Way of the Ninja Chapter 13: Heritage : Part I, a naruto fanfic

Long time no see. Before you guys say anything, I have prepared two chapters to make up for the lost time. I just didn't feel like posting this one alone since the end was not too good.

Thanks to all those who appreciate my story and I hope I can give you reasons to keep doing that.

Quick note : I talk a lot here in the author's section so anyone who's having something better to do in life is welcome to skip it entirely.

Nothing comes to mind right now, so let's move directly to the review replies :

@Re Lovely Lover :

Yeah, a lot of events done.

There's just this little problem I foresee though right now that once I write off an event in a part of the story, I can't just change it accordingly at later stage even if I have a different (maybe better) idea. Sometimes I also look back at the chapters and say, "Man, it could've been so much better." since I constantly come up with better ideas, but oh well, what's done is done.

I also can't hold back every idea for a 'just in case I get a better one later' situation. So yeah, it's going good as far as I think lol.

About the Kumo part, there's a lot for later but I can give you only this reason for now. Well, Kumo never got a seperate stand-off with Konoha except the Hinata or Kushina kidnapping. (Kiri wanted Rin to unleash Sanbi on Konoha and Iwa was the primary opponent in the Third Shinobi War)

Suna is an official ally so exempted but there has to be some reason for each of the others for Konoha to have a hostility with them. (I need that in the story even if it's not directly shown to be evident in canon)

@PraetorXyn :

Thanks.

True, there are a lot of plot holes. Even Tsunade having blonde hair is actually hard to explain using the genetic logic since she must have got it from the parent who wasn't a Senju. Except Tobirama who looked like an Albino, all of them had black or brown hair.

Now about Naruto, I think you're right. At the very start of the show they had created a big hype for the Fourth Hokage who was "the hero", so wanted his child to look more like him than his mom who didn't play a significant role anywhere. (ignoring the fact that he was able to perform his Multiple Shadow clone jutsu only thanks to his Uzumaki genes lmao). Also, I'm more fixated on the fact that how a no-name civilian somehow got his hands on, learnt and perfected the Second Hokage's Time-Space jutsu and none of it was explained.

You also hit the bullseye about the ball of sunshine part. It's exactly as Mitsuki says about Boruto being his sun or whatever.

Still after all of this, I would have to disagree on the part that it should have been red. Maybe it would've been scientifically logical to have him red hair but if Kishimoto had him have yellow then probably he saw it better this way. Who knows if the character might not look as appealing as we imagine him to be that way.

This is my personal opinion, though.

I understand where you're coming from since everyone has his own set of imagination which he or she feels is the best. Maybe you can write a story later with Naruto having red hair and many other things, and I will make sure to read it. :)

@TH1811 :

Hello there, I assume you're new to the story. I apologise about the grammatical errors in the initial chapters. I had a bad habit of doing those poor mistakes due to my use of social media a lot. Someone pointed that out in the earlier chapters and I've already done my best to keep it as literally and grammatically sound as possible. All other mistakes, if any which are being repeated, are welcome to be pointed out by anyone and I'll try my best to rectify them. Thanks.

@Guest user :

I need someone to bash. Better it be the imaginary civilian council than someone's favourite character.

Rest of the replies in next chapter.

Let's begin!

Chapter - 13

Our protagonist stood in the twilight of the evening in a dazed manner in a certain part of the village.

A look around and one could see that this was one of the most posh colonies that existed in Konoha.

Akaibara Avenue of the Hanabira District.

Yeah, the name sure sounded a lot like an elite colony would. (It better be, since I had to look up a lot for names in Japanese on the web to come up with it. :) )

Although these villas were nowhere comparable to the huge compounds that Shinobi clans were alloted, these were still far superior to the properties of even those of the prosperous upper stratum of civilians and shinobi alike.

It wasn't a place that he had ventured around much, since most of the luxurious villas and cottages were owned by the uppermost class civilians in Konoha. Who wants to be lectured by some rich ass stuck up bastard anyways who'd threaten to file complaints for trespassing for something as trivial as going over their roof.

Shinobi rarely ever earned this much amount of money in their lives solely legally by virtue of their official ninja duties. On the top of it, most of them continuously spent their fortunes on either saké or sex (paid, of course), since in the life of a shinobi, any day could be your last. Hence, there was little reason to save up much for retirement or basically any long term goals.

Coming right back on the situation, it was worth knowing how he'd got here in the first place. He obviously didn't have the chance to ask for the address beforehand.

The simple answer was the kunai that he was holding in his hands right now. It seemed to be magically (cuter word for magnetically, lol) attracted to this very place although very slightly, but Naruto could somehow sense the pull.

It was always in the same direction like the needle of a compass always looking for North. No matter what turns he took on the streets, he felt he knew where he needed to go. And he had only been able to do it once he had got his dilemma straightened out and became tranquil.

But first let's also see the little events that happened before he could reach here.

(Flashback)

Naruto was free falling as he had leaped from the Hokage monument. He always loved the feeling of weightlessness that came along while doing so, yet never dropped his guard whatever he was doing.

Courtesy of that, he had a gut feeling that he was being watched from afar. He quickly put the kunai back into his pocket at once, knowing that whoever was stalking him wouldn't be able to notice anything minor from that distance.

He landed on a tree top which was sturdy enough that it didn't crack no matter how many times he had landed on it. He jumped off the tree into the streets keeping up his usual calm face not wanting to alarm his follower that he had taken notice of him or her.

Another reason not to take the rooftops was that blending in a crowd was far more easier an option for stalking someone undetected, so it would give the opponent an advantage. That's exactly what Naruto was trying to do. Bait him in as close as possible, so that he could have more of a chance to analyse what was happening which wouldn't be possible if a considerable distance was maintained.

