Eternal Legends: Konoha's Transcendent Ninja
Chapter Ten: A Mother's Love
What's up everyone? Welcome to another installment of Eternal Legends! I have to say, I was most pleased with the reception that I got last chapter. Brought a grin to my face. Glad you all enjoy it. Once again, I apologize twofold. For not only updating a month behind its scheduled release, but having it be less than 10k words. But, I needed to get that published so I could focus all my attention on Team 7!
You'll also notice that the Chapter title for ten doesn't follow the same pattern as one through nine. This is intentional. Now that you know the plot twist (though I assure you there are many more mind-fucks and plot twists to come, some of which I've hinted at in the other chapters.) read the chapter titles and then re-read the chapter itself. It will make a lot more sense to you now. That are dozens of little details you might've missed that will definitely play a role in the story. Holy hell, if you guys only knew where I plan to take this story.
As promised I give shout outs to reviewers who reviewed with a paragraph or more: VLS (my main bro: P), KingofKonoha, BladePhoenix41, .51,Mrpren87,Darkness-Over-Evil, NarutoFanboy4Life, Jolly Rancher, Hatchiyaku 2.0, n9tjhl and Fonn.
So…with that being said, this chapter will be a lot of character interaction and development, with a lot of time skips and such. The pace I was going at for the first few chapters are now unacceptable. Time to enter the main Naruto storyline! Whoo! Without further or due, let's get this show on the road!
Further Note: This story will be rated Teen for some times considering there won't be anymore extreme violence for awhile and it's also an experiment that I'll keep to myself for awhile. Once I confirm this theory, I will change the rating back to its proper Mature. Also, the summary has been updated as well. Guess I need to go back and edit previous chapters….nah! :P
Full Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, ViZ media, and all other related companies. I make no claim of any characters from the manga and anime and own all OCs that may appear from time to time. I also make no claim of elements used from certain video games such as Ninja Gaiden, Call of Duty, and Uncharted, which are under the copyright ownership of Team Ninja, Infinity Ward, and Naughty Dog as well as the publishing rights of Tecmo, Activision, and Sony Computer Entertainment America/Europe, respectively.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Konoha Hospital 1800 hours, three days after the Uchiha Massacre, four days before the Cloud revolution)
Naruto sat near his unconscious, but alive, sensei, his eyes filled with regret and uselessness. Sakura and Sasuke had gone out to get some food for the three of them, while he had stayed behind to watch over the woman he had come to love as a mother. The three shinobi-in-training barely said a word to each other throughout the whole week, outside of necessity. They were still recovering from the trauma of seeing their sensei being nearly killed by Sasuke's older brother.
Thinking of Itachi made Naruto's blood boil and he clenched his fists in barely suppressed rage. What he had done was completely unforgivable. He breathed in and out to calm himself down, taking some notes from his sensei. The blonde looked down at the Uchiha widow with blurred vision as memories of the night they brought her here, barely alive, came flooding back to him.
Mikoto's pupils were in a desperate situation of trying to reach the hospital in time. Sasuke and Naruto were both supporting their unconscious mother. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop they eventually saw an all white building with a red cross in sight.
The trio landed outside of the hospital doors and the two boys gently laid her down. "Sakura-chan! Go in and tell them the situation. Sasuke and I will make sure we didn't cause her bleeding to get any worse," Naruto quickly ordered, taking control of the situation…as best as he could, anyhow.
"But, Naruto-kun, shouldn't we-" Sakura began before the nine-year-old cut her off.
"Dammit, Sakura-chan, just do it! We don't have time to argue, we need to save our sensei!" he retorted, back a bit irritated, though not at the rosette haired girl. Sakura nodded and ran into the hospital doors, which slid open automatically, sensing her presence.
Naruto turned back to his sensei and carefully examined her. He saw Sasuke grit his teeth as he inspected his mother as well. "Damn. This isn't good. Whatever Itachi did to her, he cut her deep," Naruto intoned solemnly.
Sasuke nodded. "It seems her flak jacket took a good bit of the blow," the Uchiha scion observed, before fresh blood seem to pour out of the elder Uchiha. Both boys' eyes widened. Sasuke immediately put both hands over the chest wound to add some pressure to stop some form of bleeding. "Damn! Naruto, help me out here!" Naruto didn't need to be told twice as he put both of his hands on top of Sasuke's, to assist in adding pressure.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, where the fuck are you!" Naruto cursed as his hands were starting to turn red from the overflowing crimson liquid flowing out of Mikoto's body. As if on cue, Sakura ran out of the doors with several medical shinobi, one was carrying a stretcher.
"We'll take it from here, boys," one medic spoke seriously as he crouched down to examine the unconscious adult. The bewhiskered jinchuuriki hesitated a bit, but reluctantly let go as did his raven-haired best friend. The trio of medical shinobi gently lifted her off the ground and set her in the stretcher.
"Please, sir…save my mother," Sasuke practically begged as he felt tears welling up from within.
"We will do our best," the lead one promised as they hurriedly carried Mikoto to the Emergency Room.
The trio of shinobi-in-training looked at each other in solemn reflection of the night's events, before slowly walking towards the doors. All three were completely unsure of what to say to each other. The slow stride towards the emergency room ward of the hospital was completely agonizing. All around them, they saw patients, some well, some not. It wasn't bursting with life and activity, but it wasn't quiet and desolate either. The blonde could barely contain himself as he saw the sick patients as they passed by. 'Mikoto-sensei…please don't die. For the love of the gods please don't die!'
The Kyuubi was silent as he listened to the boy's innermost thoughts, which Naruto subconsciously projected to himself. Even he, as malevolent and deceptive as he was, couldn't help but feel mild sympathy for the boy. The vulpine growled in contempt at the eldest Uchiha.
