Dark-Star217: I'm sorry that the chapter disappointed you but I hope that things get better for you.
Animaman: I'm glad that you liked the chapter. Naruto's parents are going to learn a lot more about their son later on while there are things that will change with Sasuke and Yakumo. I plan to turn Yakumo into someone who induces more fear and Sasuke will become more determined. Pretty much everyone regrets their part in Menma and Narumi which I emphasize on Minato and Kushina's regret this chapter. I'll do so later for the Sannin later on.
UnsanMusho: Things are heating up and they are only gonna get hotter.
PinkiePieParty122894: Happy that you liked the chapter and hopefully death to Danzo. Hopefully.
thor94: Seems that Naruto is dead. It would take a lot of strength and will to survive what he did, whether or not he got stronger is yet to be seen.
1995hzq: I appreciate your patience and I'm glad that you liked the chapter and the pairing. I thought that the Sasuke/Shion pairing would be unique and I liked the idea of it.
ncpfan: You may have to wait a while for the Naruto/parents talk. I like a good Sasuke as well and I've tried my best to be a lot less stoic and more of a human being and an actual best friend of Naruto. I hope I explain why Naruto was neglected a little better in this chapter and Minato and Kushina did want this to go away magically and it looked like it did for a while but because of Naruto's inner revelation, they are still trying to do their best to show him that they can be good parents. Anyway, I hope that this chapter will clarify some questions that you have.
DxGRAYxMAN: Thanks I hope that I continue to impress.
demigodninja21: Probably not. I feel that those two were so big and wanted that they needed to be done. There is a chance that I will do another movie arc later on, but I wouldn't count on it.
(Naruto's Room)
Kushina sat on Naruto's bed looking out the nearby window. She had done so everyday after finding out her son's status from the mission to the Land of Demons, just as she had when she realized that Naruto had run away from Konoha as a child. With a sad smile, she realized that it seemed like just yesterday when Menma and Narumi had revealed the horrible fact that her first born had left. After her earlier conversation with Sasuke, her beliefs in her son strengthened. But the pain in her heart from the absence of her first born son was almost too much to bear. For the past week, she had reflected on her sins of a mother. She had spoiled two of her children to the point of believing that they deserved the world, and she had neglected her older son to the point of no longer feeling like her son. It wasn't inconceivable on how Menma and Narumi would turn out from how she raised them, but to this day she thanked Kami for the miracle that her sword wielding son didn't hate her.
Noticing the familiar feeling of tears, Kushina quickly wiped her eyes. The worry she held for her son, her blood, her baby boy, was indescribable. She believed in Sasuke's words about her son being alive because she didn't know what she would do if they were wrong. Her failures as a mother had been recognized too late and she had yet to gain Naruto's forgiveness. Naruto and her needed more time. No, Naruto was alive. He had to be alive. Inside of her mind, so many years of neglect ran by, but it all started on one day.
Flashback
Kushina stood beside her husband who was sitting in his Hokage chair with a calm expression on his face. Kushina on the other hand was red faced with fury. Her hair was starting to raise and her killer intent was starting to flood Minato's office. She glared with fire in her eyes at Jiraiya the Toad Sage who was standing in front of the two looking at the ground and shaking slightly.
"I would explain quickly Jiraiya before I remove a body part, one in particular" Kushina said as she barely lessened her killer intent enough for the man to tell her and her husband his infuriating plan. She narrowed her eyes as Jiraiya stood straight and gulped. With a deep breath, Jiraiya calmed himself and straightened his clothes. "Minato, Kushina, a prophecy has been foretold by the Great Toad Sage. The prophecy speaks of two children of great lineage who will determine the future of the world. These two will wield more power than the kages themselves as they come together to either destroy this world, or to save it. Peace or destruction" the white haired Sannin said causing Minato and Kushina's eyes to widen at the prophecy.
Jiraiya stood straighter seeing that Minato and Kushina were ready to listen. "Menma and Narumi come from the Namikaze and Uzumaki, two names known and feared throughout the elemental nations. They hold the power of the Nine Tailed Fox, a power that will allow them to surpass all ninja. I know that not training Naruto at the same time time as his brother and sister will be hard on him as it is on you, but the boy will understand one day. But I need for you two to understand right now why this is so crucial. As for Naruto, neither of you were specifically trained by a clan and look how you turned out" Jiraiya said hoping that his message got through.
