~Soutarou POV, inside the genjutsu~
'Hmm? Where is this?'
'My memory…? Wasn't- No? Something feels wrong… Genjutsu? How could that be…'
"Soutarou, Wake up! It's time for school."
At that moment Soutarou's vision, which seemed hazy, almost out of focus, snapped into high resolution clarity. It was Naori wearing a thuggish older sister almost gyaru-like outfit , Kushina in a sloppily short sleeved school uniform with a short skirt and noticeable white stockings, and Mikoto in a proper and higher year long sleeved school uniform with a long skirt and high black socks.
Soutarou's mind went blank as he tried to remember why and what was going on, before he gave in and asked, "What's going on? What's with the cosplay?"
Kushina, Mikoto, and Naori all glanced at each other before Naori just put a hand under her bangs and lifted them up and pressed her forehead against Soutarou's and shook her head saying, "Nope… No fever… Maybe he's just not feeling well today?"
Kushina shrugged before yanking on Soutarou and saying, "C'mon we have a track meeting today, you know how the president is… If our star player is gone, how are we going to perform well? Ya know?"
Soutaoru paused and confusedly said, "You didn't say dattebane?"
Kushina scrunched her face up and started laughing at Soutarou saying, "Man you must be fried… I want some of what you took last night! Gosh you in your chunni era again Soutarou? You must be reading too much Saruto again. Stop trying to be like Nasuke, you're not an Uchizamaki for hell's sake."
Soutarou's mind blanked and he formed a hand sign, to no reaction, he clenched and grit his teeth trying harder to meet with nothing, even Mikoto turned stressed and said, "Are you feeling constipated Soutarou-kun?"
Soutarou's mind went blank and he said, "You're not real."
Mikoto frowned and her eyebrows drooped, Kushina got angry and raised her fist and said, "HEY! Just because you're in a shitty mood or you're feeling bad doesn't mean you can treat Mikoto like shit you bastard! Do you even know how much we care about you? And you tell us we're not real? Who else would be there for you!? You know what? Fine. I don't need you."
Kushina stomped out of the plainly decorated room and slammed the modern looking door behind her in anger. Mikoto's soft and gentle expression broke down and tears began streaming down her face as she said, "Y-you don't need me anymore? I'm not real to you? Have I done something wrong? Soutarou… I-I"
Just as Mikoto was about to run away, Soutarou's hand instinctively caught her wrist and said, "No I meant as in I thought I was hallucinating for some reason…"
Realizing the situation might not be as simple as it seems Soutarou let it go and pretended to play along. Soutarou then said, "I guess I better go explain to Kushina…"
Soutarou got up and put on his home slippers before going downstairs to be met with a teary eyed Kushina who was wiping her wet eyes. Soutarou just bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry I thought I was hallucinating, I didn't mean it the way you're thinking…-"
Kushina just let out a small, "Mphf" of indignation and stuffed her nasty tissues into Soutarou's hands and stuck her tongue out at him, before running off, still in a somewhat hidden sadness.
Soutarou's hand reached out before his body just drooped. He somehow found himself back inside where a youthful redhaired Mito wearing glasses, a tight pencil skirt, a white dress shirt and a matching red tie with bright red lipstick sat drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. She asked without looking over at Soutarou, "What did you do this time?"
Before he could reply, a Tsunade with a cigarette in her mouth, a black suit, and black suit pants just stuffed out the cigarette's bud and said, "What else? He said some insensitive shit and Kushina's panties got wedgied because this brat won't stick his meatstick up her meatbox."
Soutarou made a face while Mito put the new paper and her coffee down and lowered her glasses and said, "Language, Tsunade. You're a full time office lady now, not the little gangster girl who bullied all the boys in her class. Look at that poor boy Orochimaru, you bullied him to the point he doesn't even leave his room. Or what about Jiraiya? You shamed him and made a mockery of him in front of your entire high school to the point where he transferred away. Seriously, grow up a little bit. At this rate you'll never get married."
Tsunade made an annoyed face and just said, "If this is about kids, I'll Soutarou put one in me later, no need to stress out old hag."
A slipper went flying and smacked Tsunade right in the temple, as Mito said, "Enough. Soutarou get ready for school, don't hang around this hooligan or you'll end up like her and Naori."
She said that as Naori handed something to Tsunade like a goon giving respect to a mafia boss, and to be honest Tsunade matched the get up too…
'What the actual hell is going on?'
Soutarou blankly found himself in a classroom where girls crowded around Kushina and guys whispered while taking glances at the girls. A guy slipped next to him with messy blonde hair and that playboy blue eyed look, "Soutarou! My man! Finally showing up to class for once? Also why'd you and Kushina come separately? What's the tea man-?"
Soutarou looked over at what he assumed was Minato and said, "It's fine."
The whole boys side went quiet as they all listened in and Minato asked the question on everyone's mind, "Ok, what really happened man? You wanna talk about it?"
Soutarou glanced over and entertained the thought as he felt like this was some slice of life anime OVA episode of Naruto. Soutarou sighed and said, "I woke up kind of disoriented this morning and accidentally said Kushina and Mikoto weren't real…"
The boy's side gasped as whispers rang out, "After all she's done for you? Damn bastard!"
"Kushina was always there for you damn greedy asshole!"
