Hey guys! Here comes another update! I know it's been a while with this story, but at least it wasn't six months, right? Yeah… Anyway! This one is pretty simple, just a bit of filler before I get started on the Wave arc! It won't be getting right into it, but it'll be on its way. I hope to incorporate some kind of unexpected twists, but I'm not totally sure what and how they will be and happen, respectively.
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever (probably) own Naruto and any affiliated elements of the Naruto name and brand. Fucking Kishimoto, all I want is to own something cool!
So, without further ado, here's the latest chapter of Naruto: Redemption!
"Jiji, why do I always lose against Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked one day.
It was a week after showing off his new jutsu, and he felt like it was coming along pretty well. After all of the spars he and Sasuke had been participating in though, he was getting discouraged. He just couldn't find enough ways to implement his technique, and when it came to brass tacks, Naruto just didn't stand up to Sasuke in close-quarters. After talking with Kakashi, he came to the idea of asking the Hokage for advice on the situation.
"Well Naruto, what style of fighting do you use?" The wizened Hokage asked the boy in return.
"Fighting style? People use different styles to fight?" The boy questioned.
"Ah, I see." Hiruzen replied. "Naruto, fighting styles are different ways to fight. Think of it as a… Dance, if you will. People dance different ways, but some people dance the same dance."
"Oh! So it's like, one person can tango, and another can waltz, right?"
"Exactly right my boy! Now, I'm assuming you use the basic academy taijutsu style?"
"Well Jiji, they never really taught me how to fight back in the academy. They just let me figure out how I fight on my own, you know?" The boy said halfheartedly.
To this a tick mark grew on the old man's forehead. So they never taught him to fight, eh? He knew he had to remedy that, lest Naruto get injured in the field.
"Naruto, you mean to say that you have no particular fighting style?" The Hokage asked, already forming a scheme.
"No, not really. Why, Jiji?"
"Well Naruto, let's go pick one out for you. I have a library of my own, full of different techniques and styles."
"Sweet! Thanks old man, I won't let you down!" Naruto shouted exuberantly.
"Now Naruto, you don't even know what you'll be getting yet!"
"No, but I know what I want! I want something that'll be faster than Sasuke, so even he won't be able to see me coming!"
"Hmm…" The old man hummed thoughtfully. "I think I have a few styles in mind for that, but it will take a lot of training for you to get down pat."
And with that, the duo left for the Sarutobi clan residence, to the Hokage's personal house.
When they arrived, Naruto was surprised. He had expected some large, magnificent manor. Instead, the Hokage lived in a rather modest, unassuming house on the edge of the compound. When questioning this, Naruto was only told that the Hokage liked his privacy, same as any shinobi.
Hiruzen quickly and efficiently led Naruto through the house, giving him a quick tour before arriving at his library.
"Alright Naruto, I want you to wait here for me. When I find the two scrolls I'm looking for, I'll come out, but you had better still be by the door." The Hokage said sternly. Naruto missed the mischievous glint in his eye.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sure Jiji!" The boy said, hoping the old man believed him. As soon as Hiruzen entered the library and closed the door, Naruto snuck down the hallway.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for, he was just exploring the building.
Wracking his mind, he found his way back to the master bedroom from the library. There had to be some awesome stuff in there! If he could just find something cool, he'd be able to show off to his team like Sasuke did. That was the purpose he decided on before entering the room.
When he did enter however, he was mildly surprised. By all rights, he shouldn't have been, but he was. Just like the rest of the house, the room was rather spartan. Utilitarian, if you will. There was a bed that would fit just one person with a simple bedspread, a desk across from it, a dresser beneath the sole window, and a bedside table with four framed photos on it.
The photos, lined up properly, we of the past Hokage, from first to fourth. Each was the Hokage with their respectful family. With the Shodaime stood a redheaded woman that Naruto couldn't remember the name of along with their children, the Nidaime had his wife and two children with him, though Naruto had never heard of them, the Sandaime had his late wife and two sons, and the Yondaime had a fat wife. Like, really fat.
Upon closer inspection, Naruto saw that she wasn't fat, she was pregnant!
Picking up the picture of his hero with awe, he briefly saw his face reflected between the two people and saw a striking resemblance between him and the Fourth Hokage. Though, the Hokage didn't have whiskers like he did, and Naruto's face was rounder, like the woman in the photo.
He played out a fantasy in his head about being their child, but quickly shoved that away. He had dreamt too much in his life, and it was time to face the truth. He would never know his parents.
Without so much as a sound to announce his presence, suddenly the current Hokage was behind Naruto, a hand on his shoulder in a rather comforting manner. It was almost as though he knew what the boy had been thinking, but that was absurd.
"Naruto, I thought I told you to stay by the library." He said mirthfully.
"Well, ah… Jiji, you see-"
"It's alright Naruto." Hiruzen said reassuringly. "It's only natural to be curious about a house you've never been in before. And besides, as long as you haven't taken anything, there's no reason for me to actually be upset."
