Fruits For Your Consideration
Written by legacyZero
The Fruit of Knowledge
Or
Ten things you're better off not knowing
Or
Ten things that may or may not come to pass
1) Uchiha Sasuke, unlike the mass majority of his support base believes, does not think. In fact, it is safe to assume that he is literally brain-dead. Now, why would this be the case when he could eat, breathe, sleep and basically function as an independent shinobi should?
He was per say, a machine.
The boy known as Uchiha Sasuke had died in the darkness of night, the night when his brother killed his clan off in the same night he purged his blood. Spared His body might have been, but his mind was not. The stress of Tsukiyomi had all but erased the human aspect that was called 'Sasuke'. Compassion, regret, ethics…all of that was wiped cleaned, leaving behind only the negative aspects of humanity; rage, cunning, apathy and more.
He would've been reduced to a foaming mess. But he survived; his need for revenge gave him the will power necessary to survive and all that hate was channeled and harnessed by a simple directive. It would be that single thought which would form the underlying basis of why he did everything that he did.
His friendship with Naruto.
His apathy towards Sakura.
His blonde teammate did not understand, only assuming that the Uchiha was wrong and misguided. He did not even blink at the sheer malice when Uchiha Sasuke told him straight in the face in no uncertain terms, to fuck off, not even when that term was conceptualized into reality by the gaping hole in Naruto's chest. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Naruto did not care about the abuse that was heaped on him. That was the norm of his life, and he could take a Chidori just as well as a punch to the face.
But he did care when that abuse was done onto those he considered precious. It was not until Uchiha Sasuke plugged a Chidori or two into Sakura's chest that Uzumaki Naruto finally realized that. Though he did not know intimately about the truth of Sasuke, it was said that he did not care much for anything else about Sasuke but his death at that point in time.
Uchiha Sasuke must die, Naruto rationalized, the same way the younger Uchiha rationalized the single directive thought that drove him to do everything in his power to kill his brother.
But unlike the Uchiha's efforts, the sheer tenacity of Naruto would prove to be far more effective than he could possibly imagine. Uchiha Itachi would fall beneath the heel of the blonde Jinchuuriki, body maimed beyond respite and slowly dying. He would rob Sasuke of his goal, and he would break news of this gleefully to the sole remaining Uchiha, watching mercilessly as the Judas crumble to the ground like a doll devoid of its strings.
It will take but a second for Naruto to form a wind-imbued Rasengan in one hand, and a second more to shove it into his body. Ironically, it would take less time than that to wipe the last remnants of the Uchiha, whose eyes were so terrible that even the great tailed daemons feared them, off from the face of the planet.
But you already knew that, didn't you?
2) People are one-sided creatures, spitting out and then indulging in the comforts of what they have, heedless of the suffering they cause before. Relating to this, Naruto wondered why he had to suffer such cruelty when he had no sin to bear? For years on end, he thought that it was God's way of testing him, to ensure that only the most worthy could enter the kingdom of heaven, or so he gathered from one of those western books he picked up from the trash. Hope, like a cancer, spread through him, renewing his spirit but also preparing the final nails into his coffin.
Years later, it is only his belief in God that keeps him together barely, through the abuse and everything else. His smile, like everything else about him, is upheld by a thin veneer of the cancer that is called hope.
When Mizuki told him the truth on that day, he feels hope leaving him, God having forsaken him. Anger and despair replaces faith. Now that he knows why, he only feels more despondent than ever, as if his meaning of existence was but to suffer. But the knowledge of this does not crush him like it has done to greater men. Instead, it strengthens him and drives him with purpose.
He will strive for the goal of Hokage once more, but this time, his purpose wouldn't be as benign as it once started.
Naruto never forgets and never forgives. That courtesy was only extended to those he felt worthy.
There are three great fires in the history of Konoha; the first founding of the Hidden Village of Leaf within the great forest, the catastrophic attack of Kyuubi no Youkai in which unholy fires burned for three days and three nights, and finally, the Great Purge of Konoha which was instigated by its last leader, the Rokudaime Hokage of Leaf, Uzumaki Naruto.
3) Despite having been told otherwise, Uzumaki Naruto cannot be killed. It is the reason why he finds it difficult to draw upon the fox's power as the days drew nearer towards his fifteenth birthday and finding less reason to do so as the days go by.
