[ The Estate ]

As I stepped into the estate, the air dense with the mingled scents of pine and old wood.

The once-clear path was now choked with overgrown weeds, and each step stirred whispers from the leaves underfoot.

The pond reflected a distorted version of the sky above, broken only by the lazy swirls of koi fish that had made it their home.

Despite the neglect, there was a profound sense of tranquility here.

As I walked, the empty house seemed to echo with a quiet kind of waiting.

A deep, bittersweet sadness settled in my chest, woven through with threads of joy.

I was walking through a memory, a what-could-have-been of my childhood had my parents been here to raise me.

The house itself stood as a testament to what once was—a modest, yet elegantly crafted dwelling that spoke of my parents' taste and status.

The wooden beams and shoji doors were coated in a fine layer of dust, untouched for years, and every corner was filled with the musty scent of disuse.

Mold clung to the walls like a stubborn shadow, and the air inside was cool and stale.

As I moved through the rooms, I could almost hear the faint laughter of a family that had once lived here, see the flicker of life that had once filled these now silent halls.

My heart ached with the loss of it, the sharp sting of their absence making it all the more poignant.

Yet, as I wandered, the sadness was tempered by a sense of wonder.

This was where my father might have taught me about the responsibilities that came with our heritage, where my mother might have scolded me gently for tracking mud through the hall.

This was where they had lived, loved, and ultimately, where they had left a legacy for me to find.

Every step I took was a step closer to them, to understanding who they were and, by extension, who I was meant to be.

I smiled despite the ache, my heart swelling with a mix of grief and gratitude.

Here, in this hidden corner of the world, I felt closer to my parents than I had ever thought possible.

They were gone, but this place held the essence of their lives, and for a brief, precious moment, I felt them all around me.

....

I didn't realize how long I'd been wandering the estate until the sounds of splashing water and muffled giggles drew me back to the present.

"What are you two doing?" I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the open space.

Hinata and Tenten had rolled up their pants and were sitting on the edge of the pond, their feet submerged in the water.

"Relaxing," Tenten replied with a grin.

"Join us," Hinata added, her smile as inviting as the warm afternoon sun.

I shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth despite the swirl of emotions inside me.

Approaching the pond, I sat down beside them and hesitantly slipped off my shoes and socks.

I dipped my toes into the cool, somewhat murky water, the initial shock of the cold making me shiver.

As I slowly sank my feet deeper, the water enveloped them, murky yet oddly comforting.

Almost immediately, the tiny koi fish approached, their small mouths creating gentle, tickling sensations as they pecked at my skin.

The feeling was strange but soothing, like tiny whispers against my feet that pulled a surprised chuckle from my lips.

The sensation was more pleasant than I expected.

It was as if the fish were nibbling away not just at the dead skin, but also at the heavy thoughts that had settled in my mind.

With each gentle nibble, I felt a bit of the day's weight lift from my shoulders, the stress of the revelations about my past easing slightly.

I leaned back on my hands, watching the ripples on the water's surface.

"So what now?" Hinata asked.

"Relax now, and then we try to clean this place up and move Naruto's stuff from the apartment to here," Tenten said as she pulled out a bottle of sake, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

Me and Hinata exchanged a glance, both of us sweatdropping at the sight.

Gathering my courage, I decided it was time to dive into deeper waters.

"Tenten, Hinata," I started, drawing their attention. Tenten quickly hid the bottle behind her back as if it were a precious treasure.

"I found a lot more than just my mother's name," I confessed, watching their reactions closely.

"Like your father's?" Tenten asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"No, I have to wait till the Chunin exams to know about that," I replied, a bit more seriously than I intended, as Tenten looked at her bottle, wondering if she was drunk or something.

"Really?" Hinata's voice was soft, filled with curiosity.

"Yes, really. The Hokage says it has something to do with someone telling me that information," I explained, noticing their hesitant nods.

"So, what did the orange magician find out?" Tenten tried to lighten the mood with her usual humor, which I appreciated.

I took a deep breath and began telling them about the Uzumaki clan.

This part was the least complicated to explain, and Hinata and Tenten listened quietly, their expressions a mix of fascination and concern.

"Whoof," Tenten exhaled sharply after I finished.

"You okay?" Hinata asked gently, her concern evident.

I nodded.

"It's sad that Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan are gone, but it's not like I have the power to change the past, so it's whatever."

"I still don't get why your mom was the only child to be sent to Konoha, like the civil war would be prime time for children to be targeted," Tenten pointed out thoughtfully.

"Maybe Naruto's mom was the only child in the Uzumaki clan since Naruto-kun did say that they were few in numbers," Hinata suggested, though Tenten looked skeptical.

Their eyes turned to me, filled with questions and perhaps a hint of worry.

It was then I realized I was standing at a crossroads, holding a truth that could either bind us closer or begin to wedge us apart. The truth about being a Kyubi Jinchuriki.

The only reason I wanted to tell them was because I didn't want to hide this from them. It would be better to tell them now, rather than have them find out in a situation that might break our friendship. I'd rather they know the truth and tell me how they felt, instead of living with the fear that they might one day feel betrayed.

Or maybe I just didn't want to be like the old man and hide such a big secret.

At this point, I wasn't sure.

I took a slow, steadying breath, feeling the weight of my next words in my chest.

"The reason why my mom immigrated to Konoha was because she was going to be the Kyubi Jinchuriki."

Shock rippled across Hinata and Tenten's faces. Hinata slowly raised her hand, her expression filled with confusion.

