Chapter 4
After a big reveal, Naruto's life continued on and the entire situation seemed to have remained calm.
Of course, it's the ominous calmness before the dangerous storm suddenly takes everyone's surprise.
For now, though, he is trying to use his talk jutsu toward the sulking Sasuke during their lunch break with his other friends sitting away from them.
“Sa-chan, look here.”
Naruto pick two different small tomatoes in his lunchbox before he started explaining seriously without the usual humor or lack of care in his voice for once.
“They might be the same tomato, but it's quite obvious no tomato would remain the same.”
It might not be a good idea to use tomatoes as an item to explain about Sasuke's brother complex to Itachi but he thinks it will work out better since it's Sasuke's favorite food after all.
So it will definitely help Naruto put some sense into his friend's stubborn thick skull and leave a seed of doubt.
“Their color, size, and taste could differ from each other. So, just as Itachi is Itachi, you are Sasuke and not your brother. There is no need to compare yourself and try to surpass him for everything.”
Naruto nodded his head while ignoring the snickering of his friend listening to his explanation since they aren’t helping him.
And the fact, Hinata and Neji were stalking Naruto once again on another side.
Honestly, he decided to act oblivious to the Hyuuga stalkers he suddenly had gotten himself with.
“Besides, there is a reason prodigy is rare in every generation.”
Naruto had given a pointed look at Sasuke whose expression twisted and darkened by what he said.
“You want to hear the truth, and I’m telling it to you now, so you better listen, Sa-chan. I’m seriously giving you facts! Since you want me to be real, then listen until the end!”
Naruto nodded his head once again when Sasuke didn’t lash out and stomp away because of some pride and any Uchiha twistedly they got in their bloodline.
“This tomato is your older brother.”
He moves the bigger and larger, looking more juicy tomato in his right hand for emphasis, before shaking the smaller, slightly dim-colored tomato on his left after he was sure Sasuke is truly listening.
“Of course, most people would choose the bigger and juicer one. However, for a tomato lover, the smaller ones might be ignored but they wouldn’t be forgotten for so long. But, ah, let’s focus more on the Itachi tomato. Don’t you get what I am trying to tell you and see the problem with it?”
When Sasuke shook his head, Naruto let out a sigh why giving a look of ‘why can’t you understand it?’.
“Just as everyone else. Sa-chan, you are also focused on your brother's accomplishments, his skill, and talent, but you have forgotten that your older brother is also a human. He could get hurt, feel pain, and be overworked. The acknowledgment might look good to you, but, it's obvious Itachi should feel the opposite.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes when Sasuke's face showed a slow understanding.
“The adults will keep pushing your older brother to be better, to be the best, to be powerful all the time. Failure is not an option. Weren’t you having trouble with the expectation of being like your older brother? It's hard and too much at times, right? So, Sa-chan, why can’t you see the hardship your older brother is facing?”
Then, Naruto finally sees the start of horror, and denial creeping into Sasuke's eyes after what he heard finally registered, especially the completely blinded worship and admiration he had toward his older brother that he ignored other important things.
Hopefully, when the massacre happened, Sasuke wouldn’t be consumed by overwhelming hatred if Itachi took the responsibility into his own hands, which is like in the canon story despite being informed of a possible future situation.
Or maybe helping out or being forced by crazy Obito from doing it?
Naruto doesn’t know what is going to be true in this world, especially when the countless fanfictions he had read made the entire situation confusing since some details are mixed up.
He wasn’t even sure about how everything would turn out after choosing to act in a willful manner.
Anyway, it's better to prepare Sasuke to understand Itachi more, since Naruto would need Itachi to knock some sense into Sasuke when he followed the same path as his counterpart.
Naruto needed some preparation because the Uchiha bloodline made them lose their shit, only rarely coming back to their sanity after beating the shit out of them, a lot of time.
In a life-and-death fight too.
Anyway, it's time to put some sense into his special friends, he might have a certain attraction to a future grown-up version of him, but he doesn’t want to pull into the shit his counterpart had experienced.
