Prayer of the Jinchūriki
Chapter 2: The Place Where He Belongs
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The plot would probably be more contrived if I did.
Whatever Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi, the Professor, and the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato had been expecting when his ANBU had returned with their investigations, the sight before him was not it. Standing before him was his immediate predecessor and immediate successor, Minato Namikaze. He was still dressed in the same garb that Hiruzen had last seen him in five years ago when he was buried, which included a Jōnin uniform, flak jacket and white coat with the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" written on the back. It was as if Hiruzen was looking at a ghost.
"Minato-san, is that you?" Yes, even the Hokage had a hard time believing his eyes when he saw The Yellow Flash of Konoha.
"I get the feeling that I will be getting that a lot lately. Yes, it is me, Sarutobi-sama. I could prove it to you, if you wish."
"No, that will not be necessary. I trust Kakashi-san's judgment. If he says you are you, I am inclined to trust him. Although I am curious as to how you could be alive when you were sent to the Shinigami's belly…"
Minato shrugged. "I wish I could tell you, honestly. All I remember is the sealing. The next thing you know, I'm waking up on a stone slab inside the Monument."
Hiruzen considered this. As far as he was aware, there was no way of retrieving a soul from the belly of the Death God. The technique Summoning: Impure World Resurrection was out; the technique would have required a sacrifice of a body and would still have to work around the problem of the Shinigami. A transformation was out of the question; no one could fake using a Rasengan, if what Kakashi said was accurate. If the evidence was coupled with the fact of the empty room that stored the body, the only conclusion that could be drawn from all of this was that the Yondaime had been revived by a force greater than the Shinigami. As illogical as that sounded to the Professor, it was the only answer that made sense.
"As radical as this may sound, the only conclusion that I can draw, Minato-san, is that this was an act of Kami, or at the very least, of a power greater than the Shinigami."
Kakashi was stunned. "Are you trying to say…"
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, this was clearly an intervention by Kami-sama. As for what reason, I am not sure. There simply is no way that I am aware of to explain this otherwise. In layman's terms, this can only be described as a miracle."
Everyone else in the room was stunned. Even in the ninja world, very rarely would anything ever be described as a miracle. Almost anything that happened could be explained, whether by means of a jutsu, a seal, or some natural phenomenon. For someone like Hiruzen, who had seen and done most everything that was possible to do, to say that something was a miracle was a wake-up call that showed that even the most brilliant of minds didn't have all the answers.
Just as that particular revelation had settled in, two women entered the Hokage's office. One was the purple-haired female ANBU Yūgao Uzuki. At her side was a red-haired beauty wearing what appeared to be a male ANBU member's uniform, minus the armor. She was immediately recognized as the last survivor from Uzu no Kuni and wife of Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. Kakashi had assumed it was her at the cemetery, but to see her in person was a little overwhelming; he not only had his sensei, but his sensei's wife back in his life. For Hiruzen, he was tempted to recheck his tobacco to make sure that he had the right kind and that it wasn't laced with some form of hallucinogen. The other ANBU remembered seeing two of their comrades go flying and decided not to take any unnecessary actions, lest they take a one-way ticket out of Konoha.
Minato couldn't contain his happiness. He remembered how he found her dying soon after the seal had been released and she had donated her chakra for the seal, and how devastated he felt with the possibility that Naruto might grow up alone. Seeing the love of his life, standing before him as radiant and stunning as the day he married her. Even her smile brought back memories of happier and simpler times, and days where the biggest problem was deciding what color to paint the nursery for their unborn child. Minato went to hug his wife, but wasn't exactly expecting the response he got.
"Minato, YOU BAKA!" Just as soon as Kushina saw Minato in the Hokage's office, she immediately punched him straight in the face. "That was for leaving your pregnant wife unprotected!" She then gave a weaker punch while she was attempting to hold back tears. "That was for using a seal that cost us our souls! And this…" Just as everyone thought that she was going to put Minato back into the grave, she embraced him, laying her head on his shoulder. "This is for leaving me alone in the afterlife while you were fighting inside the Shinigami." She quietly began to sob on his shoulder as tears of joy, frustration, and grief began to flow down her cheeks. Even though her chakra had been used for part of the seal, she was still separated in a different part of the Shinigami's stomach. For the past five years, she had not even been able to see her beloved. Minato simply continued to hold the love of his life, trying to make up for lost time.
