A/N - The Kyuubi festival - something that is written into a lot of Naruto angst fanfictions - is included in this chapter, but I'm not going through the route of 'Naruto gets abused by the villagers on this day because everyone hates him'. I'm just saying it now so you're not immediately thinking I'm just putting shit into the story for no good reason. This is just to further the storyline for something really interesting at the end. Hopefully, I was able to write it well enough that it conveys the emotion I wanted it to.
If anyone cared enough to stop and ask, Naruto would tell them that he wasn't a big fan of the annual Kyuubi festival.
While some years he did, in fact, participate in the week-long festivities to grieve the parents he never knew the names nor faces of, most times he didn't really see the point in celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi no Kitsune every year. The blond chalked it up to people forgetting his birthday which shared the same date as to when the demon fox had attacked the village nine years ago on October tenth.
Hiruzen had forgotten the last four years, swamped with paperwork and meetings that he couldn't find time out of the day to wish the boy he considered his grandson a 'happy birthday'. It's a good thing, he supposed, that the Third Hokage had already wished him a 'happy birthday' albeit early though. Teuchi, the kind old man who owned his favorite ramen shop in all of Konohagakure, generally forgot his birthday every other year as he was busy preparing extra servings for all the people filling the streets during the festival. And Iruka, too. Although they hadn't known each other for more than three years, before they were as close as they are now, Naruto's academy teacher would forget his birthday as well.
It could be that but maybe it was the silent treatment he received from the villagers. Every year around this time, the lack of acknowledgment seemed to increase tenfold - the side-eyes, the nervous glances, the whispers, the abandonment... the hatred - but Naruto tried not to think about it. It's what he's always done - not thinking about it, that is - and for the last nine years, he's done a good job of not thinking about it. But, every year around the time of the Kyuubi festival, the blond-haired academy student thought about it even more. So, as to not go insane from how bad his chest felt or how much he wanted to cry out, he kept to himself during the festival.
Well, maybe not this year, it seemed.
The Kyuubi festival itself was the biggest celebration in all of Konohgakure's history as well as doubling as being the busiest time of the year. It was generally a time for people to get together and celebrate the defeat of the nine-tailed fox that had nearly destroyed Konoha from the inside out. The origins of how that was possible were still unknown to this day but that was a story for another day. However, as nine years of story retellings go, Minato Namikaze - the late Fourth Hokage - gave his life to defeat the beast and save the village. Naruto, as well as the rest of the children who'd grown up in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, knew this story all too well.
To celebrate the demon's defeat, the festival was held over the course of a week starting on the third of October and ending on the tenth, spanning out parties and time for grieving throughout the week-long festival. School was let out for the entirety of the festival, allowing the students to have time with their family and experience the Kyuubi festival in all its glory; it was treated the same way as any other holiday.
The four days following the start of the festival saw all kinds of limited-edition foods - some were even fox-shaped! - as well as people memorializing Minato Namikaze's face on practically everything they could, praising him for saving the village nine years ago. New vendors cropped all over the village, intent on selling these types of foods to tourists who lined the streets as well as their local communities. Vacationers generally arrived between these four days in Konohagakure to experience the annual Kyuubi festival, some having been every year since the incident.
During these times of liveliness and happiness spreading throughout the village, Naruto had found himself stuck at home doing some homework for Teruya - she'd mentioned something about poisons and the blond was simply curious. Although, she had asked him to take a break and enjoy the festival. "Just try to have a good time, Naruto! Maybe try some new foods while you're at it. All I've seen you eat during lunch is ramen." She had exclaimed to him with an eager grin.
The blond-haired academy student had assured her that he'd try but, lo and behold, here he was, at home not enjoying the festival. He just didn't feel the need to. So, as the parties ragged on throughout the day and night, Naruto studied quietly by himself. He worked diligently into the second night of the Kyuubi festival until a knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. He made his way over to the door, opening it up only to come face-to-face with Iruka. His teacher had several bags in his hands, a beaming smile on his face, "Happy early birthday!"
