Carrying bags up the stairs took little effort— even if there were about twenty bags in-total and she had even more stuff in her backpack. Miho settled the plastic bags on the ground by the door and knocked, glancing about to the chipped paint and spiderwebs. She'd visited this place once before, but it had been at least a year since she'd stepped foot in the area. She avoided it because it made her feel terrible. Doing that, she realized, was no better than what anyone else in the village was doing.
A mistake she was fixing now.
The door opened just a fraction and was then thrown open.
"Miho! You're back! We only just got back a couple days ago! You wanna— What?" His eyes trailed down to the assortment of bags at their feet. For a moment, she thought he might glitch. "Whaddya got there?" He sounded skeptical. The image was only improved by his askew pajamas and the cap on his head. Cute.
Miho grinned, scooping her arms down to grab the bags and step inside. "Grab that bag I left out there, would ya?"
"What— Miho, what's all this, huh?" He did as she asked, grabbing the bag and hurrying after her. She made way to the kitchen, laughing a bit at the scattered trash and ramen cartons. On the table, she saw an open box of milk and a mess of empty containers with food still sitting in them. "Uh— I swear I was gonna clean, but then… Well, something more interesting came up, ya know."
He was sounding a little too much like Kakashi-sensei.
Or, the Kakashi-sensei she remembered from the Images.
Stepping back from the counter, Miho gestured toward the groceries. "I brought food. I got you some fruits and vegetables— don't make that face. Cooked right, they taste great! And they're from Akimichi farms in the southeast!" He bounded into the kitchen, looking at the bags with wide eyes. "I've got some bread loaves here and some muffins. The kind you like. I made them. And cookies. I made those too." She held up a carton of the mission cookies, setting them on the counter. "I got you two cartons of milk. Throw that one away. Don't leave them out."
"Miho—"
"This is ramen." She held up a brightly-colored package and shook it. The ingredients rattled. "It's a high protein version, okay? It's a special Akimichi brand." She'd brought twenty. Opening a cabinet door, she jumped back when the door came off the hinge and dangled there.
Anger flooded her as she stared at it.
How dare they—How dare they put him in a place like this?
"Hey, Miho…You okay?"
"I'm good, I'm good. I remembered you saying that you really didn't have much food in your apartment. And I know you probably don't have much protein in your diet, too."
"Miho."
She stopped, turning to face him. After a long moment, she looked down at the ramen in her hand. "I know you probably have a team meeting. I just— I…"
She wanted to talk to someone who lost their parents the same day she did. She wanted to be with the son of the person her father died to protect. She wanted to do things right and stop screwing up.
Miho moved forward and hugged him. "I just needed a friend."
Naruto returned the hug automatically, arms going as far around her as they could. Feeling tears in her eyes, she pulled away and turned back to the cabinet, hastily wiping them. She knew he saw, but he didn't say anything. Naruto, for all of his brashness, wasn't a fool.
"I heard you got hurt on your mission. Are you alright?"
"Lee really did spread the word, didn't he?"
Lee was the very picture of contrition the night before, sending her puppy dog eyes over dinner. Dinner, which wasn't nearly as awkward as it could've been. Her father had never been a terribly awkward man and luckily, Chōji already knew. And her mother would never purposefully make anyone feel uncomfortable. Lee just felt terrible for "sparking the flame of dissent."
Miho didn't see dissent. She saw an opportunity.
An opportunity for things to be better than they were before— to be honest.
It would be some time before the wounds between her father and her healed though. She was frustrated with him— with his inaction regarding Naruto. But then, could she blame him for that? His whole generation was frozen. They held so much trauma that it seemed as if they were all stuck. Just like how her father struggled to describe her birth mother.
"She was... She was my best friend. Liked books, like you. She was a good person." That was all he was able to say before telling her that she needed to rest after her mission. He didn't go to bed though. He left out of the front door, likely going to the Naras or the Yamanakas or the local haunt of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Chōji held her hand, sending her concerned looks between bites of his muffin. It was after dinner. Lee had already departed, throwing her desperately-sorry frowns as he disappeared into the night. Their father had just left and Miho stood staring at the door as if he might come back in and explain everything. Chōji had appeared at her side then, carefully taking her arm. "You okay?"
Miho shook her head. "I'm worried about Pa. I shouldn't've…but I just got so frustrated. I got so mad. They still haven't told Naruto."
"You've talked to Pa about that?" Chōji knew, of course. He and the rest of Team Ten. She hadn't had time to talk to them about it. It seemed there was so little time. So, so little time. "Maybe they're scared?"
"Scared of what? Naruto's reaction?"
Chōji's head shook and he took another bite of muffin, guiding her into the living room.. "No, scared of all of it." He shifted, lifting one leg onto the couch to look at her directly. Miho mirrored him. "I'm not mad at you for not telling me. I understand." She blinked, feeling her eyes heat and tears start. Looking away, she focused on the family portrait on the wall.
