Prologues Open Books, Epilogues Close Them

Welcome to POBECT, previously we had the Kyuubi using the Therapy no Jutsu on a hateful Naruto. He is now the Kyuubi's friend. Let's begin.

Chapter 3: The Truth Fosters Hatred

But ultimately breeds respect

The first thing I did was go to the Hokage's office and ask him about Kurama and his theory. He didn't seem surprised that I knew and the other ninja in the room didn't seem surprised either but there was a lot of talking when he told them about Kurama's theory. The old man said Kurama was telling the truth but that I should be careful. He looked like he wanted to say something important about the furball before a white-haired ninja in a mask stopped him by appearing on his desk from out of nowhere and putting a finger to the old man's mouth like he was a child.

And then the old man just shut up and nodded.

I liked this ninja. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to know the secret to getting away with stuff like that.

Mr. Awesome Ninja disappeared once more, appearing before me like a ghost. His mask covered almost his entire face but his one visible eye told me he was really happy, "Hey Naruto, do you know who I am?"

He spared a glance at the old man who was watching their discussion happily. "The guy who can shut the old man up to his face and get away with it?"

The room turned absolutely silent while the old man continued smiling with eyes that now promised pain later on. The masked man gave a happy chuckle though that made that look in the old man's eyes disappear. "Yes, that, but do you know who I am to you?"

I frowned. I don't remember knowing anyone like him and his appearance was not something anyone would forget. Was he a relative then? We looked nothing alike though, "No. Am I supposed to?"

He placed a hand on my head and I felt the warmth of his palm on my scalp. I stopped thinking for a second, just enjoying the feeling of someone's touch. I don't recall the old man ever doing something like that openly. I wouldn't mind if he did. "Your father was my teacher."

And like that, my mind returned to reality, "Really? You were trained by my dad? You're not joking?"

He started rubbing and scratching my hair. It didn't feel as good as it did at the start but something told me he was doing it less for me and more for him so I didn't ask him stop, "I wouldn't joke about your father, Naruto."

I looked up at him with a huge smile and I ignored the look of sadness that he responded with. "What was he like? Did you know my mom too?"

The look faded quickly, replaced with that look the other parents made at the end of the year as he resumed scratching, "They were like parents to me. In a way, you can say we're brothers."

"Brothers," I say it again in my mind. And again, and again. He smile widened so I could see it beneath his mask.

The old man's voice rand out and we both remembered we were not alone in the room, "Enough, enough, take it outside, Naruto, Kakashi. I have work to do."

Kakashi took his hand off and led us out of the Hokage's office. He leaned on the door as it closes and I copied him with a grin on my face. He blinked in surprise before laughing and I laughed with him. "Mah, that was annoying. Don't you just hate being cooped up in this stuffy old building. Brings back bad memories. I know this great ramen place. Wanna come?"

I perked up at the mention of that divine meal. "Ramen? Wait, don't you have some secret mission to do?"

He shook his head as I leaned in closer. "Nope. Currently a Jounin instructor at the Academy. Don't have anything to do until break's over."

I stood up straight and nearly fell over. He watched with a happy look on his face, "So wait, there's a chance I'll have you as my team's instructor?"

Where earlier I could read his emotions easily, all of a sudden it became impossible to determine anything from just his eye's expression. "Who knows?"

I gave him an annoyed look which he answers with his own expressionless gaze. I wasn't going to win this I decided, not against a jounin, and broke eye contact first. It was impossible to win against an adult in being childish. Still, there were billions of questions I wanted to ask him and now I had the chance to ask someone who was in the same position, "Hey Kakashi, do you have any stories about my parents?"

He stood up as well. Single eye full of emotion again. I liked this Kakashi more, "Where do you want to start? Let's walk while we talk."

I learned that civilians gave jounin a lot of space in public. I learned that my dad had fallen in love with my mother when they were still in the Academy. My mother refused to like him until he saved her from a kidnapping after which she fell in love with him. He loved reading his sensei's novels and that the sensei was also my godfather and I should expect him soon. I learned that my mother was even louder and more troublesome than I was when she was my age, and that she had the same dream as I did in the Academy. She enjoyed ramen and pranking and her son more than anything else in the world. Kakashi joked that he saw so much of her in me that he wondered if I was my mother in male form. I also

They had died not as victims but as saviors who gave their lives sealing Kurama. Sealing him into me. Without them, Konoha would have fallen. They were martyrs and the village rightfully celebrated their sacrifice like every other who had fallen that fateful day. Their children honored as heroes...

Kakashi smiled as we arrived at Ichiraku's and only seemed to get happier as we ate. He continued his stories, this time of his days as my father's student, his reign as Hokage, how excited my father and mother were to have me, completely unaware that I was no longer smiling. Teuchi and Ayame had seen the signs and given me room, but not before giving me an extra helping as an apology, for which I was thankful. For someone who called himself my brother, he didn't pay much attention to me, did he?

