4 Chapter 4: A Mother's Love

Naruto sat alone in the small training ground of his house.

It wasn't very big, just a small terrain which included a small lake. There were lots of trees around with training dummies. They must probably be for target practice.

He had seen his mother practice with her Shurikenjutsu many times. His father also some times trained here.

His thoughts then drifted back to the talk which he had with his father. He didn't hate his father, he still cared about him, but it was just too painful for him to bond with him again.

He only wanted to spend time with his father. He always heard people say how great his father was, but in reality he didn't know the man much as he was almost never there in his life.

Naruto was trying to understand that his father was trying to make his way back into his family but he wasn't too comfortable with having his father around, after spending almost 3 years without him.

He thought about his dream of protecting his younger brother at any cost.

In truth he knew he was weak, he was not a shinobi like his father and mother. He knew if something ever happened then he wouldn't be able to protect Itachi.

Should he become a shinobi? What purpose would he have besides protecting Itachi?

He was interrupted from his thoughts when someone hugged him lovingly from the back. The hands of that person was soft and the aura that was radiating off that person made Naruto very comfortable and at peace.

There was only one person in the entire world who could make him feel like this.

"Kaa-chan..." said Naruto warmly

He went to turn around to face his mother but she restricted his movements and hugged him more tightly. Naruto got a little confused.

"Shhh...Just stay with me like this." said Mikoto lovingly

A contended smile came on Naruto's face, he felt happy. All those doubts, negative feelings he was having were slowly fading away with each passing moment.

It was as if his mother was taking away all his pain and filling him with her love.

He slowly rested his head gently on his mother's chest and put his hands on her soft hands. It was evening and the sun was setting, the entire scene was just beautiful for Naruto.

He didn't know what he would do without his mother.

For him she was perfect. She was kind, caring, gentle and even strict when necessary.

She always took care of all of them, gave them healthy food, looked after their health, became worried when they were injured.

She was the center of the family and all of their lives revolved around her.

Naruto didn't know if he loved his brother more or his mother. Both of them were precious to him.

Meanwhile Mikoto was gently caressing her son's blonde hair. She had heard the entire conversation between Minato and Naruto. Even though she was busy healing Itachi's sore ankle, her entire focus was on Naruto's talk with Minato.

She was very upset with the fact that things had gotten this worse between her husband and elder son.

She knew Naruto was not to blame for any of this. Any child of his age would behave like this, also her son was a logical person. So she knew he wouldn't forgive Minato just like that.

She felt very sad on thinking about how much pain her son was in.

"Hey Kaa-chan.." said Naruto slowly

Mikoto was interrupted from her train of thoughts, she looked at Naruto curiously.

"I didn't sense your presence when you arrived." said Naruto in confusion

"What do you mean?" asked Mikoto curiously

"I can always feel people's presence when they are around me." explained Naruto simply.

"A sensor!" thought Mikoto surprisingly

"Naru-chan, try to concentrate now and tell me what do you feel?" asked Mikoto softly

She was pretty much sure her son had a very unique ability. Sensor ninja were very rare, and were extremely useful in the village armies. They could work in recon units, communication units not to mention in full combat squads.

Sensors were one of the most unique and deadly ninja as they could predict an attack before it is launched.

Naruto gave an affirmative nod and closed his eyes. He then slowly tried to concentrate in order to feel what was around him.

At first nothing happened for a few moments, his eyebrows twitched a bit when he was not met with success.

"One more time." thought Naruto with determination

This time he gave his utmost concentration, still he couldn't feel anything around him.

"Its not working Kaa-chan.." said Naruto sadly

"Oka-" said Mikoto gently but was cut off when Naruto raised his voice.

"Wait...I feel something." said Naruto surprisingly

"What is it?" asked Mikoto curiously, she was very eager to know whether her son had abilities of a sensor or not.

"I feel your presence, its so warm and calm." said Naruto calmly

"He can even feel what I'm feeling right now!" thought a shocked Mikoto.

It was indeed true that she was not concealing her chakra, if she did that she was pretty much sure Naruto would not be able to sense her presence. Also she was right beside him so it would be very easy to recognize her presence.

"I can feel Itachi's presence in the house, but there is something that is very confusing Kaa-chan." said Naruto with a frown.

"What's the problem?" asked Mikoto intriguingly

"I can feel some people outside our house, but their presence is barely visible. They were there just for a moment but I lost their presence." said Naruto curiously

"He can even feel the Anbu guarding our house. Its amazing, even if it was just for a moment it was truly something worthy of praise. He must have sent a strong wave of his chakra unconsciously. It must have been pretty strong but since it was short he lost the Anbu." thought Mikoto tactically

"Well Kaa-chan...do you know why I'm able to feel such things? asked Naruto innocently

"Its because you are very special my Naru-chan. You are a sensor." explained Mikoto with a proud smile.

