Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Red
By TCNL
Chapter 3: Return
The Hokage and two elite jōnin stood inside the room of one Uzumaki Rai. The medics said that there was nothing really wrong with the boy, except for severe mental exhaustion.
"I'll have Inoichi take a look at your memories. I fear that you are right, Kakashi," the aged man said as he stared at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful, a little too peaceful if you asked him. The only indication that he's alive would be his steady, shallow breaths.
"It's possible. He was holding back earlier when I was getting his background information. Especially about his family," Ibiki added while rubbing his chin with his thumb. He clicked his tongue. "Tch, this week is going to be hell."
"I have no doubt about that. Under no circumstances that the events that transpired will be disclosed to anyone, am I understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," chorused the two men. The Hokage sighed deeply.
"We will have to wait for him to wake up before asking questions. If we had a Yamanaka do it right now, it will most likely cause a permanent damage to his mind," Ibiki informed the Hokage. The latter nodded grimly.
"Sensei…" Both men turned to Kakashi. "If this is really sensei, then why? And how?"
"It probably has to do with the Death Reaper Seal. That jutsu takes the user's soul and what you saw is the Shinigami himself," explained the Hokage. Glancing at the window, memories that were so far away resurfaced as if they just happened yesterday. The people injured, his men dying, and his wife and family killed. And when he saw Minato and Kushina lying dead on the ground, with little Naruto crying, he was afraid his worn heart couldn't take any more.
"I've failed Sensei and Naruto. Naruto… he grew up all alone," Kakashi whispered morosely under his breath. The Hokage put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We all were struggling, Kakashi."
Ibiki's expression turned from solemn into serious. "Kakashi, you mentioned that he said 'waves and wind'," he paused. "Either way, we have a lot on hour hands, with the Chūnin Exams coming."
"Aa. We should go and let the boy rest. I will station ANBU to guard this room and I will also have a specialized medical staff for him," the Hokage said and turned to the door. Ibiki and Kakashi followed the aged man outside the room. But not before Kakashi glanced back at the sleeping boy with worry.
I groaned and turned to my side.
The light passing through the window was unbearably bright and I didn't want to get up yet. Slowly opening my eyes, I welcomed the sight of colors. There were two people by the door. 'Huh, did they tighten the security even at the inn?' I thought as I pushed myself up.
I looked down and red framed the sides of my face, pooling around my arms. I jerked back.
'What's wrong with me? It's just my hair,' I thought as I rubbed my face tiredly and yawned. What was I doing anyway? I can't be sleeping when I'm supposed to be… To be what? Ugh, I must be really tired then. I grumbled as pushed the white blanket from me.
White? I thought the blanket I had was beige?
My breath hitched and I pushed the cloth all the way from my body. I was wearing white. A hospital gown. What–
Remember, and do not fail.
I gasped as my head exploded in pain. Memories came flooding back in and I gripped my head as tears flowed out of my eyes. Everything came back to me.
The war.
My team.
My Initiation.
The masked man.
The Kyūbi.
Kushina.
Naruto.
Naruto.
I sobbed. What was I doing?! Why was I – I lived another life. In that world where everything was fine. Where it was normal… I clenched my fists tightly.
A pathetic whimper came from me as I reminisced in my memories. Uzumaki Rai wasn't real in the first place. But Rai was my name when I was in that place. Agh! I don't understand. Why was I brought back? I had no regrets. I willingly gave my life to protect the village and her people. I made Naruto a hero.
No.
Naruto was no hero to the village right now. He's hated. All those looks thrown at him. I can't stand it. My son. My little boy. He was suffering. And I was living a completely peaceful life. I hated it. I hate it.
I can't forgive myself. What was I doing? I want nothing more than to scream and cry until I'm too exhausted to feel anything. It hurts so much because everything is real. Everything is real, and I don't fucking know what to do!
"You can't curse in front of people, Minato! That wouldn't look good on a future Hokage!"
Jiraiya-sensei…
My face contorted as I failed in holding back the renewed onslaught of tears.
I failed, Sensei. I failed Kushina. I failed Naruto.
