Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters
"Normal speech"
"Normal thought"
"Demonic speech/or someone extremely pissed off"
"Demonic thought"
Jutsu/technique
The Paths they took.
Chapter 4:
Painful Truths
Naruto woke up and saw that the only one there was Itachi holding a rabbit?
"Morning Uzumak-Kun" said Itachi
"Morning" said Naruto
Itachi noticed Naruto's gaze. "Dinner." He explained. Naruto looked away from the rabbit, embarrassed at being caught staring at Itachi's food.
"Come, make yourself useful." Itachi walked out with a few sticks and handed them to a confused Naruto. "Make a small fire."
Naruto set them down in a bunch and started to make fire. In under a minute Naruto backed away to reveal a bright flame roaring away.
"So where is Kisame?" Naruto finally asked.
"He is getting food for the traveling." Replayed Itachi.
"Oh ok…" said Naruto.
They both sat in silence for a few minutes.
Naruto was not really sure if he should try to make conversation or if it was better just to keep silent. He wanted to say something yet he didn't know what else to ask other then, where was Kisame.
The food was finally ready and Naruto was surprised when Itachi shared his rabbit with him.
"Thank you…" said Naruto with a smile as he started to eat.
They both eat in silence.
Naruto looked happy as he was enjoying the food.
After a little time pass Naruto notice again Itachi's Hitai-ate, which made him question, "So why did you left Konoha?" asked Naruto.
Itachi gave him an add look. The blonde didn't seem to know what happened to his clan.
But not having someone to talk in the village could explain why he probably didn't hear about the event.
"It doesn't matter. We can't change the past." Replayed Itachi.
"Oh well that's true but that doesn't mean we can't make our future better." Said Naruto giving an encouraging smile.
"How can you just always smile?" Itachi asked. "Do you not feel anything? Is there no pain in your heart?"
"I do, dattebayo." Naruto said simply. "That is why I know, that I must continue to be happy. If I don't, I will get lost in dark and I will not be able to be happy or to become a real Shinobi.
"Uzumak-Kun" Itachi began, "When you think to a real Shinobi, what comes to your mind? Do you see a hero? A silent killer?" He stared at Naruto.
This was important. He had decided to give Naruto the means to make his own choices, but he had seen more than one Shinobi turn in on themselves when they came across this question without help. Too many people couldn't separate the person from the job.
Naruto looked down for a moment, deep in thought.
Itachi waited patiently for his answer, and Naruto had sensed that this was something very important, so he tried not to answer wrong.
Finally, Naruto looked at Itachi. "I think of someone with freedom" He said.
Itachi blinked, confused. "Someone with freedom? In what way?" He asked.
Naruto took a deep breath, "A shinobi has power, but that isn't who they are. A shinobi is someone that can protect or destroy… That power… it means you can choose your own path. Right?"
Itachi just stared so Naruto continued, "Some people back in Konoha think this was my fate, to be in pain for the rest of my life." Said Naruto as he regarded the fire. "I have fought against it ever since that day. No matter what happens, no matter how many times they strike me down, I haven't truly lost until I don't stand up and smile again." Naruto's voice broke a little. "No one can take that away from me." He then glanced at Itachi. "When you left the first time yesterday, I saw the pain in your eyes. I recognize it because I have seen those eyes many times in the mirror. I have felt a pain that I don't wish on even my enemies. The pain of loneliness is like a never ending nightmare. But I choose to ignore the pain and find whatever happy thing I can. To me, that little happy moment is more important than the continuous stabbing in my heart."
He glanced sideways at the Uchiha. "That is why I know that you too can stand up again, whatever your pain may be."
Itachi listened to the boy's reasoning but it was not that easy. "That is just talk, Uzumaki-kun. You can stand there and say this because you haven't truly been tested by fate yet. You stand there defiant of the hand you have been dealt with. You rebel against whatever forces you believe are responsible for your plight. You stand there a victim."
"I-" Naruto begun but Itachi continued, "You haven't been forced into a corner. A corner where no matter what you choose, you damn yourself to an eternity of misery. The lives of thousands of innocents haven't been thrust into your hand."