"Sensor?" asked Naruto confusedly

"They are special people who can feel other people's presence around them. There are very few sensors in the world. The fact that you are one makes me very proud." explained Mikoto with a wide smile

Naruto blushed a little in embarrassment, Mikoto giggled on seeing this and ruffled her son's hair lovingly, Suddenly a question came in Naruto's mind and he decided to ask his mother about it.

"Then why was I not able to feel your presence?" asked Naruto curiously

"Maybe its because you were not concentrating, and I'm a shinobi so I can hide my presence very well." said Mikoto with a smirk.

"That's not fair." said Naruto with a cute pout.

"Is that so?" asked Mikoto with a devious smile on her face, she started tikcling her son's chest earning loud laughter from him.

"HAHAHA...Kaa-chan...please stop." said Naruto in between laughs, he was feeling very happy.

Mikoto sensed her son was now comfortable with her and she decided to ask him about his talk with Minato and if possible try to explain him to understand his father and his duties as a Hokage.

"Naru-chan, do you really don't like your Tou-chan?" asked Mikoto sadly.

Naruto sensed the sadness in her voice, but there was no disappointment in her words. He dropped his head in shame, he never wanted to make his mother sad and now that he had done it, he was quite ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry." said Naruto apologetically, a few tears had already started to form in his eyes.

"Naru-chan, let it out." said Mikoto gently and hugged him tightly.

"Kaa-chan.." said Naruto in a choked voice, tears had already started to drop from his eyes.

"I'm always going to be there for you. I love you very much and you can be yourself around your Kaa-chan. Just cry your pain, I know." said Mikoto in a similar choked voice, she was rubbing Naruto's back affectionately in order to comfort him.

Those words were the final nail in the coffin and Naruto couldn't control the dam of tears that had formed in his eyes.

All the pain and sadness he felt for all these years due to his father's absence finally took a toll on him. He hugged his mother so tightly that some crease had started to form on her dress but she didn't back out.

She hugged him back even more fiercely while whispering comforting words in his ears and rubbing his back simultaneously.

He was really thankful to whatsoever god for giving him such a loving mother. She was his world, the only person who understood him completely and no matter what happened was always there for him.

No matter how much mischief he did when he was his brother's age, no matter how much pain it caused her on seeing his dislike for his father she never abandoned him.

She never lost hope in him and Naruto couldn't understand how could she love him so much.

He never did anything significant for her and yet she loved him immensely.

Naruto's emotional outbursts continued for a few minutes until it was reduced to small sobs. Mikoto gently wiped the tears on his face and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry for making you sad Kaa-chan. I'm not a good son." said Naruto in an ashamed voice

He was quite surprised when his mother gently lifted his chin so he could look her straight in the eyes. Naruto was quite shocked on seeing the fierce look in her eyes.

"You are the type of son who every mother wants. You are kind, gentle, caring, you always look after your little brother, always try to help me and even though things between your Tou-chan and you have gotten a little rough I never blame you for it." said Mikoto firmly

"What? asked a shocked Naruto, he expected his mother to blame him but was quite surprised when she said the opposite.

"Yes, I do not blame you and neither do I blame your father. Both of you are right in your own perspective, you only wanted to spend time with your father while Minato wanted to do the same." said Mikoto seriously shocking Naruto to the core.

"This can't be true Kaa-chan, he was never there for me." said Naruto loudly, his voice contained a little venom in it.

Mikoto did not lose her calm and decided to explain the truth to her son. She knew even after this, Naruto wouldn't forgive his father immediately, it will take time but she had to take the first step.

"Naru-chan, your father has to protect the village as Hokage. Things have gotten a little bad in the last few years and your father is highly tensed. He still regrets not spending time with you but just as you are our child, he has to look after all the other children's safety like yours. That his duty as a leader of this village." explained Mikoto briefly

Some things started making sense in Naruto's mind, now he could understand why his father did that, but that didn't change the fact that he was still disapointed in him.

"Does that mean I am not important to him, will he still put others before me? Will I always be a second choice to him in comparison to the villagers?" asked Naruto sadly

Mikoto gave a tired sigh, Naruto was really stubborn in his beliefs, it was as if he was testing her patience.

