Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto …
Author's Note: This story will introduce second-generation kids – meaning the children of Naruto and the guys. Yeah – so it's sort of a next generation story, but revolves around Naruto's relationship with his son – who is an OC of mine.
Oh, and NaruSaku is included in this story. I can't do without my favourite pairing … hehe. Anyways, please read and I really hope you like it since it's the first time I've tried a different storyline angle. I also did a bit of research on Space-Time Ninjutsu.
Chapter One: Expectations Hurt
Uzumaki Masato leaned back on the swing he was sitting on, staring up at the blue sky as the wind ruffled his blonde hair in front of his face. He was brimming with excitement. Today was the day he had been waiting for. The wait had finally ended.
"Oy, Masato."
The eleven-year-old quickly straightened up and stared across the yard at Nara Shikaji, who was eyeing him with an incredulous look on his face. Masato raised his brows. "Yeah?"
"Are you alright? You seem zoned out," Shikaji replied, standing up from where he was sitting on the grass. Earlier in the day, he had joined Masato at Ichiraku's Ramen bar where the blonde was having his lunch. They both decided to head out to the nearby park, where Shikaji was more than content in just lazing around. It had been about fifteen minutes since they'd arrived.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine!" Masato declared, smiling widely again. "I just can't wait to get home!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah! I'm just waiting for Dad to get there before me …"
Shikaji nodded and put his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "That's good. The meeting is ending soon, anyway – my old man told me it wouldn't be too long."
"Seriously?" Masato quickly got to his feet and raised his fists, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Why didn't you tell me before? I gotta go home!"
Shikaji shrugged, "You never asked …"
"Come on then!" Masato strode towards the entrance of the park and looked behind, waving him over. "Race ya!"
"That's too troublesome …"
The two walked together towards the centre of the village, where Shikaji lived. Masato, after waving goodbye, headed east in direction of his own house. He took a leisurely pace at first before breaking into a run the nearer he got. The sun was still high in the air – there was a lot of time before sundown. This was perfect! The Hokage mansion came into view; the stone wall around it acting as a barrier, and the red paint seeming to shine in the sunlight.
"Mom!" he shouted, sliding open the door before walking inside. He quickly slipped off his sandals and skidded towards the kitchen, a little red in the face from the exercise. Entering it, he was suddenly aware of the appealing aroma that was spread in the room. He looked up, and came face-to-face with his mother, jade eyes similar to his narrowed in annoyance.
"Masato," Uzumaki Sakura said in a warning tone. "What did I tell you about running in the house?"
"I'm sorry!" he cried, breathing heavily. "I wanted to be on time! Is Dad here yet?"
Sakura opened her mouth to reply but the sound of the outside door sliding open made her stop. Masato turned around, immediately grinning and quickly retracted his steps back to the entrance of the house. When he saw who had entered, he felt relief like none other. He ran forward. "Dad!"
"Masato!" the older blonde smiled down at his son and reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately.
Masato noticed that he looked weary, although most of it disappeared when he laid eyes on him. After all, the man was the Hokage of the village. He had so much to do and so little time; he was starting to look sleep deprived recently. Masato didn't know what new problem had arisen, since he never discussed it with him. What he did notice was that there were now more meetings being held and his father hardly came home. This was why Masato was so excited about today. A week ago, his father had promised to take time out from his tasks and spend the better half of the day with him. Today, Masato would start learning how to do execute the Rasengan. One of his father's ultimate signature techniques.
"Naruto … is that really you?" Sakura poked her head out from the kitchen entrance and sent a teasing smile towards him. "No way."
Naruto chuckled and walked towards the kitchen, with Masato following closely behind. "I missed you too, Sakura-chan."
"Good to have you around the house in daylight," Sakura said, leaning over to give him a brief kiss. She turned back to the counter, where she was grinding a few herbs. "How'd the meeting go?"
A slight frown came over Naruto's face but quickly vanished when he sat down at the table, inhaling the pleasing odour. He smiled over at his wife, his cerulean eyes wide in wonder. "What's this?"
"Oh – we've begun applying aromatherapy methods at the hospital … what you're inhaling now is oil taken from lemon. I've got a bit more heating up on the stove too."
"It's so relaxing …" Naruto inclined back, rubbing his temples.
