now is the winter of our discontent (Pt.12)

[cywscross]

Fandom: Naruto

Summary: It doesn't take long to figure it out.

 

It doesn't take long.  Naruto figures it out a week after Maru-ji leaves on his long-term mission.

 

He’s shocked, at first, about everything, especially when he flips through the Bingo Book and comes across the entry for a beautiful red-haired woman named Uzumaki Kushina, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, who has his face and bone structure and prankster grin, though in the picture, hers also holds an extra edge of threat in it.  Still, they're so much alike it’s not funny.  He ends up spending an hour standing in front of the bathroom mirror just to be sure.

 

He also finds the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash, and Naruto sees that face almost every day on the Hokage Monument, and part of the reason that he’s Naruto’s favourite Hokage at all is the fact that... well, the man looks so much like Naruto, and part of him, when he was younger and had no one, always wanted-

 

So he has the Yondaime’s colouring, and he has Uzumaki Kushina’s surname and features, but he also has whisker marks on his face that doesn't come from either of them.  The Yondaime is famous for ‘killing’ the Kyuubi on the day of Naruto’s birth (and what are the chances that Naruto’s birthday is the same day that the Kyuubi is vanquished?), yet almost every single Konoha villager calls Naruto ‘demon trash’ or even ‘fox brat’, they all look at him like he’s dirt on their shoes, and that started well before he started pranking people.  The few times he asked the Sandaime why, he was always told that he would know when he’s older.

 

He’s older now, and Maru-ji thinks he’s responsible enough to know.  But know what?

 

He panics at first, fleeing his room and crashing headlong into Anko, who’s been hovering over him almost every single minute of the day, not even going out for dango.

 

He shouts out the first thing in his mind the moment he gathers his wits and sees her watching him like a hawk.  “I’m- Am I- I’m the Kyuubi!  That’s why people hate me!  Why am I even-”

 

This just gets him punted down the hallway and into a wall, and before he can do more than groan and clutch at his head, Anko is on him again and hauling him up by the collar of his shirt.

 

“Okay brat,” Anko starts conversationally.  “Sensei told me to nip this in the bud before you run away with your current crazy line of thought.  Thing is, I'm not really an expert on indulging people in their self-pity fests so you're gonna have to look elsewhere if you want a sympathetic ear.  Me, I'm just gonna tell you like it is: you are not the Kyuubi.  If you were the Kyuubi, you really think I’d be playing house with you?”  She lifts up to her eye-level, just like when they first met.  “I lost people I knew in the Kyuubi attack, just like everyone else.  If you really were the Kyuubi, I’d kill you, no matter what the Hokage said.”

 

Naruto’s jaw has gone slack by the time she finishes, and some of the panic has receded because Anko is treating him no different than usual.  It takes him a few seconds but he manages to stutter out, “But- But then why do the villagers...”

 

“’Cause they're morons,” Anko summarizes succinctly, finally dropping him back onto flat ground.  “Look, you're not the Kyuubi.  You're its jailer.  You're what people call a Jinchuuriki, otherwise known as the ‘Power of Human Sacrifice’.  Sensei’s started you on fuuinjutsu, right?”

 

At Naruto’s uncertain nod, Anko continues, “Well, you must've seen the stats in the Yondaime’s Bingo Book entry – that guy was a certified genius at sealing.  So was his wife – your mother; she was real good too – but fuuinjutsu was the Yondaime’s thing.  On the night of the Kyuubi attack, I wasn't actually there, but Sensei got the facts and told me that the Kyuubi couldn't be killed.  So the Yondaime sealed it.  Into you.  He and Kushina-san died in the process, but you survived.”

 

Naruto stares at his hands without seeing them for a long time.  “...But they were- The Yondaime and- and Uzumaki Kushina were my- my parents, weren’t they?  And Hokage-sama hid everything for- for my own safety?  Not that it worked, but I read that the Yondaime especially was a real pain in the ass for Iwa.”

 

“Got it in one, kiddo,” Without ceremony, Anko plops down to sit on the floor beside him.

 

Naruto feels excitement and awe at that confirmation, because hello, son of the Yondaime and what sounds like a pretty badass woman here, yet at the same time, he also feels a bit... betrayed.

 

The Yondaime is undoubtedly an awesome Hokage, but maybe that’s the problem.  Because Namikaze Minato chose Konoha over Naruto, his people over his family, Hokage over father, and that’s...

 

That’s right, isn’t it?  A Hokage protects the village no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice.

 

And oh, he’s finally figured out what the most important thing for becoming Hokage is.

 

“I was missing the most important requirement for becoming Hokage.  I still am.  That isn’t likely to change.  The Hokage position... isn’t for me.”

 

Maru-ji doesn't care about most of the people in Konoha, not really, he only protects them because his old sensei and teammates, and Anko-nee more than Naruto, all have people in this village that they care about, not to mention Konoha is their birthplace, and they can’t just let outsiders destroy it.  But the majority of the villagers themselves hold no place in Maru-ji’s heart.  The Snake Sannin realized this, accepted it, and that’s why for all his strength and intelligence, Maru-ji knows that he isn’t fit to be Hokage.

