Chapter 2: Those Who Inherit The Will of Fire!
The ticking sound of an old clock was what kept Minato company as he bid his time on the Academy corridor which comprised the Administrative division, waiting to be summoned. The day where he'd become Genin was something he had foreseen a long time ago. But he never expected it to happen before his twelfth birthday, at least not at the slow pace he had been going. Approximately three months had passed since the horrific incident which claimed his aunt's life. According to the Konoha police report, the incident happened as a result of a disagreement between two native shinobi which led to collateral damage. The fight spanned out across a few neighborhoods, claiming the lives of at least three villagers, including Namikaze Asami, and injuring several more. Since then, the suspects had been apprehended and were awaiting trial.
The day was 29th of January. It had been four days since Minato's tenth birthday, a birthday which he didn't celebrate out of respect for Asami, and because he also had other more pressing matters to tend to. The blue-eyed Namikaze had submitted a formal request to be allowed to graduate the Academy earlier than it was intended by the school's curriculum. After all, this was not something unprecedented. Konohagakure's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, was a year younger than him when he got promoted to Chuunin. Minato had sent the request a week earlier, but he'd been left on hold by the staff as per protocol as they sifted through his paperwork in order to confirm his eligibility for a promotion.
As the clock hit eleven, Minato still sat on his seat, silently twiddling his thumbs, awaiting for someone to open the door and call his name. The monotony of the entire situation put Minato in a pensive mood. His mind quickly drifted back to the critical days following Asami's death which led him to a sudden shift in mindset that would forever change his life.
It was a cold October day, a terrible day for a funeral. The sky was covered by the jet black clouds which were forewarning of a downpour. Minato stood before his aunt's grave dressed in clothing so black it even seemed to drain the bright complexion out of his eyes and hair. A few people had attended his aunt's funeral. Some of them were neighbours living in their apartment complex, some of them were her close friends and there were some whom Minato had never made contact with before and had no idea how they were acquainted to her. A bunch of Minato's friends from the Academy were there too; Kaiba attended with his father, while Mikoto and Kushina were escorted by Mikoto's mother.
Each of the attendees had paid their respects and left with the exception of Minato. He had been reduced to a trance-like state. His eyes had gotten droopy and devoid of any emotion. In spite of his best efforts, the blond was not even capable of shedding tears at that moment. He desperately wanted to speak his mind in front of her headstone, but the words wouldn't come out. As he stood there almost lifeless, his head perked up a little bit, having sensed someone else's presence. He had always been rather sensitive to chakra signatures. Once he turned to look behind him, the boy was greeted by a man. He looked to be in his early fourties. He had a tan skin, black spiky hair and a stature which Minato noted to be below average for an adult. He was wearing a black haori with a full length black kimono underneath, as was customary for funerals. In his right hand, he was holding a single white chrysanthemum.
"It seems I'm a bit late. My apologies, Minato-kun. That was rather disrespectful of me." The man spoke as he paced towards Asami's grave. He placed the chrystanthemum on her headstone, among the other items which were left there by the attendees as a sign of respect. Then, he put his palms together and bowed his head slightly as he paced backwards, positioning himself on Minato's left side. The boy's eyes had remained fixed on the stranger as he went through the ritual, and yet he struggled making out exactly who he was was or why he referred to him as "Minato-kun". Only after he returned to his side did the penny drop in his prodigious head.
"S-Sandaime...-sama" Minato stammered in surprise. He had never seen him without his Hokage attire.
"Now, now, no need to be that formal. You can call me Hiruzen." The man, now identified as the Third Hokage, responded, an earnest, radiant smile plastered on his face.
"W-What are...you..d-doing here?" Minato queried, still unable to wrap his head around the whole thing.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to offer you my condolences." Hiruzen replied. "A boy your age shouldn't have to go through such an experience. I'm sorry about your loss."
"But..why? I'm just a stranger." Minato insisted, not satisfied with the Sandaime's reply.
