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Here you go, a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
I would appreciate your feedback, comments, and power stones. I want to read all of your comments to see if I am doing well. Please enjoy.
Thank you all for your support.
And a special thank you to those who support me here and on Patreon. I appreciate you very much and look forward to more.
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Early the next morning;
The first light hadn't even lit up the sky when Naruto opened his eyes. It's the usual time that he wakes up. No matter how late he had slept, he woke up at this time.
As Naruto sat on the bed, he stared blankly at the far wall opposite him for a couple of moments before blinking and getting off the bed.
In the middle of his spacious room, he did his full stretching routine before taking a change of clothes and quietly leaving to go to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Naruto walked out of the bathroom. Wearing a fresh set of clothes, his hair still slightly damp and wild, with his towel resting on his shoulder. He looked refreshed and relaxed after a warm shower.
He returned to his room, putting his towel away before tending to his hair.
His red hair with black tips is slightly long, with it going just about to his shoulders. When his headband isn't on his head, his hairstyle looks similar to his late father's.
Naruto's hair has some of the spiky characteristics of his father's, but not too much, as he got some of his mother's hair, making his hair look more seamless. He intends to let it grow as he likes the colour and feel of his hair.
After tending to his hair, he quietly left his room and headed towards the kitchen, where he prepared a Tea set and boiling water, set them on a tray, and took them to the back porch of the house, which overlooked the main garden of the Senju compound.
As Naruto sat down, the first light of the day had already filled the sky, and the sun began to peek over the horizon as he took his first sip of tea, letting out a relaxed sigh.
Naruto sat comfortably still as he took periodic sips of his tea while he took in the cool morning air, the first rays of sunlight, and the sound of birds that started chirping nearby.
Naruto intends to simply relax today, no missions, no training, nothing. Just peace and relaxation after that bloody mission and yesterday's mess at the Anbu medical wing.
As Naruto poured another cup of tea, he paused for a moment as he felt a chakra signature moving inside the house, making him smile slightly as he poured another cup of tea beside his own.
Naruto sat calmly with two cups of tea steaming beside him as he felt the chakra signature near where he sat.
"Naruto? When did you come back?" Tsunade's warm voice, a bit of surprise in her tone, came from inside the house as she walked towards the porch.
"Hey, Kaa-san. I just arrived yesterday before midnight. Didn't want to disturb you all from your sleep." Naruto said as he stood and faced his mother with a warm smile on his face.
Tsunade reached him as she scanned his form for anything off, finding none, before pulling Naruto into a deep, warm hug.
"Welcome home, Naru-chan," Tsunade said warmly.
"Glad to be back, Kaa-san," Naruto said while returning her hug.
As they broke the hug, Tsunade looked at her son with warm eyes before saying with mock sadness.
"You are getting much taller than me now," Tsunade said, making Naruto chuckle.
"Been taller than you for some time now, Kaa-san. Can't help it." Naruto replied with a smile
"While that is true, you will always be the precious little boy that I love dearly, no matter how big or famous you get," Tsunade said as she caressed his right cheek.
"Love you too, Kaa-san," Naruto said with a warm smile
Tsunade smiled back before they both sat down on the edge of the porch.
Tsunade felt that Naruto had lightened up slightly after their interaction just now, which pleased her. She had felt something heavy weighing down on him when she first saw him.
As they sat down, Naruto passed her a cup of tea before picking up his own.
For a few minutes, they sipped the warm tea while sitting peacefully in each other's presence.
"Was it bad?" Tsunade asked. She knew that she couldn't ask for details, but she wanted to know if that was what weighed heavily on her son.
"Very," Naruto replied. Simple but enough to dampen the mood slightly.
"Something good did happen, though. The jutsu that I theorized and we researched together worked." Naruto said with a proud smile blooming on his face. His mother helped him with that jutsu, so it was alright to tell her that it worked.
"Which one?" Tsunade asked, looking at Naruto. Naruto had a lot of personal projects along with several shared with her.
"The Raiton: Shinzō no kaminari shokku (Lightning release: heart lightning shock). I used it, and it worked." Naruto said. His smile widened as his mother's facial expression turned into one of disbelief.
"No way," Tsunade said with shock filling her voice.
"It did," Naruto said, feeling pleased, before continuing, "I can't tell you what happened as the entire mission became classified as an S-rank on top of being an ANBU mission. But if you want to know the details of how and why I used it, you can ask Sensei, and I'm sure he would let you know since you are the village's best medic."