Kushina stood looking at the ground. Her mind was at war with itself as was her heart. As a mother and as an Uzumaki, what Jiraiya was suggesting was outrageous and impossible to even think of accepting. On the other hand, the cold logical part of her brain knew that these prophecies didn't just grow on trees. What Jiraiya was telling them had merit and was cruelly correct in its ways. Her inner turmoil was interrupted by the calm words of "All right" beside her. Turning her head, she looked at Minato with tears about to form in her eyes but her husband refused to look at her. The rest of the conversation sped by but Kushina could hear nothing as she was too focused on accepting the need to leave out her son.
Unable to stay in the room any longer, Kushina slowly walked past Jiraiya without levying any type of attack. She had no fight left right now as she left the Hokage's Office with a tear falling down her face.
Flashback End
The red headed mother knew that she should have told Jiraiya to shove it despite the prophecy, but she was a fool. Now not only she, but her children were paying for it. Menma and Narumi had joined a group focused on the enslavement of the entire elemental nations while Naruto had to bear a burden that it seemed like no one else could help carry. Putting a hand on her head, Kushina thought back to more of the sins she committed against her oldest child forcing herself to confront her mistakes so that when Naruto came back, she could apologize for each and every one. When he returned, she would take him into her arms and get on her knees to apologize for all of her mistakes the right way, but she had to confront them within herself first. Thinking back, she continued to remember specific failings that led up to her son leaving the village for over a year.
Flashback
Kushina stood watching Menma and Narumi train by meditating in order to be able to access their chakra easier while attempting to balance a leaf upon their foreheads. She smiled as she watched her five year old children starting on their path to greatness. Seeing her son and daughter following in their parents' footsteps had erased any doubts she may have had about leaving her oldest child behind even though their was still a small lingering feeling of sadness deep within her.
While her thoughts started to drift, she heard the back door open and the sound of a child running. Without turning around, Kushina let out a sigh of annoyance as Naruto came to stand beside her. "Mom, mom, can I join? I promise that I'll be really good" the little blonde asked causing his two siblings to lose their concentration as the leaves fell from their foreheads. With a small growl in annoyance, Kushina looked down at Naruto with a small glare causing the boy to take a few steps back.
"Naruto, Narumi and Menma are trying to train and you are keeping their mind off of it. You are being bad already so how can I trust you to be good later? Besides, Narumi and Menma's training is more important than getting you started on your training. It would be a waste of time" Kushina said harshly causing her son to frown and his lip to start quivering. "But mom, if you could just give me some sort of training book then I would leave you-" the blonde child was interrupted by the red headed mother raising her voice. "I said no now go to your room until dinner!" she shouted causing the boy to immediately turn and run away with tears in his eyes. She knew that she may have overreacted, but the decision to focus on her other two children had been made years before and she had come to terms with that decision. If that meant putting a little bit of space between her and Naruto in order to save the world, then so be it.
The pain of leaving Naruto behind still resided within her, but she fought against it and distanced herself from the boy in order to avoid these feelings. Looking back towards the door that her son had run to, her maternal instinct screamed at her to go and apologize for scolding him so harshly, but she quelled that instinct and turned around. Little did she know that when Naruto had entered the training ground, Menma and Narumi had immediately started to hatefully glare at their brother.
Flashback End
Time and time again, she had ignored her first born son's desperate cries for attention until he fell out of her view as a son. After years of neglect, his presence and importance faded from being one of her most precious people to being nothing more than a common villager. She didn't care about his need for his mother because the constant cycle of her just trying to avoid her son out of pain became something far more cruel in an attempt to quell that pain. The entirety of her children's lives had been irreparably damaged because of the decisions that she made.
A tear fell down her face as she remembered what should have been a red flag to her, but she was preoccupied.
Flashback
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T FOUND HIM!?" Kushina yelled at her sorrow filled husband. According to Menma and Narumi, Naruto had not been in the village for over a month. She had of course yelled at her two remaining children upon discovery for not telling them, but were met with the cold hard answer of "We didn't think you cared". Although it couldn't be further from the truth, the horrible realization was that Menma and Narumi had no reason to believe any different if her years of ignoring Naruto weren't evidence enough.
