DISCLAIMER: I don't Harry Potter or Naruto, sadly.
AN: Hi, I'm back!
Thankfully my muse has been nice to me lately and I've been able to write another chapter without much frustration.
As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited.
Enjoy!
''They said: 'be the person you needed as a kid'. This honestly changed me into who I am today.'' – Unknown
CHAPTER 10 – Naruto
The tense confrontation hadn't lasted much more than five minutes, even if that, though for everyone – shinobi and civilian alike – witnessing it would seem much longer than that.
As soon as Tsubaki had withdrawn her attention from the 'child abuser', the woman had high-tailed it out of there as fast as her legs could carry her, in absolute silence and not meeting anyone's eyes and no one had stopped her either. Promptly, the ANBU proceeded to order the by-standers to return to their lives and leave the premises. As the 'show' was over, anyway, they gladly followed the masked shinobi's commands.
As that was happening – which Tsubaki dutifully ignored – she was taking the time now to examine her new-found nephew more closely. For starters, she hadn't noticed the three tattoo-like whiskers on each side of the boy's face, which the witch suspected, were side effects of being the jailor of the nine-tails. Now that she was aware of the kid's true age (he had recently turned nine on October, 10th), she thought the boy was too skinny and small for his age – if what she was starting to suspect was true, then the boy lacked some kind of responsible adult in his life and had basically been raising himself; so it was no wonder, all things considered. The jumpsuit he wore –besides being a headache-inducing orange – had seemed better days, if the random rips and holes were any indication; not to mention it was rather dirty, but one would never know if it was due to lack of frequent washing or caused by the usual outdoors-playing of young boys.
However, what it had surprised Tsubaki the most was Naruto's facial features. Without much effort, the boy could be a chibi Minato; the kid was practically a clone of the man himself. How the people in Konoha couldn't see that was completely beyond Tsubaki.
Well, at least she had one more reasoning to throw at the Hokage, when the old leader demanded to know why Tsubaki had called Naruto her nephew. The other was, of course, the boy had presenting himself as an Uzumaki. In that case, they were distant cousins – not that it really mattered in the greater scheme of things.
Speaking of Hokage – she hoped that the man had a very good reason why Naruto's paternity was entirely unknown and that the boy had been basically thrown to the wolves and told to sink or swim on his own. Worse, it seemed that the villagers were used to have their way where it concerned Naruto – she hadn't seen any shinobi trying to stop the nasty woman from doing her despicable speech nor had they even interfered when the boy had been slapped.
One would think the Hokage would try to better protect the son of his former successor even if the masses were unaware of the boy's true progeny. Plus, blindly attacking a Jinchuuriki could have severe consequences, even putting aside the fact that no child deserved to be mistreated in such an unforgivable way. Who knew what would happen if the Kyuubi 'woke up' and lashed out in defence? Were these people even thinking at all? Or were they just turning the poor boy into their scape goat to vent their anger and grief and refusing to see that Naruto was just a little kid and not the one to blame for the tragedy that had befallen Konoha nine years ago?
Tsubaki didn't know how Minato's seal worked exactly, so she wasn't sure – she had acquired some knowledge about seals, as she was part Uzumaki, but nothing really that complex – however the same could be said about nearly everyone in Konoha. It simply was something too important to spread around, lest some enemy ninja got wind of it and tried to control the boy – and subsequently the demon – with this kind of Intel for their own plans. In short, they were playing with a dangerous kind of fire – not unlike Fiendfyre, just as much as uncontrollable and deadly – and they appeared utterly oblivious to it.
Everyone appeared to know that Naruto carried the nine-tails inside of him – which, by the way, she believed it was a great failure on protecting supposed classified information – but did they even know exactly what that meant? Basically, Naruto was the only thing that was between the fox and the village, keeping them all safe from harm. And that was how they repaid him for his huge sacrifice? How dare they? She was sure that if he knew, Minato would roll in his grave in outrage of what his people thought about his ultimate sacrifice.
Tsubaki internally fumed just thinking about it and vowed to get answers. She had no idea about the reason for this, regardless she was certain that she would raise hell and no one accountable would be spared from her righteous and impressive temper.
If the old man answers me with something akin to the 'Greater Good', by Merlin, I'll not be responsible for my actions!
