Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.
Applause goes for my precious Beta Reader: ImaginationJunkie1412.
Original upload date: 20/04/2013
Last update: NA.
Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 13. – Reunion and Visits.
Dee Remy
"Together we shared a bond not even death would violate."
― Dee Remy, There Once Was A Boy
The gates. Naruto slowed down, almost stopped, but when Jiraiya sent a raised eyebrow toward him he just grinned back and continued his way toward the two giant wings. A nostalgic feeling raised inside him when he looked toward the small post next to the gate, looking for a black haired chuunin with a bandage running across his face and his ever-present companion with hair held down in front of one eye by his hitai-ate. Suddenly he realized that they couldn't be here because they'd probably just graduated from the academy. He glanced toward the desk and found two shinobi behind it, as per usual, but the scene forced him to blink. A very young, very scar-less and very bored Morino Ibiki faced their direction, at the edge of falling asleep with his head in his palm. A cheeky smile ran across Naruto's face at the sight of the feared interrogator of Konoha. Jiraiya slowly shook his head and moved closer to the interrogator, who finally turned toward them and let them pass after a quick chat.
They reached the Hokage tower within minutes and Naruto became more and more nervous. He was going to meet with his father. 'Okay, I already met with him hundreds of times. No, it wasn't me, it was Toroku who met him. Okay, just calm yourself or they will think you got back your memories.' Naruto suddenly stopped and palmed his forehead, cursing to himself, while he heard the chuckle of Kurama in the background. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, but didn't make a comment, however he noted it as another weird act after the incident with Iwa.
They stopped when they reached the doors of the office and Naruto forced himself to calm down when he sensed the chakra signature of his father on the other side of the door. He let out a long breath, but before they could open the door, it burst open and Minato stepped out from it, eying him worriedly, then clutched Naruto's hand and literally dragged the gaping boy into the office, flushing away every bit of weariness by the sudden movement. Naruto looked blankly at his father's narrowed eyes, before sneaking a peek toward Jiraiya who shrugged in response.
"Minato." The Hokage snapped his eyes toward Naruto's confused face and a relieved smile ran across his face.
The blond waved toward the empty chairs and they finally moved to sit down. Minato watched them carefully, one by one. Naruto exploited Minato's focus on the others to carefully examine his living and breathing father. His eyes, his features, his hair, his scent, the sound of his heartbeats but moreover, the warm feeling of his chakra. It felt so alive, so powerful, yet still soothing; harsh, yet childishly playful like a warm spring breeze ruffling his hair teasingly.
He heard the muffled voice of Kurama at the back of his head, but it became more and more distant, until it finally died down completely. His consciousness spirited away from the office, he could only see and smile to the face of Minato. The familiar face, looking back at him like he was…an idiot.
Naruto blinked and turned his head in the office to see that everyone was looking at him with an odd expression, waiting for something from him. He raised his hand and scratched his cheeks and a sheepish smile ran across his face.
"Eh, sorry. I kind of spaced out." Minato rolled his eyes and let out a weary sigh.
"I said that I will need a detailed report from you about what had happened."
"Oh. Okay."
"Are you sure you are all right? You look kind of…I don't even know how can I describe it."
"Musing?" Kakashi offered the word and Minato nodded, while Naruto only scratched his head.
"Well, yeah. I've been feeling kinda funny you know. But I'm okay." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and made a knowing look to Minato who noticed the meaning immediately. The sparkling in his eyes immediately paled, but not to a noticeable level. At least not to anyone who wasn't looking for it, but Jiraiya had seen it. Minato let out a sigh and started to massage his forehead.
"Okay. You are dismissed. Toroku, I'll check on you later. Jiraiya, a minute."
The three young shinobi left the office after a short goodbye, and Naruto glanced toward his father for a last time before he closed the door with a small smile on his face. Minato stood up and moved in front of the desk and sat on the top of it, eyeing Jiraiya curiously.
"I would recommend a checkup with Inoichi as soon as possible." Minato narrowed his eyes to the Sennin.
"Why?"
"He's been acting strange in the last two days while we were traveling. He was too quiet, and he spaces out all the time, even when he's looking at something. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, and I really hope I am. But…Rin also told me something strange. When he first woke up, she thought he didn't recognize her. Plus, when he saw me right after that, I really thought he...I couldn't even place his reaction. I really don't know, maybe it is only because of the sedative, or the after effect of what happened to him, but I suggest you make him an appointment. For safety's sake."
Minato let out a weary sigh and walked to the wide windows of his office eyeing his old team on the square in front of the Hokage tower, watching when Toroku obviously made a poke to Kakashi who angrily tried to snap the blond on the back of his head, but he easily evaded the playful attempt, laughing and pointing toward the young jounin. Minato closed his eyes and let out another sigh, as they disappeared behind a corner.
"Make it so. Talk to Inoichi, I will bring Toroku in half an hour. I want to be there." The Sennin nodded, however Minato still showed his back to him.
"Minato. I really hope this is just my imagination, but if it's not…" Minato's eye twitched, but he nodded, still not showing his face to his once sensei. When Jiraiya finally left the office without a word, he leaned his forehead on the window, resting it on its cold surface in the hope that it would calm his burning thoughts and raising fear.
"Shit…"
Minato let out a sigh at the doorstep of Toroku's apartment. He could feel the calm chakra signature of his brother inside the small bedroom, probably sleeping, and now he was here to drag him to Inoichi. The Hokage closed his eyes and hardened his own emotions for the sake of the village, than knocked on the pale orange door. He felt a small spike of chakra when the blond finally woke up and he felt as he slowly moved toward the door. He couldn't help it, a warm smile appeared on his face when he faced with two sheepish, blue eyes, under a very untidy mess of blond hair. His eyes were only half way open, still foggy by his dream and a wide yawn left him when he opened the door to Minato.
"Hi. It's not like I'm not happy to see you again, but is something wrong?" Naruto blinked sleepily toward Minato.
"Sorry, but there is something that can't wait." Naruto stretched out his arms and yawned before he stepped out of the way to let Minato enter. Naruto scratched the back of his head, blinking continuously to ease away his weariness.
"I'm really sorry, but we need to visit Inoichi. It's a routine for everyone who has been captured." Naruto blinked and his foggy brain immediately cleared, but unlike Minato's expectations, it mirrored only annoyance and not fear or betrayal. A small web of relief spread toward his thoughts.
"Couldn't we make it right after we had arrived? If you got doubts and think that the Iwa nins messed up something in my already messed up head during their little hospitality why didn't you just say it right then. Man. I really got a sweet dream this time."
Minato couldn't find any inconsistencies, couldn't tell that he was no longer looking at Toroku.
