Naruto opened his eyes slowly as a shadowed image of a hunched figure stood protectively over him, like an angel. Kunai and Shuriken protruded out of its back, thick red liquid gushed out of the wounds.
"W-Why?" The short, yet simple word was full of surprise and astonishment. Naruto stared at his savior with wide, astonished blue eyes.
Coughing up blood, a hand wiped the thin trickle from his chin. "Hey Naruto, are you all right?" Blood matted blonde hair and dulled eyes searched the boy for any signs of permanent damage.
All Naruto could do was nod his head as he felt the oddest sense of déjà vu. The familiar sense of being protected...
- -Iruka-sensei stood over him, taking a blow that was meant for the blonde. The blood from his wounds mixed with tears as they slid down his face. "I know that I was so hard on you...yelling scolding... Forgive me, if I had been a better teacher, a better self, then maybe neither of us would have been here."- -
Always so helpless...
-"No matter how many times I warn you Naruto...you still keep getting in my way..." Sasuke's voice seemed so distant, so far away to Naruto's ears as the blonde saw the masked shinobi on the ground.
"Sasuke! You..." Naruto trailed off in horror as his teammate sacrificed himself in order to save him. Acupuncture needles had pieced through the Uchiha's body, like a bug on a pin. "Why... did you... Why?" Naruto yelled, despair and grief griped his heart as he refused to accept that Sasuke would...
"How should I know? My body just moved on its own..." The dark haired ninja spat... Naruto numbly caught him in his arms as he watched his teammate 'die.'- -
Yondaime fell forwards, as Naruto felt hot tears of rage building up in his eyes.
"NO! WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME!" The words exploded from his mouth, full of emotion and heated anger. A kunai found its way wedged between Naruto's fingers, hands clenched tightly around the weapon for all that was worth. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
Mizuki subconsciously took a step backwards, taken aback by the boy's killing intent. His shock intensified as Naruto suddenly disappeared and he whipped his head around just in time to avoid being decapitated. He skillfully leapt backwards, parrying attacks, no time to perform handseals for a ninjutsu.
Naruto's rage was just kept barely under control; he was mindful not to give in to the bloodlust that could have no doubt lead to another Haku and Zabuza incident. He did not want to loose himself, the only thing that brought him back from animalistic anger was Haku, and this time around...
Zabuza had found a useful tool...
Kakashi's chidori had...
He died in peace...
For his precious person...
He forced back the sudden upset for fresh blood, kicking back the Kyuubi's urges to rip apart this foolish mortal with his bare hands.
He. Was. Uzumaki. Naruto.
Not some demon!
Something inside him changed... his eyes felt strange... like everything was suddenly in focus, seeing every detail for the first time. It was like he was blind and this was the first time opening his eyes and looking at the world.
Mizuki panted for breath as for the first time during this fight, was afraid. It couldn't be! The red eyes of the legendary Sharingan! How can this brat have the wanted bloodline of the Uchiha!
"How... do you..." Mizuki involuntary took a step backwards, a chill ran down his spine. He knew what death looked like... it was staring right in front of him with the eyes the color of his blood...
"Shut the hell up. I won't forgive you... for what you did to..." Naruto looked back at the fallen Hokage and another wave of vehemence threatened to consume him. His body trembled in fury as his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Mizuki barked a laugh that was halfway between a snarl and a cough. "Please. Like a demon like you would ever defeat me. As you know, I was nominated for the jounin exams, so like in hell you'll ever manage to beat me." His sneer abruptly slid off his face as Naruto crossed his fingers together for his trademark jutsu.
"KAGE BUNSHIN!"
More than a thousand shadow copies of Naruto surrounded the chuunin, each with the same fixed scowl on their faces.
"Not so tough now are you, you bastard?"
"I'm going to kick your ass!"
"You're going down!"
On the signal from one of the many Naruto's, the mob all attacked the chuunin at once, some drawing out Kunai, shuriken, or just used their fists for simplicity's sake.
Weaving in and out of the well-coordinated assaults, Mizuki began destroying the shadow doppelgangers by the number. A hazy cloud of smoke soon misted the area, from so many dispelled clones.
