Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 20
The light of the lantern in the corner of the old office flickered in the late evening shadows, as the three Hyuga exchanged pivotal information behind tightly closed doors.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Hizashi asked his son.
"Naruto was with us." Neji answered, he resisted the urge to shift his feet as his father nodded.
"I'm sure he knows to keep quiet. You did right by telling me, I will look into the matter." He placed a firm hand on the only barely shorter boy, who at a distance could easily be mistaken as himself. Pride filled his eyes and his voice was warm as he gazed at both his children. "For now, focus on your training. The fact that both of you have made it into the finals is exceptional, all your hard work has paid off." He chuckled at the way his son fought back the obvious feelings of joy any child felt at his parent's praise, while Hinata openly beamed. "Your success was well deserved. Now go rest. I'm sure you're both exhausted." Neji bowed and left but Hinata lingered and Hizashi smiled, easily offering her the embrace he knew she was after. "Well done, daughter," he murmured into the crown of her head. "Thank you Otousan!" She whispered back, gracing him with a smile that hurt his heart for its similarity to Hitomi's, and as he watched her trot off after her brother he wondered again for the thousandth time what her future held.
While Neji's path was laid out before him since the day of his birth, Hinata's fate seemed to be laid step by step as she moved forward in her goals to become a strong kunoichi. Hizashi's only fear was the unlikely reality of her fervent desire to remove the caged bird seal from the Hyuga, something he thought a bit ambitious personally. But then again, her continued connection with the ever unpredictable and utterly talented Naruto had the potential to rewrite the destiny of the Hyuga should they each continue to excel in the manner they had thus far.
Hizashi snickered to himself, watching the two of them dance back and forth across the line between friendship and romance was immensely entertaining to the father. Especially when he recalled the way a certain Yondaime had agonized for months over his crush on a red-headed kunoichi before fate had thrown up her hands in frustration and seemingly organized an event solely to force the two into each other's arms, literally. Hizashi wondered if the boy would show up his unacknowledged father in the romance department as well as in fuuinjutsu, for Naruto was undeniably headed for bigger and greater things to anyone who cared to notice.
These thoughts kept his mind entertained as he pulled out the guard schedule and looked up Tadao's name. His brow furrowed under its bandages when he saw that the Hyuga had been personally requested to accompany Ane-sama's father, Satoshi-dono on the day of the chunin finals. With two Hyuga genin competing, many of the council and even a few dignitaries that Hiashi had personally invited himself, would be attending the event. Hizashi knew his brother wanted to gloat over the prowess and strength of the clan, and smirked inwardly as he pictured the look on the Clan leader's face when he realized that it was his own discarded heir that he had been bragging about. He must make sure to check on Hinata and ensure her confidence wasn't wavering at the idea of being on stage before the man who had branded her so violently after sending her mother to her death.
But Hiashi would be unable to pitch much of a fit, between wanting to save face in front of his elite friends and his newest paramour, who Hizashi noted was also on the guest list, and the small legion of Hyuga guards that would be accompanying the highly ranked group, every word that passed the Clan Head's lips would be under the scrutiny of many influential people.
Sighing in resignation, Hizashi shut the door of his office behind him, and headed to see if his father was still awake. What the children didn't know was that he and the former Clan Head had been keeping a close eye on Hizashi for several years. Covering up his affairs, covering up Ane's, playing buffer between him and the Branch family, and especially keeping him away from Hinata. The two had come to the conclusion that as long as Hiashi was allowed to focus on his shmoozing and bargaining, he was an ideal leader. It was within the clan itself that he felt his ego was threatened and thus the true degree of his brutality was exposed.
Hizashi knocked on the rich wooden panel that framed the door of his father's quarters, and bowed deeply when the old Branch servant, who had tended to his family ever since the twins were just children playing ninja with wooden kunai, slid the door open.
"Hizashi-sama, please come in. Hiroto-sama is actually out in the garden for his evening walk, is he expecting you?"
