, before getting behind Kushina and placing a hand on her back. Kushina reluctantly lets go, and looks Mikoto over.

She is still thin, painfully so, but no longer the deathly pale she was. Her hair has recently been styled and washed. Kushina can see that Mikoto is very pale from being inside so long, probably where she got her light sensitivity too.

She has an IV running into her arm, making sure she doesn't become dehydrated. She has just started on solid food again. However, it isn't very much seeing how her stomach shrank with time. But it is a start and can only improve from here.

"You look like shit, Miko," Kushina jokes tearfully.

Mikoto chuckles. "You don't look too good yourself, 'Shina. Your eyes are puffy and red. Don't tell me you've been crying over little ol' me?"

A tear threatens to spill from Kushina's eye. Mikoto is, if nothing else, observant.

"Why are you crying? The only person who could make you cry was Minato. What's happened? Are you fighting?"

"You've been gone a long time," Kushina answers softly but Mikoto heard it plain as day.

"What Kushina means…" Naruto steps into the conversation. "…is that she hasn't had anyone to gossip with."

Kushina whirls at him telling him that she doesn't gossip while Mikoto gives 'Minato' and Kushina a close examination but decides to drop it. These are her best friends. If she can't trust them then what? She doesn't even want to think about what would happen.

An awkward silence kills the room. But Naruto being Naruto, he doesn't care and cuts it with a rocket launcher.

"So To-chan, have you remembered anything else?"

Mikoto's head whips around so quickly, her neck might snap. She had been looking at her monitor, willing it to tell the doctors to let her out.

"What did you call me?" she asks in a low, deadly voice.

'Minato' smirks. "You heard me, To-chan."

Mikoto goes red with embarrassment and rage. That damn nickname came up after he found that she was pregnant for the second time and started calling her 'To-chan'. It is enraging when he calls her that because anyone listing would assume that he is calling her his father, which is embarrassing because she is the same age as him and is in fact a woman.

However, it is a 'legitimate' nickname since it is part of her name, the last two letters as Minato put it.

Mikoto's eyes burn with fire.

"You are so in for it when I am able to get out of this bed."

'Minato' and Kushina grin in amusement while she stews in anger. Suddenly both of them go rigid and look at her with shock. She is immediately concerned since people don't go from amused to shocked and stiff in a second unless something happened.

"What? What is it?" she asks.

Mikoto sees them shake off their surprise.

"Nothing. Just a figment of our imagination," 'Minato' tells her.

She eyes them suspiciously. It might have been ok for one of them to do it, but both of them? Something definitely happened.

However, she doesn't want to get in a fight right now. She doesn't have the strength for it nor does she want to fight with Kushina.

Naruto sees Mikoto eye them and for a moment thinks that she is going to ask questions. But to his immense relief she moves on. But his mind thinking very hard about something.

"Did you see that?"

"Of course I did. We'll need to confirm it but only once Tsunade finishes the analysis on her blood. Until then all we can do is guess. We need Tsunade to hurry that blood test as much as possible."

"So how are your children doing? What did you end up naming the twins?" she asks Kushina.

Naruto sees Kushina's face light up, talking about him and Naomi. He sees how he and his sister are her pride and joy. However, this conversation is quickly degenerating into something men dread: girl talk.

He steps forward and places a hand on her back, getting her attention. His face is close to hers, his warm breath on her shoulder, his voice just above a whisper.

"I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want me to bring you back something?"

Kushina shakes her head not only to indicate that she is not hungry but to clear her head of the haze that suddenly clouded it when Naruto got so close.

Both hesitate for a moment. Both are awkward about what happens next but it is unavoidable. Naruto closes the remaining distance and chastely kisses her on the lips before almost using a Shunshin to disappear.

Both women laugh at his hasty retreat. Kushina is glad he is gone. Minato hated girl talk. But that kiss…it is the first time she has received a kiss like that in sixteen years. When he descended on her face, her heart stopped beating. When his lips touched hers, the bolt of electricity restarted it.

