Chapter Two: Changes
Inside the infirmary in a private sector of the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi, among the many that were in the cramped quarters; surrounded the still, unconscious form of Naruto.
The Third Hokage had been with Umino Iruka, debating about the current practices that were being taught at the Academy when the two of them felt the enormous rush of chakra being upswept just outside the village. Both men knew what it could mean and soon their suspicions were confirmed when they saw the huge terrifying form of the Kyuubi come to life just outside the gates of the village. Just as quickly as it had appeared did they see that it quickly fell and then slowly broke apart in an eruption of chakra that flowed out.
Wasting no more time, Sarutobi, and the ANBU present, along with Iruka; went to the source of the incident in fear as to what might have happened to the boy who had been keeping the Kyuubi in check for all these twelve years. As soon as they had arrived, they had found the boy unconscious and, to their surprise, a young Kunoichi standing by him.
quickly, they had brought the both of them to the tower before any villager could come out.
Now, they waited as the Third conducted several methodic tests on the boy to ascertain if any presence of the Kyuubi remained. Finally he sighed.
"The Kyuubi no longer resides in him, none of it. It's finally over."
The room erupted in a heap of sighs that came from everyone, save the boy, the girl, and the Hokage.
The girl, Tenten, looked confused over the whole matter. Although she had quickly deduced as to what the situation was, she was still ignorant as to the history or reasons behind it. Sarutobi knew he was going to have to have a long talk with her.
"How's Naruto, Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked, eagerly.
The Hokage turned back to the boy, his smile faint.
"He'll be fine. He's most likely just exhausted." He then directed his voice to everyone. "I now must address the village for I'm sure what they had felt just a little while ago." He then turned to Iruka. "Iruka, I need you to stay here and keep watch over him and Tenten. I'd like to talk to the both of them when I'm done consorting over the details of what just happened with the villagers and the council. I'll be posting two ANBU close by so there'll be no intruders."
Iruka nodded.
Sarutobi nodded in turn and then turned to two ANBU and nodded, which they did likewise as they escorted him out and then stationed themselves on both sides of the doorway.
Once he and the rest of the ANBU had departed, Tenten looked up towards Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka, whose mind had been elsewhere, jumped a little out of startlement but quickly got his composure back as he looked down at his former student.
"Yes, Tenten?"
"Is Naruto really going to be alright?" She asked.
Iruka nodded.
"I really don't understand what's going on here. Why Naruto?" She asked, looking sadly at the boy.
Iruka sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's...complicated, Tenten. You'll have to wait for the Hokage as, I'm afraid, he'll be better to explain than I could."
Tenten sighed and nodded.
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As Sarutobi could have guessed, practically everyone in the village was anxiously awaiting the news. What with the Kyuubi's sudden reappearance and then disappearance, it was like throwing a rock at a hornet's nest. Everyone was in a state of unrest in Konoha.
Standing before them, Sarutobi raised a hand to signify everyone to quiet down as he then adressed them all.
"My dear Konoha. Yes, what you felt just moments ago was indeed the Kyuubi's sudden return. However, it was it's last as our boy, Uzumaki Naruto's seal, drained it of everything it had left and, although it was free it soon gave out as it collapsed and died just outside the gates of Konoha."
Everyone started commenting louder, confusion was rampant, and the looks about weren't exactly forthcoming. Sarutobi decided he needed to to say more.
"I know you all are suspicious as you should be. Such a matter shouldn't be taken lightly with the destruction that happened to our village twelve years ago. But I assure you, my people, that we ARE safe. The Kyuubi IS gone, now. Naruto has full-filled his duty of being both its captor and its executioner. We should all hold him in high applause for his valiant deed for what he's done for us."
This statement led the entire village into sudden silence. Murmuring broke out but it was soon followed by light applause and then the whole village erupted into cheering. Sarutobi smiled and yet felt guilty. These cheers could have been made twelve years ago when Naruto first took his duty of being the Kyuubi's jailer, thus saving the village. However, civil unrest and wide rumors prevented that from happening. Sarutobi could only hope that the village he loved so much could now open their hearts, unconditionally, to the boy who deserved it so much.
Once he had come back to the Tower and into the council's chambers, Sarutobi found himself assaulted by questions by many of the clan heads as most of the elders from the village. He patiently waived his hand for them to hold their questioning until he sat down in his chair. He was then asked the first question by Homura.
"Are you certain, Hokage-sama?" He asked, adjusting his glasses.
Sarutobi nodded as he then recounted to everyone in the room of the events that had transpired. When he had finished, Koharu let out a sigh.
"So, it has finally ended."
Everyone seemed to be of the same elation a several sighs also emitted in the room.
"How's the boy?" Asked Shikaku Nara.
