Samsara: Birth
A/N: Here it is, the possibly long awaited third chapter. And before I start the story, I want to ask. Are you guys enjoying this series? If so then be expecting an updated pretty soon.
If no, it's fine.
Let us enjoy this chapter, no?
"It's nice for the boy to come here once in a while, Ayame… give him the best broth we ever make!"
"Hai!"
He didn't expect this. This warm, kind and joyful family to greet and serve him, no, he didn't expect them to be like this. He entered not even ten minutes later, and he's now served with kindness from this small family that consists of a father and daughter.
Did they do this because he's the Hokage's son? That was what in his mind at first, but he's wrong.
"So how are ya Naruto-kun? Did your old man send you here, will he come here too?" the old man on the other side of the counter, Teuchi, asked. He raised his chef cap slightly, his aged face showing his elder mark when smiling.
The boy remained composed, crossing his arms on the counter. He answered shortly. "He's at home."
"Ah, I see…" the old man laughed later on. "It's funny, seeing that you don't have Minato's personality…" he shook his head.
Naruto rolled his eyes mentally, he expected that.
"You're also different from your mother too."
Huh?
The old man must have seen the surprised look on his face. "Your mother is the total opposite of you and your father, I remembered that fiery girl, always dragging your father here to eat ramen. Well, she's the one doing the eating, and your father's the one paying."
His mother? This is the first time he heard someone talk about her, even his father never told him anything other than the fact that his mother passed away at birth. He'd be lying if he said he's not interested, this topic is way too interesting to be ignored.
The old ramen chef continues, this time leaning on the counter. "But that Kushina… she's too loud and stubborn." He smiled. "Makes me wonder why that girl ever got together with your father."
So he gets it. His mother is a noisy, loud and was a stubborn woman. But who is she?
"She also said that she'll be Hokage someday, that girl. Haah… too bad though…"
His mother wants to be Hokage? Why?
"Order up!" a female voice came out from the kitchen. He saw the ramen girl who is older than him in about three or four years, dressed in her white waitress uniform and a white apron. A smile on her face and a steaming bowl of ramen on the tray she's holding. He can smell the scent of chicken from here, the broth is strong.
The waitress set the ramen in front of him, placing it just where the scent and aroma is enough for him to smell. The milky colored broth of miso, the fresh and lean cutlets of chiken breast, the sake and soy sauced soaked egg with yolk a glazy orange color and the sliced Narutomaki on the side. The nori and thin sliced mushrooms are present too.
"Well boy, enjoy. It's on the house." The ramen chef flashed him a kind smile, placing his cap on the counter.
The boy hesitated, not sure if has to eat this without paying. But the temptation is strong, the dish served to him by this family looks delicious. He picks the chopsticks given to him by the ramen waitress Ayame. He broke the chopsticks into two, using it to grab the strand of noodles. Closing his eyes, he brought it into his mouth.
He went wide eyed.
It's… delicious. It is delicious. It tasted perfect, the broth and everything. The noodle's texture is downright soft, it's curly but the smooth and chewy sensation makes up for it. it's good, the best. And when mixed with the broth, it beats every other ramen he had ever tasted. How… how can this be so perfect?
"So, how is it boy?" the ramen chef asked, smiling. He's stirring another broth from the kitchen, his face visible for the blonde to see through a small open gap on the wall.
He doesn't know what to say, how can the word 'good' define this…. This… perfect dish? This dish is beyond good, this is perfection! But then that also means that the chef himself is perfect. A sixty year old old man, hair graying and skin showing a lot of elderly sign. Is this the result of perfection?
Is perfection only achieved through days, and days of practicing? Days of experimenting with the right ingredient to make the perfect broth that he had just tasted?
The boy spoke. "How is this so… perfect?"
At hearing the term of words he used, the old man bursts out in a joyous laugh. "Hahahaha! It's not perfect boy, in fact, I missed an ingredient there." He brought up a bowl filled what seems to be fermented bamboo shoots, dried to the point where they are in a rich yellowy color.
"Menma?" Naruto voiced what's in his mind.
"Yup, you can never enjoy a good ramen with this." The old man commented, nodding his head.
