Sitting in the Hokage's office, Naruto felt a familiar nervousness, like when he was six and almost got caught rigging a prank. Only, this wasn't about a childish joke; it was serious, and he could sense the gravity of the situation pressing down on him.
"So, Naruto-kun, you've had quite the adventure tonight?"
Was he testing him?
"Yeah, it was an adventure, not all good either," he admitted, trying to gauge the Hokage's reaction.
"Yes, you saw tonight one of the darker aspects of shinobi life. Traitors come and go, and they all must be dealt with eventually. Despite your horrendous mistake, you have done a great service to this village in putting a stop to him," the Hokage continued, his eyes locking onto Naruto's with an intensity that made him want to look away.
"I understand, jiji," Naruto said, the familiar term slipping out more from habit than anything. "So, what's my punishment?"
"I don't think punishment will really be necessary this time, but please, don't let this ever happen again."
"Of course not," Naruto quickly agreed, relief flooding through him. "I had no idea Mizuki was trying to trick me, I had no reason not to trust him."
The words flowed too smoothly, and Naruto could feel his own discomfort with the lie. He knew his face must be betraying his true thoughts, but he hoped the old man's affection for him might blur his perception. Despite Naruto's clumsy attempt at deception, Hiruzen didn't seem to question his sincerity, maybe out of guilt or trust, Naruto didn't know.
"And that is exactly why you are not in trouble. It is also what allows me to protect you from certain elements within the village."
"Because of me being the Kyūbi?" Naruto asked, the words heavy on his tongue.
"You are not now, nor have you ever been the Kyūbi. That beast is sealed within you."
The conversation took a deeper turn, and suddenly, another voice, gruff and distorted, filled the room. Naruto stiffened, fighting the urge to whirl around as the ANBU Commander appeared behind him.
"Naruto, meet Dragon, general of the ANBU of Konoha. Dragon, Naruto," the Hokage introduced.
The room felt colder, the weight of the ANBU's presence undeniable.
"Is it… Is it about what Mizuki said?"
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[ Name: Dragon ]
[ Real Name: REDACTED ]
[ Status: REDACTED ]
[ Title: REDACTED ]
[ Level: REDACTED ]
[ Class: REDACTED ]
[ Race: REDACTED ]
[ HP: REDACTED ]
[ CP: REDACTED ]
[ AC: REDACTED ]
[ Lineage Traits: REDACTED ]
[ Class Features: REDACTED ]
[ Feats: REDACTED ]
[ Stats: REDACTED ]
[ Allies: REDACTED ]
[ Equipment: REDACTED ]
[ Battle Power: REDACTED ]
[ Description: Dragon is the General of the ANBU division of Konoha. He wants to recruit Naruto Uzumaki into the ANBU because of REDACTED ]
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[ Note: Dragon's level and Battle power is extremely greater than the player's. Removal of redactions is possible through engagement in combat or leveling up. ]
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The description words crashed over Naruto like a tsunami, impossible to comprehend all at once.
He was being recruited into the ANBU?!
The thought raced through his mind, wild and chaotic. It felt like some bizarre, far-fetched dream—him, an ANBU? The reality of it seemed as likely as discovering he was some sort of ramen royalty from a distant kingdom.
As Naruto struggled to wrap his head around this, Dragon dropped another bombshell, one that gripped his attention with iron claws. "You have to know the truth about your status."
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His status? What more could there be to this night?
"Mizuki told you were the Kyuubi. It is not true. You are the Kyuubi's jinchuriki."
The Hokage winced at his bluntness.
"Jin... Churiki?"
"Me," he said, not as a question but as a realization, a fact settling into the pit of his stomach, heavy and cold.
"Yes."
"But... But I... Then..." Naruto's mind raced. "I am not a demon, then?" he whispered. Just a prison for one?
Relief mingled with a deep, aching confusion.
"Of course not, my boy!" The Hokage's voice was heated, vehement. "And allow no one to call you that!"
His words were meant to comfort, but they opened a floodgate.
"But then... Why? Why do they treat me like that?"
The room was thick with heavy sighs from both the Hokage and Dragon.
"They fear you, Naruto. You are a reminder of the pain the Kyuubi caused," the ANBU said, his tone harsh with truth.
"But I did not ask for it!" Naruto protested, tears breaking free despite his efforts to hold them back. It wasn't his fault, yet he carried the burden, the hatred. The Hokage was quick to wrap Naruto in a hug, a rare comfort in a world that often felt so harsh and cold.
"Of course not, Naruto. But the pain the Kyuubi caused turned to fear, and fear to hate. Rather than see you as the hero you are, they blame their sorrow on you."
"They decided to cling to their hate and blame you, rather than honor the sacrifice of the one they claim they love," Dragon added, his voice cutting through the air.
The hug broke, and Naruto stepped back, wiping his face fiercely. He sat back down, hunched over with his head bowed, arms crossed and tucked tightly between his knees, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on him. Dragon and Hiruzen watched quietly, letting Naruto process the torrent of emotions crashing through him.
"Why was this unfair burden thrust upon me?" he whispered, the words barely escaping his lips.
"Naruto..." Hiruzen began, his voice filled with sympathy, but Dragon cut him off sharply.
