My Mom

At the Leaf Village, the door to the girls' apartment opened as Naruto and Jada walked in.

"What's wrong?" she asked upon noticing his concerned expression.

Naruto sighed as he tried to find the words. "It's just weird since Will's not here…"

"Aren't you at least glad to be back?"

"Yeah, but…" Naruto paused and ran a hand through his hair. "Since the day I met him, we've never been that far apart. And knowing I had a family really helped me understand things."

This was quite understandable due to Naruto not having been raised with any loved ones.

"He shared so much with me. Everything was intense at first. I was confused. But I eventually got used to it. Everyone knows that I want to become the Hokage one day, but he was the one who helped me see what that meant and how to get there."

Jada couldn't help but give him a gentle smile as his voice grew stronger, saying, "I mean, Will helped me graduate, took me on my first high-ranking mission, and taught me techniques that no one else would."

The boy continued to state how William pushed him to grow up, trained together, and even taught him the basics of how to cook a real meal.

While Sasuke might have seemed like Naruto's first "friend," it was William who earnestly displayed that title. So much so that everyone in the Leaf knew how close their bond was.

Did anyone really help Naruto train? Did anyone introduce Naruto to his father's teacher? Or did anyone help Naruto truly connect with his parents—the same ninjas who save the village?

Even if Naruto was just a boy and they were trying to protect him, it was William who treated him like family.

"Today feels different," Naruto admitted. "I feel like all the good things that happened to me were thanks to him." He took a deep breath. "Without him…"

Jada could feel the ache behind his words.

"I know it hurts," she gently said. "But your bond with him is pretty strong. He'll be fine; he wouldn't break a promise. You also both have those Flying raijin marks."

Naruto lifted his head and softly said with a grin, "Yeah. I know I'll see him again."

Jada was relieved to see him begin to lighten up. "Come on then. Let's prepare for the meeting."

"Meeting?" Naruto asked.

"Well, yeah," Jada said, moving the couch. "Remember that Alice said you could join next time?"

"That's right!" Naruto beamed. "I almost forgot!"

Shortly after they finished preparing things, Alice walked in.

"I can already tell a lot happened," she said, grinning. "Let's get things started, I guess."

"Wait!" Naruto wondered. "Where's Marge and Jasper?"

"Marge and Alex went on a long mission," Jada answered. "Sorry."

"And Jasper's busy training just outside the village," Alice shrugged. "I'd wait for him, but he doesn't like being bothered when he's training."

Naruto pouted, "I wanted everyone to be here to at least make it official."

Jada and Alice shared a quick laugh as they shook their heads at his earnestness. The two honestly didn't want a big crowd in the event someone mistakenly let Naruto's story out.

It wasn't long until the meeting finally began.

Jada took a moment to explain her reason for bringing Naruto back so quickly. Alice's expression changed from amusement to concern.

"You were in that much trouble?" she asked in alarm.

Naruto squirmed as he defended himself, "I could've handled all five of them!"

Jada interjected, "The last time you were sent on your own, Naruto, you almost didn't make it out. We don't want to see you hurt like that again."

"Yeah, but—"

"No, Naruto," Alice said, cutting him off. "I'm glad Will and Jiraiya were with you this time and that Jada brought you back. You're better off trying to bring back Sasuke without leaving the village.

The mention of Sasuke sparked something within him. "Alright… I understand."

"And let's not forget about Hinata," Jada added with a smirk after watching his reaction. "I'm sure she'll be excited that you're back early."

Naruto blinked as his heart slightly pounded. "I—uh…"

He honestly hadn't considered her.

Truth be told, Jada had been working hard to get them to go on meaningful dates alone. Had it not been for William, the two might have already been official.

Naruto's goodbye with Hinata had also ended more romantically than the latter expected.

The meeting eventually moved on with discussions of potential threats and strategies. After they wrapped up, Naruto felt a lot more relieved to be back.

"Okay, I'm free to go?" he eagerly asked.

"Where are you going?" they both wondered at the same time.

"To go see granny Tsunade, duh. Since I'm back, I should let her know."

Alice and Jada had forgotten how mandatory it was to report to the Hokage about matters like these. The fact that Naruto, the village's only Jinchūriki, returned was indeed a big deal.

To think that Naruto, of all characters, had to be the one to remind them of this importunity. That only showed how much the boy had grown in intelligence.

"Okay," Jada confirmed with a slight nod.

"Awesome!"

With a wave, he bolted for the door.

"Is there anything else we need to talk about?" Jada wondered.

"Yes, actually…" Alice then rubbed the back of her neck. "I've been trying to piece things together after Asuma uncovered something."

"What was it?" Jada pressed.

"Something odd," Alice replied. "I noticed a conversation between him and Hiruzen. It touched on Shikamaru and Ino, but…" She paused, considering her words. "They're dead."

Jada's face turned serious after processing the information as she asked, "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Because I wanted facts, not assumptions," Alice defended. "Last I recall, Will was supposed to help Asuma, but it seems he didn't know where to start."

"What do you mean?"

