Senju-Uzumaki mansion. Training yard. Half a year after the dinner.
This year's snow fell early in this year, and by the time of beginning of December, Land of Fire was already covered in a white blanket, with children playing the snowball fights all over the Village, with their parents watching over their overjoyed children. However, not every parent was just watching this day, and not ever child was enjoying the game of snowball. Some, like Naruto right now, was in the middle of an intense fight with his Sensei, Tomoe, with him trying to move to her left and strike at Tomoe with his foot. His sensei didn't waste time and dodged his attack with theatrical ease, as she moved away from him, shifting the snow underneath her feet.
Though the temperature was well beneath the minus, with Tomoe and Naruto being dressed appropriately to withstand the cold, that didn't mean a break in Naruto's training. If anything, this presented a perfect opportunity for Tomoe to hammer into her trainee basics of fighting in winter, when cold bites your skin and face, and when ground beneath becomes and obstacle for your movements. A Shinobi needed to be prepared to fight in every possible terrain and in all weather conditions, and even if Naruto wasn't going to be a Shinobi at heart, learning how to at least act like one was imperative. Plus, Naruto also happened to have learned a couple of new moves that might actually allow him to get an upper hand over Tomoe, and finally get that damn bell!
The master and apprentice locked their eyes with each other, moving in a circular motion, maintaining opposite directions and same distance, waiting for one of them to make a move. Both of them practically dragged their feet just millimeters over the ground, a trick that Tomoe picked up from observing and learning Samurai techniques and tactics. This allowed the warrior to quickly go into a fighting stance, with solid ground beneath and a minimized risk of being forced onto the ground. She taught this trick to Naruto the first month they've started training, and he took that lesson to heart.
Using the seeming stalemate to regain his breath and evaluate his options, Naruto began to come up with a plan to get close to Tomoe and take the bell. Just as they were starting to make the second round in their movements, Tomoe saw how Naruto's hand dived into his pocket, quickly grasping and drawing out two small kunai with papers attached to them. She instantly recognized his flashbang papers, guessing that he has decided to try the method of disorientating her and getting in close. Classic, but something she already had a few ways of countering. Just as Naruto threw them at her, Tomoe's two shuriken hit them both, stopping them in the air and, since both of them were near Naruto, he will have to experience the full effect.
Shielding her eyes and jumping a few meters away from him just as she threw those shuriken, Tomoe was a witness to the two papers going off and creating a loud bang, along with a small smokescreen, which was something new. Apparently, Naruto had modified them and thought they might give him the advantage, but not this time. Smoke dissipated in a few seconds, allowing Tomoe to look at the place of impact… Only to find that there was no one, which surprised her a little.
"He must've known that I would use shuriken to stop those kunai, that's why he attached those new papers of his. Clever, creating a distraction to gain a window of opportunity for a surprise attack by purposefully making a mistake." Tomoe thought to herself, before starting to think as to where she could expect the attack from him. "Hm, there are two trees, both large enough for him to get on to, but since there are no leaves, they limit his options for hiding to just behind the trunks…"
With that thought in mind, Tomoe produced from her sleeves 8 more shuriken and sent them flying away in a consecutive fashion. Calculating the force of wind, her own throw and trajectory of their landing, she managed to space them in a way that would leave Naruto no chance to dodge them, without coming out from behind either of the tree. A second later, and all of shuriken struck where she aimed them to be, yet Naruto didn't appear, which made Tomoe suspicious. By her estimation, she should've forced him already out of hiding, but since he didn't show up, it meant that he wasn't there. Then where was he?
It was in that next instant when Tomoe heard a small shuffle behind her, making her turn around and look at the source of that sound. All she found was nothing more than a simple squirrel, picking up a nut from the ground, before stopping and looking at her in fear. Tomoe blinked a couple of times, before letting out a sigh and turning back, allowing the rodent to continue its activity… until she caught without looking by its tail, when it tried to grab the bell off of her belt. Tomoe turned around and took a closer look at the squirrel, before shaking violently a couple of time, before forcing it to transform back into Naruto, who was seemingly dizzy from it. Tomoe smirked a little at that one.
"Oh, not a bad move, Naruto. Definitely inventive and good one, but a good Shinobi uses all of their senses in their work, which includes smelling." Tomoe reminded Naruto of that, who nodded to her, still being kept by the collar above the ground. "Now, when did you learn Transformation Jutsu? I don't remember teaching it to you just yet." Tomoe asked curiously.
"Some time after our last test, Sensei. You did encourage me to study as much as I could and learn more skills when I have the opportunity. And so I did learn some new tricks, like this one." And then Naruto popped right in front of her, leaving Tomoe completely shocked at what she just witnessed.
"Was that… Did that kid just pull a Shadow Clone on me?! With Transformation too boot? When and how did he learn it? Do Kushina and Minato just leave scrolls and manuals on these kinds of Jutsu lying around in their house for him to pick them up?" Tomoe mentally asked herself, coming in terms with the fact that her student just pulled off a D-rank Ninjutsu on her, and a B-rank Ninjutsu at the same time!
Her musings had come to an abrupt end, when Tomoe suddenly found herself as a target of three Chakra Chains, coming out from under the ground and instantly starting to wrap around her. Only her trained instincts had kept Tomoe from getting her arms wrapped around them, but her torso and legs got entangled in the golden chains. Just as it happened, Tomoe found herself in the shadow of Naruto, who was trying to strike at her from a top the tree, leaping onto her. Quickly organizing herself, Tomoe threw her fist at the coming Naruto, hitting him in the arms that he put in a shielding manner in front of him, until he also popped, revealing a log in his place. Now Tomoe was starting to guess that her student had upped his game by a considerable margin and decided to do so as well, as she performed a one handed seal.
"Earth Style: Ground Quake." The instant she slammed her palm into the ground, it quaked and shuddered, with the chains dissipating and a popping sound being heard beneath her.
"Okay, I am officially impressed." Tomoe mentally admitted, before she used her sense of hearing to hear when Naruto was, finding that he was hiding behind one of the trees this time, as she heard his heavy breathing.
