Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

"Windows to the Soul"
by Chronos Astral

Chapter 7:

'Redemption'


Within a years time, Naruto had become progressively stronger, smarter, and most importantly much happier as his bond with his nameless brother held true. Today, they would celebrate not only the boy's coming birthday, but their own one year spent as blood brothers. It went without saying that they held great respect and friendship in each other, deeper than the bonds of even true siblings. Much deeper. It was unfortunate for the blond that, because of his constant training, he couldn't find time to play with his new friends. His brother more than made up for that though, devising ways to entertain as well as train themselves in the arts of a ninja.

Uzumaki Naruto, scorned village pariah, had his heart swell with joy and pride. Looking at his guardian's beaming face as they walked the village streets, his own smile grew wider. "Where are we going, Nii-san?"

The man noticed the excitement brimming in his charge's eyes and grinned. "It's a surprise." He stated mischievously.

It only served to incite even more anxiety into the boy. "Can you at least give me a hint?" He jumped at the aspect of a surprise, for when it came to his 'Nii-san', surprises were a always a good thing.

"Nope. You're going to have to wait." He teased again.

Their small bout was short-lived by an aged white-haired man with an outlandish attire like that of a Kabuki dancer. He appeared in puff of smoke before them, eyeing the two cautiously, accentuating the already noticeable wrinkles on his face. "You..." He pointed at the older of the duo.

The man responded by enquiringly pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You're coming with me to see the Sandaime. He wants to have a talk with you." The Sannin said in a way that held no room for argument. Jiraiya eyed the blond in his company. "Leave the boy."

"Why can't I come?" Naruto asked the stranger.

The blue-haired man patted the boy's head reassuringly. "I'll be back." He walked over to the Sannin with a serene smile, though the elderly man narrowed his eyes at the gesture. With one last glance over his shoulder, the man waved a small goodbye to his surrogate younger brother and disappeared in a swirl of smoke in unison with his former teacher.

This left Naruto with a sour mood, that is until he felt a tap on his shoulder. The boy looked over his shoulder to eye the stranger. He grinned.


As with all who are graced with the privilege of donning the Kage's hat, the dreaded illness known only as the 'Kage's Migraine' was slowly creeping up the base of Sarutobi's forehead. It was a disease known to be caused by times of stress, mostly in the form of troublesome ninja, and was renowned to be caught by most village heads across the continent. It was unknown as to why this was the case, but few suspect that it had something to do with the hat.

The telltale sound of knocking was heard from the door to his office. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he felt the full force of the migraine relentlessly throb in his head. He was way too old for this crap. "Enter..."

The newcomers complied, stepping into the room and locking the door shut behind them. Sarutobi eyed them both, his former student, the Toad Sannin and self-proclaimed super pervert, Jiraiya, and his former student's student, the very reason for his immense migraine. Said man grinned and bowed in greeting. "Konbanwa, Sandaime-san."

"You do know it's morning right?" Jiraiya asked the man. His response was a look of wonder and curiosity as the man tilted his head. "Never mind..."

The Sandaime cleared his throat, catching their attention. "I think that you are aware of the reason of your being here."

"Nope. Not a clue." The man answered seemingly honestly. It was nearly enough to make the older two facefault to the ground.

"Don't play with us! You want to awaken the boy's bloodline!" Jiraiya accused, quite agitated at his student's adamant denial of the truth.

"Yes I do. It would be much easier to do if I knew what it is though..."

"You know perfectly well what the boy's bloodline is! Why do you keep denying-!?" Jiraiya stopped dead before finishing his question. Of course! His bloodline! He doesn't remember because of his bloodline! The Sandaime noticed as well and mentally prepared himself for what was to come. If all else failed, his finger was ready to press against the seal he had set up underneath his desk.

Jiraiya looked him in the eyes. "I know that you can remember. Show me your true self, now!" Seeing the brief flash in his student's now open eyes as a sign that his method was working. "This isn't you! It's only a hollow reflection of your past self! You're in there somewhere, so come out, damnit!"

A brief burst of chakra sprang forth from the man's body, surging from his limbs and into his eyes. For a moment the man's uncovered amethyst eyes burned to a blurry ashen color, before settling once more. There looked to be a significant change in the man as his normally cheerful visage was replaced with a more callous scowl and eyes that were set in a narrow glare.

"No... This isn't you either..." The Sannin gaped at the man who was supposed to be his student. Sandaime looked on in bewildered awe.