"No Juro-san," he answered as he glanced across the courtyard to where the path that led to the garden began. "But I can find him myself. Go rest your feet, the day is well and done." The servant bowed and smiled thankfully as he turned to shuffle away to his futon.
The stars were out now, and a wave of nostalgia washed over the son as he smelled the aroma of his father's favorite tobacco wafting into the early summer air.
"Hizashi," the old man's gravelly voice greeted his footsteps on the dirt, "What brings you out tonight? Have the genin returned from their exams?"
"Ah, Otousama, and as expected they both have passed. They will be facing each other in the finals."
Hiroto glanced at his son and raised an eyebrow at the way his mouth flattened with his words. "And thus the father frets." His low chuckle rumbled. "I'm sure they will fight with honor, and their bond is such that it will withstand such a defeat." Hizashi shifted a bit at his father's accurate assessment of his fears, the only outward display of his anxiousness.
"Proud as I am to tell you of my children's success, that is not the main reason for my visit." Hizashi proceeded to detail the events witnessed by Neji and the others, keeping his tone low and taking care it did not carry on the wind.
"I see, so you think perhaps Ane has convinced Tadao to make an attempt on Hiashi's life, and Satoshi's request for him as guard will offer him the opportunity?" Hiroto puffed thoughtfully on his pipe. "The man would have to be a complete fool to think he could pull off such a stunt, not to mention in the midst of nearly half the shinobi of Konoha."
Hizashi hummed his agreement. "Tadao is not the brightest, but he is also unreliably loose lipped, and that is what Ane fears more than anything. She needs her secrets kept safe if she is to assure the succession of her children. Goading Tadao into a foolhardy assassination that will surely end in his immediate demise would be very advantageous."
"Then why not simply kill him silently," Hiroto scowled, "his shameful liberation with drink offers multiple opportunities to ensure his silence."
Hizashi sighed, his father was right, but his gut told him there was more to this than just a paranoid lover cutting off an illicit loose end. "Hiashi has placed Hana-san on the guest list for the finals."
Hiroto coughed as he inhaled sharply on his pipe. "Baka! He intends to parade her in front of the whole village while his wife lies in confinement with his supposed son?" The look on Hizashi's face was answer enough, and he tried not to snicker as his honorable father swore heartily.
"It's shames me more than I can bear to have raised such a fool," Hiroto grabbed the cane that leaned against the bench and thumped it angrily on the ground. "This changes everything, her bruised ego knows no bounds and Satoshi will do anything to ensure her peace of mind."
"Exactly," Hizashi crossed his arms and braced himself for the reaction his next statement might bring. "I believe Satoshi is the real mastermind behind this plot, and that he intends to ensure its success while pinning the blame on an inebriated and lovesick fool." He locked his steely silver eyes onto his father's angry face, his conviction openly displayed, "And I intend to let him."
Hiroto stared at his son. There was no animosity in Hizashi's eyes. No hatred creasing his features. No arrogant piety pitched in his low tone. The weight of his words obviously hung heavily from his shoulders, which appeared slightly tensed as if awaiting retaliation. He was not the type of man to carry the blackness of vengeance in his heart, and his sense of justice was well respected amongst the Hyuga. This was not a cold dish of revenge he wanted to serve his brother, it was a logical decision that had been agonizingly weighed in the balance of beneficence and recompense.
"Explain."
Taking a deep breath, Hizashi dove in. "We could remove them all. In the eyes of the council, I will have enough evidence to convict Ane, her father, and Tadao of plotting to assassinate the Clan Head. We may not be able to prove that Hanabi isn't the biological heir, but if we could find a way to remove the child from the influence of Ane and ensure her education is overseen by ourselves, there will yet be hope for the clan. Hiashi's affairs will no longer be of relevance because Ane will be gone, and we can keep him focused on his international bargains, where he is most effective. Hanabi will be secured as successor as long as she activates her Byakugan, which Hinata has proven is possible. We can put all this behind us and work toward a better future for our children."
