Third Person POV________

"Hurry inside. Oh, look at you soaked down to the bone." Mizuko huffed as her four eldest grinned up at her.

"It started raining earlier. Most kids also ran through the village after class." Ryuu pointed out as he shook his head to get the excess water out.

"Well.." Mizuko trailed off as she grabbed a few towels and started to try and dry them.

"Take off your clothes and leave them by the door. I'll get a warm bath running for you and then I'll come to pick up the laundry." Mizuko sighed as she glanced out the window.

There was the soft howling of the wind and rainfall outside. She could see some lightening and hear soft thunder rumbling as well.

"Umi, can you please watch Kaida while I go get the kids situated?" Mizuko called out to Umi who was in the other room.

"I can watch her Mizuko-sama." The girl smiled as she came in from her bedroom.

"Hey there Kai-chan." Umi smiled as she sat down by Kaida who was sitting up and chewing one of her teething toys.

Mizuko hurried down the hall and quickly started to fill the large tub and set down four large towels.

As she was walking out Kenta rushed passed her. "Thanks for starting the tub ma." He squealed as Ryuu and Naruto ran past her as well.

"I'm getting the large stool!" Naruto yells as he hurries past Mizuko to take a bath.

"Tch, boys." Karin grumbles as she walks by in her underwear and into the large communal baths that were in the temple.

Mizuko giggles slightly and shakes her head. "They're all trouble makers." She mumbles to herself.

"Mama, Fumiko-nee says the storm might get louder. Is that true?" Hisashi asks as he walks up to her and tugs on her kimono. His bottom lip quivered slightly, being that he was the most sensitive of her children Mizuko's was always more careful of him.

"It might, but it's okay cause we will all be here together. So don't you worry your pretty little head over it." She gently says as she ruffles his short red spikey hair.

Hisashi nods as he wipes the tears out of his golden hazel colored eyes.

"Here, you can walk around with me. Mama needs help, And she's got to pick up all of your older sibling's laundry and I think a strong, brave, kid like you could help me. Hmm?" She smiled down at him.

He smiled back softly and nodded as he hugged her. "I can help clean up." He grinned.

"Well then, come on. It's over here." Mizuko says as Hisashi followed right behind her.

Mizuko quickly picked up the laundry with Hisashi's help.
__________

"Get ready, set, go!" Kenta yelled as he jumped back.

Naruto blocked a left hook punch. His eyes were trained on his younger brother as he blocked another strike.

Ryuu and Naruto were sparing in the training field Mizuko had built on the temple grounds. As they spared Kenta and Karin watched over them.

Kenta was sitting on top of one of the training posts and Karin was leaning slightly on a wooden stump.

Ryuu grunted as he tried to find an opening on his older brother's defense. They were currently practicing a different Taijutsu style.

Ryuu was trying to stay on the offensive, the reason was that his academy teacher had noted that he always defaulted to blocking and dodging his opponents, so he suggested that he should practice taking a more offensive stance in spars so that he could be well rounded.

Naruto, on the other hand, was better at the Taijutsu than Ryuu and could adapt easier. He had also been training longer than his younger brother, and he had a weight and height advantage.

So Naruto rarely struck out and practiced his blocks and dodges. Since he was stronger than his brother and sturdier he was able to take more hits.

Compared to Naruto's classmates who had been training just as long as he had been and some were predominantly from high standing clans or high ranking shinobi, Ryuu's hits barely hurt.

So unlike the spars he had in the academy, he could practice the blocks and his postures while blocking without it hurting as much.

So both boys were getting something out of the spar itself.

Kenta was watching both Naruto and Ryuu's form and Karin was the referee.

She was there to make sure neither of them went too far and hurt themselves.

Naruto moves back as he tried dodging. It was hard to keep track of his surroundings while watching Ryuu try to hit him.

"You're getting to close to that post." Karin called out as she tried to get a better look at them.

"Let'em hit it. It might take one of them out of the fight." Kenta shrugged and Karin sighed.

"If Ryuu punches it then he'll hurt his hand and Naruto could accidentally run into it while trying to dodge." Karin crosses her arms, her eyes never leaving the two who were fighting.

Kenta hummed but said nothing as he continued watching the fight.

Naruto kept blocking and dodging, he started to notice that Ryuu was starting to pant and that his hits were getting lighter.

"Watch you're breathing or you won't be able to last." Naruto stated as he stepped back to dodge an uppercut.

Ryuu groaned as he took in a deep breath since he had less training, he ran out of breath quicker and that although he had large chakra reserves, Naruto's were much bigger.

"Pause!" Karin called out and both boys jumped back.

Ryuu heaved as he bent down and placed his hands on his knees. He was out of breath and drained from being on the offensive for so long.

Naruto was only slightly winded, his breathing was a bit deeper but otherwise, he looked perfectly fine.

Naruto grinned as he wiped off the side of his mouth.

"That was really good Ryuu, your punches are getting better." He added as he placed his hands on his hips and took a really deep breath.

"You looked to be struggling at the beginning but it looks like you got more confident the longer you fought," Karin stated as she walked over to them.

Ryuu grinned and straightened up, he couldn't help but feel proud. At the beginning of the school year, he had trouble sparring with the kids in his class because they all had one more year of training under their belts.

Before he lived in Konoha they barely ran around and were cooped up inside of their house. Things were dull and everyone spoke in quiet whispers. They never talked with anyone, but each other and they had to deal with the shinobi and doctors.

So in terms of physical strength and knowledge of the Taijutsu forms caused him to be one of the lower-ranking fighters in the class. And it upset him so he made sure to drag his older brother outside and get some training in.

Because he was weaker he was always put on the defensive when fighting with his classmates. So in order to get better, he asked Naruto to let him practice his attack on him.

When he'd asked Naruto thought about it for a moment before shrugging and nodding. And then he'd said "Well if you want to attack me that's fine, but let me practice my blocks and dodges. My classmates hit way too hard, and I'd like to practice my forms." And when Ryuu had agreed, they just went ahead and began sparing.

"Yeah, I'm getting the hang of it now. Sensei says that my Taijutsu is getting better. I also started to go up in class ranking." Ryuu grinned widely as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

Karin nods at his statement, she was also having problems with the Taijutsu class, since she was also a few years behind.

