Daylight. The brink of it. Reaching through the trees. They were almost all naked now. Winter was upon his not-so-home.
He watched, hands clapped on his whiskered cheeks.
The dancing leaves fell, twirling. One by one.
Light shined through them. Gold, crimson, swampy hues.
When the old man had used to refer to Konoha's shinobi as leaves... He'd had always found it offensive, as a kid, growing up.
Shinobi weren't like leaves at all. Leaves tumbled freely, left to scatter with the wind. They were cast away, unwanted, unloved. Then, they melded with the earth and were forgotten.
But watching the leaves fall, Naruto realized. Yes, shinobi were like the leaves. That's exactly what they were.
Lost souls.
He lifted up his finger, pointing at the trees, a soft breeze rushing through.
He watched as the leaves lifted up high, scattered to far corners of the village.
He wasn't sure what exactly had happened just after he had won. He recalled falling onto his knees, watching the shadowed man shriek in agony under the moonlight, clutching his face. One of his foxes came up and brushed her face against his hip, yipping happily. He was vaguely aware of crossing his fingers together and summoning a kage bunshin, uncaring of the consequences, and sending him off toward one of the closer parties in the area, though it would prove to be a useless gesture.
Eventually, the man tried to stand, but he was clearly exhausted and demoralized. Naruto watched him, his heart beating thickly in his chest, his body stinging. Not with the pain of battle, but the bliss of victory. Yet, it was a hollow one. He had finally won. Finally conquered one of the men responsible for the misery that was his childhood, but he did not smile. What was there to be happy about? He had lost nearly everyone. Lost nearly everything. What this man had taken from him was still gone. And his defeat would never return what he deserved.
"I guess this is what revenge feels like." Naruto said to the cold night wind, thinking of Sasuke instinctively, thinking of the stupid shit his friend had done to seek out this catharsis. What a fool that Uchiha was. He could truly say that with utter confidence now, that vengeance changed nothing.
He was truly thankful to be in this strange world now. For without it, he surely would have crumpled and died on his feet under the oppressing weight of emptiness - his heart so hollow it was hard to believe he was still breathing. But at the end of it all, he somehow had been given some semblance of a future left. Perhaps this was why he had been sent here. The Kyuubi was wherever it was supposed to be, this time. Not in his stomach. All the lives taken that night were given back. He was no longer Uzumaki Naruto, the Demon. He could start anew.
"I have saved this village at least twice now." He murmured, hearing the sounds of footsteps crushing grass, carried by the sweeping breeze. The man in the bloody grass began to whimper as his fingers picked at pieces of the sturdy orange mask loged into the quaking flesh of his face.
Distinctly, he heard the name, Rin, whispered five times. Like the quickening before perverted release, the man urgently called for her, his head snapping up, looking around, startled by the footfalls rapidly approaching. Naruto looked away from the thing fallen there, not wanting to look at him.
He stood calmly, stiffly raising one arm and pointing at Tobi, the impersonator of Madara, or perhaps the thing himself. He did not really care, not yet. Maybe he would ask the Yondaime when they were through with him, who he really was, but for now, he was satisfied with watching as three Uchiha came upon the field, Jiraiya of the Sannin not far behind. Gai broke through an umbral line of trees after that, followed by twelve four-man cells of ANBU. More than he had ever seen congregated in one single place in his entire life. The field was storming with them, who spread out as Fugaku approached him. They secured the perimeter, making Naruto wonder how much time had passed since they had arrived. It was as though the earth had stopped spinning for a while.
They locked eyes. Fugaku's three tomoe wheeling as he came up close to him, whirling like a distorted windmill.
"There he is." Naruto said, still pointing at the whispering, gibbering, and frightened animal, "Don't worry. He is powerless right now. You can arrest him. I think he's completely out of chakra, or he probably would have escaped from me. He's probably hallucinating, on the verge of severe chakra exhaustion."
Uchiha Shisui and Kurenai's father came through the line of trees next, stunned by the amount of ANBU in the area. Hyuuga Kiku pointed over to Naruto, shouting his name, breathless.
The Uchiha police, aided by several high ranking ANBU, shoved the man face-first into the dirt, wrapping his lips and binding his ligaments with white tape inked in holding seals. The Dog-masked ANBU from days before strode up beside Uchiha Fugaku and stood perfectly still. A medi-nin knelt down and planted his hands over Tobi's spine, assessing the man's health.
