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"Speech"

"Uta's Speech"

'Thought/Mental Speech'

"Bijuu Speech"

'Bijuu Thoughts'

"Techniques"

(Translations)

Scene or Time Change/Chapter Name

Chapter 2: Seeking Knowledge

The morning sun shone through the window of Naruto's apartment, stirring him awake. He slowly sat up in his bed and stretched his stiff joints before he looked around his room. He saw that he was alone, making him sigh in sadness.

"I guess last night was just a dream…" he muttered with his eyes threatening to spill tears.

Suddenly, he felt a pulsing sensation come from around his neck and looked down to see a pendant in the shape of a quarter not around his neck. The pendant pulsed one final time before it faded into particles of light and Uta appeared before him with a smile on her face.

"I assure you that last night was very real, Naruto."

"Uta-chan!" he exclaimed happily before he pulled her into a joyful embrace. "I thought you left."

"I told you that I would stay with you and support you. That means that I won't leave you, Naruto," she reassured him while hugging the redhead back. "Now, I believe that there were some questions that you had that were not answered?"

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and sat on his bed while Uta floated in the air in front of him in a seated position. "Yea I did. I wanted to know if there was a chance that I could find my family now. You said that they were suffering and I want to help them."

Uta frowned in thought while she floated back and forth in a pacing manner. "You can, but I don't know if you're strong enough to go find them… Not to mention that you also have no experience outside of your village."

"So, I just need to get stronger? Alright, I can do that no problem!" he pronounced with a fist pump.

"It's not that simple, Naruto… Strength alone won't help you out there. You need knowledge of the outside world and what could happen out there also."

"What about the knowledge you gave me last night? Wouldn't that be enough?"

"While it's true that the knowledge you received is very beneficial to you, it isn't the knowledge you need to find your family. If you want to find them, you need to get stronger and learn of the world outside Konoha. Don't worry; I'll be with you every step of the way," she told him with a smile.

Naruto smiled back and nodded. "Thanks Uta-chan. So, what should I do first?"

Uta looked out his window towards the Hokage Tower and sighed. "You need to talk to your Hokage first… There are things you need to know that he has to tell you; things that are a part of who and what you are."

"What I am…? What do you mean, Uta-chan?" he asked in confusion.

She shook her head and turned to him. "It isn't my place to tell you, Naruto. Just go to him and ask about the seal on your stomach. If he denies knowledge of it, then he is lying. He knows more about you then you yourself know, Naruto."

Naruto still looked confused, but he hesitantly nodded in consent. Uta gave him a reassuring smile before she transformed back into the necklace around Naruto's neck. Naruto then made his way to the Hokage Tower to ask the Sandaime about who he was.

Along the way, he noticed that the village had much more merchants and vendor carts. It took him passing about ten of them before he remembered what time of the year it was. 'That's right… It's nearing the Day of Lost Souls. If I remember right, it's the time of year where supposedly the souls of the dead are allowed to reunite with their family… I wonder if my parents ever visit me; assuming that they're dead.'

As he passed multiple vendor carts, his eyes narrowed in on one that was selling musical instruments. He saw flutes, cymbals, small drums, horns, and many others. He stopped at the cart to get a better look before he noticed a lone instrument hidden underneath a cymbal. He pulled it out to examine it and saw that it had a round shape with a part of it stretching away from the body. It had twelve holes on it and the stretched out piece was, according to Naruto's recently acquired musical knowledge, where the musician would blow to produce a sound.

"That was a rare find, that one," said the cart owner surprising the redhead. "I found it in the ruins of an abandoned town along with other things. If I remember right, that little beauty is called an-"

"Ocarina…" Naruto finished as he continued to examine it. The instrument was made of wood and colored a bright sky blue with painted orange leaves adorning it. "It's beautiful… How much do you want for it?"

The vendor gave the small boy in front of him a closer look before he gave a small smile. "Tell you what kid; you play one song perfectly on that little beauty, and I'll let you keep it. You seem to have a real eye for musical items; something not seen in many places."

Naruto gaped at the offer before he smiled brightly and nodded. He then took a calming breath before he brought the mouthpiece to his lips and began to play. The melody of the ocarina was soft and magical, and it was slowly drawing the attention of the other vendors and passerby villagers. Amazingly as the music played, the leaves in nearby trees stirred up and flew around Naruto before floating away. After he stopped playing, Naruto sent a nervous grin to the vendor and asked, "How was that?"