Naruto had little trouble putting on Toroku's cheerful act; he had worn the jolly mask since childhood after all. He had made and started to wear the mask of cheerfulness long ago, even when the only thing he wanted to do was to just crawl into a corner and cry. The ability to put on such an act was so automatic that he could put a real actor to shame. With time, his mask had transformed into real happiness, but if the mask was ever needed, it was easily put into place.
Acting outside his real feelings and putting up a mask to hide his real emotions was one thing. Lying to them was another… Lying straight to Minato's face…He wasn't sure he could do that.
While his appearance showed simple annoyance, his thoughts raced with each other, running through several possibilities as he suppressed his starting panic. 'They know…'
"Just play along. I will take care of the rest. If you think they might discover that you're lying just change the subject or act like the idiot you are."
Naruto restrained a retort, instead he yawned one more time and slowly walked back to the bedroom to grab a t-shirt and pants, pulling them onto his body and walked casually back to Minato.
"Can we use your Hiraishin this time? I'm really not in the mood to drag myself to the other side of the village." The Fourth chuckled as a soft smile spread on his face, he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and they were gone in a blink of an eye from the empty apartment.
Inoichi was already waiting a little nervously in the familiar room of the Interrogation and Torture Department, leaning against the wall with closed eyes. When Jiraiya appeared at his home, requesting an out of turn check up on Toroku he felt his heart stopped for a second. He let out a sigh and folded his arms in front of his chest. In the last month he had really befriended the cheerful blond, they even met outside their weekly checkups for a ramen.
To his surprise Toroku was encouraging him when he finally confessed that he wanted to run a small business and his wife continuously suggested a flower shop. It didn't matter how awkward it was that the leading interrogator was interested in flowers, Toroku never showed anything else than some small joke about it. But now…he really hoped it was only a false alarm due to the Iwa scum he'd worked on before. He would really miss the boy if he regained his memories and it pointed toward him being a threat to Konoha.
Inoichi let out a sigh and at that moment the door opened and Minato stepped inside the small room together with the smiling Toroku. Relief ran through Inoichi as he watched the still cheerful teen, calling him Ojisan, waving his hand enthusiastically.
"Toroku-kun, take a seat. I will be fast I promise." The blond nodded, still smiling and just hopped down to the chair and closed his eyes.
Inoichi stepped closer, placed his hands on Naruto's forehead and felt a small vibration as a shiver ran through the blonde's body when he entered the well-known mindscape. The interrogator quickly passed by his basic knowledge without pause to enter the door hiding the boy's memories.
The landscape had changed a lot since his first visit. Unlike his first time in the white Zen garden, his mindscape slowly changed little by little with each visit. For the second time, the sky became bluer. During his third visit he found small blades of green grass here and there, under the soft white sand, stretching out toward the azure blue sky and the puffy clouds. During his last visit, there were several bigger green spots slowly blending together and he was sure with time, the white sand, the ruins of his old memories would disappear under the already slowly growing meadow, spotted with wild flowers.
Inoichi stepped onto the soft grass, watching as it slowly rolled in the warm breeze and the scent of lilies immediately hit his nose. He quickly took in the sight of the green fields, making a note to himself about the fewer and fewer white dunes here and there, and finally moving toward the increasing amount of shelves a little ways from the door. The interrogator walked through a small field, filled with dandelions, his footsteps stirring the white balls and filling the air puffy parachutes as they slowly whirled around his head, playfully circling his body. Just like last time, he ran his fingers through the titles and he let out a breath in his relief he wasn't aware he was holding back, when he found the oldest date in a file. The day they first met.
A smile ran across his features when he left Toroku's mindscape without a second thought to face the curiously shining blue orbs, completely unaware of the small, almost invisible wave in a small spot of the landscape when he dismissed his jutsu.
"It's okay. Nothing is messed up." A wide grin appeared on Naruto's face, but it was immediately replaced with a wide yawn.
'That's it, that was all you had to do? A genjutsu in my mindscape? Why didn't you just do that in the first place?' Kurama let out an irritated snort.
"You are dense as always. If I'd tried to hide your memories it would have been obvious, and treated you as a threat. That, combined with the fact that you are a terrible liar, meant that that course of action was not an option.
'I still don't see why I can't just tell them the truth,' Naruto mumbled to himself with a mental pout.
"Because they would think you are insane, or that you really are a threat. For example, if you just tell them information you shouldn't know, what would be their first reaction? That you are a damn spy. I'm not saying that with time you can't tell them, but now isn't the time. The less people know about you, the safer. If they know what's going to happen, then they're going to act differently and we can throw out our knowledge. That's why I've been telling you to keep a low profile. You could endanger someone's life, even their birth. Your own conception for example." Naruto nodded physically, maybe a little too fast and the two blond men in the room mistook his movement as if his head dropped by his exhaustion.
"You look tired."Naruto blinked as he registered the room.
"Yeah, I'm gonna drop with fatigue. Can I go back now?" Minato smiled as a great burden lifted from his shoulders and waved to his little brother with a soft, relieved smile on his face.
"Come on, I'll give you a lift." Minato clasped his arm around Toroku's shoulders and they were gone, leaving the blinking Inoichi alone without a word.
The two blonds appeared in the middle of the apartment, and Naruto turned toward his bedroom, to finally get his well-deserved sleep, when he suddenly stopped and turned to the Hokage.
"Minato…" He started softly, eyeing the floor, while the Yellow Flash of Konoha frowned.
"Next time, if your suspicions rise again, just ask me okay? I know I was acting weird in the last two days, but I got a reason for that. You should've just asked. I will never harm you or Konoha." An apologetic expression appeared on Minato's face and stepped to his brother and placed his two hands on his shoulders.
"I'm sorry." For the biggest surprise, Minato stepped closer and his two hands met at Naruto's back in a tight hug. Naruto froze, his heartbeat increased then finally he let his body relax, almost melt in the arms of his father. He hesitantly raised his own arms to hug back, but the moment was over and Minato stepped backward, releasing him, before he could finish his movement. Only frustration stayed in his mind and not the warm sensation which was there only a second ago. Naruto watched as the softly smiling Minato disappeared from his room. Rubbing his aching eyes with his hands, he let out a weary sigh and turned around to finally fall onto his bed with his clothes on and his mind blank.
Meantime in the Hokage tower:
Jiraiya paced back and forth between two walls, impatiently waiting for Minato's return with the results. His long, spiky, pure white ponytail swayed on his back with the rhythm of his not too graceful footsteps. The Sannin froze when Minato finally stepped inside his own office, and the Yondaime noted the curious, concerned and demanding eyes of his teacher as he slowly walked toward his wooden desk and slumped into the soft chair. Jiraiya's nerves nearly tensed to the breaking point by the obvious stonewalling, but he mimicked his student and also slumped into the nearest chair with a revived sigh when Minato smiled and nodded.
