A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews!
Please let me know what you think!
Chapter 2: Of Shock and Ramen
Waiting inside Naruto's hospital room, his parents, Team 7, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen discussed how best to break the news to the young blond.
Sasuke and Sakura, however, were more than curious as to what that news was in the first place.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you two to leave," Hiruzen said as he eyed the two. "There classified matters here to discuss, and…personal ones as well." Though their curiosity was now piqued, they had no desire to disobey their Hokage and left. "With that out of the way, we can get down to more serious matters. Minato, Kushina-san…" He sighed, knowing what he was about to say would cause the two a great deal of guilt and turmoil. "After you died, I decided it was best that Naruto's heritage be kept a secret, for many reasons. Without your protection, he was an easy target for your old enemies looking for revenge, and thus goes by the surname of Uzumaki. I promised myself that I would tell him the truth when he was older, but right now, he had absolutely no idea who his parents are."
For the parents who never got to be a true family, this was yet another blow to their heavy hearts. They were, however, able to understand his reasoning on the matter. With a nod from Minato, the Third continued. "The worst part, however, is that initially, most of the villagers saw Naruto as something of a shell for the Nine-Tails itself, and took their resentment and bitterness out on the boy." Their shocked and horrified expressions told Hiruzen that it would be best to continue this part to the end as quickly as possible. "Naruto suffered from their hatred, I cannot deny that…though I was able to protect him from most physical harm, the emotional and psychological damage is nonetheless significant." Taking note of the clenched fists of his successor and gritted teeth of the redhead, he kept going. "Still, Naruto has grown into a good natured boy, who is surprisingly able to deal with emotional and psychological problems despite his young age. I have no doubt that a short time with you two would help him in more ways than you could imagine."
Trying to process what the Third was telling her was difficult in many ways for Kushina. Her baby had been seen as the monster he kept imprisoned…the worst fate for a jinchuuriki. As the former jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails herself, she could almost understand how terrible that would be. But what he said last gave her some hope that perhaps he withstood that adversity well enough for her to help her son in time.
"It is a village law that no one who knows about Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki is allowed to tell someone who does not. Naruto did not know about it himself until a few months ago, when he graduated from the Academy through…unconventional means. Since then, he has proved himself to be a remarkable boy. Through his will to never give up, he has gradually changed the village's opinion of him for the better. I can think of no greater example of this than yesterday's events, where after winning his first round match in the Chunin Exams finals, the entire stadium erupted in cheers and applause. I think that by now, most of the villagers view him in a positive, or at least indifferent light. No doubt after word has spread of his victory over Suna's own jinchuuriki, his reputation will benefit even more."
Relief spilled over the parents as this news hit them. The outrage that had been building up in their minds had been stagnated, much to Hiruzen's relief. "Minato, Kushina-san, I humbly ask you to give the villagers a second chance…their opinions and treatment of Naruto were unjustified and wrong, but they have changed a great deal over a short period of time. Naruto is also a very forgiving person, and I doubt he holds any grudges towards them. In my opinion, his efforts to prove himself to the villagers were vindicated, in his eyes, when he received cheers and applause yesterday after winning his match. That alone has undoubtedly helped him a great deal psychologically."
Minato and Kushina's anger gradually faded away. They considered the fact that the villagers seemed to be redeeming themselves slowly but surely, and if Naruto was willing to forgive, then they should too. "There is one last thing I must suggest, however," said Hiruzen. "Naruto does know that you, Minato, were the one to seal the Nine-Tails into him. He still looks up to the Fourth Hokage as a hero and his idol in spite of that, but how he would react to you being his father is unknown. I think it best to wait outside until he has come to terms with the rest of the information we are about to dump on him before bringing that part into the equation."
With a silent nod to his wife and a quick look at his son, Minato left the room. Both of the parents were smiling at the revelation that their son had looked up to his father as an idol even when he had no idea of their blood relation. For them, it was a small connection and conciliation with their son.