The man nodded respectfully at the kid's performance. "Very well played, kid… So, what're you gonna call that little number?"

Naruto paused in thought before a title came to him. "I'll call it the Minuet of the Forest since I thought of the forests surrounding Konoha."

"A fine name… Well kid, a deal's a deal. That ocarina is yours now. Be sure to take damn good care of it."

Naruto nodded gratefully and sent the man a wide smile. "You bet, mister! And thanks for giving me this!"

As the happy redhead left, the vendor smiled and said to himself, "That boy… He's gonna go places."

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, was once again in the midst of dealing with the never-ending task known as paperwork. Ever since he returned to office after the sacrifice of his late successor, he was left to deal with the concerns of the village whether they were about security or about economy.

Thankfully for the old Kage, a knock came to his door before his secretary came in. "Hokage-sama, Naruto Uzumaki is here to speak with you."

"Thank you Anna. Please send him in," he replied. Anna was the fourth secretary he had since the other three were fired due to their resentment for Naruto and how they frequently denied the boy audience with him.

Soon the doors opened again, and Naruto stepped in with a noticeable bulge in his pocket. "Hey old man…" he greeted, although it wasn't as cheerful as Sarutobi was so used to hearing.

"Good morning, Naruto. I take it you have something you wish to speak to me about?"

Naruto nodded before he sat in the chair in front of Hiruzen's desk and fidgeted slightly. He slowly steeled his nerve before he blurted out, "Old man, what's this strange mark that appears on my stomach? It shows up whenever I focus on trying to gather chakra, but every other time it's gone… What is it?"

Hiruzen looked to the boy in sadness and thought of how best to explain it to him. He had hoped that the young Uzumaki wouldn't have asked about the seal holding back the Kyuubi for a few more years, but apparently that was no longer the case.

"Why are you interested in it, Naruto? Is it causing you any problems or pain?"

Naruto shook his head negatively. "No, it isn't… I'm just wondering what it is? I've noticed it for a while and thought nothing of it before… Although, last night I had a real…eye-opening experience and it made me question things about me again…"

The aged Kage nodded at the answer before he made a motion with his hand. Four masked ANBU appeared before him, surprising Naruto, and Sarutobi ordered, "Leave us." The ANBU all bowed before they disappeared from the office and Sarutobi activated a silencing seal within the room. Turning back to the young redhead, he stated, "Naruto, what I am about to tell you is incredibly important and must not be spoken of outside of this office. Is that clear?"

Naruto was surprised at the seriousness in his grandfather figure's usually kind tone. He nodded and replied, "I won't tell anyone, Jiji."

Sarutobi nodded and laced his hands in front of him with his eyes closed. "…The markings on your stomach are in fact part of a very elaborate seal placed upon you. Tell me Naruto, what do you know of the night Kyuubi attacked the village?"

The sudden question confused the boy. "Not much other than what people have said about it in passing… The Yondaime faced the fox on top of a giant frog and killed it while sacrificing his own life."

"Firstly, it was a toad the Yondaime fought alongside; not a frog. Secondly, what the villagers have said is not the whole truth…"

"What do you mean…?"

The Sandaime suddenly felt much older as he stared into the confused and innocent eyes of Naruto. "The fox could not be killed, Naruto. It was much too powerful for any human to do so… The Yondaime faced the fox, and he did sacrifice his own life to defeat it… However, he did not kill it."

Naruto suddenly felt his stomach twist and a chill crawl up his spine. "Then, if he didn't kill it…how did he defeat the fox?"

Sarutobi's eyes were filled with sadness, pity, and regret as he relayed the answer. "He defeated it by sealing it into an infant; a newborn child that was to be seen as a hero… That child…was you, Naruto."

Naruto gasped in shock and was frozen stiff at the response he received from the old man. 'T-The Kyuubi was sealed into m-me?' His eyes began to tear up and his body shook with the sobs and little bursts of breath he released. "So then…the reason why the village doesn't like me…is because the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into me?" His eyes widened in fear and he turned to the Hokage in panic. "Does that make me the fox?!" he sobbed out.

Hiruzen quickly moved to Naruto and pulled the young boy into a reassuring hug. "No Naruto, you are not the fox… You are its prison and it is your prisoner. Think of it like money held tight within your toad like wallet."

