Chapter 8 – Confessions and Conspiracies
Lee sat patiently in an empty grassy field, his legs crossed and his eyes closed, his breaths slow and steady. While most citizens of Konoha would have balked at the sight of a non-hyperactive Rock Lee, the truth was quite simple;
Lee hated not training.
Every moment not spent sleeping or eating was a golden opportunity to seize your Youth and become even stronger than you are!
Which is why Lee was always busy, which also meant that he was also moving. Since having become friends with Naruto however, "moving" had turned into "run like hell, the ANBU are onto us, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!".
However, just because he didn't want to sit still didn't mean that he couldn't sit still. After all, there may come situations in his glorious and Youth-filled career where he had to wait very quietly for his prey to fall into his subtle trap, like the mighty panther, anticipating the flighty gazelle.
His hero didn't introduce himself as the sublime beast of Konoha after all!
So, though it pained him to restrain his Youth, Lee sat and tried his hardest at being completely calm. He thought it was going rather well, until he heard a shuffling and moaning sound. The tell-tale sounds of dragging feet got closer and closer, yet Lee didn't move or open his eyes.
Eventually, there was a great heaving sound, and a soft 'thud!' as something fell to the ground next to him. With a faint smile and his eyes still closed, Lee addressed the newcomer.
"Hello to you too, Naruto-senpai!"
"Mumble-mumble…"
"Come now, do not say that about our comrades!"
"Mumble-mumble…"
"It just means that they believe in your great flames of Youth so much that they are convinced that you can take on all of their Jounin at once!"
"Mumble-mumble…"
"Truly? Well, did they at least feed you?"
"Mumble-mumble-mumble…"
"What was that Naruto-senpai? I'm afraid I did not quite catch that."
"I said 'mumble-mumble-mumble'!"
"Ahhhh, so no ramen again, huh, Naruto-senpai?"
And at that question Naruto burst out into uncontrollable wailing. Lee gave his comrade a sympathetic glance, before closing his eyes again. The blonde's love for ramen was well know, but the Akimichi had forbidden him from his usual consumption rate, instead limiting him to what a normal human might have.
Which, compared to Naruto's usual intake, was next to nothing.
"Look at it this way Naruto-senpai! All of the discomfort you face now will only make you stronger later on!" Lee said, hoping to cheer his friend up.
Naruto, rivers of water still flowing down his face, nodded petulantly.
"I know, I know, and what the Akimichi normally make is really good, like amazingly good, but it's just not… ramen." the Uzumaki said, working himself to his feet and pacing in front of Lee.
Lee, recognizing that he wouldn't get any rest with his friend around, dropped out of his meditative pose, rose to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Are you at least progressing in your new jutsu?"
Technically, Lee wasn't supposed to know about Naruto's new technique. Unfortunately, nobody had remembered to tell Naruto that. So the first thing the very next day after ramen with the Hokage, the hyperactive blonde had bounded over to his friend, and had proceed to, in a single breath, blurt out that he had created a new technique that was super strong, but because it was so strong he had to train under the Akimichi for a year so they couldn't come to the Academy together anymore, but don't worry we'll still be friends, I promise, but I really have to go now or I'll be late and I don't want to be late or the big man will get angry at me, bye!
And then he had bounded off, leaving behind a confused Lee and a dozen frustrated ANBU, while an amused Hiruzen Sarutobi watched everything happen in his crystal ball.
So now Lee knew about the potentially game-breaking new technique that he wasn't supposed to know about. While he wasn't allowed to come with Naruto to his special training in the Akimichi compound, it didn't really matter, because Naruto told him everything that happened there anyway.
His friend's eyes lit up at his question, and he nodded so fast that Lee was worried he'd give himself a concussion.
"U-huh! We were finally moving on from persons today! I had to do animals this time! I was a really big bear-" 'poof!' "-and a wolf-" 'poof!' "-and a really big hawk-!" 'poof!' "-and a pig-" 'poof!' "-but I didn't really like that one, because all of the Akimichi started looking at me real funny." Naruto said, turning into each animal as he said it, making Lee dizzy with the sight, especially since all of the animals kept talking with Naruto's voice.