"But it's perfect already, it tastes good. How can it tastes so good when an ingredient is missed?" asked the young blonde, seriously confused. It's… weird. How can a dish become so perfect when it is not perfect, it's missing an ingredient that is needed for the dish to be perfect, so why is it still good?
"The only way to make a perfect broth is not only in its ingredient. But also the effort I put in them." The old ramen chef then pointed his fingers to a boiling pot, where a stronger aroma can be smelled. "I boiled the pork bones inside those pots for three days now, and that is the first step."
Teuchi stirs the pot he's handling, constantly pulling out a ladle full of ramen broth. "These are only perfect when you boil'em up for a good three days before you serve them, it takes time."
Time. What the man on his dream said was that it was one of the most powerful forces in the world. Can time really do that much? Time ages people; he can see Teuchi as an example. Then he gets it.
Naruto Namikaze learned that perfection does not always have to taste 'good', because the one who makes it, is not perfect either.
Teuchi was nowhere near perfect from the start, he's still learning before. He's still learning to make the perfect ramen. But time, time helped him. Through time, he made his perfection into a reality. This perfection, taking form in the form of this simple fast and delicious delicacy, is the proof that time is powerful.
"So boy, another bowl?"
He hesitated, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he still wants a piece of other people's perfection.
"Yes."
"Order up!"
Lunch has never been so satisfying, a full belly, Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha again. His face sporting the usual calm, serious and strict expression. He has his hands in his pockets, but his body posture remained straight.
He walks steadily. But with an empty mind.
He's walking through a path where he has no destination marked, something unusual.
It was still early, about twelve noon. But he felt so tired, trained at four until five, he used the remaining one hour to read books about any fields that are necessary for him to cover when he become a ninja.
It's useless. But knowledge is not.
He wants perfection but why? Why is so hard in being perfect?
He learned today, a lot than he himself could even ever imagined. The ramen chef and his ramen, it's almost inspiring really.
But what question that remained in his mind is this.
What is the step that he must take to be perfect.
He stopped. He blinked when he find himself in an unfamiliar place. A building is in front of him, a rather unmaintained one. it looks like a small apartment windows and verandas are the proof of that. Looking back, he knew the reason for this building to be in front of him.
He's entered the slums of Konoha, where the poor, dirty and mangled lives. A place considered to be 'filthy' by nobles and politicians. He saw people all around him. some homeless, but all of them are similar. They're dressed badly, they stink and they look pitiful. His mind is wondering why can he see such imperfection around him, is this world so…
Imperfect?
Perhaps he was wrong, when he told the man in his dreams. He said that humans are God-like, but he's seeing what the man meant. Humans are 'filthy' as the man said, they're able to make anything good, bad. But… isn't that because human are such incredible creatures?
The poor works, but the rich not.
The wise speaks, but the fool listens.
The clean bathe, but the filthy scrubs.
Why do these chains of order present? Why must it be this way?
Why can't both sides experience happiness, why can't they all just live their life?
"Toki! Help your grandma carry these bags!" an elderly woman shouted to somebody. Not long later, a little boy barely at the age of seven came out, dressed in things that are not worthy to be considered as clothes.
"Yes grandma!"
A child, a working child. Aren't the old supposed to work? Aren't the young supposed to learn? Perhaps he's learning from his grandmother but still, what kind of grandmother makes her grandson carries a sack filled with bricks and coal?
Isn't that working? The effort that the child put into carrying those bags is bigger than the effort of him trying to solve a simple math problem.
One thing, one single thing.
Now Naruto Uzumaki knows that Perfection is not for everybody.
But it is for everyone.
"Ah."
"Kya! S-Sorry…"
He bumped into a smaller figure, no mistake that it's a female. He glanced down to a mop of straight black hair, soon a pair of purple violet eyes found themselves staring back at him. the girl is young, younger than the boy he saw earlier. She should be at home with her mother taking care of her, but she's out here.
Out here where she's an easy target for…
He shivered, he does not want to complete that sentence.
"Ano, Onii-san?"
He was snapped out of his thinking, looking down, he came eye to eye with the toddler. "Yes?"
"Onii-san, do you want pocky?" she brought out her hand, showing a small box of pocky sticks. There's only one inside, but why is this girl giving him?
The girl did not even wait for him to reply, she brought out the pocky from its box. With a huge smile on her face, she hands it to him. "Here you go, Onii-san!"
