Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I'm hoping to one day own your heart ;)
"Dialogue"
'Thinking'
Location:
"Kurama/Technique"
* Sound Effect *
Building A New House
Chapter 3
Konoha (Marketplace) (6 Years After Nine-Tails Attack):
Walking hand in hand with her mother through the busy marketplace, a five-year-old Midori is looking all around her, raining question upon question on her patient mother, Mikoto Uchiha.
"Mother, why don't we shop at the clan's stores?"
"Because, it's nice to go outside the clan once in a while."
"Why is our home so far away from everything?"
"Because, Uchihas like walking."
"I do like walking, am I a good Uchiha?"
"You're a great Uchiha, dear."
"Am I your favourite Uchiha?"
"You're in a three-way tie for my favourite."
"A tie is not satisfactory, father says so."
"Your father and I love you all equally, Midori." Mikoto beamed at her daughter with a warm smile.
Staring back at her mother with her stoic face, Midori only nods her head before continuing,
"Why do we always get tomatoes?"
"Because, your brother loves tomatoes."
"Are tomatoes a fruit or vegetable?"
"They are a-" Mikoto fails to finish her answer.
"Mother?"
Looking up at her mother, Midori notices that Mikoto's gaze is fixed at a dirty looking blonde-haired boy being pushed away from a storefront by a broom wielding clerk across the street.
"Kushina." Is all Mikoto can whisper while staring at the poor boy. When she regains her senses, Mikoto looks around and finds her daughter has left her side. Before she has time to panic, she already hears the sounds of shouting from across the street. Looking, she notices her daughter is already in an argument with the blonde-haired child.
"You're making my mother sad, why do you enjoy making women sad?"
"I wasn't doing anything!"
"You were being kicked out of that overweight man's store, what did you do?"
"I said I wasn't doing anything!"
"I'm not overweight!" Bellowed the disgruntled shopkeeper.
"You're dirty, father says dirty people are often criminals, what crimes have you committed?"
"I'm not a criminal, I just wanted some milk!"
"To give you strong bones to flee the scene of the crime!?"
"Yes! Wait, no!"
A smug grin takes over Midori's face, "He confesses! Your reign of terror is over milk fiend!"
"I'm not a fiend! I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" The boy defiantly proclaims.
With her face returning to its stoic nature, Midori calmly points out, "You're too young and dirty to be the next Hokage-"
"I'm not dirty!"
"Criminals also can't be Hokage." The young girl finishes.
"I'm not a criminal!"
"That's exactly what a criminal would say, now atone for your crimes and turn yourself i-"
"MIDORI!" Mikoto shouts as she runs to grab her daughter's hand.
"Don't you ever leave my side again!" Turning her head towards the blonde boy, Mikoto promptly bows and addresses him, "I apologize for my daughter, Naruto."
Looking confused at someone bowing to him, let alone someone of such high social standing, Naruto sheepishly rubs the back of his head before responding, "It, it's fine!"
Keeping her warm smile fixed on him, Mikoto continues, "Would you like to come shopping with us, Naruto?"
"Really?" Naruto asks, his face starting to light up, but before he can agree, observant shinobi and civilians begin muttering to themselves.
"You see that, the Uchiha are talking to it!"
"You don't think that what they said was true do you?"
"I mean, I've heard stories about their eyes."
"Should we tell the Hokage about this?"
As the voices grow louder, two police officers approach the three. Given that the Uchiha run Konoha's police force, the two men are quick to place themselves between their clan's royalty and the dirty Naruto.
"Lady Mikoto, Lady Midori, are you alright!?" One of the officers asked, before turning his attention to Naruto.
"I advise you to leave, before you cause any more of a disturbance." The man informed the six-year-old.
"Hmph!" Was all the noise Naruto made before heading back to his apartment.
Turning his attention back to the wife of the clan head and her daughter, the officer continued, "It is best if we return to the compound, immediately. Lord Fugaku should know of this."
Staring at the back of the retreating boy, Mikoto sighed in defeat, before grabbing Midori's hand and leaving with the two police officers.
The walk back to the compound was relatively silent, until Midori asked her mother,
"Why were you being nice to the culprit?"
Looking down at her daughter, Mikoto could only say, "He's not a culprit, he's a hero."
"Heroes aren't thieves and stay clean." Midori responds.
Bending down to look her daughter in the eyes Mikoto asks, "Midori, can you do a favour for me?"
Not breaking eye contact, Midori gives her mother a firm nod.
"I want you, to be nice to Naruto."