Briefly squeezing his eyes shut, Lee opened them again to see that Naruto had changed from his talking-pig form to his regular form.
(Some of the more mean-spirited in the Village would say that there was no difference between the two, but those people always got pranked. Always.)
Lee was surprised to see a wistful expression on his friend's face however, as he stared at the cloudless sky ahead.
(A source of great consternation to many a Nara, because you can't go laze off to go cloud-watching if there were no clouds to watch in the first place.)
"I liked being the hawk, though. I felt… free." The blond mused quietly, making Lee wince in sympathy.
He knew his friend loved the village, though he loved some people in it a little less. The problem was that it was very clear that, save for a few individuals, the village didn't love him. Yes, the ninja weren't all that antagonistic towards him, or if they felt that way, then they were professional enough to not let it show.
But most of the villagers looked at him with coldness and derision. He was never outright attacked or thrown out of stores, but everywhere he went, conversation would dry up, only to flame up right behind his back, loud enough that everyone knew that it was impossible for him to not hear their hurtful comments.
Yes, Lee could very much understand his friend's wish to be a bird, free up in the sky, with nobody or nothing around to tear him down.
"I bet they were very excited about the bird? If you can fly in that form, at least?"
Naruto nodded, though Lee could tell his friend was still in a little bit of a funk.
"Yeah, I get all of the stuff of the animals I turn into. When I was a bear, I was really strong, and when I was a wolf I could smell really well. We're probably going to train with the hawk and stuff and with the wolf for a while though. They're thinking about getting some Inuzuka on board, see if they can turn me into the perfect tracker/scout."
Lee nodded along, it made sense after all. While the physical strength of a bear may seem imposing, it still paled in comparison to most mid- to high-level shinobi. In a few more years, he'd be probably just as strong as a regular ursine.
But senses were still the hardest thing to train and even if you did, it was usually only one of the six. There was a reason why chakra sensors were so rare, after all.
But Naruto could simply shapeshift his senses to be as high as he needed them to be, without years and years of training required. It was maybe not the most glamorous of abilities his new technique gave him, but those would come in time.
"Still, I guess the wolf one could be fun, I guess. At least it'll mean I get to work with the Inuzuka on that one. I pranked them a couple of times, and they were really cool about it."
The pack-mentality of the Inuzuka was well-known and it encompassed them to the very core of their being. It also meant that socially they still relied on that mentality. Which meant that for an Inuzuka, to some extent, the entire Village was pack, and pack took care of their own.
In their eyes, Naruto might be an Omega, the runt of the litter, but he was still pack.
Suddenly Naruto looked unusually thoughtful, cocking his head as if he was listening to someone, before letting out a laugh.
Confused, Lee warily approached his friend. Maybe the Akimichi hit him a little too hard in the head? They were physically the strongest shinobi amongst Konoha's forces, after all.
"Naruto-senpai, are you allright?"
"What? Oh, yeah, the furball was just bitching that the fox is the best animal there is-" slowly Naruto trailed off, his eyes wide and his skin pale.
"Senpai?"
"Oh no… oh no, oh no, oh no, this wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Senpai!" Lee cried out, stepping closer to his friend, who took a hurried step back.
"I can't…" Naruto struggled to say, looking as if he might hyperventilate at any moment.
"Tell me what's going on Naruto!" Lee said, stepping closer again, now truly worried about his friend.
"NO! No I can't… I can't…" the blond yelled, his hands fisted into his shirt, knuckles white with the strength he used as he clinged to the fabric, even as tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes.
Making a split-second decision, Lee dashed forwards, gripping his friend tightly by the shoulders and forcing him to look into his eyes.
"Naruto! You can tell me, you can trust me! I am, and will always be your friend! That's a promise! You remember our nindo right?!"
Taking a step back, Lee gave Naruto the Nice-Guy-Pose-With-One-Hand-On-Hip-And-Extra-Sparkling-Smile-9000XTM (patent pending) and said their nindo aloud, for the world to hear.
