A/N: Happy Halloween! A shame this chapter isn't too spooky to fit the theme lmao
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Three — Crystalline Flora ~ ?￢ﾜ ?
The candlelit room Ryujin sat in was blessed with a silver glow granted by the starry moonlight. He grabbed a pen from his desk, not even looking to see which he grabbed; he instead paid attention to the lime green envelope that had the outline of grass dashed across it in a darker shade of green.
I haven't written back in two weeks… if I don't get back to her, Aiko might come down here and kill me, he mused to himself.
He reached for a piece of paper—actually looking this time—and set his pen to it. He wrote…
Dear Aiko,
First of all, thank you for your recommendation on Devils of Deep Darkness — you were correct, I did enjoy it. Though, I do not agree with Akari's actions, unlike what you seem to do. I don't think she was in the right, risking all those lives just for a better future; it was a fool's dream. It doesn't work like that in the real world. But that's a topic for another time and I'd be happy to debate you on that later.
Secondly, I'm… sorry it took so long to respond. I haven't been, well, not busy, but… things have changed. I've been, ahem, discharged from my service and am now a Jonin. A Jonin-sensei. No, shut up, I can hear you snickering—stop it! I said stop it!
You done now? Good. Yeah, I wish it was a joke too, but the old man really hates me, apparently. I didn't even do anything this time; I swear! Uh, anyway… I got my team. I actually passed them. Yeah, I know, surprising, right?
He paused, smirking as the next part of his letter came to mind.
They're really not that bad, actually. Definitely not as bad as I thought, actually. But, to be fair, I did get a pretty good team. I think the old geezer did that deliberately. Let me tell you about them; first, we have Gosei Senju. Yup, Yosei Senju's eldest son. Kind of an arrogant brat, but he's got spirit. His heart's in the right place. He's too loud and abrasive, but if we could fix that, he could be a fine shinobi one day.
Next is Kusari Hyuuga, who is… an entire bag of issues herself. But she has potential, if her brother is anything to go by. Neji Hyuuga—remember ol' Hizashi? Yeah, they're his kids—is the rising prodigy of his year group and while Kusari is not quite on his level, she displays talents of her own. She's very… rigid, though. The opposite of Gosei, actually. While he's too emotional, she's too emotionless. But, underneath all that, I can tell she's a good person. She has a gentleness that reminds me of you, actually. It's just going to take some time to nurture that and help her grow out of her shell.
Last is Shinrai Uzumaki—yup, Naruto's brother in all but direct blood. Honestly, he's the least trouble. Ironic, as I thought he was going to give me the most issues, but no, he's rather manageable. Sure, he has his rather… eccentric quirks—I question sometimes if he's Jiraiya's secret lovechild, honestly—but he's a good brat. Definitely has a fine talent for everything physical like all Uzumaki; I'm interested to see what we can do about that.
He's just behind his teammates, though. Which is understandable, considering he was put on a team with the top two students in his class, but it's hurting his morale a bit, as much as he tries to hide it. Hopefully, we can resolve that before long, though. If left alone, that could be a big problem down the line.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the group, actually. They're going to be a lot of work, but I'll manage. Might even do me some good. Maybe I'll finally understand what Minato-sensei and the others meant about "nurturing the next generation" and "passing on the Will of Fire" or whatever. I doubt it, but hey, I can dream, right?
But yeah, that's pretty much all that's been happening in my end. Or, well, all that I can talk about at least.
How are you, though? Judging from your last letter, your dad… Did he get better? Is he getting better? I'm not sure, but if you really need me to, I can try to find some old contacts in Grass from the war and call in a few favors; it shouldn't be too hard to find a quality medic-nin. Just send the word and I'll start searching right away.
Speaking of…. How is it in Grass? I have been… staying away from the politics of the matters for a while now—too busy completing missions and you know politics were never my thing—but even I've heard some… rumors of sorts. Is everything all right?
If… If you ever need anything, or there's trouble, just let me know as quickly as you can. I'll be there in a flash—very few shinobi can match me in speed, nowadays.
Ahem, apologies for being the sudden mood drop. I'm sure it's nothing but, just in case, you know? Regardless, I've rambled long enough—hopefully, it makes up for how long it took for me to write.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Ryu
He set down his pen with a sigh, rereading the letter to streamline it, fix any grammatical errors. A writer's habit, it seemed. He did it , once more. Each reread took longer than the last. His small smile shrunk to non-existence by the last time. Once he finished lingering, he packaged the letter in the envelope, put the Land of Fire's stamp on it, then placed it in his mailbox for the postal system to take care of the rest.
He sighed, snapping his fingers and extinguishing the candles in his house. The silver moonlight exposed him like a spotlight. Ryujin closed the curtains and all that was left was darkness.
Only darkness…
Barely even himself.
The letter he wrote for Aiko was out of his grasp. She would write back soon enough. He knew it. She always wrote back. She was always the light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how small it was…
Ryujin turned his back and rolled into his bed. Even with the curtains closed, an ounce of moonlight peeked through.
He stared at it until he drifted to sleep.
—⊱✿⊰—
"No, you better eat that fucking breakfast," Shinrai ordered, glaring at his brother with his silhouette looking like a ghoul in the apartment as Naruto was blinded by the moonlight.
"But Kakashi-sensei told me not to—"
"FUCK WHAT KAKASHI SAID! EAT!"
"BUT HE SAID I'LL VOMIT—!"
"HE'S LYING! Never trust a word a Jonin says."
Naruto sighed in defeat and exasperation. "Fine. But if I vomit tomorrow, then it's your ass, believe it!"
"Trust me bro," Shinrai pleaded. "Those damn Jonin are deceivers, liars, evil, sadistic people," he explained, gaining a bewildered look from his brother.
Naruto looked at his brother. "What did Papa Ryu do to you?"
"He fucked up my chances of romance and he went down heavily on my teammate's clan, all to make sure we weren't totally ready for the exam, where he had us try to KILL EACH OTHER for the position of his only pupil. When my other teammate had us gang up against him, he changed the rules and made us have to fight him," Shinrai claimed dramatically, looking Naruto in the eyes the entire time.
Naruto blinked. "Damn bro—"
"Exactly," Shinrai affirmed with a nod.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I remember Papa Ryu being really nice though…?"
"Well, your memory is known to be ass."
"HEY! I'm being for real, man!"
"If you say so," Shinrai dismissed with a shrug.
Naruto sighed, gaining a more pensive expression. "Well, about him... did he say anything about the Kyuubi?"
"Nah," Shinrai denied. "He did force a really fucking scary and malicious chakra onto us before we even saw his face, so I'd think that it is the Kyuubi. I don't think Mizuki lied about that."
"Then why didn't he say anything? Was he only nice to me for the job? What if he just hates me like everyone else does…"
"Y'know, I'll ask him about you next time I see him," Shinrai assured, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Naruto let out a small smile. "Thanks, but I can't help but be bothered by it. It would've been nice to know why everyone hated me and why bad shit happens around me all the time."