"Now, I believe it is time to wake the boy up," the Third said. A quick medical technique later, and the blond's eyes began to groggily open. Kushina sat at his bedside, tears already forming as she saw those bright blue eyes for the first time.
"Urgh…nuh?" His eyes fully opened and began taking in his surroundings. Her heart nearly melted when his eyes met hers, but before he could ask any questions, Kakashi decided it best to ease the blond into the situation first.
"How are you feeling, Naruto?"
The boy's eyes drifted towards the silver haired jonin and his face lit up in recognition. "Kakashi-sensei! Are Sakura-chan and Sasuke okay?"
Kakashi walked over to Naruto's side, smiling. "Yeah, they're fine." He ruffled the blond's hair as he continued. "You did a great job, Naruto. Most of the village has probably heard about what you did by now, and they're impressed. I'm proud of you." Such praise was monumental to Naruto, and it showed through his huge smile and slight blush. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, though." He gestured with his hand towards the emotional redhead that sat by his bed.
Naruto looked at her, confused. "Erm…who are you? And why are you looking at me like that?"
To the blond's bewilderment, her smile grew even more. "Naruto…it's been a very long time. I'm your mother."
Slightly widened eyes and mouth was the only reaction from the boy. Internally, his mind could hardly begin to process the thoughts and questions that surfaced. When he was little, the orphanage caretakers had assured him that any parents of his could not possibly love a monster like him. Thinking about parents in general hurt his heart and made him feel lonelier than ever. But now, this woman in front of him…was claiming to be his mother? What? Was that really true? Did his mother hate him? Or did she…love…him? What is love, anyway? Where have you been all my life?
Sensing her son's confusion, she sought to answer some of the questions he was probably asking himself. "Naruto…I'm so sorry…" a sharp intake of breath revealed to the rest that she was bordering on crying. "I wanted to be there for you so much…I would have done anything to help you…but I didn't get the chance." Sniffing and wiping some of her tears away, she collected her thoughts before speaking again. "Your father and I were killed on the night you were born…we never wanted to leave you alone. But yesterday, somehow we were brought back to life by accident. So we're going to be here for you from now on…we're going to help you in every way we can. We love you so much."
It was the first time Naruto had ever heard those words, and all of his emotional defenses broke down as tears rolled down his cheeks. Kushina immediately embraced him, holding him as he spilled out all of the pent up emotion and anguish of his life into her chest. His sobs were both comforting and painful for her as she soothingly rubbed circles into his back, trying to erase all of that which burdened him.
00.000.00
Sasuke sat on a bench outside the hospital room next to his teammate and the Fourth Hokage, though he paid them no mind. His thoughts were elsewhere…back to a conversation he'd had not long ago.
Standing near the blond's hospital bed, Sasuke merely observed the group giving all of their attention to the dead last. The more he saw and heard, the less able he was to deny the obvious conclusion: Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. As impossible as it seemed, there was no other way to describe it, and the resemblance was uncanny now that he considered the possibility.
"You're my son's teammate, right?" Sasuke, shaken from his daze, looked up at the red-haired woman speaking to him. That statement confirmed his suspicions, though he gave no indication of surprise. He merely nodded in response.
"My name is Kushina Uzumaki…may I ask what your name is?"
Deciding that it would be more troublesome to ignore her, he answered. "Sasuke Uchiha."
Her eyes widened in recognition, which annoyed him. Of course, everyone knew him. He was the famed Last Uchiha, after all. Who hadn't already heard all about his story and pitied him? "Sasuke Uchiha…" To his surprise, she smiled. "Wow…you've grown so much. The last time I saw you, you were a little baby."
She now had his full attention. "How do you know me?"
Kushina's mind drifted towards memories from long ago. "I'm good friends with your mother." When his expression darkened considerably, she grew worried. "Is she…"
"Dead," was his snappish reply. Sasuke waited for the inevitable 'I'm sorry' pity before she moved on to things that were obviously more interesting for her. Just like everyone else.
But once again, she surprised him. Her hand moved up towards her mouth, but it never reached. She stared at the ground, tears falling from her eyes. Sasuke was now completely bewildered. Was this woman…actually saddened by his loss? Did she not pity him?