It was Hiruzen who decided to break the rather touching reunion. "I don't mean to be rude, Kushina-chan, but do you have an idea of how you are here? Somehow, Minato was also brought back to us, but your body had been cremated once we found you."
Kushina blinked. "I honestly don't know. I woke up in the crematorium surrounded by ANBU. The last thing I remember before that was holding my son and-" Kushina's eyes widened in recognition. "NARUTO! What happened to my son!" Kushina was almost in hysterics before Minato calmed her down.
"Don't worry, Kushina-koi. I'm sure Naruto is fine. Who knows, maybe Jiriaya-sensei is trying to use him to meet some women," Minato said with a chuckle. "Am I right, Sarutobi-sama?" Minato had begun to chuckle before noticing that the room had gotten deathly quiet. The reunited couple had turned to see Kakashi staring at the floor with a look of regret written on his hidden face and a look on the Hokage's face that seemed to show his true age, complete with tired eyes that reflected the aging soul within.
"Ushi, Neko, Tora and Kappa, the four of you are dismissed. I would suggest going to find Saru, Hebi, and Baku. They may or may not need medical attention." The Hokage dismissed them and the four ANBU members disappeared. Hiruzen then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, if you would be so kind as to retrieve Naruto and bring him here, I would appreciate it."
Kakashi turned towards his superior. "Do you wish for me to get him here quickly, or do you want me to take my time?" Kakashi wasn't planning on being late like he usually was for meetings, but he had a feeling that the Sandaime might need some time alone with Kushina and Minato.
Hiruzen knew what Kakashi was implying and was grateful that he asked. "Just take your time, Kakashi. I have a feeling I may be a little while. I will have to catch these two up on certain events, so just take your time. Try to bring him back, well…" Hiruzen looked at the clock, which read 8:30, "Try to bring him here at a quarter after nine. That should be enough time to explain what is going on and catch these two up on current events." Kakashi nodded and leapt out of the Hokage's window.
As soon as Kakashi left, Hiruzen turned back towards Minato and Kushina. He rested his chin on his hands as he placed his elbows on the table, his hat almost overshadowing his features. As he gazed to the two parents in the room, he took note of the worried look on both of their faces, mixed with anxiety. It was Minato that decided to speak on behalf of the couple.
"Hiruzen, what is going on? Where is our son?" Minato was unsettled. He made his plan known to everyone that needed to know beforehand, and he told Hiruzen that Jiriaya was to take care of Naruto if something were to happen to him and Kushina as his godfather. Minato also was the one that reinstated Hiruzen as his final act as Hokage, and it was Minato's dying wish that Naruto be seen as a hero. Minato thought that was fairly clear. Had something happened?
"What I have to tell the two of you I know will be upsetting, but I will have to ask for minimal interruptions. It will be hard enough as is to tell you what has been going on without being interrupted. Can I trust that the two of you will allow me to do that much?"
"Just, tell us about our son, Sarutobi-sama. Please!" Kushina pleaded.
Hiruzen heaved a sigh, hoping to alleviate some of the tension that had developed in his mind. "I suppose I should start at the beginning…"
"As you can tell from the fact that the village is still standing, the sealing was a complete success. The Fox was defeated and successfully sealed into Naruto. Unfortunately, things began to start going downhill shortly afterwards. Two days after the rampage, we received reports from one of our patrols that stated that Iwagakure no Sato and the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, sent a squad to inspect Konoha and assess our ability to defend ourselves after the attack by the Kyūbi. We eliminated the squad, but Jiriaya and I agreed early on that it would be for the best at the time not to reveal Naruto's heritage. We knew that word would eventually spread of your demise, Minato; if word ever got out that you had a son, Naruto would have had a larger target on his back than what was already painted on due to his tenant. Shortly after we decided on a course of action, Jiriaya left the village to maintain his spy network in the hopes that he would be able to return and train Naruto when he reached the rank of genin and would be able to fight for himself."
