Pulling Your Own Strings
Chapter 4: Change
|Nine Years Old|
Jiraiya was worried. No - scratch that - he was downright terrified.
Fukasaku had appeared before him the previous night with a desperate sense of speed. The elder toad had hurriedly explained that the Great Toad Sage had summoned the two elder toads with a dark message - something had changed in the currents of time - and he needed to tell Jiraiya something. Upon being informed Jiraiya had dropped what he was doing immediately and allowed himself to be reverse summoned to Mt. Myoboku.
After all, there was really only one relevant thing for Jiraiya that could of changed - the prophecy surrounding his pupil. And that was something that, according to the Great Toad Sage, simply had to occur. Else, the world would collapse in on itself or some other melodramatic nonsense - honestly, Jiraiya had been young at the time and so didn't really listen to the specifics. Regardless, the message had been clear; this prophecy better not fuck up.
So Jiraiya felt that his nervousness was justified when he finally reached the entrance to the hall that the Great Toad Sage presided in. He breathed in deeply before entering at a brisk pace. As soon as he walked in the huge Toad in front of him opened his eyes and began to follow his form with an eerie preciseness. As soon as Jiraiya found himself directly in front of the huge toad the amphibian sighed slowly.
"Jiraiya-chan? What are you doing here?" The toad smiled softly as he spoke and Jiraiya resisted the urge to rub his temple in frustration; the damned toad had already forgotten why he had called him.
Shima didn't seem to find any humour in the situation from her position beside the toad and hurriedly explained, "Ōgama Sennin, you called for Jiraiya-chan due to a change in the prophecy."
The huge toad turned his gazed to Shima in confusion, "But I have so very many prophecies..." He hummed for a moment in thought before suddenly the beaming smile that had been on his face disappeared, "Oh. Yes."
"Ōgama Sennin?" Jiraiya asked hesitantly.
"It's changed." The toad heaved at this and a sorrowful gazed occupied his face.
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya prodded carefully; the ambiguity of the Great Toad Sage was infamous.
"The Child has changed." A pause, "Completely."
Jiraiya didn't know why precisely but the words of the toad sent a dark shiver down his spine.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples tiredly as he stared across the small table in front of him and looked into the stone-cold eyes of his teammates. Homura was standing silently next to the couch across from the Sandaime, the cogs in his mind clearly turning at the revelation that the Hokage had just told them. Koharu, likewise, was simply leaning forward on the couch staring aimlessly at the table in-between them. The Sandaime would have liked to say that they were overreacting - that this display was all simply melodramatics - but for once he couldn't deny the cold hard truth.
Today had truly been a colossal mess.
Finally Koharu looked up and began to speak, "I am not one to say I told you so - such childish remarks only bear ill will - but I feel compelled to point out that this - this - chaos could have easily been avoided had you heeded my words on that cold night nine years ago." She spoke with a cold assurance, confident in the Sandaime's absolute attention at the time. And she was right to do so for as she attacked him sharply his head bowed lower in shame.
"You don't think I realise that?" Hiruzen bit back, a touch of frustration in his voice, "I am no less knowledgeable of my mistake than you are. Perhaps I am even more aware, considering I am forced to see that face every day." 'And those accusing blue eyes never relent.' Hiruzen added silently to the statement. Whether the venerable leader was speaking of the portrait of the Yondaime that sat across from him or of the youthful eyes of Uzumaki Naruto wasn't clear to the elders in the room.
"And who pays for this mistake? You? No." She paused and swept her arms around them, "Us? No." She looked out the window, "The village? To a degree - he is a weapon but a weapon might always be replaced." She stopped for a second here and turned her accusing gaze upon the Sandaime directly, "But the boy? The boy is lost to us. He is tormented by his very existence. Now, if the boy is the one who pays for the mistake... tell me, who precisely is at fault?"