'Dammed Uchiha! Just when I thought your clan couldn't sink any lower, you deplorable bastards prove me wrong, yet again. Disgraceful,' he spat in complete disgust. Although he hated the Uchiha clan, even the Fox had standards. Killing ones own kin? That took a special kind of evil. He snorted at the irony of him thinking that.
He bared all of his fangs. 'I will look forward to your death, Uchiha Itachi. Those three will hunt you down to the ends of the earth for what you've done to their…mother.' Yes, even the Nine-Tails had long since accepted that Mikoto was more than just a sensei to the three, especially, or more importantly, rather, to his vessel. As far as he was concerned she was Naruto's mother, nothing more and nothing less. A small, uncharacteristic grin adorned the Kyuubi's face. 'Kushina….you would be proud…'
Sakura took each boy's hand and gave it a squeeze for reassurance…for her or them, she was entirely unsure. They both looked at her and nodded grateful. The three best friends walked hand-in-hand without a single care in the world at the shot up eyebrows they got from the staff members.
A cacophony of noises could be heard as Naruto picked up on frantic voices from around the corner. The cerulean-eyed nine-year-old gently let go of Sakura's hand and ran around the corner, leaving his two friends behind. He came around just in time to see several doctors dressed in surgeon attire shut the door behind them. A light bulb above the door glowed red, indicating "occupied."
There was no doubt in his mind that his mother was in there, clinging on to dear life. He clenched his chest as if he was in pain and tears he had been holding in the entire ordeal threaten to fall all at once. The blonde refused utterly to let them, though.
'It…hurts…I can't…lose her. She's the only adult who ever took the time to get to know me, aside from Iruka-sensei and Hokage-sama!' he thought in bitter sadness as he nearly collapsed to his knees and used the wall for support. 'Look at me,' he chastised himself gritting his teeth. 'I'm supposed to be the leader of us. Sasuke and Sakura-chan look to me to take charge. I've always happily accepted that role and knew what to do in nearly every situation kaa-san put us in…but…this. I can't...I don't know what to do! I don't know…I don't…'
"I don't know!" he voiced his thoughts in a piercing screech. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his abdomen and his eyes widened in surprise. With a sniff, he turned his head to see rosette colored hair. Sakura squeezed tight and buried her head in the upper base of his back.
"Please…Naruto-kun…stop…it's okay. You don't have to carry the burden alone," she spoke softly and firmly. Although her voice was soft, Naruto heard her clearly. He was visibly shaking afterwards.
"Sakura-chan…I...have to…I'm supposed to be the team leader…helping you guys, not me-"
"Shut up! You shut up right now!" she chided, raising her voice several decibels. The blonde visibly flinched at her outburst. "Look at me." Naruto closed his eyes and actually turned away from the youngest of the trio, essentially denying her request. "Naruto-kun…look at me!" she repeated, this time with much more firmness.
He took a deep breath and slowly turned around as his cerulean eyes stared into her jade. She caressed his whiskered cheeks with both of her hands soothingly, as she was crying too. "It's okay…you can cry. I know you're the team leader…but that does not mean you don't get to grieve," she assured him.
"But-" he tried to protest, but she shushed him by pressing her index finger on his lips.
"She's right, Naruto," came the voice of Sasuke as the blonde now noticed his appearance. He looked at him in surprise. Was he there the entire time?
"Sasuke…" Naruto spoke softly as he stared in the solemn filled onyx eyes of his raven-haired best friend. Sakura squeezed him tightly in her embrace. "See, Naruto-kun? Even Sasuke-kun agrees. You don't have to carry this alone. Just let it out."
That did it. That statement shattered all of his mental and physical defenses almost instantaneously. Copious amount of tears flowed down his cheek, as the jinchuuriki didn't just cry, he practically wept.
"Sakura-chan…she's…my mother…" he wept sniffing heavily as his knees nearly collapsing, almost as if the letting it out was weighing him down. Sasuke embraced Sakura from the side, as well as his best friend to aid in support.
"I know…I know," Sakura soothed as she grieved with him as well. "She's more of mother to me, than my own mom," she sympathized. She knew exactly where the blonde was coming from and then some.
"Kaa-san…" came the simple reply from the Uchiha scion, worriedly. He looked towards the ceiling. "If there are any gods out there than please…save our kaa-san," he sent out a silent prayer. Soon their sobs turned into mild sniffs, but the trio of best friends stayed in each other's arms for comfort of each other.
A cough got the three's attention, as medical ninja, one Naruto recognized as one of the doctors he saw walk in awhile back. The three separated, not in the least bit embarrassed at being caught in their position. They had far more important things to worry about.
He cleared his throat. "My name is Sakamaru," he introduced himself. "I take it you three are here for Mikoto-san?" he asked politely, his expression and tone kept as neutral as he possibly could.
Naruto swallowed hard, breathed in, and wiped the tears from his cheek. He stepped up, yet again, to assume a leadership like position. "Yes, we are." He gulped. "Sakamaru-san…please tell me she's going to be okay," he pleaded with a worried expression on his face.
Sakamaru sighed and took another breath. "I have good news and bad news, unfortunately, kids." Each of them held their breaths. "The good news is, we've stabilized her and have stopped the bleeding. She was a hair away from needing a blood transfusion. Thankfully it didn't come to that. She'll make a full recovery when she wakes up."
The three shinobi-in-training let tears of joy fall down their faces, as they felt relieved at hearing that. "Thank you so much!"
Sakamaru smiled a bit, but then frowned. "But…I'm afraid I have bad news as well. As I said, Mikoto-san will make a full recovery, when she wakes up. The problem is…we don't when that will be," he revealed dropping the bombshell.
All three of their eyes widened. "Are you saying my mother is in-" Sasuke began, before Sakamaru cut him off.