Naruto comically switched his eyes from left to right, examining both men before him, blocking out the scene in his peripheral vision. Truly, both men were masked. Fugaku's features remained completely blank and unflinching, only a hint of turbulent emotion in his whirling eyes, which slowly came to a stand still as Naruto remained unflinching.
"It was confirmed that he has the Sharingan." The clan head said to him, his breath cold, brushing against Naruto's nose.
"Correction." Naruto replied, raising his hand, revealing a bloody three-pronged kunai, a smile reminiscent of his guilty, prankster-self gracing his lips, "He had it."
"...I see." He seemed to smile, his cheeks twitching, though he schooled the expression away, into a mask of cold stoicism, "It would seem I owe you for dispatching one of our blood-traitors then."
Naruto shook his head, feeling strangely powerful. Almost like a sage, of sorts. But he knew he was just high. Standing on the shoulders of an invisible giant, the unknown trials he had endured to reach this moment. None of them understood. And none of them ever would, what he had gone through to end that
man's ludicrous ambitions. He almost didn't believe the man was defeated. He probably should have stabbed him in the skull a second time, just so there was never any way of him harming anyone again. But he suspected the Yondaime would take it from here and he didn't want the man's blood on his hands -
he'd already heard enough of tormented screams. It would be days before they left his mind's eye, if he was lucky.
"I guess so." He agreed meekly, "But don't worry about it."
"I'm afraid that's impossible." He chuckled, "Mikoto-chan says I live to worry."
Naruto noted the hard lines around the corners of his cheeks. His body was battle-hardened, a high-necked black coat over a black mail suit; his body was just passing its peak of youth, the hard edges of his collar bones lifting up the top of his armor. It seemed to be weighing him down more than it should have.
The blond nodded his head almost respectfully, "If you insist on worrying, how about we just call it even over a dinner or something, sometime? I happen to love ramen, if you've got any of that, we could call it even, especially if it's tasty." he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, laughing, "I hear your son's name is Itachi. He's a prodigy right? I'd love to meet him."
The man's eyes flickered oddly. He nodded, trying to maintain a slight smile of pride, "Well, I suppose that would do. I have not had a guest over for some time. And Mikoto-chan does make good ramen, from what I hear..." his soured expression only meant another of Mikoto's acquaintances liked the stuff.
Not that Naruto was eager to get in the good fraces of the clan. He'd only said that to gauge the man. He never understood the Uchiha massacre, but if he wanted to prevent it, comprehending the leader of the clan was paramount. This could be his only opportunity to meet him off guard and get friendly with him.
"I'll drop by the Uchiha district unannounced, then. Surprise you!"
"Hn."
"I don't like surprises." He cleared his throat, looking over his shoulder, finally relaxing as Uchiha police and ANBU had lifted Tobi up and carried him away face up, escorted by flanking ANBU, flying thorugh the grass like a breeze. The team Naruto had been assigned to watched them go. Blood was still gushing from his foe's eye, the man comatose-looking, the troupe blurring into darkness.
Naruto could see where Sasuke had gotten his attitude from.
"But perhaps I can accommodate something." He sighed, "But this isn't the time for pleasantries, I apologize. I don't know what got into me, honestly."
"I think you were trying to determine whether I was a threat or not." Naruto said with a smile, bending down to stroke Onoe and Shiki, the summons quietly dispersing themselves in plumes of smoke before the clansman, the kage bunshin of himself standing tiredly in field also ending itself with a sigh, his voice laced with a weary edge, "Maybe decide if the secrets of the Sharingan are still safe."
The man glared at him, "You are interesting." He announced with a cryptic smile.
Naruto nodded, "I'm sure the Yondaime will grill me for details, but for what it's worth, I don't really care about your secrets."
"I'm not fond of them myself. But you're right, we'll have to...chat at some point. Dinner would be most comfortable."
Naruto said nothing. He watched the man leave the field, a hand gesturing for Uchiha Shisui to walk with him. The teen looked a little disappointed, his gaze preening over Fugaku to look at Naruto standing in the cool breeze. The blond turned to Gai, Kiku, and Yuuhi-taicho. He bowed limply, trying to appear respectful, but was interrupted by the Dog-masked ANBU, who remained in the field.
"Thank you for your help, Kurama Naruto-san. I arrived just as you struck the man down. Forgive me for failing to find you sooner." Dog's voice was familiar, but Naruto couldn't really place it. It sounded muffled, or altered. Maybe the mask was effecting it? He was absolutely sure now it wasn't Kakashi under a henge though, the guy's movements were much more open and friendly.