"Mom says dinner is almost ready! She says clean up and come eat!" Nanami yelled as she walked into the clearing.

All four of them turned to look at her.

"Tell her we will be there in a minute, we still have to take the mulberry branches into the paper shop." Kenta replies as he placed both hands on his hips.

"M'kay!" Nanami replied and slightly sighed, she was completely jealous, she still had almost an entire year before it was her turn to enter the academy. But even with that Mizuko didn't let her train with her older siblings just yet.

She glanced back and pouted as she hurried back inside the house.

"So we are getting a washer and dryer for the temple?" Umi asked excitedly as she placed the plates down on the table.

"Well, the seals bring in a lot of money. More than what I thought they would. I've even have had to limit some of the orders because otherwise we'd be overwhelmed. But with the amount we are making I'm sure we will be fine with buying a washer and dryer. I'm also going to buy more paint so we can paint the west wing of the temple." Mizuko stated as she carried a heavy pot full of food.

"Mama, mama, mama." Hayami tugged on Mizuko's kimono.

"Yes, baby what is it?" She asked as she set the pot down on a mat that was on the table.

"'M hungry." The small toddler pouted and Mizuko sighed.

"We'll eat in a minute." She sighs patting her small daughter's head.

"They said they're coming. They have to drop the branches off first." Nanami huffed as she walked in and plopped down.

"Thank you, honey." Mizuko grins at her Nanami.

"Anyways. We can go tomorrow. It's Saturday, Naruto can take his siblings out to the park. We can pick out one of the newer models." Mizuko grinned excitedly and Umi nodded.

"I've heard that the merchant from the land of snow has the latest ones, and they're big enough that you can wash thick blankets in them without them breaking." Umi added as she wiped her hands on her apron.

"I'll go get the other kids. I think they're in the back rooms playing." Umi says as she hurried out the room.

Mizuko turned to Nanami and frowned slightly as her 6-year-old was pouting. "What's the matter, honey?" She asks and Nanami frowns even more.

"It's not fair, I could've entered this semester. If my birthday had been a bit earlier I would have made it before the cut off day." She says as she twiddles with her fingers.

Mizuko sighs, "During registration, you were still 5 years old. And the year will be over before you know it." Mizuko sighs as she sits Hayami down and starts serving the small toddler food.

Yukio ran in followed by Tadashi. They raced to sit down at the table. "But then why can't I train with them! I'm old enough and can look after myself." She yelled angrily.

"Don't yell at mom." Fumiko snapped as she walked in holding Hisashi's hand.

"Shut up! Unlike you, I want to be a ninja! And it's not fair." Nanami yelled at her sister before standing up and running off.

"Nanami!" Mizuko exclaimed in shock as the small girl ran past her crying loudly.

Even Fumiko and her younger siblings were shocked at Nanami's outburst.

Mizuko pursed her lips and frowned.

"Um Mizuko-sama, are you alright?" Umi asked from the doorway. Mizuko looked disheartened for a moment before sighing. "I'll talk with her." She sighs as she looked down and continued to serve food.

The room was quiet as everyone settled down.

'I know she wants to be a ninja, but is it wrong for me to hold her back? I just want her to safety and away from all of the ninja business. Maybe I'm being too hard on her for telling her to stay inside while her sibling's train.' Mizuko mulled over in her head.

'But, the older kids are in the academy. They get training and know a bit more about what they are doing. Nanami doesn't have that. She wouldn't know for sure if she was doing it right. And she could seriously injure herself.' Mizuko thought with a sigh.

The older kids walked in talking loudly and laughing not noticing the aura of the room.

"So what are we eating today ma?" Kenta grinned as he sat down. "The chicken was on sell so that, rice and veggies." She smiled softly.

Umi couldn't help but feel bad for Mizuko and quickly offered to serve the food in her stead.

"Make a plate for Nanami, I'll leave it in the fridge for her." Mizuko sighed as she let Umi serve the food.
_______
After dinner, chores were assigned to everyone except Yukio, Hayami, and Kaida (who were still too young to really do much). Mizuko left them as she went to find Nanami who probably went to hide after her outburst.

It wasn't hard for Mizuko to track her since she had the seal. She had a hard time squeezing into one of the many hidden entrances. She crawled through the small crawl space. In some places the washi paper walls let light seep into the long narrow halls and it let her see where she was going.

It took a good twenty minutes for Mizuko to find her.

Nanami looked to have been crying and was picking at the floor when she found her.

"There you are. I've been searching for you." Mizuko smiles gently as she crawled into the small opening and sat beside Nanami.

Nanami ducked her head slightly and sniffles.

Mizuko sighed as she placed a hand over Nanami's shoulder.

"You know, your grandparents were ninja." Mizuko started and Nanami looked up slightly and nodded.

"I think, I think at one point I wanted to be a ninja as well. I can use chakra, just like the ninja." Mizuko stayed as she moved a small strand of hair away from Nanami's face.

She frowned as she looked at Nanami's frowning face. "I know you'll make a great ninja ya know. Soon enough all of you will be out exploring the great five nations, running missions, and meeting new people. And I'm going to be here, at the temple waiting for you to come home." She continues as she sighs and looks away.

"I know it might seem like I am stopping you out of spite. But I only want what I think is best for you." Mizuko sighs pulling Nanami close.

The small girl shivered and started to cry. "I didn't mean it. I was... I'm just jealous. I want to do everything Kenta, Naruto, Ryuu, and Karin do." Nanami sniffled as she cried.

"I know, and soon you will. You'll even have your own set of chores just like them. There's no rush in growing up. And with their new training, you'd have a hard time catching up with them. Soon it'll be your turn and your younger siblings will want to follow in your footsteps. There are only a few more months left in this semester. Just give it a bit longer. In the meantime, you could always train with your seals or on your chakra control." Mizuko points out and Nanami nods as she wipes her tears.

"I guess I can." She sniffles as she cuddled her mom. Mizuko couldn't help but giggle as she heard Nanami' s stomach grumble.

"I saved some food for you. It's in the fridge if you're hungry. And I have a few sweets hidden away. And as long as the little ones don't see you, I'll sneak some to you." Mizuko smiles and Nanami grins slightly. "M'kay." She says as she wipes her tears. Mizuko slightly pursed her lips before pulling Nanami close and littering kisses on her cheeks.

