Naruto was in the lead as he and Tsunade closed in on Kabuto, who appeared to be waiting for them. Naruto had an uneasy feeling which caused him to look back at Tsunade to see the anger and concern he could feel radiating from her. His own emotional state was conflicted especially as Tsunade had given him the rundown of the DNA that Kabuto had acquired as they had left the village. Knowing that among the warriors who potentially could be resurrected should Kabuto choose were men that had enjoyed relationships with two of his lovers, Naruto wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of engaging Kabuto. He doubted that the bespectacled multi-traitor knew of his own relationships with Yuugao and Tsunade so likely wouldn't use Edo Tensei on them for those reasons. But with that said, it didn't change the fact that if they encountered Hayate or Dan, it would put Naruto in a rather uncomfortable position.
Knowing he could bring one if not both back should he encounter them was playing havoc with his sense of decency. On one hand, he would admit a selfish part of him didn't want to bring back people that could be considered competition for his lover's affections. Especially when considering that for the returned it would seem as if no time had passed since their deaths. Truthfully, Naruto had given almost no thought to the men that had been in his lovers' lives before him. It just didn't seem to be something to be concerned with since in essence they were dead while he was alive. But now, with the very real possibility that he could be squaring off against them, in more ways than one, he couldn't help but wonder how he measured up against them. He looked back at Tsunade again wondering if she was experiencing similar thoughts or feelings, but her face had moved from the anger that it had reflected before to the calm mask of a shinobi expecting a battle.
Admiring his lover's professionalism, he was about to broach the subject with her when Tsunade said, "You don't need to be concerned my love. My heart and soul belong to you. Dan was important to me, but he was my past. You are my future. I know Yuugao feels the same way."
All the tension that Naruto had been feeling dispersed from Tsunade's words. Turning back to look at her as they continued towards where he could feel Kabuto, he said, "Thank you. I never doubted that you loved me but..."
"My love," Tsunade said giving Naruto an amused smile, "shut up and stop over thinking it. I spent decades wasting my life grieving for Dan. He was important to me, but I believe that he would have wanted me to move on with my life and I have, with you."
Naruto bolstered by his lover's words felt his own face slip into a determined scowl. However, thinking of Kurenai he said, "I'll admit I was concerned to face Dan or Hayate since I know I could give them back to you, but what if it's someone like Asuma or Zabuza. I could bring important people back to..."
"Don't travel down that road Naruto," Tsunade said quickly and determinedly. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to know you could bring back people close to you or those you care about. But just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should. Have you thought about why Kiyomi would grant us the chance to live forever, but make it dependent on our not having children?"
Naruto shook his head in the negative as he answered, "Truthfully, I haven't. Like she said, it was something she intended to be a part of our retirement package. With everything that needs to happen first worrying about it seems a little bit like wishful thinking at the moment."
Tsunade nodded expecting such an answer. Yet, she had thought about it a great deal since Kiyomi's revealing how she had made it so that they didn't age as it had opened a whole slew of questions that the medic in her wanted answers to. Tsunade also suspected that a part of the reason he hadn't dedicated much thought to the matter was because her lover wasn't all that driven to have children, especially now that in order to do so he may have to lose the woman that decided to have it. She believed that it was a direct result to his having a large Harem of lovers that required his attention and affections. And while it could be said that a child would require both as well, it truly would be at a whole other level since being a good father could very well be said to be harder than a great lover. Unlike some of the Daimyo that kept concubines and often fathered children with them but left the raising to the mothers or servants, Tsunade knew that if Naruto did have a child he would need to be an active participant in his child's life.
In truth though, she suspected that most of his lovers fell into the same category as her being that giving up having a child when one could potentially live for several lifetimes seemed like a rather fair trade. Granted, she would acknowledge that her acceptance could simply be due to her never having had one, nor being all that inclined to do so. But, she also believed that Tsunami's and to a lesser extent Tsume's complaints on the matter were due to their already having children, and by extension could very likely outlive them depending on what their sons decided.
She was of the opinion that Tsume didn't feel as strongly on the matter due to Kiba being a shinobi and as such had already come to terms with the simple truth that she may outlive her child due to the profession he had chosen. Kiyomi's assurance that upon their successfully uniting the Shinobi World, she would extend the ability to remain ageless to Kiba and Inari provided they decided to forgo having children as well had seemed to placate Tsume. Tsunami though still seemed conflicted over the matter making Tsunade wonder what she would ultimately decide to do.
Seeing that Naruto was looking at her and waiting for her to explain why she had asked her question she said, "I haven't questioned Kiyomi on the matter, but I believe the reason for her demand that those wishing to remain young not bear a child is because she feels death is a natural part of life."
Naruto nodded as he said, "I can agree with that, but then why make us immortal to begin with?"
Tsunade smiled as she said, "Because she loves you, and as a being that was already immortal did not want to lose you to old age. Remember to her years have to seem like days or at the very least they had seemed that way in the past."
Naruto understanding where his lover was going with her point so said, "Then what you're saying is that Kiyomi by stopping us from growing older feels she removed us from the natural order of things and if that is the case then we've forfeited our right to procreate."
Tsunade would admit she was a little surprised that Naruto reached the conclusion she was heading towards so quickly, "Exactly. I'm a little shocked you realized my point right off the back, especially if you haven't been giving the matter any thought."
Tsunade giggled slightly as he pouted at her to say, "Hey, I'm capable of drawing conclusions on the fly." Seeing his lover's amusement he responded with a put upon sigh, before turning serious as he added, "Truthfully though, while I hadn't given this immortality revelation much thought. I had thought a great deal about having kids."
Tsunade didn't hide her surprise as she said, "Oh, really. Truthfully I'm a little stunned. That seems like something you would consider after you succeeded in uniting the Shinobi World."
