stranger in a familiar land
Naruto generally likes being optimistic. Rather, he doesn't like being sad, or angry, or lonely (which he is not) which makes it infinitely easier to always look at the bright side.
He got kicked out of the orphanage? That's fine by him, he always wanted to leave and now he lived on his own without having to fight the other kids over scraps of food. Jiji's stipend didn't cover for enough food this month? Great, Naruto needed to practice his endurance anyways; shinobi get kidnapped all the time and they took in class that starvation was a form of torture, so he really was just getting ahead of everyone! So what if some jerk merchants won't take his money? He'll just bug Iruka-sensei for ramen and get to spend time with him.
But even with his usual positive outlook, Naruto can admit that things were looking kinda bad right now. Hokage-jiji's dead, Sasuke's acting all weird, and his beloved village was still in shambles after the Sound and Suna attack. And to top it all off, one of those weird shadow shinobi was totally tailing him.
Naruto had only noticed him at the end of his fuunjutsu session with Hinata-chan, who was super cool and smart after she stopped getting red in the face whenever he talked to her. It had stumped him for weeks; trying to figure out why she can't get a word out when they're talking but over time she started to open up more.
Actually, that was around the time Naruto had switched his clothes softener - maybe she was allergic?! He'd ask Sakura-chan later, she'd definitely know. She was the one who told him all about Uzumakis and sealing, and suggested he did these sessions with Hinata-chan after all! Even gave him all these cool seals!
Naruto nodded to himself and changed course towards the training area that Sakura-chan usually goes to, annoyed when the shadow shinboi continued to follow him.
Naruto only knew of them because they followed him a lot as a kid, but they only checked up on him every now and then now that he's a proper genin - almost chuunin, dattebayo! He used to think they were his guardian angels as a kid (embarrassing, he knows), then generally ignored them after he realized they would never step into his life, simply observe it.
I guess having that dumb fox inside of me is why they used to follow me around, Naruto mused as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the warning rumbles resonating through his skull with quickly-developing ease, and smacked his feet with great satisfaction every time they collided with the brick soundlessly.
I'm totally getting better at this, way better than that bastard. Naruto gleefully imagined Sasuke's face when he realizes that Naruto had surpassed him, again.
But before Naruto could properly decide on the appropriate shade of red Sasuke's face would adorn, he was intercepted by the same shadow shinobi that was following him.
ANBU, Naruto thought with sudden clarity after a quick glance over revealed a flaming tattoo on the shinobi's arm. Sakura-chan had mentioned them before during training with a wistful look on her face.
No way, Naruto's pseudo-babysitters-but-not-really were actually elite ninja!
"Uzumaki Naruto"
"ANBU. San" Naruto nervously yet excitedly tacked on. He knew that ANBU masks are supposed to be animals, but this guy's mask looked just like a bunch of stripes to him.
"You have been summoned by the Hokage, please accompany me to the tower," The ANBU's voice had no inflection whatsoever, and his mask didn't muffle his voice at all. Maybe if Naruto squinted, it kinda looked like a bird.
But before he could scrutinize the mask any further, the ANBU leapt away.
"What - hey! Wait up!" Naruto scrambled to follow the ANBU. Besides, what did he mean by 'summoned' anyways? He just saw Tsunade-bachan last week when she healed Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, and got yelled at behind a stack of papers yesterday when he visited her - er, checked she was doing Jiji's work the right way - for fighting in her hospital, you brat.
He didn't pull any pranks recently, and team training was cancelled til Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were released from the hospital. Why would he be summoned? Maybe she was giving him a super important super secret mission!
With that thought, Naruto eagerly increased his pace towards the tower, but before he could scale the building, the ANBU gently held him back and pointed him towards the tower entrance.
Naruto groaned as he tugged on the hand captured by the ANBU, "Stairs? Only civilians use the stairs! I'm a shinobi, dattebayo!"
Naruto couldn't see the ANBU's mask, but he still felt the raised eyebrow aimed at him. With a disgruntled sigh, he headed towards the tower's entrance.
He intended on trudging up the stairs in the most dramatic fashion, dragging his feet and sighing every second, but excitement took over him again and he raced to sprint up the stairs.
Naruto barely registered the guards on either side of the Hokage's office - "hey you can't just barge in!" - and threw open the doors.
Slamming his hands against the hardwood of Tsuande-bachan's desk (and hearing it creak ominously, man granny sure was strong) Naruto cut off whatever she was going to say.
"TSUNADE-BACHAN! I'm ready for whatever mission you're gonna give me, dattebayo! Watch out, 'cause that hat's about to be mine real - who's that guy?"
Naruto pointed towards the unfamiliar blond dude sitting to the right of him, finger dangerously close to smacking him. Something about the guy seemed familiar in a way Naruto couldn't put his finger on.