Next second, and two pairs of shuriken, both connected by a wire, flew from Tomoe, with the wire in between those shuriken hitting the tree and making the starts make several turns, further wrapping Naruto in them. Once it was done, she casually walked to where he was, not even struggling to get out from the wires, as he was way too tired at this point, catching his breath. She looked at him with a smirk on her face, before she pulled out a kunai and cut the wire, letting him go free. Naruto leaned against the tree to catch his breath.
"Was I even close this time around, Sensei?" Naruto asked her, as he was letting out steam from his mouth.
"Closer than all previous times combined, Naruto." She stated to him with pride evident in her voice, as she produced a flask from her coat, giving it to Naruto, who looked with confusion. "Hot tea, will help to warm up and regain your stamina. Come on, we are done for today." She told him, as they've stepped towards the mansion, both stepping in and shedding their warm cloths.
Naruto gulped down his throat some of that tea that Tomoe gave him, before undressing and falling into the chair, while Tomoe took her on the sofa next to Naruto. Once he seemed to have regained his breath, Tomoe decided to get to the point.
"So, Naruto, care to answer the question I asked you earlier?" She reminded him, with Naruto nodding to her.
"After our last bell fight, I've decided to look into more conventional Jutsu and find out anything that I could use in the future. And so I've found manuals and scrolls in the library that had detailed description of Jutsu in them. From them, I learned how to do Transformation, Substitution and Headhunted Jutsu." Naruto explained to Tomoe, who nodded to him.
"But not Clone and Shadow Clone Jutsu…" She pointed out to him, with Naruto letting out a sigh. "Naruto, Shadow Clone Jutsu isn't something that can just be found in a scroll or in a manual for Shinobi. That's a B-rank Ninjutsu that is considered restricted for learning for anyone that isn't a Chuunin rank or level of chakra and skill, not to mention that most often it is taught by a Jonin to another Shinobi. And you've managed to pull that off at 6 years old, creating 2 Shadow Clones of roughly equal power, and capable of pulling off impressive Jutsu. That underground one was capable of holding me for quite a while, from what I can discern. That is both very impressive and very concerning for me as your Sensei. Where and how did you learn Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto?"
"Okay, I did find a manual with the Clone Jutsu in it and how to make it, but every time I tried to pull it off I just couldn't get it work." Naruto stated to Tomoe, who was kinda confused. "I mean, I understood the theory, how to focus chakra, what signs and in what succession should I make them, but every time I got to making Clones, they always came off wrong and incapable of even moving. I thought at first I was doing it wrong, so I decided to go back and see if I was making a mistake, but I wasn't, at least it wasn't a technical mistake, rather a problem in amount of power put in."
"Amount of power? But you are an Uzumaki, with some of the largest chakra reserves… Oh, that's where you've hit the wall with Clone Jutsu, didn't you?" Naruto nodded to her. "That Jutsu is only ever useful for confusing idiots or anybody who hasn't seen a Shinobi, but even a half-wit can figure out where the real one. Though it does surprise me why they still teach it in the Academy. Anyway, and that's when you've started to look for an alternative, like Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"Actually, I thought about looking for something else, until I happened to observe another one of Natsu and Narumi's training sessions. During that training, mother used Shadow Clone Jutsu to test them out in sparring, using her Clone to fight Narumi. After the test, Natsu convinced her on explaining how to make Shadow Clones, and I listened to it as well." Naruto told to Tomoe, who nodded to him. "She didn't explain all the details, like how to divide Chakra in needed portions, mostly making it seem like she was very cool or something. Well, after that I spent a couple of hours thinking about all of that I heard and trying to figure out how to make one. It took two more days to figure out how to divide my chakra and make stable Clones, and then I trained on how to measure the amount of chakra for each of the clone, giving one more and the other less, like I did today."
"Wait… You mean to tell me that you've figured out how to make a fully functioning Shadow Clone… after hearing a half-hearted explanation from Kushina and two days of brainstorming it?" Tomoe looked at him with a surprised look.
"Well, it did take quite a bit of trial and practice, but in essence, yeah." Naruto stated to Tomoe, who blinked at him. "I mean, after I understood how to do it, all that I need to do was figure out how to put theory into practice."
"And you did it, along with essentially completing all the needed requirements for becoming a Genin in our Village." Tomoe informed Naruto, who was surprised at that one. "Naruto, I can count on my hand the number of people that learned this set of skills as early as you did, and graduated the Academy in the same or close age. Itachi Uchiha is the most recent person to do so, with Kakashi also being one to do the same, but none of them knew how to make a Shadow Clone, much less use it effectively in battle. Whether it's your personal talent or that deities' chakra that you have in you, but the more I train you, the more I start to think that you might actually surpass everyone who came before you as a Shinobi. By the time you get to graduation of Academy, you might end up as strong as Madara Uchiha."
"Good thing that I don't plan on becoming as cold-hearted as he was, according to history." Naruto remarked, with Tomoe shaking her head.
"Don't believe everything that you read in the books, especially ones that cover important people and events surrounding them, Naruto." Tomoe advised him, gaining his interest. "Madara wasn't as cold-blooded and heartless as the history decided to portray him for the future generations. Mito often told me that while Madara wasn't as idealistic and hopeful as Hashirama, he did cherish this village and its people. He and Hashirama had different ideas in regards to keeping peace and stability between the Villages, with Madara advocating for more control over the other Villages and Clans through force, whereas Hashirama believed that cooperation, friendship and trust can bring all of them together. In the end, however, it was Hashirama's vision that won out in gaining support among the populace, and Madara had to agree to cooperate, and so he did."
"But he betrayed the Village, tried to have it destroyed when he took control over Kurama and he and Hashirama did clash. What really caused their fight?" Naruto asked of Tomoe.
"While it is true that Madara and Hashirama believed in different ways of achieving peace, they did share loyalty for the Village, at least until tragedy struck. As you remember, Madara all of his family during the war between Uchiha and Senju, and the pain of that didn't go away. But, while he didn't have his brother Izuna, he did have people that were very special to him, his wife Tomoe and daughter Yumiko." Tomoe revealed to Naruto, who looked at her with surprised eyes.
"You were named after Madara's wife? Was she as great Shinobi as you are?" Naruto asked with interest, with Tomoe chuckling at that.