"He'll be fine. He's still resting, at the moment. I'm sure he'll have alot of questions and I'm sure he'll be more relieved than anyone one of being lifted from this terrible burden."
"Has there been any changes to his structure since the Kyuubi's departure? Any remaining ties to the Kyuubi?" Asked Homura.
Sarutobi shook his head. "Nothing remains from the Kyuubi. Though, his chakra coils still maintain their impressive size and, I suspect, some of the Kyuubi's chakra has been cloned and integrated with Naruto's own; so he'll still have an impressive chakra amount."
"The boy should be tested once he awakens."
Everybody turned to Danzo, the only person hadn't seemed to spell out any sort of relief when Sarutobi announced the Kyuubi's departure.
"Tested for what, exactly?" Sarutobi asked.
"For any psychological impact the Kyuubi may have put on him. It may have used a last resort effort in its last moments to trigger something in the boy's mind or an impression of hate against the village. We shouldn't treat this lightly just because things are now over."
Many of the council nodded, Homura and Koharu especially.
"I could test the boy, if you'd like, Hokage-sama." Inoichi Yamanaka said.
Sarutobi sighed. He had really hoped no one still suspected the boy after this wonderful turn of events.
"We'd better use Ibiki as well." Danzo said, flatly.
Sarutboi narrowed his eyes. "Naruto is not to be interrogated. I'll allow him to have his mind checked for anything the Kyuubi could have passed on, but no more. He's no longer a concern, as far as I can see. Instead of trying to find fault in the matter, we, this village; should be celebrating the fact that one of our most vicious enemies in the history of the village has been conquered."
Many of the clan heads nodded, the elders taking their thoughts in mind before nodding as well. However, Homura and Danzo didn't look that convinced.
"This meeting's adjourned. Go home to your families and tell them all of the good news that has transpired here today. For this day is for everyone." Sarutobi said as he lifted off his seat and left the council's chamber.
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Tenten's eyes still remained on Naruto and she couldn't recall how long she had been looking at him. Iruka had fallen asleep in a nearby chair, leaving just Tenten and the guards outside the only awakened.
Looking at Naruto, Tenten didn't know what she should be feeling. Relief? Of course she was relieved that the worst part was over after seeing Naruto go through what looked like the most painful ordeal. Upon the revelation that Naruto had been keeping the, seemingly, dead Kyuubi inside him, Tenten was more confused than ever. The Academy, no, Iruka-sensei had told her and her class that the Yondaime had killed the Kyuubi and thus saved the village. Now, she had found out that was a lie. But a lie to benefit whom?
Tenten's thoughts were interrupted when the Hokage reappeared.
"How's out boy doing?" He asked as he entered.
As if on cue, Naruto began stirring and his eyelids fluttered. He groaned as he shifted from side to side.
"Naruto?" Tenten called out, cautiously.
Naruto's eyes slowly opened and he took a moment observing his surroundings before turning his head to the people in the room. He tried to speak but is voice was raspy.
Tenten got up and went to the nightstand by the bed and poured Naruto some water from the piture and handed him the cup.
Naruto nodded, graciously, and took in vast amounts. Tenten refilled his cup and he guzzled the rest and then shuddered.
"T-Thank y-you....Tenten." He said and then cleared his throat as he then lay back down. "Is...Is everyone alright?"
Sarutobi nodded as he came up and put his hand on the boy's head.
"Everyone's fine, my dear boy. You've saved them all, yet again."
Naruto didn't reply to this but merely nodded.
"How're you feeling, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked.
Naruto closed his eyes and then chuckled, coughing in the process. "Like someone had ripped open my guts and played jump rope with them. Other then that, I guess i'm okay."
Sarutobi chuckled as well at the boy's humor and he noticed that Tenten also brightened up a bit.
"Naruto, we're going to let you get some rest. when you're up to it, come visit me in my office."
"Alright, Old Man." Naruto said, smiling faintly as he then fell asleep once more.
Sarutobi nodded and then placed his hand on Tenten's shoulder and directed her out of the room, letting Naruto, and the snoring Iruka, to sleep.
Once outside, he once again instructed the ANBU there to dissuade anyone on disturbing the boy. He then led Tenten to his office and had the girl sit in the chair facing his desk while he sat in the one behind it, taking off his hat and sighing in the process.
"What a day." He said, smiling.
Tenten nodded.
"That boy is a true hero. There's no doubt about it." He said, still smiling.
Tenten looked to the floor. Whenever she had heard others talk about Naruto they'd always say something snotty or rude about him. It pained her that so many didn't know the truth of it all.
"I take it you've heard all the bad things people have came up with of the boy over the years, am I right?" Sarutobi asked.