"Yes I was! Maybe not the last part but I was forced to leave Konoha, if I didn't who knows what would have happened to me. Actually even if nothing would have happened. That right nothing would have changed. I would have not even had a chance to become a Shinobi! if I didn't rebel and leave I'd still be a scrawny kid with terrible chakra control who's too smart to ignore but too dumb to be useful! Almost everyone in my class were against me in what I say or do. I was an outcast. Heck even the teachers to. And I know about that damn fox only because the teacher who tried to kill me told me!" yelled Naruto finally letting his anger come outside.
Itachi stayed calm and waited for the blond to calm down.
"Sorry...I didn't want to sound like this." said Naruto as the man in front of him didn't deserve to be yelled or blame for this.
"Uzumaki-Kun, do you ever thought that maybe a part of the problem was you?" Itachi asked.
Naruto frowned. "Oh, you mean like how every single person says the problem is me? No, why would that thought ever once cross my mind?" He replied sarcastically.
"I don't mean to offend you but maybe this will help you in the future. There was one particular problem on your end in regards to your training in academy I notice back then when I watched you and my brother. It wasn't your skills, it wasn't the fox, and it wasn't your behavior. It was frankly your conviction to your goals."
Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Okay, you make it no secret that you wanted to become Hokage. Right?" He asked as Naruto nodded. "And of course, most people don't believe you'll ever succeed. And while it would be easy to blame the fox or social stigma for why they dismiss you so much, let's ignore that for now. Let's pretend those are not reasons. Now, what other reason could people have for dismissing your claims and dreams?"
Naruto just shrugged. "Dunno."
"Part of it is how you express yourself Uzumaki-Kun. Shouting out to the whole world that you're going to become the greatest Hokage ever is more acceptable from a child half your age or younger. At your current age, it comes across less as 'I really mean it' and more as 'Pay attention to me'."
Naruto frowned, clearly offended by this.
"Think of it this way, imagine if let's say Sasuke said 'I'm going to become Hokage.' The exact same way you say you're going to be Hokage." Naruto's face become confused as Sasuke was mentioned but Itachi continued, "Let's say he stood up, threw his fist in the air, and screamed it like the volume somehow makes it truer. Would you really believe that he actually meant it? Or would you roll your eyes and tell him to shut up?"
The message was sinking in. "So, people don't believe me… because of the way I say it?" He asked.
"That's part of it, not all of it." Itachi answered "Another part of it is the effort you put into it. People are going to judge you by what they've seen and do and most people don't see you actually trying to become Hokage."
"I was!" Naruto protested.
"But not everyone sees this. In the Academy, everyone saw Sasuke took his training seriously and succeed because of it. You on the other hand, everyone saw you goof off and cut class and as a result fail. Why would anyone take your dream seriously if you don't take the work seriously?"
"I did, it was just so boring all the learning." Naruto objected.
"So, you want to become Hokage but only until it gets boring to do so?"
"No!"
"But that's how people see it Uzumaki-kun." He warned, "One of the reasons Kisame respects you now is because in that fight you had with him it was a fight that mattered to you. He told me, you show him you weren't only talk but you were also ready to prove yourself to get his acknowledgement as a true Shinobi.
"Really?"
"Yes, but as I was saying, in the academy you acted like you were only there because you had to be, not because you wanted to be. Sure the teacher you are talking of is proof that some of the teachers were against you and probably made you fail on purpose, but if you weren't really trying to learn anything in the first place that's squarely on you."
"I was trying to learn… they just weren't teaching me anything worth learning." Naruto protested.
"When I was in the academy they learned some stuff we use when out traveling or camping. Same with history of the Elemental Nations and battlefield tactics. And the rest were left for Jōnin to cover. And most of them I learned alone." Said Itachi, remembering a Jōnin teacher he hated for not allowing him and his team to take the Chūnin Exams.
Naruto was unconvinced. "I already know how to sleep outside and scrounge for food. So there is nothing I didn't already know."
Itachi was a little annoyed, getting the feeling that the boy was either being stubborn or still missing the point. "Alright, then let me show you another reason. You wanted to become Hokage, right?"
Naruto nodded.
"What do you intend to do as Hokage?"
"Protect people, duh."