Her brother held her hand tighter.
"Miho." She looked up to see her mother in the doorway. She smiled. "I've made you some cookies. Let's talk a bit, dear heart."
"Lee said you were sliced open."
"That's exaggerating a bit. It was a cut." Miho finished packing up the ramen and went over to slice of pieces of zucchini banana bread. She baked it the previous night, listening to her mother tell her about her birth parents. How they met, things they did, how much they loved her. "It did open my eyes though. I need to get stronger, focus more. I need to be better. How was your mission?"
Naruto flew into the story of how there was a missing-nin and an evil businessman and a beautiful shinobi and how Sasuke almost died. Miho listened, ticking off the checklist of things that were meant to happen. All the while, Naruto downed half of the loaf and three glasses of milk.
She wondered vaguely if he was bigger than the original story because he at least had some steady food.
Instead of the nasty food he was given by the villagers.
Miho made a conscious effort not to grip the edge of the counter-top. She'd surely break it. She'd shatter it.
"I can't think of us as tools. We're not tools— we're people. And I want to protect everyone I can. My precious people. That's what I'm gonna do."
Smiling, Miho sat down at the table (which was now clean and tidy thanks to her busybody cleaning) and nodded. "I feel the same way."
"You always protect people, Miho. You protected me and Chōji."
Her head shook. "Not like you can and will. I'll do the best I can, but… I have faith in you, Naruto. You'll be a better protector than all of us. Because that's what a Hokage does. A Hokage is supposed to protect everyone, big and small and in-between."
She watched his eyes go wide and she felt her smile fade. Her father— biological father, Okuda Keisuke— died to protect his father. The Fourth Hokage. The Fourth Hokage, who died protecting the village that same night. The Fourth Hokage, who believed so much in his village and was proven so wrong. The Fourth Hokage, whose legacy had no idea he was a legacy.
But Naruto didn't know. He didn't know because no one told him.
And he suffered so much because no one wanted to be reminded of their failures.
And because no one wanted to take the chance.
She was taken in while he wasn't.
So easily, things could have been different.
If someone had stepped up, things could have been so different.
"When you become Hokage, Naruto, I'm gonna be your guard."
He sat straighter, shocked eyes become harder and more certain. It was the Naruto that he hid behind all the bluster and joking. Miho wondered if anything was changing by her doing this or if that change mattered at all anymore. Where Naruto was concerned, she didn't care about the changes and the story.
She cared about him.
"I'll become Hokage and I'll protect everyone precious to me. And you won't get hurt then— because I'll protect you too." Naruto held up a fist and stared at her, believing every word.
Miho shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm gonna get hurt, Naruto. We all are. That's okay though. If we just get hurt, then we can keep getting up, right? We choose how we react to hurt. The hurt can define us or it can inspire us."
He nodded solemnly, but she could see that he wanted to argue. He wanted to make her see that he could— someday— protect everyone. And he just might. But Miho saw the Images. She saw the people he couldn't protect- many, many, many- and she could only imagine the kind of weight that would put on his shoulders.
No, she would bear that weight herself.
One day, she'd tell him.
Maybe on that day, he'd hate her for her silence.
But…
That's what a good guard does.
Shoulders the weight as best they can. Takes the hits.
Slapping the tops of her thighs, she pushed herself up and walked around the table to grab his plate and glass. Before moving away, she patted the side of his face. His eyes went wide with the gesture, a bit misty. She wondered, truly wondered, if anyone gave him affection.
"Get dressed, Future Hokage. I'll walk with you to your team and then head on to my own meeting."
He grinned, brighter and brighter until he careened forward to embrace her again around the middle with him half toppling out of his chair. Miho squeezed her eyes shut against the Images that assaulted her eyes— two people blocking a mighty claw with their bodies. "You're the best, Miho!" He threw himself out of his chair and disappeared into his room. She heard a crash and a slew of curse words. "I'm good!"
If it came to it, Miho knew she'd lay down her life for Uzumaki Naruto the same way that Okuda Keisuke did for Namikaze Minato.
She'd come to Naruto's apartment because it seemed like the calm in the eye of a hurricane.
Even before she knew about her birth parents and their fate, she'd been on this path.
Before she knew of Okuda Keisuke, she was going to protect Naruto.
Now, she had to walk that path with more certainty than ever before.
No matter what she encountered.
Moving slowly, she withdrew a picture that her father had given her the previous night from the pocket of her pants. Her father's hands had been shaking, quivering with barely controlled grief. But he was a strong man and he held the picture out to her with a sad smile. Her own hands were quaking now.
On it, a blond man and a red-headed woman— who was clearly hiding a pregnant belly— stood side-by-side with a large muscular man and big woman nearly his size. Both seemed to dwarf the other couple. They were all smiling, obviously joyful and excited about all the possibilities of life.