"Yes," he nodded. "She's in a coma. After what she went through, I'm not all that surprised. This may be her body's way of dealing and sorting out the trauma so it doesn't overwhelm her at once. It's not common, but it's not unheard of either." He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll do our best to make sure she's cared for. You three will be allowed to visit at anytime. I'll allow it."
"Thank you, Sakamaru-san," Sakura thanked the medic ninja. He gave a curt bow and excused himself from their presence.
With a sigh, Naruto was brought back to the present as he stared at the woman he had come to call his kaa-san. He clenched his fists, yet again.
"Itachi…you son of a bitch," he cursed in anger, slamming a fist into a palm. He heard the door open and shifted his eyes to see his two best friends come in with food. His eyes shifted back to Mikoto, preferring not to say anything.
"Naruto-kun, we got your favorite. Chicken ramen," Sakura chimed with a small smile. She was met with complete silence as Naruto barely acknowledged her presence or even indicating that he had heard her at all.
Sakura frowned disapprovingly and set the rest of the stuff she had on a nearby table, clearly annoyed. "Damn it, why won't you say something to us!" she asked in both hurt and frustration, as she refused to cry again. Not now, at least.
Naruto grunted and turned to them and stood near them, clearly annoyed. "Because I can't help but worry about kaa-san!" he practically yelled out. That did it. That earned him a right hook, courtesy of the Uchiha scion. Naruto was caught so off guard, that his abnormal reflexes did nothing to help in the situation, as Sasuke pinned him to the wall, looking furious.
"Okay, I'm tired of this fucking shit," Sasuke snarled, not even trying to hide his anger and annoyance. "You've been doing this all week. ALL FUCKING WEEK!" he roared. Naruto did nothing to get out of his position despite easily having the ability to do so. "All week, you've been barely acknowledging our existence and you've been stuck in this state since the massacre."
Now Naruto turned to him. "Well excuse me for worrying about our Kaa-san and wanting nothing more than to-"
"Don't. You. Fucking. Dare," Sasuke growled dangerously. "Don't you dare insinuate that we don't care and don't want nothing more than to get revenge on Itachi!" Naruto was about to protest, but a glare from Sasuke shut him up. "Is that what you think? That this does not affect us? Really? That was my whole fucking clan, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as tears began to roll down his face.
"Don't think you're the only one grieving. Believe me, so are we. I honestly thought about becoming revenge obsessed and only training to get strong enough to avenge my clan," he admitted. "But then…I thought about you two. The best friends a guy could ever have. What good would a revenge quest done me? It won't bring them back. And I'd probably feel even worse considering, even though I'm very well justified in it, I'd be no better than Itachi by killing him, so what's the point?"
He then sighed and let his grip on the blonde a bit looser. "Now…that being said, if I did get the chance to face Itachi so he could atone for his sins…would I? Yes," he then smiled. "But I'd have the two of you beside me."
"You mean-" Naruto began, before he was cut off.
"Yes." This time it was Sakura who decided to speak up. "We will face Itachi….together. "
Naruto stared at the two in pure bewilderment. Here it was that he was moping and groaning, and his two best friends were trying to settle the war within them. Even after that night, he'd still, subconsciously, had placed the burden on himself. The blonde wanted blood, vengeance…anything to cling to, to make sure that one day he would end Itachi's life for nearly killing his mother. Although there was still a part of him that honestly wanted revenge, he'd have to push that aside. For now at least.
The Jinchuuriki held his head in shame, as Sasuke let go of him. "I'm…sorry guys…I was just so focused on kaa-san, that I temporarily forgot who I could rely on the most." He then gave them a small smile. "I guess, I was still trying to carry the burden all by myself again."
Sakura smiled and hugged the blond, which he happily returned. Neither of the two noticed Sasuke's slight frown, as it was gone almost the minute it appeared on his face. "So…together?"
"Together," they all nodded in agreement. Each of them knew in their hearts, that they would face Itachi as a team…and a family. No one had to carry the burden of revenge alone…but they wouldn't collectively hold vengeance at the forefront of their minds either. They would simply get stronger and simply wait till the time was right.
"I'm... so…glad…you…three could work it out." The entire trio froze completely in their tracks as their eyes widened to their greatest extent as they heard a completely familiar voice. Slowly, they turned their heads around to see the Uchiha matriarch sitting up a bit, giving them a very weak smile. She was breathing heavily, clearly still exhausted. The four individuals just stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds until...
"Kaa-san/Sensei!" they all cried out in unison as Mikoto was nearly tackled back to the bed in a collective group hug, embracing her tightly. Mikoto ignored the initial pain and hugged the pupils who had become like children to her, as tightly as her strength allowed.
"I'm so glad you three are safe," Mikoto told them crying tears of gratitude. "I thought he would kill you three when he knocked me unconscious. I couldn't help but think the worse. It would've been my biggest regret," she choked out.
"Sensei…we were fine. Itachi didn't harm us at all. He vanished the moment he knocked you unconscious with that attack," Sakura explained.
"We were just focusing on saving you and we brought you to the hospital. You've been out for nearly three days in a coma," Naruto continued, his face showing absolute happiness that his surrogate other was awake and going to be okay.
Mikoto simply smiled. "Thank you, you three," she thanked with absolute earnest. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys." All three let go of the tight hug, but still kept in close proximity to her.
"Believe me, Kaa-san…we don't know either. The past three days have been…difficult to say the least," Sasuke frowned.
The elder Uchiha nodded with as much understanding as she could. "I can imagine…I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you through it," she apologized with complete sincerity.
Naruto shook his head. "Don't be. Truth be told, we were focused on you, we didn't see much else, thankfully." That was true. The trio of shinobi-in-training had followed Mikoto's chakra signature exactly. They saw virtually none of the bodies of the Uchiha clan, save for the clan head. So in some sense, they were spared from the complete horrors of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. There was no telling what type of emotional instabilities they each would've went through if they saw just how far the Uchiha prodigy went in his genocide.