"We never break our promises!"
There was a very long pause, as Naruto, still looking like a spooked rabbit, scrutinized his friend, who didn't let up on his smile.
Finally, after what felt like ages to Lee, a small answering smile appeared on Naruto's face.
"Okay." He whispered, sinking to his knees, still huddled in on himself.
Lee went to sit beside his friend, hands clasped in his lap with an eager and open expression on his face.
"Okay, okay." Naruto said again, more to himself than anyone else.
Then he took a deep breath, and began to talk.
Around the same time, in the house of the Akimichi Clan Head, there was a nice dinner going on. Which wasn't really anything unusual, with them being Akimichi and all that; all of their dinners were nice, or they were no true Akimichi!
However, while the food was absolutely excellent, the atmosphere was tense to say the least. The three Akimichi were all eating in silence, Chouza and his wife didn't look up from their plates, and their young son Choji was nervously looking between his parents, barely touching his food, a clear sign of distress within the Akimichi Clan.
That, or you were either on the verge of death, or already long gone.
Finally Choji's mother spoke up, her voice friendly, but firm.
"Dear, why don't you go to your room for now? Your father and I have some things to discuss."
With a hastily blurted 'Thank you!' the youngest Akimichi bolted, showing surprising speed for one so… big-boned.
With all pretense at having a dinner gone, Chouza put down his cutlery with a sigh, eyes closed. His wife, however, jumped right into the argument.
"Chouza, this can no longer continue! I know what you think of the boy, and believe me, I understand why, I have felt the same as well! But one look at that hopeful face, those baby-blue eyes, and you have to admit that there's nothing of the fox in him!"
"I know."
"And one other thing! You-" As her husband's words seeped through the haze of righteous maternal anger, the Akimichi matriarch was brought to a grinding halt, ladle still held aloft like a legendary weapon of old.
"What?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice, though she didn't drop out of her battle-stance, even when the ladle began to drip gravy onto her pristine white table-cloth.
Knowing with the accumulated wisdom that came from being married for over a decade, Chouza knew better to point it out, or to laugh, smile or grin at his wife's antics, lest she use that ladle on him.
So he simply repeated himself in a calm voice.
"I know that Naruto Uzumaki is not the Kyuubi reincarnated. I know that now."
"Oh." His wife said, blinking a few times in surprise, before setting herself down.
"What convinced you all of a sudden?"
At that, Chouza rubbed his chin in thought.
"I dunno, really. I mean, I was a tad bit harsh on the boy in the few months we taught him-" here Chouza dutifully ignored his wife's unladylike snort, "-but he just kept on getting back up. And not because he was angry or something, but because he wanted to train. He believed, with everything he had, that if he got back-up just one more time, tried to get it right one more time, that that would bring him one step closer to being Hokage. And after a while, I started to believe it as well."
Smiling softly, his wife came to her feet and rand a calloused hand through his spiky hair.
"So, what happens now?"
At that Chouza sighed deeply.
"Now we start him on our techniques as well. Not the actual ones, mind you, those are Akimichi secrets and they will remain Akimichi secrets. But teach him the theory at least, how to use it battle and stuff like that. We step up the animal-shapeshifting training to mythical creatures as well, while drilling him in his flying forms. Get an Inuzuka on board to deal with the extra senses when he shapeshifts into a tracker form or something. We're going to start dealing with this seriously and professionally."
"Good." His wife smiled lovingly, a smile which Chouza gladly reciprocated.
'SMACK!'
"AU! Kami-dammit woman! What was that for!?" the Clan Head yelled indignantly, rubbing his forehead with a wince.
"Hmpf! Because it took you two months to see what I saw on day one! And you completely forgot that you're going to apologize to the poor boy! Baka!" his wife threw over her shoulder, as she stormed towards the kitchen, chin held high.
Grumbling under his breath, Chouza turned to go to the living room, only to see that Choji was already standing there, having come to check up on his parents after having heard all of the commotion.
