Is anybody impressed that I have uploaded three chapters in the span of two months instead of two years? Well I am.
Disclaimer: I never was, not am or never will be the owner of the Naruto Series. Kishimito thought of it. Not me. Not ME!
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Review Shout Out
XNaruhina: Seeing as you are "done" with this story just because Minato called Naruto 'Idiot' when he in fact was being a mere stupid kid then I doubt you are reading this. If you happen to be reading this however, let's answer the many questions you fielded. Shall we?
About Kushina's seal in canon. You are right…nothing's wrong with it. Minato used the shiki-fujin in order to imprint a part of Kushina's soul in the seal so that she could meet her son when he grows up. He sacrificed his life for that purpose and only sealed the yang part of Kyuubi's chakra inside of him. Or was it yin? I get confused.
About the Rinnegan, Naruto will have two doujutsu eventually in this story. As to which they will be and how he will get them you will have to find out by reading further. Yes, not one but two. The way he achieves that will play a key role in the makeup of the whole story actually.
About Minato not "nurturing" Naruto. Have you even read the sequel to Naruto manga or watched the latest movie with Bolt Uzumaki. Even with Hinata and a sister, Bolt feels neglected by his father, Naruto, who happens to be able to make a thousand clones at time. A Hokage takes care of the whole village. He needs to put the need of the village ahead of his own family most of the time. The whole village is a family under the Hokage. The fact that even Third Hokage had a skittish relationship with Asuma probably got lost in translation somewhere for you when you watched the series or read the manga I suppose. Reality and imagination of what would happen with Minato alive are totally different things. I am going to be doing a lot of unique stuff down the road. So, if you, or anyone else for that matter, were expecting a lovey-dovey fiction then you are right. They should be done with the story.
Eniox27: Yup you will see the rift in their relationship alright. The brother may prove to be Naruto's salvation.
Spark 681: Killing your best friend's clan on the order of your father. Yikes indeed.
Snowy Assasin: Haku isn't even a big deal in this story. She will be female and will have romantic inclination with Naruto but it doesn't mean he will end up with her as his wife. Or even anyone in the harem for that matter. No pairing is definitive as you will see with the story playing out.
Sorry for ranting on and on. Here is the chapter.
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(Konoha: Early Morning)
Naruto woke up from his uninterrupted slumber of his own volition with a stray line of drool hanging from his mouth. He adorned his favorite orange pajamas with a toad hat on top and started rubbing his eyes sleepily in order to get the gunk out of them. He usually needed an alarm clock along with some persuasion from Kitami to get up and start his day, especially on a Monday like today. Not today as he was too giddy to be sleeping in. Honestly, the news he received last night from Shizune-chan still had him reeling. He was going to be a big brother. Him! He would finally have a sibling to spoil, play with and pass his infinite wisdom onto.
As he maneuvered through the clutter in his room towards the bathroom to perform his morning rituals he realized that he should clean before Kitami came up. He really didn't want to be scolded by her today of all days. He started cleaning his room after freshening up and grabbed the clothes he was wearing last night from the floor. There were also several fuinjutsu scrolls that were opened on and around his desk. Seriously, his latest experimentation took a lot of area. Thank goodness he had a spacious room as even with a queen size bed in the front center of the room there was loads of space in which he could unwind the larger scrolls and get to work.
When he picked the last of the scrolls from the desk to place it in the cabinet, his eyes rolled over the picture of his mother when she was pregnant with him standing alongside his father. There were other pictures of her mother as well. He picked up one of the portraits of his mother and stared at it with a melancholic expression at his face. From what he had heard from his dad and pervy sage his mother was a lot like him when she was alive. He inherited his father's complexion and blonde hair but he always felt that he looked like his mother. Even though he had no memory of her he always felt a deep sense of affection for her. That love intensified further when he found out how his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, died in the first place.
"Mother," he tasted the words in his mouth as he realized he will be getting a new one soon. Granted Shizune-chan was going to be his step-mom; he just couldn't bring himself to picture her as a mother. To him his mother would always be the person that got impaled by the Kyuubi's claw protecting him.
His musings were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching his room.