"After we took care of the Iwa patrol, I convened an emergency meeting consisting of the clan heads, the heads of all the village departments, and my advisors, who represented the interests of both the civilians and the rest of the population here in Konoha. I described what happened the night of the attack to everyone. At first, there were a few individuals that called for his death, mostly in some of the smaller departments within the ninja ranks. After those individuals were dealt with, Jiriaya and I calmly explained to everyone the function of the seal you used to the best of our collective knowledge. Any further protests for his death were quickly suppressed. Regrettably, this lead to a new argument led by my former teammates, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, as well as my former rival, Danzō Shimura. Homura and Koharu were wary of allowing Naruto to continue to be in the village out of a fear that he might make Konoha an even larger target for the other nations due to his status as a jinchūriki. However, they quickly agreed with Danzō, after he suggested that it would be in our best interests to enroll Naruto in an early shinobi training program. I quickly saw that it was an attempt to turn Naruto into a weapon-"
"Like hell they would turn my son into a mindless killing machine like the other jinchūriki! I'd sooner be burned alive by Amaterasu's flames before that would happen, 'ttebane!" Kushina declared. Being the former jinchūriki of the Fox made Kushina a little more sensitive to the plight of all demon containers. Thankfully, Minato managed to calm her down somewhat in order to allow Hiruzen to finish. Although, Minato had to admit that he was also on the edge of doing something drastic.
Hiruzen let Kushina finish her outburst before continuing. "As I was saying, they attempted to turn him into a weapon, but I quickly stamped that idea out. I knew that neither one of you would want that for Naruto. There were also offers to take Naruto into some of the other clans, but I worried that giving a clan power over him might lead to trouble later, so I had to decline those requests. In the end, I set up a decree that no one was to speak of his identity as a jinchūriki to anyone who was not around or able to remember the Kyūbi's attack. However, I suspect that someone might have leaked his status to the village anyway. Thankfully, no one dared to attack Naruto, even though most held resentment for containing the very beast that took away so many lives…" Hiruzen took pause after saying this. It was as if he was having a difficult time bringing himself to say what was on his mind.
Minato saw through this quickly and asked the question that was plaguing his mind. "Hiruzen, what happened to our son? You said that he wasn't attacked, so I assume that is a good thing, right?"
Hiruzen looked upon Minato with saddened orbs that held years of heartache. "I cannot lie to either of you, what they did to Naruto was far crueler."
"When word got out about what Naruto had become, he was shunned by the rest of the village. No one except for me as far as I am aware of even acknowledge his existence. Because Jiriaya was out of the village, and Kakashi was too young and was too involved with ANBU to take care of a child, Naruto was dumped off at the orphanage. I cannot be absolutely sure, but I highly suspect he was severely neglected by his caretakers. I suspect that he was neglected in the hopes that he would either run away from the village, or that he would simply 'fade out of existence' like a bad memory. He is overly polite, suffers from an inferiority complex, and probably has many emotional scars. I know I should have taken better care of him, but bureaucratic red tape and my work as Hokage keep me from being a predominate figure in his life. Granted, I have been able to see him on occasion and have offered many times to try and get him to come with me to Ichiraku Ramen with me, but every time I offer he tells me, and I quote, 'You don't need to waste your money on someone as unimportant as me. I'm sure you got plenty of people that you could spend that money on.' I can only begin to imagine what sort of garbage they have been filling his mind with." Hiruzen finished and took a look up to see the faces of his predecessor/successor and his wife.
Kushina didn't know whether to stomp out of that office and finish what the Kyūbi started or to break down and cry. It was one thing to hear of a child being abused or neglected; it was another to hear that the child you gave birth to, the very child you gave your life to protect, was not only shunned by the whole of your surrogate home, but was told that his existence was meaningless, that he was unworthy of even the most basic of necessities or offers of kindness, was infuriating. She hoped that someone would have a heart and take care of Naruto, but apparently the hatred of the Fox ran deeper than the respect of a dying man's last wish, even one as honored as Minato.
Minato, on the other hand, appeared calm, but held within him what could only be described as parental fury. He had sacrificed his life, his family, and everything he had to save the village and the only thing he asked for in return was that his son be seen as a hero for carrying the burden of being the prison of the Demon Fox. Instead, they spit on his memory and put his child through the kind of emotional pain that no one should ever have to go through. Yes, he knew that they didn't know that Naruto was his son, but that still didn't excuse the behavior of the village as a whole. If he was any less of a man, he would have taken his son and wife, left Konoha to burn, and join a village like Suna or Kumo. At least they would have had more respect for Minato and his family.