 

And that makes Naruto wonder.  If it comes down to it, would he choose Konoha – a village that’s never wanted him – or his family?

 

He scoffs.  That’s easy.

 

Well there goes that dream.  Good thing being the best is still on the menu.  And the only people he wants acknowledgement from are Maru-ji and Anko-nee anyway.  So long as they're proud of him, he’s good.

 

He looks up.  Anko-nee is leaning against one wall, idly twirling a senbon between her fingers while watching him out of the corner of her eye.

               

“Did Maru-ji know them?”  He asks.  His voice comes out more timid than he likes.  “My parents?  I mean like- like friends, not just people who knew about each other just ’cause they lived in the same village or whatever.  Or a Hokage who put a stop to Maru-ji’s experiments.”

 

“Yeah, they- well...” Anko frowns a bit.  “I don’t know about friends but... maybe friendly acquaintances by the end of it?  I don’t actually know what happened between the three of them, only that, once, Sensei disliked your dad on principle alone, didn't really take the time to get to know him or Kushina-san, and he was furious when the Sandaime appointed Namikaze-sama as the next Hokage instead of him, but then, after that whole mess with the expermients went down, Sensei slowly changed.  I'm pretty sure nobody who didn't really know him could tell but he was more... respectful, to both your mother and father.  And you know Sensei rarely respects anyone.”

 

A grin makes its way onto her face.  “You know, Sensei saved your mother once.  From some Iwa-nin, while she was pregnant with you.  Of course, she died later on anyway, but still.  It wasn't a mission or anything, and those Iwa-nin didn’t even know she was pregnant; they just attacked her because she was the Habanero and the Yondaime’s wife.  I hear they took her off-guard in her own home, but lucky for her, Sensei was there at the time – uh, your parents tended to invite Sensei over for a meal on occasion even though everyone else thought it was a terrible idea; joke’s on them in the end – so Sensei was there, and he practically ripped all eight of them apart when they tried to ambush your mother.”

 

Naruto’s eyes are wide when Anko finishes.  “So... So it’s kinda like Maru-ji saved me too, before I was even born, right?”

Anko blinks before grinning again and ruffling his hair.  “Yeah, pretty much.  Lucky you, Sensei’s been watching over you before you ever even met him.”

 

Naruto grins a little too but it fades away as more questions crowd into his head.  He looks down at himself.  “What do you mean when you said the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into me?  Like, it’s inside me?”

 

“I'm no authority on fuuinjutsu, kiddo, but I would guess so, in a way,” Anko scans him up and down.  “It’s probably kinda like a storage seal, except a lot stronger so that it can contain a demon.”

 

“But I've never seen any seals on me,” Naruto protests, absently checking his arms.

 

“Beats me; it’s probably invisible,” Anko suggests.  “Ask Sensei when he gets home.”

 

“That’s months away,” Naruto grumbles.  “I don’t get it; I mean, this seems like the sort of thing Maru-ji would wanna be here for.”

 

Anko is silent for a long moment, side-eyeing him in consideration.  “...Look, Naruto, the thing about Orochimaru-sensei is that he likes stacking the odds to his advantage.  Or in this case, to your advantage I suppose.  It’s practically second nature to him, which is why it’s been a little weird for me to see him holding back all the time over the past several years, especially at the beginning.  It’s gotten better but that side of him hasn't really fully surfaced until now.”

 

Naruto scratches his head.  “But what does that have to do with letting me find out while he’s away?  Even if he wanted me to figure it out on my own because of the law and everything, he could've just waited until he got back to do it.  I don’t see any advantage in doing it this way, unless he didn't want to deal with- er...” Naruto waves a hand at the situation in general.

 

“Nah, that’s not it,” Anko shakes his head.  “He’s already told you about his past; talking about anything else would be a cakewalk for him.  No, what he wants is for you to know as soon as possible so that you're prepared just in case anyone tries to use any of this information against you.  Emotional manipulation can be a powerful thing.”

 

“So...” Naruto mulls this over.  “You think the Hokage is gonna... offer to tell me about my parents or whatever to... what, get me to like him more than Maru-ji?”

 

Anko shrugs.  “Possibly.  We’re all shinobi in the end; we tend to use whatever’s in our arsenal to reach our end goal.  And from the Hokage’s point of view, Sensei’s already had almost four years getting into your good graces.  Sensei isn’t going to let that go to waste, especially when he can’t be around to do damage control.”

 

Naruto can’t help it; he rolls his eyes.  “Maru-ji doesn't have to do anything.”

 

“Yeah, you made that pretty clear in the Hokage’s office,” Anko chuckles.  “But that’s exactly why Sensei is doing it.  I don’t think you quite understand the consequences of your little speech that day.  But you will.  Maybe.”

