Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:

Hello everyone, this is the last chapter of the arc. After this I'll be working on another story for a bit so Uchiha Chronicles will probably be on the backburner for a month or so. That means the next update will be for my revamped version of Naruto: The Death Flash, which I'm calling "The God of Wind". The first two chapters for that is already on my pa treon. If you'd like to consider supporting my work, you can find my pat reon by typing in the Patr eon address and add /rinnetaicho in your browsers search bar, or you can go to my AO3 account of the same name where there is a copiable link. Well, without further delay, the final chapter of the arc!

Arc V: Kusanoka's Revenge:

Chapter 32: Recovery at the Cottage

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Tucked between two steep mountains of grey rock, and nestled in a tiny valley you'd easily miss, was his grandparent's old home. A field of grass surrounded them, whispering in the gentle breeze. Wildflowers were sprinkled about and filled the air with their pleasant fragrance. Naruto led the way methodically along a slightly overgrown path. Small bramble fines tugged at your pants and threatened to scratch a person's legs. It had been years since it was consistently maintained. In the flat field you could see everything for nearly a mile all around.

The house was near the back of the valley, in front of a small stand of trees. A single story in a traditional style and made of the same blond wood as his grandfather's home in the Leaf, the house was remarkably preserved. There was no trace of weathering on the wood-tiled roof. A porch wrapped around underneath the overhanging eaves, partially enclosed to protect from the elements. It was almost earie, to see a place seemingly untouched by nature.

Troubling scenarios filled Naruto's mind. He'd sent his clones ahead–ostensibly to prepare the house, though really to hide anything that might reveal anything he didn't want. Had the managed to clear everything up? Homes always held a lot more than you thought. A single missed picture, or a scroll that slipped the mind, and the secret might be out. It was a stressful concern. From the memories he received he was fairly sure they hidden everything. One clone had even covered up his grandfather's headstone with a fake. That didn't assuage his fears, though. It still didn't mean they hadn't missed anything.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at his team. His sensei looked around curiously, a hint of steel in his eye as he subtly looked for any threats. Sakura looked dead on her feet, face pale and dark circles under her eyes. Tiredness seemed to hang about her as an aura. She was the only one who'd yet to rest.

His eyes lingered on Sasuki's head slumped over Kakashi's shoulder. Her dark hair fell in a tangled rope. She'd fallen asleep during the journey here. He shook his head. That's right, they were here for her.

With a steadying breath he stepped onto the porch. The wooden steps creaked under foot. He reached for the door and gripped the handle tightly. The metal was ice cold to the touch. No use waiting. Like ripping off a bandage he opened it. A wall of stale air greeted them. The first thing you saw was a comfortable sitting room, with an old couch and beat up coffee table. Fading evening light filtered in through the window. Naruto bit back a relieved sigh. It was just as his clones' memories showed.

The picture of his grandparents that should have been on the opposite wall was missing. With much more confidence, Naruto led his team into the house and down the hallway. After showing Kakashi to his room and laying Sasuki down on a bed Naruto was quick to show Sakura to the kitchen.

The kitchen had a single long, wide wooden counter. Two clean but worn porcelain sink-wells were set into it. In the center was a sturdy square wooden table. Like the rest of the house, you could tell the table had been used. This would do just fine for cooking up an antidote.

"It's not much, but this is probably the best place to work. There/s a library down the hall that should have some medical books if you need them." He told her.

Sakura nodded. "This is fine. I'll let you know if I need anything." She replied.

Without another word, she pulled out a scroll and started unsealing supplies. Within minutes the age-bleached tabletop was filled with an array of vials and bowls, Most peculiar was the scythe. The blade gleamed, save for a dark red–nearly black–stain on the edge. Sakura quickly took a sample of the poison from the scythe and put it on a slide. She peered at it intently through the microscope.

He stood around awkwardly for a moment, though it was abundantly clear he wasn't needed. Naruto reluctantly left her to do her work. There wasn't really anything he could do but get in the way. It was a bitter thing to feel so useless. Even with Sakura's assurances, a part of him still worried that Sasuki's poisoning was worse than the budding medic let on.