The Sandaime seemed to shrink in on himself as she spoke. It was a cruel thing to twist his paternal love for the boy like she did but even aware of her dark intentions he couldn't prevent the piercing dagger of grief that struck his heart as she verbally assaulted him. When she finally finished he moved to defend himself but no words could come out. He couldn't even manage a stutter.
'Is this truly the result of what I chose?' It was a silent question to himself and one not easily answered.
When he had revealed the boy's status to the village nine years ago the elders had immediately begun to plot. Homura had demanded the boy be put under Danzo's care. 'A weapon he is,' The man had said, 'and a weapon he should be brought up to be.' Koharu had alternatively desired the boy be cared for until the age of three and then shuffled through jounin, being taught all he was capable of so that in a decade the boy would be a sword to which Konoha could smite their foes.
Regardless of the options, the Sandaime had struck them all down ruthlessly. He didn't even dare to ponder such things when the corpse of Naruto's father was still warm, staring at him with those vacant yet brilliantly bright blue eyes. Instead, he had put Naruto in the orphanage and then, when needed, into an apartment. He had tried to as much as possible afford the boy freedom to chose his own way in life. Of course, much of that freedom was manipulated by the man - Naruto simply had to be a shinobi - but the small evils were worth the boy's chance at a somewhat normal life in the Hokage's eyes. But now everything he had done, the planning and plotting - he didn't dare call it anything but that - and the sheer love he held for the child threatened to come crashing down around him. He was reminded of the old saying, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.' Because he surely had wished only the best but now, he wasn't sure if he should have even involved himself.
"Stop this display." Homura's voice cut into his thoughts, "Such childish meandering won't help things. It doesn't matter where the blame lies," At this he stared at Hiruzen, making clear his belief of who was at fault, "But what we can do to fix it."
For a second Koharu looked at Homura with a sneer on her face, "Ah, ever the neutral party Homura." A low, derisive snort echoed across the room, "Regardless, you are correct. This is pointless." The Sandaime watched the interaction silently, content to allow the two to fight amongst themselves. When it seemed to have resolved itself he decided to take charge.
"The most important issue right now is Naruto-kun." He spoke softly, daring them to interrupt, "It is clear that we must provide an explanation for the Kyuubi's chakra. The problem is, we're not quite sure the effect it's had on his psyche."
Koharu nodded in reply, "Most pertinent is his mental stability. If he's been negatively impacted by the situation we may have to employ otherwise unsavory means."
A cold fury struck Hiruzen at her words; if she was even daring to imply that they-
"A replacement Jinchurriki is not entirely unreasonable."
"No." The Hokage steeled his voice, "Don't voice such thoughts in my presence again." He would not allow them to extract the demon from Naruto and kill him merely for convenience. This was his mess, and he would clean it up. For a single moment he wondered whether if they knew the truth of Naruto's heritage that they would still suggest the same.
The optimistic part of him - however little of it that still existed - believed that Koharu would rescind such a desire. Even the aged woman held great reverence for the Fourth Hokage; she had been grief-stricken by his death, much like the rest of the village. The realistic part of him realised that Homura probably already knew anyway - the man had an uncanny way of finding out that which is best kept buried.
"Your sympathies for the boy is precisely what produced this sordid affair, Hiruzen." Homura's voice was edged with frustration, "If you had a more objective outlook perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation."
"I recognize your concerns," He replied equally sharply, "But my thoughts will not change. The boy is not to be touched."
"And he hasn't already?" Koharu's cold cackle followed her stinging comment, "No matter. It's clear that there is only one thing that can be done in this instance." As the two stared at her silently she added, "The boy must be told of his burden." Homura nodded knowingly, seemingly accepting her statement as the only reasonable path.
Hiruzen felt a cold hand grip his heart as he too nodded in acquiescence, "I'll talk to him when he awakens. It's time he's made aware of his past." He worded what he said carefully and such meticulous planning was rewarded by a sharp widening of Homura's eyes.
