**At the Minato Household**
"You don't have anything more to learn from me since you've already mastered creating barriers. Now we just have to wait until you unlock your power so you can demonstrate it for me."
Kushina spoke as her belly looked heavy enough to show she could go into labor at any moment.
Megumi sat in front of her, massaging her feet. Ever since he had accidentally massaged her legs once, she always dragged him over to massage them.
He had become a close confidant to Kushina, who had told him about the pain the Nine-Tails beast had caused her and how she had lost her family to a war invasion from the other four villages.
The Nine-Tails had been well-behaved ever since learning that this boy had his power sealed meaning that when he first arrived, he was just a commoner. But when the beast discovered that this boy possessed a summon capable of destroying the village, it realized that even he wasn't safe from him.
"Here, take these," Kushina said, handing Megumi two scrolls. One contained the ownership transfer of a property, and the other was a mission scroll stating that Megumi could leave the village to bring back Uzumaki refugees from outside.
"Don't worry, teacher. I will find them and bring them back to the village, and I'll make sure the four villages pay for what they did to your clan." Megumi knew that Uzumaki survivors existed, but he couldn't remember exactly where they were or who they might be.
"I'll have my baby tonight, and you'll get your power back in two days," Kushina said, rubbing her belly, unable to hide her joy at becoming a mother.
What was really on her mind, though, was seeing all the summons Megumi possessed, as he had promised to summon them all for her.
"Y-yes," Megumi replied, not knowing whether to smile or cry. Even he, the owner of the abilities, was waiting eagerly to summon Mahoraga, but every day Kushina reminded him about it.
"Don't worry. You are the owner of your summons not the village, and not the Third Hokage. They can't take them from you as long as I'm here."
Kushina assured him because she remembered how she had been treated like a weapon, and she couldn't allow those old fools to do the same to her student.
"What name have you decided for your baby?" Megumi asked.
"We've decided to name him Naruto if it's a boy, and Naruko if it's a girl," she said with a smile. "You must always provide for and protect my baby, okay?"
"Yes, I promise I'll do everything you ask. But why are you insisting that I be present on your delivery day?" Megumi couldn't understand why she would want him there when he was currently powerless.
"Huh, do you have a problem with what I want? Are you rebelling against your own teacher?"
"No, no whatever you say, I'll do."
---
**At the Nara Clan Compound**
A large hall was filled with every member of the Nara clan because of the incident that had occurred two days prior.
The clan meeting had been called by Elder Tsunayoshi, who had summoned every ninja of the clan.
Calling this many people wasn't necessary, but Tsunayoshi wanted to disgrace Shikaku as an incompetent leader.
"Silence!" A ninja seated at the high table called for everyone's attention.
"We have gathered everyone here regarding the matter of an attack on two members of our clan who were guarding the entrance."
"Upon investigation, we discovered that the men were attacked by the former branch head's wife."
"We have interviewed the two victims, and they stated that the woman wanted to enter but was stopped. When they asked why she was there, she attacked them."
The speaker looked at the elders, who nodded before he sat down.
Elder Tsunayoshi stood up to address the assembly.
"You all have heard what was said about that ferocious woman. Now, we elders have decided that she should be punished."
"But before that, we would like to ask if the clan head has anything to say about his brother's wife, and whether he will choose between his responsibilities and his brother's family." He spoke with a smirk.
He had positioned some of his men among the crowd to pressure Shikaku.
"Wait, are you saying the clan head has been sheltering his sister-in-law this whole time?"
"I remember hearing that her son was supposedly not the clan head's nephew."
"Are you saying the boy is a bastard? No wonder he can't use chakra."
Everyone began spreading their own versions of the story, which was already annoying those who knew nothing about the actual incident.
Shikaku gritted his teeth, frustrated by the foolish show the elders were putting on. He knew it was all Elder Tsunayoshi fanning the flames.
He stood up, his face now wearing the lazy expression he usually displayed.
"Elders, are you certain about your investigation?" he asked, his face downcast.
"Yes, we questioned them."
"Are you saying we're lying?"
The two less influential elders snapped back at Shikaku, scared because they had never heard him speak to them like that.
Shikaku threw a scroll to the speaker. "Hey, you read this out loud." He spoke in a commanding tone that frightened the ninja, who saw the real Shikaku that had led them during the Third Shinobi War.
After the speaker finished reading the contents, the hall erupted into chaos because what was read was completely different from what the elders had claimed.
Now, who was lying, and who was telling the truth?
"Shut up!" Shikaku roared at the talking crowd.
He'd had enough. Now he needed to put these old fools in their place.
"I want to clear something up here and now. The two men you mentioned had their memories read by a Yamanaka, and you should understand what that scroll means if you're not deaf."
"I also want to state that Megumi is my brother's son, and I would like to invite the men who said my nephew was a bastard to come forward for questioning."
"And Tsunayoshi, you claim you're doing everything for the clan's interest, but now I'm giving you an order: avoid Kaede. If anything happens to her, you will regret it."
Elder Tsunayoshi nearly suffered a heart attack hearing Shikaku address him without respect.
"Are you betraying your own clan for some nobody?!" he demanded.
"Nobody? Who are you referring to as a nobody?" Shikaku asked in a serious tone, his chakra releasing without control.
Now everyone was seeing the worst side of Shikaku, and they were unprepared for it. Even Elder Tomonori was speechless, never having expected Shikaku to behave this way.
"You're choosing Kaede and her useless son over the clan?" Elder Tsunayoshi retorted.
"You'd better pray the ANBU don't invite you in for slander of image," Shikaku said.
"Could you elaborate on why the ANBU would arrest Elder Tsunayoshi?" Elder Tomonori asked with a curious look.
"That 'useless boy' is now the head of the Uzumaki clan, elders. And would you like me to explain what clan the Uzumaki are?" Shikaku replied in a mocking tone.
The room fell silent as they watched their elders become speechless, unable to counter what the clan head had just said.
"And know this: if you lay your hands on Kaede, you are inviting the wrath of the Fourth Hokage."
"And believe me when I say I will make sure you and your men are dismissed as members of this clan."
After that, he walked out of the hall.
---