Naruto waved him off, with a grin, "Not like I threw a signal flare or anything, right? Is everyone alright, though? You sound a bit...erm, exhausted."
"From the intelligence I am privy to, we did not suffer any major casualties. Several of the teams tonight are in critical condition, but they should pull through. The Yondaime was injured as well, though I am not aware of his current condition..." he trailed off, "This man was very dangerous. He would have escaped were it not for you. I don't even know how he sneaked past the border patrols we set up..."
Kiku snorted, "I guess it's all good that everything turned out okay then. You ran off without us! That's deserving of a court marshall-"
"His fire of youth was most vigorous." Gai muttered darkly, "I watched him move like a fox. A genuine crimson beast! Shisui-kun nor I could even follow your magnificent flight! Where did you gain such speed? I hunger to test myself against it! Did an Inuzuka teach you to run like a wolf during your stay here?"
Yuuhi Denbu's sunken face wrinkled like an old leaf as he spoke calmly, a tired smile on his lips at Gai's antics, "I almost called a squad on you, Kurama-san. Please do not do that again."
Naruto wanted to bow in apology, feeling for their strife, but he could not find it in him to apologize, "I'm sorry, but I would do it all over again. Given the choice, I could not let that man be free. He's worse than scum dattebayo! He's the cause of all of this!" Naruto growled, latent chakra in his system making his teeth viciously sharp like fangs, the critical Hyuuga eyeing him warily.
"Of course he is." Dog said flatly, "Pay their words heed, but you're excused for your rash actions today, Kurama-san. You made the right call. That man will not see the light of day again. For harming Hokage-sama and causing this gross disturbance, he will pay."
Sleep was bliss. No dreams. No thoughts. No cares. No worries.
He awoke to the faces of his remaining fox summons. They had sneaked into his apartment during the night, their faces long with worry. He dismissed them with promises of treats, though they had no interesting information to share for him. It was cute how they worried though, they reminded him of his old friends.
As Dog had informed him before being escorted home last night, he was scheduled to see the Hokage early in the morning. He didn't mind it, though he already had a meeting promised with Hyuuga Hiashi, so his day was a wash again.
He wasn't wearing shackles, but it still felt that way.
So, he stood once more in the office of the Hokage. And again the Sandaime sat, a friendly smile on his lips. He seemed completely at ease with Naruto, his eyes much more like the kindly grandfather he'd once known.
"Where's the Yondaime at?" Naruto asked with a mirrored smile, "Is he okay? I heard he got hurt last night."
"He was injured, but it was a minor affair. He's perfectly alright. But his wife just gave birth, Kurama-kun." He laughed, "He will likely be here tomorrow, but I have insisted he take the day off to spend with his family. It is not my desire, nor is it proper, for me to retake this seat too often, but... I am happy to make the sacrifice." He glowed, leaning back in his seat, looking extremely comfortable. Not like the anxious, weighted man Naruto had grown up with.
"Congratulations then! That's great!" Naruto smiled, "I had no idea! Send my... ah regards, if you see him. What's the little brat's name, if you don't mind telling me?"
"Oh, it's no trouble at al-"
"-Hokage-sama." Some woman droned nasally through the intercom, "I'm sorry, I know you're busy, but Shimura-sama is being overly theatrical again! He wishes to speak to you immediately, it is about another "grave matter". This time it's something concerning a certain prisoner? He swears it "really is grave this time"."
Sarutobi sighed deep, standing quickly, "I am truly sorry Kurama-kun, but I must depart. I was going to praise you for your accomplishments last night, but I'm afraid I must attend to the prisoner you delivered to us." He swept past Naruto, who walked through the office doors with him, the office locking itself up tight. Hiruzen spun on his heel, "Sorry to waste your time! Please come by tomorrow, I'm sure Minato-kun will have something to say to you personally! But I must thank you for being forward and candid in alerting us to what did turn out to be an unexpected, material threat!" And then he was gone, rushing down the hall, flying down the stairs.
Naruto sighed and ambled out of the tower, fighting a tired smile.
He gravitated to Ichiraku Ramen. The stand was in a much nicer condition than he had left it. The counter was polished so well he could see his face in the wood panels. And the steamy heat rising up over the glass shield made his skin flush deep, his cheeks tingling. He plopped down his entire body feeling like mush, "Oi, Teuchi! We meet again it seems. I will have all of your ramen." He said simply.