He made his way around the corner and through the halls to his father's old room, which lay at the tail end of the corridor with all the bedrooms. It's where he'd always stayed when visiting. When he opened the door he was greeted by the sight of a familiar silken banner depicting a desert with a cherry tree prominently in the center. The banner had been hand painted by his grandmother. Nothing in the room had ever been changed, it still resembled the room of a toddler.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he sunk onto the edge of the bed. His head swam with the events of the day, and the bed felt incredibly soft. He'd still yet to have a chance to tell Kakashi what he'd learned from Koroshi. That could wait until they were rested, though.

His mouth stretched wide and he let loose an exhausted yawn. Yes, a few hours of nap wouldn't hurt anyone. Before he knew it he fell onto his back and knew no more.

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A delightful aroma of roasting meat drug him from sleep. Naruto sat up groggily. He let out a fierce yawn and stretched his arms. It took him a second to register the bright golden light that poured through the window.

When it did his eyes widened. If the light was out … that meant it was morning! He'd somehow slept through the night. What had become of Sasuki? He darted out of his bed and slammed open his door. His footsteps thundered through the hall. To his surprise, he found Sasuki's room empty. The bed was made up neatly, with the spread all smoothed out and pristine. If you didn't know better, one would swear it hadn't been slept in. A few steps down he found Kakashi's room much the same. Naruto couldn't decide whether it was good or bad they were missing. Had they recovered? He was flummoxed. That's when he remembered the smell.

Part of him knew he was getting worked up over nothing. If something was wrong the other three wouldn't simply be making breakfast. Still, he had to see that Sasuki was okay. Naruto dashed down the house. The closer he got to the kitchen, he started to hear muttered conversation.

Finally, he barreled into the entrance. There he saw a welcome sight. His teammates–all three of them–were sat around the kitchen table with several dishes of food. An old fashioned rice steamer sat in the center of the table, filled with heaps of rice. To either side was a platter, one with roasted meat, another with roasted vegetables. Though the food was mostly an afterthought. Naruto found himself fixated on his best friend. She was looking better. Sasuki's skin was still paler than normal, but nowhere near as bad as last night. It had a bit more of a healthy glow to it that he was used to.

"Sasuki, you're up! Are you feeling better?" He asked hurriedly.

His teammates seemed amused by his sudden appearance. Sasuki pointedly took a bite of rice and meat. Her eyes danced with amusement as she took her time chewing.

"Tch, I'm fine. Sakura already made the antidote while you were slacking off." She said bluntly.

Naruto flushed at her teasing. "Sorry, I guess I was more tired than I thought." He muttered. He hadn't meant to fall asleep for so long! His embarrassment wasn't helped by Sakura giggling into her hand. The slight bags under her eyes were the only sign that she hadn't gotten a full nights rest. Guilt gnawed at his stomach. Of the team, she must be the most exhausted, and it was all due to his reckless actions when they were ambushed. 'I can't afford to make mistakes like that.'

"Now, now, no need to make fun of him. Except for Sakura we've all done our fair share of slacking, eh, Ms. Moody?" Said Kakashi. Sasuki scowled in annoyance and tore viciously into some sort of drumstick.

If he wasn't mistaken, it was from a hare. Their fields were filled with them. Whenever Madara would bring him here for a trip, he and Naruto would have a competition trying to track them down and see who caught the most. It was an excellent way to hone the senses and practice with the Sharingan. His sensei turned his attention to Naruto fully.

"Well, no use standing around, come eat. We can debrief about our fights." He said. Well, it was more of a demand really.

At the mention of food, Naruto's stomach gave a fierce rumble. It felt like something was trying to eat its way out of him. Understandable considering he hadn't eaten in over a day and a half. His last meal had been their hurried lunch on the way to meet Hiroshi and his men. With as much dignity as he could, Naruto took his place at the square table. Sakura sat to his right, with Sasuki across from him and Kakashi to the right. There was already a plate and bowl set out for him, and Naruto didn't hesitate to begin filling it up. In seconds he filled his bowl with hot rice and dished himself some omelet. Finally, he plopped a whole roasted rabbit on the plate. The smell of the food almost had him salivating. Forgetting his manners, Naruto tore off a leg of the rabbit and started devouring it.