Although shocked, Naruto eagerly let the man in, watching as Iruka set the bags on the boy's small coffee table. He started pulling out numerous things from his shopping bags - clothes, food, and little trinkets filled up space within the bags. Iruka watched his student examine everything with critical eyes, picking up some of the articles of clothing and holding them up to his body as a form of measurement. "I don't know what to say..." It was all the blond-haired academy student could mumble out, eyes filling with tears at the numerous gifts after having seen the expensive price tags on some of the items.
But Iruka had merely waved a hand, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders. "I wanted you to have a good birthday. From what I overheard from the other students the other week, you rarely ever celebrate the Kyuubi festival, but I thought you'd still like to enjoy some of the limited-edition stuff, like..." With a grin, he reached for a bag Naruto hadn't noticed, pulling out several containers, "Limited-edition flavors for cup ramen!" His teacher handed the small cups over, presenting them with a beaming smile.
Naruto had grinned, a little more life in his eyes - now that's what he likes to hear!
While the festivities and the forever parties didn't really appeal to him, the blond did really appreciate Iruka taking time out of his day to come to sit down and share limited-edition ramen with him, enjoying some of the small things about life. So, they ate together with lively attitudes, laughing and speaking with one another over this or that throughout the night. And when Iruka finally had to leave as it was nearing almost midnight, Naruto felt a pang in his chest as if his heart was begging his teacher not to leave him, to stay.
But he let him leave, a strained smile on his face, shutting the door and wishing for Iruka to turn back and keep him company. He was alone again, he found himself thinking as he laid in bed, wide awake.
Shortly after, on the fifth night of the Kyuubi festival, another knock sounded at his door. Although annoyed at having been disturbed a second time during the week-long festivities, Naruto still opened the door - it was Shikamaru! With his... parents?
He let them in without a word, still perturbed by their sudden appearance at his apartment. The three Nara's walked inside without much fuss, Shikamaru already moving over to the boy's couch to make himself at home. Shikaku and his wife, Yoshino, explained to the blond-haired academy student that they would like it if Naruto would join them in lighting lanterns for those they'd lost in the Kyuubi attack. For the Nara couple, it was fellow clan members, family, and friends.
He was almost quick to decline, not really feeling up to it, but Yoshino stopped him. Shikamaru's mother had looked rather emotional when she stepped forward, his best friend rolling his eyes, mumbling out, "Troublesome woman..." She explained to Naruto that she didn't like the idea of leaving someone who'd lost another alone on this day of grieving. Her voice shook, practically begging the boy for him to join their small family.
And how could he say 'no'?
The group of four had left shortly before dusk, heading back to the Nara clan compound. They passed by other groups splitting off into the secluded forests lining the outside of their compound, intent on lighting their lanterns away from others. Similarly, their small group found a secluded area away from the other Nara clan members. Yoshino, at some point, had rounded back to their family home, gathering some markers and spare lanterns for the four of them. When she'd returned and handed out everything she'd gathered, Naruto had merely stood there rather awkwardly.
He watched the small Nara family sit in the grass underneath the stars, writing down names of people who they'd lost onto their own lanterns. And while there was definitely a marker in his hand, he couldn't write anything. He couldn't write down a single person's name on his lantern. Naruto searched the paper lantern in his lap as if it would give him the answer he needed. His eyes teared up in frustration, hands shaking with an intent to just crumble the lantern and leave - the Kyuubi festival was stupid anyway!
Shikaku was the first to notice his frustration, his calculating eyes seeing the searching, pained look in those sky blue eyes. He got up with some effort, walking over to the blond-haired boy sitting in the grass. He squatted in front of him, pulling out his own marker from his pocket. The clan leader titled Naruto's lantern down towards him, starting to write in big, bold letters a single name.
Kushina Uzumaki.
The older Nara sat back on his haunches, staring into the sea of tears that belonged to the boy. He sighed deeply, seeing the confusion written on his face. "I shouldn't have been the one to tell you your own mother's name, Naruto." He whispered out, laying a hand on the boy's hair, "And I'm sorry that I was."
