CHAPTER 19
Team 7 entered Konoha's gate. Kotetsu and Izumo were arguing about lunch when they came to register their entry.
"Naruto, you are back", Kotetsu Hagane was enthusiastic.
"It was quiet without you Naruto", Izumo Kamisuki was bored.
Kakashi asked the remaining genins to the hokage tower and told Naruto to catch up.
"Yosh, I am back. Here, this sweet syrup snack is for you foodie Kotetsu-san. This book about Wave country is for you intelligence gatherer Izumo-san. This storage scroll is for both of you. Open this in training ground", Naruto gave them many things. They were good people in Naruto's book and three of them developed some sort of friendship over years. They were always amused by Naruto's pranks and lied that they didn't know where Naruto was to the pursuing ANBU.
Izumo thanked Naruto while Kotetsu reached for the snack. Naruto bid goodbye and caught up to the team.
Inside the hokage tower, Kakashi reported the mission results. Naruto kept silent, Sakura was waiting to go home to sleep in a bed while Sasuke stood proud when Kakashi mentioned he opened the sharinghan.
Kakashi's tone didn't reveal his dissatisfaction with the hokage. He dismissed the team and gave them three days rest. He advised Naruto not to eat ramen and go home straight and wait. Then he set up a privacy seal and he reported about Naruto's demonic chakra leak and his grief over Haku's death. Kakashi asked the hokage to come with him to visit Naruto without his guards. He told that, that way, Naruto would take it as a visit from his jiji rather than the hokage.
Hokage smoked the pipe and agreed. He also knew that this matter needed his immediate attention and left, not knowing he was going for the lion's den. The hokage asked his ANBU squad to stay. He said Kakashi was more than enough for his protection.
'Wait until you know dear Sarutobi-san', Kakashi smirked to himself.
When Kakashi and the hokage entered Naruto's home, the house was in disarray. Naruto was standing with folded hands in the middle of the room with orange jacket off and only a white t-shirt with a fox and orange pants.
"Naruto, what happened here?", Kakashi asked and the hokage was not surprised at the state of the house.
"You should organize your home before going on a mission Naruto-kun", the hokage said. He assumed Naruto never cleaned his house.
Naruto turned to look at him. "Is old age making you senile or your eyes going blind?"
The old hokage was taken aback by Naruto's tone and words. He thought Naruto was reacting badly because of the mission. Before he could advise Naruto further, Kakashi intervened.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto cleaned and organized everything before we left for the mission. I personally witnessed it", Kakashi said.
"Is that so? Don't worry Naruto-kun. I will ask the building owner what happened", the hokage said.
"No need. I am a ninja. I can get justice for myself. I will ask him", Naruto said confidently.
"I will go with you Naruto", Kakashi offered.
"Wait Kakashi. Don't be angry Naruto-kun. I will deal with it myself. Don't make this small issue big", the so called hokage said carelessly.
"Someone breaking into my house is a small issue?! Define small issues hokage-sama", Naruto was still calm.
The hokage-sama rubbed the hokage wrong. Naruto never called him that.
"Don't be angry Naruto-kun. I know you are upset about your friend's death. But anger makes you take rash decisions", the hokage advised.
"You are not my sensei. Stop teaching me and start finding out who did this", Naruto said.
"Don't be disrespectful Naruto-kun. We lose friends in the life of ninja but we should move on. Your friend lost his life to save his precious people. That was a noble thing to do", the hokage shared his wisdom.
Naruto set up a privacy seal and used D-rank wind jutsu to clear the living room. He took out a chair from storage seal which appeared out of thin air in hokage's point of view. He created a clone and sent to the kitchen. He sat down on the chair with his hand on the hand rest, fingers touching his cheek. The other two were standing.
'He is a fan for dramatics', Kakashi was amused.
To say the hokage was shocked would be the understatement of the year. 'When did Naruto learn privacy seals? It looks like he has been using them for years. It is strong too. He can use wind release jutsu? Did Kakashi teach him ignoring our orders? What with Naruto's attitude? He doesn't shout and he doesn't listen and he doesn't 'dattebayo'. What is happening?", he thought and decided to question before the situation get out of control.
"Kakashi, did you teach Naruto all that?", the hokage asked.
"He received me in team 7 in this condition. I hid from him too", Naruto answered.
"Naruto, where did you learn all these jutsus? Were you hiding your strength? I checked in on you. How did you manage to evade that? The question is, why did you hide this Naruto-kun? No one would have called you dead-last if they know you can do that? Come on tell me the truth, Naruto-kun", the hokage asked ignoring the blatant disrespect Naruto is exhibiting. He should let it go if needed to know the important matters.
"I refuse", Naruto said.
"You don't have to be scared of anything Naruto. Just tell him", Kakashi added and smirked.
'Can't hold back your excitement for drama huh, orange book loving copycat?', Naruto thought internally.