After several moments, Kushina looked up at him once more. "I'm so sorry… your mother was a great woman." His eyes drifted towards her own, the slightest of cracks forming in his emotional shell. "You participated in the Chunin Exams and defended your village and friends when they were under attack. Take it from someone who knows…"
Sasuke allowed his mind to drift to emotions and memories he had long since shut away as he hung on her every word.
"…your mother would be so proud of you."
He soaked in her words as if they had come from his mother herself. Images of her smile, of her approval, and of her pride came flooding into his memory and imagination. For the first time in four years, Sasuke could actually smile when thinking about his family.
00.000.00
Kushina held her son for several minutes before he was able to collect himself. When he finally backed out of the embrace, he wiped away the tears and mucus in an attempt to recompose, but quickly saw what he had done to her shirt. "S-sorry…"
But his mother would have none of that. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Naruto."
He looked up at her unsurely, still wondering if this could be real. "Are y-you really my M-Mom?"
She gently lifted his chin and kissed his forehead. "Yes, Naruto," she said in as soft a tone as she could muster, "I really am your Mom."
Mother and son shared a relieved, cherished smile. Kakashi, Hiruzen, and Jiraiya could only look on in contentment. The boy finally had what he truly deserved…and needed so badly.
"Would you like to meet your father, Naruto?" asked Kushina.
Naruto looked up at her, excited but hesitant. "I…I have a dad, too?"
Everyone in the room chuckled at that. "Yes, you do, Naruto. Remember what I said about him?" The confused look on his face told her no. Definitely does not have his father's memory, she mused. "Your father loves you very much. Just like me, he died on the night you were born, but we've been given a second chance. We're both going to be there for you from now on, okay?" After a nod from her son, she glanced over at Kakashi, who nodded back in response.
Minato stood outside the room, contemplating how his son would react. Would he be angry? What a stupid question. Of course he would. He has every right to be. How long would he hold a grudge for? Would he forgive him?
"Sensei?" Awoken from his thoughts, the blond looked at his student. "It's time."
He stood, trying to compose himself. Doing his best to stop his hands from shaking, he entered the room…to see his own eyes looking at him in wonder. Hesitantly, he approached the foot of the bed. "…Naruto…"
His son continued to look at him with wide eyes and an agape mouth. For Naruto, seeing the long dead legend, the Fourth Hokage, standing in front of him was enough cause for shock. The obvious connection that it was his own father that was standing before him never even registered.
After several moments of silence and no change in expression, Kushina tried to ease the awkwardness. "Naruto?"
The blond suddenly blinked, as if only just realizing that he had been staring. "…Fourth…Hokage…"
"Naruto, this is Minato Namikaze…your father."
Minato and Kushina waited for the anger, the confusion, the hurt—but nothing of the sort came at first. As Kakashi had warned them, Naruto tended to be quite slow outside of battle. "You're…my…father?" he asked.
A small smile appeared on the Hokage's lips. "Yes, Naruto. You're my son."
Naruto's shock turned into joy as tears fell from his eyes. The last thing any of them had expected followed—laughter. The boy's torrent of emotions was released in the form of choked, relieved chuckling. Never—not even in his wildest fantasies—had Naruto imagined being the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage. It was simply too good to be true. There were a few times where he had dreamt of having parents who didn't hate him or even someone who loved him, but this…couldn't be real. This may all be a dream, he thought, but it's the best damn dream I've ever had. And I'm going to enjoy it…even when I wake up and it's all gone, at least, right now… I can pretend…
His father walked over to his son's side, completely unknowing of the fact that Naruto believed he was well and truly dreaming. "Naruto, I'm so sorry for sealing the Nine-Tails into you without helping you along the way…I hope you can forgive me." His son merely looked up at him, smiling.
"It's okay."
No, they had certainly not expected Naruto to forgive his father right on the spot without any hesitation. Kushina, however, decided to go with their good luck. "Naruto, why don't we go get some ramen together?"