"I personally wouldn't know, but Mito told me that my namesake was every bit as formidable a warrior as she was a caring mother and wife to her daughter and husband. The two were very close friends, with Mito often speaking about her with only the warmest of words. Mito was so close with her, that Tomoe even convinced Madara to have her made Yumiko's godmother." Tomoe continued. "All seemed to be going well, until an envoys from Iwagakure that came to Village to continue negotiations with Lord Hokage, had tried to assassinate Madara during peace talks. They failed, but in their attack, they did kill Tomoe, who defended her own little daughter with her own body. The death of his wife at the supposed peace talks was the breaking point for Madara."
"What happened next?" Naruto asked.
"He demanded from Hashirama that he declare war on Iwa and make them pay, but Iwagakure denied being a part of that plot, as well as claiming that Madara was the one to blame for their actions, since he essentially forced Iwa to sign the peace treaty with Konoha with the threat of destroying their village if they didn't. Hashirama and Council, along with even majority of Uchiha Clan, decided not to pursue warpath and after that, there was no return for Madara." Tomoe continued on. "Right before he left the Village, he came to this very place, with his infant daughter in arms, to see Mito. She told me that at the moment when he handed her Yumiko, she could see how he was giving her his last vestige of humanity. Along with that, he handed Mito this." Tomoe stood up, walking towards a cabinet that was in the room.
She opened up the door and took from there a small box, before returning to her seat. Once seated, she placed the box on the table and opened it up, revealing the contents of it. Naruto looked with curiosity, widening his eyes when he saw Tomoe pull of out of the box what could be considered to be a relic of this Village.
"Madara Uchiha's headband. He left it with Mito Uzumaki and his daughter?" Tomoe nodded to Naruto, who held it in her hands.
"She told me that with this, he abandoned the dream of Hashirama, and embarked on his path of destruction, as the following events would have you believe." Tomoe told with a somber tone. "All he asked of Mito is to look after his daughter and raise her in a way that she would never be forced to succumb to the Curse of Hatred like her father did. After that he left the Village and the rest… The rest is history."
"What is the Curse of Hatred? Is this some kind of curse, like the one that Akagi or Kaga can cast?" Naruto was curious, with Tomoe shook her head.
"No, Naruto. We may not look like it, but the Uchiha are deeply affectional and emotional people, who cherish the bonds we create over the life. Strong emotions and passions, like love, friendship, joy, but also anger, pride and fear are key aspects to awakening our power, Sharingan. For an Uchiha, there is nothing more valuable that his bellowed friends and family, since it gives him strength to go on and fight for them." Tomoe told Naruto, as she looked down on the headband. "However, when you take away from the Uchiha what they value the most, just rip it away from him, then he will be left with nothing more than pain, despair and loss. And after that, when all you have loved and cherished gets taken away from you, all you can think of is making those that did it to you pay. Instead of love comes hatred, and like a bottomless sea, it consumes you. You drown in it, let rage and fury consume you, pushing away all that once made you human and gave you joy in life, with the memories of your loved ones now serving as the source of your endless rage. That is the Curse of Hatred, Naruto…"
"Sensei…"
"Madara fell to it twice, first when he lost his brother in war with Senju, and the second time when his wife was taken away from him. Mito did fulfill the promise she made to her old friend, and Yumiko never got to know the horrors that Curse of Hatred brought to a person… But her daughter didn't escape it." Tomoe said with a cracking voice, a tear falling on to the headband. "It consumed her just like it did with her grandfather, after she too lost the most precious person to her in all world. When her son, a small bundle of life and joy, that was only two and a half months old, had passed away, taken from her by some unknown force of nature or an ill intent. The only thing that matter to her in this cruel and unforgiven world, her little son, who wasn't even allowed to grow up… W-was taken from her, and in place of all the love, joy and happiness, came grief, emptiness and darkness… And th-that's when h-his mother gave into th-the hatred… Th-that's when I l-lost what made me human, wh-when my little Masamune w-was taken f-from me…" At that moment, headband in Tomoe's hands slipped out and with a resounding clang hit the floor, with tears following suit, as Tomoe was no longer capable of holding it in her.
Tomoe Uchiha was a strong woman, stronger than even his own mother, in Naruto's mind, and he had seen that strength and resolve manifest in her training. She was also compassionate and humane, showing it to Naruto in spending time with him outside of training and always finding time to make him feel better and to encourage him to go further. As a Sensei, Tomoe Uchiha was determined and ruthlessly efficient, and as a person outside the training yard, she was a good woman with a kind heart, troubled by the ghosts of the past and made a pariah by the people of this village.
But this was the first when Naruto had seen her like this, when he saw past her confidence and power, to see a tortured and broken woman that had lost what she valued the most. To say that this was disturbing and distressing for Naruto would be an understatement, since he was never used to seeing the person he admired so much in such state. He heard from his mother that Tomoe had killed her son, but he never believed Kushina, not even for a second, because saw it in Tomoe's eyes and actions, that she would never hurt a child like this, much less kill her own for whatever reason. How could a mother kill her own child and then act like this?
The answer was obvious: she never did the deed and something else took Masamune's life, and was still unable to let go of it, with the past haunting her to this day. Naruto didn't need his abilities to perceive that right now he wasn't facing his Sensei, but he was looking at a tormented woman, vulnerable and fragile, that hid behind that powerful façade he had created all those years ago. Does this display of weakness and vulnerability diminishes Naruto's respect and admiration for her? Not in the slightest, for it only serves to further Naruto's faith in Tomoe, as he now sees her most preciously guarded side, the human underneath all the Shinobi layers that she built around herself. She was human, and that was enough of a reason for Naruto to respect and admire his Sensei, and right now, like all humans do in their own time, she needed to be shown that she wasn't alone here and that there were those that cared about her.
He stood up from his seat and moved to stand right in front of the crying woman, forcing Tomoe to raise her eyes and look up at him. She saw Naruto's golden eyes looking directly at her red ones, unable to pierce through them and see what they hid behind themselves. She had cracked at the memories of her son, unable to contain the pain and suffering that she felt over the years. It took Tomoe years just to overcome the grip of hatred and anger, but the lull of it was always present, like a poison that was never fully removed from the body and still traveling along her body. An ailment that Tomoe will always carry with her, never able to be rid of it, for if she were to take it away from herself, she would lose what made her human. Right now, she thought in that moment that Naruto must've felt disappointed in her, seeing his powerful and imposing Sensei in such a sorry state. What a truly discomforting sight it must be…
Those were the thoughts of Tomoe, but they were dashed away the moment when Naruto did something that the woman never thought she would see done to her. Instead of telling her to pull herself together, or to simply sympathize with her loss, like all others would've told her, he did something that was unlike other people.