Miho sat it on the kitchen counter against a cup of high protein ramen and stepped back, knees shaking.
"Knock, knock. Who's there? It's Koji, Miho's favorite teammate— ya know the one she's already forgiven. Oh, Koji, glad you finally showed up. Yeah, you're totally forgiven. Come on in. Thank you." Miho stared at the door, waiting for it to open. Beside her, she felt Tetsuya deflate into his seat, muttering under his breath. The door to their study room opened and Koji stepped in, grinning apologetically. He waved and brought in offerings. "I brought chocolate."
"You told Lee."
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and slouching toward his seat. They'd rented one of the quiet reading rooms on the upper floor of the book shop. "I mean, yeah, I did. But it was for a good reason."
"Define 'good.'"
"Define 'reason.'" Tetsuya said at the same time. He glared at Koji's reprimanding look. "That wasn't anyone's business but ours!"
"Lee's her friend. One of her best friends. What was I supposed to do, huh? Say 'nah, man, the mission went great and there were no problems whatsoever.' I'm a ninja, not a liar." He rolled his eyes and fished out the chocolate again, tossing it over to her. Miho caught it. "Told him because you've been training with him for forever."
"Telling Lee is the equivalent of telling Konoha." Miho sighed, shaking her head. "You're forgiven, but I really think we all need to talk about what leaves our group and what doesn't."
"You all can talk about that after we talk about something else first."
They all looked toward where Genma-sensei sat in one of the wingbacked chairs, as if he'd been there the whole time. He hadn't been. He'd just appeared. Miho simply filed it under "More Evidence That Genma-sensei Was Probably ANBU."
He rarely interrupted their Beta Location meetings, which meant that this was urgent and— by the severe expression on his face— unwelcome. He shifted jerking his head toward the door. Tetsuya rose up from his seat and moved to the seal by the door, pressing his hand to it and surging chakra into the wall.
Nervous energy flooded her stomach and she stopped eating the chocolate Koji'd brought.
Not good. Definitely not good.
"You are taking the Chūnin Exams."
For a moment, Miho thought she might pass out. Her arms began to tingle and her breathing— she couldn't tell if she was breathing to fast or not breathing at all. Swallowing hard, she quickly worked to get the panic under control.
Snakes destroying buildings.
Dead bodies fighting the Third.
The unopened box.
Naruto and…Gaara.
This was happening too quickly. Too fast. Wasn't it?
She hadn't even had time to sit down with Team Ten and plan.
A deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Find the center of gravity. The panic wouldn't eat her alive. She'd eat it.
"— frankly didn't nominate you and, personally, I don't think you're ready. I think you all know that, too, from your expressions."
"Then why are we taking the exams? We're not ready."
Miho gritted her teeth, parsing through the reasoning. It was Tetsuya that said it first. "Politics. All of the first-year teams are competing, right? My grandmother would've pushed for that. Since Konoha is hosting, we should have the largest turnout and the best representation."
"That's— If ain't ready, we could embarrass Konoha."
"Wouldn't go that far." Genma-sensei shrugged. He sat up and pulled the senbon from his lips, resting his elbows on his knees to lean closer to the team. "You have every potential to do well, as a unit. Individually, I have concerns. The Hokage has made it clear you need to try your best."
"Meaning we can't withdraw or forfeit." Koji huffed a laugh, but it sounded strained. "What does the Hokage expect us to do?"
"Try." Genma-sensei answered. He pulled in a breath and shut his eyes for a moment. Miho glanced to her teammates, trying not to seem as nervous as she felt. Finally, their teacher opened his eyes again and looked at them each in turn. "I will not be disappointed in you or feel any less proud of you as my team if you forfeit though. There is such a thing as a tactical retreat."
Koji responded, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "We're a good team though. We have a chance."
"You're an excellent team." Genma-sensei nodded. Miho felt a bit awed by his agreement. "But the Chūnin Exams are individual exams, no matter how they try to sell it."
The reality of that hit them hard and Miho sighed, pressing her free hand to her head. The other raised the chocolate bar to her mouth, where she nibbled on the milk chocolate. She, Tetsuya, and Koji could collectively make it to chūnin, but on an individual level, none of them were ready. Still, they couldn't botch their own exam— because the consequence and reprimand would ultimately fall on Genma-sensei and perhaps, Konoha.
"Let's do our best." Tetsuya heaved in a breath and held it for a long moment before nodding. "Right? Let's get as far as we feel we can safely go. If we feel like we can't safely go any farther, then we'll withdraw as a team." He looked to Genma-sensei for approval.
Their teacher smiled and replaced the senbon between his teeth. He shrugged. "Up to you, Book Club. I'll back whatever decision you guys make."
Miho pulled in a breath, trying to parse through all of the overlapping worries. The Chūnin Exams were one of the few clear memories she had. She remembered the sequence of events, the build-up, the matches, the Forest… "Genma-sensei, I— Can I talk to you after this, please?"
