N/A: Alright Before we get started with the story, at least for those in Anfictión since the Datada folks already know this, all my fics are actually interconnected. The only real Naruto is this Naruto Uchiha (adopted, just to be clear), and all the others are either long-distant descendants or direct grandsons of this character. In fact, even though not all the gods appear here, it's this man who Odin says reminds him a lot of Gremory, because well, he's literally his grandfather. Naruto Gremory's mother is this Naruto's daughter. But hey, one more thing: the style is different. This story is more focused on recounting a story that already happened, and that's why its style is more direct and blunt, but no less detailed than Gremory's, which, being a story that's being lived in the moment, is more, let's say in a poetic and philosophical way. With that said, I leave you with the longest prologue I've ever written.
Prologue
It's the tenth of October at night, and currently in the village of Konoha, things are in a relative calm – a tense and expectant calm, like the quiet before a storm. Though not for the reasons one might think. A shiver runs through the air, a silent omen of events past and future.
You see, about ten years ago, if you had arrived in the village of Konoha, you would have been greeted by an explosion of colors and cheer. You would have been seeing the once-famous Fox Festival, which culminated in a marvelous display of fireworks that lit up the night sky with bright, fleeting flashes.
Unofficially, the festivities ended with the fox hunt, which had been suspended for at least three years due to circumstances that many preferred to simply forget. A shadow of guilt and remorse crossed the faces of some villagers as they remembered those events.
Nowadays, it was a black date on the Leaf Village's calendar, one that reminded them of the biggest screw-up in their recognized history – a constant reminder of their mistakes and failures. Because, besides marking the defeat of the Kyubi, it was also the birthday of the village's true and unrecognized hero. A collective sigh, heavy with sadness and regret, swept through the streets of Konoha.
Ten years have passed since that day, as mentioned before. Ten years that had been more than bitter, full of sorrow for the person who looked at the village from the Hokage Monument, their gaze lost on the horizon, their face somber, and their posture rigid, as if carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Just like a certain black-haired genin used to love to do to clear his mind when even he felt completely overwhelmed. A fleeting memory, an image of a lone young man atop the monument, crossed the observer's mind.
Ten years in which, more than ever, they found themselves regretting the decision they had made regarding the poor boy. They clenched their fists tightly, feeling a surge of guilt and remorse.
The turning point for the village was that day when Sasuke Uchiha, their now-recognized foster brother and who had apparently been expelled from the Uchiha clan a year before the massacre – a sneer of contempt and disdain took over their face as they remembered Sasuke's arrogance and stupidity – made the incredibly stupid decision to flee to Otogakure so that Orochimaru could train him. And with the power that the idiot kid thought he would obtain from the most treacherous and deceitful Sannin of all, he could finally kill his older brother, Itachi Uchiha. They shook their head, incredulous at Sasuke's naivety.
Naruto Uchiha, now confirmed as the true heir of said clan, even if it was only because both Fugaku and Mikoto had adopted the boy as their own due to miraculous circumstances – an expression of surprise and confusion took over their face as they remembered the revelation of Naruto's adoption – had been chosen to be part of the retrieval squad. Where, from what they had learned from Sasuke himself, albeit reluctantly – a grimace of disgust crossed their face as they remembered Sasuke's reluctant attitude – their foster brother had finally revealed his true strength, achieving his goal of bringing him back... although he never explained how that battle had gone. They frowned, intrigued by the mystery surrounding the battle between the brothers.
By the time Kakashi and a couple of medics found the foster brothers, Naruto was barely able to walk. An expression of worry and anguish took over their face as they remembered Naruto's condition. He was carrying his foster brother on his back, despite the large fist-sized holes visible in his chest and the fact that he had clearly been bleeding for some time. They closed their eyes tightly, trying to block out the image of Naruto's wounds. Compared to his younger brother, Sasuke actually had much smaller injuries, with a slight concussion being what had managed to take the brat out of the fight – a small wound, minor, again in comparison to his older brother. An expression of relief and worry mixed on their face as they remembered Sasuke's condition, but the worry for Naruto predominated. Error corrected, it's older brother not younger.
Did Kakashi and the medics care about this?
Of course not. A sneer of contempt and bitterness etched itself onto the narrator's face. They had practically snatched his brother from his hands and rushed him back to the village at full speed, leaving Naruto alone, abandoned to his fate, with a shattered body and a broken heart. Forcing him to walk slower and slower due to the severity of his injuries. They clenched their fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger and frustration at the injustice of the situation. He definitely knew things weren't going to change; he was aware that people, even despite what he had achieved, would refuse to recognize him for who he was and not for what they believed him to be. An expression of sadness and resignation took over their face. A tragic thought, if one took into account that while Sasuke had actively tried to kill him with everything in his arsenal, including two Chidori directly impacting his chest – they closed their eyes tightly, remembering the pain and betrayal – Naruto had fought solely to subdue his older brother and bring him back to the village, following the promise he made to his mother that, no matter if his father had banished him from the clan, he would protect his disgraced brother. A faint smile, tinged with bitterness and melancholy, touched their lips as they remembered the promise to their mother. Even if he hated his brother, he could never break the promise he had made to his mother.
At the end of the day, he had been absolutely right... the village never saw him in a good light. An expression of bitterness and pain crossed their face.
XXXXX
—Konoha Council Chambers, two days after the retrieval mission—
"—Genin Ninja #012607. Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade's voice was muffled, almost as if she didn't trust herself not to break down if she spoke any louder. Her face was pale and gaunt, and her eyes, filled with a deep sadness and guilt, avoided Naruto's gaze. "It is my duty to inform you that a vote has been held, and a majority decision of 17 to 8 has been reached in the council. The decision reached was to strip you of your rank and banish you from Konoha. This order must be carried out immediately." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke the words, and her hands clenched into fists on the table. "The reason is that you inflicted serious damage on Uchiha Sasuke despite your mission being to retrieve him." She swallowed hard, unable to continue.
Another reason Tsunade didn't say this aloud was that everyone had sensed Naruto using a dark chakra. Many thought he was using the Kyubi's chakra, but she knew better. Naruto himself had told her in confidence – like only a younger brother could confide in an older sister – that the Kyubi wasn't sealed within him. He had even shown her the place where, according to everyone, the seal that should contain the beast was located. An expression of astonishment and confusion took over her face as she remembered the conversation with Naruto. She had been surprised, of course. However, with Jiraiya refusing to talk, and Naruto being ignorant of what happened to the beast in question, there was little to nothing she could do.
(Again, for them he was Naruto Uchiha until Sasuke finally spoke, that he had actually been adopted by their family, and that didn't happen until relatively few years ago.) A grimace of disgust crossed their face as they remembered Sasuke's belated revelation.
Now, returning to the current situation, the young black-haired boy had been summoned to the council while still suffering from many injuries sustained during his battle. His body was covered in bandages, and his face, pale and gaunt, reflected the pain and exhaustion. The council hadn't even allowed the boy to recover from his wounds before banishing him. However, he didn't appear dejected as he listened to the council's declaration. His face remained impassive, like a mask of indifference. Rather, he showed resignation, almost as if he had expected it, and a bit of disappointment, as if he had believed this would happen much sooner. A faint smile, tinged with bitterness and sarcasm, touched his lips.