"No, you are as important to him as all of us. Do you know it was your father who gave you your name." said Mikoto with a smirk, she really knew how to handle a situation. Her years at the hospital and treating different people made her understand people better.

"Really?" asked a surprised Naruto

"Hai, he was very happy the day you were born. He even cried tears of joy when he took you in his arms for the first time. He was so excited to teach you everything he knew and wanted to be the best father in the world." said Mikoto with a gentle smile as she remembered that night.

Naruto could now understand a little, he really was surprised that his father was happy to have him.

"Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he really loves me as much as Itachi. Maybe I should give him a chance." thought Naruto slowly

Mikoto could read what her son was thinking from the look on his face. A small smirk came on her face as she realized that her first step in improving the relation between her son and her husband was met with a little success.

"You should give your father a chance Naru-chan. He really wants to come back in the family, he really loves you and wants to spend time with you and make up for all the times he wasn't there." explained Mikoto briefly

"I'll try, Kaa-chan" said Naruto hesitantly, he really wanted to believe in each and every word his mother had said. But instead of rushing in on blind faith he would take his time and see if his father really wants to be there for him.

"Now that's my Naru-chan. I'm really proud of you, take your time and try to gather your feelings slowly." said Mikoto with a vibrant smile on her face.

"Hai" said Naruto slowly

Mikoto sensed Naruto's uncomfortable behavior and decided to change the topic.

"Naru-chan do you want to become a shinobi?" asked Mikoto seriously.

"I just want to protect my brother." said Naruto slowly

Mikoto smiled again on hearing those words again. She really felt very happy that her two boys were so close to each other.

"But what about the people of this village?" asked Mikoto seriously, she knew she had to guide her son on the right path if he wanted to be a shinobi. Protecting Itachi was a noble dream, but Naruto was the elder son and heir of the Namikaze clan. The villagers had great expectations from him and some even thought that her son could become the next Hokage.

"Huh?" asked Naruto curiouly, he had never thought about that.

Mikoto took a deep breath in order to explain it to Naruto in detail.

"Naru-chan protecting your little brother is a noble dream, but shinobi are always entrusted with the safety of this village and the people live in it. You are the son of the Hokage and the heir to our clan. The villagers and shinobi have high expectations from you." explained Mikoto briefly

"But I don't know if I can live up to their expectations. Why is it necessary for me to protect the people of this village?" asked Naruto curiously

"That's because we are one big family, we take care of each other. Your father looks after the entire village and protects it. Your grandfather and uncle take care of the Uchiha clan and also protect the village from its enemies. I am a shinobi too and I am ready to protect the village and my family at all costs because you all are precious to me." explained Mikoto with a smile

"I understand." said Naruto calmly

"Don't worry Naru-chan there is nothing you should be afraid of. I think it is a good thing that you are trying to become a shinobi, it shows that you understand that to be a ninja you have to start right at the bottom and work your way up and protect your precious people." said Mikoto calmly

"Really?" he asked with her nodding.

"If you like I can go over it with you and teach you how to access your chakra." she said making him get a hopeful look on his face.

"Really you would do that. Don't you have others things you need to do today?" asked Naruto curiously

"I don't have a shift at the hospital today and it is either help you or get bored sitting at home. And how could I ever not want to help my little Naru-chan." said Mikoto with a playful smile.

She picked Naruto up from his spot and put him in her lap as she leaned against a nearby tree.

"Are you ready?" asked Mikoto seriously

"Hai" said Naruto enthusiastically

"Now I'll first explain what is chakra, okay?" asked Mikoto and Naruto nodded.

"Chakra is the mixture between spiritual energy and the body's physical energy. It is essential to every jutsu technique that has and ever will be created. Once molded, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals." explained Mikoto briefly

"Does everyone possess chakra, Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto curiously

"Yes, every human being possess chakra, though only a few are able to use it." said Mikoto

"What is Jutsu Kaa-chan?" asked Naruto intriguingly, Mikoto smiled a little when she saw how curious her son was. Most kids his age would be bored on hearing so much theory, but her son was different.

"Jutsu are the mystical arts a ninja will utilise in battle. To use a technique, the ninja will need to use their chakra. To perform a technique, the ninja will bring out and release the two energies of chakra. By forming hand seals, the ninja is able to manifest the desired technique. Because of the extensive number of hand seals and different combinations, there are thousands of potential techniques to be discovered." explained Mikoto in detail and Naruto nodded.

"So what are hand seals?" he asked curiously

"Hand seals perform many ninjutsu, genjutsu, and other secret arts other than taijutsu. The exact amount of chakra necessary to perform a simple technique is manipulated through hand seals. This will vary between the simplest of jutsu's to the most dynamic and most powerful." explained Mikoto calmly.