"And how exactly do you intend to do that? What will be your village management policies? What laws do you want to create or remove? What allies do you want to reach out to? What will be your economic priorities?"
Naruto again shrugged. "I would have figured out that stuff when I got the job."
"Do you want to work on all that stuff?"
Naruto was silent for a bit, then sighed. "Not really, no."
"Which brings me to my other reason. You say you wanted to become Hokage, but you don't seem like you really want the job. You like the idea of being Hokage and having all the perks that come with it, but when it comes to the actual work involved you're completely disinterested, you are not considering what an actual Hokage has to go through."
Naruto wanted to protest but he didn't know how.
"Let me give you another example, imagine you succeeded in getting that girl with pink hair from your class to want to date you. What exactly do you think would happen?"
"Easy, she'd be nicer to me and want to be around me more."
"And?"
Naruto blinked. "Well, we'd do stuff obviously, and maybe more people would start being nicer to me too."
"But what kind of stuff will you do? Other than take her to your favorite Ramen Stand?"
Naruto shrugged. "I dunno, I'm no expert on these sorts of things."
"Sounds to me more like you don't really want her as your girlfriend."
"I…" Naruto didn't know what to answer. He had thought about this one night but he never come to an answer. Leaving it for another time to think of.
"You want her to be nicer to you and you think you can have her popularity, but beyond that you don't want her."
"I… don't know… what I want." Naruto admitted.
"What you really want is for your problems to go away. You haven't thought beyond that, and you don't know what you'd do as Hokage. That is why people didn't take you serious or training you properly, because at the end of the day you don't want to learn what they teach. All you want is attention and praise, nothing more."
Itachi know it was cruel to tell him the truth like this but the boy should never develop a victim complex. If he did it will lead to him ignoring all responsibility. He might start acting rude and under the impression that no one else is allowed to be upset at him for it.
Itachi wanted to help the boy to realize that the happiness he wants may not be the happiness he needs.
"Well why is that a bad thing?!" Naruto yelled, tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Because, no one owes you any attention or praise. You're entitled to basic human decency, but more than that? You have to earn it. You can't get away with demanding everyone to treat you like you're special."
Naruto took a deep breath to calm down, he may be angry but the good thing is deep down he wants to be happy. Unlike some people, he wants to resolve the issue, not just throw that anger in someone else's face.
"Then what should I do right now? Other then continue to run away from my past? Like you said the past can't be change there is nothing I can do now that I have become a Rogue Shinobi." Said Naruto closing his eyes and felling like he was lost in abys.
Like Itachi he couldn't change his past.
"That not true. You do exist and your action have an influence. There is always redemption."
Naruto reopened his eyes and Itachi continued. "No Matter what you've done. You never know what sort of person you are till the end..."
"But when will I know?" asked Naruto.
"The moment of death is when you know what sort of person you are. That's what death is, don't you think?"
"Yes. But what should I do until that time comes?"
"Right now you are in conflict with the boy you were and the one you are now. The past and the present. You must learn to choose what path you will continue, or else you will fall into an abyss of self-loathing and doubt. But ultimately what you do it is not my decision, but yours. We create our own destiny. You have to create your own."
Naruto stared a little and let the words stick in.
"I think you are right and if I don't like my current destiny then I am going to change it." He said now with a new light of hope in his eyes.
Maybe it was his turn now to help now. "As you said back then. I haven't ever experienced those things you have so I don't know what to say about it. But I am sure, if you tell me, I will show you the way where you can smile again and help you the same way you did. Because as you said 'No Matter what you've done. There is always redemption.' At least for yourself if not for others. Right?" asked Naruto while Itachi was cursing the blonde in his mind for using his own words against him.
Itachi gave a nod and asked "What are you planning to do with your future Uzumaki-kun?"
Naruto thought for a while.
In Konoha he yearned for companionship to be recognized and to be loved, he wanted to be looked at and appreciated, he wanted to be needed and feel worthy. Especially when he had nothing and no one.
"I wanted to be a Hokage but maybe not just to have these things we mentioned, when I read about them and their stories, I wanted to become like them for different reasons, I wanted to protect people... So Maybe I just want to help people or protect them like a true Hokage would do. Even if I don't become one." said Naruto.