"True, but I guess it seemed like a natural concern considering how I planned to go about it," Naruto said before spending a moment to make sure he could still detect Kabuto's presence as well as any other potential threats."
Tsunade waited until Naruto's focus returned to her to ask, "What do you mean? You've known for some time that Kiyomi had arrested your ability to impregnate your lovers."
Naruto nodded but then replied, "Yeah, but I was more surprised by the fact that I was not only pleased by that. But wasn't sure I wanted her to ever return it." He could see his lover's surprise so explained, "Tsunade, look at how many lovers I needed to take in Konoha just to feel secure that our plans would proceed unimpeded. While that may or may not be necessary to secure our goals in other villages the fact remains there are a lot of women that have come to care for me and there may be many more. The truth is that adding a child to our already complicated lives just doesn't seem necessary. More so considering the fact that I really don't feel the need to leave a legacy of flesh and blood as testament to my relationships due to just how long we may get to enjoy ourselves. And speaking of enjoying ourselves, I'm not sure that I want to invest all the hard work into raising a kid after years of plotting and struggling to unite a world divided by hate."
Tsunade understood where her lover was coming from so added, "Plus, there's no point in my giving birth to someone that might begin to eat up my own special time with you."
Naruto chuckled but grew serious as he asked, "Do you think the others feel the same way?"
"I do," Tsunade said after a moment, "I believe they likely also understand where Kiyomi is coming from. Although it pains me to say it, death is a natural part of life. If we are to remove ourselves from the natural cycle of life and death then we should be willing to give up something in turn. But I think we must also concede that should death still claim us then it is a judgment we must accept."
"You're saying that should one of us die we have to accept that?!"
Tsunade nodded gravely as she added, "Yes, Edo Tensei is an abomination. It shames me that my great uncle was the one that developed it."
"What!" Naruto looked back at his lover in shock, "I...I thought Orochimaru invented it. That jutsu was actually invented by the Second Hokage."
"I'm afraid so," Tsunade said after several seconds.
"W-why would a Hokage create such a jutsu," Naruto asked feeling some disappointment at the revelations and in one of his personal idols, since it further highlighted how and why the Ninja World was such a mess. Knowing that a Hokage could create such a vile jutsu only further showed how other ninja villages could view Konoha with such contempt and hate. Remembering the anger he had felt at Kabuto for bringing Haku back in such a fashion, he could only imagine how shinobi from other villages would feel seeing their own loved ones manipulated in such a way by a man that called himself Hokage.
Tsunade gave a bittersweet smile as she said, "My grandmother used to say it was because where my grandfather was an idealistic dreamer. His brother was far more pragmatic and mistrusting. My great uncle viewed war and battle as an anything goes competition between individuals and if you didn't do everything you could to gain the upper hand over your enemies then you deserved to be trampled by them."
Naruto frowned finding that Tsunade's description didn't match with the image the Shinobi Academy had instilled in him. Finding it a little disturbing that his village could be accused of the same rewriting of history they in turn sometimes accused the other villages of doing he said, "Still, I thought the Second Hokage tried to better our relationship with Kumogakure. The way you're describing him would make him almost sound like Danzou or Joseki."
"I know," Tsunade said after a moment, "But my Great Uncle was a man that saw the world as black and white. Friends were friends, and enemies were enemies. Unfortunately, such a stance tended to even cloud his views on enemies that became friends."
"You're speaking about his treatment of the Uchiha," Naruto stated.
"Yes, the Second Hokage's mistrust of the Uchiha and the steps he took to insure that they didn't betray Konoha ultimately may have led to their attempted uprising. That isn't to say that I believe the Uchiha were right to take up arms against the village or that the elder's didn't take the correct steps when it became apparent negotiations weren't going to work."
Naruto sighed since he felt as conflicted by the Uchiha Massacre as Tsunade sounded. Having also been ostracized by the village, it was hard for him not to feel some degree of understanding for the Uchiha. Having helped to find the Leaf Village and by extension the current shinobi system, he imagined it was rather difficult to accept that after nearly a century they were still viewed with mistrust by their neighbors and the powers of the village. Still, Naruto felt that if Itachi could pass such a harsh judgment on his own clan then either there was more going on then he knew. Or, the Uchiha hadn't been so much about equal treatment as they had been about wanting power. Before Mikoto had been rescued and confirmed her husband had wanted to seize power, Naruto admitted he had already considered the latter to be true. His belief had been based solely on Itachi carrying out the action. He also believed that perhaps it had been Itachi himself that had proposed the extreme method of dealing with the rebellion. Naruto believed this because it was obvious that Itachi had tried to position Sasuke to become the last Uchiha and by extension perhaps the only one besides him that would view Konoha as being more important than the Clan they had come from. Naturally things hadn't progressed as Itachi had likely hoped, but Naruto was beginning to doubt the current rendition that it had been the elder's that had placed the burden of killing his clan on Itachi. His reasons were two fold. The first being that if you were plotting to eliminate a rebellious clan it seemed rather strange to turn the matter over to a member of said clan no matter how loyal he was. The second was that Itachi by sparing Sasuke had demonstrated a willingness to go against orders, something he believed the Elders, had they been the ones planning the elimination of the Uchiha, would have had to consider. Yet they didn't appear to have a backup plan in place. Considering both Danzou and Homura's particular talent for plans within plans he found their being caught flatfooted when Itachi didn't kill Sasuke rather strange.
Ultimately Naruto didn't know if Itachi was as Koharu described a man likely making the best of a horrible situation, or had actually been the one that had presented the Elders a path to eliminate the Uchiha due to a belief that the only way to reshape them into a clan truly accepted by Konoha was by taking them back to square one and rebuilding. He considered presenting his idea to Koharu, but considering Mikoto's presence felt digging up the ghosts of the Uchiha Massacre would only cause discord in his home. Yet, he figured it was only a matter of time until Mikoto realized that the beautiful brunette that sometimes visited the hotsprings located on Kiyomi's property was in fact the last Elder of Konoha. He was not looking forward to that day.
