Naruto flipped and danced, dodging the shadows that chased him. Training with friends was much better than training alone. Currently, he was working on his agility with Shikamaru.
It was just the two of them today. Chōji had to cook, Ino had to shop, and Sakura had to do research. Usually, there would be at least four of them training together. It was probably pure chance that three of them couldn't make it.
Glancing towards the sky, he saw the colors of dusk. This slight distraction proved to be his undoing, as the wily shadow quickly caught up, causing him to freeze in place.
He gave a thumbs up to Shikamaru, who withdrew the shadow with a lazy stretch.
"It's getting dark. I think we should be finishing up," Naruto commented. Now what would he make for dinner? He had eggs and some vegetables…
"Before you head home, you should head to Sakura's place. She said she had something to give you."
Something to give him? Maybe it was fresh groceries. But she usually gave those to him on Monday. He grinned in excitement. She probably had another bento for him.
A few minutes later, he was standing in front of his friend's house, Shikamaru trailing along behind him.
Sakura opened the door before he even knocked. Slightly confused, he let Sakura lead him inside.
"Get in here Shikamaru, you're not getting away!" Ino ran to the door, and dragged the poor Nara with her to the kitchen.
Dangling from the ceiling was a large banner announcing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO".
"I bet you can guess what you're here for. I know we're a couple weeks late, but you said you never had a real birthday party, so we decided to give you one," Sakura explained as she guided him to the dinner table, where he saw plates upon plates of food. "The three of us made the food while you were training."
He felt his body bubbling with a feeling he knew to be happiness. A grin spread over his face.
"Let's eat before Chōji starves! He hasn't snacked for a few hours."
He sat down, breathing in the scent of tempura, sushi, miso soup, and ramen. As they started the meal, conversation jumped from one topic to another.
"So I met my dad's sensei one day, he was a really old Sarutobi. You know, gray hair, wrinkles, and all that. He told me about the craziest missions ever. One time, he had to guard a fisherman, and the fisherman just really reeked of fish. Sarutobi-sensei stayed on the fishing boat for months. Afterwards, people called him 'Sashimi', but he didn't mind them. Besides a powerful shinobi, he became one of the best cooks in the Sarutobi clan. He could prepare yakizakana, sushi, nitsuke, if it had fish, he could cook the dish, that's what he told me."
"Yeah, Sarutobi-sensei is legendary among the Akimichi clan. My dad actually learned several recipes from him during his genin years. But the thing that I remember most was sensei's fireball jutsu. He took me to the edge of a lake to show me, and the fireball was massive! It actually made a lot of the water evaporate. He always practices his fire jutsu next to a lake because he accidentally started a massive forest fire when he was a genin."
"When I become Hokage, I'm gonna use water jutsu to create giant lakes, and then everybody can practice fire jutsu without hurting trees!"
"That's actually a really good idea Naruto. It'll prevent shinobi from burning themselves, too. Sage knows shinobi already neglect their health. A lot of them avoid their annual check-ups, which is utterly ridiculous."
Finally, he had found people who treated him as a person, not a fox.
After the festivities had concluded for the day, he offered to help Sakura with the cleanup. She was against the idea at first. "You're the birthday boy!" But she caved under the pressure of his puppy eyes. Dishes were washed and tables were wiped.
He was just getting ready to leave when Sakura presented him with a black, leather-bound book.
-X-
The Sandaime Hokage was a wise man. He had lived far longer than a normal shinobi, and had seen his fair share. Three shinobi world wars. In his mind's eye, he could picture the faces of those he had sent to their death. The guilt weighed down on him. Some nights, he would wake up in a cold sweat, haunted by faceless ghosts - those unknown people that had been trampled by Konoha's warpath. Biwako would comfort him, hold him as he shook. But Biwako was gone now.
He did all in his power to keep his village out of war. He had had enough of the death and destruction that war inevitably brought. Unfortunately, his wisdom was failing him at the moment.
Behind him, Uchiha Shisui kneeled as he made his report. The genius was a member of Anbu, yet, in many ways, he was just a frightened teenager. This teenager, conflicted between his loyalty to his clan and his loyalty to his village, had seen the battles of the Third Shinobi World War. He, also, wanted peace. This was why he had revealed the Uchiha clan's betrayal.
