Chapter 2
"Good morning, Naruto."
Naruto waved a hand sleepily as he was tossed a slice of toast by Minato. "Mmrphing-!" He said befoke slightly choking on the toast, patting his chest.
"Don't talk with you mouth open!" Kushina walked up with a glass of water, pulling him deeper into the kitchen, just out of Minato's hearing.
"Mu-, Kushina, what's up?"
"You're my son, aren't you?"
"...I am." Naruto scratched the back of his nervously.
Kushina all but squealed, pinching his cheeks, and ruffling his hair, "You're so handsome! You look just like Minato when he was finishing the academy."
"Are you gonna tell dad?"
"What? No, it'll be so funny to see his reaction when he finds out by himself. We've only been dating and thinking of moving in together recently, so, I don't want people to think that I'm easy."
Naruto remembered about how Minato had told him how Kushina got her nickname from, "I don't think anyone thinks you're easy."
Kushina sobered up, "What about your arm?" She knew that everyone the hokage's basement was surprised by the injury but still bit back their bile when they saw someone as young as her son with such a grizzly injury.
"Well, it got traded for a dear friend of mine. So, it was worth it. People can't say I'm an armful to handle now, cause I only have one left!"
They both shared a laugh and made their way back to the living room; a great breakfast was had before they made their way to the hokage's basement once again.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were already seated, with two new additions being added. "Sir Hiashi and Sir Hizashi." Minato bowed, Kushina followed.
"Oh, please do not mind the formalities." Hizashi smiled, Hiashi only nodded before moving his eyes back to the wall.
"Sensei." Obito, Rin and Kakashi said in unison.
Minato smiled and sat down with Kushina and Naruto.
"Well then, let's continue."
Inoichi put his hands-on Naruto's shoulders again and the orb once again appeared,
A shinobi with glasses was laid out on the floor, unconscious.
"Oh! This is a few weeks after the chunin exam's preliminary rounds."
"Is my son alright?" Mikoto asked.
"He's fine, but he was given a curse mark from Orochimaru. It'll play a big part in the future but for now, it will just make him lust for more power, he did in the end seek out Orochimaru."
Mikoto looked close to tears as Fugaku held her close, reassuring her.
"Man, keep it quiet." An elderly ninja sat on a orange toad, "Whacha gonna do if I get caught?"
"It's me!" Jiraiya stood up and gazed at his future self.
"Looks like you managed to keep your youth." Tsunade smiled.
Scenes of training went and passed, Jiraiya slowly warming up to the boy. Teaching him the basics of chakra control and also summoning.
"Aw... Looks like someone's become an uncle!" Kushina mulled.
Jiraiya grumbled, sinking in the chair.
Naruto was laying on the floor, exhausted. Jiraiya came over him. "Get up, training ends today. If you don't want to die, then figure it out yourself."
Flicking Naruto's headband, he was flung backwards and hurtled down into a cliff.
"Wah!' Naruto's voice echoed as he flew down.
Minato stood to make his teacher justify his actions but Kushina was quicker, slapping Jiraiya across the face, sending him rolling across the floor. "You!"
"Deserved." Hiruzen said.
"Fair enough." Jiraiya comically said, while his face was still eating dust.
After gambling with the fox demon, Naruto weaved the seals for the summoning technique. Chakra poured out of his hand, a large toad exploded out and clutched the walls, breaking large chunks out.
"Whoa!" Naruto yelled.
"Good job." Jiraiya congratulated from above.
"You summoned Gamabunta? Even I can't control him."
"At first, he was scary, but we grew close, I even fought alongside his son on the battlefield!"
"G-Gamakichi? Please tell me he's doing well, he's one of my favorites because he gets along with me."
"Well, he becomes as big as Gamabunta and starts smoking too."
"No!" Jiraiya wailed, clutching his hair as he sunk, defeated.
"Thank you everyone for coming to the Hidden Leaf chunin selection exams!"
Hiruzen held up a piece of paper with a tournament bracket and tossed it to Genma, "Wait, Sasuke isn't here yet, what happens if he doesn't make it in time?"
"If he doesn't appear by the time of his match, he will receive a loss by default."
"Genma! He made it; he became a jounin!" Rin bounced in her chair, thrilled to see her former classmate become a wonderful shinobi. "I wonder what happened to Hayate..."
Naruto shifted in his chair, remembering seeing Hayate in the form of an Edo-Tensei.