The meat melted in his mouth. It was only seasoned with salt and pepper, but still it greasy in a good way, and very filling. He took a greedy bite of rice. Sakura tapped him lightly on the arm. She held out a cup of water.

"Here, you might wanna drink something between your scarfing." She said.

Naruto nodded. He took the cup gratefully and guzzled some of the cool liquid to wash down his first bite.

"So, since Naruto's engrossed in his meal, why don't you and Sasuki talk about your fight first?" Kakashi asked Sakura.

The pink-haired girl nodded sharply. She quickly launched into the story of what they'd done after separating from Naruto. Despite being focused on his food, Naruto still kept his ears pealed during the girls report. He was pretty impressed. From the sounds, they'd handled it very well. Takahiro, Ishimaru, and Junichi sounded like a formidable team. Even if they were only average in strength, the fact Sasuki and Sakura took out a team of experienced chunin relatively unscathed was impressive. Especially in Sakura's case.

"…after we … killed the last one we cleaned up and went to meet Naruto, we got there when he finished his opponent off." Sakura concluded after a half hour.

Naruto's ears perked up at her hesitation. It was easy to forget she hadn't seen death like Sasuki and him. His mind conjured up a dark-skinned face, ruby red blood leaking from the mouth and eyes vacant. The smell of iron. Suddenly he didn't feel quite so hungry.

Kakashi hummed in thought. "It sounds like you made a rational plan and carried it out. Good job. We'll see about any bounties those three you killed might have when we get home. It can be added to your pay." His gaze sharpened on Sakura, who seemed to have gone slightly green at the mention of her kill. "This was your first kill if I'm not mistaken. If you need any help, let me know."

Sakura nodded shakily. Across the table Sasuki shook her head and muttered something under her breath that sounded like 'tactless old men'. If he heard Kakashi didn't let on. He turned to Naruto next.

"And what about you?" Kakashi asked.

He shrugged and quickly launched into a recount of his battle with Koroshi. He tried to gloss over his use of the nine-tails chakra, but there was no such luck. Before he could move to the part where he killed Koroshi, Sakura asked him a question that made him freeze.

"Hey, what was with that dark chakra we felt from your fight?" She asked innocently. Her question drew Sasuki's inquisitive gaze onto him.

His body locked up like a forest animal frozen in fear. This wasn't as bad as his heritage, but he still had hesitated to reveal it. He locked eyes with Kakashi, who merely shrugged. As if to say, 'no use trying to hide it'. Feeling cornered, Naruto had little choice but to answer.

He licked his lips. "Uh, well, the thing is, I have another chakra source. It's part of why people aren't that fond of me." Sasuki leaned forward curiously. She seemed extremely eager to hear what he meant. "You know how I was born the day the Nine-Tails attacked?"

Sasuki nodded, with Sakura not far behind. He hadn't tried to hide that or anything. It was just one of many things that came up in their down time.

"The truth is that I wasn't just born that day, I also sort of had a part in it ..." Naruto licked his lips, and pushed on before he chickened out. Sakura looked like she wanted to interject and he knew if he let her he might not tell the rest of the story. "… the Fourth Hokage didn't kill the Nine-Tails, those stories are just a cover. Killing a tailed beast is just a temporary fix. To really deal with one you have to seal it. He sealed it … in me." There, he'd said it. He felt at like a big weight had lifted from his shoulders, yet he couldn't quite meet his teammates eyes.

"Oh, is that it? Huh, no wonder you're as hard to kill as a cockroach." Sasuki said with a snort.

His head snapped up, cheeks flushed. "What the heck did you just say?" he asked incredulously.

"You heard me. It's why you recover so quickly. Though don't think we aren't going to talk about you holding out on me in training." She fired back.