"Hey there, son! Everything's alright, no need to worry your little head about anything at all, promise!" Chouza said, waving his hands in front of him, smile firmly on his face.
"Dad? Why is there a ladle-shaped red mark on your forehead?"
Briefly Chouza opened his mouth, retort ready to leap from his mouth, before he simply deflated. Today had been long enough, what with personal revelations and smacks to the forehead and all that, he simply didn't have the energy anymore to come up with a reassuring response.
Trudging towards the couch, he briefly rested his heavy hand on his son's head, his voice weary and full of hard-gained wisdom.
"You'll understand when you're married son."
Night had fallen over Konoha, the moon high in the sky and all of its citizens peacefully asleep. Well, most of its citizens. One Hiruzen Sarutobi was fully awake, and dressed for battle, though it was concealed by his wide ceremonial robes. He was tense and he didn't bother to hide it. Depending on what would be uncovered tonight, terrible decisions would have to be made, for the future of Konoha, and its citizens, lest it all fall to ruin.
From the many shadows that lined the underground bunker only he was aware of (he had built it by himself only last week after all) fell a dark shape to the floor behind Hiruzen, straightening itself to show it to be a tall man, his face concealed behind a porcelain mask, a stylized salamander painted on the white ceramic.
"Report!" Hiruzen barked harshly.
They did not have the luxury of time. They needed to act both fast and very, very carefully, a situation that put the hairs on the back of his neck on end.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. As per your orders, I have created a covert ops group within ANBU with only those whose unquestionable loyalty I completely trust in order to investigate the Kyuubi's allegations of an Uchiha controlling him during his attack, 9 years ago. Among these operatives, are two Uchiha."
Hiruzen felt ice cold dread coil in his gut, his face going white in shock, though the ANBU-Commander didn't see it, for the aged Hokage had had his back turned to him for the entire conversation.
'Salamander… you didn't…' Hiruzen thought with grief deep in his bones.
"Their names are Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. They are young, but they are talented and their loyalty to Konoha is absolute."
´You did.' Hiruzen thought, closing his eyes.
"Where are operatives Itachi and Shisui, Salamander?"
"Right here sir."
And with that, two more blobs fell from the ceiling, revealing themselves to be to young boys, though both had hardened eyes.
Steeling himself, Hiruzen turned around and started setting up Operation: Insight.
"Report." He said, his voice gravelly.
It was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken a backseat. They were now being addressed by the Third Hokage, the Professor, the God of Shinobi.
Itachi was the one to speak first, his voice flat and cold, not fitting with his youthful appearance.
"Lord Hokage, due to my position as Clan Heir, I have been able to discern more about my Clan's plans than my cousin, Uchiha Shisui, though I wasn't allowed full insight into their scheme. What I do know, is that there is a lot of dissatisfaction amongst the more prominent of our shinobi forces, and they hold secret meetings, away from the rest of the Compound and the other clan members. My parents are among them, Lord Hokage."
"You believe them to be the leaders of these meetings, Uchiha Itachi?"
"I cannot say with certainty, Lord Hokage. They might be the leaders of these meetings by their own will, but it could also be that because of my father's position as Clan Head, they were forced to attend. To not do so would surely divide the clan, and instigate a rebellion."
"And what do you think that they are discussing in these meetings, Uchiha Itachi, based on the morale and general feelings amongst your fellow clan members?"
"As I've said before, Lord Hokage, I wasn't allowed full insight into the plan, as I was barred from attending the meetings, so I don't know-"
"I'm not asking you what you know, I'm asking you what you think."
…
"I think they are trying to instigate a rebellion, Lord Hokage."
Again Hiruzen closed his eyes, and turned away, hand briefly resting against his forehead. What were they thinking?! This was their Village too, one of their kin had founded it, for Kami's sake! Did they not see that a rebellion would only bring death and pain to Konoha?!
'I'm too old for this. Far, far too old for this. Oh Minato, if only I had died on that fateful day, and that you may have lived… but no. In the end, I think you would be too soft… to do what must be done. I wonder, which one of us makes that the better Hokage?' the aged leader mused to himself, sadness weighing heavily on his shoulders, as well as what he was about to do.
"Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Shisui. You are hereby ordered to infiltrate the secret meetings of the Uchiha Clan and report all of your findings directly to me. ANBU Commander Salamander will brief you on any information you think you might need to know, and has a taskforce at his disposal. It is now at your disposal as well. Should you, for any reason, need an extraction, his men will provide it. Bear in mind, however, that this is a black ops mission; if you do end up needing a distraction, then Konoha will deny any involvement with your actions. You, and those of ANBU who are identified as helping you, will be labeled missing-nin, and will be pursued with the full might of the law. Uchiha Shisui, you are to make use of your unique dōjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, and influence the leaders of the meeting to consider a peaceful resolution. Since your eyes are crucial in keeping this situation contained, you will be guarded by ANBU, chosen by Salamander, to guard your every waking hour, and any other hour as well.
Do you accept this order?"
The silence that followed Hiruzen's speech was deafening, and the aged ninja swore he could hear his blood rushing through his veins as loud as a horse stampeding next to his ear.
Finally, it was broken when both boys stood as one, one fist clasped to their chest as they bowed their heads.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" "Hai, Hokage-sama!"
"Dismissed."
And with a flash, they were both gone, retreated into the shadows from where they had come. Only Hiruzen and Salamander remained. The ANBU Commander remained kneeling however; he could tell his leader was not yet done.
"Have you been able to verify the Kyuubi's claim, Salamander?"
"No, Hokage-same, though it is starting to look very likely. The Uchiha themselves certainly think it's likely, and we have on record that Madara has managed such a feat before."
"And yet, the Demon Fox claimed that it was an imposter, who released him on that fateful night."
"Indeed sir, which is why we are now combing through all of the MIA reports that involve the Uchiha. Given the Uchiha's indignant anger at the accusation, I find it more likely that someone outside of the clan in the culprit."
The Third Hokage hummed in thought, eyes narrowed as a sharp intelligence, honed by decades upon decades of war, tried to look at the problem from every possible angle, searching for the opportune place to strike.
"Keep the members within the clan under surveillance. Coordinate with operatives Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui as necessary. Extend your search to MIA reports that even remotely involve an Uchiha, even if the missing person in question is not an Uchiha himself. Hatake Kakashi is a perfect example that you don't need their blood to use their eyes. Also comb through all of the KIA reports on Uchiha's."
"The KIA reports, sir?" the Commander asked, surprise clear in his voice, even as his expression was hidden beneath his mask.
"Grave robbing, as distasteful as it is, is a practice we should not dismiss out of hand, Salamander. See it done."
"At once, Lord Hokage!"
"Dismissed."
With that final order, the Third Hokage left, and Hiruzen Sarutobi came to the forefront once more. While old, it was only now that he looked truly ancient, his face lined with not age, but grief, his back not bent due to frailty, but due to the immense weight that was placed on the old man's shoulders.
The ANBU Commander rose from his kneeling position, before standing around awkwardly.
Eventually he loudly coughed into his hand, drawing a faint smile from his aged leader.
"Hokage-sama… you have said before that I have permission to be frank with you, sir…"
"Speak Salamander. There is no one who can overhear us within these four walls, I assure you."
"Right. Thank you sir." The ANBU Commander nodded, before falling silent again.
After an awkward pause, the Commander coughed into his fist yet again, before speaking up in a nervous tone.
"You did the right thing, sir."
"Did I? Did I really?" Hiruzen asked heavily, his voice paper-thin.
"Yes, sir. No matter how distasteful these actions may seem, they ensure that Konoha survives." Salamander said, conviction clear in his tone.
"Yes, they will. But will Konoha live because of this?" Hiruzen asked, as he turned away from the Commander, beginning a long walk home.
"Sir?"
"Forget about it, Salamander. Ignore the ramblings of an old man, with far too many regrets weighing on his mind. Good night, Commander."
…
"Good night, sir."