"Understandable," Shinrai sympathized. "If I'm being honest, I really doubt he hates you, since he's going through the same thing as you."
Naruto sighed. "I hope so…"
—⊱✿⊰—
The pale moonlight dyed Kusari's face with silver white through the window on her sleepless night. '...And putting a prison seal on the forehead of every Branch Member is also a grand tradition of the Hyuuga, dontcha think?'
Why can't I get his words out of my head?! He's not Hyuuga, he cann't understand… yet that one sentence is so potent. Kusari clenched her fist; she still vividly remembered the glacial cold that froze her blood the moment he said that.
She brought a hand to her forehead, touching the cursed seal that marked every single Branch Member with inferiority, servitude, and expendability. It was always something she accepted; it was simply the unavoidable truth of her existence.
But Ryujin-sensei's words stirred something in her mind. She always chastised her brother for loathing the seal. It was there, and it was part of him. To hate it would be pointless—but now she seemed to have finally seen his point. What did this mark on her forehead truly stand for?
Kusari sighed. What would mother think? As much as she spoke to her memorabilia on the shrine, she never got the chance to talk to her. She died the moment she was born, and she was barely old enough to remember the stories that father told of her… and he was dead as well.
Neji would probably approve of her newfound distaste. He would tell her how he told her so. He was such a hypocrite at times, he always enforced accepting your destiny while loathing and fighting against his own at every turn. She wondered which side would take prominence if he told him about the possibility of branching out into non-Hyuuga techniques.
That was a detail she chose to omit when recounting the events of her first day of being a Shinobi. She didn't want to deal with his reaction. Whatever it may have been, it wasn't worth the effort. She was already exhausted.
She rolled over, putting her back to the moonlight as she sighed once again. She hated how one simple sentence had her overthinking her entire life. Overthinking… yes. I was simply overthinking this. I am a Branch Member, and I accept that as well as her duty to serve the Main Branch.
I am Kusari Hyuuga of the Branch Family. Nothing could change that.
That was… what she told herself, after all.
—⊱✿⊰—
"Fire Release: Summer Sun Shower!" Natsuyo yelled, spewing dozens of raindrop shaped fireballs out of her mouth.
Gosei leapt backward, weaving hand seals of his own. "Water Release: Lakeland Rush!" he shouted, extinguishing the flames and sending the water flooding toward Natsuyo.
She cursed, putting her arms up to guard against the Jutsu, only for it to prove useless as she was knocked back, slamming against one of the many trees that bordered the Senju training field.
Suddenly, a kunai struck the bark right next to her neck. Gosei chuckled, shaking his head as Natsuyo frowned. "You're not gonna beat me, little sister."
"Yeah, not today won't!" She declared, ripping the kunai from beside her and hurling it at Gosei. His eyes widened as he dodged the kunai and left it to embed itself in the wood at the opposing half of the field.
She laughed. "I caught you off guard!" she pointed out, directing a finger at her brother.
"You did…" he admitted reluctantly. "You're getting better, I admit."
Natsuyo scoffed, walking toward her brother. "You don't have to tell me that."
"Aw, does your big brother's encouragement mean nothing to you?" Gosei asked in mock hurt.
Natsuyo did a complete one-eighty. "Wait—yeah, it does a lot!"
"That's what I thought," Gosei said, laughing as he walked out of the training field with Natsuyo in tow.
She huffed with crossed arms, not saying a word.
"Stop pouting," Gosei ordered. "It's not befitting of a Senju."
Natsuyo raised her brow. "Then you're the most unbefitting Senju here. You're like dad when it comes to pouting. You throw hissy fits all the time!"
"Hey!" Gosei shouted in protest. "I do not. It's righteous rage."
Natsuyo gave her brother a deadpan look. "This is exactly why I'm going to surpass you one day."
"Keep dreaming, little sister," Gosei teased dismissively.
Natsuyo smirked. "Then you keep dreaming about becoming Hokage."
"That's my destiny, not my dream."
Natsuyo stepped in front of her brother. "Then it is my destiny to surpass you."
"Then our destinies are in conflict. The Hokage needs to be the strongest Shinobi in the village." Gosei narrowed his eyes on his sister.
Natsuyo let out a haughty laugh. "Then we'll have a battle of destiny. May the more worthy Senju reign victorious."
"Don't be disappointed when you lose," Gosei said, without a hint of competitive spirit. He said it almost as a piece of advice to her.
Natsuyo's smile faltered. "Okay then, I'll graduate early. You exited the Academy at age twelve. I'll do it at eleven."
"You do realize that early graduations only happen during wartime or when there is a prodigy of unprecedented level. The last to do it was Itachi Uchiha, and he was strong enough to slaughter an entire clan at the age of thirteen."
Natsuyo's expression burned with determination as the sun beamed down on her. "Then I'll be a prodigy of that level."
"...I'm happy to see your drive is strong. Any strong Shinobi has a drive to get them where they are. You'll be a powerful Kunoichi," Gosei assured, a smile clear on his face.
Natsuyo did not smile back. "I know. Expect me to be a Genin soon," she declared, before walking back to the training arena. "I'm gonna do some more training."
"Alright, have a good time, Natsuyo," Gosei said as he walked off, his back facing the plume of flames that his sister ignited behind him.
—⊱✿⊰—
Team 5 met once again, in the exact same training field where they performed their Genin Exam. Shinrai stood beside Gosei on the left, kind of distant from his teammates.
Gosei stood in the center, giving one hundred percent of his focus to his sensei in front of him. Kusari stood on the right, avoiding eye contact with her sensei, and standing closer to Gosei than Shinrai did.
Ryujin stood in front of his students, inspecting them all with a neutral eye. "Hello, you three. I hope you had a good sleep, because you'll be expending a lot of energy today."
Kusari groaned.
"Aww, did someone have a bad sleep?" Ryujin teased.
Kusari finally looked at him. "I did."
"Well, that's unfortunate for you," Ryujin said, before clearing his throat. "Today, we'll be focused on training since at the current moment, all of you are pretty bad at this whole ninja thing. Well, it's hard to blame you since it's only your second day; but I'm blaming you, anyway.
"After I train you all into the ground, we'll be going on D-Ranks until sundown and then you'll all be free. Then we'll do it again the next day, and then the next, then you'll have the weekends off since I refuse to deal with children seven days a week. Sounds good?"
Shinrai nodded. "Yes, sir!"
"Okay, Kusari and Gosei, you two will be getting a clone and Shinrai, you'll be getting the real me since you suck the most," Ryujin explained before crossing his fingers.
Two Ryujins appeared out of a cloud of smoke. "Come, children," they commanded, and Kusari and Gosei each followed their respective clone, leaving Shinrai and Ryujin alone.
"Hey, hey, before we start, I have a couple of questions for you," Shinrai informed.
Ryujin sighed. "Okay, make it quick."
"Alright, you have the Kyuubi, right? You're its Jinhooicky…?"
