I could already see them.
The gates of my old home.
The gates that led to the village where I found the man I loved, had my first child, and nearly gotten killed.
I could remember it just like yesterday.

"Kushina, " Minata said as he looked down at our baby, "I want you to run away from here. Back to your home, to your family!"

"Minata, you and Naruto are my family!" I yelled at him, tears streaming down my face." I can't go back there! Father was mad enough when he found out I was in love with you! Please, Minato, whatever you're planning, for God's sake, don't do it!"

"Please, Kushina! Just listen to me!" He paused. "I'm going to seal the Kyuubi in him, Kushina. I promise you, when, and if, he might survive from this, come back to Konoha in sixteen years, and take him back to the Whirpool Country! I want to be seen as a hero, and not shunned by what I'm about to curse him with. But I think that the village might see otherwise. I also don't want anyone to know he is my son. He will walk in my shadow forever and be sought out by all my enemies." He looked up at me, before kissing me lightly on the lips, the last kiss from him I would ever recieve. He held the bundle out to me, so I could see our gorgeous son, my baby. My Naruto. He had soft blond locks flowing off his head, and when he opened is eyes to me, they were the beautiful blue that was caught in between my lightish blue and Minato's darkish color. He starting crying, and I instictively reached to soothe him, touching his soft baby cheek lightly, calming him down instantly. He seemed to nuzzle againest my hand, his nostrils widening as I realized he was breathing me in, even though I only smelled of childbirth, sweat and tears, and a little bit of my light flowery essense.

Before I knew it, Minato was walking away from me. He was walking out of my life.

I walked throught the gates slowly, relishing in the warm summer breeze.

I almost spread my arms out, but instead I pulled at the rubber band on my wrist and tied my hair up as it swept along in the wind. My clothes blew in the wind as well.

Today I had on a light blue sundress, with my shinobi jacket over it, and black leggings under it. My jacket was a dark blue with the Uzumaki Clan symbol on the back, which was to wave lines going horizontal and a spiral blended into them. I had my headband tied around my neck with the same Whirlpool symbol on it. On my back I had a black colored katana, with a red sash flowing off the handle. On my feet I had white shinobi sandles. On my ankle I had a tatoo of the leaf symbol on it, with a fake scratch with tatooed blood seeping from it. That one, I got when I came back to my homeland.

Whirpool Country is a fertile island, faraway off the coast of the Water Country. In the whole island, there is only people of the Uzumaki Clan. Blood tests a few years back proved that, yes,everyone on the island were all blood relatives. We used to have a great trading system, but after I left to go to Konoha with Minato, all trading stopped. We have a council, including some clan elders from each part of the island. We have an elder from the North, South, East,West and Central part of the island. I'm a part of the central. In fact, I'm the heir. Which, I guess, would make my baby Naruto the heir as well.

As I walked through the village, I knew that most would not recongnize me. Unluckily, some did. And when they did, I heard gasps. People whispered, yet I ignored them. Some started following me. I wished they would leave me alone. I only wanted my son. My baby...

Some things in the village had not changed. The houses looked a little remodeled, but they still held a familier essence. Taking a deep whiff of the air, it smelled of leaves and warm summer blossoms, and a nonstalgic feeling rushed to me, from my nose to the middle of my belly. That warm feeling I felt everytime I breathed this country in. I reminded me of Minato. His sweet scent invading my body.

I soon saw the Hokage tower. The Fire Country insignia carved into the front and a stairway to the right. I desended towards it and walked up the steps, entering into the cool seclusion of the building. Minato used to say that this was his destined home. He was made to be here forever. It did not last that long. But I still felt a small piece of him here, as tiny and fragile as I first held my baby.

I walked through the corridors, rubbing my full stomach that I had under my blue maternity dress. My stomach bulged out, hardly unnoticable. It was the first thing people saw when they looked at me. The Whirpool heir...The Hokage's lover... The woman carrying his child...

I was barefoot and the carpet felt warm and fuzzy through my toes. Soon, I came upon his door. Knocking softly, I-

"Come in." A voice said. I was awoken from my thoughts. Pressing my forehead againest the door for a moment, I pulled back, grabbed the brass door knob in my hand, turned it slowly. It opened, and I stepped inside. I saw her. The hime of slugs. The big chested sake drinking blond woman that saved my life the night I delivered my baby.

Lady Tsunade was the Hokage...?

It was something I pondered over slightly for a moment. I wondered how someone as careless as her had replaced my dear Minato. Yet, when I thought I did'nt believe it, it was the one thing I did want to believe in.

She was looking down at the moment, her hands pulled out in front of her, propped up on her desk were her elbows, her hands folded together. She looked up and I heard a gasp. A chair was knocked over, thumps on the floor was heard and sobs were made.

Tsunade held onto me. Her sobs shook my body and hers and her arms wrapped around me almost made me gasp for air. I could'nt breath. But the embrace was so nice. So comforting. It truly felt like home. I gently wrapped my arms around her.

"Kushina..." Tsunade said in between breaths of air."I-I-I thought we would never see you again...Oh Kushina!"

After I had calmed Tsunade down, she sat down calmly on a couch next to the window, and patted a spot next to her. I took that as a signal to sit down, so a walked over and put my hands under my bottom, spread my dress correctly, (so it would'nt fold under me incorrectly), and bent my knees under me, folding them down gently. I layed my hand on Tsunade's, and she gave it a gentle sqeeze. Her eyes showed much needed comfort. I would need it when I met my baby...

