The air was moist and smelled damp.
In the corner of a small attic there was a small figure, a blonde haired five year-old, three whiskers adorning his cheeks on each side and a dirty old shirt protecting him from the cold.
Whimpering slightly, he wondered why he was there. The orphanage matron had sended him there just that morning, saying something about 'A monster scaring the possible parents for the other kids'. He questioned mentally, why was he a monster? What did he do? Why did every kid gets to eat every meal while he watched them with an empty stomach?
His musings were interrupted by shy footsteps. He tensed up, thinking that maybe one of the personnel of the orphanage came to 'Teach him a lesson' as they usually called those beatings. A few seconds passed until he realized that the tapping wasn't coming from within the attic, but from beyond the floor.
Moving a little, he got to peek at the little hole placed between the wooden planks.
"-I really find it weird"
He heard a female voice, but he didn't make an effort in recognizing it.
"And I tell you, it's not worth losing your hair over it"
"But aren't you curious?"
"Haaah, this is the kind of thing that leads you directly to the T&I department"
"It won't if you don't rat me!"
Naruto found it curious…how these people —who were so cruel to him— could have such a normal conversation between them. It felt like the problem was him, not everybody else. His young mind came to the conclusion that someone up there must be adamant in being mean to him.
"I really don't see your point though"
"But no one else has the last name 'Uzumaki'!"
U-Uzumaki? That's my last name!
He realized, up to this point, that they were talking about him…but he didn't understand it really.
"I can think of someone else that had the last name 'Uzumaki'"
"Who?"
Who?!
He understood something —although barely— and what he knew was that if someone else had your same last name, that made them family.
"Uzumaki Mito"
"Mi-Mito? You mean the same Mito as…as the Shodaime's wife?!"
"The very same"
The Shodaime? Is she talking about a Hokage? Like Jiji?
The blonde inferred that they were talking about someone important by how 'The Shodaime' was mentioned. And he knew that the people referred to his Jiji as 'Sandaime', which meant 'third'. He jumped to the conclusion that if Jiji was the third, then there must have been a 'first' some time ago.
And his wife was my family?
He went deaf to the rest of the conversation until something that caught his little heart by surprise was heard.
"Do you think Lady Tsunade is his relative?"
"Wha-?! Of course not!"
His pudgy fingers made a fist and the beat of heart was thumping in his ears. Shoulders tensed as questions were created deep within his person.
"But if he really is an Uzumaki…then he is her relative"
"Look, you idiot, I'm pretty sure that there's another reason for him having that last name"
the voices became small, as if they were walking away, but the impact they had on his young soul was scarring.
I have to ask Jiji…if she's my family…then…
Hope bloomed in the middle of that tiny and dark attic.
"Jiji!"
It has been a month since then, and the blonde jumped at the old man.
Hiruzen was doing his monthly check-up on Naruto. Hugging the boy that he viewed as a grandson was one of the few things that relaxed the old Hokage. Though it worried him how thin and light he felt.
"Naruto-kun, how are you?"
The boy gave him a beaming smile as a reply. Even so…the Hokage will have to look into how things are fairing for his little friend here in the orphanage.
"Jiji…can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"Not here" the blonde whispered.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, but having the blonde pull his hand to his assigned room, he complied.
He didn't like how bare it looked, there were five beds beyond the wooden door, yet they all seemed unoccupied, not to mention how dusty the air felt. As if no one besides Naruto was sleeping or cleaning this quarter. I will have to have Inu and Neko check on this.
"Ne ne, Jiji…" the old man turned to the blonde again, seeing his shining blue eyes tug a few strings on his old tired soul. Naruto bit his lip and looked as if he was organizing his words. It must be important if he's putting so much care into it. "...Is Uzumaki my real last name?"
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, not expecting that kind of conversation…though, he concluded that answering truthfully wouldn't really hurt. "Yes, Naruto-kun, if there's something I'm sure of, it's that you're an Uzumaki through and through."
He had the Uzumaki smile, not to mention the spirit and energy. Hiruzen would put his hand in the fire and bet that Naruto made all his ancestors proud by how much of an Uzumaki he was. If a love for pranks develops when he gets older…then you wouldn't even need a blood test to confirm he was an Uzumaki.
Yeah…Naruto-kun is not only an Uzumaki by blood, He has the spirit of one too.
