~ Author's Note ~
Chapter Three: Opportunity of a Lifetime
Last chapter was more of a history lesson and there will be a bit more in this one too, leading into the more important information Boruto needs to know about Konoha's history, but something in this chapter will be the start of the actual plot and more exciting stuff will happen next, but we need to get this stuff out of the way before that can happen so just bare with me. Anyways, be sure to comment below and if you like this story be sure to add it to your favorites, now lets get this chapter started!
I slept in until eleven this morning, a way to pass time instead of pacing the room until it's time for Grandfather to continue teaching me about the history of Konoha. I'd gone to bed immediately after our training session yesterday to staying in bed all day today hasn't been an easy task. While all my mind wants to do is relax, my muscles and nerves want to move around and just do something, anything other than lay in bed doing nothing.
It was a very violent internal batter of the deepest caliber. Mind vs Body in the ultimate showdown, the victor choosing the course of action that would be taken. My mind one that one, obviously. Mom came by a few times attempting to get me up out of bed to start the day. She'd opened my window earlier, trying to make me get up from the annoyance of the morning sun shinning in my face, when that hadn't worked, she'd nudged me until I acknowledged her.
The moment the clock strikes noon, I've already changed out of my blue pajamas and into my black training pants and lose fitting white T-shirt, and am sprinting down the stairs by my room. Only one room of interest to me at the moment, Grandfather's office in the center of the Compound. That's where all meetings are conducted with the Hokage and his advisers when they come for their annual meeting about the Clan and our ties to Konoha.
Plus his office is the only room in the whole mansion that is absolutely off-limits to me so any chance I have to go and see it is something to be grateful about. After eleven years of seeing the same old rooms, hallways, and trees in the training field, it's like seeing a totally new world when I get to see places like Grandfather's office or the new kids who start attending school at the Academy.
A giant wooden door with the majority of the ivory painted wood is beneath an intricate hand-made brass symbol with the emblem of the Hyūga Clan was what greeted me. Just as I am about to reach up and knock on the door, in case he's still talking to someone, the door is opened from the other side. He glances down at me, lavender eyes unreadable as always.
"Good, tardiness is not a habit to be tolerated by me. Come now," he stepped aside, letting me slip past him.
The room was absolutely gigantic. One large circular room with a desk scooted away from the center of the room where a ground of desks, about twenty-four in total, were all facing each other in a giant circle. The desks were all extremely roomy and colored a shiny gold color. Petal designs etched across the metal making up the each desk up until the top where the designs died and the table was flat for writing and note taking I suppose.
Grandfather steps past me, taking a seat on the floor in the inner circle of the unified desks. Following by example, I make my way through the gaps in the desk and sit down across from him.
"Where was I last time...?" he mumbles.
Just as I open my mouth to answer, he closes his eyes and nods, figuring out in his head. At least I'm guessing.
"That's right, the end of of the First Hokage's era and the beginning of the Second's. I must confess that the next part I'm to tell isn't the happiest tale to tell, but reality is not always joyous. The time of Tobirama Senju's reign was war, he'd died during the First Shinobi war. Killed by Kumogakure's ninja, luckily he had appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi to be the next leader, the Third Hokage, before his death.
"The Third was a beloved village leader by many, particularly those among your mother's childhood friends, however, year after the first was and starting of the second, Hiruzen led the Konoha force's aganinst Iwa and Suna. Amegakure was used as their battle ground and the leader of Ame's Hanzō fought against Konoha numerous times. During one of this battles he have Hiruzen's students—Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, Tsunade, the Slug Princess and Sixth Hokage, and Orochimaru the title of Sannin.
"And finally, during the Third Shinobi War, our village fought against ninja's of Iwagakure across Kusagakure and we were almost defeated, but Minato Namikaze and his team managed to turn the war back in our favor."
Grandfather paused and I knew that meant he was open or questions before moving on to the next event.
"People," I say without thinking. "I mean, who are some of these people. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze? What did they do before the war, what makes them important to be remembered?"
"Jiraiya was one of the most legendary people to have lived, teaching many things to other and searching the world for knowledge, he saw a better world, one of peace and prosperity, he was also the teacher of Minato Namikaze who is a hero is his own right. Tsunade is the greatest medical ninja in the world, known for her prowess to save more lives during the wars. She was also the granddaughter of the First Hokage and his wife Mito Uzumaki. Now, as for Orochimaru, he's no longer considered to be a hero in the villages eyes.