He opened up his arms and stepped closer to Tomoe, pulling the crying woman into a warm hug, completely stunning and silencing her physically and mentally. He held her close to him, as close as possible for the small child like him, with Tomoe sensing warmth coming from Naruto and how it seemed to melt her sorrow a little bit. She couldn't understand why he did it to her?
"N-Naruto…" Tomoe's weak voice spoke up. "Why?"
"Because this is what people do to each other when they are sad and hurt. They shouldn't close themselves off and just let it all bubble up, they should help each other when they are hurting. And right now you are hurting very badly." Naruto said in a soft voice, holding Tomoe close, with her on his small shoulder. "And if I can't help the woman I admire the most and who holds my complete respect, then how can I help all the others. How can I save this world when I can't save one person I love the most?" Naruto asked of Tomoe, surprising and shocking her once more.
It was only at that point when Tomoe truly realized that she wasn't raising Naruto to be a Shinobi. Behind all the training, tactics, teachings and other things that she was passing down onto him from herself, she had forgotten one simple thing that Shinobi were forced to possess in order to succeed in this world. They were required to be able to do away with their humanity at a moment's notice, to fully embrace our darkest instincts and turn them into a weapon against our enemies. All Shinobi were taught that, yet not all were able to regain their humanity back when the need was no longer there. To let go of the feelings of shame and weakness was as easy as that, and to keep it that way… The desire for never to be burdened by such things as morals and compassion was often too great to not fall.
Tomoe knew many Shinobi who had done so, changed forever by their dashing of humane emotions and morals, forever changed and made into something that shouldn't have been allowed to exist in the first place. Some of them were put down by Tomoe's sword even, she herself had nearly fell in the same abyss, and when she learned just how deeply she sunk, she almost took her own life. Amagi saved her back then, by doing exactly what Naruto does to her now- showing her that she isn't alone and that he always there for her.
When she heard what Naruto told her, she wished she could've reprimanded him for saying such foolish things, for stating to do things that are impossible, or point out to him the need of sacrifice even in such a noble quest. But she couldn't even bear herself to think of it, because it would've sounded wrong and Tomoe was unable to say it. She knew that Naruto also knew that he won't be able to save everyone, or that on the path ahead of him there will be times when he will have to make impossible decisions. Yet if he were to lose hope, to put aside what made him human and different from Shinobi, to lose that resolve to always maintain his morals and soul… Then this world was truly lost to salvation.
With her own hands, she reached and hugged Naruto back, pulling him close to herself, and letting his warmth and compassion ease her pain and suffering, making the Curse of Hatred retreat back into the abyss where it belonged. With tears running down her eyes, Tomoe felt how a burden was being lifted from her soul, how a weight of inability to grieve was lessening and her heart was once more starting to beat at the rhythm that it once had. With her hand, she caressed Naruto's head, before speaking up.
"Naruto… Can you promise me something?" Tomoe asked softly of him.
"Anything." Naruto answered to her.
"Promise me, that no matter what happens in the future, no matter what pain and suffering you may have to endure, promise me that you will always stay true to your heart and never let go of your humanity. Promise me, that you'll never become a true Shinobi." She asked of him, her voice nearly trembling.
"I promise, Sensei. I'll always follow my path, even if it becomes too hard." Naruto promised her, as he pulled away from her gently.
"Good, and Naruto," She looked with her teary eyes at him. "From now on, whenever we are not training or are together and among friends, please call me Tomoe."
"Very well, Tomoe." That made the woman smile a little at him. "Tomoe, can I ask you of something?"
"Yes, what is it, Naruto?" She asked, curious to know what he had in mind.
"Could you… Could you tell me about your son, Masamune?" He suddenly asked, surprising Tomoe to no end. "I… I would like to know just what he was like, but if you don't want to…"
"No, it's… It's fine. There is just not whole lot to tell you about him, Naruto." Tomoe told him.
"I still would like to know about him, because I wish I could've met him. He would've been a great person, I am sure of it." Naruto said without a shade of doubt in his mind and words, making Tomoe let out a sigh.
"Very well, but I'll have to warn you that there may some things that you will not like, and that I hope you understand that I am not perfect and even I made huge mistakes in my life." Tomoe warned him.
"I never thought of you as perfect, Tomoe. I always thought that you were just human." Naruto said with a smile, making her chuckle a little at what he told her.
"Heh, very true indeed." Tomoe smiled to him, before letting out a sigh. "But… You may also find out things that you don't want to hear, Naruto."
"Even if so, I do this not because of just my own curiosity." Naruto told her. "People should speak of what plagues them, and without speaking to each other, how can they understand and connect to one another?" Naruto asked of Tomoe, who saw that he was serious in his decision, and nodded to him, agreeing with what he said.
"Alright." Tomoe said and began her tale to Naruto.
Half a year later. Konoha.
Spring air was filled with smell of freshness and the heat of the sun wasn't as hard on the people as it would in the coming summer. Instead of driving people mad through hotness, it instead gave its warmth and heated the ground and air of Konoha, creating a seemingly perfect atmosphere for all to enjoy it. Children were out playing, their parents and other people were out on the streets, doing whatever they was they did, while Shinobi were enjoying the peaceful times that their village was currently experiencing. And yet, even in this seemingly ideal and serene time and place, there was an unseen tension that was rising within the Village, festered by the years of distrust and prejudice. For most, this was hard to perceive, but those were aware of the coming storm were deep in thought as to how to avoid the coming catastrophe.
One such person was none other than Fugaku Uchiha, Head of Clan Uchiha and Leader of Leaf Police Force, who was currently patrolling the streets of Konoha in his solitary manner, dressed in his police garments, with people either stepping away from the man or bowing a little out respect. Most of the civilians and simple Shinobi did the latter, while Shinobi from the clans or of higher ranks kept their distance from him, and he couldn't blame them. These people knew that there was storm brewing, created by Clan Uchiha and Konoha's leadership, who have found themselves at a discord. Fugaku couldn't help but let out a sigh at the memories of how it all started to go wrong for his Clan.