Kushina. My heart clenched painfully. I can't ever hear her boisterous laughter again. And her grin, the way she brightens up the room when she comes in. And the way she looked at me like I was the only person in the world. She was the one who kept me sane through the workload of being Hokage. She was there. She was always there and she was the only one who completely understood what I was going through.
She's gone.
"Stop sulking, Minato-baka! Your girly face is getting girlier! There's only one thing to do, and that's to keep moving forward, dattebane!"
I smiled through my tears. "You always knew what to say, Kushina", I whispered as I wiped my face messily. I promise, I won't let Naruto take all the burden of the prophecy alone. Not this time. And Sasuke… Kami knows how much pain that child is bottling up.
There's so many things to do. I can't stay here.
I glanced around. There's two ANBU outside this room, judging by the size of their reserves. Slowly compressing my chakra until I can almost sense nothing, I breathed in to calm myself down and soundlessly pulled the wires and needles in my arm. I quiet changed into my clothes that was set on the table at the end of the bed.
I was about to pull the window open when I stopped.
'They would definitely hear that,' I thought as I observed the rust that was accumulating beneath the metal framing the glass. I was a little lost in thought when I caught a glimpse of my reflection. Rimmed eyes stared back at me under the moonlight. I quickly spread my chakra and watched as they morphed into… eyes similar to Kushina's.
I sighed sadly.
How do I get out of here without them knowing? There was no other exit, except the door. I glanced back and saw the chakra of the two ANBU still there. I quickly separated a part of my chakra and solidified it. A solid replica of my face stared back at me.
"Change into these," I whispered and my clone nodded and got to work.
"Don't dispel until I'm back." He nodded. Getting back on the bed, he pulled the covers back halfway and pushed the window open. As expected, it immediately alerted the ANBU. I rapidly gathered my chakra and soared through the night sky. I didn't stop until I could see familiar architecture and hear the soft rush of water from a distance.
Of course, the area was deserted. I walked through the street with melancholic nostalgia.
The familiar tea house that Mikoto, Fugaku, Kushina and I frequented was left open and dust covered the whole place. Our wives would chat while Fugaku would complain, um, tell me about a couple of children pranking some of squads in patrol.
But now, they're gone too.
'I'm sorry Fugaku, Mikoto.' I blinked my eyes at the stinging feel. The torn Uchiha clan banner swayed in the soft breeze. I gathered my chakra again sped through the empty compound. After a couple of seconds, I stopped in front of an abandoned house.
No, this used to be my home. When I was just Minato, not the Hokage or the Yellow Flash. When Kushina was here.
I carefully opened the door. The furniture that I was so used to seeing clean was covered in years' worth of dust and grime. I clenched my fist on my chest as I tried to push down the surfacing pain. Shaking my head, I went straight to the bedroom.
I knelt down in front of the bed placed my palm on the floorboard. I channeled chakra into it and heard a click in the closet. I opened the closet door and was hit by a wave of nostalgia as I saw the clothes on the racks.
I laughed softly. 'I doubt that they'd fit me now,' I thought as I avoided looking at Kushina's clothes and crouched in the middle of the small room. I channeled my chakra once more and activated the seal that led me to the hidden basement. Flicking my finger, I applied a short deposit of high-temperature chakra and lit up the room.
Everything else was the same, with the scrolls lying around and my other stuff scattered everywhere. I approached my old work desk and opened the right-hand drawer. I paused and saw a candle at the edge of the table. I pulled it towards me and put the flame on it. Pushing its saucer away from me, I relished the familiar feeling of holding my kunai.
'I need to get my body back to shape,' I thought as I started making seals. I gulped. 'This is going to hurt,' I grimaced as the kunai came in contact with my forearm. I started carving the symbols I needed for a hybrid of summoning and storage seal. After I was finished, I put the kunai down and rummaged through the scattered scrolls on the floor and found the one I was looking for.
It was a medium-sized scroll that contained a lot of the three-pronged kunai I use for Hiraishin. I nicked my thumb on my kunai and dashed the blood across the still-bleeding seal. I winced as I put the scroll on top of my forearm and activated the seal with a surge of chakra. It disappeared with a silent 'poof'. I added two more scrolls containing more of my kunai.