"Jinchuriki and yes, I am. Why do you ask?"
"Because Naruto wants to know why you didn't tell him he also… has the Kyuubi? How does that even work—?"
Ryujin metaphorically spat out his drink. "He knows?!"
"Yeah, like a week ago, when he failed the academy exam, Mizuki manipulated him and told him and he ended up graduating because of Iruka-sensei and yeah, but that's not important—"
Ryujin nodded, defying Shinrai's words. "Oh yes, it is very important. You do know that talking about this is a crime?"
"What?!" Shinrai spattered. "What the fuck?! I am so confused—"
Ryujin sighed. "I'll talk to Naruto. Just don't worry about it."
"Oh no, I'm worrying. This is my brother we're talking about," Shinrai declared. "I'll know what he knows."
Ryujin shook his head. "We'll deal with this later. For now, just know that Naruto wasn't supposed to know that he had the Kyuubi, and that's why I didn't tell him. It's a very complicated situation."
"Mmm… alright. So I can take it that you don't hate him?"
Ryujin scoffed. "Of course not."
"Good to hear!" Shinrai cheered. "Now about that training…"
Ryujin dug in his pocket. "Yes, yes…" he mumbled before pulling out a small square piece of paper and handing it to Shinrai. "Channel your chakra into this."
Shinrai did as he said, and the paper immediately burst into flames. "Fire!" he exclaimed as his face lit up.
"Astute observation. That right there is your chakra nature. You're lucky to have me as a sensei then; I just so happen to be the number one Fire Style user in the village," Ryujin stated with a smirk of pride.
Shinrai grinned. "That's awesome!"
"Indeed, it is. Do you know how to tree walk?"
Shinrai paused. "Uhh, I can climb trees pretty well…"
"Okay, so that's a no. Before we even touch Fire Style, we'll have to give you proper control over that massive chakra pool of yours," Ryujin said, beginning to walk over to the forest.
Shinrai gasped in outrage. "Then why did you even show me my chakra nature?!"
"Motivation. Come on now, we don't have all day," Ryujin answered, waving his hand for Shinrai to walk over.
Shinrai sprinted ahead of his sensei and into the forest. "I'll be shooting out fireballs by the end of the week!"
Ryujin laughed. "We shall see."
—⊱✿⊰—
Gosei stood, looking at his sensei intently with a thoughtful—even offended—look on his face, as the sensei in question nonchalantly leaned against a tree.
"My emotions…?" Gosei questioned with a raised brow.
Ryujin nodded. "Yes, your emotions. To be honest, you might as well be bordering on Chunin tier in most of your Shinobi skills, so I won't really be focusing on teaching you anything regarding that.
"But you do need to focus on keeping your cool under pressure. I can take it that you haven't really been challenged before fighting me, correct?"
Gosei shrugged. "Kind of? I sparred with my mother from time to time."
"Yeah, of course, but in regard to me, though. You see me as beneath you since I don't belong to a clan, correct?"
Gosei narrowed his eyes. "Correct…"
"Yet, I was not only able to completely dominate you in combat, I was also able to challenge your ideology of clan superiority. That, combined with my expert skills of antagonization, you completely lost your cool, and had to rely on your teammates to clear your head to form a proper strategy."
Gosei grumbled, looking away from his sensei with a huff.
"So, today we'll make sure you can get those wild emotions of yours under check," he said before snapping his fingers and disappearing into flames.
"Wait, what am I doing?!" Gosei questioned, grabbing at the flaming remnants of Ryujin. "Dammit," he cursed.
A boy laughed. Gosei looked over to the boy with a raised brow. "Who the hell are you?"
"The Senju killer," the boy declared through his sadistic laughter.
Gosei narrowed his eyes. "Don't toy with me," he spat, analyzing the boy. He looked.. eerily similar to his sensei, only… younger.
"What type of trick is this?" Gosei questioned, looking around. Taking his eyes off the boy proved to be a mistake. He was flung through the field by a punch to the face.
Gosei growled, wiping the blood from his nose only to have it alongside his hand crushed by a kick. "DAMN YOU!" Gosei yelled, punching to where the boy was only to find his fist being caught by him.
"Your Senju blood means nothing," the boy jeered with a manic grin. The boy ignited Gosei's arm. He screamed in agony as the flames incinerated his nerves and turned his fingers to ash.
Gosei huffed and puffed with deep and furious breaths. "YOU BASTARD!" He pulled out a kunai and charged the boy with his undamaged hand.
The boy effortlessly dodged and weaved every single strike that Gosei laid upon him with a smile. "Is this really what the child prodigy of the Senju amounts to?"
"SHUT UP!" Gosei roared. He jabbed at the boy. He shattered the kunai with a chop.
The boy chuckled as he gazed upon Gosei's detested and broken expression. "If killing you is this easy, then your siblings are gonna be indescribably easy to kill."
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM YOU BASTARD!" Gosei roared, attempting to weave half seals. "Earth Release: Bedrock Explosion!" he screamed, only for the earth below him to crack as the chakra in his arm exploded, leaving both of them unusable.
Gosei fell to the floor, growling in searing pain as he looked up at the boy. "YOU—!"
His shout was interrupted by a kunai to the head. He closed his eyes… dead. Only to wake up, his burned arm back to normal, his nose entirely intact, and yet his other arm was still fried from the failed half-seal jutsu.
"The hell…" he mumbled, looking at his surroundings. He saw the boy again, laughing the exact same laugh he did when he first appeared.
The boy gleamed. "Hello, Senju."
"YOU!" Gosei screamed as he leapt to his feet with a kunai in hand. "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK MY CLAN'S NAME AGAIN!"
He laughed. "Senju. Senju. Senju! Senju!"
Gosei growled, his blood boiling over as he darted over to the boy. He slashed at his neck with his kunai. The boy simply exploded into flames that burned Gosei. He screamed as his entire body blackened and smoldered beneath the immense heat. After a couple minutes, the world went black again.
Gosei awoke once again, completely unharmed aside from his aching left arm. "HIYENZO!" Gosei shouted, shaking the forest. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"
"You forgot 'sensei,'" the boy corrected, twirling a kunai on his finger beside Gosei.
Gosei drove a fist into the boy, only for said fist to be sliced off by the boy's kunai. Gosei screamed before being kicked in the throat. The boy dragged Gosei across the field by his hair.
The boy stomped on Gosei, driving his foot into his chest. Gosei attempted to cough, but only wheezed as all the air in his lungs was squeezed out by the boy's foot. "What… do you… want…?" Gosei struggled to say.
"To disgrace the Senju lineage. I'm doing a pretty good job, dontcha think?" the boy asked rhetorically, earning a scowl from Gosei. "I'd like to let you know that I'm not from a clan at all. Yet I'm your age and beating the living shit out of you."
Gosei grit his teeth. "How…?"
"Because I actually experienced life. Tell me, have you ever lost anyone you cared about?"
Gosei managed a smirk. "Nah… because I'm around… people strong enough to protect them… unlike you."