"Naruto! Oh you are awake already. That's good. Hokage-sama has to leave for the office soon and he told me to get you to the breakfast table as quickly as possible. He wants to talk to you about something before leaving," wearing a standard long-length skirt that went to her ankles, the apron wearing maid of the Hokage mansion called out to Naruto when she entered his room.
"Oi! how many times do I have to tell you to knock first?" Naruto exclaimed as moved to put the last of the scrolls in the nearby cabinet.
"Well it's not my fault. I thought you would have been sleeping like a log as usual. I don't get it how it's my fault," seeing Naruto's unchanging expression she just relented, "Okay, okay, I am sorry. So can you just hurry and get to the dining room. Kami, I forgot to turn off the tea kettle," said Kitami as she harried back after her job as the messenger was done with.
So his father must have comeback late at night, as usual. It was beyond him how the man operated on such little sleep as he was often gone before he even woke up for school.
"I don't know what it is that he is calling me for. Shizune-chan already told me everything last night," Naruto sighed as he locked his bedroom door behind him and started walking down the hall and towards the stairs, "Just when I thought I had some time for fooling around before I had to go to the academy."
XXX
As Naruto walked up to the dining table to break his nightly fast he was greeted with the vision of his father signing papers with his right hand with a finished breakfast plate in front of him and a cup of tea in the other hand. As he sat at the table grinning like a fool, Minato also turned his gaze up a little and held one finger in front.
"Good Morning Naruto. Just let me finish this for a minute and we can talk," Minato said before resuming his morning duties of signing off on mission reports he received last night. Naruto, in the meanwhile, was served his own breakfast of rolled omelets and miso soup. Kitami also picked up the used plates from in front of the Fourth, getting a nod of acknowledgment from the blonde Hokage.
Minato finally finished his paperwork and turned his attention towards Naruto who was slurping his soup with content.
"I heard from Shizune that you know about us getting married," he said with a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head, "I was going to tell you myself yesterday but I got held up at the Hokage Tower."
"Tell me something new old man," he said with a little sting but the topic at hand was too exciting to dampen the mood with useless bitterness, "Don't worry about it I am just so happy, I mean me? A brother? That's like the greatest thing ever."
Minato looked away a little "Well to be honest I was a little nervous to tell you. I didn't how you were going to take it Naruto. It is a load off my chest to see you this happy about it."
"What are you saying old man? I love Shizune-chan or mom or whatever I would have to call her now," he gave Minato the biggest grin he could muster as he finished the last of his omelet, "This is the greatest news ever, I am going to brag about it to the whole village today."
"Woah Woah Woah Naruto! Sealed lips. We are still not ready to go public just yet," they would have to tell the public eventually as everybody would find out that the Fourth Hokage was finally getting remarried.
"What, why not?" Naruto asked with a slight pout on his nine-year-old face.
"Well it will be bad if everybody found out that we were having a shotgun marriage. That will not reflect too well on my position as Hokage," not to mention the political backlash that would come from having conceived an illegitimate child. But Naruto didn't need to know that.
"Oh you are right, but can I at least tell my close friends like Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and maybe Sasuke even," hearing the Uchiha's name casted a rather dark shadow on Minato's visage which he quickly recovered from, "I will make them promise not to tell anyone," Naruto said with a pleading look. He just had to tell somebody.
"Sure, go ahead but make sure they won't babble. Because if this gets out I will give you spanking of a lifetime," Minato said in a teasing and somewhat threatening manner that got Naruto to recoil a little in his seat. Man his father could be terrifying sometimes, not mentioning that he could actually deliver on that promise by sneaking up on him with his Hiraishin with ease. Kami knows the places he had already marked near him. Yes, that day would be disastrous to say the least. Just thinking about it had him shudder with trepidation.
"There is something else, I will pick you up from your class after half of your lectures finish today, there is a rather important thing that I want to discuss with you in the office."
That got Naruto's attention because his father meant business. He had never been invited to the main office like that. Sure he tagged along sometimes to the Hokage tower and he had been to the office many times but that was usually to just pester him when he was extremely bored and had no one to train or play with.
"Is something wrong father?" Naruto asked a little too formally to his own liking. He also didn't really care for the sense of foreboding that he started receiving in the pit of his stomach.