"Ok sensei. Since you said. I will tell. But the hokage should lead by example right?", Naruto said that in his cheery voice and switched to serious note for the next part of the sentence, "Then why don't you start telling the truth hokage-sama? Don't be scared. This is a safe place. I cast a genjutsu hiding the house from outside eyes and my clone will warn if something unusual happened".
The hokage became serious. He knew Naruto was playing a game with him but he guessed that it was because Naruto found about his parents because Kakashi said something. He wasn't aware that he was going to be grilled.
"What truth do you want to know Naruto?", the hokage asked.
"Let's start with the simple one, shall we hokage-sama?", Naruto said with a smile and continued.
"Tell me hokage-sama. You said that 'we lose friends in the life of ninja but we should move on. A ninja lose his life to save his precious people. That was a noble thing to do.' Is that what you plan to tell and convince yourself after killing me?", Naruto asked pretending to be thinking.
The hokage's world metaphorically shook.
'He went straight there', Kakashi needed a popcorn.
"What are you talking about Naruto? Who is killing you? What nonsense?", the hokage asked.
"Well, if you aren't comfortable with that you can always tell me about my parents", Naruto asked.
'So this is what it is all about?', the hokage mis-guessed again. It wasn't a wonder considering he had been making bad decisions for long time.
"I didn't tell you for your safety Naruto. Your father had enemies", the hokage answered.
"Show me a seasoned ninja without enemies. Even so, that's the reason not to tell others. Why didn't you tell me? I won't walk into enemy country and announce my lineage. Even a dead-last wouldn't do that. So why?", Naruto asked with curiosity rather than sentimentally.
"I didn't think you can keep this secret. I was trying to protect you. You don't know about many things Naruto. You are just a child. If you said blurted out the truth unknowingly, some people will try to inform the enemies of your lineage", the hokage answered without a guilty conscience. He started with 'you are a child. I am an adult. I know better' card.
'Are you playing your cards with me jiji? I have seen doing this for so long. Don't I know how to defeat with it? Your cards cannot hurt me because I am not your playing your game. You are playing will know in the end', Naruto gave an evil smile internally.
"Kid, if you keep good on your promise and make him flustered and KO him, I will give you a gift", kyubi's hatred for the monkey summoner third hokage was definitely on the top 10 in his list.
'Deal', Naruto replied and continued with the delusional old man.
"But I am keeping my jinjuriki status secret. If I can keep that secret, I could have kept the secret about my parents. Leave the other times, the night Mizuki tried to kill me, we had a talk about the fox. You knew I didn't blow up and handled it perfectly. You could have said it that day", Naruto said.
"I didn't think it would be wise to tell you that your parents did that to you. I didn't want you to hate them. I didn't think you could handle that", the hokage said with guilt seeping out slowly.
"One" /*Bold means kyubi talking*/
"Who couldn't handle? You or me?", Naruto asked.
"It is not entirely my fault. If you had exposed your strength earlier I would have", the hokage started and Kakashi exploded. His next card was 'shifting the blame' card.
"Enough hokage-sama. Don't try to swim out of this one by blaming Naruto", Kakashi started and Naruto stopped him with one hand signing stop.
"Recede your KI Kakashi. It is too early for that", Naruto said and the hokage understood Kakashi was done playing by rules.
"If I exposed my strength earlier slowly when I was accumulating it, your council would stop it by all means. They would have killed me or let me live, made me an ANBU and sent to fatal missions and kill me. No big difference, it was just a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. Now, neither you nor your council cannot do anything. I am already all set. And the blaming game doesn't work on me Professor Hiruzen. Don't preach me. I don't know why people gave you the title of professor when none of your students are reasonably responsible. And have your thought that if you had told me about my parents, I would have worked harder to make them proud and become a dead-last in the first place?"
"Two"
"You didn't tell me because you were scared and you were a fucking coward. Don't give me that village is important bullshit. I know that better than you. If I didn't know, Konoha wouldn't standing now. I would have let the fox take over me and raze Konoha into the ground eight years ago when the villagers attacked me. Yeah, I was four when I knew that I had a demon fox in me. So, don't stand there and talk to me about strength and maturity. I understand 'Will of Fire' better than most of your civilians and your sio called ninjas who attack me. Pray to Kami, I didn't or do not, do anything to Konoha which I am perfectly capable of and have every right to do so", Naruto stressed the last part.
"Three"
These things are new to Kakashi. He never asked things Naruto didn't want to tell. Kakashi knew he had missed lot of things in Naruto's life.
"You have known for that long?", the hokage asked shocked and couldn't imagine how close to Konoha was being destroyed all the times Naruto was attacked.
"I have been a patient person hokage-sama. I am running out of it now. So, talk", Naruto warned.
"What if I refuse?", Hiruzen asked. He might be wrong but he wouldn't give in easily. After all, he was a hokage. He played 'I am a hokage' card.