Focusing back on the task before them as he could feel them closing on what he was beginning to suspect was a clone of Kabuto he asked, "I've heard about Dan's abilities from Shizune as well as Hayate's from Yuugao. I've also got personal experience against Asuma, so we should be prepared if Kabuto throws them at us. But what can you tell me about your grandma's abilities?"
Tsunade frowned as she answered, "I'm afraid I do not know much about how my grandmother fought. To be honest I was surprised to learn she was the jinchuriki of Kiyomi. I didn't learn this until I spoke with Kiyomi the first time and questioned her about why she looked like my grandmother."
Naruto stumbled on a branch, nearly falling to the ground as he sent a surprised look back to his lover's amused face, "I take it she never told you that she modeled her face after my grandmother." Naruto shook his head no and Tsunade was glad that he didn't inquire as to what the rest of Kiyomi's form was based on. Quickly moving on she said, "Sadly, this kind of highlights just how little I apparently knew about my grandmother's abilities. Truthfully as long as I can remember she rarely appeared in public and after my grandfather passed lived a rather secluded life." Tsunade frowned as she looked back on her memories to add, "Now that I think about it though...she seemed to bare a quiet sadness. I guess it might have been due to losing her husband at a relatively young age and living so long after him."
Naruto filed the information away and frowned at just how little they knew about a woman that had been married to one of the strongest shinobi of the modern age. Looking inside himself for a moment he asked the woman living inside him, "What about you mom? Do you have any insights into her abilities?"
"No, sorry Honey," his mother replied concerned about the upcoming confrontation. "I can tell you though that she was the one that designed my seal. It's probably why that masked asshole Tobi needed to wait until the day of your birth to make his move. It was the only time it had even neared breaking."
Naruto's frown deepened as he felt a fair amount of dread settle into the pit of his stomach. He wondered if that was why Kabuto had gone after the DNA of Tsunade's grandmother. Yet, a part of him doubted it since if Tsunade hadn't even known how skilled her grandmother had been with seals then he doubted Kabuto would be aware of it. But if there was one thing he didn't doubt about Kabuto it was the man's ability to ferret out information that others weren't privy too. Naruto pushed his concerns away as they neared a clearing and was where he could feel, if not Kabuto, then a clone of some sort that was waiting for them.
*****************************
The clone Kabuto had left behind smiled as Tsunade and Naruto appeared from the trees to land before it. Almost immediately Tsunade looked like she was going to charge him, but to his surprise Naruto stopped her by holding his arm up to bar her movement. "Naruto..."
"Hold up Tsunade," Naruto said his yellow eyes studying the Kabuto before him. He then further surprised the clone by saying, "I know you want to pound his face in, but you'd be wasting your time. The real Kabuto is likely nowhere near here."
"Impressive Naruto," Kabuto's clone said his tone genuinely complimentary. It shifted to condescending as he said, "I'm going to have to modify my Ninja Info Cards to show that you aren't the complete idiot that I remember."
Naruto frowned, but didn't let the barb bother him, as he instead said, "Let's cut to the chase Kabuto. I know what you're planning and I'm not going to play along."
"We'll see about that Naruto," the clone said as it pressed its hands to the ground causing a coffin to shoot out of the ground in front of it.
A moment later the lid fell away and Naruto heard Tsunade gasp at the woman that resided inside of it. The woman stepped out stiffly at first, but her stride began to smooth out as her skin turned from grey and cracked to smooth and pale. Her dark pupil-less eyes first settled first on Naruto but then quickly moved to Tsunade's. Her face shifted from a blank mask to one of recognition as she said, "Tsunade..." She frowned as she tried to move, but finding herself unable to caused her to say, "So I've been returned via Edo Tensei. Damn it Tobirama, this vile jutsu should have never been created."
"Now, now," Kabuto's clone said as it came around from behind the coffin, "You should be grateful for the opportunity to once more see your granddaughter."
Mito turned her head enough to see the man that had summoned her prompting her to say, "And who are you?"
"Kabuto Yakushi," the clone said moving to stand behind Mito. "I'm the man who has mastered Edo Tensei in a way the Second Hokage could never dream."
Mito frowned as she felt something familiar about the young man and recognizing it she said, "You remind me of that boy Orochimaru. I always warned the Third to keep his eye on that one. He always had a sinister spirit, quite similar to yours..."
"You're too kind," Kabuto said amused but it disappeared a moment later as Mito finished her sentence.
"Yet, you're strangely empty, almost like a cheap copy going through the motions because he has no dreams or..."
"Be silent," Kabuto's clone snapped causing the woman to instantly obey. Focusing on Naruto, he said, "Since you've figured out my game Naruto try to stop it. But you'll never find me and even if you manage to subdue your precious Hokage's grandmother...she'll spend an eternity conscious and sealed away since even if you did manage to find and kill me this jutsu will remain active."
"Kabuto you fucking bastard," Naruto shouted as he charged the clone preparing to deliver a punch he was sure would separate the smirking man's head from his shoulders.
The clone didn't appeared concerned in the least and the reason revealed itself when to Naruto's surprise Mito leapt between them and he found his momentum turned against him as she grabbed his wrist to flip him. Naruto landed on his back roughly and managed to pull free of the red-head's grip as he rolled away. Getting back to his feet he watched the woman cautiously as she assumed a relaxed stance with her arms folded in the sleeve of her kimono.
