AN: Finally done! I still can't believe I've already written four chapters. And I am absolutely flabbergasted at the feedback this story has been getting. Seriously? I'm amazed (and delighted!) that a 12k word story that's been up for only 3 weeks has gotten this much response. Gosh, I'm so spoiled... Thank you all so much!
Oh, and one more note: I didn't make this very clear in chapter 2, but Kushina can still get pregnant. (I should probably rewrite that part...) She won't have any more babies in this story, though. Just wanted to make this clear! If there is anything else I didn't make clear, just let me know! Anyways, on with the story!
Chapter 4: Peculiar
Word Count: 3,878
When Naruto woke up to see a nurse smiling down at him, he came to the conclusion that he was having a very peculiar day.
His peculiar day actually began at night, when he was hurled off the Hokage Mountain by a vicious wind storm. Hurled off the Hokage Mountain! How the wind could muster up enough strength to throw a little kid like himself off a mountain, he did not know.
Naruto couldn't really remember what had happened after that, and if he hadn't woken up in a hospital room he would have thought it had all been a dream. He guessed that he must've gotten injured when he hit the ground, but he didn't feel any pain. His wounds had probably already healed over.
The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the room around him. He was surprised to find that he had been placed in a much nicer room than usual. The sheets didn't even have any holes in them! The medic people must've been feeling very generous today.
And then Naruto looked up, and while he was surprised to see a nurse already in the room, he was downright shocked when the nurse smiled at him. Not an insincere one masking the malice beneath, but a genuine smile. While others took smiles for granted, Naruto received very few of them, and treasured each and every one.
"How are you feeling?" she had asked, to which he replied with a hearty "Great!", because it was the first time a nurse had shown any kindness towards him, and he didn't want to appear rude by not answering.
But then she'd left in a hurry, and Naruto accepted with resignation that she probably hadn't recognized him before, darting off once she did. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened, anyways.
He sighed; he really needed to stop getting his hopes up. It would only lead to more future pain, more heartache, when he received coldhearted glares again.
Wait a minute. What was he thinking? He shook his head with renewed vigor. He'd never become Hokage with all of his inner self-pitying monologues. It was too early to give up hope; he just had to keep on trying.
His hands found themselves fisted around his sheets, as he was terribly bored, and he needed something to keep his mind off of those treacherous thoughts.
And then the man showed up.
At first, when Naruto heard the door click open, he assumed that it was Jiji coming to visit him, as he always did whenever he was in the hospital. He was fully prepared to question the old man; after all, he might've known the reason for the ferocious wind.
He opened his mouth to begin his interrogation, before he saw who was actually standing by the door.
Needless to say, it wasn't Jiji.
The first thing Naruto noticed was that the man in the room looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. He eventually decided he must've seen him around the village before, but he didn't know why he remembered him. It wasn't like the guy had his face carved in a mountain for everyone to see!
He distantly felt as though he was forgetting something important, and then he remembered; he still had absolutely no idea why the wind storm had transpired.
So he forced his questions onto the stranger who had wandered in his room. He guessed the man probably didn't have any idea what had happened either, but hey, it was worth a shot.
The man didn't say anything, and with a jolt Naruto had realized that he really didn't know who he was. He could be an enemy out to hurt him, or maybe an assassin. Or maybe a movie star! A famous chef! A world renowned samurai! An alien from the moon!
But he shook his head of such thoughts, turning serious again. He defensively asked who the man was. If he really was someone out to hurt him... well, Naruto hoped that he was able to defend himself.
The man looked slightly taken aback, but apparently shook it off. He then took a seat next to him, answering his questions in a laidback manner.
And honestly, Naruto had never met anyone quite like him.
The man, who had introduced himself as Minato, did not despise him like the rest of the villagers did, even after Naruto had given his name. There wasn't an ounce of dislike in his entire being. He'd even said it was nice to meet him! And, though Naruto couldn't believe it, Minato actually was friendly towards him. This was something Naruto was unused to.