"I will return the head-band", Naruto said. Kakashi didn't expect that.
Hokage didn't expect Naruto to stop being a ninja. "What about you wanting to be hokage?"
"I will live. I am a survivor after all", Naruto said tilting his head bobbling his head.
"As you know all about the council, you should know that they won't let you resign. They are stronger than you", the hokage said. The hokage played 'you are still weak' card.
'Does he still think things are under his control? These things don't scare Naruto', Kakashi was beginning to see why Konoha became disordered.
"Do you still think I am an loud mouthed idiot who runs around Konoha like a headless chicken? Do you think I wouldn't have thought about all those things before confronting a 'kage'?", Naruto snickered.
"I don't think that. I am just interested to know how will you handle them?", the hokage tested. He played 'leading by the nose' card.
"You have to wait longer if you want to know how strong I am", Naruto dead-panned shattering hokage's hope to test Naruto.
'He is better than I thought", the hokage thought.
"I cannot strong arm them but I can outsmart them", Naruto said.
"How?", the hokage asked.
"I will talk"
"Talk?"
"Yup. If the council try to stop me, I will tell the world about Uchiha massacre. Your dream to use Sasuke will be buried in a grave before it gives birth. I will talk about my lineage. Or, I will go to the fire damiyo. Otherwise, I will cross my headband and join other nations. I will tell Mizukage who I am. I will let Raikage know all these will welcome me red carpet. Also, I will tell all your Konoha ninja clans about your and the council needs. I will tell them you guys can make their clans disappear just like the Uchihas. Uchihas might have been triggering things but whose side the clansmen with children will take, you the murdurers who killed children, or me, the people's hokage, Yondaime's legacy, who had been a victim of the council's and hokage's abuse? I will incite political unrest and make ninja clans question their safety and loyalty in Konoha. Any of these ideas will do. I will divide Konoha to pieces and watch it burn like my heart is while I bask in its warmth", Naruto said vituperously.
"Four"
The hokage couldn't belive the ever smiling kid can say such malicious and bitter things. "I will capture you now before that. What can you do?", the hokage asked leaking KI.
"Try me hokage-sama", Kakashi appeared between Naruto and hokage.
"Are you betraying your village and the hokage, Kakashi?", the hokage asked.
"I am not. I am respecting my hokage, the Yondaime and this Konoha, which abuses their children isn't the village I vowed to protect. I wanted to protect the Konoha, which protected and respected its children, made its orphans hokage like Yondaime. He was an orphan too and I want to protect that kind of Konoha", Kakashi replied.
"If you both stop the fight that you have no intention to continue, I will tell you why capturing me would be a bad idea", Naruto said and a clone came with tea and served him. Kakashi rolled his single eye.
"Do you think I am an idiot? Since you don't know me very well, let me tell you something hokage-sama. I only make threats that I can deliver. Try capturing me hokage-sama and you will suffer. First of all, I am a clone. The original is eating ramen with Iruka sensei. Part of the disguise. Don't think about using my loved ones to blackmail me, if I know how to start a war, I know how to protect them. By the way, there is another hokage in your office right now, my henged clone. Your protection squad didn't doubt because it has kage level chakra. I have more chakra than you because of my bloodline and being a jinjuriki.", Naruto said to the shocked hokage.
"I have protective measures in place. If I get captured, the news that I captured may not reach others but all the other things I mentioned earlier will be delivered to their doorstep. I made necessary precautions already. There will be letters delivered and posters pasted inside and outside Konoha. And you will be glad to know, I made the final arrangements just after I became genin and thank you for sending me out of Konoha with this mission, I made it more solid", Naruto said with a pretentious grateful smile.
"Five"
"You should thank that I taught you how to communicate with trees", the kyubi said proudly.
'Thank you. But I experimented and improved it', Naruto said.
"Genin? This mission?", the hokage glared at Kakashi and he shrugged.
"He doesn't know anything about it. He is a loyal ninja who ignored me as your council advised", Naruto said.
"And I can assure that you can't see, smell or detect my method. It doesn't use chakra. I don't have to send a signal or open my mouth. I am a lynchpin. If you touch me, you will start a war. You, your ninjas, your fucking council and even your ROOT will be destroyed. Konoha's history will end with me", Naruto promised and Kakashi was interested to know about that communication method.
"Six"
"So, all your crazy ideas, for get it. After all, people call you wise. One more piece of advice from your dear Naruto, I never reveal my plans 100% to anyone", Naruto said ambiguously drinking his tea.
"You have other trump cards", Kakashi said and Naruto raised his eybrows in positive.
"I have to say Naruto, you came well prepared. You are more cunning than I thought. But one thing though, you aren't as good as you think you are. If you are, you would have threatened me with all those things about telling the truth to you, not threaten me when I wouldn't tell the truth and the council won't let you resign", the hokage said impressed with Naruto's plan for his age. He played 'you are good but you have a long way to reach me' card.
