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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?
Maybe, just maybe, they have some teeny-tiny silver of logic, the council, because had they separated Naruto and Ren – the only semi-adult person to ever openly care for him that isn't Saint Teuchi – it would do much more harm than it could ever do good. It would only fuel the growing resentment blond has for the village.
And isn't that a whole new can of worms.
Ren can openly state that Naruto, at this point, holds very little loyalty to his village, if any at all. Yes, he does care for people, deeply at that, but the village? On that, his standing is much like that of the two Uchihas he lives with; Konoha can burn for all he cares, as long as his loved ones are safe.
(That may or may not have been partly due to Ren showing him that the way people treat him is not okay. That being not okay is okay, that resenting people for being hateful, spiteful morons is okay, too. Fake it 'til you make it is not the way to go; moreover, it is something Ren rather heavily condemns – especially when one tries to fake happiness.
That never works. That's something she's learned from firsthand experience.)
"Why," Naruto finally says, not really questioning but a question nonetheless. His voice is small, and hoarse, completely contrasting what he'd shown before. Worse yet, he sounds completely heartbroken. As if he is hoping that no, they were not his parents, that no, the Hokage – his old man, his almost-grandfather – has not been hiding such an absolutely vital piece of information about himself from him. The boy clenches his fists, shivering and sniffling, and the sight breaks Ren's heart.
"It had to be done," Hiruzen says finally, voice grave. "To keep you safe-"
"Like hell it had!" Naruto yells, tears welling in his eyes, all grief and rage.
"Naruto, you must understand-"
"No, I don't!" the boy snarls, his eyes flashing an eerie red, pupils slit and face suddenly feral, and Hiruzen gasps, taken aback. Naruto smirks wryly, an expression no child should really ever show, but Ren figures that his tenant bleeding through would do that. Oddly enough, she doesn't feel any odd chakra. Then, is it just the Kyuubi's conscience surfacing? Possibly.
"Naruto," Sakura whispers sadly, but Sasuke grips her wrist when she makes to move towards the blond. He shakes his head at her.
"So, you knew about my friend, too," Naruto says, none of his childish stuttering or even simplicity present any longer. As odd as it sounds, it seems that right at this very moment Naruto and Kurama share the exact same amount of control over the blond's body. Perfect partnership, perfect cooperation. Ren still can't sense any chakra that could remotely be the bijuu's though. "And when exactly did you intend to inform me about him, huh?"
"Naruto-"
"Ku- the Kyuubi and I have a rapport going on, you know that?" Naruto quirks an eyebrow, and it looks so mature on his childish, yet feral face, that it's odd. Also he almost called the Kyuubi by his given name – they surely have a better relationship going on than Ren had suspected they would have at this point, or at all when she'd first told him to investigate the growling in the back of his mind. This is good.
Hiruzen's face looks particularly pinched.
"Oh," Naruto gasps suddenly, eyes temporarily bleeding back to blue. "Mom was his vessel before me," he says almost reverently, a second before his eyes snap back to crimson. "And you didn't think it important to inform me?"
"I did it to protect you," Hiruzen says finally, and Naruto-Kyuubi scoffs. This is no argument for his decision, this is justification and not even a good one.
"Yes," he says wryly, "I can see how keeping my parentage from me, what I hold, could be done to protect me. I really do. Protect me from knowledge. From growing up knowing that someone loved me. From knowing just why most of the people in the village hate me – I had to find him myself you know! The Kyuubi. I had to meditate, and go into my head, and find him myself and I had no idea what he was or why he was in there!"
There's a lot of Kurama bleeding through right now, Ren realizes. Naruto is bitter all on his own, but the fox takes it to a whole new level, and his speech pattern – vocabulary, grammar structure, fluidity – is of someone much older than a nine-year-old child. Not to mention he's half a step from being downright hostile. Kurama doesn't like Hiruzen, what a shocker – and Naruto, as of now, feels very betrayed. It's a pretty dangerous combination.
