Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own my OCs, picture, and this story.

Chapter 43: Of Explosive Revelations

I curled under the blanket of my hospital bed once Mother, Father, and Doctor Hiraku left. I ducked my head under the warm fabric but the cold that had settled in my bones wouldn't leave, my mind heavy with all the information that had been dumped onto me.

I had the genetic makeup to manifest the mokuton. Or how Hiraku had inferred, that maybe I had had it all along and the seal placed on me when I was a newborn had masked it. The encounter with the Moonflower had obviously been a triggering point. Plus, the stupid seal absorbed the stupid Moonflower's chakra and now I had stupid vines growing out of my body.

And somehow Danzō Shimura had his dirty hands in all of this and Mother was still hiding secrets and I really had no idea what was going on.

I wanted to trust my parents, and I did to an extent, but I had been left in the dark for far too long. I had no faith in their trust of this Satou Hiraku and I was not ignorant to how he had addressed Orochimaru. Anyone who revered that man was on my 'do-not-trust' list immediately. Especially if he was in the business of playing with people's charka systems with faulty seals.

I sure as hell wasn't letting him put another one on me, that's for sure.

I sighed into my pillow, fighting the urge to scream. My throat was still recovering from what I'm assuming were previous screams of agony and the hospital probably wouldn't appreciate patients screaming for no reason. I sat up instead, brushing my messy hair away from my face and ruminated as was my way.

Triggering mokuton genes huh… I honestly didn't feel that much different though that might've had something to do with the remnants of the seal, as I had seen in the Mindscape. Though everything around me did feel a bit louder, a bit brighter than it was before. Messing with my chakra was off-limits, I trusted Mother with that for sure, but it buzzed distractingly under my skin, a worrying development. I had to wonder- how much of it was my own and how much was the flower's? How had the seal melded the two together so perfectly, though so painfully?

How much of this trip had been chance and how much of it was planned?

There was so much going on behind the scenes and so much more I wasn't aware of. I ran a bandaged hand through my hair absentmindedly, detangling some knots that had found home on my head. There was simultaneously much to be done and yet nothing I could do. The only thing left for me was to wait and see what my parents did and hope for the best.

I napped on and off the rest of the morning, only briefly conscious for a couple of checkups and a bland meal that I was barely able to shovel down. I didn't get any other visitors that day, hidden away in a private room whose walls buzzed faintly, distractingly, of chakra. It was the best course of action- I wouldn't want any stray snakes or zombies wandering into my room but I was a bit lonely. My parents hadn't returned either, so my only companions were the humming fluorescents and the ticking of the clock, with routine visits from a nurse.

It was on the third day of my post-coma that I received another visitor. There was a light knock at the door and I had expected my nurse, coming to take away the unappetizing lunch I had been pushing around for half an hour. I set the tray aside with its half-eaten meal and allowed them entry but was surprised when a pair of bright blue eyes framed by golden tresses met mine.

"Minato-sensei!"

He smiled at me warmly and slid the door closed, breezing through my social faux pas.

"Junko-chan, it's good to see you are doing well," he greeted, settling heavily into a chair nearby, exhaustion apparent in the way he melted onto the uncomfortable plastic.

"Minato-sama," I corrected myself, despite the fact that I knew he didn't mind. "Not that I'm unhappy with your visit but if you're free to visit me, you should be resting instead."

It had to be his lunch break considering the time. Plus, he had no doubt been busy with the trouble I had brought home as well as his new duties as Hokage. As happy as I was to see him, and touched that he had come to see me despite being so busy, I would be happier if he was taking care of himself. For his own sake, as well as Kushina's and Naruto's.

His eyes crinkled fondly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed, even with everything that's happened."

A grim expression took over his features and I tensed; this wasn't going to be a social call.

"Did kaa-chan get the chance to talk to you?" By his wince, that was an affirmative.

"I was notified of your condition almost immediately," he began, sitting up properly. "The council had called an emergency meeting."

My blood chilled. "You mean Shimura-san, don't you."

Minato gave an even stare before sighing with a nod. "Yes. At first, it was believed that Kusagakure had rejected our alliance and had harmed you in retaliation. That was before we got the report from your team."