Hiruzen attempted to apologize for his failure. "Minato-san, I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am for all of this. I know I am not much better than the villagers and I can understand if you won't forgive me-"
To Hiruzen's surprise, Minato held his hand up before slightly softening his features. "Hiruzen, I don't blame you for what has happened to my son. If anyone is at fault here, it is the village. All that I asked was that Naruto be seen as a hero instead of the monster he imprisons, and yet they could not even manage that." Minato walked over to the window behind Hiruzen. "Did any of the clans try to help Naruto after they offered to adopt him?"
"Regrettably, I am not entirely sure anyone saw him once he was in the orphanage. I know that I would have an ANBU give me a quick analysis of what he or she was able to observe whenever they saw Naruto during their patrols around the village, but I am unaware of anyone who was able to interact with him and I am fairly certain that he never left the orphanage to explore the town. He probably didn't want to leave the only home he had ever known."
Minato looked out towards his home. He grew up here; this was where he was raised, where he became a ninja and later Hokage, it is where he met his Crimson Whirlpool and where he planned to raise his family. When had his home become so intolerant of the sufferings of others? When had his village become a place where a mere child was blamed for a burden he was never asked to carry? Where was the Will of Fire that separated Konoha from the other villages? Right now, his mind was telling him to grab his son and run, but his heart told him that doing so wouldn't change what happened, nor would it change the fact that the people would see him as a monster. Minato knew that, no matter how distasteful it may seem to him, the only way for Naruto to be able to heal from the childhood hell he had suffered would be to have him be accepted by the village.
"Hiruzen, I have a favor to ask…"
"Yes, Minato-san, what do you need?" Hiruzen asked hopefully.
Minato was silent for a moment, as if reaffirming his decision in his own mind before steeling himself. "As soon as I get settled, I wish to retake my position as Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."
It was Kushina to speak first. "Are you out of your mind? Minato-kun, I know you love this village, and I love you more than I love my salt ramen, but if you think for one second that I am going to let Naruto continue to live in the place that tortured him, then you-"
"Kushina!" She was stunned by the tone, which didn't go unnoticed by Minato. "I'm sorry for yelling, Kushina-koi, but I know exactly what you are about to say, and I agree with you one-hundred percent. If I thought it would help Naruto, I would leave this Kami-forsaken village and let it be burned by the next group of missing-nin that decided to attack it. That being said, I don't think it would help Naruto if we were to take him away, the treatment he received will forever be justified in his heart. Naruto is the way he is because he has been told that he is not worth anything. If he is to ever heal, he will need to gain the acceptance of this village. In other words, he will have to prove himself in the eyes of the village that told him he had not worth."
While it pained the two of them, Kushina and Minato knew that what he said made sense. If Naruto was ever going to be able to heal from this experience, than Naruto would have to gain the acceptance of others. Seeing their resolve to stay, Minato and Kushina continued to listen to Hiruzen as he recounted of major events that Minato and Kushina had missed in their absence.
Atsuko was beginning her rounds. One of her jobs during her nights at the Konoha Orphanage was to make sure that the children were in their rooms. Her brown hair was tied back in a braided ponytail. Her glasses, which looked like they were in need of some serious cleaning, would peer into each room to check to make sure that the child that was assigned there was still there. She was fairly young, in her early twenties, but she had to walk with a cane due to a birth defect she had that made one leg weaker than the other. There was not much the medical ninjas at the hospital could do, so she opted to use a cane. Not that it would matter much; being a caretaker at an orphanage didn't exactly pay very high, and if she needed to pay for medical bills, something had to give.
After checking on the other children, she began to make her way to the attic to check up on Naruto Uzumaki. Atsuko had been around during the Kyūbi attack, but she had a hard time believing Naruto was a monster. She had never married, and was born and raised a civilian. She heard rumors about what Naruto was, but outside of the birth marks on his cheeks, she couldn't see how one child was the reincarnation of a monster that could create tsunamis and cause earthquakes. She tried her best to be able to help Naruto when she could, but more often than not, her boss who owned the orphanage would tell her that she would lose her job if she did anything other than what was absolutely necessary to ensure that Naruto wouldn't die in the night. She almost lost her job when they found out that she had been teaching him to read and write. It broke her heart, but all she could do without losing her livelihood was to do what she was told and hope someone would save Naruto from his nightmare.
Her musings were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Ordinarily, potential parents or people with orphans would come by during the daylight hours. Only ninja would appear at night, as far as she knew. Sure enough, when she opened the door, one of the Hokage's ANBU was standing outside of the door.
