Sweat dribbled from Naruto's brow and ran down his face. The old man's son had set higher expectations for physical exertion than Naruto had initially expected from him. From his experience, Asuma was laid back and relaxed. The man who lazed about in the old man's home and the ninja who was training them right now had to be entirely different people. Naruto was sure of it.
He'd long since abandoned his orange jacket. It hung on a sign post by the entrance to the Sarutobi Grounds. His black undershirt was soaked and clung uncomfortably to his body. At this rate, he'd have to remove the metal plate from his forehead protector and wash the headband before it started to stain with sweat.
In the short reprieve that Asuma had allowed them, Naruto stood next to his teammates. For what it was worth, they looked to be in worse condition than he was. Shikamaru breathed deeply next to him. His hands were on his knees and he was just as drenched as Naruto. He too had abandoned his outer shirt, opting to train in just his pants and mesh shirt. Strands of hair splayed in all directions. In his exertion, they had come loose from his high ponytail.
Shikamaru looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. "I hate him," he said between breaths.
Ino wiped her brow. She was in a similar state as Shikamaru, but seemed less inclined to outwardly show her exhaustion. The urge to slouch and complain like Shikamaru could be infectious, but Ino resisted and stood with her back straight.
"Come on, Shika, you're not the only one. We're all tired and sweaty," she said, "and I didn't get to strip like you did."
She poked at the sleeve of his mesh shirt and he batted her hand away lightly. "Enjoying the show?" He said. He quirked his eyebrow, jokingly.
She rolled her eyes. "Hardly. You should see yourself right now," Ino said, "you look like shit."
Shikamaru threw his head back and laughed. "After that, don't we all? Right, Naruto?" He said.
"Maybe you do," Naruto said lightheartedly. The truth was, they were all beat.
He threw his hands up in the air with a light chuckle. Training had been difficult since they had become genin. Shikamaru and Ino had been good training mates, often balancing the feelings in his own mind about the difficulty of both their Individual Training Programs and the physically demanding nature of all day workouts. He empathized with Shikamaru's gripes. Viscerally, it was what he felt too. But, he also agreed with Ino's level headed assessment that difficult training was the best way to grow.
What was evident was that they were clearly all making progress. Through their training, Naruto had felt himself grow faster and stronger. His stamina had increased and he was advancing in his use of wind nature chakra. The fact that they had won Asuma's "challenge" had revealed their progression as a team relative to their peers. It gave Naruto extra motivation to keep working, even through grueling training sessions with Asuma.
After Asuma had seen his use of wind nature against Shino, they had determined that he was ready for the next step. Asuma had only told him that he would be using wind chakra to cut something large. Master the concept, then scale it larger. As it had turned out, Asuma had unknowingly misled Naruto to the scale he was referring to. Naruto's surprise was palpable when he learned that the next step was to cut a waterfall. It was unbelievable to him, but he knew that ninja could do incredible things with chakra.
He'd even named his new technique that had helped him defeat Shino. He called it the Five Claw Slash. Shikamaru and Ino thought it was corny, but he liked it. Asuma had laughed and relayed that some of the strongest techniques had strange names.
They rested and dried off in the shade of a tree. Its spindly branches hung over them. He was grateful for the protection they afforded him, even if the tree could only afford them a little. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the air around him. The voices of his teammates lightly bickering was a sweet melody to Naruto. He felt content and relaxed.
Asuma approached them. A cigarette dangled between his lips loosely. It was some wonder to Naruto how older ninja smoked and still wiped the floor with him in conditioning. Asuma wasn't even sweating. He wondered if it was something gained from experience, training, or something else entirely.
"Good work today," Asuma said. He dug his hand through his pouch and pulled out three Taiyaki, fish shaped cakes with filling.
"Here," he said, "I got these for you from a vendor this morning."
Ino's eyes lit up. "Oh, I love these," she said. She took them from Asuma and distributed one to both Naruto and Shikamaru. They thanked Asuma as he plopped down in the grass beside them.