"And what do you think now about Konoha, what about them?" Asked Itachi.
"I don't want to take revenge, if I do this, I will only be proving that I am the monster they all are afraid of. I'm not that type of person, and I will not let them turn me into one." He said then took a deep breath and continued "You and I are both from Konoha so I know there are good people there as well. Maybe I will explore the world with you and Kisame and protect people as a true Hokage would do…" Said Naruto now happy that he realized what he could do from now on. Even if he had a hard life in Konoha there were people who show him kindness. Itachi here was one of them.
'Maybe we aren't so different after all' thought Itachi.
"Self-sacrifice… a nameless shinobi who protects peace from within its shadow… is the true mark of a real Shinobi that is what I believe a true Shinobi is." said Itachi.
"But what about you, if you're a Missing-nin then... what did you do to end here…" said Naruto still trying to understand why a Shinobi from Konoha like Itachi who helped him became Missing-nin.
"Tell me," Itachi began slowly. "Did you never wonder why my brother was suddenly alone, in spite of the fact that he was part of a huge clan?"
Brother? Only now Naruto started to realize why Itachi mentioned his brother and Sasuke. And why he looks like Sasuke. They were brothers!
"I… did, but nobody told me." Said Naruto.
"You heard right, Uzumaki-kun. It was I who killed them."
"Eh?" Naruto was shocked. This person had killed his entire clan? "But why would you do this?"
"I can tell you the real reason but if you can't keep it a secret, I will kill you." He bent his head towards the boy in a questioning gesture activating his Sharingan, "Do you understand?" He asked.
Naruto nodded, "I already said I want to help people, and if I can't help you then how can I help others." He said.
"Very well, Naruto-kun. I guess if we are to know each other better, I should call you by your first name." Itachi said. He always used the honorifics 'kun' or 'san' for possible ally.
"The night the Kyuubi attacked Konoha," Itachi began, "It not only changed your future but also the future of the Uchiha Clan, what I did was to save the clan from a civil war and war from other villages."
Naruto raises an eyebrow but didn't say a world.
"I killed the Uchiha Clan because they had plans to revolt against Konoha and if they did that then a civil war would have break out and in that confusion Konoha would be attacked by other villages due to the perceived weakness of Konoha already being there, the idea of war already contradicts my ideals and this I couldn't allow to happen."
"I think I understand but what are your ideals?" asked Naruto
"When I was young, from the day my father took me to the battlefield, I trained nonstop, it was a long year before the start of the academy, why you wonder? To get rid the world of fighting. I refused to accept my father's words that a ninja was someone who lived in the mystic of killing and existed for nothing else, there has to be more from life then this. The ninja arts and usage of chakra are more then only for fighting, I'm sure they are not only for war. There has to be more I'm sure there is a greater purpose a greater good." Itachi explained and the blonde nodding his head in agreement.
Naruto agreed to this there had to be more but what exactly? Maybe one day he could find the answer.
"If you have greatest strength you can step in betweens people fighting and you can stop them, if you are powerful ninja more powerful than any of the ninja at war, if no ninja however skills stood a chance against you then everyone would have to listen to you, everyone will have to obey you and your commands" Itachi wanted to be that type of ninja he believed he was more powerful and more capable then anyone else.
Naruto nods having aspirations that Itachi seemed unreasonable and unattainable to most people but he understands. "But how do you plan to do that non-violent world by killing people?"
"The only way that true peace can be attained is through strength Naruto-kun, strength so great and so overwhelming that no one no one in village no amount of power can take on the likes of me, that way no one would dare oppose me and my ideals, when I'm alive there would be no point to being any shinobi. At least that what I believed back then. I was a little naïve but what I can tell you is that you do need power but that is not the only thing you need."
"Even if power was all you needed then what happens when you die? That force would be gone and there would be no one else, someone else to take your place, and after your gone I think more conflict and war will be created." Naruto said.
But to his surprise Itachi nods as he can't be more impressed by how depth Naruto thinking and calm mindedness he is right now.
