"People have forgotten this truth," the fox said. "But you mustn't forget it. You become responsible forever for what you've tamed. You're responsible for your rose."
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
...
Mitomi finds Naruto sitting on top of their father's head. She takes care to sit next to him. He doesn't flinch away or run. Which is honestly a really sign. He gives her a measuring look, like he's been considering something for a long time.
"You've always been so careful with me. Kept me at arms length even." Mitomi sighs and she lays her head on his shoulder. He's not wrong… she's always been very calculated with him, more so than anyone else.
She didn't want him to hate her again. She couldn't live through her life a second time like that. It's why she never wanted to tell him in the first place.
"My soul is very old, this is technically my third life. My second as your twin. As the jinchuriki for the yin half of Kurama. I am very wary of things that have hurt in the past. But I wanted to give us the best chance this time around. In my past life you and I had horrible fall out, we fought, and I never knew if you'd forgiven me. I died believing that you hated me." Her quiet admittance is heavy, the truth finally out. He scoffs.
Like he finds the idea of hating her very hard to believe. And why would he? This wasn't the same Naruto of her past, this was the version of her brother that she had spared so many pointless lessons learned through pain. She was the one who told him about being a jinchuriki, not some deranged chunin. Sasuke was still in the village, Orochimaru and Danzo are dead here. This isn't her last life… it isn't even close anymore. This version of Naruto was not nearly as naive as he could have been, this was the version of her brother that she always believed he could be.
Smart from the very beginning. Kind, because that's who he is. But smart, and careful. His eggs weren't all in one basket now. This Naruto didn't need the acceptance of the village like he had before, so this Naruto would probably understand better as to why she left in the first place. Mitomi had tried to save Jiraiya… she really tried in her last life but it just hadn't worked out the way she wanted.
Now she'd barely said two words to the toad sage. She had very little desire to interact with him. Godfather or not… he could shove it.
"It must have been a huge fallout for you to believe something so stupid. I could never hate you Mitomi." Mitomi closes her eyes, daring not to look at her brother's face. The chance to see his disappointment again… her soul couldn't take it. She takes a breath and gets ready to test that declaration.
"In my first life, I was not Uzumaki Mitomi, I was someone else. I lived in an entirely different world than this. I won't say it was better, because it was just as dark and scary, but for different reasons. There was a story that I grew up with, that I loved that helped shield me from the harsh realities of life. That story was something similar to these last two lives of mine, only I didn't exist.-" She takes a steadying breath, and reaches for his hand.
"I've always known what was meant to happen to us. I saw it happen as a viewer first, then lived through it until it killed me, and now I'm just trying to prevent what I know from happening again. I can't watch everyone die again. I can't go on living believing my brother hates me." Naruto squeezes her hand back, lays his head on top of hers.
"You could have told me sooner. I would have believed you, I would have helped you. I could never hate you, you're my twin sister. My annoyingly independent and smart sister, my first friend. You've always been there for me. I just want to be able to say the same. I'm sorry that a past life of mine made you feel so hurt, but I am not that version of me and you are not the version of you." Mitomi rubs the stupid tears that have spilled into his shoulder. She hates crying.
"I did everything for you. In my past life, everything that I did I did so that you would be happy, have a good life. But I made it all worse. I ruined everything I touched, I believed that I was akin to a god. I knew everything that was supposed to happen but I acted too late. I was selfish, a coward. And you were so brave, and so kind… I was jealous. People were always so drawn to you, they loved you more. I was a fool." Mitomi pours her heart out, it feels good. Feels right. Naruto listens, he is patient with her, hears her out.
For the first time in her entire life, she feels forgiven. Redeemed.
"So Sai is from that life as well?" Naruto asks sometime later, they've gone from sitting up to laying down. Still content to sit on the stone head of the Yondaime. Mitomi nods looking up into the darkening sky.
"Yeah… he died the same day and time as I did. The only way to stop the Kaguya and her race was to create a blackhole to drag everyone with their blood in it. Sai and I died in the blast that created the blackhole. I didn't have Kurama anymore, you were gone, we assumed dead. It was a fucking mess." She explains rolling over to stare at him. He was taking this a lot better than she had hoped.
"But you killed the thing that could bring her back right? That Pein guy was pretty irritated by it. He didn't like hearing he had been tricked, I guess granny had included it in the documents she had us deliver… It was such a strange mission." Mitomi raises her brow at that, she wanted to know more, Tsunade had sent them while she still didn't have access to her memories. Otherwise she would have advised against it.
"Zetsu. A humanoid being that was unfortunately the manifested will of a deranged goddess. I killed both halves of the being after I was kidnapped by the man pretending to be Uchiha Madara. Pein was probably upset because he believed they were striving for a peaceful world… but what Zetsu was going to bring was only going to cause more death and destruction. What happened on your mission?" Mitomi needed to know what to start expecting for the future. The motives of Nagato and Konan couldn't yet be trusted.
They still may try for their version of peace. Mitomi wasn't looking forward to what that implied for everyone. A village in ruin… Another dead sannin. She hoped it didn't happen.
"I dunno it was so weird. We were only in Ame for a few days before we got sent to Kiri. Speaking of that, Haku wished for me to tell you that he hopes you are feeling better and that he and Isobu are getting along nicely. I didn't realize that he is a jinchuriki now…" Naruto trails off. Mitomi sighs.
"It happened while you were still with Jiraiya, I sealed Isobu inside him with both of their consent. Kiri understands just like Konoha, and Suna, and even Kumo understands that this is the last generation where there will be jinchuuriki hosts who were unwilling or coerced into this life. Going forward, tailed beasts are to be treated like allies instead of monsters, they should be allowed to go where they wish, be hosted if they desire." She declares suddenly sitting up, Naruto laughs at her.
"Why do you think Kumo will agree?" He asks, Mitomi smirks at him.
"Did I ever tell you where I got my summoning contract from?" Naruto gives her a look.
"Mitomi you never tell me where anything comes from. Random shit would always just show up with you post missions or whatever. Especially fuinjutsu related things." She laughs, well that was sort of true. Mitomi shrugs at him.
"I got my contract from B-sama who had an Uzumaki teammate during the second and third war. Chuya. They died during the beginning of the third war and tasked B with holding onto their summon scroll to give to an Uzumaki if he ever ran into another one. Well B-sama is the host of the hachibi, they are close friends. B will agree on principle alone, and so will the other jinchuriki that Kumo has because they respect the hell out of B. The age of jinchuriki is dead, because the era of war is over. This world can be united, there can be peace of the nations like the Shodaime dreamed of." Mitomi pushes herself off the hard surface of the Yondaime's rock hair. She helps Naruto stand next.
"You think so?" She links her arm through the crock of his elbow and smiles up at him.
"I know so. As long as your dream is to be Hokage the future is bright. You will be the one who brings this peace, continuing the dreams of our parents. Everywhere that you go, if there was darkness there is now a beacon of hope, a light that only you can bring. You are the one who we are willing to follow. Naruto you will be the greatest Hokage who has ever led." He flushes at her words and scratches the back of his head looking away.
"You really believe that?" Mitomi smiles down at her feet, she doesn't let go of her brother's arm.
"Of course I do. My brother is going to be the best Hokage there has ever been, believe it!"
XOXOX
Lots of talking in this chapter… It had to be done.
Thank you for reading!
~LaRae