"My sweet baby girl is all grown up. Soon you'll be in school and I won't get to spend the day with you anymore." Mizuko pouted as she nuzzled against Nanami.

Nanami puffed her cheeks but giggled and nuzzled against Mizuko. "Don't worry mama. I'm always gonna be your little girl." She giggled out and Mizuko pouted. "I guess. Now come on you need to eat."

With that, they crawled out of the hidden passageway.
______
"Okay, so we will be taking Kaida. Hayami, Yukio, you want to go with mama or Naruto-nii?" Mizuko asked the two toddlers.

Yukio glanced between Naruto and Mizuko. "Nii-chan." Yukio grinned mischievously as he ran towards Tadashi who gave him a high five.

"Mama." Hayami grinned as she hugged Mizuko's legs.

"I want to go with Mama too," Hisashi says as he hurries over to Mizuko.

"Watch out for Tadashi and Yukio then. We are going shopping." Mizuko says as she smoothed out her cotton kimono.

Naruto pats both of his younger brothers' heads. "Don't worry ma. I'll keep an eye on everyone." Naruto grins.

Mizuko frowns slightly before taking her purse out. "Here, 100 Ryo.... better yet 200 ryo,  I'm not sure how long the shopping trip will be but you guys can pick a place to eat out and buy all sorts of treats. Make sure to keep the receipts and bring them back to me." She handed the money to Naruto.

"Are you serious?!" Karin asked as she fixed her glasses and looked at the money.

"The Hokage told me Naruto had been handling his own finances for a while now. So I'm sure you'll spend the money wisely. If our shops keep on selling as well, I might be able to budget an allowance for all of you." Mizuko says with a nod.

"An allowance! Really?!" Ryuu asked excitedly.

Mizuko nods firmly. "The seal shop has been a boon! We are no longer struggling to make ends meet, so yes, an allowance."

The older kids chattered amongst themselves in excitement.

"I'll make sure to take care of it. Let me get my wallet before we head out." Naruto grinned as he hurried to the room to get his frog wallet.

All of them looked very excited to go out with spending money.

"Let's go. The playground at Sakura park is across the village. So let's go!" Naruto grinned as he held up his wallet before putting it in his pocket. His seven smaller siblings nodded and they all started rushed out of the temple.

"You kids come right back and put on a haori and some warm clothes! You are not catching a cold!" Mizuko yelled as they were all running out wearing nothing but thin long sleeve shirts and pants.

They all ran right back in and past her into the room.

Mizuko huffed as she slipped on her haori and then wrapped little Kaida in a sling on her back.

"It's about 50 degrees outside (10 Celsius) and it's going to get colder." Mizuko muttered as Umi helped Hayami slip on her coat and bundled her up.

"Get your jacket to Hisashi," Mizuko added and the small boy nodded and hurried to go get his coat.

"Let's go then Mizuko-sama." Umi grinned as she fixed her clothes. Hisashi hurried back wearing his Haori with wave designs and the Uzumaki symbol on the back.

The two women headed out to the shopping district.

Umi ended up stopping by the tailor and buying a few new Kimonos and geta shoes with the money she made in the fruit stand.

Mizuko only bought a few outfits for the kids and a new obi to go with the silk Kimono that the kids had bought her for her birthday. She was planning to wear it to the council meeting when she was required to go. Since it was a slightly formal event.

They were even able to buy new household appliances for the temple. Dishwasher, washer, and a dryer.

They even bought the smaller kid's snacks and treats while shopping so that they were distracted.

"Mizuko-sama, is it okay if we get a new tea set? The one we have is okay, but it's not good for when we do tea ceremonies." Umi chattered as they walked through the market.

"Oh yeah, you used to work at that tea shop right. We can stop by and get a tea set. The one at home is made of wood and definitely not suitable for serving guests." Mizuko says as she looks around to see if she could spot a china shop.

"Hayami hold Umi-nee's hand. Yukio hold my hand too, Hisashi stays close." Mizuko says. "There's pottery down this way." She adds.

Umi gleams and nods excitedly as she takes Hayami's hand.

"We can buy two sets, one for green tea and a ceremonial tea set. We will probably get it customized." Mizuko grinned as both young women hurried through the busy streets to the pottery shop.
____________

Kenta wobbled as he tried to walk on his hands. "Do it like this Nanami!" He yells.

Nanami glances up as she is eagerly trying to copy her older brother and Karin is holding Fumiko's legs up to help her do a handstand.

"My turn!" Tadashi squealed as Naruto was setting little Yukio down.

The four-year-old boy was stumbling as he tried to keep steady. Naruto laughed as he held his little brother's hand.

"You 'Kay Yuyu-Chan?" He asks and Yukio grins up at him and giggles.

"Me! Me!" Tadashi squeals even louder and Naruto smirks as he grabs his younger brother and lifts him up. Tadashi starts to laugh in excitement as Naruto makes sure to hold on to him tightly and moved away from Yukio.

He quickly spins as he holds on to Tadashi's arms. Tadashi squeals and laughs as his feet leave the ground as he's spun around.

He then abruptly stops and sets Tadashi down.

The younger boy is dizzy and stumbling slightly as he's trying to keep his footing.

"I want to go next!" Ryuu says as he hurries to step close to them.

Tadashi giggles as he lays down, the sky still spinning above him a Naruto quickly tells Ryuu to give him a minute.

All of them are playing in the fields of Sakura Park. Naruto shows off his backflips and the cool tricks he learned in the academy. The younger kids watched in awe and demanded Naruto to teach them how to do it.

Before long they start a game of tag. All of them scattered around the park.

Soon enough they are all panting while playing in the jungle gym. "Nii-Chan 'm hungry." Yukio complains.

Naruto cocks a brow before jumping down. "You want to eat?" He asks his little brother and the small pale boy nods.

"Alright everyone we are eating out!" Naruto yells out and they all cheer and hurry off the jungle gym.

"Where are we going?" Fumiko asks shyly.

Naruto hums for a moment and his eyes go wide. "Ichiraku ramen! Before moving out of my old apartment I used to always go there, Teuichi-San and his daughter Ayame were always really nice to me. And ramen is awesome!" Naruto says with a nod as he picks up Yukio and places the small boy on his back.