Ayame wasn't around, but he recognized Teuchi, the grey fluff on his scalp just a bit lighter, his small, softer eyes staring at naruto quizzically. Naruto just beamed at him, "All of my ramen?" he repeated, still digesting the strangers words, "Excuse me, have we met before?"
"Yeah. One of everything. And no, we haven't, sorry, I was messing with you." Naruto fished into his pocket, grinning widely; feeling like a cosmic prankster. He plopped a lot of the money he'd been given, figuring he'd ask the Yondaime for a little bonus for defeated the bastard with the Mangekyo, "I'm serious. Bring it on! All of your ramen means all of it!" He pounded his fists into the counter, which knocked over a few flimsy menus. The blond blanched as he fixed up the mess, the man taking the money and counting it in disbelief.
"Have I really never met you before? You seem familiar." He hummed, squinting his beady eyes.
"Don't think so! Call me Naruto. But I have heard of you. You're famous!"
The man laughed at that, "Naruto, eh? I see. A great love for ramen, then? I wasn't aware I was well known."
"My parents must have loved it just as much." He said with a shrug, mouth watering as the man plopped a bowl of beef ramen in front of him, "I've gone to many kind of ramen joints. But I've heard yours in the best."
One succulent, salty, boiling taste was all he needed to moan. He didn't care that the old man stared at him like he was a freak. Ichiraku Ramen was back!
And then, Miso Ramen. Oh, Miso Ramen. He could taste- well over five hundred miligrams of salt- but oh it was sooo good. Sakura-chan had started nagging about his poor diet after the Chuunin exams and he could remember her lectures on healthy salt-intake, but he didn't care! It was soooo good, nothing could ruin
this moment!
Until Killer B sat down next to him.
"Yo! What's up?" he lifted up his palm.
"W-wah?" The blond's head turned rigidly, noodles hanging out of his mouth. he blinked.
The man was much younger, but he still had that dark mark under his eye, a familiar cloud-colored band over his forehead. He had light peach fuzz instead of a beard, narrow sunglasses resting on his small eyes. His skin was luminous, chest half-clad by an asymmetrical white leather vest slung over his shoulder.
Naruto hiccuped.
Then he shrugged, high-fiving the jinchuuriki. The man exploded into a laugh, propping one elbow onto the counter as he leaned way back, wearing a comfortable grin, saying smoothly, "Hey there kid, I was just passin' this way, and I thought I smelled somethin' better than a bouquet!"
Naruto swallowed a laugh, "Nice to meet you, Killer B."
"Oh my stars? How did you know my name! Am I... like mars?"
"You're uh, famous right?" Naruto said evenly, his calm facade cracking into a devious grin, "So I guess you're like mars. Who doesn't know about the crazy Kumo-nin who lived against our Yondaime? What are you doing here?"
Of course, he'd never known about Killer B's exploits until well after Konoha was razed to the ground, but he wanted to see the man react to some ego-stroking. He liked the man's confident swagger. He was also confused why this person was speaking to him, of all people.
"Your Hokage I was meant to rendezvous, but... I guess the meeting was ambilevous!"
"Uhh... what?"
The man started laughing hysterically, fishing a pen out of his white vest. "Hey, you know my name, but I don't know yours! That's lame."
"Naruto." He said with a quirk of his cheeks, "I guess you're here as some kind of ambassador? Or does the Yondaime let foreign nin around here unsupervised."
"All work and no play makes a poor display!" he slapped the table, scaring away a potential few customers ambling outside the small store, "You'd be right my little friend-"
"I'm not little."
"-I am he who peddles in cloudy words, fighting war better than a whole lot of metal!"
Teuchi coughed as he set a fourth bowl of ramen in front of Naruto, "Bii-san, are you going to eat today? Or am I going to have to send you away?" He crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head at the man's awful rhymes.
"Oh, that's a good one!" The man scribbled down Teuchi's rhyme in a small notepad, "But yeah, sure. I'll have what he's having." He said, pointing to Naruto.
Teuchi looked at him skeptically, "He is having thirty six bowls of ramen. Are you sure about that?"
"Thirty six? That's like... more arms than my partner's got!"
Naruto snorted, smiling at the nearly nostalgic man - even though he'd not missed him for very long. He'd had last seen him in the field a few weeks before getting "killed", "Just give im' the beef ramen, old man!"