Pretty soon, only a handful of duplicates were left, around twenty or thirty. Both sides of the party were exhausted, physically and mentally.
Laughing, Mizuki suddenly crossed his hands together and they performed several horse and tiger handseals, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
A huge ball of flames erupted from the shinobi's mouth, nearly engulfing the remaining army of Naruto's. He nearly choked on his own fireball when it was suddenly thrown back at him, copied unknowingly by Naruto who had no idea how he suddenly knew how to perform this jutsu.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
Mizuki skillfully leapt away, dodging the flames, as he remained unharmed. "Ha, is that all you have, demon-fox?"
The remaining Naruto, presumably the original, let his lips curl into a wide smirk. "No." He suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke, yet another kage bunshin!
The ground beneath him exploded as the real Naruto emerged, punching Mizuki in a fierce uppercut; sending him airborne. Ten more shadow doppelgangers erupted from their hiding holes underground, and jumped in the air after him.
"U-ZU-MA-KI!" At each syllable, pain was administered to the traitor, finishing it off with a vicious roundhouse kick that sent the body hurling towards the earth.
"NARUTO RENDAN!"
Naruto panted, drawing in each breath as to satisfy his burning lungs. He looked hard at the unconscious Mizuki-sensei, a kunai in his hand, staring almost guiltily at the innocent looking weapon. "Killing you would be just as bad as what you did..." His eyes were their normal shade of blue now, his anger gone and no longer fueled by his emotions. He turned around and walked over the figure of the fourth.
He felt so tired, mentally, as if he lived through a hundred years and back.
"...but... you..." He started to choke, tears made it no longer possible for him to see properly. "...took away what I wanted the most in my life... I had no one... I was so alone, and it hurt so much... everyone had what I wanted... but they hated me... no one acknowledged my existence... the villagers... until I finally had a... I had a family... Otousan..." He cried, finally no longer able to keep his pain locked behind a smile that was pained on.
It felt good; crying made the heavy pain in his chest seem a lot lighter. Someone was lifting the burden he had kept so long in his life; hot streams of tears ran down his face.
Suddenly, strong arms hugged around him tightly, pressing his head against their beating heart. Naruto was so surprised; no one had ever held him like that, so full of compassion and love.
A thick voice slightly muffed, as if they too had been crying said, "I'm so sorry... Naruto... I'm such an awful father..."
"What's... going on?" Naruto wiped his eyes as the body of the Hokage disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
It was only a shadow clone, not the real Yondaime! Wait... that meant that...
"You're... YOU'RE ALIVE!" He exclaimed as he turned around to see his father; tired sapphire eyes that had a hollowed look crinkled into a happy upside-down 'U'. Naruto tackled the Yondaime to the ground as he cheered. "Alive! Alive!"
The fourth smiled as his son pranced up and down his chest, even though it hurt like hell. "Yes, very much as you're jumping on my solid body and seeing that you haven't fallen through yet." He gently pushed him off as he affectionately ruffled his hair.
Naruto grinned like a Cheshire cat, a wide smile stretched from ear to ear. He sniffed once as he rubbed his nose. "Whatever old man."
They both started laughing, happy noise in the air.
Growing serious, Yondaime looked directly into Naruto's eyes, placing a hand on his shoulder. "... I heard what you said back there... And... you're not the real Naruto, are you... I mean you're not an imposter, but something seems a little off about you; your eyes have so much hurt for one so young..."
Biting his lip, the blonde looked at the night sky, how funny. If he were back where things were all normal again, he would be looking at the same moon from his apartment window.
"I don't know." He finally said after a brief moment of pause. "I mean, life was so much easier before things got screwed up. I don't know what's going on, and it's not right!"
Yondaime sucked in a lungful of air, exhaling loudly, which sounded like a hiss. "What do you mean? You said something about the villagers hating you..." He had a cold hand gripping the pit of his stomach, making him feel suddenly ill.
Getting a dark look in his eyes, the young ninja growled, "When I'm Hokage, they all have to respect me. No one's gonna hate me 'cause they have to accept who I am and acknowledge my existence! No one's ever gonna treat me like dirt, 'cause I'll be top dog!"