"Ramen? Never had it so why not." Kenta shrugs and Ryuu nods.

"I don't mind." Nanami shrugs and Fumiko meekly agrees.

"Let's go then. Tadashi, give me your hand. Naruto lead the way." Karin says and Naruto's grin widens.

All seven Uzumaki leave the park and head out into the town.

Naruto happily leads them to the Ramen stand and tells his siblings how much he likes going there to see the old man and his daughter.

"Teuichi-San!" Naruto calls out.

"Naruto? It's been a while since you came!" Ayame calls out as the boy hurries inside.

"I was starting to think that we wouldn't see our best customer anymore." Teuichi adds as he notices the kids following the blond boy.

"A lot has happened, I got adopted. This is Yukio!" He gestures to the small albino boy on his back.

"Adopted?!" Ayame looks shocked and pleased at the same time.

"Yeah. Go ahead and introduce yourself to Teuichi-Jiji." Naruto says and the kids eagerly hurry in and smile up at the owner and his daughter.
"I'm Uzumaki Karin!"

"Uzumaki Ryuu pleases to meet you."

"Kenta... Uzumaki Kenta." Kenta grins mischievously.

"I'm Uzumaki Nanami!" Nanami declares happily.

"I'm Uzumaki Fumiko. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Fumiko says meekly.

" 'm Tadashi!" Tadashi grins as he waves excitedly.

"I have a few younger siblings too, but they're too small for me to babysit and one of them wanted to go with my mama." He grins and Teuichi smiles wholeheartedly.

"That's great to hear. I can see why you wouldn't have time to come around as often. Does your new mom cook a lot?" Teuichi asks with a smile.

Naruto pauses for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. She's a really good cook." He says as he sits Yukio down on one of the stools.

"My mom's name is Mizuko Uzumaki Senju. She opened a fruit stand in the market, Umi-nee works there now. And then she opened up a seal shop recently." Naruto stated as he turned to Tadashi and picked him up and sat him in a stool as well.

"I'd want to meet her too. Are you guys eating in?" Ayame asked and naruto nods quickly.

"Well, consider this a congratulations gift from us. First bowl is on the house." Teuichi grins and all seven Uzumaki go wide-eyed and cheer.
______
"That was great! Your ramen is always the best oji-san." Naruto grins as he rubs his stomach.

Teuichi chuckles, "it seems like the Uzumaki are going to be our top customers."

"Oji-San. This is amazing." Fumiko grinned as she held up her empty bowl. Her eyes were sparkling as she handed it over to Ayame who politely smiled and thanked the girl.

"I'm full! I ate three bowls" Kenta groaned as he handed his bowl to Ayame.

"Well, what do you think?" Naruto asks his sister and Karin grins. "We definitely need to bring mom, but I wonder if we would all fit, there's like twelve of us."

"Eh. We could come as dine out." Ryuu shrugs as he chugs the last bit of the broth.

Naruto quickly nods and looks over at Ayame and Teuichi. "We will come again, my mom said she'll start giving us allowances because the stores are doing really well."

"Really?! Well, that's great! I'm excited to meet your baby siblings. I'm so glad you got adopted. I thought you'd forgotten all about us, but this is even better!" Ayame grinned as she looked at Naruto who had a big smile plastered on his face.

"We should head home. The suns goin down." Ryuu says as he glanced out of the stand and Naruto nods as he takes out the two 100 ryo bills.

Teuichi thanks naruto and quickly totals the amount.

Everyone was getting up and fixing their Haori's.

"75 ryo is your change. I gave everyone a free bowl. So I only charged you for 12 bowls." He says as he hands naruto the change.

All of the kids smiled even wider. "Say thank you to Teuichi-oji and Ayame-nee," Naruto says loudly to his siblings

"Thank you Teuichi-obi! Thank you Ayame-nee! We enjoyed the food!" They all chorused and bowed politely.

Both of them grinned and thanked them for coming.

"Thank!" Yukio squealed as he jumped on Naruto's back.

Naruto made sure to hold onto his younger brother's legs so that he didn't fall and they all said their goodies as they left.

"Can we get Dango?" Fumiko asks as they walked down the street.

"We have 75 ryo left. We can get a 12 pack and split the remaining 5 evenly." Ryuu pointed out and Naruto nodded.

"The Dango stand is down this way." Naruto says as he leads them onward.
________

Ayame quietly wiped a stray tear. "He looked happier, a lot happier." She mumbles as she wiped down the counter.

"I remember the first time he ate here, he was pretty small and stuck outside in the pouring rain. The Uzumaki clan that moved here, they've been good to him." Teuichi says as he starts getting ready for the dinner rush.

"He's also a lot less mischievous. Did you notice he paces himself? Usually, he can eat five bowls but he limited himself to three bowls so that his younger siblings could get an extra bowl as well." She added as she put the dirty rag in the cleaning bucket.

"One Miso ramen, please." A man stated as he walked in.

"Coming right up." Ayame smiled as she took out a pen and piece of paper.

"What would you like to drink?"
_________

Mizuko made sure that the Hokage and Jiraiya were invited over.

The village was celebrating October 10 to commemorate the Fourth Hokage beating the Nine-tailed fox. But the Uzumaki Senju were celebrating Naruto Uzumaki's birthday.

"I made sure to send the Hokage the letter to let him know we are having a get-together. And we also placed the order for the cake." Umi stayed as she helped Mizuko cut vegetables so that they could cook.

"And we got the tea sets yesterday as well right," Mizuko stated as she stirred the pot of meat and began seasoning it. "We are eating beef today!" She added as she put some salt on the food.

"Mama, I want juice." Hayami groaned as she sat by Mizuko's feet and tugged on her Kimono.

"Kenta! Wait no... Ryuu? Agh, No I meant Tadashi! Get some juice for your sister!" Mizuko yelled out as she put some onions and veggies into the pot.

"Yes, ma'am." Tadashi groaned as he dragged his feet and grabbed a cup and opened the fridge. He had a bit of a hard time carrying the jug of juice.

"Juice!" Hayami squealed as she stood up and ran towards her brother.