The moment he became fifteen, the Kyuubi was fully absorbed by the seal, thereby connecting Naruto to the spiritual centre of the world, infusing him with almost god-like powers. At first, he was thrilled at the prospect, thinking about the combat potential it gave him. But as time wore on, he realized that being immortal has its own price.
One by one, as his friends and comrades disappeared because of war and age, Naruto resents his inability to die.
His life-long ambition of being Hokage (he already held that title for a long time), shifts gradually, without him knowing it, into something completely different. And it would be this revelation that prompts him to disappear from the face of the known world.
Uzumaki Naruto wants to die, before all that he knows and loves vanishes into the wind.
4) To be born a genius was an honor and privilege, or so that was what all they said. However, you never did hear the opinion of those concerned, did you? To the clans that these geniuses were born into, it would do no less than to flaunt off talent in the never-ending rat race between the noble houses.
It was an honor, they would say.
Some of those geniuses would say otherwise.
To Rock Lee, a person who called himself a 'Genius of Hard Work', a genius born out of nature's chance was unfair. It was not an honor, as pompous self-indulged autocrats claimed. While he acknowledged the strength of natural geniuses, Lee also sought to prove himself to be better than a genius endowed with a bloodline, in his own idiosyncratic way.
He got the chance to prove himself in a blaze of glory in a mission gone so horribly wrong that even Team Gai (with its reputed powerhouse members), could not handle. With Gai unconscious with seventy-two broken bones in his body, and TenTen bleeding profusely from a gaping wound to her side, it was down to either Hyuuga Neji or Rock Lee to face down a living juggernaut and not both because someone has to live and keep their comrades alive.
It was in that moment, between the fine line of life and death that Rock Lee saw Hyuuga Negi falter for the first time in his life, his lavender eyes usually so full of calm reassurance were now filled with crushing despair. It would be in that moment that Rock Lee finally understands the look in his comrade's eyes for what it is.
Rock Lee would interpret it, landing on the conclusion that he has won. Won the contest between the natural and artificial genius.
He knew now, that even geniuses were human, with the fear of death deeply wired to their being. He was the better man, and with that, he accepted the responsibilities of such. With a great shove, he would push the Hyuuga backwards, towards his injured comrades, towards life.
It would be the last time that Hyuuga Neji saw of Rock Lee; his right arm extended perpendicular from his body with his hand clenched and thumb facing upwards. Ah, the quintessential 'Good Guy' pose.
"Take care of them and live."
And live would Neji do, though failing even the last task his rival gave to him. Neji would wonder how it was an honor to survive when his team did not. It would be years later when Hyuuga Neji, when his genius finally failed to make up the sheer difference in numbers and skill and plain human mortality, would die a meaningless death for a belief that was false.
Nara Shikamaru, perhaps one in the long line of geniuses to descend from his clan, found the title...troublesome, not surprisingly. Though it was not his father, the head of his clan, to advertise his 'late bloom', It would be that title as a genius that would cause the eventual death of his teammates, as word of his reputation got around with every daring exploit he pulled. Other villages noticed the rise of a team that paralleled the path of the Sannin. But unlike the benefit of doubt that those three had received in the past, Team Nine would have no such luxury.
It was not long before Shikamaru became the sole member of Team Nine.
Never did he curse his genius more strongly than on that day.
Some, on the other hand, completely seek such praise and acknowledgement of their supposed superiority. Uchiha Sasuke was one such example. He had gloated about his greatness once too often before his prompt defection.
Sometime in the not so distant future, when he stared down at the glowing whirlwind of raw energy that would end his life, he saw the fragility of being mortal. Genius or not, the ravenous power of the Rasengan would make no distinction.
The title of genius was overrated, no doubt.
But it was the people who bore it who were underrated.
5) Rock Lee had a reputation to be uncharacteristically lively, and some grudgingly admit that Maito Gai's pupil would probably outlive many, knowing his vivacious nature.
But Lee knows the truth. He knows that he will die before reaching the age of thirty. The reason for this is the same reason why Lee cannot use chakra.