"Geeze 'Shina, I never thought such a simple kiss could do that to you," she hears Mikoto tease her.

Mikoto's remark makes her blush darkly. Suddenly Mikoto's eyes soften and she takes Kushina's hands in her own.

"What's the matter? You are blushing like a twelve year old virgin again. You never acted this way. What's going on?"

Kushina shakes her head, cursing Mikoto's observation skills once again.

"Nothing," she fires off a little too quickly. "You've missed so much. I can't wait to tell you about my Naru-chan and Nao-chan."

From there, Kushina quickly dives into telling her about Naruto and Naomi when they were three or four without waiting for her to ask more questions. She obviously omits what Kyūbi told her to. She doesn't want to get banned from seeing her friend.

When Mikoto asks about her family, Kushina proceeds very cautiously. Naruto didn't know what to tell her so he deflected those questions. She can't do that.

"I don't know much. Fugaku keeps me out of the Uchiha compound after you disappeared. I see Sasuke occasionally after that but I was never allowed to talk with him."

It is partial truth. At that point, Fugaku was keeping all non-Uchiha out of the district and setting up strict rules about visitation.

Kushina can tell that Mikoto misses her family very much and wants to see them. A look of confusion came over her when she heard what Kushina said about her husband. That and she hasn't seen a single one of her friends or an Uchiha since she awoke here.

However, there is no telling just when Kyūbi will allow her to be told. She has no idea how they are even going to broach the subject that her son killed off an entire clan by himself.

She takes Mikoto's hand in hers with a smile.

"I know it isn't easy but we'll get through this."

With Naruto

As soon as Naruto is out of the room, Kyūbi drops her illusion hiding the whisker marks. It wouldn't do for everyone to know his heritage yet. While very few can actually be a threat they want to avoid as much political backlash as much as possible for as long as possible.

Naruto quickly sets off down the hall at a quick pace. He heads straight for Tsunade's office. He opens the door without any notification or even to be questioned by the Anbu. They know he is cleared to do anything he wants outside of outright murder and treason.

Tsunade looks up from her desk with an annoyed look on her face. She had been ready to bite someone's head off but holds her tongue when she sees Naruto…mostly.

"You know it is hard to get any work done when people just barge in here."

Naruto doesn't rise to the bait thought.

"I need the blood work on Mikoto done with all haste."

Tsunade looks at him with a calculative look.

"I would wonder why there is such need if I hadn't already ordered such haste myself the moment I knew she was an Uchiha if nothing else than to confirm she actually is one. I have been informed that the process is nearly done. It should be about another twelve hours or so. I'll keep you posted.

"In the meantime, one of the scouts I sent out to look for Mikoto's place of captivity has turned up something positive. There is an opening in a rock formation that was very, very well hidden and covered in an area Genjutsu. It is into about a mile from the Northern gates. Unfortunately, the scouting team got about three feet inside the opening when they got hit by several traps at once. The lone man who returned said something about Fūinjutsu and physical traps being the culprits."

Tsunade hesitates for a moment.

"I would send you if you were one of my shinobi, seeing how no one in Konoha has nearly enough knowledge on Fūinjutsu to do this except Kushina and Jiraiya."

Naruto converses with Kyūbi for a moment before both realize something.

"Did you send more Shinobi to secure the area? How long ago was this?"

Tsunade sends him an annoyed look.

"I may use a henge but I'm not that senile. I know what I'm doing. I deployed three Anbu squads to secure the area.

"And this happened an hour ago. The one who returned didn't get out unscathed and we had to wait before he could answer any questions."

However, Naruto is already moving out the door, shouting as he moves.

"Get as many Shinobi Chūnin and above over there now and any Hyūga and Inuzuka you can spare. I'll meet you there."