"Nanami! Go get the bath ready and undo Hayami and Tadashi's braids! So y'all can take a shower and so I can rebraid their hair before your older siblings get here! Fumiko! Help your sister and undo your hair too!" She called out making sure to say it loudly so that the two older girls could hear hers.

"Okay!" Fumiko called out from the living room and got up to do as she was told.

"M'kay!" Nanami called out from down the hall. Soon enough she came to the kitchen and dragged all of her younger siblings out of the kitchen and to the bathhouse.

"Ooo can we go to the festival today as well? I heard that there's going to be fireworks!" Umi stated as she clasped her hands excitedly. "Of course, by then we will have finished dinner and cake." Mizuko nodded.

"I'm going to go shower, I'll help Nanami and Fumiko. Can you help me try on my Autumn silk Kimono?!" Umi was practically jumping in excitement and Mizuko nodded.

"You won't be able to tie the Obi on the back alone. And you most certainly aren't tying it in the front." Mizuko pointed out.

Umi nodded as she finished chopping the vegetables and hurried to take a shower.

Mizuko sighed in relief as the temple has quieted down. Earlier in the morning, she cleaned up the entire temple and soon enough the older kids would come from the academy.

Due to the 'festival', Mizuko closed down the seal shop. Although she was going to close it anyway due to Naruto's birthday party.

It didn't take long for her to finish cooking. Mizuko made sure to turn the stove off and to place a lid on all of the food before turning on the rice cooker.

She sighed in relief as she went to take a shower. She took her clothes off and hurried into the communal baths.

"Mama, tell Tadashi to let me take out his braids," Nanami grunted as Mizuko walked in.

"I'll do it, just go help Fumiko with her own hair." Mizuko sighed as she took a seat on one of the stools.

"Come here." She says waving her hand toward Tadashi in a 'come here' motion.

Tadashi grinned and hurried to Mizuko. "Ya gonna redo my hair?" He asked and Mizuko nodded as she turned him around and began undoing the braids.

"Yup, it's your Nii-sans birthday today. The Hokage is coming and so is Jiraiya-San. Then we are going to the festival." Mizuko smiled as she gently undid the braids and untangled his curly hair.

"Can I get pigtails again?" Fumiko asked as her hair was half was undone. Half of it looked like a bright red Afro while Nanami undid the rest.

"If that's what you want, we can make two pigtails again. "Hayami is also getting pigtails. Right Yamuna?" Mizuko turns to Umi who has little Hayami on her lap while Umi gently washes her hair.

Hayami's purple eyes gleam as she nods. "Pig." She says firmly and all of them laugh.

"Yamyam's the cutest." Umi smiles as she conditioned Hayami's hair.

Mizuko chuckled as they all showered and hurried out.

It took Mizuko a while to dry and style Fumiko, Tadashi, and Hayami's hair but she managed to finish in a timely manner.

Mizuko found one of her orange patterned Cotton Kimonos with light pale Obi and quickly got dressed. Umi quickly dolled herself up and had Mizuko help her tighten the Obi on her silk kimono.

"Hayami, sit down please." Mizuko sighs as she picks up the energetic toddler. She carefully brushed out the curls and divided her hair up.

"Nii-san! Happy Birthday! " Tadashi yelled as Naruto, Kenta, Ryuu, and Karin arrived from the academy.

Mizuko grinned as she heard them come in.

"Home! They here!" Hayami squealed as she tried to wiggle away from Mizuko to go see the older kids arrive.

"Wait now, I'm almost done." Mizuko sighed as she tried to braid quicker.

"Mama! I go!" Hayami huffed and grumbled under her breath. "Mama." Hayami glared at Mizuko.

"Such a drama queen," Mizuko grumbled as she rolled her eyes. Hayami puffed her cheeks as she continued to try and wiggle away.

Mizuko pursed her lips as she tried to speed up. "Almost done, just give me a moment. Hayami..."

Hayami froze as she looked up at Mizuko, she grinned cheekily and Mizuko huffed as she tied off her pigtail. Hayami quickly slipped down and hurried to get to the door.

Mizuko had placed five scalp braids on each pigtail. Her curly hair looked like two pompoms.

Mizuko stood up and went to greet her oldest at the door. "Well if it isn't the birthday boy." She grinned as she stepped forward and engulfed Naruto in a hug. Tadashi and Hayami squeaked as they were also engulfed in the hug Mizuko gave Naruto.

"10 years old! Look at you, you've grown so much since last year." Mizuko smiles as she placed soft kisses on Naruto's cheeks.

Naruto blushed but smiled. "Mom." He groaned but didn't make any effort to pull away.

"You kids go take a shower and get dressed, Hokage-sama is coming over for dinner and so is Jiraiya. Later we are heading out to the festival." She stated as she pulled away.

"Imma use a Kimono!" Karin grinned as she rushed past Mizuko to shower and get dressed.

It didn't take long for the older kids to hurry past her and for them to get ready.

Tadashi gave Mizuko the hardest time I'm fixing his hair since he was trying to run off with either his older brothers or with Yukio.

But she somehow managed to take his bright red Afro like hair into some manageable braids.

Ryuu and Fumiko were quick to let Mizuko work on their hair since they actually did stay still. Fumiko's hair was braided into a beautiful design and two pigtails rested evenly and nicely on her hair, Ryuu had an undercut but the top part of his hair had scalp braids neatly placed on there with some gold like bands.

"I need help with my Obi!" Karin yelled out as she walked out wearing her cotton kimono, it was a bright red with yellow flowers embroidered into the bottom.

"Naruto, Kenta help your sisters put their Obi's on" Mizuko called out as she was finishing Ryuu's hair.

"Mizuko-sama will we be using the good silverware and plates?" Umi called out from the kitchen.

"Yes! Since the Hokage is going to be here, also make sure to bring the tea set out for when we cut the cake!" Mizuko called out as she tied off the last braid.

"Do you want it in a bun?" Mizuko asked and Ryuu nodded. "Alright, give me a second." She mumbled as she put Ryuu's hair in a bun and turned him around. "It looks good." She smiled as she stood up.

"Mom! Where's my Yukata?" Naruto called out from the bedroom.

"Should be in the second closet, it's in the third drawer and folded!" She called out as she managed to grab Yukio who was running around in his underwear.