"So, Kushina, tell me all about your journeys. Why have you all of a sudden decided to show up? Is there a problem in the Whirpool Country?", Tsunade asked, the anticipation showing clearly in her voice. I was even exited to tell her.

Clearing my throat, I began."Well, Tsunade, after Minato...passed on...well...I promised him I would go back home. I promised that I would'nt come a step near Konoha until sixteen years passed. It was his dying wish. After you left, I ran to the forest, I ran away, as the fox attacked, God, I was so scared...I ran as fast as I could, but I had a sinking feeling in my throat. I felt that Minato's choice was...downright wrong ! How could he...how could he sacrifice our child for the village? It still makes no sense to me. But I don't regret anything. So, I ran home. I stayed for sixteen years. And now, I come back here. To the place I had my child, to...", I paused, and then breathed out,"to bring him home with me. I want Naruto. Minato said that after the sixteen years had passed, I would go to Konoha and if Naruto was still alive, I would bring him back to the Whirpool Country. I did'nt matter whether or not he wanted to. Minato wanted Naruto to come home, to his real home, in the Whirpool Country, with me and his family." I breathed again."I know that maybe there is a chance that Naruto might not be alive. I know he has had the Kyuubi sealed in him, but if he is still alive, Tsunade...", I looked at her in the eye, making sure in was a perfect intense glare,"I will bring him home Tsunade. No ifs, ands, or buts.Or ors."

Tsunade looked at me. I stared at her. She stared back. Finally she said,"I would send for him, and I would tell him to go to his apartment and pack, Kushina, but...he's not here. I sent him on a mission. I don't know how long his team will be gone. I'm sorry." She looked down sadly."I used to think you were'nt alive. Sometimes, I wished you were'nt, because I would be jealous of you. I pretended he was my son. He called me Tsunade-obachan. He rescued me from myself. He holds my grandfather, the first Hokage's, necklace on his neck. He's brave, strong, cheerful, loud, flamboyant, happy, and he would do anything to save his friends. He has a nindo."She smiled."He wants to be Hokage. So he can surpass Minato."

Soon, before I knew it, I had closed the distance between us, pressing my body againest hers, hugging her tightly."Oh, Tsunade. I'm the one who's sorry. I almost feel like...like I'm stealing him from you."

Tsunade jerked away from me."Kushina, don't ever say that. You are his mother. Not me. I could never replace you. Never in a million years." She flicked her finger againest my nose."Don't ever think that I could replace you." She got up off the couch and walked over to her desk."Now..."
She looked up at me."...time to get your son back."
______________________________________________________________________________

I was zooming through the forest, leaves brushing through my long red hair. The wind whipped my face, my hair was caught in my mouth, but I did'nt care.

I was going after my son.

I stopped, landing on a branch and crouched down.

Chakra. I felt it.

"What the hell is going on?" I thought in my head."This is where Naruto is supposed to be..."I looked up, and I knew horror could be seen in my eyes."Naruto!",I whispered. But I felt like yelling. So he could run towards me and fall into my arms. So I could cry and he could too, because I finally had my baby back.

I wiped my eyes. No way would I cry. I had come here to get him back. And I would. And no one would stop me.

Peeking behind my hiding spot, I saw eight people and a dog. They all had rain coats on, probably to sheild them from the rain storm earlier. One had his face covered and had glasses. Bugs fell from his sleeves, arms outstretched."An Aburame...",I thought silently.One had long dark blue-black hair. She had whitish lavender eyes. Immediatly I thought Hyuuga, maybe it could possibly my old best friend Hyuuga Miyazana'z daughter. She looked exactly like her. Another person had brown hair and fang tatoos falling down his cheeks. He had a confused look on his face and the dog stood next to him."Defintely dog-breaths boy...What was him name?Kira?Kikaya?Kiba?Yes, that's it. Inuzuka Kiba was his name.",I scanned over them and also saw a pink headed blur. Looked like whats-her-face's daughter, Sakura. Haruno Sakura. Yep, looked like. Next there was a plain black haired boy."Christ, Tsunade could have atleast given me a list of the people on Naruto's team. What she'd think, I'd know all of them? Jeez, same old Granny...", I thought. I saw A gray haired man. Was that that brat Minato used to teach? I think his name was Kakashi or something. Then I saw a man with brown hair as well, a helmet looking thing on his head, kinda like the thing the second Hokage used to wear. I sighed.

Then, in a blur, I snapped my head to the right. I heard a voice... What was it?

I saw...what was their name...? Ugh, I think it was Akatsuki or something, but hell, I was'nt sure. Maybe I was wrong. But this guy had on a black cloak with red clouds on it. Was'nt that the outfit they wore?Damn, I don't even know.Shit.These guys were after my son, and I did'nt eve know half a bit about them and who the hell they even were.What kind of a mother was I?I was supposed to know this crap!

Then, the last figure I saw, face twisted in confusion, was a blond haired boy. Three whisker-scared marks adorned both of his cheeks and he had…those eyes. The color caught between my light blue and Minato’s dark ones. I clenched my fists and clutched them to my chest. The boy had on a black and orange traing suit and one of the raincoats everyone else had on. He looked just like Minato. Sobs racked my body and hot tears streamed down my face.

“Naruto!”, I screamed as I jumped down from my perch. My son… My son was here!