It was 6 AM, the sun haven just risen above the mountain range lining Konoha, bathing the sleepy Village in beautiful hues of red, gold and orange. As he had for the last two months, Naruto Uzumaki was standing in front of the Clan Head of the Akimichi's house, hopping from one foot to the next in anticipation, full of positive energy after his long talk with Lee.
Which had ended rather anticlimactic, if he were honest. After hours and hours of poring his heart out, Lee had simply sat there, looking at him with those weirdly round eyes of him. Finally it had become too much for Naruto's frayed nerves, and he had exploded.
"Well?!"
"Well what, Naruto-senpai?" Lee asked, his face confused, those ridiculously round eyes blinking in incomprehension, those massive eyebrows furrowed in distress.
"Aren't you going to insult me?! Call me demon?! Call me freak?!"
"Naruto-senpai! Friends do not call each other that! And they don't allow them to call themselves that either! It's most unYouthfull."
"But… I have the Kyuubi within me. He's… he's probably the reason why you're an orphan. Aren't you mad?"
Again those round eyes blinked in confusion, Lee's tone completely honest.
"Yes, I am vexed with the Kyuubi no Kitsune. But why should that mean I cannot be friends with you?"
"Because… well, because!"
Suddenly, Lee had sprung to his feet, dragging Naruto up by his shoulders as well.
"Naruto-senpai, I have promised you I would forever be your friend, and as is our nindo, I will never break that promise. And that is all there needs to be said about that! Now, let's leave these dreary thoughts behind us! There is still sunlight, and you know what that means!"
And with that, Lee ran off… on his hands.
"YOOOOOOUUUUUUUTTTHHHH!"
Naruto stood there in shock for a few seconds, before an enormous grin broke through on his face.
"Lee! Wait for me! Hey, wait up!"
He didn't stop smiling for the entire day.
Or the one after that.
So now he was standing in front of the Akimichi Clan Head's House, in a very good mood and eager to start the day, no matter what it might bring.
Yes, training with the Akimichi was grueling, and sometimes, when they were discussing theory, extremely boring, but it was totally worth it. The first couple of times Naruto had changed into adults had been very cool to the small boy; being tall was awesome! He was so going to do that more often!
But the blonde had really been reinvigorated when they allowed him to try various animal forms, even those that were smaller than his regular form (of which there weren't many, unfortunately) and should thus have been impossible.
But, apparently having a Greater Demon in your gut allows you to blatantly ignore the laws of thermodynamics, and so Naruto had been happily soaring around as a hawk, despite that form being several sizes smaller than he was.
He hoped that they would allow him to try flying forms today as well; flying was the most freeing experience in the world, to young Naruto's mind, and over the centuries he wouldn't be alone in that opinion.
There was someone, however, who disagreed.
Vehemently.
'This is an outrage! This mindless mongrel of a human has within him the Greatest Kitsune of all, imprisoned, and what does he do with my gracious gifts!? Trick people!? Upset nations!? Sow confusion wherever he goes?! NO! HE WANTS TO BE A BLOODY PIDGEON!"
'A hawk! And I do plenty of tricking-'
'I AM NOT DONE YET! So, the boy wants to be an animal, because of the freedom it gives him. But does he seek freedom in running over plains?! Does he seek freedom in the chase of prey, in the flight from predators?! Does he seek freedom in the form of a fox, the most cunning and majestic of all animals?! NO! THE FOOL DECIDES HE WANTS TO GROW FEATHERS INSTEAD! FEATHERS! I'll have you know, you ungrateful little-'
With a mental sigh, Naruto closed the connection between him and the fox. It had taken a lot of thinking on Naruto's part (okay, mostly on Jiji's part) but they had come to the conclusion that if the fox didn't lie, then they could essentially answer every question they had.
They had to be very careful with how they voiced their question of course; the fox was old and wiley and spotted loopholes where they didn't even think to look. One very impressive deceit on the Demon's part had them wandering just about the entirety of Fire Country, only to end up back in Konoha again.
All without it ever telling a single lie.