"Please forgive me," Mito said apologetically, "I'm afraid that my actions aren't within my control." Naruto nodded causing the deceased Uzumaki to smile before saying, "Tsunade, do not hesitate. That is one of the reasons Tobirama created this jutsu. He understood that facing loved ones as enemies, even those that have passed on, creates a weakness in ones enemies that can be exploited."
"I understand..."
"Then why do you hesitate," Mito interrupted looking at her granddaughter, "If you hold back against me, I may end up experiencing the pain of killing my own grandchild. We've both lost so much please don't make me experience your death as well."
Tsunade gave a grim nod but before she moved the clone of Kabuto said, "I guess I'll be going. I wouldn't want to distract you from enjoying your reunion."
"Kabuto you bastard," Naruto shouted as the clone burst into smoke. Naruto frowned as a result of his being unable to sense the former right-hand man of Orochimaru.
Focusing on Mito, he created a dozen clones to test her abilities. The clones charged in force causing Mito to turn her attention from her granddaughter to meet the onslaught. The first clone reached her and to both Tsunade and Naruto's surprise despite being dressed in a fine kimono it appeared the resurrected red-head didn't shrink away from direct combat. She blocked the first several punches of the clone pushing his arms away before striking it in the chest with her elbow. The blow dispelled the clone as it was lifted off its feet allowing the next two clones to use the smoke of the first clone's demise had created as cover. However, Mito was ready for them and as one clone leapt through the smoke attempting to hit the woman with a fist, it found its nose crunched in as he smashed her knee into its face after pushing the blow to the side. She then rotated in the air smashing the second clone into the ground with a kick that landed on its chest.
Mito leapt backwards and kicked out catching a third clone in the chin as it tried to avenge its fellow clones. Mito landed in a crouch with one leg sticking out and her body twisted so that one arm was held out behind her and the other was lower almost resting on her knee. She scanned the smoke for any sign of the other clones, but her danger sense flared causing her to roll out of the way of a Heavenly Foot of Pain.
Mito ended her roll and leap into the air to avoid having her balance disrupted from the resulting shockwaves of Tsunade's blow. But, she was suddenly propelled downwards by a powerful blow to the head that she received from Naruto. The kick sent her earthward like a meteor. Her impact sent dust and debris into the air as Mito's body created a deep crater where she impacted.
Tsunade charged in believing that her grandmother's body would need time to recover from such a hit. She could just make out the woman's form and could see as what appeared to be paper and ash floated about her. Her grandmother warned her off though as she shouted, "Don't approach me! This is a jutsu that takes advantage of the immortality of those resurrected by Edo Tensei."
Tsunade was confused for a moment until she noticed the paper instead of approaching her grandmother was flying towards her. "Shit!!!" Tsunade cursed as she noticed the paper was covered in the seals used for explosive tags and strangely enough to store items. However, before the paper latched onto her, she was pushed out of the way by a Naruto clone. The paper that affixed itself to the clone started to glow as several of the storage seals activated summoning more explosive tags. The clone ignored its plight as it threw a tri-prong kunai out of the kill zone. A moment later Naruto appeared picking his lover up and Hiraishining away just as the tags began to explode.
Naruto appeared on a tree branch but quickly needed to keep leaping as the explosives continued to go off engulfing more and more of the forest. Reaching a safe distance, Naruto asked, "Are you alright Princess?"
Tsunade gave a curt nod feeling a desire to kiss her lover as thanks for the save, but confident Kabuto had a means of keeping tabs on the battle said, "That's not an appropriate way to refer to your Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise for a moment but the he quickly realized that it was possible despite his being unable to locate the real Kabuto, it didn't mean the man responsible for Mito's resurrection wasn't keeping tabs on them, likely through the woman he had brought back to the world of the living. Setting her down he said, "Sorry, I guess I was channeling Pervy Sage."
Tsunade smirked for a moment but seeing that the explosions were dying down asked, "Naruto, you said you know what Kabuto was up to. Care to enlighten me?"
Naruto kept his eyes glued on the dust cloud the explosions had kicked up as he answered, "I believe he wants me to use my Bijuu chakra to bring back Mito. The first time with Haku caught him by surprise and since he's still collecting DNA it appears he's not going to abandon using Edo Tensei for whatever he's planning."
Tsunade nodded as she finished for her lover, "Therefore he wants you to use it on her so he can likely study the process and find a way to counteract it."
"That's one thing he might be trying to do," Naruto said gravely.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean he might also be looking for a way to harness the ability for himself," Naruto replied with a frown as he saw a figure slowly approaching through the dust. "He might wish to bring back Orochimaru or maybe even someone else for that matter."
"Like who," Tsunade asked before dropping down to the ground to prepare to once more engage her grandmother.
Naruto followed his lover to the ground as he pulled the chakra blades that Asuma had bought him as a gift which had been delivered postmortem by Shikamaru. Channeling his wind natured chakra into them he answered, "I don't know. He was connected to Akatsuki through both Orochimaru and Sasori so perhaps he intended to aid Tobi. I've been thinking about why Tobi tried to reclaim Nagato's eyes and I think whoever it was that gave them to him is no longer in this world."
"What makes you think that?" Tsunade asked as Naruto created another group of clones to engage the Uzumaki to attract her attention and set her up for another attack like they had before.
Naruto shrugged as he answered, "It's a hunch I've had ever since Kiyomi told me that she was of the opinion that Nagato didn't so much awaken his eyes, but they had been implanted in him to awaken at a moment of stress. The fact that Tobi made a play for them means he needs them for something. I also doubt he was the one that originally awakened them as he wouldn't have given them up. This makes me think the person that did was likely too old to make use of them so transplanted them to a young Nagato. Tobi probably entered into his employment sometime after this happened."
Tsunade frowned as several clones were dispelled by her grandmother's impressive Taijutsu. However, the true reason behind it was her coming to the understanding who her lover believed had awakened the Rinnegan. "You think the broker was the person that originally awakened those eyes." The frown on her face deepened when Naruto nodded. "If that's the case then no matter what we can't let Kabuto see you use that ability again."
