My Prince (BOOK 1)

Chapter 35

The door opened as their giggle fest calmed down, and they looked over to see Naruto standing in the doorway.

"What's with all the giggling?"
"Don't act such a saint Naruto. You heard us." Izumi smiled as Naruto hummed.
She looked down at Anastasia. "Namie. For a girl. It means blessed."
The three looked at Naruto surprised. They all knew Naruto wasn't one for heart melting things like picking out names with cliché meanings, and to hear her say it with such endearment.
"That's beautiful Naruto. What made you think of it?" Izumi questioned, touching her chest as if it had gone straight to her heart.
Naruto grunted. "It was what my cousin was going to name her lost daughter before they were chased out of the kingdoms."
"... you had a cousin?" Anastasia asked, feeling guilt not knowing.
"Yes, the Uzumaki clan was once the largest and I had many elder cousins and aunts, uncles and grandparents before the tailed beast battle. Nowadays there are only three beasts left but held within cursed vessels." Naruto helped Anastasia stand and wrapped a towel around her before picking her up. "It was a great tragedy that forced the Wind into peace."
"You can force a nation into peace?"
Naruto nodded at Hinatas question. "The tailed beasts were what caused many of the wars back then. The power of a tail was very strong and many over used that power before six were killed inside their vessels. The more tails, the stronger the beast and the more power the vessel had."
"How many beasts were there?"
"Nine."
"Which three are left?"
Naruto sighed at the questions. "The nine tails, the one tail, and the eight tails."
"Who holds them?"
Naruto shook her head. "No one knows, and if they did, they don't tell." She lied.
"Are the tails that bad?"
Naruto nodded. "It's said that the nine tails alone could kill the world. Only imagine what all nine of the beasts could do if they were still alive."
"Wow... aren't you an Uzumaki, Naruto?"
"I am."
"That must be why you know so much."
"Yes my mother was very keen on me knowing our history."

Naruto looked at the two women following her.
"I do understand my clans history is very intriguing but you two do have other things to do."
Izumi frowned as Hinata began to stutter about how she was just curious. Naruto sighed.
"There's a book in the library about the incident."
"Yes but an Uzumaki knows much more about this than some book."
Naruto sighed. "I was young when I ran away your highness, Hinata, Anastasia. Even if I should know, I don't." She fibbed.
"Maybe you shouldn't have ran away then."
Naruto looked down at Anastasia. "I've never regretted a day in my life since I ran away." She stated very sternly. "I care more for my future than the horrible past my clan had once faced because truth be told, I'd much rather pass on my sins than have them haunting me."

With that said, Naruto walked into her chambers and put Anastasia on her bed. She helped the teenage girl dry off and helped her into a long skirt with one of her winter sweaters as the top.
Naruto helped Anastasia lay down and propped her window open to hear the pitter-pattering of the rain.

"Naruto."
"Yes."
"You say you've never regretted running away from home... but have you ever regretted leaving your family?"
"... we've been over this when we first met Anastasia."
"I'm just wondering."
Naruto looked at her. "Are you missing your father?"
"... would it be bad if I do?"
"You'll have to explain to me why." Naruto sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the girl.
Anastasia frowned. "He wasn't always a drunk. Even if people may say otherwise... but at one time he was my dad. He loved me, read to me and taught Ben and I the Fire and Wind languages. He was actually a kind and sweet person who loved Ben and I more than anything."
"Than what happened?"
She shrugged and picked at the sheets. "Mom began to go out for long periods of time... she sometimes wouldn't come back for days on end and when she did, she smelt bad. Looked awful and smelt like liquor and sweet perfume. Two years before mom sold me to the farmers son, dad began to join her and that's when Ben began to take care of me."
"Mm... it's always the mothers isn't it?" Naruto mistakenly mumbled.
Anastasia looked up at Naruto. "Did you and your mother not have a good relationship?"
Naruto stood and grabbed the tray still on her desk. "Call if you need anything. I'll be able to hear you so don't worry about yelling."

She opened the door when Anastasia called after her.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable Naruto. I get if it's hard to talk about it."
Naruto sighed and looked back at the girl. "It's not hard, I just refuse to give her the satisfaction of being called a mother when she never truly did anything to earn the title."

She shut the door behind her and made a quick journey to the kitchens to drop off the tray with the bowl and spoon. Shisui met her at midday sharp to begin the long and tedious interviews of many many young and some older women.

~~**~~

"You okay? You seem... on edge."
Shisui looked Narutos tense stature up and down once more before meeting her blank expression.
"Any of these women look familiar to you? 'Cause they do to me."