Midori, not blinking once firmly responds, "I shall do my utmost to keep him from the seduction of crime, mother."
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Mikoto states, "Or you know, just help whenever you can!"
"As you wish."
The two enter their home, being greeted by the rest of their family.
Present Day Konoha (Shinobi Academy):
"Naruto… Uzumaki." Midori had once again repeated to herself, not even realizing that she, along with the rest of her class were already standing in the middle of the academy's training field.
Mizuki, their silver-haired instructor for the day, had abandoned Iruka's lesson plan in favour of kunai and shuriken target practice.
"Midori?" the substitute asked only to be met with the girl's repeated mumbling of the absent blonde's name.
"Naruto…"
"Midori!?"
"Uzumaki…"
"MIDORI!" The frustrated Chuunin shouted.
"Hmm?" Midori, finally broken from her thoughts, briefly examines her surroundings before turning her face towards a scowling Mizuki.
"Sensei, when did we get here?" She questioned.
"We've been outside for the past twenty minutes-"
"Why are we here?"
"Target Practice-"
"Where is Iruka Sensei?"
"He's on important busi-"
"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"
"WHO CARES!? Midori Uchiha, we are doing projectile target practice and it is your turn to throw, now shut up and throw!" Mizuki finished with a huff.
"Hn." Was the young girl's response, before moving to take her position on the firing line. Ignoring the glares of her irritated teacher and classmates, Midori proceeded to fling shuriken after shuriken, hitting each of her ten targets, dead center, one by one with great robotic flair. Upon completion of her task, the young Uchiha returned to her spot and continued her mantra.
"Naruto… Uzumaki."
"Ten out of ten! Uh, well done, Midori." A flabbergasted Mizuki stated.
Midori's stunned classmates could only look at her, but eventually some of her brother's fangirls began filling the air with their opinions.
"Of course she'd do well! She's Sasuke's sister after all!"
"Sasuke's such a great brother! Helping her while training himself!"
"He must be pretty patient too, I mean, you know what she's like, right?"
Despite trying to maintain his mask of apathy, Sasuke couldn't help but glare at his little sister who just outshined his near-perfect score with little effort.
He could only mumble to himself, "I refuse to be left behind." Before returning to his uncaring demeanour.
Soon, most of the class was taking part in cheering Sasuke over Midori's success. The poor girl could only stare down at her feet, hiding her emotions over having the fruits of her labour being attributed to another person-
"Naruto… Uzumaki."
Oh, never mind, she wasn't listening to anything they were saying.
Konoha (Hokage's Office):
After ordering his Anbu to leave the room and activating said room's privacy seals, Hiruzen began the meeting between himself, Kakashi, Iruka, and Naruto. With the three standing before his desk, the Third Hokage addressed the blonde first.
"So my dear boy, it seems that you now know about the burden you carry?" Questioned the aged leader with sad eyes.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox, the monster that attacked the village seven years ago, the monster that k-killed all those people, the monster that I am-"
"Keeping locked away, thereby preventing more innocent people from dying." Hiruzen finished for Naruto.
"Old Man?"
"My successor was one of, if not, the best shinobi that this village had ever produced. Powerful, intelligent, and brave were only just a few of his long list of admirable qualities, but a mortal man is still just that, mortal. For a lone human to be able to kill a tailed beast, let alone the strongest of them, is nothing short of fantasy."
Seeing that he maintained a firm grip on the blonde boy's attention, Hiruzen continued.
"The Fourth was an expert in the art of Fuinjutsu and at the cost of his own life, he sealed the Nine-Tails into a new born child, you Naruto."
The room was quiet before Naruto asked the question that had been plaguing him since his meeting with the Fox.
"But, why me?"
Hiruzen stared into the deep blue eyes of the boy he considered his grandson as he answered.
"Because, you are an Uzumaki and only an Uzumaki can house the Nine-Tails."
"Huh?" Was all Naruto could say, before the Third continued.
"Uzumaki is more than just the last name you were given, it's the name of a clan and you, Naruto Uzumaki, are a member of it."
Naruto just stood there with his mouth hanging open upon hearing the news, only finding his voice a few seconds later.
"I have a clan, I have a fam- wait! How come no one said anything about this!? Why hasn't anyone told me I have a family!?" The boy demanded, shooting a look at each man present. Iruka was the first to answer.
"Although the curriculum does mention the Uzumaki, it doesn't go as nearly in depth as it does with the other clans of Konoha. In all honesty Lord Third, I would say that aside from the First's wife, not much else is discussed."