I sat back on the dusty chair and held the bloody kunai with my right hand and did the same to my left arm. 'Shit. If Kushina was here, I'm sure I'm going to get an earful on why I shouldn't use blood as an ink,' I thought with fondness, trying to distract myself of registering the pain coming from my arms.
I added scrolls into the seal and breathed an exhausted sigh. Having 6 scrolls of sealed kunai with the Hiraishin seals, I had around 1200 kunai in my arms. Hm, that's way more than what I used during the war with Iwa.
I shrugged and blew out the candle before going back to the bedroom. Crap, I need to get my arms clean before it gets infected. I went to the bathroom and got the first-aid kit we had below the sink and left the house. I glanced back one more time before going straight to Naka River.
The river glowed under the moonlight. I gently placed the kit down by the riverbank and sat on my heels. I took the kunai in my mouth and settled my teeth on the handle. Slowly leaning forward, I dipped my arms into the cold water.
"Agh," I gasped, even with the kunai in my mouth. It was extremely painful but I just let it stay then and watch my blood flow from the wound. When the sting alleviated a little, I took out my arms and opened the kit. I grimaced at the antiseptic. This is going to be fun.
I muffled my yelps with the kunai while I was cleaning my arms. I tried as much as I could to be careful in cleaning and bandaging them so that the seal won't be altered. I sighed in relief when I cut the excess bandage off with the kunai.
"Damn it," I muttered, staring into the night sky. I still have to go back to my clone.
The eerie silence drowned the sound of the river. What am I going to do about Obito? Most things happened because of him. But then again, he helped to defeat Uchiha Madara in the end. I extended my right arm upward, remembering how I threw the kunai at him. It passed through and I was able to teleport above him and partially hit him with Rasengan.
"Why is everything so wrong," I mumbled as I sat up. I threw the kunai I had on the trunk of the tree and teleported above it. I gripped it in my hand while I applied chakra to my feet. The familiar rush of the pull of teleportation made me smile a little.
I dropped to the ground and extended my right arm, while my left hand was holding onto the Hiraishin kunai. With my palm wide open, I began channeling my chakra and rotated it at a high speed.
Blood red shone on my face as the Rasengan manifested on my palm. Raising my palm away from me, I applied more chakra. I watched in fascination as the big red ball increased in size and intensity. I cut off the chakra flow and it dissipated.
I seem to be able to do what I used to, but I need to work on my stamina and chakra control some more. As much as I appreciate that I now have the vitality of an Uzumaki, there's no such thing as 'maximum stamina' for a shinobi or 'perfect chakra control'.
After putting back the first-aid kit back at home, I went back to the hospital and substituted myself with my clone before dispelling it.
I woke up to a soft green chakra and prodding on my arm. The medic was about to unwrap the bandages on my arm but I immediately pulled away.
The medic yelped.
"U-Uzumaki-san, I need access to your arm so we can monitor your health," she stammered. Man, I feel bad now. My eyes caught Hiruzen-jiji's chakra, the yellow flickering with red and traces of gray.
"Don't worry about it, medic-san. There's no need for it. Hokage-sama is on his way to talk to me," I said, offering a smile.
"A-Alright, I'll take my leave for now," she said and fled the room. I sighed. Did I do something wrong? I just pulled away from her. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings that much.
I pushed the curtain away from the window and looked at the village. People were already up and about. I wonder if I could see Naruto today? However, I need to talk to Hiruzen-jiji about becoming a shinobi first. I have no reason to hide my non-Rinnegan related skills. I could just easily say that I'm the Yondaime's apprentice. And I need to be a registered shinobi to be able to leave the village legally.
And most of all, I need to let him know that my allegiance is with Konoha.
There was a knock on the door and came in Hiruzen-jiji. I suppressed a smile.
"…Rai-kun, how are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled a chair and took a seat.
"I'm… I feel better, Hokage-sama." He nodded solemnly at my response. Moments later, I saw Kakashi's chakra appear from outside and the next thing I know, he opened the window and stepped into the room. I noticed that he wasn't moving, so I looked at his face and met his eyes.
He was… worried?