"These threats are powerful so I will use it for council. I have another thing to make you tell the truth", Naruto said.
"Oh? Let's see if you can", the hokage didn't believe Naruto had any other cards to play. He thought Naruto was bluffing.
Naruto made a hand sign and one side of the wall becomes transparent presenting the village and hokage tower. Another third hokage was standing near hokage office window and talking to a monkey. The monkey started coming towards Naruto's house.
Naruto made another hand sign opening the seal allowing it to come inside.
"Hiruzen, you have a letter. Why there is another one posing as you?", the monkey delivered the letter to the hokage.
"You should take a look", Naruto said.
The hokage ignored the monkey and sent it away. Then he read the letter and his face became ashen.
"You did this?", the hokage said. Naruto didn't bother to reply. He calmly sipped his tea.
"What is in there?", Kakashi asked.
'Well, everything is out of control anyway', the hokage thought and gave the letter to Kakashi.
It was a letter from Fire Damiyo stating that a man came with proofs explaining how the Yondaime's son was still alive and he was a jinjuriki guarding Konoha from his birth. He was angry that the hokage hid an Uzumaki from him. He threatened the hokage to support that kid with whatever he wanted or he might cut off Konoha's funds. That wasn't the worst part, he said that he would retrieve Naruto from Konoha if Naruto said yes.
He asked not to lie further because that man brought with him an object only an Uzumaki could access from with his blood and the only alive Uzumaki in Konoha should be the legacy of red-head Habenero. He condemned him especially stating that kid was a good person giving up all his rights to the Uzumaki property brought by the Damiyo's wife when Ushio got destroyed.
Damiyo's wife was from Ushio and she was cousins with Uzumakis. Also, Naruto captured Damiyo's heart by giving up the money.
Also, this news was credible because it was brought by Itachi Uchiha.
'Naruto got help from Itachi? I know the fire damiyo too. Why didn't he ask me? Kakashi thought to himself.
The letter also stated that after Damiyo heard the news, he confirmed it with Kakashi, Yondaime's student and also sent warriors in disguise to Konoha and confirmed that Naruto was being mistreated.
Is that why suddenly Damiyo sent me a message to Wave asking Naruto's lineage last week?', Kakashi remembered.
The letter ended with him ordering, well, strongly asking the hokage to support Naruto in whichever way he wanted or Konoha would face the consequences.
"Seven"
There was another paper with few words on it.
I warned the council to be away from my brother and Naruto. I didn't say that Naruto was less important of the two and that you could use Sasuke. My warning was forgot and the council will suffer. I burnt all the newly ordered weapons your ninjas were transporting from the seller to the village. Those ninjas might wake up after a week if they were lucky.
"Well played, Naruto", Kakashi approved and coneveniently forgot the next letter. Knowing Itachi, the ninjas must be in genjutsu but nothing fatal.
"This is the least offensive thing I could think of. Other things were explosive", Naruto told him and turned to the hokage.
"So, hokage-sama, let's start from the beginning. Tell me the truth", Naruto said. 'Your card play is over'.
"What do you want to know Naruto?", the hokage said resigned. 'I have no more cards to play. He won. He already knows everything'
"Whatever you want to tell me hokage-sama. Whatever you didn't tell me before but you should have", Naruto said.
The hokage cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Ok. You win. Your father's name is Minato Namikaze, The yellow Flash, Konoha's fourth hokage. Your mother is Kushina Uzumaki, red haired Habenero, Konoha's elite jonin and the previous jinjuriki", the hokage said.
Naruto exhaled rather loudly. He waited for eight years for the hokage to tell him but he had to corner him to get the truth.
"I know that the fox's seal would loosen because your mother would be weak after childbirth. So, I asked your father to keep her pregnancy secret. But after the kyubi disaster, your father asked me to let the village know that you are a hero. I announced you are jinjuriki but hid your lineage to protect you from Iwa-nins. Your father killed thousands of them in the third shinobi war", the hokage said.
"You may hate me for my decisions, I did what I did to protect you", the hokage said like any old generation leader would.
Naruto rose from the chair and asked him sharply walking towards him.
"Protect me? Protect me from what? People trying to hit me, scold me, attack me, kill me and burn me alive? Because I remember, you didn't protect me from any of that. Then what did you protect me from? Your fucking council? You didn't stop them from inciting the civilians and ninjas. It has been twelve years since kyubi and it was a long fucking time for the people to move on. I don't see them at KIA stone or their loved one's graves as much as they visit me. They don't attack me because they miss their dead, loved ones but because they knew they could bully someone whenever bad happened to them. And your council supported it. You didn't protect me from those people. If they are really scared of me, the kyubi, they would have run away. They wouldn't mistreat knew that the kyubi won't attack and the elders won't let it. So, they just unleash their anger. You didn't protect me from them."
