The news of his crushing victory over two of Konoha's finest genin spread like a wildfire through the village and people were whispering about him behind his back when he moved through the village and pointed at him, just as they did right now as he walked through the village.
Naruto gave a slip to his friends and sensei when they were all still asleep and decided to go for a walk through the village. He didn't care what the people said or if they glared at him or whatever. All he wanted was some time to himself and think, to sort his thoughts and to go through what had happened to him and was said to him in the past few days. Most notably the incidents with Orochimaru. About the curse mark, but also what the black-clad genin from Suna told him. These thoughts demanded all of his focus and he paid no attention to where he was going or the people.
'One day he'll come to me. He'll want to bring the Great Five Nation to their knees. He'll want revenge.' Is what the snake sannin said. What did that mean? Why would he want revenge on all five nations? What did they do in the past? If there was one thing though the snake-man was right about was that he desperately wanted to know the truth. The full truth.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" Came a voice from behind the redhead, bringing him back to reality. Looking around the boy could see an older white-haired man looking at him with a strange expression. "You came back." The man said, seemingly happy about that fact.
"What do you want?" Responded the young Uzumaki.
The older man chuckled. "There's no need for such hostility. I mean you no harm." He put his hands up, showing he meant what he said and smiled. "I'm just happy to see you well."
"How do you know who I am?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"I knew your father and mother." The man confessed, surprising the boy. "Oh yes, we were friends, and I was actually your father's sensei."
"Who….who are you?" The redhead asked.
"My name is Jiraiya, I'm one of the sannin." The man introduced himself.
Naruto's look once again became very suspicious. "So you are Orochimaru's friend then." He scowled.
"No!" Jiraiya shook his head. "Once upon a time I used to be, but that changed many years ago." He walked closer to the boy. "He did terrible things and once all he has done came to light we stood on opposing sides. I tried to help him, but he made his intentions crystal clear to me." He revealed. "And no, I'd never support him giving you the mark." He stunned the boy. "Oh yes, I know about that." He sighed.
"So what do you want?" Naruto repeated.
"I know why you're here." The sannin began. "And although I'm not too happy that you didn't stay a Konoha shinobi I can understand why you left."
"Not too happy?!" Naruto's eye twitched. "Do you even understand what they did to me?!" He practically whispered, his stare boring into the older man.
Jiraiya sighed sadly. "I do. And I couldn't believe my ears when Hiruzen told me."
"Then you understand I did what I had to." Naruto was getting tired of this conversation. "Anyway, you still hadn't told me what it is you want with me."
"As I said, I know why you're here." Jiraiya repeated. "You and your friends came for the exams and you're facing the third round now. I want to help you." He revealed. "I would like to train you, just as I trained your father."
"You don't seem to have done a too good of a job on Namikaze." Snorted the redhead.
Jiraiya was stunned, how did the boy know who his father was? "How do you know?"
"Orochimaru told me." He revealed. "Tell me, if I didn't know did you actually plan on telling me?"
"I would have." The older man stood firm.
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt and allow a further conversation." Naruto told the man. "Let's get something to eat, you're paying." He practically ordered the sannin.
Grinning Jiraiya complied, happy to be given a chance. A meal was a small price to pay. And so the two of them found a restaurant of Naruto's choosing and sat down, ordering their meals and drinks. Jiraiya observed the redhead as he ordered some Kaiseki Ryori. It would appear he strongly adhere to a balanced diet. Jiraiya on the other hand ordered himself some Tempura and sake.
"Before you say anything," Naruto began after their orders were taken and the server left, "I would like to know about them." Meaning his parents.
Jiraiya smiled and complied. "Your mother was a cheerful and exceedingly kind woman. She cared deeply for her family, and even for your father's students." He chuckled. "She was also very beautiful, with long, deep-red hair that reached her ankles, and grey eyes. You seem to have inherited all of her good looks." He laughed some more as the blushing boy touched his hair. "She also had a quick temper, lashing out at others from time to time if they angered her. People called her the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. Her temper was legendary." He wiped tear as he chuckling recalled her terrifying anger.
Naruto grimaced at the last piece of information. It didn't paint a very nice picture of his mother.
"Your father on the other hand was very collected and rational, even shrewd. He used the terror his reputation as the Yellow Flash evoke well against his enemies, but he remained respectful to them at all times." Jiraiya remembered his favourite pupil. "He was always very perceptive, ambitious and had an indomitable spirit."