'So he does know.' Hiruzen thought gravely; he had specifically stated Naruto's past in the hope that if Homura knew of the boy's heritage he believe he was referring to that and so would give himself away through shock. The fact that the reaction he had been looking for had occurred was most troubling; it meant either that the precious information surrounding Naruto's parents had been leaked or that such a relation was too obvious to an intelligent eye. Both outcomes were as bad as each other.
The elderly man recovered incredibly quickly from his mistake and his eyes glazed over into a dull expression of discontent but it was clear to Sarutobi that the man realised he had given himself up. Knowing Homura as he did, Hiruzen expected the man to chide himself over the accidental outburst for the next few hours. It was especially horrifying to the man considering he prided himself on his control over his emotions.
"This is the last time I trust you Hiruzen." Koharu spoke gravely, "Another mistake and I'll be forced to look elsewhere."
The Sandaime didn't bother to ask about what she was referring to; the mental image of a crippled warhawk had already formed in his mind.
Hatake Kakashi was not easily scared. He was an elite jounin of Konoha, growing up in the darkest war of the shinobi world. This had a tendency to harden a man and his time in ANBU only doubled his fortitude. In fact, the man could count on his hand the times he had been truly scared for one reason or another.
The first had been when his father had killed himself; stumbling upon the bloody corpse of their father wasn't something that could easily be forgotten by a child. From the moment he had lost his last family relation to the moment he had been put into the care of the now late Namikaze Minato he had been terrified - both of what the future held for him and whether he would be able to survive it. He was utterly alone.
Of course, that all changed when the blonde Yondaime entered his life. A jounin at the time, the Namikaze had cared for the sullen boy, keeping his distance when necessary and providing support always. Considering his stubborn and rude temperament at the time Kakashi was amazed the man put up with him. Nevertheless he had and when two more individuals joined their quickly growing squad Kakashi had scoffed; he would never form these supposed 'bonds' again - not after his father.
He was proven wrong; the resilient Uchiha and caring medic wormed their ways into his heart - so much so that when Obito died saving him and he was utterly surrounded by the enemy, unable to protect Rin, he was once again scared. This time, there was a notable difference however; he was only scared for Rin - for failing Obito - and little else. Eventually his sensei saved the two and he was awarded a bittersweet victory. He had learnt to love again but at the price of the person who had taught him to.
The most notable time he was scared however was that of the Kyuubi attack. Never before in his life had he been brought to his knees by sheer fear. It was both suffocating and horrifying all at once. Even being within kilometres of the monster had put him into a state of disrepute. He could hardly think straight let alone fight against the beast. Such memories heightened his respect for the indomitable Yondaime and really put into perspective the strength of the man to face such a demon and come out victorious.
And now he had another moment of pure, unadulterated fear to add to his list - once again courtesy of the Kyuubi. He had been out on patrol away from the village when a lone ANBU approached him rapidly. Noticing the frantic pace with which she was moving Kakashi readied his weapons, prepared to deal with an invasion of Konoha or otherwise horrifying news.
Instead, he was told something much worse.
Naruto had been attacked; he had tapped into the nine-tails' chakra and was in hospital. Kakashi almost staggered from the emotional weight of the news. If there was anyone on the planet that Kakashi cared about now it was the blonde boy; he was his sensei's son and, more importantly, his responsibility. It had been in man's will that Jiraiya or the Hatake boy were the guardians of his children in the event of his and Kushina's death.
Of course, as is common in his life, it was stripped from him. Both by the man who had also been scribbled down beside him and by the venerable leader of the village he had sworn to protect. When he had been told that Naruto was to be raised in an orphanage by the Sandaime and Jiraiya he had had a single fleeting moment of indecision where his mind conjured up images of him fighting the two and stealing Naruto away from the place, raising him away from the conspiratorial forces at work. He had smothered such a thought and accepted the decision of the two bitterly.
After all, he was but a fourteen-year-old boy; the two in front of him were wise beyond their years. Surely they knew best.