"Life is unfair, kid. Deal with it."
Naruto looked up sharply, his gaze fierce as he glared at the man. He didn't care how strong or important Dragon was—he wanted to punch him. Eight years of isolation, of glares, whispers, mocks. Years of sabotage, name-calling, refusal of services, and loneliness. All because of a crime he didn't commit. A crime of simply existing, bearing a beast he never asked to carry.
Naruto's chakra flared, the floor cracking under the force as his emotions surged out of control. Dragon didn't flinch but instead pulled out a katana.
Hiruzen was alarmed, but Dragon pointed the handle towards Naruto.
"Everyone in this world carries some burden; some have less, some have more. There is no such thing as a burden-less human. But there are those who either choose to fight or give up. Which one are you?"
Naruto remained silent, digesting his words.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I have read your file. While your anger is justified, think about it—does your anger do anything in this situation? Your anger won't make those villagers change, your anger won't make the Kyuubi go away, your anger won't change the past. But your actions can change the future, just like how you changed. No friends to being friends with Hinata Hyuga and Tenten Higurashi."
Naruto stared at the katana; his eyes locked onto it as if it held answers. He exhaled slowly, feeling the hot anger dissolve into a cold resolve.
Dragon was right.
Naruto's past, filled with pain and loneliness, was not something he could change. But the future? That was his to shape.
If he continued to let anger control him, he'd only be fulfilling the fears of those who hated him without reason.
The room felt smaller as he stood there, his brain churning with thoughts accelerated by Spirit Possession. Everything around him took on a sepia tint, details sharpening under the skill's influence. He was piecing together a puzzle he hadn't known existed until moments ago.
Why me?
His hands clenched into fists, knuckles whitening.
It wasn't random—nothing in the shinobi world ever was.
There had to be a reason. It couldn't have been a matter of convenience. He wasn't just any baby; he was selected.
As he pieced together the information, a sinking feeling took hold.
The Kyuubi had not been near the hospital during its rampage. The old man had said his parents died in that attack.
Were they civilians caught in the crossfire, or something more?
The notion struck hard.
What if his existence had been so insignificant that his parents hadn't even been present at his birth? Had they already been victims by the time the Kyuubi was sealed within him?
The thought was chilling.
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"The Fourth—killed my real parents," Naruto concluded aloud, the words slipping out flat, devoid of emotion, not because he felt none, but because he was overwhelmed by too much.
"What!?" Hiruzen looked like he'd been slapped. "Naruto, what gave you this idea?"
"Why me? Why not one of the clan heirs? There was a whole generation to choose from, but he picked a nameless orphan. Doesn't that make you wonder?" Naruto pushed, each word sharpened by logic and a growing sense of betrayal.
Hiruzen's face was a mask of shock, trying to form words that wouldn't come. "N-no, Naruto, of course your parents didn't—"
"Then they abandoned me, disgusted by me," Naruto shot back, his voice rising.
"Of course not, Naruto—"
"Then why me!? Who were my parents? Where are they now? Why did they let the damned Yondaime use me like some container?" The questions poured out faster than he could catch his breath.
"I cannot—"
"Kushina Uzumaki."
Naruto's head snapped towards the source—Dragon.
"What?"
Suddenly, the air thickened with killing intent so potent it was almost visible. In a blur of motion faster than Naruto could track, the Hokage had Dragon by the throat, hoisted off the ground. The threat in his voice was unmistakable and chilling. "One more word and I'll have you executed."
But Dragon, struggling for breath, managed to gasp out, "Kushina… Uzumaki."
The room froze.
Time seemed to slow as Naruto absorbed those words, those syllables that shaped the identity of a woman he never knew but was connected to him more deeply than anyone else.
"You knew," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding in his ears. "All this time, you knew. And you told me nothing."
The betrayal stung, cutting deeper than any kunai could.
It wasn't just that they had kept this from him—it was who had kept it from him.
Hiruzen, the old man he had trusted, looked at him then. The pain in Hiruzen's eyes mirrored Naruto's own, but it was no comfort. His expression was etched with regret, but it was too late for regret. Feeling a cold, hollow emptiness spreading through his chest, Naruto stood. His body moved on its own, stiff and mechanical. "Hokage-sama, may I be excused?"
His voice was emotionless, detached, as if belonging to someone else.
"Naruto…"
"By your leave, Hokage-sama," Naruto interrupted, not wanting to hear any excuses or apologies. They wouldn't change the facts. They wouldn't undo the lies.
Hiruzen sighed, a deep, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of the world. "Dismissed, Genin Uzumaki."
Naruto didn't wait another second. He turned and walked swiftly out of the office, each step echoing hollowly in the silent hallway. As the door closed behind him, he felt the finality of it, like closing a chapter in a book.
Outside, the cool air of the evening brushed against his face, but it did nothing to soothe the burning anger and confusion inside him. As he walked away from the tower, the faces of the villagers blurred into a sea of indistinguishable features, none of them knowing the storm of emotions raging inside their village's most notorious prankster. Today, he wasn't just the village pariah or the prankster; he was a boy betrayed by the closest thing he had to a family.
And that hurt more than any prank gone wrong.