Minato just got up and shun shined to get out of the house after parting with these words.
"Just be ready to leave, you will find everything out by noon anyway."
With that Naruto was left wondering on what could be so important that had his father in such tense gait.
XXX
(Somewhere Near the Uzu no Kuni (Land of Whirlpools))
Nagato Uzumaki found himself trekking the hills that would eventually lead him to the body of water near the land of whirlpools. He had been tasked by the Hokage to find the whereabouts of the Uzushiogakure (Village Hidden in Whirlpools) in order to cease the formation and operations of a group of ninjas that has been terrorizing the south-east coast of the Land of Fire. The rinnegan bearer often worked on assignment alone much like his master Jiraiya. He had been away from the village for months now as tracking the group and helping out the near-calamitous villages that they left in their wake was a chore in itself.
Much wasn't known about this particular band of ninjas other than the fact that some of them were from the bloodline factions of the "bloody mist" who had successfully evaded the savagery of the Fourth Mizukage.
Just as he climbed the last of the high hills he got this strange feeling as his mind wandered to his nephew. Something didn't sit right with him. Maybe it was because of the sage's eye that he was able to sense these things beforehand, even the botched negotiation with Hanzo of the Salamander.
"This feeling…why do I feel like there is something bad going to happen back in Konoha? And what Naruto has to do with all of this?"
For once he prayed that this pseudo-premonition was a false alarm.
XXX
(Back in Konoha)
Naruto arrived in the ninja academy barely in time for the very first lesson and he saw something even more cliché than the scene in movies where the hero falls in love at the first sight of the heroine. Ino Yamanaka was running towards the academy full speed from the other side of the entrance with a piece of bread in her mouth. Yup, peanut butter and jelly and all that. Both ninjas in training stopped in front of each other, perfectly in the middle of the front entrance as one came from the left side of the gate and other from the right, "Ehehehe, Ino you look so lame," Naruto said in between little pants.
Ino, who was between her own panting from running towards the academy, and decided to finish the last piece that was sticking outside of her mouth.
Taking one final swallow of her breakfast she glared at Naruto, "You don't look so hot yourself mister and it is your fault that I was almost late in the first place so zip it."
Naruto was confused, "How is it my fault you harpy!?"
Ino was enraged, "You FOOL! Mom found out that I snuck out with you and skipped on counter duty in the shop. She had my father chew me out about being a responsible member of the household first thing in the morning," she then got closer to Naruto and started poking him in the chest with each word, "You. Better. Make. It. Up .To. ME…You JERK!" with that came the final forceful poke that got Naruto to double over.
"Easy *cough* Ino. You know my tummy is my weak point."
"Serves you right you idiot," Ino said with a huff as the entire scene was being witnessed by the staff, students and their relatives bustling in and out of the academy gate, "Seriously Naruto. Why can't you be more like the Fourth you know? Calm, collected and so cool!" the blond kunoichi said with sparkling eyes and a wishful smile.
That line always stung with Naruto. Wherever he went people always either compared him with the "Fourth" or they would always tell him to be more like him. Honestly he was getting sick of it.
"Shut up! Who would like to be like that lame excuse of a Hokage? He just sits there all day behind the desk acting as if he is so damn busy all the time. If there is anyone that one should aspire to be it should be the Third. He sacrificed himself to save the village. Like a true shinobi."
Ino just stared at Naruto with a gob smacked expression while she fretted on the inside. She knew that bringing the Hokage up like that was a sore spot for her boy best friend. It had been for years. She was just so pissed at him that she subconsciously started saying those things to get back at him.
"Um…Naruto. I am sorry okay. Let's go inside, the class is about to start," Ino said with an apologetic look which made Naruto relent his temporary frustration. He and Ino started running towards class as they heard the first bell.
"Aw man. Iruka-sensei is going to kill me if I miss my roll call."
XXX
The day progressed like normal with the students receiving lecture on chakra manipulation and infusion. Naruto just yawned as he tried to keep his eyes open while he desperately fought an internal war not to fall asleep as Iruka Umino went on and on about detriments of chakra exhaustion. With the help of some divine intervention which came from nowhere, Iruka-sensei had to leave the class for a bit.