"Heck, you knew that my teachers didn't like me. Don't talk about Iruka sensei. I know you asked him to be friendly with me, not because you care but because he is an orphan just like me. He could be easily manipulated because he has no family to fuel his hatred and you made him believe that you are doing this because you care about both of us when in fact, you are just using him to monitor me. If you really cared, you would have warned all the teachers not to mistreat me. Tell me, through your fucking crystal ball, have you never seen them being unfair to me, giving me blunt kunais to mess with my tests, roughing me up in name of taijutsu practice? Haven't you see it? They did it because they knew they could get away with it. Because your council supported them. What were you doing then instead of protecting me?", Naruto wasn't done.
"I was thrown out of orphanage and lived in the streets. If Itachi hadn't told you, you would have never known. You think you are protecting me from Danzo? Tell that story to someone who is insane. If Danzo catches me, the jinjuriki, you will lose advantage over him in terms of military power. That's one of the reasons why you didn't give me to him. That doesn't mean you didn't care. You cared. Just not enough. And also you are scared. If Danzo takes me, you know that Kakashiwill come with a vengeance over Konoha like thunder and lightning. He might have been a depressed ANBU ignoring me but you know that there would be mountain of bodies in Konoha if he ever found out Danzo got me", Naruto said.
"You bet", Kakashi said lightning forming in his hands.
"Not only that, the irresponsible pervert of my godfather would have destroyed Konoha if Danzo had taken me and the enemies would have definitely taken advantage of Konoha at that time. Itachi will slice half of Konoha with his Susanoo if Danzo as much as touch me. Even Shuishi would have taken me and ran away from Konoha if Danzo had captured me. You know all that. You didn't protect me from him, all of them did, just by being alive".
"Eight"
"All other things are my fault. I agree that I should have done more. But I did care, Naruto. Danzo could have taken you, faked your death and trained into a killing machine without anyone knowing and he didn't do it because he is scared of me Naruto. And I would never have let him take you", the tired hokage explained his side.
"That was the second biggest joke I have ever heard. Who said he never tried, huh? Who said that? Do you know why he never captured me? Because he can't put a control seal on a jinjuriki. The kyubi will corrupt any other seals to control his mind and it would break any silent seals. Do you know how I know that information? Do you want to know?", Naruto questioned heatedly and both Kakashi and hokage was scared of the answer.
"Because he fucking did and almost succeeded. That's how!", Naruto said in a harsh tone.
"Naruto, did he try to kidnap you?", Kakashi squandered the courage to ask.
"How would you know if you are always a fool kakashi? How would you know you have been nodding to every fucking thing they said and run away from me?", Naruto scolded Kakashi.
"You want to know Kakashi? You want to know hokage sama? Here let me show you", Naruto said and showed his back lifting his t-shirt. A faded seal size of the tennis ball started glowing and then he turned to look at them. Kakashi felt like a worm in fire with Naruto's questions and his sharinghan eyes automatically activated when Naruto showed the seal. Hokage was outraged at the seal.
"He slapped me with a seal when my four year old self, was admitted in hospital because the villagers attacked me. The kyubi broke the control seal and silent seal he put on me. It required more chakra and my body couldn't handle the chakra output. I lost consciousness and kyubi pulled me inside my mind to keep me sane. That's how I got introduced to the demon. Imagine meeting a demon, who helped you to stay alive, when a man who was respected in your village tried to harm you, at four years old. Shock and terrifed doesn't describe how I felt at that moment. There was no difference between that man and kyubi because both of them tried to control and take over me. At least, kyubi healed me whenever I was hurt. It kept me alive with chakra when I couldn't find food to eat for days. Danzo, he was thoriughly evil."
"The control seal failed and he used the seal you just saw on me. Do you know what this is for? To seal my mental and physical growth part. Why do you think I play dumb and look smallest in my whole batch? Because that's what I will look like with this seal. My father was well taller than Kakashi is now. I look like him, though I can be short. no way I will be the shortest in the batch. But I am. Don't even talk about my intellligence. You know how they with this damn seal, my IQ and growth section of my brain will be affected. It is a seal to control a part of my brain. The kyubi can undo the seal on the control the decision making part of the brain because it's conciousness was higher than anything external other than me. in my body. That's why he tried it when I was still a child. The kyubi can't undo the other seal for physical growth and IQ forcefully, because it will break my body from inside out and I will go insane. I need to have certain physical strength and will of mind to break the seal. So, I have been waiting until now. I broke in partially in this Wave mission.I can't break this seal without using kyubi's chakra. If I break it with my chakra, Danzo would know that I am aware of the seal. This seal would let the seal caster know the instant the seal breaks. But if I use kyubi's chakra, he would believe kyubi's chakra corrupted it like the last one."
"Remember, you said it was my fault that I hid my strength and didn't prove myself mature enough to know my parents? Now you know why. He would have doubted me and gave me greater grief. Who would save me then? You? Kakashi? Jiraya?", Naruto asken in broken voice.
