Alternate Universe Story 2
Naruto
This is Family
I wanted more than anything else to just be accepted there…but I was so different, so obviously different. Still, everyone seemed to like me well enough. All my insecurities were inside me. Everyone tried hard to make me feel connected.
"Naruto-kun, would you please take these potatoes home to your father?" asked the woman at the shop I knew as Samori-san. She and her husband sold vegetables and meat there. She was a close family friend.
I nodded and took them. She patted my head and smiled and I ran off.
My…father?
I got home quickly and handed the potatoes to a stern looking man with messy black hair. He usually wore a frown but at that moment a large paper was blocking his face. He didn't even look at me. I immediately looked down but then a memory came to me.
"Don't worry, he might look scary like that but he smiles sometimes…well, at least he smiles at Nii-san."
"These potatoes…Samori-san told me to give them to you." I said.
Sitting there in his usual arm chair, he put the paper down and looked at me. I regarded him with the most confidence I could muster. He glanced at them with absolute uninterest.
"Naruto." He said.
I turned.
"Yes, Fugaku-san?" I asked.
"Give these to your mother, she'll know what to do with them." He said.
My…mother? Again, I was stopped short by these labels.
I nodded and turned back around. The paper went back over his face. The barrier was replaced. It was always like that with him. That was one of the very rare moments that he spoke to me. And he rarely looked at me. I wandered off into the kitchen where Mikoto-san stood reading a paper with deep interest, the same interest Fugaku-san had.
"Fugaku-san told me to give this to you." I said. "It's from Samori-san."
Out of all the adults, Mikoto-san especially always had eyes for me. She folded the paper and put it out of sight as soon as I entered the room.
"Naruto, I told you to stop calling us by such formal names." She said, smiling down at me.
I nodded.
Still…I can't imagine calling either of you that…
"Here" I said holding the potatoes to her.
She grabbed them, shook her head and muttered something and then put them over our heads in one of the highest cabinets.
"Aren't those for us to eat tonight?" I asked.
She turned back around to me.
"No." she said, looking annoyed again.
I took offense thinking I did something wrong.
"What is it? Because I brought them they aren't any good?" I asked.
She looked at me hard and then sighed and smiled. She bent her head and got to my level.
"No." she said. "It's because tonight we're having ramen…your favorite."
Suddenly, my cheeks felt hot. I turned away from her but she reached out and touched my cheek.
"Naruto…are you feeling that way again?" she asked.
I refused to look at her. More than anything I felt guilty.
"I want you to know something." She said. "Look at me."
Slowly, I turned my head to her.
"Everyone here loves you." She said. "We all love you more than you could possibly imagine."
I had only been living there for a month. After living on my own for seven years, since I was born, a month seemed like nothing. I still had doubts. I kept my distance. But…
She put her arms around me and hugged me and then she stood up, propping me up on her hip.
"You want to hear a story?" she asked.
I nodded, holding on to her and putting my head down on her shoulder. We walked out of the kitchen and through the room Fugaku-san sat in. She passed him and I could've sworn I saw him smile from behind that paper he read, but I shook it out of my head, as a mistake.
She continued to walk until we got to my bedroom. She sat down on the edge of my bed allowing me to move out of her hands and put my head in her lap.
"Seven years ago, on the day you were born, a really big fox demon attacked the village." She said.
My eyes wandered to the window next to us. I yawned. I'd heard the story before. She told it to me when I was upset because she knew I liked it.
"Everyone was scared and worried. No one thought the village would survive but then-"
"The Fourth Hokage appeared on this great big toad." I interrupted. "He created a lot of very powerful jutsus and even had the ability to summon a frog."
"Right." She agreed. "And with all these huge powers, he beat the fox demon and made it go away for good but while he was fighting, he suffered a fatal wound and died."
"Yup, but still…he's known as Konoha's greatest hero because he was strong and brave and never gave up." I said.
Mikoto-san smiled at me.
"Now that you've calmed down, will you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked.
"…The thing is, I'm not special like you guys." I said. "I can't do a Sharingan or a fire ball jutsu or anything like that…I just don't…belong here."
Her smile didn't fade. She brushed my hair back.
"You're more special than you could ever imagine, honey."
"You really think so?"
"Of course." She said.
I looked at the flowers blowing past the window outside.
"You know…I'd like to be a Hokage, too. So that I can protect the village and everyone in it and be a big hero like he was."
"Oh, really? Well, you're going to have to get better at your studies if you want to do that!"
I made a face and she smiled, wiggling her fingers. I knew what that meant.
Duck and cover!
I rolled out of the way but she caught me, pinning me down and tickling my sides. I squirmed and laughed. I tried to turn around and tickle her back but my fingers were too small and I couldn't stop laughing long enough to try.
"Naruto!" called a voice. "Naruto! I'm home!"
I sat up so abruptly, I almost head-butted Mikoto-san. She saw the sudden eagerness in my face.
"Looks like your best friend is home." She said.
I rolled out of the bed and stood up, watching the door. It was like I was entranced.
Any moment now…he'll come through.
And I was right, the door busted open and he stood there with his usual wide smile. I returned his smile and he ran at me and hugged me.
"Guess what? Guess what?" he said hopping up and down.
"What?" I asked.
"I finally did it! I was practicing with Nii-san and I did it! I can do the fire ball jutsu now!"
"Wow, Sasuke! That's amazing!" said his mother.
He ran at her and hugged her then he pulled my wrist.
"Come on, come on! I gotta show Dad! I gotta surprise him!"
"Let's do it!" I agreed.
We ran out of our room as fast as our little legs could carry us leaving Mikoto-san standing there with that perpetual smile.
I know you love me…but sometimes, I just can't see how…
We ran into the room where he still sat except there were three people surrounding him, they were all whispering seriously. Sasuke and I approached cautiously, knowing that when adults are speaking, children should be seen and not heard. Fugaku-san saw us standing there and held his hand up for everyone to cease talking. They all turned, saw us and then their expressions changed, very fleetingly, to something like fear before it changed to a blank gaze.
Were they just talking about us?
"Yes, sons?" asked Fugaku-san.
"Otou-chan…I…uh…"Sasuke said, looking down.
He tells me to be brave but then he goes and starts talking like this? What a guy…
"He has something to show you." I said.
He looked down at us both and then nodded.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, there seems to be something more important for me to tend to."
Their expressions teemed on annoyance but then they turned and walked off. Sasuke led his father and I out of the house and even further, out of the district. I hated leaving the Uchiha District. It reminded me of awful times…
We reached a lake and Sasuke ran out onto the dock. Sasuke's father walked right behind him but I stayed far back to the edge of the dock. If Sasuke's fire ball jutsu was perfect…meaning it was better than it was a month before, it had to be HUGE and I was in no way interested in getting caught in the cross fire.
Sasuke took a deep breath even from where I stood at the edge I could feel the hairs on my neck pricking up…he must've been pulling in a lot of…what do they call it…chakra? Yeah, that energy that ninja fight with. He pulled his head back and the abruptly flicked it forward, allowing the energy to escape his lips. And…it was A LOT of energy, just like I had predicted the flames whooshed over the lake and expanded almost fifty feet in diameter. I had seen Itachi's fire ball jutsu only once and it was still bigger than Sasuke's…but not by much.
When he was finished, he turned and looked at his father who stood there with his arms crossed. I walked up to them and stood next to Sasuke, curious at the expression on his father's face. Wasn't he amazed? Slowly, he nodded at Sasuke and put a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. It was the very first time I'd even seen Fugaku-san touch Sasuke.
"That's my boy." He said.
I smiled, feeling a rush of happiness overcome me at the same time it overcame Sasuke. We both had the exact same grins on our face. In many ways, we experienced emotions the same. We felt each other.
Slowly, his eyes shifted to mine. My smile slowly disappeared.
"I…I don't have anything new." I said.
Actually, I don't have anything at all… I'm barely a ninja in training.
Slowly, he reached over and put his hand on my head, too. I looked up at him with wonder, feeling confused.
"Make sure when you train with Itachi, you bring Naruto, too…so that you'll both make it to the academy."
Sasuke turned to me and grabbed my hand.
"Yes, sir!" he said.
He nodded at us and walked off. We stayed there late, kicking our feet in the water and talking about the day.
"It happened like magic almost!" Sasuke said. "I could hardly believe it…it just came out of me!"