His eyes flicked to her and she saw a bit of concern there, but he quickly hid it away and nodded his head. They spent the next several hours working through a game plan, an approach that might let them make it out of the exam alive. Miho tried to drop as many hints as she could without drawing attention.
How ruthless other teams could be.
How difficult it would be to do a survival scenario without proper supplies, they should plan for anything.
How outclassed they were.
When the boys left, Tetsuya inviting Koji over for dinner at the Utatane residences, Miho stayed behind and put away her chips. Genma-sensei waited patiently for her to work up her courage.
Because this was going to take courage.
"My biological father was Okuda Keisuke. My biological mother was Akimichi Chisato…or Okuda Chisato."
He nodded.
So, he knew.
Miho had wondered just how common the knowledge was. She tried not to let that bother her and instead focused on why she needed to tell him. Sure, she'd known for years, but…Drawing a scroll from her bag, she set it on the coffee table between her and her teacher.
"This was my mother's…or really, it was my father's. Biological— Okuda Keisuke's. He gave it to Akimichi Chisato when they were my age. When he started as a genin. I guess 'cause he was afraid he'd die and he was the last Okuda. She protected it, added to it. She was really into books. Seems I got that from her."
"She was an archivist." Genma-sensei said. Miho looked up, surprised by that. "More accurately: she was the Head Archivist for Konoha."
Her father hadn't told her that. He'd clammed up, merely said that they both served Konoha well, died when the Kyuubi attacked, and handed her the picture. Her mother told her slightly more: how they met, that they had a cute house that was destroyed in the attack, how Okuda Keisuke had been a shinobi close to the Hokage and had died protecting him that night. But…She wanted more, needed more.
Genma-sensei sensed her distress and rolled his senbon between his teeth. "Keisuke-senpai was a strong shinobi. He was Head of the Hokage Guard. Served the Fourth. I knew him well, worked with him for years."
Thrown entirely off balance, Miho grappled with the emotions that hit her. Relief, anger, disbelief. The most powerful among them was anger. It festered, bubbling in her chest like a stew. She gripped the arm of the wingback chair, hearing and feeling the wood pop under her fingers. Anger wouldn't do anything, so she forced it away and down and back.
"It was Chōza-sensei's decision. It wasn't my place or anyone else's place to tell you."
She had to bite back the urge to ask if that applied to Naruto, too.
Whose place was it to tell him?
Miho got some vicious sort of satisfaction in knowing that a picture sat on his kitchen counter that might start the cascade. If she suffered consequences for that, then she would bear them. She didn't regret it- not if Naruto figured it out.
"Now that you know— What're you gonna do with that knowledge?"
"Get stronger. This scroll is from the Okuda Family. My mother told me-"
"So, are you an Okuda now?"
Miho felt as if she'd been gut-punched. Then, she saw the challenge in his eyes. Like he was pushing her toward an answer rather than asking just to ask.
"No, I'm an Akimichi." Her right hand settled on her stomach and she patted the fat there. The symbol for 'food' felt comforting under her fingers. "I'll always be an Akimichi, but now I've got something else too. Something that can help make me stronger. So I can protect the people I need to protect. I'll use whatever resources I can to do that, including whatever's in this scroll."
After a moment, he smiled around the senbon. "Okuda Keisuke was a big guy. We used to call him 'Muscles' around the station. Big guy with a big heart. Always seemed to be happy about somethin'. He was always harping about how awesome the Akimichi were. Loved Chisato more than anything in the world." His attention flickered to the door and he sat back. "Seems we have a visitor."
Miho nearly jumped out of her skin when a masked figure appeared out of thin air between her and her teacher. Miho felt her heart quicken and struggled to maintain her breathing at a steady pace. It'd been years since she'd been so close to an ANBU member, yet the feeling was still the same. Fear.
"The Hokage requests Akimichi Miho's presence. Immediately."
Genma-sensei shot her a confused look before nodding. "I'll get her there." The cat-masked person glanced to him and nodded, disappearing into nothing as if they were never there in the first place. Once the ANBU left, Genma-sensei deflated and sighed around his senbon. "Just what did you do?"
Miho swallowed and quickly thought of any way to get out of the consequences she knew were coming. But she'd made her decision. Now, she had to live or die with the consequences.
If Genma-sensei took her to see the Hokage, he would know anyway.
"I left a picture of my birth parents in Naruto's apartment." Miho stared back at her teacher as he waited for the other shoe to drop. "Naruto's parents were in that picture too." She held his stare for a long moment, determinedly not backing down. She didn't regret what she did. She couldn't even bring herself to be scared of what the Hokage would do to her. Instead, she sucked in a breath and held it. "If he put two-and-two together, then I'm proud of him."