"I know," Naruto said. His tone softened as he asked, "A-are you sure you'll be okay with that?" Tsunade sent him a questioning look causing him to explain, "From what I understand those brought back by Edo Tensei can only be sent back if the summoner ends the jutsu, or in some cases if they find peace. That means the only other option we have for the time being would be to immobilize and seal her. But she'll likely be conscious and I can't imagine what it would be like to be immobile but aware."
"I...I know," Tsunade said not liking what she needed to do, but giving her lover a determined look added, "But my grandmother is a kunoichi. She'd understand."
Naruto nodded before charging the woman as the last of his clones was dispelled. Due to his Sage mode the wind blades that were extending from the chakra knives he wielded reached the ground leaving furrows in it. Tsunade watched as her grandmother leapt away to avoid Naruto's attacks so bit her thumb to summon Katsuyu in order to lay a trap for the female Uzumaki.
*****************************
Mito danced back as the blond man cut off her arm with his chakra blade. She remained silent in order to ensure that both her granddaughter and the young man facing her didn't begin to hesitate. Despite her desire that they seal her away, she continued to keep her distance until her arm reformed. Mito frowned as she could still feel the man Kabuto due to the link that existed between those summoned by Edo Tensei and the summoner. From that link she could sense a curiosity as well as the emptiness that she had commented on before. To her, the man that had called her back from the afterlife seemed like an empty vessel that was unsure of what to fill itself with so had decided to follow in the ambition of another. He gave her a strange sensation, not wholly evil, although he was obviously capable of performing such acts. Yet, he felt more like a wind of change, but instead of a gentle breeze he was more like a hurricane and while he was aware of the horrors his actions would unleash, like a hurricane it was simply incidental.
Mito was filled with her own sense of curiosity though as she reengaged Naruto once her arm was restored. The reason for her interest was due to her feeling that her granddaughter and the young man she was currently fighting had some sort of relationship. Mito found this curious since although she was well aware that Tsunade tended to hide her age using a henge. Mito had always been aware when her granddaughter was using it. However at the moment she couldn't detect the henge, at least not in the sense that it was changing her features. That confused Mito since Tsunade looked like she was in her mid-twenties, an age she had been long passed when her grandmother had passed away as a result of having the Kyuubi extracted so that Kushina could take on the burden.
Yet even more surprising to the woman was that it appeared Tsunade had gotten over Dan's death. But what confused Mito was that she couldn't recall the young man fighting her, although he kind of reminded her of Kushina. Wondering just how much time had passed since her death, she refused to give voice to such questions lest Kabuto gain some valuable information that could be used against her granddaughter and the man she was begging to suspect Tsunade had taken as a lover.
Getting into Naruto's guard, she prevented him from bringing his chakra blades to bear on her. Pulling one of the hairpins that held her hair in the twin buns, she stabbed it in Naruto's right arm causing him to yell and cut the chakra to the blade in his hand. Pulling it free, she spun around and stabbed the needle into his right side before kicking him away. Her curiosity was again peaked due to her granddaughters catching the young man as she quickly extracted the needle and tossed it away. The blonde woman began to heal the injury surprising Mito who against her will began to charge them.
However, she was forced to break off as streams of acid began to be fired at her from the trees. Forced to give the two some room Mito could see that Katsuyu had split herself into man smaller copies and had positioned herself in the many trees. The slugs began to fire again forcing Mito towards Tsunade, who having finished healing Naruto moved effortlessly through the corrosive barrage to engage her grandmother in taijutsu.
Mito wished she could have taken some enjoyment in the fight since she had never truly had the opportunity before. After sealing the Kyuubi, Mito had spent most of her life hiding the fact that she was a jinchuriki so as not to upset the balance of tailed beasts that Hashirama had achieved by giving the Bijuu to the other villages. It had been during his final battle with Madara that Mikoto had taken the Kyuubi inside of her to deny the Uchiha its services. It had not been an easy process on her, but in the end she had endured after months of being bedridden with fever. When she had recovered it had been to a world where her husband had died as a result of how hard he had pushed himself in that final battle.
It had been her husband's brother that had informed her that with both Madara and Hashirama's deaths the other villages had begun to position themselves in preparation for a massive battle. Therefore, she was to remain hidden away as an ace in the hole should hostilities erupt and Konoha was attacked directly. Furthermore, since none of the other villages knew what had happened to the Kyuubi, she was to remain isolated to prevent her secret from getting out. But truthfully Mito had come to believe she would have likely remained secluded without Tobirama's orders. To many in the village and the shinobi world as a whole her husband had been almost like a god, and she doubted there would be very many men willing to put themselves in a position to be compared to him.
As her focus came back to the present she realized that the truly frightening thing about Edo Tensei was that the person using the jutsu didn't need to know all the ins and outs of the abilities the person they brought back possessed. Provided the controls they used to manipulate the undead shinobi were in place then they just needed to sit back and relax as their puppet did everything in its power to achieve its object. Therefore despite Kabuto not knowing the Mito had been the first Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, when the Uzumaki was backed into a corner and about to be hit from multiple angles by corrosive acid. Mito protected herself by assuming her six-tailed form.
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Tsunade was blown off her feet as her grandmother was suddenly coated in red chakra which in turn was covered by a partial skeleton. Before she hit the ground though Naruto teleported to her and caught his lover. He then Hiraishined to a kunai he had tossed before grabbing Tsunade.
"I think we're in trouble," Naruto said drily as he set the Hokage down. Grabbing up the kunai he had teleported to, he threw it at the chakra covered woman and then flashed through several hand-signs. The kunai burst into smoke covering the area in tri-prong kunai as Naruto said, "Stay here."