All the civilians and shinobi advisors, in fact, showed an expression of smugness on their faces, gloating over his misfortune with cruel smiles and disdainful looks. Enjoying the fact that the one they called "demon brat" would finally leave their village, and with him, his curse would be gone.
Danzo, in fact, had used his two votes to ensure it would be so. A grimace of disgust and contempt took over Tsunade's face as she thought about Danzo's machinations. And Naruto, in fact, was annoyed that the Uchiha vote was used against him. He frowned, feeling a pang of anger and frustration. He didn't understand why. After all, as far as he knew, Danzo would use the vote until Sasuke was a Jounin or came of age. Of course, she was aware that the man had his plans to forcibly recruit the supposed Jinchuriki into Root once he left the village. An expression of worry and disgust took over her face as she thought about Danzo's plans. It wasn't as if, for some reason, Itachi would allow that. Hell, from some rumors she had heard, it was the traitorous Uchiha who had saved Naruto on a couple of truly dangerous occasions. An expression of surprise and confusion took over her face as she remembered those rumors. Unfortunately, Tsunade couldn't ask the man, given that she had no real way to contact a rogue shinobi, even if she herself had her doubts about the man's guilt. She sighed, resigned to the lack of information.
The last clans to vote for Naruto's banishment were the Kurama and Inuzuka clans, who thought Naruto was the Kyubi itself in human form. An expression of disbelief and contempt took over her face as she remembered the ignorance and hatred of those clans. The former, due to popular opinion, and the latter, out of pure spite. The rest of the clan heads looked at those clan heads with disdain. Tsunade shook her head, feeling a deep disappointment. Naruto, however, didn't even spare them a glance. His face remained impassive, as if the opinions of those clans held no importance for him. Not that he could; for some reason, he always covered his eyes, and even she hadn't seen what he was hiding. She frowned, feeling a pang of curiosity. And if she was honest, she was genuinely curious to know how he was able to move around with his eyes bandaged.
At least until he slowly removed the headband from his face, letting it fall to the ground with a slow and deliberate gesture, full of defiance and revelation, revealing a beautiful pair of bright blue orbs... literally bright. Naruto's eyes glowed with a supernatural light, attracting the attention of everyone present. Tsunade had no doubt whatsoever that it was a unique style of doujutsu, given that she had never heard of eyes like those in her life. An expression of astonishment and fascination took over her face.
She soon saw that he was trying to take off the necklace that she herself had given him. However, before he did, she stopped him, extending a hand and gently placing it on his.
"—Keep it, you earned it fairly, and I hope it helps protect you." Tsunade barely managed to say that with her voice trembling and tears already escaping her eyes, struggling to contain the emotion and sadness that overwhelmed her.
Naruto, for the first and only time in his life, actually gave someone a genuine smile, a warm and sincere smile that lit up his face and revealed a facet of his personality that he rarely showed. And after giving her a small nod, a gesture of gratitude and acknowledgment, the boy turned around and left the council chamber with a firm and determined step, leaving behind his old life to return home to gather his few possessions of value... and to surely get something to cover those beautiful, bright eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, before the council was dismissed for the meeting, there was another vote. With another overwhelming majority, it had been decided that the Sandaime's laws regarding Naruto and his supposed status as the Kyubi's container would be instantly revoked. An expression of satisfaction and justice took over Tsunade's face. This would allow the younger generations to know the "truth," and as could not be otherwise, the news spread rapidly throughout the world like wildfire, and the reactions to this news were truly varied.
While this was happening, Naruto continued his walk towards his apartment to pack, his face somber and his gaze fixed on the path, lost in his thoughts. And at some point along his way, unfortunately for him, he ran into the rest of the Konoha Twelve, excluding Sasuke, of course.
"—That idiot, he deserves to die for hitting Sasuke-kun like that!" That shout from Sakura hadn't surprised him in the slightest. A grimace of disgust and contempt took over his face upon hearing Sakura's voice.
"—I agree! We should go find that demon and kill him!" That shout from Ino and her agreeing with Sakura hadn't surprised him either. He sighed, resigned to the stupidity and hatred of his former teammates. He actually found it terribly amusing. After all, it was well known that, even if he couldn't use chakra, at least not the conventional kind, he was, after Sasuke, the strongest of their generation, and Sasuke could easily defeat all of them together, while he was the only one who gave his brother a decent fight... A wry and bitter smile touched his lips. Not that they knew that, in reality, things were the other way around and Sasuke was the only one who made him, at least, take his fights a little seriously.
"—He was the fox the whole time, I should have known. I could smell a putrid stench from him all the time, he should be dead." Kiba, his face contorted in a grimace of hatred and repulsion, clenched his fists tightly. Actually, Kiba's words had hurt a little. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies either.
"—How un-youthful! Naruto tricked us the whole time and was the Kyubi from the start!" Lee's exclamation, his eyes wide and his face flushed with indignation, had actually hurt him, much more than any other comment he had heard in his life. He saw him as a true friend and rival, both overcoming the adversity of their conditions, even if Lee's was more real than his. A pang of pain and betrayal pierced his heart.
And hearing what he actually thought had hurt him. He hadn't cried since that night, but that comment had almost made him cry. He felt a lump in his throat and his eyes watered, but he fought to hold back the tears. At least that was until a new voice caught his attention.
"—Shut your mouth, Lee!" Neji had shouted that so coldly that even he was surprised by the amount of venom in the normally stoic Hyuga's voice. His face, usually impassive, was now contorted with a contained fury, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual intensity. "He's like me. No, his situation is much worse than mine. He has a seal like mine, but a thousand times worse. Even with the Caged Bird Seal on my forehead, I am seen as an important person for being a ninja recognized as a prodigy. Naruto has the seal that keeps the beast at bay, and yet many people in the village despise him for something beyond his control. And yet, he always gets back up after every blow, fighting against his destiny imposed by the world, and he even showed me, even if he had to force me to see, that destiny is not something we should be chained to, but something we forge with every action we take." His voice was firm and full of conviction, and his gaze, fixed on Lee, was defiant.
He wasn't sure if he had taught Neji that, but his words actually brought out his second honest smile in many years. A faint smile, filled with gratitude and surprise, touched his lips.
"—I can even tell you something, I'm a little familiar with seals, you're all just idiots, you can't even tell the difference between a scroll and the weapon it contains." Tenten defending him was actually a bit surprising, given that they had barely spoken on a couple of occasions. He raised an eyebrow, impressed by Tenten's unexpected defense. Her voice was firm and full of contempt towards the others.
Hinata was crying. Her body trembled with silent sobs, and tears ran down her cheeks. Naruto knew why, of course. She was in love with him. He wasn't with her; it was sad, but that's how things were. An expression of sadness and resignation took over his face. He was grateful for her feelings – she wasn't a monster after all – but he couldn't love her because it simply wasn't meant to be.