And it worked like a charm. He was a little more spooked though, as he realised that there wasn't just one. He could sense two presences on the rooftops behind him carefully treading ahead completely invisible to a normal person. Surely it wasn't Konohamaru, and safe to say they weren't ordinary ninjas either. They definitely had the know-how of attempting stealth missions.

A chill ran down his spine, but the suppressed smirk on his face told that it wasn't one of fear, but of excitement.

'Man, this wasn't on the menu today considering how much I have had on my plate. But again, it's an opportunity. I really need this adrenaline to blow off some steam. This is exhilarating.', Naruto thought. (Lol, Senku is that you?! xD)

He had been carefully sensing the movements of both the followers and got a good opening in their follow pattern. When he took a turn, one of them had to cross to the opposite side of the lane to keep an eye on him from both the sides. For a split second while jumping across, he wouldn't be able to conceal himself at all.

Naruto waited for the perfect opportunity as he took a sharp turn and almost immediately dropped something at the corner. The very next moment he acted as if he realised he dropped it and turned to pick it up. The one above him saw it but couldn't do anything to warn the other one. As the other one jumped across, Naruto saw him through his peripheral vision not showing in the slightest that he had seen anything. He picked it up and walked away.

In his mind though, he knew what he saw had confirmed the doubts.

'That uniform was no doubt ANBU. And I'm sure I'd know if Jiji had sent them. These might have been impostors but their skill is too good to be mistaken for not being one. How else would there be ANBU though-- Shit! I know. That bastard, what was his name……..yeah, Danzō. Jiji told me about his organisation. The Root.'

He kept on walking through the streets randomly as if taking a stroll.

'Both of them don't seem to have any sensory abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to rely so heavily on visual support. That's great. I can trick them easily once I find a deserted alley or something.'

He almost stopped walking once he realised though that they might be waiting for the same opportunity.

'Surely there won't be anything worth getting from me for that old militaristic hawk, except the Kyūbi. He's sent them to kidnap me. Jiji said that I should be wary of him, so he was probably worried about this scenario. This guy doesn't want me to be a Ninja. I can't even assume that they have orders to take me alive or not.'

"Well, I'll show him how I'm a better one than all of his goons combined.", he whispered slightly.

He took a sharp turn again and after going a few dozen metres gritted his teeth as he realised there was one more following him. He didn't realise it before because this one was blended in the crowd and had kept a good distance away from him. It was only since that one specific person had took the same turns multiple times as him.

'That one is a sensor, after all. He's been following me from a distance without having to keep an eye on me. After losing one of the kind today at Jiji's chamber, I didn't think he'd do the foolishness of doing the same thing again. But hey, maybe Danzō still doesn't know about it yet. A great opportunity to take two sensory ninja away from him in a single day.', he thought mentally smirking.

He prepared a plan to deal with all of them without creating a ruckus in the crowd where they could easily escape if the situation demanded. It was a cross bait (I don't think this word exists but I don't have any in mind either) as he wanted them to believe the same thing with him being the prey.

He found the perfect lane to slip into quickly. Fortunately, the crowd was thick so even if the sensor ninja would want to approach quickly, he'd have enough time to deal with the other two. He made sure not to run, lest the sensor would immediately ditch the civilian attire and approach him directly.

The enemies on the roof looked at each other and nodded in a signal to commence their operation.

Both of them jumped in opposite directions and landed directly in the line of Naruto's path blocking both ways. The lane was only wide enough to accomodate two persons crossing each other at once.

Naruto thought about acting scared and such initially, but decided against it since he was way too tired for that drama. These guys won't be going anywhere anyways when he was done with them.

In the twilight, visibility was quite low and further dropped in that narrow lane. That was the reason they couldn't see his scary grin that formed on his face.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you have been placed under arrest. Co-operate with us and we will not harm you.", the one in front of him spoke.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you. Any way you look at it, you are going to be pummeled under my fists because I sure am in a really bad mood because of you guys.", Naruto said.

"Target not compliant. We now have permission to use force.", the one in the back commented.

"Yeah yeah, in the name of self defence, I do too.", Naruto said nonchalantly.

"Do you have permission to use lethal force too, though?", he couldn't help but add.

Although the Root Shinobi didn't pay any heed to his words and prepared to attack him.

'Alive. Although, not necessarily unscathed, I guess.', he thought.

Before any one of the duo could make a move though, Naruto quickly weaved a few hand signs. The earth everted beneath both their feet and clamped around their legs.

"These petty tricks won't be able to save you.", the one in front of him said.

Naruto didn't pay any heed to them as he had already completed another set of hand signs.

Before the end moment, he produced two Kage Bunshin which ran towards both of them. Up until this point they were confident that it was not going to be any trouble to fend off against him.

But they sure we're surprised when a big gust of wind propelled the clones at them at high speed.

Fūton : Daitoppa (Wind Style : Great Breakthrough)

"He can use Doton as well as Fūton?!", both of them said.

As the clones pounced on them, they barely managed to hold them off given their good amount of strength.

Although, suddenly even more unexpectedly, the clones vanished. And before they could figure out anything else, a high speed jet of water, accelerated by the force of the Wind, hit their heads and they were knocked out cold in an instant.

Suiton : Suidan no Jutsu

Naruto could be seen standing midway looking at both of them with a bored look in his eye. Both of them didn't even had any time to comprehend what hit them.

"After all the talk about being Black Ops Commandos, ANBU always look like fodder to me. This wasn't fun at all.", he said nonchalantly.

As he said that, suddenly the face of an angry Yūgao blinked in his mind. 'Well, exceptions are always there.'

Meanwhile, the Sensor ninja was already on his way to the alley as he had already sensed some sort of a tussle happening there indicating there was no requirement to stay covered. He was back in his ANBU attire.

