Naruto and Hiruzen stared in bewilderment at what met their eyes. There were only two envelops that were there. Naruto was a bit disappointed that there were only two envelops remaining of his parents' legacy, but changed the direction of his thoughts immediately. He was taking something at face value, which he would never do. 'Perhaps it's the feelings I experienced last night. Emotions are clouding my judgement', he thought.
'Don't worry about it, Naruto. Feelings and thoughts such as those never truly fade away. You just learn to live with them. Besides, it happens to the best of them', Kurama reassured.
Naruto noticed how Kurama excluded himself from the 'best of them' and rose an eyebrow mentally, 'It does not happen to you?'
Kurama arrogantly puffed up his chest and declared, 'Of course not! I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune, boy! A being such as I am above such petty things!'
Naruto ignored the pompous rambling of the fox and turned his attention back to the envelops. He quickly took them from their place and checked carefully if there was anything left. Seeing he had taken all there was, he closed the portrait. The seals glowed again, signifying the portrait had been locked back.
A sudden thought struck Hiruzen and he had to resist the urge to smack his forehead for what he was about to do. 'Why didn't I ask this earlier?! Damn the forgetfulness that comes with this age!'
Hiruzen felt really bad but he had to do this right now. Tentatively, he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, knocking the boy out of his trance. He was gazing at the envelops as if they were the most precious things in the world to him, which they were.
"Naruto-kun, why weren't you at your room in the orphanage yesterday in the evening?" he asked slowly, as if afraid to find out the answer to that question.
Naruto could not help the flinch that the question brought. When he had told jiji about how he found out his parents' identity last night, he had conveniently forgot to mention that he had been kicked out by the orphanage. He had hoped that jiji would not ask him about that.
In a mumble that Hiruzen barely understood the blonde said, "The matron kicked me out yesterday evening."
Hiruzen suspected that the matron would have deliberately kept Naruto out of the orphanage last night because of the festival, but did not expect him to be thrown out of the orphanage.
White hot anger flooded his veins that he barely restrained from letting it out as killer intent. 'How dare they?! How dare that woman do such a vile thing, throwing a five year old out, knowing he would be killed?! Why is the civilian population of this village so stupid? It's like they don't trust Minato's skills at all!' he raged inside his mind.
However, he knew he was equally at fault. He should have never announced Naruto's status as the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi at all. Naruto would have lived comfortably, without experiencing the hatred of the villagers.
Naruto watched his jiji's face carefully, for any signs of anger. Fortunately, years of being a shinobi and Hokage allowed Hiruzen to keep a neutral face, but Naruto could tell from the subconscious tightening of jiji's hand on his shoulder that he was angry.
"I see", was all he said before visibly collecting himself. Now to address the main issue. He looked at Naruto with a grave look on his face, "Naruto-kun, now that that is out of the way, we have to find a new place for you to live."
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Not another orphanage, jiji!" Hiruzen stared at the desperate look Naruto was giving him. To be honest, he was scared that one day it would come to this. And surprisingly, he agreed with Naruto. He did not want Naruto to live anywhere he would be hated. Unfortunately, that left only one option.
"Naruto-kun, that means you have to live alone", he said, silently wishing he could take the boy in himself. Unfortunately, he could not. The dratted civilian council was in his way.
Naruto crossed his hands over his chest defensively, not hesitating for a moment to answer, "Better than living in some place where I am treated with bias." He was looking at Hiruzen, chin tilted upwards in a way only children could to show their stubbornness. 'Oh Kushina, his stubbornness reminds me so much of you', he recalled with a sad smile. He knew Naruto would not budge from his point.
Sighing, he said, "But are you sure you will be able to take care of yourself? You will have to cook for yourself, bring food for yourself, clean your clothes, keep your home clean, which is very hard considering the size of this house", he explained wisely.
However, all that wisdom was thrown out of the window when he noticed the look Naruto was giving him. His face was set in a deadpan stare, an eyebrow raised. He found himself feeling quite stupid when Naruto kept looking at him like that, the deadpan never leaving. He was reminded of another blonde who used to make many people feel stupid with the same look on his face.
Naruto spoke seriously, as if he had not noticed how uncomfortable the man was at all, "Jiji, when you consider the size of this house, it is clear that no single person could take care of a place such as this by himself. I never said I want to live here; a small apartment would do. Besides", his expression turned a bit sad, "This house is so big that the loneliness will start to bother me, considering whose house was this in the first place."