Naruto thought it was suspicious Killer B of all people was in Konoha. Or that he would find him "randomly" like this. But he didn't want to pry. He was a little worried the man might realize he was a jinchuuriki like him, but he didn't give that kind of indication as he boisterously crammed a bowl of ramen into his stomach.
On Naruto's eighth bowl, he did ask a disturbing question though, "I heard something on the down low took place last night. You mind givin' me an itsy sound bite?"
Naruto tapped his nude forehead, offering carefully, "I'm not technically a member of this village's forces yet. What do you think I know about it?"
The man smiled, replying simply, beatboxing with his lips, "Yet's a sure bet!" He grinned as Naruto slapped his forehead. Going a little stiff when the Kumo-nin added, "I hear a lot of noise on who the likes Konoha employs."
"I guess I could give you a bite." Naruto murmured, staring right into those dark shades with a satisfied grin, "If people want to screw with the Yellow Flash, I'll be the one to give them a nasty thrash."
Killer B clapped his hands, "Oh, I like the sound of that." The man wrote down the rhyme, or at least, that's what he thought he did. He pushed his bowl away from him and stood, "Nice chattin' with ya then, kid. Thanks for the what did. And thanks for the grub too. I've gotta splat!"
"Sure thing, squid." Naruto murmured playfully, watching him go, merging into the crowd outside the quaint ramen bar.
Then, Naruto blinked, glaring at the vacant counter, lifting his gaze up to Teuchi, "Well, whatever. I owed him anyway. Pass me his bill." He scrounged up a little bit of change to pay the grumbling old chef.
He spent a few hours training in one of the many open training grounds. Although he wasn't a shinobi, nobody stopped him from walking up to the cleared, dusty flats, hurling kunai and shuriken around with a quiet smile on his face. He realized he was starting to feel calm and happy, the weight on his shoulders gone. He danced under the noon sun, his feet and arms moving more fluidly than they ever had in the past. Quick and carefree, he attacked a phantom foe acrobatically, sweeping its feet, spinning on his heels and throwing out mule-kicks, and bending currents around him, sending sharp heaves of air from his fists, cleaving the dirt, spreading fine brown dust in to the air.
He didn't care anymore. He created four kage bunshin and began to spar with them, practicing evasion and defense. He felt dizzy, losing himself to the pounding in his heart. The drum of strength making him attack with a chaotic rhythm. Mushin, the ethos of a true warrior, filled his spirit. Mushin was the state of emptiness, the state of deep meditation. The state of power. Where one could not think. One could not feel. All that existed was his body and his opponent's, yet he was totally aware of everything around him. It was a paradox of states, but it was the ultimate form any fighter could achieve.
When he was finished fighting, he plopped onto the dirty floor, breathing raggedly, smiling. He closed his eyes and meditated, drifting back to the first time when he had found some semblance of peace, after Konoha had fallen. He was thirteen then and he was on the run. Shikamaru, of all people, had been with him. The sarcastic teen had taught him a wonderful training exercise, the natural extension of the leaf exercise.
Naruto stood calmly after meditating for a while. He gathered some fragile leaves. And one by one, he stuck them to his body. Then he returned to meditating, over a dozen leaves sticking to his form. After a while, his natural wind affinity came to life, a strong breeze swirling around him. The leaves stayed to his body, like they were one with him.
He returned to the manor around three, stopping at the sight of a familiar gate guard. His eyes were as white as paper, gleaming in the light. Even for a Hyuuga, his gaze was calm and penetrating. Yet, he could read his stare. He knew why Kiku reminded him of Haku, and it wasn't simply the pallid features. Kiku was at peace with himself. He had a relaxed, if sunken poise, like he was always bowing. He wore white gi pants over his strong lower-half, tied loose with a brown belt. Above, a long-sleeved black top was covered by a chuunin vest.
Naruto smiled at the guard, "Oh hey. You're on duty right now, huh?"
He nodded, "Hello Kurama-san. I've been informed of your arrangement."
"Great. Lead the way, Kiku-san."
The Hyuuga guided him through the grounds, passed the blooming autumn sakura, the pink leaves reminding him of a Samurai's words as he defended himself against the heckling of his fellow comrades. "Pink is the color of death." He'd said, the man himself garbed in pink hakama, "It is the color of spring; of rebirth. But we all know that birth leads to death. Birth becomes death. So, birth is death." Not that Naruto had ever agreed with the guy, birth was a lot different from death, but it was a somber thought. He wondered what the Hyuuga thought about their sakura trees.