"My... My mom..." A tear slid down Naruto's face, lifting his head up to look at the small family.
Shikamaru caught his panicked eyes easily, rushing over and dropping to his knees to give his friend a hug. It resembled that one he'd received from the blond back in September. "It's okay..." He'd mumbled out between the blond-haired boy's weak sobs.
For nine years, Naruto had never known anything about his parents. For nine years, he grieved and cried over people he knew neither the name nor face of. For nine years, he knew nothing! But he knew now - Kushina Uzumaki... that sounds like a beautiful name.
After a few minutes, Naruto gathered himself enough to stand, though he leaned greatly on Shikamaru, thanking him for helping him calm down afterward. The four of them passed matches around, using it to light the small wick inside the lantern just as dusk finally turned into night, the stars and moon illuminating their small group. Other lanterns were already rising into the sky from all around the village, the wind carrying them gently into the atmosphere. Naruto knew now of the tradition of writing the names of their loved ones on these lanterns he'd seen all his life on this particular day every year; he was mesmerized by them, eyes glazed over and glassy.
Shikamaru leaned over, poking his shoulder to get the boy's attention. There was a knowing look on his face as he motioned for Naruto to let go, to set the lantern free. "When it leaves your hands, don't think of it as a goodbye to the person you lost, but as a way of telling them that you still remember and miss them." The Nara heir whispered out with a soft smile on his face. HIs own lantern was written with names of people Naruto didn't recognize - had his friend really lost that many people? It made his throat tighten as he looked down at his own lantern in his hands.
Shaky fingers traced his mother's name, tears filling his eyes once more. He had just been told her name - it didn't feel right to part with it so soon after such a discovery. Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto looked over at the Nara family beside him, Shikaku consoling his wife who cried loudly without shame as she released her own lantern filled to the brim with names of those she'd lost. They watched it leave the little clearing together before Shikaku's own lantern left his hands, Shikamaur's following shortly after. After a moment of silence between them, three pairs of black eyes looked at Naruto, small smiles on all their faces.
So, he took a deep breath, holding onto Kushina Uzumaki for just a little while longer before releasing his own lantern as well.
And then he cried and cried and cried.
He had never grieved for his parents in this way, but with a name to finally go with what he thought a mother should've been, it really, really hurt. Because he had a name to go with a person he lost during the Kyuubi attack. Kushina Uzumaki was his mom and he had lost her before he could even remember her face. He knew she was kind, had been told by Hiruzen how kind... she was...
Naruto sniffled, wiping his face to stop his crying as a look of dread filled him. Shaky hands gripped at his shirt as he looked up at Shikamaru's dad from where he stood. "Shikaku-san... does Hokage-Jiji know who my p-parents are?" His face was pale by now.
The man's face was stern after the question was ushered. Shikamaru glanced between his friend and his dad as a sudden tension filled the area. "All I can say is that I shouldn't have been the one to tell you your own mother's name." He stated, raising his hands in defense, "Anything after that is a question you should ask the Hokage himself."
"W-Why?"
Yoshino put a hand on her husband's shoulder, a grim look on her face, "Naruto, honey, that's really a conversation for you and the Third Hokage." She looked at her family for a few seconds, her voice turning into that of a whisper. "If we keep talking about this, we could very well be executed."
His stomach twisted, tying into knots as nausea made his head dizzy. "W-What...?" Naruto's eyes searched the floor as a wave of deep-seated anger filled his entire being. For almost nine years, Naruto never even knew his mother's own name before someone told him and, from the sound of it, Hiruzen had known all along. Was he killing people to stop Naruto from knowing something about himself? About who he is? About his family?
"I... I think I should head home..." That was all he'd said before dashing away, tears already filling his eyes.
"Naruto, wait-" Shikamaru had called out to him with a hand outstretched but the blond had already disappeared, intent on going straight home.