Mikoto sighed in complete relief. "That's good. You guys may be in training, but even you are too young to see that." She willed herself to sit up more, pain be dammed. "But…I know things are going to be…different now," she said as a look of grief and pained flashed through her eyes, as the memory of seeing her husband's freshly rotting corpse came right back to her. She visibly cringed, involuntarily shut her eyes, and placed both her hands over her heart.
"Sensei?" Sakura inquired with a frown.
"Just…give me a moment, Sakura," she pleaded to the pink-haired kunoichi, biting her lip. All three looked on solemnly as the Uchiha matriarch took several deep breaths, before silently breaking down in grief over her fallen husband. There was no screaming, shrieking, or wailing. Just silently weeping. The three could only embrace her as she sobbed.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Hokage's Tower, same time)
Hiruzen watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart through his crystal ball. Truth be told, he was honestly surprised that Mikoto woke up as fast as she did considering the amount of injuries she had.
"The gods above must've sensed that her children needed her," the Third Fire Shadow deduced aloud. He could sympathize with the matriarch almost wholeheartedly. When he had lost his wife decades ago, he felt completely hollow inside. Almost as if something from within had been forcefully ripped out and trampled on. He would be too prideful to admit it, but some part of him did seriously consider taking his own life in order to escape the painful void. Thankfully, however, he had the support of his family to help him cope. It wasn't to say that he didn't miss Biwako, but he had long moved on from that episode in his life.
However, that wasn't the most truly depressing to the Hokage. No, what was most tragic was that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had sworn to take revenge on Itachi for the "crime" he had committed. The Sandaime knew the grim and unfortunate truth. In truth, Itachi had saved the entirety of the elemental nations from plunging into another bloody conflict that would threaten to tear the continent entire apart…again.
Hiruzen clenched his fists in remorseful anger. The man was as wise as it came. He knew the arduous roads and twists that life could throw at you. That absolutely nothing in life was even remotely fair. Being a shinobi, a Kage at that, he would've known this absolutely better than almost anyone. However, even with this wisdom and knowledge even the old monkey couldn't help feel a bit resentful at the gods putting such a painful burden on the shoulders of one of, if not the, most selfless ninja he had serve under him.
"Dammit!" he cursed uncharacteristically slamming his fist on his desk in regret. With a bit of irritation, he looked through his desk to find…nothing. Damn. He must've dranked all the sake he had in his desk when he took his desires away last night.
The Sarutobi clan head sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration, both with the circumstances and with himself. He was never like this. Why the hell was he turning into a mad drunk? He had faced countless shinobi, fought in not one, not two, but three, shinobi world wars and lived to tell the tale. Hiruzen had seen and done things that would make lesser men weep to their hearts content. Through it all…he never turned to the bottle…till now. How could he ,who still retained his sanity even throughout all of the wars and conflict he's fought in, turn to it now?
Of course he knew the answer. He just didn't like to admit it. Or rather, he didn't want to admit it.
The Third Fire Shadow knew that he could've prevented all of this had he not been a blind fool and thought of his sensei as infallible. He knew the law was wrong, he knew that eventually bubble had to burst at some point, and he knew that rebellion was inevitable. And yet…he did nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Even the so-called God of Shinobi could make mistakes that reminded him just how mortal he truly was.
"Am I truly a coward, unable to do things because I lacked spine and conviction like you used to claim, Danzo?" Hiruzen asked to know one in particular as his eyes drifted downwards in melancholy and self-doubt. "I couldn't even stand up for my own convictions…that treating a noble clan with scorn was wrong. I did nothing…and now I'm reaping what I sowed." He closed his eyes and breathed in and out. A fourteen-year-old teenager, he sent. A fourteen-year-old kid! To slaughter the very family that raised him from birth all to keep his mistakes and sins from coming to the light.
It was at that moment, the Hokage knew just how emotionally vulnerable he was. The Professor had built up so many walls and mental blocks to cope with all of the pent up guilt and remorse over his long six decades of being a shinobi. Now it seemed Itachi's genocide had shattered that last fortress and an invasion of every traumatic memory seem to storm the castle grounds of his mind and consciousness.
Now, it seemed that Itachi would pay for his mistakes twofold. Not only did he have the killing of his own kin on his conscience despite how "justified" it was, he now was going to be hunted down to the ends of the earth by the "Golden Trio" as the Academy instructors nicknamed them. True, they weren't even close to his power, but considering Naruto's lineage, Sasuke's genius, and Sakura's resolve, he had no doubt they would close the gap soon.
What made matters worse was that he couldn't reveal the truth; not to them. Not to anyone, really. For one, if the populace knew, as a whole, that the Uchiha were planning a rebellion and they were cleansed because of it, this would create discourse and general mistrust of all clans within the village and create a subtle, yet unmistakably noticeable divide between civilian shinobi, civilians, and finally clan ninja themselves. That kind of discord wouldn't go unnoticed abroad. Villages had been known to start wars over the most mundane of things, and a political polarization of doubt and distrust of the leadership and clans would be the perfect moment to strike right at the base of the tree. In a sense, Itachi's sacrifice would be in absolute vain.
It was the classic lose-lose situation.
"Some Hokage I am," he said dejectedly. "Even with all my vast knowledge of jutsu…I'm still just human." Hiruzen wouldn't admit it to absolutely anyone, but the titles and nicknames he got over his career made him feel proud. Almost to the point of arrogance, even. How could he not? He was raised to be humble man, but when you're strength was so revered that you're referred to be a deity among your profession in comparison to others, no man, no matter how modest, couldn't feel slightly above your peers, even if it was a subconscious sentiment. The Uchiha prodigy had brought him down completely to earth, and just showed just how ungodly he was.