Calming her emotions fiercely with her strong Occlumency shields, she kneeled in front of the two boys that were now her whole world. Ichigo seemed calm as he smiled at his mother, half-hugging Mamoru to him, while Naruto was nervously shifting his sandaled feet through the low grass and peeking every so often at Tsubaki, his previously beaming smile nowhere to be seen. She was sure the boy was full of questions and she intended on answering them, no matter what some people would have to say about it.
Kakashi and the ANBU were still standing there in silence simply staring at her. The witch decided to keep on ignoring them for the moment; if they needed something, they could speak up – not that she planned on indulging them if they said something that she didn't care for.
''Are you two alright?'', Tsubaki asked gently, resting a hand in each boy's skinny, small shoulder, and gazing at them both attentively. She received prompt nods. ''Are you hurt anywhere else, Naruto-kun?'', she added, after making sure that the red mark on her nephew's face had already completely faded away.
''I'm fine, onee-san,'' Naruto said, without looking at her, fidgeting all the while. Mamoru nudged him with his big, wet nose on his right cheek and the boy answered by patting awkwardly on the huge, black head. ''Um…''
''What is it?''
''Is it true?'', the blond-haired kid blurted out nervously. He seemed to steel his courage and continued, but he still didn't looked at her. ''Is it true what you said about being my aunt?''
Despite not making any obvious moves or sounds, Tsubaki could tell that everyone still present would like to know the answer to that question as well. She suspected that only Kakashi was aware of whom Naruto's parents had really been. As she still didn't know the exact reasons for all the secrecy, she decided in answering vaguely for the time being. She could always explain everything more in detail later; besides the playground, surrounded by ANBU, just fresh of meeting for the first time, was not the ideal place for such revelations, she reckoned.
''Yes, it is,'' Tsubaki confirmed with a warm smile.
Naruto looked up at her in shock and seemed to be at loss for words. In spite of having heard her say it, it appeared that only now he was allowing himself to believe that it was actually true and not a distasteful joke on him.
No one besides Ichigo – who jumped with a joyful shout at the confirmation with another blinding smile before trying his best in strangling the grim with his small arms in a hug, not that he was that effective – had reacted visibly to her words. They were veteran shinobi, after all; they were experts in masking their emotions and thoughts to the world at large, besides the masks helped a great deal.
Tsubaki decided that they should take the conversation to some more appropriated place, so Naruto could process this new information without rush and they could be more comfortable as well.
''Why don't you come and have dinner with us tonight, Naruto-kun?'' she offered after she stood up again. ''We just arrive at the village last night so you can tell us all about Konoha while we eat. What do you say?''
Naruto stared at her in utter surprise, before nodding vigorously, still speechless. One would think that he had never been invited to eat at someone else's house – wait, she mused with a mental grimace, after what she had discovered this afternoon perhaps that was actually the truth.
Before Tsubaki could say anything else, one of the ANBU – a monkey-masked one this time – raised a hand to stop her and the boys from leaving. The unreasonably optimistic side of her mind had hoped that the shinobi would just let her go, but alas that was not to be. Kakashi was just coolly standing there, watching the proceedings as if he had nothing to do it and he was a mere spectator on the whole scene. She didn't blame him; she had tried to do the same but had failed miserably. It was not that she had actually anything to fear from the masked ninjas, she simply was in no mood for more hassles. She had reached her quota for the day, thank you very much.
''Is there something the matter, Monkey-san?'', she asked evenly nonetheless, when the ninja didn't say anything right away; there was no reason to give away her honest thoughts on the issue.
''The Civilian Council demands your presence as soon as possible, Namikaze-san,'' Monkey-san said blandly but with authority.
Well, they work fast at least, she thought unsurprised as she raised an enquiring eyebrow. Not that I'll play their game.
''May I know the reason for the summons?''
''We were not informed of it, Namikaze-san,'' the man – outwardly was impossible to discern the gender, but Tsubaki could sense it through her powers anyway – responded in the same previous tone.
Let's see what those greedy fools think of this, she thought with a mental evil chuckle. Let's have some fun, shall we?