"N-No Jiji!" Naruto said, loudly as usual. "I was just looking at the pictures! Speaking of the pictures, who's the lady beside the Yondaime?"
"That, Naruto, is Kushina. She was the love of his life. Young Minato was always trying his best to cater to her, especially during her pregnancy. It was tough on her, but she managed it well."
"Why does she look so much like the Shodaime's wife?" Naruto asked.
"That's because they're from the same clan. The Uzumaki clan."
At this, Naruto gasped and dropped the photo, only for Hiruzen to catch it before it hit the ground. Naruto didn't notice, but the Hokage had dropped the scrolls he had been carrying in order to catch the photograph.
"Wh-When was she pregnant?"
"Hmm, I think it was almost thirteen years ago, actually." Hiruzen had to admit to himself though, this wasn't where he had expected Naruto to go. He was expecting Naruto to go to his small armoury, or any number of other rooms. He supposed that now was as good a time for the truth to come out though, seeing as there had never been such a perfect time as this.
For Naruto, his mind was spinning at a mile a minute. Maybe it was the fantasy he had participated in just moments prior, or the fact that it was almost his birthday again, but he was started to put a bunch of crazy, unlikely pieces together. Could it be? Could he let himself have hope, for even a minute? He had to know though. Despite the risk, he took a leap of faith and asked the question that was at the front of his mind.
"When was their kid born?" He asked, somewhat pensively.
"It was October tenth, the day the Nine Tails attacked." Hiruzen responded, all trace of joviality gone from his voice.
"Jiji… Am I… Is there any way that… Are they-"
"Your parents"
"Yeah…"
After a moment of thought, the Hokage decided to put it bluntly, not sugarcoating it in the least. His reply was one simple word, that may have changed Naruto fundamentally, but he couldn't be sure at that moment.
"Yes."
Naruto just stood there, disbelieving. His greatest dream was true! He was the son of the Yondaime Hokage! But at the same time, there was suddenly a huge pit where his stomach once sat. His father, the Fourth Hokage, had sealed the Kyuubi inside him. The Nine Tailed Fox. The creature that had nearly razed the village to the ground. And it was inside him at the behest of his father.
Before he knew what had happened, he suddenly forgot how to stand. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Slowly, he broke down. His own father was the man that caused the suffering he went through in his life. The man that should have been there to comfort him in his darkest hours, was instead his true tormenter.
"Why?" He asked quietly. So quietly that he barely heard himself.
"Why what, Naruto?" The Hokage asked gently.
"Why did he pick me?!" Naruto shouted. "I'm his son, and he used me! He's the reason I've gone through all this pain, he's the reason everyone hates me. He's the reason nobody would ever let their kids play with me, he's the reason I'm alone! I… I hate him!"
"Naruto, your father was a good man. He would never have done something like this lightly. He chose you because he couldn't expect anyone to give up their child. He loved you Naruto, and never think otherwise. He was so excited to meet you, he was hustling about trying to get everything ready and perfect. Before you say you hate him, get all of the facts straight." The aged Hokage reprimanded Naruto.
Naruto's head rocked back as though he had been slapped across the face, and tears started to fall.
"I just... I just wish he had been here for me. Him and mom, they've been gone my whole life and I've been stuck with this burden. Sometimes it's just so hard, Jiji." Naruto said sadly.
Wrapping his arms around the boy, Hiruzen comforted him.
"Naruto, you have to know by now that you're not alone. You have me, and your team. Not to mention Konohamaru, he looks up to you like a brother. You have a family, you just have to look in the right places." Deciding to change the topic, Hiruzen reached out and grabbed the scrolls he had let fall to the ground. "Naruto, there are two styles here. They're both based around speed and hitting hard, but one is a little more… Unique than the other. The first is Gōken, Strong Fist. The other is known as Fūjin no Ken, Fist of the Wind God. They're both very fast styles, but Gōken is built more on hitting hard than hitting fast. Fūjin no Ken is more about hitting fast and getting out of the way. It requires quite a bit of flexibility, but that can be gained with enough training."
"Fūjin no Ken. I want that one." Naruto said, blandly but quickly. There was no question in his voice, and no reluctance whatsoever. He simply knew that it was the one he wanted.
"Alright then Naruto," The Hokage said with a smile, "You can have this scroll. Treat it well though, it's the only one I'll just give to you, no strings attached. After all, it'll help to have some favours from the next Hokage."
At that, Naruto perked up slightly. It really did feel good to hear those words from someone he had so much affection for.
"Thanks Jiji. This really means a lot to me. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Well, that was the latest chapter of Naruto: Redemption. I hope you guys liked it, and eventually get over the super cheesy title. Sorry it was kind of short, but I didn't know quite where to go with this part. I wrote myself into a corner, and had to leave it here. In the next chapter I'll start off somewhere more workable! Also, I hope I did a decent job of having Hiruzen actually tell Naruto who his parents were, there may be some more conversations between them about this later on too.
With that said and done, I hope you all enjoyed, and come back for the next chapter!
-RahvinsCage