"Finally, I thought he would never stop. If they handed out special jonin ranks for most boring lecturers he would have gotten it long ago," Naruto said still keeping his seat occupied. Beside him was sitting none other than Shikamaru Nara with the dullest expression on his face.
"You said it Naruto. Iruka-sensei's lectures are such a drag," I mean I could try to get out of the lecture but then I would have to move. Then my crabby mom would chew me out as she will definitely find out. Then she will go on and on and on about how to be a proper ninja. Oh how I envy the clouds…academy is such a drag. The boy that had his hair in a patented Nara clan pineapple style drawled in his mind.
"Oh cut it you guys they aren't so bad," Ino chimed in from her seat on the other side of Shikamaru.
Kiba Inuzuka, the boy from the feral Inuzuka clan, also wanted to get in on the action, "You could have fooled me. When I am Hokage I will make sure that the lectures are at least fun for the future generation," he heard everybody snicker at his claim to be the Hokage. Kiba was notorious for regularly claiming to surpass the Fourth Hokage one day and taking his seat.
Naruto just stared at Kiba with a dull expression on his face.
"So you are going to be Hokage. Okay. Okay… Just next time when you spar with Sasuke or me try to last more than five seconds. I hope your future wife can work with that little amount of time."
That last sentence actually got confused look from Kiba after he was almost ready to pounce on Naruto with the sparring remark. In all honesty, what Naruto just said was above almost everybody in the class of nine year olds. Only Shikamaru and Sasuke actually got the reference and the former actually burst out laughing while the latter tried to hold in his snickering. Aburame Shino, the guy from the clan of the Insect tamers, was a mystery as he never showed many emotions either way.
"Hey, what's so funny Shikamaru? Why are you laughing like an idiot?"
Shikamaru's laughing finally dialed down, "Well if you don't know I am not explaining. It would just be troublesome," said the boy as he started to drift into a power nap before their homeroom teacher came back.
Hinata and Sakura were sitting together with another one of their fellow kunoichi in training.
"Boys will be boys," Sakura said to Hinata and then turned her attention in the middle, "Hey you guys keep it down or else we would all get in trouble," Sakura Haruno, the class proctor, aka teacher's pet, tried to calm the voices down.
"Shut it teacher's pet or you will have to face down the wrath of the future Hokage," Kiba said.
Hinata Hyuuga, the daughter of Hyuuga clan head sitting beside Sakura, kept fiddling with her fingers as she buckled under the weight of the boy's voice toward the pink headed girl. Now Sakura would have been just as timid as the Hyuuga sitting next to her in her starting year at the academy. She didn't have any friends and her large beaming forehead was also her biggest insecurity. But hanging out with Ino Yamanaka and especially Naruto Namikaze who had actually complimented his forehead many times, made her bolder and also instilled in her a little temper. Hearing Kiba say the words 'Teacher Pet' snapped something in her head.
"You wanna take it outside dog breath? I will rearrange the markings on your face in a way even your mother won't recognize your ugly muzzle," Sakura said as she cracked her knuckles. The atmosphere in the room got tense while Sasuke Uchiha just witnessed the whole situation with certain apathy in his expression. These guys are such morons. I can't wait for the class to be over. Maybe I can train with Big Brother today when I get off. Oh and Naruto too. Although… I won't say it directly to him or he will give me a headache with his annoying tirades.
"Kiba stop it or will stomp my sole of my shoes on the back of your head."
Kiba was about to jump out of his seat to oblige Sakura's request when Naruto blurred in front of him and stopped his advances cold. Now Sasuke did notice that and wondered whether the blonde boy was holding back on him. Nah, it was probably just a temporary boost to save the girl he has a crush on. He knew Naruto had a thing for the pink headed girl as he often talked about how pretty she was during their regular meetings. Annoying. By the looks of it even the pinky liked him but both were pretty oblivious to the matters of the heart with them just being preteens.
"How did he get there so fast?" Even Choji's mind stopped wandering towards what his lunch box packed for a minute there.
