Chapter Forty-One
"Lord Hiruzen, your twelve o'clock has arrived."
"Send them in," Hiruzen said into the microphone on his desk. He put aside his paperwork and stood up from his desk to greet his son and grandson.
"Good morning, Lord Hokage," Shinzo said dryly, his hand wrapped around that of Konohamaru's.
"Hiya, Grandpa!" the boy said, waving happily.
"Good morning to you both," Hiruzen said warmly before fixing his eldest with a wry look. "Are we still on that? You're off-duty, son. Call me 'Dad'."
"Alright, 'Dad'," Shinzo chuckled as he lifted a cloth bag and placed it upon the desk, the sides falling away to reveal three stacked bento boxes. "I know how much you enjoy Sawano's cooking. She sends her love."
Hiruzen glanced briefly at a place in the office wall that housed the ANBU operative "Gibbon," who was serving as one of his four guards. Only when she shed her mask and was off-duty was she Sawano, his daughter-in-law. "I appreciate it very much," Hiruzen chuckled. He only just kept himself from referring to his son as "Macaque," his own ANBU codename.
As the Hokage, he really did have competent "arms."
They moved to a small table that Hiruzen had ordered set up for today so that they didn't have to eat at his desk. Shinzo set out the bentos, each labeled by his wonderful wife, and led the traditional "Itadakimasu" before they all dug in. Konohamaru ate with the messy vigor of a small child, while his father and grandfather ate with practiced, stately manners.
"So, Pop, anything interesting happened lately?"
"Nothing besides boring political shenanigans," Hiruzen groaned. "I'm getting too old for this."
"You could appoint a successor, you know?" Shinzo said calmly. "Pop, you've had that hat for eight years too long. I mean, I understand why you took it up again, but after all this time-"
"Yes, I know," Hiruzen sighed, setting his chopsticks down to rub his eyes. "I've put as much thought into it as I could spare these last few years. But ponder as I might, I cannot settle on a single candidate with the proper skill, experience, and mindset to become the next Hokage."
"Outside the Sarutobi, you mean?" Shinzo said, his tone factual rather than bitter. "Because we all know how some people would feel if you appointed one of your own."
"Indeed," Hiruzen grumbled. "Ideally, Tsunade or Jirayia would lead the Hidden Leaf after me."
"The drunken gambler or the wandering pervert," Shinzo scoffed. "With all due respect, Pop, either of them would need a miraculous readjustment to handle the village."
"True enough," Hiruzen said. "There are just so few like Minato …"
"Or those Uchiha kids. What were their names?" Shinzo thought it over and brightened. "Shisui and Itachi. Either of them would have been great." Then his smile withered at the memory of Shisui's sudden drowning and the … events surrounding young Itachi.
"Yes, they would have," Hiruzen agreed as he continued his meal.
"Wha' happen'd to th' 'Chia?" Konohamaru asked through a mouthful of rice.
"I'll explain that when you're older, son," Shinzo said. "Also, don't stuff your mouth. You'll choke."
"I won' ch-" Konohamaru was cut off by retching sounds that lasted until his father pushed on the boy's belly to force it back up. Konohamaru coughed and spat up the rice before laughing at his father and shoving more rice into his mouth, though this time he took the time to chew before he crammed more in.
"I do miss days like this," Hiruzen laughed.
"Good job, you two!" Kaori called from her position doing push-ups.
Naruto and Karin were sparring with two of her shadow clones — Ken having taught her the technique after weeks of chakra building exercises to build her reserves — while she performed more straightforward muscle building. The clones' memories, including muscle memory, would transfer to her when they were done and she could refine that experience with Ken later.
Finally, both kids dispersed her shadow clones and Kaori sat on a bench and braced herself for the mental fatigue that washed over her along with the memories. "Oh, dear," she slurred, swaying side to side as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
"Mama?!" Karin shouted as she rushed to her mom, followed closely by Naruto.
"I'm fine," Kaori mumbled. "Just … gotta rest. Go walk around to cool off, then take a break." She settled onto the bench like a bed. "You've earned it." And then she started snoring. After she had, a small segment of Katsuyu poked her head out from Kaori's shirt and divided even further into clones no larger than Naruto's pinkie finger.
Naruto and Karin approached and held out their pointer fingers for a single slug each to slither up and settle upon their wrist, the third staying with Kaori. It was a new concept that Kaori herself had asked for: a way for the children to always be looked out for when outside the house.