As he reached the edge of the roof of one of the buildings, he was shocked to see his two companions already defeated and the target was nowhere to be found.

"It's a failure. He ran away. I should report back to Danzō-sama. The target by now must be moving to alert the Hokage. Maybe I can intercept before he reaches the Hokage Towe--"

He stopped midway and jumped reflexively a few metres away as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

As he turned his head, Naruto could be seen waving and smiling at him.

"Well, if you wanted to meet me so desperately, you could have just asked.", he said.

He also looked at the ANBU more closely. Unlike the other two bulky men, this one seemed like a dwarf. His height was even shorter than Naruto himself.

Ignoring the possibility that this guy was suffering from Achondroplasia, the only other possibility was that this one was still just a child. Hell, he wasn't even at the age of a Genin. It looked like he was eight or nine years old at best.

Naruto felt a surge of anger directed towards Danzō as he hadn't even spared young children to turn into soldiers.

"How did you get behind me?", the boy asked as he thought, 'He didn't seem to be emitting any chakra. Is he a Sensor type too?'

Naruto just went into battle stance directly as he said, "I would have loved to answer all your questions. But I don't think you'll answer anything I ask. So let's not waste our energy and get down to it."

The boy wasn't the least bit scared but a little anxious as the events definitely didn't go according to plan. Now although he was superior in skill compared to the other men combined, he also didn't have any idea about Naruto's skills or how he managed to defeat both of them in less a matter of minutes.

Hoping to get the first attack so as to not give the opponent a chance to prepare, he pulled out his sword and prepared to sprint.

Although, before he could move beyond the first step, Naruto disappeared.

The Root ANBU was baffled as to what happened as he was suddenly pushed against the boundary wall of roof in a ninety degree angle and one of his hands was twisted and held across his back firmly. Naruto's other hand was keeping the boy's head with the cheek of the mask against the wall. (Kind of how criminal handcuffing is conducted by cops)

"Now, listen. What's your name, kid?", Naruto asked.

"You don't have to do this. You still have a long way ahead in life.", he added.

"Say something, damnit.", he forced.

Naruto remembered how the Hokage had explained it to him. 'Danzō always takes great measures to keep his secrets.'

"So Danzō doesn't even leave kids out of his deranged propagandas, does he? That damned lunatic.", he finished.

"Don't you utter a word about Danzō-sama if you can't even comprehend his greatness.", the boy retorted.

Naruto was surprised to get a reply but said, "Oh, so the word Danzō is the switch that is needed to turn your radio on."

"Lord Danzō is the only one who thinks of Konoha's welfare more than himself. Whatever is required to do to achieve that goal will be done, it doesn't matter what the cost is. You can't possibly understand it, so just shut up and obey what Lord Danzō has ordered if you think about your village.", he replied.

Naruto observed a little sign on the sleeve of the ANBU just above the ANBU tattoo while he was listening to him.

"Tsuchinoe, huh?", Naruto said.

The boy flinched ever so slightly surprised but that was enough for Naruto to confirm his doubts.

"So this beloved and respectable Lord Danzō of yours thinks about the well being of Konoha? Then tell me this, why is one of his own trusted subordinate's name designated as a number.", Naruto said.

(Tsuchinoe in Japanese means the number 5.)

The boy stopped resisting temporarily as he said, "I am merely a tool in fulfilling his goals. He can use me as he pleases and dispose of me whenever he sees it suitable. It is illogical to give a name when a number can suffice for most of us."

Naruto clenched his jaw in anger and subconsciously tightened his grip on the boy as he growled, "And that is exactly why Danzō can never be a true leader. He might think that he's serving Konoha but he's not. Konoha is not just a place, it is the people."

He used his right hand to channel Wind chakra to the mask that was kept on his face and consequentially it detached falling to the ground from the building.

Naruto had originally planned to look him into the eyes as he talked to him but was somewhat perplexed at the sight that he encountered.

The first thing he noted was that the violet hair were not a part of the ANBU mask Genjutsu which was sometimes used to hide identifiable features. Although some didn't prefer to use it, like Neko.

But the more important and surprising feature revealed was actually the face. The ANBU had a somewhat round face with quite smooth skin. The pattern of hair, the size of the eyes, the shape of the nose and the whole facial design was enough for someone with sufficient medical knowledge like Naruto to know that he had made a huge blunder in observing him.

Or more precisely, her.

"Wait, you're...a...girl?!", he just had to ask.

The ANBU replied with emotionless eyes, "And why does it matter what gender I belong to?"

"Of course it does. I would never voluntarily hit a girl unless I have no choice left.", Naruto said as he released his grip on the ANBU.

She would've normally taken the chance to try to escape but was too curious as to why he had suddenly let her free without any reason.

"I don't understand. I was taught that Kunoichi Seductions only work when the body is developed and I am not at this time. I won't give out any information. And I won't be of any other use to you. You could have easily killed me off.", she asked warily.

"Wh-what? You shouldn't be talking about things like that. I mean…..yeah you're a shinobi and whatever but still. Just……there is no specific reason. It is not in my character to hit girls or kill off anyone for that reason.", Naruto said a little flustered.

The ANBU had a neutral expression on her face, but it looked almost condescending.

"Huh, I assumed since you're skilled you must have an ulterior motive or a plan to deceive me. But it seems you're just a dumb fool. Danzō-sama is right to take you into custody, for you cannot be trusted not to become such a great threat to Konoha. Also,-- "

As she said this, she tried to run away in the middle of the conversation hoping that Naruto would be suddenly surprised.

But Naruto already expected that to occur. He moved at a breakneck speed (no pun intended) and cleanly delivered a karate chop to the back of her neck.

She was completely outmatched as she went limp and her vision turned black as she heard the words, "I'm sorry."

Naruto promised to himself that he'd surely change this once he becomes strong enough as he watched the child soldier that lay in front of him.