“Sa-chan, you complain about people always talking about Itachi this, Itachi that, but, aren’t you similar toward them? You adore your older brother, you are jealous of him too. You are simply blinded by Itachi-chan greatness. After all, even I could see those stress lines on your older brother's face growing by days, which you seemed to not notice at all.”
Naruto couldn’t help but tilt his head to the side when a sudden thought appear in his mind, a question he had been wondering in his previous life.
“Hey Sa-chan, you said you love your older brother. I’m quite curious, if you were given a choice, does your father's acknowledgment be far more important compared to your older brother's well-being and happiness? As I can see it, Itachi could still break apart from all the pressure, you know?”
Just as always, Naruto couldn’t stop some of his cruelty from leaking in. Although it was truly an innocent question because in the canon story, didn’t Sasuke forgive Itachi in some way after killing him and learning the truth?
Would Sasuke have done a different action if he wasn’t overwhelmed by his hatred?
“Look at this Tomato Itachi, imagine everyone wanting over it. Fighting and trying to get their hands on it to the point the Itachi tomato keep falling from my hands since they wouldn’t give up and were so desperate to get their hands on him.”
Then Naruto playfully makes an action like the Itachi tomato keeps slipping from his hand since there are annoying people that keep reaching out, fortunately, he keeps catching the Itachi tomato.
But then, the face Sasuke made almost caused Naruto to laugh although it wasn’t the right time and it was definitely going to make his special friend mad at him. So he controlled himself since he was trying to manipulate Sasuke in some way.
At least, so he might not need to deal with the emo Sasuke in the future.
“Everyone wants Itachi tomato, no one wants to stop from reaching out, and then… Bam!”
The bigger and juicer tomato in Naruto's hand suddenly burst, which seemed to make a certain point with his words, completely unbothered at the horrifying explanation had to turn it to be.
Sasuke even made a miserable sound at the back of his throat at the exact time Itachi tomato had burst into Naruto's hands.
Hell, even Naruto's friend listening to the side was also disturbed by what he had spoken.
“Sa-chan, remember, everything had an equal condition in a certain situation in life, some might even lead to the bad side instead of being so good. The world is unfair, some are born unlucky, while there are only a few rare ones to have fortunate lives. You might see something so great, but you would never know what a person needed to experience to get there.”
Naruto threw the broken Itachi tomato on the ground which cause Sasuke to let out a distressed and angry sound again, before putting the ignored Sasuke tomato in his mouth, causing a horrified expression on his special friend's face.
“See, Sa-chan? You just have to wait and someone will notice you. But it's an attention you might never wish to have gotten.”
Seeing as Naruto's speech and explanation become terrible, something he wasn’t even surprised about, he gently held Sasuke trembling hands while shooting him a comforting expression.
Which calms Sasuke down, something Naruto thinks was a foolish thing to do, but then, he loves Sasuke's gullible side, so he won’t do anything about it.
“Anyway, if you investigate the prodigies in the Village, most of them end up having a miserable life (Kakashi) while the others lost their minds in some way and become a missing-nin. Do you know the famous Sanin? So, Sa-chan, start caring more about your older brother if you really love him.”
Naruto smiled while Sasuke finally seemed unable to bear the truth, having his face slapped in reality by what he is hearing. At the same time, one of their friends appeared to have enough and has walked toward them.
“You have to really understand Itachi before making an assumption or having an idea because you are blind by your emotions. Because, Sa-chan, you are going to regret it. And well, it's quite easy for someone to fall you know? Especially the powerful and highly intelligent one.”
Then, before Naruto could continue to talk again, a hand quickly slapped his mouth, of course, it was done in a gentle manner, so he obediently shut up, especially when it was the normally lazy Shikamaru that had done it.
“Naruto, for the love of… stop talking… you are really troublesome.”
Naruto just blink his cerulean eyes in an innocent manner, before curving them in a crescent moon, similar to what his wolf usually does to other people in the canon.