Tenten looked up in surprise, to which Sarutobi sadly nodded. "I know all too well what people's general opinion of the boy have been. I wish it hadn't been so. Ever since the Yondaime used the seal to hold the Kyuubi captive and thus saving the village, I had hoped that people would have looked on at Naruto as the savior of the village. However, fear can make fools of us all and it's ashame that Naruto had to be the victim of that."
"Why did I only learn about this today? I don't think anyone in our classes knows." She said.
Sarutobi nodded. "That's because I passed a law stating that no one could openly say what happened. I thought it would be best for your generation to remain ignorant of what happened should you adopt the elder generations, inevitable, anger towards the boy."
"But everybody still treats him badly." Tenten said. "Everytime I heard people talk about him, they always had something negative to say."
Sarutobi nodded. "People still have the means to spread hatred, Tenten. They can do so in many more ways than one." He then got up from his seat and walked to the window. "After what you witnessed today, what''s your impression of the boy?"
Tenten sighed. "I still don't know what to think, Hokage-sama. When I first met with him, talked to him, he seemed like a very nice person. Totally the opposite of the opinions I got from others."
Sarutobi nodded. "That he is." He sighed, "That's how everybody SHOULD see him as." He then turned back to Tenten. "I'm not sure how the public's going to react after this news settles. I'm even more uncertain as to how Naruto's peers are going to react once they hear the news. My law's been rescinded, they'll know everything now." Sarutobi then walked around and then knelt down as he placed a hand on Tenten's. "Tenten, I'm not sure what's going to come from this, but, seeing as how you were there for him during what has to be the most terrifying ordeal in his life, could you be there for him? I'm not ordering you as this is a choice for you to make for yourself, but I'd like you to consider it all the same."
Tenten nodded, feeling a bit honored for the Hokage of all people to be asking this of her.
Sarutobi nodded as he smiled. "Well, I imagine you're tired. You may go home now and rest, if you'd like."
Tenten nodded as she got up and soon opened the door and exited.
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Naruto awoke the following morning and as soon as he did, he unconsciously felt down below toward his stomach, rubbing back and forth. He lifted the sheets of his bed to look at the skin and found, to his surprise that the seal wa no longer there and, instead, in its place; a scar was visible, it taking shpe of the seal that had once been there. He sighed as he gazed at the area, wondering a vast amount as he slowly let the sheets come back down as he lay back in his bed.
He was finally rid of the thing that had made him the village's pariah. No longer would he be burdened with a demon residing inside of him. That made everything all better, right?
Naruto hadn't the faintest clue. He was sure people like the old man and Iruka-sensei might be better to give him some clarity on the situation better than he could. With that in mind, he looked out the window to see how much time had passed. The sun's light was over head over the horizon and he could hear the morning's birds calls come to life. Naruto sat up in his bed and once again looked to his stomach as he still felt the whole thing to be surreal. Shrugging, he looked off to the side to see that his sensei was no longer in the chair in the room, instead he was replaced by some spare clothes of Naruto's that lay folded.
Naruto got up, slowly as he still felt weak from last night's ordeal. His thoughts lingered back to the moment when he felt that pain and where he desperately staggered out of the village in order to prepare for the worse possible outcome. He remembered, vividly, of falling to the grounds in the woods with every kind of pain imaginable being felt and then he remembered hearing a voice. It was a voice of concern.
Naruto's mind slowly retracted to when he first woke up and was surrounded by the old man and Tenten watching over him. Tenten. Was it she that had called out to him during his moment of torture? He didn't know. He did feel oddly comforted that she was among the people in the room when he had awakened.
Naruto shrugged his remaining thoughts off as he got himself up and slowly staggered over to the chair and began to change into his usual orange jumpsuit attaire. Slipping into the clothes had a comforting effect. He knew next what he needed was a good helping of ramen to tide him over and then he'd be set.
However, remembering of his obligations, he thought it would be best, no matter how hungry he felt, to pay the old man a visit so he wouldn't be so concerned with him. With that in mind, Naruto left the room, only to be met by an ANBU with the mask of a lion to tell him he was there to escort him to the Hokage's office.
Naruto obliged and the two of them walked off and down the hall before stopping infront of the two massive doors that led to the Hokage's office.
After knocking, the two were admitted entrance and Naruto walked in while the ANBU closed the door behind him.
Naruto then walked in and sunk into the chair in front of the Hokage's desk, the old man himself looking out the window in front of him, his back turned.
He turned around and smiled as he greeted Naruto.
"How're you feeling, Naruto?"
Naruto sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, I guess. My stomach still feels weird and my face itches but other than that I'm ok."
The old man nodded as he too sat down in a chair. "You've gone through quite a lot last night." He stated. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you."
Naruto looked at the man, confused. "Proud?"
The Hokage nodded. "The mere fact that you went outside of the village when this happened showed how much you cared for the people, should the problem have turned to something else means a whole lot to me. You put the village above everything else."