I just realized how much he had grown. And to think, he's the one teaching my son and my best friend's son. He has come a long way hasn't he? If I was my old self, I would really want to apologize to him for leaving him alone. He lost his only family and both his teammates. Not too long after that, he lost Kushina and I to another tragedy. I'm a little relieved that he's much more carefree and happier than before.
"MINATO!" I jerked back in surprise.
"S-Sorry, Hokage-sama, I was lost in…" I just realized my mistake.
Shit. Shit. Did he know? Why did he call me with my name? How did he know?!
"Calm down." I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked up at Hiruzen-jiji. How did he know?
"H-How?! How did you – what, what happened?" I asked desperately. This time, it was Kakashi who spoke.
"You were mumbling things before you passed out. And… the Shinigami was behind you." My eyes widened. The Shinigami? So it was him! That voice that I was hearing before I felt the pain from my head.
"The fact that you're with us again is amazing. However, I need to know what happened, Minato," he said, his truthful eyes spiking an onslaught of emotions within me. I clenched my hands on my lap, ignoring the slight sting that came with it.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I failed," I whispered.
"Sensei?" My head snapped back up to him.
"K-Kakashi, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Hiruzen-jiji. I failed," I said and clenched my jaw.
Warmth enveloped me as I stared over Kakashi's shoulder in shock. I glanced at the Hokage who was looking at me with a small smile.
"I'm… I'm glad you're here, Sensei." Uncontrollable tears started to fall and I squeezed Kakashi as if my life depended on it.
"Minato, my boy, you didn't fail. The years of peace that Konoha had and is experiencing, they owe it all to you," Hiruzen-jiji said as he patted my head affectionately. My lower lip trembled as a sob escaped me. Kakashi released me and I quickly wiped my face.
"It… It was hard. I had no idea what was going on. When I woke up, I woke up to faces that weren't familiar. I was at a loss on why I have these eyes. I didn't remember anything back then. But now that I remembered what happened, it hurt so much. Kushina was gone. Naruto, he's a genin now. It hurts so much to realize that I wasn't there when I was needed. And I was brought back by the Shinigami. For what? It's like he's rubbing it in my face that – that I'm never going to be enough," I stopped, realized I was rambling.
I stared up at Hiruzen-jiji. "May I become a shinobi again, Hiruzen-jiji?"
He grinned. "I was wondering how long before you were going to ask me that."
"I never thought I'd see you in a lower rank than a jōnin, Minato-sensei," Kakashi said with a smile. I snorted at that.
"Heh, I'll show you the power of a genin, alright," I joked as I smiled in return.
"Then it's decided, you will be tested tomorrow by Kakashi at the stadium." I nodded.
"Hiruzen-jiji, I think it's best if I'm referred to as Uzumaki Rai in public. Kami knows how much complication that's going to bring if people knew I'm a former hokage."
"Of course. Kakashi?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Sorry, Minato-kun. I have to go now. Don't forget about tomorrow, you'll have an audience." I nodded at his words.
"Hai, Hiruzen-jiji. After I get my shinobi registration done, I can help you with paperwork," I offered. He visibly brightened up. Ah, paperwork is a pain in the ass after all.
"I would appreciate that, Minato-kun," he smiled and gave me another pat on the head before leaving the room.
"Ne, Sensei… Do you want to get out of here? You could observe my team if you want," Kakashi asked. I looked at him and smiled softly.
"Of course, Kakashi. I'm feeling fine, so why not?" I responded and stood from the bed. He gave me an eye-smile.
"But you aren't discharged yet, Sensei," he said. I sighed. What the hell.
"They can't really stop me, can they?" I asked with a grin on my face. Kakashi chuckled mischievously and stood up as well. He then perched himself on the window and disappeared. I quickly reached under my pillow and snatched my Hiraishin kunai, sealing it into my arm and jumped right after Kakashi.
'Thank you, Kakashi.'
Team Seven was in Training Ground 3, already expecting Kakashi to be late. The Uchiha sat under a tree with his eyes closed while their female teammate stared at him longingly. Naruto was at the side, grumbling at the scene before him.
He sighed and lied on his back, staring up at the canopy of leaves. The breeze blew across the field softly and his lids grew heavy. It was the perfect time to nap.
"Yo."
