Nine-Tails' Rising

Making it Up

"Ow-ow-ow!" Cries of pain filled a room in the house of the Hokage. Every time the rag briefly pressed against Nartuo's cheek caused him an immeasurable amount of anguish.

"Hold on..." Stopping for just a moment, Kushina reached for a bottle of alcohol and slowly poured it on the rag. "So tell me again... How do you accidently ricochet several shuriken off each other back to yourself?"

That was something Naruto could not even fathom to answer. He didn't want to admit it but he felt lucky that he got away with little injury after he achieved what would probably consider a travesty.

"It wasn't on purpose..." Naruto grumbled.

His mother kneeled back down in front of him, a coy smile spreading across her face. "I did say accidently."

"I was just trying to hit the target; how can they bounce off each other back at me!?" Naruto loudly complained.

"Hold that thought."

Without warning, Kushina dabbed the alcohol drenched rag against Naruto's face, the sending the hysteric child spiraling around his bedroom.

"Why does that hurt so much?!" he cried.

"'Cause I'm not a medical ninja. Now stop hopping around so I can put the bandage on already."

Doing as he was told; Naruto cautiously approached his mother. She giggled slightly at the sight of his hands pressed tightly over his wound.

"You know, I can't do it while you're like that," she pointed out.

"...You're done using that rag, right?"

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Okay..."

Naruto slowly removed his hands away from his right cheek.

"Mm... Maybe a little more!" Kushina shouted, raising the rag up for Naruto to see.

"I knew it!" Naruto screamed, quickly covering his wound once more.

His mother burst into laughter, filling Naruto with embarrassment.

"That wasn't funny..." he muttered.

"It was hilarious," Kushina chuckled. "But seriously, let's get this bandage on before something happens."

Naruto violently shook his head.

"Come on, I promise no tricks this time."

Naruto shook his head once again..

"If you don't, I'll start giving you extra vegetables at dinner."

Naruto didn't respond that time. After a minute of silence, his hands slowly dropped back to his side.

Hm? Something peculiar, but familiar caught Kushina's eyes. Naruto's wound was already closing. In a few short moments, it will be as if it was never there..

"Mom?"

Snapped out of her trance, Kushina was met with a confused stare from her son.

"R-Right. Here you go."

She quickly placed the bandage over Naruto's healing wound and softly patted it in place.

"Should be fine soon," she said. "Now, time to get into bed."

Naruto gently rubbed his cheek as he slipped into his bed.

"Hey, Mom..."

"Yeah?"

"Do we have any cool clan stuff?"

Kushina eyes lit up with curiosity. "'Cool clan stuff?'"

Naruto jumped up and cupped his hands around his mouth.