"Funny you should say that…" he said, pressing harder on Gosei's chest. "Because… what if someone stronger comes around? Someone like me?"
Gosei chuckled. "Don't… make me laugh."
"Then what's that?" The boy asked, pointing over to his left.
Gosei looked to his left; his heart dropped into a pit of ice. There he saw the smoldering dead body of his mother.
"NO!" Gosei roared, straining against the boy's foot as he laughed. "This isn't real, this isn't real!" Gosei shouted frantically.
The boy laughed. "Correct!"
"WHAT?! Wait… this isn't real…" Gosei mumbled. "Damn you, Hiyenzo," he muttered as he stood, and formed a half seal with the hand that seemed to be cut off. "Release."
The boy faded alongside his mother's body, and all the damage he took and the pain he felt disappeared… aside from that aching left arm. "So, what I did there was real…" he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he looked back to the sound of slow clapping behind him.
"You only died twice. You did better than I expected!" Ryujin applauded only half sarcastically.
Gosei scoffed. "It's easy to see fiction when you show something as outlandish as my mother dead at the hands of someone my age."
"So, that's what the Genjutsu showed? Interesting…" Ryujin mumbled.
Gosei raised his brow. "What?"
"Oh, I wasn't directly controlling what was shown in the Genjutsu. You had more control of what went on in the Genjutsu than I did. It's a technique called 'Demons of Within,' where the caster simply allows the strife and misbeliefs of the casted to manifest in the constructed reality of the Genjutsu," Ryujin explained.
Gosei clenched his fist. "I see…"
"Is there something wrong?" Ryujin asked.
Gosei grunted. "So, I was basically doing all that to myself?"
"...Pretty much," Ryujin answered.
Gosei looked at his sensei with an expression hardened by determination. "Put me back under."
"Okay, just know I'm going to make it harder to break out since you know it's a Genjutsu," Ryujin informed, before disappearing into flames.
Gosei took a deep breath and looked behind him, seeing that boy grinning at him once again. This is gonna be a long day…
—⊱✿⊰—
Kusari gave her sensei a dry—almost resentful—look as they walked off. With him right in front of her, his words regarding her clan rang in her head like a thousand bells. Ryujin looked back at her with his brow raised.
"Is something the matter? I can't have my favorite student in a bad mood…" Ryujin asked.
Kusari shook her head. "No…" she mumbled, looking away from her sensei.
"If you say so," he said with a whistle as he stopped. He turned toward Kusari with a small piece of paper in his hand. "Channel your chakra into this."
Kusari took the paper, and did as her sensei commanded. The paper crumpled in her hand. "Lightning Style," she noted. "I don't see how this'll be useful…"
"What do you mean?" Ryujin questioned.
Kusari handed him the crumpled paper. "I don't need to use a change in chakra nature. I'm a Hyuuga; all I need are the techniques of my clan," she explained, internally cursing herself for the shred of doubt that ripped apart her words.
"Uh huh…" Ryujin said with a slow nod. "Now, what happens if a Earth Style user such as myself were to shoot a bombardment of stone at you right now? How would you counter it?"
"An Eight Trigrams: Rotation is the near unstoppable defense of the Hyuuga," Kusari answered.
Ryujin tilted his head. "Okay, I'll give you that. But, now would you rather have the earth be knocked against your rotation so it can be used against you later, or would you rather completely nullify the earth with Lightning Style?"
"Are you saying a standard lightning jutsu is superior to the Rotation?" Kusari asked with a raised brow.
Ryujin shook his head. "In certain circumstances, yes; not that the Rotation is by any means a subpar jutsu. But you are severely limiting yourself by confining yourself in the sphere of Hyuuga technique."
"But the Hyuuga have thrived like this for centuries. What reason is there to change?" Kusari argued.
Ryujin chuckled. "You can change to be better."
"I don't need to be exceptional. I'm comfortable in my own lane," she declared, internally adding that she'd be disgraced from her clan if she were to go down such a path.
He looked her in the eyes, and Kusari gave a stoic stare in return. "You already are exceptional. But if you do this, you can be even more so."
"I don't wish to be," Kusari replied with a sigh.
Ryujin shrugged. "Alright. If that's what you want. Good luck with those palm techniques of yours," he conceded, before dispersing into a cloud of smoke.
Kusari let out a breath. Thankfully, that's done and over with. She activated her Byakugan and walked up to a nearby tree, crouching down into her Juken stance. With the peace of knowing that her sensei gave up on trying to steer her away from her clan, she struck the tree with strike after strike, each sharper than the last.
—⊱✿⊰—
Hours later, three exhausted Genin looked upon the looming plot of land. It was dusted a pale brown with spots of gray slabs, ebony wood, and people of many colors of clothes, hair, and skin tone.
Shinrai pouted, his chakra and energy was drained, with his legs having the structural integrity of two twigs. "Ryu, we've been training all day. Can't we do something more… calm? Painting a building sounds fun."
"I agree," Kusari affirmed with a woozy nod. Her eyes ached from use of her Byakugan for hours straight. Her palms were numb from the constant chakra flowing in and out due to the Juken.
Gosei huffed, physically unaffected aside from his still aching arm, but as seen in his formerly emerald eyes—which now resembled a faded shamrock—his mind was drained. "If we're to go on a mission, I'd rather a C-Rank at least."
"Laughable," Ryujin stated with the enthusiasm of stone brick."You've only been a Genin for what? A day and a half? You're not prepared. Now all of you stop complaining and let's go help in this construction site, shall we?"
Shinrai chuckled. "You'll be doing the heavy lifting since you're our sensei, right?"
This time, Ryujin actually laughed. "If you keep up this level of comedy, then you might actually become my favorite."
Shinrai looked conflicted, dejected from the fact that he would be doing work, yet happy due to the praise from Ryujin. He placed a hand on his chin, silencing himself into his thoughts.
Ryujin looked toward the construction site, narrowing his analytical eye in search of tasks to delegate. "Okay, Shinrai, you go over there to the incomplete building. Kusari, you go to where all the slabs are. Gosei, you go to the dogs."
"Dogs?" Gosei questioned. "I'm not helping with the construction?" he managed, looking at Ryujin with a drained stare.
Ryujin almost felt sympathy for him. This was a feeling he knew all too well. However, the key word was almost. "If you are here, and you're doing something, then you're helping. Now go on, I have a book I've been meaning to read."
"...Alright," Gosei mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trailing behind his teammates.
—⊱✿⊰—
Shinrai stifled a yawn as he dragged his legs over the dusty construction site ground. He looked up at the wall, and a teen girl in a gray uniform looked down at him. "Ah! You must be the Genin that came to help!" she said with a bright smile.
"Oh—uh," Shinrai stammered, constructing his composure and smiling back. "Yeah! I am! How may I serve you?" Shinrai asked. His blood ran cold. 'How may I serve you?' What the fuck is wrong with you?!