"The hand seals are Bird, Boar, Dog, Dragon, Ox, Tiger, Serpent, Rat, Horse, Monkey, Hare and Ram." continued Mikoto and performed every one of the hand signs.

She was shocked when her little son performed each and every hand seal perfectly in the first try. His speed was slow but she was amazed by his sense of observation. It was common for a shinobi to learn hand seals quickly, but Naruto was a kid and he had indeed surprised her.

"Wow, Naru-chan you performed each hand seal perfectly. How did you do it?" asked a surprised Mikoto, but her voice was indeed full of pride.

"I just saw you perform them Kaa-chan. They are very easy." said Naruto sheepishly

"But still I'm very proud of you." said Mikoto warmly

"Thank you..Kaa-chan." said Naruto with a wide smile.

The two sat there for about an hour as Mikoto explained about chakra to Naruto in very detail, she wanted him to understand the science completely and was trying to explain it to him in the simplest way.. She also made sure he was aware of what made up chakra and how many chakra points there are in the body, even pointing to the places where certain ones were on her arms.

"Do you understand Naruto?" she asked him as he sat there on her lap and saw him nod.

"Can we try to see if I can use my chakra?" he asked since he looked a little eager to begin.

"Sure," Mikoto said warmly as Naruto hopped out of her lap and sat in front of her.

"Get in a meditative pose like I am doing," instructed Mikoto and sat in the position. Naruto watched and tried himself though Mikoto had to help him a little since his legs were still so little.

"You comfortable?" she asked and with Naruto nodding his head, she decided to continue further.

"Okay Naru-chan first I want you to make this hand sign. This is the ram hand sign. Using any one of the hand signs will help to bring out your chakra and bring it to the surface. The ram had sign is the one most used when starting out to first draw their chakra." explained Mikoto briefly and performed the hand sign

"Like this?" asked Naruto curiously and performed the hand seal perfectly which Mikoto was showing him.

"Now to draw out your chakra you have to dig deep inside and try to draw it out. Search deep down and wait until you feel a warm sensation in your stomach. When you feel it, try to focus in on it and then pull it out to the surface. I will demonstrate." said Mikoto seriously

Naruto watched as his mother closed her eyes taking a few deep breaths before exhaling. After about ten seconds Naruto felt a strong burst of energy come from his mother which surprised him immensely.

He could feel how warm it was and though it was nowhere near as big as his father, but he felt it flowing smoothly from her. He observed attentively for a few moments and was able to see a blue like aura appearing around her.

"Was that chakra Kaa-chan, The blue thing around you?" asked Naruto excitedly, he really wanted to do the exercise after watching his mother.

She opened her eyes and Naruto could see the blue aura had now disappeared. Mikoto smiled when she saw her son's excited face.

"It was. Try to extract enough chakra then it can become visible around you and will be a light blue color." explained Mikoto happily

"Now it is my turn," said Naruto happily and his mother nodded softly.

"Though don't be sad if you don't manage to do it Naru-chan. It takes time to activate your chakra for the first time." advised Mikoto sagely.

"Okay but I will try my best," said Naruto with determination, Mikoto smiled and settled for watching her son access his chakra for the first time. It was a really nostalgic moment for her and her eyes became a little moist as she realized her little boy was now growing up.

She watched as Naruto closed his eyes and took deeps breaths similar to what she did moments ago. The ram hand sign he made was shaking a little but she knew it was because Naruto was very excited as he did not want to let her down.

Even the Anbu that were guarding their house were a little curious on seeing the Hokage's son's performance. Though that did not mean they were not focused on their job.

A few minutes passed and Naruto opened his eyes with sad look on his face.

"I couldn't find it. I did not feel that warm feeling in my tummy." said Naruto disappointingly

"That's okay Naru-chan; I did say you might not be able to do it the first time around. It takes a few tries to first do it. You just have to keep trying and eventually it will happen." said Mikoto encouragingly

"Okay I guess I can try again," he said as he got back in his meditative pose and made the ram hand sign again. He closed his eyes and took a few more deep breaths.

Mikoto watched her son try again, she didn't know why but she had a feeling that her son would be successful this time. Maybe it was a mother's intuition.

"I have to find a pull in my tummy," thought Naruto firmly and searched around in his body while keeping as calm as he could. After another minute he still could not feel it so he gritted his teeth a little in frustration.

"I need to unlock my chakra so I can protect Kaa-chan, Itachi and maybe someday even Tou-sama," thought Naruto determinedly.