For one to declare that kind of statement with that kind of determination... what had happened to this boy? Who was he? He was his son... but at the same time, someone who had experienced much more in life.
"Who are you?" Yondaime's voice seemed hoarse and unused. He felt so much out of place, like the first time he had held a baby bundle with overly too much blonde hair.
Sad azure eyes that looked mournful were filled with pain made his heart break into a thousand pieces. A pitiful tone, small and babyish- like it was the first time given a say in matters- whispered, "I don't know. I don't have an otousan, no one respects my existence, people hate me for... that thing, and... I just don't know!"
Out spilled the most terrifying things that had haunted Naruto's life. All the pain, sadness, and sorrow that had encased his days were slowly drawn out from the depths of his heart, spinning a tale that left the Fourth with a grim feeling of hatred for his own village and certain righteous fury for the treatment of his son.
"No... you shouldn't be given this kind of treatment. You're a hero worthy of the Hokage title, for carrying the Kyuubi... and pain. Naruto, I acknowledge you as my son and the hero you should be; Konoha ninja." He slipped a rough hand under the boy's chin, causing him to look up.
Naruto found himself looking deeply into the cerulean gaze, so alike as his own. "Otousan..." He started crying again, but this time...
It was tears of happiness... Of being accepted by a parent...
Maybe things had hope after all.
- - -
"Yo." The silver-haired jounin sauntered up to Naruto who was training in the practice area, kicking a log repeatedly.
Stopped from his training, the blonde yelled, "YOU'RE LATE!" as he pointed a finger at the sweatdropping ninja.
"Uh, Naruto? What am I late for?" Kakashi casually leaned against the log as he watched the boy scratch his head in frustration.
As much as Naruto hated to admit, the copy nin had a point. There was never a planned meeting in the first place. It was almost accidental that he had found him here.
"Err... Whatever, 'cause you're still late!" He still declared, as the sweatdrop grew even bigger at the back of Kakashi's head.
Shrugging, Kakashi waved his hand and said in a very tempting voice, "Then I suppose that you don't want to go out for dinner and maybe we could go train somewhere after that..."
Naruto cocked his head to the side like a sparrow. "What 'bout 'Sasuke?'"
Blinking his visible eye, Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "No Sasuke. Just you and me, how does that sound to you?"
"So basically you're saying: 'Screw Sasuke. How about you treat me to ramen and after that if I feel like it, you're gonna teach me the chidori?' COOL!" He punched the air in victory, cheering.
"Eh...sure." Kakashi smiled under his mask, as he watched Naruto tug his hand as he dragging him to the nearest ramen stand. He briefly wondered how much this was going to cost him, seeing that last time the bill had to be paid on a tab.
This wasn't going to come cheap, that's for sure. . .
Sighing, Kakashi entered the ramen stall as Naruto was already ordering several bowls at once. "Naruto. . . shouldn't you be pacing yourself or something? Five at once seems a lot, even for you."
"Ano sa, Kakashi-sensei! I can too eat all of that, or else my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto!" he declared with such intensity that made the tall jounin chuckle.
"Ah, whatever you say." Kakashi waved his hand as he sat down. His order, a small shrimp ramen bowl that was steaming slightly was placed before him.
"Itadakimasu!" Naruto yelled as he dug into his ramen with eagerness that earned him a scalded tongue. "ITAI!"
"Naruto. . ." Kakashi shook his head as he split his chopsticks in half. "Nee, nee Kakashi-sensei! It's hot!" Naruto whined, while comical tears ran down his face. (Much to Kakashi's dismay, exactly like Gai would)
Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "Maa, Naruto. . . it would help if you weren't so klutzy. It's not becoming for a ninja you know."
"Kakashi-sensei!"
After finishing his ramen, (and politely waiting for Naruto to finish his five) Kakashi had to drag Naruto out of the ramen stall . . . literally before the boy had eaten so much that he would get sick. Also, the bill was adding up into a hefty sum that Kakashi was going to have to pay sooner or later.
Naruto found himself standing in an empty field, Kakashi facing him.
"All right Naruto... Hokage-sama has told me that your Sharingan has been awakened, so were going to do a little Sharingan training." He pulled up his headband, the full-fledged wheel of the Uchiha bloodline stared back at him.