''I don't know the reason myself, so I have to decline their invitation,'' she said almost airily, channelling a bit of her good friend Luna (the blonde Ravenclaw was such a free spirit that Tsubaki couldn't help but take some inspiration out of her), blatantly ignoring the fact that the summons was not intended to be optional. ''Regardless, I don't understand why they would summoned me.'' Here, she adopted a rather believable – if she said so herself – confused expression. ''As Head of two Ninja Clans, I really have no business with the civilian side of the Council. Please tell them that before they demand my presence in any way, they should be properly apprised of my actual status in Konoha. Hokage-sama has all the information necessary, I believe.''
Finished with her explanation, she smiled benignly at the ANBU team, just because she could, and turned to her boys, effectively dismissing the ANBU team, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't dare to try anything untoward her. No sane and loyal ninja would ever force or attack a Clan Head in their own village without a very good and strong reason.
The Hokage's reason for Naruto's mistreatment and the games of greedy bastards would be put aside for the moment; she was sure those problems could wait until the next day. There were other more important matters for now and she wanted to spend the evening getting to know her nephew better and enjoying the tranquillity while it lasted.
''Let's go home, shall we?'', she asked the kids, still smiling and offering a hand to each of them.
Both boys took a hand on their smaller ones and seemed happy to leave the playground behind without another glance, Mamoru trotting cheerfully at their side as it deemed the ANBU still standing there non-threatening to its charges. Kakashi promptly followed behind them, after some kind of sign exchanged between him and his comrades, his faithful book out once more.
The conversation on the way home was upbeat and light, Tsubaki steering them away from any kind of heavy topic, not sharing anything of great importance with the exception of the boys' favourite foods; Ichigo's was onigiri – just like Itachi's had been – and Naruto's was ramen, which Tsubaki soon realised the boy would eat at any given moment of the day and in very large quantities when he could get away with it. This brought up the mention of his favourite ramen restaurant and two of the very few people who actually cared for Naruto and treated him kindly. Tsubaki made a mental note to visit the place soon and thank them for taking care of her nephew.
After a quick tour of the house and an 'awesome dinner that was almost as great as ramen' (the only negative points had been some 'yucky veggies', which had been begrudgingly consumed), the woman, the two boys and the shinobi had settled in the living room to relax after such a tiresome day. Kakashi was seated in an armchair in the corner of the room, appearing to be engrossed in his porn, though Tsubaki wasn't fooled, while the other three chatted into the night with a comforting cup of hot cocoa at their sides.
The man hadn't said a word since their return to the house and she hadn't much cared to start conversation with him either. She didn't know his opinion about Naruto, but she had thought that, as his former sensei's son, Kakashi would have some kind of relationship with the boy. She was wrong, though and for some unknown reason she felt disappointed in him. It was quite clear they were complete strangers. Sure, she really wouldn't expected him to raise Naruto by himself – he couldn't have been more than a young teen himself when Minato had died, she reckoned, and taking care of a baby full time would be quite impractical, him being a Jonin and all – but she had at least hoped that Kakashi would have taken some part in the boy's life when a little older. For a moment, she had had half a mind in raging at him for abandoning Naruto but soon she caught herself. She wanted to see if Kakashi would come to her and tell her his reasons; she'd decide after that if the man deserved a good tongue-lashing and maybe one – or three – painful hexes for good measure.
Even though Naruto had never right-out said it, Tsubaki was intelligent enough to read between the lines and making reasonable deductions, and had garnered much information about his life with only a very slight peek in his mind for help. She didn't want him to lie due to unnecessary shame or misguided feelings that he deserved it.
She had been there and done that.
To say that Naruto's short nine years of life had been unpleasant, it would be the understatement of the century. She didn't know who – between Naruto and Mia Potter – had had the worst childhood. Granted, she had lived with and been loved by their parents her first fifteen months but she didn't remember any of it – besides the night they were killed, which in and of itself was something that she'd rather forget – and then she had grown up until she was eleven with the wrong knowledge that she was a burden and that her parents were basically drunk good-for-nothings, being treated as a indentured servant and occasional punching bag. In Naruto's case, the boy had had really no one there constantly for him since the day he had been born. From what he could remember, the people at the orphanage would do the least possible to take care of his needs – when they even deigned themselves to do it at all – before he had been promptly kicked out at age five without a by-your-leave, unconcerned that the boy would live in the streets. Sure, the Hokage had given him an apartment to live by himself when the old man had found out – which Naruto, who didn't know any better, thought it was great – and he received a monthly allowance that every orphan had a right to. However, this money never seemed to stretch until the end of the month because the shop owners and employees increased their prices when Naruto went to buy something and sometimes they only gave him things that no one else would want, still with inflated prices.