"Alright guys, this is the final test. The arena is different, but the rules are the same. Either you surrender or you die, hopefully I'll intervene before that happens." Genma looked at the two starting contenders.
"Now, Hyuuga Neji and Naruto Uzumaki, those two stay here while the rest go to the stands."
"That's your son, Hizashi."
Hizashi stared at his son, Neji. "Does he always have such a serious expression?"
"For the most of his early parts, he becomes a real softie soon."
Hey, Hinata. There's a free seat here." Kiba motioned to an empty seat.
"That's your daughter, Hiashi."
"Hm, different from what I've imagined. I never would've thought that I would raise someone so meek..." Hiashi rubbed his chin.
"Begin!"
Neji laughed, "That's what makes it worthwhile, it will be fun to watch when you discover reality and break apart."
"Stop all the blabbering, let's fight!"
"There isn't another who has received such thick Hyuuga blood. Watch closely, Hanabi." Hiashi spoke.
Naruto started with shadow clones and charged forwards. For Neji who was far superior in hand-to-hand combat, the clones were easily destroyed.
"Again!" Naruto weaved signs and almost triple the number of clones appeared, charging at Neji.
A punch connected to Neji's face, but the punch was stopped just inches from his face. A dome of blue chakra spun wildly, sending Naruto flying across the arena.
"The Revolving Heaven?" Hiashi looked shocked, "Only the head of the clan and heir should know about it."
"Neji once told me he learned it from only observing."
"Looks like my son is a prodigy!" Hizashi said proudly.
Neji was seen relentless thrusting his hands into Naruto, accurately shutting off all his chakra points.
Kushina gripped Naruto's hands, while Minato put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "C'mon, stand up..." Minato whispered.
Naruto stood. "I'm not good at giving up!"
"Quit already, Continuing won't change anything, I have no grudge against you."
"Well, I do!"
"Insulting Hinata, automatically calling her a loser. Main family, branch family, I don't care what happened! But pieces of shit who call others loser, I'll never forgive!"
"Well said, brat." Tsunade nodded.
"Way cool!" Obito cheered.
"Very well, then perhaps I should tell you about the Hyuuga's destiny of hatred."
"I-impossible... Hizashi, you..."
"I would give my life for the clan, brother. It seems I didn't let myself down." Hizashi smiled.
Naruto concentrated as the demon fox's chakra surged within him, orange chakra flaring wildly around, looking like the tails of the fox itself.
"Here I come!"
An exchange of shurikens and kunais were seen, "Hey! You're confident in close combat, right?"
'Become hokage? It's impossible, look closer at reality.'
"I don't know about the destiny about the Hyuuga or whatever, but if it's too much for you, then you don't have to do anything anymore. When I become the hokage, I'll change the Hyuuga!"
"A noble dream." Hizashi smiled.
Naruto burst out from the ground and knocked Neji out. "Destiny can't be changed, blah blah blah!"
"Stop saying stupid crap like that, since you're not a loser like me."
The memory ended from there, Minato fist-bumped Naruto. "Congratulations."
Inoichi spoke, "There is a divergence now."
Naruto continued, "With Kurama helping me, I'll be able to see what happened through the eyes of others."
"What are you suggesting, Naruto?"
"Well, I can tell you all what happened briefly about what happened on my end. With Sasuke's help, we managed to defeat Gaara, and he turned over a new leaf soon. I now consider him to be one of my closest friends."
"Yeah! Tell us more about Gaara!" Obito asked, Kakashi also looked intrigued.
"He's kazekage now, leading the shinobi alliance during the Fourth great Ninja War."
A hum of content went around the room.
"Now, Inoichi. You spoke about seeing another's perspective, care to elaborate?"
"With the help from the nine-tails, I will be able to connect to another's soul. Allowing us to see what happened through the eyes of another."
Hiruzen nodded and motioned for them to continue. Naruto's eyes turned into vertical slits, and the orb turned into a deep crimson. "I know what this is, you aren't gonna like it old man."
"Heh heh..." A croaky voice sounded.
"I see, so that's how it is." Hiruzen spoke.
"Your foolishness has caused the Leaf to fall even further and farther behind. I have won."
Hiruzen looked slightly amused, "It's not over till it's over. I thought I had taught you that."
"Orochimaru!"
The kazekage tore the fake skin off, revealing the snake sannin.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade and Jiraiya both looked on in horror, as Orochimaru raised a kunai to their sensei's neck.