The redhead did not really like the description of his father he was given, but couldn't help but think he was very similar to him. "Why did the Fox attack that night? And why did he sealed the Fox inside of me?" He changed the subject.
"I don't know why the demon attacked the night he did. But something broke your mother's seal and released the Fox." The white-haired sannin shook his head. "But as to why your father did what he did, well, he was certain that one day you'd be able to control the power of the Fox."
After this revelation the boy was silent for a long time.
In the meantime their orders arrived and Jiraiya took a sip of his sake, eyeing the pretty server and smiling to himself. He'd have to do more research for his book.
Naruto noticed this and it put him off. He was disgusted by such behaviour. But right now there was a more important matter for him. "He was certain that I could control the Fox's power one day." The boy repeated in a low voice.
"Yes, he did." Jiraiya continued staring at the girl as she walked away.
"What rubbish!" The redhead snorted, getting the attention of the sannin, who nearly choked on his drink.
"It's the truth, though." Defended the older man. "He truly believed that!"
"How would you know?" Demanded the Uzumaki. "The Fox attacked on the same night I was born, correct?"
"Well, yes." Jiraiya nodded, feeling slightly insecure.
"Then how could he have had the time during the battle with the demon to actually think about this and decide that yes, I should be able to control the power of the most powerful bijuu?" The boy challenged him. "Actually, how would he even arrive at such a ridiculous idea that it is possible to control such a powerful being? Or did he really get the impression when he fought it that it could be tamed? Somehow I doubt that." He spat. "So don't try something so ridiculous with me! Or were you perhaps there?"
"No….No, I wasn't." Jiraiya shook his head.
"Well then, how would you know anything?" The boy scowled.
"He knew his son." The man tried.
Naruto barked a laugh. "'Knew his son?' How would that be possible since I was just born and he never had a chance to talk to me and get to know me?"
"You don't need words to understand your own child and feel a connection, as well as to know their strengths." The sannin's eyes were soft and moist now.
The redhead only shook his head. "You may believe so, but I don't. The way I see it is he decided to use his own child as a vessel for the demon, may it be out of desperation or for Konoha to continue to have a weapon," he lifted a hand to silence the protests of the older man, "I don't care. I will not forgive him for it, as well as I will not forgive the Hokage never telling me this."
"He merely wanted to protect you! If people knew you were Minato's son they would have certainly wanted to kill you." Argued Jiraiya.
"That's why he also let me be abused, I suppose?" Naruto shot back. "Nobody ever did anything for me. Him, Kakashi, or you." He surprised the white-haired ninja. "You said you were his sensei and friend. So where were you?"
Jiraiya hang his head. "I'm sorry, I know I failed you, as I did fail your parents, but I want to make it good. I would like to train you for the third round." His look now was determined. "There is a lot I can teach you. Like the Rasengan your father invented, or give you a summon." He suggested.
"I'm not interested." Naruto waved him off. "Not in anything from that man, nor from you."
Jiraiya was taken aback by the boy's casual refusal. It made him feel like he never had a chance with him to begin with, that Naruto only did this to get the information he wanted. "But I thought you were going to give me a chance."
"And I did." The boy gave him a hard look. "The chance to say what you wished. I never said I'd agree to anything." He shrugged. "Leave now." He commanded.
Broken Jiraiya put some money on the table for the food and then left the boy eating his meal.
After a long time Naruto finished his food and was about to set off again when somebody spoke up behind him. "There you are!" Looking around he saw Yashamaru standing there with two of her colleagues by her side. "Why did you leave? And why are you here with what looks like food for two?"
"I needed some time to think." He ignored the last part, much to his sensei's annoyance.
"Well, you missed a meeting we had after everybody woke up and we found you missing." She informed him. "It was about training for the third round, and for those that did not make it in general."
"Is that why all three of you came to find me?" He asked.
"Correct." Smiled Hanae. "It's been decided that the three of us will start your training and we shall swap around later on."
"Wait, if you three will be training me, then who will train Fu and Kimiko? And what about Hoki and the others?" He wondered.
"Not all three of us at once." Shinobu pointed out, grinning. "At least not usually. One will start today and we will take turns with you during this month. The others will take care of the training of the others."
"At least until Lord Shibuki arrives. He'll assist then." Yashamaru added.
"Lord Shibuki is coming?" The redhead was surprised by this news.
