It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
The presentation was completed just the night before. She hadn't spent any time on props like the other groups. Nor did she have others to rely on for this project. She supposed that Mito-Obāsan would have helped her if she were still alive. But then it wouldn't be something she could claim entirely as her own. She didn't have other clan members her age to put on a play. Mito-Obāsan was old, and the ritual to transfer the Kyūbi claimed her life. She was the only one left, and she needed to prove that she could stand on her own two feet. Kushina was the last Uzumaki.
Kotobashi-Sensei had come up with the idea of having the students give a presentation about their own clans. Since some students were from the same clan it became obvious to team up. Sensei had approved the idea of forming groups as it would reduce the presentations to the bare minimum. So, all the Uchiha banded together as did the Senju. The Nara's, Akimichi's, and Yamanaka's formed what was basically a tri-pronged coalition. The Hyūga formed a small trio, whilst the Inuzuka quartet were boisterously discussing who would take the lead. The Aburame group simply huddled together with their bugs buzzing between them.
She was young when she was brought to Konoha, but old enough to remember her homeland. Old enough to remember its destruction. Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, and various groups had banded together to attack. They feared the Uzumaki clan so much that they spared no one. Every man, woman, and child they could find was slaughtered. Genocide of her entire clan despite avoiding any conflict during the wars. They were an isolationistic village. The alliance with Konoha stemmed from the blood ties and ancestry they shared with the Senju. The bond became even stronger when the Hyūga joined Konoha. The Hakke no Fūin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style) was gifted to them from the Uzumaki, and is the basis for the seals they developed to protect their Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit).
She heard applause and turned her head towards the stage. It was some minor ninja clan that she recalled was good with pictographic Ninjutsu. They had finished their presentation, and she was the next to follow. The last to present. As she walked onto the stage she noticed that there were more people attending than she thought. She noticed that quite a few were the Heads of their clans. Even the Hokage had turned up. She could hear a few of the students whispering, and making fun of her for not having anything to display. She swallowed, and drew a deep breath.
"Esteemed guests," she began, "I welcome you all."
It took all her self-control to keep her voice steady, and keep her legs from wobbling.
"The Uzumaki clan has an illustrious history stretching back to the days of the Rikudō Sennin (The Sage of the Six Paths). I could easily tell you of our founding. I could articulate to you our close ties with the Senju. I could easily speak of Uzumaki Ashina, and how he formalised the alliance between Konoha and my clan. I could vividly recount the attack and fall of Uzushio."
It's now or never.
"I could tell you about all these things," she said, "but I won't."
She paused for what was only a fraction of a second, but she could already see the faces of those in the audience shift. It was natural for them to be confused. Every other group that presented talked about the same things, the same events. Their founding, their role during the wars, their induction into Konoha. It was all the same. Same style, similar stories. Just facts strung together without any true nuance to paint them together, as if they were just showing a series of pictures. Even the ones that put on short stage plays felt hollow. There was no real emotion, no personality that grasped what it was to truly be a part of their clan.
"Instead I wish to tell you about the Uzumaki that I remember," she said. "About the Uzushio that I was born in."
Their confusion transformed into genuine interest. They sat straighter, leaned forward. Eager to hear the words she spoke. Even her fellow classmates paid attention.
"The island of Uzushio isn't big, in fact, it's rather small. One could walk its perimeter in less than a day. The buildings are tall, but the streets are wider. When the wind blows it brings that salted scent that beckons you to the sea. The edges of the island are sharp, steep cliffs, but we carved winding stairs that take you to the waves. The stone-carved docks are usually decorated with barnacles, and sometimes crabs like to bathe in the sun on the wet slabs. On a sunny day the water glistens and shines a blue that rivals any gemstone."
The entire hall was silent. Quiet enough to hear a butterfly's wings.
"We Uzumaki are a seafaring folk. The winds and waves are our breath and blood. It's only natural that our elemental affinities reflect as such. Suiton (Water Release) to conquer the eddies and currents, and Fūton (Wind Release) to brave and best the winds. We didn't have the land for crops, but the sea had plenty to provide. Fish of all varieties would decorate the markets, all shapes, sizes, and colours. Take a dive, and you'd be among schools of them. We held the contract for the octopus summons, and in every undersea crevice would be an embrace of octopuses."
The entire audience was captivated. So many things she spoke of would never be found in any history book. Many of them had read about Uzushio, but had never set foot on the island. The clan was a very private one. One could say it was almost obsessive. But Kushina spoke with such fondness, and her descriptions painted a beautiful picture.
