Last time:
There was something familiar about her and that's when it clicked in their minds. It was Momo KurosakiM the hero of the second shinobi war and she looked PISSED!
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Minato was sitting at his desk trying to do his paperwork. Keyword is trying. He just couldn't focus. He couldn't take his mind off Momo and Naruto.
Naruto apparently having the ability to talk to spirits and even demons through seals ...
Momo and Naruto having the same last name ...
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Momo was his mother. Kushina was saddened when they put 2 and 2 together, but neither Kushina or Minato had the right to be mad at Naruto. They were never there for him, but Momo was.
Minato sighed and looked at the clock. It was one hour till the graduation exam starts. Arashi should be escorting Mito to the classroom right now. The blonde kage groaned at the thought of his troublemaking daughter. He couldn't help but wonder where everything went so horribly wrong.
Minato whipped out his crystal ball and activated the telescope jutsu so he could check on Mito. He found Mito and Arashi walking to the academy ...
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Arashi groaned, he was not happy about being told to take Mito to school. He loved his sister, but she's a BRAT! He was really surprised that he didn't notice this rotten behavior before. As an anbu you would think he would've seen something!
"I can't wait to be on Sasuke's team. Once he sees me in action I know he'll make me his wife!" Mito said who, for some reason, believes that everything will go her way even after being found out only two days ago and is being punished for everything she has done.
Arashi sighed, "Should you really be so confident? You did cheat to get this far, so you might not pass. Of course, even if you do you might not get on Uchiha-san's team."
Mito snorted, "I'm a Namikaze so, of course, I'll pass and Sasuke and I are meant to be together, so we will be on the same team, because true love conquers all."
Aeashi and Minato both deadpanned at what she said and both thought, (Does she really believe that?)
Arashi looked up and saw a friend of his walking up to them, "Hello, Arashi, and you must be Mito. My name is Mizuki and I'll be the proctor for your exam. Ready to start?" The silver haired chunin asked.
Mito was confused, "What? What do you mean start? The exam doesn't for an hour!"
Mizuki smirked, "Everybody else's exam starts in an hour. Your exam starts now."
"What? WHY?!" Mito snapped.
"The hokage wants to make sure you don't cheat. So you are going to start and finish the written portion before anyone else starts, You will also be taking the other parts of the test separately ... now, let's go to our classroom and start!"
Mizuki, Minato and Arashi all noticed that Mito looked very pale and worried, and they found it a bit funny. On the way to the classroom Arashi and Mizuki were talking casually. Arashi was curious about Naruto and decided to see if he could get any information.
"So, who is the rookie of the year this year?" Arashi asked.
Mizuki grinned, "His name is Naruto Kurosaki. He's an interesting kid and by far the tallest person I've met. Well, he was always tall, but when he hit puberty he had a big growth spurt ... he is very bright and the things he can do even without chakra coils are awesome. Let's see, he has half of the class crushing on him and he doesn't seem to notice. Hell, even the Uchiha has a thing for him." Mito scowled at the thought of her Sasuke being gay, it was nonsense! "And it's sad, but you know he emancipated himself." Said the silver haired chunin instructor.
Both Arashi and Minato felt a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs, "That seems unlikely." said Arashi who wanted more information.
"I know, but he is very smart and he isn't lying. Trust me, I asked him myself. I didn't see any deception in his eyes, but he refused to tell anyone who his parents were or any details about his life ... most people think he was treated bad because of a medical condition or because of him not having chakras coils and his parents thought he couldn't be a ninja, which is ridiculous cause there's more to a village than ninjas and a kid like that could be anything."
Arashi felt like he was being stabbed with a kunai and Minato wanted to cry. Scratch that, Minato is crying, (I screwed up so badly.) They both mentally wailed.
Mizuki, who didn't notice Arashi's mental turmoil, just kept talking "... but it is a good thing he hasn't said anything cause there are a lot of people who would skin his former parents alive if they knew who they were, like the Akimichis. Naruto is a great cook and shares recipes with them. He's good friends with Choji and Shikamaru ... come to think of it he is probably on the roof right now. He always comes early and waits up there. Ok, Mito, this is our room, have a seat ... you have 40 minutes to complete the written portion of the test and... begin!"
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Minato whipped the tears from his eyes as he watched his eldest leave the room and a frantic Mito start the test. He decided to see if Naruto really was on the roof like Mizuki said. He changed the view of the crystal ball and scanned the roof.
