Fate?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
The world slowed down for the young boy. His body hurt. His heart ached. His mind was blank. It had been 2 hours since the revelation. The boy was still stretched across the floor.
The glowing eyes still stared down at him from the window. Silently waiting for the boy to come back to life.
The boy had stopped crying about an hour ago. All he did now was silently stare up at the ceiling. The inferno in his heart began to bubble up the rage silently growing in his heart.
This world had again taken away something from him. The only thing that had remained stable so far in this world had been yanked from him. He had been stripped of his name. Of the little family he still had.
He mourned the loss of what he could not have. The change that he could not bring to the Hyūga. The rage grew as he began to analyze what Orochimaru had told him. They already had the papers ready. They were waiting for any excuse to get rid of him.
Hiashi had seen him as a burden. The council hated him. The Hyūga as a whole avoided him. His entire life here he had been a pariah. Through everything he had found a way to survive. He had clawed his way to all of what he had.
He had survived torture. Attack after attack. He had failed more times than he could count. But he had survived. Only to be thrown out. To be cast aside.
Hiro clutched his chest. The burning in his heart only grew. The pain didn't leave him. He knew it never would.
"What do you feel boy?"
"I'm angry!"
"Why?"
"They threw me away like garbage!"
Hiro grew angrier and angrier. "I will show them. Show them how wrong they are about me" Hiroaki had began to draw blood from his hands.
Orochimaru smiled, revealing his wicked teeth.
"Oh? And how will you do that boy?"
Hiro looked at Orochimaru. Then looked away. "I don't know. Danzō. Danzō wants me to join root. He said that it would be a good place for me."
Orochimaru laughed. "You will only be as strong as Danzō allows you to be. You will only be a pawn in his game."
In anger Hiro punched the window and shattered it. Cutting his left arm in the process.
"What do you want?"
"I want power! I want to be more powerful than any of them! I don't want to just be a pawn."
Orochimaru smiled. "True power is forged from the desire smoldering in the heart, it fans into a flame and begins to burn with an intensity one scarcely imagines to be possible. I'll show you your true power. But you have to show me your fire."
Hiro looked incredulously at the man before him "Why would you help me?"
"Like you, I had lost everything I held dear in an instance. I thought of anger, hatred, and revenge. This darkness pollutes the world around us. Slowly suffocating our light. Only through my guidance can you come out stronger than you ever were before."
Present Day
Before
Full Council Meeting
I walked from the door and meet with Orochimaru in the Hallway.
"Did you read the 'Mission Brief'?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"Don't embarrass us."
With that Orochimaru and the ANBU guard began walking out of the hospital.
We had walked back out to a sizable crowd forming outside the hospital. As soon as they saw us the screams began. Bingo Books from various countries had been updated in the last couple of days. So news and rumors hit the civilians within mere hours of the release of the small black books.
The civilians screamed out our praise and blessings as we made our way through the crowded Konoha streets. Danzō and the elder council had deemed fit that we should be paraded around to 'boost morale'.
Chants had picked up calling for their 'Sannin' to be the next Hokage. Every once in awhile I heard a few yell out for their Hyūga Prince to be safe.
After a hellish 15 minutes we had arrived at the Hokage tower.
Walking up the stairs I began to grow more and more nervous. I couldn't help but begin to grow anxious about the lies that I would have to tell. Orochimaru had to explain to me that, "These lies weren't meant for us. They were there to throw off any talks of our spies in enemy lands."
That meant I had to go into detail about a massacre I had nothing to do with. That made me sick to the stomach.
We arrived outside the double doors leading to the meeting chambers. Orochimaru stood behind me, and pushed me forward. The doors opened revealing the massive table and the Heads of all the major Shinobi Clans. The civilian council had also been allowed to assembly in hopes to spread more of our propaganda.
By the looks of the table, we were the last two to arrive.
As I looked around the table any nervousness I had vanished. As soon as I spotted him. I pretended that I hadn't noticed him. I made my way and bowed before the Sandaime.
I took my seat near the elders and awaited for this meeting to officially begin.
After an hour of being in the meeting, I had regretted not dying. I had not even been allowed to speak. It was Hiruzen who was reading the mission briefing. So when it finally came down to get specifics on what happened during our "siege" it was Orochimaru that had been allowed to speak.
I noticed the more and more that Orochimaru droned on about our assault and escape from outpost to outpost, Hiashi had not stopped staring at me. Orochimaru had played up how much help I had been. Concocting lies about my selflessness, and ferocity for my 'young age'.
Orochimaru had made it to the part where we had crossed the Ame border when, Fugaku interrupted.
"Are we supposed to believe that this mere Hyuuga gaki, was capable of doing such things?!" The murmurs began to grow on the civilians side of the table. I instantly felt all of the eyes fall on me.
Before I could speak, Danzō pulled out the small bingo book and tossed it into the middle of the council table. "Everyone received this for a reason, Fugaku-San. It's not for mere decoration."
The murmurs around the table began to grow and few began to pull out the small book. After a few moments, a gasp was heard from the civilian section.
Hiashi didn't move to get his book. Instead he broke off his continued stare and glanced down.
"But a mere Genin, couldn't have done this by himself?" A nameless civilian asked.