He's baffled, confused and surprised. She broke the stick, allowing him to keep one, and her to eat one. The girl ate hers already, a content look on her face. He stared at the piece of cracker stick in his hands, not knowing what to do.
Well, he know that he's supposed to eat it but is it fine?
The girl, as if to answer his inner question, smiled. "Eat it, Onii-san."
And eat it he does. It's plain, as expected. But why…? Why does eating this makes him feel all warm and tingly inside? Why is his spirit leaking out? It was then when his hands are shaking, he didn't think that this impact of sharing can be like this.
"Bye bye Onii-san! I have to go and visit my mother's grave!" there she goes, far off the distance, disappearing just into the horizon of buildings. And her mother's grave? How can she still smile after knowing that her mother is dead?
Is a child really that naïve? To not even know what it's like to feel confused or sad? Is a child perfect?
He shook his head. No, that is impossible. Emotion is useless, but that doesn't mean that it is not present. Everyone can cry.
Even him.
Tomorrow….
It's class. Morning.
Iruka's lectures are always the same, knowledgeable and necessary.
Naruto Namikaze always takes his notes, but not this time.
He's writing, still writing, but not taking down notes like he usually do.
He's writing a book, a journal of some sort. This simple hard covered book will be where he enter his daily entry. About his activities, schedule, problem and all other sorts of things. To start of, he wrote about this morning earlier before he go to academy.
He wrote on how he would train in his usual training ground, practicing taijutsu and chakra control by doing a short meditation. A way of concentrating by cleaning one's mind out of all problem. Then he wrote about his walk going home. Through the pathway of forest, the gates of Konoha and the point where he even describes his front gate.
Then it's his house. He took a shower, using soap of course. after finished, he wrote about him reviewing his notes, studying for just a short while. After that, he wrote about when he ate, he ate together with his family today, his father doing the cooking. His sister going alongside him to school and him bringing his bag.
And he wrote about the most important part. The reason why he made this journal.
His view of those around him. the people, the ninjas, the animals and even the buildings. He wrote about them. But mostly, his statement ends with a question.
Questions like, why do people beg? Why do people despise each other? Why are the rich, rich?
He has so many questions, but not one person he knew can answer them. He doubted that even the Sandaime himself can answer all of it without giving a straight example. Then who…
"Alright class, can anyone tell me what are the five main affinity? How about you, Naruto?"
He stands, answering. "They are fire, water, wind, earth and lightning." He sits again, emitting audible oohs and aahs from his classmates.
"Good job Naruto. Now…"
Answering is easier than asking.
Later after school…
He is writing alone under the shade of a tree, a tree near the academy.
He likes it here. This place is where the wind is calm and slow, unlike the strong breeze down there. And it's also cool, the noon sun is unforgiving in a matter of heat. A water bottle next to him, his pen and book ready… this is his peace.
But no matter how nice peace is, it will end.
"O-Onii-sama?"
He paused from writing, his eyes glancing up.
"Haru."
The sister blinked, hearing her brother's voice. Usually, he would only look at her but he spoke… remembering what she's supposed to say, she continued. "Dad told us that we have to go meet him in the Hokage tower after this."
The blonde visibly raised an eyebrow. Now isn't that rare… why would his father call him and his sister to the Hokage tower after school? So he stopped what he's doing, standing up and started walking. The little sister took that as a sign that she should follow him. their walk finally let them exit the academy's premises.
Near the academy, they must go through a small walkway, a shortcut. As expected, her brother would lead her through that path, allowing for a quicker walk. But ignoring all of that, she felt something… different from her brother. He still looks cold and strict but the presence around him, it's different.
It's serious, but peaceful. Almost nice to be around. She wonders, is her brother always this close to her? Does he acknowledge her as his sister, in a sense that he truly cares for her deep inside that cold shell of his? She can only wonder, and even if her brother doesn't view her as family, she'll still be his sister and he'll still be her brother.
His usual calm pose of walking and his sense of fashion almost makes him look like the son of a noble. Not the Hokage, but a noble. That is also a reason why she is shy, she's afraid that her father would compare her to her brother. Because if he did, she'll be at the end of the pot.