She laughed. "I need help bringing those supplies down here," she said, pointing down to the bricks, mortar, and other related materials. "Up here," she said next, pointing to herself. "I heard Shinobi can walk on walls and stuff, so you can help with that, right?"
"Of course!" Shinrai assured, not believing that sentiment at all. Fuck, I only started training on this today. Why did I say yes?! Fuck this shit… I'm gonna embarrass myself in front of a cute girl… but it's not like you're ever gonna see her again, so why does it matter?! But like… fuckfuckfuck—
She waved down at him. "Hey… Mr. Shinobi, sir?" she called.
"Yeah! I'm coming!" Shinrai broke from his thoughts and walked toward the supplies without thinking. She has faith in me… SO I MUST HAVE FAITH IN MYSELF!
Shinrai furrowed his brow. Wait—is this the first time a girl ever believed in me… He paused. Oh shit it is—
Shinrai looked up at her as he gathered some bricks. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Asa! What about you?"
He grinned. "Shinrai!"
"Well, nice to meet you, Shinobi Shinrai!" she called back with a salute.
His pride swelled at the nickname. I swear every civilian is gonna call me that now. Shinobi Shinrai picked up the bricks, and placed his foot on the wall, sending chakra into it as he felt himself stick. I can do this, he affirmed to himself.
He placed the other foot on the wall and did the same. Gravity's pull shifted, and he strained as the weight of the bricks was placed fully on his chest. Yet… he was still standing.
That was one figurative step done, now he had about seven literal steps until he was actually done. Three, two… one, he counted before stepping up, then doing it again, and again… and then he made it to the top. He handed the bricks to Asa with a smile.
"Man, I can't help but admire Shinobi and all the cool things that they can do. I could never…" she expressed with a chuckle.
Shinrai laughed, feeling his pride swell even more. "You should become one, then!"
"Yeah, no… it's not for me," she declined. "Construction work is better for me."
He nodded. "Understandable, it is a lot," he said as the last of the bricks were handed to Asa. Once they were, he leapt down from the wall, back to the bottom. Fucking shit bro, I actually did it.
His eyes drifted to the quite large pile of materials that he would have to do the exact same thing to. Ryu… you're an evil genius. He managed to figure out that this was a ploy to continue his chakra control training, whether he factored in the cute girl for motivation, he couldn't say for sure. Maybe Ryu had a secret Kyuubi-Byakugan or something…
He shook his head. It didn't matter, he'd have to complete his mission. He repeated the process multiple times, counting his lucky stars each time he didn't fall on his ass. However, it was getting to the point where he was doing this chakra control exercise for almost eight hours straight, and even his reserves were starting to waver.
He was halfway up the wall, sweating from exertion and anxiety. After this, he had two more trips. He was too far in to give up now. Asa believes in me… and I proved that her belief was not misplaced, and I will continue to prove that!
He pushed more chakra into his feet to keep himself on the wall. However, it proved to be too much chakra. Shinrai launched himself off the wall, and he flew into the ground like a cannonball. The equipment he held rained on him like hail as he groaned from the pain. "Fuck…"
"Are you okay?!" Asa called, leaning over as she looked down at him with a concerned gaze.
Shinrai stuck out a thumbs up. "I am!" he declared, standing up. "This did not happen!"
"Okay…" Asa mumbled. "Be careful."
Shinrai stood once again. His previously swelled pride was shattered and shrunken. He gulped as he looked at the wall. If his legs were twigs before, now they're frozen blades of grass. His arms and his core were sore from supporting the weight of bricks and other equipment against the force of gravity, and now his head was rattled from being knocked up against the ground.
He chuckled. As if humiliation and pain would stop him. He put his foot against the wall, stronger than originally, but not strong enough to launch him off the wall. He did the same with the other one, and he walked up to Asa and handed her what she needed.
"See! Just a little slip-up!" Shinrai assured with an affirming smile.
Asa smiled back. "Yeah, I see. You're pretty cool, Shinrai."
"Huh?" he questioned.
She raised her brow. "I said you're cool! I admire your determination."
"T-thank you!" Shinrai stammered, smiling in disbelief. He was complimented… by a girl—a cute girl. As far as he was concerned, this was the best day of his life. He thought to himself, all smiling and giddy, and then he found himself in freefall.
He quickly reacted as to not fall on his ass again, landing on his feet, and ready for the next two trips he had to make. He grinned up at Asa, and she smiled back.
—⊱✿⊰—
Kusari narrowed her eyes. Her objective was to move slabs… simple enough. That was until she considered the fact that the slabs were twice her size in every dimension. It was obvious at a glance that she would not be able to make them budge, even if she used all the chakra she had left to enhance her strength.
She had a powerful body for a member of the Hyuuga Clan; did her sensei know this and used this challenge to test her limits? If so… then he greatly overestimated her. However, her pride wouldn't let her give up so readily. She was a Hyuuga, and she would find a way around this obstacle.
Kusari winced as she forced her aching eyes into the Byakugan with a hand seal. She saw no weak points in the slab… it was just a rock—just a wall, just something in her way. She sighed, releasing the strain of the Byakugan, much to the relief of her eyes. She got into a pushing position and grunted as she pushed against the wall with her numb palms.
She sent the chakra pulse of the Juken to her hands and attempted to push the rock, but only cracked it in the process.
"Hey! Be careful!" scolded the old man watching over her.
Kusari didn't even look his way. "I apologize," she said flatly, out of habit more than any actual remorse. She felt her body tighten with heat as she glared at the slab. She placed her hands on the rock and pushed again, without the aid of the Juken, and she felt the soles of her feet dig into the dirt below.
The sensation of the rocky dirt entering the open toes of her sandals and scratching against her feet pained her like nails on a chalkboard. The beating evening sun baked her as sweat made streams in her dust-caked skin. She paused, letting out one long, deep breath.
The attention brought to her feet by the rocks and dust gave her an idea. Instead of pushing the Juken through her hands like she would traditionally, how about her feet instead? She ejected chakra through her feet with Juken technique, pushing against the rock as she didn't budge, but neither did the rock.
She stopped again, looking down and wincing as sweat dripping into her already aching eyes, causing them to sear. She wiped them clean with her jacket sleeve and grumbled. She managed to equal out her force with the rock; it was progress, but it wasn't enough.
She slammed her hands against the rock and summoned all the chakra she could, channeling the Juken to both her hands and feet and pushing with the full force of her body and chakra. The results caused half of the slab in front of her to crumble into dust.
"HEY!" the old man screamed, jumping from his chair standing in front of the rock. "You know what, get out of here and do something else! You're only causing trouble."
Kusari turned her back and left, not saying a word as her blood boiled over and her insides seemed to strangle themselves. Why the hell had her sensei told her to do this?! This was obviously something that her skill set wouldn't be suited for—
Oh. That's why he did it. Kusari paused, clenching her fists. She took a deep, long breath and released her fists, relaxing herself. This time, she was going to pick a task for herself, and it was going to be something that was relaxing and in her skill set.