"On the contrary, Minato-kun. I may not know you personally, but that doesn't mean you're a stranger." Hiruzen paused as he looked Minato straight in his eyes before turning his head towards the center of the cemetery. "Every person in this village is connected to one another through that." He raised his left hand, his index finger pointing at a statue of what seemed to be a red flame with the kanji for Hokage inscribed in it. Sandaime's gesture caught Minato's attention too as the boy directed his gaze towards where he was pointing. "The Will of Fire." Sandaime put his hand down before continuing. "It is the founding philosophy of this village, the belief that Konohagakure is a big family and that everyone carrying the Will of Fire is more than ready to sacrifice their lives to protect one another."
"Even if they're an outsider?" Minato interjected, reminded of a certain red-haired girl.
"Uhm." Hiruzen nodded with a smile, glad to have finally gotten a somewhat enthused response out of him. "I believe that the Will of Fire is as prevalent in the iron heart of a brave shinobi as it is in the stirred heart of a young boy whose world collapsed overnight. That's why you need to search for it deep in your heart, Minato-kun. It's what will help you remain faithful to your ideals, no matter what they may be, when faced with insurmountable pain."
The young shinobi had been listening intently. However, there was still something weighing him on the inside. His glistening blue eyes were guided down to the ground as he clenched his fist, his knuckles whitening.
"If that's so...then...why..." He mustered, causing Hiruzen to furrow his brows as he lent an ear to his lamentations. "Why do shinobi still fight among themselves?!" As he spat those words, Minato's soft voice went through an uncharacteristic increase in tone. The insides of his eyelids got wetter, though there were no tears spilling out. He instinctively closed his eyes shut, causing two tear drops to slither from his cheeks down to his chin.
Hiruzen sighed, a billow of cold air emerging from his mouth. He understood why Minato brought that up. After all, it was an internal conflict which led to the death of his only living relative.
"I've been searching for the answer to that myself." Hiruzen mused. He steered his sight back to Minato who was gradually devolving into a sobbing mess at that point, desperately gritting his teeth in an attempt to hold his tears back. Hiruzen's words - nay, his mere presence - had really done a number on him.
Sandaime raised his right hand and placed it on top of the boy's lowered head. "It's okay. Let it all out." He pulled the vulnerable young blond towards him, his head now leaning on his chest. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village and, once again, the tree leaves shall bud anew." Hiruzen recited. "If there's someone you must blame, it's me Minato-kun. These trying times are only a result of my failings as a Hokage. I have not been able to become the source of light needed for the shinobi of Konohagakure to navigate through this thick, seemingly never-ending darkness."
Minato's hand, which looked crumpled up in comparison to Hiruzen's, reached for the latter's haori. His head had now been completely buried into his chest. His face, though hidden under the covers of the Sandaime's attire, soured as his whimpering evolved into proper wailing.
"Blame me but never lose hope. Even in this darkness, the Will of Fire within you will serve as your compass.
You only need to draw from it's power"
"Will of Fire...Village...Hokage...pain" Those were the key words Minato juggled in his head as he walked to his apartment. He was getting soaked from the drizzle, but the foreshadowed downpour hadn't started yet, so he didn't seem to mind. A little rain hurt nobody. Memories of his late aunt were also intertwined among the snippets of the Sandaime's speech, specifically memories of her encouraging Minato to pick up the slack. He missed her so much.
Part of Minato wanted to believe the philosophy declaimed by Sandaime, but another, slightly more potent part of him believed that it was nothing but blind, idealistic non-sense. Either way, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't know what affected him more - Hiruzen's words or the warm, fatherly manner which he uttered them. Having made it to door 102 after trudging up the stairs, Minato smoothly drew a key from his front pocket and unlocked it, making his way in.
"I'm home." He proclaimed in a faux enthusiastic manner as he removed his shoes, a small part of him still conditioned to expect a fair-haired woman to chime in with a "Welcome back, Minato-kun." The living room in the apartment was uncomfortably neat and tidy. Droplets of water formed from the spout and hit the kitchen sink, letting out a dripping sound that was the only source of noise in the apartment. The kitchen, much like the living room, was also dismally spotless. To an outsider, the apartment looked vacant. That wasn't actually too far from the truth.
