Here you go, a new chapter hope you all enjoy.
(A\N; Uploading schedule is now changed to Saturday or Sunday rather than Thursday)
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The next Day, before noon; At Konoha main gates;
Naruto had a blank stare on his face as he looked into the village. He stood near the Security booth just on the inside of the Konoha main gate as he waited for Genma to register their return with the chunin guards.
Between the travel time, client briefing, mission execution, wrapping up, resting and the journey back, surprisingly that all took about a day and a half. It was a very short mission considering it is a low B-rank mission.
When a enemy shinobi appears on a mission. it is automatically ranked up to a low B-rank at the very least no matter how much of a cannon fodder the enemy shinobi is.
After Naruto dealt with the bandits, he set his priority to help and heal the victims. Naruto's presence was very comforting, especially for the children whom stuck with him and only left reluctantly when they returned to their homes. The adults and the two families were very thankful to him, particularly the man he rescued with his family.
The man had his head on the ground bowing to Naruto while repeatedly thanking him, much to Naruto's embarrassment. The man's wife was on her knees beside her husband bowing slightly while having her two young children in her arms. They were filled with gratitude that they know they could never repay. Naruto had saved their family from a fate worse than death.
Not everything went well though. Naruto's heart ached slightly remembering the two poor women who suffered on the hands of the bandits. He had healed them and tended to there needs to the best of his abilities but to very little effect. Their eyes were vacant as if they gave up on life. Naruto knows that they were heavily traumatized as they had stayed silent the whole time.
Naruto was just thankful that the cage that the children were in was covered when that incident happened and the cover only fell when they dragged the family to the middle of the came. Naruto dreaded the thought of what would have happened to those children if they witnessed something so horrid.
"...Naruto." Naruto blinked was taken out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called.
"Yes, Genma-san?" inquired Naruto
"Are you ok? you seem to be in quite the daze as I already called your name twice." asked Genma with a slight raise to his eyebrow.
"Sorry about that, Genma-san. I just got lost in my own thoughts." replied Naruto with a slightly apologetic tone.
"Then, lets quickly go and report to Hokage-sama so you can take a rest after that." said Genma
"I would really appreciate that." said Naruto with a tired sigh as he quickly followed Genma in to the village both disappearing in a body flicker.
In the Hokage's office;
In this room, the eternal battle of man versus paperwork can be witnessed everyday.
'When will my suffering end?' Hiruzen thought to himself with the feeling of absolute hatred running through his veins as he looked at the towers of paper surrounding him with a look that he has never given it to his worst human enemies.
Knock, knock, knock.
'Finally, a diversion.' thought Hiruzen to himself as if his savior is behind the closed door of his office.
"Enter" said Hiruzen making the door open with Genma entering followed by Naruto.
"Ah. Genma, Naruto. Good to see you both back." said Hiruzen but his eyebrows furrowed slightly seeing Naruto's expression.
"It is good to be back, Hokage-sama." said Genma
Hiruzen nodded before asking: "So, how did the mission go?"
Genma gave a side look to Naruto who stayed silent. Genma sighed before reporting the entire mission to Hiruzen who listened silently.
After Genma finished the report, Hiruzen sighed as he massaged his temples with his right hand while thinking to himself: 'I just wanted to give the boy a bit of a challenging mission to get him to have his first intent to kill, I didn't consider it will turn so dark. Well, No crying over spilled milk. What is done, is done.'
He looked at Genma and said: "Thank you for your hard work, Genma. Just have the report written and submitted by today. If you have nothing to add, Then you are dismissed." To which Genma nodded.
Genma then proceeded to give Naruto a small nod before exiting the room.
After Genma left, Hiruzen gave Naruto a soft look before saying: "I am sorry, my boy. I didn't intend for things to end that way. But this is the world that we live in, so we have to adapt with it." only to be met with silence.
Hiruzen really didn't want his eight years old student to witness that very ugly face of this world so soon.
"Go Home, Naruto. I am giving you the next three days off. Take this time to arrange your thoughts and feelings. And if you needed me for anything, you know where to always find me. Got that, my boy?" said Hiruzen to which he got an almost unnoticeable nod from the silent boy.
"Then you are dismissed. Take care of yourself." said Hiruzen with a sigh.
Naruto turned around and exited the office.
A while later, in the Senju compound;
Naruto sigh as he took of his foot wear and entered his home.
"I am home" Naruto announced into the house.
"Welcome back" Naruto heard his mum voice from inside the living. He is pretty sure that it is a shadow clone of his mother as she is always in the hospital at this time of the day.
