Fuuinjutsu from the textbook requires a studious mind, a steady hand, and impeccable chakra control.
The runes from his Clan tell him otherwise. They brim with power, charged with ancient energy that had yet to be dispelled.
"Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu is a league of its own." Shizune whispered, as if speaking too loudly would be a disturbance to the passed Uzushio. They walked through the underground hallways full of dusty shelves. "Simple things like studying and reading, while would get you started, would ultimately have nothing on natural talent."
"The thought process, every flare of your chakra, the feel of the brush." Tsunade expanded, looking upon each passing shelf with a personal love, a personal grief.
"A professional Fuuinjutsu master could copy each stroke with pin-point precision. But an Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu master could create a more advanced and specified seal with their eyes closed and nothing more than their chakra and their blood."
There are rows and rows of cremation urns, engraved seals dancing along the metallic shell. 'Uzumaki Kiyomi', one reads beside a date, smaller engravings of 'Jonin, mother, wife, cousin' underneath it. 'Uzumaki Fugito', is another ('Chuunin, nephew, godson, lover').
There is a deliberately careful sense in how they were arranged, so neatly aligned that it made him ponder how long one had to spend in front of these people (ghosts) to be so pedantic as to have them all perfectly straight.
"This is an intent-seal." Tsunade paused before another door with a circular design carved upon it. "It scans chakra for malicious intent. The Uzumaki had these planted all over the place and if you look carefully enough, those urns each have a small one carved into the centre. Furthermore, some urns are sealed so only those with certain blood and a certain chakra signature can bypass it."
"That's... overpowered..." Naruto squinted at the door and the meticulously placed seal. "Can't someone just destroy the door?"
She simply returned a bemused look.
With a quick flick of her chakra, blood bloomed from her thumb and the seal whirled to life, a holographic shimmer of designs glitching, a dull humming ringing in his ears, before it dropped, the door swinging open.
"That's some... crazy tech shit." He whispered, instinctively dodging Shizune's dope slap. "What makes our blood so special though? Tsunade-baachan is... is only part Uzumaki and I'm a- a half-blood but it still..."
"It's because the Uzumaki Clan was royalty. One of the closest to what people considered 'god'. The blood can't be so easily diluted. The-" Tsunade bit her lip a flicker of pain passing through her eyes as she stepped into the next area.
"The Uzumaki Clan was a home." She began again. "A sanctuary. While the Senju and Uchiha Clan were fighting- Warring States Period- the Uzumaki Clan remained passive, choosing not to slaughter the Uchiha despite there being 'ancestral hatred' between the two."
Naruto felt... small as he stepped in with her. Rows and rows of bookshelves spanned about a dozen metres to his right and left. The ceiling had risen, about three metres tall from the floor. Even with his (not that extensive) prior knowledge, he still couldn't make out much of the runes above him.
'How did someone even draw it up there?'
He slowly lowered his gaze from the intricate designs, choosing instead to observe the shelves. While still dusty, there was a thick presence of chakra lingering. Tsunade was correct, there were multiple seals layered all over the place like decorations. He warily glanced at each one he could find, wondering if stepping on it would cause an explosion or not.
"It came back to the time of the Gods." Tsunade spoke quietly, her heels not making a single noise on the stone floor. "Otsutsuki Kaguya, the Mother of Chakra, and her son, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths. They're myths- fables, but the Uzumaki and Uchiha Clan know otherwise."
Naruto was robotic in movements as he followed after her, feeling as though this information was something... special.
"I'm sure that the Uchiha Clan had the same story passed down but with the recent Massacre and the Senju and the Uzumaki Clan... gone... that story had all but stopped with me." She closed her eyes, "I am named 'Princess' because I am the direct descendant of the Uzumaki and Senju Main Branch. Uzumaki Kushina, chosen heir by Uzumaki Mito-hime, gave birth to you: Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. You are royalty in this ghost Village; a noble, if you wished, a prince by now, if not worthy of Uzukage. So now I'm passing it on to you, and from there, I expect you to live long enough to pass it on to others."