Naruto blushed as he scratched the back of his head. "Well...I couldn't let anyone get hurt because of me."
"You didn't. What's more the seal has finally done its duty and the demon is no more. I think both of us can relax a little more easily now, you more so than I."
Naruto nodded.
"You should know, Naruto, that everyone now knows of your great endeavor."
Naruto looked up. "Huh?"
The old man chuckled as he nodded. "I expect a great change is about to happen. Where it'll go, I do not know. However, I do suspect that things may yet turn to the better for you."
Naruto sighed, yet he still remained quiet as to what his thoughts were. But then, the most lingering question popped into his head.
"Sir, what happens now?"
The Hokage sighed. "I do not know, yet. However, there are some things that you need to do today before you join your team."
"Like what?"
"Well..." The old man said as he got up from his seat, "We'll need to do some tests to make sure you're alright. Even though you look better than ever, we still need to be sure. Can you come back here after you've had something to eat?"
Naruto nodded.
The Hokage smiled, "I've told Iruka to meet you at Ichiraku's. He's waiting there for you now."
Naruto's face brightened as a smile appeared on his face. "Ichiraku's! That's great!"
The old man chuckled. "Alright, be off with you and come back as soon as you're finished. Don't wander off, alright?"
Naruto nodded as he got up from his seat, bowed, and then headed out the door.
As Naruto left the Hokage's Tower, he wasn't so sure as to what to expect when he ventured out into the street.
Walking onward, he found many people's faces to be...smiling at him? His face shifted in surprise, but, in kindness; he returned the faces with a smile of his own.
This was all too surprising. Normally, he'd be given hated glances or whispered threats. Now, people were smiling at him.
"Hello Naruto! Good Morning!" Said one voice.
"Naruto, it's good to see you!" Said another.
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was if he was living his dream. However, in his dream, he only got these kind of responses when he already became Hokage.
Naruto feeling slightly better before, continued on his way. Whilst walking, he did find many who merely smiled then turned away or those that just turned another direction when he came in sight.
Naruto sighed. so it wasn't completely perfect. But, this he could live with as opposed what he had endured for the last twelve years.
Naruto made his way to Ichiraku's and was pleasantly surprised to see Iruka in sight. He waived at him joyfully.
"Iruka-sensei!"
"Hey, Naruto!" He waived back. "It's my treat today!" He said.
Naruto hurried over and gave his sensei a loving hug before setting down on the bar stool. Before ordering, Teuchi and Ayame both came around and gave him a pat on the head.
The two of them soon began their meals as Naruto quickly told Iruka of his surprise of the village's welcomings that he got this morning.
"What did you expect, Naruto? You're practically a hero now in everybody's eyes." He said, laughing.
Naruto's mood slightly shifted but he felt content on a smile as he continued on his fourth helping. The two of them went to different topics such as the current weather to new types of shuriken that were supposed to come out. When all was said a nd done, Iruka reached for his wallet to pay for the meals.
Teuchi put his hand up. "Not today, Iruka-san. It's on the house."
Iruka seemed to brighten as much as Naruto as he grinned. "Thanks, Teuchi-san." He then turned back to Naruto. "So, Naruto, what have you got going on today?"
Naruto, picking his teeth, sighed. "Well, the old man said that they need me to due some tests to make sure I'm alright after what happened last night."
Iruka nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Can't be too careful."
Naruto nodded as he got up. "Well, I guess I'll see you -"
Ayame grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid sentence. "Hold it right there, Naruto. You've got some smudges on your cheeks."
Naruto blinked. "I do?"
She nodded as she took off the dishrag she had folded on her apron string and began toi dab at his cheeks. After a few seconds, her face contorted. "Huh."
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"Well...they aren't coming off." She said.
"Let me see." Iruka said as he glanced closely at Naruto's cheeks. After amoment of observation, and some dabbing of his own, Iruka's eyes slowly widened. "I don't believe it. It can't be."
"What?" Naruto was beginning to feel annoyed. "I'll wash my face later. Can you let me go now?"
Iruka nodded as he let go of Naruto and then Naruto waived good-bye to him as he went running back to teh Hokage Tower.
Iruka starred after him.
Ayame tapped his shoulder. "What was it, Iruka-san? What were those?"
Iruka sighed as he scratched the side of head. "I'm not entirely certain, but." He then got up off the stool. "Those almost looked like clan markings to me. Very familiar ones too."
Ayame and Teuchi looked at each other, aghast.
Iruka looked over at the Hokage monument, his thoughts all over the place.
To be continued...
A/N: Well, it's slowly coming into place. hopefully, by next chapter, I'll have been able to get the story rolling as i have a lot in mind. The next one should be up in the next day or so, so stay tuned!
Q-n-P