Now though, hearing that all of the oh so great Sandaime's plans had collapsed around him he was struck by two thoughts. The first was a desire to viciously rub it in the man's face with a cruel, 'I told you so!' The second was whether or not the choice to leave Naruto to their plans was a wise one. Such a thing inevitably led to the rather predictable soul-crushing guilt of failing his sensei that he always seemed to find himself in. He coldly hid that away, fearful of the effect it would have on him in light of the danger Naruto was in.
And so the copy-nin did as he always did when faced with adversity.
"Hmm? In trouble you say..." He flipped shut the porn book he had been reading, "I guess I better be off then." He drawled apathetically. The ANBU member in front of him blinked momentarily in surprise at the lack of an emotional response but chalked it down to the copy-nin's odd personality. It was well known that the legendary shinobi masked his emotions well. It was only when the the sharingan user disappeared before his eyes in a burst of speed the ANBU had never before witnessed that the man's true fear for Naruto was revealed.
Bird shuffled nervously on his feet. The return to Konoha after informing Kakashi of the situation had been a laborious one; he had been essentially running on fumes as he entered the imposing gates of the village. Such exhaustion was only exacerbated when a non-descript chunin had greeted his arrival with a swift summons to the Hokage Tower. The quiet man had hoped he might be allowed a day's rest but it seemed it was not to be.
He forced himself to stand to attention when he heard the door open. It creaked ominously and he was met with the sight of a tired-looking Sandaime entering the room slowly. As the door closed the man flashed through a set of seals and Bird could feel the tell-tale signs of the chakra seals throughout the room activating. This could be a good or bad thing; it could simply be classified information or it could be a dark deed required of him. He prayed it was the former.
The elderly man wearily dragged himself behind his desk and shuffled some papers on his desk before allowing a small sigh to exit his lips. For Bird the sight was shocking; the man looked old and throughout his time he had never seen the wizened leader so lax in his emotions. The man was usually either a stone-cold exterior or benevolent ruler. This was neither, this was a tired, depressed man.
And in a moment it was gone, the iron-clad will of the famous leader replacing the visage, "Bird." The Sandaime intoned, "Following recent events surrounding Konoha's Jinchurriki you have been re-assigned to Operation Maelstrom."
There was a moment of silence before it sunk in; he was to watch the Uzumaki boy. He wondered what happened to Fly and realised grimly that the man had obviously been demoted or worse for his incorrigible mistake and because of that Bird now found himself with the duty of observation and protection of one of Konoha's most valuable assets. It was essentially a promotion - not of rank but of trust - for only the Sandaime's inner circle were ever trusted with the boy. Regardless, the ANBU member found himself worried of the task ahead; it was clear that the man in front of him cared greatly for the boy and from Kakashi's reaction today the jounin was also connected. Adding the scattered rumors of the Toad Sannin's involvement in the boy's financial welfare it was no surprise he was apprehensive; if he screwed up he was completely and utterly fucked.
He saved a second to pray for the well-being of Fly; the poor ANBU member had well and truly ruined his career at least for the foreseeable future.
"Before I make this official I will make something clear; failure in any way, shape or form is not acceptable." The man paused for a moment, "If another incident like today occurs there will be some serious consequences - both for all involved and the boy himself." Bird found himself sweating a little under the mask, "If you screw this up I-" Another pause, "I will be forced to take drastic actions." The unspoken 'I will not forgive you' echoed in Bird's mind.
The ANBU chose to respond at this point, "I live only to serve, Hokage-sama." At this Sarutobi's gazed hardened and he stared at Bird for several seconds.
"Sometimes that's not enough." He clicked his tongue in distaste, "Dismissed."
The Sandaime walked slowly through the hospital, enjoying the quiet peace of the building. For the first time in the day, he didn't have a meeting to rush to or an explanation to give. He could, for a small while, relax. Relaxing wasn't exactly a good thing though, as his thoughts then focused on the monumental task ahead of him; he was heading toward the room in which Naruto was sleeping and he had a lot to talk to the boy about.