Naruto nearly jumped out of his bed. "Yeah! Ramen! Let's go to Ichiraku's 'dattebayo!"
"Dattebayo?" asked Minato and Kushina. Their eyes met right before bursting into laughter. "You really take after your mother, Naruto." The boy took the comment in stride, laughing along with them after the explanation.
00.000.00
Kakashi felt it best to let the family spend some time together by themselves, which was why he now led the remainder of his team in the clean up and reconstruction efforts. For once, Sasuke and Sakura did not utter a single complaint at the slew of D-rank missions, and for that Kakashi could do nothing but be proud of them.
"Is it true?" asked Sasuke. He had just dropped a pile of splintered wood and glass into a larger trash pile.
"Is what true, Sasuke?" the copy ninja retorted.
Black eyes turned to look at him, but without the usual look of stubborn animosity. "Is Naruto really his son?" Sakura turned to hear teammate, eyebrows raised.
"Y—"
"Kakashi! There you are!" The silver haired jonin turned around to see Asuma walking towards him, along with the rest of his team. He nearly sighed as he also saw Kurenai, Gai, and their teams right behind them.
"Asuma…what's wrong?"
The chain smoker looked dumbfounded. "Nothing's wrong, idiot. It's just that there have been a ton of rumors going around about the Fourth, and seeing as you're his student…"
"He's alive, along with his wife."
Asuma continued his exasperated rant. "We know that he's alive, but some people are saying that he's—wait, did you say wife?"
By now, everyone nearby had stopped their work and paid their full attention to the conversation. "Yes, the Fourth has a wife. And a son."
"A son? That can't be right! Everyone would have known about him by now! Who is he?"
Kakashi bewildered everyone with an uncharacteristic smile. "A certain blond knucklehead who goes by the name of Naruto Uzumaki."
Their expressions, Kakashi decided, were priceless. Asuma's cigarette fell from his mouth, and even the usually stoic Shino looked like he'd had a bucket of ice water dumped on him.
While waiting for everyone—save Sasuke—to process that bit of information, Kakashi casually got back to work hauling debris into manageable piles.
00.000.00
"Itadakimasu!"
With little more preamble, Naruto began devouring his first bowl of steaming miso ramen, much to the amusement of his parents. His eating habits were similar to his mother's, though even she was not quite so animalistic with her food.
Still, ramen was a favorite food of Kushina's, and Minato certainly had a liking for it as well. "You might want to slow down, Naruto," advised the redhead. "It's not going to disappear."
Surprisingly, Naruto stopped eating and chewing mid-bite, his expression suddenly solemn. His parents' concern immediately rose, but before they could comment on it, the blond finished his bite and smiled at them. "Sorry! I always eat a lot after coming out of the hospital."
Deciding not to ask about his fake smile, Kushina moved to a safer topic. "So what's your team like?"
Minato and Kushina were caught off guard by the sudden no-punctuation description of each of his teammates. "Well, there's Sasuke-teme who's strong but is really stupid about it and he has the Sharingan and is always all serious and stuff, and then there's Sakura-chan who's really pretty but is always following Sasuke-teme around but she's still really smart, and then there's Kakashi-sensei who's always late and wears a mask all the time and also has the Sharingan and is really lazy but he's really strong in a fight and has a weird smile and he's always reading those pervy books and…" Noticing the unbelievable pause, his parents could only stare in wonder. "…he has really weird hair."
Unable to hold their laughter in any longer, the parents nearly fell off of their seats cracking up, much to Naruto's utter confusion.
A/N: I decided to take a different route with Naruto's reaction. Essentially, he's willing to believe his mother is alive after all of this time, but when he finds that he has a father too, and his 'father' happens to be his hero and idol, he can't possibly believe that it's all real. So for now, he believes it's all a dream, but one he's going to enjoy anyway, despite 'knowing' that it isn't real. For someone who's endured as much as he has, it's a big relief even to pretend.
Obviously, it's not going to stay that way. But you get the picture.
Please let me know what you think!