"You may think this seal doesn't sound harmful and I can always train and study later, let me show you", Naruto said and removed the bracelet. He revealed his true form which is taller, bulkier and radiant than the current one.
"See the difference. Now tell me what did you protect me from?"
Hokage was visibly shocked. "You look just like your father!"
"That's why I doubt that you know about this seal from the start", Naruto said looking straight in the hokage's eyes. Kakashi turned to look at him too.
"Naruto, why would you even think that?", the hokage was appalled.
"You are the one who doesn't want me to look like him so no one can find that he is my father. You are scared that I will ask questions about my parents. You are scared that I would ask why I looked like the Yondaime and if you ever manage to find your lost conscience and tell me, you are scared that I would ask for a fair treatment and demand the rights for my parent's things. I may agree to not disclose my parents but I would ask for their things and jutsus and it would cause a headache to you. You can no longer deny me with good reason. You are already having troubles with the council and didn't want me to add to it. That's why you never told me about my parents. You want me to be your dumb bobble head. You needed things to be easy at least on one side and my weaker and orphan self with no one, became your scape goat. That's why I doubt you, a seal master, with the seal on me. My logic makes sense right, hokage-sama?", Naruto asked.
"Naruto, I am sorry I am a coward and took the easy way. You are right about everything but I will never do that to you. You have no reason to trust me but I swear on Konoha and my whole family that I didn't know about that seal. I care about you", the hokage said.
"Please stop saying that. You are careless about me. If you cared, you would have asked hokage's exclusive doctor to cure me, or sent for Tsunade-sama. You should have given me one of the guest rooms in hokage tower to live. Then, this wouldn't have happened. You know, I have to suppress the seal every time to train my body and to learn things. I have to use more chakra than others. It hurt like hundreds of tiny needles plunging into your skin because I had no chakra control when I started. It was like starting your running race with extra 100 kg weight compared to others on your back at four years old. You wonder how they can do better and start to question yourself. Your self confidence and self worth plummets. When I wanted to learn things, a dark door always closed on me and I can't analyse anything. I spent more chakra to overcome it but it made me restless. I was anxious and all my chakra, instead of helping me to grow, made me hyperactive. I couldn't understand why I suddenly became stupid. I didn't know my strength but I could see it was hard to learn things than before. Until I had another trauma and remembered someone draw something on me. Later, other someone explained to me what that seal does and I started to hate my life."
'Thanks for explaining it to me kyubi', Naruto thanked the fox and the fox nodded.
"It was like heavy shackles on me and the fact that someone marked my body with his identity and made me a prisoner in own body made me hate myself for being weak, for letting someone do this to me. Unlike the kyubi seal where I am the jailor, this one was a torture. I was highly paranoid to lose consciousness no matter how hurt, or sleep deeply, for some time, I think I still am. More than the attacks, I was scared that someone would control me in my sleep and make me do something I don't want and I will not be able to get free of this control. This seal gave me such fear. I have never slept peacefully for a night in long time, not until this mission, not until Kakashi decided to watch over me and asked me to let go and that he would watch over me. That is just one of the things I suffered because of the seal. I felt disgusted with myself for being weak and not having control over any aspect of my life. I felt all my choices were taken away and no matter how much I rubbed, I bled or peeled my skin off, I couldn't take that seal off. It took years for me to ignore it and train myself despite it. So you can tell that you care hokage-sama, that you are protecting me, but I won't believe it", Naruto said in a brittle tone fisting his hands. He wasn't yelling and that made it all the worse for the other two.
"Nine", the kyubi's amused tone unti now was grim at the moment.
The hokage and Kakashi both became teary eyed and the hokage was filled with guilt.
"I am sorry Naruto", Kakashi didn't know what else to say. He thought that half of his conversation with Naruto was filled with apologies and he thought it wasn't enough for what he did to Naruto, or didn't do, for that matter.
He understood Itachi was right. 'Words decribe his miserable life senpai', Kakashi remembered. Everytime he thought he understood how bad Naruto's life was it got worse.
"I am really sorry Naruto-kun. I am sorry. I will make this right, I promise", the hokage said wiping his tears.
"Do you really want to make this right hokage-sama?", Naruto asked sitting on the chair back exhausted.
"I do Naruto-kun", he said.
"Then tell me, why did you agree for the council to ignore me? Or why do you want Sasuke to open the sharinghan soon? I believe both have the same answer. Don't even lie about Sasuke. I know you have enough wisdom and experience to see through a drunk civilian asking for protection has hidden dangers. You didn't expect Zabuza level danger but you knew that there was something fishy. You wanted to send team 7, by that I mean Sasuke, to go on a mission with danger which will give more opportunity to open sharinghan. But you didn't expect Zabuza or me to intervene. But he still opened the sharinghan. If he hadn't you would have continuously sent us to tricky missions until he does. There will be no danger for life to the remaining team 7 because Kakashi is an elite jonin who can handle those tricky things. So, the truth is what I want", Naruto said and Kakashi questioningly looked at the hokage.