"His memories are as missing as always. It was a false alarm." Jiraiya let out another sigh, but a frown appeared on his face.
"Then I really don't get his previous reactions and behaviors." Minato slowly shook his head.
"Me neither. But, when I talked with him now, I didn't find any suspicious reaction. Based on Inoichi's report, he reassured me that there is no way a mere human could hide anything from him when entering directly into the mindscape." Jiraiya nodded, but the frown stayed on his features when Minato changed the subject.
"How is the progress with his scroll?" The frown deepened on Jiraiya's face and he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I'm still fighting with the last two parts…"Minato nodded and they stayed in silence for a long minute. Their peace was interrupted a bit when a half smile appeared on Jiraiya's face.
"You know what Minato? When he quoted again from my book at Kumo, I believed in him…" Minato mirrored the small smile.
"Yeah…I know what you mean."
The first beams of the rising sun slowly stroked his forehead, until it reached the line of his eyes. The eyelids twitched at the uneasy feeling, and his mind started to process his surroundings as the sleep slowly started to fade away and the fog cleared away from his brain. Naruto let out a frustrated groan and bore himself further into the soft pillow to evade the stinging light in his eyes. He stayed motionless for a long minute in a hope to shift back to sleep, but he finally give up. An enormous yawn left his mouth as he turned on his back, stretching out and scratching his belly under the rumpled shirt.
"I thought you would never get up. Lazy bastard."
'How long I was out?'
"For sixteen hours. It's almost seven in the morning. I'm bored to death." Naruto chuckled and send an apologetic thought back to his never-missing companion.
'I was exhausted…' Naruto frowned and sank into his mindscape to talk with Kurama who rested his head on his giant paws.
"We should start to think out a plan." The fox only nodded.
"There are a lot of things we must take care of. Obito is out there, maybe already influenced by that bastard. Nagato may still be himself and Yahiko's still alive. Tsunade is out of the Village…Shukaku may already be sealed inside Gaara in his mother's womb…the other jinchuuricki and the bijuu…Orochimaru…The Uchihas…The Hyuugas." Naruto scratched his face still frowning as he buried himself in his thoughts.
"We should eliminate Obito and Madara as soon as possible…That must be the first priority. Everything else can wait." Naruto frowned and sat down in front of Kurama's crossed legs, leaning his chin on his palm.
"Madara could be anywhere. Maybe far away from the borders. We know only about three times when we could strike. When Rin dies, after Yahiko's death in Ame and your birth. Just leave things as they should be. Our best chance is on the tenth of October. At that time, only Obito will be alive, and he alone is an easier fly to catch than the two together." Naruto stayed in silence for a long minute, his face moved into an emotionless mask before it mirrored only sadness. His soft voice filled the landscape around him.
"You speak about greater good. Sacrificing Rin, Yahiko, shove Kakashi into despair, Obito and Nagato into insanity, risking the life of my parent's, maybe hundreds who could be killed when you appear in Konoha. Let Orochimaru act free for almost a year. Who knows how much blood will strain his hands. Civilians, children… I can't just sit and wait. You can't weigh human life that easily."
"Maybe hundreds lives for the lives of thousands. An acceptable sacrifice."
"I can save them without sacrificing anybody. I must."
"You can't save everyone. You are still the ideologist-"
"And you are still underestimating me. We got a lot of time. Almost a year."
"You already changed a lot of things." Naruto frowned and nodded. Bee met only once with Minato, Kitsuchi never got caught by Konoha and who knows what other small things he had already changed that would influence the outcome by his mere presence.
"We have to remake the shinobi alliance. That must be done in time." The fox let out a doubting snort.
"Humans are different this time. The alliance formed only because there was a common enemy. This time, there is no one."
"There is. They just didn't know about him." Kurama narrowed his eyes.
"What's on your mind?" Naruto slowly shook his head, also not sure himself.
"I don't know yet. But the alliances between the nations must be tightened. The time is perfect for that with the peace talks." Naruto looked down to his hands, gathering his thoughts, prioritizing the upcoming events that he knew about.
"Let me remind you of something. You aren't the politics type. It requires a calm head, and that is what you lack the most. You can act politely only if your life depends on it. Sometimes that threat wasn't even enough." Kurama snorted and shook his head.
"For now, just stay out of sight until we have a decent plan. We must focus on Madara." Naruto slowly nodded and rose from his position and left his mindscape.
"I know." He whispered softly glancing out his window toward the blue sky.
A long scroll lay on the mahogany desk, shrouding its fine surface from the eyes. A man in black and grey robes examined its content with narrowed eyes. The report about his last attempt to get rid of a possible threat to Konoha. Danzo slowly rolled up the scroll and placed it on the corner of his empty desk. The old veteran closed his visible eye and stayed motionless for long minutes while he considered his last move, to prepare a new one.
His spies and undercover men all over the village report every move of the suddenly appeared new chuunin. His relationship with the Namikaze was never announced officially, but thanks to a very useful nurse in the hospital, Danzo received copies of the blood test results. 'Brothers…' The council member frowned at the thought when he sent out this information to Iwa, together with his report and the date when the boy would be near the borders. He really hoped that they could get rid of him and mediately it would also open a new gate for him to finally take his seat as the Godaime. It was supposed to be a clean job, without any connection to him, but of course they were incompetent. No foreign shinobi could surpass his elites. The frown deepened on his already wrinkled face.
'If you want something to be done, you have to do it yourself.' The war veteran rose from his seat and left the room. The muffled voice of his long robes as the hard textile rubbed against each other was the only sound, not even his footsteps echoed in the forsaken passageway.
Naruto stood still in front of a familiar door which led to his neighbor. He felt two familiar chakra signatures inside the apartment, one man, who he already met personally and another one, soft, warm and flawless like the finest silk. His arm hesitantly moved toward the door, only to stop there before he could knock. A worried sigh left his soft lips and he forced his muscles to finally move. Two muffled knocks was all he could manage to force out of his arm before it fell limply next to his torso. Naruto closed his eyes and an unconscious gulp forced itself down his dry throat, reminding him to wet his cotton-thick mouth and lick his deserted lips.