"Which is why we're going to start using a lot of it in practical too."
Masato slid onto the chair at the table and placed his chin on his palms, staring across the surface at Naruto. He watched as Sakura poured some sencha from the kettle into a cup and placed it in front of her husband. A few months ago, Sakura had introduced green tea into the household. She made sure that both Naruto and Masato drank it each time they came home after a long and weary day. Although she lessened the strong flavour for Masato, he still wasn't used to the bitter taste.
"I hope everything's alright," Sakura stated in a casual tone, now mashing lemon zest into the grinder.
Masato saw Naruto's face darken slightly. The latter took a sip of tea and was silent, probably pondering, for some time before replying flatly. "I'll be leaving for Sunagakure tonight."
What? Masato's eyes grew wide. Naruto took a sip from his cup and Sakura, without asking anything else, continued crushing ingredients. He wanted to say something. But his mouth remained clamped and all he could do was continue staring disbelievingly at his father.
Sakura sighed and said, nonchalantly. "Conference in Sunagakure, I presume."
Naruto hummed in response and began running his thumb over the intricate patterns of the cup. Now he looked drained. The burden of whatever issue had risen was shown clearly in the way his shoulder sloped, and the frown that marred his brows. The only hint of what made him Uzumaki Naruto was the fire smouldering in his eyes. Purely his will and determination to not give up.
While on other days, Masato would have motivated by this – today, it infuriated him. His hands curled into fists and he gritted his teeth, trying to control the frustration building within him. In a small voice, he asked. "Why?"
"Masato – it's important," Naruto replied. "This is getting serious."
"Yeah but -" Masato suddenly stood up, placing his hands on the table. His chair almost fell back. He glared at Naruto, his eyes hardening around the edges. "You promised!"
Naruto ran his hand across his face wearily and said, "I know … I'm sorry. I want to spend time with you, son – but these things come up -"
"They always come up! You're never at home anymore – and today - I couldn't wait for today!" Masato's voice was rising and he didn't bother lowering it. "You said you'd teach me Rasengan!"
"Masato – there's always next time," Naruto began but Masato cut him off.
"NO! You always say that!"
"Masato!" Sakura shouted, sending him a glare. "Stop it!"
Naruto held out his hand to her, "No, Sakura-chan – let me handle this."
"When was the last time you were with Mom and me like this?" Masato continued. "You never have time for us anymore!"
"Masato – that's what being the Hokage all is about," Naruto stood up as well and walked forward. "The fate of the entire village rests on me! I don't like this anymore than you do – but it's not in my hands. I want to spend time with you -"
"Then prove it!" Masato knew deep down he was overreacting, but he couldn't help himself. He was looking forward to this so badly. All his friends, from Nara Shikaji to Hyuga Kaoru were almost inseparable from their own fathers. Yes, they were part of the Konoha council too but they weren't given duties like the Hokage was. Shikaji was beginning to learn the Shadow Imitation technique already. Whenever they gathered at the park, Masato would always watch as each friend left with his father. Most of the time, he had to go home by himself. There were times when Naruto would join them but even that was becoming scarce. Masato found himself yearning for the short, but treasured times he did spend with Naruto.
"Masato …" Naruto stared at him tiredly. "I will prove it. I promise you – I will teach you Rasengan. But please try and understand my situation!"
"How can I, Dad? When you can't even understand mine!" Masato turned around and left the kitchen swiftly.
"Masato! Masato – come back here!" Sakura called after him.
Naruto stopped her with a shake of his head. "Sakura-chan! Let him be for now."
x
Masato had been wandering through the streets for the past hour now, as an outlet for the emotions racing through his mind. It didn't help that he passed a little boy and his father playing together near the bridge he crossed as he set out. This fuelled his anger more and he walked at a faster pace. In the end, he settled to lying down on the grassy hill near the side of the lake. He stayed like that; watching village folks come and go till the sky became speckled with shades of red and orange. Long shadows began forming behind every object and there was a sudden hush in the air. Almost serene. Like how Masato now felt.