Naruto wondered if Tsunade understood the impact her words had on him. Condemnations were wordlessly spoken each time Naruto had gazed into a villager's eyes. He cut off the words 'why?' and 'thank you' before they could form on his tongue; this is what he had deserved- this is what should be expected.
(It didn't make him any less appreciative than before.)
"The sons of the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Asura and Otsutsuki Indra, were the ancestors of the Uzumaki and Uchiha Clan respectively. Asura held strong vitality, and long lifespan." She explained as if reciting. "And thus the Uzumaki Clan was borne with an abundance of chakra, of life force, as well as natural healing rates, impossible vitality as well as core strength like none other. And our blood..."
Her voice turned hushed as she healed her wound on her thumb, a green light emitting before the small cut disappeared.
"Represents that. Uzumaki red, Uzumaki blood. It's what keeps the Clan alive and strong." She then turned grim. "It had been what had kept us strong."
"Binding Blood Arts," Shizune continued, giving Tsunade a quick, assessing look. "Is the proof of that. It's a contract with life and death itself. It recognises your heritage and you use it to draw upon Life Energy."
"Life Energy?" He frowned. "I thought there were only three types of energies: Nature, Physical and Spiritual."
"Life Energy is something that only Main Clans possess." Shizune hesitated. "You've heard of Main Branches but some Clans were developed from civilian Geneses- people who develop Kekkei Genkai or a certain style of fighting etc. for the first time- and they're not labelled it, but they're technically considered 'side Clans'. Clans with Yoton or Hyoton etc., mixed Elemental Natured chakras, are all side Clans. Clans with 'Hiden' or secret Clan Jutsu and Clans that have a signature familiar or summoning animal are side Clans as well."
"That's... that's basically everyone!"
"Not necessarily," Tsunade answered, "Dojutsu Clans all originated from either the Uchiha or the Hyuuga Clan who are direct descendants of some branch of the Otsutsuki Clan. The Kaguya Clan are descendants of Otsutsuki Kaguya and gained some mutation of some bone technique that I don't remember. The Senju Clan, while formidable, are also just a branch off the Uzumaki Clan. This separates Clans into two categories: civilians and Otsutsuki. Only the Otsutsuki have Life Energy and Shizune only knows about it cuz I told her and I only know about it cuz I'm Senju-Uzumaki."
"So I'm... part Sage of Six Paths?" Naruto awed.
"...Technically? It'd be too diluted that it wouldn't matter. Ahem, back on topic the Uchiha Clan unknowingly uses Life Energy for their eyes." Tsunade reached the end of the twisting and turning maze. "I've heard tales of god-like powers from the Sharingan but apparently it only awakens under duress- under intense emotions- under contact with love and death. While it is fairly unknown, Uzumakis are also like that- just less straightforward."
It was like a temple now, dusty and dark, a spot of chakra lighting up the room. Naruto squinted, managing to make out the barest squiggles, rows of information, packed in a language he couldn't wait to dissect.
"The unbearable desire to heal a loved one mixed with the rumours that eating a human would fix another's wounds. The fabled 'Cannibalism Treatment' where people would eat a specific organ to heal that specific organ in their own body. The eaten one would then live in the soul of the other. Stupid-" She scoffed, but a with a smile on her lips, "I know. But it developed into a Kekkei Genkai, where biting an Uzumaki could cause the one to heal and regenerate quickly through transferring Life Energy chakra."
'Biting?' Naruto thought with a mix of morbid curiosity, burning distaste, as well as some misplaced fondness for their beliefs.
"And then the urge to find a loved one, the chakra would disperse and sense others without much action on the user's part. This developed into yet another Kekkei Genkai, Kagura Shingan."
"That's an awful lot of Kekkei Genkais." Naruto murmured.
Tsunade's lips quirked into a grin, "Then there's the famous one yet: Adamantine Sealing Chains. Raw chakra conjured chains that can seal and hold back practically anything. It's known for being one of the few techniques that can hold back a Bijuu."