"Found it!" Naruto yelled out.

"Let's get you dressed up yuyu." Mizuko grumbled as she carried the small toddler to the bedroom to get him dressed.

"How do I put this on?" Naruto asked her as she walked in. He was holding up a dark blue yukata.

Mizuko smiled at him for a second before she set Yukio down. "I'll show you. But let me dress Yukio, otherwise, he'll catch a cold." Mizuko pointed out as she began to dress the toddler in a small yukata.

Yukio jumped around and wiggled as Mizuko dressed him.

"He doesn't ever stay still." Naruto pointed out and Mizuko chuckled. "Of course not, he's excited as well ya know."

"Yeah, we haven't seen Jiraiya since your birthday. And Jiji is coming as well." Naruto stated as he watched Yukio run out of the room as soon as Mizuko let him go.

"Now, to put your Yukata on, first you need the undergarments. Come here." Mizuko stated as she began to show him how to wear it.

It took a while but soon everyone was dressed and ready.

"Mom! Jiji is here!" Mizuko heard Tadashi Yelp from the living room.

Mizuko has been making sure that the food was still warm and that they had all of the expensive silverware out.

"Hokage-sama. please come in." Umi bowed politely as the hokage came in.

"Jiji!" Naruto yelled excitedly as he engulfed the old man in a hug. Hiruzen was slightly shocked but a smile appeared on his face. "Naruto, my boy. You're finally 10 years old. I hope you don't mind I brought young Konohamaru." The aged Hokage grinned.

Konohamaru smiled widely as he gave Naruto a hug. "Naruto-nii, happy birthday." He squeaked and Naruto smiled.

"Thanks, Konohamaru." Naruto replied and ruffled Konohamaru's hair.

"Tch, It's the brat." Kenta grinned as he teasingly spoke to Konohamaru.

"Ne, Kenta-chan you okay? You're looking a little pale." Konohamaru teased right back and Kenta snorted. "I'm albino! Of course I'm pale!" Kenta huffed as he crossed his arms.

"Hokage-sama, I'm glad you were able to make it." Mizuko smiled as she walked into the room.

The kids were all playing with Konohamaru for a while and when Jiraiya arrived they made sure to pester him.

_____

One year ago, Naruto had spent most of his birthday with the old Hokage. Since the Hokage had to give a speech he was usually to busy to walk around with Naruto for the festival. So in a way his birthday and most of the birthdays before it, he had spent alone.

For the first time, Naruto was actually celebrating his birthday. His siblings wished him a happy birthday, the Hokage and his grandson came to visit him, even Jiraiya showed up and gave him a gift.

After the cake they all bundled up and went to the festival, Konohamaru even went with them because the Hokage would be busy making sure everything was running smoothly.

Unlike the other times he had gone to the festival, he genuinely had fun. Sure people still stared at him. But they were no longer rude or stared at him for too long.

Maybe it was because he was so distracted. Most of his siblings were loud, they all demanded some attention and were always making themselves known. He was tugged around by his youngest siblings to the different games and the older ones competed with him to see who could get the best prizes.

Hayami and Yukio were walking around with large stuffed animals. Mizuko had also given all of them some money to spend on the different stalls. He was just having so much fun that even if they had been rude, he hadn't noticed.

They had watched the fireworks in the park. All of the kids watched them in awe, since it was their first time seeing fireworks.

By the end of the night, Naruto was carrying Tadashi on his back. They had met back up with Mizuko who was carrying a sleeping Kaida in a sling on her back and little Yukio in her arms. Umi had been carrying Hayami. Everyone else was awake but tired from running up and down Mainstreet.

Naruto's birthday had been the last birthday that they would be celebrating since he had the last one. But everyone had agreed that Naruto's birthday had been the best.

Soon enough they were going back to the academy. Mizuko spent most of her days writing seals or in the paper shop making more high-quality paper. Umi would be at work in the fruit stand in the mornings and in the afternoons she helped Mizuko cook, clean, and watch over the kids.

Since Mizuko had some time off she made sure to continue her own studies. She had recently started to study a more religious branch of the Uzumaki scrolls. She was fascinated by how she could form different kinds of seals with the help of the masks and the Shinigami.

Although it had been in bad condition, the temple had a lot of things stored in it and Mizuko was able to find and organize most of it. That and some of the scrolls had traditional ceremonial attires and many heirlooms that would be useful for making seals.

In one of the scrolls, she had found an ink brush that would always have ink. There had also been many personalized techniques to make paper or other Uzumaki wares. Most of the Uzumaki clothes that she had found were bright and imbedded with beaded seals, the amount of silk Kimono's she had found nearly made poor Umi pass out.

'Some of these fabrics and prints are expensive, only nobles and people like the Daimyo can afford these kinds of things!' Umi had exclaimed at the sight of them.

Mizuko hadn't said anything because apparently it had belonged to the main branch family and they were technically royalty since they had been the Damiyo's of the land of whirlpools.

Everyone had been eager to help sort through the thousands of scrolls that had been sealed away on Mizuko's body.

As November came around the weather got colder. Mizuko had made enough paper that she probably wouldn't need to make more until spring came around.

That was until she was called into the Hokage's office.

________

Mizuko was nervous as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her Kimono. "I'll be back soon. You kids behave." Mizuko told everyone as she hurried to slip on her geta shoes.

"Umi-chan's in charge so make sure you listen to her." Mizuko stated and everyone chorused a yes as their mother left.

Everyone was inside due to the weather outside. All of the leaves had fallen off the seasonal trees, the only trees that had some green left were the evergreen trees and the Hashirama trees.

Mizuko shivered as she stepped out into the bitter cold. Her haori kept her warm and she wore thick tabi socks to keep her feet warm. The village was still slightly rowdy although most of the children were playing inside.

Mizuko hurried through the streets to get to the Hokage tower. She knew that the Hokage just wanted to talk with her and that she wasn't in trouble, but she couldn't help but be nervous. Even with the amount of time she did spend around him, he was an important figurehead in the village.

"I have an appointment with the Hokage. My name is Mizuko Uzumaki Senju." Mizuko informed the secretary. The woman just lifted a brow and nodded. "He is waiting. You can go in." The woman says and Mizuko meekly nods.