It is because he is faced with the truth of his own mortality why Lee clings so hard to Gai's overly optimistic and insane view of life, no matter how painfully embarrassing it may be. It is also why he pushes his body to the breaking point with reckless abandon, perhaps even shortening his already limited life span.
Every time Sakura chides him for his inability to keep still and heal, he simply smiles that gigawatt smile of his and ignores her admonishment, and trains in preparation of the day where he would go out with the brightest bang.
He does this because he knows that his fires of Youth were already running short.
6) The reason for Hyuuga Hinata's crush on Uzumaki Naruto is quite simple actually.
It is because it is of the simple fact Naruto that did the outrageous and did not back down ever.
Oh, but while his antics were amusing (and it made her heart all the more fluttery), she would soon discover it was why he chose to do so that her attracted him. Naruto had to courage to defy everyone, and not take it lying down despite every reason for him to do so. She had no such luxury, despite every reason she should be doing so.
She was to be married off by the spring of her sixteenth birthday. It was a tradition in the clan to offer the weaker daughter of the Clan Head as a bargaining chip for political alliances. The thought left a bitter tang in her mouth but she could only bow and scrape when all she wanted to do was murder the clan heads for invoking such an anarchic law. She was born into obedience; that was what it meant to be in a clan. Obedience to tradition and honor was the most highly prized traits in their clan.
It is that difference between her and Uzumaki Naruto that draws her to notice the blonde boy of mysterious circumstance.
Despite her intentions, she knows it is futile to fight fate.
She knows that she is not that strong.
7) To be Hokage, the strongest among the best, was Naruto's greatest dream.
A Hokage will protect his Village, to his dying breath if that is what it takes. So long as the 'Village' remains, all sacrifices were not implausible, all deaths not in vain.
It is for that ideal why the Fourth sacrificed his only son to contain the most malevolent creature ever to walk the earth. Sacrifice is the time tested adage of the leaders of Konoha. Hard work is a constant. Approval is a must. And it was sudden a lot harder if your name was Uzumaki Naruto.
However, even then with all the pain and sacrifice he suffered to order to achieve his hallowed goal, there was an additional cost cast onto him.
It was an irony, to onlookers that lived during the short reign of the Fourth, a sacrifice of a previous kage followed in the footsteps of those who would damn him to a childhood of a misery. So when the time finally came for him to sacrifice his friends for the greater good of the village, he was reluctant but eventually succumbed to the tradition of his predecessors.
It was also when he started to resent his position as Hokage.
There are two tragedies in life; one is not getting what you want, the other is getting it.
8) Jiraiya is old. The Toad Hermit himself knows it best. For a ninja, living to the ripe age of 50 was akin to that of living long enough. One does not live that long and not have a few secrets to take to his grave.
Naruto was the son of the late Yondaime Hokage. It would be no surprise to those who looked hard enough and had at least some brains within their thick skulls. What they didn't know however, which Jiraiya fully expects them not to, was that Naruto was a bastard son.
The Gama-Sennin briefly contemplated (several times in one hour no less) telling the boy of his parentage but refrained from doing so.
As he watched the blonde boy, whom he now considered a grandson, concentrating with the intensity of a typhoon on a task that would either surpass his limits or kill him, Jiraiya decided not to dwell on it any further.
The past was already gone and done with, and the present was all that they needed to deal with.
That, and some secrets were just meant to be taken to the grave.
9) The reason why Hatake Kakashi does not try his utmost best to train his first Genin team is quite simple.
He knows too much.
He knows how futile it will be to train the demon brat, with his lack of patience and a refined mind. He also knows he will never forgive Naruto for killing his sensei.
He knows how troublesome it is to break Haruno Sakura out of sickeningly girlish habits.
He knows how much easier Uchiha Sasuke is to train, though the boy being the last Uchiha has completely nothing to do with it, though that is what he tells himself.
Kakashi relies too much on past experiences and that has blinded him to what is in front of him.
He thinks that it will all turn out for the best, even as the warning signs flash all over the place.
Too bad he was wrong for once.
10) The infamous Nine-tails of legend did not descend upon Konohagakure no Sato. It was a thought many have entertained, wondering at how much would have been the same, and how much would have been different. However, it is obvious that life for one Uzumaki Naruto, as he grew up without the burden of the bearer upon his awfully young shoulders, would have been vastly different.