"Yes, he will want to see the third round. We also informed him about your….little run in." The blue-haired kunoichi told him. "He wants to help keep an eye on you."
This made the boy smile, he could always count on Shibuki to want to look out for him. "So one of you will start my training today?"
"Correct." Nodded the blonde woman. "And I'd encourage you to choose Hanae or Shinobu first, as we have been together a lot as sensei and student. You need more variety." She advised her student.
Naruto thought for a while before answering. "I'd like to start with you, sensei Hanae." He said at last. "No offence." He looked at Shinobu. He always wanted to train with Hanae ever since getting to know the woman. She was a highly interesting character and very strong.
"None taken."The man chuckled, putting up a hand.
"Very well, Naruto. Are you ready?" The kunoichi smiled warmly.
"Of course." The genin nodded, standing up.
"Good. First and foremost we will work on your speed." She explained to him. "We need to prepare you for Gaara, and as we saw with that Lee boy speed is important against him. We need to work on that and make you comparable to that boy in taijutsu."
The redhead steeled himself for a gruelling training session, but was looking forward to it. He did need to get faster. And so for the upcoming days he was drilled in taijutsu by Hanae, Shinobu and Yashamaru relentlessly.
On the fourth day they were interrupted when Shibuki, together with his guard, arrived. As he came over to them he looked at the boy. Naruto was on one knee and breathing hard. It would appear they were driving him to exhaustion. But seeing the ruined area all around them it would appear he was doing rather well.
"Lord Shibuki." The three jonin bowed to the man and Naruto nodded to him, being unable to stand up at the moment and give him a proper bow.
The dark-haired man nodded to the three and then turned his attention to the boy. "Hello Naruto, how is your training going."
At this the young Uzumaki smirked. "Couldn't be any better."
"I'm glad to hear that." He smiled. "There are some things we need to talk about." He ended the training session and ordered them to follow him. They had a lot to talk about, especially the boy's new burden. There was also an issue the Naruto teachers wish to speak to Shibuki about. It was about the boy.
Later on Naruto once again sat alone in the same restaurant his sensei found him at only days before. This time, however, he was found by none other than Danzo, with whom he spoke once before.
"It's good to see you again, Naruto." The older man greeted him.
"Hello, Danzo." The redhead nodded at him as Danzo took a seat opposite him.
"I've heard of your success at the second part of your exams, congratulations." He nodded at the young Uzumaki.
"Thank you." Smiled the boy, not exactly sure what to make of the man. "Can I offer you anything?"
"That's kind of you, but I'll be going again soon, I just wished to speak with you. I would have done so earlier, but I was unable to locate you." He lied as he was well able to find the boy, as he had a spy on him at all times, but he wanted to speak to him alone, without the pesky presence of his instructors.
"I see. We've been camping at our training site for the past several days. We got back just today." The boy smiled apologetically.
"Training hard?" Asked Danzo.
"Yes, preparing for the third round as best as I can." Nodded the redhead.
"Good." The man nodded his approval. "A shinobi must always work hard and drive himself to new heights."
"So why did you wish to speak with me?" Wondered the Uzumaki.
"There was something I wanted to give you." He reached into his robes and took out something rectangular, wrapped in brown paper.
Naruto took the package. It was solid and wasn't heavy. Ripping the paper apart he was me by two faces smiling up at him. One was a blond, spiky-haired man with cerulean blue eyes. And the other was a woman with ankle-length, crimson hair and steel-grey-coloured eyes. Her hair and eyes were just like his.
He knew who both of them were immediately. The man because he used to see his face everyday when he lived in Konoha. It was Minato Namikaze, his father. Which meant the other one was his mother. Kushina Uzumaki.
He stared at his mother's face for a very long time. She was beautiful. She was standing next to her husband and smiling into the camera, her warm eyes sparkling.
The redhead's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the faces of his parents, mostly his mother as he held a grudge against his father.
He felt a lump form in his throat as he continued to look at her smiling face. Looking up he wanted to thank the man who gave him this present only to find Danzo gone. Looking around he was nowhere to be found. It would appear he wanted to give him this moment of privacy, which Naruto felt grateful for as he looked once again at his mother. He didn't care what anybody around would think, he cried openly over the photograph.