Tsunade just stayed there, shocked for a few moments, before a smile filled with pride and happiness bloomed on her face.
"That is marvelous. I am so proud of you." Tsunade said with a big smile on her face as she hugged Naruto to her side, minding the cups of tea they held.
"I will go see sensei first thing after I leave, before going to the hospital," Tsunade said as she broke the hug.
She contained her eagerness and enthusiasm until she knew the full context of what had happened. She knew this was huge. Something like this would sound across the medical field and the Shinobi world if it spreads.
"Kaa-san. Just know that Sensei has ordered that this jutsu be kept a secret. I had let him add it to the scroll of seals. You should know how changing this jutsu is." Naruto said, to which Tsunade nodded.
She knew everything about this jutsu except for its usage in real medical cases. So, until she can conduct medical trials for it, it's better kept hidden.
"Were you given time off?" Tsunade asked
"Yeah, I got the rest of the week off. Why?" Naruto said, looking at her.
"So we can spend time together. You've been busy with your missions. It would be great to have you spend time with us, especially with your little sisters." Tsunade said
"That is the plan, other than my usual routine of morning training, I will be spending my free time with you all," Naruto replied
"That's good. You have been far too busy. Let's go prepare breakfast; the others will wake up soon." Tsunade said as she took the empty teacups and the tray, then stood up and went to the kitchen, with Naruto following right behind her.
...
An hour later, around the dining table;
Tsunade sat at the head of the table with Naruto sitting on her right and Shizune on her left. Akari sat beside Shizune, Mito beside Naruto, and Karin beside her.
The food spread in front of them was a traditional breakfast of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, and other side dishes that Tsunade and Naruto had prepared.
While they were preparing the food, the first to approach the kitchen was Mito, who entered while rubbing her eyes after waking up, expecting to see Tsunade or Akari, only to be surprised by Naruto's presence along with Tsunade.
The little girl was so excited to see her big brother again after not seeing him for almost an entire month, hugging him tightly as if he was going to disappear.
...
"Are you going to stay, Nii-san?" Karin asked expectantly while eating food. She wanted to spend time with him after not seeing him for a long time, and she was afraid that he would become busy again very soon.
"Don't speak while your mouth is full, sweetheart. We talked about that. It is bad table manners." Akari said with a soft voice.
"Sorry, Kaa-chan," Karin said after swallowing what was in her mouth.
"I am staying for the rest of the week, Karin-chan. Since the last mission was a bit long, I was given time to relax." Naruto said with a soft smile
"Really?" Karin asked hopefully, with Mito looking at Naruto with the same hopeful expression.
Naruto nodded with a smile, which brightened the girls' faces with a very happy expression.
"Yay." The little girls cheered
"Was the mission fun, Nii-chan? Since you took so long, did you rescue a princess, help a country, or did you find something rare?" Mito said in an excited and curious tone, making Karin look at Naruto with the same excitement.
Naruto's expression and warm smile didn't change, but there was a very slight change in the expression behind his eyes, which was only Tsunade and Shizune noticed.
"Nothing like that, Imouto-chan. Most of the mission was boring, but it took a long time." Naruto said, which made the little girls a little disappointed.
Naruto didn't really hear the girls voicing their disappointment as his mind went elsewhere.
While he had long since felt nothing or numb about killing and death, the last mission was different.
Death is a part of the ninja world that won't change, but seeing the remains of so many children around Mito's and Karin's age or younger, slaughtered for nothing but because their innocence pleases some kind of manic 'deity' was too much. The sight of the remains of the young mother and the unborn child was also heavy, even for the hardened ANBU operatives.
The cruel thing is that this wasn't the first time Naruto had seen dead kids. It was just how much more horrific and disturbing this time was.
As Naruto focused back at his food, he saw his mother and Shizune looking at him with worry and concern, to which Naruto just shook his head and smiled, mouthing, 'I am fine.'
"So, girls," Naruto started, gaining Mito's and Karin's attention.
"Since the grown-ups are going to go to the Hospital, how about we do something fun together?" Naruto said with a smile, to which the girls' faces beamed with happiness before nodding vigorously.
"Can we go outside? I want to go to the park with you, Ni-chan." Mito said with Karin nodding vigorously.
"Is that alright with you?" Naruto asked, looking at Tsunade and Akari.