Thinking of Menma and Narumi would cause her mood to worsen. Since her eldest had left, a sheet had been raised that revealed what the result of her parenting had produced. Her remaining two children were arrogant, spoiled, and entitled brats. They had received years of praise and adulation from everyone around them without a hint of criticism and it was all her fault.
Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, she returned back to the present as she stood outraged in front of Minato who had Jiraiya behind him.
Minato sighed sadly. I have sent every Inuzaka, Hyuga, Aburame, and Uchiha tracking team we have, hell I've even asked the toads and Kakashi's dogs, but none have returned with results. If I knew where he was, Kami knows that I would flash to him in a second" the blonde Hokage said with heavy sorrow in his voice which caused Kushina to lighten up. The disappearance of their son had taken a heavy toll on her husband, something that she occasionally forgot from time to time. For a short moment, there was nothing but silence, until someone who just didn't belong decided to speak up.
"Look, I know that you miss Naruto, but we still need to focus on the twins. Let's just put him on the back burner for now and keep training Menma and Narumi. I'll try to make time to look into a few connections, but we really need to just move on" the toad sage said but regretted it quickly as killer intent flooded the office.
Minato looked up at his sensei with a furious expression on his face for the man's disregard to his own godson's well being, but it was nothing compared to Kushina who looked more terrifying than the Shinigami itself. A golden chakra chain sped through the sannin's right shoulder as it painfully twisted once buried within. "You listen to me you pathetic old fool. We would not be in this situation had you not forced your ridiculous prophecy upon us. Because of you, my son is out there and I have no idea of whether or not he is alive so I will issue this warning to you because of your connection to my husband. I will kill you. I will kill you in a way that is more painful than anything you could ever imagine. Jiraiya the Toad Fool will be a name spoken only out of mockery after you die and your legacy will mean nothing" she said in a dark voice before backing up and focusing on both Jiraiya and her husband. "Pray Jiraiya that my son is okay. Because if he isn't, then not only will I kill you, but I will find my way to Mount Myoboku and slaughter every Kami damned toad from the eldest toad to the newest of tadpoles" Kushina promised before roughly taking out her chakra chain and leaving the office in a storm.
Both men were shaking at Kushina's words knowing full well that she would follow up on her words because an Uzumaki never breaks a promise. Jiraiya and Minato would never tell anyone, but a large spot of piss covered both of their pants.
Flashback End
Kushina almost wanted to laugh at that day as she reminisced on it. She had meant every word, and Jiraiya was lucky that Naruto had returned. Her mood dropped slightly at the thought of her son missing for the second time, but like before he would return not only to his village, but his mother's arms as well. A small smile started to form on her face before she heard a knock on the door from Konan signalling that it was time to leave.
(Hokage's Office)
Minato sat in his chair with his hands folded on top of each other. Today was the day when he would leave for Iron Country to meet with each of the village leaders. The blonde had a good feeling about the leaders listening to his plea since they had seen first hand the power that the weakest of the Shinigami's Blade had held. He had decided to bring along his wife, Konan, and Yakumo as an escort team. Shaking his head, he knew exactly why this meeting of kages was taking place and whose fault it was.
Years of neglect had made his oldest son feel unwanted to the point of leaving the village as an untrained child. Even after returning, his and Kushina's relationship with their son was warped and odd to say the least. Naruto was starting to show them affection as a child would towards his or her parent, but he still had some hidden feelings of anger and hurt behind the love he gave. It hurt Minato to see his son in such pain but was so happy when Naruto had told him and Kushina that they would be able to reconstruct their relationship when he returned, but fate was cruel and now his son was missing.
The blonde Hokage's thoughts drifted to a few moments in his son's life that had created the neglectful father persona that Naruto had been forced to witness everyday,
Flashback
Minato had just gotten home and was excited to join Kushina, Menma, and Narumi for training. As he removed his standard jounin flak jacket that he always wore under his cape, he heard the door open. Turning to see who it was, the blonde man's excited smile immediately turned into a frown of annoyance. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Minato crossed his arms and looked down at his first born son. "What do you want Naruto?" Minato asked trying to get the kid to go away as fast as possible. Naruto shifted his feet as he looked at the ground and with a shaky voice, asked quietly, "I was wondering if maybe I could train with all of you today" the little blonde asked.