Taking his sweet time, Hiruzen removed his pipe from the desk drawer, stuffed a modest amount of tobacco in it, lit it and took a long, long, long inhale of smoke before finally exhaling, filling the room with a carbon monoxide haze along with the coughing fit of a seven-year-old child. When the fog clears and the coughing ceases, the village leader speaks.
"The tale of the Whirling Tides, of Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki, is not one that paints Konoha in the best light."
Naruto and Iruka listen intently, while Kakashi continues to read his little orange book, which he has been doing since this entire conversation began. He's heard all of this before and the plot in his book is super interesting.
"The Uzumaki and Konoha were linked since the village's very foundation. As Iruka said, Mito Uzumaki was the wife of our First Hokage, she was also the host of the Nine-Tails."
Naruto and Iruka look at their leader with a respectful silence, beckoning him to continue, as Kakashi softly giggles to himself.
"The Uzumaki were rightfully regarded as the finest seal-masters that the world had to offer. This along with their strong longevity and large chakra pools earned them the envy… as well as ire of other villages."
It took Hiruzen another long puff of smoke before he could continue his history lesson.
"Just before the Second Great Shinobi War, in a coordinated effort between Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, Uzushiogakure was attacked and destroyed. There was nothing but rubble left."
After taking in all the information, Naruto began to grow upset and started demanding answers.
"Wait! Why didn't Konoha step in!? You said that Uzoshag- Whirling Tides was with Konoha since the start! Weren't we friends with them!? How can you leave a friend to die!?"
Tears began flooding the blonde orphan's face. Learning that he potentially had a large family outside of Konoha waiting for him only to have that dream erased as soon as it appeared was a bit too much for a seven year old to take in.
Iruka moved in to help clean his students face as Hiruzen softly attempted to explain the actions of the village.
"The attack was sudden and most of Konoha's attention was focused on dealing with issues arising in Sunagakure and Amegakure at the time. We never thought that such a coordinated assault, between three villages that had up until then hated each other to take place. Before we could even begin to form a relief force, Uzushiogakure was already lost… I'm sorry Naruto."
Hiruzen finishes his story while looking apologetically towards the now dry faced boy.
"All I have is a dead family and an angry fox in my tummy." Naruto matter-of-factly states.
"Through my many years, through my many failures, I've learned that reality is a harsh teacher. I thought I was giving you a normal childhood, when really I was just trying to put off my responsibility. I've failed you, Naruto and because of my failure, this village has failed you as well. I know it might be impossible at this point, but I ask you forgive the village, please don't punish them for the mistakes of a foolish old man." Hiruzen pleads.
Sighing, a downcast Naruto can only ask, "Am I, am I really the only one left?"
Maintaining his composure despite mentally hurting at the fact that the boy he's seen as his grandson is apparently disregarding his apology, Hiruzen proceeds.
"As far as we know, yes, you are the last Uzumak-"
Before the Third Hokage can finish his sentence, the window in his office forcefully slides open as a giant of a man with long spiky white hair pops into the room.
"Hey sensei, you'll never believe what I found!"
"Jiraiya wai-"
Before Hiruzen can stop his student, Jiraiya reaches behind his back and pulls out a young boy around Naruto's age. The boy has short red hair, most of which is covered by a cap, leaving a few strands just above his nose. The boy's face looks to be in a perpetual scowl. Noticing the red hair and his student's excitement, Hiruzen immediately asks,
"Jiraiya is that a-"
"Yes sir, I, Jiraiya the Great Toad Sage, have found another Uzumaki!"
All eyes, even Kakashi's one, focus on the angry looking boy. After completing his mission of changing the scene's tone, Jiraiya finally notices the three other people in the office.
"Uh… Did I interrupt something?"
Before anyone could say or do anything, a now smiling Naruto ran up and hugged his new family member.
"I have a brother! You can call me, Big Bro if you want! Wait, how old are you!? Wait, wait, where did you come from!? Do you know about our clan!? I can teach you everything you need to know about it! We're brothers, so you can ask me for anything! I'm pretty awesome, so you don't have to worry about stuff!"
Naruto failed to realize the boiling fury on the young boy's face, before said boy broke out of his hug and slammed his fist into his face, knocking the blonde far back into the wall of Hiruzen's office.
"I'M A GIRL, SHITHEAD!" Proclaimed the red-haired youth, after her little fist of fury had successfully knocked Naruto into the blissful state of unconsciousness.
END.
AN: That's Chapter Three! Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you keep on reading! I'll see you in the next chapter! All the best!
Sincerely, Big Chuggs