Sakura and Naruto screamed in fright at the sudden presence. The three genin looked up to see their sensei being punctual. Naruto stood up and animatedly jabbed a finger in his teacher's direction.
"W-Who are you and what did you do to Kakashi-sensei?!"
"Maa, Naruto. I didn't get lost on the road of life today," their teacher said, giving them a smile. Sakura fumed, but she let it go. At least he's not late.
"Your team is quite lively, Kakashi," a voice sounded behind the jōnin.
"R-Rai! You're okay? Jiji said that you were at the hospital!" Naruto exclaimed as he glanced at Rai's bandaged arms.
"Aa, Naruto. Just a headache," Rai said with a smile. The stoic Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. Something about his smile unnerved him. He looked closely and he could almost say that the redhead wanted to cry, despite the joyful expression. He shrugged.
"Alright, everyone. Start with the warm-up and we'll work on chakra control and Shunshin," Kakashi said before taking out his favorite orange book. His students brightened up and immediately started running laps across the entire field. Rai followed the three and also began running.
Haruno Sakura thought that Rai was acting strange. Something was different, although she couldn't really point it out. It felt like she was looking at a different person. She brushed off the thought when she realized that her speed was slowing down. She picked up her pace and tried to catch up to Naruto.
Kakashi, perched on a tree branch, almost laughed when he saw his sensei running with his team. It brought on feelings of nostalgia and amusement. It was very weird to see his dear old sensei running laps with his genin. However, he felt strangely contented too. He smiled despite himself as he watched his sensei beside Naruto. Red and yellow. Just like old times.
As soon as he could see the two genin heave for breath and their sweat drip down their backs, he stopped them and instructed them to do stretches.
The three glared at Rai. He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"Uh, did I do something wrong?"
"How are you so flexible?!" Naruto asked and Sakura nodded her head in agreement. Sasuke stared at Rai, waiting for his answer.
"P-Practice?" The redhead answered hesitantly.
"You're more flexible than Sakura-chan! Maybe you really are a girl!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed a shaking finger at his relative. The look of shock and mortification on Rai's face almost made Kakashi drop to the ground and laugh until there were tears in his eyes.
He stopped the conversation before it turned into an argument.
"First, we're going to work on chakra control. You're going to do tree-walking, but, you have to catch him," Kakashi said, shutting his book close. There was a scary gleam in Rai's eyes that made Kakashi shudder inwardly. He sighed. He already knew that his students won't be able to catch him.
"Ready? Start!"
Rai took off in a flash of red, leaving the three genin behind in surprise. The Uchiha was the first to recompose himself and rushed to the direction where the Uzumaki disappeared to. Luckily, he had his Sharingan on. Naruto and Sakura leapt to the trees after their teammate.
It took them a while before they even managed to keep the Uzumaki disappearing from their sight. Sasuke glared, he can't let a no-rank kid beat him.
The training was over after half an hour of trying to chase me and a few hours of the genin working on their shunshin.
"Alright, my cute little genin," Kakashi initiated, pocketing his favorite novel. "Tomorrow, at nine in the morning, be at the stadium. We won't be training until little Rai here finishes with his exams tomorrow."
I grinned, despite feeling my eye twitch when Kakashi called me little.
"Aa, I'll become an official shinobi tomorrow."
"How are you so strong? You're not even a genin," Sasuke said as he glared at me. I sweat-dropped at his statement.
"Ranks are not everything, Sasuke. And I'd like to say that practice makes me better," I responded with a grin.
"Hn. You look like the dobe with that face," He barked, eyeing me.
"Who are you calling dobe, you bastard!" Came Naruto's reaction.
I felt my eye twitch. Of course we would look like, I'm his father – wait. It's probably our Uzumaki genes, since I was born an Uzumaki this time. I smiled sadly. If Kushina was here, it would look like she has two sons, wouldn't she?
"Rai-kun, are you okay?" I looked up at the Haruno in surprise. I smiled at her and nodded. "Don't worry about me, Sakura." She didn't appear convinced. Man, I need to control my expressions more. I can't have them worry about me when they should worry about themselves. Especially with the upcoming Chūnin exams.