She sighed. Ryujin-sensei might prove to be more frustrating than Neji.
—⊱✿⊰—
Gosei sat looking at the dogs barking him with dead eyes. "Listen, I just need you all to shut up so I can rest, please."
The dogs continued barking.
Gosei clenched his fists, his rage lighting his eyes as he shouted, "SHUT UP!"
The dogs stopped.
Gosei released his fists and let out a breath. "Thank you."
The dogs barked even louder. Gosei let out a dejected sigh before taking in a breath to yell at the dogs again. "YOU—!"
"Yelling at them isn't going to get you anywhere."
Gosei paused, looking back at the source of the voice. "Kusari? What are you doing here?"
She walked up beside Gosei and looked at the rambunctious canines. "I got shoo'ed away from my task because I broke something."
"What did you break?"
"A rock," she answered before crouching in front of the dogs, petting them all and gaining their attention. "It's okay, I just need you to be quiet for me, can you do that?" she asked with a voice which was soft and comforting, yet stable and commanding.
Some dogs quieted down, while others barked in protest.
"How are you doing this?" Gosei questioned, looking between her and his open palms, his eyes shrouded with doubt.
Kusari stood, a small smile clear on her face. "I had a friend whose family ran a vet. I used to help there from time to time. We've since grown apart, but the knowledge of helping animals never left me… neither did the joy."
"I see…" Gosei mumbled, placing his hands in pockets.
Kusari continued. "Your overly domineering method of getting them to listen to you isn't… incorrect, per se; they're animals, so they're gonna listen to the strongest there, and if you prove yourself so, then they will listen. However, they will only listen to you as long as you are strong, and the moment they see weakness…"
"...They'll pounce." Gosei finished, his brows furrowed with thought. "Just like people will."
Kusari shrugged. "I guess you could put it that way.
"So, leading animals is like leading people? You have to earn their trust, show them what they want, and then they'll follow," Gosei theorized.
Kusari's smile grew. "Yes, exactly."
"I see," Gosei said, affirming his belief and renewing his determination with a nod. "I'll give it another go."
Kusari stepped back, allowing Gosei room to take charge. "Good luck."
"Thank you," he said as he stepped forward to the remaining barking dogs. "Alright!" he announced, the death in his eyes fully vanquished by the light of life. He went to the quiet dogs, began petting them, using some of the nearby rocks as playthings for them, and being more positive to them.
The more rambunctious dogs growled at him as he did this, but he simply ignored them and continued to play with the quiet canines. Eventually, one of the barking dogs quieted down, and he was included in the preferential treatment.
"Interesting strategy…" Kusari commented, earning a chuckle from Gosei.
He looked back at her. "It's working, isn't it?"
"It is," she admitted. "Congratulations, Dog Whisperer," she said with a small round of applause.
Gosei laughed and continued to work his strategy on the canines. It eventually worked. He sighed in relief, sitting down in front of the full set of now obedient dogs. "Finally…" he muttered.
"It's fun, isn't it?" Kusari asked as she sat next to him.
Gosei huffed. "No."
"Aw," Kusari murmured, a little dejected. "Aren't Senju supposed to be nature lovers?"
"I like plants, not animals," Gosei corrected. "The landscapes and the scenery are much more appealing to me than what lives in them."
Kusari nodded slowly, petting the snout of the dog that rested on her shoulder. "I see. Do you garden?"
"I should be," Gosei answered honestly, pushing off the dog that attempted to cuddle him. "I think I'll save it for something I do after my goal is complete. There needs to be someone to tend to The Senju Gardens after all."
Kusari chuckled. "Well, you do have a lot of siblings that can do that as well."
"I do," Gosei admitted. "How's your brother?"
Kusari paused, lowering her head in thought. "Well, I care for him greatly. He's powerful as well. I often bond with him through training. I hate to say I've yet to best him; I'd say that's because he's driven, much more so than I am. To where though… I wish I could say."
"Is it a clan secret?" Gosei inquired.
She shook her head. "No. It is because I doubt he knows either. Whereas I know where I want to go, and where I need to be…" she paused, the ache of doubt in her words painfully clear to her. "...He does not. "
"I see… I guess I can say my eldest sister Natsuyo and I have a similar relationship," Gosei said, smiling at the thought of it.
Kusari looked up at him with a curious look. "Really?"
"Indeed. She's only a year younger than me, so she sees herself as the one most likely to surpass me. We spar daily, and she has yet to best me as you have yet to best your brother. She surely takes after my mother. She's strong. Yet she also has traits all to herself. She's as bright and warm as the summer sun," Gosei rambled, the smile on his face clear as the beauty of the setting sun behind them.
Kusari allowed herself to smile. "That seems nice."
"It is," Gosei agreed. "Y'know, you're a brilliant woman and an amazing Shinobi."
She paused, furrowing her brow. The sudden compliment—genuine compliment—caught her off guard. "Thank… you…" she managed with a chuckle. "This isn't a thing like with Shinrai, right?"
Gosei laughed. "No, I'm not focused on romance. It's simply a statement of fact."
She let out a sigh. "Oh, okay, good."
"I heard my name."
Gosei chuckled. "Well, speak of the devil," he remarked, watching Shinrai approach them with Ryujin not far behind.
"So… what happened here?" Ryujin asked, looking at Kusari.
She sighed, standing up with Gosei doing so as well. "The task you gave me was unsuited to my skill set," she said, clearly passive aggressive. "I broke something, so I was told to find something else to do, so I did."
"Mmm… Were the rocks too heavy for you?" he inquired, meeting her passive aggressive tone with a teasing remark.
She simply nodded. "They were."
"Alright," he conceded, deciding to leave her be for now.
Kusari continued. "However… I think I have a training objective now."
"Oh? Do you now?" He asked, leaning forward intent to listen.
She affirmed with a nod. "When I was attempting to move the rock, I discovered that channeling the Juken through my feet in addition to my hands can possibly be useful. I would like you to teach me how to kick better."
"Even though kicking isn't typical of the Hyuuga fighting style?" he questioned, with an intense glare.
"Indeed…" she mumbled, reluctant to be the one to lose the battle of ideologies. "It is not me throwing away the Hyuuga fighting style, as you suggest. I am simply expanding on it."
"Alright," Ryujin said with a victorious smirk. "We'll start tomorrow."
Kusari bowed. "Thank you, sensei."
"No problem," Ryujin answered. He turned to his team. "For our first day in our regime, I don't think we did badly. Good job, I guess," he murmured. "You are all dismissed. Goodnight."
Kusari waved. "Goodnight sensei, Gosei, Shinrai," she said before leaving to her compound.
"Goodbye," Gosei said as he walked off.
Shinrai waved. "Bye guys!" he shouted, still standing next to Ryujin.
"Let's go talk to Naruto, shall we?" Ryujin suggested.
Shinrai nodded. "Yeah, we should."
With that, the two left toward the home of the Uzumaki brothers.