Hiruzen was surprised at the maturity that Naruto was showing. 'People thrice his age aren't this mature', he thought with amazement. No matter how many times he saw Naruto, he was always stunned at how mature Naruto was for his age.
Considering his options, he said, "Give me one hour, Naruto-kun. I'm positive I can find an apartment big enough just for you. Until then, I assume you would want to read the contents of those letters?" he said giving him a significant glance, complete with chin down and eyebrow raised.
Naruto suddenly seemed to remember about the envelops. His hands shot to his lower's pocket where he had put them somewhere between his talk with jiji. He looked up and replied, "Yes, that will do, jiji."
He left after that, muttering things about a matron and execution.
After jiji left, Naruto reached for the first letter that came into his hand. He read the kanji on the envelope with wide eyes. 'Mother', it said. Hands shaking because of nerves, he opened the letter.
Naruto was a pretty fast reader. Not because he was eager to finish the books early; more like he was forced become a fast reader. The matron at the orphanage would give him books, but would take them away very quickly. Which is why he forced himself to become a fast reader. But this letter was read very slowly, wanting to taste each word of his mother.
Dear Naruto,
Oh, my sweet little child, how I wish that I were alive to see you grow into a fine young man like your father. I'm writing this letter in case something happens to us and you are left alone. If you are reading this, it means that we are dead. We are so sorry for leaving you, baby.
First things first, I love you with all my heart, Naruto. A mother never stops loving her child, even in death. Know that I am still watching over you, and another thing; don't you dare visit me unless you are a hundred and ten years old! I want you live a full and happy life and only die of old age.
Second, if you decide to become a shinobi, remember the three vices of shinobi life. First is alcohol, be responsible about it and don't become a drunk. Second is money, use it responsibly and try not to waste it. If you DO want to waste it, better do it on your wife. The third is women, and as your mother, I absolutely forbid you to become a pervert and a womanizer. Respect women and also, find a woman you love and want to spend your life with. Don't settle for anything less!
At the bottom of this letter, you will see two kanji. The first one contains my sword, if you ever decide to take up kenjutsu. The second contains the ring with which your father proposed me with; give it to the girl you believe will love you for the rest of your life.
Once again, your father and I love you, no matter what. Remember that Naruto.
With love,
Kushina Uzumaki
P.S: Learn fuinjutsu. The Uzumaki's were known for it and your father mastered it as well. I have left ten volumes of fuinjutsu that I got from the Uzumaki archives, everything you need to become a master. Best of luck, baby!
Naruto was numb after reading the letter from his mother. He could not find the words to express how fulfilling and satisfying and amazing it was to hear words from his mother, even if it was on a letter. He saw the kanji that his mother mentioned and smiled his face-splitting grin at that. His mother was awesome!
He was so hyped up from reading his mother's letter that he almost forgot about his father's. He put the letter down gently as if it were made of glass and picked his father's letter up.
Dear Naruto,
If you are reading this letter, then it means that I'm no longer among the living. I desperately hope that your mother is with you, but if that is not the case, allow me to explain a few things to you.
My name is Minato Namikaze, and as you probably have guessed, the Yondaime Hokage. If you already know this, then you are probably in the academy. If not, it is good to read. Keep it up! If you did not know about my identity as your father before this letter, please don't be upset at Sandaime-sama. I left him specific instructions that you were to be told about my identity only if you were a chunin, or married. I made many enemies during the Third Great Shinobi War, especially from Iwa.
If people were to know about it, you would be a prime target for all my enemies.
I just want you to know that even If you are yet to be born, I love you with all my heart. It was the happiest day of my life when your mother announced that she was pregnant with you.
Since I was an orphan, I really don't have any special jutsu to give you. But what I have left, I hope you master them. The improved notes I made from scratch in my quest to learn and master Nidaime-sama's Hiraishin no jutsu are in the first kanji at the bottom of this letter. Also, I leave the Rasengan to you, in hopes that you can complete it, something that I never could. It is in the second kanji.
Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki and she was the loveliest and one of the most compassionate women I've ever met in my life. She is perhaps the only one who loves you more than I do.
I have left you another surprise in the basement of this house. Something of my own design and perhaps my greatest fuinjutsu achievement yet, other than mastering the Eight trigrams sealing style. Details are in the basement. Enjoy!
With all the love in the world,
Dad
Naruto did not know when he had started crying, but he did not care. He could feel his parents' love from the letter; he could almost see them smiling down on him from above. He wiped his tears off, a determined glint in his eyes. He would do his parents proud!