"Well, you fucked up," Ren sighs, ruffling her hair and walking over to Naruto-Kurama. His features are feral and there are tears of rage and grief still threatening to spill from his red, glossy eyes. Still, he doesn't hesitate to jump into her open arms and wrap himself around her torso, burying his face in Ren's shoulder and finally letting out a treacherous sniff.
"And just pray tell how did an S-Ranked secret get spilled like that?" Hiruzen asks, and Ren rolls her eyes.
"By the process of deduction, I'd assume."
"Ren didn't do anything," Shikamaru says, bravely stepping forward. She loves the brat, honestly. Would probably end up stealing him, too- but his mother is quite fierce, so on the other hand, Ren would rather not. "It was me. We were writing a paper for school, about the Hokage, and there was a section on the Yondaime in the book I was using. With a big, full color picture. And he looked a lot like Naruto, so I made the connection..."
Hiruzen sighs, moving to rub at his throbbing temples. He probably should've expected that to happen eventually, but he somehow didn't. Maybe because Naruto didn't hit him as the bookish type, because he isn't, but his friends are.
"Well, what happened has happened, there's nothing that can be done now," he sighs tiredly, feeling his age once more, this time with an uncanny viciousness.
Naruto would probably never trust him again.
"With all due respect," Ren sighs, 'of which there's none' goes unsaid but still received as she hefts the blond higher, "but I'd like to take the kids home now."
"Yes, yes," Hiruzen waves his hands. "I have some things to think about now anyway," he says sadly. Ren almost feels bad for the man, but he got himself into this mess and never made a move to get out, so, frankly, she'd rather let him stay in it.
She turns to Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru and motions at the door with her head, moving towards the exit, the three kids trailing after her. Elder Kana trots behind them, this time quiet and with a noticeable lack of quips until they have left the building.
"That," Kana says then, "was a mess."
*
Genma is in the flat when they make it back, sitting with Chōji and Hinata and explaining something about the Nidaime. Naruto has largely calmed down by now, Kurama fully retreated back into his seal – and who would've thought the fox would be so protective of the boy? Ren still can't help but marvel at the sheer power of Naruto's Talk no Jutsu – and shifted from clinging to her front to clinging to her back in a piggyback ride. Sasuke walks right next to Ren, determinedly holding on to Naruto's shirt, Shikamaru moving leisurely next to him. Sakura is further back, trotting along with Kana and pestering the old summon about whatever comes to mind.
Genma takes one look at them, and knows – has probably known since he got here and the kids told him about whatever happened, but at least now he has confirmation. Ren smiles wryly at him, and it's more of a grimace, really, because she was the one listening to Naruto's sniffles most of the way, and it isn't something she enjoys. She wishes there was an easier way to reveal the truth, but the longer she put it off, the worse the backlash would probably be and, honestly, she is selfish and self-serving above all.
She cares for Naruto and Sasuke a lot, and honestly she doesn't care if others ruin their relationships with them. Of course, they are welcome to try and make amends – unless their name is Itachi, of course, and has no idea how to use a certain organ called a brain – but Ren isn't going to go and encourage it.
If Sarutobi wants to somehow fix this mess that his and Naruto's once good relations had become, he is welcome to. If Naruto doesn't want that, that's his choice.
"Okay, let's do those essays and be done with them, okay?" she asks with a sigh, finally letting Naruto down, but the boy latches onto her hand with an almost painfully tight grip, and Ren sighs deeply, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer to her side. "It's gonna be alright, okay?"
"I'm never going to forgive him," he says weakly, and Ren ruffles his hair with her free hand.
"Don't say things like that when you're still angry," she answers. "Think about what you're going to do when you've calmed down, okay?"
"Okay."
"For now, do you want to help me with dinner?"
"...okay."
"Oi, brats, who's staying for dinner?" Ren asks louder, and all hands, including Genma's, Takuya's, and – after brief consideration, Kana's – shoot up. Ren grumbles, "Are you fucking kidding me, I said brats, not everyone," but marches into the kitchen anyway, dragging Naruto with her. He still looks miserable, but there's a tiny sliver of a smile dancing on his lips.
"Can we have ramen?"
"I should have all the ingredients for it, I guess."
"Okay. I love you, nee-chan."
"...love you too, brat."