He quickly gets to Mikoto's room and opens the door, not bothering to knock. He sees them holding hands and talking quietly, something about him and Naomi when they were three. Both of them look up, his whiskers gone again.

"Kushina, I need you. Quickly."

Kushina is alarmed by his tone sand urgency. She stands and looks once more at Mikoto, who is looking at Naruto for answers.

"Sorry to cut your time with Kushina short but I believe Tsunade has found where you were held captive. I can't go into more details now. The more time we sit here, the higher the chance we find nothing helpful.

"We'll be back to visit when we can."

Naruto grabs Kushina's hand and hurries her out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Next thing both know, they are in a section of dense forest with most of Konoha's Shinobi. He sees Tsunade standing there waiting for him.

"Alright listen up!" he shouts, getting everyone's attention. He doesn't waste time bending around the bush.

"I want this area within two miles completely secure and locked down. There are to be at least one Hyūga present in every group of six and a sensor in every other. There is no telling how far out and deep the place underneath us goes. Your Byakugan needs to be active and scanning the area for hidden escape tunnels. Other trackers are to be inside the perimeter in groups no smaller than four.

"We are facing an unknown enemy and I intend to find out who caused this and why there are here. Naomi Uzumaki, stay here. The rest, move out!"

The Shinobi look to Tsunade for a moment. The Hokage looks around and sees them staring at her, waiting for confirmation.

"Why the hell are you looking at me? You should be busy right now!" she barks.

This gets the shinobi to start moving and organizing themselves into groups before moving out. In a minute, Naruto, Naomi, Tsunade, and Kushina are in the only ones in the vicinity.

Naruto tries to walk but finds his hand still in Kushina's. He blanches and suddenly lets go of her hand. Kushina had been in a daze over just how commanding he can be, not realizing that they are still holding hands. When Naruto tried to walk off, both realized it.

A burning came to Kushina's cheeks and she looks away rather quickly, finding the trees very interesting.

However, Naruto doesn't have time for this.

"Tsunade, we are going in the quick way. Cave it in."

The Hokage grins evilly as she cracks her knuckles.

"It's been a while since I've cut loose. You might want to stand back."

The three Uzumaki retreat about fifty feet. They gawk at Tsunade when she shoos them further back.

Now at seventy five feet, they prepare their chakra. They will have to Shunshin to the area as soon as they can because they are too far to help her otherwise.

They wait as Tsunade stands still with her hands in the Ram seal for about a minute. Through Kyūbi, Naruto senses just how much chakra Tsunade is channeling. For the entire minute, the chakra level just increases and not a slow pace. Her fist almost glows with the amount of chakra in it.

'Holy shit, she isn't holding back! She's going to demolish the whole area!'

"Ōkashō!" (Cherry Blossom Impact!)

And just like that, there is a new clearing in the forest. Dust and dirt fly up so heavily that he can't see his hands. He uses wind manipulation to make the dust fall back to the earth within thirty seconds and when it does, the Uzumaki are left speechless.

Tsunade was right about them backing up. A one hundred twenty foot diameter (roughly) crater now stands where Tsunade stood. Trees are uprooted, rocks cracked and smashed to powder, tons of dirt now displaced. And that is just on the perimeter.

In true testament to her skill and strength, it seems to go down further than out the closer you get to the center. Whereas the edge just has loose rocks and trees, the center is caved in with a cliff edge in the center fifty feet.

Naruto approaches the ledge and looks down nearly one hundred feet to where he sees Tsunade sitting on a rock impatiently.

"Well, don't just do something, stand there! We have work to do," she shouts up.

'How the hell is she not tired?'

"Probably from that seal on her forehead. Remember, it holds chakra for her to use when using her Sōzō Saisei (Creation Rebirth). See how the seal is smaller now than it was before?"

Naruto nods at her assessment before joining Tsunade at the bottom. He uses wind to slow him down enough to not injure himself as a hundred foot drop is enough to easily kill humans, even highly trained Shinobi.