Nausea hit my stomach with a vengeance and I must've turned a funny color because Minato reached a hand over mine which were clutched tightly in my blanket. He gave them a squeeze.

"I am truly sorry you had to go through all that."

I found myself shaking my head though it made me dizzy, wrapping my small hands around his large one. It was warm.

"It's no one's fault. It was a mission and I made some new friends. All the other stuff was… just an unfortunate accident."

One that had almost certainly made my life more difficult.

The blond chuckled humorlessly before getting serious.

"Once it was learned what had transpired in Kusa and that you had the makings of the mokuton, Danzō-san took an immediate interest in transferring you into his organization, to help foster it."

The opportunistic bastard. My hands tightened around his which he returned as he continued.

"Of course, since your status had been unknown at the time and your clan head not being present, I tabled that discussion for the time being, but he is…persistent."

"What…what is he planning to do with me?"

ROOT? That would just be ironic. Or maybe something even more nefarious, like birthing more mokuton users? I blanched again. Minato gave me another comforting squeeze.

"You don't have to worry about that," he said resolutely. "Just focus on recovering for now."

How could I not? I knew what lengths that bastard would go through to get his way. But I also knew I wouldn't be able to do anything, even if I was at full strength. Despite his various moral failings, Danzō was skilled and had been through three wars thus far. I wouldn't stand a chance.

No matter how much it irked me, I would have to leave it to my parents and Minato.

The man sighed, eying the clock warily and gave my hands a final pat.

"I must get going but please leave it to us adults," he said as he stood. "I also have someone coming to look at that seal of yours. Not that I don't trust Hiraku-san, but I believe it'd be best to get a second opinion."

"Good…that's good," I nodded distractedly. At least someone agreed with me.

"Get some rest," he said, moving towards the door. He paused when he got to the threshold and turned back. "Also, Junko-chan?"

I blinked up at him from where I had been staring at my hands. "Yes?"

"Please be patient with Kimiko-san." My brow furrowed in confusion. "There are just some things she can't tell you. She doesn't mean to keep you in the dark."

What had brought this on? There was a strange weight to his words, causing the one that had settled in my stomach to grow heavier and alarm bells to ring in my head.

"I know Minato-sama. Get some rest." I matched his smile weakly as he departed.

My mother… Kimiko Senju had always been an enigma. She was a granddaughter of Hashirama, younger than her cousin Tsunade. She married Daichi Hyūga of the Branch family and had willingly given up her Senju name. She kept many secrets, some of which included Orochimaru and Danzō, both of whom had taken a deep interest in me, for obvious reasons. But could there be more that I wasn't aware of?

Absolutely.

Now Danzō was actively trying to get his hands on me and even before that Orochimaru had specifically requested me to be on his team. Trying to groom me into either being a super weapon or a new vessel respectively, I imagined with a shiver.

I forced myself to focus. Mother had some sort of history with them, long before I had come around. Minato's words repeated in my head. Things she couldn't tell me? Not wanting to keep me in the dark?

Wait…

What if she really couldn't tell me?

I pressed a hand to my mouth, nausea returning tenfold.

Mother had been in ROOT. She had to have been. It made the most sense. The secretive nature. Not being able to tell me things. She must have a tongue seal or something if I remembered correctly- that was how Danzō kept his dirty dealings away from the light. But Mother was a seal expert herself; couldn't she cancel it or dispel it or something?

My mind raced.

She probably couldn't.

Even the most basic seals were complicated, doubly so if it was done on another living person. Since chakra had a personal component, being both spiritual and physical energies, seals also reflected the will of the caster, just as any jutsu did.

In the case of seals, this concept was taken to the extreme in the form of cursed seals. Like the Caged Bird Seal used by the Hyūga. Jūinjutsu was a form of sealing that was both intriguing and horrifying. To essentially impress and impose your will onto someone else. I was sure that there existed some that could influence a victim's every action without them even knowing; and they couldn't do anything about it.

Danzō's intent was to keep his soldiers silent and subservient, and he would do so through any means necessary. Sai had one, hadn't he? And it hadn't disappeared until Danzō had been killed by Sasuke. But that didn't mean anything to me right now.

Because Danzō put a seal on my mother.