He would enjoy the company of his father, till the tender age of nine, before he is killed by another war with the Cloud. This time, his enemies learn from their mistakes and not even the Yellow Flash can escape his mortality. There would be mourning of course, but such things are often forgotten in the shinobi village of Konoha. Death was natural, pain a by-product of their profession and emotions an unneeded hassle. A Hokage's death for his village is both celebrated and mourned.
His mother, now widowed, will try to bear the dual burden of raising her now petulant son, and moving on with loss. It would take only two years before she broke down and cut her life thread with the polished steel of her katana. It would be remembered as a small footnote within the archives of the village.
The Uchiha Massacre would still occur, and Sasuke will be left alone, physically and mentally scarred.
Uzumaki Naruto would mature throughout his time within the Academy but with the seeds of destruction already planted within him. He would not be as loud as he would have been in another time and place, but his pranks would cause no small grievance to the village, though there would be no reprisal, only a light reprimand for his actions because of the simple fact that he was the child of the Fourth. He craves attention but does not get it. The forbidden scroll will be stolen by forces unknown, and along with it, the secret of the Kage-Bunshin. Naruto would pass his exam with neither flair nor brilliance. He would be placed with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura under the painfully neglected guidance of one Hatake Kakashi. And the rest is history, with a few notable differences.
Wave would forever be under the oppression of the Gatou Corporation, with its bridge to freedom destroyed and its architect dead.
Naruto would survive the Forest of Death only because Orochimaru thought him not worth the effort to kill. It was better to let your enemy live in shame than die with honor.
Jiraiya would drop by in the village for the first time in fifteen years, and take the depressed Naruto under his wing. The boy will then cheat death by a inch but he will be stronger for it.
The Sand-Sound Invasion of the Leaf would lead to the death of not only the Third but the death of one Haruno Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke did not have the power necessary to defeat Sabaku no Gaara in time. Sasuke will leave Konoha in favor of Orochimaru, and Naruto will prove less than willing to drag his treacherous comrade back. Alive.
They never did recover much of the younger Uchiha.
These are but some of the things that would have not much apparent significance within the natural order of the world, but even the little things in numerous quantities can tip the grandiose scales of fate.
Eventually, the Akatsuki will enact their plans for the world and the sheer madness erupting from this would surpass anything the continent had ever seen. Nations would form and disappear, cities gone without whim or reason, and the world plunged into a sea of fire.
Not surprisingly, Konoha would not be spared.
Fortune comes with two sides, balanced by a scale incomprehensible to mortal minds.
Perhaps some tragedies are the prequiste to a better tomorrow, for there is nothing such as a happiness without tragedy, success without failure.
A/N: Before anything else, yes, I know that some portions of this are fictitious to canon, and yes, I'm aware of it. Look at the alternative titles. No, this is not beta-ed, unless some gracious proof-reader skilled at deducing errors in my grammar is interested to be my beta for my 'lesser' works.
Never again am I going to write and elaborate an interesting drabble point again in this type of fiction format. No matter how enticing it may be. There is a reason why other authors don't elaborate; the effort leaves me creatively and emotionally drained by the end of it.
Some of what I have written here is in direct response to a lot of fics out there depicting a story Naruto either gets worshipped right off the bat or goes through a ridiculously short amount of training to become disproportionately powerful and then ends predictably in happiness for everyone involved.
To be honest, it ruins the coming of age and crucible of struggle that Naruto endures that would make him what he is; a mountain in the face of adversity. Removing all the struggle and pain because the author had to pity Naruto for the burden he carries, would only make him weak in my opinion and negates all the symbolism that his sacrifice represents, making it worthless. The last drabble would be proof of my dissatisfaction of it.
This entire chapter is my contribution to making the world of Naruto a darker place, with realism involved among other things. Some parts have been inspired from other authors' stories where they have tried to portray the Naruto world in a shade of grey, mostly notably from 'The Dobe's War' which is reflected in drabble 8. Needless to say, if you read this far, this fic is more or less anti-Sasuke. Not in a bashing sense but a taste of grim reality should the world of Naruto actually exist with a sense of reason.
Read and review at your leisure, though I would be very happy to receive constructive criticism from the latter action.