He remembered Naruto saying he would leave during the night so he decided to head back home. Needless to say, he felt ashamed of his outburst. Granted, it still didn't seem fair that his hopes were sky-high till the last minute but he knew that it wasn't his father's fault. It just so happened that he was the Hokage's son and these things came with being the Hokage's son. And he was honoured. It was his father's accomplishment – and he felt even more pride whenever he heard acknowledgement from the villagers towards Naruto. Masato had a small smile on his face as he reached the mansion. It wasn't dark yet so he'd have time to apologize to his father and reassure him as he left the village.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes he saw a flash of white light from the upper buildings of the nearby building. He quickly looked up to see it slowly fade away and he frowned. The building was part of the mansion – but it was the non-residential part. It was where secret scrolls and forbidden techniques were stored. Only Naruto, and chosen members of the village council were allowed inside it. He blinked as the light flashed again – this time, from the room next to it. Masato walked in direction of it. It could be Naruto in there. Maybe preparing for the journey to Sunagakure. Or it could be someone else. But the doubt in Masato's heart lingered and he hurried to the entrance, which he knew was at the side of the building. It was always locked. Naruto always kept it that way, even when he himself was inside the building.
"No way …" Masato said in a hushed voice when he found the door open by a few inches. With wide eyes, he reached out with trembling fingers to touch the doorknob. The door pushed forward slightly, creaking a little and he quickly held onto the doorknob to avoid making too much noise. He frowned. What if an enemy was in there? What would he steal? What would he do?
Steeling himself, he nodded resolutely and quietly slipped in. It was dark inside. He blinked to adjust his eyesight to the darkness and after a while, found a set of stairs leading upwards in front of him. He pressed against the door to keep it slightly ajar, in case he had to escape and get help. For some reason, he felt he needed to. He began ascending upwards, slowly. His senses were on high alert. He finally reached what seemed to the landing; this led into a hallway with doors on each side. Because of some light reaching down from the windows, he found he could see clearly.
He jumped when he heard noise come from the third door to the left. His heart started beating wildly and he slowly closed into the wall, his eyes pricked for more sound. With his eyes on the door; where the source of that noise was, he began to shuffle towards it faster. As he neared it, he found it opened slightly … just like the front door was. He heard what sounded like someone muttering fast inside and his frown deepened when he saw that flash again – illuminated through the crack the door made.
Masato suddenly felt stupid. He had no weapons, and knew no technique save the Replacement jutsu which he recently learned at the Academy. How was he supposed to ambush whoever it was in there without any skill? He suddenly felt nervous.
"Rokudaime-sama," a mellow voice rang out; low but shrill at the same time. "Now I'm going to do … what you did years ago…"
Masato frowned and sudden curiosity made him lean closer to the crack. Why … why is he mentioning Dad?
He raised his brows as his eyes landed on a cloaked figure, in the middle of the room. He was holding up a scroll, but the kanji written on it was so delicate and small that Masato couldn't make it out. He moved a bit closer and heard the man say. "You've been doing research … Space-Time techniques … this is perfect …"
The figure straightened up and placing the scroll on the table, he brought his hand upwards. Masato couldn't see what he was doing because of the blocked view, but as the man reached out towards the scroll, he saw that he had bitten his thumb, drawing out blood. The man laughed. "I'll send you to where you belong, you monster … goodbye, Uzumaki Naruto."
Masato's eyes widened and on impulse, he ran into the room. He didn't know what he was doing, or what he was going to do – all he knew was this madman wanted his father – and all signs pointed to the death. Anger flashed in Masato's eyes and he yelled out, "STOP!"
The man turned around in surprise, but his face wasn't revealed as he wore a hood pulled downwards. As Masato lunged himself at him, his bloody thumb slid across the parchment from the impact and he let out a scream. White light suddenly engulfed them and Masato felt himself being lifted. His hands reached out to clutch the cloak of the man but the light grew so intense that he couldn't see anything in front of him. His fingers slipped from the fabric of the cloak and he clutched at air, feeling himself falling downwards. He felt as though gravity was pulling at him harder than ever. What was this?
Author's Note: So … what did you think? The first chapter is kinda boring, I know – but the next ones will be so much better. I'm trying really hard to not make it so typical! Oh yeah, and Masato also stars in 'Mom's Large Forehead', my other fic. I wanted to make this one a sequel … and you can think of it like that too.
I really hope you all enjoyed this! Please do leave a review and tell me what you thought! ^_^