She checks herself over one last time before knocking on the door. "Come in."

Mizuko took in a deep breath and walked in. "Hokage-sama you wished to speak with me?" Mizuko calls out and the Hokage smiles politely. "Please come in, sit down. I just needed to speak with you." The old man was sitting in the sitting area near his desk.

Quietly Mizuko walked in and closed the door behind her. She took a seat in front of the Hokage.

"Now, how have you been?" He asks as he tried to lighten the atmosphere. Mizuko smiled as she relaxed a bit. "It's a bit colder here than it was back in Kusa. But the kids love it. Some of the other housewives and merchants have been saying that it might snow soon. It's been years since I last saw snowfall." Mizuko pointed out as the Hokage nodded and served her some tea.

Mizuko's eyes slightly widen, she would be drinking the tea served from the Hokage himself!

"Tea?" The old man asked and Mizuko nodded. She carefully took the teacup and sipped some.

"We get some snowfall. Not as much as the Iron country but a good bit of it." He points out as he sips on some tea as well.

"I'm assuming you are satisfied with your current stay in the village?" He asked and she nodded.

"A lot better than Kusa. It's nice having a freewill. Making my own money, living in my own home. It's- a lot better." Her voice slightly trails off as she remembered how different their life in Kusa had been.

"Well in a few days your parole will be over. You have to build up a reputation for the Uzumaki-Senju clan. Amongst the Shinobi you are a very respected young lady, and although civilians tend to have more prude and sexist views you are respected in their communities as well." The Hokage trailed off and Mizuko pursed her lips.

She had noticed, civilians were never good at hiding their animosity. Shinobi, of course, had been watching her closely, it was not every day a nearly extinct clan made a comeback. But when the seal shop had opened, it changed everything.

To most ninja, it was like walking into a candy shop. Seals to make your clothes durable, seals to enhance your weapons or seals to incorporate into your fighting style, even seals to strengthen your armor. These seals were saving lives and they were coinvent.

By now Mizuko could say that she had met plenty of shinobi, most of them were always asking if she had something in the works or suggestions on what she could think of trying. At some point, there were favorites and recommendations lists going around in the shinobi corps.

"I guess, although nobody is rude so upfront anymore. Or they keep their mouths shut when they want to be disrespectful. But I like it here in Konoha." Mizuko points out and Hiruzen nods.

"If you recall we spoke about adding you to the Clan head council. I think we should go ahead and bring you in, but there is a slight issue. The village charter says that you have to hold some military position to be allowed into the meetings." he stated and Mizuko's eyes widen.

"Will Naruto still be able to take the seat when he's older?" She asks and the hokage nods.

"Of course he will. But that does bring on the next subject. Mizuko, Fuinjutsu is considered a shinobi art. With your skill set, you might not be able to fight but you are able to hold a defensive position. Mizuko, would you accept the tittle as Genin?" He asked and Mizuko stiffened.

"I can't be a ninja, I'm not strong and I don't know how to fight. Sure I can make explosives but I would never be able to hold off even a newly graduated genin." Mizuko points out and the Hokage chuckles.

"But you're skill with a pen and brush are exemplar, with enough time to prepare you could most definitely take down a few enemies. But that is not why I want you to be a genin. You would be much like our shinobi who work in intelligence, they aren't fighters but they do work in intel, technology, security and handle sensitive information." He stated and Mizuko mulled over it in her head.

"I would not be required to fight, or take missions?" She asks and he nods. "We can loosen the terms, You are an Uzumaki and you were not taught in our academy. Nor were you taught in the land of fire. Uzumaki born and the one that taught you was a Uzushio Jonin. So you don't have to swear an oath to Konoha. Just a genin in name, Uzushio genin to be precise." Hiruzen added and Mizuko nodded.

"This is for legal terms right?" Mizuko asked as she closed her eyes for a second. Konoha might be an independent city-state, but legal wise... Konoha citizens were duel citizens. They had to be land of Fire citizens first and foremost. Also, Naruto was technically noble because he was a descendent of the Daimyo of Uzushio.

That meant that Naruto was to inherit an entire island! Did anyone own it now? Were Uzushio's lands bare?

Uzushio was nestled off the coast of the land of Fire and the Land of water and lightning nearby. If Naruto ever became a full Konoha Shinobi, who served the land of Fire, then that would make the Island of Uzushio part of the land of Fire.

But if Mizuko claimed that she was a Uzushio Genin, then she could technically make Naruto a Uzushio genin as well. Naruto would receive his title as Daimyo and 'transfer' himself under Konoha's administration.

Which kept the sovereignty of Uzushio, while letting Naruto be a shinobi. But Naruto doesn't need a whole island.

So why was Hiruzen suggesting this, Mizuko thought to herself.

"So you want me to be an Uzushiogakure shinobi. but wh-" She cut herself off as she thought about it.

If the other villages and countries saw the land of Fire claim some unowned land they would think that they were expanding. The act could be seen as aggressive. Especially since that could be a strategical point to reach the land of lightning and the land of water.

Mizuko pursed her lips as she looked down at her tea and then took a sip.

"Naruto will inherit a title. A very large and powerful title, when he grows up. If he is a Konoha shinobi, then he will swear loyalty to the fire daimyo. Which would mean that he is basically forfeiting all of the lands he owns outside of fire country to the Fire Daimyo. I don't know much about politics or the fire daimyo and his court. I am going to assume they will want to occupy the new territories and claim it. The other countries would see this as an aggressive expansion?" She asks in a soft calm voice.

The old Hokage leans back and nods. "The second war started because of the sands aggressive expansions. They will see us and will militarize. But if Naruto never swears an Oath to the Fire Daimyo then he does not release his claim to the lands and Fire country does not expand. And no war is started." The Hokage nods as he places his pipe in his mouth and puffs dark clouds of smoke in the air.

"He was hidden because if the Daimyo's court found out he was Kushina's son then they would try to send assassins to change the line of succession and take the empty lands . Iwa, Kumo or Kiri could also try to act on previous grudges. As for his father's side, I don't even want to think of the amount of murder attempts we would have had to deal with." The Hokage added and Mizuko nodded.

"I see, then it's more like a political loophole. What about the kids though?" She asks and Hiruzen nods.