(Flashback over)

He had tied them up just in case, although they weren't waking up soon.

He delivered all of them into the Hokage Towers directly leaving a note for the ANBU Black Ops present there to deal with the situation. He also let them know he'll give the whole explanation later to the Hokage.

As soon as he did that, he left towards his original destination. Home.

And that's how he reached here.

Looking at the boundary of the villa, he just couldn't stop himself from being lost into it's simple yet elegant appearence as he walked alongside the walls looking for the entrance.

The walls were as high as fifteen to twenty feet, thus no civilian could even attempt to see what lied inside. The wall was dark-ish red in colour with the top border being yellow in contrast. The design was plain looking like bricks fitted in a horizontal manner.

To his awe, he had observed on the way that the estate that belonged to his parents was seemingly the largest one in the entire district.

How everyone just let it be there lying abandoned seemed too awkward now. When the Hokage had told him about the home, he had assumed it to be a regular sized flat in some apartment or something. Not a gigantic villa in the middle of the village, really.

He decided to check how it looked from outside, so he jumped as high as he could to get a good view.

Alas, he couldn't see a thing inside. The entire thing was covered in a Genjutsu which caused the vision to be altered easily. It was designed such that the light from one part of the boundary emerged through the exact opposite part. In a way, it was a see through glass except that it was spreading across a few acres of land or so.

Visibility was a no-no.

Still, he tried to walk up the wall and see if he could directly enter the estate. As expected, the barrier prevented anything or anyone to cross through. Even a fly couldn't get through. Naruto was in doubt if he should try it or not but decided to do it anyways.

He summoned a good amount of chakra in his fist and punched it straight onto the barrier. He was initially hoping for at least a crack to occur but was now thankful that it didn't as it would've definitely come from his bones rather than the barrier, if at all. It was just tough as hell.

'Now I get what Jiji was saying. This is some crazy stuff.', he thought.

Breaking in through force was a no-no too.

Well, he had to go the old fashioned way, after all.

He treaded through the streets quietly ignoring any passersby in his path. Finally, when he reached the entrance of the mansion, he was greatly relieved that at least it wasn't in plain sight.

The wall from one side caved in a little while the other one continued straight. This led to the formation of a little passage that led to the main entrance. He was also amazed at the fact that the walls around the entrance had beautiful carvings which were not seen at most of the boundary it formed.

He doubly made sure that no one was looking at him from around otherwise it'd raise suspicion. After confirmation, he entered the passage that supposedly led to the gate.

The walls slowly turned the passage towards the inside curving around smoothly. These walls too weren't left out from being painted and decorated beautifully with various types of engravings.

He was so involved in examining the walls that he completely forgot the passage had to be finished somewhere, and banged his head on something.

Glancing to look at what blocked his path, he looked towards and had to force his gaze upwards to scale the height of the structure that stood there, completely forgetting about rubbing his head halfway.

The entrance was huge.

Okay, maybe not that huge. But, compared to what one expects from the outside, it being in a narrow passage and all, it could definitely be said to be far bigger than what is imagined.

The reason was that the passage had widened little by little after taking a turn towards the inside and Naruto again was oblivious to it.

The gates that stood there were a perfect representation of what a mansion gates should have looked like, or better actually. Rising from the ends of the wall towards the top in the middle, as a whole it looked like a mountain peak.

Although being pitch black in colour, these were nowhere near dull looking. Whoever had done the designing of the gate was a genius, in art.

The etching was masterclass. With the various combinations of bright colours, it was looking so artistic even under the almost dark sky.

Although there was some issue with the layout. There didn't seem to be a bifurcation in between, and looked almost like a metal wall.

Realising that he was probably scrutinizing everything for some time now, he looked for a way to open it.

He had to look closely since there was no depression where he could fit the kunai.

'Why couldn't they just have picked a normal lock and key. But again, lock picking would be way too easier that way.', he thought.

He noticed that there was indeed a place in the engravings where it could fit. Not the whole kunai, but three cavities where the prongs could.

He took it out and looked at it if it would fit. Shrugging his shoulders, he inserted it inside the openings to see if something would happen.

Nothing did.

"Well that's odd.", he said to no one.

He tried to twist it around a few times and got lucky as it did unlock a space to put the whole kunai in an exactly fitting depression. He pushed it upwards and into the said concavity so formed.

"Aha, now it's done. Is it open?", he said as if asking the gate itself as he tried to push it.

Nothing happened.

"Aaaahhhhhh! Damn it! What do I have to do? Maybe leave an instruction manual next time you leave a key, Dad.", Naruto shouted exasperatedly.

Thinking about what he just said, he gave out a sigh. He slapped himself in the cheeks and told himself that the work in front needs more focus.

'Hmm, what else can be done here?', he thought examining the key.

He noticed the seals intricately marked on the handle of the kunai that slipped his mind before. The pattern started from the base of prongs and spiralled around in two directions making a double helix structure which ended at the base into the Uzumaki swirl.

"Well, seals are basically Fūinjutsu so they're made up of chakra. So maybe if I just…..", Naruto said placing a finger on the handle and infusing a little amount of chakra into it.

He didn't have to think much as the strands of the seals started joining together forming bands in between glowing red and yellow.

(A/N : Damn, I thought about this on the spot while writing. I guess double helix DNA structure is embedded into my mind, lol. Maybe I should try Chlorophyll next time, xD.)

Climactically, the kunai got lodged deeper and was covered with the metal. The golden-yellow light spread across horizontally in all directions incandescing all the various shades of casts into a radiant bright glow.

Suddenly, a mechanism seemed to be activated inside the door releasing a burst of air, which in turn………stirred up the dust?

"cough cough cough cough* "

Well, umm ……. that was anti-climactic.