No wonder the boy is as small and skinny as he is. Being able to eat only ramen, because it is so cheap but not really that healthy, the kid can't get all the nutrients he needs, she thought outraged, mentally writing another point on her to-do list. Somehow, she would manage to know each and every one of them and she refused to step a foot inside the shops and spend even a measly Ryo there. She would make all her shopping out of the village if necessary. It really wasn't that hard to do with Apparition and all.
Unfortunately, she was sure that there was nothing that she really could do about past misdeeds, but she would be damned if she allowed that outrageous behaviours to continue with impunity. Tsubaki would give them a new meaning to 'passive-aggressive'. She would pay them back in her own way and the best of it all was that they couldn't really do anything about it. In fact, they had been beyond lucky that she had shopped this afternoon before she found out. She was sure as hell she would never again grace their doorstep again if they were part of her new-made Shit List, which would feature every single shop that had wronged her nephew in the past.
With less effort than should have been necessary, Tsubaki managed to persuade Naruto to spend the night. (Conspicuously, she had transfigured a bed for the night in Ichigo's bedroom.) She was sure that was his first time sleeping in someone else's house for the night as well, though she didn't mention it to the already self-conscious boy.
The slightly tense silence between Tsubaki and Kakashi was still on-going the next day.
Frankly, after she had spent a great part of the night thinking about the happenings of the previous day, she was not really in the mood to get into the reason why Naruto had been essentially abandoned by everyone that claimed to have been close to Namikaze Minato when the man had been alive. And Kakashi didn't seem that eager to share any of his points either, but the look in her eyes when she had caught him staring at her once had spoken volumes to the Copy-Nin, if his prompt averted gaze was any indication. Tsubaki had decided to let him come to her and tell her his reasons, but that didn't mean that she had to like it and just act oblivious to it.
The only thing she said to him – and rather aloofly at that – was that she was going out after breakfast.
Alone.
Evidently, Kakashi was not happy about that statement but after some KI sent his way and an impressive deadly glare, he seemed to change his tune very quickly. He was to stay and protect the kids – as needless as that was inside a fortress-like house – and she was rather capable of protecting herself during the short trip to the Hokage Tower, thank you very much.
Anyway, after she had woken the boys, given them breakfast and convinced Naruto to stay for a couple hours to 'keep an eye' on Ichigo and Mamoru while she would run an errand, her mind-set turned fully to the impromptu meeting ahead.
Impromptu to the Hokage, that is.
Namikaze-Uzumaki Tsubaki was a woman on a mission.
She had discreetly apparated as closer to the Hokage as she could get – having absolutely no patience to put up with the gossiping masses so early in the morning – and proceeded to make her way up the floors until she reached the Hokage's office.
At this time, everyone inside seemed to know who she was and, with barely a look at her thunderous expression, were smart enough to step out of her way and not offering unwanted greetings.
Tsubaki demanded answers and didn't care for empty excuses. If the old leader's responses weren't sufficiently satisfactory, their mutual harmony would die a quick and painful death.
May the gods have mercy on him, for I shall have none.
After a swift change of words with the secretary who seemed more than happy to inform her that the Hokage was alone, no doubt anxious to have Tsubaki's intense gaze as far from her person as possible, the young witch knocked on the heavy wooden door and ignored the two ANBU that were tensing in the shadows as if ready to attack.
''Enter.''
Tsubaki did so and closed the door firmly beside her, proposedly walking until she was directly in front of the Hokage's desk, forcing the man to give her his full attention right away.
(She could feel the three ANBU in the shadows shifting minimally as if waiting their leader's order to take her out, but again, she ignored them.)
''Tsubaki-san, is there something that I can help you with? I was under the impression that our arranged meeting was tomorrow?'', the old man asked, allowing his voice to sound slightly confused.
She had to give it to him, the man didn't even react at the way she was glaring at him.