"—Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, his face somber and his gaze lowered, unable to articulate his frustration and anger. He knew Naruto didn't even have the damn seal to begin with; that seal was notorious, especially given how easily Naruto lost his shirts in battle. And, of course, he knew that, logically, he wasn't the Kyubi. However, he didn't know what words to formulate because he was too angry at this injustice.
Chouji was simply behind Shikamaru, eating a fourth bag of chips. However, if you were a good observer, you would see that the boy was sad and upset by the way he was eating. He ate greedily, but without really enjoying the food, as if he were trying to fill an emotional void. And Naruto was a good observer.
"—Thank you... friends." That was all Naruto could say in a weak murmur, his voice filled with emotion and gratitude, before continuing on his way to his apartment. He pressed his lips together, feeling a lump in his throat. He had to pack the little he had, after all.
Shino was left out of this whole event, by the way. He shrugged, downplaying Shino's absence.
The news had spread quickly among all the villagers, like an uncontrollable wildfire. They learned that he had been banished, and as a result, the majority of the citizens were celebrating. Their faces lit up with joyful and relieved smiles, as if they had been freed from a heavy burden. Kunoichi and shinobi of all kinds were going wild and celebrating the fact that they would finally get rid of the demon. They raised their fists in the air, shouting and cheering, as if they had won a great battle. Very few citizens and shinobi, in fact, took the news badly that a shinobi was being banished for doing his job. Their faces darkened with expressions of sadness, indignation, and worry. Meanwhile, above the city, people were celebrating, oblivious to the injustice that had been committed.
Naruto, however, was gathering the little of value he had into a small backpack, with slow and mechanical movements, as if he were performing an unpleasant but necessary task. Preparing to leave. When, out of nowhere, Kakashi and Jiraiya, his so-called teachers whom he never really trusted, simply appeared to tell him that they were disappointed in how he had acted, with reproachful and disapproving expressions on their faces, and their voices filled with a paternalistic and condescending tone. Going so far as to even revoke his toad summoning contract. A grimace of contempt and bitterness touched Naruto's lips. Not that it particularly hurt him; he was never able to summon the damn overgrown frogs anyway.
Once everything was said and done, he simply lay down on his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, with a tired sigh, as if he were physically and emotionally exhausted, waiting without any expression for the next day. When he finally fell asleep, he simply appeared in a mindscape where he always appeared whenever his mind felt alive. His face, previously tense and somber, relaxed, and a faint smile touched his lips.
While he didn't have the slightest contact with the Kyubi, that didn't mean there wasn't someone inhabiting, in a way, his interior. An expression of affection and nostalgia took over his face. He didn't know how it had happened, but the woman he had loved most with all his heart had somehow prevented her soul from crossing over to the afterlife, and now he could talk to her in his dreams. He closed his eyes, feeling a surge of peace and comfort. He supposed that the love between a mother and a son was so powerful that it simply transcended even death itself.
Mikoto Uchiha, the woman who raised him as her own son, who showed him what true motherly love was and supported his every action, even if she disapproved of some of them. A warm and grateful smile spread across his face as he remembered Mikoto. While Fugaku loved him as a father can love a son, he was not far behind, or perhaps he was, and that's why Itachi continued to protect him in the shadows. An expression of doubt and curiosity took over his face as he thought about Itachi. Truth be told, he didn't know, but if that was the case, he could only hope to see his brother, even if it was one last time, so he could say goodbye properly. A shadow of sadness and longing crossed his eyes. Returning to the subject of his mother, she taught him everything she knew while she was alive and continued her teaching from her dreams. However, due to his circumstances, she asked him never to show his abilities unless he had no other choice. He nodded, remembering his mother's words.
And so he did. Even during the fight against his foster brother, a fight that had shattered his mother because of how far her middle child had gone. An expression of pain and sadness took over his face as he remembered Mikoto's anguish. He never showed anything beyond a limited Taijutsu arsenal and no Jutsu. Not that he could use them; his energy, for some reason he didn't understand, was nothing like the conventional chakra needed to use jutsus... Although he could do a rudimentary Rasengan. A faint smile, tinged with irony, touched his lips. Not that he used it much, so to speak.
"—I'm so sorry, my child," said the dark-haired woman, her voice filled with sadness and regret, as she approached Naruto and hugged him tenderly. "If things hadn't been the way they were, I'm sure you would have had a better life."
"—I doubt it. Even if Dad's coup was successful, you can't rule people with fear, because sooner or later they're going to fight back," Naruto told her, his voice calm and serene, as he sat down beside her, returning his mother's embrace. "At least we're together." A faint smile, full of affection and comfort, touched his lips.
"—Not for much longer. Sooner or later, even the bond that ties us won't be enough to tether my soul to this world," the woman said sadly, her voice heavy with melancholy and resignation, as she gently stroked Naruto's hair. "And if I hadn't been so selfish, none of this would have happened." A shadow of guilt and regret crossed her face.
Naruto knew what she was referring to. He frowned, remembering the conversation with his mother. She had confessed that she had used Naruto's own energy to regenerate the wounds caused by his eyes during the fight, that being her only advantage during the battle. Sasuke, on the other hand, had launched himself at him with that frankly grotesque transformation that tripled his powers, actually putting them on a fairly similar level. A grimace of disgust took over his face as he remembered Sasuke's transformation. He simply had an advantage in endurance and an almost instantaneous healing factor, which allowed him to turn the battle into one of attrition. He nodded, remembering the brutality of the fight. Fortunately for Naruto, he was much more stubborn than his brother, even since they were children, and he wasn't going to break the promise he made to his mother, even if fulfilling it meant going through hell itself to take care of his idiot brother. A determined and affectionate smile touched his lips as he remembered his promise. And thanks to that stubbornness, he managed to create a situation favorable to him in the battle, even if it almost cost him his life due to hypovolemic shock. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered how close he had come to death. Honestly, it would have been a relatively peaceful death compared to his many other near-death experiences.
Sasuke would never admit it, but Naruto was always stronger, and even with his greater skill in the realm of jutsu variety, and his clear intention to kill his younger brother, had he landed more blows... An expression of frustration and acknowledgment took over his face. Naruto simply had a much superior physical capacity on his side, much more speed, his more than unique variant of the Rasengan, and the forced regeneration that his mother used to keep him alive. A mixture of gratitude and sadness took over his face as he thought about his mother's sacrifice. After all, for a mother, her son's life would always come first, which is why she had used her own energy to heal him, even if it cost him his banishment.
"—At least I managed to hurt his false pride," Naruto said in a vain attempt to console himself, with a bitter smile and a grimace of frustration.
"—I don't even know what your brother has become anymore," the woman said, her voice filled with sadness and disappointment, as she let out a deep sigh. "Even so, there's something we need to talk about." Her expression turned serious, and her gaze fixed on Naruto with intensity. "It's about what to do now. You know as well as I do that that bastard Danzo and many others won't rest until they have you in their clutches, and with Itachi slowly dying from his bloodline curse... there's only one place where you might be safe, and that in itself is very risky."