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Naruto was lying on the roof with his eyes closed mulling over something his mother told him after his encounter with the Namikazes.
Flashback
Naruto walked out of the Namikaze compound, he was still fuming over how blind they were.
Momo floated over to him, "Naru-chan, are you ok? What could they possibly say to make you so mad?"
"I'm not mad, Mom." He ground out.
Momo looked at the black clouds in the sky and then at the crackling scorch mark where a tree used to be, "Of course, you're not mad. How silly of me. Why would I think that?" Was her sarcastic reply.
Naruto gave a frustrated sigh, "Ok, I'm mad, but why shouldn't I be? They say sorry and expect everything to change. That I would forgive them just like that after everything they put me through! Those bastards didn't even realize the full extent of what they've done to me over the years ... I don't get it, I know they are good people because they were always to nice and caring to other people, but they never cared about me! Why was I left out of their family?!"
His ghostly mother was worried and it had a little bit to do with the sudden surge in lightning. Momo was a ninja before she died. She knew what hate can do to someone. It can tear people up inside and lead them down the path of revenge. That path can lead to an empty life filled with pain and regret. She didn't want that for Naruto. He deserved so much better.
Momo floated up so she was eye level with Naruto and took his face in her hands, "Naru-chan, listen to me, if there's one thing I believe it's that everyone is born into this world to be part of a family, but it's not always the case that the family you're born into is the one you're meant to be with. They never treated you like family because you aren't their family. Yes, they brought you into this world, Naruto, but you are my son. I was there when you were born. I held you when you cried. I stole clothes so you had something to wear and breast milk from Kushina so I could feed you ... don't ask, she's a heavy sleeper. I'm glad you grew up so fast so I didn't have to do that long. Please, Naru-chan, forgive them, not for their sakes, but for yours. I'm not telling you to trust them, they have to earn that, but life is too precious to be wasted on hate. Hate changes people and I don't want to lose the sweet gentle boy I raised. Remember, your mana chose me."
Naruto looked into Momo's loving eyes and felt his anger slowly ebbed away and the the storm he accidentally summoned began to subside, "Ok Mom, I'll try to forgive them."
"Good ... now, I have think about how I can best utilize my haunting skills to get revenge on them for you."
Naruto facepalmed, "Mom, didn't you just say no one should waste their life on hate and revenge!"
Momo nodded, "I did and it's true, but I'm dead and I'm going to spend my afterlife anyway I want! And I am going to go Exorcist on their asses." Said the specter in a sing song voice. Yes, she believes Naruto would be happier forgiving them, but it doesn't mean she's going to let the Namikazes off the hook any time soon. She will make sure they pay for what they've done to her son.
Flashback Over
Naruto chuckled, his mother was right, of course, and after taking some time to think about it he decided that he no longer hated the Namikazes. If anything, he felt sorry for them. Especially after hearing some of his mother's haunting ideas. Those poor people don't know what they're in for.
Naruto flinched, he suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. He opened his eyes and saw Minato looking at him through a portal in the sky. Naruto deadpanned, he hated that telescope jutsu. It was extremely annoying because he could see the effects thank to his mana training, but he decided to use the opportunity to discreetly share some ideas he has been thinking about.
Naruto sighed, "I'm glad classes are done. Some of those classes were ridiculous ... like the flower arranging class, the waltzing lessons and the math class ... well, math is useful, but do you have to solve kunai trajectory problems instead of putting the theory into practice. It should be less theory and more application ... and that history class would so much more useful if someone scrapped the written part and had kids spar or something while reciting facts ..."
Naruto bit his lip to keep from laughing when he saw Minato dive into his desk and come back up with a notepad and pencil and start scribbling frantically. He pretended to yawn to give Minato a second to catch up.
"... getting kids used to thinking on the fly is more important than written exams ... and why not every now and then cast a genjutus on the students to get them used to the feeling so they would know when they are under a genjutsu. Hmmm, what about a consequences seminar? I mean our teachers spend about 5 seconds explaining what could go wrong in a ninja career and all they say is 'you could die', that's it ... There has to be more than that right? A small class that will thoroughly explain what could happen will better prepare future ninjas ... and maybe some people could volunteer their personal stories ... Hmmm, tweaking that weapons class so it goes over a brief summary of foreign weapons would keep people from being surprised when they see a weapon for the first time ... and I always wondered why no one started Tsunade's mednin plan. It would be great to have a medic on every team and the budget might not be an issue once the useless classes are removed ... oh, I guess the council will have a problem with these changes because raising standards will push civilians out of the academy which really stupid if you think about it ... I mean, look at how many orphans become ninjas ... what's the difference between a civilian orphan and a civilian with a family? Not much besides being forced to grow up faster ... as long as someone wants to get stronger they'll be fine if they don't they shouldn't be a ninja."
