"Nii-chan?" Naruto's young and impossibly cute voice brought me out of my reverie, I tilted my head towards him and gave him a small, questioning 'hmmm?'.
"Well... I was wondering... since you know all this stuff... Who are those men on that mountain?" he asked, pointing straight at the Hokage Monument.
"That's quite an easy question, Naruto-kun, with an easy answer, can you tell me if you recognize one of them? It should be quite easy since we do see him at least once a week." I stated, sagely. Last week was our third birthday and I realised that canon Naruto was just really stunted in his growth, we had literally no one except the Third to help us in our social endeavours, no wonder his vocabulary was limited and he couldn't understand any moderately difficult sentences, so I took the mantle of the Big Brother, even though we had no real way to discern which one was born first, and I started teaching Naruto the ins and outs of the world, this basically began to increase his appetite for knowledge and I was much too happy to indulge him.
After a moment of thought, the proverbial light bulb lit up above his head. "Aha! That's Old Man right there! The third face! Wait... people call him the Third... because he is the Third Hokage! I get it now, thanks nii-chan!" I smiled at him, he was certainly sharp for a three year old, nothing the likes of Itachi or Kakashi, but he was no slouch, he must have inherited Kushina's intellect and brashness, and I Minato's because I certainly processed thoughts noticeably faster than in my previous body.
"It's my pleasure, Naruto-kun. Any more questions that fancy your curiosity this beautiful day?" I asked, mostly teasingly, but I was in the mood of enlightening him once more, I always was, after all.
"Uhm... yeah... Why is there a Fourth if the Third is still alive?"
"Well... that is a sad answer for some, but I believe that there is no death, that we just reunite with the Force, the power that binds things together, but that's just my opinion." I explained, certain that he would understand the hidden meaning behind my statement.
"I see... could you tell me about him? About how he lived, I mean, and how he died..." Naruto said with bunched up eyebrows and a slightly quivering lower lip.
"Of course. His name was Minato Namikaze, he was the student of Jiraiya-"
"That's one of the Legendary Three, right?" Naruto interrupted with a grin.
"That's right, but what have I told you about interrupting people?" I said in a motherly tone.
"I'm sorry, nii-chan, please continue." Naruto stated with a straight face that seemed incredibly out of place on a three year old boy, is that how I look?! Nevermind...
"As I was saying, he was the student of the Toad Sage, and he was very famous for his Hiraishin no Jutsu ( Flying Thunder God ), which gave him the title of 'The Yellow Flash' because he could instantly teleport to either one of his special kunai or to seals that he placed on the ground or on someone's body. He was also a toad sage, just like Jiraiya, and he was also the creator of the Rasengan, a physical manipulation jutsu that was very effective on the battlefield. He was a genius and a prodigy of his time and became Hokage at a very young age and ruled over the village with a firm but fair fist. Can you tell me anything about the night of the Kyūbi's attack?"
"Well... I only know that this enormous Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village and many people died that night..." Naruto said, looking at his feet, he always felt bad when he didn't know something when I quized him, but I didn't actually mind as long as he was willing to learn.
"Hey, don't look so glum, it's not something people want or like to talk about, but it's important to know our history. Why is that?"
"Because shinobi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training."
"And?"
"There is no ignorance, there is only knowledge." He basically recited the second line of the Jedi Code, I was visibly grinning now, I thought him well.
"Remind me to take you to Ichiraku's this evening." He was bouncing all over the place at this and I coughed slightly, signalling for him to calm down, which he did.
"That night, the Fourth is the one who defended the village, he sacrificed himself for the lives of many, defeating the Nine-Tails in the process, it was a truly heroic act which demands the proper respect, he was a great man."
"But... how did he defeat the Kyūbi?" I was teaching him a little too well and his heritage and burden would be harder to keep a secret, but I could not lie to him, for Jedi do not lie, only bend the truth for the greater good, and I had no real reason to do that, not with Naruto, my brother.
"He couldn't, or rather wouldn't, kill the Kyūbi. Do you understand why he did that?"
"Yes, because all life forms are precious, and if there is an alternative, we are not to take lives." Another Jedi mantra.
"That is correct, and there was an alternative, specifically, through Fūinjutsu. Can you tell me what that is?"
"Fūinjutsu is the art of sealing... so he sealed the Kyūbi into something. But what?"
"This discussion is for another time, I am afraid you are not quite ready for the real facts of the story, but know this – you already know more than some ignorant villagers that live here and that gives you an advantage, do not abuse that power, understand?" I said, more seriously this time.
"Yes! I will not betray your trust, nii-chan! And also, I really respect the Fourth, and look up to him! I really want to be Hokage one day!" He said, grinning and giving me a thumbs up with his right hand. I chuckled lightly, this was the Naruto I admired from the manga.
"And why is that?" I said, still chuckling lightly.
"So I can protect everybody! I will become strong, so I can defend the weak!" I needed to really teach him other things as well, but the Jedi path was not a bad one to walk, quite the opposite in my opinion.