"Will she be okay?" Karin asked her slug.
"She will be fine, young Karin," Katsuyu assured her, her voice somehow carrying with all of its contralo dignity even at her size. "Now do as your mother says. Cool off and take a break."
"Yes ma'am," Naruto said with a nod of his head. His manners really had improved, even if he was still impulsive and generally irreverent.
The cousins left the training ground and wandered around the village, Karin generally keeping quiet while Naruto talked and talked about memories in this village, most of them relating to one practical joke or another. Karin hoped to one day have as many fond memories of the village, even if she didn't care for pranks.
Eventually, they took a route that led them along the edge of a large pond … one close to the old Uchiha district. A pond that was wafting wisps of steam from its surface as a certain lone figure took heavy breaths on the dock.
"Hey, that's Sasuke," Naruto said.
"The 'cool, talented' boy you claimed as a rival?" Karin asked. "The one you also claim has a horde of fangirls screeching over him?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, his tone a little distant in thought. "Is he already starting elemental chakra?"
"It looks like he's more than started," Karin noted. As they spoke, they distantly saw him flick through hand seals and take a deep breath before blowing through his circled thumb and forefinger to send a huge ball of fire hurtling into the lake to explode into a cloud of steam. "See?" she added.
"So what?" Naruto grumbled. "I'll be doing stuff like that with Wind soon enough."
"If you will forgive me, young Naruto," Katsuyu said from his shoulder, "I don't think this is only training."
"What do you mean?" Karin asked.
"That was the Great Fireball Technique, a hiden skill of the Uchiha clan. If I recall correctly, it was a rite of passage within the clan. No Uchiha shinobi would be considered an adult until they mastered it."
"Was?" Karin asked.
"Oh yeah, you don't know about the thing," Naruto said, sadness tinging his voice. He went on to explain what he could remember about the Uchiha Massacre.
"That's awful," Karin gasped, covering her mouth with shock. She looked back at the younger boy across the pond and made a decision. "Maybe we should talk with him about it."
"I tried," Naruto said. "During Ken's Chunin Exams, I tried to bring it up. He was a jerk about it; said I had no idea what it felt like since I never knew my family."
Karin blinked and felt her temper begin to rise at such cruel words, but took a breath and pushed it back down. "Well, maybe a lady will have better results," she said with a dignified smile. She began jogging to the dock with Naruto reluctantly following.
"Good morning, Sasuke Uchiha," Karin said as she walked down the dock.
Sasuke looked at her with sullen curiosity, and Karin noted that he was cute for his age. Not to mention the obvious "loner, bad boy" vibe was objectively appealing to many, at least according to her mama's romance novels she had peeked at.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, his voice haggard.
"To introduce myself," Karin said simply. "I'm Karin Uzumaki. I think you know my cousin," she stepped aside and gestured at Naruto, who waved with a tense smile.
"Here to try and talk to me about loss, too?" Sasuke asked brusquely.
"It … had crossed my mind, yeah," Karin said, brows arching.
"Then turn around and walk away," Sasuke said. "I've got more important things to do than listen to a stranger."
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nicer," Naruto said.
"Shut up, moron," Sasuke sneered.
"You shut up, you emo ass!" Karin snapped, hair seeming to puff up in agitation like a cat's. "And he's right: it wouldn't kill you. What would your mother say if she knew you acted like this?!"
"Don't you dare talk about my mother!" Sasuke shouted.
"Or what?" Karin scolded. "You gonna fight me?!"
"Okay, that's enough," Naruto grunted, dragging Karin away by the arm with every muscle in his body as she fought his hold. "See ya at the Academy, Jerk," Naruto added as Karin calmed and stalked away on her own. The sudden shift in motion made Naruto fall, but Karin snagged the back of his shirt and hauled him to his feet without missing a beat.
As they left, Karin still fuming, she looked back and opened her mind's eye. The chakra she saw was … dark. Heavy with grief and guilt and murderous anger. It made her stomach twinge and she ended the technique to refocus on Naruto.
"I can see why you don't like him," she said coldly.
"Nah, it's actually because he's so good at everything," Naruto said sullenly. "When I had basically nothing, Sasuke seemed to have everything. He had talent, good-attention, and people wanted to be his friend … People looked at him with, like, awe and not that cold hate."
"Well, you have something he doesn't," Karin said, taking his hand in a sisterly gesture.
"You and the rest of the family?" Naruto asked.