But again, it must have been a long time since it had started functioning again.

Anyways, looking back at it, he saw that a bright red streak initiated vertically from the kunai and divided the wall like door into two halves. The door looked like a real work of art especially when it glowed in the dark.

Nothing much happened though afterwards, as an loud unlocking noise came from the door and it opened on the inside as the lights waned off.

"Umm……is it open?", he asked nobody.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and took the first step forward. When he found no resistance, he knew that the door had successfully opened.

The view inside was wondrous. The pathway was curved twice in the shape of an S and led directly to the mansion. It divided the front yard into a bigger and a smaller area. He walked slowly on the pathway looking around observing everything.

Surprisingly, the path started to light up. It was due to the small lights fitted at the edges at a regular distance possibly attached to some kind of mechanical sensors. Also, the door made a rumbling noise and shut by itself the moment he had started walking on the concrete path which was surrounded on both sides by grass.

He looked back and a chill ran down his spine. "Spooky!"

Nevertheless, he continued walking as the other lights had also automatically switched on around the front yard.

The front was quite pleasing to the eye. There was a beautiful fountain on the right side which was bigger in size. Two chairs were placed near the fountain alongwith a small table.

The left side was also covered with grass but on the edge there was a big tree whose canopy covered much of that side. A plain wooden outdoor swing was also seen placed under that tree.

"That tree wouldn't have been that big all those years ago I guess.", Naruto said smiling. Trees in Konoha do grow quite quicker than any other place. Maybe there was something special that the Shodaime did.

The only problem right now was the overgrowth of the grass over all these years, which made the view a little unappealing. It was the same with the flower beds on the periphery that seemed to be improperly growing in every direction without any flowers. Looking around the entrance, it was the same with the pots as all plants had wilted away. Rest of it, couldn't be better.

He reached the end of the path where the house entrance was situated. It was covered on the front by a big porch. There were also two narrow paths diverging towards both the sides of the mansion, which probably led to the backyard.

"Backyard, uhh…… I guess later.", he said as he walked to the door through the verandah.

As he stood in front of the lofty yet aesthetic wooden doors, he placed his hand on the middle. Yet he couldn't open it.

He was in a turbulence of emotions. Excitement, happiness, sadness, anxiety, etcetera etcetera. After all, it was a place of "what could have been" in his life.

A calm mind and a deep breath was all he needed to push through. And he did.

Gently pushing it forward, he opened the door. It was pitch black inside. However, as soon as he stepped through, the place lit up completely.

A bright golden yellow light flowed through the place illuminating it radiantly.

To say he was awestruck was an understatement. The interior was far more dazzling than the outside. There was a huge hall in front of him which connected to the first quite conspicuously via a set of stairs ascending curvilinearly on the right side.

Overall, on the first look, the place was completely themed upon wood. Not that it is said in a negative sense, because the woodwork was undeniably admirable.

Despite being given a vintage look, it radiated beauty and glamour. He moved forward slowly looking around. The most striking thing he noticed was that even after being shut for more than an entire decade, it looked like it was made yesterday.

"Those seals and barriers must be great as hell. I mean I can understand that termites don't feed on Konoha's tree wood for some reason, but to minimize the other wear and tear by cutting off external surroundings is plain awesome."

It was also evident as the settled dust on any of the articles was only marginally more than what one would encounter on any normal day in a household. Even the wind movement was blocked. It was like an airtight container.

On the other end, he could make out wooden framed glass doors, but it was too dark outside to see anything through them. In between, in the space that the huge hall contained, was a big seating arrangement. A few couches on all the sides of a table in the center.

He also found various doors on both the sides of the house and decided to check them out quickly before heading towards the backside.

The first door opened into a small living room, which by no means was small, but compared to the space he had just seen in the hall, it looked like that. It contained a bookshelf, sofas on both sides and a table. Simple enough.

"Why is this here? Maybe to meet someone or talk to them in private. After all, a Hokage must have confidential matters from all around."

The next one opened into a bathroom. Nothing to look for specifically here, except that it was quite spacious.

On the other side, was the kitchen. It was again, a classic eyeful. Except the slab made of marble, the entire furniture was wooden.

And lastly, there was a room adjacent to the kitchen. He didn't understand what it's purpose was. It might have been made to be a guest room considering it's big size and all. Or….it might be a room for a worker or servant to stay, since it didn't look as comparably fancy. Anyways, who cares now. There was just him, no one else.

Although he did want to check the backside a few minutes ago, he settled on exploring the inside since it was dark outside already. Therefore, he ascended the stairs and reached the first floor of the mansion.

"Hmm, I wonder what's around here. Maybe the bedrooms? But there's yet another floor above. Huh, I've never seen a house so big before, it's so confusing."

He walked around and the most conspicuous feature he found was the balcony which was quite huge in size and because it opened not in any room but into the floor hallway/corridor directly.

However, his primary focus shifted to something else. A door at the end of the vision looked quite different from all the others. It gave a more distinct sort of vibe. Like if it was calling him. And before he knew, his hand was on the handle to unlock it.

As he opened the door, he wondered for a moment if he should have done that or not. It revealed a large master bedroom. There was a nice double bed, a couch, a wardrobe, a small table, a large window and even an attached bathroom.

One more piece of furniture that actually caught the his eye mainly though, was a crib. It was placed near the edge of the wall that was closer to the bed, which was the one along which Naruto was standing.

There was no doubt left that it was the bedroom that belonged to his parents. It was decorated just before the day of his birth to welcome his arrival.

As he moved inside the room, he felt his heart getting heavier. He wanted to get outside of this place and calm down first. But deep down he also knew, that he won't be able to gather the courage to step inside once again if he chose to run away from here now.

He slid his plam across every article that was there in the room, as if it would give him a vague feeling of his parents. Once again, in the periphery of his vision, he saw the cradle.