Hiroto hummed in thought, he admired his son's well rounded plan, but felt too much of it hinged on unpredictable factors. "The child is a firecracker, and has shown on more than one occasion to have her mother's quick temper and violent methods of resolving her problems." Personally, the elder Hyuga was not impressed by the four-year-old. Some traits were not malleable. "Do not forget, you and your brother were both raised to be leaders, both given the best the Hyuga had to offer from day one, and yet see what different men you have become? Some people were never meant to be leaders, Hizashi. Trust an old man who has tried to manipulate fate, some destinies cannot be changed."
The two fell into silence. Hizashi closed his eyes and reached into his heart, searching for an answer, for the voice of reason, for the whisper of Kami revealing her plans to him in all their glory.
Nothing but the tap of the fountain and the song of the crickets greeted him.
"Unless new information comes to light, I do not see another way," Hizashi's voice was steel, his eyes bright quicksilver that gleamed with his resolve. "I know I am not without sins blighting my soul, and therefore a poor judge upon my peers, and Kami has exacted her debt from me. I also understand my duty is to protect my Clan Head, even at the cost of my life if need be. Yet what is even more important than his birthright, is my responsibility to protect the Hyuga, my children, our future. And I cannot let them suffer anymore. Ane and Satoshi's choices have, and will continue to hurt the clan. They have made their beds, let them lie in it."
The former leader of the Hyuga watched his son walk away with back straight and shoulders square, leaving him alone in the garden with only the wind to hear the whisper of his words. "If only I could go back and change your fate, my son. How much suffering I could have spared us all. Kami forgive my prideful meddling."
His joints groaned as he stood with his cane, slowly making his way back to his quarters. Passing through the courtyard, the familiar silhouette of the midwife could be seen leaving the Honorable Wife's wing of the Main house. She saw him standing under the dim glow of the moon, and changed her course to address him.
"Her labor threatens everyday," the old woman whispered as she approached. "The babe is strong, but much too early. Should she continue to progress there will be nothing I can do to stop it's birth. Her body has been through too much, her womb doesn't want to hold a child til term."
Hiroto tipped his chin in acknowledgment, but as the midwife turned to leave he called out to her. "Obaasan, there is something I must ask of you."
The woman huffed, "I ran out of favors for you years ago Hiroto, and I still lose sleep over them."
His hand clenched on his cane at her casual address of the former clan head, but did not admonish her. He had always wondered how old this woman actually was. He had called her Grandma even back on the night of his sons' birth. The night he had gambled with destiny...and lost.
"There may come a reckoning yet," he responded, with as much humility as a long respected and rarely questioned former leader could muster. Her silver brow lifted, deepening the numerous creases on her sealed forehead. "On that day, Obaasan, can I count on you?"
A gap toothed smile etched across her features. "As always," she rasped. "But justice does not always sever our tangled webs cleanly, there may be some snares that must be ripped away."
"Then so be it. This time, I will abide by fate."
Her bow was lower than ever before, and he felt the shame she meant to bring upon him, for the fact that it had taken a lifetime to earn back her respect. They parted ways, the onerous burden of their long shared confidence nearly ready to slide off their hunched shoulders as time slowly revealed her secrets.
"Come on gaki! Is that all you got?" Water sprayed through the air as Naruto dodged another shower of hair needle senbon that shot out from Jiraiya's white mane.
"Shut...up...Ero-sennin..." Naruto wheezed and twisted through the waves of water, kunai clinking off as many of the needles as he could.
"If you can talk, you can block!"
"Gah!" The sunlight reflected off the water as he pushed his screaming muscles to move faster, blue eyes laser focused to discern the gleam of the weapons amongst the sparkle of the flying droplets. Several sunk into the tanned flesh of his leg as he guarded his face, and the stinging pain amped up his adrenaline. With one last vicious slice of the blade he was able to send a few of the needles sailing back to their originator, before his body gave out and he collapsed into the cool water.