Kabuto watched this exchange from afar. So Danzo was interested in the boy as well and it would appear he would try to coax him to his side. This was an interesting turn of events. One which Orochimaru predicted and prepared for. It was no secret to both of them that the old wolf would want their jinchuriki back and make the boy his own weapon. But they would prevent that. He would prevent that.
Once he calmed down Naruto wiped his tears away and blew his nose. He would cherish this picture he was given. Finally he knew how his mother looked like as well as knew who she was. It was now his greatest treasure.
He then put it into his shirt, storing it there and so nobody would see. Nobody could know just yet.
Naruto wanted to turn his attention back to his now cold meal when another person found him. Looking up he could see a flock of silver hair and round spectacles.
Kabuto smiled at the boy and sat down opposite him. "Hello there, Naruto."
The redhead gave him a strange look. Why were people following him like this?
Kabuto smirked internally. Danzo would be furious at what he was about to do. Good thing he took out the man's spy before confronting the young Uzumaki. "Having a good day?" He continued to smile. Unbeknownst to him there was another spy keeping an eye on the redhead.
Naruto nodded slowly, not sure what to make of the strange boy.
"I imagine you do, it's not every day you get a picture of your parents you never met." Kabuto stunned the boy silent with this revelation of his.
The silver-haired genin let all pretence fall and smirked at the redhead. "You did not expect that, did you now?"
"H-how….?" Naruto stuttered.
"How did I know?" The teen adjusted his glasses. "I've been watching you."
This was getting stranger and stranger and Naruto wasn't sure what to think about it, nor what to do.
"Don't let the old man fool you, he isn't as friendly, nor so considerate, as he wants you to believe." Kabuto revealed to the stunned Uzumaki. "I suppose he 'forgot' to tell you that the night the Fox attacked he refused to fight and rather hid away within the confines of his organisation." He chuckled at the boy's expression.
"Wh-who….are you?" Naruto managed.
"Somebody who wants you to see the truth. I'm here to help you, Naruto." He lied. "Danzo is a coward who uses subterfuge to get his goals. He'd love to be the Hokage and take the village as his own."
Naruto was silent for a long time replaying everything that just happened with Kabuto and what the teen told him. It made no sense for him to know all of this, as well as to tell him if he truly was loyal to Konoha. Which meant he probably wasn't, and there was only one other faction he knew about that would want him to know this.
"And I hadn't told you the best part of it yet." The teen smirked, interrupting the red-head's thought process. "If your mother wasn't protected by the Hokage Danzo would have forced her into a breeding program as the Uzumaki are nearly extinct now." Kabuto liked the look of pure disgust and hatred. "He's done that before and nobody stopped him then, not even the Hokage." He revealed. "It would see that as the Fox's jinchuriki she was too valuable for the Third to give to Danzo, otherwise who knows." He shrugged. "That's just the kind of man Danzo is. He's done it before to some, just let them breed healthy babies to continue a lineage. And nobody ever stopped him. And despite his….shall we say….darker aspirations….that are no secret to the higher ups….he is still considered a village elder and holds a lot of power in the village. He even commands his own Anbu faction."
"You said the Uzumaki are practically extinct." Naruto asked through his disgust.
"I did." Kabuto nodded, adjusting his glasses again. "Did you really never wonder why you were the only Uzumaki in the entire village while you lived here?" Kabuto cocked his head to the side. "And I bet you are the only one in Taki as well. Perhaps some were even surprised to see a living Uzumaki?"
It was true, he was the only one in the entire village of Konoha and later on in Taki as well. And he did wonder about it. Just like Sasuke was the last living Uchiha so was Naruto the only Uzumaki. However, compared to him Sasuke actually knew why he was the very last one.
"Once there were many Uzumaki around. An entire village, actually." Revealed the teen.
This stunned the redhead. So what happened to them?
"They had a village in the Land of Whirlpools, Uzushiogakure." Kabuto began. "Your mother was shipped over when her predecessor, Mito Uzumaki, into whom her own husband, the First Hokage, sealed the Fox in, was getting old. That's how she escaped the destruction of her own village."
"What destruction?" Naruto desperately wanted to know. What had happened to his people?
"The entire village and with it the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed in war. Several of the Great Five and their Kage ganged up on them, fearing their skills in the sealing arts. They murdered men, women and children without prejudice. They just wanted to eradicate all of them, to stop a threat to their own power." The silver-haired genin explained.
Naruto clenched his hands into fists. They murdered everybody? Even children?