The three genin ate together in contented silence. Naruto had never eaten Taiyaki before. His usual apprehensiveness toward new foods was replaced with indifference. He found he didn't much care what something tasted like when he had worked so hard during training. As he ate, he found that the sweet treat was a welcome exploration into something new.
"When is Sarutobi-sensei returning," Ino asked between bites.
Asuma sat up and puffed lightly on his cigarette. He looked up into the tree branches as he blew smoke toward the sky. "Hmm," he said, "tomorrow, I believe."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, where is the old man?" Naruto said, "we haven't seen him in days, ya know." He fiddled with the flap of the weapons pack strapped to his thigh. It was relatively strange to be away from the old man for even a few days after spending weeks with him.
"Off on official business. It's of a highly restricted nature," Asuma said with a shrug.
Naruto looked off into the distance wondering where the old man was out there. What was he doing? Highly restricted could also mean highly dangerous. He wondered if the old man was out there saving a princess. If it was a mission, whoever could hire the Hokage must be loaded.
"I wish he was here training us," Naruto said. Asuma chuckled lightly and reached a hand out to ruffle Naruto's hair.
"Sick of me already?" Asuma said, his lips curled upwards in a half smile.
"No, no," Naruto said, "you're great too, but the old man's our sensei now, ya know." He raised his hand in a placating manner in his haste to correct his unintentional slight.
"You'll find that the demands of the Hokage take precedence over practically everything," Asuma said, "if you're around my old man, that comes with the territory."
Naruto nodded, but he didn't quite fully understand what Asuma meant by that. Of course the Hokage was busy.
"Well, that just gives us more time to master what we're working on in our Individual Training Programs," Ino said.
Naruto leapt up with excitement. "Hell yeah! He'll be so impressed when we show him what we've learned since he's been gone. And that we beat the other genin!" Naruto said.
"Exactly!" Ino said, "That's the spirit, Naruto!" She pumped her fist in the air.
Shikamaru flopped onto his back and sighed. "I must've been cursed to land on a team with these training zealots," he said.
Asuma chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "You're as lazy as your reputation suggests," he said.
"And he's too damn proud of it!" Ino said. With a smirk she kicked dust toward his prone position. "Get up! Up, up, up!"
Shikamaru attempted to roll away, but his futile attempt was feeble. The dust clung to his sweaty arms.
Naruto and Asuma laughed at their antics. Life was good with a team, Naruto realized. This is what the old man had spoken to them about at the Academy during the Academy Exit Exams. These were his comrades. These were the people he could trust the most. A part of him wanted to keep them at a distance in order to protect himself. But it was becoming easier and easier to let his guard down and let them into all that he was.
"Alright, you three," Asuma said, "you've worked hard enough today, the rest of the day is yours."
Asuma stood up and stretched. The sun already hung low in the sky. Naruto stretched out his hand and measured how far the sun was from the horizon. There was not much daylight left. Asuma bid them farewell and sauntered off toward his usual haunts. Plumes of smoke followed in his wake. Each puff gently hung in the air before they disappeared in the breeze.
Shikamaru pulled on his gray and green vest. After resting in the shade, they had mostly dried off by now. Then, he clutched at his stomach.
"We should get something to eat, I could eat like Choji right now," Shikamaru said
"I know a spot," Ino said, "they have great prices here."
Shikamaru and Naruto followed Ino. Naruto grabbed his orange jacket and threw it over his shoulders. He zipped up the front all the way to his chin and felt the familiar, comfortable feeling of his most well worn garment.
Ino led them through the village, down side alleys, and even over a fence. Just about when Naruto felt the need to complain about the distance and time of their dinner location, Ino pulled up.
"Here it is," she said.
Naruto had rarely been to the southwest side of the village, despite the fact he had lived inside these walls all of his life. This part of the village was more residential and Naruto usually had little reason to be here. Four floor apartment buildings filled each curving street. Some had more flair than others. Over the years, residents had taken time to paint their buildings and plant colorful vegetation. Some rooftop gardens were so overgrown, their plants sprawled loosely from the top of the buildings and hung in an overgrown mess.
