The Mother He Never Had

38

Naruto's POV

I woke up late in the middle of the night, having to go to the bathroom. Once I did my business, I went back to my room, but stopped when I noticed Mom's bedroom was empty. "Mom?" I called. I went into the living room and looked at the back door as it was wide open. 

Did she go outisde? I walked into the backyard and spotted Mom lying down in the grass. She was dressed in a white nightgown as she was wide awake and staring at the star-filled sky. "Mom?" I called, walking over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Naruto..." She sat up and looked at me. What are you doing up at this hour?" She asked as she sat up. "I could ask you the same thing." I said, then sat down beside her.

"I couldn't sleep. When I was a little girl, I used to sit in the backyard and look at the stars when I wasn't able to fall asleep. My father sat next to me until I fell asleep. " Mom explained. 

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"No. No bad dream."

"Then, what's the matter?"

"I... It's not important."

I looked at her in worry as she stared up at the sky. Mom was definitely hiding something from me. She's not looking at me in the eye when she speaks. "Mom, you know I love you, right?" I said. "Of course I know that." She answered, still staring at the sky. 

"And you know I'm always gonna be here for you, right?" I said. "Right." She answered. "So, tell me what's the matter." I insisted. "Since when did you play the part of the parent?" Mom asked. 

"Since my Mom started worrying me." I replied. Mom looked at me, her face a bit emotionless. "Oh, Naruto. I don't mean to worry you." She apologized, her face changing to sadness and regret. "Then, please talk to me." I said as I grabbed her hands.

Mom's eyes began to water, so she lowered her head, making her hair cover her eyes. "I'm sorry... but I can't. It's complicated. It's... I don't know how to explain it." She said. Her shoulders started to tremble as she held back her tears.

I looked at her in guilt, before hugging her close to my chest.  "It's okay, Mom. I understand if you don't want to tell me right. I'll just wait until you're ready to tell me." I said. Mom's eyes softened and she hugged me back.

"Thank you... Naruto." She whispered. I smiled and continued to hold her. 

Afterwards, we lied down on the grass together, staring at the stars. "I'm sorry for making you stay out here with me. I'm to blame." Mom apologized. "It's no trouble at all. You're my mother, so I'm happy to help." I said, smiling at her. 

She turned her head to look at me and smiled back a soft smile. "I'm really glad you're my son." Mom said. "And I'm glad you're my mom." I said back, making the two of us chuckled 

Eventually, Mom fell asleep, so I picked her up and carried her to room. Once I got her into bed, I kissed her forehead and went back to my room. I wonder what was on her mind that made her stay up this late?

Well, like I told her, she'll tell me when she's ready.

(Time skip) Haru's POV

"Another mission already?!" Naruto whined. "Apparently so." I said as I put on my Anbu gear. "But you were just given a mission not three days ago!" Naruto said. "I'm sorry, Naruto. But orders are orders." I reminded him. 

"And let me guess: Kakashi's going with you?" Naruto asked. "No, this is a solo mission. And besides, he's supposed to be training you, now that he's feeling better." I mentioned. 

"Oh, yeah? I still can't believe you two are going out," Naruto shuddered. "My mother and my sensei... That just doesn't add up."

"Speaking of relationships, how are you and Hinata?" I asked, smirking, as I rested a hand on my hip. Naruto's face turned red. "W-What do you mean? What about me and Hinata?" He asked as looking off the side as scratched the back of his head. 

"You can't hide secrets from me, Naruto. I'm your mother, after all," I said. "So, have you two kissed yet?"

"Mom!" Naruto yelled out of embarrassment. "Why do you have to get into my love life?! We're talking about you here!"

"It's my job to get into your love life," I joked. "Anyway, back to Kakashi and your training. Now that he's feeling better, he'll be helping you train with Captain Yamato's help." I explained. "That guy's creepy." Naruto said, bluntly.

"I heard. He tried to intimidate me with fear as well."

"So, what'd you do?"

"I punched him."

"You did?"

"It wasn't intentional. He just startled me."

"Oh. Anyway, how long are you gonna be gone on this Anbu mission of yours?" 

"Not sure. I should be back within two days at the least. Which means, I need to get going now."

"Wait! At least tell me what kind of mission it is!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but that's top secret information. It's forbidden of me to tell my mission to anyone. I'm only allowed to tell Tsunade or a fellow member of the Anbu Organization."

"Okay, then at least tell me if it's dangerous."

I smiled at him. "It's not," I assured him. "I really must be going now."

I hugged him, then headed off on my mission.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naruto's POV

It's already two weeks and Mom has yet to return from her Anbu mission. While she was away, I've been taking care of her plants because I know how much she adores them. "Mom said, she was gonna be home in two days, but it's already been two weeks. Where is she?" I wondered.

Did she return early and is somewhere with Kakashi? I went to the training grounds and found him near the K.I.A Stone. "Hey, Kakashi. Have you seen my Mom?" I asked. "No, not since she went off on her mission." He answered. 

"That's strange." I mumbled as I lowered my head a bit in concern. "Maybe not. She's probably still working." Kakashi guessed. 

"No, that can't be. Mom's a skilled ninja and she's always able to get the job done fast. I know for a fact that something's not right about this," I said. "I'm gonna go talk to Grandma Tsunade."

I headed to the Hokage House and knocked on her office. "Enter." She called from the other side. "Naruto. I was just about to summon you." Tsunade said.

"You were? What's going on?" I asked. Shizune, Sakura, and Tsunde all looked at each other with worried expressions. "What's the matter? Hey, somebody talk to me!" I said. Finally, the silence broke and Tsunade opened her mouth to speak. 

"It's about Haru..."