Sasuke was a weird guy. At first, he came off as kind of a loner…pretty stand-offish and closed-in but then when you got to know him, it turns out he's this smiley, happy kid that won't even hurt a fly. You see, the first time I met him, he saved me from a mob. Some of the villagers saw me coming one day and surrounded me and started throwing stuff and me and trying to pick a fight. I didn't know what to do… I felt so lonely and abandoned and no one seemed to care… All except him. He showed up and made them stop. And it wasn't just that time, all the times after that when I was shunned or hurt, he showed up and used his name, the "Uchiha" name to make everyone get scared and run off. At first, he would just shrug and pretend like it was no big deal that he helped me and then walk away but after every time we got closer and closer until finally…
That memorable day, he grabbed my hand.
"You know…I think it might be safer for you to live somewhere else." He had said.
I looked at him with wide eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Well…look at you…you look like a village rat wearing those rags. If your parents don't take much care of you, you should just come home with me!" he had said. "And besides, I'm not allowed out of the district, so I was thinking instead of me breaking the rules to keep coming out, why don't you just come in?"
I avoided his eyes.
"I…don't have parents." I said. "I think I'm doing okay on my own."
He shook his head.
"This is worse than I thought, come on!" he said.
He dragged me back to his house even though I kept protesting and telling him that it was fine. I was lying. Anything would be better than the hovel I lived in, licking up sugar cane that village children dropped. He was right, I did live like a village rat.
Oddly, all of his family was home, even Itachi. They were in separate rooms and, as I waited outside, Sasuke had to gather them all together. And then, from the window, he motioned for me to come in, it was the biggest moment of my life.
I walked into the large, spacious room where they all sat. Sasuke stood by the door. I entered and their eyes settled on me. I didn't know what to say, so I looked at Sasuke but he looked at his feet offering absolutely no help.
"Who is this?" asked his father.
Sasuke seemed even more scared into silence at having being addressed by his father. It was all up to me and, looking at his family and even seeing just a piece of his village, I wanted it. I wanted to live there more dearly than I had wanted anything in my life. Just because of the single fact that I had passed a dozen Uchihas on my way to his house and not one of them spared me a second glance… Unlike all the villagers who gave me those wicked, angry stares… They glanced at me curiously or openly…probably wondering why I was there. But it wasn't mean-spirited or cruel. One girl even waved at me. That place was like an entirely different village.
"I am…Uzumaki Naruto." I said. "And…I want to stay with Sasuke."
They looked even more confused.
"He doesn't have any parents." Sasuke said, finally finding his voice. "And…the villagers pick on him, they throw things at him and call him mean names. Everyone seems to…hate him."
I shivered at that word "hate", it was a word I commonly used to describe my feelings toward the villagers.
Mikoto-san's face soften.
"Awww." She said, standing up and coming toward me.
"So, that's where this bruise on your face came from…and these clothes…" she said.
Suddenly, she hugged me.
"Of course he can-"
"Wait." Fugaku-san had said.
Everyone seemed to hold their breaths.
"What was your name again?"
I looked around the woman at him. His eyes were closed, not on me. That helped me pull the courage to speak.
"Naruto…Uzumaki Naruto." I repeated.
Suddenly, Mikoto-san grasped my wrist.
"If that's true, then you're-"
"Mikoto!" he said.
She paused.
"Right." She said, seeming to remember something.
It was quiet for a long time. I realized everyone was waiting for Fugaku's final decision. It was definitely a patriarch.
"Sasuke, come here." He finally said.
Sasuke approached him slowly.
"Is it true that the villagers have been taunting him?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Yes…for more than two months now, I've been protecting him from them. They really hate him but…he's fine, really! He's a ninja like us and he's pretty good."
I blushed, hearing Sasuke compliment me was rare. Finally, he opened his eyes but instead of settling on any of us, they settled on his wife.
"Mikoto…arrange Sasuke's room…for one extra person."
I grinned.
"Yeah!"
No one else cheered with me though. Mikoto nodded at him and I saw a small smile on her face as she left. Itachi didn't seem to mind at all. He stood up and walked past me, nodding at me on the way. Then Fugaku-san stood up and walked out of the back door, heading for some place outside of the house.
"That's the way it is all the time." Sasuke said when we were alone. "You can't cheer like that after a decision is made and you have to wait until all your superiors leave to say anything else."
I scoffed and put my hands behind my head.
"Sheesh, your family's pretty uptight."
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"That's ninja law, you idiot. Haven't you read rule 8 of the Ninja Handbook?"
I frowned.
"I didn't even know they had one of those."
Sasuke slapped his face with his hand.
"Gosh, there's a hundred rules in the Ninja Handbook." He said. "About what kinds of jutsu are forbidden and how to act around superiors and what Chunin, Jounin and Genin are expected to do. I only know rules one through ten since I haven't been to the academy yet, but rule eight explains what to do to show the utmost respect to your superiors."
By the end of THAT rant, I was practically drooling. He shook his head.
"Are you really a ninja?" he asked.
"Sasuke, Naruto." Said a voice.
I sat up sleepily and rubbed my eyes. It was dark. Sasuke lay on his side next to me. I shook his shoulder. It seemed like we'd fallen asleep sitting at the dock after Sasuke has showed his fire ball jutsu to his father. Itachi stood over us.
"Dinner's ready." He said.
I hopped up, almost falling into the water.
"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Ramen night!"
Sasuke and Itachi walked ahead of me, neither having as much excitement as me.
"Ew, I hate Ramen nights." Sasuke complained.
I ignored him.
"Yay, ramen, ramen, ramen…" I sang.
About two dozen footsteps later, all three of us kneeled down in the kitchen at the table, said a prayer, and began to eat. I made faces at Sasuke while I slurped up the noodles. He rolled his eyes and turned away but when no one was looking, he turned to me and revealed a mouth-ful of half-chewed ramen.
"Itachi." Fugaku-san said.
For some reason, we all stopped and looked…I guess because it was rare for Fugaku-san to directly address him. Itachi slowly turned his eyes to him.
"Yes?"
"You're excused from tonight's meeting." He said.
For once in my life, I saw Itachi's face reveal shock but it quickly dispersed into compliance. He nodded and it was quiet again. I glanced at Sasuke who shrugged and we continued eating beef ramen with shrimp and bamboo sticks. After dinner, Fugaku-san abruptly left the house. Itachi went to his room and Mikoto-san got Sasuke and I ready for bed.
"Oka-san?" Sasuke said as we pulled our clothes off.
"Yes?" she said.
Her back was to him as she helped me out of my over-large, white shirt and gray pants.
"I've been wondering about this…how was Naruto born if he doesn't have parents?"
I froze. Mikoto's hands were on me as she helped me get undressed so she felt my tension. She paused.
"Sasuke…" she said warily.
"He has to have somebody, doesn't he?" Sasuke went on.
I peered around her at him. He was giving her a very fierce stare. I realized, her response was as much for him as it was for me. We had a sort of twin telepathy, even at that young age, and just by looking at his face I could tell his true question was "Will there ever be someone coming to look for Naruto?"
Sasuke didn't want that. I could tell he was getting used to me, probably beginning to see me as his own brother. If it was possible that someone would come and get me one day…he would probably be sure not to get too close to me. I looked at the ground. As awful as it sounded, I didn't want anyone to come get me either…not if it meant I had to lose him.
"We'll talk about it after you guys take your bath."
Sasuke sighed. He hated baths. I liked them though. We both got into the same tub with the soap and bubbles and Mikoto scrubbed our hair. I gave Sasuke a soap-mustache and he gave me a soap-beard. Mikoto looked at us fondly, the way she usually did. We got out and toweled dry and then put on our night clothes. Sasuke wore really nice looking black silk pajama pants and shirt to sleep. I just had my underwear and a too-big t-shirt that I was given by the village homeless shop. Sasuke had the bed near the door and I had the bed next to the window but we both crowded into his bed.
"Tell us now." Said Sasuke showing a determination he usually only had during battle.
She slowly walked over.
"Calm down, Sasuke." She said.
Sasuke held out his arms to her in a child-like way I hardly ever saw from him. She held him onto him and slipped into the bed between us. She put our arms around both of us and we put our heads on her chest, lying in the perfect position to stare into each other's eyes.
"Are you ready?"
We both nodded, ears perked up and eyes wide…ready for the tale.
My Real Parents
"…Seven years ago, a fox demon attacked Konoha."
I frowned and jumped up.
"I know this story already!" I said.
"Wait a second, Naruto…this part of the story…is something I never told you."
Confusion crossed both of our faces. I settled back down.
