Chapter 301: Frozen Years
"Mother..."
This address emerged uncontrollably from Naruto's throat. He completely didn't understand the current situation, but the instant he was tightly embraced by this unfamiliar yet familiar red-haired woman, an emotional flood he'd never truly experienced in his life—strange yet incomparably warm—surged and submerged his entire heart.
This was something he'd only glimpsed in dreams or seen in others, yet had never belonged to him... maternal love.
"Yes... it's me..." Hearing this address, though the Impure World body couldn't produce real tears, Kushina's voice filled with tearfulness and tenderness. "It's Mom..."
She merely continued using those faintly trembling arms to embrace even more forcefully the child in her arms. That tremendous regret before death of being unable to personally witness her child's growth seemed to gain slight compensation in this moment.
Immense affection and even deeper guilt over missing his entire childhood intertwined together, filling her soul.
Standing to the side, Satsuki had already risen, brows tightly furrowed. According to her usual personality, if she saw an unfamiliar woman suddenly hugging Naruto, her reaction would absolutely be extremely intense and merciless.
However, when this red-haired woman spoke her first sentence, the intense emotion contained in those words instantly stunned Satsuki.
Satsuki felt a sense of familiarity.
Not until that "Mother" left Naruto's lips did Satsuki suddenly confirm what that familiar emotion was—unreserved maternal love.
But... Naruto's mother?!
Satsuki's heart filled with tremendous confusion and incomprehension. Hadn't Naruto been an orphan since childhood? She'd grown up with Naruto—forget seeing his parents, she'd never even heard anyone mention his parents' identities or names, as though they didn't exist at all.
Moreover... wasn't this woman before her eyes a bit... too young?
This red-haired woman tightly holding Naruto appeared at most only in her early twenties. Based on Naruto's current age, no matter how you looked at them, they didn't resemble a mother-son relationship—saying siblings might be more believable.
What exactly was going on?
Thinking this, doubtful emotions surged up. Satsuki immediately stepped forward and while Kushina still immersed herself in the reunion's choking emotion, extended her hand and separated the two.
The embrace suddenly fell empty. Kushina blankly raised her head, looking somewhat bewilderedly and helplessly at this black-haired girl who'd interrupted their mother-son embrace—this was precisely that girl she'd seen while secretly following that afternoon, who dared face the entire village for Naruto's sake, fiercely speaking up for him.
Why would she still be at Naruto's home at this hour?
"Wait? You're saying... you're Naruto's mother?"
Watching Satsuki's vigilant eyes, Kushina carefully examined this black-haired girl before her with delicate features and cool temperament... She protected Naruto so much and was still at his home at this hour... Could it be?!
A guess that made her heart move surfaced. Kushina immediately restrained her excited emotions, working hard to display her gentlest side as she introduced herself: "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki."
She looks somewhat younger than that woman... Satsuki looked at that face appearing only in its early twenties, doubt deepening in her heart. Just as she wanted to continue questioning, Naruto spoke.
"Yeah... Satsuki," Naruto's voice carried complex yet certain meaning. His gaze toward Kushina filled with indescribable emotion. "Though it indeed looks very strange, she truly is my mother... There's no mistake."
Hearing her son's such certain tone, the last trace of uncertainty in Kushina's heart settled. Looks like when I was controlled and fighting Naruto, he recognized me too?
Was it blood resonance? Or mother-son natural instinct? However, she didn't care at all how Naruto recognized her. As long as this moment's acknowledgment was real, that was enough.
Though at battle's end, the Naruto she'd seen seemed slightly more mature than now—this world's Naruto knew nutritional balance, developing somewhat better than the original. So at least he wasn't the shortest one in Team 7 anymore.
Kushina had already prepared for detailed interrogation, needing to exhaustively explain. However, what she hadn't expected was that after hearing Naruto personally confirm this, though Satsuki's face instantly showed extreme surprise, the doubt in her eyes actually rapidly dissipated?!
She... just believed it like that?
Immediately after, when Satsuki looked toward Kushina again, the surprise in her eyes faded, replaced by more obvious dissatisfaction, even carrying... reproach.
"...So..." Satsuki's voice lowered. "Why... all these years, have you never stayed by Naruto's side?"
Every time recalling the isolation and cold looks Naruto had suffered in the village, Satsuki couldn't help feeling fury and heartache.
At this moment, though realizing the woman before her might divide away some of Naruto's attention, deep inside, her stronger wish was hoping Naruto could possess a happy childhood surrounded by maternal love. This question was asked for Naruto's sake.
Kushina already knew from that afternoon's observations about Naruto's childhood experiences, naturally understanding the reason behind Satsuki's current questioning and that profound protective heart.
She looked at Satsuki, eyes dimming as she answered in a bitter tone: "Because... on the day Naruto was just born, I had already died. So my age and appearance are forever frozen at the moment life departed."
She appreciated Satsuki's expression showing even more shock from this answer than before, then made a jaw-dropping move—she raised her right hand, then under Satsuki and Naruto's gazes, "crack," cleanly snapped off one of her own fingers!
However, the anticipated blood didn't appear. That broken finger rapidly transformed into fine dust, rustling as it dissipated in the air.
At the severed spot, a new finger was visibly rapidly condensing from dust, growing out. In the blink of an eye, it had completely restored.
"See? I also only today temporarily 'returned' to this world because of some forbidden jutsu... But this doesn't count as true resurrection. In this state, I can't even feel pain."
During that earlier conversation and observation, Kushina had also understood from Satsuki's characteristics and Naruto's address for her who this beautiful girl with distinct personality was. From the Uchiha family... Satsuki... Could this be Mikoto's younger daughter?!
This gave Kushina a huge pleasant surprise. She remembered very clearly that when pregnant with Naruto, she'd visited the just-delivered Uchiha Mikoto and seen the still-swaddled, tiny Satsuki.
Because her relationship with Mikoto was so good, the two had even made an agreement—if she gave birth to a boy, they'd arrange a childhood betrothal for the two children...
Who'd have thought... fate would continue in this manner...
Finally finished explaining the most basic situation, Kushina no longer hesitated. She stepped through the door, once again extending her hand to gently, full of attachment, draw the still somewhat dazed Naruto back into her embrace.
"...Mom has... so very many things she wants to tell you."
****
80+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces