Chapter 8
After few hours
As the duo was fighting to their last strength, Naruto and his 300 clones were still in their phalanx formation they didn't have bruise or scratch in their bodies only their shields and helmets, Anko whose breathing heavily, she got bruises cuts, and scratches. She was surprised at Naruto's strength and unity as a unit to get the job done, the spectators, who watched the fight they were shocked and amazed as they saw the Fourth Hokage's oldest son's performance in the field.
Back to the fight, Naruto and his 300 clones circling Anko, Naruto shouted to his clones " Glory or Death! Let us finish this!". The clones rushed to Anko to grab her behind to get the bells, the jonin try her best to stay away from Naruto's attack, as they catch Anko off guard, one of the clones grab on her behind. After doing this, he turned towards his teammates and shouted at them to grab the bells. "Satsuki! Yakumo! She's open, grab the bells NOW!"
Hearing their teammate actually shout at them, they two quickly rushed towards their now immobile sensei to grab the bells. After hearing this Anko tried to break free, but her student's grip on her wrists wouldn't budge. Knowing that it would be futile, Anko just sighed knowing that it was checkmate.
Minutes later a smiling Satsuki and Yakumo were standing next to a blank faced Naruto as he dispaled his clones and putting his clothes back, as Anko massaged her sore wrists, courtesy of the blonde in front of her. At first Anko sighed, but then she gave the three a grin as she knew that, unintentionally, they had managed to figure out the test.
"Congrats brats! You all pass!" As she congratulated them, she was asked the question at hand by Satsuki.
"But Anko-Sensei, we haven't decided on who would get the bells yet." Satsuki questioned, knowing that Naruto would probably get one since he did give them the chance to grab them. She would definitely fight for that second bell though. "I need to have that second bell; Naruto is going to get one for sure. But it's not because I want to be on a team with him or anything, I just don't want to go through the Academy again. Yeah, that's right!"
While Satsuki was having an internal debate as to her intentions of wanting the bells, Yakumo was having a similar one. "Naruto is most definitely getting a bell, I would really like the second one though. It would be nice being on a team with someone as reliable as him if he's as skilled as what I saw. But that's not saying Satsuki isn't reliable either!"
However, their inner thoughts were broken by Anko who revealed the true reason behind the test. "That's true, but the real reason for this test was to test your ability to work as a team. At first, you all were going to fail. But with that little stunt at the end, I can see that you all have a future as a pretty powerful squad if we can work out the kinks! So yeah, Team 12 is official!"
As the words left her mouth, Satsuki and Yakumo revealed a dazzling smile while as Anko gave them all a grin. As they turned to the only male member of their team, to their complete shock and awe, he had a small smirk on his face though it vanished quickly. Satsuki and Yakumo quickly turned their heads away, cheeks flushed while Anko revealed a predatory grin.
"Okay guys be back here, 8:00 am sharp, now dismissed". Hearing these the trio nodded, and the girls said their goodbyes to their two and leaving the blonde alone in the training ground whose going to train alone, after 1 hour he left.
"Well, well, well. Looks like things are going to be interesting after all."
As the spectators, left the training ground and continue their daily routine.
(Scene change - Hokage's tower)
A few hours after the final genin exams were concluded, Minato as well as the jōnin who proctored the exams were discussing the results of the tests. "Well, how did the genin perform on their tests everyone?" Getting mixed responses from the jōnin, Minato decided to call them in order of team number to give their reports. Most of them were able to pass, but a few failed due to conflicts within the team, which caused them to fail in working as a team.
"Team 7 passes Minato-sensei, but that's to be expected as they're all siblings and know each other pretty well." Kakashi gave his report, happy that his team passed. Getting a smile and nod from Minato, he continued with the reports.
"Team 8 passes as well Minato-sama, though Kiba Inuzuka is trying to assert himself as the 'Alpha' of the team. I'll have to work on getting him out of a pack mindset." Kurenai reported, confident that her team will become a strong one in the future. Minato also was pleased, he knew how the Inuzuka clan operated on a similar level to how a pack of wolves operated, so Kiba was only doing what his clan did.