The Uchiha, isolated and feared after the Kyūbi attack, had finally decided to take action against the village. A coup. Civil war threatened to tear Konoha apart, but it was the consequences of such a war that would be devastating. No doubt, Iwa and Kumo would attack, sensing Konoha's weakness. Iwa, for its unresolved grudges from the last war. Kumo, for a chance to take some of Konoha's prized kekkei genkai. It wouldn't be a far stretch to say that the two shinobi villages might even form an alliance to take down their common enemy. Konoha would fall. It would burn, its walls breached. The village, already battered and divided by an internal war, would be easy prey.
As much as the Sandaime wanted peace, he could see no peaceful solution to his present dilemma. If only Minato were here. He would know what to do. His wife, Kushina, had been close friends with the matriarch of the Uchiha clan. No doubt, they would have worked out a solution. Perhaps, even averted the possibility of a coup before the Uchiha started planning one. But Minato and Kushina were both gone, leaving behind a son who lived with the hatred of Konoha's villagers.
No, he couldn't be distracted by the past. He had to decide how to preserve Konoha's future.
"The possibility of a coup presents a grave danger to the village. Can the leaders of the clan be persuaded to take a more peaceful course of action?"
Sarutobi could imagine the agony in Shisui's eyes.
"I do not believe they can be persuaded. They are very set in their ways, and they aim to restore the clan to its former greatness, a greatness suitable for one of the founding clans of the village." He paused, as if debating whether to reveal more information.
"There is another option," Shisui started hesitantly. "I have a special ocular ability, the Kotoamatsukami. It grants me the ability to cast a powerful mind-control genjutsu on a subject. If this ability is used on Uchiha Fugaku, he may be able to advocate for a peaceful solution, and war would be averted. Additionally, Uchiha Itachi is opposed to the coup. As the clan heir and a prodigy, he has significant influence within the clan. The clan head and the clan heir, working together, have a greater chance of convincing the elders. However, this would only work if the village makes more attempts to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha's affairs."
It certainly seemed to be the best course of action. It required little bloodshed. In a few years, the elders of the clan would die naturally, and they would take their outdated ambitions of power with them. By that point, the Uchiha would have become more accepted by the village, and there would be no mention of a coup.
Yet, from wisdom earned through three wars, Sarutobi knew better than to put his trust in a single plan. He trusted that Uchiha Shisui would be willing to do his job. In Shisui, he could see the Will of Fire held by Uchiha Kagami, but there were many factors that threatened the success of the plan. After all, the entire plan relied on Shisui's eyes. A slash of a kunai, and those eyes could be taken out.
"For now, continue your observation of the Uchiha. I want a detailed report weekly. I will immediately take action to increase the Uchiha's involvement in the village. If this does not work, then Kotoamatsukami may be considered."
He would avoid carrying out such a risky plan for now. It seemed that the Uchiha elders were the only ones who wholeheartedly supported the coup. Hopefully, the rest of the clan would see sense before they forced his hand. And, speaking of elders... He turned to face Shisui.
"Not a word of this to Shimura Danzō. Dismissed."
The Uchiha nodded before leaving in his signature Body Flicker.
Sarutobi sighed. What a headache. He was getting too old for this job. Again, he thought of Minato. Guilt hit him in waves. Minato's last wish. He had wanted his son to be a hero. He hadn't even managed to fulfill the wishes of the dead. How could he protect those still living?
A bright beacon of chakra moved into his sensory range. It was Naruto. Strange. Usually, it was Sarutobi who would visit Naruto. The boy rarely came to the Hokage Tower. Sarutobi wondered what he would be here for.
As a blonde-haired figure burst into his office, Sarutobi was sure that he would soon find his answer.
-X-
Naruto politely knocked on the door of the Hokage's office before running in. He figured that if Jiji was doing anything really important, he would've told him so.
"I've gotta whole lotta things to tell you, Jiji!"
In his left hand, he held a black book, and he waved the book excitedly as he started telling Jiji about the events of the past few weeks.
"So I made a lot of new friends! We've been practicing with shuriken and kunai in the mornings, and I'm doing a lot better in Weaponry now."