"Right!" His face grew determined but lost concentration as he sheepishly asked, "Hey Kakashi-sensei... what's a 'Cherry's fan?'"
The ANBU member would have bodyfaulted, if not for the extensive training over the years. "This is going to take a while..."
- - -
Naruto walked down the market, his pocket considerably heaver from the extra allowance, yes allowance. He was really in a good mood, as in REALLY.
He was whistling happy, as he practically skipped from different street vender to another, buying the choosiest of treats that would have been too expensive for him to purchase a few days ago.
Cramming three lollypops all at once into his mouth; they nearly got shoved down his throat when someone bumped into him roughly. Spitting out the sweets, Naruto yelled, "OY! Watch where you're going!"
"Gomen ne, Naruto." A helping hand pulled the blonde up to his feet. "Are you all right?"
Naruto's jaw would have touched the ground if it was possible. "W-W-WHO ARE YOU! IMPOSTER! WHAT'D YOU DO WITH SASUKE!" He trembled as he pointed a finger at a bewildered Sasuke.
An annoyed look crossed his face and the familiar scowl was fixed upon the Uchiha's mouth. "Cut that out Naruto. You're annoying me."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as the 'old' Sasuke was back. Yep, the cold-hearted bastard was back in the flesh.
". . . Naruto, do you want to train?" Sasuke asked, as he nonchalantly placed his hands in his pockets. His raven bangs were gently blowing along with the wind.
The blonde's mouth dropped, and if it could; it would have gone through the ground. "Ano sa, ano sa! Where's the real Sasuke?"
"Naruto. . ." the black haired Uchiha gritted his teeth together as he spat his name with irritation.
"Geeze, if it means that much to you, Sasuke." Naruto hung his arms behind his head as he turned around and sheepishly said, "Ano. . . I don't know where it is. . . So why don't you lead the way, ne Sasuke!"
The Uchiha suppressed the urge to groan, as he muttered, "Baka . . ." With that, he walked down the street, with Naruto following closely at his heels.
The blonde edged his way around the Uchiha compound, eying Sasuke's back wearily. He was nervous for some reason, maybe so many Sasuke look-alikes got to him... uncles, cousins, aunts...
Black hair, black eyes... It was an army of them!
He was too busy caught up in his nightmare that he didn't hear Sasuke calling his name.
"Oy, dobe... are you still in there?" He sounded peeved as he threw a rock at Naruto's head, which bounced off his head.
"ITAI! WHY'D YA DO THAT SASUKE-BASTARD!" Naruto screeched loudly, rolling up his sleeves as he prepared to give a beating that the bastard deserved.
Before the situation exploded out of proportion, a pale hand grabbed Naruto's and stopped him from creating a kage bunshin. "I advise you to not do that Naruto-kun. Quite dangerous."
Sasuke's face brightened as he said, "Oniisan! When did you get back?" He seemed genuinely happy for once, no dark anger tainting his aura- he was someone of his age.
Uchiha Itachi blinked slowly as he answered in an impassive voice, "Just a few hours ago. I was on my way to send a report to Hokage-sama." He let his lips twitch slightly into a ghost of a smile, poking both boys' foreheads at the same time. "Don't fight with each other."
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the two behind. Naruto turned to Sasuke and asked, "Since when did you have a brother?"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke playfully shoved Naruto's shoulder. "Stop being an idiot. Come on, we can train out on the grounds."
"Eh?" Naruto was confused as ever. Since when was Sasuke so nice to him? He couldn't remember the last time when that bastard had added a 'kun' to his name... EVER! He thought that Sasuke lived alone, but...
"Okaasan!" The raven-haired teen pushed open the door and yelled, "Tadaima!" He kicked off his sandals and beckoned Naruto to do the same.
Shrugging, Naruto mimicked Sasuke and followed him to where his nose told him- the kitchen. His mouth watered as the air wafted of baked cookies, a succinct hint of spices, and all those homey scents in a kitchen.
Drooling, Naruto found himself pressed against the oven, staring at the cookies that were slowly being baked. Oh, they were smelled SO good, rich chocolate and cinnamon spices slowly baking; he could almost taste them in his mouth, melting slowly on his tongue.