Vomit rushed up to his throat, a hand being the only thing holding it back before he could collect himself enough to swallow back the bile. Hot tears ran tracks down his pale face, making it back onto the streets in a haste. Naruto cried unashamed, trying to make it home quickly. He passed by villagers who, upon seeing his current condition, started whispering cruel things and giving the boy odd looks. Dark, swollen eyes were trained on the ground; he didn't want to see any of it, didn't even want to think about it. Was the treatment he faced something Hiruzen caused from threatening to execute anyone who gave Naruto meaning behind his existence, about who his parents even were?
Did they think their possible execution was his fault?
Naruto stumbled as concrete turned into grass, standing before the large memorial stone. The months following the initial Kyuubi attack on Konohagakure saw this memorial being erected as a way to remember each and every single life lost during the battle. He paused in front of it, approaching the stone cautiously, seeing names littering it as he got closer. The blond-haired academy student's hands shook as his eyes followed each row, each line, desperate to find what he was looking for. What his hands couldn't touch were traced with his eyes, a need to find it coursing through his veins. His head hurt, his mind coursing with painful things until...
A gasp fell out of his mouth, feeling the carved stone cut into his fingers, a name jutting out from just underneath his fingertips. His bottom lip quivered as he found her, Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto ran his hand over it multiple times before her name finally settled in his mind. He gripped the front of his shirt, holding his chest in pain as he tried to remember how to breathe. It felt like he was going to be split apart.
"M-Mommy... " It was all he could mutter out, his head swimming and stomach-churning painfully. "It hurts..." His mind cried out before actual tears fell down his face, sobbing loudly. He screamed until his throat was raw and all he could do was gasp for breath. He sobbed until the world blurred together and he couldn't see, only feel Kushina Uzumaki underneath his hands. Naruto traced his mother's name over and over and over, the final confirmation that she was real and she had lived. But for nine years, he had never grieved for her.
Unable to handle this newfound information, he fell to his knees, using all of his willpower not to throw up all over the grass in front of the memorial stone. The blond-haired academy student grasped the ground underneath him, forcing him to control him but was unable to slow his heartbeat or stop his tears. There was a heat deep within him that boiled just within his abdomen; it felt like molten hot lava that would've probably killed him if the angry feeling within it wasn't so comforting.
"I'm sorry, Naruto..." A voice the boy recognized all too well came from behind him.
The blond paused, lifting his head slightly so that his eyes were level with his mother's name. He stared at it, trying to relax his jaw from its tensed position. "Did you know...? Did you always know who my p-parents were?" Naruto traced Kushina Uzumaki's name again on the stone, trying not to let his anger pool into his fingertips where they rested gently over whatever was left of his mother, "Did you know my mother's name?" The blond-haired academy student hiccuped, standing up on shaky legs and turning around to face the Third Hokage, someone he always thought he could trust; he had always considered him as a grandfather, even.
"Yes."
He jumped up to his feet, spinning around to fully look the man in the eye. "And you never told me?!" The boy hissed, venom in his teeth; he had never felt such anger before. Naruto grasped his chest, a painful feeling in his throat as tears threatened to fall, "Why...? Why would you..." The words left his mouth as he dissolved into sobs.
Hiruzen shifted slightly as if tempted to comfort the eight-year-old boy but stopped himself just short of doing so. Instead, he guilty looked away, motioning a hand in his reasonings, "I thought it would have been best if you grew up with the knowledge of-"
"Without knowing who my parents were?!" Naruto interrupted hastily, clawing his face to stop his tears.
The Third Hokage held up a hand, expecting a reaction such as this, "Naruto, there is a lot I've kept from you. I was going to wait until you were a bit older to tell you, preferably after you had become a genin."
"You were gonna wait three more years to even hear my mother's name?" He grits his teeth, peeking through his hands at the older man.
He nodded, although a little apologetically, "Yes, but it seems through... unfortunate circumstances, you've come to hear earlier than expected."
Naruto stopped, hands shaking as they fell limply by his side, "Don't touch them..." It was a whisper, a plea.
"What?" The older Sarutobi man tilted his head in concern.
