Hidden beneath deep patches of sakura ( cherry ) trees that were in bloom, even if it was late winter, this was especially peculiar, sakura blossoms should not have appeared until late January, this was late November.
"May I ask how the sakura trees are blossoming?" I asked, throwing an inquisitive glance towards the Third who was taking his time strolling down the forest path that led through the beautiful cherry trees, a mixture of both white and pink.
"What do you mean, nii-chan? You told me that flowers are the way trees reproduce..." Naruto said, now as confused as ever.
"The birds and the bees, Menma-kun? I'm not surprised that you know of 'it' since you are quite the scholar if I may say so, I was not unlike you in my younger years, but isn't it a bit too early for Naruto-kun to learn of such things?" I could have sworn the old man's eyebrows jumped up his forehead, up his scalp and were now hiding somewhere on the back of his neck.
"He he, it's nothing like that, old man, he just asked me about flowers and you know how I can't say no to Naruto-kun..." I said while rubbing the back of my head with one hand and ruffling my brother's hair with the other.
"To explain your question, they are always in bloom, it is the effect of a particularly intelligent seal." I nodded in acceptance and so did Naruto.
The awkward moment soon passed when an ornate, brass gate appeared before us, in the middle were two large circles, one depicting the Namikaze clan symbol, which seemed to oddly resemble the Republic's logo in the Star Wars universe, but different, it consisted of a solid circle surrounded by 6 concentric trapezoids and space further apart another 6 shapes, three of them resembled an L shape and the other three looked more like straight lined Cs, similar to keys and locks, they alternated to form another concentric circle. The other circle depicted the Uzumaki clan symbol, swirls on a red background, originally white. I suspected they changed it because the clan was now practically extinct, save for Karin and Nagato, Naruto and I weren't exactly Uzumakis any more. There was also a smaller metallic sphere that protruded slightly at waist level from the door, engraved with circular sealing patterns, I had a feeling about what it was.
"A blood seal, correct?"
"That is precise, Menma-kun, I'm quite surprised that you recognized such an advanced seal." the Third's eyebrows once again adopted their sky-high state.
"I didn't recognize it per se, I knew it was a seal of some sorts, Uzumaki by the looks of the swirls, and I just figured it was some sort of security seal to keep intruders at bay." I explained my reasoning, but the Third had a smug smile on his face.
"Well... you would have normally been spot on, but this is not a regular blood seal, it is a barrier seal and it connects to both your blood, chakra and subconscious. It only permits entry if there is another clan member on the premises AND if only good intentions are being harboured, entering outside of those parameters, intruders would be induced extreme vertigo and their brain would stop any pulmonary function, thus forcing them outside the property. Truly magnificent fūinjutsu, from a true master of the art." pride beaming in 'the Professor's' eyes.
"Our mother was amazing, wasn't she?" I asked, the same emotion reflected in my own eyes.
"That she was, and she also wouldn't want us to spend the whole day outside the porch, would you do the honours?"
I gently approached the gate and pushed it open, no creaking sound escaped the hinges, even after three years of inactivity. What stood before me was a stone path surrounded on either side by beautiful, but not crowded gardens, it bred a very peaceful atmosphere and straight ahead, there was a house, minimalistic in its design but breathtaking nonetheless, ebony wooden pillars and floors constructed of the same material, glass walls, crystal clear, save for a few that were blurred and red marble details and flooring, it was certainly tasteful. I could already glance around the innards of the house thanks to the glass walls and I could already see that it was inspired by a Japanese home but with modern touches. It had tatami mats on the floor of the living room and the same marble flooring elsewhere. All the furniture was of walnut wood and the walls were various shades of yellow, ranging from a pale beige to something akin to a fiery orange, the walls were decorated with various landscape paintings, of which I could only recognize the one portraying the Valley of the End.
"This... is... incredible..." Naruto muttered under his breath, stressing every word like it was his last in a dream that would end soon.
"The house is now yours and so are its responsibilities. Complex seal arrays are laid over basically every surface, so you won't have to care for the garden, the pond or the training grounds, which are also protected from ninjutsu by the same array, neither will you have to worry about the maintenance of the furniture or the building itself, but you WILL have to clean the house, clean after yourselves and prepare your own sustenance, I expect Menma-kun here to not bow to Naruto-kun's and, to some extent, his own feelings about a certain dish containing noodles in a broth and ensure a balanced diet for you both, one suitable for young shinobi in training." I could only chuckle sheepishly at his comments about ramen, apparently our love for it was deeply, deeply ingrained in our DNA or something. Whereas I found ramen an acceptable and sometimes a delectable dish in my previous life, I could not live for more than a week without eating ramen now. Naruto, though, seemed to have ignored every word except the 'young shinobi in training' part, it seemed magical to him.
"Moreover, you each will inherit half of the Namikaze family fortune, but in gradual amounts. As a starting point, I have authorised you for 5% each. You can also access your legacy, via the family's library, that occupies almost the entirety of the upper floor, the rest of which is occupied by the armoury, in which you can find various shinobi outfits and equipment, both basic and advanced. You can also find sealing supplies in your father's study, located in the underground floor." after his explanation, I could see the years on the man's face again and he deserved a rest after all this work.
"You look tired, old man, how about you take the main bedroom and sleep here tonight? I'll wake up at first light and go shop for groceries and the like and prepare breakfast." his eyes softened and he visibly relaxed, it seemed that he didn't want to impose but was very grateful for the offer nonetheless.
"Thank you, Menma-kun. I've had a long day and I will go enjoy the short time I will have until the next. I wish you both a peaceful and pleasant night in your new home." he said, standing up and heading down the main hallway, slight exhaustion showing by his laboured steps.
"What do you think about it?" I asked, referring to our new home.
"Well... it's kinda big, but they had really good taste, and I love all the orange! Also, it feels like home... I can't explain it but it's drawing to me in a way..." he said with a puzzled expression, I of course understood the feeling very well, even if I lived in a world where chakra was the accepted binding agent of the universe, I still had the philosophy of a Jedi and chakra was so much like the Force that I couldn't help but think like one. Of course we were both drawn to it, the Force basically willed us to it, it was filled with our parents' old belongings and chakra, the Force basically rooted us here, it was the place where we were strongest and most at peace, filled with both physical and spiritual chakra. It was the place where we would grow strong – to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the fate of everybody and everything around us.