"You are right Naruto-kun, when I die there would have to be someone who can fill the void of my absence…" said Itachi then changed the topic to something else, "I have an offer for you. I'd like to train you. I want you to be able to defend yourself. If you want to spend your life out here, that is your choice. But I would be doing both Konoha and you a disservice if I allowed those who would do you harm to make the choice for you."
He was intensely loyal to the village as a whole. If he could help Konoha, and Naruto to make choices about his own life, he felt it was his duty as a loyal Konoha Shinobi to try.
"You won't make me go back?" Naruto asked.
Itachi could see his indecision, and quickly replied. "No. It is your choice whether or not you want to live in Konoha or stay out here."
"Will you teach me to do the red eyes?" Naruto asked as Itachi chuckled slightly at that, shaking his head.
"The 'red eyes' are the Sharingan, and you have to be born with them, something only my family can do."
"Only you can do this?"
Itachi nodded "Even if you trained your entire life, you wouldn't be able to make them. They are a part of me, like your arms and legs. Some people are born with blond hair or black. You were born with a lot of chakra, I think because of your clan, just as I was born with the Sharingan.
Naruto nodded at that. It made sense, after all some people were taller than others or had different colored skin. Why not something like this? "Yes…. Wait a minute! I HAVE A CLAN?!" He asked, almost forgetting anything else.
"You see, the Uzumaki Clan was a clan from the Land of Whirlpools, they were once heralded as the greatest Fuinjutsu Masters in the world."
Now Naruto was staring at him, he wanted to know more. "What happened to them?" He asked unsure why Itachi stopped.
"They were unanimously feared by every other village for their Fuinjutsu."
"Why?"
"Because people fear what they can't understand. That why enemy villages put aside their differences in order to invade and lay waste to the Uzumaki Clan, Uzushiogakure."
"But I still don't understand what could the Fuinjutsu be so feared for?"
"Is not just the Fuinjutsu, I don't know the full story. According to legends, half of the villages wo attacked were wiped out in the battle, and the other half suffered countless casualties. Including their small army of summoning animals."
"What are those and what is Fuinjutsu?"
"Fuinjutsu is a type of jutsu that seal objects, living beings, chakra, along with a wide variety of other things within another object. Fuinjutsu can also be used to restrict movement or unseal objects either from within something or someone."
"Cool! So this is my clan's specialty?" asked Naruto.
Itachi replied, carefully choosing his words. "Um, Naruto-kun, Uzumaki clan died in the war. That means your clan doesn't exist anymore." He watched for a response and saw tears forming at the corner of the blonde's eyes.
Naruto then gave him a genuine smile, "I'm not sad. I'm so happy that I can't stop crying." He wiped his eyes then grinned. "I have a clan. I know what you said but I have a clan. They may be dead and gone, but I have a clan." Fresh tears flew down his face as he sniffed.
Itachi understood.
Naruto kept going. "All my life, I have been alone. No one knew who I was. All Hokage-jiji told me was that my name was Uzumaki Naruto. He didn't tell me anything about my parents except that they were dead, that they died on the day of Kyuubi's attack. I always wondered about my family, but I never knew anything about them. But now, even if they are dead, I know that they were my family."
Naruto wiped his tears, "I have a clan. I am not alone anymore. I am Naruto of the Uzumaki clan." He looked up at Itachi. "To me, it is enough, you know more? Can you tell me more please."
"All else I know is that the Uzushiogakure fell during the second Shinobi war. The Land of Whirlpools was left ravaged and bereft of all leadership and shinobi. Eventually, the island nation began to recuperate as victims of war sought out a land that would keep them away from conflict. Without the Uzumaki Clan the Land of Whirlpools held little value and was far enough out of the way that there was no reason for Shinobi of other villages to be there. As the settlers came and built atop the ruins of the Village, the island was renamed the Land of Waves to signify its new beginnings."
"Cool, I would still like to go and see the place." Said Naruto wanting to see where his ancestors lived. And maybe he could hide there for a while.
"At the moment we are between the Land of Rivers and The Land if Fire and the Land of Waves is on the other side of the Land of Fire, and from there you will either need a boat or you will have to walk all the way on water until you get to the island." Explained Itachi.
"Oh… I will go there on future but I don't think I'm ready yet." Said Naruto as what Itachi pointed out about him was true. Until now he was lucky. And he didn't want to be running into more Shinobi from Konoha.