"He is an S-Rank missing ninja after decided to seek all the worlds knowledge, seeking to gain immortality through human experimentation, so that he could achieve his goals. He has also attempted to destroy the village on occasion, though now he hasn't been much trouble. Even helping out some during the Fourth Shinobi War. As for Minato Namikaze, he did something heroic for the village and I'll elaborate on him next. Anything else?"
Shaking my head frantically, I shift forward a bit. Not wanting to miss anything he says next. I notice the way that Grandfather begins to look uncomfortable with where he's going next. Anyone who isn't close to my grandfather would be able to tell by the slight twitch of his right eye. The was his body tenses up even more rigid than it is normally. All signs that he doesn't want to tell the next part.
"After the end of the Third Shinobi War, Hiruzen chose Minato to take on the title of Fourth Hokage. Peace still alluded Konoha because soon after he took office, as masked man abducted the Nine-Tails' Uzumaki-host, the woman being his wife Kushina Uzumaki who had been through the struggle of childbirth, and removed the tailed beast from her body, proceeding to use it to attack the village.
"While Minato was able to defeat the masked man, the Nine-Tails proved more difficult to handle. There were no other options, the Nine-Tails tried to kill their newborn son when Minato decided to seal the Nine-Tails' into his only child. Both Minata and his wife Kushina died defending their son from the Nine-Tails' claw. Many ninja's died that day and many surivors blamed their child for the actions of the tailed beast.
"The titled of hokage returned to Hiruzen who outlawed all mention of the Nine-Tails' attack to prevent the future generations from harboring the same hatred that most of their parents held towards the son of Minato and Kushina. Attempting to keep him protected from other who held hatred for the boy's father, the child was given his mother's last name: Uzumaki."
Shock ricocheted through me like I've been struck by lightning or come face first with an angry mother bear protecting her cubs. The whole village hated this boy, this innocent child for something that he was only just born during. He lost his parents on the day of his birth, never to know them and to have the creature that killed them sealed inside him like some kind of pawn.
I feel an overwhelming sense of sadness, imaging what his life must have been like. To have no family, to be hated by everyone and not having any idea of why. Not know about this thing sealed inside him. That terrifying and utterly disgusting that we'd condone such things in our village. For this to be something that no one seems to be against, like it acceptable to do. To condemn an innocent child to bear the scorn and hatred of other for one village not deserving of the sacrifices made.
"W-what..." I pause at the gravely sound of my voice. My emotions taking hold of my vocal cords. I clear my throat. "What was his name? The boy in the story, the one who the—"
" Uzumaki Naruto..." Grandfather answers, already knowing the rest of my question.
I look down at my lap, still trying to wrap my mind around this. That poor kid, I mean...
"He didn't have an easy life," my head shot up at his voice. "He was hated by all the villagers who looked at him like he was nothing. He was an orphan who was all alone and had to learn what it meant to be a ninja. To learn how to survive. He made it his goal to become the hokage one day and to change all the villagers minds about him. That one day they would acknowledge him. His spirit, his determination, and his will is what makes him the greatest hero in all of Konoha's history."
"Is he still alive then?" I asked. Most of the heroes he's mentioned are dead, killed by the things that make them heroes. So what about this guy, this one who deserves a happy ending for all the hell he must've endured. What about him? Did he get the happy ending he deserved or was he yet another to succumb to the curse that being a village hero seems to bring?
Grandfather Hiashi fully looks at me with his lavender eyes, as if he's dissecting my very soul or something. After a minute he sighs. "Yes. Uzumaki Naruto is very much alive. While his lifelong goal of becoming hokage hasn't been realized yet, I have a strong feeling that he will become the Seventh Hokage. The Sixth Hokage was his team's leader after all."
He has my full attention again.
"Naruto is a hero on his own merits, an inspiration to even those you know. Your Uncle Neji gained inspiration from his will, deciding that is was possible to choose his own fate. He inspired your mother to never give up, that she could be something more than she was. Indirectly he changed his friends and the minds of many. In the process by doing what he believed was right, gained the adoration of the villagers who hated him. He becomes a major point in the following history of Konoha and it's all well deserved."
A knock on the door tells me all I need to know. Story time is over and he has a meeting. Nodding a farewell, I start towards the door. Only stopping when Grandfather clear his voice, I glance back at him.