He sees Kushina and Naomi making their way down the sides, using just enough chakra to stick to the wall and slide down and still be in control. They join him in the center with Tsunade.

"I think precision and finesse is needed now. Any further down and whatever is under us could collapse," Tsunade assess as the Uzumaki women join her.

Naruto turns to Naomi.

"So, wind or lightning?"

Naomi chuckles and shakes her head.

"Wind. Lightning gets absorbed and negated if in contact with the ground too much. Besides, you have better control over your primary element than me."

Naruto nods and concentrates. The air around them begins to circulate but not as much as the wind around the ground. Dirt and dust gets kicked up as Naruto creates a vertical wind tunnel that begins to drill into the ground.

A nice and neat, perfectly circular, five foot diameter hole is now at Naruto's feet. The darkness of the hole prevents them from seeing how far down it goes. The only indication that they broke through was the burst of stale air heavily saturated with the smell of decay.

Without much preamble, Naruto jumps in first while the others stare in awe at his display. He lands with chakra ready to explode in order to defend himself. The drop had only been ten feet, simple for practiced shinobi to gracefully land.

His precaution isn't needed as there isn't a soul in sight. There isn't a lot of light; most of what is there is coming from the new skylight. The light illuminates pewter grey and horridly bland the walls. The corridor itself is narrow and winding, making it have a cramped feeling. The air is moldy and stale with a strong hint of decay.*

He moves to the side and calls up for the rest to drop in.

Three soft landings later, Naruto decides he can't deal with the smell. He creates a vortex and flushes out the area with fresh air. After a quick conference, eight people stand in the hallway, half of them being Shadow Clones. Each set takes a different direction and sets off.

Naruto has Kyūbi alert for any chakra signatures around to give them some early warning of an incoming attack as they move. As they move, doors appear at random. All are empty and have little of value but always different.

A few have been dark and damp holding cells, bones in some, heavily decayed bodies in others. Some rooms have been some kind of surgical bay complete with large amounts of dried blood on the flood, claw marks in the walls and table, and dirty and bloody instruments. Each room differs slightly but so far they have yet to come across any other type of room.

The four move further and further in to the compound, go deeper into the earth. The further down they go, the worse condition things are in. Naomi has had to tear a piece of Naruto's cloak to cover her mouth and nose to keep the stench from overwhelming her. Kushina and Tsunade know that smell all too well…decay and none of it recent.

They learned long ago to block out that particular smell as few things smell worse. They wonder why Naruto isn't affected by the smell and they hope that is isn't because he too has learned to block it out.

The pit in Naruto's stomach goes further and further down, as they open more doors, as they find more bodies, more blood, more evidence of the atrocities that had been committed here. The corridors have been very straight, generally going back and forth and at the end of the hallway, another stairwell leads down to the next level. There have been no branching hallways, surprisingly. They assumed that this would be like an ant hill with passages going everywhere.

They don't light any lights, preferring to keep their low light vision. The lights themselves have a greenish tint in the feint glow they provide. It gives a feeling of apprehension and a sense of vileness to the whole facility.

Finally, after six floors of nothing but bodies, blood, and empty rooms, they come upon a long corridor, bottom floor. This one is much longer and wider than the others and there are more doors. On the upper floors there had only been three or four doors to a corridor. This one, they have come across six in the first thirty feet.

However, these doors are different. Wanting to know the reason for the difference, Naruto decides he wants a better look at the doors and takes out the Fire Katana and ignites it.

These doors are heavier and far thicker than the ones above them. Naruto notices black scrawling along the door frame. After a few minutes of examination, his eyes bug out.

"This door has Fūinjutsu around it!"

His exclamation has the Uzumaki all clustered around him, all of them trying to decipher it all at the same time. Even with the suddenly tight space, Naruto somehow manages to lift their light and make it grow brighter, giving all of them more light.