Something bubbled within me, rippling through my body. My tenketsu were on fire but I didn't care.

Danzō put a seal on my mother.

The seals on my room glowed vividly and my heart monitor screamed. I could hear footsteps running down the hallway. But I had snapped. Vines emerged from my body, growing wildly. I grabbed my head as it pounded. My eyes burned. The room swayed. The bed disappeared from underneath me as vines took their place, cocooning around me like armor, suspending me in the air.

I'm going to kill him.

And yet, I couldn't do a thing as there was a bright light and I fell unconscious once more.

The next time I woke up, I was understandably exhausted. I felt stretched out and laid bare, my whole body numb.

And I was strapped to a table.

There was a bright light above me and cold air blew across my stomach which must've been exposed. There was a brush or something being dragged across my unprotected skin, leaving something behind which buzzed of chakra. I would've been more appropriately shocked if not for Mother's familiar chakra coating my senses like a wave of water, soothing my panic before it could hit.

"Mama…?" I slurred, blinked over the fluorescents that shone in my sensitive eyeballs.

Her fingers brushed over my forehead and eyelids. "I'm here Junko. Just relax, we're almost done."

I nodded, closing my eyes and letting my head rest on the cold surface. The brush on my stomach stopped for a second before continuing.

"All you Senju women are so violent," came a distantly familiar male voice. "This one hasn't even reached puberty yet and she almost destroyed an entire wing in the hospital."

Wait, what?

Mother sighed from above me.

"Well, your student needs to learn some tact," she tutted lightly, no real fire in her tone. "What kind of genius tells a traumatized genin that there are high profile people after them?"

The man paused. "You might have a point there."

"Not traumatized," I murmured dazedly. "Angry."

There was a drop of silence before the man's booming laughter filled the room.

"See! This is what I'm talking about!"

Mother could only sigh again in response, though there was an amused tint to it. As the man's giggles faded, the brush was taken away and I felt an odd tugging sensation within my core.

"If you would do the honors Kimi-chan?"

Mother moved away and another presence came to take her place. The man's chakra was intense, and I couldn't tell the nature of it, but I knew it was strong and stable. It seemed to be in equilibrium, perfectly balanced. It was comforting in a way.

"This might feel a bit uncomfortable, okay Junko-chan?" Mother's voice came and I nodded.

I had been through worse.

I felt my mother's chakra pulse through me and then the room got loud. There was so much chakra in the air and then all around me. It was vibrant, vibrating in the air, on my skin, in my bones. And then it was inside the deepest depths of me, through my tenketsu and pathways and coils. It was warm, so warm, too warm, only a bit cooler than fire, setting life into my body once more, settling there and then calming.

My breath came out in a shuddering breath as I remembered how to breathe. Mother's hands moved quickly, undoing my shackles. She pulled my shirt down and cradled my clammy face in her hands. The chakra in the room buzzed loudly around me, but it was tolerable.

"You okay Junko-chan?"

I opened my eyes. Mother's face was shadowed but clear as day as she leaned over me, the exhaustion clear on her face. The haze that had been over me lifted and I felt better than I had in weeks even as my own exhaustion remained. I reached for her and she gathered me in her arms, hugging me tightly to her chest.

"Sorry for all the trouble," I mumbled into her shoulder.

She squeezed me tighter. "Never be sorry."

It would've been a nice moment if not for an obnoxious coughing nearby. We pulled away briefly and glanced at the other occupant in the room. I blinked in surprise at the man standing at the other side of the table; Jiraiya, Toad Sage and sannin stood there, a put-upon expression on his face. I mean, I should've assumed that it would be him when Minato mentioned having someone come check the seal but still-

It's freaking Jiraiya.

"What, no thanks for me?" He huffed dramatically, turning to the side table which held an assortment of scrolls, brushes, and inkwells. "I barely get back into town and I'm dragged to the hospital because little miss mokuton decided it was a good idea to explode. For the second time if Minato is to be believed. I didn't even get to check out the hotsprings…"

I stared blankly at the ranting man. Mother rolled her eyes.

"Oh thank you great Jiraiya for checking the seal that could have killed my daughter," she said blandly, her grip on me tightening, breaking her carefree façade. "I could've never done it without you."