“... What a drag… don’t make me clean up your mess this time.”
Being an amazing friend, not, Naruto nodded his head even though everyone know, especially Shikamaru, how he would just continue to live without caring about what he had done.
How he had shaken Sasuke's worldview or the fact, he had also shaken the worldviews of his friends after listening to his discussion with Sasuke, which was their fault to begin with since there is a reason he sat a distance away from them.
Naruto's friend needed to face the consequences of their actions.
Of course, after slapping Sasuke the reality of what is going on around his older brother, Naruto got a visit from said older brother followed by a grimacing Shisui after a few days, since Sasuke could no longer keep quiet about their one special afternoon of discussing his brother issues.
Let’s just say, it was quite an interesting visit even if he is facing a furious older brother.
Of course, for having such a bad attitude, Naruto slaps Itachi a painful fact about his counterpart, which he might do again if given no chance to change things.
Besides, babying Sasuke about how the world and reality are would never work out in the end. And being truthful would be far more helpful in the coming future.
If Itachi canon tortured his younger brother for the sake of his well-being and safety, then what was compared to Naruto slapping Sasuke the harsh reality of what is going on around them?
Honestly, the hypocrite.
At least, Naruto could tell with complete confidence that he was acting so well toward Sasuke.
Hey Kyuubi, can you stop the mocking laughter already!?
…
There are rare times when Naruto return from one of his long and quiet walk around the village, where he stays up late, unable to sleep for the night.
Especially when it's a week before his birthday.
It was a rare moment of confusion, as he gaze at the dark sky with a full moon and wonder once again why he is born in this world as Uzumaki Naruto.
He doesn’t know if it's a sign of weakness since it really doesn’t matter what or what will be going on in his life.
Of course, having the Kyuubi grumbling is something new during this night walk since last year, Naruto wasn’t able to communicate with the demon fox at all.
And when he returned home and sat in his usual spot on the open front porch of the house.
Well, he always senses Kakashi's presence, who is silently walking toward him, before sitting down by his side, and after a few moments of hesitation, there was an arm wrapped around his small figure before being put into the man's lap.
Naruto is five turning six years old while Kakashi is 18 years old this year.
“Maa, is Naru-chan having a nightmare?”
It took a bit of practice and training, but Naruto manage to get Kakashi get used to the cuddling moment, especially when the man is the first one to act intimate.
It's already surprising and miraculous to find Kakashi acting so close, so Naruto usually behaves more docile and allowed himself to be intimate with him. Of course, only to those he approves and like.
“Not really.”
For now, though, Naruto is more in a somber mood.
It's really not good to have an intelligent mind since there is a moment he couldn’t simply shut off his thoughts, especially the bad stuff, which keeps making him go crazy, truly unable to heal whatever damage had done to his mentality.
“Kaka-chan.”
“Hm?”
“I always wonder… why am I even born in this world?”
Isn’t it better if it is someone else who reincarnated as Uzumaki Naruto?
It will definitely be better for this world since the one who might have ended up in his situation, might decide to become the prophesied savior. So that they won’t have the crazy and awfully willful him.
Honestly, why him of all people?
It would have been better to remain oblivious, his memories completely wiped out if the powerful being out there had given him another chance in life.
Naruto might be so deeply in his thought that he only returns to his consciousness at the sudden tightness of the arms embracing his body.
Ahh, he is in a sappy mood tonight, huh?
“Ah, Kaka-chan, it's not the villager's fault or anyone, really. I have no energy to waste my time caring about them.”
Naruto smiled before wiggling to release one of his arms, which the man allowed, before leaning over to gently pat the broken man mask cheek, just as he had always done.
“After I became aware, I have always had this feeling about life and complicated stuff… so it isn’t anyone's fault.”
It's not yours either.
He just feels and believes it's far better to remain dead than to wake up again in this world.
