Awakening Chapter 4: Revelation
After a more then surprising discovery about Naruto, Naruto wonders who he is.
Hokage Office
Sarutobi was once again taking puffs from his favorite pipe, the smoke curling around his face as he thought about the latest problem that had landed on his plate. Being the Hokage was a never-ending stream of issues to solve, many of them not even involving him directly. He had to find solutions to other people's problems, and sometimes he didn't even want to.
But he had become the Hokage for a reason, and failing to do his job out of spite would be petty and unbecoming.
The problem at hand had to do with Team 7, and specifically the mission he had assigned to them that had been classified as wrong. The news that they had managed to defeat one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and liberate a land from a tyrant wasn't making his headache any better. He really hoped something like this wouldn't happen again.
Despite the difficulties, he was still impressed that they were successful in the first place. And the fact that they had continued with the mission despite knowing that they could be in greater danger brought a smile to his face. He was really proud of Naruto, who had always tried to do the right thing despite the difficult hand he had been dealt in life. The same couldn't be said for everyone, but that was a topic for another time.
Writing a check and handing it to his secretary, he made sure to set aside the A-rank payment for Team 7 to collect. They definitely deserved it.
Speaking of Team 7, they just managed to arrive at the gates of Konohagakure. "Alright normally, I would dismiss you now, but due to some unexpected circumstances, we all need to report to the Hokage."
Naruto groaned in response, feeling a strong desire to visit the Ichiraku Ramen shop instead. Despite his objections, he was outvoted by the rest of the team and reluctantly followed them to the Hokage tower.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was experiencing a pounding headache, caused by his own conspiracy theories that were slowly overwriting essential memories in his brain, like how to breathe.
Hiruzen was currently in the middle of reviewing Team 8's mission report when he sensed a familiar chakra approaching. 'They have finally arrived,' he thought to himself.
Setting aside his pen and the file, he brewed himself a cup of tea. It was only a matter of minutes before there was a knock on his door. "Enter," he called out, and Team 7 walked into his office.
"Ah, Kakashi. I heard your squad had quite an adventure," Hiruzen said, scanning each member of the team with a sigh of relief that they seemed to be unharmed.
"That we did, Hokage-sama," Kakashi began, but was interrupted by Naruto. "Hell yeah, Gramps! You won't believe what happened-" before he was silenced with a punch to the ribs by both Sasuke and Sakura.
The Hokage watched with amusement as the three started to argue with each other, and even chuckled at the exhausted expression on Kakashi's face. "I can see that you have already been through a lot in your young careers," Hiruzen said, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Please start from the beginning and tell me everything."
And so the team leader began to retell their misadventure from how they encountered the demon brothers, to their first encounter with Zabuza to their fight on the bridge and win.
"... I also want to add that Sasuke has unlocked his Sharingan." Kakashi concluded. Hiruzen took a slow sip of his tea, his expression unreadable. 'So young and already with the Sharingan. Then again, Itachi had his at age 8.' the Hokage thought to himself.
Setting his cup down, he spoke up. "That was certainly quite an adventure. I can only emphasize how fortunate you three were, as without certain factors, one of you might not be here today."
The three members all looked uneasy, with Naruto and Sakura giving Sasuke concerned glances, while he himself looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Now, a mission is a mission, and since this was a misclassified one, but you completed it anyway, you will receive the payment of an A-Rank mission." Hiruzen retrieved four envelopes from his drawer and handed one to each member.
"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed after opening his envelope and finding a large amount of money inside. "That's enough for at least ten servings of ramen!" He was giddy with excitement at the thought of all the ramen he could buy. "You're not seriously planning on using all of this money on ramen, are you?" Sakura asked incredulously.
Instead of answering, Naruto continued mumbling about all the possible ramen toppings.
"Hokage-sama, there was one other thing I didn't mention yet." sstarted kakashi gaining the attention of hiruzen again. Naruto also stopped mumbliing and was as focused on the conversation again as Sasuke was.
"During the battle... Naruto also unlocked his Sharingan," Kakashi said, looking expectantly at the Hokage.
Instead of the shock or surprise that Team 7 had expected, the Hokage's face fell. "I see..." he said quietly.
There was a long moment of silence, broken only by Naruto stepping forward. "Gramps?" he asked, looking at the Hokage with concern.
The Hokage didn't respond for a few more seconds, before standing up and walking to one of the cabinets in his office. He rummaged through some files before pulling out a thin one and walking back to Naruto.
"Please believe me when I say that I did it out of concern for you," he said, handing the file to Naruto.
Naruto held the file for what felt like an eternity, his heart racing as he looked at it. He didn't know why he was so nervous, it was just a simple piece of paper. He took a deep breath and tore it open, revealing the contents.
'Big Brother…?'
Team 7 stared at the contents in silence for a few seconds, before Sasuke spoke up. "Cousin Shisui..." he said, his voice shaking. "Shisui of the Bodyflicker..." Kakashi added, looking extremely confused. He turned to the Hokage with a questioning expression, and the Hokage gave him a hand signal indicating that they would discuss it later.
Naruto looked confused towards Hiruzen. Hiruzen himself looked guilty, unable to answer. Instead, he sat back down on his chair and poured another round of tea into his cup.