Disappearing in a red flashed, he appeared at the kunai closest to his opponent and forming a pair of giant Rasengan slammed them into the transformed kunoichi. To Naruto's shock the jutsu did little but cause the Bijuu to skid several feet. He teleported away as the Bijuu sent a chakra claw flying towards him, but couldn't escape as Mito roared causing him and his scattered kunai to go flying away.
Landing roughly on his back, he had the wind knocked out of him as he laid on the ground in a daze. His eyes widened as the sky was blotted out by a form which he quickly realized was an airborne Mito who was about to land on his chest. Before the chakra covered woman could crush his chest though she was sent flying by a kick from Tsunade who had released the seal on her forehead. The woman landed on her feet and as Tsunade landed retaliated by sending a chakra claw that impaled her in the stomach and lifted her off her feet until she smashed into a tree.
Tsunade screamed in pain as Mito then leapt into the air intent on using her other claw to decapitate her granddaughter. "Mom," Naruto shouted internally as he appeared inside the seal. Leaping into the cage, he was wrapped in a tight hug by his mother who filled him with the Bijuu chakra that was at her command.
Instead of taking on a fox like form, Naruto's body was coated in a red chakra that took on a vaguely female appearance. Kushina being in control threw a punch that hit Mito in the fox like skull covering her head. The blow sent the woman flying off course, causing her to retract the claw pinning Tsunade to the tree. Tsunade's wounds healed almost instantly but before she could rejoin the fight Kushina rushed passed her. Flipping over the recovering Mito, she grabbed the woman by the body and tossed her into the air. As Mito flew away black and white spheres appeared from chakra coating Naruto which Kushina swallowed before firing a Beast Ball at the airborne woman. The jutsu hit causing a massive shockwave to flatten nearby trees and sent out a wave of dust that covered the area.
The nine tail-like wisps of chakra that resembled Kushina's hair when she was upset moved about behind her as she looked for any sign that her predecessor as a jinchuriki was still in the fight. To her surprise, Mito had not only survived with little harm, but had dropped her chakra cloak in order to quickly close with her opponent. The older Uzumaki tried to shout a warning of what she was about to do, but her eyes went black as Kabuto suppressed her personality aware that Mito had some means of making his experiment a success.
Creating several shadow clones that surrounded the chakra covered Naruto they knelt down creating a barrier around the two combatants as the real one quickly closed with her opponent. Kushina still in control of her son slammed her fist into Mito's chest and impaled the woman on it. Mito however remained unfazed as she pressed her hand on Naruto's stomach where she placed a seal that caused his Bijuu chakra to retract as it forced Naruto out of the seal and thus separated him from his Bijuu chakra. Naruto yelled in pain as the chakra began to retract away from the seal she had placed on his stomach. Then like a master locksmith, she quickly examined his Eight Trigrams and activated the locking function of it. At the same time she opened her own seal as she began to siphon Naruto's chakra from him.
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Inside Naruto's seal Kushina was quite shocked as the lock began to open. The paper seal only resisted a moment as the doors were thrown open and she felt a pull that began extracting her from her son. Cursing, she sent her consciousness into Kiyomi's original form and attempted to fight the gravitational pull. Her nails left deep furrows in the floor as inch by inch she was pulled out of the cage. As she fought, she could feel her chakra being siphoned off. Reaching the gate, Kushina in a last act of desperation grabbed onto one of the doors to the cage, she then used her tails to grab onto the other one which she then used to pull the door closed. After several long moments, Kushina finally managed to close the gate causing the lock to automatically latch as the seal reasserted itself after its near failure. Kushina collapsed to the ground a quivering mess as it felt like almost all of her energy had been drained. Fearing what that meant, she couldn't muster the energy to investigate as she passed out from chakra exhaustion.
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Tsunade watched on in horror as chakra was pulled from Naruto into her grandmother in a manner rather similar to how Kiyomi's will had first entered her host's body. Except this time it wasn't on a small scale or appeared very controlled.
Charging the barrier, she slammed her fist into it and was immediately set on fire, but she refused to watch another of her loved ones die. Hoping her healing abilities would keep up with the flames she continued to beat her fist against it causing cracks to appear. She stopped though as she was suddenly covered in many of the copies of the slug she had summoned and Katsuyu gentle voice said, "Lady Tsunade you must stop."
"No, she's killing him," Tsunade replied near frantically as she tried to ignore the pain beginning to flare in her despite her and her summons healing efforts.
Katsuyu began to merge her small selves into one capable of engulfing Tsunade to force her to heal as she said, "It appears the worst is over. I believe Lady Kushina has closed the seal."
A moment later the slugs words were proven true as the flow of chakra stopped and Naruto pushed himself away from the resurrected kunoichi. Then to both Tsunade and Katsuyu's amazement Mito threw her head back as she began to yell in pain.
A part of Mito was still aware as she attempted to extract the Kyuubi from Naruto. She felt her heartbreak as she saw how frantically her granddaughter slammed herself into the barrier and tried to beat her way through it despite the horrible pain she must be feeling as her flesh began a cycle of burning and healing. But as both women knew even such physical pain paled in the face of the emotional one of losing a loved one. Mito hated that it appeared she would be the instrument of forcing her relative to once more experience it.
She could feel the strategy that the cold emotionless part of her was coming up with to escape with the Kyuubi. She could feel Kabuto's gleeful surprise at just how well suited she was to deal with Naruto. Although not quite aware of what it was she had been summoned for other than to force Naruto to do something through her actions or after being defeated, she know knew that Kabuto intended to take the Kyuubi for himself and experiment at his leisure.
