Naruto : Saga of Tanya the Kunoichi

Boruto saw Naruto training with Kouga, giving more attention to him than usual in class.

"Yosh. That's it Kouga. You are giving me pressure already." Naruto was genuinely saying it. Kouga's beastly eyes look left and right, as if he could see through Naruto's actions.

Kouga's classmates look in awe at Kouga's movements.

Already Chunin… no, even higher… 

Naruto kept moving and counterattacking, but Kouga was unfazed even if he was hit. His body regeneration made him as tanky as Naruto with Kurama. Each of his strikes could be fatal if delivered to his classmates, but it's Naruto so he could still react.

Naruto found a chance and blocked his fist, slapped his arm away and delivered a palm to his chest sending him rolling on the dirt tens of meters.

"Ah. Kouga! You okay?"

Kouga coughed some grass from his mouth. His hair disheveled. But compared to Tsuyu's training it was easier.

"I am fine sensei."

"Whew… you are really tough…" Naruto felt a little complicated. He looked at the bruise where he was supposed to have before. Already healed completely like a non human. Kurama had said Tsuyu had turned into a being close to Kaguya after she was out of the seal. So Kouga too, had half of her blood.

Naruto felt worried that Kouga was… too powerful for his age and people around him would influence him.

But seeing him hurt Boruto without a care made him feel scared that he could turn out like her. He loved his sister as his family, he really did. But certain parts… He never had the heart to say he could accept it.

It was painful for him too. 

"Kouga, meet me after class okay? For your 1st place in the exam I had a present for you-ttebayo!" Naruto grinned.

"Present? Yes sensei!" Kouga nodded, feeling a little happy.

Boruto huffed. He really disliked this. He didn't know why his dad seemed to pay attention to Kouga more than anyone.

He didn't want to care anymore. He turned his face away from his dad, continuing his own practice.

***

Naruto ended up bringing Kouga, Mika and Boruto to Ichiraku ramen together. He really wanted the two to make up as well.

"Mom and dad brought here a few times before too." Kouga said to Naruto, slurping the ramen.

"Haha. Yeah Ichiraku is the best ramen in Konoha after all-ttebayo!"

"Hey Mika, so… all good so far?" Naruto tried to interact with her in class at times but she really preferred quietness.

"It's fine, sensei." Mika said calmly and shortly.

"Um…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. He had no idea how Mika was truly.

"Do you train with Tsuyu too?"

Mika nodded, not adding details.

Naruto sighed. Mika seemed cold and distant in class, though it seemed she was dragged by a few girls like Sumire and Chocho. He wondered if she was like this with Tsuyu and Kiba too. 

"Uncle, Mika is just like this. But she's happy in her own way. Ah she liked romance manga! When she read she had more expressions." Kouga said to Naruto to explain to him.

"It's… interesting…" Mika for once showed a hint of emotion of embarrassment, a little blush on her cheeks that her secrets were revealed.

Naruto widened his eyes, then chuckled lightly.

"You two were really different from most people. Well, for Mika, it's understandable. Were there any things on the Moon? I went there and there's just rocks… Earth is more interesting isn't it?"

"Mm. There wasn't anything there." From her experience of being trapped for a thousand years she was qualified to say there was nothing.

Boruto was just confused. "Dad. What Moon…"

"Ah? Well… Mika was from the Moon. Your aunt found her and adopted her."

"Really? Dad, you can't be serious-ttebasa."

"Hey, I am serious! There really are people on the Moon! Now there's a guy named Toneri still there. I swear-ttebayo!"

Boruto crossed his arms. It sounded too fantastical to even be real. But looking at Mika, she did seem very alien.

"So you aren't human?"

"...You can say that." Mika admitted without much thought.

"Boruto, don't say that. Mika is just like us, like everyone alright."

"Was Tsuyu hard on you too?"

"Mm." Mika nodded. A hint of worry flashed in Naruto's eyes seeing her admittance. Mika was silent and looked dainty compared to Kouga. He wondered if she held up with her methods.

"If you can't do it, just tell your mom alright? She would understand. Or you can tell me."

Mika just nodded. 

"Uncle, you really shouldn't worry about her at all. She can fight mom toe to toe!"

"Huh? Are you serious?" Even Boruto looked at Kouga and Mika in questioning.

Mika looked at Kouga, her expression calm, but Kouga understood Mika definitely disliked Kouga revealing such things through her eyes that's slightly in displeasure.

"Uh… n-no! I mean she's more… umm…" Kouga fumbled. His blabbering habit finally bit himself.

Naruto sighed. "Look. I hope you two can stop hiding from me. I am your sensei, and your uncle too. It's my responsibility to guide you two alright? I understand if you want to fit in with your classmates but you two can trust me, got it?"

"Uh. Okay sensei." Kouga nodded. Mika also nodded to end the conversation fast.

Boruto just didn't say a word. He just didn't understand why his dad bothered with them. As if they don't have any parents themselves.

The harsh truth was he just didn't want a 'bad' influence on them, keeping an eye on them. Orochimaru being their teacher was already an extremely red flag in his dictionary. As for Tsuyu's influence… it would be hard to admit it verbally, but… 

He would never be able to outright say it to Tsuyu or her children that he couldn't feel easy even when Tsuyu was their own mom. It made him feel really bad, like he was such a shitty person to even think so badly like that. But he couldn't help it. A part of her was… too extreme.