"There needs to be an Uzumaki Damiyo to serve, but Konoha has the ability and permission to make Uzumaki shinobi. It was mostly for Cross-training before they were destroyed." Hiruzen added and Mizuko nodded.

"Was Kushina-sama a Konoha shinobi?" She asked and Hiruzen shook his head. "She wore only the Uzumaki swirl on her forehead, but back then it was almost as if Uzushio and Konoha were one village. But they were just split in two. Mito made sure that both villages were close throughout their founding and till only three or so decades ago." He added.

"Then maybe it is advisable, I'll claim the rank as Uzushiogakure genin. Naruto will then follow suit. I'm not really good at this political stuff and hopefully, I'll get better." she says with a firm nod.

"Good, we will get the paperwork for that started. With that, you will start coming into the clan heads meeting and council meetings. On November 21 we have a scheduled meeting, I'll give you a time later. This will also help out in dealing with other countries." Hiruzen stated as he took a sip of his tea.

"Other countries?" She asks and he nods. "You mentioned Nanami's father and some of the other more upstanding clan names. If they were to claim that we kidnapped a clan child we will be looked as unfavorable. This, of course, would affect the Daimyo's court and the other villages. But if they aren't Konoha Shinobi and they serve their own Damiyo, then Kusa would have no can't say we kidnapped them or you." He pointed out and Mizuko nodded as it made a bit of sense.

They would be affiliated with Konoha and the kids would be able to have their shinobi's careers. But at the same time, they won't ever have to swear their allegiance to the Daimyo and his court, but they will be able to learn, train, and be taught in Konoha. This would also make them independent. Nobody could own them, so Kusa would not be able to demand for them to be returned. At least without disturbing the five great nations. At which point that could mean that Kusa could cause a war, they would be trampled and would suffer heavy losses even as bystanders of war between the larger nations.

Kusa could lose the support of their Daimyo if they did that, so overall they would be unable to get Mizuko or the kids.

"I see, so being separate from Konoha. For our safety and to avoid Uzushiogakure from being absorbed by the fire country?" She asked and the Hokage nodded.

"You have the makings of a shinobi. You quickly understood what I was trying to tell you. And you have a knack for politics." He says and Mizuko couldn't help but furrow her brows.

"How so?" She asks and he chuckles lowly. "You deduce the plan I had come up with, I only told you the bare minimum of my idea. Nothing much if I am being pretty honest, but you made your mind up about the subject before I even finished explained it to you." He tells her.

"Shinobi need that, they need to think fast, find the best solution and act on it." he clarifies and she nods.

She couldn't even process it all. Technically she should be happy, They were vetted and no longer consider a high-level threat, assimilated into the community with no alternative motives.

It was frustrating, there was always something that needed to be fixed. Like how it was recommendable that she take a shinobi status, all because Naruto was from the main branch of the family by law he would inherit his family's property and the titles that came with them.

But then again, under Naruto's protection, they were safe from retaliation from Kusa. Even if he hadn't finished his schooling, or that he was a short ten year old, his background and inherits from blood and status were large. In the great scheme of things, his lineage was one that would catch the attention of any Damiyo's court.

If she really considered it, even her lineage was a bit big. She was also closely related to the main branch and her mother had been eligible for the second branch family.

Not only her mother but even through her fathers side, Daiki had been a nuke nin, he had deserted his village while it was still in war. She slightly shook her head as she tried not to think about it.

"I'll do it, this would not only help Naruto, but it will protect everyone and it will be beneficial to the village. That way Kusa doesn't have any claim to the children, Konoha will stay out of conflict because the Damiyo will not have Naruto under its employment. So it won't have any claims towards Uzushio. But this would mean that we will have a complete monopoly over the seals. Konoha will not be able to treat our Uzumaki seals as their property." Mizuko stated, she gently sipped the tea as she thought they could benefit.

Just because they had a favorable agreement with Konoha for protection, didn't mean that future offices wouldn't try to undermine the clan.

Hiruzen smiled and gave a short nod. "Of course, Seals have been the business of the Uzumaki for centuries. It would be best to leave that the same." He stated as he took a sip of his tea.

This is what she had wanted, a conformation that the Village wouldn't force for them to submit. They would get to stand up as an independent clan like all of the other clans here in Konoha. They would be allowed to keep their hidden secrets secret.

The village would not be able to force them to make any seals that they don't approve of, and other clans couldn't pressure them to give them anything since they were independent.

They spoke for a while longer about the seals that the village wanted to commission the most. He also passed on suggestions that the ninja had made when testing the seals in battles and if there was anything that could make the seals better.

Soon enough Mizuko thanked the Hokage for the tea and excused herself. They spoke for a good 2-3 hours going over the fine details.

Mizuko left the warm Hokage tower and walked briskly through the streets of Konoha back to the temple on the outskirts of the village.

She was relieved that they would be allowed to stay in the village and going to be offered protection. But at the same time, she felt a blanket of worry over her shoulders, poor Naruto, He was already stressing about studying to be a clan head. The last thing he needed was to know was that he would inherit the remains of Uzushio and whatever problems followed it.

She just hoped that either the daimyo didn't care about expanding to Uzushio through Naruto, or that he didn't know that Naruto even existed.

Although she would prefer that he would not care about expanding, if he simply didn't know about Naruto then he might take interest in exploiting him sometime in the future and she wanted him never to be exploited in a daimyo's court.

She let out a sigh as she tried not to think much about it, she tried to focus on the things around her. Like the soft hum of the Market, or the sound of her geta shoes every time she stepped on gravel or dirt roads.

Before she knew it she was at the bottom of the large staircase that led up to the Uzumaki Temple at the top of the hill.

She let out a soft sigh as she tried to push her worries aside. There was no point in stressing about it since there was nothing she could really do.

With that, she climbed up the long staircase trying to think about what she had in the fridge so that she could make lunch for her rowdy kids.

____________

Here it is! Three days late but here!

What do you think? I added something called politics and mutual understandings. Imagine if Danzo was there. He would fuck everything up. Thank god he is dead. And now the story will go Superfast. Genin days will be up soon (Or at some point lol)

Adrianna lo siento que me tarde tanto, este capitulo te lo dedico a ti!!!

Rosyhatake/Rosymalik