He looked up and noticed that only a little over five minutes had passed. 'Good, a lot of time to explore!' He nudged his partner mentally, 'Hey, Kurama, you awake? We can finally explore the house!'
All he heard was a deep snore reverberating in his mindscape that caused Naruto to sweatdrop. How the hell was Kurama asleep?! He was awake just ten minutes ago! It's impossible to fall asleep that quickly when all you do is laze around and not even get tired. He decided to leave the snoring fox alone and explore by himself.
He found out that the room he slept the previous night in was his parents' room. Surprisingly, he found out that it was a little easier to not cry now. He found out that there were four bedrooms in total; his parents' and his on the first floor, the guest bedrooms on second floor. One good thing about his and his parents' bedrooms was that they had balconies attached to them.
He got out of the house and was stupefied at the space at the back of the house. It was almost one-fourth the size of a training ground, and Konoha's training grounds are very large. He then finally decided to explore the basement, curious about the gift his father had left for him.
Climbing down the stairs, he saw the basement and whistled lowly, impressed with his father even more. He connected the dots and had to chuckle at how clever his father was.
The basement was almost the size of their backyard, if only a bit smaller. But what was interesting that there was a glass screen separating a large part of the basement from him. Just below the screen, there was a panel with seven kanjis, each representing the number one to seven. He was a bit confused at that and further when he saw a large seal array on the ceiling of the basement on the other side of the glass.
He turned around, hoping to find something that would explain what the hell he was looking at. He spotted a notebook labeled 'Training manual' and picked it up. He opened it and found another note from his father.
Dear Naruto,
This is a training manual for what you are currently looking at. My greatest achievement till date.
This is a training room I have designed to improve my Taijutsu. While not weak at it, I was not exactly strong either. I designed it and incorporated several Taijutsu styles into this room, courtesy of Gai and Kakashi. If you ever meet Gai, just be a little cautious. He's always a bit too much.
You must have noticed the seven kanjis on the panel. They are the seven levels of training, each more difficult than the rest. I must advise you not to immediately go in there, even if you have learnt a Taijutsu style already. I have designed this training room in synchronization to resistance seals. You must only start if you have mastered the sixth level of resistance seals. If you are able to move comfortably at that level, you may begin from the first level. As you move onto a higher resistance, you can move onto the next level. For example, if you have mastered the seventh level of resistance, you can safely try the second level of the training room.
I have left a scroll of the Taijutsu style I created for myself. If you want, you can learn it. It's up to you. OR, you can create a style for yourself.
Remember, whatever fighting style you learn. It should have the symbolization of the five main elements of nature. It should be as aggressive as fire, as sharp as the wind, as fast as lightning, as strong as the earth and as fluid as water.
Good luck!
Dad
Naruto was amazed at the end of the letter. His dad created a whole training room with simulations with Fuinjutsu! From what he read until now, Fuinjutsu was perhaps the most versatile art among all ninja arts. Anything is possible with Fuinjutsu! He started making plans on how he was going to proceed when his keen ears picked up a voice calling his name.
'Jiji must be back', he thoughtas he raced back upwards, closing the door of the basement behind him. He took the letters with him, stuffing them in his pocket and walked to the gate, opening it to talk to jiji.
"Ah, Naruto-kun", he greeted, "I trust that you have explored the house?"
Naruto nodded, smiling, "It is great."
Hiruzen chuckled, "Good. Now, as you said, I have found an apartment for you."
Naruto gave the smallest of nods, "So, can I go there and see it?"
Hiruzen nodded, "I'll take you there myself." Gripping Naruto's shoulder firmly, he vanished in a shunshin.
Appearing in front of a building, Hiruzen guided Naruto in. "I've already stocked it with what you might need", he explained as they arrived on the top floor.
Stopping in front of a door, Hiruzen pushed the door open and let himself and Naruto in.
The first thought that Naruto had upon seeing his apartment was that it was small, just big enough for him. The second was that it was perfect. The third was awe, seeing that it was stocked with a bed, a dining table, a kitchen with a stove and a refrigerator, and a bedroom with a bathroom and an attached balcony. The bedroom even had two racks for clothes and other belongings.
Hiruzen gave a small smile seeing how Naruto was awed like any other child whenever something new was given to them.
"You can stay here until you get married. After that, you can move into your parents' home", he said.
He waited on the sofa for Naruto to finish exploring the apartment, which was not long enough. He stood up when Naruto walked into the living room, "So, how is it?"
He was totally unprepared for Naruto to come bowling over to him, wrapping his arms around him in a hug that sent all the air out of his lungs. Only bracing himself at the last second caused him to prevent falling over backwards. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the boy in a bear hug.
