Naruto: The return of the lost child.

Ch-25

Back to Present.

Itachi's words as he spoke the truth behind Shisui's death broke Sasuke. His fixation on revenge was shattered just like Menma. His years of piled up anger towards the title of Crow was against none other than his brothers Itachi and Shisui.

Everyone was down on their knees. To believe the leader of Akatsuki or to believe in what they have been hearing for years....that was their dilemma. "One by one as we succeeded in capturing the chakra scrolls our count would decrease. And the last member to stay beside me was Naruto. After years of loneliness he finally had a village, a place to call home, a group of people who he could call friends, a girl who loved him, a lady who took care of him just like his mother. To sacrifice so many precious things in a moment to fulfill his duty.

To turn his friends into his enemies. To give his life for the sake of the world. It is not something an ordinary shinobi can do." Nagato's words enveloped the group in deep regret and guilt. The graveyard in front of them was the evidence of sacrifices Akatsuki has made. And they always thought that they were the one saving the world.

How foolish they were to believe in lies of Danzo. They could the slap of reality on their face. "Only if that you would have allowed me to meet Naruto" continued Hinata with sobs "only if you all would have trusted him....listened to his words. Maybe then, we would still be having him beside us. Everything would have changed. We lost our friend and Kushina-san lost her son whom she had been waiting for 19 years.". Hinata's last statement took Menma and Narumi offguard as they looked at her confused.

"What are you saying Hinata?-"

"She is telling the truth" Kushina interrupted Menma as he continued "He was your eldest brother".

They couldn't believe what Kushina just said. "Tou-san..Tou-san look what Kaa-san is saying." said Narumi.

Minato was silent. Nothing but his tear-filled eyes responded her. This was the first that they had seen him wearing such look. Look of great regret, look which begged for forgiveness.

"Tou-san say something!" This time it was Menma. "This is my punishment. I failed to recognize my own son. I.." Minato looked at his shaking hands "I with my own hands cut his arm off. I never wanted to believe he was our son. How could someone survive that disaster-" Minato's blabbering was cut off by Menma as he said "what are you saying Tou-san. What is all this? He just looked like us. Moreover his eyes are also different from we both."

"Must be because of Nine-Tails chakra that turned his eyes orangish. This explains everything. To carry such monsterous chakra pool...he had to be the son of leader of Uzumaki clan." Said Nagato.

Both the siblings wore a complete blank look right now. They couldn't understand anything. All of a sudden they were being told that they had an elder brother. Both of them lowered themselves on their knees as crawled toward their parents. They both looked at Naruto's grave as tears involuntarily fell on it.

'What is this feeling' they asked themselves. Time they spent with Naruto suddenly started clouding their mind. How they peaked from kitchen window to look at him and Kushina working together, how their mother would always take his side instead of their. Suddenly it was all started to make sense.

Yet they refused to admit it. "You...are lying right? Naruto can't be our brother....right?" Asked Menma.

"19 years ago...I and Kushina were blessed with three children. A girl and two boys. We named them Narumi , Menma and Naruto." Everyone was in complete shock as Minato continued with his story about past. The whole time Menma and Narumi just kept staring at Naruto's grave. With every word their heart was being cut in pieces.

While Narumi continued crying at loss of her brother, Menma refused to let even a single drop of tear to come fall down his eyes. As soon as Minato finished his story he let out a loud scream of pain "how could I let him slip out of my hands!".

"There is one more thing I would like to add" said Nagato "Before his death, Naruto asked me to tell you that he fulfilled his promise". This added more to Kushina's tears. "What promise?" asked Minato but all Kushina responded him with cries.

"It was to protect Menma and Narumi" said Nagato as everyone looked at him "He always kept speaking about that promise. When we got the intel from Itachi that Danzo was performing Jinchurification on Menma he got panicked. That's because Menma isn't capable of nesting Nine-Tails chakra. He would have definitely died. He didn't want to see tears in Kushina-san's eyes so he asked me to attack him before the Jinchurification.

Even in shadows he had done a lot of things. One of the favor he did was to kill the Prince of Fumo before he married Hinata."

Apart from Hinata everyone looked confused. It was natural to them as none of them knew about Prince's reality. "The Prince was a huge pervert. He was only interested in Hinata because of his lust. This fueled Naruto with anger. That day, I ordered him to kidnap the Prince and get him here....but maybe he couldn't stop himself after he saw him and killed him. It was a personal favor that didn't come under Akatsuki. Yet he did that. He must have cared a lot about you to do that Hinata".

A faint smile appeared on Hinata's face covered with tears but soon even that smile faded. "We still do not have Seven-Tails chakra scroll. Until we get that our mission would still be incomplete. And I as leader of Akatsuki, will make sure that my comrades sacrifices are not for null." Nagato's statement was full of determination and power which radiated his leadership aura.

In front of him, the whole group of Konoha was feeling lowly and weak.
Their cries wouldn't stop, their guilt was eating them, they repented everything that they had done. "I just.." among the silence covering the cave, Kushina's slow murmers felt clearly audible to everyone "I just wanted him to call me Kaa-san one time. How long have I waited for him to say that." Kushina fell in Minato's arms as she cried and cried.

"Naruto was going through so much and what we did? Acted like scum instead of-"

"NII-SAN!" Menma interrupted Narumi with his hoarse voice clearly indicating how hard he was trying not to cry. "Didn't you hear Tou-san and Kaa-san Narumi? He was our elder brother. Call him Nii-san".

Narumi wiped off her tears as she nodded in agreement. Everyone was happy at this statement of Menma as they had a soft smile on their face.

"He had the same blood as us. Yet the differences between us was so huge...both mentally and physically. He died protecting the world and following his duty. If I cry right now I would be disrespecting him." Menma's eyes showed his resolve and willpower as he said those words. It gave everyone the strength to stand back on their feet.

"Sorry Nagato. We have caused you so much trouble that I can't even look in your eyes" continued Minato "but I will make sure to bring justice to you and your comrades. Also you said that the Seven-Tails chakra scroll is missing....leave it to us. We will bring it to you.".

"Have you guys noticed?" Asked Itachi as everyone now looked at him "Don't you feel the night is too long. Something is not good"....