The two families finally parted ways. Boruto clearly sulked more now.

"Dad… why do you care so much about them… is aunty that bad."

"Look… she… she wasn't bad… it's just…"

"I heard she said it then, that she taught Kouga to… kill." Boruto himself felt a little uncomfortable saying it.

"But… Kouga looked fine… he can act weird all the time and his mom doesn't care. I mean… I thought Kouga's training was harsh but he seemed happy with himself and with his mom."

"Sigh… Your aunt… she's… a complicated person. She is merciless to her enemies… she would do anything for Konoha, for our peace, no matter the cost… and be merciless to anyone that stood in her way really… even if…" A flash of memory of Jiraiya flashed in his mind. 

His own sensei. One thing he could never forget, maybe in his entire lifetime. He always wondered, why can't Tsuyu forgive him, can't she at least let him live for awhile, have him atone for his crime properly, put him in jail first, or anything that showed she at least cared for Jiraiya that had taught her like he had taught Naruto. Or… at least spared him for Naruto's own feelings. 

He begged her, stood in between them, but Tsuyu never cared. She just… killed him on the spot in cold blood. The feeling of Ero-sennin's blood on his hands and his knees back then still lingered on his body. Like a ghost reminding him of how he was afraid of what she could do.

"She… cared about me a lot… I cared about her too… but… we both hurt each other… even if we never meant it…"

"It's messed up… it's just… I can't say she's bad… I just…"

Boruto looked at his dad in confusion. As if behind their relationship there was unspoken pain, something so messed up he couldn't explain.

"I am afraid… her children become like her… I know it's really shitty of me to say this. God I really don't know…" Naruto already stopped his steps, his hands covering face. His body was almost shaky.

Boruto felt for the first time, his dad kept something inside of him. 

"Dad…" Boruto went close to hold his arm.

"Ha… what am I saying… please forget it. Your aunt wasn't a bad person. I swear… she cared for me, for her friends… but I… God… what did I do to her… I am such a shitty person…"

Naruto looked at Boruto, his expression was closer to fear and confusion. He really didn't know how to explain it.

"Dad…Calm down…" Boruto tried to shake him out of whatever was going on with him. He felt worried for him, for once he saw his dad like this. There was a lot he didn't know.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, trying to bury it all back. 

"Ha… just forget it… let's go home." Naruto calmed down and tried to smile slightly at Boruto.

As they walked, Naruto's expression had so many emotions and heaviness in them. As if the pain of the pass returned to haunt him. 

After they returned home, Naruto sneakily went out to meet Tsunade at her usual place where she gambled to pass the time.

"Hm? Naruto. What's the matter? Want to play a game with me?" Tsunade looked as young as usual with her transformation technique. But her voice and the way she carried herself showed how age withered her.

"Tsunade grandma… I… I can't…"

"... It's… happening again?"

"..." 

"Sigh… Tell me, why now? You have been fine for years. You should know what made them return right?"

"... It's… our children… I just… Kouga… hurt Boruto once… and he… Orochimaru is his sensei…"

Tsunade's eyes widened, his expression almost frowning, but she remained silent. 

"Continue."

"Tsuyu… didn't care… she defended him instead. Kouga didn't care either… I just…"

"You are worried he turned out like her…" Tsunade made her conclusion and placed her cards down.

"You remembered them again?"

"... Mm."

"How long, since when?"

"About a week…"

"Nightmares…?"

"... once, a few days ago…."

"...Sigh. Just continue the prescription I gave you before. And my advice was to… stay away from them. What's between you and Tsuyu is over. Don't let it affect you now. Her children, that was for her to worry about. You need to stop caring about them, and make a clear cut in your life. Or you need to accept what she stood for, like many of us in Konoha did. I already gave you the other option, and if you want to give it a try, we can try the treatment to make you… understand her. Only then can you move forward completely."

A new treatment of using minute genjutsu over multiple treatment sessions to shift thought patterns slowly, inserting suggestions to make one move on faster. 

It was similar to how many eventually move on from the loss of their loved ones. The genjutsu gave suggestions to shift the thought process to arrive at the acceptance stage, shifting only to a positive attitude and thought pattern. 

But in a way it can also be used for brainwashing almost on par with Kotoamatsukami if used wrongly. You could make someone accept even the most unacceptable thing. It was a highly classified technique due to the potential of abuse.

"Tsunade grandma… please… My situation is different… You know that… what's the difference between treating me and brainwashing me…"

"Sigh. Okay… I understand. But my advice on you staying away from them remained. You need to cut them off from your heart, you should stop caring and accept it has nothing to do with you anymore. Can you do it?"

"I… I can't do that Tsunade grandma. Those two were my niece and nephew. I can't just watch…"

"Naruto. This isn't right for you. Look, I understand your concern. Orochimaru teaching them was a danger even in my eyes too. But that was for Tsuyu to worry about. You know much she cared for you. And you should know how capable she was of caring for her own children."

Naruto can only remain silent. He understood that. But his heart couldn't help but care.

"Sigh." Tsunade took a paper she used to count the money and just wrote a quick prescription quickly and handed it over.

"Go on… just don't think too much, Naruto."

"Thank you, Tsunade grandma. I will take my leave."

As Naruto left. Tsunade sighed again. She wrote a letter and just sent it away to Tsuyu. Tsuyu needed to know so she could do what Naruto couldn't. It would be for the best.

***