"As you know, the Fourth Hokage saved the entire village but you know what else?"
I waited.
"He was married to a woman who was also a shinobi in this village and she was due to give birth to a baby on the day the village was attacked. That woman was named…Kushina and she was a very good friend of mine." She said. "She gave her life on that day the same way he did…and you know what her last name is?"
I froze.
Sasuke decided to respond.
"What was it?"
"Uzumaki…" she replied. "Uzumaki Kushina."
"That's my name." I whispered.
"Right…" she said. "Naruto, I believe that you're the son of the 4th Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki… They gave their life for you that day…giving the future to you, their only son, that makes you a village hero just like them."
"I'm…a hero?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Like I said before, you're very, very special Naruto."
Then she shifted, pulling something out of the pocket on her chest.
"I have this picture I took of her and him on that day…I never got to give it to them."
I grasped the picture, somehow frightened of opening it but something grabbed my hand…Sasuke's hand. Together, with shaking fingers, we opened the folded letter and pulled the picture out. Sasuke held onto one side with his right hand and I held onto one side with my left. A woman with fiery red hair stood there with a plump belly and a man wearing the Hokage cape stood behind her. Both were smiling huge and wide and looked down at her stomach.
"He looks just like Naruto." Sasuke said incredulously pointing at the man. "Look at his hair!"
The 4th Hokage's hair was blonde…just like mine. Living in the Uchiha District for a month, I had almost started believing no one had blonde hair like mine.
"Yeah, he definitely does." She said. "So, as for your question Sasuke, Naruto might not have Kushina and Minato physically…but he still has them in his heart."
Sasuke nodded.
"And of course, he still has us. We'd like to be your family, if that's okay with you Naruto."
I nodded vigorously.
"Can I have this picture?" I asked.
"Wait." She said, taking it back. "I want to frame it for you."
She got up out of Sasuke's bed, hugged me tightly, kissed Sasuke on the forehead and then walked toward the door.
"Time for bed, boys." She said and she cut off the lights.
In the dark, Sasuke's hand moved through the sheets and grasped mine. I held tightly onto him.
"Sasuke…I want to become a big hero just like…my father." I whispered.
He nodded.
"I wish my Dad was amazing like that." He said.
"No way, your Dad's still pretty badass." I replied.
We laughed and then soon we were both sleeping. I had a really jarring dream about a man in a mask and crying red haired woman. I ran through the images slipping in and out of darkness until finally, I came face to face with a giant fox demon… His teeth barred at me. His eyes were red. He pulled back his large, black lips and hovered over me then dove down like he was going to eat me alive!
The Secret Meeting
Sweat gleamed on my chest. I felt hot and uncomfortable. Sasuke's hand was still in mine. I slowly pulled it away from him and rolled out of the bed. I pulled my shirt off over my head and walked to the window, planning to pull it up but something caught my eye. Sasuke's father was walking with three Uchiha members. I had begun to recognize those men because they were around often. As Sasuke's father was the leader of the Uchiha Police Force, he was also kind of like the clan head. Those men were like his direct subjugates. As they walked away, I saw a shadow moving from tree to tree behind them. My eyes widened.
Could someone be planning to hurt Fugaku-san?
"Sasuke!" I whispered into the night.
He rolled over but didn't stir. I glanced back out of the window and decided it'd be better to just go. Not even stopping to put on some clothes, I ran out of the house in just my underwear and darted down the street. I followed the sound of footsteps about a mile down the street and watched as they and, seemingly, all the men from the entire village walked into the Main Hall of the Uchiha District, a place kids weren't allowed. I was aware that it was a very important building but I had no idea that they had their meetings there. I waited until everyone had gone inside then I ran inside with them. I continued to follow the footsteps but they were getting quieter and quieter. I hurried down the last corridor and came to a small, square room. All the footsteps were gone. No one was around. I stood there, feeling an eerie sense that someone was watching me. Quickly, I turned around and looked toward the door, then I turned back around and came face to face with a pair of Sharingan.
I jumped and involuntarily screamed but the person put their hand over my mouth and the sound was muffled. He deactivated his Sharingan and let me go. I stared at him with wide eyes.
"Itachi-san?" I exclaimed.
"Were you also trying to get into the meeting?" he asked.
Suddenly, two things came to mind. I remembered Fugaku-san telling Itachi not to go and I also remembered the shadow that had been following him. I put two and two together.
"You were the one following Fugaku-san!" I said.
He ignored me.
"If we go in this way, they'll catch on for sure…but there are some pipes big enough for us to crawl through in the other room. We can crawl down and listen through the vents."
He turned but I grabbed his hand.
"What are you up to?" I asked. "Your father told you not to go!"
He kept walking, dragging me along with him.
"You're going to get the both of us in trouble!" I said.
"Silence." He replied.
He had a manner of tone that you didn't question. I shut up for the most part but periodically muttered discontent. As we entered the next room, I was distracted from my fear of getting in trouble by my love for mischief. He removed a large poster and behind it was a vent large enough for both of us to crawl through, side by side. He removed the opening to the vent and I immediately crawled in.
"Wow…we're like real ninja right now." I said.
"Just keep going straight until I tug your leg."
"Don't have to be so cold…" I muttered.
I crawled straight realizing that the vent was tilting downward. With every couple of feet we went, it got colder and colder.
"Should've put some clothes on…" I whispered.
Suddenly, I began to hear echoes down the vent. He didn't need to direct me anymore. My ears never failed me. I went straight for the echoing sounds, turned left, went straight, then made a right and we were kneeling right over the room. I could see hundreds of Uchiha men squatting down there. Some of them weren't even men. They were as young as ten years old. It made me glance back at Itachi wondering why he wasn't allowed to go this time…and why couldn't Sasuke ever go?
Itachi crawled up next to me and we both peered down into the room. A very old Uchiha member stood next to Itachi's father in front of everyone else.
"The question still remains…" the old man said to him. "Is the nine tails ready to be used for this battle?"
Fugaku was silent.
The old man tried again.
"I mean, did you feed the boy the potatoes filled with the chakra stimulants like we planned?"
Potatoes? My memory flicked back to Samori-san handing them to me telling me to take them straight to Fugaku-san. Chakra stimulants?
Finally he looked out to everyone.
"As the leader of this clan, I would like to know…do you all trust me?"
Everyone made a collective grunt of agreement.
"Do you all think that I will make the decision that is best for our clan?"
They all grunted again. He turned to the old man.
"I will not use the nine tails for this coup d'état." He replied calmly.
Suddenly, all the grunt of agreement turned to roars of disdain.
"What?!"
"Have you gone mad?!"
"Why not?!"
Everyone seemed to be yelling at once. I covered my ears. Itachi put his hand on my back.
"Quiet!" Fugaku screamed.
Everyone suddenly went silent as quickly as they had gone into an uproar. Fugaku's Sharingan showed brightly.
"This is the word of the man you chose as the head of this clan." He said steadily. "You can take it…or you can leave."
"So then what bargaining tool will we have against the village when we strike?" asked the old man.
"We will not strike." Fugaku said.
I thought there was no way the crowd could get any louder but I was completely surprised at their next cries of dismay. He turned around, seemingly walking toward the exit.
"Your Dad seems to be in a lot of trouble now…" I said.
Itachi didn't respond, his eyes were locked on his father.
"If you've gone mad then so be it!" said one of the people in the crowd. "You're being disloyal to the clan by backing down now!"
Another person stood up.
"Yes, we'll just appoint your son Itachi as the new head of the clan and take the nine tails for our own coup 'd'état!"
Fugaku-san paused.
"As for Itachi…you can make him the new head if you like, he's very strong, dependable and responsible and I have no doubt that he'll do right by you. And, in any case, I'm resigning."
The mummers of anger got louder. Suddenly, Fugaku-san turned around and again, his Sharingan was activated.
"However, while I am live…I will never allow you to lay a hand on my son."
Everyone was silent. It was so quiet; I was worried my breathing could be heard. I wondered what Sasuke had to do with this.
"...Your son?" asked the old man. "Are you confused? That child is not one of us."
No…wait…they're not talking about Sasuke…they're talking about…
Fugaku-san looked at each and every one of them.
"He has much more respect for this clan and what we stand for than any of you have in your little finger. He already calls this place his home, and you all his family. He's determined to die protecting each and every one of you. There's no way I could betray a boy who has that much respect for this clan." He said. "As of today, he is one of us…and I expect each of you to treat him as such."