The instant tranquility of the river engulfed him and he let his body relax as it floated with the gentle pull of the current. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his lungs started to burn, but the feeling of being lost in the peaceful underwater world kept his aching limbs stayed.
Suddenly a long knobby tongue broke his calm world and he was wrapped up in its tight grasp and yanked roughly up into the blinding daylight. Shaking his head to free the water from his spiky yellow hair he gasped and panted as the large toad dumped him onto the grass.
"Thanks," he grinned up at Jiraiya's summon, who merely blinked one bulging eye at a time before dispelling back to its home. The bright sun was blocked from view by the silhouette of the summoner himself as he bent over the exhausted teenager.
"Not so unstoppable without chakra, eh Naruto?" The Sannin laughed at the half hearted scowl on the whiskered face.
"I don't see the point to this, I have chakra for a reason, why do you insist on torturing me?" Naruto huffed as he rolled over onto his face, sighing as the warm rays hit his bare back.
"Just because you have a ridiculous pool of chakra doesn't mean you should be so dependent on it." Jiraiya lectured as he headed over to sit in the nearby shade. "The balance of body and spirit is crucial for a shinobi. All the chakra in the world locked up in a weak body is like handing an illiterate man a brush and ink and asking him to tell you a story. The value of his tools are lost on the ignorant creature. But when you teach the man to read, when you train your body to be the perfect vessel, then you will be writing masterpieces!"
"Or he could just draw me a picture," mumbled Naruto. And instinctively rolled over once more to dodge the shuriken that thudded onto the soft earth.
"Smartass." But Jiraiya was smiling, leave it to this kid to take even a simple analogy and find another interpretation. He had a real talent for discovering creative solutions. "You'll thank me if you face that green piece of spandex in the finals. That kid can flat out move."
Naruto groaned, too tired to debate, as he pushed himself up and crawled over to the scroll beside his folded clothes and unsealed four onigiri that Hinata had dropped off that morning. Scarfing one and grabbing a second he passed the bento to his godfather and the two sat in the dappled shade of the trees, back to back, enjoying a hard earned meal.
"You're doing well, gaki. Don't get a big head or anything, but if you keep this up, you'll be able to keep pace with that jinchuriki's sand. Buying time with your speed and using your chakra for attack and defense is going to be a key strategy. Shitting clones is fine, but you'll just be burning up chakra with no real plan. Fast thinking on the fly is a great skill, one of those things you either have or you don't, but every plan needs a basic strategy."
Naruto hummed around his mouthful, mentally making a note to drop by and thank Hime for the meal after this was over, she'd really outdone herself this time. "The kage bunshin is my most versatile attack and defense though. Most of my wind jutsu are supportive, and my taijutsu requires me to get within close range. Speed will make everything better, but it's not a trump card in and of itself."
A smirk spread across the Sannin's face as his eyes fell to the large scroll propped up against the trunk of the tree. "Sounds like you need a new jutsu."
Naruto instantly perked up at that. "Ne, ne, Ero-sennin, you finally gonna teach me some sick new jutsu? I knew you weren't all pervy thoughts and old man smell!"
"Baka!" A thump on the head left the teenager laughing and rubbing his neck as Jiraiya reached for the summoning contract while grumbling about ungrateful assholes with no taste in literature and even less respect.
The massive scroll thumped flat on the grass and Naruto's eyes widened into blue saucers as it rolled open to reveal the bloodstained signatures of the esteemed summoners of the Toads of Mt. Myoboku. His godfather's confident scrawl was there, and next to it...
Reverently his fingers reached out to trace the neat kanji, "The Yondaime," Naruto breathed in awe, gently placing his hand over the faded red fingerprints, smiling at the perfect match of size. "Ero-sennin, does this mean..."
"Ah, I'm offering to make you the next Summoner of the Toads."
His breath whooshed out of his chest. For a rare moment, words escaped him as elation filled his mind. To be the successor of the Fourth Hokage, his hero, the man who had trusted him with the fate of the village, it was an esteemed honor that raised a lump in his throat.