A small chakra spike could be sensed inside the apartment, and light, almost soundless footsteps approached the door, which slowly opened and a blonde tuft stick out his head. A soft smile appeared on Minato's fine features and he immediately nodded toward Naruto inviting him inside. The Hokage slowly raised a finger to his mouth, making the universal sign to be quiet. The young time traveler slowly nodded and moved inside the living room without a sound. Minato moved inside the kitchen and Naruto utilized the opportunity without a second thought. He peeked inside the bedroom and the scene forced a warm smile on his face. He moved a step closer and leaned against the doorframe to watch his sleeping mother for a long minute.
Naruto felt like he was going to melt. The graceful figure of his mother would be burned inside his retina forever; the peaceful, almost childish expression on her face, the violently glowing crimson red river of her beautiful hair, framing her face and her whole body on the bed, hugging a big pillow like a lover. Naruto watched as her chest slowly rose and sank, while a small tuft of her ruby red hair swayed together with the rhythm of her breath in front of her soft lips. The overwhelming sensation of peace and safety flushed through him and he couldn't suppress an urge. He slowly moved closer, mindful not to make any noise and crouched next to his sleeping mother. His hand rose automatically, and he gently swept away the ruby feather from her face.
He carefully examined his mother's fine features. It was true that he looked very much like his father; their eyes, their hair color and style. But there were a lot of things he inherited from his mother. His chin more angled than Minato's just like his mother's. His mouth was exactly the same as hers.
When his fingers touched the soft, silky skin of her face he felt an electrostatic sparkle jump toward him, but there was no pain or any uneasy feeling. Only a small tingling sensation in the tip of his fingers. Kushina flinched in her dreams, and a small frown appeared on her face. Her son slowly and gently stroked his fingers once more on her cheeks and the frown disappeared, replaced with a soft smile. Her lips parted as a soft, almost silent snore left his mother, causing Naruto to chuckle. He couldn't restrain himself anymore and he slowly leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his mother's forehead and leaned back just in time before he felt a familiar presence in the door.
He slowly turned his head to see his father replacing his previous position next to the doorframe, holding up two cups of steaming tea in both hands. Naruto nodded, sending a soft smile toward his sleeping mother before he left the room without making a sound, sneaking one last peak at his dreaming mother before he finally close the door. Minato handed over one of the steaming cups to his son after they occupied the couch. The young blond shinobi gratefully sipped from the hot liquid, enjoying as it slowly warming up his insides with closed eyes.
"You look very satisfied," the Hokage pointed out, eyeing his partner while also sipping his hot tea.
"I am satisfied dattebayo." Minato raised an eyebrow, however Naruto couldn't see it with his still closed eyelids.
"Something happened?" The blond teen shrugged and he finally opened his eyes to lock with the identical ones of his father for a long minute before he opened his mouth to answer.
"You could say that."
"It's because of your memory? About your legacy isn't it?" That caught Naruto off guard and he exhaled his breath loudly inside his mug, sending a large amount of the steaming liquid into his lap. The Hokage suppressed a laugh, while he watched his cursing brother, as he was desperately trying to clean off as much tea from his clothes and from the couch as he could.
"Toroku…" Naruto distantly heard the name, but he recognized that Minato referring to him, only after a long pause.
"The pervert talks too much…" A gentle smile appeared on the Hokage's face.
"I'm glad that you chose something this big as a goal. And also the same as me." Naruto looked back to him with a surprised face and a raised eyebrow.
"The same?"
"My goal is the same as yours. To bring peace. However…I had chosen a smaller first step. My first goal is to bring peace to Konoha. Then I can move further to the other countries."
"That's a nice goal…" A half smile appeared on Naruto's face, and his expression saddened in the end before he continued.
"However there are a lot of other people outside the village gates who also deserve peace in the other hidden villages. Shinobi suffering because of the war, because of the hatred and the vengeance burning inside them. The civilians..." The young ninja slowly shook his head and sipped his tea with a wondering face, while his thoughts traveled to foreign countries in his memories, to the thousands of comrades who he fought alongside during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Who sacrificed their lives for him, for the shinobi world, for the freedom and for the true life.
"Minato, you're a smart man. You're the Hokage after all." The Yondaime raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unusual seriousness in his voice.
"Tell me Minato. How could one man bring peace to the world? How can one man change the world?" The named blond stayed in silence for a long minute, lost in his own thoughts before finally opening his mouth.
"The world, our lives are as vast as an ocean. If you dribble only one drop of water in the middle, it will reach a great distance before it fades away. If you could convince more people, you will get more drops, and the echoes of the small waves could definitely reach the shores. Even a small drop of water can cause waves." Naruto stayed in silence, chewing his father's thought carefully.
"I don't want small waves. I need a tsunami dattebayo!" Naruto grinned back to Minato, who softly chuckled and waved a hand.
"A tsunami? Well, you just need to make a bigger impact I think. You are quite good at that already." The young man rolled his eyes and playfully flung his hand toward Minato, who easily avoided the attempt to smack him on the back of his head. The two blonds chuckled softly, careful not to wake up the woman in the next room. The two men stayed in silence, sipping their tea, before Naruto broke it.
"What happened with the Iwa ninjas?" Minato raised an eyebrow at the sudden question.
"They are at the Interrogation and Torture Department. But unfortunately they are just small fries." The blond chuunin slowly rubbed his finger on the edge of his cup.
"Why didn't they go after the others? Why was I the only target?" Minato let out a sigh and leaned back on the couch, resting his cup on his stomach while a frown appeared on his face.
"Their mission was only to kidnap you. Somehow they got word of our relation, despite the fact that it wasn't announced. What worries me is that they knew specifically that you are my brother, and not just a relative. That information is classified, only a small number of people have access to it. Furthermore…" The Hokage closed his eyes, and his eyebrows connected to one continuous line.
"They knew about your mission. They weren't just wandering around. It was a very well prepared ambush." Naruto sipped the last bit of his tea and leaned back on the couch after he put his cup on the table, mimicking the frown on his father's worried face.
"I couldn't understand what Iwa could gain by my kidnap. Blackmailing the Hokage in the middle of the peace talks? What were they thinking?" Minato slowly shook his head before he answered.
"Kidnapping or killing you wouldn't be just vengeance on me. It would be the demonstration of power toward the other Nations." Minato let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead, before shaking his head again.
"You are suspecting that someone within the village informed Iwa aren't you?" Minato didn't answer, or move, his face not mirroring any other emotions under his troubled frown, but that was enough for Naruto to take it as a 'Yes'.
"Someone is trying to debilitate you from inside the walls." The Hokage finally nodded.
"So it would seem."