Naruto couldn’t help but let out a sigh, before turning his small body to fully wrap his still-small arms around the man's neck in a gentle hug after sensing the depressing and dark atmosphere within him.
“Stop thinking negative thoughts again. It isn’t good for your health and mentality.”
This is Naruto wolf, broken, always grieving, filled with guilt and self-loathing when it is quite obvious, it's just the way how the world work. It just depends on who is more miserable than the others.
So, when he peered at the grown-up man with his cerulean eyes, somehow, a bit of his nonexistent humanity appeared at this moment.
“Kakashi, I need to tell you this since I believe you needed it. So, listen well and don’t feel disbelief, ‘you’ being here with me makes life a bit easier, alright?”
Naruto couldn’t help but let out a sigh, before gently rubbing his cheek in the man's neck as a sort of comfort.
“I’m worried about you. For a grown-up, you are simply hopeless but then again, life is unfair, especially in a world like this. What would happen to you if I’m gone one day?”
“Naruto, I will keep you safe!”
The man finally spoke out rather than remain silent and yet, Naruto let out another sigh because that promise will only break the man apart.
“Silly Kaka-chan. Everyone will die one day, you can’t stop the natural course of nature. And I always had the feeling I will have a short life. I-”
Naruto's words cut off when the man's arms were tighter around him, which was telling him to stop talking depressing stuff.
“Listen to me. I will only say this once and it's because I really like you so I’ll be truthful to you even though, this will put me on the dangerous list by the old man. A threat one should say to the village.”
He slightly pulled away to peer up at Kakashi's lone eye since the other one is close since he isn’t wearing the forehead protector to hide the sharingan on his left eye.
“Kakashi, I’m not right in the head, I have never been normal since the moment I was born. You know it, everyone knows it. I lack the morality and ethic a human should have. I understand what should be normal and not, but, I couldn’t comprehend it. I lack the emotions for it. Do you understand what I am trying to say?”
Naruto's eyebrow wrinkled before it smooth down as he continues on what he observes and notices about himself for the past few years.
“Oh, of course, I can still feel emotions, because at least, I surprisingly care a little about my friends. Particularly when I like you more than the others enough to be talking like this to you right now. Of course, I will always be cruel, I could stop it because that is what I am.”
Naruto's lip twitched for a smile before deciding to remain solemn with his expression.
“So, Kakashi, I am honestly crazy and I am born this way, not because of the villager's hate and resentment I constantly felt the moment I became aware. Or simply knowing how most of them wanted my death because of something I hadn’t done.”
It's simply caused by being murdered in my previous life, then knowing the world I was born in and the heavy burden and pressure my identity is.
I can’t accept being Uzumaki Naruto no matter how much I seemed to adore my parent.
I can’t accept being given a main role, heavy responsibility, and a burden I didn’t wish for.
I can’t accept this life of mine, and probably never will for as long as I am alive.
“The most important fact is, I lack seriousness and importance when it comes to my life. If it weren’t for my interest in this world, I would have taken my life a long time ago, Kakashi. I will not even hesitate even if you were to beg me to stop and keep living.”
There is the familiar growl, causing Naruto to pause for a second before continuing on, completely uncaring of the obvious discomfort, distress, and heartache he is giving his wolf.
“Of course, I care about you and the little friends I had gotten. But, I am simply heartless to my bones, I could be cruel and ruthless toward you and everyone else. Kakashi, I might have never mentioned this, but, you know I can be perspective. So, I could never become someone like... my parent.”
Naruto had to be truthful with what he really had in mind and the fact in a rare moment where he wanted to be open a bit of himself. Then reveals how he knows about who his parent is since he couldn't just say, ah 'I already know who they are a long time ago because of previous life memories!'.
At least, showed how he seemed to know one of them so far.
The old man had the Hokage portraits in the Hokage office for christ's sake, Naruto's father's picture is simply hanging on the wall.
Unlike the villagers, he wasn’t blind and wasn’t in huge denial.
It's like looking in a mirror, just chibi size and feminine looking, much prettier too.