Naruto in response pulled out his wallet, which he affectionately named "Gama-chan", and stared intently at it. "So…I'm still me? I'm still human?"

Hiruzen gave him a warm smile and answered, "Yes Naruto… You are still human and are most certainly still you."

Naruto hugged the Sandaime with crying eyes and wept while Hiruzen whispered soothing words to him. After some time, Naruto removed himself from the old man and asked, "Why me, Jiji? Why did the Yondaime choose me?"

Hiruzen mentally cursed at the fact that Naruto was not yet ready, at least in his opinion, to hear the full truth. So, he decided to give the boy reassurance with a part of the truth. "He chose you because he must have seen something in you that made him have faith that you would succeed in life. You were made into the Kyuubi Jinchuriki so that you could be a hero to the village."

"Jinchuriki…?"

"It means 'human sacrifice', and you are not the only Jinchuriki in the world, Naruto. In fact, there are eight others out there who are Jinchuriki as well."

"Really? Do you think I'll be able to meet them all?"

"Maybe someday, Naruto…"

Naruto gave a small smile at that thought before he remembered something. "You said that I was made a Jinchuriki in hopes of being a hero… Why do the villagers not like me then?"

Sarutobi sighed sadly at the question. "Many people find it very difficult to let go of past tragedies that they have experienced… The Kyuubi killed many people, Naruto, and the families of the ones who died still mourn their deaths. I'm sure that, given time, the villagers will see you for who you were meant to be."

Naruto gave a small smile and hugged his grandfather figure one last time. "Thanks Jiji…"

"No problem, Naruto. I'm just sorry that you were unaware of the reason for the villagers' dislike for you until now…" He then looked back to the bulge in Naruto's pocket and asked, "By the way, what's that in your pocket?"

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed before he happily pulled out the ocarina. "I got this from one of the vendors down there after a played a song for him with it! Isn't it awesome?"

Hiruzen motioned to have a better look and Naruto complied with his smile still in place. The Sandaime looked closely at the instrument and checked the condition it was in. 'For a small wind instrument, it is still in very good condition…' He then noticed something hidden within the orange painting of one of the leaves adorning the ocarina. 'A seal… And not just any seal. This is a durability seal which was meant to increase an object's resistance to breaks or other types of damage. Naruto must be really lucky to have gotten an instrument like this for no charge.'

After Naruto was handed back the instrument, he put it back in his pocket and asked, "Hey Jiji, do you think the library has any knowledge on places outside of the village?"

The old man raised a brow at the unexpected question. "I'm sure it does, but why do you ask?"

Naruto mentally panicked and frantically thought for an answer before Uta came to his aid. "Listen Naruto, I want you to repeat after me…"

"I want to know because I want to have an early start on my studies before I become a ninja and get missions outside of Konoha. 'Knowledge is Power', right Jiji?"

Hiruzen chuckled in response and answered, "Indeed it is, Naruto… I'm sure you'll find info on what you're looking for in the library. Study hard, Naruto. After all, I was named the 'Professor' of Konoha due to my vast knowledge I attained through rigorous study."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically and replied, "You bet, Jiji! I'll study hard, get stronger, and become the greatest ninja ever, dattebayo!"

The redhead then ran out of the office in determination, making the Sandaime shake his head with a smile. He then turned his gaze to the portrait of the Yondaime and commented, "He's definitely your son, Minato; yours and Kushina's. I'm sure that, wherever you reside, you're smiling down at him."

Back with Naruto, he was rushing through the streets on his way to the library before he accidentally bumped into a person, knocking him down due to his smaller size. "Ah, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention…" he apologized before looking to see who he had bumped into.

The person he bumped into was a woman of about 5'8" with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. She wore a dark blue kimono top over a mesh shirt, dark brown pants, and black ninja sandals. What Naruto really noticed was the fact that her left arm from the elbow down was replaced with a prosthetic limb.

The woman looked down at the boy who had bumped into her and gasped at what she saw. Spiky hair, red in color, adorned his head and he had bright amethyst eyes plus the facial structure that reminded her of an old friend of hers. 'No… No it couldn't be…'

"Uh… Again, I'm really sorry for bumping into you, but I really need to get going!" Naruto said before he took off running again.

The woman stared at his back and saw the red spiral stitched to his clothing, making her eyes widen in shock. "I can't believe it…" she whispered. "I thought he was dead… Naruto…"

(End)

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Next Time: Heritage! Stay Tuned!