''Hokage-sama, I'm not one to pointless conversation, so I'll be blunt,'' the woman said, her voice low and chilly and her eyes glistening almost ominously. She was sure the man had a good idea of why she was there and she was in mood to pretend otherwise. ''Tell me, Hokage-sama, is there a reason why my nephew, the son of the revered Yondaime, was been treated all his life as this village's pariah and no one saw fit to do anything against it? Treated like a criminal when his only 'crime' was to be chosen to be the single thing protecting this bigoted village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune? Is that how Konoha appreciates the great sacrifices made by my brother? By trying to kill an innocent child whenever the chance presents itself? Have you any idea what being mistreated and called a 'demon' can do to a child's psych? I would have thought that your people would have more common sense than that and learn from others' mistakes. Do you want Naruto to turn like the container of the One-Tail in Suna? ''
The old leader opened his mouth, his face deeply grave, but Tsubaki raised her hand to stop him. She was far from done and she had to talk before she became so overcome with her righteous fury that she would not be able to speak anymore.
The temperature was dropping considerably in the room and no one was moving.
''I'm still not finished!'', she rebuked a little more forcefully than she had intended. ''Is there a reason why my nephew has basically been abandoned and forced to raise himself when so many people had claimed to be friends with his father? Or better yet, why he doesn't even know who his parents are? What are your real motives to leave a child in the dark and only offering rare little bits of comfort at best when any other child would take these same gestures for granted?''
This question reminded her painfully of the way Dumbledore used to act towards her. His grandfatherly act always present whenever they talked at the end of the school year and she, starved for any kind of affection, blindly believed anything the old headmaster had told her. If she found out that the Sandaime was, in any way, similar to that old wizard when it came to Naruto, she would have to take serious measures. She would not allow his nephew to be manipulated in any way that went against his best interest by anyone, no matter their reasons or status. Anything else be damned.
''Please, do enlighten me, Hokage-sama,'' Tsubaki finished as frostily as the office seemed to be at the moment, maintaining her steady and furious gaze on the old man, who looked right back at her without wavering. ''For I am unable to understand the reason for such blatant cruelty and lack of appreciation towards my nephew.''
The room was as silent as a tomb for several moments; no one moved and barely breathed in the aftermath of Tsubaki's explosive temper. There was something to be said about read-haired women's and their fiery temperaments.
Finally, the Sandaime sighed heavily, breaking their fierce staring contest. He procured his prized pipe and after taking a moment to light it up, he took a pull from it before he regarded thoughtfully Tsubaki, who was still standing furious in front of his desk, waiting for the man's explanations.
''Please, have a sit, Tsubaki-san,'' the old Hokage offered considerately, before he sighed again.
Tsubaki did as suggested, after she hesitated for a second. She was certain that it would be a long talk and there was no sense to spend all that standing when a perfectly good chair to seat just besides her. The temperature came back to much more manageable levels but she barely noticed.
The leader of the village didn't say anything, but she felt it anyway, when he activated some kind of powerful seal on the side of his desk. A secrecy seal if she had to take a guess.
''Firstly, how did you know that Naruto was Minato's son?'', he asked in a no-nonsense tone.
''Really?'', she stopped herself from snorting in a much undignified manner, but just barely. ''The child is practically a copy of his father. What I find more surprising is that no one had cottoned in yet. Plus, I am an Uzumaki and a sensor; as soon as I felt his unholy amounts of chakra, I realized that he contained the Kyuubi, not to mention that the villagers aren't shy about calling him 'demon' to his face. I just put two and two together; it was quite simple actually.''
In fact, she really couldn't sense chakra without actually searching for it, unlike souls, but it was something that no one needed to know.
The Sandaime appeared to believe her – and, really, what reasons had he to not to? – and nodded. The ANBU seemed to relax minutely after that.
''Your concerns are perfectly reasonable and I, for one, am happy that Naruto has finally found some family members that will treat him and care for him as he had always deserved to be,'' the man started, surprising Tsubaki with his open sincerity. At the moment, the young witch was not above peeking into his mind to verify his claims. ''I've always considered Naruto as if he was my own grandson; I've loved him as much as Konohamaru, my grandson by blood. However, when one is the leader of a ninja village, such things as personal feelings and wishes have to take a back seat to what is the best for the village overall.''