"This," he eventually replied, "is Shisui Uchiha. A prodigy of the Uchiha clan and a highly ranked shinobi. And also… your father."
Team 7 was currently celebrating their successful mission by visiting Ichiraku's ramen shop. While Naruto excitedly retold their adventure to Ichiraku and Ayame, his team was relatively quiet. Kakashi wasn't present, having chosen to pay for their meals and have a private conversation with the Hokage about something. Sakura was trying to enjoy her broth and noodles, but was finding it difficult. And Sasuke...well, Sasuke was so quiet that someone might mistake him for a mannequin in a weird and twisted advertisement. His meal was left untouched, and if it weren't for the small, discreet glances he kept shooting towards Naruto, he might be mistaken for a statue.
Naruto was oblivious to all of this, at least to a certain extent. He knew that Sasuke was watching him, but he didn't realize the extent of it. He was more focused on his own thoughts.
Should he change his name to Uchiha? Wear the clan symbol? Address himself as Naruto Uchiha? It was all too much for him, especially considering that, according to Sasuke, they were cousins once removed. He didn't know exactly what that made them, but he knew they were blood related.
Blood related by his father. His father. The idea was still strange and unfamiliar to Naruto. Of course he knew he had parents, everyone did, but he never knew who they were. Asking people on the streets was fruitless and usually resulted in either ignorance of his existence or some hateful glares. And while the question of his origin had subsided significantly in recent years, he had chosen to instead focus on his own life rather than that of his parents, especially after the Hokage told him they were dead.
The Hokage. His Gramps had always said that they were shinobi who died in the Kyuubi attack, but Sasuke said Itachi killed him before the Uchiha Massacre. His father had actually been alive when he was born! And had chosen not to care for him as a father…
Shisui… subconsciously his hand closed into a fist. Were all the things he had said to him a lie? A lie to make his decision to not engage with his son more bearable? Was he just like the others but chose to be nice to him out of guilt?
He felt an urge to cry and swiftly stood from his stool. "Thank you for the food, Ayame!" he called out before running away.
"Hey, wait Naruto!" Ayame called out behind him. "That was weird, he normally eats at least 3 ramen bowls…"
"He just has a lot on his mind." Said Sasuke before standing up as well. "You can have mine, Sakura."
Sakura watched him follow Naruto before greedily snatching up the lukewarm meal from Sasuke's plate. She felt like she had a lot on her mind too and deserved a treat. Without any guilt, she dug in, making sure to look as cute as possible while devouring the noodles.
~~ Meanwhile… ~~
Kakashi sat nervously in front of the Hokage's desk, trying his best to appear calm and collected. He was normally a confident, collected man, but something about the way the Hokage was acting made him feel uneasy. The Hokage was flipping through papers and signing documents, not even acknowledging Kakashi's presence. Kakashi didn't want to be rude, so he patiently waited for the Hokage to speak, but it felt like an eternity.
Finally, after what must have been at least ten minutes, the Hokage set aside his papers and turned his full attention to Kakashi. "Do you remember when Naruto caught that illness, Kakashi?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired man.
Kakashi nodded, remembering the incident all too well. He had been the one to report it to the Hokage, after all. He watched intently as the Hokage took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Then you also remember the changes he went through..." he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Kakashi sat up straighter, still holding his arms crossed in front of him. He was curious to see where this conversation was going.
"The truth is... that day he went through a transformation," the Hokage continued, his voice taking on a serious tone. "A transformation that changed his genetic code."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding the implications of what the Hokage was saying. He had only a basic understanding of medical ninjutsu, and had never really studied medicine in depth. "Genetic..." he repeated, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. He was about to ask for clarification, when something clicked in his mind. "Orochimaru..." he whispered, the name bringing back dark memories. He saw the Hokage tense up at the mention of the rogue ninja, and knew that his suspicions were correct.
"No, we cannot confirm it as of yet," the Hokage said, shaking his head. "Though the signs point to his involvement."
Kakashi nodded, still trying to process this new information. "But when?" he asked, looking out the window as he tried to make sense of everything.
"As I said, nothing has been confirmed yet. All we know is that Naruto is biologically a pure-blooded Uchiha," the Hokage said, his voice heavy with meaning.
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at this revelation. "Pure?" he repeated, the word feeling strange on his tongue.
"Hey, Naruto, wait up."
The Hokage nodded gravely.
"What do you want?"
"There was no trace of Minato or Kushina,"
Sasuke stood at the edge of the lake, his hands tucked into his pockets as he watched Naruto walk past. The water was calm, the surface barely rippling as a gentle breeze blew across it.
Sasuke reached down and picked up a small stone from the riverbank, weighing it in his hand before tossing it towards Naruto. The stone arced through the air, glinting in the sunlight, and Naruto reached out and easily caught it.
With a sly smile, Sasuke picked up a stone for himself and got into a throwing stance. He focused on the lake, trying to gauge the right amount of force to use. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the stone skipping across the surface of the water. It made two skips before sinking beneath the waves.
Naruto watched silently as Sasuke repeated the process, never managing to get more than two skips out of his stones. Then, before he knew it, Naruto found himself standing in the same position, trying his own hand at skipping stones.
The two were silent as they tossed stones across the lake, the only sound being the faint plops as the stones hit the water. And yet, somehow, a great weight seemed to lift from Naruto as they stood there in companionable silence.