True Potential By DryBonesKing

Part 39, 40 - Heritage

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto, but I do own textbooks on syntax, phonetics, second language acquisition, the Japanese language, and various other fields related to the field of Linguistics. Those are relatively similar, right? I mean, considering how much textbooks cost, I think it probably equals close to the money that the rights of Naruto cost... XD

'Ugh...' Naruto groaned to himself as he opened his eyes.

Upon waking up, the blonde Uzumaki realized that he was lying horizontally on a bed. Instead of the open, windowless room in the Uzushiogakure Temple where he had last been fighting, he was in an illuminated bedroom. He pulled himself off the bed slowly and began looking around the room.

He was the only person present; nobody else was inside. The room itself was barren except for the bed and the seals on the wall that kept the room illuminated. The structure of the room resembled the rest of the building in the temple, suggesting that the blonde was still in the Uzushiogakure Temple. There was a window present in the room that revealed the full moon and nearby stars in the sky, revealing to Naruto that it was nighttime.

'... Where am I?' He questioned to himself. 'Where's Tayuya-nee and Karin? And what happened to the old guy?'

Naruto, still sore from his last fight, walked slowly towards the door in the room. He opened it and entered the large, circular, central room of the temple. Tayuya, Karin, Jiraiya, and Masakado were all present in the room. The two cousins had been quietly chatting to each other, Jiraiya was examining the rubble that once was a statue of the Rikudō Sennin, and Masakado was sitting down in silent meditation. All four shinobi heard the sound of Naruto opening the door and turned to face the blonde Uzumaki.

"And the sleeping princess finally wakes up!" Tayuya commented with a snicker. "Six hours later."

"Six hours?" Naruto's eyes widened in response.

"Are you alright Naruto?" Jiraiya questioned. The Sannin quickly moved away from the statue pieces and went over to his godson.

"... Fine. I'm just really sore and tired." Naruto replied. His voice reflected his physically tired state. Despite his own exhaustion, Naruto couldn't help but give his godfather a curious look. "How did you get in here, Ero-sennin? I thought only an Uzumaki could step into the village."

"I let him in." Masakado spoke up, getting Naruto's attention. The Sandaime Uzukage stood up from his spot and walked over to the boy. "I found him on the outside of the building trying to get through the blood seal I placed at the entrance. Since I was no longer fighting the three of you and I figured he would still be outside trying to unsuccessfully break in if I didn't do something, I just took down the seal for the moment."

"I would've broken your seal eventually, you know." Jiraiya grumbled in response immediately, in defense of his own skills.

"Bullshit. I designed that seal. There's not a damn way you would've broken in." Masakado stated dismissively.

"Er... So... You aren't fighting us anymore, right?" Naruto questioned the elder Uzumaki.

Masakado turned his attention back to Naruto. The blonde Uzumaki noticed that the man's whole demeanor was different than the man he and his cousins had fought. The Masakado standing in front of him did not appear to have any of the signs of visible anger on his face. He also seemed much older, reflecting his age. He carried himself a lot more modestly and his eyes seemed to wander the room in uncertainty.

"... I talked with your cousins, Tayuya and Karin, while you were unconscious. I..." Masakado sighed deeply before he found the ability to look Naruto in the eye. "I sincerely apologize about the circumstances of our meeting. My mind wasn't... thinking properly when we met."