Yet to Mito's surprise it felt almost as if Kyuubi was fighting against her and then a moment later Naruto's seal had been forcibly closed from the inside. Mito was shocked until she began to absorb the chakra she had pulled into her own body. To Mito's great surprise she began to also experience memories of the Bijuu she had tried to extract and learned that as opposed to her old adversary it appeared that the spirit currently occupying the Fox was none other than Kushina. She also began to experience sensations of pleasure, as she saw flashes of Naruto with various women including her own granddaughter. Nestled in those memories was one of Haku which the emotionless part of her that was in charge followed to the point of her return to the land of the living. Having absorbed Kushina's knowledge of how she did it the emotionless part chose to complete the task Kabuto had desired of her and began using the stolen energy to convert the ash covering her into flesh and blood.
Mito felt Kabuto's surprise and sudden anger at the reversal as he tried to recall the kunoichi but found his control had been severed as her soul became rooted in the new body being created for her. Pain momentarily became her world as she began to separate from the sacrifice that had been used. As a result of her gaining a new form the clones she had summoned dispersed as she stopped being a part of Edo Tensei and once more became a part of the living world.
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The K-clone Naruto had created to make it appear he was occupying the Hotel room he had been provided laid on the bed starring up at the ceiling. A week had passed since his confrontation with Kabuto and as one might expect Naruto's life was still reeling from the encounter. After the battle Naruto had recovered enough to Hiraishin the unconscious Mito back to Kiyomi's mansion which was unoccupied at the moment except for Mikoto and Miya. Naruto had asked the Uchiha to watch after the woman so that he could return to Tsunade as she made sure Guren didn't awaken to cause trouble.
Naruto returned a few moments before Yuugao and a squad of Anbu appeared which had left the village after them to provide backup. Tsunade had reported that Kabuto had resurrected her grandmother using Guren, but they had managed to settle her past grievances with life giving her closure and sending her soul back to the afterlife. To explain Guren's still being a live, she disclosed that her grandmother had quite the working knowledge of the technique and had prevented the woman's soul from being consumed.
For the moment Guren was being held in a prison cell located in the Torture and Interrogation Headquarters. Although Guren couldn't dispute the official story it appeared not to matter as she hadn't said anything since awakening. Instead she just sat on the bench located in her cell and stared off into space. According to Anko though, occasionally at night the guards would report to hearing sobs.
The Naruto clone frowned as he wondered how he could help her, but then turned his focus to Anko. But before he gave the matter much thought a knock sounded at his door. Surprised since he figured any of Naruto's lovers would be in the Den with him, the clone moved to answer it and was surprised to find Anko on the other side. Before he could ask her what she was doing there she pushed herself into the room and closed the door before sealing her lips to his.
The K-clone was surprised by her behavior as things had cooled noticeably between the two ever since Anko had tried to induct him into being a submissive. In the immediate aftermath the two had apparently reconciled as Anko admitted that she had been a little over the top and Naruto agreed his reaction could have been subtler. But, despite their trying to laugh it off, the issue had remained a persistent sore point between them that both were uncomfortable with broaching. As a result the closeness that the two had shared as a result of their similar hardships had suffered.
Despite the clone just wanting to sit back and enjoy the pleasure it was bound to feel. It recognized that Anko's seeking it out was just another example of how her and Naruto's relationship had suffered. Aware that Naruto wanted to address the issue, it pushed Anko away causing her to say, "What's wrong?"
The clone sighed as it answered, "I think we both know the answer to that, which is why you're here instead of in the Den with the real me."
"Or maybe I just wanted some alone time and didn't feel like sharing with the other women there," Anko said. But seeing the clone wasn't buying the argument added, "What does it matter anyway? When you dispel he'll get to bask in the pleasure so let's just get to it."
"It's also why I know that if Naruto was here he would want to talk about where things stand. So come on Anko let's discuss what happened," Naruto's clone said.
"There isn't anything to discuss," Anko said a little heat entering her voice. Calming she added, "Look, it's quite apparent that you and I just are not compatible. I want to explore the kinkier side of sex. You're just not interested in that. Therefore, for now let's just be friends with benefits. I mean with all the pussy you're pulling in, you can't tell me it bothers you that much that I'm considering other options. So for the time being let's just enjoy ourselves and when I find myself someone that interests me, we'll go our separate ways."
The clone struggled to find the words to salvage Naruto's relationship, but before it could think of anything Anko said, "Look, think it over. But don't feel too broken up about it. Some relationships just aren't meant to be."
"Hold up Anko let's..." the clone tried to say as it closed with her, but Anko simply backed away before giving it a sad smile as she slipped from the room.
The clone watched Anko retreat down the hall not sure if it should chase after her, but for the moment decided to do as she said and think on the matter. Granted a part of it knew she was right and some relationships weren't meant to be, but giving up wasn't one of Naruto's strong suits and it knew the blond upon receiving the memories of the clone would try to win back Anko's favor.
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Mito laughed boisterously as she drank at a local bar. She paused for a moment as she saw a young teenager run passed the window and who looked like Tsunade had as a genin. She smiled as she turned her attention back to the young man that had told the dirty joke she had found amusing. The man sensing that she might be open to the possibility of joining him in a more intimate setting, asked, "So how about we adjourn someplace a little less crowded?"
"Tempting," Mito said as she gave the man a bright smile, "But I'm not in the habit of leaving with a man just because he bought me a drink."
"Well what if I buy you two?" the man asked undiscouraged.
"I guess I'll have to make that call after this second drink makes its appearance," Mito said after downing the last of her current one. She smiled as the man motioned to the bartender to get them another round. As she waited Mito couldn't help feeling that she felt more alive than she had for a majority of her previous one. The reason being that she no longer felt the need to maintain the façade of the prime and proper woman she had lived as for most of her previous life. Having felt the need to adopt it after Hashirama became Hokage, Mito had gone from the fun loving Uzumaki she had been to a woman that could attend the social functions sometimes necessary to move her husband's desire to make a world where their children could grow old a possibility. Unfortunately, even after he had died she had needed to maintain it, and as a result the village that Hashirama had built and loved had almost seemed like a prison to her. Not to mention Mito had tried not to think of the number of decades that had passed since she had last been on the receiving end of a good hard fucking, but considering that her only partner had been her husband knew exactly how long it had been.
