Knitting Fate (Canon Patchworking with Uchiha Ren Part II)

Fifty-First Thread

Beta'd by hestia8693

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***

"Don't deceive me. Give me the truth. Even if it breaks me. A painful truth is better than a pleasant lie."
― Yasmin Mogahed

0

Hiruzen looks like he's just bit into a particularly sour lemon, but Ren honestly just can't find it in herself to give a single flying fuck about the old Hokage's mood at this point, really. Once, a long time ago, in – quite literally – another life, she may have liked him as a character. But liking a character, and then liking someone in person, those are two completely different things.

And, as a person, Ren finds herself increasingly dissatisfied with their esteemed military dictator. He is old and wise, yes, but he is too old, and holds too many sentiments, and, to put it simply – is too soft. Not only that, but he lacks the real foresight – not that Ren claims to have it, but he lacks it even more than her – that would allow him to reach his goals and run the village smoothly.

Yes, true, you can only ask so much from a military dictatorship, but still. Ren isn't one to let go, not such a political and societal slight. Because, honestly, their appliance of logic? Or, rather, lack thereof?

Ren can only imagine what was going through higher-up's minds when they were making decisions about Naruto's future.

'Let's keep his parentage from him, it's dangerous for anyone to know, and once he learns we kept it from him, he will be very bitter and most likely will never trust us again, that's a great way to ensure his loyalty. What, you want us to tell just him, but nobody else? Now why would we do that?'

'Let's not tell him a word about what he is and what he contains, so that not only will he not receive specialized training but he'll also have no idea whatsoever how to deal with the Kyuubi once he actually realizes what he carries. That will surely help!'

Or, the highlight of it all:

'Let's turn a blind eye on the civilians ostracizing him his whole life, that way we will surely make him care for, love, and protect this village!'

Sweet fucking Jashin, see what Ren has to deal with? She is surrounded by idiots, and not just any idiots – the older they are, and the wiser they should be, the dumber (and more self-serving, in a certain case) they act. Uchiha Ren turns fifteen next month, but she is also thirty-four and from an entirely different world, with a very different outlook on the world and the people here are just...

Idiots. To put it mildly. Them and their convoluted schemes that do them no good but cause more and more problems, yet they still firmly tread in their swamp until they finally drown in the rancid mud of their grand plans.

And Naruto- Naruto looks sad, betrayed even. With those huge, innocent, sky-blue eyes it would be ridiculously easy for him to just grab a person's heart and rip it to shreds with the overwhelming feeling of guilt they incite. And, frankly, serves them right, in Ren's opinion. Or Hiruzen, at least, because boy, if she doesn't have a bone to pick with the Hokage at this point, if her previous actions haven't been proof enough... she has openly yelled at him, for crying out loud.

But then, maybe, just maybe, he is beginning to realize his mistakes. Because, otherwise, would he allow Ren to take Naruto in? Was it his guilt about leaving this boy alone to effectively rot, or maybe the knowledge that Ren would have taken him in no matter their decision, and they couldn't really stop her?