"There's a catch," Jiraiya's voice was low and serious, bringing the teenager's gaze to focus with rapt attention on his stern face. "The contract with the Toads is sealed in blood, sworn on the name of the summoner, anything less than the absolute truth will void the agreement."
The teenager blinked in confusion. "But, I would never try to trick the Toads, I'm honored to be able to sign my...name..." Understanding crossed his features and suddenly breathing became difficult. "My name. I need to know my real name?" When his godfather nodded and a twinkle lit his eye, Naruto felt his stomach erupt into summersaults.
He watched, dazed, as the white-haired man reached into his pouch and pulled out a small photograph, the size of his hand, and extended it out to Naruto's shaking fingers. There were two people, with arms around each other, the man with wildly spiky blond hair and blue eyes was gently resting his hand on the round belly of a blindingly redheaded woman with a smile that nearly split her face. His clothes were clearly those of a jonin and the white coat trimmed in red flames fanned out around them in a breeze now frozen in time. There was no mistaking that visage.
"Namikaze Minato..." he whispered, brushing his arm roughly over his moist eyes before the sight of the happy couple in the photo blurred.
"And Uzumaki Kushina," added Jiraiya, swallowing hard at his own rising emotion. "She was a refugee from Uzushiogakure who came here as a child and became the inheritor of the Kyuubi from Senju-Uzumaki Mito herself. She and Minato fell in love at a young age and were very happy together. For Minato, becoming the Hokage and a father was the fulfillment of his dreams. Every choice he made reflected his desire to protect and strengthen not only you, but Konoha herself. You are a testament to their love and their legacy, Naruto." The mentor grasped the shoulder of his beloved disciple's son, the weight of his secret being released opening a flood of sentiment from his jaded soul. "They would be so proud of you," he choked a bit and swallowed hard, Naruto's hauntingly familiar blue eyes swam with tears and he launched himself into his godfather's arms, unashamedly sniffling into his broad shoulder.
"It's like I'm so happy and so sad at the same time," he stuttered. After a minute he pulled away, a new level of determination cemented into his tear stained expression. "I will never betray the sacrifice they made for me!" Naruto exclaimed, clenching a fist over his heart. "They have entrusted me with the care of the village and all the people in it, I will not let them down!"
Jiraiya beamed with a level of pride beyond what he thought possible as he watched the boy who was a spitting image of his father bite his thumb with gusto and sign his name with a flourish, ending with a slam of his open palm onto the sacred parchment. NAMIKAZE NARUTO.
Gazing down at the drying blood, Naruto couldn't help but feel like a missing piece of himself had just slid into place. There was an alignment in his soul that felt right. He lifted his eyes to the Hokage mountain, where the stoic faces of the leaders past and present watched over the village below. I see you, Otousan! Make sure you see me!
Blood still dripped from the fist he punched into the air as he grinned at the face of his hero, his father, up on the mountainside. Not hesitating a moment longer, his hands flew through the oft observed sequence of hand signs, chakra built within him like a bonfire doused in oil, his emotions raged like a typhoon's wind, and his voice rang out with the confidence of a shinobi born and bred, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
The earth shook and the creatures fled as the massive body of Gamabunta, Chief of the Toads of Mt. Myoboku landed in front of the gaping teenager.
"So! You are Minato's brat!" the enormous amphibian bellowed as he fixed his single eye onto the skinny teenager in orange swim trunks. "Huh, it's about time you signed the contract. Let's see if you can outdo your old man, eh?"
Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head as the large warty tongue snatched him off the grass and slammed him onto the moist back of the gigantic amphibian. "Hold on!" Jiraya yelled from below, hands cupped around his smirking mouth. "If you let go he won't think you're strong enough to be worthy of the contract!"
"What the FUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKK?"
On the other side of the village, the Sandaime rocked in his office chair with laughter, wiping tears from his eyes as his crystal ball danced with the images of a screaming blond boy desperately clinging to the back of a malicious toad.