He had been studiously thinking on the task for much of the day. How precisely was he to break it to the boy? To tell him that he had been cursed from the day of his birth by the very man he most idolised - once most idolised, the Hokage corrected; the redheaded puppeteer seemed to have taken the Yondaime's place in Naruto's heart. Regardless, the man was someone Naruto had always admired. Indeed, much of that awe was spurned on by Hiruzen himself; he had desired that the boy have a sort of value and faith in the Hokage's of old and so had told him great stories of the three. The Yondaime had always been the most popular for the boy; after all, what kind of man could kill a demon?
'No kind of man.' The Sandaime thought wearily, which was precisely the issue. Because of the decisions of his sanctimonious successor - if the blasted boy had simply allowed him to take his place... - he had committed some deeds, dark ones at that, that were now only beginning to unravel. First on the list was the secrecy of the boy's plight - at least in reference to him. He had to deal with that first and foremost and so focused his entire being on that. He didn't dare to even think what he would have to do to earn back the trust of both the boy and the village elite as a collective whole.
And it was all because of one stupid, foolish villager. Needless to say, the Sandaime would ensure he earned his just desserts - if Ibiki hadn't already given them to him.
As he neared the door to the room he dispelled his thoughts and knocked lightly. For a moment there was no visible reaction from inside the room before slowly, ever so slowly, the door creaked open and Kakashi's masked face greeted him. The man looked tired and Hiruzen wondered what he must look like himself if the jounin in front of him was so exhausted.
"How is he?" The Sandaime asked softly. His reply was a bland facial expression of 'what the hell do you think?' From the masked shinobi. To any other the raising of the eyebrows by the silver-haired man would have meant nothing but to the Sandaime, who knew the man's quirks inside and out, he recognized the accusation filling those eyes - the disappointment perched on the brow.
"Sleeping. They have him sedated." It was a sharp reply and the copy-nin wondered if perhaps he was pushing the letter a little too much when it came to insubordination.
"They can stop that now." A weary reply if there ever was one, "I wish to speak with him." And to explain some things.
Kakashi merely nodded in reply before he hesitantly asked, "Hokage-sama?" The man drew his attention to the jounin once again, "Perhaps once this is all over it might be best that Naruto have a guardian?"
"Oh?" The Sandaime questioned dangerously, "And I assume you would be the only logical choice?"
"His father-"
"Trusted in my judgement," The Sandaime cut in briskly, "I appreciate your concern for the boy but nothing will change due to this incident." He paused, "This is a setback, I will admit, but it is no reason to cast off the veil of ignorance." It was clear what the man was referring to; the copy-nin suddenly looking after the Jinchurriki after an attack - a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Jinchurriki - would immediately cast suspicion over the boy's heritage. And that was something they had to avoid at all costs; wars would literally be fought over the child.
Despite his common sense screaming to agree with him Kakashi couldn't help but feel angered by the way the Hokage described Naruto as a sort of plan and once again felt a growing desire to whisk the boy away. Of course, as was common with him, the fortitude to do so quickly crumbled and he slumped his shoulders slightly in resignment. He returned his accusing gaze to that of a neutral one and pulled out a small orange book from his pouch.
As he turned the pages Kakashi added in a drawl, "By your leave, Hokage-sama." But he didn't bother to wait, instead leaving the man in a swirl of leaves quickly. It was a small slight - to leave without permission - but it showed how truly angered he was. Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you see it - he was nothing if not an obedient man and so that small action would be the only thing he would do.
He had a weak will when it came to this sort of thing - both he and the Sandaime knew it.
The first thing Naruto saw when his eyes wearily opened to the outside world was a white ceiling. He immediately recognized the tiling on the roof as that of Konoha's hospital. He was confused for a moment; why was he in the hospital and why did everything hurt so damn much? He blearily shook his head lightly to dismiss the fatigue still gripping his mind and moved his hand to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. A jarring pain struck his arm as he moved it and he realised belatedly that he could hardly move his entire body without experiencing a sort of excruciating pain.