He had enough social conditioning to smile sheepishly. I was still reeling from the 'exploded' part but recovered enough of myself to thank properly the man.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-san," I said, curling into my mother who lifted me into her arms and thankfully off the cold table.

"At least one of you has proper manners," he huffed good-naturedly.

If Mother had something to throw at him, I think she would've. Instead she set me on the floor, holding onto me as my body tried to reacclimate to gravity, my knees almost giving way.

How long had I been out?

Mother simply lifted me back into her arms as my legs refused to work and Jiraiya looked me over, dark eyes scrutinizing me intently.

"To think such a small brat could have so much chakra," he said. "Though I think I might want to have a long talk with whoever put that seal on her. Sure, it may have worked on her when she was a few months old but things like this need to be checked regularly. And altered or removed once she started her shinobi training."

That's what I'm saying!

His eyes cut over to Mother. "I would've thought you'd have someone check on it."

"I was shipped off to fight and dealing with clan nonsense before then," she muttered. There was guilt and something else in her tone. "It's not like I had anyone else I trusted with something so important."

The sanin gave her a searching glance. "Not even Kushina and Minato?"

Mother let out another deep sigh.

"As oba-chan once said, seedlings only thrive when not disturbed by moles. The less people who knew about Junko's situation the better... though I guess that's a moot point now."

Jiraiya sighed himself, running a hand through his messy white hair. "I can't say I envy you."

And I couldn't even imagine what other secrets my mother had. A brief silence followed as Jiraiya began cleaning up the sealing supplies. I broke the silence that followed.

"May I ask what kind of seal you put on me?" I asked, bringing the adults' eyes to me.

Jiraiya regarded me easy. "It's an S-rank tech kid. Nothing for you to worry your little head about."

I pouted and Mother readjusted me in her arms. "It's a double Four Symbols Seal, also known as an Eight Trigrams seal."

It was Jiraiya's turn to pout and my brows raised.

Mother continued, ignoring the dirty look she received from the man.

"It's meant to seal the foreign chakra that was in your body and the excess chakra you produce. It'll allow that chakra to safely merge with yours over time."

That seemed helpful. It sounded familiar too but only vaguely. Jiraiya sighed.

"Do you really think you should be telling her that?"

She simply gave me one last squeeze before finally setting me down. Thankfully, my legs were working now but I still leaned against her, enjoying her warmth.

"Don't forget that this technique came from Uzushiogakure; it's within Junko's birthright."

He gave her a long stare before shrugging, deciding it wasn't worth fighting her about it. My head was mildly aching with everything going on, but at least the fuzziness I had woke up with had lessened with the finished seal. And yet, I felt good. More normal, even with the heightened sensitivity. Breathing was easier and even my muscles weren't as sore. But an Eight Trigram Seal? I would have to think about it more later when my headache lessened.

Jiraya finished storing away the sealing supplies and stuffed them in a pouch with another dramatic sigh.

"Well, that seal should hold way better than whatever that quack doctor had on her," he said, stretching languidly. He looked down at me. "Just don't go messing with it. You may look the part of a Hyūga, but I can already tell that you're a troublemaker. It's in your blood after all."

No promises.

Mother muttered something under her breath, but I gave him a thankful smile.

"Okay Jiraiya-san."

The door to the operating room opened and Minato and Father walked in, both tense. But I didn't care, a smile spreading wide across my face as the Hyūga man neared and he too lifted me into his arms. I felt three again and if I hadn't been so thoroughly ripped wide, I would've felt embarrassed of how childish I must've looked. He was unusually but appropriately affectionate, placing a light kiss at my temple which lingered longer than normal. He looked tired too.

"Feeling better?"

I fought the urge to apologize and wrapped my arms around his neck with a nod.

"Yeah. Can we go home now?"

I was tired of being stuck in the hospital and the bland food. And these new revelations made it not as safe as before. Minato stood next to Jiraya- he also looked exhausted and I felt guilt settle deep in my stomach. I had caused so many problems for everyone.

"I will take care of the discharging forms," the blond said, a remorseful smile on his lips. "I apologize for upsetting you Junko-chan."

Mother and Father tensed but I shook my head.