Minato, now barefoot, skimmed through the living room and made his way towards his own quarters, seamlessly tossing the door key on the dinner table. With his right hand, he ruffled his soaked hair, sprinkling the rug on which he trod on. In stark contrast to the rest of the apartment, Minato's room was a mess. The bed was unmade, there were piles of empty instant ramen cups almost spilling out of a small trash can in the corner of the room and his worksheets, which were normally arranged properly, laid all over the floor. Ever since Asami's death, Minato had stopped being adamant on following a rigid discipline. The Minato of a week ago would have never gone for take-out over home-cooked food. Then again, back then he could have actually willed himself to do something that required that degree of effort.
Exhausted, both mentally and physically, Minato plopped onto his messy bed, assuming a fetal position shortly after. Asami's room was adjacent to his, but he hadn't found the nerve to enter it yet. He was fine with putting it off until he healed, if ever. The raindrops began to trickle down his window. It almost seemed like they were racing one another. Soon enough, the preordained downpour began it's first act, the sound of the furious rain achieving the impossible - lulling the blond shinobi into the first proper nap he'd had in days.
After a few hours had passed, Minato's eyes gradually opened until he came to. Before his brain could even register his surroundings, he extended the thumb on his right hand and wiped the drool that had traveled down his chin. He heard a distant knocking sound as his bare feet strove to make contact with the flooring, a sound which he initially dismissed as just the rain. As he threw a glance to his bedroom's window, he soon realized that was not the case. The rain had stopped. The banging was getting louder. It was the door.
"Tsk." Minato mutedly exclaimed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He willed himself up from his bed and hurriedly headed for the entrance, though not before flicking the light switch in the living room which had been enveloped by gloom as the evening neared. "Who is-" Opening the door, the boy cut himself mid-sentence at the sight of two familiar faces. One was of a boy his age with straight, asymmetrically-cut, shoulder-length hair that were a dull, brown-ish color, same color as his eyes. The other was that of a girl, around his age, with long raven-black hair, her face framed with bangs on both sides that almost went past her chin. Her eyes were an opaque black and had the capacity to awaken the strongest dojutsu in the world, the Sharingan. She was holding what seemed to be a box wrapped in a foulard with the Uchiha clan symbol visible.
"Kaiba...Mikoto..." Minato uttered softly, a bewildered expression escaping his face as he alternated his sight between the both of them.
"Yo, Minato." Kaiba waved.
"Minato, are you okay?" Mikoto queried, her puckered brows denoting concern. "We've been knocking for more than ten minutes, but you didn't answer. And you look exhausted."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just took a nap, that's all." Minato tousled his already disheveled head, mustering a half-smile. "Nevermind that, why are you guys here?"
After a brief pause, Mikoto tossed an irritated look at Kaiba, who had raised his arms and was resting his head on his laced fingers. His eyes met Mikoto's at which point he suddenly recalled the purpose of their sudden visit.
"Oh, right, right." He immediately straightened his posture and fumbled an envelope out of the inside of his jacket which he slowly handed to Minato. "It's not much but it should cover your expenses for this month." Kaiba spoke.
It took a while for Minato to process what was happening. He took a good look at both of his classmates who stood in anticipation of his response. The Namikaze felt the same warm yet simultaneously bitter feeling he'd felt earlier that day, during his emotional talk with the Sandaime. "You guys..." The blond broke the silence, nearly choking on his own words. He raised both of his palms above his waist. "I-I can't accept this." He faltered.
"We've all chipped in a little bit from our allowances," Kaiba spoke. "Even Kushina." Mikoto interjected, almost as if trying to let Minato know that his secret affection for her hadn't made it past her sharp eyes. Plus, Kushina was on Konoha's orphaned kids fund, which Minato was probably gonna be signed up for in the next month or so, so her donating money was a big deal as she had no reliable source of income. "So please, Minato, do us a favor as our friend and accept this." Kaiba went on.