"—Where is that?" the boy asked, his voice filled with curiosity and a hint of worry, but choosing not to show that he was affected by the fact that his older brother didn't have much longer.
"—Beyond the wall," the woman said solemnly, her voice low and full of gravity, causing Naruto to actually tense up quite a bit. Her gaze locked onto Naruto's, searching for any sign of doubt or fear.
"—However, before I tell you my plan, I must tell you something I should have told you a long time ago, something that would have shattered you, and that out of shame, I didn't want to tell you, but given the situation, hiding it no longer makes sense." Her voice cracked slightly, and her eyes filled with tears as she prepared to reveal a painful secret.
Some days later, the tenth of October finally arrived. It was a sunny day in Konoha; nothing particular was happening on that day, but there was something different in the atmosphere. The air was charged with a strange mixture of forced joy and an underlying tension. Today, the biggest celebration of the year was taking place. The streets were full of very cheerful people. The villagers' faces, although smiling, reflected a superficial happiness, as if they were acting a part. If someone were to come to Konoha for the first time today, they would think the village was probably one of the happiest places on Earth. A bitter irony was reflected in the narrator's gaze. Typo corrected.
In fact, right now, six mysterious figures were entering Konoha for the first time in many, really many years, covered in cloaks and hoods that concealed their identities, moving with stealth and determination. Or they tried to. After all, ever since a certain ray of sunshine left the village, the two gate guards had certainly started doing their job better. A faint smile, tinged with irony, touched the lips of one of the figures as they remembered the guards' past ineffectiveness.
"—Halt, state your name, rank, and reason for coming to Konoha," said one of the guards, his voice firm and authoritative, as he stood tall and raised his hand, blocking the figures' path.
As he looked up to see who the figures were, he simply fainted due to shock. His eyes widened, his face paled, and his body slumped to the ground lifelessly. The other guard, noticing his loyal friend fainting, simply approached him to see if he was alright.
"—Hey, Izumo! What happened?" asked Kotetsu, his voice full of worry, as he knelt beside his partner and gently shook him, trying to revive him. "What did you do to him?" the chunin shouted at the figures, his voice filled with anger and accusation, as he tried to get a look at them. However, when he succeeded, he simply followed his eternal partner and fainted. His face contorted in an expression of terror and surprise before losing consciousness.
"—I suppose we should have expected that," commented one of the figures, their voice soft and with a slight shrug, as if the guards' reaction was something predictable.
"—That's what you get for being so famous in this town," a second voice, with a mocking tone, replied.
"—Hey, you were pretty famous too!" argued a third voice, this time a much younger one, with a defensive tone and a slight pout.
"—Still, not as famous as Mom!" defended a voice, this time a much more childish one, with a proud and protective tone.
"—Alright, alright, you win. We should keep our hoods up until we get to the Hokage's office, we don't want to start a commotion now," said one of the figures, their voice authoritative but with a hint of amusement, choosing to change the subject due to losing the previous argument. The other figures simply nodded in agreement with him, their expressions ranging from resignation to anticipation, so they pulled up their hoods and began walking towards the village, moving stealthily through the crowd.
Along the way, they couldn't help but smile. Their faces, hidden beneath the hoods, lit up with expressions of joy and nostalgia. The village, without a doubt, was very lively. Children, adults, mothers, and fathers, everyone was happy. They observed the scenes around them with a mixture of curiosity and affection. Everyone was having a great time, talking and relaxing, telling jokes and laughing at them. They even seemed to be having a huge celebration throughout the entire village.
"—Today is our birthday, right?" asked one of the figures with a small smile, full of affection and anticipation.
"—Yes, of course it is, and it seems the village is celebrating it in a big way," replied the tallest of the figures with an even bigger smile, with an expression of satisfaction and pride.
"—Oohh, I can't wait to see our baby!" said one of the female figures, noticeably excited at the idea, her eyes sparkling and her hands clenched into fists, as if she were containing her enthusiasm.
"—Neither can I wait any longer. We should hurry to the office," said the largest man, his voice full of longing and a slight impatience, who sounded a little emotional at the prospect of seeing someone he had left behind a long time ago.
—Hokage's Office, some time later—
"—I can't believe those bastards are already having that shitty celebration... damn shitty village," Tsunade growled, completely furious and, at the same time, feeling utterly powerless. She slammed her fist on her desk, her face flushed with anger and frustration. From the very moment the villagers learned about Naruto's banishment, they chose to celebrate the biggest festival of all on his birthday to celebrate the expulsion of the demon. When she had found out about that, of course, she had become completely furious and had demanded that everyone return to their homes and continue with their daily lives. She gritted her teeth, remembering her powerlessness in the situation.
In fact, there were few people who were not participating in the celebration. Tsunade sighed heavily, feeling a pang of relief and gratitude towards those few people. Most of them were people who knew that Naruto, even if he was quite distant with everyone, would never harm innocent people, even if they hurt him. A faint smile, tinged with sadness and pride, touched her lips as she thought about Naruto's nature. These: Anko Mitarashi, she didn't know how she knew Naruto, considering that neither of them had had contact during his time in the village. She frowned, intrigued by the connection between Anko and Naruto.
Ibiki Morino, he was more understandable; the man was Konoha's head of intelligence, so he evidently had information that Naruto wasn't even the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, even if he never revealed it to anyone she knew. She nodded, recognizing Ibiki's insight. He probably did it to Anko, who was his protégé... which would explain why she refused to participate in the celebrations. A faint smile of satisfaction touched her lips as she connected the dots.
Genma and Mai Shiranui, she didn't quite know how or why these two didn't participate and refused to say, but neither of them took part in this. She raised an eyebrow, curious about Genma and Mai's reasons. The Hyuga clan's branch family, as well as Hiashi and his two daughters, surely because, thanks to their eyes, they knew he wasn't the Jinchuriki, even if the main branch and, for some reason, Neji thought otherwise due to Konoha's damn rumor mill. A grimace of disgust took over her face as she thought about the misinformation and prejudices.
Hana Inuzuka, who because of this found herself in constant friction with her clan, as well as Yugao Uzuki, along with the entirety of the Aburame and Akimichi clans, and a small part of the Nara and Yamanaka clans. She nodded, approving of the decision of those clans and people.
In fact, from what she knew, Gine Sarutobi was having many conflicts with her brother and had had them with her father for allowing the abhorrent treatment Naruto received in this village since his greatest benefactors died. An expression of sadness and anger took over her face as she remembered Naruto's suffering. She refused to say who those benefactors were, but from what she had told her, they were powerful. There were people who were furious about the festival, such as Konohamaru and his friends. A sympathetic and affectionate smile touched her lips as she thought about the children. From what the boy had told her when she asked, even if Naruto was distant, he was always willing to play with them, give them advice, and in fact, his life philosophy came from Naruto. And Tsunade couldn't help but be amazed by the young man's wisdom. "People will see what they want to see in you, some may see beyond that, but don't count on there being many, so live your life according to your own law and cherish the few who see the real you." She nodded, moved by Naruto's words.