While his Clan was one of the two founding clans, Uchiha never did enjoy the same honors and dignity that their once rivals Senju did. While Lord First had treated them fairly and justly, with him giving the Uchihas a prominent place in the politics of Leaf, as well as freely incorporating them into the various spheres of life, like military, trade, and administration and so on. But everything had started to change once Tobirama Senju became Second Hokage, and it was then that the Uchiha Clan was reshaped into a visage it now possesses.
If before Clan Uchiha was capable of adapting any identity it wished, then with the coming of Tobirama Senju, they were turned into the guard dogs of Konoha, relegated only to maintaining order as a Konoha Military Police Force, comprised exlusively of Uchihas. While officially it is believed that the Police Force was by Tobirama in order to show his trust, but in reality, it was a way of ostracizing and distancing Uchiha Clan from the Leaf Village and it's populace, turning the once well-respected and admired Clan into boogeymen and something that people and Shinobi despised- somebody who watched over their every move and could take them in for even the smallest of crimes.
For some, this may seem as if Uchihas were given significantly more power than any other Clan in the Leaf, but in reality, this was just a ruse that came undone once Tobirama began to implement his real politics in place. While it is true that he had reformed and refined the political system of the Leaf, creating a bureaucratic apparatus that was Konoha Council that could help Hokage solve the trouble of Leaf. Every major and minor Clan was included in the Council, as well as all the civilian spheres of life, including guilds, enterprises, and industries and so on. All, but one had received a place of prominence and a voice in Konoha's politics, and that was Uchiha Clan. This was the first serious slight that they had to endure.
Next came the redistribution of resources and fertile lands that Clans had owned and utilized to sustain themselves. During the Sengoku era, when Clans were constantly at war and there was no guarantee for that you may or may not survive the next day, most Clans had learn how to be self-sufficient. Wars between Clans were constant and disputes amongst various nobles, samurai lords and Daimyos were always abundant, there was always a risk of failing in a mission or falling out of grace with their patrons, which also shifted as fast as Clans appeared and disappeared.
This had forced Shinobi to also learn how to provide for themselves not just through being mercenaries, but also through various other crafts that would sell very well and sustain the Clan in a top fighting condition. Farming, foraging and hunting was essential, of course, if a Clan had hoped to survive harsh winters, but many also adopted more dedicated industries for themselves, like with Yamanaka Clan pioneering pharmacy through their flowers, or Nara through breeding deer and collecting their fur and other useful things from them
Uchiha Clan was always a more militarized Clan than most, and because of that and their previous experiences in the battlefield, it learned to be self-sufficient in both food and water, as well as armaments. Right now, many may not remember it, but there was a time when Clan Uchiha was the main supplier of weapons to Konoha, and all because Uchiha Clan excelled in not just mining ores, but also using said ores and crafting weapons from it. Best swords, spears, kunai, shuriken, everything that a mind could think of- all of that was Clan Uchiha's forte, and that didn't change when Sengoku era came to an end. Many of the Uchiha members that didn't become Shinobi instead worked tirelessly to give Konoha not just enough weapons for war, but also various necessary tools for everyday lives of civilians as well, such as utensils, kitchen appliances, and instruments for building. Everything from simple nails to armor and swords, all of that was provided by the Uchihas and in such good quality that even samurai lords of Land of Fire were often their customers, wishing arm themselves and their forces with good quality weapons.
When the Village was first established and Clans started to come together, Clan Uchiha was in control of 7 iron mines and 25 farms, utilized for growing and harvesting wheat and rice. They have established an effective metallurgic industry that allowed Uchiha Clan to grow rich and powerful not just through being very powerful ninja and possessing Sharingan, but also through commerce and industry. They were an integral part of the Village, until Tobirama had stripped them of their recourse rich lands and mines, taking 6 out 7 mines and giving those to civilians instead.
While Clan Uchiha was still capable of maintaining itself through that one mine and 5 farms that they were left with, this meant an end to their monopoly in metallurgy and soon enough, Uchihas' high quality products were replaced with cheaper, more abundant and of lesser quality products that flooded the market. All Clan Uchiha could do from there on was just maintain themselves and try to gain profit from farming, but that hope also came undone, when civilians also took over providing for Shinobi the food, kicking Uchiha Clan out of food market. This left once independent and highly self-sufficient Clan no choice as to fully invest themselves into Military Police Force and in training strong and powerful Shinobi. Without the rights to vote Konoha politics, to defend their own rights and relegated to only being warriors without any sufficient alternative, without its previous autonomy and wealth, Clan Uchiha began to fester hatred towards Konoha Council and its leader, Tobirama Senju. Had he not died during First Great War, Uchiha Clan would've rebelled far sooner, even if they did at first bite their tongues.
When Hiruzen came to power, he had managed to smooth relations between Uchiha and Konoha and, at least for the time, he managed prevent the escalation of tensions and potential discord within the village. And as strange as it may sound, but Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars also helped to stop the descent of Uchiha Clan into a rebellion, since they were forced to fight against numerically superior foes and that is where having Sharingan, highly proficient Shinobi and an effective internal security force became essential to ensure successes on the battlefield. Fugaku, as well as many other Uchiha Shinobi, had gained international notoriety and fame because of their deeds and feats during war. Not many Clans could compete with Uchiha Clan in producing and training powerful Shinobi, and that showed itself during wars. Yet, like always they do, Shinobi Wars did come to an end by the time Lord Fourth came to power, but the hopes were high among the Uchiha clansmen.
They expected reforms and changes that would put Clan Uchiha back in its well-earned and rightful place, where they would finally be able to truly regain their stolen dignity and power. Instead, however, they got another disaster and the following years after that became possibly the worst time for Clan Uchiha. The attack of Nine-Tails over 6 years ago was a horrible event, which saw deaths of many Uchiha Clansmen and devastation to their houses, but that wasn't the worst part about it. When the dust had settled, Minato Namikaze had informed the Council and Shinobi Clans that the one responsible for the attack was none other than an Uchiha, capable of controlling the Tailed Beast with his Sharingan. This was point when the proverbial countdown catastrophe began, as Fugaku himself would put it.