Minato, however, did act a little oddly when he mentioned he was an orphan, and that he was living on his own, but Naruto didn't have the faintest idea as to why.
By the time Minato left, Naruto's spirits had been lifted, and his mood became cheerful in contrast to the despondency he had felt earlier.
He absentmindedly noted that Minato had been the fourth person to ever be kind to him, after Jiji, Teuchi-san, and Ayame-chan, although he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. From what Naruto gathered, most people would sob desolately if only four people had ever shown them kindness. But Naruto was not one of those people; he would survive.
Naruto stared at the door in which Minato had left through earlier. He really was a strange man, Naruto thought.
And then his expression upturned into an enthusiastic grin. Naruto wasn't quite sure yet, but he may have just made a friend!
A friend...
'I can't wait to tell Jiji!'
Minato sighed in relief, the hospital's front doors in his direct line of vision. After spending an entire day in the hospital, he was fully ready to get some fresh air and see the sky, and looked forward to the walk he was about to take.
He was currently on his way the Sandaime's home, a small, quaint house, the kind no one would expect the former leader of the village to live in. He had never been the type who enjoyed luxuries such as lavish houses, anyways.
Even though he hadn't seen the aged man in a while, his visit was not for simple socializing. He was going to inform the Sandaime about the young boy, Naruto, currently hospitalized after grave injuries. An orphan like himself, Minato was glad someone was looking after him, and what better person to do it than the Sandaime himself?
'Naruto...' Minato hadn't realized it before, but Naruto was a rather peculiar name. He wondered who had given him his name; probably a strange person.
Minato was only a few paces away from the door, the only thing separating himself from the cool, evening air outside. He could practically taste the freedom only the outdoors could bring.
And right as he was about to reach for the handles, the doors were flung open viciously. Behind them stood Rin and Kakashi, both panting heavily, as they had most likely ran the entire way to the hospital.
Rin staggered a little when she saw her sensei was right in front of the door, but quickly shook away her shock.
"Sensei!" she exclaimed, trying to catch her breath after the long run. "How is Kushina-san? Is she okay?" Her voice was anxious.
Kakashi sighed in exasperation. "Jiraiya-sama already said she was fine, Rin," he stated bluntly. But his voice seemed to soften a little, and he continued on to say "So don't worry, she's okay."
"Oh, right," she recalled quickly. Turning back to Minato, she asked, "You've already seen her, right? Do you know what room she's in?"
He nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, I've visited her," he said. "She's in room 227, and I'm sure she'll be happy to have visitors."
Rin smiled joyfully. "Thanks. Hey, sensei, where are you going? I'd have thought you'd be by Kushina's bed until she was released!" Minato had always been known for his extreme overprotective nature when it came to Kushina, but his angry wife was quickly breaking him out of that habit.
"I'm going to go visit Jiji," Minato stated, hoping Naruto wouldn't mind him being a little late.
When met with two amused looks, he realized what he'd said. "Err, I mean Sarutobi-sama," he clarified. Even though Minato was the Hokage, he still addressed the Sandaime with '-sama', as he felt that the wizened man had earned the title.
But 'Jiji'? He'd only spent around thirty minutes with Naruto, and the kid was already rubbing off on him!
"Naruto asked to see him, so I'm going to his home to get him," he continued, attempting to sound official as to regain his dignity.
"Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
Minato decided he really needed to introduce Naruto to some people. From what he'd gathered so far, very few people knew who the boy was, not including the hospital staff.
"He's a very energetic six year old boy, and an orphan," Minato said. "Luckily Sarutobi-sama is looking after him, so he's not entirely alone."
Rin's face expressed sadness, and Kakashi's eyes swirled with an untold emotion, as he himself had also been made an orphan at an early age.
Her face brightened again quickly, though. "Well, that's good then," she said. "I'm glad he's being looked after. Hey, which room is he in? We could visit him too!"
Kakashi nodded in agreement, a surprising occurrence, as Kakashi usually did not want anything to do with strangers.
"He's in room 246. I'm sure he'd enjoy having some company," Minato informed them.