In the narrow streets, villagers milled about. Vendors with push carts sat in the shade where they could find it.
The door of their destination was painted a dull green. Beneath the old, chipping coat of paint Naruto could see previous coats of various colors. Ino pushed open the door and it squeaked open to reveal a surprisingly bustling environment. Laughter and heat blasted Naruto's senses as they pushed into the crowded restaurant. The smell of their cedar lined walls enveloped him. They were led to a small table in the back.
"Ninja love this place because it's always crowded. It's a good place to have a meeting," Ino said.
"No kidding," Shikamaru said, "I could barely hear you."
They settled into their booth. Ino and Shikamaru both ordered green tea, but Naruto opted for something sweeter, melon juice. They decided to order a round of spicy tuna onigiri to share.
"I can't wait to keep training with the old man," Naruto said.
Shikamaru sipped his tea, then swirled in a spoon of sugar. "You don't think it's strange? This impromptu mission?"
Ino shrugged. "Well, he is the Hokage."
"The Hokage's job is mostly administrative in addition to serving as a deterrent to other nations. I should know, my dad works with him," Shikamaru said, "you see where I'm going with this?"
"Now that you mention it, I always saw a mountain of paperwork on the old man's desk," Naurto said. The fact that the Hokage's position appeared to be the mightiest desk job in existence was a sobering thought to Naruto.
"Precisely," Shikamaru said, "obviously they aren't going to let a bunch of genin in on whatever this is, but something's up."
Ino's brow was knit together in thought. Then, she said, "But, why tell us he was on official business to begin with? Since the Hokage's position helps Konoha by deterring our enemies, aren't they afraid of a bunch of genin blabbing around town?"
Shikamaru scratched his brow and closed his eyes. "That's a fair point. It's possible the village decision makers are trying to make this out to be as normal as possible. If it appears normal and standard to us, it stands to reason we wouldn't think anything of it," he said.
"But we are thinking about it," Ino said. Her brow was knit together and she picked at her cubicles as they sat together silently, each of them worried about what this would mean for their team and Konoha.
Then Naruto leaned back. He stuck his hands behind his head. "They really don't tell genin shit, do they? Honestly, I wouldn't either. At the end of the day, our job is to get stronger so they do have to tell us what's up. Until then, I trust the old man has his reasons."
Ino and Shikamaru visibly loosened at Naruto's proclamation. Their shoulders sagged and his two teammates chuckled lightly.
"Naruto's right," said Ino, "we just have to focus on ourselves and our training."
They continued to drink their beverages at a slow rate, each of them enjoying each other's company as well as the bustling lounge they had found in southwest Konoha. They chatted idly about the popular news around Konoha. Naruto found it quite idyllic. He wanted to enjoy the fact that things were uncomplicated right now. All he had to worry about was getting stronger.
A part of him knew that his life would likely be anything but easy from here. He was a jinchuuriki, after all. From what Naruto understood about jinchuuriki, their lives were often hellish, short, and filled with violence. All things considered, he hadn't been treated quite like that, at least not yet. It made him want to enjoy his life with his friends even more. He wanted to live and breathe freely while he could.
He wondered if he should tell them about his status as the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. How would they react? He felt like his connection with his team was strong. He knew they would accept him. Shikamaru and Ino were not the types to accept the prevailing opinion or to fall into the trap of fear. But, he also didn't want them to worry. He wanted to say, I have this beast in my belly, it's ferocious, powerful, and a menace, but don't worry, I have it completely under control.
But, he couldn't exactly say that right now because he wasn't sure if he had it under control. The seal did all of that and he didn't know how it worked. His lack of knowledge around something so important troubled him. He made a note to ask the old man about that when he returned.