Huh take that you stupid mutt. That will shut him right up. Naruto-kun is so cool Chaa!. Sakura exclaimed in her mind.
That knucklehead just needs an excuse to show off. Ino sighed in her mind, while Hinata just looked at the blonde boy in awe. Heck, the unofficial Naruto Fan Club had stars in their eyes as well. That will show those losers in the Sasuke Fan Club that Naruto is so much cooler, voiced the leader of the group in her head.
Naruto just stared at Kiba, daring him to move when the class heard their sensei enter with someone else in tow. It was none other than the Hokage.
Everybody sans Naruto and Shikamaru either ran towards their seats or stood up if they were already in them. Naruto just stayed at his father with narrow eyes, Did he come to get me already? There is still time in noon.
Minato just chuckled as he saw the class become either nervous or enamored with his presence.
"I see so you have got quite a handful bunch of students in your care Iruka?" Minato asked in a rhetoric manner that got the young teacher to scratch the back of his head after he sent a glare towards his class.
"I am sorry Hokage-sama. They just go rowdy sometimes," Minato waved his apology.
"No need," Minato said in his gentle yet commanding voice, "So my young ones. Are you studying hard and practicing your jutsu?"
A chorus of yesses rang out in the class. Minato saw a hand raised in the classroom and the tallest blonde in the room motioned him to continue.
"So Hokage-sama. I heard Jiraiya of the legendary sannin trained you. My question is who do you think is more powerful, you or him?"
"Of course Lord Fourth is more powerful you idiot. He is the Hokage after all," Ino cut the boy that asked the question off. Minato just gave a laugh that got the whole class's attention, even Shikamaru.
"Well I don't know who is stronger but I can say that. Being Hokage is much more than being the most powerful ninja in the village. It is about the Will of Fire that protects it. It burns brightly in Jiraiya, I and many other ninjas that serve our village. It is the driving force that brings the Konoha family together and illuminates us all," all the class was in awe of the Hokage's roundabout answer and the way he dodged the intended question as well.
"Stop trying to be so cool old man. Will of Fire this, Will of Fire that. Gimme a break," Naruto said in a huff. The whole class looked at Naruto with wide eyes. Did he just argue with the Hokage?
To Minato's credit he just kept staring at his son with certain indifference for a good five seconds before he turned his attention to the class.
"So as I was saying…"
The class continued the back and forth answers and Minato's sage advice about being a ninja and studying hard. Naruto just balked at being snubbed so obviously like that but understood that his father didn't take the bait. As the class was ending and the lunch break was near, Minato said his final words to the class.
"Remember to strengthen you minds and bodies equally. That is the key to being a strong ninja. As for Naruto Namikaze," He addressed his son formally in front of the class, "You are coming with me."
"Oooo! Naruto you are so going to get it from your dad," Kiba got in a jab as Naruto passed his desk to get out of class. Both father and son went out of the class and Iruka resumed his lecture.
It was Sasuke's turn to ask the question it seemed, "Why did the Hokage pull Naruto out in the middle of the class Iruka-sensei?" the genius prodigy asked what was on almost everybody's mind.
"I don't know but it must be something important seeing as Hokage-sama personally came to get him," Iruka wandered a little, "Anyways the class is still in session and pay attention for once will you."
Looks like Sasuke will have to ask his friend?...yeah friend, later. Whatever it was, he had caught the look Hokage gave Naruto and it gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach.
XXX
Naruto entered the Hokage office and he immediately felt a pair of familiar presences in the midst. Looking to the left he saw Itachi Uchiha standing at attention with his full ANBU gear on and another white haired man. It was pervy sage of all people leaning against the wall with a solemn expression on his face. Now Naruto would admit any day of the week that he wasn't the smartest guy. Guys like Shino, Shikamaru, Sasuke and heck even Sakura were more in tuned to brainiacs. What he was however was a keen observer and training with the likes of Anko and Jiraiya from time to time had brought a certain maturity in his thinking. He knew right away that whatever they were about to discuss was of grave importance.
"Naruto my son. I will begin with asking you a simple question. Do you know about the Uchiha clan's history?" Minato said after taking his seat as Naruto stood in front of the desk ridden with stacks of papers.