 

Naruto scowls, because, what?  That makes no sense.  Adults are always so cryptic.

 

“Can you tell me more about my parents?”  He asks instead.  “What was my mom like?”

 

It’s not that he feels any particular connection to them, but they are his parents, even if they put Naruto second to Konoha, and they apparently saved Maru-ji from himself.  That last bit alone counts for a hell of a lot in Naruto’s books.

 

“Mm, I didn't really know them that well,” Anko admits.  “I was like- ten when I first met them face to face, and I only knew them for about two years more before they died so what I do know is what everyone knows or what Sensei’s told me.  Like, uh, your mom was the Jinchuuriki before you.  But the Kyuubi somehow broke free, and it went on a rampage.”

 

Naruto stiffens.  “So she was like me?  The villagers didn't like her either?”

 

“Nobody but her closest friends and the higher-ups knew,” Anko explains.  “I only knew because Sensei mentioned it to me.  Otherwise, they kept it quiet for her own safety.”

 

Naruto doesn't understand why that couldn't be done for him too.  What good does the Sandaime think a law against talking about it will do if everyone knows anyway?

 

“They chose a godfather for you,” Anko says abruptly, gaze more intent now.

 

Naruto frowns.  He can’t recall anyone who stepped in to fill in for his parents except Maru-ji, which must mean... “But he’s dead too?”

 

Anko makes a derisive noise.  “Definitely not.  Sannin aren’t that easy to kill.”

 

Naruto’s brain automatically zeros in on Maru-ji of course, but no, that isn’t right, his parents and surrogate uncle were only on friendly terms for a short while, plus Maru-ji would have already told him if that were the case.

 

On the other hand, the Yondaime’s teacher was-

 

“Jiraiya the Toad Sage?”  Naruto deadpans in disbelief.  “The guy Maru-ji calls the ‘worst pervert to ever plague the length and width of this planet’?  The guy who has a warty Toad summons?  The guy I didn't even know existed until I learned about him in class?  The guy I’ve never even laid eyes on before in my entire life?  What were my parents smoking?”

 

Anko is howling with laughter by the end of his rant.  “They- Yondaime-sama trusted him, and he was a family friend of theirs, on top of being your father’s sensei,” Anko wheezes, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.  “Plus the first book he wrote, the one that Sensei has multiple copies of – The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi – you've already read it, haven’t you?  The rest of Jiraiya-sama’s crap isn’t worth reading, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll never be caught dead with them, but that first book was a favourite of your parents’, and they named you after the main character.”

 

Naruto makes a mental note to get a peek at ‘the rest of Jiraiya-sama’s crap’ just out of curiosity, but at least his parent had good taste.  He’s already read The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi himself – a bit hard not to since Maru-ji has three copies of it on his bookshelf, one of them signed by Jiraiya, another a clean copy, and the third is a manuscript, dog-eared, marked with red pen, and unpublished.  Naruto has a strong suspicion about who used to be Jiraiya’s editor.

 

Still, just because Jiraiya sort of came up with his name doesn't mean that the man himself is-

 

“Well, as far as I'm concerned, he’s not my godfather,” He dismisses distractedly.  He misses Anko’s sly smile.  “I mean, talk about irresponsible.  But hey, is that why Maru-ji wanted me to sign with the Toads at first?  Besides my dad signing with them too of course.”

 

“Yup,” Anko nods.  “And like I said – it was weird as hell seeing him trying to avoid stepping on people’s toes.”

 

“But not anymore,” Naruto realizes.  “Letting me find out about this as soon as possible is also because the Hokage might call Jiraiya-sama back and get him to tell me about my parents and the Kyuubi so that he can earn some brownie points with me, right?”

“Good boy,” Anko approves.  “Your detective skills are up to par after all.”

 

Naruto mulls this over for a few seconds.  “Maru-ji wanted me to know about this, didn’t he?  So that I’ll know what to expect in case the Hokage tries to manipulate me.”  He scowls a little.  “Well, it’s not like I know Jiraiya-sama anyway.  Maru-ji can screw him over however he wants to protect us.”

 

Anko looks so proud.   “Very pragmatic.  Now you're sounding like Sensei.”

 

Naruto rolls his eyes before glancing down at himself once more.  “...You really don’t care about...?”

 

A slender but calloused hand tousles his hair again, making him look up.

 

“You're such an idiot,” Anko tells him fondly.  “Why would I care?  Nothing’s changed.  You're still my brat of a brother.  Screw what everybody else thinks.  They’ll figure out the truth sooner or later, and then won’t they feel the fool?”

 

An unbidden smile surfaces on Naruto’s face.  “And- And Maru-ji?”

 

Anko laughs outright. “He’s the one who wanted you to find out in the first place, remember?  And you really think he would've let you into his home if he thought for a moment that you really were the Kyuubi?  Come on, kid, you're usually quicker on the uptake about this sort of thing.”

 

Naruto’s smile widens into a slightly wobbly grin.  Yeah, okay, about that, he should know better.