He may have once been that powerful, but as his power withered age, so did his rationale and judgment. On the whole, yes, he was wiser…but…really, was he? Had he grown so complacent that he decided he could wipe the Uchiha clan out if need be if they dared planned a rebellion? He scoffed. Of course he had. There was no other explanation of how he could let the kettle boil almost to a tipping point. He should've turned off that stove the minute it was set over the eye.
He then leaned back and sighed once more. "I guess…what's done is done," he reasoned with himself for the moment. "I may have failed the Uchiha….but…" he looked toward the crystal ball towards the surrogate family that consisted of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke and Mikoto Uchiha, and finally, Sakura Haruno. "I will not fail on you three. Even if it costs me my life, I will make sure you three will end on the path of being the Legendary Shinobi I see before me. I owe you all at least that much. I will not let you take on my sins…I will pay for them in the next life," he vowed with genuine resolve.
A knock on his door interrupted his monologue and his brief time to think in solitude. He put away his crystal ball, lit his pipe and told the person to come in. The door opened to reveal…Danzo, who had a grim expression on his face.
"Danzo…" he uttered neutrally, his face completely impassive as he huffed a smoke. He honestly didn't want to deal with him at the moment, and would've preferred if the man had just left him be. He honestly hated feeling that way, but there was a part of him that would never fully trust his old rival. Not in this lifetime or the next.
The crippled veteran crossed the threshold and spoke seriously. "Hiruzen…I'm afraid I have…troubling news," he uttered grimly. The Fire Shadow raised a single brow, if only slightly. He knew that tone of voice…Danzo didn't just find the news grim…he found it outright terrifying. Not only that, but he hadn't put up a sound barrier jutsu. That only meant what he was about to say was either going to become public or rather there was no point in trying to hide it. A subconscious sense of dread filled his being.
"What is it?" he inquired, just having a feeling of what he was about to hear wasn't going to please him at all.
Danzo took a deep breath. "The Ultranationalists have taken over Kumogakure. The Raikage is dead and their Jinchuuriki are currently listed as K.I.A by the newly installed government," he replied bluntly, getting straight to the point.
Sarutobi's heart skipped two beats, as his eyes widened in complete shock. He practically fell out of his chair in disbelief. It then turned to anger. "You want to run that by me, ONE MORE TIME, Danzo!" he roared and his breaths became hot, large and irregular in their patterns.
Danzo sighed, expecting this. Normally, he would've engaged the Kage in a mind game, but now was most definitely not the time nor place for that.
"The Ultranationalists staged a successful coup and overthrew the Raikage…and the villagers sided with them. As of now, I can likely confirm the populace as a whole share the same ideology as the Ultranationalist party" he repeated the bombshell.
Hiruzen took the pipe out of his mouth and crushed it to pieces in his hand. Danzo looked a bit disturbed and alarmed. Was his old rival mentally breaking down? He never showed these traits before.
"Are you kidding me right now! Are the gods simply screwing with me? Them? Of all people?" He stood up and slammed his fist on the desk. "Itachi's sacrifice was in vain! We felt we did what we had to do in order to prevent war and now, that war is practically guaranteed now! Goddammit!"
Danzo looked at him critically and seriously. "I know. I know we may have our differences, but…"
Hiruzen nodded. "We have to work together if Konoha is to survive the coming storm. To be frank, Danzo…I don't like you. Nor will I ever fully trust you. But if working with you means this village is safe…then so be it."
The Root Leader bowed his head in acquiescence, indicating the feeling was completely and unquestionably mutual.
The Hokage looked out towards the village solemnly. It seemed this village would be at war for the fourth time. He sighed. "So…I take it Hideyoshi will be the Raikage, now?" he deduced bitterly.
"No…" Danzo replied with a frown.
His rival turned swiftly around in confusion. "What? How could he not? He's been the leader of those genocidal lunatics. Who would take the mantle if not him?"
"Aisu Hayasaka…" Danzo replied bluntly, yet again.
Hiruzen froze on the spot. "What did you say?" he asked as his eyes narrowed.
"Aisu…as in the former commander of the village's BOLT division," he replied grimly. He looked at the Hokage's semi-neutral expression in wonder. "You don't seem surprised," he observed. To Danzo, when he found out Aisu Hayasaka was the true leader of the Ultranationalists; he was thrown completely for a loop not expecting that possibility as remotely probable. Yet, his old rival was taken it rather well, relatively speaking.
"I'm not," Hiruzen admitted as he sat down. 'Kumogakure…so that's where you went. Aisu…even now… does your hatred still consume you? I had hoped you would've turned out for the better, even in light of your…unfortunate circumstances and let go of your extreme animosity…but alas…you did not.' He added in his head, clearly pitying the new appointed Raikage for unknown reasons. Danzo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Hiruzen had already had an answer prepared, knowing exactly where the Root leader was heading the conversation. "Why exactly, I'm not surprised doesn't matter. All that I know is that Aisu will stop at nothing to bring the entire elemental nations under his control. That much I'm assured of. This conflict just got a whole lot more complicated."
Danzo sensed that tone immediately and Hiruzen's subtle implication. "You do not think you can defeat him in battle?" It wasn't a rhetorical question. Just an observation of fact.
Hiruzen stayed silent for a half a minute at least before replying to him. "…I will do what I must do to defend the village. Even my very life if need be," he replied neither confirming nor denying his accusation. .
"I see," Danzo said flatly. There was nothing more that needed to be said on the matter. The two veterans understood one another in ways that no one, not even Koharu and Homura, could comprehend. They knew each other inside out…almost as if they were the best of friends, but in truth, they held mutual distrust and enmity towards the other. It was one of the most complex dichotomies of either of their lives.