First came the forced relocation of his clan from the central part of the Village towards the outskirts, driving them away from the populated areas of Leaf and quite literally putting them away from the general public. Officially, the Council and Hokage had tried to sell it as a temporary and forced solution, since other clans were also relocating, but none were practically forced out of the Village proper. It was clear that right after the attack and Minato informing the Council, doubt, suspicion and fear started to grip the Council, bolstered by those that held little to no love towards the Uchiha, such as Danzo Shimura, the war-hawk and supposed staunch follower in ideals of Second Hokage, and Hiashi Hyuuga, the figurehead of Clan Hyuuga that holds Byakugan and has long aspired to assert themselves as the Leaf's most powerful and influential Clan. So far, the Uchiha had thwarted their ambitions, but the times were changing and position of Uchihas was becoming more and more depressing.
In addition to relocation, which was infuriating and even humiliating for the clan, came the constant surveillance and monitoring of their activities by the Anbu and Root, Danzo's personal unit that rivaled in numbers the actual Anbu. Clan Uchiha quickly took notice of that and it didn't take long for the tensions to start mounting up, since Uchihas were now practically prisoners and criminals, watched over by the guard dogs of Konoha. What an irony, supposed guardians of Konoha were now watched over by another supposed guardians of the Village. Fugaku would've laughed, had he not felt too concerned and fearful for his Clan's future.
Fugaku understood that the Council was suspicious and fearful of the Uchiha Clan and had wished to take precautions to avoid any incidents. He had gone along with it all, advocating for unity with the Leaf and cooperation, keeping his Clan still at bay and trying to minimize the tensions, but even as Clan's head and leader of Military Police Force, he wasn't able to prevent his Clan from starting to rile up against Konoha. He had stated multiple times to the Council that whoever controlled the Nine Tails wasn't one of the Uchiha members that served under him or to Village, and that most likely it was a renegade, thought to have perished in one of the wars of the past. And while Hokage and Council did seem to agree with Fugaku and his viewpoint, that didn't prevent escalation of tension in the village.
As a Clan's leader, Fugaku always had to think about what was best for his people and he couldn't deny them the fact that Konoha was pushing them to the breaking point, where Uchiha were no longer part of this Village. Even now, Konoha had seriously lessened the employment of Uchiha in the ranks of regular Shinobi and Anbu, with only a handful of Jonin rank, like Shisui Uchiha, and his own son Itachi in Anbu, being employed from his Clan. Back before the incident with Nine Tails, Uchiha always had maintained a great number of people in ranks and file of Konoha, but now more and more people were forced to become part of Military Police force to feed their family and provide for them. This couldn't stand to continue, and Fugaku had to do something to change that, lest he allows his Clan to rise up in a revolt.
He had no illusions about the supposed improbability of a revolt happening within Konoha, despite what propaganda might tell you. Clan Uchiha, as a founding clan, was always the most loyal of clans to Konoha, and despite all the slights and insults it had received, they remained loyal and determined to fight for Konoha. Clan Uchiha believed in the Will of Fire and that people of this village are a family, and that it was their duty to protect this precious family. However, even the most loyal can break, when they are pushed past the breaking point, and this was what Konoha was doing to them. Fugaku could already see it happening in his mind: last straw breaks the camel's back, his clan revolts and civil war ensues. That war will engulf the Leaf and whoever comes out on top will win not the power and prosperity, but more war and carnage, since no Hidden Village will allow itself to not take advantage of Leaf's chaos.
His clan may've lost their belief in the Will of Fire, but Fugaku hadn't and he was still loyal to the Leaf, or rather, to the ideals that Leaf was founded upon. For years now he had to live in a state of internal conflict, in which a loyal Shinobi of Leaf clashes with Head of Clan Uchiha. It used to be so easy to channel both of them into the same direction, but now he had to make a choice: either he remains with the Leaf, or will he join his Clan in the upcoming revolt, taking the place at the head of it and stirring it away from the innocent and civilians… Time was starting to run shorter and shorter, and yet Fugaku couldn't make that choice.
As he was walking past the steps that led towards Inari's temple, Fugaku's trained hearing picked up sounds of a music coming from the top of the hill. This was far from the first time he or others have heard sounds of flute coming from there, yet few have actually decided to go and check what was there. Fugaku recalled hearing from a couple of his subordinates that there is now some fool that plays that flute for no reason whatsoever, with Amagi simply allowing him to do so. While he could've walked past and let this matter rest, Fugaku was actually a little bit curious about it himself, since whoever was playing this flute was actually not that bad. In fact, he or she was good at it. Deciding to let his curiosity take hold of him, he headed towards the temple.
It took him a few minutes to climb the steps, but when he reached them, he was surprised to see who the one who played the flute. In front of the entrance, on stone steps, sat a boy that looked almost 10 years old from his appearance, with long, reaching to the base of his neck, wild red hair with silver lines in them, playing a wooden flute with a grace and mastery Fugaku had expected to hear from a trained artist. His eyes were closed, yet even without them it didn't take long for Fugaku to recognize the youngest son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto. He had seen the child before, yet never spoken to him or taken interest in him, though he did hear his wife speak of him from the times she and their kids visited Kushina.
According to her, Naruto was a much more secluded boy, not really someone who liked to draw attention to himself and seemed to keep to himself, yet also a surprisingly nice child, who cherishes his little sister above all. That description reminded Fugaku of Itachi, yet Itachi never was someone who played a musical instrument, nor did he seemingly hang out at the temple for no reason. Then Fugaku was actually reminded of another thing that his wife told him about Naruto. Apparently, almost a year ago now, Naruto had a big fight with his family, one during which he left home without eating his dinner. The reason for that fight, if Kushina was to be believed, was the fact of Naruto hanging out with Amagi and Tomoe Uchiha, two people that Kushina and others seemed not to be able to stand, since they were bad influence on him.
Personally, Fugaku knew both women and he had a generally good opinion of them, but he also knew how much Kushina hated Tomoe for the past and despised almost everything related to her. Still, it did surprise Fugaku to see a child out here, playing a flute and not being out, playing with other kids or being with his siblings at home or someplace else. He recalled that there was also something else that he heard of the kid, but couldn't quite remember it.