I finished my bowl and looked up at him and for the first time since we arrived, he noticed the frustrated look on my face. "Kakashi, why haven't I seen you before?"

His eye and voice hardened, acting more like a ninja of Konoha before nodding. From the inside of his jacket, he pulled out a white dog mask. "Well, before I became an instructor I was in ANBU. Perhaps you remember me?"

I noticed something hungry in his eye now. I noticed and remembered someone with that same look. My voice sounded like the old man's when I reply despite trying to give him what he wanted. "You're that dog guy."

That something disappeared with my reply and I can't tell if I succeeded. He goes back to acting like the ninja he was. "Yup."

The jounin ordered another round of ramen. I gave Teuchi a smile when he serves our meals but it fades right after. Teuchi didn't smile back. "What were you doing when I saw you?"

He ignored his ramen to watch me eat. I worried that his food was going to get cold if he doesn't start eating, "Hm? I was protecting you."

I focused on my meal, only watching him from the corner of my eyes. "From what?"

"The ones who might hurt you or take you away." Teuchi looked at us from behind his stove with a worried look on his face while Ayame hid behind a door. Kakashi glanced at them for help.

I cut both of them off with a sharp look. "Like who?"

Ayame disappears behind the door. Teuchi turns between him and Kakashi a few times before turning to the jounin and shaking his head. Kakashi nods and looks away. "Your father's enemies, those who hated the Kyuubi, a few who wanted to use you against Konoha."

I turned to him and he immediately realized he'd made a mistake. "Kurama, my parents... Did they know?"

He replied quickly, without the coolness or confidence he expected from the ninja. "Some of them thought you were the Kyuubi incarnate. That hurting you would hurt the Kyuubi. Some had even thought of killing you."

I noticed he didn't answer the question. "How many?"

I looked down and realized that his bowl was empty. I didn't notice him finish. I didn't notice him even start. He was wearing a mask. What kind of person wears a mask while eating? What kind of person learned to eat while wearing a mask? "A few. None of them tried twice."

I couldn't help but wonder at the time what was behind his mask that he wanted to hide so much? Someone who could hide secrets like that must know how to lie to other people's faces without being caught. "A few did."

The atmosphere of the store changed completely everyone, customers, Teuchi, even Kakashi, froze. Kakashi slumped slightly and gave a hollow laugh. "The people in the orphanage, right?"

I leveled a stare at him. I did not feel angry about his knowledge but I felt lonely even though I knew I was among friends. "You knew."

He nodded while sinking lower into his seat, "I was the first person to sign up for the mission to watch you."

I followed his example, "Oh."

The customers left the store until only me, Teuchi, and Kakashi were left. Teuchi apologized and excused himself, leaving just me and Kakashi in an empty and quiet room. The silence ended only after Kakashi spoke, "I'm sorry."

I chose to speak rather than go back to the silence. "Why?"

He turned suddenly and reached out, stopping himself halfway before returning to his old position. "You had a lot of enemies, Naruto, and despite-"

I shook my head while staring at the empty bowl of ramen, "No, I mean, why didn't you protect me?"

He closed his eye and his voice became old and tired. "Because I didn't care."

I focused on the empty bowl and bit my lip, tasting blood but feeling no pain. "Why wasn't I-"

I feel a hand on my shoulder and nearly flinch away. I don't remember why I didn't. "Because I didn't care about anything at that time. I'd lost everything and I didn't know what to do. What I was doing. Your parents were the last good thing I had in my life."

I look at his hand and moved it away. He didn't seem angry. He looked happy even. I felt the sting from my bite now. "And now?"

He gazed up and relaxed. I remembered the old man doing that sometimes when I was with him. He'd get lost in his thoughts and say it was him remembering a friend he'd lost. "Now? Now, I remember an annoying bunch of brats who taught me to let go of the past. I especially remember a loud one that refused to give up on his friends."

He knew he made another mistake when I gave him a blank look and jumped off my seat, "I'm going, Kakashi."

He panicked and held my hand. He doesn't react when I wiggle out of it. He gave me a sad eye when I turned around to yell at him, "Naruto."

I stop myself at how desperate he sounded. I looked him straight in the eye and begged him to listen, "Please don't follow, Kakashi. Please."

He turned paler than he already was and he nodded like a puppet would, "I understand."

I turned around and made my way to the exit before stopping to face him one final time. It might not be what he wanted but it was the truth, "I hope we meet after they give us our jounin instructors, Kakashi."

He flinched before returning to color, "Thank you, Naruto." He was almost out of sight when he dropped his mask to reveal a smiling, badass face complete with a scar running down his cheek. He looked cool and awesome and exactly what I expected from a ninja brother I never knew I had.

I ran away before someone said something to ruin the memory.

Getting the hang of the first person narrative, I think. More used to third person limited and omniscient, but the change is interesting. The story still doesn't have the right feel I'm looking for but I think I'm getting there. Tenses are still being annoying as I keep falling back to present despite past and future being more narratively appropriate. Present might be easier to read though but seeing how it currently develops seems like the wisest course of action.