The Hokage breathed out a breath of smoke. "In any case…we have no choice but to prepare for war. But…we have to do it subtly. We can't have the public panic attack, nor can we give the Hidden Cloud a reason to start the war prematurely. " This was Hiruzen's way of asking Danzo: Do you have any ideas?
Danzo smirked. "And I know the perfect way to do so."
Hiruzen grimaced, not liking the Cheshire cat smirk on the crippled veteran's face. He just knew that, somehow, he was going to regret this. Oh, well. He likely wouldn't live to feel that way anyhow, as sad as it was to admit. But…he had a duty as Hokage, and by the gods he was going to do it no matter what the cost.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Back in the hospital)
After a solid fifteen minutes or so, the Uchiha widow's weeping had finally come to a close. However, that being said she was still holding on to her three surrogate children for dear life. The three however didn't mind.
"Are you feeling better, even just a little bit, kaa-san?" Sasuke asked a bit hopeful, looking up at his mother. Mikoto swallowed a bit and breathed out before giving her son a small smile.
"Yes, Sasuke-kun. I do feel a bit better," she told him. The other two smiled back and let go of her, albeit with some reluctance. She looked at the trio. "Once I'm out of here and back to normal, we'll go back to your training," she promised with a slight grin.
They collectively blinked. "But…sensei…are you sure? I mean we'd be fine just training on our own while you recover-" Sakura started to say, before Mikoto put up her hand silencing her.
"No. I need to do this. For the three of you and myself. I'm not going to allow my grief to interfere with the promise I made you three. I completely refuse. If I have to grieve, then I will. But, until then, we shall press on harder than before," she explained seriously.
Naruto nodded in acceptance. "If you're sure you want us to train…then," he gave her his trademarked foxlike grin. "Then hell yeah, we shall!"
The rosette haired girl smiled to herself. The Naruto she knew was coming back. 'It's about damn time, Naruto-kun.
Sasuke simply smirked. "Well, Naruto, if you're so eager, count me in too."
Naruto bobbed his head towards his two friends and then looked at them both seriously. "Could…you guys give us some privacy? I'd like to talk to sensei….alone," he pleaded toward them.
They both gave him extremely confused looks, perplexed by his request. What could he possibly want to talk to Mikoto about, that he couldn't say in front of them? They had been best friends for the past year, give or take a few weeks.
"But, Naruto-kun, why do we-" Sakura began, worry tracing her voice before their sensei interrupted them.
Mikoto shook her head. "No. It's okay, Sakura-chan. If Naruto wants to talk to me alone, you two should respect that. After all, he respected your right when you withheld the truth until you were completely comfortable in telling us," she reminded her sternly.
The pink-haired girl winced a bit at her slight hypocrisy. "I see…you're right, sensei. He did. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she apologized.
The jinchuuriki waved her off with a smile. "It's okay, Sakura-chan," he replied earnestly.
She smiled and grabbed Sasuke's arm. "Come on, Sasuke-kun. We obviously aren't needed here, so let's go and do something!" she cheerfully suggested. The raven-haired Uchiha blushed a bit, and nodded in acquiescence.
Naruto narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a sight that did not get past his sensei, frowning a bit briefly. There was brief feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, which she knew all too well: If she didn't address that soon, it would not end well.
Sakura practically dragged Sasuke out of the hospital room to do God knows what. Naruto shook his head, sighing a bit.
"So…Naruto-kun…what did you want to talk about?" she inquired, looking a bit weary, but yet, ready to understand if need be.
The blonde took in a deep breath, walked up toward her bed, and sat on the stool he was sitting on a half an hour earlier up. He rested his elbows on the mattress and interlocked his fingers. He gazed up at his sensei softly.
"Mikoto-sensei," Naruto began after a brief moment of comfortable silence. "My life wasn't exactly the greatest. I've been shunned, scorned, ignored and practically had my childhood robbed from me. When some of the villagers look at me…they don't see Naruto. They don't see a kid just trying to prove his worth and carry his own weight. They don't see a child who didn't have any parents growing up who could've raised him in the right direction." Mikoto's heart clutched painfully when he said this and she pursed her lips to keep her emotions under control.
"No. They only saw me as a reminder of what they lost ten years ago. It hurt. It really did. Being a social outcast…not knowing why you were disliked and ignored. I thought I'd never get the acknowledgement that I wanted. As much as I put up a front towards the village during my pranks, I was slowly losing hope. Sure, I had Iruka-sensei and Hokage-sama…but…." His eyes shifted towards the left, away from her in sorrow. "Even they weren't enough. I couldn't relate to them on a personal level other than the fact they didn't ignore me and helped me out from time to time. One day, I was doing one of my routine pranks and all of the frustration I had just came out when Iruka-sensei lectured me. I stomped off…and went to a random forest near the outskirts of the village."
Mikoto's eyes went wide a bit in surprise. "So that's where you met Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan!" she deduced. Naruto smiled and nodded in the affirmative.
"Yes. I did. All three of us bonded that night. To an outside third party, it might seem as if we just came out of the blue and were friends, just like that. In hindsight, I could probably see where they were coming from. But…there was something…I don't know what it was, but there was something that connected all three of us together. Fate…destiny…call it what you like. I honestly couldn't care less. Because of that night, my life has changed for the better. Most of all though, it's because of you."
Mikoto was taken back in shock. "M-me..?" she stuttered out, stunned. Was he really going where she thought he was going with this?
Naruto nodded again, his eyes watering, tears threatening to fall once more. "Because of you, I am where I am. You've taught me everything I know now. I've always wanted to be a great shinobi and you set me up for success, and never allowed me to give up. You taught me how to be a swordsman, an aspiration of mind that I've wanted to be since I was very young. I'm stronger, faster, more tactical and calculating."