"Then…then…" the blonde wasn't looking at the Hokage anymore. His thoughts in disarray and his heart on his throat. Small shoulders shake with new found emotions. Hiruzen questioned internally why this would affect the young-boy so much, but he would wait for him to speak. The silence converged in the room for a few minutes until his small infantile voice was heard "Do I have a family, Jiji?"
Hiruzen hated himself for having to answer that question. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but I've told you already, your parents-"
"No no, that's not what I mean!" Hiruzen's eyebrows creased at that. It seemed he didn't understand the question, so he nodded to Naruto to continue. "I mean…I heard some of the women talk…about the Shonda-Shodaime having a wife" Hiruzen nodded "An Uzumaki" and his pupils contracted.
He certainly didn't expect this.
"Well, yes, Naruto-kun, that would be right"
"T-the Shodaime's family…where are they?!"
So…this is what it was.
Of course having heard that the Shodaime's wife had his same last name, Naruto would think of her and her family as his own. And he wouldn't be so wrong. The Senju were distant cousins from the Uzumaki.
Sadly…the Senju were in the same situation as the Uzumaki. Both clans had only one member each remaining.
"You mean the Senju, Naruto-kun. The Shodaime was of the Senju clan"
"Yes! That thing! Whe-Where are they? They're my family, right?!"
Yes, they are. He wanted to say, but it was an extremely complicated topic. And it would be harder to explain to a child. However, he tried.
"They kind of are, Naruto-kun" the way the eyes of the child were expelling stars from them just hurt the old Hokage. "But there's just one remaining member of the clan."
"What?"
He could tell how the hopes and dreams of the kid came crashing, but his explanation wasn't done yet "She, Senju Tsunade, was my student. She left the village years ago."
Naruto's short arms came down —lifeless— and tears started to come. "She left me?"
"No!" He wanted to clarify this, vehemently "No, Naruto…she left the village because…" he felt uncomfortable telling his student misfortunes to a child. Tsunade will probably punch me if she hears about this. Even so, he reasoned that it was a necessary evil "...she lost too many of her loved ones." the boy tilted his head, not comprehending why that had to do with her leaving the village. "They died protecting the village, and she blames Konoha for taking them away from her…even so…she understands that it was their wish. But it still hurts her to be here when they are not with her anymore".
Hearing the explanation, Naruto looks down solemnly. He didn't understand how losing someone felt. But he knew that it would hurt if his Jiji wasn't there anymore. Yet, he was resolute. He wanted to at least try.
"Can I see her, Jiji?"
Hiruzen took a deep breath, looking for the right words to express this. "She isn't in the village anymore, Naruto. I tried to tell her to come back, but she wouldn't listen. So…it would be hard for you to even get to see her."
He nodded again, but the fire in his eyes didn't diminish at all. The boy was determined. She was his family, the only one he had left. I will get her, no matter what!
"Can I send her a letter?"
He said with a resolute tone.
"Naruto-kun, do you even know how to write?"
The Hokage answered with an amusing glint in his eyes.
Maybe he can do it…bring Tsunade back.
A blond, a brunette and a pig walk into a bar.
This is not a joke…at least that's what Tsunade would like to think.
"You got a letter for me?" An incredulous and slightly offended inflection came from her lips "How can you have a letter for me? I just arrived in this town!"
"Don't ask me!" The bartender raised both hands in surrender, "The letter got here a few days ago, it doesn't have a recipient, it just says 'To the blonde woman with the kanji of 'Gamble' on her back'. You're the only one that fits that description since the letter arrived!"
And now Tsunade was curious. Whoever sent the letter must have known her and even more, knew about her habits and preferences. She could only think of three people that fit that description. And only one of them would go through a letter of all things to communicate with her.
I guess sensei wants to inform me of something that isn't that urgent.
If it was urgent, she would have been contacted by Jiraiya. She really didn't want that.
"Give it then."
The bartender provided her with the letter and washed his hand off the matter.
Tsunade guided her party to a booth where they sat. Shizune eyed her master curiously while the pig in her arms oinked confusedly. The blonde beauty stared at the paper for a few minutes, as if expecting it to burn by her glare. Then sighed resignedly. In a swift move, the envelope was opened and the content dropped on the table.