"Now the Uzumaki are almost no more. A few of them, that were lucky to escape, scattered all over the world. Nobody knows where to, or if they really exist." Kabuto slowly came to the end of his lecture. "Yet the Uzumaki were pacifists, they did not wish to take part in any conflict."
So his ancestral home was destroyed by several Kage and their armies. And for what? Because there might have been a chance they'd be a threat to their power-hold? Even though they were neutral and took no part in the fighting? It disgusted and infuriated him.
"Actually," Kabuto continued, "Konoha was allied with Uzu." He revealed, surprising the boy further. "However, when shove came to push and The Uzumaki were at their worst, desperately needing aid, the Leaf Village did nothing."
Hearing such revelations made the boy's hatred for the village, its people and the system to intensify. How much more corruption was there in the world? How much cruelty and suffering was out there?
"This makes you one of the very last Uzumaki's in the world." The silver-haired teen gave him a pitying look.
"One of the last?" The redhead's eyes went wide.
"I may know one or two more." The bespectacled teen smirked, stunning the boy. Naruto desperately wanted to meet an another Uzumaki. "There is a lot of evil in the outside world with dozens of Danzos running around and worse, but there might be a way for you. One for true peace." Kabuto smiled.
"Orochimaru." Naruto breathed.
"He's my master, yes." The teen acknowledged. "And here to help you."
"Help me?" Naruto's look was blank. "So far he did anything but help me."
"Everything comes at a price, but believe me when I say that's what we want." Kabuto smiled. "We all heard your speech at the preliminaries at the end of the second stage of the exams, and that is exactly something we want as well; A better world!" He told the boy. "But you know as well as I do that this world is sick. It needs to change. However, change comes at a price. And sometimes that price is high."
"Like betrayal?" The steel-eyed boy asked.
"Like betrayal." Nodded Kabuto.
"Why are you telling me this?" Frowned Naruto. "You know I can easily turn you in now."
"Of course you can." The teen nodded. "But we both know you won't do that. Or you would have left and done so already." He smirked.
Naruto remained silent and only scowled.
Kabuto's smirk only grew at the boy's lack of reaction to his revelations. "Come with us Naruto and we will show you the deep, dark truth about this world. A truth very few are brave enough to see, and even fewer can stand up to, even that little I just told you." He waited a while before he stood up and then walked away, leaving the boy with his thoughts.
The young Uzumaki had a lot to think about after this meeting with Kabuto, more than ever before. It made him question his ways, his life as a shinobi, and actually his whole life. In his entire existence there was nobody he could trust and really count on, with the exception of a handful of people.
His entire life he was abused and when he finally broke free and escaped he immediately got captured and forced into something else. Yes, it gave him a new life, a better one, but the fact remained he never had a choice.
And now this talk with the silver-haired teen made his hatred surge. But in a way he did want to fight for Taki and make it a major power in the world and bring proper balance and peace, even if it was with force. Those people who were his real friends made it worth. Any kind of peace was better than no peace at all.
It was all a lot to cope with, his old issues he buried were resurfacing.
Throwing some money on the table he left without finishing his meal or drink. He had a lot to think about and to decide, and he needed to be alone for that.
When they met up again after their little break they had to take because of the meeting Lord Shibuki wanted to hold they were met by a completely different boy. This Naruto resembled the Naruto that came to their village two years ago. His look dark, full of anger and hatred, with him being broodier than ever. When he fought it was with unrivalled aggression, his strikes savage.
It made them all wonder what had happened to the boy during the short while they left him alone, and the boy wouldn't tell them, always brushing them off that it was nothing and putting on a mask of a careless child, but nobody believed that, and they wished to know what happened to their young friend.
During the nights when they were all supposed to rest the boy made a clone of himself posing to sleep and he himself sneaked out to somewhere, probably to train. When they tried to look for him they couldn't find him. It was like he vanished from Earth's surface.
When he was present with them during the days he trained hard, driving himself until exhaustion, refusing any breaks apart from eating. Whatever it was it was driving the boy hard. It was like he was trying to let out some steam, only for his frustration to continuously build inside of him in an endless cycle, but never exploding. At least not when he was with them.
His training achievements were magnificent, but whatever it was that happened to the boy that made him train this hard made them all worry. They all feared that he might destroy himself with the darkness they saw build up in him daily.
Do not worry, I'm stil here and still writing. It's only slower thanks to my work.