The Uchiha matriarch was speechless, as Naruto continued on unperturbed.
"But…that's not what I'm most grateful for," Naruto uttered softly, looking her straight in the eye. "You've taught me humility, how to protect those I care about, and you always were honest with me, not sugarcoating a damn thing. You treat me and Sasuke equally the same and I see him as the brother I never had. That's what I want to tell you. You're the mother I've always dreamt of having and then some," Naruto admitted as the tears flowed freely, yet again. Mikoto's eyes went wide, stunned yet again.
"So…sensei…can I have the honor of you being my kaa-san?" he humbly asked the Uchiha female, who was currently crying tears of absolute joy. She had her doubts about Muramasa's words, but the wise old man proved to be right, yet again.
Mikoto pulled the boy into a tight embrace and the blonde buried his head into her chest. "Of course, Naruto-kun!" she practically cheered out in a bliss. "Yes, I'd be honored. You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment?"
He turned his head to look up towards her. "Really?"
She nodded and put her chin over the crown of his head. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I've felt like your mother for a long time now…I just wanted the ball to be in your court." That caused Naruto to smile.
"Thank you for everything…kaa-san," Naruto told her with absolute gratitude. Just hearing him call her that, caused Mikoto to tighten her grip on him, not wanting to let him go.
"You're welcome…sochi(son)," Mikoto replied back with a smile. 'Kushina-chan…you would be so proud.'
The two sat content in each other's arms for the next ten minutes in comfortable silence; the only sound in the entire room was Mikoto's soothing touches of the blonde.
"Naruto-kun…" Mikoto called out, breaking the silence.
"Yes, kaa-san?" he replied back.
"I think…you should tell both Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan," she told him seriously without missing a beat.
He pulled away from her and sighed with a frown. "I know, kaa-san, but…I'm….not sure," he said honestly.
Mikoto gripped her son's shoulder tightly and looked at him straight in the eye. "You need to. The longer you wait…the worse off it will be."
"She's right, kid…I seriously doubt they'd reject you because of me. The three of you have been through too much for them to throw it away simply because you have a fifteen story tall fox in your gut," the Kyuubi advised.
Naruto sighed. "Wow, even the furball agrees with you"
Mikoto smiled. "Yes, even the fur-wait a minute!" she cried out in horror, as the implications of what her son said finally sunk in. "You can talk to it?" she gasped out in sheer surprise.
"He/He," Both Naruto and the Kyuubi growled out at the same time, although, obviously, Mikoto couldn't hear the famed Bijuu. "The Fox is a he, kaa-san. I'd prefer you not to call him an "it' again. He, and quite frankly so do I, find it utterly insulting. So I'd appreciate if you didn't refer to him as if he weren't a sentient being," he told his mother sternly, but gently as well as to not show disrespect. Though the blonde couldn't see him, the fox nodded approvingly.
Mikoto blinked and then slowly nodded with as much understanding as possible. "I…see. Okay…him, then. You can talk to him?" she inquired yet again.
"Not only can I talk to him, I do so on a daily basis," he admitted. Mikoto looked a bit alarmed. Naruto held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, please don't become alarmed, kaa-san. I know it might not seem like it, but…he's really not that bad of a guy. He destroyed a seal that was hindering my mental capacity."
Mikoto's eyes widened completely. "What? A seal? Hindering your mental capacity? And he destroyed it? How? When? I…" so many questions were running through her head.
"Calm down. Please," he begged her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down at least a little bit. This was a lot to take in. "Yes…have you heard of a Cognitive Chakra Suppression Seal?"
Mikoto rubbed her chin in thought. "I can't say that I have. However, it does sound familiar, though the details are lost on me at the moment."
Naruto nodded. "I see. I figured as much. My research on it has come to dead end. Barely anything was known about it. The Fox however did. He still refuses to tell me how exactly he knows how human seals work and how to destroy them. For what I reason, I'm not sure, but there's a lot of things he refuses to tell me, so it's really not that big of a deal. At least to me anyhow. The seal is gone, now."
"Who exactly put the seal on you?"
"And that kaa-san is the million ryou question. We don't know. But we do know when it was put on me, though."
The Uchiha matriarch raised an eyebrow. "When pray tell was that?"
"The day I was born," Naruto revealed with narrowed eyes. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her socket in sheer surprise.
"But…that can't be!" Mikoto protested. There's no way in hell Minato-kun would've let anyone get that close to Naruto-kun to put that seal on him. He would've slaughtered them in a heartbeat. Unless….
"Wait a minute….Naruto-kun…the seal restricted your ability to think and reason, correct?" she deduced based off the naming alone. Naruto nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this.
"And when the fox…destroyed it, somehow…you felt free as if everything was being released all at once?" she asked. Naruto bobbed hid head in the affirmative, a bit creeped out at her intuition.
Mikoto's eyes narrowed just slightly. 'So that's it. That's why he unlocked the first stage of the Namikaze clan's natural abilities so young. The seal had suppressed his abnormal nervous system and cognitive abilities for so long that when it released, his bloodline must've activated automatically, jumpstarting the process a bit prematurely. But the question is…why put it on him in the first place? For what purpose, though? Obviously the seal was meant to suppress his heritage…but…ugh," she thought frustrated.
"I see. Very well, then, I'll look into it for you Naruto-kun. I'll try to find out more about it. Whatever I know…you will know."
He smiled brightly and hugged his surrogate mother in thanks, which she happily returned. "All right, you know what you have to do. Tell them. I know they'll understand," she assured. "I'll be waiting, here."
Naruto grinned and said a short goodbye to his mother and jumped out of the hospital window in search of his two best friends.