Her teacher seemed to think of all the ways he was cursed to have her on his team. For all of about five seconds. Then, he smirked around the senbon and shifted it to the other side of his mouth before slapping his knees and standing.
"Well, troublemaker, let's get you to the Hokage before you end up causing more turmoil, yeah?"
Miho nodded, reaching for a bag of chips. Barbeque-flavored. Her favorite. Chōji must've stacked her chips for the day. The thought made her desperately want to hug her brother. She closed her eyes as she savored the salt on one, letting it melt on her tongue before standing as well. A hand landed on her shoulder.
"I've got your back, Miho."
She looked up as he passed her toward the door. Vaguely Miho thought of how she might eventually dwarf him in size. She'd probably be twice his size in mass by the time she got to be in her late teens. But she didn't think she'd ever be as big as him in that moment.
"Let's go see the Hokage."
To the girl's credit, she looked him straight in the eye when she answered. "Yes, sir, I left that picture in Naruto's apartment."
Hiruzen had thought, for much of the girl's life, that she favored her mother. Sweet, demure, and determined Chisato. Chisato, who was careful and caring. It seemed that, over the years, she'd grown more and more like her father. He could see the ghost of Okuda Keisuke over her shoulder, a similar expression on his face. Brows drawn together, jaw set, eyes hard. The likeness was haunting. Okuda Keisuke had been a force. It seemed, this girl was as well.
"Naruto's parentage is a secret, Miho. A high-level secret. How did you learn of it?"
Again, to her credit, she did not look away. She did not flinch or cower. In fact, she squared her shoulders and quite obviously centered her weight. Hiruzen might've smiled if this weren't such a serious issue.
"I figured it out after the Mizuki situation."
"Figured it out? Explain."
His attention flickered to her teacher, who stood a few paces back from his student. Genma had removed his senbon and kept his arms crossed. Hiruzen appreciated the obvious bond between the two, even if Genma was currently acting as if he— the Hokage— would harm the girl.
Which he wouldn't, unless she gave him good reason.
Akimichi Miho raised her chin. "The Fourth Hokage was blond and 'killed' the Kyuubi. But…he didn't he sealed it into Naruto. And the only other Uzumaki in Konoha was the Red-Hot Habanero. I've read about her. The two of them died in the attack. Since he was Hokage, why would he advertise having a child? It'd be dangerous. But then...the Kyuubi. Naruto…" The girl trailed off, looking conflicted. "It seemed…obvious."
Obvious. The girl had never proven herself to be a prodigy. Upper-to-middle rank Academy scores, save for strength-training and endurance. A determined bookworm, perhaps, but never a prodigy. He glanced to Genma, noticing that the man appeared just the slightest bit frustrated.
"He wasn't meant to know."
Hiruzen lifted his pipe to his lips and pulled in the toxic air, holding it in his lungs until it burned. Meanwhile, he examined the girl's reaction.
She didn't agree, that much was obvious. By her expression and actions. Her hands flexed and she breathed a bit deeper. Genma was on edge, teetering at the point of a senbon. Hiruzen had to withhold a grin at that.
He'd been purposeful in the construction of that team and it seemed that his plans were working quite well.
Genma needed anchors, reasons.
Hiruzen gave him three.
"He wasn't meant to know yet, now he does."
She released a breath and deflated a bit. So, that was her goal. He had suspected as much. He had witnessed the girl's care for Uzumaki Naruto since they were mere children. Now, as genin, it seemed that bond had only grown more powerful. Powerful enough that the girl risked much to make Naruto aware of his heritage.
As a man, Hiruzen respected that kind of loyalty.
As the Hokage, he needed to make things clear.
"There was no law preventing Naruto from learning of his parentage, Akimichi Miho. Particularly among your generation, there was no mandate given to you. I had hoped that Naruto would be free of that burden." He lowered his pipe and watched her. She was in no legal trouble for her actions. There would be no reprimand. "He is already at risk due to his status as a jinchūriki. If other nations and enemies learn of his parents, he will be in more danger."
Something passed over the girl's eyes that made him sit straighter. It was a sort of darkness that he had never before seen in her. For a brief moment, he wondered. Wondered at her motivation.
"Why did you decide to do this?"
Akimichi Miho looked down, but the Hokage could not tell what she was looking at. The darkness that had passed over her eyes was something strange. When she raised her head again, it was not Okuda Keisuke he saw.
It was Akimichi Chōza.
Akimichi Chōza, who could stare down enemy platoons and warlords.
Akimichi Chōza, who maneuvered some of the most fruitful trade deals with international leaders.
Akimichi Chōza, who was a legend in his own right.
"He deserved to know." She stood taller again. One day, she would be a force like her fathers. The Third Hokage observed this and settled. "He needed to know— know that he had parents that loved him, that didn't throw him away."
Hiruzen considered her. To her credit again, she didn't squirm or flinch. She held his eyes.