There were others, of course. Shino, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Chouji, and Shikamaru had chosen to stay out of everything and not participate in the blessed festival. An expression of respect and approval took over her face as she thought about the integrity of those young people.
The last two even having a rather unpleasant fight with their sensei and teammate from what she had heard. A grimace of disgust crossed her face as she remembered the fight. Finally, there was the Ichiraku family; they were completely devastated by the loss of Naruto in their lives. An expression of deep sadness and empathy took over her face as she thought about the Ichirakus' pain. Even if the boy never paid his bill, he was always a welcome customer in their shop, because although he rarely spoke, the few times he did, he completely brightened their day.
And alongside them was the entirety of Konoha's red-light district. A wry and bitter smile touched her lips. Ironically, the outcasts of society always saw Naruto for who he was, just another person. It was funny in a way, the poorest area, those with the worst education of all, and yet they were the only ones who could see beyond what everyone said was the truth.
"—Naruto, I hope you're safe," the woman murmured to herself, with deep sadness in her voice, bringing a hand to her chest, as if she felt a void in her heart. Her eyes filled with tears, and her voice cracked slightly.
Just as she finished her thoughts, someone knocked on her door. She startled slightly and quickly wiped away her tears, composing herself.
"—Get lost, I won't see anyone today!" she shouted, her fury showing in her voice, slamming her fist on the table, making the objects on it tremble. This would be enough to make most people run away, even most low-level Jounin would flee. Her face was flushed with anger, and her eyes gleamed with a dangerous fury. But even so, people continued to bang on the door, insistently, as if they didn't understand a refusal. Something that made the blonde annoyed, being about to get up and tear off the arms of the idiot who didn't seem to understand words. She gritted her teeth, containing her anger, and her hands clenched into fists.
"—What, are you an invalid?! Just kick the damn door open!" someone shouted from the other side of the door, with an impatient and authoritative voice. And just a few seconds later, the door burst open with a kick, splintering and falling to the ground with a crash, revealing her unwanted visitors.
And when the blonde saw who it was, she couldn't help but start to pale noticeably to the point that she ended up fainting from the shock, her eyes widened, her face lost all color, and her body slumped to the ground like a rag doll. Although she recovered remarkably quickly from the shock, only a few minutes later.
"—Urgh... What the hell just happened?" she groaned as she rubbed her head, with an expression of pain and confusion, slowly sitting up and leaning on her hands.
"—Well, you saw us and then you fainted," said one of the figures who had entered the room, with a soft voice and a slightly mocking tone, as they shrugged indifferently.
Causing Tsunade to look towards them to see who it was, and when she did, her eyes widened once more, with a mixture of disbelief, surprise, and a nascent terror taking hold of her.
"—Minato, Kushina? Is it really you?" she asked, her voice trembling and full of hope, though with a hint of doubt, hoping with all her might that these people were not who she thought they were.
"—Didn't Jiraiya-sensei tell you we were alive? I thought when you became Hokage he would tell you," asked the Yondaime, noticeably confused, tilting his head to the side and frowning.
The blonde simply stood there, completely still, not fully comprehending what was happening, her mind blank and her heart pounding in her chest, at least until all the pieces clicked into place in her head, and when that happened, blind fury quickly washed over her. Her face contorted into a mask of rage, her eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched tightly.
"—Then, where is my baby?" Kushina asked with an excited voice, her eyes sparkling and a radiant smile on her face, full of anticipation and motherly love, thrilled to meet her son. Minato had the same expression. They both looked at Tsunade expectantly, seeking an answer. Tsunade, for her part, looked furious, something that completely confused both Minato and Kushina.
"—Tsunade-Bachan, where's my brother?" said a relatively young voice, with an impatient tone and a slight hint of worry.
When Tsunade turned towards the voice, actually, for a few seconds, her face softened. A faint smile, filled with nostalgia and affection, touched her lips. He was an almost identical copy of Naruto, almost, because his hair was noticeably longer and red.
BAAM! However, the tenderness lasted very little time, and in one moment, the blonde simply smashed a punch into the impudent redhead's face, with a brutal force that sent him flying, sending him soaring and crashing against the wall, which collapsed on top of him. Anger blazed in her eyes, and her body trembled with fury.
"—You have no right to call me that!" she roared, completely furious and with tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with pain, resentment, and a deep sadness.
"—What the hell is wrong with you, sensei?!" Kushina asked, annoyed by the treatment of her eldest son, her face contorted with indignation and worry.
"—And you lost the right to call me sensei!" Tsunade shouted back at the older redhead, releasing her killing intent, her voice full of fury and contempt, making the air around her vibrate with her power. Which caused the other young Namikazes to tremble with fear, instinctively stepping back, their eyes wide and their faces pale.
"—Why are you reacting like this, Tsunade?!" demanded Minato, his voice full of confusion, frustration, and a growing fear, who was also a little intimidated by the woman.
The Godaime simply told them each and every reason she had to be furious with them, without omitting the slightest detail she knew, her voice filled with pain, resentment, and a deep disappointment, while tears streamed down her cheeks. And, of course, they were left completely horrified to hear how Naruto's life had been. Their faces paled, and their bodies trembled as they listened to Tsunade's account. Although, of course, none of them wanted to believe a single word of what they had heard. They shook their heads, incredulous, clinging to the hope that it was all a lie. They simply didn't want to believe it. They shook their heads in disbelief, their faces reflecting a mixture of confusion, pain, and denial. Their whole lives they thought Naruto was a hero, and instead, they were hearing that their son had been beaten nearly to death on multiple occasions. They brought their hands to their mouths, horrified, and their eyes filled with tears. But they had heard very different things in their travels; they had been to countries like Wave, Spring, Moon, or Birds, where Naruto was worshiped almost as a hero. They frowned, confused by the discrepancy between the accounts. So, for them, it made sense that their village would love him at the same level, if not much more, being his home village, or at least that was the way the Namikazes and their children thought. They nodded, clinging to that idea, to that hope.
"—Then why are they celebrating?! Why are they celebrating my son's birthday?!" Kushina shouted, her voice filled with anguish, despair, and a growing fury. She stood up abruptly, her fists clenched and her eyes wide. She was furious, not enraged with the village for everything they did to her son.
"—That's because they're celebrating that three months ago Naruto was banished from the village," Tsunade told them in barely a growl, her voice filled with bitterness, resentment, and a deep contempt for the village. She gritted her teeth, containing her anger. Time error corrected.
"—What?!" Minato, Kushina, and their children shouted so loudly that their cry was heard throughout the village and some of its surroundings. Their faces contorted in expressions of disbelief, horror, and a deep sadness. They were left breathless, as if they had been punched in the stomach.
Kushina simply collapsed into the chair behind her, her body trembling and her gaze lost, as if the world had crumbled around her. She was completely dejected, and just when things were tense, out of nowhere, she released her chains and caught someone who was standing at the window, with a quick and precise movement, like a predator catching its prey. "—You're going to explain this to us." The sound was barely a growl, but the pale Sannin was able to see that he was screwed. His face contorted in an expression of terror and despair.