He's talking about me…
Happiness flooded through me. That was the first time I'd ever heard him say something nice about me. But what could've made him say such things? Suddenly, a memory sparked.
Up until the second week I'd been living there, Fugaku-san didn't even look at me. I didn't mind. I was just content with being with Sasuke and Mikoto-san and watching the brothers practice. Life was good. But one night…
"What do you think you're doing here?"
I was alone. It was after hours and everyone was sleeping but…I was used to sleeping outside still so I found a nice patch in the grass to take a nap in but then I heard a voice. A man came out of the shadows. He wore a chunin vest and a leaf headband.
"What are you doing in this district, brat?" he asked.
"I live with them now." I said pointing back at the house.
He laughed.
"Yeah, right…you're such an idiot coming here. You think these people like you?" he asked.
He came into the light, he had a huge scar on the right side of his face.
"They're just planning to use you to destroy the entire leaf village so they can rule." He said. "And you're such an idiot coming here…now you're wasting my time."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"They sent me here to find you and bring you back before we kill everyone here and get rid of this pointless clan." he said.
He grabbed my arm.
"Now, let's go back."
Back? No…I couldn't go back. Never. Not there…not where everyone hates me.
I pulled my arm out of his grip.
"You're the idiot! These guys…they don't look at me the same way you all do!" I yelled. "They're just like me…they're ignored and treated badly…just like me! And you coming here saying all of this just makes me mad!"
My hair started lifting off of the back of my neck. I began seeing in orange. The man took a timid step back.
"One day, I'm going to become to Hokage and I'm going to protect everyone here with all my heart! I'm an Uchiha! I belong here!" I shouted.
My fists balled up and I was just about to lose my head.
"I'm not going to let you destroy this!" I exclaimed.
Suddenly, a voice sounded above me.
"Is there a problem…Kinocho?"
I looked up and saw Fugaku. The guy stumbled backward.
"It's pretty late at night for you to be in this district unannounced." He said.
They stared at each other. Even as a kid, I could feel the tension…it was enormous.
"No…no problem. Everyone was just wondering where the nine-…I mean, where that boy had gone. I was checking up on him."
Fugaku-san nodded.
"Well, as of recently, he's been adopted into my family. So, any time you want to speak to my son, you must address me first." He said.
The guy shrugged.
"Yes, of course." He said, and then he ran off.
"Naruto." He said, turning back to the house.
I looked up at him.
"Don't leave the house after dark anymore."
"Yes, Fugaku-san." I said.
At the time…I had thought I was in trouble but now I realize…that was the time…that was when he started thinking of me as a son…because I vowed to protect them like they were my family.
"What sense does it make for outcasts to exploit another outcast?" Fugaku-said to them. "This clan and that boy…we're all in the same corner."
And then he turned around and continued to walk out. When he was gone, the mummers ensued. The people begged the old Uchiha advisor to over-turn what Fugaku had said.
"I know it's difficult but whoever is the head has the last say. There's nothing I can do." He said. "As of tomorrow, Itachi Uchiha will be the youngest clan head in history, put your hope in him."
Everyone dispersed. Itachi and I waited until everyone was gone. Finally, I turned to him.
"I don't get it, Itachi-san…what did they mean by chakra stimulants?"
"I'll explain it as we leave."
I turned around and we crawled through the tunnel, walked through the main hall and started walking a long mile home.
"Chakra stimulants make your chakra explode a hundred fold. If someone who harnesses a big power is given something like that, it'll do some dangerous things."
My mind flashed to the note both Mikoto and Fugaku were reading. I recalled how Mikoto put the potatoes away on the highest shelf and had that annoyed facial expression at whatever the letter said.
"I can't tell you everything, because a lot of this is stuff you don't need to know until you become a full ninja but they were planning to use you to destroy the entire village."
I stopped in my tracks.
"The ENTIRE village?" I asked.
He nodded.
"But father wouldn't let them…he seems to have grown quite fond of you."
I continued to walk and threw my hands back behind my head with a smile.
"Yeah…it made me happy when he said that stuff about me." I said. "No one has ever said stuff like that about me before."
"If you become a good ninja, people will say good things about you often."
"Yeah…and you know what else?!" I asked. "Fugaku-san said that you have to teach me the basics like you teach Sasuke so I can get better too!"
Itachi shook his head and smiled.
"With your skills, we'll never leave the training forest."
"Hey!" I said.
He laughed. I watched him, feeling comfort in that sound.
"…I didn't know you were funny." I said smiling.
He shrugged.
"There's a lot to be happy about now. Your appearance in our clan is somewhat a blessing now."
I didn't know what he meant so I just nodded. Then something occurred to me and I punched Itachi in the arm.
"But hey, you're the leader now!" I said. "Isn't that awesome?! What are you gonna do?"
"There's a lot I want to do…but first, I'm going to fix this clan." He said.
Again, his words went right over my head.
"Man, Itachi…now I know why Sasuke wants to be just like you. It's great having a big brother. I can't believe you're the head now, that's so cool."
Like his Dad did earlier that day, he reached down and ruffled my hair.
The next day, things seemed to change a lot. When Sasuke and I woke up, Mikoto helped us get dressed but when I grabbed for my usual rags, she stopped me.
"Fugaku-san bought these for you to wear." She said.
And she handed me a bright orange long sleeved, wide-collared shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back and a pair of white shorts. Very suddenly, I was dressing like them.
Itachi practiced with me a couple times but with his new role as the clan head, he had more time than usual but still not enough for a case as bad as mine. Sasuke and I spent most of the time just training together. He was still better than me. But I was far better than I would've been if I was alone. Very suddenly, I was fighting like them.
The rest of the Uchiha clansmen showed me a bit of a colder shoulder after what had happened that night, but before my eyes, they began accepting me again. Waving at me, asking me about my day, helping me carry groceries home. Very suddenly, I was one of them.
Team 7: Kakashi Sensei, Sasuke, Hinata and Me
Before we knew it, Sasuke and I were accepted to the academy. There we made friends with the guys there; Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba; the five of us were know as the "Slack-Offs" since collectively, all we did was make jokes and kid around. Sasuke was the best in class but not by much. I wasn't the best or the worst…I was just somewhere in the middle. An average student. Soon, we were graduating. Sasuke's parents came. They were proud of both of us…even though I was just runner up to Sasuke. There was a swing hanging from a tree in the distance. It swung by itself in the wind, seemingly calling to me…
"Naruto!"
I turned, Sasuke waved at me and I ran after him and rest. No, that wasn't the swing. That was my family calling. We ended up in a three-man squad together. Sasuke was the best in our year, I was the most average and our third teammate, Hinata Hygua, was the worst in our year. Our sensei was Kakashi and he sat down with us on our first day. Sasuke and I were in the middle of a poking fight. Hinata, who I realized quickly doesn't say much, looked at her hands.
"Pay attention." Kakashi said.
We all looked at him.
"First we're just going to talk about ourselves. Say your name and then tell me about your likes and dislikes and your hobbies and dreams."
"I want to go first!" I said.
Kakashi nodded.
"Alright! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I love ramen…and, if there's anything I dislike, it's the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook. And my hobby is mainly training with Sasuke and…my dream is to become a village hero and surpass my father, the Fourth Hokage!"
Kakashi smiled at me.
"That's a nice dream." He said. "What about you Hinata?"
"Uhm…I like animals and…N-…uh, and, I don't really dislike anything. And my favorite hobby is gardening and being with N-…uh…"
Everyone waited.
"I don't really have any dreams."
"Come on, Hinata, you have to have a dream!" I said. "What's something you want more than anything in the world?"
She avoided my eyes and resolved not to say anything.
"Sasuke, what about you?"
The sunlight hit us. The Uchiha Crests on our backs shined brightly in the sun…on the back of his navy-blue t-shirt and my orange long sleeved shirt.
"I like a lot of things." He said shrugging. "I can't really pick one. I guess the number one thing I dislike the most is ramen nights, blech."
I made a face at him.
"And yeah, I guess my favorite hobby is training with Naruto, too. And I guess my only dream is just to be as strong as I can…to protect the people I care about."
"That's very wholesome of you, Sasuke." Kakashi said.
He shrugged.
"It's the truth."