Naruto separated first, unshed tears in his eyes, "It's perfect, jiji. Thank you so much!"
Hiruzen smiled, relieved that Naruto liked it. "Now, before I leave, here is your monthly stipend", he said, handing over a wad of notes, "This is 12,000 yen. Spend it wisely. Is there anything else you need before I go?"
Naruto thought for a minute and said, his face the epitome of seriousness, "A cooking book would be nice."
XXXXXXX
Roaming the streets in the evening, Naruto thought back to the afternoon's conversation. The old man had almost face faulted at Naruto's request. When asked why he would want a cooking book, Naruto responded with his signature 'Making-you-feel-stupid-with-just-a-look' look.
He made the Hokage sweat for a minute before answering that he wanted to learn cooking because he did not want to waste his money eating outside, where he would be outrageously overpriced.
That brought him to his main problem. Although jiji had stocked his fridge with all the healthy food, it would eventually be finished and he would have to buy more. Which meant he would be overpriced for every item he bought. He sighed, shaking his head at the villagers' stupidity.
Really! Just because Kurama lived inside him did not mean that he was Kurama, just like when you put sweets in a box and close it, the box does not become the sweet itself. And quite frankly, Kurama felt insulted because Naruto was called a demon instead of him. 'I am the only demon here, dammit!' he always said.
That, in turn, reminded him of another matter. He spoke inside, 'Hey Kurama! I need your help!' It was almost a minute before the bijuu responded, 'With what, brat?'
Naruto honestly did not mind Kurama calling him a brat. He would prefer it over demon-boy any day. Also, it warmed his heart every time he heard it because the fondness in the voice was as clear as daylight.
'I need your help in unlocking my chakra', he replied. Kurama, now fully awake from his nap, raised an eyebrow, 'Why now? You could unlock it when you enter the academy like everyone else.'
Resolutely shaking his head, Naruto replied, 'No! When I enter the academy, I want to be ahead of everyone else, not with everyone! And if I have to start my training to become a shinobi, with all the materials from dad and mom, I will start now!'
Kurama released a sigh. He hated it sometimes when Naruto acted like his mother. Kushina was infuriating, the tomato brat that she was.
'Okay, head to one of the training fields', he instructed. Naruto nodded before changing directions towards the training fields. He entered the first one he saw and after ensuring that no one was around, he sat down in Indian position, entering a meditative trance and waiting for a pull into his mindscape from Kurama. He did not have to wait for long, but a did not see a certain purple haired kunoichi looking at him curiously from the entrance of the training ground.
XXXXXXX
Anko Mitarashi was a tokubetsu jonin of Konoha, specializing in interrogation and working directly under Ibiki Morino, the famed interrogator of Konoha. She was powerful, after all, being a former apprentice of one of the Densetsu no Sannin, Orochimaru.
Just because she was Orochimaru's apprentice meant she was given the kind of treatment that should honestly be reserved for the likes of Orochimaru. She was called the 'Snake Bitch' by the populace of Konoha, but she took it head on and made a fearful reputation for herself, ensuring the villagers kept their distance.
She also knew that one another suffered the same treatment at the hands of the villagers. But she was not that stupid to believe that the blonde would be Kyuubi in human form. He intrigued her, the way he endured the hatred of the villagers and never backed down. For a five year old, that was seriously impressive.
So when she saw the blonde going towards the training fields, her interest in him was peaked. She decided to follow him, to see what he was going to do. She saw how he observed his surroundings and decided to humor him, by simply being hidden at the entrance, out of sight for him, but visible to anyone else. 'What the hell is this boy doing?' she thought with a raised eyebrow.
XXXXXXX
Naruto arrived in his mindscape and saw Kurama resting at the shore of a very large water body, one he knew was not there before. 'Where the hell did that come from?' he thought as he approached Kurama.
Kurama sensed his approach and opened his eyes, looking at Naruto with an intense look, "Naruto, do you know what this is?" he asked, gesturing to the water body.
Naruto shook his head.
Seeing that, Kurama explained, "This water body is the representation of your chakra. But before we begin to unlock your chakra, I discovered a very interesting thing about your body", smiling at the end.
Naruto tilted his head to the side, "What?"
Kurama was as blunt as a hammer, "You don't have chakra coils in your body, kid."
Naruto's reaction was priceless, "WHAAAAT?!"
Kurama chuckled. Naruto's reaction to surprises was turning out to be very amusing.
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