"Don't be shocked and surprised at everything Kakashi. You know ninjas lie and your hokage is the biggest liar in Konoha. We have established that already", Naruto said.
"You already know the reason", the hokage said.
"A raven with weasel mask crowed something", Naruto said.
"So you know about Akatsuki. The village needs sharinghan to fight them. Don't feel bad Naruto. I have asked Jiraya to train you", the hokage said.
"How? He doesn't stay in the village. When? Before or after the village got sharinghan power? What if they got me when I go on missions before Jiraya trains me? Like the recent Wave mission. What if someone pops up and kidnap me?", Naruto asked done with hokage's useless tactics.
"Jiraya said that we have time", the hokage said
"Time? What if they decide we would least expect it if they attacked now? What if they decide to collect the jinjurikis like stickers in the candy box", Naruto asked.
"Jiraya will get the news", the hokage said squirming. That excuse sounded faint to his own ears.
"Are you 100% sure? If not for Itachi, Jiraya wouldn't even have known to collect information about Akatsuki. You bet in on him?", Naruto asked and the hokage became increasingly nervous and uncomfortable.
'He is squirming. Naruto is making the hokage squirm', Kakashi observed with a silent glee.
'I told you I would make him squirm', Naruto smirked at Kakashi.
'You did', Kakashi gave a mental thumbs-up.
"So, how were you trying to kill me? I had roughed out a plan but I would like to get the details from you so I can see how much I got right?", Naruto said feigning interest.
"Stop Naruto-kun, I didn't plan anything like that", the hokage said.
"Then why didn't you train me to protect myself after you have known I am in danger? Right, I was in danger always. If you were worried, you would have trained me from young age to defend against civilian and ninjas from Konoha and Iwa-nin if they ever found out my legacy. Ah, you didn't believe Iwa would know about my parents because you never planned to reveal it anytime", Naruto said sarcastically.
"I am in wrong for dismissing your education earlier but this time, if I train you suddenly the council will have doubts and know about Akatsuki, Naruto. If they had known, they wouldn't have let you go outside for missions. I was planning to send you away from Konoha with Jiraya for training later", hokage said his part.
"Hokage-sama, Jiraya may be a sanin but the Akatsuki already know that. I don't think he would be single-handedly able to protect Naruto if they set on getting him. They would make necessary precautions. If Naruto is here, at least we can all provide support and protect him with Jiraya together", Kakashi said realising just how close he came to not having the later time he always had allotted for Naruto to focus on Sasuke. If Naruto hadn't knocked him some sense on this mission, he would have never got to know Naruto. He would always have been a stranger and a poor excuse of a sensei to Naruto. Kakashi couldn't know what was worse, Naruto hating him or not knowing him at all.
"He doesn't want to bring the battle with Akatsuki inside Konoha. If the battle happens here, Konoha would suffer serious loss and many ninjas will die. So, he wants to me send me away", Naruto explained and the hokage was silent.
Kakashi was angry, "Are you serious hokage-sama?", that hokage sama held lot less respect than earlier.
"Don't worry Kakashi. It won't happen because he has other plans, the ones that involve Sasuke", Naruto said and continued.
"Hokage-sama, let's say Kakashi is a genin. Kakashi's life is in danger by the threat from Kiri. What would you do? First, you will inform his sensei that his student's life is in danger and ask him to be safe during missions. Next, you will ask him to train Kakashi harder in secret so the spies, if any, will not discover it and the training will make Kakashi, able to protect himself better from danger. You will tell Kakashi, a ninja, that his life is in danger and be extra careful. You will not train Guy sensei, Kakashi's friend to become stronger and knock out Kakashi if he was in danger so that you or his friend, not even his sensei, can deal with danger as you see fit. You will not do that because it doesn't make sense unless you don't care about Kakashi and only care about using Guy sensei to catch the enemies. You will not do that, will you? So, tell me again why didn't you warn Kakashi, my sensei, about the danger I am in and why my teammate is being trained instead of me? Who gave you rights about my life? I may call you jiji but you are not my grandfather. So wanna talk?", Naruto asked with patience.
The hokage was floored by Naruto's reasoning skills and intelligence. He underestimated Naruto by hundred miles.
"Unless Kakashi, you know and lied to me, did you lie Kakashi?", Naruto asked.
"No, I didn't. He fooled me as much as he tried to fool you", Kakashi accused the hokage and glared with one eye.
"What did you think I plan? Since you know all this you might have some guess. Let's hear it", hokage was honestly curious despite his displeasure on being bested by a twelve year old.