—Back to the present—
Minato had to sigh once more, heavily, as he ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of weariness and frustration. Regretting his past naivety and innocence. In the end, it turned out that leaving Naruto in the village was a very serious mistake, possibly the gravest of his entire life. A shadow of guilt and remorse crossed his face. Sarutobi had not fulfilled his request to take care of his son; quite the opposite, he had made him the village's scapegoat. He clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger and frustration towards Sarutobi. Listening to Jiraiya was the worst of mistakes. He shook his head, deeply regretting having trusted his sensei. Naruto had a strange chakra, it was true; that's why he couldn't become the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, even if his body was the strongest of his eldest children. Instead, he divided the beast into two halves between his twin brothers, and according to his sensei's advice, it was better for his two sons to train without interruption, and that's why he had left Naruto in the village. A grimace of pain and regret took over his face. That's why he hadn't mentioned to them that they used Naruto as a scapegoat and made him the outlet for the village's anger and hatred.
He hadn't told Tsunade either, because she would have forced them to return to the village for their son or would have taken him away herself, and he needed to have ties to the village. He sighed, resigned to his past mistakes. What a joke, his son had no ties to the village, and the few he had were one-sided because, according to Neji Hyuga, Naruto had been distant since the day of the Uchiha massacre, not showing anyone what he felt. An expression of sadness and worry took over his face as he thought about Naruto's loneliness.
Needless to say, after that explanation, Tsunade almost beat him to death. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered Tsunade's fury. In fact, it took the intervention of Minato, Kushina... and the entirety of Konoha's Jounin and ANBU to prevent her from killing him, and they barely managed it. He swallowed hard, remembering how close he had come to death. Shortly after that, he was forced to resume the position of Hokage again after the resignation of his successor, who left the village along with Shizune, going to live in the Land of Spring, where its Daimyo had gladly received them and made her the head of the country's medical industry. A faint smile, tinged with bitterness, touched his lips as he thought about Tsunade and Shizune's new destiny.
Minato, for his part, began to investigate what had happened during his absence and was horrified by every new thing he discovered. His face contorted into a mask of disbelief, pain, and guilt as he delved into the truth about Naruto's life.
While Naruto was described as "the strongest in physical terms" in his academy records, a faint smile, tinged with bitterness, touched his lips as he remembered that detail, and he was sure that was only because that report couldn't be falsified because literally the parents of his generation had heard it from their children, the rest of his file was complete garbage. He shook his head, feeling a deep disappointment and frustration.
The teachers taught him absolutely nothing, just like his own sensei, or worse, his student. He clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger towards those who had failed Naruto. That only left him with one question: How the hell did he accomplish all those feats if he only had his body, powerful, it's true, but he only had that on his side, along with a horrible fighting style, and shortly after, a version of the Rasengan with his strange chakra? He frowned, perplexed, trying to comprehend the magnitude of Naruto's hidden potential.
Worst of all, from what they had heard from Kakashi, Naruto was legally blind because he covered his eyes with his Hitai-ate. That meant that, somehow, he had pushed his reflexes to unprecedented limits to be able to fight in that state. An expression of astonishment and admiration took over his face. Hell, his two brothers, Menma and Shio, couldn't have accomplished a single one of those feats, even with their full arsenal, much less with the limited arsenal his brother had and, above all, with the limitation of not being able to see his opponent, relying solely on his other senses. He shook his head, incredulous at Naruto's ability. That only meant that his missing son was, in every possible sense of the word, a prodigy beyond what anyone ever wanted to see.
Of course, the people, upon hearing about the truth, did feel sorry for everything they had done to him, although not as much as they should have. A grimace of disappointment and contempt touched his lips as he thought about the village's lukewarm reaction. In fact, as Tsume had told his ex-friend, why should she feel bad for hunting him in the fox festival if they themselves had abandoned him worse than a stray dog? An expression of sadness and understanding took over his face as he remembered Tsume's words. Sadly, the woman was right, and because of that, now those he once called friends hated him, and with passion. He sighed, resigned to the loss of his friendships.
The once-friendly Ichirakus had kicked them out of their place in a horrible way, a grimace of pain and humiliation crossed his face as he remembered the incident, and those who supported Naruto barely treated them as necessary, and that was because they had no other choice. An expression of frustration and isolation took over his face.
But that wasn't the worst of it, not at all, the worst came when other places found out about Naruto's banishment. Something Kakashi refused to say at the time was that many of the most important alliances of the country and the village, by association, not to say practically each and every one of them, had been recently earned, and not because of the most recognized shinobi or the precious Uchiha, whom he had to reluctantly admit was the nameless Sasuke and that the true Uchiha heir was his banished foster brother. A grimace of disgust and shame took over his face as he remembered Sasuke's humiliation. But going back to the subject, upon learning of the banishment and that the parents of their beloved hero had abandoned him worse than a stray and diseased dog, they simply withdrew their alliance. He clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger and frustration at the consequences of their actions.
Wave and the others immediately withdrew their commercial support and preferred the village where Naruto's apparent only true friend resided, that being the village of Suna, who by the way, also canceled their alliance, claiming that they wanted nothing to do with the village that praised the traitor as a hero and expelled the true hero, leaving things in a simple non-aggression pact... An expression of bitterness and resignation took over his face. And that was in the best-case scenario; most didn't even grant them that honor.
Shortly after this, Ozai, the new feudal lord, who, while more militaristic than his older brother, who died without leaving descendants – a grimace of disgust crossed Minato's face as he remembered the new feudal lord – had almost entirely withdrawn their support as retaliation for losing their alliances. He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Truth be told, even if he was hard on his children, the truth is that he would never have been so cruel to them. A shadow of guilt and remorse crossed his face. That's why he disapproved of Minato's actions and, in fact, had overturned the decision and forced them to remove the boy from the bingo book. Minato nodded, remembering Ozai's intervention.
While that was happening, many teams tried to locate the boy in question without much success. He frowned, frustrated by the lack of results. It seemed as if the earth had swallowed him whole. In fact, the only information they got about him was how the last time he was seen, he and his older foster brother, Itachi Uchiha, had a brother-to-brother conversation before the younger of the two retreated towards the world beyond the great wall that kept the hidden lands away from the wild outside world. An expression of worry and mystery took over his face as he remembered the last sighting of Naruto.
That wall had existed since the time of the first dragon king, a close friend of the Rikudo Sennin, who divided the world, or rather, enclosed their continent from the wild outside world. A world that was said to be so immense that the hidden lands didn't cover even a tenth of it, with nations inhabited by unnatural creatures and demons beyond the comprehension of shinobi, lands full of eternal conflict and war. A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined that wild world. In fact, the hidden nation, home of the shinobi, was actually considered a peaceful land in comparison. If his son, somehow, managed to cross the great wall, in the Sannin's opinion, he simply had to be dead, at best, and at worst... well, let's just say he learned not to talk about that subject in front of Kushina again. A grimace of pain and worry took over his face as he remembered Kushina's anguish.