He almost felt like tearing his hair out in frustration. Of course she'd reduce it to him not fighting seriously being the issue. It was very Sasuki. He glanced over to Sakura. Far from appearing perturbed, she seemed interested.

"What, did you think we'd think less of you?" She asked with a giggle.

Naruto shook his head. He suddenly felt very foolish for his concern. It was sort of annoying having them be so nonchalant about it. A part of him wondered, would they react the same to the rest of it? That part was very small and Naruto crushed it ruthlessly. 'Don't be an idiot.' Thankfully with the reveal of the fox out of the way, he was able to finish the description of his fight somewhat reliably. The only thing he left out was what he'd learned from Koroshi–and more importantly how he learned it. That was something he needed to talk with Kakashi about discretely.

To that end, he caught the man's eye as they were cleaning up the meal a half hour later. Sakura had already went to lay down for a nap, and Sasuki was busy washing the plates in the sink, so she didn't notice the jerk of his head. Nor the answering nod Kakashi gave him.

"Well, I think I'm going to go check on my grandmothers garden." He said out loud. Naruto figured Kakashi would find some excuse to come out and join him.

Kazehana's garden was a thing to behold. A twenty meter patch of flowers set in neat little rows of vibrant colors.. There was a wide range, too. Desert camelias from the Land of Wind, fiery orange lilies from Mount Moriyama in the Land of Fire, a fragrant rose you could only find in the swamps of the Land of Ogres. Each one had been brough back by his grandfather as a gift and lovingly planted by his grandmother.

The early morning air was crisp and sweet. Naruto breathed in deeply, taking in the perfume of his grandmother's flowers. Even after all these years they were still going strong.. He also caught the heavy scent of pine from the trees that lined the valley. His eyes locked onto the make-shift headstone covering his grandparents graves.

Madara & Kazehana

A loving couple separated too soon.

Beloved parents and grandparents.

Part of him thought this was perhaps better than the headstones it covered. One he'd made personally for his grandfather, the other for his grandmother had been slightly weathered from age and contained few details. His grandfather had certainly been more discrete than him.

'Hehehe, it was amusing seeing you scramble to fix your blunder. Much as I loath to speak positively of Madara, it's hard to believe an absentminded knucklehead like you is descended from someone as intelligent as him.' The fox remarked amusedly.

Naruto couldn't really say much to dispute what the fox said. He wasn't a genius like his grandfather or father. Though he had been dealing with his grief when he erected the headstone. It'd clouded his judgement. Perhaps he'd leave a couple clones to fix it up and replace it. The garden was due for a weeding, after all.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" He didn't react to Kakashi suddenly speaking. While he might not have been using his sensing, he could still feel his senses presence with his natural senses. The silver-haired man stopped beside him and glanced out over the garden. "Lovely garden."

"Thanks, it was my grandmothers." He said. A brief smile ghosted his lips, but it was quickly wiped away by the serious topic. "And you're right, I did. It's something that has to be kept quiet. Something I learned from interrogating Koroshi."

The older man subtly tensed. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you've already realized something wasn't right with this mission. There should have been no way for them to get that scroll through mission assignment. They have to carefully vet every package we deliver, mistakes like this just don't happen, but it did.." He said.

"I had been wondering about that myself." Kakashi replied, tension obvious in his tone. Surely the man could guess where this was going, and he didn't like it anymore than Naruto. Best to deliver the bad news swiftly.

"From what I learned, they had an inside man. A spy from another village. The plan was to have them capture Sasuki and then the other village would do the experimenting on her and share the results. Koroshi didn't know the guys identity or the village he worked for." He said. The last part was a lie. He couldn't exactly say he'd torn into the man's mind and his memories had been fuzzy. He could feel a trickle of sweat roll down the back of his neck. Hopefully Kakashi would take the story at face value.

Kakashi didn't respond immediately. For an agonizing amount of time he stood still. His gaze was fixed on the headstone. Suddenly, Naruto got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't quite understand why.