"Are you feeling better Naruto-kun?" Sasuke's 'okaasan' asked him, shooing him away from the oven so that she could take the pan out and let the cookies start cooling. "Not until fifteen minutes." She gently slapped Sasuke's hand that was inching towards the sweets.
He scowled then quickly snatched one, his arm more than a blur; you couldn't see them. The cookie disappeared into his mouth. "Itai!" He fanned his tongue, as they were hot as his mother promised him.
"Honestly Sasuke... do listen to your okaasan. It might save you grief." She handed her son a glass of water, and turned to Naruto. "So, I've heard that you had gotten yourself in the hospital again. Are you all right?"
"Eh? Just who are you lady?" He squinted at her, trying to match the face with a name. Nope, he had never met her in his life.
Pursuing her lips into a thin line, she ushered Sasuke out of the kitchen, handing him another treat- this time, carefully wrapped in a napkin. "Go out and start training by yourself honey. Naruto-kun will be joining you shortly."
Sasuke shot Naruto a look of envy as he allowed himself to be led out of the heaven of foods. Shutting the kitchen door and making sure that Sasuke wasn't listening, she placed her hands upon her hips and said, "Naruto... I feel so hurt."
Now, by this time, Naruto was sweating, not because the kitchen was so hot- no he was nervous. "Heh, honestly lady, I have no clue who you are! Oh, and are you related to Sasuke by any chance, 'cause you two look freakishly alike."
Sighing, Sasuke's okaasan turned her attention to the dinner. After a moment's pause, she started again. "The doctors had deemed you to have a case of amnesia... they said that you may never regain those memories that you lost. Then I suppose that you forgot all about your dear aunt."
"..." It took a while for his brain to register that newly piece of information. "A-a-aunt!" He started trembling violently. "...Sasuke called you okaasan... and if you're my aunt... does that make him my..."
He trailed off in horror as he derived a conclusion. Who would have known that he was related to that cold-hearted jerk?
"Yes, cousin, as well as Itachi. Naruto, how hard did you hit your head?" She asked him as she began to chop celery on the cutting board with practiced skill.
"How am I related to Sasuke again?" Naruto feebly asked, his voice suddenly weak and shaky. If what this woman said was true... then he would have a whole shitload of relatives all exactly like Sasuke! The horror!
"Your mother was my elder sister, which means that you are as much an Uchiha as Itachi." She tipped the board into a cooking pot, and began to chop tomatoes into tiny cubes. Without prompt from Naruto, she continued, "Your mother was a proud shinobi, a true Konoha ninja to the blood. She however, was so burdened by so many responsibilities: ANBU captain, jounin instructor, and an expected Uchiha representative for the clan. However, your father made things seem so much easier. They made such a cute couple. Of all the shinobi, your mother chose your father."
Naruto swallowed a lump in his throat. It was so surreal, impossible, yet here it all was- his aunt talking about his mother as if she were still alive.
"I remember the time where she announced that she was pregnant with you." She started to chuckle at the fond memory. "Your father had just come back from a mission, and I heard that it didn't go as expected- an ambush I think. Anyways, as he was rushed to the hospital, she broke the news to him. I do like to believe that it was the reason they had accepted him to the emergency room so quickly. Of course that this was all before he was named Hokage. He was given that title three months before you were born."
Naruto's breath rattled inside his chest, drawing out each gasp, as if breathing was the only thing that was anchoring him to life itself. His head begun to spin- what he had always wanted to hear was given to him on a silver platter.
A mother? Sure, he saw them around Konoha. They cooked, cleaned, and did stuff that mother's do all the time. However, he never knew exactly what a mother was to a child- he never had one. Hell, he didn't know what a mother WAS until someone had spelled the words out to him, read from a dictionary. Then they pushed him to the ground and called him a monster.
He had a bittersweet feeling again, as he asked, "Why are you telling me this?" It hurt so much, a longing that he learned that couldn't be satisfied with anything.
Onyx opals stared hard at the blonde, as they were filled with sympathy. "Because..." She lightly touched his cheek, smooth fingers running over his whisker-like markings. "I don't want you to ever forget someone like her... even if you two never met each other."