But, nevertheless, the feeling of closeness made him want to tell his teammates. The words rested on the tip of his tongue and he waited for a lull in the conversation to introduce this inherent fact that made up so much of who he was. But, before he could spill his truth, a blond haired man approached them. He was a tall man with long, straight hair. He had pushed quickly through the crowd. He could see Ino freeze as she caught the stranger's eyes.
"Ino, your father is looking for you. Your Yamanaka technique training is happening now," he said.
Ino paled, a wide look in her eyes. "I completely forgot," she said.
She turned to Naruto and Shikamaru. Nodding to them, she said, "Excuse me, I have to go."
And then she rushed out of the restaurant and followed the tall blond who had retrieved her.
"What was that about?" Naruto said.
Shikamaru's brow knit together, a slight frown on his lips. "Clan heir expectations," he said.
Naruto's moment had slipped away and his mind had moved on from jinchuuriki to clans, particularly the Yamanaka. A memory of when they had first started to get to know each other played in Naruto's head. Yamanaka Inoichi was a true traditionalist, even among the clans of Konoha and along with that information, all Naruto could think about was the tenseness of Ino's face as she left.
Three sticks of incense burned in the middle of Hiruzen's ornate meeting table. It filled the room with a pleasant scent. That was important to Hiruzen, especially in meetings such as these. His advisors and confidants were situated around the table. To his left, his old teammates, Homura and Koharu, slouched in obvious pain. Their bodies were broken down from decades of service to Konoha. They looked older by the day and Hiruzen wondered if he too appeared as such to others. Nevertheless, their experience was appreciated.
To his right, Nara Shikaku tapped a pencil on the desk. His ever present notebook was open to a fresh page. Shikaku shared a strong familial resemblance to most Nara. His hair was black and pulled into a high ponytail. He wore a closely trimmed goatee and his face was adorned by a large battlescar. He had earned the position of jonin commander not because of his strength, though he was no slouch, but because of his brilliant strategic mind. He was essential to the function and strategic future of the village. In his late 30s, he was old compared to the average ninja still in service, but compared to those at the table, he brought a fresh perspective.
Seated directly across from him was Danzo. He rested easily in his high backed chair, a neutral expression on his face. Danzo did not give much away in his facial expressions, but Hiruzen knew that the man was still quite sharp. To Hiruzen, Danzo's battered and bandaged appearance was a general annoyance to him. Though he understood it as an exercise in gaining the upper hand through manipulating a person's preconceived notions of those deemed to be with disability. Danzo was intelligent, cunning, and above all, ruthless. He was someone best kept at arm's-length.
"How was your trip to the Sarutobi Ancestral Grounds?" Koharu said. She turned toward Hiruzen and watched him with interest.
Hiruzen smiled. "It was very relaxing. It is always a pleasure to visit the grounds where my clan resided. Much can be learned there," he said. In truth, he had slipped away from his ANBU escort under the cover of darkness to abscond on his true operation. A shadow clone had taken his place. It had not been difficult, lest they forget he was the one who had taught Jiraiya, their foremost spymaster, all he knew about subterfuge and infiltration.
Koharu returned his smile. "We hope you have come back refreshed. It is not easy to lead at our age. Taking a break can be hard, but necessary at times," she said.
"You are kind, thank you," Hiruzen said, "I usually find the pleasure of a freshly packed pipe to be all that is needed to unwind, but my trip did lend to more relaxation than usual."
"Yes, I'm sure you had a wonderful time gallivanting around the countryside," Danzo said, his brow pinched together, "let us proceed with the meeting so we may get on to our duties."
"Very well," Hiruzen said, "it is true that the day has grown late." He nodded to Shikaku. The jonin commander withdrew a large folder and opened it up toward the middle of the table.
Inside the dossier contained records of the ongoing conflict between Akatsuki, a particularly powerful mercenary group, and Orochimaru's forces in the Sound Village. Akatsuki had caught international attention following their string of successful operations around the Elemental Nations. They had become known among the Ninja villages as competent, professional, and particularly discrete. As it happened, they were seen as an ideal hire for any Ninja village in need of an external party. Whether the mission was dangerous or mundane did not matter to Akatsuki.