It was this festering hurt that forced the memories back into his mind; he had been attacked! And what was that strange voice? And the power, the dark power... It had been so invigorating but also so very terrif-
"I see you're awake." A soft voice punctured his thoughts. Naruto turned his head ever so slowly to the direction from which the voice came and was greeted with the sight of a grim-faced Hokage sitting in the seat beside his bed. He wondered why the man saw fit to wait on him until he remembered the confrontation on the outskirts of the forest - the elderly man had tried to calm him down. Calm him down from what he still didn't know.
"Uhh..." Naruto articulated his concerns in a manner typical of him.
"You're in the hospital. You were taken here after you fell unconscious yesterday." Naruto had a grief-stricken expression on his face at the mention of the previous day. Sarutobi seemed to recognize his desperate confusion and spoke lowly, "I'm sure you have many questions."
Naruto didn't bother to reply, merely nodding his head weakly. He tried to formulate an answer but the words died in his throat. Just how on earth could he broach such a confusing mess to the man in front of him - the man he trusted above all others - who seemed to have a clear idea of what had happened. And if he knew so much about this weird power why hadn't Naruto been told? It reeked of dark intentions to the boy.
"Very well," The Hokage sighed, "I guess I should start at the beginning." He rubbed his temples at this point before speaking carefully, "Naruto, what date were you born?"
The boy looked at him in confusion, "October tenth..." His voice came out scratchy and his whole body vibrated in pain as he spoke.
"A particularly significant day. Nine years ago on that very day the Kyuubi attacked, causing terrible destruction. Thousands died, entire structures were leveled." The man looked squarely in his eyes, "And in spite of this all a small, blonde-haired bundle was found on the doorstep of the hospital by a very special man - the leader of our village."
"M-me?" The boy asked dumbly. What was the Sandaime talking about? Did he mean th-
"The Yondaime picked up this child - a babe barely out of the womb - and within the twinkling eyes of that child he found salvation." The man paused for a moment and allowed Naruto to process his words, "In his very arms was the solution to the horror that had befallen upon Konoha. The end of the terrible demon and it's chaos."
"I don't understand..." Naruto asked hesitantly. His mind was already whirring through possible scenarios; what could he have done to stop the Kyuubi as a baby?
"And all it required was a sacrifice." The man braced himself for the next line, "A two-pronged one at that; to save the village and the people in it he had to give his life - this was accepted easily by the Yondaime, it was his duty to do so - and find someone to bear the darkest of burdens..."
"W-Wh-"
"The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi in the child, giving up his soul to do so. For his efforts the people had been saved - the baby had been saved - but the child was given a huge responsibility. It was him who had to hold the monster at bay - keep him chained and caged, much like the marks of the Kitsune on his cheeks had foretold."
Naruto shakily raised a hand to his cheek and felt his whisker marks meekly.
"Naruto, on the day of your birth you became a hero. The Yondaime sealed the nine-tail's in you and so you saved the entire village from certain destruction."
"A monster..." It all made sense now; the cruel words that viciously struck him, the inescapable loneliness that shrouded him in despair, the curse that was much of his existence, all caused by one man...
For a single brief and terrifying moment Naruto felt a surge of uncontrollable hatred well up inside of him. The image of the Yondaime conjured in his mind and he felt himself strangling the man, screaming at him, telling him how much the Hokage had doomed his entire life. His hands shook in front of him and he let out a small, sorrowful sob as he allowed the dark feelings to overwhelm him. The man had ruined his life and for what? To save this stupid village?
It was only when he heard the dark chuckling of a sinister being in his mind that he paused in his sorrow. Someone - or rather, something - was taking delight in his hatred for the man. It brought the boy back to reality; he could blame the man all he wanted but there was still a much more obvious culprit; the large fox that somehow presided within him was directly responsible for all his pain.
The Sandaime seemed to notice his inner turmoil and so calmly explained, "I know this is hard to take in but you must stay calm. The anger is what caused the incident yesterday."