"I remember the way the water made my eyes burn during swimming lessons. I remember finding it weird that some vendors would sell takoyaki. But most of all…"
She paused, and the audience waited. The Hokage had a worried expression thinking that perhaps it was too soon for Kushina to speak of her birthplace. The trauma of watching her home burn, and family butchered had left a lasting impression. Scars like that don't fade so easily. It was only a few years since Uzushio fell, and such wounds could still fester. War, at least, had taught him that much. He shook away distracting thoughts as she started speaking again.
"There's a famous saying among my clan – it takes a village to raise a child."
That certainly grabbed everyone's attention. The Hokage and others Clan Head's had given all sorts of speeches to the students of the academy over the years. All of them spoke at length about the importance of Konoha, and the value of the Hidden Village. Yet, it was spoken of in terms of the loyalty and duty that was expected of their recruits. But in regards to raising children as a whole, both civilian and military, was a concept not easily grasped. It certainly wasn't an expression that crossed anyone's mind at all. Civilians were civilians. Dull, normal lives living in ignorance of the dangers that lurked in the dark. Kids from military families were raised to join the fighting forces, they were enlightened to the harsh reality of the world. Keeping peace meant having bodies in uniform. Young, old, male, or female, it didn't matter. A blade is just as deadly in a child's hands as it is in an adult's.
"Perhaps that's why I remember the people of my clan so vividly. Because it wasn't just my parents who raised me, but the whole village. I wasn't anyone special. I was just as ordinary as any other child on the island, but they raised us all as one."
Kushina's nerves were beginning to fray. The audience was unnaturally quiet. They had payed attention to all the presentations so far, but the sight before her was unnerving. She didn't think they were ever this silent, and the way their eyes focused on her was somewhat disturbing. They weren't just attending and giving lip-service – or is it eye-service? No, they were all truly listening.
"We take for granted the lives of those around us, and their value. The people around you, all the people around you. Not just friends and family, but even those just passing by, or seen once in a blue moon. It takes all the people involved in the life of a child to give their best in raising that child."
They were unaware of any nervousness within Kushina. To them it was the opposite. She spoke with such fervour, with such vigour that commanded them to be mute. Not a word was whispered between them.
"It's easy to teach a child how to fight, how to hold a weapon, how to kill. I should know, I've learnt such lessons within this school. It's easy to say that a ninja is a tool. That a ninja should throw away their emotions, and think of nothing else but honour and duty. But we're not tools. We have emotions, and there is more to learn and uphold than honour and duty."
Strictly speaking, her presentation had little to do with her clan's actual history, but this was something that she needed to talk about. She couldn't reveal her status as a Jinchūriki, nor could she speak of Mito-Obāsan. Everyone knew her predecessor as nothing more than the wife of the Shodai-Hokage (The First Hokage). But Kushina remembered her final words before they began the ritual. She didn't want her words to fade away with her.
"This is even more important for those of us who are gifted with Chakra. Gifted with such a precious energy that exists for more than just controlling the elements. The words we speak carry our feelings. This is true for any strong ninja. Our words blend with the very essence of our spirit. Our heart and soul goes into every word. A clash between two powerful ninjas is more than just blades and fire. It's a fight between ideals, a fight to determine whose worldview is the right one."
Her words were as fire from her lips. They sparked and spat embers that burned within everyone that could hear her.
"It takes a village to raise a child – it surely does. The education of our children is the task of the community as a whole, not merely the province of teachers. Teachers can impart knowledge from books and lectures filling their heads with names, dates, and numbers. Yet, the most important part to teach can only be taught by the community around them. A child can learn the value of hard work from his father, the value of patience and love from his mother. But the community who surrounds the child should share the responsibility of enlightening him with the knowledge of differentiating good from evil."
She could sense the darkness within the hearts of others. She could do so ever since the ritual. It haunted her every waking moment, and even her dreams. To see faces that smile and laugh hide dark depths terrified her.
"The evils of society should not engulf a child's mind. The corrupted minds in our society are those that have been deprived of moral education by their own people. We see and hear about them all the time. Murderers, rapists, bandits, and thieves. While some can plead that circumstances were against them the rest cannot. Those are the ones that ninja encounter on missions, but there are plenty within the village as well. Those who drown themselves in drink, indulge in brothels, and overdose on drugs. The latter are our own people, and it's easy to say they brought it upon themselves. Yet, some of the blame lies with us. We should have shown them a better path, a brighter path."