"Hello, ANBU-san. What can I do for you this evening?" Atsuko asked in a whisper. She didn't want to run the risk that someone might hear her.
"Actually, Hokage-sama has asked to see Naruto. Is he still awake?" the silver-haired ANBU asked.
"I believe so, although I haven't checked up on him yet. Why, is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing like that. The Hokage simply wishes to talk to Naruto. Do you need any help, miss…"
"Atsuko, ANBU-san, and no I will be fine. May I ask if he will be returned tonight?"
"I am not sure, but my guess will be that he will not. If you want, I may be able to arrange a meeting with Naruto tomorrow. I am sure Hokage-sama would not mind." Kakashi had a feeling that this woman cared about Naruto, and he also had a feeling that his sensei might want to talk with this woman.
"I would like that. I will be right back." Atsuko then turned around and walked up the stairs to the attic. She knocked on the door before walking in. Sitting on the bed in front of her was Naruto. It broke her heart to see Naruto like this, curled up on his bed feeling lower than the dirt underneath his feet. To see a mere child reduced to this made Atsuko wonder if she was in the right line of work if she would allow someone like Naruto to suffer like this. She decided to shake his shoulder to see if he was still awake.
"Naruto, are you awake?"
Naruto opened his eyes to see Atsuko. "Hello, Atsuko-san. Did you come to see if I was asleep?"
"Actually, I came to see if you were awake. One of the Hokage's ANBU is here to take you to see him."
'Why would the Hokage want to see someone like me? Is this going to be Kami's way of showing what I did wrong?' Naruto thought. "Alright…although I don't really have anything appropriate to wear in front of the Hokage."
Atsuko gave a sad smile. "I'm sure he won't mind, Naruto. I'm not sure when you will be returning, so the ANBU offered to let me come see you tomorrow, okay?" Naruto gave a nod in recognition and was escorted by the ANBU to the Hokage.
Kakashi led Naruto inside Hiruzen's office. When Naruto first entered, he was greeted by the sight of the Hokage in his standard attire and two other individuals. The first was a man with blond hair and blue eyes in a white coat and ninja uniform. Naruto had seen a ninja's uniform before because some of the potential parents that had walked into the orphanage were in uniform. The other was a beautiful woman with red hair and violet eyes in a black shirt and pants. She might have been a shinobi, but the uniform she was wearing wasn't exactly fitting her right.
Hiruzen saw Naruto enter and tried to put on a smile for the lad. "Ah, Naruto, how are you tonight?"
Naruto gave a respectful bow. "Just fine, Hokage-sama…Um, is there a reason I am here, Hokage-sama?"
"Well, Naruto, I wished to introduce you to two very important people. Do you remember some of the stories I told you about the Fourth Hokage?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. You told me he was seen as a hero in the village for stopping the Kyūbi no Yōko." Naruto then got a good look at the man in the room. "Is this man related to the Fourth?"
Hiruzen took a gulp of air, trying to attempt to be delicate. "Naruto, do you believe in miracles?"
"Of course Hokage-sama," Naruto responded, "even though they never happen to someone as ordinary as me, I believe that miracles can happen."
"Well, as hard as this may be to believe, Naruto, this is the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. They were somehow brought back from the dead."
Minato and Kushina were trying to figure out how Naruto was taking that in so far. They were expecting a smile or some kind of similar reaction to show shock or awe, but they ended up receiving a look of confusion. This made them curious until Naruto began to speak.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but why am I here then? Aren't there other, more important people that need to know that he and his wife are alive? I'm sure I am not one of the people that needed to know about this first…" Naruto spoke, looking puzzled as to why he was here in the first place.
Hiruzen decided to drop the bombshell. "Actually, Naruto, you are the person I needed to tell first because these two, one being one of the most respected people in the village, are your parents…"
Minato and Kushina were expecting many reactions; happiness at having a family, anger for abandoning him, or even for Naruto to faint due to shock. What they didn't expect was what they received; disbelief.