The newly transformed man, turned his head and spoke in a tone that revealed no emotion. "I'm afraid that your student of 20 years ago is not present at the moment. I am here to replace him."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in recognition at the change.. "One of his three spirit personas of the On'you Iki Hinsei (Yin and Yang Spirit Characters), my student's bloodline. You are Sujimichi (Logic). And the previous one I presume to be Iyoku (Will)?"

"It's true. I am Sujimichi of the On'you Iki Hinsei, and the persona you were previously speaking to was Iyoku, or at least part of him.Though, as you know, this isn't the entirety of our bloodline." He emphasized the word 'our' as if talking about more than one of himself. "As for the true persona of your student, I'm afraid he does not want to see you at the moment." The man said with a baritone, as if uninterested.

"Why's that?" Jiraiya growled in dangerous voice that promised pain.

"Guilt." He stated simply as if it were obvious. "He is much too ashamed of himself to face you."

The Sannin stared silently, as if thinking something over but not letting down his guard over him. The Sandaime decided it as his chance to voice his own question. "Why do you intend on awakening Naruto's bloodline?"

"It is not I who wants to, the true persona does, and I think it is an act of atonement on his part. I, Iyoku, and Itami (Anguish). We of his Hinsei all agree with his plan, as it will give him peace and finally settle his unrest."

"I just can't let you awaken Naruto's bloodline." Jiraiya set his feet firmly on the floor. "You yourself can be barely control it."

The man only forlornly closed his already barely open eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm afraid you have no say in this matter."

"I'm your teacher! You're my student, as was Minato!" Jiraiya bellowed in anger, his composure breaking from his pent-up frustration.

At the mention of his former teammate, the man cringed as something inside of him threatened to emerge. Jiraiya noticed and pressed on. "Remember that it was because of your bloodline that Minato and your sister died!"

The man clutched his head, as if in pain, his apathetic expression diminishing. "Stop..."

"He was your best friend, damnit!" Jiraiya shouted right at his face. The Sandaime was about ready to take any drastic measures.

"I... Can't... Minato... Naruto... Nee-chan..." His eyes went wide, taking a dark shade of purple and black. Dark tendrils of chakra erupted from the man as he gripped his head harder.

At once the Sannin was both shocked and afraid. In his anger, he had accidentally set his student into a deep depression, and with that added to his bloodline, it would leave devastating results. He tried fighting against the immense gale. "Snap out of it!"

The Sandaime wasted no time and smeared the seal underneath his desk, sending black markings to converge across the room and onto the spasming man. The markings fought the mass of chakra with their own, but to no avail as the seal shattered and faded.

In the vortex of dark haze, the silhouette of a weeping man Jiraiya could see ever so slightly. Forlornly, he asked the figure. "Is it you...? Is it really you...?"

The weeping man looked up amidst the black and white crackles of chakra that struck from his body. His image started to blur and haze away, the darkness seeping away with it. He had brilliant violet eyes that were struck with fear and remorse, tears brimming from his cheeks. Before he vanished completely, he looked into his teacher's eyes sadly and mouthed a few shaky words.

"I'm so sorry... S-Sensei..."

Jiraiya tried to grab hold of him, but his hands went right through him. 'Seirei Bunshin!?(Spirit Clone)' He screamed incredulously in his head. 'Then where's the real-!?' His eyes then widened as it hit him.

"Where's the Uzumaki gaki now!?" He implored the Hokage.

Shaken by his demand, Sarutobi hastily searched his drawer for his crystal ball, only to find nothing. 'He didn't...'


"I have a bloodline, Nii-san!?" Naruto whooped excitedly, despite himself. He was elated when his guardian sneaked away from the dirty-looking Oyaji, and was even more excited at the aspect of a Kekkei Genkai. How the man knew was of no concern to him since his enthusiasm overrode him.

"That's right, Naruto. It's a strong one too, more powerful than you can ever imagine." He said with a tone of wonder. He led Naruto into a thick forestry, trees of every size littering the area. Bringing a bag of his belongings with him, he expertly swerved through the greenery, giving guidance to his young ward.

"Ne, Nii-san, where are we going?" Naruto asked again, ducking under branch in the way.

The man chuckled mysteriously. "I told you, it's a surprise. Think of it as a present for your birthday."

Naruto was disappointed with his answer again but felt that he would find out eventually. Upon reaching a small sunlit clearing, the blond let his eyes wander curiously upon the lush landscape. A large patch of grass spread out upon the clearing, few rocks and animals scattered about around it, and its edges darkened with the shadows of trees. To the side of the clearing was a stream of water, pebbles and small fish visible through its clear surface.

Letting his childish inhibitions take over, Naruto raced over to the middle of the radiant expanse of land, laughing all the way. He dived into the tall grass, letting the soft soil cushion his fall. He lied there in the thick of the brush, staring into the sky, allowing his innocence to show.