Sakura-chan had told him that he had been using the wrong form, and had told him to change a few wrist movements.
This new technique got his shuriken to fly straighter, and his accuracy had improved from 30% to 70%. Iruka-sensei had complimented him on his improvement in class, so he knew he was making progress.
"When she found out that I didn't have a birthday party, she gave me a surprise party," Naruto recounted happily. "All her friends came. We had tempura, sushi and ramen. And she gave me this!"
At this point, Naruto proudly held forth his book.
"I see your friend gave you a present. What's inside?" Jiji seemed genuinely curious.
"It has my family in it!"
At this, Jiji seemed to stiffen. His face held a look of surprise that quickly disappeared.
Pretending not to notice the behavior, Naruto flipped the book open to a random page. A photo of a blonde kunoichi took up a third of the sheet.
Under the photo, a small blurb described some of the woman's achievements.
One of the Sannin, Senju Tsunade is hailed as the greatest medical-nin in the world, having revolutionized Konoha's medical system in her youth. She is also a formidable kunoichi, having participated in the Second Shinobi World War, where she, along with her teammates, earned the name of Sannin. Tsunade is known for her enormous strength, which has supposedly allowed her to crush mountains with a single punch. She is related to the Uzumaki by way of her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito.
"I mean, I can't believe I'm related to one of the Sannin," Naruto chattered on as he flipped to another page.
Jiji seemed a bit more relaxed now.
A familiar red and white fan made an appearance.
The Uchiha clan is one of the two clans directly descended from the Sage, the other being the Senju clan. The Uchiha are known for their skill with fire release ninjutsu, as well as their dōjutsu, the Sharingan. These factors made them one of the strongest clans during the Warring States Period. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama would eventually put aside the differences between their clans to establish Konohagakure, helping to end the Warring States Period. The Uchiha clan is very distantly related to the Uzumaki clan, as both clans are related to the Senju.
"I can't believe I'm related to that jerk Sasuke, either, but that means I have relatives right in my Academy class!"
A few more flips. A picture of a red-headed kunoichi.
Uzumaki Mito was a master of fūinjutsu and a powerful kunoichi. Born in Uzushiogakure, she moved to Konohagakure and married Senju Hashirama, the Shōdaime Hokage. During the Shōdaime's famous battle with Uchiha Madara, she used her skill with fūinjutsu to seal the Kyūbi within herself, becoming a jinchūriki. Her unique chakra also helped in successfully containing the tailed beast. Due to the Uzumaki clan's longevity, she lived to see the rule of the Sandaime.
"Hey, did you know her Jiji?" Naruto asked, an expectant look on his face.
Jiji's smile seemed strained. "Yes, she was a kind, strong woman. She attended my inauguration."
"So you knew my family," Naruto mused, observing Jiji's reaction. He could have imagined it, but he thought he saw a flicker of discomfort on Jiji's face.
He flipped a few more pages.
"This is my favorite page."
This one contained two pictures, side by side.
Jiji's face paled.
"They were my parents. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato," he said quietly, though he was sure that Jiji heard every word. "You must have known them. When I was little, you said you didn't know who they were. Why didn't you tell me?"
His lips pressed into a thin line. He stared deep into Jiji's eyes, looking for an answer.
"Your father had many enemies, and your parentage was kept a secret to protect you."
But Naruto wasn't satisfied.
"Then why didn't you tell me I'm a jinchūriki? All this time, I thought that I was the person responsible for the hate. Why didn't you tell me it was because of the fox?"
He wasn't crying now. He had already shed all his tears when Sakura-chan had first explained it to him. Now his eyes only held a hard, accusing stare.
"I thought keeping it a secret would protect you. Your father wanted you to be a hero, but I have failed in carrying out his last wish." There was a look of deep regret on Jiji's face.
Naruto sighed. "I don't blame you, Jiji. You have a whole village to take care of, but you still visited me. I'm really glad you did that. I know you have to keep some secrets. But please don't lie to me."
"I'm sorry, Naruto," Jiji said.
He could hear the sincerity in that apology. But as Naruto left the office, he still couldn't shake off the sting of betrayal.