"Alright, we'll visit him after Kushina, then," Rin said with a nod, turning around to face the person behind her. "C'mon, Kakashi! We've got to hurry up before visiting hours are over!" And with that, she ran past Minato to the stairs, climbing them two at a time
Kakashi followed dutifully, albeit at a slower pace, and waved at Minato before heading up the stairs as well.
Minato watched them walk away, a hint of wistfulness in his eyes as he thought of the third person who should've been there. In his mind he could almost vision a spiky haired teen running up the steps, trying to catch up to Rin while shoving Kakashi out of the way.
He shook his head of such thoughts; there wasn't any point in dwelling in the past. He turned around to face the doors, ready to get back to the task on hand.
He reached for the doors with a hint of childish glee, giddy at the thought of finally getting some fresh air. He swung the doors open, taking in the cool evening breeze with delight. After standing there motionless for around half a minute, he set off for the aged man's home.
As he was walking down the streets, several people greeted him, while many others waved at him cheerfully. They always made time out of their day when the young Hokage walked around the village.
He smiled back, because he enjoyed seeing the peaceful village he had sworn to protect. However, sometimes he wished he could just walk down a street without being recognized as the Hokage.
'Sarutobi-sama never mentioned this when I took the job...' That wasn't any excuse, though, as he should have assumed he'd get a lot of attention as the Hokage. And now that he thought about it, Sarutobi didn't mention a lot of things when he took the job, like the unending piles of paperwork that no doubt came from hell itself.
Minato continued on his hike, receiving several more admiring glances and inwardly sighing in relief when he saw the small dirt path that lead to the old man's house. There weren't any faces admiring him on the small earthy road, he was sure.
After a few more minutes of walking, in which he ran into several animals living in the woods, he'd finally arrived at the Sandaime's house.
He had always liked Sarutobi's house, a cottage even, as it exuded a very homely feeling. There were a few flowers planted in front of the house, shaded by several tall trees nearby. A small pond was also located behind the house.
Minato walked up to the door and knocked. He really hoped the Sandaime was in his home: he didn't want to go on a hunt throughout Konoha in order to find him.
His worries were allayed, however, as the door opened from inside, to reveal the Sandaime standing behind it.
"Minato?" Sarutobi asked, surprised to see the young war hero at his doorstep.
Minato smiled respectfully. "Hello, Sarutobi-sama."
Sarutobi made a disapproving noise. "You're the Hokage now," he tried to explain, as he had several times in the past. "You don't need to address me with '-sama'. Actually, you don't really need to address anyone with '-sama'."
Minato blinked.
The Sandaime sighed, wondering why he still even bothered, before moving aside as an invitation inside.
Minato entered the house, admiring its interior as he did so. The supposed 'Professor of Konoha' definitely lived up to his name, as several bookcases lined the walls, each one stuffed with as many books as they could fit.
He heard the door click shut behind him, and turned to face the wizened man standing behind him.
"So," Sarutobi said, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I'll assume it's not for simple socializing."
He nodded. "Well, actually, Naruto is in the hospital, and was wondering when you were going to visit him."
Sarutobi remained silent, although a hint of bewilderment lay hidden in his eyes.
Minato continued speaking, oblivious to the old man's bemusement. "He's a bright kid, a big ball of energy really. He kind of reminds me of myself, too, when I was younger."
He almost got lost in his thoughts again, before he noticed that Sarutobi still hadn't spoken up.
"Sarutobi-sama?"
"Minato," Sarutobi began seriously, "I've never met anyone with the name Naruto."
Minato froze.
The Sandaime never met anyone named Naruto? Yet the boy had claimed the old man visited him in the hospital, and was close enough to call Jiji? Did Sarutobi just not recognize his name? Or was Naruto lying?
Well, just in case...
"Are you sure?"
Sarutobi nodded. "I'm sure that if he is as you describe him, I would not have forgotten a child like that, especially with that name."
"Then, how is this possible?" Minato asked, but mostly to himself. "He called you 'Jiji', even."
"The child may be suffering from hallucinations." Sarutobi suggested bluntly.