"Don't touch them." His voice was flat, hands balling into fists, "You execute people who talk about it, right? About who I am? About my parents, right? I was told my own mother's name by someone other than you. So don't you dare touch them!"
The Third Hokage's face darkened, almost fully turning away, "Although that particular law has been in effect since your birth, Shikaku is too valuable to the village for me to execute him for explicitly telling you something he wasn't allowed to."
"And Yoshino-san or S-Shikamaru?" His voice was tight again, fearful of his best friend and his family.
"You'd probably hate me for the rest of your life if I took them from you..." He twisted his head around to look at the boy whose face was clouded with so many emotions - grief, sadness, anger. "I am sorry you had to hear from Shikaku, Naruto, it was always my intention to tell you but I thought this would have been for the best." The older man's voice was thick with emotions, his eyes glassy. "If you really want to know everything about who your parents were and who you are, then we need to have the rest of this conversation somewhere private. Do you understand, Naruto?"
He wiped his face clean of the tears. While he didn't really want to be in the same space as the Third Hokage as of the moment, he needed to know everything. "O-Okay..."
The blond-haired academy student watched the old Sarutobi man make his way over to him, pausing only a second before setting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, using a shunshin to teleport them to a lounge that was adjacent to the Hokage's office. The boy had been here a few times when he was younger and what used to be a friendly and nice room just felt almost suffocating.
Naruto lifted his head, eyes pleading and tired, "You better start talking..."
And they talked, for a long, long time. Well, the blond didn't really participate, mostly listening to the Third Hokage recite many things almost in a single breath while Naruto tried his best to not cry. It was hard not to after everything he'd heard, trying to digest everything as he stood outside the Hokage's office with a picture in his hand and tears in his eyes. His hand shakily traced the golden frame with red accents before staring into the eyes of those inside the photograph.
There was a woman on the right side of the photo who Naruto could only describe as otherworldly and beautiful; she was the prettiest woman he'd ever seen in his entire life. He traced her red hair that disappeared down her back and past where the photograph couldn't reach. He smiled remembering how Hiruzen had said that her hair used to go down to her ankles before she cut it to thigh-length. The blond-haired boy moved to sit on a bench outside the Hokage's office, staring into her violet eyes that made her face light up with kindness. This was Kushina Uzumaki, his mom, and she was just as beautiful as he thought she'd be.
On the left side was his father and, by all means, Naruto would know the man by only his name - Minato Namikaze. It's hard to believe that the blond-haired man was actually his dad. He was the late Fourth Hokage, the infamous Yellow Flash, the Hero of Konohagakure, his father. Everyone knew who Minato was and how he'd bravely saved the village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune, losing his life in the process. But the reason behind how is what still gets Naruto to tear up.
He wasn't even an hour old before his own father sealed a demon inside him.
He bit his lip, feeling wet heat reach his eyes again but not having the energy to cry any more than he has. Naruto's blue eyes found the photo again, the only remaining evidence that his parents had even existed. While there were still mementos of Minato Namikaze's time as the Fourth Hokage - the Hokage Monument shows the man's face carved in it - but it wasn't the same as showing the man as a dad. From what Hiruzen said, the photo was taken only ten days before he was born.
Naruto's eyes started filling with tears, a hand circling over his abdomen where he knew the Kyuubi no Kitsune was within him. The Third Hokage had dubbed him a jinchuuriki, a jailer of sorts. He looked at his mother with a tearful gaze - she had been one too, the previous holder of the nine-tailed fox. A man had unsealed it from her after his birth and, as Hiruzen said, "If she had been anyone other than an Uzumaki, the stress of unsealing a tailed beast would have killed her immediately. It was her raw willpower and her large supply of chakra that had kept her alive for as long as possible."
The Kyuubi no Kitsune was released in the middle of Konohagakure but, everyone knows how that story goes. His father who was extremely skilled in sealing had actually picked up some of his tricks from Kushina as Uzumaki's were known for their excellent talent in sealing, something Naruto hadn't even known about the clan that had gone nearly extinct. Minato had used these abilities from his wife to try and stop the Kyuubi from destroying his village but...