—⊱✿⊰—
The sun was sunken fully under the horizon, allowing the deep purple of late evening to take hold, sparkling with the light of the delicate stars. Shinrai unlocked the door to his home, with Ryujin right behind him.
"Is he home?" Ryujin asked.
Shinrai shrugged, then opened the door.
"Shinrai!" Naruto called, answering that question.
Ryujin chuckled as followed his student into the apartment. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the condition. Dried and cracked paint, water damage on the roof, obviously overaged furniture. He sighed, not voicing his thoughts on the topic. It would be something to deal with later.
"Hey how was your—" Naruto started as he ran out his room, only to immediately stop in his tracks when he saw who was accompanying Shinrai. "Papa Ryu?!"
Ryujin smiled. "Hey, fishcake."
Naruto, the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, was left speechless. He slowly walked up to Ryujin and looked at him.
"We have a lot to talk about. Let's sit down," Ryujin suggested.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah… we do."
The three sat on the couch, the Uzumaki brothers and Ryujin at opposite ends, in order to face each other. "So uh, what first?" Shinrai asked, breaking the ice.
"Do you hate me?" Naruto asked, looking at Ryujin, staring at Ryu with a serious… and hurt expression, with nerves steeled for the possible answer.
Ryujin shook his head. "Of course not."
"Then why did you abandon me?!" Naruto yelled.
Ryujin paused, caught off guard by the sudden shout from Naruto… someone he'd consider his surrogate son. "I—"
"NO! Shut up!" Naruto shouted, standing up as he cut off Ryujin. "Just one day, you up and abandoned me, stop visiting for NO REASON! Do you know how much that hurt?! On top of that, there's so much that you could've done while you were with me, why didn't you tell me I had to Kyuubi?! Did you just want me to suffer and wonder why everyone hated me?!"
Shinrai winced, lowering his head as he listened to his brother scream at Ryujin, who had a look of shock and guilt reflected in his widened eyes.
"Do you know how much that would have helped me?! For so long, I thought I was cursed! Everybody hated me for what seemed like no reason! I tried to make friends! I tried to be normal! BUT NO! I was kicked out of stores! I was shunned! I felt so lonely!" Naruto shouted, starting to tear up.
Naruto pointed at Shinrai. "Y'know, I was so lucky to have Shinrai with me, if I didn't I'd have no idea who I'd be right now! He was the only one to care about me, he was the only one that was there for me, he was the only person I could trust!" he yelled, his voice cracking as he began to sob.
"If I had known since the beginning, that would have made things so much better. I've cried myself to sleep for so many nights thinking 'Why me?! Why me?!' I wondered why I was cursed! Why I was always the one that had to suffer, why I had to watch Shinrai get treated bad all because he was with me!"
"I felt like I was a burden to everyone around me! I-i felt like if I didn't exist, everyone around me would be so much happier! IF I WAS DEAD, THEN EVERYONE WOULD CELEBRATE!" Naruto screamed, fully sobbing as he struggled to wipe the tears from his eyes.
Shinrai stood, walking in front of his brother and placing his hands on shoulder. "Naruto, calm down. I'm here," he assured, pulling him into a hug. "You're not a burden to me man, I wouldn't trade you for the most perfect girl in the world. You know I'm happy to take all that bullshit if it means you won't be alone again."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I'm sorry, I just…" Naruto sputtered through deep breaths as he continued to wipe his tears away and pull away from Shinrai's hug. "Why…?" Naruto asked, looking at Ryujin.
Ryujin sighed, sagging his shoulders as the guilt weighed on him. "It's complicated," he admitted. "I just want to tell you that I don't hate you, I never have, and hopefully I'll never have to. It was my mission to raise you when you were younger, and eventually teach you how to use the Kyuubi's power when you were ready for it.
"Around the time you were four, something happened. I put myself in to exile for it, and when I came back a year later, due to that thing that happened, I was deemed untrustworthy by the village officials, and I was forbidden to interact with you until you became a Shinobi."
Naruto pursed his lips, processing the information. "So, it wasn't your fault you had to leave?"
"It was. I made an awful choice… and the consequence of that choice took away my ability to see you and be there for you," Ryujin explained, clenching his fists. "It's my greatest regret."
Naruto sighed. "But if you had the chance to see me during that time, would you have taken it?"
"Of course," Ryujin answered, looking Naruto directly in the eyes, to make sure he knew that he meant what he said with his entire being.
Naruto nodded slowly. "I see…" he mumbled, before looking up at Ryujin with his signature smile. "That's good to hear!"
Ryujin let out a breath of relief as he saw Naruto's smile. "I'm sorry."
"I… forgive you, Papa Ryu," Naruto said, sitting back down on the couch, closer to Ryu than he did before. "So… what was the thing that happened?"
"I can't say," Ryu stated, flashing a guilty glance at Shinrai. He shook his head, suppressing his emotion and looking at Naruto. "Tell me how you found out about the Kyuubi."
Naruto nodded, sitting up straighter as he cleared his throat. "When I failed the Academy Exam for the third time… I was scared. I thought that I was cut off from my goal of becoming Hokage forever. Then Mizuki came, he told me that if I stole the Scroll of Sealing, that I'd be able to graduate and become a ninja."
He chuckled. "I guess he wasn't wrong… But—anyway, I stole it, learned the Shadow Clone jutsu, and it all turned out to be a lie made up by Mizuki to frame me and steal the scroll for himself. Then Iruka-sensei came, and then he tried to fight Mizuki for me, and then Mizuki told me that the reason everyone hated me… was because I had the Kyuubi.
"He called you and me the Twin Demons of Konoha that needed to die for things to be better. Then Iruka-sensei told me that it didn't matter that I had the Kyuubi, and that I was a good kid because of who I was, then I made a thousand Shadow Clones and beat up Mizuki to save Iruka-sensei!" Naruto concluded, a grin of pride on his face. "Then Iruka-sensei made me a ninja," he added, showing off his headband.
Ryu nodded slowly, his hand on his chin. "I see… Mizuki has since been apprehended, correct?"
"What does that mean…?" Naruto asked, embarrassed.
Shinrai leaned toward Naruto. "Getting arrested."
"Oh! Then yeah!" Naruto affirmed.
Ryu hummed. "Good."
"Ok, dumb question. But how are there two Kyuubis?" Shinrai interjected.
Ryu chuckled. "That's not a dumb question; I was going to answer it regardless. To answer it though… I'll have to go into how the Kyuubi was sealed into us."
"Ah, okay," Naruto said with a nod, preparing himself to take in the pending information.
Ryu took a deep breath, preparing himself to recall those events scarred into his mind. "Naruto, your mother was the previous Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Kushina Uzumaki. Your father…" Ryu paused, debating whether he should continue, but decided it was too late to stop. "...Was the Yondaime: Minato Namikaze."
"No fucking way," Shinrai spattered in disbelief.
Naruto's eyes were wide. He was shaking, the weight of the information slamming on him like a mountain. "What? You're serious?!"
"I am," Ryu confirmed.