A few pink petals fluttered through the air. One came close to Naruto's nose. He grinned impishly as he concentrated chakra in an instant there, causing the small leaf to become attracted and stick to his skin as they entered the manor.
Kiku, the ever perfect example of a Hyuuga, did not even blink when he turned around and met Naruto's eyes, a splotch of pink sticking out from the tip of his nose.
"Hiashi-sama will see you now." He intoned, a paper door sliding beside him. Naruto stepped inside, the door shutting behind him.
A similar low square table was central to the room. A copper-colored decor lit up the shadowy room. Candles hung from the walls, flickering as Naruto walked past. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he stared at Hiashi, meeting the young man's impatient gaze.
"Thank you for coming, Kurama-san." He said, "Please, take a seat with us."
Naruto stepped forward and sat cross-legged at the glossy table. He turned and met the gaze of a woman with milky flesh, light red lips, hair likes the waves of the deep sea, and narrow shoulders. She sat with the poise of a trained warrior, her body squeezed by a pink and black kimono. Upon her forehead was the bird cage seal, two hooked cane-symbols pointed toward a middle, a swastika, the symbol for goodness and eternity. Her dark blue hair was cut just to highlight this feature on her head, similar to Kiku.
"This is my wonderful wife, Aijitsu."
"Hi." Naruto said with a surprising amount of reverence in his voice, looking down at the large swell in the woman, her tight garments making her seem like she might explode at any moment, a radiant bulge making them bunch and fold just below her sternum, "Call me Naruto." He said simply, looking at Hiashi warily, "Before you say anything, I wanted to ask you a question. One that's been in the back of my mind, after we met."
He nodded.
"Why me?"
Hiashi cleared his throat, "You're the only-"
"That's bull." Naruto said curtly, "I know for a fact the Yondaime is good at sealing. And there's something Kiku said yesterday that tipped me off about you guys. What's going on? I can't be the only one you've asked for help." He stared Hiashi down, impassioned, "I will help you. But you need to come forward here. Trust me. What is going on."
Aijitsu wore a look of shock, her eyes wide. She watched Naruto carefully, her gaze shifting to her husband. He was stony, unflinching, just as Naruto had remembered in his previous-
But the man caved, his entire body sinking into the floor in a formal bow, "I'm sorry." He bowed his head too, "You are correct. But first, allow me to extend my thanks, again, for coming here, considering what I have heard about last night. I admit... to a crisis. I did not want to involve you in this, but it seems like I have no choice. You are a foreigner, so you do not understand our ways, or the path our young Hokage has taken."
He nodded, but was surprised when the beautiful wife of Hiashi spoke melodiously, "Minato-kun is wise. An amazing leader. He inspires us. He inspires everyone when he speaks. And he has done great things for Konoha. Great and horrible things. And it has made him bitter. He looks down upon us." She lifted a finger to her forehead, pointing at her seal, the dark mark etched into her flesh, "When a Hyuuga receives the Aika no Fuuin, it prevents the secrets of our bloodline from being understood after death. The seal also allows unsealed Hyuuga to cause pain or death through the use of specific techniques. Finally, sealed Hyuuga may commit suicide at any time by performing a... special technique." She looked away, "Although this might seem extreme to an outsider, it has been done for as long as the clan has been in existence, or at least, close to it. That is why it is tolerated. In these times, they exist out of fear. The elders believe that without the seal, our enemies would eventually best us or use our own skills against us. And without the secondary seal functions, the clan believes that traitors would eventually divulge everything."
Naruto nodded mutely, meeting her stare.
"It is a barbaric seal." She continued, her voice trembling with rage, "But... I understand its purpose. And I understand the fears of the elders. And I understand that it is wise to keep our bloodline safe from our enemies. But it is a wicked seal, with many side effects that are not openly discussed. It is also a seal that cannot be trivially removed. In-fact, removing my seal would..."
"It would make her infertile." Hiashi interrupted, "I am sorry for lying to you before, Naruto-san. But I was unsure if I could trust you. The seal can be removed - but it is not an option. Sometimes, it induces blindness on removal, but always induces infertility. Very, very few Hyuuga in the history of the clan have had their seal removed. All branch members that have had the procedure performed became clan heads in times of war or in-fighting. It is not a common procedure, requiring total approval of the elders. We have texts on how to perform it and one of the elders I spoke to you about last time has performed it before. Though, we try to give everyone the impression that it is utterly permanent... because we do not like to risk the many woes that result from false pretenses."