Our missions reflected that. Our very first C rank mission turned out to be a B rank mission. We went up against these two ninja named Zabuza and Haku. It was incredibly difficult for us to beat Haku but Hinata, Sasuke and I were trapped inside this ice, mirror thing. Haku was pelting us with needles. It all looked helpless. But then Hinata sacrificed her life for me in there…and I couldn't just let that be in vain. She could use her Byakugan to see his chakra, so she knew which mirrors he was hiding in. When she gave Sasuke the cue, he'd aim his fireball jutsu there but we were still too short…still a couple of minutes too short. Haku, realizing that Hinata was our ace in the hole, aimed at me knowing that she'd try to protect me. She failed, only managing to use herself as a human shield for me…and that got me angry.
"Sasuke…watch Hinata for me." I said.
"What do you think you're going to do?" he asked.
I performed the same hand signs I had seen him do countless times.
"I'm gonna show you out!" I exclaimed.
"You idiot! It's just a waste of time, you can't do a fire-"
I finished the hand signals, puffed up my chest and blew as hard as I could at the mirror Hinata had pointed at last.
"Impossible!" Haku screamed.
"Incredible." I heard Sasuke gasp.
"…A-Amazing." Hinata whispered.
I couldn't do a fire ball jutsu…no way, instead of that, a giant ball of wind blew from my throat like a sword and cut right through the mirror Haku was in, cutting through it. Haku's mask broke and the entire ice mirror façade shattered. He stood there, looking at me with a dazed expression.
"I guess I…overestimated you." He said. "Go ahead, finish me off."
Sasuke and I walked up to him and stared him down.
"What do you think Sasuke, finish him off?"
Before Sasuke could respond, Haku turned around and darted away from us.
"He's running!" I yelled. "Hurry! Catch him!"
Sasuke hoisted Hinata onto his back and we darted for him but, unfortunately, he wasn't running. He was going to protect Zabuza from a fatal attack and died. I accused Zabuza of being heartless, told him how much Haku really cared for him…and somehow, I made Zabuza cry…
Sudden Rage
After that battle, there was the Chunin exams. It was a hard fight. Especially for Hinata, who was the worst in our class. I was alright after learning that new wind technique. I practiced a bit and discovered that I could do a wind-like variation of all the fire techniques that Sasuke and the other Uchiha could do. People had started calling me "White Flame". I had taken a real liking to the name. Wind was cool, it could easily sneak up on my opponent unlike something blatant like fire. Hinata was beaten by her cousin Neji in the first round but Sasuke and I rose all the way up to the final round and went against each other.
He ran toward me, fist raised, eyes set. I dove against him, knees locked, tensions high. At every turn, we seemed to be equal. My wind only helped his fire…so I couldn't use that. And he knew I couldn't so he didn't use his fire. It was mainly a taijutsu fight. No genjutsu either because Sasuke hadn't unlocked his Sharingan yet. Our fists pounded into each other. I got him a couple times and he got me a few times. When we were absolutely exhausted, the referee standing there in the ring got between us.
"What a great battle!" he said. "The Kage's have made their decision! You guys have both been awarded the position of Chunin."
"Wait!" I said.
The referee glanced at me and so did Sasuke.
"No…I still have some left."
"Don't worry, kid. It's over, the battle is over. You both won-"
"No!" I exclaimed. "I want…to win."
My level of excitement was blinding me. Orange clouded my vision. I could hear a deep voice throbbing in my temples: Fight, Kill, Destroy, Win.
I darted for Sasuke who barely dodged out of the way. I was suddenly ten times faster. He struggled to keep up and was caught by a bad blow to the side of the head. The audience was on their feet.
"Naruto, calm down!" Sasuke yelled at me.
I couldn't hear him…I was slipping again. I caught my breath and blew as hard as I could at him. He flew backwards into the rocky barrier and I dove at him, pulled a Kunai out of my ninja pouch and cocked my hand back.
Fight, Kill, Destroy, Win…
I smashed into the wall and thrust the Kunai down into his chest.
KILL HIM!
Something stopped me. I had been staring at Sasuke's face that entire time but his eyes were closed. When he opened them, they were red…with two comma's in the middle.
"Don't." he said to me.
I stopped in my tracks, with my Kunai an inch away from his throat. He reached up and touched my face. I realized my teeth had grown over my bottom lip…I had fangs. And as my vision cleared I could see my fingernails had expanded. There was a weird bubbly, orange haze over my body. I was snarling…like some kind of animal. I dropped the kunai and tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably.
"Sasuke…I-I'm sorry!" I said.
We both threw our arms around each other at the same time.
"It's okay." He said.
We slid down from the side of the rocky wall and made our way back to the referee. My senses were coming back slowly and I was shocked to realize that the audience was jumping up and down, screaming and yelling.
Are they angry at me?
"Wasn't that amazing, folks!?" the referee said looking out to the crowd. "These boys still had more to show!"
No…they're excited.
"Give it up for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha!" he yelled.
The crowd roared.
I stood there feeling confused. No one had realized what had happened. I almost… I couldn't stand there, I felt like a liar. I turned around, planning to run away and never come back but Sasuke caught my wrist.
"Just give them what they want." He said.
He raised his arm, the one that wasn't holding my hand, and I copied him. We both waved out into the audience.
"Come on! We're chunin now!" Sasuke shouted at me. "Get excited!"
Exuberance filled me.
"Yeah!" I agreed.
We ran around the ring waving and jumping up and down and acting…like children. The announcer also called the names of more children who were classified as chunin.
"Nara Shikamaru." He called. "And Gaara of the Sand!"
Gaara, a creepy guy with a solemn expression loped out. He gazed at me with interest. I grinned at him and showed him a thumbs up. He turned his head and crossed his arms. Shikamaru came and stood next to us rolling his eyes and complaining about the noise.
"Dude, we're winners! Stop sulking!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, you're lucky…I've never seen a quitter win before." Sasuke agreed.
I jumped on Shikamaru's back and tackled him to the ground, successfully getting a smile out of him. We stood there in front of the millions of people as the referee put medals around all of our necks. While Sasuke and Shikamaru made jokes, I glanced at Gaara. He had lost in his fight against Sasuke but he didn't seem too upset about it. He didn't say much at all. I sidled up to him preparing to make him laugh with a million jokes but he spoke first.
"You're…a jinchuriki aren't you?" he asked.
I stared at him, completely baffled.
"I can tell that you are." He said. "The way that you acted after they stopped the match…it was like a force inside you was telling you to keep going, right?"
I couldn't speak…how did he know that?
"I'm the same." He said. "I have a beast locked inside me too…if it wasn't for my father recently explaining it all to me…I'd be like you, unable to control my rage."
"And that's it, folks!" yelled the referee. "See you all next year!"
We were dismissed. I stared at Gaara as we walked on.
"Meet me near the trees outside, I have more to say." He had said.
I was a bit afraid of going…but he had sparked my interest. When we got into the hallway, Kakashi and Hinata stood there. Hinata had been in the hospital after her fight against Neji and she handed me some flowers.
"Did you see me win against Neji?" I asked her.
She smiled and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Nice eyes, Sasuke." Kakashi said.
I realized Sasuke still had his Sharingan activated from when he used it against me. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.
"Wait…do you mean…?"
Kakashi nodded and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder leading him to a long, wide mirror.
"Take a look."
Sasuke dashed for the mirror and put his face so close, his nose was pressed against it.
"Whoa! I can't believe it!" he shouted. "I did it! I unlocked my Sharingan!"
Hinata smiled.
"Congratulations, Sasuke." She said.
I tried to put the bit of jealousy I felt aside. I truly was happy for him…but then I was the only one in the family without a Sharingan. I resolved for just poking fun.
"How could you not have realized you had it on this whole time? You amateur!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"You try it, then." He said. "Wait…I just realized…how do I turn it off?"
"Just relax." Kakashi replied.
Sasuke let out a deep breath and calmed himself, just like that, his eyes were back to their regular black shade.
"Wow! …Now…how do I turn it back on?" he asked.
I slowly wandered away from them. Kakashi had a Sharingan, Hinata had the Byakugan and now even Sasuke had gotten his eyes. I didn't have anything inherently awesome like that. I was just…Naruto.
Heroes: Naruto of the Leaf and Gaara of the Sand
I quickly walked over to the trees outside. Slowly, the red haired boy named Gaara came from behind them. People walked by us carrying candy and snacks from the stands still excited about the exam finale. A couple of young kids came up to me asking for high fives or tips on how to be a better ninja. A lot of them saluted or nodded at Gaara on their way out, too. When most of our "fans" had gone, we sat cross-leggedly in the shade of the tree. I picked the flowers there.