"You ask Jiraya to tell me about my seal and key in the name of having extra back-up to fight Akatsuki. You ask Jiraya to take me away and train to channel kyubi's power and slowly loosen the seal. You manipulate Sasuke in the name of revenge for Itachi and make him ANBU after separating him from Kakashi once he becomes chunin. You ask me to come back. This stage is in accordance with Akatsuki's strength. If you know I have the chance with kyubi's power as back up, you will let me live. If the Akatsukis are too strong to win, you will take this time to find another infant and make me go to forest of death away from civilians"
"Put Kakashi and Jiraya together somewhere like pubs, bathhouses or pervert book store where the perverts hang, no offense Kakashi, in a supposed co-incidental meet-up on the selected day. You open my seal, extract kyubi, the demonic chakra alarms these two, when they come, you say that you just arrived and I lost control during practice, they have no time to analyse the situation because kyubi escaped, you ask for their help to reseal kyubi and Sasuke arrives with an infant wo was previously instructed by you, who may or may not be informed of the plan."
"Kakashi and Sasuke uses sharinghan which is lot more powerful than Kakashi's, a non Uchiha's power alone, Jiraya and all of you others use seal and subdue the kyubi and make another innocent unlucky orphan child the next jinjuriki, and you, my hokage after finishing hope to God that all Uzumakis have strong life force and I will only be weak and not die like my mother did and these two idiots will break down and cry over me."
"Konoha will be safe, Akatsukis can't make a move for another ten years, Jiraya will run away from Konoha like always, Kakashi will become depressed and later find out something fishy but it won't matter anyway because I am already dead, you will advise him this is what I would have wanted and I died as a unofficial hokage saving Konoha. If Kakashi accepted, good, if not, send him away on border mission for years away from Konoha like you did last time. How am I faring so far hokage-sama?", Naruto asked.
Kakashi felt lot of things at once, amazed at Naruto's reasoning skills to connect clues and deduct hokage's plans, angry that he was going to be used as a pawn and a fool, happy that Naruto knew that he cared about him. Because he realized today that Naruto didn't believe that anyone cared for him because of their words. He needed actions and somehow Kakashi made Naruto believe that he cared for him enough to seek justice.
"You are right Naruto-kun. I do have a plan more or less like that. But I believe in you Naruto. I believe that you will be able to subdue the kyubi's power", the hokage said.
"Shut up. The last person who said he believed in me, I kicked him in the shin and punched him on the stomach and ended with an uppercut. Interestingly, he was a hokage too. You know him. After all, he is the Yondaime", Naruto said and smirked.
"You kicked him?", Kakashi chuckled. That was like Naruto to kick his hokage father.
"You met your father?", the hokage asked.
"He left a piece of chakra in me to meet me once", Naruto said and the hokage looked at Naruto like that explained everything.
"He didn't train or help Naruto", Kakashi said knowingly and the hokage was even surprised to how Naruto evaded his crystal ball.
"So I have been making a fool myself in front of you for years without telling you of your parents or kyubi", the hokage said.
"Just my little prank", Naruto said proud of himself.
"A little?!", Kakashi said sarcasm dripping in his voice.
"And hokage-sama, refrain from telling Jiraya the truth about everyting that happened in this room. I will tell him myself when I meet him in person", Naruto added.
"I won't. I am sorry I disappointed you every time Naruto-kun. I am sorry I should have done something more, something better, just something. I am done hiding my faults and you didn't give me a chance to keep hiding it anyway. But that is a part of your charm. You always surprise people. I am such a failure in your eyes today. You would be right to see me like that because I failed you. You may not believe it but I do care about you Naruto-kun. I didn't do a great job in prioritising it. I always saw you as my own grandson and treated you like a surrogate grandson", hokage said with a hoarse tone.
"47", Naruto said.
"What Naruto?", Kakashi asked.
"The number of times I died", Naruto said and the remaining two in the room recoiled at that.
"My heart has stopped 47 times since I learned to count because of the attacks on me by your civilians and ninjas. It is not the number of attacks but the number of times by heart stopped because of the attack and kyubi restarted it. After some time, I stopped counting. I don't think you will wait until your grandson died 47 times before you notice. You will know at the first time. You will know if your grandson is homeless for two years. You have a grandson, Konohamaru and I do like him like a younger brother. So, I know how you treat him, how you care about him. It is not the same. I am not even treated like a human much less grandson. So, don't say that I am like your grandson because I am definitely not", Naruto stood in the centre of the room and enunciated the last sentence which emoted his strong dislike for the matter.
"Ten", kyubi was angry that this damned village woulf kill a child for something it wasn't responsible. His host won the game target practice game with bullseye 10/10 but no one was happy at the moment.
Kakashi stood still and didn't react, at all. He was still at the dying 47 times part.
"Naruto, I-", the hokage was teary-eyed.
"Goodbye Hokage-sama. Shunshin to your house so no one will doubt me", Naruto said and removed the shunshin seal from the house.