"Kakashi's treating us to lunch! Let's go before they run out of seats," I said as I laughed at Kakashi's defeated expression. Naruto glowed in excitement. Oh no, I already know what he's going to say–
"Can we go to Ichiraku Ramen? Please? Please?" He begged like a kid wanting candy. How, how can I say no? Crap. And ramen actually sounds good right now.
I heard Sasuke click his tongue and Sakura whimper in protest. Kakashi just smiled at them.
"No, Naruto! We had that last time, and the lunch we had before that! You need proper meals. You're a growing shinobi, you know?!" Sakura scolded him. My lips twitched upward as I watched them with nostalgia swirling in my stomach.
We were soon sitting at in a booth in Yakiniku Q. The place was not as busy as I expected, since it was already past lunch. The aroma of cooked marinated meat filled my nose as we waited for the lady to bring us our food.
Sasuke leaned back to the wall as he sat quietly. He was sitting at the head of the table, which was to my left. To my right was Sakura who looks like she's about to eat a meal for ten people. Naruto looks about the same, his stomach growling once or twice. Kakashi and I just sweat-dropped at them.
"Rai. How did you glide over the tree branches?" Sasuke asked. I raised my brows, not expecting him to be this talkative at all. But I guess that's a good thing? I scratched the back of my head as I smiled sheepishly. Kakashi and the rest listened in on our conversation.
"You noticed that? Well, I was um using wind manipulation?" He glared at me. I put up my hands in surrender.
"Fine, you got me, haha. I was using gravity manipulation," I responded before sipping my tea.
"A kekkei genkai?" Sasuke grunted before drinking from his tea as well. I shook my head no. I should go along with what he's trying to say then.
"If it's a kekkei genkai, then Naruto should have it too. Since he doesn't, I'm thinking I'm the first generation to have it?" I finished unsurely. Sasuke just grunted before turning back to his tea. I glanced to my right and saw Sakura staring at him, her lips partially open.
"Teme! Who knew you could talk like a normal human being!" Naruto clutched at his sides as he tried to control his laughter.
"Shut up, dobe!" Oh boy. A fired-up banter started and Kakashi tried calming them down. The lady that brought us our food backed away from our table as soon as she put down the plates of various meat.
"Naruto's right. Sasuke-kun doesn't talk much, so it was surprising to see him start a conversation with you. He doesn't do that with anyone, not even me…" My expression saddened at what she said. I turned to her and smiled.
"Don't worry, Sakura. I guess everybody has their own pace of opening up to other people. He just doesn't show it, but he cares," I whispered the last part. She stared at me, her eyes shining. Shit, did I say something wrong? Before I could ask, she turned away.
"A-Are you okay?" I asked unsurely. I leaned a little to see her face. She looked at me incredulously and the next thing I know, she was shrieking and my face was being covered by her hand.
"Rai-baka! Nothing's wrong," she insisted. I tilted my head to the side a little.
"Are you sure? You looked like you're having a fever." Kakashi laughed and sent me a look. What?
We grilled the meat and ate happily. The jōnin mourned for his flattened wallet. He also kept on glancing at me and I swear I heard him whisper something under his breath.
What the hell is a 'cradle robber'?
"Thanks for the lunch, Kakashi! I'll pay next time when I get my first paycheck as a shinobi," I called out before he disappeared with an eye-smile and a salute.
I turned to the three genin and asked, "So what are you guys going to do?"
"Training," Sasuke said and turned to leave. I blinked. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by later," I said. I heard him grunt before he disappeared in a corner. I think that's a yes?
"I usually just go home and read books," Sakura responded. Naruto looked mortified at her answer.
"Aa, Naruto. Books are tools on adjusting one's mind," I chastised. He mumbled before answering. "I usually train on my own, or prank Iruka-sensei or decorate the jōnin lounge!" He said with a grin. I seriously think his 'decorations' had the jōnin chasing after him.
"If you guys aren't busy, I was hoping if you could help me find a blacksmith and a place where they sell shinobi gear." Naruto looked a little lost in thought.
"I know a place where they make weapons and shinobi gear," Sakura said. "It's a shop run by a family friend," she said. I nodded, and said, "Lead the way Sakura. Come on, Naruto! You and Sakura are helping me pick clothes."