"Mikoto-sama always…"
As the whispers grew louder, Minato glared and signaled them all to stop before turning over to Soutarou and saying, "Honestly… not cool man. But I get it you were probably hallucinating or were in… ya know that kind of dream… total normal to call Kushina and Mikoto unreal after that…But you did apologize right?"
Soutarou just exasperatedly nodded to which the boy's side calmed down and gave Soutarou the benefit of the doubt finally with Minato smiling and giving Soutarou an 'OK' symbol with his hands. Minato just said, "It'll happen she'll get over it eventually… You know Rina my girlfriend gets upset every five days, because I accidentally said something-"
Soutarou interrupted and said, "Which one was Rina again?"
The girl's side went dead silent. The boys all slapped their foreheads as if some not so secret secret was just revealed and Minato blushed to hell and said, "You damn bastard! My girlfriend!"
Minato blinked his eyes like his life depended on it and Soutarou said, "Oh you mean the one with blue hair?"
To which Minato literally collapsed in his chair and said, "I hate you."
The guys all began saying and making silent prayers for Minato and then the bell rang and everyone went to their seats.
An old man walked in with a cane, a scar on his chin and greying black hair. The class emotionlessly said, "Good morning Teacher Danzo…"
Someone silently whispered, "I hate this damn teacher…"
Another said, "Damn math teachers!"
And so the day went on with other teachers such as Teacher Koharu for science, Teacher Homura for history and Teacher Hiruzen for language and literature.
In the end Soutarou fell asleep when Hiruzen began talking about the leaves and fire and how many great idioms there were. Soutarou only woke up towards the end because a blue-haired girl and another red-haired girl came in and dragged Minato out of the class before everyone went to the windows to see Minato get beat by seven different girls of varying hair color.
'Damn bastard… Seven? Even I don't even have that many!'
As the school day wrapped up and Soutarou began to head out he saw a Kushina with her bag behind her and fidgeting nervously before she suddenly turned towards Soutarou and said, "Let's go home."
Soutarou, wary and still slightly confused, nodded before letting out a, "Mhm."
As the pair began walking home Kushina suddenly said, "Let's take a different route today, I want to tell you something…"
As the pair walked down a different road and eventually to a secluded spot where you could see the whole city, Kushina turned around towards Soutarou, her hair fluttering in the wind, just like the pink cherry blossoms. She said, "I love you, Soutarou."
Soutarou's jaw dropped as the usually thuggish, boyish, popular Kushina turned girlish and had a cute little flush on her face. Soutarou tried to answer before Kushina interrupted and said, "It's ok I don't want you to answer too quickly, I know… There are others who probably feel the same way as me… But I had to let you know… That's why I got upset… It's not your fault… I just… I just want more… even though you don't owe it to me…"
Soutarou blanked for the nth time that day and just said, "Hmm… I make sure to respond to your feelings properly."
And so the pair returned quietly back home or so they almost did… All before Kushina was grabbed by two burly men while another engaged Soutarou, and Soutarou pumped full of adrenaline and combat skill from the real world (Actual Naruto World) defeated him quickly, with the man's gun flying out of his holster.
Soutarou thought for a moment before deciding not to grab the gun and engaging both assaulters and dealing with them before a soft smile found it way on to his face as he clutched Kushina in his arms before suddenly she shoved him away.
Leaving Soutarou to watch a horrifying scene of a bullet piercing straight through Kushina's temple, with brain matter and blood splattering all over him. Instantly his rationale collapsed, his eyes burned, his brain felt like it was on fire, his heart bursting out of his chest, and tears rolling down his face. The scene replayed itself slowly in his mind with Kushina closing her eyes and smiling at him saying, 'I'm sorry, I love you.' Before the bullet killed her. Denial welled up as Soutarou sat on the ground broken and sad before the burly man who Soutarou had initially knocked down said, "You shouldn't have intervened. This was her destiny, the boss ordered it afterall…"
The rest of the words turned into nothingness as Soutarou tuned out the entire world. Soutarou's fists clenched his teeth, biting into his gums, his lips cracking from the sheer scowl and anger, before it all collapsed and the denial took over…
'It's just a dream… Kushina… This isn't funny anymore…'
"Wake up… Kushina… Wake up… Hey… This isn't funny… KUSHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The man shook his head and began putting his gun away before Soutarou pressed his forehead onto the barrel of the gun and triggered it.
~Soutarou POV instantly after 'dying'~
"Soutarou, Wake up! It's time for school."
At that moment Soutarou's vision, which seemed hazy, almost out of focus, snapped into high resolution clarity. It was Naori wearing a thuggish older sister almost gyaru-like outfit , Kushina in a sloppily short sleeved school uniform with a short skirt and noticeable white stockings, and Mikoto in a proper and higher year long sleeved school uniform with a long skirt and high black socks.
Soutarou's mind was blank as instinctively without thinking asked, "What's going on? What's with the cosplay?"
Kushina, Mikoto, and Naori all glanced at each other before Naori just put a hand under her bangs and lifted them up and pressed her forehead against Soutarou's and shook her head saying, "Nope… No fever… Maybe he's just not feeling well today?"
Soutarou's mind moved slowly, before the memories of Kushina's dying words, her pitiful gaze all flashed before his eyes and he slowly turned his head towards the voice only to be met with a still bright and happy Kushina…
***Author's Note: This whole scene and the next few chapters are all a genjutsu-scape based on Soutarou's memories that Naori in the real world made. This is just for character development. Happy reading.***