To Naruto, it was times like these that were the best in his life. Having known only pain and loneliness for the better part of these few years, he was thankful for the appearance of his 'Nii-san', who had become his beacon of hope and light, guiding him and giving him strength while also filling the void solitude in his heart. Honestly, this was enough of a gift for him.

Sitting up, he saw his 'Nii-san' beaming at him warmly while pulling a few things out of his bag. Naruto caught a glimpse of a familiar crystal ball, but shook it off before inquiring him. "Is this my present, Nii-san?"

"Half of it." He stated simply as he removed a small rod-shaped object wrapped in a thick cloth. "I'll also be unlocking your bloodline."

"Really!?" He stood with vigor, jumping for joy.

"That's right. But to do that, I'll have to send the both of us somewhere." The man approached Naruto, the clothed object in his hand.

"Where to, Nii-san? Aren't we already here?"

The man smiled wider. "No. I need to send you somewhere different. But for it to work, I need you to close your eyes."

"Oh? Okay then." Naruto complied, giddy with excitement.

The man's smiled faltered at that moment, letting the shadows of his bangs hide his eyes. With care, he slowly unwrapped the object, gently handling it with ease.

"Hey Naruto..." He started seriously, raising the object.

"...Do you fear death?"

Naruto opened his eyes in bemusement of his brother's words and attempted to inquire him of it. His words had stuck in his throat, when he felt a sickeningly familiar feeling stabbing into his gut with great force. His eyes widened in fear of the numbness in his stomach. Looking down slowly and fearfully, he saw his brother's arms clasped down right at his diaphragm.

In his hands, an intricate blue dagger that dripped with his crimson life essence.

The man he considered his closest family, had just stabbed him.


"It looks like he did steal it, after all." The Sandaime said absently as he gave up on searching for his stolen crystal ball. Right now he needed an aspirin to sooth his migraine. He was way too old for this shit.

In an unexpected turn, Jiraiya laughed sadly to himself. "Ahaha! That guy... He's always been the sneaky one... Just like Minato..."

The Sandaime agreed. "Yes. The two were birds of the same feather. It was no wonder they'd be best friends." He mused to himself, stroking his beard. "And his sister was their near complete opposite."

"Yes. She became a fine woman." The Sannin reminisced with a hint of melancholy. "They say opposites attract. So it's also no wonder how she ended up marrying Minato."


Naruto shivered, feeling the cold metal plunge even deeper, feeling vital organs pierced and fluids leak away from him. The air felt so unbelievably freezing on his paling skin. It reminded him of his near-death just a year ago, the frigid loneliness and sorrow that shook him to the bone. It was happening right before him, only it felt a hundred times worse than it did before. Like his heart was wrenched away from his body and grinded into a pulp. It was like being alone again.

The familiar darkening of rain overcame them, droplets of water falling freely from the skies. It came down heavy, letting his blood slowly wash away into the soil. The dark clouds converged, thunder clapping and lighting flashing within them. Forlornly they stood there, neither moving, neither speaking, as they were bathed with the tears of the heavens above.

Naruto had little strength to speak, the pain finally coming to him and the overbearing heaviness weighing down too hard on his heart for him to voice words. His tears spoke for him, as they streaked down his face, mixed with the waters of the downpour.

Despite it all, he managed to croak out a single word, before the darkness enveloped him.

"... W-why...?"


"And the two best friends became brothers." The Hokage contemplated with an air of grief, recalling the life of his late successor.

"Namikaze Minato, Kiiro Senkou and Yondaime Hokage of Konoha."

"His wife, Uzumaki Kushina."

"His son, Uzumaki Naruto."

"And his best friend. Naruto's 'Nii-san' or more precisely, his ojisan (Uncle). Uzumaki Toruna."


Uzumaki Toruna looked into his nephew's, no, his ototo's tear brimmed eyes with his own. He answered.

"... Redemption..."

And he drew the knife deeper.


A/N

This chapter took a while. Anyway, it might be a little hard to follow but I think you'll get it.

Time-skip on the next chapter. Further explanation will be done in time.

Girls decided in the Harem so far:

Sakura

Ino

Hinata

TenTen

Temari

Hanabi (made a little older)

And others I will leave as a small surprise.

Girls for debate:

Hana (Kiba's sister)

Anko

Yugito

Send me your thoughts on these. It won't be a vote per se. I just want to have your opinions on how that would put up so that I can use it as a basis. I'm actually leaning on adding Anko, but I'll be needing a way to make it fit.

See that button down there that says send review? Please do what it says.