But her brother is kind… right? She's ashamed that she doesn't know her brother that well, it just felt so weird. Her classmates and friends at school either have brothers or sisters, both big or small. And she always felt so left out knowing that they are close to their siblings.
It's not entirely her fault though, her brother is the one who's silent after all. It's hard to tell if he's rejecting others or he's just like that. Ever since she could talk, the memory of her brother talking or interacting with her never came to mind, not even once. Except where she would be the one to talk first.
Now she's sad… what a great way of making herself down…
Seeing the male, he's still walking as usual. Their walk has taken them to the street where shops and stands are present; it's the market district no doubt. Eyes still, the blonde focused on the path in front of him, ignoring what the other passerby would say to him.
He said it before, praises are useless unless if he has achieved something. and it also implies in the matter of status. He rather be a shop keeper famous for his lies other than being praised for his father's name.
In short, he hates it. he hates it when people credits his father's name when looking at him, he hates it when they compare him to his father… but anger, anger will do him no good. all he got to do is to be patient and wait until that time come, that time where he is a step closer to his goal.
"You're sending me to where?"
"I'm sorry Naruto… it seems that the academy is not the right place for you."
It's a splash of water, he tell you… this, entering his father's office, expecting a conversation with his father doing the talking but instead he's given this. His eyes are wide, clearly expressing shock and surprise. It's his first time expressing this kind of expression and does not want to his face.
The current Hokage of the leaf sighed, he tries his best not to look sad. "I'm afraid you hear me right Naruto. Instead of the academy, you are to go to a temple northwest of here, far out there in the high Alps of snow country. Where there will be monks, teachers to be the one who'll act as your teacher." There is disappointment in his voice; he's clearly disappointed in himself.
The boy, finally back, asked. "Why?"
Minato sighed again, this time he stands from his seat, looking back at the window. After a moment of silence, the Hokage spoke again. "It's hard for me, as your father to see you this… detached from others. Perhaps the village isn't the place for you." he turns his back, viewing his son's eyes.
Blue met blue. One calm and worry, the other shocked and still. Father and son. The younger Namikaze visibly shakes, eyes shadowed by the bangs of his hair. Then he stopped, head raised back to meet his father's face.
With a cold front, he spoke. "If that is your will, then okay, I'll go there."
Now it's Minato's turn to look surprised. He nearly choke, eyes widening. "Really? For real?"
The shorter and younger blonde nod, expression not expressing anything. His eyes grew… colder and face stricter than it usually does. He replied his tone calm and accepting. "Yes, you are my father after all. If it is your desire, I'll do it." just like that, no any other sign complain or refusal.
Minato made a mistake, and he's going to regret it.
"A-Are you really going to go, Onii-sama?" she was shocked after hearing that her brother will leave Konoha to a place unknown to her. Her own father revealed this to her just last night at dinner, and she's still shocked until this morning. She's asking her brother, who is just packing his things into a grey backpack. She saw him placing in his clothes, pants and even boxers. But his face does not express worry or complain, just calm.
He replied with a nod, answering his sister's question. After finishing packing his bag, he then stands, planning to leave for the door. But as he turns, what he saw made him drop his belongings.
This is his first time seeing a girl cry, babies are not included. His sister, the shy and usually happy girl, is crying. but she's smiling too, tears pooling down her eyes, streaming to her cheeks and fell from the end of her chin. She's crying alright. But she's still smiling, why? Why is she smiling?
Why is she crying? Then she fell to her knees, this time shaking. He's confused, why isn't he approaching her? It's from there when he started to hear her sob, she's covering her teary eyes with her hands, struggling to keep her voice in.
"Why…? Why… Onii-sama…?"
Why what?
"I… I was looking forward on getting along with you, talk to you, laugh with you… but… why?" she asked again, this time her shoulders are shaking.
Naruto can't tell that his father is the one who sent him out there to the alps, no he can't do that. But he could do one thing…
"I'm only leaving to rid myself off my weakness."
He then left; he walks past her, not giving her single glance as he exited his room.
Later…
"Are your things packed?"
"Yes."
"Got everything set?"
"Yes."
"Good, this is not a goodbye Naruto."
"…I know."
Then, in a carriage pulled by horse, Naruto Namikaze left the place where he called home.
End of chapter 3