Now reborn and able to somewhat easily travel the village provided she let her hair down and removed the seal on her forehead, Mito was looking to perhaps put an end to the several decade long drought. A part of her had considered Naruto to be a contender, but considering her granddaughter was currently attached to him was a little uneasy at the idea. But she couldn't deny that Naruto seemed to possess many of the attributes she had found so attractive in her husband.
Mito picked up the drink as it appeared in front of her and moved the man talking her up a few spots on the list she was compiling. She knew her party girl attitude was giving Tsunade fits considering that she no doubt remembered how Mito had used to act. But, the older Uzumaki recalling a life where she felt very much like a bird locked in a cage and forced to watch the other birds move about as they wished just couldn't muster the strength to care. Not willing to reenter such a cage, she knew she was giving Tsunade trouble as she kept sneaking out of the mansion to enjoy herself. But despite her several attempts thus far each time things had progressed to an interesting point her dear little killjoy would appear.
Mito cursed as the bartender said, "Hey little miss you're a little too young to be in here." Turning to look over her shoulder she quickly turned away as she saw the young teen that had run by the window moments earlier.
Sounding out of breath the girl ran up to Mito saying frantically, "Big sis you need to come home right away. They say Grandma isn't long for this world and you should pay your last respects."
Trying to ignore the henged Tsunade as she pulled on her arm insistently, Mito responded, "I'm sure she'll be fine. Let me be."
"But big sis," Tsunade said turning on the waterworks as she began to pull more persistently, "You know you were always grandma's favorite. H-how could you say that?"
Mito turned to tell her new friend that the girl was just trying to get some attention, but she could see that the man was being swayed by the false tears of Tsunade and received confirmation when he said, "U-um maybe you should go check on her. They'll be time enough for fun later."
"Not if the brat has her way," Mito said under her breath as she allowed the henged Tsunade to pull her out of the bar.
Once the two were on their way and had reached a relatively isolated portion of the village Tsunade began to rant as she said, "Honestly, what's gotten into you. I asked you to stay at the mansion, but every time I turn my back you're running off."
"Why do I have to stay in that stuffy mansion with the Uchiha and the Mist woman acting as babysitters? No one is going to realize who I am."
"That isn't the point," Tsunade said turning on her heel to stick her finger in her grandmother's face. However, she quickly realized she was still henged and thus only came up to the red-head's chest. She noticed several people looking at her from across the street no doubt finding it odd for a child to be lecturing an adult. "Come on," the Hokage said spinning around again as she began heading to the mansion. Noticing her grandmother's amused smirk at Tsunade's inadvertently calling attention to them the blonde muttered, "This must be karma for all the trouble I put Shizune through during our travels."
Mito sighed as she saw a few handsome men whose attention drifted to her. Giving them a playful wink, she considered pulling rank on her granddaughter and using the fact that Tsunade was henged as a youth to force her to leave for the time being. But quite aware of how stubborn Tsunade could be Mito knew her granddaughter wouldn't just head off to sulk.
Tsunade noticed where her grandmother's attention was so grabbed her hand as she pulled her along behind her. Turning a corner the Hokage said, "Can you please try to behave? I thought you said the urges you were feeling as a result of Naruto's chakra have faded."
"They did fade," Mito said annoyed recalling the numerous times she had used her fingers to bring herself to release as the effects of Naruto's chakra had made her extremely horny for most of the previous week. "So now that they have, when are you going to stop treating me like a prisoner and let me have some fun?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth as she wondered why it was the quiet, wise, and reserved grandmother she remembered was acting like a rebellious teenager. A part of her was concerned that perhaps her grandmother wasn't being honest with her about Naruto's chakra having faded. However, she was forced to admit that the tests she had run hadn't shown her any of the brain activity in the sexual part of the brain that had been present when Anko had been under its influence.
Reaching Kiyomi's mansion, Tsunade entered the code into the gate and the pair began heading to the section of her property the housed the Hot Springs. Mito after passing through the bath house caught sight of Naruto who appeared lost in thought. She noticed Tsunade's concern as he didn't acknowledge their presence, but she opted not to bother him as they took the land path to the grotto. Once inside Tsunade turned one of the torches causing a secret passage to open that would take them to the mansion.
Mito followed behind wordlessly as she replayed the sight of the half submerged Naruto and pictured what he would look like without the water barring her view. Naturally she didn't need her imagination as she had absorbed the latent memories that had been stored inside the Kyuubi's original form so knew just how virile and well-endowed the young man was. Truthfully Mito wouldn't mind having a chance with the jinchuriki, but knowing she would then be bound to him and thus sharing him with her granddaughter did put a damper on such thoughts at least enough not to act on them.
Entering the mansion's basement Tsunade dropped her henge and turned to her grandmother to say,
"Now please stay put okay. I promise that in time we'll come up with something to explain your presence to the village."
Mito still a little put off that Tsunade didn't seem to understand that she didn't care if the village understood her presence or not simply waved her granddaughter off. Tsunade sighed no doubt expecting to be hunting the woman down again shortly before she headed to the transporter seal and disappeared in a flash. Mito felt tempted to head back to the hot springs to act on several fantasies she had created around the young man currently occupying it. Even though one or two of those fantasies did in fact involve her riding the young Uzumaki to the glorious orgasm she knew him capable of giving under the gaze of Tsunade, Mito decided to return to her room lest her sex starved body follow through on its desires.
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