Tsunade chuckles at them. All three are intensely focused on the Fūinjutsu, so much so that she doubts that they realize they are physically touching each other in order to get a better view.

"I guess I'll keep watch…" she says quietly more to herself than to the others.

The Uzumaki jostle with each other for better looks for a little before Naruto figures it out. He looks around him and sees Naomi's and Kushina's faces not an inch from his on both sides. He gets a furious blush and awkwardly takes a step back to get some personal space.

Naruto gets their attention by clearing his throat.

"This is a two function Fūinjutsu. First is to strengthen the door and seal it so that it can only be opened from the outside. Second is a trap in case the door ever is forced open. It gives a large blast of electricity to the nervous system either for killing or incapacitating.

"Whatever or whoever is behind these doors, I suggest we find documentation first to see if it is safe rather than going in blind. The last thing we need is a cave-in or others being released due to the fighting."

The Uzumaki girls look like they want to protest but a quick word from their Kage stops them.

"I agree with Naruto. You two are almost as bad as Anko when it comes to curiosity and impatience. We'll come back when we have a better idea of what is behind these doors."

Naomi and Kushina begrudgingly comply but cross their arms and doesn't talk to anyone.

Inside, Naruto and Kyūbi share a chuckle.

"It's like they're five all over again."

They pass another twenty doors before they see a bend in the passage about forty feet in front of them. Suddenly Kyūbi speaks up.

"There are six chakra signatures around the corner, all around Chūnin in strength. It may be some researchers or guards. From their formation, I'd say that they are trying to ambush you."

"Thanks Kyu-chan."

If they others know about the ambushers, they don't show it. Suddenly Naruto gets an idea.

"Hey Nao-chan, do you think Sasuke still likes you?"

The group freezes and looks at him with astounded eyes. Naruto, who had been in front, turns to look at them and winks.

Neither Tsunade or Kushina get it but Naomi recognizes their old strategy and the gleam of mischief in his eye. If he wants a show, she'll give him all the false bravado she can give him.

"And what the hell does that mean?" she yells back and quickly gets in his face.

Naruto, however, turns and starts walking, provoking Naomi not only with words but action too.

"You heard me. I think he ran away because you rejected him a few too many times. You should be more open and less of a cock block."

Mouths gape at him and Naomi stops dead in her tracks. Naruto stops walking, waiting for Naomi to counter and 'attack' him. Once he sees her face however, he falters.

Her face is one of extreme sadness and has a few tears threatening to leak onto her cheeks. His heart stops and wants to run and comfort her, tell her he is sorry for the comment. He knew it was going to get a reaction out of her but this isn't the one he was looking for.

However, before he can move, Naomi speaks.

"How…how dare you," she trembles out.

In a blast of speed, she kicks Naruto right in the chest and makes him fly back. He impacts the far wall about twenty feet from where he was kicked.

The second he hits the floor, he sends a wind jutsu at the unsuspecting ambushers, who were gaping at him in astonishment, sending them careening down the hall where they get slammed up against a wall. Naruto then quickly knocks them out by increasing the air pressure until they pass out.

The whole process takes about thirty seconds from the time Naomi kicked him. He gingerly gets off the floor, rubbing his chest.

'Damn that hurt. She didn't have to kick so hard.'

"And you didn't have to be such an asshole! You deserved what you got."

He looks back to the group and finds Kushina and Tsunade with their mouths openly gaping that the two of them. However, Naomi has his attention. Now she is openly crying. He is instantly on his feet and going over to her.

He tries to draw her into a hug and apologize but she fights him off. She instead turns and buries her face in Kushina's shoulder. Naruto feels his heart sink at making his sister cry and almost throws himself into a fit of depression.

Tsunade moves to Naruto as she can almost watch his train of thought and his rising disgust with himself and sorrow.

"Let's move on and give them some space."

Those words only make him feel worse but he does it anyway. They turn the corner and Naruto takes a look back before hanging his head and joining Tsunade.