"Was that awakened from the urge to protect a loved one against an enemy?" Naruto raised a brow. "Or maybe, awakened from the urge to seal fangirls away from their boyfriends?"
Tsunade laughed, "Well, I don't know. I'm a quarter-ish Uzumaki, so other than the reserves and vitality, I don't get any of the Kekkei Genkais. I've been under enough... 'duress' that I would've awakened them if I could've. I don't know about you though, but I feel like you should know as a half-blood."
"And the Uchiha magic eyeba- uh, I mean, Sharingan thingys?"
Shizune and Tsunade snorted, "The Sharingan was known to be the 'devil's eyes' because they were awakened when an Uchiha was on the verge of death. Ojii-sama told me about the ultimate form of it develops through after killing one's most loved one. The guilt and the determination that comes with it- something that haunts you for the rest of your life; it grants them power."
Naruto made a choked noise, "B-But why would someone do that? "
"For greater ambitions." Shizune instantly replied, tone brittle. "They are passionate on the next level. You may hear that it's because the Uchiha were supposedly born with the 'Curse of Hatred' but Tsunade-sama and I both believe it as bullshit."
He blinked at the profanity.
"Uchiha and Uzumaki are parallels." Tsunade glanced at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes.
"They both love so deeply in different ways. For our Clan, it blossoms into further power, further motivation, and stronger mental fortitude. For the Uchiha, it twists into possessive rage and the desire for vengeance. It turns their chakra and life into a fire that will burn and burn all the enemies until it burns themselves. The Uchiha go blind with insanity and their revered eyes will fade of light."
Fire is beautiful though. It dances and flutters, and it stands out brighter against smothering darkness. It provides warmth even in the coldest of weathers and provides light even in the most loneliest of nights. But it's only noticeable- it's only powerful- in the dark.
For a moment he remembers his fingers curling into dirt, back slammed onto the ground. He remembers the breath knocked out of his chest and the dark seething expression in those dark abyss eyes.
Naruto had feared, in that moment, not for himself, or for the thing or person on the other side of that cold glare, but for Sasuke, who had lost that flicker of life in his eyes.
(Who had lost his family to the one he loved most that previous week's night.)
He'd been killed that same night; it was only vengeance holding him up. It was only the urge to kill that was overtaking the need to die.
Uchiha Sasuke had died that same night but the candle light inside of him had grown into an inferno, keeping him horribly, horribly alive.
(That's just so... painful.)
"What 'light' is there after losing loved ones anyway?" He asked bitterly.
"...The Sharingan, Tobi-ojisama, believed it to be a symbol of their hatred." Tsunade answered instead. "Uchihas knew hatred was spawned from love but he didn't believe in that. He didn't understand how they could act so... intensely. But it was that very irony that made him a fool. He was prejudiced against the Uchiha Clan because of their past actions- because they'd killed many Senju. His love for fallen family had caused such deep hatred towards them. Many could argue that he, perhaps, was closer to his proclaimed archenemy than he himself intended to be."
"And in the end, the greatest motivation is always the same old 'hatred'." Shizune concluded with a grimace.
"So the more hurt you feel, the stronger you become?" Naruto demanded, something painful twisting in his chest. "That's stupid!"
"It is, it is." She consoled. "But it is the nature of human beings. You don't realise how much you care until they're gone. And only after they're gone do you act- in rage, in hatred, in vengeance. The Uchiha Clan... is the most... honest example of that. That's why after staying away from Konoha for so long, Tsunade-sama had pondered so much about the Massacre and why it happened."
"You should... You should only become stronger to protect, not to attack!"
He didn't understand.
"You become stronger to defend and to prevent more hurt rather than- rather than continuing on the cycle of hatred!"
He cut himself off, hands curling into his fist. He just couldn't imagine it. Sure, he had initially trained so that he could get people to 'acknowledge him' but he now realised that it would have been a futile effort. Growing stronger would amplify their hatred and fear; standing above them won't do anything.
They may fear and avoid him, but he would never attack them- it'd only prove them right. (And it'd only cause more pain.)