Naruto closed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his head flung freely between his shoulders as his mind ran through several possibilities. Who were after power in Konoha, to sacrifice someone for the cause? The Hokage's personal council? No. They were mostly a big bunch of old hags, but they wouldn't dare to make a step like this. Plus Sarutobi is also part of it now. The Uchiha…Naruto narrowed his eyes at the thought, but he forced his brain to stay out of his memories of Sasuke, and Madara. The Uchiha planned a rebellion, but that won't occur for almost another decade. Orochimaru had been after the Hokage hat for years before he defected from the village but this wasn't his style. Naruto slowly shook his head to clear his thoughts, while he forced his brain to search for any hints in his memories, but nothing came. In the end, he let out a weary sigh.
"What will happen to them?" Minato raised an eyebrow and turned toward his companion, not sure who he was referring to. Finally he realized he was asking about the Iwa prisoners.
"After the interrogation's finished the council will decide their fate." Thoughts raced inside Naruto's head with insane speed, looking for any possibilities to fix what he ruined.
"You are the Hokage..." Minato frowned and narrowed his eyes, waiting for the blond chuunin to continue.
"You can act beside the council. They were just following orders, like anybody else. Like you, months ago. Like me. Let them go. Please." Naruto turned toward Minato, his eyes almost begging and the frown only darkened on his face.
Minato tilted his head to the side, eyeing Naruto carefully with narrowed gaze, but the blue orbs reflected wondering thoughts and nothing more as he considered his words. The Hokage straightened himself and slowly moved to the window and folded his arms behind his back. He ran his azure eyes along the village, the people walking on the streets, and his eyes finally moved toward the giant mountain in front of his window to meet his predecessors' faces.
"Why?" Minato slowly turned around, watching his brother with a wondering face.
"I know I haven't got any right to ask anything like this. But I don't hold any grudge toward them. I understand them, even the attempt to kill me. I'm willing to forgive them. And if you think about it, Konoha could show mercy toward Iwa, toward the Tsuchikage, and use it as a benefit during the negotiations. It wouldn't be seen as a weakness, rather the use of power of influence." Minato narrowed his eyes, frowning but considered every word of the blond chuunin.
"You can benefit more if the Tsuchikage owes you one. Minato…Please. If you are finished with them. Let them go."
"I will consider it."
"Thank you." A relieved smile ran across Naruto's face.
"I didn't know you were interested in politics."
"It's a new passion of mine." A moment later, Naruto asked, "Can I…I would like to meet with the Iwa commander if it's not a problem." Minato tilted his head to the side, his eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Why?" Naruto only shrugged casually.
"We were interrupted in the middle of our conversation. Okay, I actually fainted. But I want to talk to him and finish it." Minato frowned, but nodded.
Naruto answered with a nervous "Thank you." and moved toward the kitchen to refill their empty cups with another round of the streaming liquid, while he tried to lock out the angry and disagreeing cursing of his tenant. Minato followed his movement with a wondering face. It wasn't suspicion that rose inside of him, since it was clear after the interrogation that Toroku had nothing to do with the Iwa team. No, the feeling that welled up was awe.
Awe that he was willing to forgive the kidnappers who had even tried to kill him. To top it off, it seemed to be the young ninja's natural instinct to save lives, and rescue souls. The Hokage closed his eyes as he became lost in his own thoughts. 'Would I be so pure?...No. I don't think so. I would utilize the opportunity to punish them.' A large amount of respect built inside his mind toward the blond chuunin despite his young age. 'Maybe you really could reach your goal.' Minato watched his brother silently as he refilled their pot, and slowly brought it back, together with a third cup. The older blond frowned and at the moment he parted his lips to question it, he heard the soft ruffling of fine fabric inside the bedroom. Minato slowly shook his head, awe and pride sparkled in his blue orbs.
"I will never get used to your sensing skills Otouto." Naruto answered with a wide grin as the sensation of pride flushed his mind by his father's compliment, and he placed the three cups onto the small table. The door slowly opened with a muffled squeak and a ruby red bush appeared in the gap. Kushina stepped inside the living room, her eyes half open, her orbs still foggy from her previous dream. The young chuunin's heart started to beat faster as his mother slowly eyed him from head to toe. Her eyes slowly became wider and wider, until she burst toward him, almost sweeping them both to the floor.
Two soft arms folded around his frame, and this time he didn't hesitate to react. He returned the sweet embrace, clutching to her for a never ending moment, enjoying as her sweet scent of vanilla filled his nose. He felt the heat of her body; the rough spots on her hands, caused by the use of the kunai; the rhythm of her heartbeat and her breath. He felt her ruby hair tickling his own face as Kushina bore herself more and more into his neck. Naruto slowly stroked his mother's back, while he glanced toward Minato from the corner of his eye to see the gentle smile on his father's features.
"Toroku…" Naruto flinched, however the voice of his mother stroked his ears like fine silk. He gently stroked away a tuft of her ruby locks and leaned back to lock his azure blue orbs with his mother's eyes. He wanted to scream, to cry, and to tell them everything. I'm Naruto! I'm here! I'm your son! But the urge finally died down as his thoughts moved toward rationalism. Sadness and despair flushed in his eyes, but only for a moment, not enough time to be recognizable.
"Kushina. Is everything alright?" He distantly heard his own voice as his lips moved. He still felt numb. It was strange. The first sight of his father, his living, breathing father didn't cause this kind of reaction. Kurama's snort finally pushed him back to reality. 'Drama queen.'
"That's my line, dattebane. I was worried, but that idiot told me that you were tired and I couldn't go check on you." Naruto gently chuckled and took a step back.
"I'm all right. I was just exhausted." A wide, almost foxy grin appeared on his mother's face and Naruto couldn't suppress the urge to mimic it. Minato stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"When she heard you were kidnapped she wanted to march to the borders by herself." A soft smile appeared on Naruto's face.
"I can take care of myself. I'm pretty strong you know." Kushina only rolled her green eyes in her annoyance.
"You are. But just as your brother, you are also an Idiot." Naruto chuckled, and glanced toward the irritated face of his father.
"I am the Hokage. Where is my respect?!" Kushina sent a cheeky grin toward her lover.
"You will get that respect if you will put your soiled underwear into the laundry basket." The Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato gaped like a fish, frozen in place without a word, flushed brilliant red even to his ears with embarrassment while the apartment echoed from the whinnying laughter of his son and Kushina.
Naruto went through the familiar passages of the Interrogation and Torture department, where he had spent the first two weeks in the past after he finally woke up. He stepped onto the stairs, which leads to the basement, toward the cells of the four shinobi from Iwa. He found himself facing a thick wooden door, covered with invisible security seals. However, he could still sense their presence by the tiny amount of chakra continuously leaking out from the pattern. He grabbed the handle and the seals glowed with a faint yellow light, examining the intruder and in the end it had faded away, the door finally opened. He stepped into the passage and waved a hand to Makoto, who smiled and nodded to the blond chuunin.