As he walked closer, he observed that the crib was quite bigger than what he originally thought. It was made of pure sturdy wood. Inside, there was a neatly made white bedsheet over a soft mattress and a small pillow.

Moving on the side of the wall, he sat down slightly taking the support of the top edge of the crib and held it tightly with both his arms on the side.

The palms could be seen trembling as they tried not to lose the grip while that was just what was happening to him in the inside. It was a situation where he didn't know what to think, let alone be calm. There was such a big whirlpool of emotions like always that it just couldn't be controlled.

He lifted his head slightly upwards while his eyes were closed. He had a good guess what was there as he had seen two frames hanging above the crib.

As he opened his eyes, for the first time, even if miniscule, at least a little of his anxiety had been replaced by happiness. The vision he saw had been blurred almost as soon as it had flashed in front of him.

True enough, he was unable to control his tears from flowing freely as he had encountered the faces of his late parents right in front of him.

In some time, as some of his vision returned, there was no movement in it as his eyes were fixated on the pictures the whole time.

He looked at the image of his father on the left first. There was no significant difference from the one he had seen in the Hokage office, except the lack of flak jacket and Hokage robes. The same light blue shade in his eyes, with the bright yellow locks of hair similar to his own falling down around both sides of his face. Hell, he'd go as far as to say it almost looked exactly like the Hokage Monument, plus a small smile. It was the same seriousness in his eyes, the same expression of his face and wearing the pride worthy of the title of the Hokage.

Turning to the right, he saw the image of a young lady. Without a second guess, he could easily ascertain that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. She was wearing a high collared blue coloured sleeveless blouse under a long loose fitting dress. She was also quite fair skinned compared to his own which he figured he probably got from his father. But the deep violent colour of her eyes combined with the crimson shade of hair clipped on one side, falling down even below the bottom edge of the frame were the traits that truly added to her beauty. Add on to that the happiest looking mischievous smile she was wearing, it was indisputably clear where from his lineage had had got his personality from.

Right now, he tried to smile focusing on the positive side that he had seen until now. Negative feelings come out quite more naturally in comparison, hence the need to keep them in control. Anger, frustration, sadness, depression, and maybe guilt? The fact that he still contained the monstrosity that was the root cause of everything that occured. No matter how much one tries to get rid of all of them, they just can't be erased completely for long. That is human nature, after all.

He lifted up his hand and brushed it against the frame that contained his mother's image.

"Mom, Dad. I wish I had a chance to meet you. At least once in my life. I just……wanted to…..talk to….you guys……once…..just once……"

He couldn't say any further as his voice cracked and he couldn't stay upright without clinging on to support as he clenched as his left hand around the crib tightly while his right one rested on the frame.

Although, to be a little more precise, his hand unknowingly pressed upon the frame. To his surprise, a mild click sound was heard and as he looked, an envelope dropped down from behind the frame hanging by a red tape.

He blinked twice, a little fazed at the unanticipated event.

The envelope was tied at one side with the same ribbon from which it was hanging and a flower was made out of on the front.

He pulled the ribbon downwards and it easily detached letting the envelope in his hands. On the front was written,

"To our dearest son, Naruto"

Looking at the face of his mother again, he understood the hidden reason of her mischievous smile in a way. He couldn't help but curve his lips ever so slightly in response.

He suddenly looked at the other frame on the left as he had a feeling there was another one having exactly the same diction on the front as this one.

He gently pressed that frame but nothing happened. Looking at the right one at a glance, he did it again but instead applied force on the upper part.

Apparently, it was the correct way to go about it as the frame inclined slightly outwards from the bottom and a similar envelope hung down albeit with a yellow tape.

There was no flower here, just plainly wrapped around near the edges on two sides. He pulled down the envelope in his hands and read what was written.

As predicted, it was the exact same wordings. Although there was a considerably enough visible difference in the handwriting.

His father's handwriting was, so to say, average. Evenly spaced letters, small in size, just clear enough to be understood. It was without a doubt used only for formal business-like purposes rather than a handwriting competition, lol.

In contrast, his mother's handwriting was just like almost any other female. _Super amazing. Beautiful, cursive and easily better than any handwriting he had seen until now. Seems like girls just have a knack of getting it good.

His own was somewhere between the two, on present day. It wasn't as great as his mom, but definitely more pleasing to the eye tha his dad's. All credit to Tsunade though, as she had made Shizune have him strictly practice initially on his previous inscrutable mess which appeared like an entirely different script altogether.

He looked at the letters and then oscillated between looking at the cradle and the picture frames.

"You guys knew I'd realise that you were watching me all this time in a way. Although, it was purely a coincidence by chance. A hint or two would've been better. Or I would have grown old without ever getting these things.", he said chuckling to nobody.

He sat down in the cramped space between the wall and the crib taking the support of the latter at the back. The letter tied in red was put aside for once and put gently on the crib while he held the other one in his hand.

"Let's see what you have to say, Dad."

(opens the letter)

Dear Naruto,

You must have already realised who has written this letter by now. But you may or may not know what is the purpose of writing it. If you're reading this though, then it means that this letter did serve it's purpose.

It is precisely intended to be useful only in the worst case scenario and apparently it has come to be. I am writing this at the time when the day of your birth is approaching soon.

First of all, I should say that I am very much proud of you. I had written to the Sandaime to allow you to be here only if he judges you worthy enough. And I have complete faith in his judgement. You must have become a fine man.

You must probably already know that your mother is the Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox Spirit. Consequently, your birth will also be quite a dicey event. Regardless, at the same time, I can't seem to be patient enough to wait to see my son's face. The excitement is apparently contagious, coming from your mom.

Now I certainly can't know how many years from now you would be getting this, but nothing else matters since you are here now.