Naruto chuckled, looking at his brother. He didn't say a single word. Shinrai smiled back, giving him an affirming nod. "That's so cool…"
"I'm glad you find it so," Ryu said with a chuckle. "When a female Jinchuriki gives birth to a child, the seal weakens. Usually that wouldn't be an issue when the person giving birth is the world's greatest seal master and the person watching over is likely number two… but someone took advantage of that fact.
"Madara Uchiha attacked your parents and kidnapped your mother, stealing the Kyuubi," Ryu said slowly, as if every word hurt to simply utter, looking Naruto in the eyes.
Shinrai huffed. "Well, add that to my list of reasons to hate the Uchiha…"
Naruto visibly shrunk his presence. A solemn look clouded his face. "Then he used it to attack the village?" he asked.
"Indeed," Ryu confirmed, looking away from Naruto. "Minato-sensei was able to fight off Madara in time to stop the Kyuubi from turning Konoha into a crater. Then, when it came time to deal with the Kyuubi, he needed to seal the Kyuubi in a new Jinchuriki.
"He made up his mind that you would be the Jinchuriki. Since your mother was on her deathbed, she was off the table. But, as you were only a newborn, your body wouldn't have been able to handle the Kyuubi's full chakra.
"So, he used the Reaper Death Seal to split the Kyuubi's chakra into Yin and Yang halves. Since I happened to be the closest person he trusted, I inherited the Yin half of the Kyuubi, and you inherited the Yang." Ryu sighed, taking a deep breath as finished his explanation.
Naruto nodded slowly, wiping a tear from his eye. "Thank you, Papa Ryu. For telling me this."
"Of course, Naruto," Ryu assured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Naruto turned his head to Shinrai. "And thanks for asking him about all this like you said you would."
"You don't have to thank me, Naruto," Shinrai said with a small smile.
Ryu then turned his head to his student, his brow raised with inquiry. "One more quick thing. Where did your disdain of the Uchiha come from?"
"Uh," Shinrai mumbled, shifting as the attention of the room fell on him. "When I first moved in with Naruto—when my life began basically—some old man always warned me away from them," his skin crawled at the recollection of the events.
"Then they tried to kidnap me, then they died all died a week later. Karma's a bitch, I guess," Shinrai concluded with a chuckle.
Ryu's eyes widened. "You were kidnapped by the Uchiha?!"
"Yeah, then some ANBU saved me. Don't really like remembering it," Shinrai said, leaning back with his hands clasped over the rear of his neck. "Childhood trauma and stuff."
Ryu nodded. "I understand… but do you mind telling me who that old man was?"
"All I remember about him is that he had bandages all over like a fucking mummy," he described.
Ryu's eyes narrowed. That short description gave him all he needed to know. "Danzo…" he muttered under his breath.
"Danzo?" Naruto repeated.
Shinrai sat up. "You know who that guy is?"
"I… do," he admitted, not meaning to be heard. "He's one of Lord Hokage's advisors. He prefers to stay out of the public eye."
Shinrai placed a hand on his chin. "I see. Well then, that explains why he foresaw the Uchiha being a bunch of crazies."
"I think that's enough for today," Ryu said, standing up from the couch. "I appreciated this talk. Thank you both for allowing it to happen. Naruto… I apologize for not being there for you when I should have… because I could've done more, I needed to do more. But I didn't. For that you have my full remorse," Ryu apologized, even bowing his head.
Naruto grinned. "It's alright Papa Ryu! Even without you there, I still had Shinrai! I also think I turned out pretty good, don't ya think?!"
"Yeah, you did," Ryu agreed with a small smile. "Goodnight, see you tomorrow Shinrai."
"And me too!" Naruto interjected. "Cuz we're going out for ramen!"
Ryu chuckled. "Yeah, I can agree to that," he said before shutting the door and leaving the household. The Uzumaki brothers faced each other.
"A girl believed in me today."
"You were waiting to tell me that the whole time, huh?"
"Yup."
They laughed, then recounted the events of their day to each other with burning enthusiasm.
—⊱✿⊰—
Ryujin walked the nighttime streets of Konoha, his destination illuminated by a fiery orange directly in front of him; a tower that dwarfed every other building in the village in pure height, the center of Konoha that sat directly under the monument of every man who called that tower his own.
He needed to meet with the Sandaime, and for the sake of his sanity, he'd rather it be sooner than later. Danzo had warned Shinrai to avoid the Uchiha when he was younger, and apparently his whispers were proven correct when they kidnapped him, a week before the massacre.
He was one of the few people who knew the truth behind the events that transpired that night. That made what happened all the more confusing… The Uchiha would need a good reason to kidnap a child, especially one with Shinrai's origin.
Wait… Ryujin paused. Is it possible… his eyes widened with disbelief as his mind raced. No. He shook his head, ceasing his thoughts. There's no way. He needed to speak with Hiruzen.
That he did. After a short walk, and a long trek up the flight of stairs, he knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.
"You may enter," answered the Hokage.
Ryujin did as he was permitted and bowed his head. "Good evening, Lord Hokage. I have an important matter to discuss with you."
"Is it about Naruto?" he guessed, setting down his paperwork and giving Ryujin his full attention.
Ryujin shook his head. "Not entirely. I heard that Naruto found out about the Kyuubi recently, so I talked to him, cleared some things up for him, and informed him of his parentage."
"Did you now…?" the Hokage said, looking his subordinate in the eyes, obviously displeased.
Ryujin nodded. "I did. He deserves to know, and judging by how he handled the news that he was a Jinchuriki, I deemed he was worthy to know that as well."
"Well, it cannot be helped now," the Hokage muttered, taking a deep inhale from his pipe and blowing out a ring of smoke. "If not about this, then what did you come to me for?"
"Shinrai," answered Ryujin. "I do plan to tell him about his past, since he didn't seem too drastically affected by hearing Naruto's. I felt guilty giving Naruto all the closure in the world regarding his situation, while leaving Shinrai with nothing himself, when I could have done otherwise.
"I, however, do not know him well enough to gauge his possible reaction to the information. On top of that, I can't truly give him closure about his past if I don't know the entire story. I was not privy to the fact that he was kidnapped by the Uchiha Clan a week before the massacre happened."
The Hokage paused. "He was what?" he questioned, looking Ryujin dead in the eyes.
"You weren't aware either…" Ryujin mumbled. "And here I thought you would have the answers. Were you aware that Danzo was influencing Shinrai behind the scenes, telling him to stay away from the Uchiha Clan?"
The Hokage placed down his pipe slowly. "I was not."
"So, I guess we know who has the answers now…" Ryujin concluded.
The Hokage narrowed his eyes. "We do." He tapped his desk, and then an ANBU appeared in the room.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," she greeted.
The Hokage took a deep breath. "Tell Danzo that I called for him."
"It will be done," she assured before disappearing from the room, leaving the two men alone, awaiting the arrival of Danzo Shimura: The Root Shrouded in Darkness.
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?