"Team 8 passes as well Minato-sama, though Kiba Inuzuka is trying to assert himself as the 'Alpha' of the team. I'll have to work on getting him out of a pack mindset." Kurenai reported, confident that her team will become a strong one in the future. Minato also was pleased, he knew how the Inuzuka clan operated on a similar level to how a pack of wolves operated, so Kiba was only doing what his clan did.
"Team 10 also passes Minato-Sama, though the new Ino-Shika-Cho seem out of balance. Shikamaru and Choji get along great, but Ino isn't trying at all to get to know them or work with them at all. Shikamaru needed to appeal to her pride in order to get her to work with them, hopefully she breaks out of it." Asuma reported, concerned about the future of his team due to the blonde. Minato could only laugh wryly, knowing how Inoichi's daughter was absolutely obsessed with his son Menma. Hopefully she'd get into the kunoichi mindset soon though.
"Team 11 has passed as well Minato-sama, however they are not exactly team material. Sasuke Uchiha shows no aptitude for teamwork, opting to work alone. Adding onto that, he doesn't try to associate with his teammates at all, even when they were struggling to pass my test. Sakura Haruno is the exact opposite to Sasuke, all she is trying to do it to get him to agree to go on a date with her. While this wouldn't be normally a problem, she seems obsessed with him, to the point where Sai badmouthed him, she slugged him across the face. That brings me to Sai, he's... different. I don't know but I get the feeling that he isn't a genin, he's far to perceptive to be. After about half an hour, he got his teammates together and immediately told them about how teamwork was the key to the test. I won't do anything now, but I'll keep you updated about him." Genma reported with a sigh, knowing that he'd have his work cut out for him in the future. Minato gave a sharp nod in response, Orochimaru also commented on this team saying that they would either sink or swim, the team dynamic being somewhat similar to his own. But he did warn Minato to pay attention to Sai, as he had his suspicions about him as well.
"Team 12 also passed Hokage-sama! They were pretty good for a couple of rookies! Satsuki and Yakumo managed to bind me for a few seconds with their teamwork! But most the most surprising thing was Naruto!" At that statement, everyone's attention was focused on Anko, Minato's eyes harder because he knew that he was there at their performance by her statement and asked if she could continue, which she did.
"While it was just taijutsu and unknown fighting stance that he perfom but, that kid is fast. And I mean FAST! I'd estimate that in terms of pure speed, he's at least low-jōnin and he is a natural leader. But that's not all, he hits pretty flippin' hard too and he managed lay a scratch on me." Lifting the sleeves of her trench coat, Anko showed the light colored bruises and scratches that spotted her arm also they saw Anko's clothes were tattered it was confirmed that Naruto really outnumbered the jonin. "These were all from him, I'm not joking when I say he actually pushed me to start trying, the first move he made was a kick to the head and I'm sure if I didn't dodge it, I'd be in the hospital with a concussion."
At the end of her report, everyone in the room quieted. The supposed dead last of the Academy managed to actually make the normally playful Anko try, that sent a shock through their systems as well as curiosity as to what else he could have been hiding. Minato knew that he had to get to the bottom of that mystery when he got back home.
"Thank you everyone! For the genin who didn't pass, please notify them that they will be put on reserve until they are placed on a team that works for them alright? That's all I have, thank all of you for your reports and meet me tomorrow for your squad's first mission. Anko, could you stay behind please? I need to talk to you." With that he dismissed the jōnin, with the exception of Anko.
"What's up Hokage-sama?" Anko asked, though she knew what he was probably going to ask about. It's not every day the son you everyone called a failure managed to singlehandedly take on a jōnin, even if they weren't going at one hundred percent.
"I'm sure you already know, but it's about Naruto. I wanted to know, since I know that Orochimaru asked you to monitor him for me, what do you think his mental state is? Do you think he's a treat to the village? Please be honest with me." Minato asked in a slightly hesitant manner, before he believed that his son wasn't a threat to the village but after hearing how he managed to go toe to toe with one of the top ninja in his village, he needed to be sure. Not just as a father but as the Hokage.