"Hmm, yes, that is troubling. We'll have to report this to Lord Hokage when we get back." He said. Naruto sagged in relief. Apparently he'd worried for nothing. The relief was short-lived. "By the way, would I be correct in assuming you tried to use your sharingan to get his memories? Hypnosis would have been far more reliable for someone inexperienced at drawing out information."

His breath caught in his throat. The blood in his veins turned to ice. Kakashi had delivered the words so casually, he almost missed the underlying steel in his voice. How? How did Kakashi know? He'd been extremely careful to not use his sharingan near him.

"I-i don't know what you mean." He stuttered.

The jonin glanced his way with a thoroughly unimpressed gaze. "Don't bother denying it. I told you before, Lord Hokage briefed me very thoroughly on you. As your father's student, I'm one of only two people he trusted with that information. He figured it would be a good idea to loop me in incase it was ever revealed in the field."

Naruto licked his lips nervously. His mouth suddenly felt extremely dry. A barrage of conflicting thoughts and emotions filled his head. Panic, betrayal, relief. A confusing range to be sure.

"Wh-why are you telling me now?" He asked shakily.

Kakashi turned towards Naruto and pinned him with his gaze. "Simple, I didn't bring it up because it wasn't interfering in anything. The fact you haven't taken up that name is the only reason this mission wasn't disastrous. Tell me, did you know they were after the Sharingan when you took in that gas?"

The blunt question was like a physical blow. He was stunned. Naruto had never considered what they were after. He'd just … acted. It was a split second decision he thought was best. After all, he could survive the poisoning and the others couldn't. That was a flimsy reasoning at best, though. If they'd somehow known he had the sharingan, he'd have delivered it right to them. This realization must have registered on his face.

"Good, you're understanding what I'm getting at." Kakashi said quietly. He looked Naruto in the eyes, trying to convey his point. After a moment, the man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His eye and voice softened. "I'm not going to pretend to know your mind. You probably have your reasons to keep it secret. But that won't last forever. Someday you're going to have to reveal it. You need to prepare for that day, and not act so thoughtlessly with such an important tool in the balance."

Naruto nodded. Kakashi's words struck a chord with him. They reminded him of how his grandfather had taught him to treat his bloodlines.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. It-it's just, after hiding it for so long, I'm worried what Sasuki will think." He said. There, he'd said it. He was surprised how much of a relief he felt at admitting his fears to somebody. Kakashi gave him an understanding nod.

"That's reasonable. Just don't let it paralyze you. We humans have a way of building things up in our minds to make them worse than they are. Now, I'm going to go back inside. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning and I'd like to relax." Kakashi said. His sensei turned to walk back inside but paused with his hand on the sliding wooden door. "By the way, a word of advice. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to hear."

Silence echoed in the wake of the slight thunk from the door closing. Naruto was left to ponder what Kakashi had told him.

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The day passed quickly. After going back inside Naruto had taken some time to visit the library. It wasn't anything amazing. A few wooden shelves filled to the brim with scrolls and books. Some were fairly new, but others were old, very old. Covered in archaic language and yellowed and cracking from age, they stood out in his grandfather's collection. He'd sat in his favorite armchair, big and soft, like sitting on a cloud, and read a book on the history of the Land of Lightning. Reading wasn't something he'd enjoyed at first. It was only after being forced to do it repeatedly–often with an encouraging bonk of his grandfather's cane–that he'd started to appreciate it. Mythology was a special interest. He liked to read through history books and compare it to myths, finding intriguing similarities that made him wonder about the history of their world and what they actually knew.

Naruto had stayed in the library until it was time for lunch–grilled fish Sasuki had caught in a nearby stream. After that he returned to his armchair and went back to his book. There was an intriguing reference to some sort of special sanctuary that always shifted location. Could such a place really exist? Considering the fantastical things jutsu could do, you couldn't rule it out.