Aijitsu glared at her husband, "False pretenses? Risks? No you can't have that, but you will cause children unimaginable agony and make them into slaves before they can even begin to think for themselves."
Hiashi's face hardened, but he looked away shamefully, "You know my feelings, dear."
"Thoroughly."
He wanted to agree with the spirited woman, but kept his emotions in check, determined to help her, not cause a fight with her husband. "What other, um problems can arise from this seal, Hiashi...sama?"
"It is complicated." He sighed, producing a scroll from his lap and unfurling it, the details of the infamous seal being laid out for him, "So complicated, that I wonder if you can take them all into consideration. But, you are the first one in a while who might be able to. Please understand that I am putting a lot of trust into you here - what you see is an old copy of the original scrolls we have in preservation. Do not share these secrets with anyone without my permission. Ignore anything I have said already that contradicts this scroll. I have lied for so long, I sometimes forget what is really true about our heritage."
Naruto looked down at the scroll, pouring over it as Hiashi spoke.
"We could ask the Yondaime to help with this, but he is...trying to pressure the clan into abolishing the seal. And although I understand his feelings - it's not as though I like to inflict pain upon the Branch family - but it is not that simple. It is not as though I like to enslave them, but they areour defenders and our dutiful servants; that is the proud tradition of the clan. Many great Hyuuga were of the Branch family, but if we were all equals... the clan would fall into ruin. Eventually, someone would betray us, or someone would be slain in battle. Our secrets would fall into the hands of our enemies. The clan would eventually splinter apart into families, without tight control, and our blood would weaken. But Yondaime-sama does not see that." He pounded his fist into his lap, "He has called me a tyrant. He has called me unfit to be on the council. He has demanded I resign. Demanded that I forbid further use of the seal. And he has imposed sanctions on us, since he took office." He glared at his wife, who met his eyes fiercely, "I am in a difficult position. I simply cannot give the Yondaime what he wants. It's preposterous! I have promised to find a compromise, I- I do not love what we do and I would like change as well. But he does not want to compromise. He wants a complete dissolution of the seal. Something we have thrived on for more than a century! He has once accused me of being worse than any Iwa nin he dispensed in battle." He grit his teeth, "He is inexperienced. He does not understand that even if I wanted to, I simply could not revoke the seal's use - the council of elders would veto me. They need a unanimous vote to do so, but they would be unanimous in that decision. I could not convince a single one to abandon it. And if we did, that would spell the end to the Hyuuga. Konoha would see one of its great clans crumble."
Naruto nodded silently, "I see." He murmured, not really understanding much of it yet, fingers feeling the very old parchment, eyes reading - intrinsically grasping some of the inner workings of the complex, ancient seal. Although when printed on the forehead, it was small, condensed and elegant, applying the seal required a massive array, the blueprints for the seal before him would fill the floor of the room they were in.
"This is a lot to look over." He said grimly, "And I doubt you'll let me take this scroll to where I'm staying to read in private. Why don't you cut to the chase - what's going wrong with the seal that is an immediate problem?" He stared into Hiashi's eyes, knowing how to read a Hyuuga, "You're desperate." He could remember his battle with Neji, "You know you've lost. Yet you're still fighting. What's really wrong here?"
Hiashi cleared his throat, stabilizing and smoothing his expression, "Of course." He began to speak, but Aijitsu interrupted him, "My seal was modified when I married my husband." She reached out and clasped his hand, taking it tightly, "It was not removed - for obvious reasons - but the techniques that could kill me outright are disabled. You probably wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at my forehead - we'll have to give you a copy of the seal array used to produce the changes. But there seems to have been an error. Maybe someone copied it wrong, or maybe my body just reacted poorly. It could have been because I was already pregnant when the changes were made, but as a result...it as though the seal's killing functions remain, only they simply cannot be activated...because they are always active." She swallowed, "I am dying, slowly, in essence. Like the kill-switch has been flipped just a hair. Every day I feel myself becoming weaker - and it's not because I am with child. Medics have confirmed a breakdown in muscle tissue, chakra density, vitamins and minerals... they suggest I may even begin to experience brain damage or paralysis if this process continues." Her voice trembled towards the end, but she remained almost as stoic as Hiashi.