"Well... I hope you remember what I said about promises, little brother." Always making something a quiz, because that's how Naruto learned – by doing.
"If I make a promise, I shall always keep it and I shall never make a promise that I am not certain I could keep. Also, I will deliver more that I promised, so even when I promise nothing, I deliver much!" He said, grinning again at the end, textbook knowledge of the Jedi Path, I was thinking of rewriting the book, it would be good for future generations, but 'Wise Words from a Three Year Old' would not sell so I'll hold off on that.
"You promised you would be Hokage, so I expect you to be the best one yet!" I said teasingly, ruffling his hair in the process. "I know you can do it, thought. You never cease to surprise me, Naru-kun."
"Hey! You're as old as I am! Don't call me that!" he said, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. In response I just hugged him tightly.
"What was that for?" he said once I released my grip and backed away.
"I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you as my little brother." I grinned at him and he was once again back to grinning at each other, the glee in his eyes evident.
"And I'm lucky to have you as a big brother!" He said, hugging me back.
( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )
We lived our life peacefully for next couple of weeks, I was back to training physically and I found some training swords for my lightsaber forms, I figured it would be good kenjutsu practice, especially now that I could use Force-driven acrobatics, via chakra enhancement. I quickly realised my body was far more mature than a normal three-year-old's and that was evident across all the chakra sensitive kids in the village so I assumed that it was just a consequence of having so much energy flow through your body, it needed to adapt to it. So 'real' life adulthood would probably be attained at around 14 or so for boys and probably less for girls, your body would just stop growing in height at that age. And it made sense also, young prodigies that graduated the Academy at a young age and that made Jounin or ANBU or what have you at a similarly tender age certainly needed the body of at least a young adult to perform in the field. I was thinking of introducing Naruto to shinobi and Force training but I would hold off at least till he started the Academy, it would make sense for me to know general knowledge, but not shinobi training, not with AT LEAST trainee level clearance in the libraries. I decided that I should train with Shadow Clones because I obviously had the chakra capacity, I was already high Chūnin or more in capacity alone, so I put my theoretical knowledge to the test and started to work on my Kage Bunshin no Jutsu ( Shadow Clone ).
Five hours later.
Finally... my chakra control is so messed up it's not even remotely funny, no wonder Naruto could not do three bunshins to pass the graduation exam, the first time I managed to actually make anything that resembled me using the Kage Bunshin I made over 50... That's just scary. Going to have to work on Chakra Control, and what better way to start that meditation. I quickly got into my Meditation of Emptiness stance and relaxed, I purged all my emotions, be they good or evil and I focused on the centre of my being... Deep breaths. Drip. Drip. Drip. Is it raining? No... why is there an echo, I'm in the middle of a training ground... oh you've gotta be kidding me!
I opened my eyes and I was, strangely, in what seemed to be the Jedi Temple in Coruscant, except it was wet, knee-deep water flooded the pace and I could hear water dripping from every nook and cranny of the upper floors. I stood up slowly, and strutted deeper inside the temple, the place was just like I had imagined it to be, grandiose, majestic, elegant, a truly inspiring place for both aspiring Jedi and masters alike, my sightseeing trip was cut awfully short by the presence of columns of stone that resembled the Kyūbi's cage, the centre one having a slip of paper with the kanji for 'seal' on it.
"So... you have finally come, my jailer." a deep, rumbling voice, capable of slightly adjusting my heart rate by its sheer volume and depth.
"So I have. I didn't think we'd meet so soon, but this is the way of the Force and I am not one to disobey it." I was working on the premise that Kurama had an inkling about who I was or what my thought process was.
"How do you know of such concepts? You are far too young. The last person who knew of these was my creator, my father." the fox said, and neared further, I could now see his eyes and the sadness they contained at his words, my heart truly reached out to the almighty being.
"I thought you could see into my memories or at least my thoughts in the recent years. Forgive me, I did not wish to mislead you in any way. I didn't know that you knew of the Force." I stated truthfully, lying to Kurama would do nothing to hinder my following of the will of the Force.
"I can only see glimpses of your thoughts, your twin brother is far easier to read however, his mind is less complicated, you almost seem... older than what your physical body is. But you do not have to divulge anything to me, you are already on the right path, few mortals ever are. Know this – my father was the last living man to ever go down that path, and he taught us, his children, about it as well. We were supposed to share our knowledge with the humans in case nobody would discover the path again, but he foresaw your appearance and none of us ever doubted his visions. Know that it is your duty to share your knowledge with others, albeit not know, you are much too young to be taken seriously by the ignorant, facetious humans that now roam this earth."
"Thank you, Kurama. I promise that your faith is not unfounded." I said, smiling at the enormous beast. I could tell he was struggling to share this with me because of his principles, he was having a hard time treating a human as an equal, if only to respect the memory of the Sage.
"How did you? Never mind, I said that I would not inquire as to your knowledge and I will respect my promise, as I expect you to do yours. We will meet again, Menma Uzumaki."