"You believe that he thought himself unwanted?"
He asked it to provoke her. He knew Naruto dealt with much in his few years of life. However, he needed to understand Akimichi Miho. He needed to know that she could be trusted with such powerful information. As Naruto grew, he would need allies. He would need support that Hiruzen knew he, even as Hokage, would not be able to provide.
He had hoped Naruto's team would give him that, but that plan was not working as smoothly as he'd hoped.
Perhaps that support would come in time, but Naruto needed anchors just like Genma.
Anchors-people- to maintain loyalty, to draw connection, to build strength.
She measured her words and spoke with confidence. The kind of vehemence that only came from love. Hiruzen watched and listened.
"Lord Hokage, when a person is told they are trash or a demon or a loser or unwanted enough, they start to believe it. No matter how bright they are. No matter how much they shine. No matter how desperately they fight not to believe it." She glanced to her left and he followed her eyes to the portrait of the Fourth. "I-I'm young. I don't know anything, but I have to believe that's not what the Fourth wanted."
Hiruzen waited, watching as she continued to look at the portrait.
For a girl that never met the Fourth, she held much faith in him.
Keisuke and Chisato did too.
"I am Naruto's friend. I'll protect him with my life. And if I don't have to make that sacrifice, then I'll support him in whatever ways I can. And when he becomes Hokage someday, I'll be his guard. I'll watch his back so that he can protect the village and make sure that the good of the village is the good of all people that reside within it— from those unborn to those entering their last days."
The Third Hokage's pipe stopped halfway to his lips at the girl's vehement declaration. He detected the subtle censure, but did not react to it. For the good of the village. He saw Genma stand straighter in his peripheral vision. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the desk. She did not retract. She did not falter.
"It seems, Akimichi Miho…" He raised the pipe to his lips and let the tension rest in the air for a long moment. He could see Genma's concern, hidden carefully behind the steel in his eyes. Good. Good. The girl stood straighter. "It seems that you have inherited the Will of Fire."
Her tension eased just the slightest bit, but he could see her confusion.
"Do you know what the Will of Fire is, child?"
"No, Lord Hokage."
He hummed in thought. "We gain strength by protecting the people we love. The Will of Fire means that you will protect the village at all costs because you love it. As for your knowledge of Naruto's lineage and making that known to him… what's done is done. However, I will charge you with this…"
Genma tensed behind her and Hiruzen waved a hand at him, brushing away his concern. It seemed that Genma thought rather poorly of him and his motivations if he believed his leader so eager to punish good intentions.
Perhaps, that belief was due to his team's orders regarding the Chūnin Exams.
That, unfortunately, was out of his hands.
This, however…
"Akimichi Miho, I charge you with the safeguarding of Naruto's secrets in a way that you were not charged before when you learned of his tenant. You will tell no one of his heritage and you will carefully protect that knowledge until such a time that Naruto and the Hokage make that information public. Should any others learn of his lineage, you will report it directly to me and take any steps necessary to secure that information."
She bowed her head. "Yes, Lord Hokage."
"You are dismissed."
She turned to her teacher. Genma shifted his senbon to the other side of his mouth and rested a hand on her shoulder, guiding her from the office. Before they reached the door, Hiruzen called out and the girl turned.
"If you should figure out any other village secrets, you are ordered to report directly to me, Akimichi Miho. Or there will be severe consequences."
The Akimichi girl turned and bowed fully, formally. He could sense the fear. "Yes, Lord Hokage." He looked to Genma over her bow, impressing upon him with the slightest bit of Intent that his words were law. The girl's knees buckled with even that limited Killing Intent. Genma nodded and bowed formally, holding to the girl's shoulder as they both left.
His office door clicked shut.
When Genma-sensei left her at the gates of the Akimichi estate, Miho didn't go inside. Instead, she waited until he rounded the corner and turned on her heel. Going home didn't feel right just yet. She had so much more to do. The exams would start in two days' time, which meant that she needed to train. And tomorrow, she needed to meet with Team Ten. They needed to figure out what to do and fast.
The forest training ground was deserted at this time of night. In the clearing, the old tree stump stood as solid as ever, worn down by Lee's kicks and punches. It was almost peaceful out there— the cicadas whirring like sirens in the trees swaying in the breeze overhead.
Her bō was at home, along with most of her equipment. But she didn't need all of that. Not for what she had planned.
Withdrawing a flashlight from her yukata pocket, Miho sat down next to the large stump and leaned against it, withdrawing a scroll— her birth mother's scroll— from her pocket. She sat it down in the grass, holding the light over it. The paper shimmered as it had in the moonlight what seemed like forever ago. The same etchings. Okuda Keisuke's marks, the marks of the Okuda family.
Pulling out a kunai from her pack, Miho drew the tip over the side of her thumb. She pressed the blood to the seal and gasped at the flood of chakra that swelled and collapsed, a strange golden color that flowed outward as the scroll doubled in size and rolled outward. New scrolls appeared, three wide and three deep and three high.