Deciding to find out for himself what kind of a person this child was, Fugaku quietly moved towards him, trying not to scare him or to make his stop playing, since Fugaku was actually enjoying the song. Once he was just a few feet away from Naruto, Fugaku stopped and waited until Naruto stopped playing and opened his eyes. He waited with patience and esthetic joy for 15 more minutes, until Naruto's lips left the flute and he opened his golden eyes, looking directly at Fugaku. It was Naruto who spoke up first, and he instantly put Fugaku on the defenses.
"Good day, I hope you enjoyed the song." Naruto greeted Fugaku with the small smile, surprising Fugaku with the question. "I'm sorry if it sounded a little off. I still have a few notes to learn from it, to get it right."
"I actually didn't hear anything wrong with it. In fact, it was quite nice." Fugaku admitted truthfully. "Although, I am curious as to why one Fourth Hokage's children is out here, playing all by himself, on someone else's property. Shouldn't you be out there in the village, playing with your friends and siblings?"
"Well, I might do so, when I do find myself some friends and siblings, that don't feel bad about playing with a fool like me." Naruto replied to Fugaku, surprising him again with what he stated just now. "I'm afraid that unlike my siblings, I'm not as interesting or exciting to be around. And as for me being here, this is actually where I usually like to hang out, with Lady Amagi when she is around, though she did go to visit some friends in the nearby town. Still, it's pretty nice and quiet around here, and when people aren't coming here to say their prayers or just to talk to Lady Amagi, I get to play my flute."
"I see." Fugaku said, thinking about what he heard just now. "Then why aren't you with your family, Naruto, if you don't have anyone to hang out with?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe it would be proper for me to answer that question to a stranger, though you do seem to know my name, I do not know yours." Naruto pointed out.
"Yet you've answered the previous one." Fugaku pointed out.
"Well, back then you weren't a stranger. You were a listener." Naruto gave him a small smile, making Fugaku chuckle a little.
"That's some cheek for a kid. Then let's stop being strangers, I am Fugaku Uchiha, Head of Clan Uchiha and husband to Mikoto Uchiha, as well as father to Sasuke and Itachi." Fugaku introduced himself, with Naruto standing up and bowing before him in respect. "There is no need for such formalities."
"Still, you are a respectable and honored member of this village, Lord Fugaku. And it is customary of a person to bow before one who is more revered and honored than he is. Naruto Uzumaki, at your service." Naruto said politely.
"Not Namikaze?" Fugaku noted out of curiosity.
"I like the Uzumaki better, seems to fit me more than the Namikaze." Naruto answered to him. "As for your earlier question, I am afraid that me being home right now would be more distracting to my family than helpful."
"How would you being home be distracting for your family?" Fugaku asked.
"Because they are currently at our training ground, with Natsu and Narumi learning how to better control their chakra or learning new Taijutsu, with father and mother watching over them. As for Mito, she should be returning from her walk with Izuna." Naruto answered to Fugaku, who stood surprised at what he had heard. "Is something the matter?"
"No it's just… I'm just surprised that your parents are training your siblings and seem to leave you and your sister out." Fugaku admitted. "Is this why you don't want to go home, Naruto? Because you feel left out there?"
"Nope, not really. Like I said, I like it here and if I were at home, I would only cause more distractions for my parents and siblings." Naruto honestly answered to Fugaku. "My siblings are the Jinchuriki of Nine Tails, so naturally they are very special and need to be trained earlier than all else, if Jiraiya is to be believed. As for me… Well, I'll start to learn when I get to the Academy, though I might not be as great Shinobi as my siblings. Oh well, not everyone is perfect." Naruto said with a simple shrug, while Fugaku stood just still after what he heard.
"There is not even a hint of malice or anger in his words or tone. Had it been me, I would've been angry at my parents, but this child… There is only understanding and acceptance in his voice." Fugaku was surprised to hear Naruto speak like that. "And that thing about him being a fool… Now I remember. People around the village call him Namikaze's Fool or something like that, because he seems to believe in Yokai and Gods. Doesn't seem odd for a kid to believe in such things, but for kid of Shinobi… But he is undoubtedly not a fool that is for certain."
"Aren't you even a little bit sad that you won't be as good Shinobi as your siblings?" Fugaku asked of him, curious to see his reaction. "I know I would be if my parents and teachers had told me that."
"Even if I won't be a good a Shinobi, and I suspect that do not have what it takes to truly be a Shinobi, it doesn't mean that this is the end of the world. There plenty of things to do besides killing, stealing, lying and so on. Like playing music for instance." Naruto pointed at his flute for an example, with Fugaku once more being left surprised by this child.
"No child that I know of had ever spoken like that. You almost remind me of my eldest, Itachi." Fugaku stated with a hint of amazement in his voice. "Are you sure you are the youngest of the triplets?"
"Quite certain, I receive a daily update on this fact from either Natsu, Narumi, Father or Mother, or at all of them at the same time. Can't exactly vouch for my siblings, but I believe my parents are reliable enough sources when it comes down to this information." Naruto said in lighthearted manner, making Fugaku chuckle a little. "Lord Fugaku, may I ask you something?"
"Hm, yes. What is it?"
"Forgive me for asking, but is there something that bothers you?" Naruto asked of him, confusing Fugaku a little. "You seem… Conflicted about something. Like something eggs you, but you can't talk to anyone about it. Does this have something to do with the trouble between Uchiha Clan and Village?" Now Fugaku was seriously surprised with this child.
"How do you know about it?" Fugaku was seriously starting to ask himself, what it was with this kid.
"About what bothers you, it's something I have learned to watch for, how people react and feel. As for Clan Uchiha and Village…" Naruto took a pause, thinking about what he was about to say. "Father tends to leave his door into the cabinet unlocked when he is in there, and it's just next to library, where I like to read. He and Lord Third speak a lot about it, how things with Uchiha are getting worse and worse and that something should be done about it. To be quite honest with you, Lord Fugaku, it's really strange when I think about it."
"What is so strange about it?" Fugaku asked of him.