Suddenly, I was back at the training grounds, and it was just over sunset, I had to get back at the orphanage, Naruto must surely be worrying. I hurried over to the orphanage and found Naruto outside, tears slightly dampening his cheeks, I quickly rushed over to him and hugged him desperately, telling him that every was going to be okay.
"No, it's not! We were kicked out... they said... they said that we were two demons and that we don't deserve to live here!" He said, still crying into my shoulder.
"It's okay, we're just going to go to Jiji, and he will help us. I am sure of it." I assured him and he looked up at me and smiled, he put way too much faith in me and, like with Kurama, I was going to make sure I fit the shoes that they had prepared for me.
( '_')0*´¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q('_' )
"They what?!" Now that was unexpected, a shocked, furious by the looks of it Third Hokage that was leaking so much Killing Intent I thought I would faint, though he quickly realised that Naruto was close to wetting his pants and took a puff of his pipe to calm down.
"It's not your fault, old man. Don't get angry on our behalf." I said, followed by a quick "Yeah! It's not your fault, old man!" by the over-exuberant ball of energy next to me. Hearing this, the Third actually smiled, a genuine smile, one you wouldn't expect from a leader of his calibre, it was heart warming, to see that MY little brother could bring out the happiness in people.
"I know just what to do... But you both will need to show me that you are capable of taking care of yourselves. Understand, Naruto-kun, Menma-kun?" He asked while tilting his forehead down to peer straight into our eyes. We nodded approvingly, each in our own specific way – I nodded once, full of conviction and Naruto nodded furiously a couple of times, showing his obvious excitement at being trusted with something important for once.
The third looked at me for a moment, silently asking me to take care of my brother as I was evidently the more responsible of the pair. I smiled reassuringly to the man and he nodded.
"Here's what I am going to do. There is a house that hasn't been in use for 3 years now. It was supposed to be a Main Branch clan house, although all of its clan members died the night of the Kyūbi's attack, a truly tragic incident."
"Wait! You're giving us the Namikaze house?!" I blurted out, completely forgetting my serious façade for a moment and also the fact that I wasn't supposed to know anything about the Fourth other than MAYBE his name.
"Menma-kun." The Third uttered in an overly sweet voice that I would have previously only associated with one dango-loving, probably sadistic purple-haired, fish-line wearing beauty. "Is there anything you would like to share with me, possibly something that you have already shared with your brother?" He asked in the same hair-rising tone.
"Uhmm... Third Hokage-sama... Naruto-kun doesn't know... I was waiting for the right moment to tell him..." I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head for a second before I realised what I was doing, pulling my hand away like it was set on fire. The old man just sighed and motioned us to sit down.
"Okay... how much do you know, Menma-kun?" he asked, now in a tone that suggested his real age, I would think it's around the sixty-something mark, really impressive for a shinobi, I might add.
"Well... I know about my heritage, I mean... Naruto here is a mini-Yondaime in the flesh if I'll ever see one and our names are Uzumaki, the only member of that clan that I know of is Kushina, and she had red hair, purple eyes, which means that my pedigree checks out... and we were born on the 10th of October, a.k.a. the night of the Kyūbi's attack... it wasn't that hard to figure out you know." Over to my right side, Naruto was visibly gaping like a fish out of the water and was undecided on who to stare at, me or the Third so he kinda spaced out. I couldn't blame him, though. I snaked a hand over his shoulders and asked in as soft a tone as possible.
"You okay, Naru-kun? I know I should have told you but-"
"Are you kidding me?! I'm a bit surprised, yeah, but I find out that my hero is actually my dad, and that we weren't abandoned, but that we were actually saved, along with our whole village, by our parents, who sacrificed themselves to save us, I'm so proud of them and I'm happy – that we're their sons, but at the same time, I understand why you didn't tell me, being the Fourth he must have had some really powerful enemies, so it was probably for my own good. But... this is amazing!" Naruto said in such a speed that I was struggling to understand what he was saying and wondering where he had found a large batch of caffeine and helium. His body probably produces his own... I concluded, and smiled at him, he took it in stride.
The Third smiled as well and reached into a drawer and produced a couple of papers, the deed to the house and some other inheritance related documents.
"You know... I'm sorry to tell you but you're going to have to keep your father's family name a secret... As Naruto-kun expertly stated, it's not a good idea to make targets of yourselves."
"I understand, and I wouldn't want me or Naruto to live in such a way anyway, modesty is a very important trait of character." I said, smiling at Naruto who nodded once in understanding at my words.
"Spoken like a true philosopher, Menma-kun."
"Uhm... what is a philosopher, nii-chan?" Naruto whispered in my ear, but I was positive that the Third heard every single word.
"Well, a philosopher is one who studies philosophy, and by that I mean the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. But it literally means 'lover of wisdom'." I explained and Naruto was nodding at my every word.
"Now that you've explained it... you really are a philosopher, nii-chan!" Naruto said, a grin splitting his tiny face from ear to ear. I smiled back.
"Well... it is getting rather late and we have a house to explore, don't we?" The Third said, while rising from his rather comfortable looking chair.