"My father is the Kazekage." He said. "So, I don't have much time. My brother and sister will be coming to look for me soon."
"Wow, really?! My Dad was the Fourth Hokage!"
Gaara's eyes showed mild interest.
"I guess we have a lot in common." He said.
I nodded.
"But you said 'was'…did he resign?"
"No…he died the day I was born, along with my mother."
"My mother almost died the day I was born." Gaara said. "But some great medical ninja named Tsunade just so happened to be in our village at the time and she saved my mother. I hear she's a Leaf Ninja…that's why, ever since then, the Leaf and Sand villages have been eternal allies."
"That's cool. I've never heard of her though."
"She's great. We've got a couple of pictures of her in my house holding me." He said.
I looked down at the twig I was holding. A breeze ruffled my hair.
"So…what do you know about this jinchurki stuff?"
"Your chakra…is red." Gaara said.
Again, he knew more about me than I did. I had always felt that, whenever I was angry or upset, my chakra changed to red…but…I never told anyone that. We stared into each other's eyes.
"If you learn to control your beast, you'll be stronger than you could ever imagine…and you won't hurt your friend."
I thought back to Sasuke and felt guilty all over again. If it wasn't for his Sharingan…I would've murdered him.
"Did you learn to control it?" I asked.
"Not yet." He said. "I'm still training with my Father and learning…but very soon, I will."
"I still don't get it though…" I said. "How can I have a beast inside of me?"
"My father told me that all of the great ninja villages have beasts." He said. "And all of them picked children to carry their beasts for them. The children who carry beasts are called jinchuriki and they are considered to be the strongest children of the village."
My eyes widened.
"You mean I'm the strongest kid in the village?" I said, astounded.
"Well, you got to the final round, didn't you?" Gaara said. "Except…that friend of yours might be a bit stronger. He certainly got me."
I recalled his match with Sasuke and poked him with a twig playfully.
"He sure did, that's my Sasuke!" I said. "But you're still really good with that sand and I didn't see you lose your head once. You must be a great jinchuriki!"
"No…one day, I got really angry…and I accidently hurt my mother. After that day, I vowed I'd never let this thing control me again. So, I think you and I can be friends. I think we can be there for each other."
He held out a hand to me…and I grabbed it.
"I think so too, Gaara." I said and then I grinned. "I really like you!"
The wind rustled our hair, a leaf from the tree above us settled in his hair and the sand from the gourd behind him settled in mine.
"But something still bothers me, Gaara…" I said.
"What?" he asked.
"If I'm really a jinchuriki…how come no one ever told me?"
"Oh, that's obvious. You said your parents died, right?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Well, then there's no one to protect you. If the other lands found out you were the junchuriki, you could get kidnapped or killed and without parents to protect you…everyone here must be keeping it a big secret."
Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. The way the villagers had looked at me in the past.
Many years ago, a fox demon attacked Konoha…
"It's me." I whispered. "I'm the fox demon."
That's why everyone looked at me like that. That's why I had those weird dreams. It was me all along.
But…it's different now. I'm finally getting the people in the main village to smile at me. And today, by becoming a chunin, everyone was really proud of me. I'm not a fox demon! I'm Naruto! I won't let this thing overcome me! I won't let it destroy me!
"I always thought my father killed the fox demon." I said. "How did it end up inside of me?"
Gaara looked confused.
"You can't kill a tailed beast." He said. "You just have to keep transferring it from person to person to keep it under control."
I looked even more confused than he had.
"What probably happened was…the previous jinchuriki died and your father put the beast inside of you afterwards but…he might've been killed in the process. Tailed beasts are very strong so, that sounds like what must have happened."
It made sense…the demon went on a rampage the same day I was born and both my parents died…it made sense that he would've…
"But why me?" I asked. "Why would he do something so terrible to his own son?"
My barely thirteen year old brain couldn't wrap itself around the idea.
"I thought parents were supposed to love their kids!"
Gaara laughed.
I was stunned. I didn't think a solemn kid like that could laugh. It creeped me out.
"What?!" I finally exclaimed.
"They DO love you, of course they do." He said. "By making you a jinchuriki, it's like telling everyone that you're strong and dependable enough to hold that position. If they didn't like you, they would never have made you a tailed beast carrier."
I still felt unsure. It probably showed on my face. I picked a dandelion out of the ground and tossed it into the wind. It blew away quickly, only offering my eyes a yellow flash.
"Don't you get it? Getting the title of Jinchuriki is the most special title a village can offer someone!" he said. "Your parents made you a hero."
That word again…
"I'm…a hero?" I asked.
"Of course you are…we all are." Gaara said. "Not everyone has enough chakra to hold a tailed beast down. As long as we keep the beasts under control and be strong ninja, we're the biggest heroes in the village…next to the kages."
My smile returned. I liked that.
"There's going to be a Jinchuriki summit, soon." He told me. "My father tells me that I'll be sent there with the Jinchuriki from the other villages to learn to control my beast. You should come, too!"
"You really think I can control this?" I asked.
"Yeah, of course. We'll never have to worry about hurting our families again." He promised.
"What are you doing?" a voice said.
Gaara and I looked up to see Sasuke standing on a limb of the tree we were sitting under. I gave Gaara a look and he nodded curtly at me. I didn't want people to know just yet.
"Just talking." I said.
I realized Gaara's fingers were still interlocked with mine and I slowly pulled my hand away, feeling oddly guilty. A couple of seconds passed with all of us avoiding each other's eyes.
"Gaara!" said a voice.
All three of us turned to see a red haired man wearing a white cape and a white and blue Hokage hat, a blonde haired woman waving and two teenage kids standing there nonchalantly.
"Come on, Gaara! We don't have all day!" said the girl I recognized as Temari.
Shikamaru had beaten her in the last round before he gave up.
The woman held out her arms.
"I'm so proud of you! Come here!"
Gaara didn't even spare me a second glance before he jumped up and ran into her arms. She pulled the medal from around his chest and they all admired it. His siblings were jealously proud of him, much the same way I was always jealously proud of Sasuke. A smile crept onto my face as I watched them. Suddenly, he motioned for me to come over. Shocked, I pointed at myself.
His expression seemed to say: "Who the hell else would I be talking about?"
I ran over as quickly as I could.
"This is a new friend of mine, Naruto Uzumaki." Gaara said.
His father outstretched his hand to me.
"You were amazing in that final battle, great job, boy." He said, shaking my hand.
"Aw, you're such a cute little thing." His mother said, fondly touching my hand and then letting go.
Temari scoffed.
"I know him, he's a loudmouthed idiot…" she said, then she winked at me. "But he's pretty strong."
Kankuro punched me in the shoulder.
"Nice job, you leaf ninja are nothing to play with."
"I'll see you soon, Naruto." Gaara said, meaningfully.
"I'll be waiting for you!" I replied. "Maybe next time we can fight each other."
"I'd like that." Gaara agreed.
The Nine Tails' Hatred
I waved them off as they walked toward the main gate. Sasuke appeared beside me again and opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but, behind us, Itachi, Mikoto and Fugaku walked up. Fugaku gave us each one nod. Itachi did the same. Mikoto smiled. I was used to their strictness by that point, but still, I couldn't assimilate it into my personality. And I doubted that they expected me to. I raised my medal to them.
"Check it out!" I said, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet. "Can you believe it?! I'm a Chunin!"
My obnoxiously excited attitude always broke the ice with them. Sasuke held his up, too. Itachi grinned and plucked Sasuke on the forehead, something I never understood that he did only to him. Mikoto hugged both of us in our arms and then Fugaku-san said:
"I wouldn't expect less from you boys."
We looked at each other, always feeling immensely proud of his support, and then grinned. At home, Mikoto cooked a mixture of both of our favorite foods. After dinner, instead of going straight to bed like usual, I went for a walk. I walked out of the district and toward the lake Sasuke showed his Dad the fire ball jutsu at that one time. Ever since that one day, we never went back…but for some reason, at that moment, I felt drawn to water.
I stood on the dock, looking down at my reflection. I wasn't worried about being caught outside the District. There wasn't really a District anymore. After Itachi became the head of the clan, he worked hard with the 3rd Hokage to pull back on the restrictions on the Uchiha clan. After hundreds of conferences, the fences and gates were torn down and the Uchiha clan was working on being assimilated into the rest of the village. It wasn't easy though. Many of the Uchiha parents still taught their kids not to go past a certain line or landmark without their permission. And on the rest of the village's side, people still avoided the Uchiha area. It would take a lot of work but I trusted Itachi to do right by everyone.