As Naruto entered the living room, He spotted his mother sitting on a couch with a milk bottle in her hand as she was feeding baby Mito in her lap.
"Hey, mum. I am back." said Naruto
"Hey, Naru. How was you mis..." Tsunade halted her sentence when she saw Naruto's expression and the look of conflict in his eyes.
"What happened, Naruto?" asked Tsunade with concern filling her tone.
"A lot has happened, mum." Naruto said with a tired sigh before resuming: "Can we talk. I would really appreciate your advice right now."
Before Tsunade could reply, she felt movement in her lap. She looked down only to see an empty bottle in her hand with Mito looking at Naruto with her hands raised towards him.
Mito's arms moved around trying to reach Naruto while giggling happily.
Tsunade smiled slightly before standing up and handing Mito to Naruto making her squeal in delight.
"Give me a minute and I will be right with you, Naru." Said Tsunade softly as she caressed his face tenderly before disappearing in a puff of smoke, conforming that she was indeed a shadow clone.
This situation needs the original Tsunade's full attention.
Naruto looked at were his mum's clone was for a second before turning to the giggling baby in his arms.
His face broke into a small smile looking at his happy little sister. He secured her in his arms before sitting where his mother's clone used to sit.
"Did little Mito miss her big brother?" asked Naruto as he held her close to his face only to receive giggles and coos as she tapped her hands on his face.
Naruto could feel himself lighten up with Mito in his arms. His smile widen ever so slightly looking at her purple-blue eyes and blond hair.
"You are just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" said Naruto. It is always worth it to come back home to his sweet baby sister and his loving mother.
Mito looked at him with a slight tilt to her little head with a finger in her mouth. She looked so cute as if she was asking a question.
"Of course, Big brother Naruto misses his little princess of a sister very much." said Naruto seriously as if he understands her before rubbing his nose against her's making her squeal and giggle.
This is the scene that Tsunade saw as she entered the living room after rushing home from the hospital, that sight made a smile make her way across her face.
"Naruto" Tsunade called out, making Naruto look at her
"Hey, mum." Said Naruto
Tsunade sat beside Naruto before saying in a soft tone but filled with concern: "Tell me all what happened, Naruto. From the beginning and leave nothing out?"
A while later:
Naruto has just finished telling his mother all what happened on his mission.
Right now, he is laying on the couch with his head in his mother's lap as she listened to him while moving her hand throw his hair. Mito was put to sleep in a nearby crib after her meal.
"It was that intense, huh?" inquired Tsunade with sadness in her tone. She can't help to feel deep sadness that her son had to witness such cruelness.
"The thing is, I could get over most of what happened, mum. But I can't get over what I did to the last bandit." said Naruto as he was completely relaxed under him mother's comforting touch.
"When I saw what he was about to do to that woman while making her husband and children watch, something inside me just snapped. It didn't help that I had a fleeing thought of what if you or Mito were in that situation." Naruto said in a quiet tone while Tsunade listened silently.
"I cut all his mobility tendons, crushed his bones and organs, made him beg for his life and killed him by drowning in his own blood. I..I tortured a man to death, mum." Said Naruto with his voice breaking slightly.
"Naru, you feeling conflicted about what you did means that you didn't enjoy what you did and still have a good heart." Tsunade said softly
"That bandit you killed has done something nobody can forgive. Not only did he attempted to force himself on a defenceless woman, but he did it infront of her young children. Believe me son, if I was there I would have done way worst to that vile man." Tsunade declared passionately.
"You can feel bad on what you did son, but not to whom you did to. You saved a lot of innocent people, so be proud." Said Tsunade
She then gave a small finger flick to Naruto's head making him yelp slightly in surprise.
"And what is that about you imagining me in that situation. Your mother is the strongest kunoichi in the world. Nothing would make me be in that situation." Said Tsunade with pride raising her head high, making Naruto chuckle slightly
"But it warms my heart that my baby boy has his mother's and sister's best interest in his heart" said Tsunade with a warm smile as ruffled Naruto's hair softly.
Naruto chuckle softly before saying: "Of course, Mum. There's nothing I love more than you both."
Tsunade's face lit up with a beaming smile before saying: "and I also love so much, my sweet boy"
The room became quiet for a while before Naruto fell asleep with his head in his mother's lap. The last two days were more mentally stressful to him than physically.
Tsunade looked at her sleeping son with a warm and proud but also sad smile.
She really would have wanted her son to live a peaceful life.
But this war torn world isn't that lenient.
End the Chapter.
'100 power stones if you want an additional chapter with next week release'
You guys were really close last week😅
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2086 words
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