Honoka saw the look of wonder and curiosity in Naruto's expression as he gazed at her.
"Naruto, are you alright? What's the matter?" Honoka asked, concerned.
"Who are you? Ever since I saw you for the very first time by Tazuna's house, my mind and body have been reacting towards your presence in a way I can't even describe in words," Naruto explained.
"Reacting to my presence?" Honoka inquired skeptically. "What are you talking about?"
On a sudden impulse, Naruto reached out and clasped his right hand around her left hand. Upon doing so, something unexpected happened, as though a link of some sort was made between them. They felt a sudden strong jolt travel through them before they felt warmth of familiarity and mutual understanding toward one another, as if they were seeing someone dear they thought they had lost long ago. Naruto felt like he found his older sister, though he was his parents' firstborn and only child. For Honoka, she felt as though she found her lost younger brother in spite of the fact that she too was an only child before her parents' untimely deaths.
After another minute, Naruto slowly removed his hand off from Honoka's. Another minute of silence went by before Honoka broke the silence. "What's your full name, if I may ask?"
"Uzumaki. Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto answered.
Honoka gasped with widened eyes as she held her racing heart. "Uzu-Uzumaki? Did you say Uzumaki?"
Naruto saw tears building up in her eyes before falling down her face.
"Good heavens! Another Uzumaki, like me!" Honoka said through joyful tears as she reached out and embraced Naruto affectionately. "I'm Uzumaki Honoka! We're of the same clan! Our long lost Uzumaki clan!"
Naruto couldn't believe what his ears heard. It was so much all at once hearing and seeing another Uzumaki before his eyes holding and crying happily while embracing him.
"Another Uzumaki, like me," Naruto repeated lowly as he allowed her words to sink deep into his heart. When it did, he also burst into tears and silently cried happily as he embraced Honoka.
"I'm not alone anymore! I found a precious Uzumaki sister!" Naruto exclaimed as he laughed happily.
XXX
Naruto and Honoka were still holding onto each other in their tear-filled affectionate embrace. Both Uzumaki had long thought that they were the only one left, and now they both found each other. After a couple of minutes, Honoka and Naruto pulled away and stood in front of each other as they smiled and wiped the tears away from their eyes. Taking a breath, Naruto said, "This is so cool! Not only did I find another Uzumaki, but a hot babe at that! Just like my mother!"
"Your mother?" Honoka inquired, recalling how Naruto said that he wasn't alone anymore. She realized that like her, he is also an orphan. She just didn't know for how long. "Did something happen to her?"
"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, and my father was Namikaze Minato. He was Konoha's Yondaime Hokage and the famed and feared Yellow Flash," Naruto explained.
"Your father was the Yellow Flash, and Kushina was married to him?" Honoka asked in amazement. "I can't believe it! You're Kushina's son!"
Naruto laughed a little at Honoka's expression of disbelief, but continued. "All that is true. You knew my mother?"
Honoka reached into her kimono and pulled out a small scroll. She opened it and revealed the kanji for "album" written in it. She focused chakra into the scroll and commanded, "Kai!"
The scroll burst, and a red photo album was released from the scroll. The Uzumaki Clan insignia was engraved into the thick cover.
"This book is one of my greatest and most guarded treasured possessions. It contains captured moments and memories of our clan's history and time in Uzushiogakure," Honoka said as she looked at the book in her hands with a warm smile. She then saw the look in Naruto's face. It was a look of both excitement and anticipation.
"Can I see it? I just have to see what memories of our clan are in that book! Can I?" Naruto requested eagerly. Honoka giggled and smiled affectionately at Naruto as she wrapped her right arm around him. Honoka moved and guided the blond Jinchuuriki to the same nearby tree and sat down against it with Naruto sitting next to her.
"Let's look at them together, Naruto. I tell you everything I know," Honoka invited before she opened the book to the first picture, which was an old group picture of several Uzumaki, all of whom had long red hair besides the oldest male standing in the center of the group, who had long shining white hair, and a mustache and beard.
"These were my parents, Uzumaki Ryoma and Uzumaki Junko, and a few of our distance relatives. Kushina is right there among them, though she was only eight years old at the time, and the distinguished man with the long red and white hair standing next to Kushina was her grandfather Uzumaki Mamoru, who was also the Uzumaki Clan head and the leader of Uzu no Kuni."
"Wait a minute! That old man was my great grandfather, and he was the Clan Head and village leader?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"That's right. From what I was told about him, Mamoru was a great man and everyone loved him. He was like a grandfather to every Uzumaki. He was also the the strongest seal master. Kushina learned seals from him personally."
"Naturally; he was her grandfather," Naruto commented.
"These were happy times, before our peoples' enemies engineered Uzu no Kuni's destruction. I was born a few years after Kushina-san left Uzu no Kuni for Konoha, though I don't know why she left," Honoka explained.
"I do. She left and was taken to Konoha to become the next Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi since the first one, Uzumaki Mito, was reaching the end of her life," Naruto enlightened. Honoka looked at Naruto interestedly. "Your mother was a Jinchuuriki?"
"She was. She and my father made me the third one moments before their deaths. It's like Kyuubi is a family heirloom passed down to a chosen Uzumaki. But I'll explain more about that later. Right now, I want to see those cool pictures you have in that album."
Honoka shrugged and continued showing Naruto more pictures. The next picture he saw was a picture showing a view of the entire Uzumaki clan from above.
"This picture was taken a long time ago during the days of Uzumaki Mito, when she was a teenager. Every Uzumaki came together for this picture, and she was among the group." Honoka pointed to the next picture. "This is an old picture showing the Uzumaki clan leader of that time, Hayate, shaking hands with Hashimara Senju, with both our clan and the Senju clan in the background."
As Naruto looked at the picture, a certain feeling started to gradually surface from within him. Honoka showed him another picture. This one was a very old picture showing the previous generation of the Uzumaki and Senju clan members, all dressed in samurai armor, male and female alike. That was before the time Hashirama and Hayate were born.
"Both clans shared very close and strong ties with each other, stronger than the bonds between any other clans, and their bond went back more than two hundred years. Whatever battle the Senju were in, the Uzumaki were there with them, and likewise the Senju were there to support our Uzumaki ancestors in whatever battle they were in. It's not surprising, since both clans came from a common ancestor," Honoka explained. The feeling of familiarity Naruto was experiencing was growing stronger as he continued looking through the album he was being shown.
Honoka next showed Naruto pictures of the ocean's whirlpools that surrounded their homeland and its landscape. The blond was captivated by the beauty that Uzu no Kuni was filled with. Soon, he was shown close up pictures of the different unique buildings and bridges of Uzu no Kuni.
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