"I was going to say you're nice and friendly, but there's that too."
Naruto sniffled as his eyes suddenly welled and he brushed the back of his hand against his eyes.
"Are you crying?" Karin asked in surprise.
"No," Naruto said too quickly. "Just summer pollen, y'know? Yeah. Believe it."
Karin released his hand with a chuckle and lightly smacked the back of his head. "There's no shame in crying, Naruto."
"Not for girls, at least," he smirked. Then he launched into a sprint as the comment registered, Karin's temper predictably flared, and she chased him with a banshee's shriek as he laughed in joy and fear.
"Welcome to Ichiraku's!" Teuchi said, then his business smile widened into an even more genuine one. "Mrs. Kaori, welcome!"
"Good evening, Mr. Teuchi," Kaori said. "The usual for myself, Naruto, and Karin, please."
"No Ken? Must have a mission," Teuchi commented.
"Yes, his and Tomoko's first mission after the other night," Kaori chuckled.
"I almost can't believe they finally admitted it," Ayame said as she came out from the back with a dish towel, her words dripping with attitude that only a young teen could muster. "Nine months they danced around each other! And I caught the scent the moment they walked into this stand together."
"Sweetie, some people take time to think such things through," Teuchi admonished as he prepared Kaori's order.
"You mean like you, Dad?" Ayame asked with a mischievous smirk.
Teuchi stiffened and turned to face his daughter with steel in his gaze. "Not another word," he said firmly. Ayame lifted her hands in surrender and collected some stray bowels.
"You take your time, Teuchi?" Kaori asked.
"Your orders will be right out," he replied stiffly.
"Dad, just go for it," Ayame said quickly before darting back into the kitchen, barely avoiding a pair of chopsticks thrown her way.
"Well, whoever you have your eye on, Mr. Teuchi," Kaori said, her cheeks pink, "I think they're a lucky person indeed."
Teuchi looked at her with a blank expression, so unlike his usual smile that it kind of unnerved her. He looked away and bit his lip before sighing. "It's you, Ms. Kaori," he said.
Kaori's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"
"Yes," he chuckled, cheeks red. "You're not only quite lovely, but you're kind. And smart. And determined. You care for your family like few I've ever met." He turned his back and kept portioning ramen into takeout bowls. "After my first wife passed away, I was determined to find a good mother for Ayame. I fear I've failed there." His shoulders tensed. "But the idea still made you even more appealing."
He turned to face her with the paper bag holding the family's dinner. "Order up," he said. "And I've added some sweetened rice cakes. You didn't need me to push that on-"
"Would you like to go out to dinner?" Kaori asked, her voice forcibly level.
"You-" Teuchi blinked as if he'd been struck between the eyes. "You're … asking me to dinner?"
"Well, if Ayame is right, you were never going to get around to it," Kaori giggled. "So?"
"I-" Teuchi took a few false starts before discreetly pinching himself. "I would like that very much … Kaori."
"So would I," Kaori said, leaving payment with a generous tip. "It would be an honor. Say, Tuesday night at Yakiniku Q?"
"Tuesday?" Teuchi asked.
"It's the day you're slowest around here, right?" Kaori asked.
"It is," he said, his smile returning full-force. "Tuesday it is, then."
"Good," Kaori said. "I'll see you then." She held up her order, "If not sooner." With a flirty smile, she passed through the cloth awning and was gone.
Teuchi took a moment to gather his thoughts before taking a breath to call back to the kitchen to ask his daughter a question.
"I'll be fine here, Dad! And we'll discuss your outfit later!"
He laughed and wondered what good he had done to deserve such a kind daughter.
"Ow! She didn't have to hit me so hard," Naruto complained as Kaori gently dabbed at his bruises with disinfectant.
"I agree," she said primly, "which is why Karin is grounded for two days. That being said, Naruto, you really shouldn't rile her up without thinking of consequences."
"Yeah, I guess," he admitted. "It's just so much fun!"
"Well, then I hope you learn how to patch yourself up," Kaori said with a wry smile. "That's the last of it. My word, your bruises have already started to fade." She brushed her hands and started picking up her first aid supplies. "Even so, I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day."
"Well what am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked, rather petulantly.
"You could read," Kaori said.
"That's boring," Naruto whined, crossing his arms even with the faint twinges of pain. "What would I even-?" He blinked as a thought came to mind. "What, I got it! Thanks Kaori!"