The rip in his chest that he now notices aches every time he tries to think of his parents. He would never cause another child to become an orphan. He would never bestow this sort of suffering on anyone else if he could help it.
That was his new reason: to protect and to prevent. To stand beside and to stand in front of the very ones who cast him aside... He'd do it for their future, not for their acknowledgment. He had to protect to become Kage, not become Kage to protect.
Because someone has to tell all these big figures that they're stupid and a horrible leader for continuing on in wars. Vengeance was not heroic, death was not heroic, war was not heroic.
Orphans don't find pride in how they're orphans. It was an endless cycle. Orphans then grew up to serve in more wars thus causing more people to lose their loved ones.
How are they even Kage if they don't become the bigger person to protect each and every one of their people? How could they 'honour' their dead shinobi from the previous wars if it caused even more dead shinobi? Would that 'lay them to rest' or would that multiply the number of people needed to be 'avenged'?
"An eye for an eye..." Tsunade prompted slowly, eyeing him strangely.
"...Makes the whole world blind." Naruto ended, feeling frustrated.
When he faced two elaborately designed urns on a pedestal-
Senju Hashirama
Uzumaki Mito
-he immediately sucked in a breath, instantly recognising the names.
Tsunade lowered herself into a seiza and he quickly followed suit after watching Shizune mimicking her.
Tsunade turned her full attention onto the two urns; she stared at it like they were people- and perhaps to her, they were.
"Ojii-sama, Obaa-sama..." She breathed in deeply, her turbulent chakra speaking more than her words did. "I'm back. "
She then lowered herself further until her forehead was mere centimetres from the floor, chest tucked towards her lap.
Naruto's eyes widened at the... what was it? Regret? Apology? Grief?
Shizune was in a similar position though her head was not bowed in the conflicting emotions that Tsunade was in; rather, it was bowed in show of respect- of awe.
Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime, and Uzumaki Mito, the first Jinchuuriki. It was strange that Naruto didn't feel any... urge that told him to cower or pray or- or do anything one would in front of respected legacies. Inspirational strength radiated even from the dead- he could feel the tension- the chakra weighing down around him.
He dipped his head, but his thoughts echoed back to him, less arrogant, less foolish, but just as- or perhaps, even more- determined: 'I will surpass both of you.'
'And the peace that you wished for, Shodaime Hokage-sama, Senju Hashirama, Baa-chan's Jii-chan, I will find it.'
-Tsunade-
She's torn between slapping Naruto silly and wrapping him up in a warm blanket when he states that he's 'always been that loser'.
Shortly following his peace rant, she'd walked him through everything in the temple and the underground that Mito had always taken her through. She remembers the firm grip of her grandmother and the gentle grip of her grandfather's hand like she'd walked with them yesterday.
She'd gathered copies of as many scrolls as she could (using the ultimate hax of Kage Bunshin, of course) and told him to start studying. Then he brought up Shizune's phrase of 'natural talent' and how he 'didn't have any'. Not only was that bullshit (because he was gifted in ways he didn't know), it was also a stupidly pessimistic mindset to have especially after his peace rant. She hopes it was just a mood swing from all the previous revelations.
She ended up doing both, (slap then wrap) and now she's uncomfortably brewing tea (that he won't even drink) while trying not to stare too hard at the red hand print on his face. He's curled up in a blanket, sniffling as he blinked at the mountain of scrolls and books. Shizune was giving him a pitying look as she began to sort the mountain into 'Tier' piles. '1' being the easiest and '7' being the most complicated.
She clears her throat. "Look. You know your Academy ex-classmates?"
"...Mm?"
"Did I ever tell you what I thought of them?"
"No?"
"Well, tell me about them. What do you think of them? What do you think of yourself?"
Naruto donned a suspicious look on his face then begins: "Well, I don't really... pay attention to most of the kids that are the worst but uh..." It takes a moment for Naruto to rid the automatic grinning mask off his face.
"...Sakura..." He said carefully, "...cha-... Haruno." His face eased a little, distancing himself from his 'fake life', as he liked to dub. "It wasn't considered a 'life' if I didn't 'live' it properly."