Minato shook his head in disagreement. "He isn't delusional," he affirmed.
"Are you sure?" Sarutobi asked doubtfully.
But Minato was sure. "Positive," he said, even if he didn't know why. He'd only met the kid for a little while, and had no way of proving his sanity. "I've just got this feeling about him... It's almost as if I know he's not lying."
Sarutobi frowned, but eventually decided to accept Minato's intuition for now. "Peculiar..." he said. "But if he isn't suffering from hallucinations, then what could explain this?"
Minato frowned thoughtfully. "I... am not sure," he confessed truthfully. "He couldn't have been talking about anyone else; he specifically said 'the old man Sandaime."
Sarutobi furrowed his eyebrows at the boy's implication that he was old. He was only 55! Why did everyone insist that he was old?
Childish thoughts aside, Sarutobi came to a decision as to what he should do.
"I think I'd like to meet this boy."
Personally, Minato was glad that the Sandaime made this decision. If he hadn't, they probably would've never comprehended this misunderstanding, and Naruto would be devastated if the Sandaime never showed up. He desperately hoped that they would be able to find an answer.
But what would Naruto say when they arrived? If he truly believed that the Sandaime was his Jiji, and if Sarutobi didn't know who he was...
"Can you act as if you know him?" Minato asked. "At least, only until we figure this out."
Sarutobi frowned again. "He would eventually know I was lying," he warned.
Minato wasn't swayed, although he would definitely feel guilty about lying to the boy. "But by then we'll have answers," he protested. "We can tell him something other than 'your Jiji forgot about you.' He would be heartbroken."
A moment of silence passed, before eventually Sarutobi conceded. "All right," he agreed. "Let us be on our way, then. We shouldn't waste any time; from what I remember, visiting hours are over in approximately one hour."
Minato glanced at a clock on the wall, finding Sarutobi's statement to be truthful. He hoped that he would have enough time to talk to Kushina again before visiting hours ended.
And with that, the two walked back down the small dirt path, heading swiftly for their destination: the hospital.
"I'm glad that Kushina is feeling better," Rin commented, walking down the hallway with Kakashi, who nodded in agreement.
The two of them had just finished chatting with Kushina, who had been delighted to see them. All three of them knew that Kushina was not the kind of person who could stand to lie down all day, especially in a hospital, and the two of them were sympathetic.
So, after visiting for a while, they had said their goodbyes, and proceeded down the hall to room 246.
"Hmm... do you think he'll mind us visiting? I mean, technically we're strangers..." she trailed off.
Kakashi shrugged. "From how sensei described him, I would guess he'd probably enjoy the company."
"I hope so..." she said thoughtfully, and the two continued walking in silence.
After another minute or so, they reached room 246, and stopped for a second outside the door.
"Well, let's say hi, then!" Rin said, and opened the door.
The two of them peeked inside, and saw a little boy with a shock of blonde hair. He was... well, from what Rin could see, he was trying to make origami with a sheet corner, yet finding no success.
'...So adorable!' Rin thought dotingly.
"Hi there!" she called cheerfully.
Naruto looked up from his inattentive folding, surprised to have more visitors. Not that he was complaining, of course. "Who're you guys?" he asked cautiously.
Inwardly, Kakashi approved of the boy's guarded nature, although he did have to admit it was slightly out of place in an atmosphere such as the hospital's.
"I'm Rin, and this is Kakashi," Rin introduced with a smile. "We're Minato's students, do you remember him? He came in here a little while ago."
Kakashi gave a small wave.
Naruto's face instantly brightened, sky blue eyes shining happily. "I'm Naruto!" he informed them proudly. If they were Minato's students, then they were most likely good people.
"That's a unique name," Rin replied. "Nice to meet you! Anyways, how are you feeling?"
Naruto looked a little stunned, but responded normally. "I feel great!" he shouted. "I always heal really fast, so I don't see why I'm still stuck here."
Rin thought his comment about healing fast was a little strange, but decided not to comment.