Minato pursed his lips in an attempt to hide the sorry state he was in, though he wasn't fooling anyone. "You guys..." He gritted his teeth, summoning all of his willpower not to break down in front of his beloved friends. He didn't want to make a habit out of it. "Thank you.." The blond replied meekly, taking the envelope from Kaiba's hand. He held it with both of his hands, resting his thumbs on top of it. "I'll repay you all in full." The blond added.
"Take your time, friend. We'll be waiting for you once you're ready to get back to your studies." Kaiba replied thoughtfully, following his statement with a toothy grin. Mikoto nodded in agreement. "Oh, and here. Take this." She put her hands forward in a sudden manner that made it seem like the Uchiha had forgotten she was carrying a sizable object. "My Mom insisted that she heard your stomach growl when she went to pay respects to your aunt this morning, so she made this for you. It's a bento." She gave it to Minato, who put the envelope on top of it, covering the Uchiha crest as he accepted it with both hands. His classmates were not making it easy for him to control his fluctuating mood. "Thank you." Minato showed his gratitude yet again, this time slightly bowing his head forward as he did so. "It seems a little too big, though." He inspected the box while making sure not to tip over the envelope.
"Yeah, my Mom never knows when to show restraint. Sorry." Mikoto replied apologetically, her mouth contorting as she slightly averted her gaze.
"Well, I guess we better get going." Kaiba intruded, looking at Mikoto and then veering his sight back to the blue-eyed Namikaze. "We don't want to overstay our welcome. Get back to us as soon as you can, Minato. The class feels empty without you there." The boy placed a hand on Minato's shoulder before removing it as he headed for the stairs. "Uh-oh, well, see ya, Minato." Mikoto reluctantly followed suit, finding Kaiba's decision a bit too sudden, yet understanding that he probably wanted to give his friend some space.
However, Minato didn't want space. Not anymore. His classmates' altruism had reawakened something in him, something he hadn't felt in days - nay, ever. A newfound appreciation for the friendships he'd made. "Wait!" The blond called out, prompting his classmates to turn their heads around as they'd stopped in their tracks. "I-I...can't eat this by myself. Maybe...you guys...wouldn't mind sharing it with me?" Minato offered shyly, his cheeks tinged with a faint red. Kaiba and Mikoto briefly looked at each other then at Minato. "Uhm!" They both nodded excitedly in agreement.
That evening, Minato had delicious home-cooked food with two of his Academy friends. He got unwanted updates on the latest Academy gossip, with Mikoto slipping Kushina-related news just to gauge his reaction. He belly-laughed at Kaiba's bad jokes. It marked the first time in a week he'd felt genuine happiness. "Sandaime, is this the Will of Fire?" He silently wondered to himself. Whatever it was, he realized something that day. That the bonds he'd made were precious and that he'd need to get stronger in order to preserve them.
That was the day Minato's resolve truly matured.
"Namikaze Minato?"
"Yeah?"
"You may come in. Kohinata-san's ready for you." A young female called out to the blond shinobi from the entrance threshold. She was dressed in standard Chuunin attire.
Having finished his trip down memory lane, Minato roused himself from the seat, the pain which had overtaken his bright blue orbs a few months earlier now replaced by an unyielding determination. The room he'd found himself in was a rather spacious one, though that could have been an illusion caused by the apparent lack of furniture. In it, he counted nine people. There was a table in the center where three people were seated. The one seated in the middle was Dodai Kohinata, the principal of the Academy, a middle-aged man with a brown flattop and a very distracting goatee. The seat to Kohinata's right side was occupied by Tetsuo Umene, Minato's Academy teacher, a young man with pitch black, spiky hair and whose most memorable trait was a nasty scar extending from his upper left cheek to his lower right. Minato did not recognize the other person, but that didn't stop him for making educated guesses. Judging from his attire, he was a Jonin. The blond figured was either brought for security reasons or to lend his expertise in case a crafty student decided to cheat their way to promotion. Six Chuunin-level shinobi were strategically positioned in the room; three at his right flank and the other three at his left. Minato felt that was a bit overkill, but nevertheless he understood protocol was protocol. Besides, they were in times of war so extra caution was not exactly a bad thing.