He had bright yellow hair and bluebell eyes, a bit pale and oddly enough, covered head to toe in bandages. Shouldn't he be in the hospital? Also, Naruto thought it was weird to find another guy with the same coloring as him, especially in Konoha, where brown hair and brown eyes were the most common features if you're not affiliated with some sort of clan, and Naruto ended up sticking out with his tan skin and uncommon palette.
When Naruto was younger, he had a habit of scanning strangers faces in a crowd, desperately hoping for any trace of his features that proved he was part of a clan or a family. Finding out the Uzumaki were a huge clan via Sakura-chan - huge enough to have an entire village - made it a bit easier, but it would be nice to have a family that wasn't completely wiped out.
So, against his common sense, Naruto carefully scanned the strangers face, mapping out the elegant curve of his eyes, the straight set of his nose, and strong jaw, and accepted the bittersweet disappointment that settled familiarly in his gut.
"He doesn't know?" Naruto was broken out of his thought by the stranger's weird question, and even weirder tone. He sounded - heartbroken? Weird guy.
"No, the Sandaime forbid it," Tsunade-bachan pursed her lips as she said this, which Naruto has come to recognize was a sign of disapproval.
"Forbid what? What don't I know? Tell me!" Naruto demanded, head swiveling between the two. He was out of the loop and he did not like it one bit.
Tsunade-bachan sighed heavily, but before she could get a word out, the doors to her office opened once again, revealing Kakashi-sensei. Except, Kakashi-sensei did not look like himself at all. He wasn't reading that porn book, and didn't look bored or annoyed at all. If anything, he looked kinda crazed; his singular eye immediately latching onto the mystery guy as he moved warily into the room, eventually settling into the seat on Naruto's left.
"Kakashi-sensei? What's going on? Why do you look weird?" Naruto demanded again.
"Naruto," Tsunade-bachan began with a heavy tone, and Naruto could already feel the beginnings of a tight knot forming in his stomach, "What do you know about your parents?"
What? Naruto tried to hide his confusion but was sure he failed. His parents? Everybody knew he was an orphan, he didn't know anything about them. Well, other than his dad probably being an Uzumaki.
When he said as much, Mystery Guy inhaled sharply and leveled Tsunade-bachan with a look, while she herself simply looked resigned. Kakashi-sensei had an odd look on whatever small section of his face Naruto could see, but whatever emotion he was feeling, Naruto couldn't place it. Reading Kakashi-sensei's little freakshow attempts at human communication has been revealed to be Sakura's forte, something not even Sasuke's dumb Sharingan could do. He was spitting mad for days, they were quite a few lovely days.
"As we are all aware, Naruto is the Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi and was sealed by the Yondaime before his death," Tsunade-bachan calmly said, ignoring the twin stink eyes from Kakashi-sensei and Mystery Guy.
Naruto felt whatever giddiness in him at remembering Sasuke's sour face bleed out of him, as he himself just nodded warily and didn't meet Kakashi-sensei's eyes (did he know about the fox the whole time?), not really sure where any of this is going, why Tsuande-bachan said this in front of what Naruto could only assume was an outsider.
Unconsciously, his eyes darted towards the portrait of the Fourth Hokage, whose blue eyes were shining as he smiled -
Wait. Blue eyes. Blond hair.
"AGK?? YOU'RE THE YONDAIME?!" Naruto couldn't help but help as he repointed his finger towards Mystery Guy, who was apparently the Yondaime??
"Aren't you like, super dead? Is that why you're bandaged up? How did you come back? Why'd you seal the stupid fox in me?"
Naruto shot question after question, ignoring Tsunade-bachan's sharp warnings to shut and listen, kid. This was the Yondaime, maybe he knew his parents? Maybe they left something for him? Naruto couldn't help but feel giddy again, previous wariness wiped away.
The Yondaime looked a bit overwhelmed by the bombardment of questions, but it gave away to a sad look as he focused his gaze on Naruto.
"Naruto," Yondaime gently interrupted his ramblings, "Yes, I knew your parents, but what I'm about to say might shock you,"
At this point, Naruto was vibrating with excitement, too happy to take note of the slightly hysterical edge to the Yondaime's voice as he eagerly nodded along.
"Your father isn't an Uzumaki, your mother was. She was the best of the best, a fantastic Seals Master, and you're the spitting image of her,"
Naruto hung onto to every word, too elated to form any words. His mother! He knew something about her! He looked like her! She was a badass Seals Master! But his father-
"You said is; your father isn't an Uzumaki," Naruto cautiously maneuvered, "does - does that mean he's alive?"
The Yondaime smiled sadly then, tapping his fingers with an unknown rhythm as he regarded Naruto.
"I did say that, didn't I? I was hoping you wouldn't notice so soon," The man took a deep breath here, as if bracing himself, and Naruto found himself inhaling as well.
"Naruto, I am your father,"