Mikoto blinked, again. She then palmed her face. "Don't even use the damn door," she shook her head. "Just like his father in so many ways," she said absentmindedly, while skyline from her view.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Elsewhere in Konoha)
The bewhiskered jinchuuriki was jumping from rooftop to roof top in search of his raven and pink haired best friends. So far he wasn't having much luck.
"Damn, it's the evening and I still can't find you two!" he growled in frustration until it hit him. He stopped on a building and slapped himself for his shortsightedness.
"How the fuck could I forget about the first jutsu we learned?" he groaned before crouching and touching the ground with his right index finger. He closed his eyes and then uttered, "Chakra Hankyouteii!" His control over the technique had improved leaps and bounds over the past year and as such, he sent a echolocation web within a fifteen hundred meter radius. His eyes opened suddenly as if his eyes honed in on where he needed to be.
"Found you!" the blonde immediately sped out to that destination as he followed the echolocation of their chakra signatures. He found both of them doing a light spar in a training area that reminded him of the estate grounds. Landing in the clearing in a crouch, Naruto made his presence to the two known.
They immediately stopped their spar upon sight of him. "Naruto!" Sasuke uttered incredulously. "Whoa, how did you find us?"
Naruto smirked. "The Hanyouteii," he told him as if it was the obvious thing in the world.
He huffed. "Figures."
Naruto then got a serious look on his face. "But, that aside…I have to tell you two something."
Sakura immediately looked alarmed. "Is it about Mikoto-sensei?" she cried out fearing the worse.
Chuckling, he shook his head in the negative. He motioned for them to sit down and they complied, while he did the same. He took in a deep breath and decided to lead into and go in.
"Do you guys remember what happened ten years ago, October 10th, to the village?"
Sasuke frowned. "Yeah, it was the night that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the village and slaughtered thousands," he answered, wondering where Naruto was going with this.
"Yeah, and the Fox would've destroyed the village had it not been for the Yondaime Hokage defeating it, at the cost of his own life," Sakura added on. "Naruto, they told us this at the academy. What does this have to do with anything?"
"Because…what they told us at the academy…. was a complete lie."
"A lie!" they both uttered simultaneously, taken back completely.
"Yes, a lie. While it was not a complete lie, it was one nonetheless. The Nine-Tailed Fox was one on the nine Bijuu, and the most powerful of them all. Even as powerful as the Fourth Hokage was, even he would fail in trying to slay a being like the Fox. So he instead of killing it….he sealed it up."
Both of their eyes widened. "So…if he sealed it…then that would mean…."
"Yes….the Fox is still alive and well," Naruto finished. They sat in silence, unable to say anything.
"Wait….what the hell does that have to do with you?" Sasuke inquired confused at both how this related to Naruto and how he knew such information in the first place.
Naruto nodded. "You see, Bijuu are special. You can't just seal them anywhere. They'd likely break free from the seals and rampage all over again. What was needed…is a jinchuuriki…"
"Human sacrifice…." Sakura said to herself as she translated the word aloud.
"Yes, because that's exactly what it is: A living human sacrifice to keep a powerful beast at bay. Now you all know when I turned nine last year right?"
"Yeah, October ten-" Sakura stop dead in her tracks as she stared at her blond friend's neutral face with complete and total shock. "Y-you?" she stuttered out. "You're the one the Yondaime sealed the fox into?"
Rather than answer her, Naruto stood up and lifted his shirt. He concentrated some chakra into his navel and the seal appeared in all its intricate glory.
"I see…now it all makes sense. Why sometimes I notice the villagers either glaring or ignoring your presence. Some I even overhear even making snide remarks. Now I understand….they blame you for what happened, don't they?" Sasuke said solemnly.
"Yeah…. it's unfortunate…it's why I've always been alone for as long as I could remember. They shunned me…ignored me….treated me like an outcast. All because of something I had no say in." There was a pregnant silence.
"Well…you know what, Naruto-kun? Quite frankly, I couldn't care less. To me you're still Naruto. You just happen to have a giant fox stuck inside you."
"I don't care either. You're still my best friend," Sasuke told him with a smile.
The blonde was a bit taken back. "Just like that? It doesn't matter?"
"Just like that," Sakura assured him, smiling. "We're not like those ignorant villagers. We've grown to know you well over the past year. Yes, it's a bit to take in, but frankly you're still you."
Naruto grinned. "You guys really are the best friends a guy could ever ask for," he told them sincerely.
"Heh, the feeling's mutual Naruto. Trust me," Sasuke added.
There was a brief silence yet again as the three stared off in the distance. "Hey guys…how about a rematch? Every shinobi for themselves?" Naruto suggested.
"Any bets?"
"Yeah. Loser buys dinner for an entire week," Naruto grinned as he jumped up and fell back into a stance with his kodachi.
"Oh you're so on!" Sakura agreed pulling her staff out. Sasuke smirked and pulled out his kusarigama. The three friends were spread out in a triangle. They collectively smirked and the trio clashed.
They were unaware of a small reptilian silhouette watching their every move with keen interest.
(END)
Alright, time to end it here, because otherwise, I'm going to go into sensory overload. I've written this chapter at least three times, and I'm still not happy about the last bit completely, but we'll see.
Next Chapter: 3Time Skip! Team 7 finally meets their new sensei and their adventures and legend begins as they show off to the world just how far they've come.
I was going to time skip, this chapter, honestly, but I figured I'd best stop here and let me gather my thoughts and write it cohesively and let the flow come naturally. Plus I wouldn't have made the June 29th deadline I promised now would I have? :P
So, I have a poll for you readers. Would you rather have short chapters (i.e. 7k-11k word count in my eyes) with frequent updates or monster chapters (12k-20k) with a longer waiting period? Answer truthfully and honestly and I'll tell you which one wins in the next two or three chapters.
I have nothing else to say except please leave your comments below and give some feedback. That's all I ask.
Till next time,
Arashi.