Child of the Leaf
by operadeglace
Shinachiku always felt like an outsider.
Something seemed off about his birthplace, his heritage. He felt it deep within him; he belonged somewhere other than pale desert sands and dusty plains.
In his dreams he could smell vast meadows of deep green grass and feel cool gusts of moisture licking at his skin. But, above anything else, was the sound of leaves. They sounded like great, rushing waters that enraptured his very soul.
He loved those leaves more than anything else.
Sadly, there was a scarcity of green things in Sunagakure.
"Suna has its own beauty, my son. Sand flows through your veins." His father would always joke when Shinachiku would complain about his dry, arid home.
Speaking of jokes…
His father, Ryoukan, was the most celebrated medic nin in the village of the sand, yet here he was, dying from some unknown, incurable ailment.
"This… this isn't fair, dad." Shinachiku whispers angrily, his fists balled and shaking with frustration on his lap. "You're all I have in this place."
The young blonde boy was right. Ryoukan had no other family than Shinachiku, which meant, Shinachiku had no other family as well. Once his father died, he would be left to the sandy plains to fend for himself.
Of course, he had his team, but they made it known to him, on multiple occasions, that he was more of a hindrance rather than a help.
"Shina-chikushou! What use is your medical ninjutsu if you get hurt so often, you can't use it on anyone but yourself!?"
"You wear the symbol of a ninja, but, you're too weak to ever become a real ninja."
"You're in the way!"
"Don't get too excited. You're only a ninja because of us."
Ryoukan's warm hand on Shinachiku's cheek washes away all thoughts of negativity. He is brought back to the situation at hand with his dying father.
"Son… life will continue to be hard for you." Ryoukan states shakily as he seemingly reads Shina's mind. "Just always remember that I love you. I have faith in you that you will do great things!"
The blonde boy looks at the floor, feeling ashamed as he honestly doubted those things to be true. The frail man speaks again, his hand rising up to grasp the melancholy teen's hand.
"You will do great things, because it is in your blood!" He smiles, then coughs. Shina sees some blood dripping down the corner of his mouth and dabs it away with a wet rag.
"Father…" The boy says cautiously as he wipes the blood from the sickly man's chin, summoning whatever miniscule courage he had left to ask such a question at such a time.
"Who… who was my mother?"
Ryoukan pauses, closing his eyes, smiling as if his mind was picturing some kind of heavenly treasure.
"I… I really never told you who she was, hm?" Ryoukan laughs, his chuckle turning into another blood-filled cough. "What kind of father am I?" He says sadly as he tightens his hold on Shina's hand.
"I suppose you are old enough to know the truth. Please, do not be angered… I was instructed never to tell you."
Shinachiku leans towards him, listening intently.
"Tell me… what?"
What he heard next would change everything…
"I love you son… but, you are not really my son." The old man wheezes like he was holding something back. Shinachiku's emerald eyes widen with horror and disbelief.
"You are a child of the Leaf."
-End of Chapter One
I hope you like my story. :) NaruSaku lives.