Naruto looked down and began to deny what the Professor just told him. "That can't be right, Hokage-sama. I am not special enough to have a family, let alone to have someone that Kami-sama thought needed to be brought back from the dead as my parents. Besides, I'm too ugly, stupid, slow, and ordinary for anyone to want me…"
Minato and Kushina couldn't take it; hearing Naruto degrade himself like that was the final straw. Minato was first to react and hold Naruto close. Naruto froze in Minato's grip, unfamiliar with the close contact. The closest he ever came to having close contact with anyone was if someone decided to ruffle his hair.
"Y-y-yondaime-sama, w-what are you doing?" Naruto sputtered out.
Minato just held him close. "I'm hugging my son, what does it look like I am doing, Naruto?" Naruto tried to spit out a denial, but a finger on his lips stopped him. "Listen to me; what the Hokage said was true. I am your dad, and this is your mom Kushina. We're sorry we left, Naruto, but even we couldn't escape the Shinigami, although it would seem Kami-sama might have needed us."
Naruto made one last attempt to reject what his heart was refusing to deny, no matter how much his mind was discrediting it. "B-but, I'm just an ordinary, not special kid. I…I-"
This time, Naruto was embraced from behind by the lady now identified as Kushina. "But you are special, Naruto. You are our handsome, well-behaved, most special son we could ever ask for and we both love you very much, 'ttebane." If Naruto could see her face, he would see a look of comfort written all over her face.
As he was embraced by the two people – no, his parents – Naruto felt two things that he could not recall ever feeling in his short lifetime. He felt wanted, and he felt special. All those times he prayed, all those times that he hoped that someone would want him someday, all of it seemed to be tiny compared to the warmth and sincerity he could feel from the man and woman enveloping him now. Naruto did what any child who was overcome with emotion would do. He latched onto his father, and cried out all of his frustration, loneliness, pain and anguish that had plagued him for all of his five years of life. Rather than continuing to coax an answer from him, all Minato and Kushina did was hold him. After pouring his heart out, Naruto fell limp in Minato's arms, the emotional roller coaster taking its toll on the blond child.
For Hiruzen, all he could do was wipe away the few strains of tears that fell down his ancient cheeks. So much had happened in the hour or so that he knew would change Konoha, for better or worse. "Minato, I believe it might be for the best if you and your family sleeps here in one of the tower's bedrooms tonight. The council is convening a meeting tomorrow, so we can introduce and reinstate you to your proper position."
Minato nodded and left with Naruto in his arms and Kushina at his side. He looked down at his son, seeing the content look on his face, which was a contrast to the tear stains he saw earlier. As he and Kushina laid their son down on the bed and got into the bed to sleep – Naruto was in the middle of the two of them – Minato knew that he and Kushina had a long road ahead of them. Just the short introduction to their son showed that Naruto had undergone treatment that might take months, if not years, to fully dissolve, not even including the emotional damage that must be ingrained into his psyche.
'Rest assured, Naruto. This will be the last night that you will go to sleep feeling worthless.' With that, Minato Namikaze and his newly reunited family entered the land of dreams.
Author's Notes: I will try to make these notes shorter as I am posting two chapters of this today. I appreciate all those that have reviewed thus far and I hope this is to people's liking. By far, this is probably the most I have ever written for any one chapter of any one fic so far in my fan-fictions. These two chapters probably took a total of twelve to fourteen hours to write.
I know I will catch grief for the way in which Minato and Kushina have reacted to Naruto's situation, but I really wanted Naruto to grow up in Konoha, not in some other village. More often than not, unless Naruto is going to meet his mom or dad in another village, or he is kidnapped and raised somewhere else, most stories where Naruto joins another village just don't appeal all that much to me. So, they will be staying in Konoha, despite what conventional wisdom may say.
As for OC's, I will say this for most of my stories: More often than not, unless I want to use one for later, I will only show OC's once or twice. Mostly, I give names to otherwise nameless characters in order to make things easier to keep track of in conversations – not to mention that constantly calling someone "that person" or "the random enemy," unless it is a massive fight like the Sound/Sand Invasion, looks tacky.
There is not really a whole lot to say about this chapter, as it is mostly background on Naruto's history and the reunion of parents and child. Reviews are welcome and I would truly like to see how people will like this one in comparison to my other fics. Until next time, Ja ne!
Definition:
Ushi: Bull
Neko: Cat
Tora: Tiger
Kappa: for the purposes of my story, this will mean Turtle.
Saru: Monkey
Iwagakure no Sato: Hidden Stone Village
Tsuchikage: Earth Shadow
Please Read and Review.