Tsubaki wanted to protest vehemently at that. It was sounding suspiciously much like the Greater Good for her own comfort and she had no compunction in letting the Hokage know what she thought about it.
This time he was the one to raise a hand and she allowed him to continue.
''With this, I'm not saying that I agree in any way with the manner things happened concerning Naruto. You must understand however that after the Kyuubi Attack, it was a difficult time to Konoha and I had to take over the Hokage's hat once more. There was much to be done, there were extensive casualties and property destruction and the village had to pass the image to the outside that it was still strong, despite the disaster that had just befallen upon us. During those trying times, the Civilian Council sized the chance to gather as much power as possible and they passed several laws that I had only knowledge of after it was too late,'' he explained tiredly, as if the mere mention of it was enough to give him a headache. ''One of these laws had been directly made with Naruto in mind. No one but a select few actually know that he's Minato's son – which I'll explain why soon,'' he quickly added when Tsubaki levelled him with a chilly glare at the reminder. ''However, the official story was that he was the son of a Chunnin couple who had died fighting the Kyuubi, with no other close relatives. In short, a law was passed stating that no child from Konoha's ninjas could be adopted by anyone who didn't share a close blood relation between them. Officially, the reasoning was that this way, no Clan children or promising orphaned prodigies could be adopted by other Clans, so no Clan – Shinobi or Civilian – would have political power over others thus avoiding unnecessary conflicts between said Clans. It was mentioned by passing that no Clan could lay claim to the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki as well and thus preventing great clashes among the Shinobi Clans as well.''
Tsubaki snorted derisively at that. ''I very much doubt it that was their only concern. Considering how Naruto has been treated all his life, I would wager that their main goal was just to make his life miserable and be forced to grow up alone.''
''Yes, you're right,'' the Sandaime mournfully without hesitation.
Tsubaki was glad to know that the man was not blind to the faults of his peoples and didn't jump to make excuses for their callous actions unlike Dumbledore that was all about the concept that the Light Side was all good and right and offering second chances to the enemy when it was beyond clear that was useless and pointlessly sacrificing his own people in the process.
Then another thought entered her mind suddenly, making her almost cackling vindictively, the grim subject matter the only thing holding her back.
If, by law, no one could adopt a shinobi's child without a close blood relation, then that meant that Sasuke, Itachi's little brother, hadn't been adopted by anyone either. Evidently, she wasn't rejoicing about the fact that the boy was alone, no; she was almost in hysterics inside her mind because she was aware how the people in Konoha, specially the Civilian, viewed the Uchiha, almost as if they were royalty. As the last of his Clan, Sasuke was sure to be seen as their precious last reminder of such great Clan and thus wield much political power and, unlike in Naruto's case, Tsubaki would bet her entire fortune that there had been no lack of applicants to adopt Sasuke, with dreams of money and prestige already in their black little hearts, only to be crushed and told that such thing was against the law. A law that been passed by themselves in a cold-hearted effort at making the container of the Nine-Tails as miserable as they could without getting their hands dirty.
Oh, this is irony at its best. Talk about a splendidly back-fired plan. Merlin, I would have liked to see their pole-axed faces when they realized that they had bungled themselves up so nicely.
Anyway, now Tsubaki had another answer that she had planned to find out later. Itachi's little brother was all alone without a legal guardian; however she wouldn't be able to adopt him through the usual means neither. It was something that she had to think about later.
''Thus, Naruto was unable to be adopted by anyone in the village all these years until you arrived,'' the man said more gladly than the last minutes, completely unaware of the woman's train of thoughts.
''Oh, yes, I'll intend to do it as soon as possible, Hokage-sama,'' Tsubaki was ready to claim. ''In fact, when can I start the paperwork? By Konoha's own laws, I am eligible to adopt Naruto, and as far as I am concerned no one can do much against it legally.''
''Ah, yes, I am sure that the adoption will be done without problems, however there something else that needs to be discussed beforehand.''
''The reason why no one is aware that Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage?'' she guessed without pause. It was something that she wanted to know, but she had waited for the Hokage to bring it up after her furious demands when she first entered the office, when she saw that he was willing enough to answer her questions.
''Precisely.''