"As of right now, I'm not sure Minato-sama. From what I've gathered, it doesn't seem like he hates the village but I know he doesn't have any love for it either. Judging from his body language when he interacts with other people, he doesn't really pay attention to them since he doesn't tense up or relax around any one person. I'll keep an eye out for him though." Anko reported, knowing that it meant a great deal to him. Receiving a smile and a "thank you" in return, she was dismissed.
Leaning back in his chair, Minato could only hope that his son would be willing to talk to him about his abilities. He wasn't too hopeful, but right now it was his only choice in order to unravel one of the mysteries that shrouded Naruto.
He was about to finish up the last stack of documents before he felt a pulse of Kushina's chakra from the seal in her wedding ring. Before the pen touched the desk, he was gone in the signature flash of yellow of his Hiraishin no Jutsu.
(Scene change - Uzumaki-Namikaze compound)
Chaos could be the only thing that described the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound if someone were to see it. Kushina had her back pressed firmly against the door, her threatening yet scared aura on full blast causing her children to cower in fear of their now angry mother, though her oldest stood firm, the same blank expression on his face. As things were about to heat up, a flash of yellow gained the attention of everyone present in the room, a clear sign that their savior had arrived..
When Minato arrived, he noticed two things. One, his wife had an aura he hadn't felt in ages, the last time he felt this aura was when a rouge ninja called her by her moniker of the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero", things weren't pretty afterwards. The second thing that he noticed was that his son had a big backpack and long suitcase in hand. His eyes widened as he immediately understood the severity of the situation, Naruto was moving out. Though he didn't remain shocked for long as he was snapped out of his stupor by his wife.
"Minato! Naruto's moving out! I need you to help me convince him to stay here!" Kushina said frantically, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes. Seeing his wife in such a state broke Minato's heart, steeling his resolve and facing his son Minato tried to persuade his son to stay at the compound.
"Naruto," Minato spoke softly, "Why are you moving out? Your home is here with us. If space is what you want we can arrange that, we can find somewhere on the compound for you to call your own place if you want. We still care about you regardless of what happened in the past, I don't know why we acted the way we did but we're going to make it up to you if you give us the chance Naruto. Just, please don't leave us. Don't leave your family. " Minato said with a sad tone, the tears in his eyes reflecting the sorrow in his heart.
Kushina picked up where Minato left off, taking a shaky step towards her oldest, tears freely flowing from her eyes now. "Naru-chan, you can't move out. You're only thirteen, where would you stay? How are you going to pay your rent with just a starting genin's earnings from missions? Who will make sure that you're eating right? Please Naru-chan, don't leave us, please don't." Kushina was openly weeping now, holding onto her husband for support as she continued to plead her oldest son to stay.
"I know that we've been terrible parents to you, and I know that I've been a horrible mother. We've never showed you the love that you deserved or needed but we're going to make it up to you! Just please give us another chance! Let us be your family again, please. Please let me be your Kaa-chan again."
Naruto's siblings stayed quiet throughout their parent's tearful pleas for their older brother to stay home with them. Narumi was opening crying like her mother, hiccupping a little as she cried. Mito was silently crying, furiously wiping away the tears in her eyes futilely as the more she wiped them away, the more would stream out. Menma was less expressive then his sisters, scoffing at his brother and turning his head to the side, but the slight quivering of his lips gave away the feeling deep in his heart.
As his family was crying around in front of him, Naruto continued to stay quiet. Looking at all of them with his face still blank.
The sorrowful atmosphere was amplified as the now sobbing Narumi clung onto her older brother and began pleading for him to stay as well. "Naru-nii! Please don't go! I'm sorry for being a horrible little sister and not playing with you when we were little! I'm sorry for always taking your ramen and not telling you! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! So please don't go, don't leave me behind. I want to be with you." Narumi cried into the chest of her brother as Mito also pleaded for him to stay.
"Naruto-nii, please don't go. I'm sorry for how I acted in the past, I'll do my best to be a better sister in the future, I promise! So please Niichan, please don't go. I don't want you to go." Mito begged, finally letting out a few hiccups of her own.
Menma just turned towards his older brother and locked stares with him, that blank look in his brother's eyes making him snap. "Just go you loser! Can't you see that you're nothing but a problem for us! If you were never here; Tou-san, Kaa-chan, Mito, and Narumi wouldn't be crying! So do us all a favor and just get out already! I don't need a useless brother like you or do I want one! You've never done anything that an older brother should do, so why bother wanting you to stay around! Just go! None of us need you!" After his small rant, Menma looked away, his lip quivering much more as a few tears leaked out of his eyes.