How he crossed the wall, the truth is that was completely irrelevant. What was relevant was that, unless you were an inhabitant of the outside world, you would simply die within a few days at the hands of any of the beings that inhabited that wild and untamed world. He shook his head, trying to push away the pessimistic thoughts.
Although his son didn't do that, at least according to Sasuke, who had reluctantly told them about the Uchiha tapestry where every living and dead Uchiha since the clan's founding was recorded, and although Naruto had been adopted, he was still part of the tapestry with his colorful name and image, which only happened if the Uchiha in question was still alive. A spark of hope ignited in his heart as he remembered Sasuke's testimony. And since so far his son's name remained on the tapestry, then they still had a small chance. He clung to that hope with all his might.
But he had to put those thoughts aside for the moment. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down and focus on the present. He still had many other things to think about, more specifically his sensei's suggestion to overcome their precarious economic situation. Currently, the only thing that still kept Konoha as one of the great shinobi powers was its past prestige, and that it had three S-rank shinobi. Nowadays, many, knowing that they had banished a man who had brought their traitorous brother back alive and barely harmed, simply wanted nothing more to do with them. A grimace of disgust and frustration took over his face as he thought about Konoha's current situation.
Minato had used his fortune and that of the Uzumaki clan to keep the situation more or less stable, along with that of the Sannin, who used the royalties from his books. An expression of gratitude and relief took over his face as he remembered the financial support. In fact, even several clans had to do so, with the exception of the Uchiha clan, since Sasuke had no access to it, and they highly doubted that Itachi would be willing to help them. He frowned, annoyed by the lack of access to the Uchiha fortune. Call him crazy, but the guy who killed his own clan and seemed to have a good relationship with his banished son shouldn't be too eager to help them. And without the Uchiha fortune, the village wouldn't last too long. In fact, the village's best chance to get ahead was to win the tournament that would be held in the Land of Spring.
He wasn't entirely sure how, under the tyrant Doto's yoke, the tradition of holding a Taijutsu tournament open to any participant remained. He frowned, perplexed, trying to understand the situation. Although the addition of the possibility of allowing rogue ninja in the tournament might have been one of the main reasons why it was still a good source of tourism. He nodded, recognizing the logic behind that decision. Whether it was a village without recognition or not, and even if they were a wandering fighter, they were typically allowed the chance to fight. Normally, the prize wouldn't be so flashy, but this year it was a very tempting one: no less than a billion Ryos to the winner. His eyes widened with surprise and disbelief as he remembered the magnitude of the prize. He wasn't sure where they had gotten that amount of money, but frankly, he didn't care. An ambitious and determined smile touched his lips.
Although, if the rumors he had heard were true, this time the actress and Daimyo had gotten a big sponsor, being none other than the White Lotus Trading House. He raised an eyebrow, impressed by the information.
Thinking about them actually made him shudder quite a bit. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the power and influence of the White Lotus Trading House. They were a merchant house that had come from the outside three years ago, quickly gaining fame for their exotic products of great quality and for being the first trade mission of the new government of the outside world. Yes, the new government of the world, because the trading house had come with a shocking news: the king of one of the most powerful countries, a certain China, had somehow managed to unify the entire damn outside world, creating the Empire of the Rising Sun. An expression of awe and respect took over his face as he remembered the king's feat.
Without support and with only the strength of his arms and his apparent special eyes, this king managed to pacify the outer lands, and thanks to that, the White Lotus Merchant Guild was finally able to fulfill the dream of trading throughout the world... He nodded, recognizing the importance of the event. He wasn't sure how they allowed entry from the outside to within the wall, but from what he had heard in rumors, the empire actually had, even before becoming the empire, the ability to destroy the wall. They simply never gave a damn about conquering a land that they considered weak. A grimace of disgust and contempt took over his face as he remembered the arrogance of the outside world.
It had hurt the pride of many, but sadly they were right. He sighed, resigned to the truth. Leaving that aside, that they sponsored the tournament and could afford such a reward was a pure display of opulence, or was, perhaps, the work of the emperor himself who was funding the tournament. He frowned, considering the possibilities. In any case, they certainly needed that money urgently, so he would send the best that Konoha had to offer to take the prize money at all costs. An expression of determination and hope took over his face.
He just hoped that the emperor wouldn't participate. A shadow of worry crossed his eyes. After all, the idea of facing a man who unified a world like that was terrifying.
—Empire of the Rising Sun, Capital City of Parnam—
Unlike Minato, who was quite nervous, the emperor was actually quite calm, sitting on his throne. His posture was relaxed but imposing, and his face reflected absolute serenity and confidence. It had been three years since the government had finally stabilized. This was the third anniversary of his victory over the hostile world he found when he first came to these lands, and no less than that, today was his twenty-fifth birthday, and even if he hated his birthday, his people had chosen to celebrate it with the biggest party, which had been going on for a week, no less. A grimace of disgust and resignation took over his face as he remembered the celebration.
Actually, the celebration in question was only surpassed by the day of unification, which was the day when the last of the nations finally signed their annexation to the empire... A smile of satisfaction and pride touched his lips as he remembered that day. Even if Elfrieden and that principality whose name he still couldn't pronounce properly didn't join in a... less than conventional way, but with those last two nations, the end of the unification war was finally proclaimed.
It had taken the young man, currently 25 years old, about five years... six, if you counted the strange circumstances of Elfrieden, to achieve such a feat: the unification of the outside world. A feat in which he gained a lot, but in which he lost even more, his first true friend, no less. A shadow of sadness and melancholy crossed his face as he remembered that loss.
"—Mommy, are you okay?" He had to let out a small smile the moment he heard that voice. His face lit up with an expression of affection and tenderness upon hearing his daughter's voice.
His favorite princess, no less... although Tomoe gave her good competition, but Mordred would always be special... A warm and affectionate smile touched his lips as he thought of Mordred. Even with her tendency to call him "Mommy" instead of "Daddy." A faint smile, tinged with amusement and resignation, appeared on his face. But considering the more than curious circumstances of her birth, he was certainly more than okay with it.
Mordred was, like her... father, who, by the way, was his first wife and the first woman he loved with all his heart, a beautiful girl with golden hair and green eyes, with beautiful and perfect skin. An expression of pride and admiration took over his face as he described Mordred. Even if her hair was a mess of unruly ends when they didn't force her to style it in a high bun, which was still a disheveled mess... only less so than when it was loose. An amused and loving smile touched his lips as he thought of Mordred's rebellious hair.
He didn't say anything, he simply allowed the girl to jump into his lap, with an agile and confident movement, sitting on the throne that... oh, who was he kidding, Arturia had made it clear that Mordred would inherit Camelot. An ironic and resigned smile spread across his lips as he remembered Arturia's determination. They could say what they wanted about his initial reaction upon learning that he was a father, but he was a great father... as crazy and awkward as that sounded. An expression of pride and satisfaction took over his face as he thought about his role as a father.