This hallway has only three doors: two on the side and one at the end. They have reached the end of the base.

Tsunade almost has to drag Naruto to the end of the hallway. Once there, they secure their prisoners. They all have on a grey coat, like a lab coat but more militarized and with some armor on it and all are male in their thirties.

Tsunade finishes the last one before Naruto is done with his second. She grabs his shirt and drags him back to the doors opposite each other. She then pushes him against one of the walls and glares at him.

"Now is not the time for you to be sulking. You are a Keeper of Throne and as such you have a responsibility. This is neither the time nor place for a pity party. I need you hear and now and ready to focus so we can get the hell out of here. This place creeps me out," she hisses at him.

"She's right. I know you are preoccupied with Naomi right now but what's done is done. You need to focus or you may not get the chance to apologize to her," Kyūbi adds her two cents.

Naruto gives a nod and, with a monumental effort, gathers himself to push aside the issue and looks at the doors. Fūinjutsu also is around these doors but it is different as well as having a seal on the door itself. He begins to decipher it but not with the same enthusiasm as before. Not even Fūinjutsu can completely distract him from Naomi.

"The Fūinjutsu around the edge is the same strengthening components but without the trap. The center one is…holy shit!" he exclaims as something gets his attention and focuses completely on it.

Tsunade tries to get him to continue but he is too immersed in conversation with Kyūbi.

"Do you see what I see?"

Kyūbi takes a second to go over what she is seeing with Naruto's vision. She goes through deciphering what she can and when she sees it, she goes stiff.

"But…how…what? How can someone even know about this and who and why would they need it?"

"I don't know but we need to see what is in here."

Naruto looks to Tsunade who is about to have a panic attack at leaving her hanging.

"All will be explained but we need to open this door. Be ready."

Tsunade looks like she wants to disagree with him or at least know what is going on but nods anyway. She gathers her chakra, ready to either to use a lightning jutsu or punch someone's body apart.

Naruto draws his fire katana and gathers chakra of his own. He tries to open the door but finds it locked and with the strengthening seal on it, he doubts that Tsunade can break it in.

"The door is locked."

"So why not go through it? It doesn't have a trap on it," Tsunade asks. Secretly, Naruto thinks that she just wants another reason to use her super strength again. He doesn't blame her with how cooped up in her office she is.

"While there may not be a trap on this side, there could be on the other. But that doesn't mean we can't go through the wall."

Naruto goes into his pouch and pulls out a seal and places it on the wall.

"This is a breaching seal that I developed. It will cause the wall to blow inwards once it activates."

Naruto activates the seal and feels it drawing chakra from him. It seeps chakra into the rock which gives Naruto and Tsunade time to get to a safe distance. About twenty seconds after the activation, the seal does its duty. The wall explodes inward and Naruto lights his katana and charges through the dust.

On the other side is a large empty room, barely lit around the edges with the same low, greenish light. The light doesn't make it into the middle of the room.

Just then his family turns the corner, having heard the explosion, and walks into the room alongside Tsunade. Kushina seems to have calmed Naomi down, at least enough to function for now. Pain and disappointment at his own actions flare in his chest at seeing Naomi's puffs eyes and flushed skin. His mother's arm is still around Naomi's shoulders.

He closes his eyes and tries to focus. He can't deal with this right now. There are too many conflicting emotions and raw nerves right now.

He steels his voice, drawing on Kyūbi's comforting presence.

"You two go and look at the room down the hall. I have things I need to do in here."

Kushina looks a little hurt but a quick conference with Tsunade has Kushina and Naomi on her way. Naruto tried not to listen in. Instead he ignites his katana and starts to examine the very center of the room.

Kyūbi, however, chose to listen in. Basically Tsunade said that neither Naruto nor Naomi are able to focus with the other in the room and that may even include her for Naruto. And right now, they all need Naruto focused and undistracted. Kyūbi misses Kushina's expression but her voice is laced with confusion but understanding at the same time.