"Hey!" Naruto burst out unexpectedly, noticing the headbands on their foreheads. "You guys are ninja?"
"Yes, we are," Kakashi spoke up for the first time.
Naruto's eyes shined with awe. "That's so cool!" he exclaimed. "I'm only in my first year at the academy..."
"That's alright!" Rin reassured him. "Everyone needs to start somewhere, right?"
"Yeah..." Naruto mumbled. "But I don't like the academy."
"Why not?" Rin asked, and one of Kakashi's eyebrows rose.
"The teachers don't like me. They always send me to the hallway, but I don't know why," Naruto confessed. Normally he didn't like to talk about his problems, but he seemed to be awfully chatty today.
Rin was about to make a comment, but before she could the three of them heard someone knock on the door.
The door opened slowly, and in walked Minato, a cheerful look on his face.
"Hello again, Naruto," Minato greeted with a grin. "Guess who's here?" he asked, then moved aside to make room for Sarutobi to walk in.
"Jiji!" Naruto exclaimed happily, eyes shining brightly. "You took a while to get here! Were you in another one of those Hokage meetings again, or something?"
Sarutobi blinked, as did the other three occupants of the room. Naruto didn't know that the Sandaime had retired? That was... peculiar.
"I haven't attended any Hokage meetings since I retired a year ago," he explained slowly, curious as to why the blonde boy did not know this.
Naruto's eyes widened substantially. "Retired?" Naruto asked with disbelief.
Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, I retired when I passed the position on to Minato," he made a gesture towards Minato with his hand, "the Yondaime Hokage."
Naruto's eyes, if possible, opened even wider.
Minato sighed; so much for the boy not recognizing him now. He braced himself for the shock, admiration, and awe that the boy would no doubt exude.
But Naruto didn't look shocked, his face didn't express admiration, and didn't seem awestruck. No, what he did was something that completely took Minato aback.
He laughed.
"The Yondaime? Quit joking Jiji, he died six years ago! Remember? After he killed the Kyuubi!"
Silence.
The stunned silence lasted for nearly five minutes, as they did not know what to say. They didn't know how anyone could reply to something like that.
The Yondaime? Dead? After killing the Kyuubi? Was Naruto crazy? They didn't even have a Yondaime six years ago!
Sarutobi was the first one to regain his voice. "...Dead?" he asked with skeptical shock.
Now Naruto was the one who looked stunned.
"You don't remember?" he asked with incredulity. "You took back the job after he died! Remember?"
And then they were all stunned into silence again.
However, where the others minds tried to grasp what the boy was saying, Minato turned over ideas in his head at a rapid pace.
Had Minato been wrong? Was the boy really delusional? Minato's gut instinct had never been wrong before; he had been so sure that Naruto's sanity was intact. There was no other possible explanation, none!
Unless...
A stray idea implanted itself in his head, and he almost brushed it aside due to its foolishness. It was a peculiar idea, something you'd most likely find in a fiction novel. There had never been any proof of its plausibility. No sane man would ever even deem it a possibility.
But, for some strange reason, he decided to consider the idea. Now that he thought about it a little more, it would explain a lot. Why no one knew who he was, why the Sandaime had forgotten him, all of it!
If his theory was true, everything would make sense.
Minato needed to test his speculation, but how to do so...
Hmm... Oh.
Bingo.
"Naruto," he asked gently, "How old is the Sandaime?"
This garnered him several odd looks, as they all wondered why a question like that was important, or even remotely relevant to the current topic at hand.
But then, Naruto replied with a resolute "61!"
The Sandaime was only 55.
And with this, Minato knew his theory was correct.
AN: Well... half the secret's out. The other half will take a while longer for them to figure out. This was definitely the most difficult chapter so far, but I'm hoping they'll get more fun to write: we're not even to the good parts yet! I personally cannot wait for all the mushy family scenes to come. Oh, and I know I call the Sandaime old even though he's only 55, but I'm guessing that's considered ancient in ninja terms, as I doubt they have high life expectancies with the risks being a ninja has. Once again, feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