"Tomorrow I will not be able to continue our lesson for a while. The head members of our clan are being sent to an important meeting in Suna for the duration of this week. We shall continue as soon as I return. Oh and Boruto, try not to get yourself into trouble while I'm away. I expect you to keep up with your Gentle Fist training."
"Okay, I will. Sheesh..." I say, rolling my eyes. One of the Hyūga Elder's slips past me and into the office that I just left. Whatever he wants to talk to Grandfather about must be in regards to the Suna trip they have to go on. As I climb the stairs and open the door to my bedroom, Mom sits on my bed waiting for me. She smiles warmly at me, waving.
"I was wondering when you'd get back. Did your grandfather tell you about his departure tomorrow?" she asks. Mom looks much calmer now than she did earlier, much more relaxed. Her indigo hair was loose now, no ponytail to bind it. Free to fall down her back in long straight strips until it reached her lower back. She was dressed in her purple mission gear and her kunai pouches. I guess while I was away she was being assigned a mission by the Sixth Hokage.
"Yeah, but it looks like you have something to tell me too. A mission, where you going this time? Somewhere fun?" I smirk, taking a seat on my rolling chair as I cross my arms behind my head.
The solemn look I'm so accustom to fills her eyes once again.
My eyes catch a flicker of light reflecting around Mom's neck, that's when my eyes catch sight of it. Her black headband—the blue one, the one she got when she graduated the Academy, was in a curio cabinet in her bedroom—the one she got when promoted to Chūnin at fourteen, hung around her neck like a symbol. Flicking my gaze up, I met Mom's look.
She laughs. A light lilting laugh that could be mistaken for the sound of clouds. Whenever Mom laughed, the air around the room seems to brighten. "No, no where fun. I have to head through a number of villages to give specific messages for the Kages' under the The Sixth-sama's request. It should not be a difficult assignment, but I will be gone for nearly five days so you will be unattended for most of this week. You need to behave yourself Boruto."
Groaning. "I know... Grandfather already gave me the... 'don't you dare destroy my mansion' speech earlier. He's making me work on my Gentle Fists to keep myself occupied so I stay out of trouble."
"Boruto."
I drop my arms and sit up in my chair and flash a smile. "Don't you worry Mom, I won't destroy the house. I promise!"
She rests her cheek against her right hand with a small quirk to her lips. "You had better not. Who knows what Father would do to you if you blew up his precious shrine room, the one dedicated to his love of panda's."
I cover my mouth to keep from laughing too loud. My body quaking with the effort to keep quiet. Tears fall from my eyes as my shoulder shake, my lungs burning for air. The thought of Grandfather crying over a scorched room filled with melted Panda statues is hilarious in anyone's mind as he's not the type to get emotional over such trivial artifacts.
Mom gets up off the bed and walks over to me, taking my arms in her's and pulls me to my feet. She wraps her arms around me in a tight embrace, her forehead resting against the top of my head. "I'll try to get home as soon as I can. I'm going to miss you the whole time I'm gone." She kisses my forehead and holds me tighter as I try to pull away, feeling the burning of my cheeks.
This is kind of embarrassing and what if someone walks in, like Aunt Hanabi who'll tease me for the rest of my life. Even if I like this close relationship with my Mom, I sure as hell don't want the whole world to know. It's private y'know. 'ttebasa...
Mom opens the door, and smiles on last time. "I'll be back soon Boruto, I'll even bring you some stuff from the villages."
"Thanks Mom," I say as she closes the door behind her.
Just as I start thinking over the things I can do to keep myself out of trouble during my week alone, voices outside my window catch my attention. Moving toward the glass, I see the Uchiha and her friend as they walk among their friends. A kid with black hair in a high ponytail and a kid with unnaturally pale white skin with bright blue eyes.
"C'mon Sarada, lets go get something to eat," the girl beside the one who I now know is named Sarada whines, trailing behind her friend.
"I'm not hungry Chōchō, my Papa's coming home for the first time since I was a baby. And yeah I saw him when I thought that lady Karin was actually my mother, we never really got to see each other. I want to be home when he arrives."
As they walk out of sight from the window, I hear a boy say, "Troublesome... All this, family stuff."
That's when it hits me. I'll be alone for at least five days before Mom gets back, five days for me to sneak out of the Compound and really see the real village that Grandfather's been telling me about. This might be the once chance I get to see my village and I'd be foolish if I didn't take advantage of it. The only thing is that I can't ever let anyone know who I actually am, no one can see my face.
And I think I have something stashed away in my closet to keep it that way.