She knew she couldn't change those who were already grown up. They were set in their ways. She supposed that a Yamanaka could wipe their mind, and have them start again from a clean slate. It was a ridiculous idea of course. Not a very nice idea at all. She wondered if perhaps she had quite a bit of darkness in her too. That she was just as ugly inside as everyone else. She couldn't change those who were adults, but she could try to lessen the darkness within those her age and younger. Even if only one person was saved from drowning in the dark then it was worth it.
"The most important thing we have to teach is how to love. Being able to care leads to growth, self-confidence, self-esteem, and unselfishness. This involves love, and benevolent discipline. You can see the spirit of a child when they spontaneously help someone else, or when they express their joy in living through their laughter. Each child needs to experience love. It's easy to lose that love when they join the academy which evaluates their personal worth only on the basis of talent and skill. We forget the love which we used to give, and they forget the love they used to receive. They need us to help them accept and experience suffering. To understand that to suffer is a part of life. That it is a reality they cannot deny, and to realise they can live through such difficulties. This means showing patience, tolerance, a capacity to suffer, resilience, and especially that it's okay to make mistakes."
There was a time when she hated Mikoto-chan and Tsume-chan. They had darkness within them too. She didn't want to believe it, that maybe her ability was wrong. It took weeks before she finally broke down crying, and confessed to them the truth. Her status a Jinchūriki, Mito-Obāsan, the whole lot. In the end it served to forge their friendship stronger. She wasn't the only one with confessions to make, and ultimately, the bond between them become nigh unbreakable.
"Here, in Konoha we're taught about the Will of Fire. The idea that the entire village is our family. That even if we descend from different bloodlines we all share the same creed. That we who exist here and now have a responsibility to protect those that will come after us. Senju Hashirama said that 'It is those who will walk ahead of us when we stand still that need to be nurtured. For the world we live in belongs not to us, but to those who have yet to take breath'. Even Uchiha Madara loved this village and its people despite his betrayal. He said 'The flame that burns twice as hot lasts half as long. It can burn brighter and higher even if it snuffs itself out, because it knows that its embers will kindle new flames to burn in its place'."
The audience was enraptured. They had never heard someone make such a speech before, and on such a topic. The only speeches they could recall were the war speeches that the Hokage gave, and they were usually brief and to the point. Unbeknownst to them was that Kushina had unknowingly employed a skill that few could truly use. She was infusing every word she spoke with her spiritual essence. She was bleeding her soul into every syllable. Most ninja employed such a skill passively during battle without really noticing it, but her subconscious was performing the technique as if active. A normal ninja would have passed out from exhaustion, but she was born with larger than normal reserves of Chakra coupled with the Kyūbi's as well. She didn't even notice it at all.
"I met so many people, and made many friends. I wept for my motherland. I wept for my clan. I don't cry over them anymore, because I learned that they're not gone. Look to your left, look to your right. They're more than strangers, more than comrades, or just friends. They are your family. Even if it's the ramen vendor who remembers my favourite dish, or the lady at the bakery who always keeps the last yakisoba bread for me. My teachers, my classmates, my friends, and even the ones who bully me because of my hair or when I fail in training. They are all so precious to me."
Kushina's mouth felt dry. Her throat seized up. Tears began to well in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She was not going to break. Not yet.
"Uzushio may have fallen, but the Uzumaki live on. More than just the swirling leaf that adorns your headbands, or the clan symbol that decorates your uniform. Even your ideology shares similar meaning and history. You all mean more to me than I can put into words. You, who welcomed me with more than just open arms, but open hearts. I am an Uzumaki by blood, but each and every one of you are Uzumaki to me. In heart and spirit. Because it takes a village to raise a child, and I have never felt more loved."
She tried as valiantly as she could, but tears ran down her cheeks. Her lips trembled as she smiled. She bent at the waist giving a deep bow. Her hair falling long past her shoulders until they touched the floor.
"From the bottom of my heart," she said. "Thank you all so very much."
Pin-drop silence. So quiet that one could hear her tears hit the floor. Then a pair of hands clapped. A single pair at first. Followed by another, then another, then another. Until the entire hall was filled with applause and cheers. Not a single person was seated. Kushina raised herself up to the response of a standing ovation. Tsume-chan and Mikoto-chan had rushed over, and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Soon followed by the rest of her classmates. She could only hope that she had made her clan and all her ancestors proud.
The vessel must first be filled with love. Isn't that right, Mito-Obāsan?
AN: Alltariss – I thought I'd try a one-shot just to test out a new writing style. I hope you enjoyed reading!