"It isn't your fault. I think I instinctually called on my chakra and well…" My grip tightened on Father, which he returned. "I'm sorry for destroying my room."

A small smile lifted his face and he shook his head. "The barrier seals absorbed most of it, don't worry."

Jiraiya lifted a large hand and patted the blond's shoulder roughly.

"You're going to have to install some more with the two of them around. Heaven forbid if Tsunade ever comes back, the whole village would be leveled."

Mother disappeared from my side for only a brief second, a flash, and then she was ushering Father and I through the door and the Toad Sage was folded over in pain.

"I'll see you two later," she said, eyeing the other men intently.

Minato only gave a firm nod and Jiraiya glared at her as the door closed behind us.

The trip home was surprisingly stressful. As happy as I was to get out of there, the sterile stench seemed to linger on my skin and I felt exposed, even as I buried myself into Father's hold. Even as we took roads that were less traveled, it felt like everyone's eyes were glued to me, some hidden in the darkness of alleys and around corners. If I had made an entrance like everyone had mentioned, it was possible that most of the village knew.

And the possibility that someone from ROOT was watching didn't help my anxiety one bit.

Our trip was swift and I had taken to feigning sleep to ignore all the looks I received. I could feel the staring lessening as we reached the compound, which I could tell by the guards on duty talking briefly to my parents. Father's grip on me relaxed somewhat as we entered the compound's walls and I felt my own tension fade, if only slightly.

I didn't open my eyes until we stopped in front of our house and I heard a long whine from behind the door.

Riku.

"He's been inconsolable since you've been in the hospital," Father explained as Mother disengaged a set of barrier seals on the house.

That's new.

"Don't expect any alone time for a while," Mother added as she slid the door open.

My forever faithful companion sat with a façade of patience at the edge of the genkan, tail wagging wildly behind him as he looked up at me. Father set me on the ground, and I didn't get the chance speak before I was being drenched in dog saliva. Sputtering, I wiped my face as he circled me, sniffling every inch he could before bowling me over.

My back hit the ground and I was immediately covered by his warm heavy body.

"Hi Riku," I greeted through a mouthful of fur.

The canine simply whined again, pressing his head into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to placate him. His chakra buzzed erratically but slowly calmed down the more I combed my fingers through his fur. I could feel my parents' amused glances as Mother moved past us and into the house. Father watched over us for a few minutes before gently ushering the canine off and helping me stand.

Riku gave another whine but Father patted his head gently. "Enough of that for now. Let Junko settle in first."

He huffed but stood down, following behind me closely as we traveled deeper into the house.

I was finally home.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the familiar scents of my home. Even though in the grand scope of things I wasn't gone for long, it felt like I hadn't been home for months. The relief I felt in my body was absurdly overwhelming. Mother emerged from the hallway, the scent of lavender oil clinging to her skin.

"How about you get cleaned up and I can get started on lunch?"

Back in the safety of home, there were so many questions I wanted to ask, so many answers that I needed but I simply gave a nod and finally removed myself from Riku and my father's side.

I washed up quickly, with Riku guarding the door outside. Despite how normal everything seemed now, I knew the world outside was just waiting to throw me another curveball. I was not ignorant of the exhaustion on my parents' faces or the weight that lingered on their shoulders.

All because I had decided to 'explode' as Jiraiya had put it.

I had just met Jiraiya the Toad sage.

I mean, I knew I would meet him eventually, but I didn't think it would have been due to such dire circumstances. I also didn't expect Mother to have such a sibling relationship with him, which I interpreted from their bickering in the sealing room. But I was grateful for it all the same. It was nice to have powerful people on my side, especially with all this stuff going on.

As I dried myself off, I peered down my pale, spotless stomach momentarily before sliding a simple pastel green dress over my head. I didn't know how long I had to enjoy time with my parents until the rug was pulled from under my feet again, especially since Danzō was actively trying to pull me into his clutches. This whole mokuton business was a headache in the making and there was Orochimaru to deal with because he had to be involved in this somehow; how could he not be?

How would my life change from here?

Would I be ready for it?

Author's Notes

Posted: June 22nd, 2022

Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! They were divided pretty much how I expected but I hope you all enjoy this next arc of Junko's story nevertheless.

Until next time.