"He is in the last cell. When you're finished just sign to the ANBU."
Naruto nodded and moved toward the end of the passage without hesitation. During his past life, he had never been down here and it didn't match with his mental picture of this place. Instead of a dark passage, cells with rusty bars; he found himself in a bright corridor, with absolutely normal looking doors containing a large glass window in the middle. The enormous number of security seals all across the passage was the only thing indicating prison cells. He finally reached the last door and glanced inside, it was very small and sparsely furnished room. He glanced at the Iwa commander, who sat on the bed, his arms resting limply on his thighs, while his head hung freely on his giant chest. His big, brawny body was slumped, without any sign of the once proud Commander of the Second Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Naruto let out a long breath and opened the door with a small spike of his chakra and stepped inside the cell. He instantly felt the effects of the security seals, as in a blink, his chakra reserve was locked up and his limbs felt numb due to the lack of it. No wonder Kitsuchi seemed so weary. Naruto made a hesitant step forward and cleared his throat to gain attention, but the once proud commander stayed in the same slumped position on the bed. The blond rolled his eyes and moved to the chair next to a small table.
"Exactly which part of our previous conversation couldn't reach your brain? This isn't part of keeping a low profile!" Kurama let out a frustrated snort, but Naruto just made a mental shrug and dismissively waved toward him.
'I know what I am doing. Just let me work.'
"I doubt it."
They stayed in silence for long minutes, until the Iwa shinobi finally realized, that he wouldn't get rid of the blond boy by simply ignoring his presence.
"What do you want?" Naruto leaned back and crossed his hands behind his neck, but inside his brain a satisfied smirk appeared.
"Nothing. Just thought you could bear a companion." A snort left the commander's nose and he finally raised his head to look at Naruto with a blank expression.
"Drop the act. What do you want? You aren't an interrogator."
"No, I'm not. I just want to talk to you and that's all." The blank expression melted away from Kitsuchi's face and a confused frown appeared on his features. He eyed Naruto for a long minute and averted his gaze from the piercing blue eyes, back to the floor. The blond chuunin dropped his hands onto his own lap, before his soft voice filled the small room.
"What was her name?" The eyes of the commander twitched, and his body flinched, almost invisibly, but he still fixed his eyes in front of him for a long minute before he opened his mouth to answer.
"Sumie…" The voice of the Iwa shinobi had died down to a whisper.
"I'm sorry for your loss…I understand it." A skeptical "Ch." was the only answer from the commander before he braced himself and barked out to the blond.
"Don't act like you understand me. You are a shinobi of the leaf. You don't know me. My loss, my vengeance. My hatred. Konoha won the war, we lose. But next time it will be different. We will win the next war. Iwa will become stronger." Naruto stayed in silence for a long minute, eyeing the tense Kitsuchi carefully.
"It doesn't matter where you come from. Stone or Leaf it won't matter in the end. Nor will it matter if you are from Mist, Cloud or Sand. Nothing will matter. Your rank, your heritage won't be concerned by the Shinigami, it will indiscriminately reach out for everyone from a powerful Kage to a freshly graduated genin. I don't need to understand you personally. I understand the pain. The sorrow. It's common for everyone. The urge to protect your home and your loved ones. In war there are no winners; only survivors. This is what makes us the same."
"We are not the same. Iwa is powerful. We will become more powerful and we will wipe you out."
"Tell me. Why did the war start? To seek power. But in the end, every nation only became weaker by the loss of its people. Only one thing can stop the terror of a war, and that is peace. This is what every human being, every man, child, woman and every shinobi is waiting for. We are shinobi. We are the same in more ways than you would ever agree. Will your vengeance bring peace to your soul?" Kitsuchi stayed in silence for long minutes, and he finally looked up to meet the eyes with the young man.
"One man couldn't bring peace to the world. It's impossible." Naruto rose from the seat and stepped closer to the commander.
"Maybe. However one man could start something and in the end reach the goal together. I, you, the Tsuchikage, the Hokage, the guard outside this door, we are small parts of a big domino chain. The question is: Do we have the courage to finally start falling and change the shinobi world?"
"You are insane…" Naruto only shrugged and walked next to the door, knocking to the patiently waiting ANBU outside the door, who silently opened it and the blond step out. Before the door could close, Naruto glanced over his shoulders and sent a wide grin to the once commander.
"Perhaps, but I have the courage to fall." Kitsuchi jerked his head up and blinked after the leaving blond chuunin, staring at the closed door for a long time, lost in his thoughts.
Naruto's foot automatically moved on the thin roads to his unknown destination. He fixed his gaze on the dirt of the streets, the corners of the business flags as he wandered the morning streets of Konoha. Civilians and shinobi passed his way, one or two waved a hand to him, a shinobi gently tapped his shoulders with a wide grin on his face and deep in his mind he recognized the man as a Shin, a special jounin. They worked together three weeks ago next to the borders, to find the runaway child of a businessman.
That mission should only be a C class, without any danger, however the mercantile had eagerly paid the fee of an A class mission and requested the best sensors to find his daughter. And Minato granted his wish. They found the girl near Yugakure in one of the bathhouses, enjoying her free time not so alone and Toroku had to put paralyze seals on the girl in order to drag her back to her father. She was only a civilian, but after their small fight, Toroku had to bandage up his bleeding arm, where the brunette had bitten into his flesh more than once. Minato and Kushina teased him for weeks after that incident. He grinned back to Shin and after some short interaction their ways parted when they reached a small bakery.
A young brown haired brunette ran to him before he reached the corner. The daughter of the baker pushed a still warm brown bag inside his hands, blushing and nervously swinging on her heals, chatting about silly things. The same woman who after a decade would throw a piece of bread at him, while hatred flamed in her eyes. The same woman, who kissed him on his cheek after he had saved the village from Pein. Naruto slowly shook his head after he disappeared behind the corner and moved toward an alley and reached a square. A group of laughing children passed beside him, one pointed a finger toward him, while he could hear the muffled whispers. "There is the Yondaime." "Silly. It's not him." A small smile appeared on his face, while he left the crowd and his ANBU guard hiding in the shadows.