I wasn't even able to see the name of the shop when Sakura pushed me inside. I was listening to Naruto talk about the pranks he did at the academy. Poor Iruka-sensei. He must've had a huge headache every time Naruto pulls a prank.
The shop itself was spacious. There was a wide variety of weapons displayed, as well as clothes on the opposite side. A girl was sitting by the counter and she brightened up when she glanced at our group. This must be Tenten.
"Sakura-chan! How have you been?" She greeted.
"I'm doing good, Tenten-san. My friend here is looking for um, shinobi clothes," Sakura said as she nudged me forward.
"Hi, I'm Tenten. You don't look familiar. Are you new here?" Tenten asked. Gotta appreciate that straightforwardness. I nodded and gestured to Naruto.
"I'm Uzumaki Rai, a relative of Naruto. A pleasure to meet you." I greeted and bowed. She looked at me strangely for a second before smiling.
"Go ahead, there's a lot of choices right now since we just restocked two days ago. Call me if you need help," she waved before turning her attention back to a customer who just approached. The three of us went on our way and started going through the fabrics.
"Where's that one orange shirt that I saw?!" I sweat-dropped at his exclamation.
"Would orange look good on me? I mean, I want to be practical, but fashionable this time…" I trailed off.
"This time?" Sakura's confused face came into my view. I scratched the back of my head and replied a quick 'nothing' to her. Her eyes narrowed and she sighed.
"I think red would look good on you," Sakura said as she went to another rack. "Red and black," she added.
"Un! Your hair looks awesome, Rai! Let's get some red and black for you," Naruto cheered as he vanished, searching in another rack. I was left in silence.
'Naruto… I said the same thing to your mom,' I thought as I looked away from the spot he was in. I spent my time looking for something red in silence. 'Red huh?' I paused when something caught my eye. It was a dark red sleeveless shirt. It looked so plain, just how I like my clothes. Taking it from the hanger, my eyes widened as I felt the fabric.
'Looks can be deceiving,' I thought. The cloth was thick enough to withstand some battering. Hm, I could work with this. It'll take some time to get used it, since I've worn long-sleeved tops most my life. I think the change will be better for me.
"Rai-kun, I found something that you might like." I approached the direction where Sakura's voice came from and saw that she was holding up a pair of dark gray pants. It had side pockets where I can put some scrolls and kunai in. Not bad.
"Thank you, Sakura. I like it," I said while taking it from her.
"N-No problem," she said before storming off. Probably to find Naruto? I shrugged and looked for armguards to conceal the seals on my arm.
Get it?
…
Shut up, I'm hilarious.
…
Ugh fine, that was really bad.
I found black armguards that extended up right before my elbows. Taking a look on how they're put on, I grinned when I saw that they're stretchable through chakra application. Perfect. I took a pair of standard black shinobi sandals and a black-banded hip pack.
I went back to the counter and greeted Tenten. I activated my seal in my left forearm and took out some money that I took from my stash in the basement back home. I gave her a generous tip and I went to look for Naruto and Sakura. It turns out that they were looking for me.
"Hey guys, are you alright?" I asked, seeing Sakura pissed and Naruto was pouting. Naruto was the first to recover and said, "Let's go eat, Rai! I'm kinda hungry."
My eyes widened. Didn't we just eat?
"But we just ate," Sakura voiced my thoughts.
"Oh crap, I have to go back to the inn. I forgot that I still have my things there," I panicked. My cane with the souls, ugh, I don't even know what to do with it. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned to the two.
"Thank you so much, Naruto, Sakura. I appreciate what you guys have done for me." I smiled at them.
"No worries, Rai! I'll help you out, no matter what. Believe it!" My heart clenched a little when I heard his verbal tick. So much like Kushina's. The face on my smile hurt.
"Go rest, Rai-kun. Tomorrow's a very important day. We'll cheer for you," Sakura said. I nodded and my smile eased.
"Thanks again, I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, I left in haste before I ended up crying again.
The night sky shone through the window of my room. There were barely any people on the streets as darkness swathed the village.
And here I am, just staring up at the bland ceiling, not even close to getting some sleep. It seems that my exams tomorrow is getting the best of me.