At least that was their public perception. Hiruzen knew there was more to the story. Uchiha Itachi was supposed to be assessing the threat level of Akatsuki toward Konoha, if there was any at all. After the Uchiha Massacre at Itachi's own hand, there was little else that Hiruzen could do.
Danzo's betrayal of his wishes had resulted in the official disbandment of Root, formerly Danzo's personal branch of covert operations. Hiruzen wished he had done more to Danzo. However, the very pillars that the village was built on would crumble if the truth had come out. The sting of such a failure on his end was painful. Especially since Konoha had not received updates from Itachi in some time.
Hiruzen was left unsure if Akatsuki's initial aims at amassing large amounts of money was still true. In any case, an organization does not amass money purely in the pursuit of becoming wealthy. Akatsuki must have other aims. What they were, he did not know.
As far as Hiruzen could tell most of the interest in the conflict seemed to originate from Orochimaru's side. His actions spoke of a man who was obsessed with interfering with Akatsuki's movements. According to Konoha's extended information networks, this was not the first time that these two groups had met in combat. This had become particularly interesting to Hiruzen. What Orochimaru found interesting had always fascinated Hiruzen.
"Early this week, Orochimaru's forces clashed with a group of twelve Akatsuki mercenaries," Shikaku said.
"Where did Akatsuki find these ninja? Who did they formerly belong to?" Koharu said.
"Unfortunately, little is known currently about who Akatsuki's leaders are, or where they came from," Shikaku said, "based on analysis of the battlefield and information gathered on those who participated, this group consisted of mostly low-level former chunin from a number of villages. Whoever led these ninja escaped, possibly without harm."
"And this occurred close to our border?" Homura said, "Are we aware of their threat level to those within our borders?" He steepled his fingers and shifted tensely in his chair.
"Akatsuki and Orochimaru appear to be well aware of our borders. Though Akatsuki operatives were seen moving through the Land of Fire, it was not until they passed into the Land of Hot Springs that Orochimaru's forces ambushed them," Shikaku said, "and to their credit, Orochimaru seems to have disrupted whatever mission they was operating."
"It is not hard to play spoiler," Danzo said, "let them squabble. We should be content to let them thin out their own numbers." Danzo gripped the handle of his cane with one hand. He sneered as he talked about the mercenaries. Danzo had always had contempt for those outside the normal bounds of acceptability.
"Shikaku, can you tell us anything about why Orochimaru might be interested in Akatsuki's movements?" Hiruzen said, "If they are simply a mercenary group, is it possible that this only goes so far as a simple squabble over available income streams for Ninja on the precariat?"
Shikaku stroked his goatee in thought. "It is true that we don't know much currently about Orochimaru's fixation on this group. It is certainly possible that Orochimaru desires to carve out a more stable existence, especially in his venture to lead a Ninja Village in the Land of Rice. Akatsuki might disrupt that," he said.
"It is also true that Orochimaru is a vindictive bastard," Koharu said, "he's been known to hold a grudge."
Shikaku nodded and let out a low chuckle as he wiped a stray hair toward the back of his head. "That is true too. Unfortunately, our Intelligence has not been able to ascertain motives for Akatsuki or Orochimaru in this conflict. We know that Akatsuki is using the north of the Land of Fire as a way to traverse the nations. Its dense forests, low population, and inconsistent surveillance lend itself well as a launching pad for other operations into the Land of Iron, Land of Rice, Land of Hot Springs and more.
My personal theory relates to the iron shortage that is affecting weapons manufacturing. Akatsuki is growing every day. They're a relatively new player on the scene and they can't easily be ignored. It's more competition for an already short supply of iron at a time when Orochimaru is attempting to arm his burgeoning village," Shikaku said, "they may be making enemies of one another simply by virtue of existing within the same space."
"So, you're saying that they're using the Land of Fire as a base of operation," Danzo said. He leaned forward. "We must root them out then."
