Favored by fate

Chapter 7

After Orochimaru had informed Minato that his family line had been mostly females and not males as he had thought it was, he began to look back at what little he could remember of his old life.

He vaguely remembered his mother and father as he had blocked out the horrible images of his parents death when he was five. He remembered his mother telling him nothing about her family or that of his father's. He had assumed since his father had many brothers, the male line of their family was the strong one.

Looking at the papers Orochimaru had given him, he read every little information he could and had come to realize that it was technically his mother who was a Namikaze and not his father. Minato tried his best to recall the memories he had never wished to remember in order to find answers to questions that had piled up on him.

He was lost in thoughts that he didn't hear Kushina enter his study and locking the door behind her.

"Minato… We have to talk." She began and he looked up at her and then sighed deeply.

She took a seat in front of him and tried her best to find the words to begin the conversation that they both secretly dreaded.

"H-how this all this happen? How could we have not seen Naruto's progress? Surely the Academy would have given a report right? And why didn't Nuriko tell us that Naruto had not been attending school? If she did, we probably could have found out about all this before it got this big." Kushina told Minato who leaned back on his chair.

"I do not know what you want me to say, Kushina. I already am wondering how much my own staff has kept hidden from me. My previous secretary, Hoshiyo Chigusa, had surely been slipping important documents on top. But then again, I can't really blame her. I should have read them before approving anything. It seemed that many of them conspired to hide the fact that Naruto was a genius and for some reason, I think I can understand why Nuriko would not have told us anything." Minato told Kushina who looked confused.

"Think about it. If we had found out, all the attention we had been showering Nuriko would have been divided if not transferred to Naruto. His achievements alone are amazing and he achieved so much before his ten birthday! We cannot blame Nuriko but ourselves. We have been horrible parents. Yes, the prophecy had been important but we had allowed it to control our lives this whole time! All the training we gave Nuriko, I hate to admit it but it doesn't seem like it paid off at all. I took a look at her grades and she is the dead last of her genin class. She barely passed according to Iruka and the other teachers." Minato said in total irritation on himself.

"I had decided that it was Nuriko since I remembered that my father had many brothers on his side. I honestly do not even remember anyone from my mother's side growing up. They had died when I was five years old and brought to Konoha by Jiraiya when he had found me all those years ago. Our village had been raided by missing nins and my parents were killed in front of me. I had been trying every single day when I arrived here to never remember what had happened. Up until now, I admit, I thought that I had always been right when it came to my family history. I had forgotten about most of my past and because of that… because of that, I may have just condemned us all to die when the time comes." He said, his voice breaking as he watched his hands shaking in front of his own eyes.

Both had been silent after Minato had told Kushina his past and she had tears running down her eyes. Minato's past was as horrible as her own. Her country had been attacked and little had been left of Whirlpool when she had ran with the other survivors. After coming to Konoha, she had vowed to forget the deaths of her family and the destruction of her country. It had just been so horrible that it took her more than four years to forget about the memories and nightmares.

The long silence seemed to stretch for so long. Neither Minato or Kushina had the nerve break the growing silence but they also knew that one of them had to speak once more.

"And what of Nuriko now? Minato, our daughter had always been our priority and from how she treated the news, I do not even want to imagine how she would be when Naruto returns from the hospital. I had given her so much, I know that and you know that. We have trained, taught, and provided her with everything we possibly could but it seems like none of it brought forth any result… not even the slightest if she is the last of her batch." Kushina's voice expressed worry and fear for her children and the future of their family.

Minato still had not spoken at all but Kushina gave him time to think. It was shocking to know how different their son was from their daughter and how far he had already gotten in life without them knowing until now. The mere fact that Naruto had managed to secure his rank and kept it hidden from them, Kushina wondered just what else Naruto could do.

"I understand your concerns Kushina; I really do… which leads me to question many things right now. One of them would be able Naruto's other abilities and skills. I know what is written but it can't be just that. Another would be who else has been helping Naruto hide all this. And Nuriko… I question if she really is ready for the life of a shinobi. We have not disciplined her well enough if her outbursts and tantrums have anything to say about it. The maturity I see in Naruto… I cannot see it in Nuriko, Kushina. Not even a sliver of it…" Minato sighed in defeat and Kushina knew from the tone of his voice that the conversation was over for the time being.

She sighed as well as she stood up and left the office, feeling more burden than before. She had come to her husband to seek answers but she had left with even more questions than before.

Thinking back on what Minato had spoken about their daughter, Kushina had to agree even if it pained her to do so. Nuriko was her child and they had given her everything they could give but it seemed that they had not given her everything. They had failed to discipline Nuriko and teach her manners and respect. And now, it was showing how little they really have taught her about the more important lessons in life.

Kushina couldn't help but ask herself as well, was Nuriko really ready for the life of a shinobi?