Just when he finished he felt a pull in his stomach and felt a warm sensation appear there.

"Could this be my chakra?" thought Naruto curiously and started doing as Mikoto had said and focused more on the warm sensation and started pulling it to the surface.

When he did it felt like his whole body suddenly became warm and felt his fingers and his toes tingle.

Outside Mikoto smiled a big smile when she saw a tiny blue aura appear around her son. She was about to go forward and hug him. She wanted to congratulate him, for activating his chakra for the first time, but was a little caught off guard when she felt the power of his chakra.

"His chakra, it's so much powerful. Though it is very small but it is stronger than my own." thought an amazed Mikoto

Though she also felt how untamed it felt. Once Naruto got use to activating his chakra, she would most likely have to show him one of the basic chakra control exercises.

Even the Anbu guarding the house were amazed by the power of Naruto's chakra. It was growing more powerful with each passing second.

Mikoto decided it was enough now as Naruto would be very tired by now and she did not want him to overdo it.

Mikoto shook Naruto a little which made him lose focus and the chakra he was emitting stopped. He opened his eyes to his mother looking at him with joyful looks on their face which made him smile a big smile.

"I did it." said Naruto happily and jumped high in the air. Mikoto was quite surprised that Naruto even had this much energy left, however her suspicion proved correct when her son suddenly felt tired and his body got a little stiff and he started to fall towards ground.

However Mikoto was in front of him in an instant and caught him in a warm embrace. There were a few tears in her eyes, these were not tears of sadness but of joy and pride.

"Why do I feel sleepy?" asked Naruto innocently as he yawned in Mikoto's arms.

"Silly Naru-chan, you pushed out a lot of chakra when you activated it which has now left you feeling tired. Don't' worry after some rest and some food in your tummy you will be fine." said Mikoto happily

Naruto just gave a very small nod, he really felt a lot tired than before.

"I think this is enough for the day. Let's go home. I'll make Ramen for you." said Mikoto happily and picked up Naruto. He wrapped his small legs around her waist and nuzzled his head against her chest with her long bangs falling on his face and covering his face a liitle under their shadow.

"Really?" asked Naruto sleepily, he really loved when his mother made his favorite dish. She was indeed a very great cook.

"Hai" said Mikoto warmly

They started walking back towards the house at a slow pace. It was indeed a very tiring day for Naruto.

Halfway there Naruto spoke up. "Hey, Kaa-chan?"

"Yes Naru-chan?" asked Mikoto softly.

"What kind of a ninja are you?" he asked surprising her a little though she answered.

"Well I am a medic nin. I practice medical ninjutsu which is why I work mainly at the hospital." said Mikoto happily

"Medical ninjutsu? What's that?" asked Naruto curiously making his mother giggle a little as she noticed how curious he was even when he was very tired.

"Medical-ninjutsu is us a type of ninjutsu that is used to heal people when they get hurt." explained Mikoto in simple words so her son could understand easily.

"Like when people are sick and not feeling good?" asked Naruto curiously

"Exactly, I am okay at fighting but I prefer healing people which is why I am the head of the hospital and our village's medical department. I train shinobi to become medics" explained Mikoto briefly

"Wow, you are really amazing Kaa-chan." said Naruto happily

"Thank you, my dear Naru-chan." said Mikoto with a smile

"So does that mean you are really powerful too?" he asked making her smile again.

"I am nowhere near as powerful as your father but I like to think that I am capable of looking after myself. I am a Jounin level ninja so I know how to defend myself which is the main thing."

"Hm" said Naruto with a nod.

Both mother and son reached the door of their house. Naruto could feel sleep trying to overtake him and he knew he could resist now. He was at his limit.

He pressed his head tightly against his mother's chest and closed his eyes. A small innocent smile came on his face.

Mikoto gently looked at her son.

"He looks so adorable." thought Mikoto happily

Naruto gently grabbed her silky bangs that were falling on his face.

"Kaa-chan...you really have beautiful hair." said Naruto sleepily

A wide smile came on Mikoto's face when she heard her son praising her hair. She gently ruffled Naruto's hair and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Naru-chan." said Mikoto lovingly

"I love you, Kaa-chan." said Naruto warmly and slowly sleep overtook him.

"I love you too, my little Naru-chan." said Mikoto warmly

She really loved her son the most in the world.

She knew she was the bridge that was holding their family together and live peacefully.

She was determined to be the best mother, best wife, best friend and best guide for her sons and husband.

"I'll make things better. I promise." thought Mikoto with determination.

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