But did his dad really have to seal the demon in him?
Your kind... Those words, although having only come from one single person's mouth, still stuck with him. Naruto let the tears fall down his face silently, continuing to try and absorb the information. Did he hate his father for saving the village he also loved? Would it be bad if he did?
"They gave up their lives to save you, Naruto." Hiruzen's words filled his head as he hiccuped quietly, "The Kyuubi no Kitsune was going to kill you with a single claw and your parents took the brunt of the attack, stopping it before the claw could reach you. I watched from the sidelines, unable to pass your mother's barrier that she'd made with her chakra... but I could see their smiles. They wished for you to grow strong and take care of yourself."
"They loved you, Naruto, they really did."
"Naruto! Naruto!!!" Someone was shouting his name. He weakly lifted his head, standing up from the bench he'd been sitting on. Over the horizon, there was a person running as fast as they could. Through his tears, he could see that oh-so-familiar ponytail.
He shook, taking a step forward as he sobbed out loud, "S-Shika..." The blond-haired academy student reached out, needing his friend closer. "Shika!" Naruto's voice shook, falling to his knees, too exhausted to even stay on his feet.
Shikamaru dashed as fast as he could, stumbling to the ground to wrap his arms around his quivering friend. "I've been looking for you all over the village..." He mumbled out, still trying to collect the sobbing boy in his arms, wrapping the length of each of his arms around him in a strong hug, "I had to make sure you were okay."
"I-" He coughed wetly, almost choking on his violent tears. Naruto clutched the front of the Nara heir's shirt.
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything right now if you can't manage it." He shushed, petting the boy's blond hair, "I don't know why the Hokage would have kept your parents' identities from you but it's not right and I'm sorry that you went so long without knowing."
Naruto leaned into the other boy's hug, shakily handing over the photograph to him. "T-They... They're my parents..." He whispered out, trying to collect himself.
Shikamaru held the photo carefully, eyes widening in shock at seeing them. "You're dad's the..." He couldn't even finish the sentence, looking down at the shaking academy student practically in his lap. Suddenly, the blond hair, those blue eyes... it was like staring at a mirror image of the late Fourth Hokage - how could he have missed it?
"Yeah... but that's my m-mom..." He sniffled, his sobs tuning down, "There's so m-much I need to t-tell you..."
"I can tell there's a lot on your mind. Why don't you stay over again at the compound and get some sleep first? You look like you're about to drop dead." Although it was a poorly-placed joke, it still got a smile out of the blond-haired academy student, "You can stay with us for however long you'd like. I'm sure if you ask nicely Mom might make you some ramen."
"O-Okay..." Naruto wiped his eyes, pulling away to stand up, leaning heavily on the other boy, "Thank you, for e-everything..."
Shikamaru smiled softly, "We're friends. You'd do the same for me."
"Yeah, I would." He returned the smile, the two started to make their way back to the Nara clan compound. Naruto turned back to look at the Hokage's office, seeing a figure in the window looking down at the two of them. He swallowed thickly, tucking his head into Shikamaru's shoulder to comfort himself.
"They loved you, Naruto, they really did."
A/N - Aaaaaaaand that's the chapter! Woo! It took a little while here and there to write it but I pushed through and managed to write this, mostly, on my tablet which was horrible, mind you. This chapter got me to cry like three times and I hope it made you cry too. I didn't go too in-depth with the conversation with Hiruzen and Naruto as, if you're familiar with basically anything of Naruto's backstory, you'd know that very well. It didn't feel right to rewrite dialogue from canon to make my chapter longer. But, yeah, this is my take on the Kyuubi festival and Naruto finding out about the Kyuubi no Kitsune earlier.
I really have enjoyed these last couple chapters because it's allowing me to finally add that depth I had desperately wanted when I first wrote 'The Great Medic'. Also, the next chapter is going to be a time skip. We'll be further down the timeline with the academy graduation exams soon so they'll be twelve or thirteen next chapters. Well, until next time!