"You will die here, the Third." Orochimaru threatened with certainty.
Hiruzen took off his robes and revealed his battle armour underneath. Orochimaru laughed, "So, you have your funeral shroud prepared."
"Fuc-," Jiraiya held his tongue, remembering the kids around, "What makes you think sensei's going to die, you snake bastard!"
Hiruzen looked at the screen intently, torn between asking if this is where he died or if he managed to protect the village he loved dearly.
As if sensing his thoughts, Naruto looked at him, "Don't worry old man, you made a difference now and also in the future!"
Hiruzen chuckled softly, "Is that so? Then my life was not spent in vain."
The battle started as the Four Crimson Ray barrier was erected by the Sound Four. "It looks like I'm not able to escape this easily."
Orochimaru and Hiruzen faced off against each other, the tiles around them cracking from the immense pressure of chakra. Hiruzen threw a shuriken and ran with it, matching Orochimaru's speed in weaving hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone!" The one shuriken split into hundreds.
"You're way too strong, lord hokage!" Obito cheered. "You got this!"
Tsunade looked at the screen, she knew those hand seals that Orochimaru were weaving, "Sensei, isn't that?"
Hiruzen confirmed her fears, "Indeed, it looks like I'll be having a tough battle ahead."
"Lord hokage, what's that technique?" Hiashi asked.
"That is the forbidden technique that the Second hokage developed. Summoning: Reanimation."
"One!" A wooden coffin sprung out from the roof, "Two!" another coffin followed.
The coffins were used as shields against the hail of shurikens.
"I must stop the third one at all cost!" Hiruzen muttered.
"Three!" Orochimaru hissed, but no coffin emerged.
The coffin lids creaked open and fell to floor with a heavy thud.
"No way!" Tsunade was standing up, fists clenched. The audience was shocked as well, because standing in front of Hiruzen was the first and second hokage.
"Grandfather?" Tsunade softly said.
Naruto looked down from the screen, though he didn't know how everything played out since he was battling Gaara at the time, from what Kakashi sensei had said; it wasn't pretty.
"Hashirama and Tobirama... They were both exceptionally powerful shinobi, with Hashirama being called the God of Shinobi."
Tobirama spoke, "It's been a long time, eh monkey?"
"Oh... It's you. Hm, you've grown old, haven't you Sarutobi?"
"I would not have thought I would meet with you two brothers again in a situation like this. It is regrettable."
Hiruzen made a battle stance, "Make your preparations to be defeated... First hokage! Second Hokage!"
"As badass as ever, aren't you old man?" Jiraiya said, looking proudly at his mentor.
Hiruzen only huffed, "It would only be fitting."
A torrent of flames came forth from Hiruzen's mouth, charging towards both hokages. But was met with a matching torrent of water, 'To think he'd be able to cast such high-level water techniques on a place without water! Unbelievable!'
"We can hear thoughts now?" Fugaku said.
The first hokage formed hand seals and a great forest emerged from the ground, covering the whole barrier. The branches wrapped around Hiruzen binding him, they wrapped around him tightly.
"Lord hokage!" Kushina yelled.
"If I were to be defeated so easily, I would not be named hokage, would it?"
Monkey King Enma burst forth, the branches snapping with his power. "You're pathetic Sarutobi, this all happened because you couldn't kill him the other time."
Enma transformed into a staff and Hiruzen started making quick work of the branches. "Alright!"
A snake crawled out of Orochimaru's mouth.
"Gross." Kakashi started.
"The sword of Kusanagi..."
A short battle commenced with Hiruzen being knocked aside by the reanimated hokages, "How foolish, to be charging in without any clones."
"It's not that he didn't, he can't use it." Minato said, "It's different from before, your chakra levels aren't the same. The clones distribute the remaining chakra evenly, if he used it now, it would just be a waste of chakra."
"Good observation." Hiruzen agreed.
"The exchange of techniques stops here! From here on, it's going to be a blood-drenched, free for all!" Hiruzen said between breaths.
"Just like how a shinobi battle should be."
Hiruzen weaved ten hand seals.
"That technique!" Minato knew it too well, "That's the Reaper Death Seal!"
"So, this is where I die, it seems."
The first hokage opened up with an illusionary technique, bathing everyone in darkness. Hiruzen began getting attacked from all angles by the unseen hokages and Orochimaru. "You're just for a short while, a leader in the history of the organization of the Leaf. Eventually, even that rock will crumble."