Two raven haired men passed beside him, with stern looks on their faces, carefully examining their surroundings, the people on the streets, looking for anything suspicious. Naruto fixed his azure blue orbs on the symbol on their green vest. A shuriken with an Uchiha fan in the middle. Somewhere deep inside his memories he recognized that as the symbol of Konoha's Military Police Force. Naruto let out a weary sigh and shook his head to ease away his thoughts from the upcoming massacre. 'I still got a lot of time…'
A young genin burst out from an alley, chasing a big, fat brown cat with a red bow toward Naruto. A nostalgic feeling ran through him while he easily caught the runaway animal, holding her up by the nape of her neck. The panting boy stopped slide-slip in the dirt, breathing heavily. The chuunin eyed the wonky black haired boy with the white bandages on his chin and cheeks as he caught his breath.
"Thank you shinobi-san." A foxy grin appeared on Naruto's face.
"You know, if I hand her over, you will owe me a Ramen." The genin narrowed his eyes, eyeing him without a word for a long minute, before he nodded and held out his small hand.
"Deal. But only one bowl." Naruto nodded and after a short handshake he handed over the struggling cat to the young shinobi, who immediately touched the small device on his neck to report to the rest of the team.
"I got her Izumo. I'm heading toward the meeting point. End. Kotetsu." The boy gave a small bow to Naruto and turned around toward the Hokage tower, but before he could take a step, the desperately struggling cat ran her claws on the chubby cheeks of the genin, leaving four thin red lines on his face. Kotetsu automatically dropped the cat and tapped his abused chin with a painful yelp, squeezing his eyes shut. Naruto could swear that the mother or most likely grandmother of Tora grinned at him before she disappeared in an alley with the cursing boy behind her. He could hear when Kotetsu informed the rest of his team about the escape on the next rooftop.
"Some things never change…" The chuunin slowly shook his head, still chuckling while he walked away toward his destination.
Naruto reached the border district of Konoha. He glanced up on the great walls, eyeing the patrolling squads. A sad smile ran across his eyes as they locked on a young kunoichi in the middle of her teens. Her red eyes locked with him for a second, before Kurenai gratefully ran toward the main gate. Naruto let out a sigh and dug his hands inside his pockets. His foot leading him on his way, hopefully away from his dark thoughts, away from team eight. From Kiba. From Shino…From Hinata…Hinata… Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts just in time to avoid bumping into a tall man's back next to a high wooded wall.
The man slowly turned around and gave a light bow to Naruto who returned the gesture much deeper. While he locked his eyes to the milky orbs in front of him, recognition ran through him as he carefully, but still in low key eyed the very familiar man in front of him. His long black hair, the stern look on Hinata's father's face. No. Something was off on the well-known features. Naruto's eyes rested on the Hitai-ate on the man's forehead when he realized who he was facing. He distantly felt another eye on him and he glanced toward a tall, graceful woman, who stepped out from the entrance of the compound seconds ago and gave him a light nod.
"Odoroki-san."
"Hyuuga-san."
The chuunin blinked. Then again. His eyes locked on a small figure in the arms of the woman. A small, sleeping figure, with short raven black hair, slowly sucking his thumb in his dream.
"Hizashi, let's go. Neji is tired." A ghost of a smile appeared on Naruto's face, as he eyed the small prodigy in his mother's arms and couldn't suppress a chuckle when a thin line of drool appeared on edge of the small lips, slowly moving toward Neji's chubby chin.
The tall man nodded to the woman and they left Naruto alone after a small nod, who roared with laughter inside his head. 'Oh man. That was just flawless!'
He still chuckled when the image of the driveling Neji popped up inside his head, suppressing his last memories of the black haired teen, leaning against his shoulder as he let out his last breath with a smile on his face.
His feet moved again, moving him away from the Hyuuga compound. A shiver ran through his spine when the image of a big eyed child with black hair, dressed in a green sleeper flew across his mind. His thoughts wondered toward a baby Ten-Ten, and he imagined her baby version playing with a rattler made from a Kunai. A soft chuckle left his mouth but his lips curved down into a smaller and more gentle smile when another thought dug into his mind. Naruto closed his eyes and turned around to head back to the center of the village, to check on another baby, still floating in her mother's womb, waiting patiently for the moment of birth.
Naruto found himself sitting on a bench, almost directly in front of a house, under an enormous and ancient cherry tree, waiting patiently for hours, for only a moment long glimpse. His head slip from his palm for not the first time and his foggy mind cleared again as the dream slipped away from his brain by the harsh movement. The door finally opened and he had to calm down his pounding heart when he finally saw what he was waiting for. A tall, fair skinned, blonde haired woman stepped out from the house with an obviously round tummy. Her green eyes locked with his own for a mere moment and he waved a hand toward the surprised kunoichi, who in the end left the house with a wondering face.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face. 'Just a little bit more Sakura…Just a little bit more and we will meet again.'
Naruto found himself sitting on his well-known spot on his father's head. He rested his crossed arms on his tucked legs, watching his loved Village in the afternoon light. His eyes moved toward a distant spot, where he knew he would find the Uchiha compound behind the large trees. He restrained the urge to check on his other friends, it would be almost impossible for him to sneak inside the walls especially to those which were crowded with those creepy eyes. They would spot him in a second and he doubted he could come up with an acceptable excuse why he is lurking and spying inside the compounds.
His gaze moved toward where he knew the compound of the Inuzuka could be found. A small smile appeared on his face when he thought back the short-tempered Kiba. Their arguments, their fights, their laughs. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head toward another comrade's compound before opening them again. The Aburames. The Naras. The Akimichis… Despair and sorrow started to spread inside his mind, as he rested his sight on the village below his legs.
Finally something diverted his darkening thoughts. He heard small footsteps behind the monument, deep inside the woods, as somebody was marching toward his hiding place, not aware of how much noise he was making. Naruto heard the ruffle of the unsecured clothes, the cracking of the twigs under the footsteps, the rustle of the dried leaves on the ground and felt the spike of that someone's chakra. The spikes of a troubled, angry person. He heard a muffled thump and a painful yelp, the scent of a small amount of fresh blood reached his sensitive nose. Finally, the silhouette of a child evolved from the woods, cursing under his breath, clutching his hand on his abused fist as he tried to channel his frustration to one of the trees. However the tree was much stronger, nothing could prove better than the bruise and small amount of blood on his fist. The young boy hopped down to the monument, only meters from Naruto and sat next to one of Minato's stone spikes.
The blonde shinobi froze in his seat, but he forced his muscles to slowly turn his head and lock his eyes on the child next to him. The giant stone spike shrouded most of his small form, only his grimacing face and flashing anger in his eyes was visible. The chuunin's sight frozen on the dark hair of the child, the spiking ponytail, the dark, but still glowing eyes…and the long scar which ran across the bridge of his nose from cheek to cheek. His heart forgot to pound for a second, and his mouth suddenly felt dryer than the desserts of Suna. Iruka…He went back immediately to Konoha to look after the children who stayed in the village, after he fled from that turtle island to join his comrades on the battlefield.