"That they speak about how things are getting worse, yet don't do anything. I may not understand everything, so forgive me, but isn't Hokage the one who commands everything in the Village?" Naruto asked of Fugaku, who nodded to him. "Then if he wanted to, wouldn't he be able to fix the situation, since everyone has to listen to him?"
"Yes, that is true. However, that isn't as simple as that, Naruto. Your father and I have our differences and there is also the matter of Council not being in favor of us Uchiha." Fugaku told him. "While your father may be Hokage, he does have to listen to the Council and make decisions in accordance to him. That is how things are in the Village, and as it would seem, Council doesn't trust the Uchiha Clan because of… Well…"
"Because of what happened with Nine Tails and that Uchiha attacker?" Naruto asked again, with Fugaku starting to get a little nervous about the kid. "Like I said, father doesn't lock his room. He does sound really afraid of him, but that's not the reason for him to fear all of Uchiha. That's just really foolish, and what he is doing is foolish."
"Maybe, yet the Council is the one who advices him, so…"
"Then why don't you make him listen?" Naruto asked Fugaku again, with him being once more on the defensive.
"Because the Council…"
"Why do you need Council to talk to him? I'm pretty sure my father has eyes, ears, mouth and a brain between it all, so he should be able to talk to you, and you to him. He is the Hokage, and it is his responsibility to think and care about all people of Konoha, and not just ones that Council likes or not. It's like he is just wearing the hat but the real Hokage are those Councilmen." Naruto said with some disdain in his voice, before realizing what he said. "Um… I'm sorry, it sometimes happens to me. Like I said earlier, not a lot of people like to hang out with a fool like me, since I think about things one shouldn't dwell too much." Naruto admitted.
"No, one like you shouldn't think about things like that, it is something the adults should care about and yet…" Fugaku let out a sigh, thinking about what Naruto said to him. "Sometimes people should listen to fools, especially when they tell you how stupid they act. Say, Naruto, have you eaten yet?" Fugaku suddenly asked of him, surprising now Naruto.
"No, I haven't. I was planning on waiting for Amagi here and have dinner with her." Naruto admitted to Fugaku. "If you are worried that I might get lonely here waiting for her, then you need not worry about me. I am perfectly fine here as it is."
"That may be so, but I still would like to extend an invitation to join me and my family for a dinner today." Fugaku offered Naruto, surprising him.
"Um, if you are interested in dining with some of the Hokage's children, you may want to offer that invitation to Natsu and Narumi, since I…" Naruto wished to politely refuse, not wanting to hurt the man's feelings and pride in the process.
"Had I wished to dine with them, I would've extended my invitation to them. Instead, I am interesting in sharing a meal with not son of Hokage, but one Naruto Uzumaki, a very interesting person." Fugaku smiled to him a little. "If you do not feel comfortable with accepting it as it is, then consider this a reward for doing me a good favor."
"A favorг?" Naruto asked of Fugaku, who nodded a little to him.
"You've allowed me to think of something else aside from my clan, as well as enjoy some very relaxing music. So, are you coming?" Fugaku asked of Naruto, who thought for a second, until he decided get up and moved towards Fugaku. "Won't Amagi wonder when she finds out that you are not here?"
"Let's just say that she's never too worried about me when I break my habits. That, and she has a way of keeping an eye out for me." Naruto said cryptically, with Akagi and Kaga, in their Kitsune forms, giggled a little at that.
"If you say so. Now, let's go. My home isn't far from here." Fugaku and Naruto descended from the temple's hill and headed straight towards the Uchiha district.
If only the two had known of the fact how their destinies have connected to each other at moment…
The smallest chapter so far, but still a little over 10k, which is crazy, because this is the first time in history of my writing where I had done this many over 10k chapters. Don't know what is it that is going on with me, but hey, it's a bonus for you guys. Although, originally it was going to be a much larger chapter, but I decided to split it to both write the rest of the staff and to give you guys something to read. Anyway, on to the chapter itself.
I did first plan to make only a training montage and so on, but then I gotten a better idea of having Naruto and Tomoe connect to each other, followed by the introduction of Naruto to Fugaku Uchiha and the subsequent involvement in the seminal event that is Uchiha Massacre.
And every time when I read these kinds of stories, I always find Fugaku Uchiha to be a one-dimensional and arrogant prideful prick, which seems to have become its own cliché at this point. Instead of tried and tested path I've decided to do something different. Apologies with long expositions in the chapters, but I see them as a necessity in telling the history and things in here. So, I've decided to show that Uchiha Massacre was an event with roots of it (pun intended) going way back to the times of Second Hokage and his decisions regarding Uchiha Clan, since it is fairly obvious that unlike his brother, he is definitely an anti-Uchiha guy.
Also, to those that may start to wonder why did I say that Clan Uchiha was self-sufficient and all that staff. Well, because historically in our world, ninja clans were actually very self-sufficient and were capable of feeding and arming themselves on their own and not just through money. Heck, the majority of their weapons and tools were made by themselves or repurposed from the civilian tools. And in Naruto world it is clear that at least some Clans in Konoha have their own businesses and enterprises, like with Yamanaka and their flowers, which is one of the best ways to get both remedies and poisons. So, as for Uchihas I chose metallurgy and smithing craft, since it would allow them to fully arm themselves for war with high quality weapons and armor and repair it. And after the village was established, they would be able to make fortunes on just kunai, shuriken, tanto blades and so on, not to mention all the other stuff you could do with it. In essence, Uchiha Clan had almost the entirety of industrial might in its hands when Konoha came to be.
I know that the armor in Naruto of Shinobi looked like some ceramic plates and armor that were kinda disappointing to see for me, but I'll be showcasing more typical armors that would befit warriors. Anyway, as you can see, after Uchihas were deprived of their mines and farms, as well as forced out of the village's market and other professions became unrealizable, they had only one choice and that is to go to Military Police, which was a trap set by Second Hokage. I don't know about you, but I would be salty for decades, and then add to that the relocations after the attack of Kyuubi and Minato telling everyone that it was an Uchiha responsible… Can you smell the smock coming now?
Okay, if you have questions, suggestions about the story, possible romance options and events, or wish to give your opinion about it all, you are welcome and encouraged to do so in reviews or in the PM.
Next time: Surprises at Uchiha Mansion; A kindred spirit; a spark of hope for Uchihas…