"Yeah, sure. Have fun." Tsunade replied
"That would be great, Naruto-kun," Akari replied with a smile.
"Then you get ready, girls, we will leave after them. Just finish your breakfast first." Naruto said, to which the girls ate their food with more vigor, trying to finish it quickly, making Naruto and the ladies laugh slightly.
....
About an hour later, near Konoha's market;
Naruto walked slowly through the street with his two little sisters, their little hands holding tightly on to his hands as they walked beside him. The little ones wore cute but seemingly practical T-shirts and shorts that almost reached their knees, while Naruto wore his usual jonin attire without the jonin flak jacket.
His headband hung around his neck, leaving his hair to frame his very handsome, youthful face, which got him glances from the female populace as he walked by.
As they walked, the three of them chatted, while the girls kept their eyes on the stalls and shops they came across. One stood out to Mito as she paused, pointed its direction, then looked at Naruto with hopeful eyes.
"Ni-chan, can we go and see that shop?" Mito asked with a hopeful look in her eyes, to which Naruto nodded.
Mito's face beamed as she pulled on Naruto's hand, leading him toward the small shop with a wall displaying several masks. The shop seemed unattended, but Naruto could feel someone in the back.
Mito let go of Naruto's hand before reaching for a specific mask that looked like the ones issued to Anbu. The one now in Mito's hands seemed to be of a wolf.
"Ni-chan, can I get this?" Mito asked eagerly
"Why this one?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. The wall had many other masks that looked like animal faces, along with others that could be considered cute to young girls. Yet Mito chose an ANBU-like mask.
"I have seen cool Shinobi with these talking to Kaa-chan. She said that only special and strong shinobi get to wear them. So, I want to get this one as it also reminds me of Wolfy and the others." Mito said excitedly, which made Naruto smile warmly before looking at Karin.
"Pick one too if you like," Naruto said, which made Karin smile happily at him before letting go of his hand and reaching for another ANBU-like mask. This one looked like a bear's face, which she found cute.
Hearing the people in his shop, a middle-aged man with dark hair, moustache, and a goatee walked out of a door connecting to the back of the small shop.
He looked at the children who held his masks and was about to say something when he stopped in his place upon seeing Naruto.
His face tightened, and a deep, angry scowl appeared.
"Oji-san, how much for the masks?" The blond-haired girl asked him politely, but he wasn't having any of it.
"You with that thing?" The man asked with an angry tone as he pointed at Naruto.
Mito stood confused by the man's behavior as she looked at where he was pointing.
"You mean Ni-chan?" Mito inquired innocently.
Hearing her reply, the man's anger and scowl deepened.
"Leave. I don't serve the li...." The man's angry shout abruptly stopped as if it had stopped in his throat.
His world spun, seemingly turning red, his knees almost buckled beneath, struggling to take every breath as if the air had turned viscous. His entire being shook, unable to look up at the pair of harsh ice-blue eyes that seemed to make him feel so incredibly small.
"Answer her question." Came the calm voice of the source of his extreme discomfort.
"6...60...r..ryo...ea..each...mask" the man said with a crooked voice as if he was drowning in something.
The faint sound of a couple of pieces of paper being put on a wooden table reached the man's ear as he still felt suffocated.
"You okay, Oji-san? You look sick."
"Let's go, Mito, Karin. We will get some Dango before going to the park."
"Yay" "Yatta"
"You are the best, Ni-chan."
The footsteps moved away from the shop, with the suffocating feeling finally disappearing, making the man take a desperate breath as he fell onto his knees.
"Wh..what was that?" The man said with a shaky voice as he panted, looking up, only to see no one in his shop with a small stake of three bills on the wooden table by the door.
.....
A few minutes later;
Naruto had a warm smile on his face as he watched his little sisters talking and giggling with each other as they bit down on the Dango they had just gotten. Their newly purchased masks on the side of their face so they could eat.
Naruto had felt it. The moment the man looked at Naruto, he could feel the anger, hate, and resentment coming from the man, which Naruto didn't mind as he got used to it.
But the moment he directed those feelings towards Mito and started shouting at her, he drew the line. His bloodlust slightly poured out from him and focused on the man, making him stop what he was doing.
Naruto may tolerate people's stupidity and prejudice, but he won't tolerate anything that might happen to his little sisters.
As Naruto looked at his little sisters, he laughed slightly at the sight of them struggling with the masks, looking slightly too big on their faces, when he felt a familiar signature nearby.
To be continued.
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