Naruto glanced at the other two in the room who motioned him to speak with a nod of their heads, "Well, from what I know Uchiha clan is one of the founding clans of the village. They possess the ability to manifest the Sharingan in the gifted ninjas of their clan. Lastly they are considered the strongest clan in Konoha. Especially since the Senju clan is all but wiped out with only granny Tsunade left," dropping his usually cheerful visage in favor of recalling as much of the information that he had garnered from their history lessons and the people he has encountered.
"You are correct but what you know is just one side of the coin I am afraid. Itachi, would you please tell Naruto of the situation at hand," the Fourth left it to Itachi as he knew that the best chance for Naruto to agreeing to do the mission was if the Uchiha would persuade him himself.
"Naruto-kun you are right in assuming the Uchiha clan is the most powerful in Konohagakure. That power has unfortunately become a curse to our clan's existence and in fact threatens the sanctity of the village you and I love." Itachi began to spoke.
"Okay what curse? And please don't beat around the bush. I know something is going on and I don't like being led on any longer."
"You see the Uchiha clan, my clan, is actually planning a coup d'état against the village. I am sure I don't need to tell you what would happen if my clan were to rebel in an organized manner against an unsuspecting village."
Naruto didn't need to voice it. His eyes were too wide and mouth too dry to say the calamity that would befall the village if such a thing were to happen. He knew that the Uchiha clan alone wouldn't be able to overthrow the government in the village. That is what has been gnawing at the elders and Hokage as well. The Uchiha clan may have some outside source lined up for helping and even if, no when, they failed to succeed the village would still be left in tatters.
Yes the village had the Hokage and three S-rank shinobi but an organized military needs remedial forces to defend against all kind of threats. With the Uchiha's rebellion the village would be weakened beyond repair, especially considering that the ninja force of Konoha was still nowhere near its maximum strength in terms of numbers ever since the Kyuubi's rampage nine years ago. While the other villages had forces in the range of 15-20 thousand, Konoha barely had 12 thousand in its reserve. The chunin fast track program had churned out a decent number in recent years but they were still shorthanded. The only reason Konoha still remains one of the strongest hidden villages is because of the quality of ninjas and the number of elite shinobi that they currently possess.
"Do you now get the picture Naruto?" Jiraiya spoke for the first time.
"Yes I get it. But I don't know why I am being told all this? I am not even a ninja. And by the looks of it, only a handful of village's top people know about it. Wouldn't it be best to use the jonin and chunin to defend the village?" Naruto said in disbelief as he wondered why the clan, whose people he had met before and laughed with, was rebelling against the village.
It was Itachi's turn to explain the situation, "A full blown war with the Uchiha even if I am on the other side will only weaken the village. Left to be ripened for attack and takeover by any of the other four great nations," he then continued with the original purpose for why Naruto was here, "The only course of action that remains is an ambush that will be used to annihilate the whole clan."
"What? What the hell is Itachi saying old man? Annihilate the whole clan? Sasuke is one of them. I won't allow this to happen to my best friend. I won't!"
Hearing Naruto's outburst caused the Fourth and Jiraiya of the sannin to harden their faces at what was about to come. It was again all up to Itachi. Sometimes that Minato just hated his job as the Hokage.
"You need not worry. Sasuke will live. I have arranged everything in a way that kills two birds with one stone. Not only Uchiha's name will not be dragged through the mud, Sasuke will also become an avenger to the clan." Itachi explained almost getting to the point before he was cut off by a now impatient Naruto.
"An avenger? What do you mean? What kind of sick game are you guys playing at?" he asked everyone in the room.
"Naruto silence! You will not speak until Itachi finishes and that is not an order from the Hokage. I am telling you this as your father," Naruto felt the air of the office significantly changed and for the first time in his life he felt like his existence was insignificant before the might of his father. With his questions dying out Itachi felt best to continue and finish.
"I have been tasked with a mission that will be my last act as a leaf shinobi. Make no mistake it is my choice and I was the one in the first place to suggest it," he took a resigned breath, "I am going to sneak into the Uchiha clan compound and assassinate each and every member of the clan, except for Sasuke."