The older blonde walked to his bedroom door and looked down at his son until the boy got the message and moved out of the way. Walking at a quick pace, he noticed his son speed up too while expecting an answer which annoyed him. Stopping abruptly, Minato turned to Naruto giving off an angry expression that caused the child to cower within himself.
"Naruto, I don't have time for this so let me make this clear for the FINAL time. You will learn how to be a shinobi at the academy where it will be up to you whether or not you become stronger. I don't have the time to waste on you because I have to focus on Menma and Narumi. They are the priority for now and I cannot have you distracting them. So as I have told you time and time again, no Naruto, neither me nor your mother will be training you" Minato said and turned around, not even waiting for a response.
If he had turned, he would have seen his first born child allowing tears to stream down his face. The little blonde boy wrapped his arms around his body as he went to his room sobbing. While the oldest child was bawling his eyes out in his room, the Hokage was laughing as he trained and spent enjoyable time with his children and wife.
Flashback End
Minato closed his eyes at that memory. It was truly the final time that he ever heard a request from Naruto because the boy took his father's words to heart. Shaking his head, he just couldn't find out any reason for why he had decided to ignore Naruto. The blonde Hokage considered himself to be a good person for the most part, but when it came to treating and raising his own son, he was a heartless bastard. He remembered the when he had finally come to that conclusion only a month after realizing that his son was gone as a result of him.
Flashback
The Fourth Hokage sat in his desk. It was two in the morning and the man reeked of sake. The multiple bottles that littered his desk explained it. A face that was usually clean cut was now covered in stained stubble and his eyes remained bloodshot and unfocused. Minato wanted to throw the bottles at the wall, he wanted to throw something, he wanted to break something. His son had left and it was all his fault. The only thing keeping him from having a complete mental breakdown was that he had to remain in his right state of mind and hope that one day he would be given the chance to make up for his mistakes.
Raising a head to look at the picture that he kept on his desk, the picture that reminded him that he once was an alone orphan but now had incredible family, he noticed that Naruto wasn't even in the photo. Shaking his head, Minato let out tears not even bothering to wipe them up as he took another swig of sake. He had ruined everything despite being the "Most Powerful Shinobi in the World". What was the point in being the most powerful ninja in the world if you couldn't even protect your family?
He had ruined his family, caused Menma and Narumi to become questionable people, and forced his oldest son to go through the same feeling of loneliness but amplified even more since Naruto didn't just feel alone, he felt unwanted. Minato took another long swig of sake from the battle.
Flashback End
Minato shook his head at the memories. He had vowed never to make his son feel that way again and hopefully that vow had been unbroken. Before he could delve any deeper into the past, a knock sounded at the office door causing the man to look up. "Come in" Minato said and was happy to see Itachi enter. "Ah Itachi, I am leaving in a few minutes. I called you here because while I am gone, you will be the acting Hokage" said the blonde who chuckled at the Uchiha's expression. "Listen Itachi, you are one of my most trusted and loyal ninja. I'm sure that you can hold everything down while I am away" Minato said standing up and putting a hand on Itachi's shoulder.
The Uchiha still had a shocked look but nodded without speaking a word. "I will not fail you Lord Hokage" Itachi said getting on one knee and lowering his head. He looked up when he heard his Hokage chuckle. "Stand up Itachi. And like I've told you before, you may call me Minato" the blonde said with a smile and helping Itachi up.
The jounin was still in shock before he looked up at his leader. "But why me Minato?" Itachi asked with a somewhat desperate tone. Minato's smile grew a little bigger at the question. "Because Itachi, I trust you. I have watched you grow into an incredible ninja. Success at such a young age would get to most people's heads, but not you. You are a ninja unlike most others. That is why I trusted you with my son and that is why I am trusting you with my village. Protect it well" Minato said before walking out of his office and leaving Itachi to acclimate to his new surroundings.
(Gates of Konoha)
Minato, Kushina, and Konan stood at the gates with a determined look on their faces. Yakumo stood beside them with a determined look, but underneath was that of a cold blooded killer. Ever since learning of Naruto going missing, she had started to train harder and harder to the point of almost hurting herself. The girl's genjutsu was turning the subject into a respectable on. Yakumo trained in her taijutsu and with her scythe even more. Her training had eventually reached a point that Konan had to step in and forcibly make her stop. After some talking and a lot of crying, the chunin assured her master that she was ready to resume her duties as a ninja.