“I can’t selflessly give my life for others, specifically I can’t live for others too. I will always live the way I wanted to, without carrying what chaos and destruction I will leave behind. No matter how many lives and hearts I destroyed in the process.”
Naruto gently pats Kakashi's cheek mask once again to comfort the man, even if he is the sole reason for the overwhelming negative thoughts wrecking the man's entire being.
At least, he is already preparing his wolf for another heartbreak in the near future.
“So one day, when I either lost the will to live, I got myself killed, or I finally succumb to the madness always creeping in the back of my mind. Please, don’t blame yourselves, alright?”
Naruto raises his head up before giving a gentle kiss to the man's masked cheek, it is a rather cruel affection because he is the one causing the man's wretch state.
But it is still an affection he will give no matter how twisted it could be.
“Kakashi, I won’t tell you not to be sad because that is simply impossible. But I just hope for you to not add my death as another guilt to your many lists of guilt. It wasn’t your fault, nor the villagers, or the world itself. I am simply born like this.”
I am simply broken from the start.
I always thought that the world simply made a mistake during their reincarnation process and I wasn’t supposed to be the one born as Uzumaki Naruto.
“I wish you have someone else who isn’t born so wrong and troublesome when you are already carrying a lot of heavy burden in yourself.”
Naruto smiles wryly after being overwhelmed by Kakashi's chaotic emotions. With sensing other people's emotions toward him, he is more proficient and skilled in ill-will with malicious intent.
Positive and other emotions that weren’t thrown at Naruto aren’t usually something he is quite good at detecting.
He seemed to be more talented in sensing the darker and evil side of the human being or any living creature.
There are only a few rare people Naruto could sense positive feelings because it is simply overwhelming and of course, there are negative ones too when it wasn't directed toward him.
Kakashi's usual depressing emotions to himself. All the self-blame, guilt, remorse, and resentment for failing and being left behind.
Then Uchiha Itachi for his overwhelming love and adoration toward Sasuke.
Those two people are usually the ones Naruto could sense easily even though there is no ill will, and those emotions aren’t meant for him.
“Ah, let us go to sleep. Today is really not a good day. It is definitely because it's a full moon tonight, such a view usually put me in a bad mood.”
He always wonders if the Moon is going to be red whenever he looks at it.
There is really nothing good about having known one possible future situation.
Then if the rest of the coming days, Naruto finds a hovering wolf always around, be it in the open or hiding in the shadow, well, he couldn’t fault his wolf for his sudden overprotective acts.
And sudden paranoia, or more likely, it went to another level after the sudden reveal since the man had been more paranoid after the kidnapping event.
…
Tick Tock
Tick Tock
Tick Tock
There is the unheard sound of time slowly ticking by.
Or Naruto is the only one who could hear it in the back of his mind, and he even went to ask the demon fox if he could hear it too since it wasn't really real at all.
He was given a dubious and crazy look by the demon fox after he went to his mindscape instead of choosing to chat directly in his mind for pure clarification.
Nonetheless, Naruto continued to live his life just by following his whim, like turning his hair into a rainbow color on his birthday celebration which turned out alright for once.
The world seems to have decided to not mess up Naruto special day, and it's just the usual craziness around him.
Tick Tock
Tick Tock
Tick Tock
Of course, Naruto noted the sudden disappearance of one of his usual Anbu stalkers, which was Uchiha Shisui, a few days ago.
And the fact there is a certain heaviness around, although he was the only one who is attuned when the world is about to descend to chaos since he is the world-chosen punching bag.
Oh, he can see Uchiha Shisui once in a while, but, he notices how there is certain darkness lurking and growing in the usually bubbly and friendly teenager.
More so than usual, letting Naruto know there is something serious going on but he just doesn’t know why since no one is informing him of what is happening or their plan for the possible Uchiha Massacre.
A living legend, although it was only crazy Obito acting up, but, there is Black Zetsu watching over the entire situation.