More important to me than that, was the information Gaara had told me. Was I really special? I stared into the water, for a second, I could've sworn I saw a pair of vicious, red eyes staring back at me. Suddenly, I heard a pair of footsteps behind me. I whirled around, keeping my hand on my weapons pouch.
"Relax." Said the voice. "It's just me."
I'd know that voice anywhere…
I immediately calmed down.
"What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?"
"What are you doing out here so late?"
I sighed.
"Just…thinking." I muttered.
"You? Thinking? Now I know it's serious." He said.
I didn't reply. I was still looking down into the water wondering if the change was just my imagination.
"That Gaara kid…are you thinking about him?" he asked.
My mind flashed back to when I met his family and suddenly, something occurred to me.
"His parents…look like mine." I said. "Except my Dad has blonde hair and my mom has red hair…did you see that? It's like the exact opposite."
Sasuke shrugged.
"So what?" he asked.
I gave him an annoyed look.
"It doesn't matter does it?" he asked. "He's just some kid I beat. He wasn't even that good."
"Don't be mean." I said. "He had respect for you."
"Yeah, well, he had to. I basically smashed him." Sasuke replied.
"You barely won that match!" I yelled. "If it wasn't for that spiraling flame attack Itachi taught you, you'd have bitten the dust."
Sasuke shoved me, a bit harder than usual.
"Shut up." He said. "You're one to talk. Trying to look good for Hinata, you almost got yourself killed with that match against Neji."
Neji…that's right…another time that red chakra saved me.
"I wasn't trying to look good for anyone!" I shouted at him.
That's a lie…if there's anyone I'm trying to look good for it's you…
"Liar." He retorted.
"You're just jealous." I said.
"Of you?!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, right."
He was pushing me…really pushing me…
"What, do you think just because you made Chunin too you're better than me?" he asked.
I gritted my teeth.
"I could handle you with one hand behind my back any day! I was just holding back that last fight!"
Why don't you just…shut him up?
"And now that I've unlocked my Sharingan, you're not even a match for me!"
I balled my fists.
Make him suffer.
Sasuke read my body language and it got him even more turned up.
"You wanna fight it out right now?" he asked.
Make him bleed.
He pulled out a kunai.
Make it so that he never questions you again!
No…wait…I…
Destroy him!
My body reacted to the deafening voice inside me. That red chakra…it started seeping out again.
Kill him!
No…I can't…
KILL!
I fell to my knees, holding my head in my hands.
"…S-Sasuke." I managed to gasp. "Run!"
Sasuke did the exact opposite. He knelt down next to me as I gripped my shirt. I kept seeing flashes of red and white. I could feel my teeth elongating, my fingernails growing sharper.
"Stop!" I yelled. "Don't…make me do this…"
Kill him! Kill!
"No…stop…leave me alone!" I yelled.
Sasuke put a hand on my back.
"Naruto…calm down."
I looked up at him fiercely.
"I'll kill you! I'll destroy this entire village! I'll destroy everyone!" I screamed at him.
Sasuke's expression turned to shock. He let go of me. I doubled over and gripped my head again.
"…No…" I moaned.
Do it.
"No."
Erase him from existence!
"I'd…never let you hurt Sasuke!" I growled.
It was a losing battle. I could feel my anger to protect Sasuke mixing in with my anger to beat him. Soon it would become so mixed together… I wouldn't be able to remember what I was doing and why… And then the beast would…
"Naruto."
I looked up. Sasuke's Sharingan gazed steadily into my eyes.
"I told you…to calm down."
My heart beat slowed down, my vision cleared, my blood stopped boiling, I could catch my breath.
Don't listen to him…he's trying to trick you.
I glanced down at the ground but then Sasuke cupped my cheek in his hand.
"Look at me." He said.
I looked back up into his eyes.
"I won't let this thing overcome you." He whispered. "You're going to stay with me…right?"
I nodded slowly.
"Good…because if you left me…I don't know what I'd do." He confessed.
Heat rushed to my cheeks and it wasn't because of the Nine Tails. I put my arms around him in a tight hug. I knew I was finally free once my ears came back to reality and I could hear the sound of Sasuke's slow breathing. Tears fell over my cheeks. I started talking. Talking was the number one way I calmed myself down out of something. If I was ever silent, that was a bad thing. We sat there on the dock, looking out into the water and he listened to me. He listened to every single word I said. I told him everything that Gaara had told me…but I also told him my fears and insecurities.
"It's like the Nine Tails is just full of hate." I whispered. "And whenever I get angry…all that hate just surrounds me. It makes me feel like I'm going to drown."
"It's fine." He replied. "We can pull through this."
…We?
"I…think you should stay away from me. Twice today…I almost-"
"If it was anyone else, you'd have done something terrible." He said. "But…because it's me, I could snap you out of it."
He didn't reply, he was right.
"No matter what happens to you…even if one day, this beast swallows you whole and there's nothing left. I'll still stand beside you. I'm not going anywhere." He promised.
Somehow, that promise meant more to me than anything he could've said.
"I-I'm scared, Sasuke." I whispered. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You won't." he said. "Not as long as I'm here. I'll be your guard."
I held onto him tighter. As of that moment, I had nothing else to depend on. But it had been like that for years… Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…that was all I had ever really known. He taught me everything…so I was pretty reluctant when I had to go…
Jiraiya Arrives
"I'm his Godfather."
"Since when?" asked Mikoto-san.
She had her hand on my left shoulder basically shielding me away from the mysterious man with white hair. However, I sensed no danger from him. Actually, he seemed a bit familiar to me.
"Since his father named me his godfather months before he was even born."
"Then where have you been all this time?" asked Itachi.
"I've been doing extensive long-term missions for the Hokage, very secret. I just returned to the village now after having successfully terminated a…potential issue in the western lands."
"A potential issue?" asked Itachi. "As head of the Uchiha clan, I ask that you explain."
"Well, since they've been erased, it's not much of an issue now. A small group named the Akatsuki, I and a couple of my comrades took care of them some weeks ago and now, finally, I'm able to return."
"What do you want with him? Why can't you just visit once and leave me him alone?" asked Sasuke.
Usually, he feigned a deep shyness around adults but that day…he was determined.
"I think you know perfectly well why." He said. "Naruto's unstable. The Third Hokage offered me a mission to take him to the distant land of Iron to train with the other Jinchuriki's at the Jinchuriki Summit and I accepted it. There, he'll train to control the Nine Tails power so he doesn't go on a rampage."
Fugaku-san had been standing there quietly but now he opened his mouth.
"That information about him was classified…he wasn't supposed to know-"
"I'm well aware that everyone was told to keep it a secret for his safety…but I've been keeping tabs on him for a couple of months now and I've realized that he and your son there have both discovered the truth. That other jinchuriki boy from the sand village let the cat out of the bag."
Fugaku-san said nothing.
"It won't be for a long time." He said. "I understand that you've come to think of him as your family but…I was watching that last match at the Chunin exams…if it wasn't for the fact that your son unlocked the Sharingan at that precise moment, he might not be standing next to you right now."
"That's a lie!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"Sasuke!" Mikoto-san said, grabbing his arm.
"Naruto would never hurt me!" he yelled.
"Do you still believe that even after you barely managed to stop him from ripping your head off when you were down by the lake a couple days ago?"
Sasuke looked at him angrily but said nothing. From behind Mikoto-san, I looked down at my feet. How could he be so right? And I had just met him?
"It's because everyone tried to keep it a secret that makes it so difficult now. If he was told earlier then the power wouldn't be bursting out of him so dangerously like this." He said. "It's for everyone's best interest."
Fugaku-san opened his eyes and, for the first time in my life, they locked fully onto mine.
"Naruto, you're a Chunin now." He said. "That makes you a man in my eyes. It's your decision alone to make."
"Mikoto." He said, still looking at me. "Let him go."
She reluctantly stepped aside and I walked up to the man. I could see Sasuke beginning to smile. He believed there was no way I'd accept his offer.
"What do you say, Naruto?" he asked me. "Wouldn't you like to tame your power?"
I looked back at everyone…Itachi-san, Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san…and…Sasuke.
"Yes." I said.
Even without turning around, I could feel the pain Sasuke felt. Even without looking at his face. I felt guilt, but I replaced it with the prospect of adventure. I nodded, trying to get myself into the spirit.
"I have to." I said. "I want to help this village. I want to be a hero."
Itachi smiled at me.