Shikaku tapped his pen gently on his pad of paper and grunted in response. "Not necessarily. They've been using the forests of the Land of Fire as cover, but it's possible their base of operations could 1) move frequently and 2) likely exist further west given the cluster of jobs they've done in Grass, Rain, and Rock."
"What is your recommendation then?" Danzo said.
"Increased surveillance of the northern forests and an order to avoid engagement at this time," Shikaku said. His eyes met Danzo's. Both Shikaku and Danzo held their gaze for a moment, before Shikaku turned to Hiruzen. "Your thoughts, Lord Hokage," he said.
Hiruzen thought for a moment. "Yes, I affirm your assessment, Shikaku. We'll increase surveillance at this time. In addition, I will see that Jiraiya spreads the word in his network to keep an ear out for information on Akatsuki, especially pertaining to their goals, notable members, and movements."
The members of the table briefly signed off on the meeting notes. Shikaku slipped the meeting notes into a sealed folder and tucked it away to be securely filed. Hiruzen adjourned the meeting with images of a young Orochimaru filling his head. The gleam in his eyes was always what Hiruzen noticed when his former student had found something to pique his interest. He was sure that out there, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with delight at a new challenge. It made Hiruzen all the more interested in Akatsuki and their mysterious origins.
In the early morning, before Konoha was awake and even before the sun would peak over the tree line, Naruto rose from his bed with an energy that coursed through his veins. He could feel his chakra buzzing with eagerness. The old man was back today.
He leapt out of bed and raced through his morning routine. He grabbed his weapons pouch and his orange jacket and sped through the village, his mind on only one thing. There was hardly anyone awake at this time. The usually busy streets of Konoha were mostly empty, only a few vendors had begun to set up stalls along the road and a few elderly folk milled about.
Naruto knew exactly where to find the old man at this hour and true to his prediction, he was standing in the garden of the Sarutobi grounds. The old man had just finished bringing a hot cup of tea to his lips as he spotted Naruto round the corner. The old man wore a long robe or dark red mahogany. His form was immediately visible in the early morning light. Vibrant orange light lit up the garden and the old man's red robe stood out amongst the dense foliage. He smiled at Naruto as he noticed him.
"My boy," he said, "it is no surprise to see you this early. Children do have a knack for rising early." Hiruzen brought his cup of tea to his lips once more.
"I couldn't sleep," Naruto said.
"I can see that," Hiruzen said. He chuckled with mirth.
"I wanted to see if we could continue training today?" Naruto said, "I have so much to tell you! Even in just a few days, so much has happened, ya know." Naruto pumped his fist and grinned.
They spent the next few minutes catching up on their time apart. Naruto relayed in detail, his fight with Sasuke and Kiba during the capture the flag exercise. The old man praised him for his ingenuity, which made Naruto beam with pride.
"I am glad you sought me out so early this morning, my boy," Hiruzen said, "we will be taking our first mission outside the walls of the village soon. You all have made tremendous progress in such a short time."
Naruto whooped loudly at the announcement of his first mission. There was something unknown and exciting about leaving the village for the first time. The world was a large place with many different people in it and Naruto wanted to meet as many of them as he could. It was a little scary to imagine himself outside these walls, but he also yearned to know more about the world.
"In that vein, I want to impart on you something that will be a tremendous tool in your growth as a ninja," Hiruzen said. Naruto perked up, his eyes widening as Hiruzen raced through a set of hand seals, then he bit his thumb.
"Summoning Technique!" Hiruzen said. As blood pooled on his thumb, he slammed his open palm onto the garden floor. A plume of smoke burst forth. Naruto waited with bated breath.
A large creature stepped from the smoke. It towered over both Hiruzen and Naruto. Hair sprouted from every opening in his yellow and black striped sleeveless kimono. After a moment, Naruto realized that Hiruzen's summon was an exceptionally large monkey. Its tail swished back and forth behind him and the monkey's glare was quite intense to Naruto. He stared, eyes wide, at the creature that stood before him. He uttered only one word.
