Tale of the Setting Sun.

Chūnin Exams X

Chapter 17: "A Will Inherited"

The last time Naruto had had a private audience with the Hokage, he had been six years old. The Hokage's office had seemed immense to him then, and the Hokage himself had been an alien, untouchable figure. But as he stood before the desk once more, the room, though big, was contained, and the man had never looked as weary as he did now.

"So you know the truth now," said the Hokage quietly, getting straight to the point. He was seated behind his desk; the white hat that signified his status cast shadows over his lined face.

"Yes," Naruto said simply, remaining stiffly in his standing position.

"Kakashi has filled me in on what he's told you, including the fact that he has suppressed the Taboo seal. But there are still certain things that he has wisely decided not to tell you...or perhaps he has forgotten them himself." With his wrinkled fingers steepled against each other on the desk, the Hokage looked straight at Naruto. "For the village, I sacrificed your childhood. You must despise me."

"...I don't know how I feel," said Naruto, slightly taken aback by the man's directness despite himself. "All I know is that my – the Fourth Hokage was the one who sealed the Nine-Tails within me. And that for this, all the villagers hate me. Kakashi-sensei told me that there was an accident when I was six, but I recall that I was unwanted even before then."

"Even I do not still quite understand what happened the night the Nine-tails attacked Konoha," said the Hokage heavily. "But Naruto, did you know that Konoha has controlled the Nine-Tails for several generations now? You are not our first jinchūriki. We had two before you...and they were both Uzumaki as well." Naruto's eyes widened by a margin. "Yes, your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was the jinchūriki before you."

Naruto paused. "My mother..."

"And the one single thing that most weakens a jinchūriki's seal – that is, a jinchūriki's most vulnerable, natural state, is when she is giving birth." The Hokage nodded at Naruto's surprised expression. "Yes, your mother risked quite a lot when she became pregnant with you. I thought Minato would be able to suppress it, but somehow it escaped. I suspect there was a third party, but we've never found any leads in that investigation. Regardless, in the aftermath, Minato and Kushina both sacrificed their lives to seal it once more within you." His face darkened. "Unfortunately, the majority of the village was not aware that Kushina was pregnant. For her and your safety, Minato and Kushina kept her pregnancy a secret. And so, to this day, they still do not understand how it escaped. I believe some people who were not familiar with Kushina may have actually believed that she had released the Nine-tails itself."

"What?" Naruto cut in, his brow furrowed in thought. "Why did you keep it a secret after they died then? Why not tell everyone that I was their son, and that it wasn't her fault?"

"I may be Hokage, but even I do not have the power to control people's hearts," said the Hokage heavily. "Fear and prejudice are powerful forces. Following Minato's wishes – the surname 'Namikaze' was widely feared across the nations, and may have instigated assassination attempts against you – you were given your mother's name, 'Uzumaki.' With you being a newly born red-haired infant and having the last name 'Uzumaki,' I'm sure anyone could have connected the dots. But inevitably, rumors were spread. You would not be able to tell given Konoha's present prosperity, but back then, it was a time of great loss and uncertainty. Many people had died, and the great Fourth Hokage had even given his life to defeat the beast. It is unfortunate, but people who are grieving do not always look to reason, and you became an outlet for their pain. It didn't help that even some of the shinobi themselves held preconceived notions about jinchūriki, helping to set off what would soon become a village-wide movement against you Naruto." The Hokage paused. "You may not have been aware of it, but I always had at least two of my ANBU keep watch over you during your childhood. It was rare, but there were times they had to step in to prevent any bodily harm from happening to you."