Finally, after hearing the members of his family speak from their hearts Naruto removed Narumi's arms from him and proceeded towards the door much to the horror and utter despair of his family. Near the entrance of the door, he proceeded to turn around and address his family as a whole.
"I've lived the majority of my life without any of you being a part of it, by now you all should know better then anyone else that I'm not a helpless child that needs to be coddled by his family. I learned to look out for myself by the time I turned 5 years old, that was 8 years ago. For 8 years I've lived without experiencing your love or attention, why would I need or even want it now? Whether you like it or not, I've already become my own person and I intend on living my own life outside of this house. You owe me that much at least." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing at the end into an ice cold glare that actually made his family flinch.
Finished with his statement, he turned around and began walking out the door, as his family started to break down behind him. Stopping as he opened it, he spoke one last time before he departed to his new apartment.
"A Family is supposed to love you unconditionally, and care for you without having to be asked to. From what I've experienced all these years, you shouldn't be considered my family. We should just be people who share the same blood, and that alone does not define a family. But... I can't cut my ties with you no matter how hard I try. Thank you for the things that you have done like providing me a bed to sleep on. I'll forgive you all for what you've done in the past because the past is the past and I live in the present, however don't expect a place in my heart. It'd be too painful for anyone to have place there anymore..."
Whispering the last part so only he heard it, Naruto turned around and gave them a small bow then walked out of the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound, towards the edge of the of the village where his new home laid.
As the door closed with a soft thud, Kushina immediately ran into her room and slammed the door, stifled sobbing could be heard through the door. Minato quickly chased after his wife, feeling the same emotions as she did flooding in his heart. Menma scoffed, and quickly went to his room, wiping the tears from his eyes as he muttered something about his brother under his breath. Mito and Narumi were hugging each other for physical and emotional support as they continued to cry and hiccup. The two eventually going to their rooms, as more stifled whimpers could be heard from the outside.
Reaching her room, Kushina slammed and locked it behind her. Throwing herself on the bed, she continued to sob uncontrollably, the cold eyes of her son and his words cutting deeply into her heart. She heard Minato knocking on the door, begging her to let in him, to let him comfort her, but she knew it wouldn't do a thing to ease her the pain in her heart at the moment. As the afternoon slowly turned into the evening, Minato had decided to give his wife her time to grieve as he returned to finish the small amount of paperwork he had left before returning.
Waking up from her tear induced nap, Kushina groggily looked around her room. Body felt numb for some reason, her heart feeling like a piece was missing from it. Tears threatening to spill from her eyes again, her gaze found its way towards the bookshelf. Slowly making her way over, she found what she was looking for her family's photo album. Shakily reaching for it, she took it off the shelf and opened it, tears flowing once more as the first picture in the album was of her whole family. Slowly tracing her fingers over Naruto's face, she turned continued through the book, stopping gazing at the photos of her oldest when he still had his smile, a smile that had been forgotten over the years.
Reaching the 5th birthday of her children she smiled once more as she gazed lovingly at the photo of her children all smiling and hugging each other. But soon her fond memories returned to their guilty and sad state. After that photo, there were almost no more photos of Naruto in the rest of the album.
Frantically flipping through the pages, she finally found one last photo of him, one that shattered what little hope she had in her son returning to her family. The final page of the album was another family photo of them in the living room without Naruto, but looking closer in the upper corner he was there, and he was casting them the same cold glare that he did earlier.
Clutching the album close to her chest, Kushina returned to her bed and cried softly as she let herself slip into the memories of the past. That's were Minato found his wife, appearing in a flash of yellow beside her. Sadness seeping into his eyes, he got changed and lied down beside her and wrapped her in a tight embrace, whispering that everything will be okay and that they'll do their best to bring their son home. Responding to Minato's comforting words, Kushina snuggled deeper into her husband's embrace, dreaming of a smiling Naruto running towards her before giving her a love filled hug.
"I'm home Kaa-chan!"