The four powerful shinobi took one last look behind them at the village before they left for the Land of Iron. The first step in planning to destroy the Shinigami's Blade had begun.
(Underneath Konoha)
Danzo stood among his ROOT ninja, many recently hired powerful ninja, and even more ninja from most of the clans. Stepping forward, Danzo smiled at the people. "My people, the Fourth Hokage has left Konoha. We will wait for him to reach the Land of Iron before we begin the attack. Once he arrives, we will take back Konoha and the village will be run by the people. No longer will a child be allowed to rule this village and force everyone else to follow his rule. Konoha is ours" Danzo announced and smiled at the cheers of agreement and applause.
When the man turned around, an evil grin found it's way to his face. Numbers from each of the ninja clans had joined under his rule and soon he would be the unquestioned ruler of Konoha and eventually the elemental nations. As he walked away, he noticed the leader of the Uchiha clan along with two Hyuga clan elders standing and waiting for him. Approaching the three, Danzo looked at the group before smiling. "So I take it that I have your support?" Danzo asked.
Just as Fugaku was about to speak, the two Hyuga elders spoke first. "We will support you and your role as Hokage so long as we are given what we were promised. We want a more powerful caged bird seal. Ever since that blonde bastard broke the seals from every branch member, they have started to think of themselves as our true equal. In the world we live in, it's best for people to learn their place sooner rather than later. We will make sure that the lesser members of the Hyuga clan will stay in check and you will have the full support of the Hyuga clan" an elder said which got a raised eyebrow from Danzo and a shake of the head from Fugaku.
"I notice that Hiashi is not in attendance" the crippled man pointed out. The elders shook their heads quickly. "What is happening now does not involve him. It's about time for a new head of the clan. One who understands the need for a lesser branch more than Hiashi" said the other elder.
Danzo nodded before looking at Fugaku who was standing with his arms crossed. "Anything that you would like to add Fugaku?" the crippled elder asked. Fugaku looked at Danzo with narrowed eyes for a long moment. The stare went on long enough that the Hyuga elders had slowly left the two to continue their conversation in private. Waiting long enough, Fugaku broke the silence. "As long as you keep to your word and give control of Konoha to the Uchiha, then you will have my clan at your disposal in taking over the village" the Uchiha said which got a smile and nod from Danzo before the man walked off to converse with his followers.
Turning around to leave, Fugaku gave one look back at Danzo manipulating the mass of people before turning around and walking off. Within his own head, Fugaku had not even thought about where he was going but before he knew it, he had made his way home. As he came back to, he realized that he had stopped outside of his youngest son's room. With a slight hesitance, Fugaku quietly opened the door and upon seeing that Sasuke was asleep, entered the room. Slowly coming to stand in front of his sleeping son, he let a small smile appear on his face as he gently brushed some hair out of Sasuke's eyes.
After about two minutes of staying in Sasuke's room, Fugaku slowly walked out of his son's room and into the hallway where he silently slid against the wall to the ground. Sitting on the floor, Fugaku looked down as tears fell from his face for the first time since he was a child. "Mikoto, Itachi, Sasuke, please forgive me. What I do is for the best of not only you, but the entire Uchiha clan" Fugaku whispered before closing his eyes. When he looked up, he had the fabled Mangekyo Sharingan activated. "I will be gone from this world soon, but ancestors I beg of you to guide my children and allow my wife happiness. Mikoto always deserved better than a bastard like me" Fugaku said chuckling at the end of his prayer as tears still flowed from his eyes but he smiled nonetheless.
Author's Note: I know that many of you have been waiting for more revelation and insight into why Naruto was neglected and the way things went down. The way that Naruto was neglected and that entire period was kind of rushed and ill written mostly because I was still new to all of this. Hopefully my writing has gotten better as the story has progressed and this chapter corrects some early mistakes. I hope that this chapter cleared things up and maybe quelled the concerns that a lot of you had. Anyway I hope that you all liked the chapter and continue to enjoy the story and I hope to see you all again next chapter.