On the scrolls, two symbols:
Akimichi and Okuda mixed among them.
Her mother added her own stuff to this as well. Lips curling into a smile, Miho laughed a bit. After all, the woman was an archivist. Who knew what she held on to? Archivists were notorious pack rats.
Miho held a hand out over the scrolls, eyes closing.
This was their legacy.
A legacy meant for her.
They must've worked so hard for it. They went through their own problems, she was sure. They had their own stories. So many stories that she'd never know. And they would never know her stories or her. They must've been so—
The thought of opening the first scroll made her heart hurt. The symbol for the Okuda was clearly inscribed on the top. She felt sick. Not because they were gone or because she'd already lost what she really never knew she'd had, but because it felt like an affront to her Pa and Mum.
Because it felt like, by holding that scroll in her hands, that she was somehow spitting on her parents. On everything they'd done for her. How dare she do this? What right did she have to do this? To do this alone, without them?
The disappointment in her father's eyes flashed in her mind.
Miho dropped the scroll.
She couldn't even see the scrolls anymore. All of them were a blur as her eyes filled with tears. She pulled her knees up as far as they would go, but they weren't close enough to her chest to provide any comfort. She couldn't hug her knees. Her fat got in the way and her arms were too short. Frustrated and, for the first time, hating that extra weight, Miho kicked her legs out and then cried even harder when they sent the scrolls scattering into the grass.
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
"Let me guess, Miho. It 'wasn't a big deal.'"
She felt it coming— felt it stirring behind her shoulder blades. She could hear it coming— hear the whirring of the cicadas turn to wind.
The wind was howling and screaming. Or maybe she was screaming. Miho couldn't be entirely sure. The pipe, like a blade, but sinking in deeper, and the pain. And the explosions. She could remember hanging there. And the snakes in the village. An old man dying. Naruto, lifeless. Shikamaru, lifeless. Chōji crying. So many dead eyes and the moon— Listening to the rush of rain and the radio playing—
I can still hear you sayin'
"You know, one of these times, you're not gonna make it out alive."
Tetsuya's yell was echoing in her head, screeching metal and winds and cicadas.
"You should trust family, Miho, if no one else."
She pressed her knuckles into her forehead with as much force as she could muster, trying to will away the panic. The Hokage, the Chūnin Exams, her family, her team, the future… It was just too much. All of it was too much. Miho felt herself spiraling out of control, like those winds that killed her.
"Miho, where've you— Miho!"
She felt herself being lifted up and sat onto a large lap. She was pressed to a large, meaty stomach and a warm chest, recognizing the scent of pine trees and smoke. Her father. He patted her head like he did when she was little, from the crown to the ends and again and again and again.
After a long while, the tears stopped and she just felt tired.
He leaned back and pressed hands to either side of her face. "Let me gather up the scrolls and we'll go home, okay?"
Miho nodded, pushing herself up to stand, watching as he assembled the smaller scrolls onto the enlarged main storage scroll. Her heart hurt and her eyes hurt and her chest hurt and she was hungry. So hungry. "I'm sorry, Papa."
"Don't be sorry, sweet bun." He said quietly. And it seemed like the cicadas hushed for him. The clouds moved overhead and cast moonlight onto the clearing. He looked up from where he was kneeling. "Miho, where've you been? We've been worried for hours."
"I—I was with the Hokage and Genma-sensei. I— I left a picture in Naruto's apartment. I hoped— hoped that he would figure it out. He did."
Her father stilled.
"You told Naruto who his parents are?"
Miho nodded. "He deserved to know, Papa. I did it knowing I would get into trouble." Miho felt the panic growing again, pressure building in her chest. "The Hokage—"
She was pulled into his chest again, one large arm braced around her shoulders. "You are very kind, very brave girl. I am proud of you, my daughter."
The tentative control she'd built back up shattered again and she fell into his arms, sobbing. All of it was just too much. The future, the present, the pressure, the failure. She felt him hook an arm underneath her as she kept her face buried into his shoulder as he picked up and sealed the scrolls again. He stood and suddenly, they were in the house.
"Oh, Miho! Sweetheart!"
Her mother's frantic voice made her lift her head. A warm cloth was pressed to her face, drawn under her eyes and over her cheeks and she could feel the cool press of her mother's fingertips under her chin.
"Chōji, sweetie, go get a few cookies and warm them up, alright?"
Miho turned her face to see her brother in the doorway, a chip halfway to his mouth. Her eyes met his and he sat the bag on a side table. "Miho?" His voice sounded choked.
"'m okay, Chōji."
Her father cleared his throat and she looked up to see him shaking his head. Pulling in a quivering breath, Miho looked back at Chōji and tried to ignore the tears building in her eyes. He was trying so valiantly not to cry. She could tell, even from the other side of the kitchen. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and tried.