Nothing terrified Naruto more than the idea of feeling that dark, malicious power coursing through his veins again and so he took deep breaths to try and calm his panicking heart. This only seemed to worsen the situation and he soon had his hands on his head, his breathing growing increasingly shallow as time went on.
Hiruzen realised the boy was beginning to have a panic attack and so did the first thing he could think of; he leapt out of his toward the child and threw his arms around the small nine-year-old, hugging him fiercely. At first Naruto almost lost it when the physical contact occurred but quickly stilled when he recognized the caring and desperately worried temperament of his grandfather in all but name.
He quickly returned the hug and began to cry softly into the man's shoulder, "I was s-so scared." The man didn't reply, merely placing a soothing hand on his back and holding the hug. After almost a minute of staying the way he was Naruto finally felt himself calm down enough to pull out of the physical embrace. He looked down immediately at his hands, clenching them as he did so.
"Naruto?" The Hokage asked softly, "Are you okay?"
The boy didn't answer and instead refused to even look at the man in the eyes. He couldn't look at anything anymore - at least not in the same way. Everything had changed. He realised with a start that a vicious hate for much of the village was beginning to fester in his stomach. Perhaps it wasn't even the people individually but the ideology of the place as a whole. He hated that they stood for camaraderie and yet so easily cast him aside. He hated that his life seemed just so fucked up. Most of all though, he hated the lies that suffocated him, that held him down.
He finally forced himself to look out the window and by chance his gazed landed on the kind gaze of the Yondaime's face on the mountain. He tightened his fists in frustration as an ambiguous feeling took over him while he stared at the man. He certainly didn't hate the man like he did a moment ago but no longer did he contain the old admiration for the man he had once had. In it's place an empty feeling had settled.
No, he didn't particularly like the sight of the man any longer. Or the idea of the Hokage for that matter.
And that worried Naruto more than anything.
Because that meant everything truly had changed.
A/N: A small chapter but I felt the way it ended was perfect.
This is definitely the turning point in terms of Naruto's character. Everything is beginning to slot into place; the reason he's hated - why the old man has a vested interest in him. It's like a cloud of manipulation has finally been shown to him. And just so you know; he definitely will not appreciate it. The series has shown that Naruto is nothing if not independent and so the underground workings surrounding him will start to suffocate him. He'll grow a little more, shall we say... cynical.
I aim to make Kakashi a sympathetic character; he's not really responsible for his lack of involvement in Naruto's life - it is bred more from an inability to do wrong by his superiors than the usual weak reasons given by authors. The nonsense about how the guilt prevented him or how he was consumed by ANBU always seemed to rub me the wrong way. For a man who valued companionship and teamwork he sure seemed willing to throw people under the bus for his own emotional pain. Because of this, I tried to flesh out a more logical explanation for him.
Jiraiya - now he is an interesting one. I can't say I dislike his character. He's probably one of the most genuine and truly 'good' characters in the series but it doesn't excuse the way he seemingly abandoned Naruto after his birth. We'll just have to see where I go with him. Needless to say, he will play a large part later on.
The Sandaime is looking a little too manipulative for my tastes right now but I'm trying desperately to balance it with his inability to come up with a better solution. He's trying so very hard to please the village while also doing right by Naruto and his father. Unfortunately for him, trying to do both isn't working out. He's gonna have to choose one eventually. I wonder which, hmm?
Finally, Yondaime. Minato has always been an odd one for me. He seems very chipper in the meeting with Naruto in the seal for someone who had essentially screwed over their son's life yet it's undeniable that he should be revered for his own personal sacrifice. I feel like his duty to the village conflicts with his duty to his family a lot. He seems to have a very blase attitude throughout canon but I prefer to see this as a way for him to hide his inner turmoil. Obviously, he isn't a central character in the normal sense for this fic and so this chapter saw a kind of culling of his illusive power over Naruto. It was necessary really to further estabish Sasori's position as the boy's 'idol'.
Puppeteering will take a larger focus soon! I promise.