However, one of the earliest questions had been very carefully worded, composed by both the Hokage, Danzo (for who better to ask to manipulate a manipulator than another manipulator?), Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.
It had basically boiled down to; "Can Naruto control whether or not he can hear be influenced by you?"
Though the answer had been a disappointing 'no', they had still managed to wheedle out of the fox how Naruto could cut off the connection between the two of them, effectively shutting the Demon up. The best part was that the connection could only be opened again on Naruto's side, so no occurrences anymore where the Demon would butt in at the most random of moments.
It had saved Naruto a lot of grief when the fox had been in a particularly ornery mood, and decided to pester him because, honestly, what else could it possibly do inside a prison inside his gut? Ever since the shape-shifting had come up though, had the fox been more antagonistic than usual, tending to go on long rants whenever Naruto appeared to take joy in another form than that of a fox.
Apparently it was a point of pride amongst all Bijuu, who were all patrons of sort to the animals they shared appearances with.
Never, ever, eat beef in front of the Hachibi.
Or squid, for that matter.
One time, Naruto had shut the fox up mid-rant, done his training for the day (getting smacked around by shinobi five times his size and ten times his weight) and had reopened the connection, only to hear the fox still going strong on the same rant.
Naruto was taken out of his musings when the front door opened. He immediately smiled; he couldn't help it, to him, this was the best part of the day.
"Oh Naru-chan! How nice to see you so soon! Come here!"
And with those words, Naruto was swept up in a bone-crunching hug from the Akimichi matriarch, every joint in his body popping alarmingly.
"Oh dear! You are so thin! Tut tut tut, we can't have that now, can we? Come in, come in! I'm sure we have left-overs somewhere in the house!"
Without being able to offer a word in protest (not that he would have even if he could) Naruto was bodily pulled into the Akimichi Clan Head home. As far as home's went, it was rather… homey. No armors on the walls, great and legendary swords on the coffee-table, no piles of skulls in the corner, taken from fallen enemies.
All in all, it was all very mundane.
Naruto loved it.
He was quickly shoved into the kitchen by the strong arms of the Akimichi Clan Head, smiling as he saw Choji sitting at the dining table, gorging himself on a heavenly meal, as were all meals prepared by the Akimichi clan. The rotund boy briefly looked up, gave a happy wave, and went back to stuffing his face.
He and Choji had eaten Choji's mom's food together multiple times during Naruto's tutelage under the Akimichis. To Choji, this made Naruto practically clan, and the heavy-set boy was always bright and cheerful when meeting the blonde.
The other Akimichi sitting at the dining-table, however, was an entirely different story. Absolutely massive, even by Akimichi standards, Chouza Akimichi was the largest person that Naruto had ever seen.
He also didn't seem to like Naruto much.
It was only because Naruto knew how much damage a Jounin could really do (thank you, itching powder in ANBU-underwear!) that he knew that the large man was holding back during their fights, but it certainly didn't feel like it.
Snapping to a sharp salute (after seeing Gai laughing at his earlier attempts, he had forced his impromptu teacher to drill him in the correct ones), Naruto nodded determinedly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, reporting for training, Lord Akimichi, sir!"
While usually this would've been answered with a mere grunt, this time only silence met him. Studying him with a critical gaze, Chouza addressed his son without turning away from Naruto.
"Choji, why don't you go to your room for a little while? There are a few things I need to discuss with Naruto here."
The young Akimichi sighed, shoved his chair away and grabbed two drum sticks in each hand as he stalked out of the kitchen, his face set in a pout.
"Again? Sheesh."
Chouza waited until Choji's steps faded from hearing, before focusing his heavy gaze on Naruto again, who nervously gulped, still standing at attention.
"At ease."
'Did… did he sound… amused?' Naruto thought in shock, before warily loosening his stance.
There was a pause in the kitchen, the only sound the ticking of a clock on the wall, and the bustling of Choji's mom as she was puttering around in the kitchen. It was suddenly broken by the gruff voice of Chouza.
"I voted to have you killed, you know. When you were a baby."