"Haruno is..." Pretty. Cute. Smart. Tsunade watched as the words flickered onto his face before he frowned and quashed them.
"Is she nice?" Shizune prompted.
"Ye-..." Naruto pressed his lips together in irritation as he squinted in thought. "What's nice?"
"Like us." She replied easily. "Like Tsunade-sama and I. Doesn't hurt you. Smiles at you for real. Cares about you if you're close enough. Respectful, polite, friendly."
"No one's nice then." He automatically said before he winced. "Haruno is a not nice civilian girl. She has pink hair that makes her stand out. Her chakra control and academic marks are the highest. I know that because I used to like her."
"Why did you like her?"
"Because pink hair, popular, smart, everyone else did. Apart from Bastard."
"Bastard?"
Naruto made a weird face, "I liked Haruno because her... eyes... weren't as bad as the other girls. She was still aggressive though. She punched me a lot but I hadn't cared because at least she shows her angriness and doesn't hide it like the other villagers. I thought her punches were a way of being nice and honest."
CRACK-
"Shit." Tsunade said dully, "Shizune, I broke the counter."
Naruto raised his brows. "Haruno didn't repress her anger at me, so she wasn't afraid of me. She didn't super hate me because other kids did sneaky things to make me do bad in class while Haruno did it... in a straight forward way."
He shrugged. "It's- it's hard to explain, I guess. She's loud, she's annoying, she's temperamental and reckless and has no brains when it comes to Bastard but she's honest. And- and that's why I liked her."
The look in Tsunade's eyes softened and she sighed. "Past tense, aye? Naruto, I'm expecting higher standards than just 'honest' so step up your game if you haven't already, brat."
He sniffed dramatically, "My standards are now ramen-high, Baa-chan. Don't worry."
"And the others?"
"Shikamaru is... logical." Naruto bit his lip. "He reacted to my- uh, my, um, my target of hate? He reacted to how others reacted to me like how a normal person would. He's like... He didn't see reason to help me but he always looked at people who talked bad about me like they were mentally wrong. He's lazy but he's a genius, you can tell from his eyes. He's nice to his friends but he doesn't have a sense of- of helping others. That's Choji. Choji is super nice but not motivated either. He's too shy to step out though."
"And the last three of the Ino-Shika-Cho... the Yamanaka?"
"The Yamanaka." Naruto repeated, unused to the formal address. "She's... like Haruno. And now I don't know why. The old man at the flower shop she returns to has nice vibes but he has a strong feeling about him. I avoided him because he, like, looks into my soul or something. It's kinda creepy cuz they don't have pupils or nothing-ttebayo."
He stuck his tongue out. "Yamanaka is disappointing-" He winced at the insults, "For someone who has all the advantages."
That's what it looked like to him, at least.
"She's rude to that old man- her dad, and she fights with Haruno over Teme." He furrowed his brow, now confused. "I don't know why though. She's talented, she can manipulate and she hates bullies. She's a cool person but then she gets aggressive and mean and unconsiderate and a fangirl."
"Inconsiderate." Shizune corrected.
"Then Kiba's annoying and loud and reckless- sorta like me, I guess. But he cares a lot about Akamaru and his- he told me his Clan is all one big family and even though he's an idiot, he's very... I don't know, he loves his loved ones a LOT and it isn't 'toxic' or whatever. And then, um. Hinata. The purple eyeballs clan- Hyuuga. She's nice, I guess, but super weird."
"Weird?"
"She keeps staring at me and when I look at her, she turns red then looks away." He jutted two fingers towards each other, mimicking Hinata's nervous tic. "And she always does this."
A strange smile curled on Shizune and Tsunade's lips and they shared a knowing look.
He scowled, "What?"
"She's just super shy." Shizune laughed.
"Yeah, she is." Naruto agreed. "And then uhh... That glasses dude? The bzzz one."
"Aburame?"
"Ah! Yeah, Shimu- Shino hehe... He's quiet but he never acknowledged me because he thought I was dumb. I don't... blame him though. He once told me that his kikaka- kikaika- kikaichu told him that I had tons of chakra and also a second nasty chakra- which is the Kyuubi, now I realise."