"—Happy birthday, Mommy," the girl said, with a sweet and melodious voice, as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck, hugging him tightly.
"—I don't even know if I should keep trying," said the black-haired man, with a soft and loving voice, as he stroked his beloved princess's hair, returning the hug.
"—The part about them celebrating your birthday even though you hate it? Or the part where I call you Mommy even though you have that thing in your pants that Dad doesn't have?" the girl asked, with that childish innocence that only a girl of, uh, age had, tilting her head to the side, with a curious expression on her face. Oh, right, she might be 9 years old.
"—And I'm definitely giving Yujiro a beating for corrupting your mind," he frowned, with an expression of feigned annoyance, although a faint smile betrayed his amusement. It wasn't a joke, he was definitely going to smash the man's head in for talking about those topics with his daughter.
Mordred was already mischievous enough without his help, thank you very much. He shook his head, resigned to his daughter's personality. In the end, he simply let out a sigh of defeat; he would do it later. For now, he would have to make sure that Mordred didn't talk that way in front of her father... A grimace of worry crossed his face as he thought about Arturia's possible reaction. He didn't like having to explain that he wasn't the one who told her those things and, above all, he didn't like explaining what was irresponsible enough to allow his friends to do it... yes, he simply wasn't cut out for this job. An expression of frustration and self-criticism took over his face.
"—Anyway, come on, love, let's go horseback riding," and with that said, he simply took his beloved daughter in his arms, with a gentle and protective gesture, and began walking towards the stables, with a firm and determined step. Maybe he would pick up Tomoe along the way, and with any luck, he would spend the day with his two favorite people in the world, far from the party of the day he hated most in the world. A smile of anticipation and happiness touched his lips as he thought about the plan.
The next day, and without much luck in having avoided the damn party that was celebrated in every corner of the damn world, Naruto dragged his feet, his face somber and dark circles marked under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days. The emperor arrived at his office, where his right-hand man was already waiting for him with the documents he would have to review. He sighed resignedly, accepting his fate. Said right-hand man was none other than a young man of about 20 years old... Okay, he wasn't young or 20 years old. Actually, he was like 400 or something. The truth is that, according to himself, he had no idea how old he was because total immortality had completely screwed up his perception of time, a grimace of frustration crossed Zeref's face as he thought about his own immortality. Returning to the subject, he was black-haired, had equally black eyes, and was considerably thin, although he was still one of the most powerful men in the empire.
"—Good evening, my emperor," he greeted him with a slight touch of sarcasm, raising an eyebrow and with a mocking smile on his lips. "It's a miracle that you honor us with your presence."
"—You know I detest my birthday, Zeref," the emperor told his best friend, in this world, with a tired voice and a slightly irritated tone, as he dropped heavily into his chair. [Emperor's Right-Hand Man - Zeref Dragneel - The Strongest Dark Wizard in History - King of Wizards]
The man in question simply gave him a small smile of understanding. He nodded, perfectly understanding Naruto's feelings. He knew it very well; he himself hated several days of his life because of his past. But even so, that his emperor disappeared for an entire day with two of his daughters, was something quite bad. An expression of worry and slight reproach crossed his face. Still, he simply chose to put it aside and focused on the important topic.
"—I understand you, brother, better than you think, but you must understand that people, although they know your past, want you to learn to enjoy this day," said the not-so-young man, with a soft and understanding voice, as he sat down in the chair in front of his best friend's desk, adopting a relaxed posture. "Now, here is the list you asked me for as a priority." He handed Naruto a document, with a professional gesture.
Naruto hadn't asked for it, actually. A grimace of annoyance crossed his face as he remembered the situation. He had only suggested it, since he didn't want to handle the matter in question himself. As for what the list was, it was the list of the 25 participants who might or might not enter the martial arts tournament that was going to be held in the hidden continent... or Australia, as it was popularly known outside the Great Wall. A faint smile, tinged with irony, touched his lips as he thought about the continent's name. He wasn't sure if some of them would want to, but some hadn't confirmed yet. They probably didn't feel interested in crushing, as Yujiro called them, "weakling ninjas." A grimace of contempt crossed his face as he remembered Yujiro's words.
"—Anything wrong?" Zeref asked at the same moment he noticed his best friend's expression, tilting his head to the side, with a worried expression on his face. It was a grimace he only made when he wanted to beat someone up... usually Yujiro.
"—Nothing, just Yujiro is corrupting Mordred again," Naruto sighed resignedly, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. And, of course, Zeref wasn't surprised when he heard that. In fact, he even expected it. Apparently, Yujiro had a personal goal in life to turn the girl into the biggest mischief-maker in the empire. A grimace of disgust and frustration took over his face. He wasn't sure why nor was he interested in knowing, but he hoped he would stop doing it. His brother adored that girl, and hit hard... maybe that was why he did it, now that he thought about it. He shook his head, trying to push those thoughts away.
"—Be that as it may, brother, I've already taken care of recruiting the best warriors," the black-haired man told him, with a calm and confident voice, choosing to get the topic back on track. Later he would go inform the tenth sky king that his brother wanted to kill him... again.
"—Is the transport ready?" the black-haired man asked, with a serious and authoritative voice, as he examined the list that Zeref had given him.
"—Ready for a week now. Some of them, actually, are drooling at the idea of tearing off Rock Lee's leg... although, considering what Pickle is like..." the black-haired man said, with a calm voice, but with a slight tremor that betrayed his concern, before shaking his head, with a grimace of disgust. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why, of all the possible warriors from the underground village that Yujiro could have chosen, he chose the damn cannibal caveman. "I don't like that smile, Naruto."
"—Ah, you can't blame me, Zeref... after all, the idea of Pickle eating Lee's leg is extremely funny," Naruto let out a loud laugh, with a malicious and amused expression on his face. [Naruto Uchiha - Qin Shi Huang - Emperor of the World]
"—Your sense of humor sometimes scares me, brother," Zeref said, with a slightly trembling voice, before shaking his head, with a mixture of resignation and worry.
Naruto, for his part, simply gave him a smile, broad and full of confidence, as if he were about to embark on a great adventure. Even if he still had his doubts, it was time for his triumphant return to the last untamed place in the world. It was time for the greatest king of all time... ego aside, of course... to return to the continent that had seen his legend born... An expression of determination and anticipation took over his face. But first...
"—Yujiro, you bastard, I'm going to smash your skull." And with that declaration to the world, full of fury and determination, the king simply stood up, with a quick and decisive movement, and began to follow his own path to find the daughter-corrupting brute... He clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes glowed with intense anger. Did he mention that Naruto rarely used the gates?
"—I just repaired those walls," Zeref complained, with a tired voice and a resigned sigh, as he watched the hole that Naruto had left in the wall, before letting out a sigh. Then, he simply left the room himself through the now destroyed wall. He shook his head, accepting the inevitable destruction. He needed to find Athena to help him repair the palace walls again... he just hoped that this time he wouldn't knock down a structural pillar... oh, who was he kidding, he was going to do it. An ironic and resigned smile touched his lips.
End of chapter.