In no time it seemed he was going to bed. The next morning he'd gotten up and gone through all his gear to prepare. Making sure he had plenty of kunai ready, checking all his paper bombs, and giving Senbonzakura a proper cleaning and oiling. Technically the sword didn't need it, but he always enjoyed it. Once everything was packed he decided to visit his grandparents graves once more.

The sky stretched overhead bright and clear. A gentle breeze danced through the flowers. He stood before the headstone. Come to think of it, this was where he'd stood just a few months ago when he was about to take his genin exam. 'Heh, maybe it's a sign this is a new beginning.' He thought amusedly. Though deep inside, a more cynical voice whispered. Maybe it was an end, not a beginning. It was ignored rather easily.

"Hello grandfather, grandmother. It's been a while. Things are going … okay. If I'm being honest I'm a bit worried. Things seem to be moving very fast. Every day I feel like I'm closer to a point of no return, and it excites and terrifies me." He said softly. "I've been thinking about what Kakashi-sensei said. If I'm right, the Chunin Exams are coming up. That should be the perfect time to reveal it. Still … I can't help but worry I'll never live up to the legacy you and my parents left."

His hand unconsciously clenched the hilt of Senbonzakura tightly. Even as his worry welled up, he felt a warm pulse from the sword. The familiar presence brushed against his mind. Like a gentle caress. It soothed his worries.

"Heh, that's right. How could I forget, a tiny part of you is still here Grandma. You and grandpa probably think I'm being silly." A smile spread across his face. His grandfather would surely chastise him for putting the weight of the world on his shoulders. His grandmother would probably encourage him if the stories from Madara were anything to go by. Yes, he was being silly. "Thanks, I needed that. Me and my team are headed out now. I'll visit when I can. Goodbye."

Naruto placed his hand on the headstone gently. He froze when his fingers caressed the stone. It was just as his clones had made it, smooth as glass, and gleaming white as snow with grey veins shot through. This was a type of stone called marble, something he'd learned to make from latent minerals in the earth. It occurred naturally but was rather spendy. As his fingers touched the stone, he felt something … off. The chakra wasn't quite right. He could feel his chakra pulsing through the stone. That was expected given his clones made it. But it was diluted. Mixed with someone else's. The second signature was muddied and impossible to identify. His own potent chakra completely masked anything identifying about the other chakra. There was only one conclusion, one that stole his breath and made him feel like an icy hand was squeezing his stomach.

"Somebody deconstructed this and reconstructed it." He concluded. The thought was sobering. Had one of the others discovered the secret? Suddenly his nightmares swam to the front of his mind. Sasuki regarding him with betrayal as she cursed him for hiding his secret. He even imagined Sakura looking at him suspiciously. Naruto shook his head to clear it. Surely if one of the others had discovered it they wouldn't have kept it secret, especially Sasuki. There must be another explanation, something he wasn't considering.

His eyes widened, and he felt like slapping himself at his stupidity. "Wait … Kakashi knows. Maybe he just wanted to check." He smirked and let out a chuckle. 'Heh, time to get going. Still got to re-apply the barrier for this place.' The barrier is what protected this place and kept it pristine and kept others out. It was an invention of his grandfathers, and why he hadn't been worried about putting Madara's full name on his headstone. There was a very long and complex chain of hand seals to bring it down. The only reason he hadn't when they arrived was his clones had already done it.

Without another word Naruto turned and strode away. This mission had been eventful, and there was plenty to think about without inventing new things to worry over. Very quickly the event was pushed from his mind. Very soon he'd forget about it.

Had he bothered to investigate, perhaps he might have been more concerned. If he bothered to look behind the headstone, he may have noticed a clue left by the person who'd moved the false cover. A long, delicate thread of hair the color of cherry blossoms.

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Well I hope you enjoyed that. I know that's a pretty big cliffhanger but it was really the only way to end the chapter and arc. How will Sakura react to learning about Naruto's heritage? Will his secret be out before he can decide whether to reveal it? You'll have to find out when the Uchiha Chronicles returns for the next arc, The Chunin Exams.

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Anyways, that's all for now. I'll see you next for the first chapter of The God of Wind.

Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!