Tsunade watches the red heads walk the remaining thirty feet to the last door, past the knocked out prisoners, and enter the room after checking to see if the door is safe to open. Only then does she return her attention to Naruto. He is in the center of the room using his katana to illuminate a large and very complex seal, murmuring to himself (or Kyūbi) with the occasional swear.

She is grateful for the work. While he deserved to be kicked for his comment, he is clearly still in the dark about Naomi. She has no doubt that even he wouldn't be that dense to say something like that had he known.

Like most men, they get through emotional turmoil best through working. Unlike women, most men don't like sitting around sulking or being depressed when something happens. Working physically or otherwise keeps their minds focused away from whatever is causing said turmoil, long enough for time to accept what has happened and get past it. They like to work through it with sweat and hard work…or a stiff drink.

Lucky for them, alcohol doesn't affect demons except in great quantities so it loses its appeal.

Tsunade lets Naruto work while she keeps a look out. She sees Naruto make two clones and both proceed to the door across the hall. The blow the wall inward and the two clones investigate that room as well.

Over the next half hour, she hears Naruto cursing becomes increasingly more pronounced and closer together. The clones from earlier walk in and dispel, giving their findings to Naruto. That is until Kushina and Naomi reappear.

Naomi and Kushina's skin is several shades whiter than usual and Naomi looks like she has thrown up. Bile coats her clothes in quantities suggesting that she did so more than once.

The Kage opens her mouth when she finds Kushina's sword all but touching her neck. She can feel her hairs being grazed by the sword.

"What the hell is this?" she asks/yells, getting Naruto's attention as well.

Kushina's face only hardens in what can only be resolve.

"What was I wearing at my wedding?" she asks quietly.

Tsunade's mind whirls as Naruto comes closer to them.

"What is this about? Why the sudden hostility?" she asks the red head.

Her response is the sword digging into her neck a tiny bit. "Answer the question."

Kushina's voice is deadly serious.

'Damn. If her sword goes any deeper it will cut into by Common Carotid Artery which would deprive my head of oxygen. Always the efficient killer with her.'

From the side, Naruto looks to the serious look on Kushina's face to the stony and surprised look on Tsunade's. He starts to quietly gather his chakra in case he needs to resort to save Tsunade. That is until a miracle happens: Tsunade's legendary stubbornness gives way!

"You never had a wedding. Due to Minato's infamous reputation, it would be too dangerous. Instead you and he were eloped in Sarutobi-sensei's office. I was there as a witness as was Jiraiya…"

Those apparently were the magic words as Kushina lowers her katana. Tsunade, however, seems to be stuck on memory lane.

"…but of course, it wasn't entirely Minato's reputation that made it necessary to be kept secret. You had quite a nasty rep yourself. I remember that one time in Kusa when you were undercover and you henged into a man who had to…UMPH!"

The last sound is Kushina's hand frantically trying to cover Tsunade's mouth. Trying being the key word. The result is about every sixth or seventh word being able to be understood.

"…hookers…tea…enema… rusty chainsaw…castration…boiling water…post-neurotic nymphomaniac…"

Kushina's attempts are getting more and more frantic until she sticks her hand into Tsunade's mouth to physically restrain her tongue. It works until…

"OW!"

…Tsunade bites down on Kushina's fingers hard enough to make the red head vacate her mouth. Kushina glares at the older woman who smirks triumphantly.

"And that's when I came in and smashed everything in sight and saved the day."

Silence reigns for a few moments.

"Sounds like quiet the party," Naruto comments dryly.

It had been quite amusing to see Kushina attempt to keep her hand in place while Tsunade moves around trying to throw off said woman. He and Naomi both had grins in place watching the two interact, their awkwardness and happenings between each other temporarily forgotten. However, this is not really the place for all of this.

"Kaa-chan, what did you find?"