"I was so scared."
Chōji drew his arm over his eyes and hurried to the cookie jar, drawing out several and situating them on a place. Last she saw of him as her father carried her to the living room was Chōji burying his face in his hands while the cookies started warming in the microwave.
"What happened?" Her mother questioned, sitting down beside them and brushing Miho's mess of curls back out of her face. "I haven't seen you this upset since you were little."
"I got hurt on the mission but everyone's acting like I did it on purpose. We're taking the Chūnin Exams and we're not ready. I didn't want me asking about my birth parents to hurt you and I think it did and I am so sorry. I do trust Chōji and I trust you and I trust my team, but I can't— I don't know— and I was just called to the Hokage because I told Naruto the truth about his parents. Kind-of. I was so scared."
"Oh, sweet bun."
Her mother's hands were on her face, wiping the tears from the swirls on her cheeks and pushing the curls out of her sticky face.
"We're not hurt that you asked. We're more disappointed in ourselves for not talking with you about it before. It was a bit of selfishness on our part. We wanted to protect you from it, somehow." She sat back and took Miho's hands as she was shifted to sit on her father's knee. "And none of us believe you got hurt on purpose, Miho. That would just be foolish."
"I didn't mean to get distracted. I heard Tetsuya yell and—"
"Tetsuya and Koji also have improvements to make. I'm sure Genma has told him that purposeless exclamations in the middle of battle can get someone killed." Her father countered. His eyes tracked to Chōji in the doorway and he gestured for her brother to approach. "As for Chōji, perhaps it is best that he speak for himself."
Chōji approached, setting the plate of cookies down on the coffee table. "I know Miho trusts me. She just doesn't want to see me hurt. And I didn't inspire a lot of confidence just now." Miho shook her head. "We're both going to do better, Miho. I know it."
"As for telling Naruto," her father stopped. He seemed to consider her for a long moment before sighing, some of the grandness of his size seemed to diminish. Miho winced into his arm, preparing for the onslaught. After all, she'd been called to the Hokage for this. "I am so proud of you."
"Proud of…" Miho stared at her father with wide eyes.
"Yes, proud. Of you." He seemed to collect himself and he sat straighter. "It was forbidden for any of the older generations to tell him. To tell him anything. You have given him something priceless and I am so proud of you. I have been proud of you since that day in the alley."
"But I was summoned to the Hokage for—"
Her father shook his head. "The Hokage worries constantly for the younger generations, especially Naruto."
She wasn't sure how much she believed that considering that her team was now participating in the Chūnin Exams, but Miho nodded nonetheless. To doubt the Hokage outright was to be disloyal. She had to maintain the façade of clueless innocence, despite knowing how a military dictatorship worked. Her father was clearly saying what had to be said if an ANBU were listening in on the conversation.
"Miho, you are our daughter. We love you. We love you so, so much. And we'll answer any questions you have. We'll support you always." Her father reached a hand out for her brother and he stepped forward. "We are family. You and Chōji are our world."
That evening, she learned more about Akimichi Chisato and Okuda Keisuke. Her father told the stories, like he always did. He told her about the first time her birth parents went on a date and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio threatened Keisuke behind what used to be a noodle shop on Market Street. He told her about how Chisato started doing research on the Okuda family. He told her how much he loved them. How much he missed them.
And how much he believed that she was the perfect mix of Okuda and Akimichi.
How much he believed they would be proud of her.
"It's coming."
Chōji sat next to her in bed. They shared a large bag of chips between them, staring into the darkness of his room. Her eyes were long adjusted to the dark and she stared at the picture of Team Ten on his bedside table. It'd been hours since they'd gone to bed, but she couldn't sleep and she came to his room, only to find him awake as well. Her eyes were tired and puffy from the crying.
"Shikamaru has a plan, but it's...risky."
"I'm sure Shikamaru has ten or fifteen plans." Miho sighed around a chip. "The only thing making me feel better about the exam is knowing you and your team'll be there."
Her brother nodded and turned to her, cheeks puffed out with chips. "And Lee's team. And Naruto's."
"The latter isn't a good thing. Neither is the former."
The sound of Lee's bones breaking. The snakes. The screams.
As if Chōji knew what she was seeing and hearing, he scooted closer and sat the bag of chips to his side, leaning into her arm. They stayed like that for a long, long while. Until the clock was blurry.
The silence held between them, tense and taught.
"Tomorrow."
A/N: Posting this now because life is about to get very hectic and I probably won't have the opportunity to post for a couple weeks. I'm moving! I'm very excited about this new opportunity. That being said, in the meantime, please leave me your thoughts.
Thank you so, so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows! Each review lights up my day and makes me smile and I am so encouraged by the engagement this story is receiving. Thank you for taking the time to read and engage with "Bear The Weight"!