Clutching his wounded arm, "Hmph, to me the Leaf village isn't just an organization."
"You tell em' old man." Jiraiya softly spoke.
"Every year, there are a lot of shinobi born and raised in the Leaf village. They live to fight, to protect the village, and to protect what's precious to them, they will go to their deaths. Even if we are not related by blood, these are, to me, my most precious... my most important..."
"Family!"
Minato and Kushina both wiped tears away, while Jiraiya and Tsunade bit their lips, etching the sight of their mentor's final moments. The rest of the audience hid their tears.
"Ha! Then I'll break you in half, the pillar of the Leaf village."
"Stupid, snake bastard..." Obito ground out.
"Even if you kill me, the beam won't break!"
Determination flowed through his veins, "I'm the man who inherited the will of the leaf, the will of the first and second hokage. I am the Third Hokage!"
"No matter how many times you target the Leaf village, there will a new hokage who'll inherit my will, and become the pillar to protect the house of the Leaf!"
Minato's face was wet with tears, flowing unbidden.
Hiruzen jumped and grabbed the first hokage, the God of Death's hand taking the soul away. The illusionary technique was dispelled, the second clone grabbed onto the second hokage and pulled the soul away as well.
"Sorry Sarutobi..." The first hokage started.
"We've caused you a lot of trouble." The second hokage gave a weak smile.
Hiruzen's clones vanished, leaving him panting and grasping onto the Enma staff for support. He leapt forwards and dodged Orochimaru's attacks, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"This is the end!"
Orochimaru's fingers flicked and the sword of Kusanagi lifted into the air and flew towards Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Sensei!"
"Old man!"
The cries from the audience almost drowned out the two ninjas' cries.
"Die!" They both shouted.
The sword pierced Hiruzen, the hilt being grabbed by Enma. "W-why didn't you avoid it?!"
Hiruzen coughed blood, "In order for this technique to work, one must give his soul to the reaper. There was no need to avoid the sword, I'll die anyway!"
A long time passed, but the two shinobi made no move.
"It looks like I don't have enough strength to seal you away." Hiruzen managed.
"Could you please die then, Sarutobi sensei?" Orochimaru said in between breaths.
"But... Your ambitions end here!"
"My ambition is to end here? I've heard that a lot..." Orochimaru continued driving the sword through Hiruzen. "You've grown old, third hokage. Do you have the strength to continue protecting the village? Look around you, the Leaf will crumble!"
Hiruzen smiled, "The Leaf's shinobi are all protecting the village, they fight with all their life! True strength is not the mastery of techniques, when the shinobi are protecting something important, that's when a shinobi's true strength appears!"
"A boring speech." Orochimaru scoffed.
"I-I think it was a great speech, lord hokage!" Rin said, her eyes red from tears.
"Thank you." Hiruzen smiled.
"Stop!" The knife of the reaper went down and sliced Orochimaru's soul at the hands, turning them purple and immobile.
"You old man! Give me back my arms!" Orochimaru howled.
"The place the leaves dance, the fires burn. The fire of the shadow illuminates the village." Hiruzen fell to the ground, motionless and with a smile on his face.
The audience were now all shaking with emotions, some with sadness, some with anger. Most with pride, that the hokage faced his death with courage, worthy of his title.
"S-sensei..." Jiraiya cried.
"I'm not dead yet, Jiraiya-,"
"Like hell I'm letting you die!" Jiraiya yelled, "Now I know what happened, I have to bring Orochimaru down."
"Let's see the conclusion before we call it a day."
The scene changed; a large crack was seen split down the third's stone face.
It was raining heavily; a funeral was being held for the third hokage.
"How weird to see my own funeral, isn't it?" Hiruzen mused. Trying to subtly lift the somber mood.
Everyone was dressed in black, a young boy with goggles was seen sobbing.
"Who is that child?"
"He's your grandson." Naruto said.
"A grandson? Truly, my life is blessed."
The funeral scene continued, with everyone paying their respects to the third hokage.
The orb vanished, as Inoichi leaned back into his chair. "Let's continue tomorrow."
The audience agreed as they all left, Naruto smiling as he went with his parents. Minato went to open the door while Naruto lagged behind. "Naruto? What's wrong?"
"I-It's just weird, never thought there'd be a day I'd have someone to go home with."
"I'm sorry for leaving you alone." Kushina held his hand and they caught up with Minato.
"Let's go home."
"Yeah!" Naruto beamed.