Naruto's commanding voice brings everyone back to the situation. Kushina grimaces as she recalls what they found.

"We found the heart of the place. Behind that door are offices, bunks, canteen, record rooms, and the like. We created clones and went through each office and records room. We tagged it all and sealed it up. That is after we checked to see if we were alone."

She turns to Tsunade and holds out a vile of something.

"We found several piles of this stuff just laying around. I got a sample for you. Many of these piles were suspiciously human shaped."

Tsunade takes the vile of the ash-like substance. She holds it up as to get a better look at it and flicks it gently to see how the substance behaved.

And then promptly stuffs it down her cleavage where it completely disappears.

"What?"

What she asks…that was a show that Jiraiya would have promised to give up writing smut for. Damn those are huge.

"Mine are only a little smaller but definitely firmer…would you like me to be bigger?"

Naruto's nose starts to bleed but quickly gathers himself before he loses consciousness. He is met with three glares. One out of jealously, one for thinking inappropriate things about an older woman, and one out of principle.

"It isn't what you think. Kyu said something I'm not going to repeat. That is what I reacted to, not you Tsunade. But still, please refrain from doing things like that."

Tsunade huffs as Naruto effectively gets the attention off of him. She crosses her arms indignantly.

"It isn't like I had a choice. I have no pockets in this outfit."

Naruto gives her a deadpan look.

"So wear one that has pockets. This isn't rocket science you old hag."

A tick mark appears over Tsunade's head.

"Oh yes because I just knew that this was going to happen today and chose this specific outfit just for this occasion! And why should I refrain from doing so? Did someone as old as me get you all hot and bothered?"

Naruto inwardly grins. He likes this game.

"I don't like saggy skin. Kyu is almost as big and she will never have stretch lines or saggy skin. She will remain as beautiful as she is now forever..." a frown crosses his face. "…that is until she becomes a man again…"

And just like that the tense atmosphere is broken.

"Anyways, if that is all, we need to get out of here. We can't leave Konoha unguarded for too long. We can continue this conversation later. For now though, let's get out of here."

They quickly back tracked through the deserted levels of the compound. Naruto widens the hole they entered through as they exit. After making their way up the deep depression, Tsunade makes several dozen clones and has them go out in all directions to give instructions.

Most of the shinobi are to return to the village. Only a dozen Chūnin would remain to secure the sight and to catalog everything along with the T&I division. That particular division is going because they are more immune to the things they will see due to their jobs being to inflict pain and torture with a level head. Not something everyone can do.

Once Tsunade's clones disappear to do their jobs, Naruto turns to Tsunade.

"We'll continue this in your office. I need to speak with you anyways."

Tsunade nods and Shunshins away with Naruto, but not before he gives his family a glance back.

"We'll speak tonight," he says softly before he Shunshins to Tsunade's office.

End Chapter 12

* Think of FullMetal Alchemist's Fifth Laboratory complete with creepy lighting and music. However, there are no hollow suits guarding it.

AN: Thanks to all who still support this story and all my other works. It's been a long time since I've updated any of them. My muse seems to have gone and doesn't seem to be coming back anytime soon. So please be patient. I still have a good deal planned for most of my stories.

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So here is current update as of 6/01 of where my stories are at:

Turbulent Tides: Next Chapter is 1/3 of the way finished.
Secret Turbulent Tides: 3/4 of the way done (been working on this one for almost 2 years). It will come out with the next Turbulent Tide's chapter.
Return of the Sage: Next Chapter 1/4 of the way done (I'm so stuck on this story)

I have a bunch of ideas for stories or things that can be used in a story. I'm trying to write something but the way the words flow out of my mind seems to have been dammed up with barely any actual drive to write coming out. I will not abandon my three main stories so please be patient. Chapter 13 of this story has already been started and already 3500 words so hopefully I can crank this next one out quickly.

But of course, good reviews always inspire.

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Thanks again for all who still want to read this.
Tomhunt98