The sannin grabbed the page that contained most words while Shizune seized a colored paper that composed itself with some weird drawings.
Tsunade ordered sake and started drinking while she went on to read the letter.
'Dear Tsunade.
I'm writing this to you, not as the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, but as the old man that trained you.
I would like to ask you 'how are you doing' but I think you would prefer if I just skipped the pleasantries and got to the reason you find yourself reading this.
I had a little help from Jiraiya on determining where I could make contact with you, and don't worry, it was really a gamble, as we really don't have a way to know for sure where you would be. I just hoped that you would come to this town due to its gambling businesses and the sake they're famed for.
Now, with that out of the way, I wish to inform you that I have a little friend who's last name is Uzumaki-'
"Pffft" From her pink lips came the sputtered alcohol that she had just been drinking. "Uzu-Uzumaki? Then…"
'-, I can't say who his parents are, since it would be dangerous to write such information here. Well, you may be thinking that this has nothing to do with you, or that, why should you care? Even so…The reason I'm illustrating this is that my little friend came to know about you, and your family's relationship with the Uzumakis. Make no mistake, I did not inform him of this, he just happened to hear it on passing.
So, here I'm now to tell you this. He asked if he could see you.
He's an orphan, Tsunade, and he's hated. For reasons of secrecy, I can't inform you of why, though I believe you should have come to your own conclusions by all the things that I have mentioned so far.
I only made him one promise. That I would deliver his work to you.
I think you should know this too —I tried to convince him otherwise, but he's adamant at this—, he believes you're all the family he has left.
I do not wish to pressure you Tsunade, but I would like to ask you to think about what you will do. Just a short letter for him would suffice. Just, please, don't ignore him.
With respect.
Sarutobi Hiruzen,
former sensei of Team 7'
The blonde kept staring at the letter, reading it and re-reading it over and over again. She felt her mouth dry for some reason and her throat parched. The blonde really didn't know what to do.
Sure, if her sensei had asked her to come back to Konoha she would have just burned the damn thing and thrown it into the trash. If it was some kind of mission or asking her to do some work in the medical field, she would spit on his face. But that's not what he asked. Hell, it wasn't even him who asked something of her.
It was a little boy that, even if she wanted to fool herself, she had to admit, was the only family she had left. And it was probably the same for him.
She put the letter down and looked around the table, trying to find the so-called 'Work' that the boy sent her. Her eyes finally landed on the piece of paper that Shizune had between her hands. The black haired Kunoichi was eyeing with furrowed brows, turning it from one angle to the other, obviously trying to understand what it contained.
Tsunade stretched her hand towards her and cleared her throat to get her apprentice's attention. Shizune's eyes snapped at her master, and seeing the 'give me' motion that the blonde was giving her with her hand, the brunette relented the coloured paper.
"So ugly" was Tsunade's opinion on the drawings.
Painted with crayons, some random pudgy figure that seemed more like a balloon filled with orange color. Yellow tips in what she assumed was its head and big blue circles in where she thought was the face. At its side, a bigger figure —or more like a malformed cow shape—, yellow lines came cascading from the sides of the head. Ugly skin-colored crayola adorned a little part of the character and she could see small bits of green under yellow blemishes that tainted most of the picture.
I guess sensei told him how I look.
On the edge of the picture, in what she could tell was the old man's handwriting, expelled a few words.
"Uzumaki Naruto, 5"
So he's just a shrimp.
Her impassive look didn't remain for even an instant, as a soft smile made home in her lips.
"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked curiously. It was not often that she saw such a warm smile on her master's face. Hell, if she thinks about it, she hadn't seen that smile of hers in years.
Tsunade closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled and sat still for long minutes, finally she said "We are going to Konoha" stood up and walking away.
"Yes…" came Shizune's answer…until she processed what just came out of her lady's mouth. "What?!" And she went into panic, scrambling her pig along the way.
A blond, a brunette and a pig walk out of a bar.
This is it for now guys. Just wanted to get this idea out of my head, I have like two or three more chapters for this fic coming, then I'm probably gonna drop it when I become dry out of idead fot this. Though I will let you know when that happens.
I wanted to write all of it, but I have to work on some university papers that are due tomorrow. So this is it for now. Will try to work out a chapter or two for my other fics so they're not so abandoned before continuing this.
See you next time!