The child found a small stone and threw it from the monument, toward the village.
"Stupid Sensei…Stupid Academy…Stupid Hokage…Stupid Village…" The small child angrily cursed under his breath and threw another small stone toward the village after his each and every curse, weighing his words. The boy suddenly froze when he finally realized that he wasn't alone. He slowly turned his head to the side, to meet the wide and shocked cerulean eyes and the parted mouth of Naruto. They stayed in complete silence, each other frozen for their own reasons. The moment was broken by the loud laughing of the blond and the gaping of the ten year old Umino Iruka.
"What's so funny?" The child hopped into his feet, pointing a finger toward the still chuckling blond, who just waved a hand. His once sensei as a cute child, cursing and hissing the Academy, his own sensei, his village and the Hokage. His late teacher, who lectured him that he should show respect to the leaders and toward the village, because the young Uzumaki had called the Sandaime "Jiji". Suddenly realization flushed through Iruka's face and a small hint of panic could be seen in his dark eyes.
"Y-You are the Yondaime's -I didn't mean to…" A foxy grin appeared on Naruto's face, seeing the starting panic and the slight tremble of the small hands.
"Relax kid. I'm not going to tattle." Iruka relaxed his tense muscles but his eyes still mirror suspicion.
"What's your name gaki?" The child narrowed is eyes and the suspicious glance only grew.
"Why do you want to know?" Naruto shrugged and leaned back on his back, folding his arms behind his neck, crossing his legs in a casual way, while his eyes fixed on a crystal white puffy cloud.
"I'm just trying to start a conversation." Iruka slowly stepped out to see his new blond companion behind the stone spike, but in the end he decided, that he really wouldn't tattle. He moved next to the laying chuunin and sat down crossed legs, still watching Naruto from the corner of his eyes.
"I'm Umino Iruka." Naruto sat up and held out his hand toward the child.
"Odoroki Toroku at your service." Iruka made a confused face.
"Odoroki? I thought-They said that you are a relative of Yondaime-sama. Shouldn't you be a Namikaze?" The sudden '–sama' tag wasn't missed by Naruto, but he just sent a gentle smile back.
"It's a long story." A frown appeared on the child face, but in the end he suppressed his curiosity and stayed in silence.
"Soo Iruka-chan. What makes you to curse everything?" The boy folded his arms in front of his chest, and snorted.
"I'm not a girl. Don't call me -chan!" Naruto only rolled his eyes, but his blue orbs sparkled cheekily.
"Care to tell me Iruka-kun what upset you that much, that you have to punch a tree?" Iruka tried to hide his bruised fist in his embarrassment and he felt as his cheeks become redder, but in the end he reversed the movement. 'It doesn't matter anymore, he already knows.'
"How did you know that?"
Naruto only shrugged, and Iruka stayed in silence for a long minute, watching the village under his feet, when a group with green vests jumped toward the Hokage tower from rooftop to rooftop in the afternoon sunlight.
"I failed on the academy pre-test." Naruto stayed in silence, waiting for Iruka to continue, but he was shocked in the inside.
"Sensei told me, if I was unable to make it on the next pre-test, he won't let me apply to graduate with the early team, because of a new regulation." Naruto narrowed his eyes, eyeing the young boy next to him carefully.
"Why do you want to graduate early?" Iruka stayed in silence for a long minute before he finally opened his mouth to answer.
"Because…because I want to became stronger. To learn strong jutsus and to show them."
"Why?" Iruka finally looked up to Naruto with a confused face.
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to become stronger?"
"Because with strong jutsus, I can prove myself. Sensei told me, that I won't be a battle type shinobi...He said that I haven't got the affinity for that, nor the mindset. I want to show them." Naruto let out a sigh when he saw the sour face on Iruka. Maybe a small push wouldn't hurt. He heard the displeased snort of Kurama in the background.
"I'm sure you will do fine next year. Plus power isn't always about flashy jutsu. You can find great powers in much different ways and places." Iruka raised a curious eyebrow.
"Power could be found in a piece of paper…a seal for example. Power could be found in your heart. And do you know what holds the biggest power?" Iruka slowly shook his head.
"The younger generation." The child made a confused look.
"I don't get it."
"You will one day." Naruto made a wondering face toward the blue sky. "Geez. Telling this to you, I feel like an old man. I'm starting to lose my power of youth-" Naruto suddenly froze. "I didn't say that did I, dattebayo?" Naruto turned toward Iruka with wide eyes, and faced a confused child, while he ruffled his own blond locks in his shock. He slowly shook his head and leaned back. "Never mind."
"You are crazy."
"Normal people are boring." A soft smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Hey Iruka. Aren't you hungry for a ramen? It's my treat." The child made a wondering look, tapping his chin, and nodded with a wide smile. Naruto straightened and ruffled the dark lock of his once sensei, smoothing out tufts in his tidy ponytail. Naruto was followed by a cursing child, desperately trying to fix his ruined hair on the way back to the city center where Naruto could finally start to pay back his debts toward his sensei.
Author's Note:
Family reunion and the first willful steps to change the future.
The 300th review was written by a dear an unfortunately anonymous Guest. Congratulations! Your present is a digital art commission. Please contact me somehow here or on my Deviantart account.
Guest 4/1/13 . chapter 12
UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE! PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I intend to do more like this in the future, so be prepared!
Thank you for all the story recommendations I haven't check all of it yet, but I really appreciate your help and I'm still looking for more if you got some goodies. So if you got a really good fic without any weird awkwardness feel free to recommend. :)
Of course always feel free to point out any missed mistakes.
Answer to a Guest:
The seal isn't always visible (see when he first met with Jiraiya when he was a kid) nor is he emitting Kurama's chakra constantly as far as I know. If I'm wrong, deal with it please. :)
Story recommendations:
Unsealing Legacy by Forlorn Story Teller - In which someone inspired Naruto to start learning fuuinjutsu in young age, though not without accidentally tampering with his seal and unseal legacy left behind by his parents. It was both curse and a blessing in the same time. Uchiha Itachi was suspicious of his fellow prodigy, and Naruto was paranoid. The prodigies made unlikely friends, and great minds thinks alike. NOT yaoi!
Worlds Will Collide by Gaara's Plaything - In another world, a colossal battle ends with many people displaced into a new world. How will they cope there, and will their presence change things for the better, or will there be yet another disaster? Incredibly AU for both worlds, character death, violence, no pairings decided yet. (Unfortunately it's short and isn't updated frequently, but I still like it. Thanks for Anon for the recommendation!)