Naruto gaped at the man in shock, before warily taking a step back.
"The Akimichi… we don't really do too well with ranged attacks. We like to get in close. As you can imagine, getting close to a Demon… it doesn't really end that well. I lost a lot of people in the Kyuubi's attack, and those that didn't die…."
Chouza paused, before shifting in his seat, making Naruto nearly bolt out of the room altogether. He was taken off guard however, when he saw the Chouza was lifting up his heavy mail shirt. What he saw made his mouth fall open in shock.
An angry red scar, covering almost the entire side of Chouza's torso, a long streak stretching over his large belly.
Seeing that he had Naruto's attention, the Clan Head chuckled bitterly, before letting the shirt drop again. He continued talking, his eyes distant as he recalled painful memories.
"Apparently, Demon chakra is poisonous. I didn't know that then. I do know it now. It wasn't enough that the bastard almost took out my entire guts, no, he had to go and poison me too. God I hate that damned fox. I hate him for what he did to me. I hate him for what he took from me."
At this, Chouza clenched one massive fist, and closed his eyes in pain.
"I hate him for who he took from me."
In the silence that followed, Naruto felt absolutely lost. He didn't know whether he had to fight, flee or just cry like there was no tomorrow.
All three options were looking rather good at the moment.
"And then you came along. This tiny little thing, a slip of a human. And the fox was inside of you, out of my reach, free of my revenge. Oh, I know that I could never kill the bastard on my own, so much for vengeance and justice, I guess. But at the time… with my home in ruins… my family dead… my guts only kept inside my body by my hands, some wire and nothing more than hope and dreams… god, I wanted to get the bastard back for everything he did. Hurt him, just like he hurt me.
But, you were in the way. An innocent babe was all that stood beneath us and the demon who in one night had completely destroyed our lives. I guess some part of us recognized that you weren't the fox himself… but an even greater part just didn't care. We wanted to have our vengeance, and if that meant that a baby had to die, then so be it. What was one more child on the mountain of children that were already lost to us?
But, the Hokage intervened. Made the knowledge that you were the Kyuubi's jailor an S-Rank secret, and we were told to just… get on with our lives. Just like that. And in the meantime, you grew up, and every single day, when you walked around the village where the demon inside of you had rampaged not so long before… it was as if the fox was still taunting us. A last laugh from beyond the grave. You kept shouting that you would become Hokage, but did it ever cross your mind that people might see that as the ultimate joke from the fox? It comes into our village, destroys our homes, rips our loved one's away from us and the only consequence is that its jailor gets to sit on the throne of whatever's left."
Naruto felt something wet slide down his cheek. Confused, he lifted a hand to his face, only to draw it back, glistening with wetness.
'I'm crying?' he thought, surprised.
Chouza didn't notice however, caught up in memories long past and grief that had never truly healed.
"So, one day, the Hokage asks me to come to his office, and dumps this kid… this innocent kid that I have been hating for almost ten years… right in my lap, and tells me I am to teach him my clan techniques. Techniques that have been in my clan for ages, passed down from generation to generation, techniques members of my family have given their lives to protect… and I was supposed to just teach them to you! Just like that!
So I got angry. Again. And I focused that anger on you. Again. And for that, I… I am, truly sorry, Uzumaki Naruto. In the two months that you have been here, you have taken all of my unjust abuse with nothing more than a smile and a determination to do better next time. If you were blood of my blood, I would have hailed you as a prodigy, Naruto. As it is, your drive to succeed, your will to never give up… it has shown me the errors of my ways.
I know now that you are not the Kyuubi, Naruto. You are a hero, that keeps us safe from it every single day and night. You keep it from doing to Choji what it did to me… and I thank you for that."
With a heave, Chouza straightened himself to his full height, his spikey hear almost brushing the ceiling, before he performed a deep formal bow.
"Uzumaki Naruto, can you forgive me?"
Fun Fact: Kakashi used to have a slogan. During earlier drafts of Naruto, Kakashi would end his sentences with "gozaru," a polite and old fashioned mannerism.