I sighed and pushed myself up. It's no use wasting time if I could train. I could show my skills with the Hiraishin, but not my skills with the Rinnegan – which led me to the idea that I should use my cane as my primary weapon.
I looked around the training field where I taught Naruto how to water-walk. I was satisfied that nobody was there, not even Kakashi. Huh, since he stopped tailing me, maybe tomorrow is going to be the moment of truth if I was really Namikaze Minato or not.
I smirked.
Hiruzen-jiji still got that war blood in him.
Channeling my chakra through the cane, I directed the energy in a spherical motion. I grinned as a blood-red Rasengan formed at the tip of the cane. I pulled back the chakra and dissipated the jutsu. I couldn't help but notice that the Rasengan had a strange feel to it. It felt almost… sinister.
"Must be the souls," I whispered, remembering the three men I killed. If I had more souls, I wonder what would happen? This could prove to be useful on the incoming invasion. I grinned. I could almost feel the warmth of the souls in my hand. Especially Orochimaru, I won't let him hurt Hiruzen-jiji.
My grin dropped from my face.
'What am I thinking?' I thought morosely as I gripped the cane in my left hand. I wish Kushina was here. She kept the insanity from eating me. The war with Iwa flashed before my eyes. How they hailed me as the Yellow Flash. How proud the people were when I became Hokage, known to have single-handedly taken down hundreds of shinobi in a matter of minutes. However, killing so many people can only take someone far enough until they give in to the plague of their minds.
"Tch," I clicked my tongue and switched the cane onto my right hand. I kept on moving my body through familiar stances and strikes, trying to distract myself from my thoughts.
I made my chakra flow through the cane again while increasing its temperature. The soft glow of the fire coating the cane illuminated the place before it grew brighter as I channeled my chakra more raggedly. Red lightning danced like a deadly ballerina, crackling on the very air it touched.
Everything is so red.
I pulled back the chakra and channeled it lightly this time. Flattening out the expanse of chakra on the cane, I whipped it down. Water flew in the air and a large gash on the soil beside me exploded. I winced, hoping that wasn't too loud.
Rinnegan made the manipulation of the elements better, since it's easier to piece out how to correctly channel chakra.
There was a gray trace of chakra not too far from me. I composed myself and dissipated the wind chakra from my cane. I made a shadow clone and sparred dutifully with it, using my cane on my left hand. Those grayed out chakra that almost felt nothing… I had no doubt that it's Danzō's Root. Crap, so he's keeping an eye on me now? I just hope he won't try to bring me into the Root program.
I lost track of time as my clone and I sparred. At some point, I dropped my cane and worked on my taijutsu and speed. Heh, it seems that I still have it in me.
The gray disappeared. I sighed in relief and dropped to the ground. My clone dispelled and I absorbed the information it had. Picking up my cane, I went back to my room at the inn and shut the door silently.
"What a night," I mumbled while rubbing my face tiredly. Walking on my way to the bed, I stopped at my reflection on the mirror by the closet door. I stepped closer, as if seeing someone else in it. I reached out and touched the mirror, my reflection mimicking my movement perfectly.
Holy crap. I just realized that I looked like my old self, except for the hair and eyes of course. I chuckled because of the sad humor I see. If Kushina and I had a second child… perhaps, that child would have looked like I did right now.
I grabbed my hair and tugged it upwards but let it drop back down. I'm not going to wear my hair like Kushina did. I'll move forward like she said. 'The past is meant to be remembered and the present to be lived in. That's what you taught me to help me survive all the loss,' I sadly thought. Clenching my fists in determination, I strengthened my resolve.
I'm still me, no matter if people see me as Rai or Minato. My past has made me into who I am today. I can't afford regrets, lest I lose sight of myself. I'll protect what's precious to me, and I will cut down anybody who gets in the way.
'Just you watch, Naruto. I'll be someone who you can be proud of.'
Stepping near the bed, I put the cane down and flopped on the lumpy mattress. I smiled as I wiped my tears. 'No more crying,' I told myself.
Tomorrow, the world will know who I am once again.
A/N: Rai's gonna surprise a lot of people in the next chapter, heehee. Thanks for reading!