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I told him that of course I had a lot of chakra if I was gonna beat all the Hokages or something and I took offense to his nasty chakra statement and called him a creepy bug boy who won't prank girls with them cuz he was a nerd."
Shizune giggled and Tsunade face palmed.
"Shino's kinda like Shikamaru but quiet and unnoticeable. He'd make a-" He paused, wondering why he wanted to compliment the one person that he'd ignored and practically forgotten. "He'd make a good shinobi."
"And that's it?" Tsunade looked at him and he snorted.
"And then... Teme."
"Why bastard?"
"He's a bastard." He scowled, "A stupid, weak bastard who don't know nothing 'bout anything-ttebayo. He thinks he's so awesome when he's actually not. He gets all the attention and he hates it like an ungrateful brat. He's weird and angry and- and- bastard-y. Dattebayo."
"Tsundere." Shizune whispered to Tsunade, watching as Naruto strained his ears to try and hear.
"Honest opinion?" Tsunade repeated, scepticism clear on her face. "You need to be honest, brat."
Naruto scowled harder, "He is a bastard. He-"
Reluctance soured his face and he stiffly said, "He's strong. The strongest and smartest in our class, Haruno is first in the kunoichi's results only. All the Sens- all the... Chuunin call him a 'prodigy' but I-"
Frustration overtook his stiffness.
"-I know it ain't like that cuz he's got lots of eye bags that he hides behind his emo pose and I bet he never sleeps properly. His fingers are always bruised and when we were- when we were younger, he used to always take off bandages before he came to class. When it was break time, he always rushed off to do something like train and came back smelling like shit."
"Workaholic." Tsunade sighed, recounting her last encounter with the boy.
"Yeah, he acts like he's everything but I know that he doesn't think he's good." Naruto fisted the blankets, wishing that he never realised all these things about the Uchiha boy (yet regretting that he didn't notice these things earlier).
"I can tell cuz I can see it in his eyes. His face never changes and those dumb fangirls call him 'mysterious' and 'unreadable' or something but his eyes say everything."
Loathing, pain; an anguished, silent suffering that no seven year old should ever feel. The glimmer of self-hatred when he reflexively pulls his punches in fights, the punishment he dishes to himself when he misses a mark. 'This isn't good enough'- he sees and watches- a reflection of himself- 'I'm not good enough.'
"He always gets mad when his shuriken doesn't hit 'dead centre' and every time Haruno beats him in his test, he comes back with worse eye bags." He lists, now ranting more than describing. "I don't know how no one else can tell. He pretends to be this training machine and he never cries or complains or anything- even when Sensei- the Chuunin told us that we had to kill a rabbit for desensitisation, he did it and then mutilated the dead bunny. He told the Se- the Chuunin- no, he told himself that this 'little activity' was far too 'pathetic' for his goals. The girls all thought he was so... cool. I thought he was dumb- I thought there'd been something wrong with him. And he-"
He bit his lip, quietly saying, "And his hands had been shaking."
"You were correct. That's-" Tsunade sighed again. "That's so unhealthy."
"Repression, it sounds to me." Shizune nodded. "After the Massacre, wasn't he attending therapy or anything?"
"Sen- The Chuunin always treated him nicely but that bastard always got angry and said 'he didn't need help' so I doubt it." Naruto then continued to admit. "I used to be so jealous of him but we both felt pathetic. I've met him before and after that Massacre day, and both versions of him weren't good. We were both always alone and while everyone called him 'Last Uchiha' or 'prodigy', I was called 'monster' or 'demon brat'. Glares followed me, awe and respect and pity followed him."
"Pity..." Shizune shook her head. "The last thing he needed from villagers would be pity. That would have only fuelled his anger. He's a survivor, after all. He's tougher than those villagers."
"Yeah, but I didn't know that. I just thought he was-..." Naruto faltered. "I liked acting dumb and crazy and just wanting to beat him up. He's a bastard- he is. But I've always... now I want to..." 'help him.'