"Spoken like a true ninja." He said. "I'll be interested in seeing how much you've grown once you come back."
"And you'll finally spar with me?" I asked.
He shrugged.
"Perhaps, but I doubt you'll get that strong…"
"Hey!" I exclaimed.
He laughed and we fist bumped.
Fugaku-san nodded.
"Wise decision." He said. "You've become mature. You're worthy of that Chunin title."
Mikoto-san looked at the man.
"How long will he have to train?" she asked.
"Two years." He replied. "Possibly three."
Even I was shocked at that, I had no idea it'd take that long…by the time I'd see them again, I'd be…a lot older. Mikoto nodded, accepting it.
"You'll write us letters, won't you?"
I smiled, thrilled at the prospect of writing someone.
"Sure!" I said. "Everyday!"
I avoided Sasuke's eyes and he avoided mine. Instead, I turned back to the man.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Jiraiya." He replied.
"Can I have a couple days to prepare?" I asked.
"Of course." He said. "I'll be back in three days."
Final Fight
The entire clan caught wind that I was leaving pretty quickly. All the Uchiha girls that often came by the house to fawn over Itachi, stopped by to give me little flower bouquets that they made. I thanked them and told them I'd take them with me but had no plans of that. Jiraiya told me to pack light. I wouldn't need much.
The younger boys that often came around to deliver things from their brothers or fathers to Itachi, came by to have last minute sparring matches with me. I won them all easily.
"Wow! The White Flame really IS a Chunin now!" they exclaimed.
I still hadn't taken completely to that nickname. Calling someone in the Uchiha clan "white" was like calling a sheep "black", it made my difference too obvious for my liking. The women I bought tools and groceries from gave me an extra kiss on the forehead and the men I passed gave me an extra nod. In the main parts of the village, the fact that I was leaving was a bit less known but everyone was still so happy about my win at the Chunin Exams that they patted me on the back and high fived me just for that.
"Can you believe it?! There were THREE leaf ninja in the finals this year! We're really awesome, aren't we?!" everyone would say.
I was glad I was giving the Leaf Village pride. That was what I wanted to do as Hokage anyway. Somehow, people were already seeing me as a hero. I had to uphold that name somehow… I had to overcome the beast inside.
Of course, even though everyone around me seemed proud and happy, there was one person that wasn't… And unfortunately, what that one person thought meant the world to me. Even though we slept in the same room, somehow he had managed to give me the silent treatment for a full two days straight.
Finally, it was dawn of the day I was supposed to leave. I had a bag packed and ready by the door. There was one final thing to put in that bag. I looked at the picture Mikoto-san had framed for me. The picture of my real parents while I was still in my mother's stomach. I hugged it to my chest before putting it in my bag.
Do you guys think I'm going the right thing?
I felt jittery and nervous. I didn't want to leave…but I had to. Sasuke was nowhere to be found. I walked through the whole house twice, looking everywhere for him.
"Looking for Sasuke?" asked Itachi.
I nodded.
"He left this for you." He said.
It was a folded sheet of paper, I took it and read.
"Meet me at the training grounds."
I looked up at Itachi.
"Don't worry." He said to me. "He'll come around."
I balled the paper up and ran straight for the grounds.
As I stepped foot there, I noted a change in our surroundings. Something felt different but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Why are you here?"
He had his back to me but then he turned around. His Sharingan was activated.
"I wanted to come to the first place we went to as a team." He said. "Remember how we passed Kakashi's test?"
I did remember. Sasuke and I had been pros at teamwork by that point since we had been training together since we were seven. After we incorporated Hinata's strengths and weaknesses into the game plan, the test was easy. We weren't able to grab the bells but our effort was so great that Kakashi overlooked it. We passed with flying colors.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
"I want to fight you one last time before you go." He said.
I…shouldn't…
"Why?"
He smiled.
"Just one more time…so I don't forget."
His tone was so soft, I couldn't say no.
"Alright." I said, positioning myself for battle. "Let's go!"
His Sharingan certainly did pose a problem. He was faster than me. He dodged everything I threw at him but I knew him so well, even though I couldn't keep up, I could guess the exact spot he'd move his leg or what attack he'd use next. The fight ended when he shot a fireball jutsu at me that definitely would've fried me alive had I not slipped on a rock and fallen into the river next to the training grounds. When I resurfaced, I could hear him laughing. I swam to the shore and looked up at him.
"Are we done yet?" I asked.
He grinned down at me and held out a hand to help me up.
"Sure."
Instead of using his hand to get out, I tugged on him and pulled him into the water with me. We splashed each other and dunked each other's heads under beginning a never-ending tag contest. Finally, what seemed like hours later. We crawled out of the water and fell onto our backs in the sunlight. It was still early. Jiraiya wouldn't be coming until noon.
"You're not mad at me for leaving, are you Sasuke?" I asked.
He was silent and then finally he sighed.
"When I was a kid, I used to have nightmares that one day, your real parents would come back and take you away from me."
I turned to him with an eyebrow raised.
"But my parents are-"
"I know." He said. "So…it was like a nightmare that would never come true, right? Well…when that man came, I felt like my nightmare had come true after all. That's why I was avoiding you like that."
I closed my eyes.
"But…we're not little kids anymore, you know? I get it." He said. "There's more important things than…just having everything my way. It'd be selfish of me to get mad at you for leaving. I think you're really doing the right thing…and besides, when you get back, you'll probably have a lot of awesome stories to tell."
I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew he was being truthful. I opened my eyes and turned to him.
"You bet." I said. "You better keep training so that when I get back, I don't clobber you."
"Yeah, right…I'm pretty sure I won this fight we just had." He said.
I sat up.
"Come on…he's probably waiting for me by now."
Sasuke stayed lying down like that. He looked up at me.
"No regrets…right?" I asked.
He shook his head and then, suddenly, he dove at me, slamming me back into the grass. I pushed him off of me and rolled on top of him. We went back and forth like that for a couple of minutes until he succeeded in pinning me down.
"Seriously, Sasuke." I said. "I have to go soon."
Slowly, his fingers brushed my hair from my forehead and his thumb stroked the side of my face all the way down to my chin. A hot sensation bubbled under my skin. I froze. Then suddenly, he stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. He headed for the opening in the fence without another glance in my direction. I lay there for a couple more seconds feeling dazed but then I got back up and darted after him.
Departure
They stood there giving me that silent praise I was so accustomed to as I slung my backpack over my shoulders. Jiraiya put a hand on my head.
"He's in good hands." He said.
We were at the gate of the hidden leaf village. It was the first time Mikoto-san had left the district since the Chunin exams. I heard her say on the way over that there were a lot of shops in the main part of the village that she'd like to go to. I hoped that meant the barriers were breaking down.
I could see someone running for us in the distance. I couldn't make out who it was until they were right in front of me. Hinata took her place next to Sasuke and smiled at me.
"Good luck, Naruto!" she said.
I smiled.
"Thanks, Hinata."
Slowly, I allowed my eyes to move to Sasuke's. His lips moved. He mouthed something at me and I smiled and nodded. I turned around and looked up Jiraiya who nodded at me. It was time to go. We took a straight path out of the village and I forced myself not to look back until the village was only a dot in the distance.
"If you're my godfather doesn't that mean you knew my parents?" I asked.
He nodded.
"I trained your father." He replied. "Taught him mostly everything he knew."
"Wow." I said. "This is going to be fun."
"Sure is." He said.
"So what's the first thing I'm going to learn!?" I asked. "I want to learn how to do an gigantic amazing jutsu! A huge one!"
"Well, one of your father's most special techniques was a neutral natured jutsu named the Rasengan." He said craning his neck over my head at something. "We can learn that on our way to the Jinchuriki summit. It's gonna be a long travel, after all…"
"Rasengan?!" I repeated.
Jiraiya looked off at some girls who were wearing bikini's heading toward a nearby river.
"But first, let's do some sightseeing!" he said, eyes practicing popping out of their sockets.
I glanced at the girls and rolled my eyes.
"You're…kidding, right?" I asked.
Clearly, he wasn't because he headed straight for them. A master of stealth, the guy was submerged in trees peeping at them through a telescope in seconds.
"This guy's…a pervert." I muttered.
Up high above the girls in the tree, I smirked.
"Ero-Senin!" I called. "I'm waiting!"
The girls looked up and saw him and he ran for the hills. I jogged after him, laughing all the way.
"Hey, Ero-Senin wait up!"
"Don't call me that!"