"What does that mean?"

I couldn't help but snort, glancing at Tenten who was usually quick with a clever retort. "What?" she asked, noticing my look.

"At this point, you usually have something smart to say."

"Awe, thank you," Tenten smiled, then continued, "But you know, I've heard of the term 'Jinchuriki.' It was used by quite a few people across all three wars. I thought it was some kind of mantle, like how Kumo always had the Two Tails Jinchuriki or Iwa had the Four Tails."

Hmm, I should ask Dragon about this.

I thought to myself as Tenten said.

"I asked what that word meant and apparently, I had to be in the Jonin ranks to find out. Are you sure we are allowed to learn this info?"

Hinata looked worried, her eyes flicking between me and Tenten.

I nodded reassuringly.

"I have gotten permission from the ANBU Commander himself."

Tenten whistled, impressed, and Hinata pinched Tenten playfully.

"You're supposed to pinch yourself, Hinata."

Hinata shrugged, and I snorted, amused by their antics.

Hinata had come a long way from the shy girl who could barely speak up.

"Okay, to explain what a Jinchuriki is, I'm going to use a simple example," I started, picking up a kunai and a scroll.

"Let's say this kunai is the Nine-Tailed Fox, and this scroll is a human. When the kunai is stored via Fuinjutsu into the scroll, the scroll becomes the Jinchuriki."

"Wait, so like the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked Konoha twelve years ago was sealed inside your mom?" Hinata asked, her voice tinged with shock.

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of the revelation settle around us. Tenten, deep in thought, then asked, "Wait, so does Kumo have their own giant fox with four tails?"

"I don't know," I honestly replied.

It was another question to add to the growing list for Dragon.

"Wait, so if your mom was brought to Konoha before the Third Great Shinobi War to have the Kyubi sealed, then why did it escape and attack Konoha twelve years ago?" Hinata's question hit me harder than expected, and I opened my mouth to respond but then closed it.

"Okay, in hindsight, I should've asked more questions," I admitted, feeling a bit foolish.

"Well, good thing that the Fourth Hokage killed the Kyubi," Tenten said, moving her feet back and forth in the water.

"He didn't," I interjected, stopping Tenten in her tracks.

"The Kyubi was stopped by having him sealed away in a new vessel, a new human, a new Uzumaki."

My voice trailed off as the full gravity of the truth weighed heavily on my tongue.

"You." Both Tenten and Hinata said it simultaneously, their voices a mirror of realization.

I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to see their reactions.

The possibility of their fear, their withdrawal, or worse, their pity, clawed at me.

Standing there, with my eyes shut and the world momentarily blocked out, I felt a chill creep up my spine.

This was the moment I had dreaded, the truth that could unravel the friendships I valued above all else.

In that silence, my own fears whispered loudly in my ears.

Would they see me differently now?

Would the knowledge of the beast inside me taint their perception of who I was?

A minute of silence stretched out before Hinata broke it.

"Naruto-kun, can you pull it out?"

"What?" I asked, completely confused by her question.

"Your tails," Tenten chimed in.

"My tails?" I echoed, even more puzzled.

"Yeah, since you are the Kyubi's vessel, can you form fox tails or something?" Tenten asked, her curiosity clear, while Hinata nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling.

"The Kyubi doesn't give me a power like that," I explained. "I just have a lot more chakra, and I essentially become the jail for the Kyubi," I added, feeling a slight heaviness settle in my chest as I spoke.

I picked up a rock and tossed it into the pond, watching the ripples expand and distort the reflections in the water. As my eyes followed the ripples, I caught sight of Hinata and Tenten's reflections just there, calm and unafraid.

"You don't fear me or hate me," I whispered, more to myself than to them.

"Why would we fear you? You wear orange," Tenten quipped, and I turned to look at her, a laugh escaping me despite the turmoil inside.

"See, I can make good jokes," Tenten said, a smug smile spreading across her face.

"Every dog has its day," Hinata retorted playfully.

"I liked you more when you were shy," Tenten shot back, to which Hinata simply shrugged.

"Why?" I asked, pulling their attention back to me. My heart was thumping loudly in my ears, half-expecting their humor to fade into something less pleasant.

"Like you said before, you aren't anything more than the jail for the Kyubi, the storage scroll for the Kunai. It doesn't change who you are," Hinata said gently, her voice firm and sincere.

"Yeah, a big orange idiot, but..." Tenten paused, giving me a pointed look.

"Our big orange idiot," she finished with a grin.

I couldn't fight back against the giant smile that spread across my face, so broad it frankly hurt.

Hearing their words, feeling their acceptance, it washed over me like the warmest wave. In that moment, the fear of rejection, the heaviness of my secret—it all felt lighter.

They saw me, the real me, not just the vessel or the potential danger I carried inside.

They saw Naruto, their friend, their idiot.

My shoulders relaxed, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"You guys are the best," I said, feeling a rush of gratitude as I stood up to hug them. Unfortunately, my feet were still wet from the pond water, and as I stepped forward, I slipped spectacularly and tumbled right back into the pond.

Tenten shot me a look that was half annoyed, half amused as water splashed all over her, while Hinata couldn't hold back her giggles.

I emerged from the pond, spluttering and spitting out a baby koi fish that had somehow found its way into my mouth. "Sorry, little guy," I muttered, gently placing the fish back into the water.

I wiped the water from my face, trying to regain some semblance of dignity, when I remembered another piece of news I hadn't shared yet.

"Oh, I forgot, I am joining the ANBU."

"What?"