"Namikaze, Minato. Ninja Registration Number: 006510." Kohinata spoke rather matter-of-factly, moving his hands at a stack of papers. Minato stood on the center, his white hoodie with green stripes at the shoulders was the only attire in the room that was not a uniform. "Umene-san has forwarded us your application for an immediate promotion to the rank of Genin." He selected a particular sheet from the pile before continuing."Your theoretical understanding of ninjutsu and shinobi concepts is exceptional among your peers. Your practical skills are also above average - your scores in taijutsu, shurikenjutsu and ninjutsu practice are some of the best in your class."
As Kohinata-san showered him with praise, Minato braced himself for a but. He knew bureaucracies always followed up with a hard but.
"However, in spite of your good scores, this council can not, in good faith, put you up for a promotion. In order to be eligible for such a thing, you must display practical skills that far surpass the practical competence dictated by the intended curriculum for students of your rank. Do you understand, Minato-kun?"
"This is it!" Minato thought to himself the moment he heard Kohinata-san's last statement. He knew they wouldn't promote him just like that. He'd been holding his abilities back all his life - it was natural that they would doubt his skills. That was the blond Namikaze's chance to let loose for once.
"I understand." Minato replied politely. "Then, may I be allowed a demonstration?"
The very second those words escaped his lips, Minato noticed wild fluctuations in chakra around him. The observers were riling up in anticipation of the boy's demonstration. They really didn't take any chances.
"You may proceed." Kohinata-san permitted.
Minato closed his eyes, inhaling slowly and then releasing his breath. With one seamless movement, he coupled the index and middle fingers in his right and left hand and quickly formed a cross. Two puffs of white smoke appeared besides him. But before the white smoke had a chance to properly disperse, Minato formed the Seal of Confrontation. "HENGE!" Three Minatos suddenly spoke in unison, their jutsu creating even more white smoke on top of the one that was subsiding.
"A-Amazing." One of the Chuunin commented.
"He didn't waste a single drop of chakra."
"His chakra control is...f-flawless." Another one added while he adjusted his spectacles.
Minato and his two Shadow Clones had transformed into exact replica of the three men standing before him in the same order they'd seated themselves. He'd done it so effortlessly that it took even the hardened Jonin in the room some time to register what exactly was happening. While the boy would never say it out loud, he secretly reveled in the surprised reactions he'd got from his small audience, a creeping smile betraying his gentle disposition. The jutsu dispelled with one swift move of Minato's fingers. His very convincing impression of Dodai Kohinata disappeared with a puff, in the same fashion like his Shadow Clones.
"Well? What do you think?" Minato spoke, pride building up in his gut. He vaguely wondered if Asami had been watching him from the Pure Land.
A/N: Wow. 6 people actually following my first fic. I'm genuinely honored. Thanks a lot guys! I'll try not to disappoint.
This chapter came out much longer than originally intended and would have actually been longer if I didn't trim it. Some ideas that I omitted were - a chance encounter between Minato and his two bullies, Meburi and Renma, from the first chapter, which was supposed to end with Minato slugging Renma with a fast punch. Minato visiting Asami's grave after his promotion to Genin and his introduction to his genin squad. I'm most likely gonna put the last two scenes in the following chapter, which is gonna sum up Minato's Academy days. I'd also like to mention that the following chapters are most likely gonna take me more time to finish since I have to attend classes and all that shit.
As for Minato himself, I always imagined the young him as like a less intense, male version of Hinata. I think Kishimoto intended that too. We know he loved parallels, so Naruto=Kushina/Minato=Hinata. It made a lot of sense, actually.
Next chapter's titled: "The Gallant and The Flash!"
Again, thanks a lot and I hope you enjoy!