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ok, so the point of this was not to find out that you had-" 'a crush on the Uchiha boy-' "-an enemies-to-lov- friends, ahem, enemies-to-friends relationship with your rival, it was to show you that you remember your 'fake life' through a rose tinted memory."
She gave a massive inhale-
"That pink-headed banshee is the most disgusting creature I've seen in a long while. She's not ignorant, stupid, nor carefree but she suppresses all her knowledge in lieu, acted like an idiot fangirl. She needs help but she's making it goddamned awfully hard for me to want to help her. Going on her and the Yamanaka's list of problems will take forever because of their inconsiderate fangirling tendencies. Nara and Akimichi are true disappointments. I've heard they were amazing and didn't lack potential but they did nothing to improve themselves. That lack of motivation will get people killed. They'll learn their lessons a horrible way if the teachers don't step up their game. Inuzuka is all your flaws with hardly any redeeming qualities. Aburame is tolerable. Hyuuga is tolerable though I want to have a talk with Hiashi- she's like a little snail. Uchiha... has more problems than all of them combined but he's a boy that I hope won't go down the wrong road. Konoha has certainly shown to not be competent so I fear for how they'll turn out..."
"Wow." Naruto almost applauded at the blatant remarks.
"And yourself?" Tsunade then continued, pouring the tea. "What do you think of yourself? Honest opinion- some things won't change so quickly, even if I contradict you."
"I'm..." He wavered. "I'm kinda really bad cuz my parents were so good. I can't concentrate. I can't be patient. My mind works so quickly I can't even follow it. I have tons of chakra that only stopped exploding in my face after you trained me. I'm reckless. I'm stupid. I don't think, only act."
The words shot out one after another, his brain supplying a fault and he voiced them.
"Stubborn, prideful, arrogant. I cause others to hate me. I spout empty words. I back up my promises with nothing but hot air and my willpower. I skipped classes despite wanting to succeed. I was quick to give up on others who hated me. I didn't consider others when I started to judge them. I'd put others in danger if I'd keep growing like how I used to. I was never honest. I felt no remorse, but satisfaction when you beat up Mizuki. There's a nasty me inside my head and he loves it when I'm feeling down and don't care about blood or kills. I'm different. I've always been different- that's why I am hated. That's why I'm a demon- that's why people see me as the K-"
"You're reckless." Tsunade agreed. "You're mind works quickly. You have god awful amounts of willpower. You're too quick to give up on yourself." She waved her hand. "Everything else is bull. If I hadn't drilled this into you already, you will know this by the time I'm done with you."
She took a breath.
"You were failed. You are a prodigy in your own right. Not only do you have natural talent that's been dismissed, you also have the talent of a hard worker, you're a genius on hands on work, you're adaptive and intuitive. That's natural talent."
"That's why I picked you, ya know?"
"You're willpower fuels your efforts. Your mind is so fast-paced that simple textbooks won't keep up with you. You can make plans and analyse things on the fly and you have astronomical amounts of chakra and I am beyond impressed with the speed you are progressing. You're so passionate and you care so much that your body moves before you do."
She looked him in the eyes when she repeated: "You're stubborn, prideful, arrogant. But you're inspirational, charismatic and loveable. We've been out of the Village for not long yet you've made countless friends. You're willing and open to change and admit your faults. You stick with your words even though most people would waver. You've been trapped and ostracized yet you still didn't succumb to your hatred- you're still open-minded about this. The fact that you show regret and sympathise with your abusers is something I admire and despise as someone who loves you. You're awfully mature for trying to put yourself in their shoes but you need to know your worth. You've been through so much shit that you don't bat a lash at the cruelty of shinobi and that's something that I need to worry about and not you."
She inhaled again.
"You are a human, Naruto." She concluded. "Just like them, just like Shizune, just like me. You were guided wrong and hardly anyone can keep up with you. That's why I'm here. I will give you that talk over and over until you believe it as much as we do. I've told you and I will continue to tell you again: this is safe."
Naruto released a shuddering breath, "I know."