The photo beneath it was of Kushina at eight months and had Minato cuddling into her stomach as if trying to cuddle their first born. 'We look so young in this picture.' Kushina thought to herself. She and Minato had been quite young when they had Naruto. They were barely married and had both turned twenty three when Naruto entered the world. But they didn't care, they fell in love with their little boy the moment they found out they were having him.
The next picture was of Naruto when he was barely an hour old and was cuddled into Kushina's chest as had her arms delicately but securely carrying him as she kissed the top of his head. His little mop of blonde hair on his head look like it tickled her nose from the smile she was giving in the picture.
As she looked at the photo she felt two small weights appear beside her and saw Mina and Eiji look at the book.
"What's this Kaa-chan?" Eiji asked while Mina had her little finger trace over one of the photos. "It's your big brothers baby book for when he was little. See this is him here." She said pointing to the picture she just looked at.
Mina scrunched her nose. "He looks like a knee." she said cutely making Kushina laugh.
"He was only just born when this was taken sweetheart and you looked like that when you were born as well." She said though Mina shook her head as if saying no she did not.
She turned the pages and Kushina forgot all about the photos in the book and it brought back so many memories. When Minato became Hokage when Naruto was two, for three years it would just be Kushina and Naruto throughout the day and they were days of fun, love and comfort.
When he fell down, she picked him up and soothed him. When he got hurt, she healed him. When he had a bad dream during his naps, she would lie next to him. She saw a picture of her and Naruto in the park with Kushina pushing Naruto on the swing and had the biggest smile on his face. The one next to it was of Minato with Naruto on his shoulder and then another of Naruto being read a bedtime story by Hiruzen.
She could not help but see how much the people around them loved and cared for her eldest.
Beside her Mito and Eiji were drawn in to seeing their big brother looking so little. To them Naruto had always been their big strong older brother, so seeing him when he was their age and younger was odd.
Her eyes then went down to a photo that she recognized as Naruto's fifth birthday with her stand next to him very heavily pregnant and with her arms wrapped around his shoulders while Minato stood beside her and Kakashi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Kurenai and Shizune around them. Smiling she turned the page but frowned when she saw the page was completely empty.
'That's odd.' She thought before she starting skimming the pages and got a bit more frantic the further she went through it. By the end of it, she realized the rest of it was empty.
'We never got back to it.' She realized. 'When the twins were born we just stopped putting photo's in here and Naruto thirteen now. Seven year of memories and we don't have anything to document it with.'
It hit her that she did not have anything to commemorate Naruto's later years. Nothing when he was six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or twelve. There was nothing to document his entering the Academy, graduation, first mission, first chunin exam application.
'And what about his first kill, who helped him with that? Where was I?' Unknowingly more tears went down her cheeks and left small dark splotches on the photo book. After a moment a small hand was put on her hands as Eiji and Mina looked at her in confusion.
"Kaa-chan what's wrong?" Eiji asked looking up at his mother in worry while Mina hugged into her mother's side.
Not wanting her son and daughter see her cry, she quickly wiped the tears away before she laughed it off. "It's nothing, Kaa-chans just being a little silly that's all."
Before anyone could speak the front door opened and closed. "I'm home." Naruto said walking towards the stairs.
Kushina quickly put the book down, went to the hallway, and saw her son taking his sandals off. When he turned he looked at her and just nodded at her before walking towards the stairs. Mina and Eiji came barreling towards him and hugged him round the waist while Mina nuzzled into him.
"Oni-chan I missed you." Mina said as Naruto patted her head.
"Nii-san do you think you can help me with my kunai throwing again? I still can't get the bullseye." Eiji asked looking up at Naruto who nodded down at him.
"Sure, go out back and I will be there in a moment."
Eiji smiled at him before he jogged out to the backyard.
"You want to come watch Mina-chan?" He asked as Mina quickly nodded her head with a big smile and giggled when Naruto picked her up.
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