I can't say anything except completely apologize to leave you to your own so soon in your life. I know that it would never be enough but this is all I can do. It pains me to write this even now in anticipation and I had wished that you never had to open this letter. Still, we can do nothing else except believe that whatever destiny has planned is for the best of all.

You must be angry at us all this time to leave you all alone like this. And I'm sorry about that once again. But what's done is done. I am asking you to move on, and do great things in life.

To aid you as far as I can, I am leaving certain things to make sure you have enough resources on your hand as much as I can provide you.

Materialistically speaking, whatever I have built and saved is all for you. You may do whatever you please of this place and all it's valuables and paraphernalia. But I know that you're capable of acquiring all these things on your own, so I don't see any need to emphasize on this issue.

More importantly, I have something much more important to entrust to you. Something that no one else possesses. Something that It's everything that I had devoted my life to. My speciality. My legacy.

Hiraishin no Jutsu.

Yes, you must already know about it. You could say, quite frankly, it became my "claim to fame". It is a very sophisticated type of Fūinjutsu devised by the Nidaime Hokage himself. I gained a good amount of interest in Fūinjutsu early on and your mother's help was something which I couldn't do it without.

I aim to pass the knowledge on to you when the day comes myself. But again, since you're reading this, it will never happen. Hence, I must also make arrangements to have you learn it all by yourself.

This jutsu, Naruto, is a very deadly technique and it could very well lead to the disruption of peace of the entire shinobi world if it fell into the wrong hands. Therefore, I must warn you that once the truth is revealed, every single enemy of mine more will be convinced to either acquire it from you through any means or to exact revenge due to my relation to you, for I have made numerous foes along my line of duty.

I can't imagine what you've been through or what has happened, so it would be entirely wrong of me to put any expectations on your shoulders. Still, I believe that the choice should be yours in the end.

All I can say is that with great power comes great responsibility. So choose wisely.

Should you decide to take up the name of Namikaze, I have left a key to my library along with the directions to look for what you seek there enclosed within this envelope. That place also contains a few more things that could be useful to you in the future.

It is my wish that you do it, for you are the only son I have in this world. I was wrong though about one thing just now. The jutsu isn't my legacy. You are. You are my pride, son. I have no doubt in saying that you'll have a bright future ahead of you. Cherish your friends and comrades, and become strong enough to protect them from the evils that lurk within this world.

Wishing you good luck and leaving everything else to you.

Give my regards to the Sandaime and the old pervert, whenever you meet him.

Yours truly,

Minato Namikaze

Naruto read the letter in less than a minute due to the excitement and curiosity the first time. He released his breath which he didn't know he was holding until now.

Calming down a little, he read the letter multiple times slowly and carefully. He sighed in the end.

"Written like a Hokage all right. Looks like a formal apology letter with a bit of business deal proposal under it. Not once he talked about anything random or not useful."

As he said this, his lips curved widely into a genuine smile.

"Precise and directly on the point. I guess that's how dads are supposed to be like, huh. Don't worry, Tou-san. I've decided that I will make you proud one day."

As he was about to fold back the letter, he saw that something was also written on the other side at one end.

"Huh, weird. I thought he had completed it with the complementary close being there.", he said as he flipped the letter.

The handwriting was way worse than before and it wasn't even directly decipherable. But it looked like it was because it was written in a rush.

He focused hard enough and it started making some sense to him. The first thing he saw was the date written at the start. He froze as he recognised that date to be the same as his birthday. It was written on the same day he was born. Or that his father died.

He looked at the title and reconfirmed his doubts.

Kyūbi attack

Naruto, the attack is not a natural calamity. It is orchestrated by a one eye masked individual who may or may not be working alone. He possesses the Sharingan in his right eye and is going to control the Kyūbi with his ability. He held you hostage by killing the Sandaime's wife and thus I couldn't protect your mother while he extracted the Kyūbi. I am currently watching you being held lovingly in your mother's arms who is living her last moments. And I am sorry to say but these will be my last moments too. That masked man will be back someday and somebody will have to stop him. I entrust this to you, my son. Knowing it will only make your life even harder, I am still going to seal the power of the Demon Fox into you, so that you grow up to control it one day. That is the only way to fight that man. Apologies, my son, but it can't be helped. You have to take the responsibility, no one else can. You are the hero of the village. I would have liked to write more, but with each passing second, it is becoming difficult for everyone to control the situation. And I must carry out my duty as the Hokage. Sayonara. Love, Dad.

He kept staring at the letter as multiple things kept coming together in his mind.

"What the hell. I don't want to believe this, but it all makes sense now. How and why everything occurred. And why dad didn't show up to fight the Kyūbi until late. He must've been engaged in a fight by the masked man. Kyūbi didn't kill the Sandaime's wife, oh Kami, that man did.", he said.

"That damned bastard! Now I know what the Kyūbi was talking about. He didn't attack the village, he was made to do it by putting a Genjutsu with the Sharingan."

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. With a newfound determination, he said, "I'm not gonna lie down, you masked bastard. I will train hard for the day that our paths cross again. Just you wait until we meet, I will make sure to rip you to shreds."

He took a few deep breaths to calm down, lightly pushed the letter back into the same envelope and dropped it on the cot. He picked up the other nicely decorated envelope into his hand.

It looked like he was finally going to encounter the highlight of the day. Although this day will sure be etched in his memory as a lot had happened starting from a yawning leisurely morning to an entirely different evening, this was something he'd been waiting and wondering ultimately for years. Not literally this, but yeah, something like this.

After having read the letter to the Sandaime that his father wrote, he had subconsciously known that the pattern was going to be more or less similar.

The guy was his dad, but the Hokage too. And the Hokage are wise men. Wise men don't speak much, after all.