So, it's more like, an ancient living legend with a massive Mommy issue.
That is the kind of existence the two Uchiha are going to be against.
The Village or their Clan, Naruto wonder which one they have chosen, or how they will protect the two things they felt precious enough to sacrifice their lives for.
At least, he knew the two genius Uchiha are making their moves.
Naruto should ask what their plan is but ah, he is more focused on getting close to his special friend since he doesn’t know if Sasuke would turn like his emo counterpart.
Although he remembers certain memories he seemed to have forgotten to show to Shisui.
But, he knew it was the special and important memories Uchiha Itachi needed to know about. It is, after all, Itachi's counterpart's famous emotional quotes he is famous for in Naruto's previous life.
So, when Naruto saw Itachi pick up Sasuke once again from school, he stealthy gave him a written note no one would find doubtful if they ever read it since it was simply a few words that means nothing to others.
Fortunately, he went out earlier than Sasuke since he wanted to buy the grocery himself. Besides, Shikamaru and the others had Clan training to do so he couldn’t ask them to do it for him.
As for what Naruto had written, it says:
“However strong you become, never seek to bear everything alone. If you do, failure is certain.”
He might have threatened Shisui to not inform the Third Hokage or anyone of what he knows of unless informed but it doesn’t mean they aren’t allowed to reach out to other people for help.
They didn’t need to inform anyone of Naruto's one future memory before they can make their move after all, especially when they could also find evidence of what is happening and show it to the Third Hokage, if the two geniuses still think the old man could help them out.
Hopefully, passing the counterpart of Uchiha Itachi's famous words would help them out a bit because that quotes implied that Itachi and Shisui had failed because they took all the burden by themselves.
Unlike the original Naruto, who had the help of his friends and the entire Nation to deal with their problems.
Naruto doesn’t know if the talk with Kakashi that night had helped a bit since he feels less stuffy, and feeling nicer to give some helpful tips.
However, it doesn’t mean he will go on his way to help people out all the time.
Well, to be honest, he felt there is more chance for this world in surviving if Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui get to live instead of only having Sasuke as the Uchiha to face their nuts Clan ancestor and Kakashi crazy friend's presumed death.
Anyway, Naruto just needed to focus on living in the present instead of thinking about every crazy situation that might happen in the future.
He needed to have fun for as long as he can in this world after all.
For now, though, he turned his attention to the demon fox.
“Hey, how many tails do you think I can handle if I use your power?”
It's time for Naruto to tackle the Kyuubi chakra after the demon fox had started flooding his chakra coils to prepare his body for it, which was a while ago since the power is going to be a menacing chakra. Unless he took the Kyuubi chakra for himself, which is quite similar to what his counterpart had done during the Fourth Shinobi War.
But he knows it wouldn’t work out or he couldn’t try it yet since the demon fox goes into a crazy hissy fit whenever he even thinks about it.
They still have trust issues, or more likely, the demon fox having trust issues.
Well, at least, Naruto is growing powerful despite being a child, honestly, the Kage Bushin No Jutsu is a great cheating hack!
As for where he learned it from, of course, he always goes first to his wolf when he saw the chance to ask for it.
And when the man learns how massive Naruto's chakra level was, they didn't have any problem with it.
Besides, it wasn’t weird at all, if Hatake Kakashi had graduated at the age of six years old from the Ninja Academy, and turned chunin at the same age too. Then there is nothing weird about Naruto learning a jutsu at the age of six years old.
Especially when, unlike the original Naruto, he had shown his intelligence and matureness, so it was alright for him to be learning about a highly advance jutsu.
Although Naruto’s wolf seemed to have forgotten the fact despite the maturity, there is craziness along with it.
Or, Hataka Kakashi acts as if he forgot it, choosing to teach Naruto such a highly consuming chakra technique when it's obvious how he could easily do it simply because the chance of Naruto's survival would increase if he learned the extremely useful skill.
Honestly, Naruto really really really like his wolf.