Naruto ran to his and Ken's bedroom and searched around for a certain birthday gift. He huffed in pride when he found it, brushing his hands over the cover. The tale of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. Something that old guy Jiraiya had given him … that he said Naruto's dad had loved.
He returned to the living room and got comfy on the couch while Karin helped Kaori with dinner, all the while being subjected to Kaori's light scoldings for how she'd treated Naruto after the Sasuke incident.
'Serves her right,' Naruto thought vindictively as his bruises ached. He cracked open the book and flipped the first page to begin reading.
It was only several hours later when Naruto was broken from his reading by Ken's hand on his shoulder. He jerked away in shock before calming down with a sheepish grin. "Heya, Cousin Ken. How was your mission?"
"Fine," Ken said. "Just escorting some merchants to and from a market, no big problems even over four days."
"And no funny business, right?" Naruto asked with trading severity, holding up a pointer finger at Ken.
"Do you even know what funny business is?" Ken asked with a smile.
"Of course I do!" Naruto said.
"Then what is it?" Ken challenged.
"Kissing and stuff!" Naruto said triumphantly.
"So what is 'stuff'?" Ken asked, loosely crossing his arms.
Naruto faltered, eyes flicking around as he struggled to come up with an answer. "You know what I'm talking about," Naruto said, trying to turn it back on his cousin. "So, was there any?"
"Are you asking for details?" Ken asked. "Because I'm not comfortable with that."
"Ugh, gross! No!" Naruto blanched.
"A real man never kisses and tells," Ken added, his grin widening.
"Blech! Gross!" Naruto said, clapping his hands to his ears and screwing his eyes shut. "No, no, no!"
"I'll listen!" Karin said from the kitchen.
"No you won't," Kaori scolded, "even if you weren't grounded!"
Ken laughed and settled on the couch with a tired groan, brushing away thoughts of Tomoko as he did. They'd resolved to keep their actions strictly professional during missions, and had done … fairly well. As he emerged from his thoughts, he realized that Naruto was back to reading the book he'd had when Ken arrived home.
"What's that?" Ken asked.
"The book I got from that Jiraiya guy," Naruto said distantly, still engrossed in the pages. "It's really good."
"What's it about?" Ken asked.
"Well, a bunch of ninja villages that surround this mountain have had problems with each other for years, right?" Naruto started. "Two villages teamed up to make some crazy super-weapon, but then a war ended and they didn't have to use it. But some other ninjas got a hold of it and are threatening every village. So this one ninja decides to track them down and stop them from using it so that everybody can be safe."
"Wow, that does sound good," Ken said.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "And get this. The main character is named 'Naruto'! Just like me!"
"What a coincidence," Ken said, then he thought it over. "Or maybe not."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well," Ken reasoned, "if this book was a favorite of your dad's … he may have named you after the character. What's the character like?"
"He never gives up," Naruto said. "He fights for what he thinks is right and to help people."
"Sounds like you, too," Ken smiled, ruffling Naruto's hair.
"Yeah, I guess it does," Naruto said, stars in his eyes.
"Alright, you two," Kaori called. "Dinner's ready."
"Yes!" Naruto shouted, slipping a piece of paper in as a bookmark before bolting for the table and offering to help pass out the food. As he did, Ken picked up the book and examined the front to find Jiraiya's name in the author's spot. Then he opened it to the back of the inside cover to find a dedication.
In honor of a dear student, Nagato.
"Nagato …" Ken mused. "Wonder who he was that Jiraiya would dedicate an entire first book to him?"
Chapter forty-one is here!
*Shinzo Sarutobi is Hiruzen's eldest child, Asuma's older brother, husband of Sawano whom we met earlier in the story, and Konohamaru's father. His name means "heart," which he has in spades.
*Gibbons are simians native to China, as are Macaques. The Rhesus Macaque is thought by some to be the inspiration for Sun Wukong's appearance.
*I was never a fan of Karin's obsessive crush on Sasuke, but I really like writing her temper. Their first meeting is derived from these ideas.
*As a gentle reminder, Ayame at this time is thirteen. Yes, she helps her dad out in the stand, because she's devoted like that.
*A guest on this site suggested I have Naruto read "Gutsy Shinobi" that he got from Jiraiya and I thought it was a great idea. It may also lead to some ripples down the line ... The synopsis he gives is based on the Naruto Wiki page on the real-life published light novel.
As always, I hope you liked it. Leave a review if you can! And may your inspiration flow freely!