The Mother He Never Had

11

Haru's POV

"To the Land of Waves?" I repeated as I watched Naruto pack his things. "Yeah! Our mission it to protect a bridge builder and take him back to his country! It also a C-ranked mission!" Naruto explained, excitedly.

I smiled at how happy he was. He's been begging for a real mission for days now, and he finally got what he wanted. "Naruto, how long is this trip of yours?" I asked. "Hmm... Not sure. We could be gone for a few days." He answered. 

"I see..." I mumbled. "What's the matter, Mom? You look upset." Naruto mentioned. "Huh? Oh! It's nothing. I'm all right." I said, smiling. But I wasn't all right. I was worried something bad could happen to Naruto. 

Who knows what kind of dangers he could face on a C-rank mission. Plus, I don't want Sakura hitting Naruto for every little thing. "I better go! The others are waiting for me!" Naruto said as he put his backpack on. He ran over to me and hugged my waist. "I love you, Mom."

I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back. "I love you, too, Naruto." I said as I closed my eyes. After Naruto left, I looked out the window as he ran down the street. "Hmm..." I hummed to myself for a moment, then walked to the Hokage House. 

"You wanna do what?" Iruka asked. "I'm pretty sure I made myself clear. I said, I wish to accompany Naruto on the C-rank mission you assigned him, Lord Hokage." I repeated, calmly. "Why?" He asked. "I have to make sure he's safe." I said. 

I couldn't use Aoi Tori to look after Naruto because I won't be able to see what he's seeing from a long distance. I was able to see through his eye back at the training grounds because Naruto was still within the village. 

"I'm sorry, Haru. But I can't allow this." The Hokage said. "Why?" I asked. "Naruto's a ninja now. A genin for that matter. He doesn't stay small forever. You can't always be there for him." He said. 

"But I'm his mother. I should be looking after him, making sure he doesn't get hurt. I want to make sure he's safe." I said. "Haru, have you not been listening to the Hokage? You can't go with Naruto on the mission. End of discussion." Iruka said. 

"Please. If you'd just let me-"

"Dammit, Haru! You're not his real mother! And he's not your real son! You only adopted him!" Iruka argued, angrily.

I didn't say anything as I calmly stared at Iruka's angry expression. "Did you know constant anger is a cause of early hair loss, Iruka?" I mentioned. "Anyway, I understand I'm not Naruto's mother by blood. But I'm still his mother regardless. Why are you getting so worked up all of a sudden?"

"Because you're not-!"

"Iruka, that's enough," The Hokage interrupted him before his attention towards me. "I'm sorry, Haru. But the answer is now." 

"Yes, sir. I understand. Enjoy the rest of your day." I said, giving a bow. I left his office and walked back to the house. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to join Naruto on his mission. But I was also a little concerned to why Iruka got so angry when I persisted. 

I know persistency is a bit annoying, but that's no reason to start yelling. I wonder what's his problem.

Iruka's POV

"What was that about, Iruka? Why did you yell at Haru like that?" Lord Hokage said. "Sir, I don't trust that woman." I said. "You don't trust, Haru?" He repeated. "No, I don't." I confirmed. 

"And why is that?"

"I did some research on Haru's name." 

"And what did you find?"