The room got too quiet for Naruto's liking. It was the biggest bombshell ever dropped on his young nine-year old head. All his anger, rage and confusion at the situation turned into desperation as he listened to Sasuke's older brother.
"Only an Uchiha will be able to assassinate an Uchiha without alerting the others. Alas! Even with my abilities I can't hope to do it alone. I will need your assistance in the matter. The sealing jutsu that I helped you create will be the key in carrying out this mission."
Ah! that jutsu. He was able to bind people in suspended animation with that technique. But it required tremendous amount of chakra and a lot of prep work. The former he had in spades but to think that he could ensnare the whole clan was a fool's errand.
"That does it. I can't hold more than 20 people in it. And even if I am able to perform that jutsu on the Uchiha population of over 300, I will never sink so low as to aide in killing so many innocent people that are surely going to die," Naruto then looked towards his father, "What kind of Hokage are you? Aren't you the Yellow Flash? Why are you making Itachi do something so…so cruel," he barely got the last words out.
"I can't perform this task. I am not one of the Uchiha. Even with my Hiraishin technique they will be alerted once I wipe out even one of the family members. They will then most likely attack me with their biggest ninjutsu which will undoubtedly destroy a big chunk of the village. And if I am to attack them with that jutsu of yours suspending them that Itachi speaks of. The more powerful of them will just ensnare me in their genjutsu which only Itachi here is impervious to out of three of us," Minato's voice finally cracked under his explanation, "Do you not think that I have thought of that? I have run every other possible simulation in my head and each one leads to utter destruction."
"Naruto," Itachi spoke this time, "Even if Uchiha are rebelling now. If we allow them to carry out their plans or if the Hokage personally stops them, they will become symbol of traitor-hood in the village. The women and children that will survive and were not part of the coup will only be scorned afterwards by the entire village. Only with the destruction of my clan with my own hands can the peace be maintained in Konoha."
"I will become the subject of their hatred. I will flee the village after presumably slaughtering everyone in my village. The once proud village that thrived in Konoha. The people of this village will hate me and in doing so they will also revere the only survivor in Sasuke Uchiha."
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here he was; the finest example of a human sacrifice. However his predicament was dwarfed by the sacrifice that Itachi was more than willing to make. If only to maintain peace and protect his clan from the tarnish that it was undoubtedly going to receive should they go to war. At that moment Naruto understood. This 15 year old boy – no Man – was perhaps the greatest ninja to have ever lived. In front of his sacrifice, what Naruto needed to do to his own humanity wasn't even a drop compared to a bucket. It took everything in him to resist the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes.
Naruto turned away to leave his father's office.
"Let me think about it? Do I have any time?"
"You have two days Naruto. If you decline we would have to find another way to help out Itachi with his final mission," Minato told his son. Naruto just left without making a noise.
"You think he will go through with it? The kid has guts and determination the likes of I have never seen but perhaps it was too much to ask of a nine-year old. Even if he is as skilled at fuinjutsu (Art of Sealing) as I am," Jiraiya said in an exasperated tone having witnessed the whole scene with a grave sense of anticipation.
"He will. Naruto has something that even surpasses all three of us," you could see Naruto walking through the hall with a fiery expression, "His will of fire to protect Konoha and his precious people burns the strongest." Itachi explained.
Minato hoped that Itachi was right. He was also hoping against hope that this wouldn't shatter the already rocky relationship that he had with his son.
XXX
Hope you guys liked reading this one out. Big stuff is going down in the next chapter and also how Naruto is going to face Sasuke when it all blows over. I am just getting giddy thinking about it playing in my head.
A/N: Okay so some people have this gripe about people calling Naruto idiot or why is he being ignored by his father. When a person does dumb shit, like paint the whole Hokage monument in orange, he is not going to be praised by his father who is in fact one of the Hokages. He is going to get a dressing down. Your parents don't shower you with love every step of the way. If they do you are only going to come out like a spoiled brat. Also, Minato has the whole village to take care of on top of being a single parent so of course Naruto is going to feel neglected. And for the loyal readers, they will be beginning to see the changes all these situations are bringing to Naruto's psyche and maturity as well. That's all.
Bullc6 Out.