"I saw him fighting first hand. He is far from a mere Genin. He is a once in a generation genius. He is faster, stronger, quick witted in battle." Orochimaru said with praise in his voice.
"If it weren't for his last efforts, we both wouldn't have made it back with the… War ending information."
The murmurs grew into a quiet roar. More people continued to look at my directions and began whispering among each other. All I could do was continue to stare down at my feet.
I felt a hand land on my shoulder and noticed Orochimaru had moved behind me. "I assure you, Uchiha-sama, my apprentice is more than capable of those feats in battle.
I looked up and caught the anger look in Hiashi's eyes.
The Nara clan head spoke up. "What information did you bring back?"
The Sandaime spoke up. "The civilian council is required to leave. This part of the meeting is adjourned." Orochimaru tapped my arm indicating it was time for me to leave. I got up and gave a bow to the Hokage before I began to leave.
"Hiro-san, please wait in my office." The Sandaime commanded.
I nod and left.
I walked into the Hokage's office and sat down. I looked around and noticed a pair of kunai on the table. The pictures on the wall were of the previous Hokage. "I wonder why he would want to talk to me about anything. Maybe he would take my promotion away? Will he bring me up on charges?"
The more and more I thought on it the more nervous I became. I began to get angry just thinking about the nerve that Hiashi had. He just stared at me the entire time.
I felt the anger begin building up and I sat down to mediate. The flow of my chakra resembled my emotions and we're trying to lash out around me.
*CLANG!*
I opened my eyes and saw the kunai had fallen on the floor. "Wind."
I closed my eyes again and built up my chakra again. I tried to meditate. I tried to concentrate and make my chakra flow through more peacefully.
The world began to open itself up for a brief second and then shut itself off from almost instantly. It was like a switch I opened up my eyes and I was sweating profusely. I looked up at the clock and more than forty minutes had passed.
The hokage was silently sitting in his chair with a pipe in his hand. "So, I see you have returned to us."
"Us?" I asked confused.
"It's good to see you again." Hizashi said behind me.
A plethora of emotions ran through me. Leaving me significantly confused in what I should feel. But anger began to dominate everything else. "How dare you come see me here!" I balled up my hands into fist. I looked at the floor and saw the kunai from earlier had somehow gotten closer.
"Now, Hiro-kun. I know you're angry, but you have to see that Hiashi-kun had no choice. The council went behind his back."
I looked back up at him with renewed anger.
"Had no choice?! Is that what my life is to you people?"
"We love you. You have always been like a son to me. You know that we have always done the best things for you. But you're just a child. One day you'll understand."
"All I know is that I was 'just a child' when I was thrown into training for the war. I was 'just a child' when everyone at the compound refused to even acknowledge my existence. I was 'just a child' when I surpassed everything that you two begrudgingly gave me. I was 'just a child' When I finally went to the war that you prepared me for. I was 'just a child' when I was forced to fight for my life and my comrades life. I was 'just a child' when they captured me. I was 'just a child' when they tortured me for information on our clan. I was 'just a child' when I took the lives of the people who imprisoned me." Tears began to gather.
"I was 'just a child' when I lost my family."
Before anyone could say anything more, the Hokage interrupted.
"Hizashi, tell him what you came here for."
Hizashi glanced at the Sandaime and nodded.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scroll. He did a few hand signs and the seal on the scroll began to glow. After a few seconds passed the glow dimmed. *poof*
In the center of the scroll, laid a small black sheath with a golden tip, and Hyūga crest in the middle. The Tanto inside had small black handle with a golden crest on it as well. Hizashi grabbed it and pulled the blade out. The blade was made of pure gold.
He inspected it and put it back in the sheath. He then handed it to me. "Your mother wanted you to have her Tantō. It was a gift from your father." Hizashi smiled and stood up. "Please take care of yourself Hiro-kun. It might seem like a curse now, but you control your fate now."
Hizashi bowed and left out of the doors.
I stared at the blade in my hand. Only thinking of what he had said… "My… father..?"
A/N: Welcome back! I wanted to put up this chapter up quicker than my last release. I had most of this written out but decided to cut it out of last chapter for its own instead.
Answering Rachnis: I didn't necessarily think I had to explain why the clan wanted to have Hiro out of the clan, but if there is some confusion I'll be happy to clear it up. First things first. Hiroaki is NOT a full blood Hyūga. That's why Hiro, hasn't really been able to call on his byakugan at will. I don't think I necessarily made it too obscure that he wasn't a full Hyūga. Second, my reasoning for them having him removed is because at that time, only Hiroaki is the main heir to the line. His mother was Hiashi's sister and Hiashi had not had Hinata yet. So to the council, it is much more important for them to not have it be a possibility of a bastard, to one day be in charge of the Clan. I had also originally left subtle clues on to who his father was but decided to remove them for not really making too much sense. But! In the last few chapters there are subtle hints that lead to his father. The guy is not too obscure and will play a big role later on.
Also for other readers who had not picked it up or simply forgotten about it there is more to what's happening than what I'm simply telling from Hiro's point of view. Not everything that's happening is just by chance! I'm almost certain that most readers have not picked up on the subtle clues. ;P.
If you have any questions just ask and in the next update I'll try to answer them.
Question: Comment if you think you know who the father might be. If anyone manages to guess it correctly, the next update will be twice as long as a reward.