However, he had only seen as much as only an image of his mother just minutes ago. Other than that, he knew almost next to nothing about his mother. It sure was exciting as well as nerve wracking to know what his mother had left for him.

He opened it and pulled the letter out. To his extreme delight, it was quite longer compared to the previous one. And much more easily readable. Actually much better than just readable, it was a beauty.

My dear lovely Naruto,

This is your Kaa-san here. I would like to clarify some things in the beginning. This is going to be long as hell so get some popcorn ready beforehand.

Naruto chuckled just by reading this, somehow knowing that it was going to be quite interesting as he progressed.

Also, I absolutely hate this idea of writing a letter like this because I don't even want to imagine myself anywhere except with you my whole life. But your Tou-san insists that I do this for the worst case scenario since it will be the only way I can convey my feelings to you. And knowing that I host one of, if not the most dangerous creature in the world, I think it's fair enough. And since it has come to the part that you're reading this, your dad was right after all.

So, I don't even know where to start. You are kicking around in my womb as I write this thing, as if you want to talk to me right now. And I find that so cuuuuuute.

Although this is the very purpose of this letter, I still need to say that I will say everything keeping in mind that I could never meet you. And I also emphasize that my wish is that it can burn in hell or be fed to termites for all I care. I'm not letting go of my precious Naru-chan ever.

I wonder how you'll look like. More like Tou-san or Kaa-san? What colour of hair will you have? What kind of eyes will you have? Oh, I can't wait to meet you Naruto, I'm so excited. I hope we meet soon.

Maybe I'll see you at least after you are born. But I didn't see you growing up. And that is my greatest regret.

I want so much to watch you become a fine young man. I wonder what will be your first words.

Your favourite colour.

Your favourite book.

Your favourite food.

Your best friend.

Your first love.

Your wife. My grandkids.

Hehe, I guess I'm getting too ahead of myself. Still, I would have wanted so much to see, so much to learn, so much to experience. It's amazing how I'm almost at tears just thinking about a mere possibility.

Coincidentally, your kicking has stopped. It's almost as you felt my sadness and reacted to soothe me down.

To continue, here are some advices to you :

Always remember to stay cautious of these three things - Money, Alcohol and Women.

Money is always a great resource to have. But it can corrupt the minds of even the best. Greed is a very powerful persuasive factor in pushing a person the wrong way. Always keep money in your hands but never let it get to you.

Alcohol is strictly forbidden until you're an adult. Even then, keep it in moderation. I have seen lots of people succumb to it's addiction and die meaningless deaths. If possible, avoid getting in the mess altogether.

Women are the most dangerous out of all three. Be highly aware! Not only can they keep you enchanted, unlike money or alcohol, they have their own minds and carry their own interests. You might be able to detach from the addiction of money and alcohol for once, but if you get involved with a girl who doesn't love you, it will be disastrous. I'm telling you this because I've seen many of them. Hopefully, you get someone exactly like your Kaa-san who will always love you. :)

You also ought to have friends who you can trust your life with. Make a lot of friends but choose them wisely. Even if you don't have a lot, cherish those limited number of people who put their trust in you. These are the people that will make your life worth living.

I'm telling you this because you must have been alone for so long. You couldn't get your father's love, your mother's love. I wasn't there with you. Only your friends can help fill up the loneliness that lingers inside you, trust me.

Hopefully, Sandaime-sama will be there to take care of you. Listen to him and don't get mischievous. Sometimes, it's okay to be like that though. Behave well.

Also, you must absolutely don't get the bad habits from that old pervert teacher of your father. Learn the good qualities from him, nevertheless.

Look at me, getting all emotional even if nothing has happened. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones. Be that as it may, I also have something to tell you somewhat similar to what your Tou-san did. And before you might think about that, no. No, I never read what he wrote for you but I am positive he did include this. I know him at least that much.

You must have known by now my full name, and that I belong to a distant clan from the Land of Whirlpools. I am the last living member of the entire clan in Konoha alongwith you. And now that I am no more, you are.

I had decided long ago not to involve myself with the clan and live a normal life with a family. And I am happy about that decision to this date. After all, how would I be able to spend time with you as a mother? Your dad has taken up the duty of being the Hokage and I can only hope that he would be able to spend time with us as well. He tries his best, though most of his time is spent in his study.

Now, I am categorically stating that you keep it clear in your mind that you absolutely don't have to be taking any responsibility regarding the Uzumaki. It is perfectly normal to want to live a normal life just like any other person. But feeling you all excited here inside me, I can say that you will definitely be a restless enthusiastic person just like me.

The choice is yours, Naruto. I have kept whatever you will need beneath the surface. Should you wish to go for it, I hope you can find the pathway there. It's not that tough, however. Call it a small test to see how good a prankster you are. ;)

I know I said that this was going to be long, and I do have so much to talk with you. But this is all I can convey for now. I hope the day you read this never comes.

To reiterate, I also have to say that you surely don't have to listen to anything your dad or I say for that matter. It is your own life, live it to the fullest. Do what you wish, give it your all.

More importantly than being successful, be happy. That is all I wish for.

I love you and always will.

Your loving Kaa-san,

Kushina Uzumaki

There was no rush this time around. He had read it all so slowly. Engrossing all concentration in the letter, he even had lost track of time.

When it ended, he felt no need to read it again. Rather, he wouldn't have been able to even if he tried. You may ask why is that so.

The reason was that he was already in tears halfway through. And by the time he finished reading the letter, his face was all wet.

"Damn it, why did you have to leave me so soon? I wanted to talk to you so much too. So much…….there was so much to say, so much to laugh about, so much fun to have."

He kept on crying continuously for a long time thinking about various things that could have been.

And as he got tired, without moving an inch from his position, some time in the middle of the night, he fell into deep slumber.

It's NOT over. Move on to the next chapter right now! Yeah!