"Whoa," Naruto said. The volume of his voice was just above a whisper.
"Whoa indeed," Hiruzen said, "this is Enma. He has been fighting with me since I was about your age. I received the Monkey contract from my dear teacher's wife, Uzumaki Mito."
Naruto turned to Hiruzen, suddenly snapped out of stupor. "Did you say you got the contract from an Uzumaki?" He said.
The deep, gruff voice of Enma responded. "That is right. Before I fought alongside Hiruzen, the Monkey clan fought side by side with the Uzumaki. You will sign and continue this lineage," Enma said.
"My clan…" Naruto said, "Will you tell me about them?"
"In time, boy, in time. What I will say is that the history of the Uzumaki is one bathed in blood. The jealous nature of man could not bear to see a people separate from humanity's strife," Enma said. His eyes were severe in a way that Naruto had not seen in others. His brow was drawn together in a semi-permanent scowl.
Naruto hardly understood a word that he said, but despite that, Naruto knew the feeling of having a target on your back well.
"To think that there were Uzumaki in the village before me… what happened?" Naruto said.
He could see the old man from the corner of his eye. The old man frowned and his brows were stitched together in concern.
"They were the victims of a systemic annihilation. The Uzumaki were banned from emigration to a dozen nations. Their island was embargoed, cut off from the world, which created starvation and weakness in the people. For many that could not escape to the few safe places in the world, namely the Land of Fire and some neighboring allies, this was their last stand. Several nations banned together to eliminate the Uzumaki people in a grand scale siege of the island. The few that survived, fled. Some went to Konoha, but many went further west," Enma said.
Naruto sat with this knowledge for some time. His clan had been targeted and wiped out. "Why," he said.
"There are many reasons why these nations sought to eliminate the Uzumaki, none of them of any merit, of course," said Hiruzen, "many feared the Uzumaki for their power, for their capability as warriors, and for their esoteric knowledge that had protected them for centuries."
"For this reason," Enma said, "a young Uzumaki must train harder than any of his peers, for the target on his back remains to this day."
Naruto's mind spun at the new information. He frowned deeply as he thought about the implications of this knowledge. His enthusiasm for breaking out into the world waned. It made him want to shrink to the size of a pea.
"It is a lot for someone so young," Hiruzen said, "I can see that in your eyes, my boy, but you are strong and you must lean on your friends as your pillars. Do not lose hope." Hiruzen gripped Naruto's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
Naruto tried to smile. "Thanks, old man," he said. Somehow he did feel better with his support. He thought of Shikamaru and Ino too.
Enma brought forth the Monkey scroll and Naruto signed in his own blood. He inked the blood of an Uzumaki to a scroll for the first time in sixty years. Looking back through the scroll he counted dozens of past Uzumaki who had signed in their own blood. It had now dried a deep dark red, almost black, onto the pages of the contract scroll. It made him feel more connected to a people and clan that he had never had the privilege of knowing, but that lived on in him.
With an uncanny understanding, the old man put his hand on his shoulder. "They are not here with you now, but know that the things that you do, the way you act, the strength and determination you hold in you are all a part of the Uzumaki. They influenced all of us in Konoha, though they are no longer here. That fire in you comes from them," Hiruzen said.
Naruto looked up and locked eyes with Hiruzen. He felt the warmth in his words.
Hiruzen continued, a smile crept onto his lips. "In fact, why don't we teach you a technique now before your teammates arrive. This one, I think you will find quite useful given your fighting style and chakra reserves," he said, "I am interested to see this technique combined with the ingenuity of an Uzumaki."
Hiruzen stepped back and brought his hands into a seal. He brought his two fingers into a vertical position and used the two fingers on his other hand to form a cross shaped seal. "Shadow Clone Technique!" Hiruzen said and a perfect copy of the Hokage appeared in a plume of smoke.
Naruto's grin stretched from ear to ear.