Naruto bit hard into his tongue, the corners of his lips twisting into a snarl. But he kept calm, nodding. He turned and looked Hiashi in the eye.
"So your wife is dying. But, it's not really your fault." He sighed, "I'm not a medic. I don't know if I can make this right myself. But I don't care about politics. I never have. I don't get why the Yondaime won't help you with this. I'll talk to him. But if he won't help you, I definitely will. I'll try to find a way. Though - it will take some time. I promise to do my best. I can tell...your wife is wonderful. And with her, you will make good parents for your children." He sighed, "I want total access to your clan's secrets. I want to be allowed to into your library or whatever. And I want to be able to come and leave as I please."
Hiashi hesitated, squeezing his wife's hand as he sighed, "It will be difficult to explain this, but I will make your demands understood. They are perfectly reasonable, Naruto-san."
Aijitsu nodded in agreement, her eyes glazing over, words failing her, it seemed.
"We can discuss...payment, or whatever, after I fix this." He said, "I'm not going to ransom your wife or anything. I don't even know if I can fix this, but I won't give up. This is important." This is the kind of thing he should have involved himself in as an academy student. Truly, if he had wanted to become the Hokage, he should have been helping the clans of Konoha, not running around pranking them. These were the kinds of problems that needed addressing. He was actually thankful for "fate" to have given this opportunity.
Naruto formed a seal with his hands, Hiashi watched in awe as six kage bunshin filled the room. Hiashi's wife watched in silence as six identical blonds, clothed in camo and orange, sat determinedly behind him.
"Kage bunshin is a technique which produces solid clones."
"Yes...how exactly do you know it?"
Naruto looked away, "Does that matter?"
"Not for now." He grunted.
"Right. Well, with kage bunshin, when one dispels, I acquire their memories. Basically, if you give me access to your library, I can quickly become familiar with your clan's seals. It shouldn't take me more than a few days of reading to know everything there is to know. After I've got all that, then I can start addressing this."
"That is actually very ingenious." He murmured, "Though it is incredible you can create so many without fatigue."
Naruto smiled coyly, "Thanks. I get that a lot. So, do we have a deal?"
He reached out without a thought and shook Naruto's hand.
"I will show you to the archives," he said quietly, standing with his wife (who moved much more slowly), who walked up to Naruto and clasped his hand, her hands impossibly smooth as she shook it, "We are a clan of horrible secrets, Naruto-kun." She whispered, "I'm sorry."
He nodded, "Everyone has their horrible secrets."
"That much is true." Hiashi said cordially, leading him out of the room, the six clones last to follow the cramped space.
It was black when he left.
Naruto walked by Kiku's side. He smiled at the teenager as he opened the gate.
"Hey, snow-eyes."
"Snow-eyes?"
"Yeah. Sorry, I like to give people nicknames. I couldn't think of anything good."
He shook his head tiredly, "What is it?"
"Why is it you don't hide your seal like most Branch members?"
"It is because I choose to support Lady Aijitsu." He bowed his head, "There are not many of us, as our gesture is not appreciated by some, but she is the hope of the Branch family. For that, she deserves our love. We have no shame for the mark we carry, because of her."
Naruto smiled, "You're a lot like him! I wasn't expecting that. Well, I'll be seeing a lot more of you then, I guess. Good night!"
Kiku stared at him impassively, a little confusion creeping into his features, but he simply shook his head, shutting the gate tight as he left, the night wind scattering invisible pink blossoms.
Naruto left with a smile, oddly noting how none of the stoic Hyuuga had spoken of the little petal still stuck to his nose... He was going to have to teach them a sense of humor at some point.
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-ee cummings
1. Aijitsu (愛日) means winter sunlight, but is made up of the characters "love" and "sun".
2. The bird cage seal really has a swastika in it. A lot of people (I'm afraid) might get hung up on this, but please acknowledge that prior to Nazi Germany, the symbol really was a holy one that was associated only with good things.
3. The "caged bird seal" is an unofficial name, or fanon one. I've decided to give it a formal name, 哀歌 (aika) no fuuin, "Seal of the Sad Song".
I appreciate all the feedback I've gotten. I'm still processing it, really, trying to evaluate how to improve the previous chapters. I might go over them in the future and change a few hiccups people have discovered. Thanks again, I know this was a short chapter, but it felt natural to end it here.