"When I asked Asuma about it, he seemed to already have everything figured out. Said he preferred to keep it hidden and that it was a private investigation. But I have no idea how it connects to Shikamaru and Ino."

The two pondered for a moment. Neither of them wanted to bring up their killer.

"Does he still have the paper with your Flying raijin mark?" Alice asked.

"He does," Jada confirmed. "If anything happens around him, I'll know."

"Where is he now?"

"Resting somewhere with the group he left the village with." Then Jada looked elsewhere. "I'll keep an eye on him in case something happens."

"Got it and—oh!"

"What happened?"

Alice laughed a little before stating that Naruto's already made it to Tsunade's location.

At the Hokage's office.

Naruto burst through the door, yelling, "Granny Tsunade, I'm back!"

Tsunade jolted upright in her chair, causing the piles of paper to scatter like leaves caught in a gust. They fluttered to the floor as she shot a glare at him.

"Must you barge in like that?" she snapped, rubbing her temples in irritation.

Naruto shrugged, "I thought you'd be happy to see me!"

"Happy? I'm buried under a mountain of reports, and you go barging in like that. Where's Shizune, and what are you even doing here? Weren't you with Jiraiya and—?"

"Yeah, but we were attacked!" he said, cutting her off. "They were Sound ninjas sent by Orochimaru, and Jada teleported me back here to keep me safe!"

Tsunade's eyes widened. She had forecasted trouble from Orochimaru but hadn't expected it so soon.

It wasn't long until Naruto finally explained the entire story, as well as who was involved in the attack.

"Jada made the right call," she said after processing the news. "I'll send a message to Jiraiya about this—for William's sake too. But… how did Orochimaru manage to resurrect Jirōbō, Kidōmaru, and Sakon?"

Tsunade then leaned back in her chair to think.

"Only he has that kind of knowledge… We need to keep a closer eye on things." She locked eyes with Naruto as her voice grew more serious. "You're not leaving the village again. Not after this."

Naruto's face fell, and he crossed his arms. "I know that already. You don't always have to treat me like a kid."

"Don't push it," she warned. "Just because you've got the Nine-Tails doesn't mean you should let your guard down. You have to take this seriously."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"

The apology came out before he could stop it, and the surprising change in his tone caught Tsunade off guard.

The reason why their relationship was this way was because of how they met. Naruto never went to Tanzaku Town with Jiraiya, leaving Alexander and William to recruit Tsunade successfully.

Tsunade herself did hold Naruto in high regard due to his resemblance to her deceased younger brother, Nawaki. He also had this aura about him that reminded her of her deceased lover, Dan.

With amusement, she said, "Things might have been different if I had adopted you when you were younger."

He snorted. "You? My mom? I can't even imagine!"

Tsunade closed her eyes as she clenched her fists. "I'll give you three seconds to take that back."

"Wait, wait! I didn't mean that! I mean, it's just that I already have a mom that I really love!"

Tsunade's expression softened after remembering the ups and downs of Naruto's early life. "Right, of course. You've met them."

With renewed energy, Naruto declared, "Anyway, I'm gonna keep getting stronger! And since the Pervy Sage is with Will… Can you train me instead?"

"Me train you?" Tsunade's interest was piqued. "As great as that sounds, I have Sakura using up all my time right now."

"Sakura?" He frowned. "What's she doing?"

"Medical ninjutsu. She's been training hard since you left, and I'm sure she'll be happy to know you're back."

It was odd to see that Tsunade denied the boy's request to train alongside his own teammate. Because during the time skip, Ino was able to train her medical ninjutsu alongside Sakura. Even Tenten had an opportunity to.

"Can I just train alongside her then?" Naruto asked.

"Why would you want to learn medical ninjutsu?" she wondered. "You already have your own regenerative ability."

"Yeah, but that doesn't help anybody else," he answered. "If I learn to heal like you, I could help others, too!"

"That might be true, but it wouldn't make sense for you. You've already got a contract with the toads, so you should stick to what you know."

Naruto hesitated after understanding the truth behind those words. "I guess so…"

With that matter settled, he helped her gather the scattered papers. He paused when he noticed a pink envelope that stood out from the rest.

"Hey, granny Tsunade, what's this? It looks like a love letter!"

Her face turned red in an instant, and she snatched it away faster than he could blink.

"That's none of your business! Don't meddle in the Hokage's affairs!"

She then shoved the paper in her bosom and began ushering him toward the door.

"Alright, alright! No need to kick me out!" Naruto protested, stumbling a bit as he exited. The door slammed shut behind him, making him jump. "Gee, what's her problem?"

Inside the office, Tsunade sighed in relief and retrieved the letter. She glanced at it a little to entertain her thoughts.

But there was no time for daydreaming. She set the letter back down on the desk, vowing silently to herself: He'll be coming soon, huh?

Outside the office, Naruto ambled down the corridor to ponder how to approach his training again. He felt more determined and hopeful.

After everything, he knew he would get stronger, not just for himself but for those who mattered most.

William was going to be gone for at least a year. So before his cousin returned, it was time to make use of this borrowed time.