Naruto tried to suppress a snicker as Minato broke his pencil and scrambled to find another one, when he did, he continued to scribble down what Naruto was saying.
"Of course, to be fair, there has always been a little friction between civilians and ninja ... maybe making an after school class and having a member of any clan volunteer their time to come and be a guest teacher and offer tips on training would help create some bonds ... I wonder if some of those useless classes were used to extort money or something." Naruto could see the mountain of paperwork behind Minato quickly grow larger and he took pity on the poor hokage.
"Why hasn't anyone thought of using shadow clones for paperwork? ... oh well, time for class." Naruto walked off to take his exam.
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Minato's jaw dropped "Shadow Clones! Why the hell didn't I think of that?!"
Minato turned off the crystal ball and made 20 clones to do the paperwork and changed out of the hokage robes and into some jeans and a T-shirt. He HATED wearing the hokage robes. They were stiff, itchy and just so uncomfortable! He only wore them while doing paperwork and during meetings.
He called his secretary, a tough, well dressed retired female ninja with purple hair. When his secretary came in and saw that Minato was not doing his work she was about to yell at him, but before she could scold him Minato waved his arms frantically and pointed at his clones as he yelped, "LOOK, LOOK! I'm doing my paperwork!"
His secretary was pleasantly surprised, "Shadow clones! What a brilliant idea!" Minato smiled, "You might actually get your paperwork in on time for once." Minato pouted, "So, what do you need, hokage-sama?"
"I'm planning on making a few changes to the academy curriculum. Could you get me a list of all the classes and their financials?" She nodded and left, "Do you need something, Jiraiya sensei?" Minato said and the toad sage appeared.
"Can't fool you, can I, Minato!" Jiraiya exclaimed, but frowned when he noticed Minato was leaning over his desk focused on his notepad, "So, what are you doing?"
"I'm making a few changes in the academy." Unfortunately, Minato was so focused on his notes he didn't notice that Jiraiya has been staring at his ass since he came in to his office.
Jiraiya licked his lips as he thought, (Damn, Minato has a nice ass. It's so full and firm and it's shaped like a heart. I bet his ass is still a virgin ... yeah, nice and tight ... I wonder if he's a screamer... he really should started dating for real. Hell, he and Kushina are both gay they only got married because the council was pressuring them to start breeding and they figured why not marry each other. They do love each other and they both wanted kids so it was better than being forced to marry someone they didn't love, but the breeding is done and now Kushina is dating Tsume Inuzuka. It's time my former student found someone and who better to pop his ass's sweet cherry than me!) Jiraiya's hand moved forward with the intent to grope the unsuspecting hokage, but before the pervert could grab him, Minato's secretary returned carrying a stack of papers.
"Here you go, hokage-sama. A list of the academy classes and the financials for each. Oh, Jiraiya-sama, so good to see you again. Do you need something like a snack or tea or a cold shower perhaps?" The secretary asked with sickly sweet smile which matched the dangerously sweet tone in her voice. Oh yes, she knows about Jirayia's constant attempts to get into Minato's pants. In fact, everyone except Minato knows and not one person likes the pervert trying to pin down their clueless hokage or his three sons. That's right, he's been going after Arashi, Menma, and Kurama too, and they are just as clueless as their father.
Jiraiya felt the hairs in the back of his neck stand up as he gave a nervous chuckle, "Errr no thanks, I was going ... to do some research ... yeah, research! Bye, Minato!" The toad sage bolted out of the room through the open window. He will never admit it, but Minato's secretary scared him.
Minato chuckled, "He never changes." His secretary darts out for a second and comes back with a file.
"Hokage-sama, the list of graduates who passed the first part of the exam is here ... and with all do respect, hokage-sama, I hope your daughter didn't pass." She said truthfully. She had never liked the way Mito acted and now the entire village knows about Mito's exploits. Remember the dangerous pranks that injured many people. She was also the target of one of Mito's pranks and it left her with a broken leg.
Minato sighed, "It's ok, I understand how you feel and if it helps I hope she didn't pass either." His secretary left when he opened the file and smiled, "Naruto passed." He went through rest of the list, "Shit." was all he said as his eyes landed on the one name he did not want to see there.