Naruto wanted to be better. To change into what he called a true Shinobi. Someone who was free and could take his own decisions.
"So… about the training?" He asked hoping Itachi didn't forgot about it.
"I will train you but you have much to learn, you must mature, your no longer a kid. Nothing ever stays the same, eventually you need to start to change."
Naruto nodded.
Then Kisame finally returned. "Ok we won't have to worry about food for a while." He said.
"But where is the food?" asked Naruto not seeing any food.
"I sealed it into some scrolls." He Replayed.
"Sealed?" asked Naruto.
"He meant Fuinjutsu." Said Itachi and Naruto nodded.
Kisame decided to go and get more food, but in reality he wanted to leave Naruto and Itachi alone and see how they got along.
And it seems they made progresses.
"So other then Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, what else you can do Naruto-kun?" asked Itachi
Naruto put a hand behind his head and looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, I know a bit of the Taijutsu they taught in academy." He said as he made two clones which departed from the three of them and started to fight.
Seeing the clones Naruto finally remembered something. "Ah! My gears I almost forgot about them." He said as he remembered about his Backpack and Scroll. "Don't leave without me!" He yelled as he run to find his belongings.
Itachi and Kisame continued to watch the two clones sparring.
"Bad. It looks like he learned most of his taijutsu on his own, and what little was taught is obviously taught wrong. I have to start all over with him, and have to make him and his body forget what the academy learned him." said Itachi.
"So." Kisame grinned as he locked at Itachi. "Got to you too, huh?"
"You were right, Naruto-kun is very similar to us, he has an interesting…" Itachi searched for an appropriate word, "perspective on life."
Kisame nodded. "Yeah, I felt that too. The kid is interesting, all right."
After some minutes they turned their attention back to Naruto, who returned with a Backpack and a giant Scroll.
"I will teach you my own style, the academy teaches nothing but the basics." said Itachi.
'This will be interesting to see how long the kid will last' thought Kisame.
Author Notes (warning: potential spoilers)
In this chapter I started to add about the Uzumaki Clan lore. There is more which will be mentioned about them as the story goes on.
There are only two islands near the Land of Fire which are both to the east and since the Great Naruto Bridge connects Waves to the Land of Fire horizontally, it should be the closest island in the east.
As such, the island of the Land of Waves appears to be the same one indicated to be the Land of Whirlpools.
This explains why no one tried to take over the island in all this entire time. Because it was the Land of Waves already.
Without Uzumaki Clan, the Land of Whirlpools held little value and was far enough out of the way that there was no reason for Ninja villages to be there. As the settlers came and built atop the ruins of the hidden village, the island was renamed the Land of Waves to signify its new beginnings.
This makes the Land of Waves Arc even more important as it was Naruto, a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan who helped to connected his ancestors home with his current home in the Canon.
This give the Land of Waves Arc a new level of symbolism and depth.
Now the reason why the Uzumaki clan is not really know that well I think is this:
The Uzumaki Clan died in the second great ninja war so is not hard to understand why many people forgot about them.
Also Naruto, Karin and Nagato's parents died very early age. All of them.
The same with the Uchiha Clan in Boruto... Sarada had to go to a library to find out about her clan. And she didn't even know if Sasuke had a Sharingan showing us that Sakura didn't tell her anything and Sasuke was not in the leaf for a very long time so of course people will forget about the Sharingan and the clan…
Is not surprising that Nagato and Karin didn't seem to know they were from a clan… I mean their parents run into hiding… so telling their kids something that they could accidentally tell in public is not something they would do until their kids are to a more mature age…
Fuso (Nagato's mom) and Karin's mom never got the chance to do. Only Kushina did…
Maybe Obito told Nagato what little did he know about the Uzumaki Clan from Madara. Even so I don't think Nagato would really care about something like that after Yahiko died.
And there is also Orochimaru and Kabuto who maybe told Karin some information but never mentioned the name of the clan. Not sure as this is just speculation...
Naruto's current jutsu at the moment:
Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu
Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu
Kokuangyo no Jutsu
Transformation Technique
Variations: Harem no Jutsu
Jutsu/Technique:
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique
