Shine like the Sun

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There's a knock on the door.

It's the first thing Naruto remembers, about that day. He was watering the plants when they came.

The knock sounded out twice. Firm, short raps that weren’t accompanied by angry screaming. So he guessed it probably wasn't a neighbor blaming him for something that was, probably, not his fault. 

He left the watering can on the floor and padded over to the door. Opening it revealed Hokage-jiji and an old lady on the other side. She was taller than the Hokage, though just as ancient. 

Naruto broke into a smile, running to hug the Hokage’s legs.

“Jiji!” He said excitedly.

Usually, and that was to say, always, with the exception of that day, the Hokage visited once a month, to give Naruto his monthly allowance and ask how things were going. Allowance-day had only been a week ago. This was an unexpected, but welcome, visit.

In any case, Naruto didn't get any other visits.

“Naruto-kun,” said jiji, patting his head. “May we come in?”

Naruto stood up straight and looked at the old lady again. She smiled faintly and inclined her head at him. Blushing, he moved to hold the door open for them both.

“Of course! Welcome to my home.” He mumbled, and both adults walked in.

Jiji had been at Naruto’s apartment many times before, so he headed straight to the kitchen, where a table and four different colored chairs where located.

The old lady took her time.

She crossed the door and let Naruto close it behind her, then stopped to take everything in. The apartment was small, and there wasn’t much in the way of decoration. Naruto was 6 years old, and he had no frame of reference for interior design. His room in the orphanage had been bare, and with the exception of a calendar hanging on his bedroom wall, so where the walls of his apartment. There was an old rug at the entrance that came with the apartment, a bookshelf with Gama-chan on the top shelf and Naruto’s very small collection of books; a cookbook, a comic book about the Hokage’s and a book about ninja tools and weapons he'd found in the trash.

Naruto was messy but clean, so while his bed was unmade, the house wasn't actually dirty. In his room he kept a basket with his unwashed clothes, and a closet that hid his extra blankets and clothes. 

The only thing in the apartment that looked remotely like decoration were the plants. And there were a lot of them. There were potted plants, plants hanging from nails on the ceiling, flowers and herbs.

Naruto liked plants.

The vivarium was one of the few places that he wasn’t thrown out of, and the half-blind man who worked there always explained to Naruto how to care for anything he bought, including when to re-pot a plant or when to prune leaves.

Naruto’s plants were all healthy and growing, not a single one had died, and he liked talking to them. The plants were his friends.

His only friends, because no human other than jiji liked him.

After examining the house, the old lady took a seat besides the Hokage, and Naruto followed them, sitting in front of them.

“Naruto”, said jiji once he’d taken a seat, “I want to introduce you to Uzumaki Chiba… your great grandmother.”

Naruto stopped breathing.

He looked at the old woman closely. Besides her grey hair she had dark blue eyes, wrinkly pale skin. Her grey hair was made up in an elaborate bun, and she was wearing a ninja kimono. No forehead protector. She was smiling, a small upturn of her lips, as she waited for him to finish his inspection.

Ever since he could remember, Naruto had wanted a family. 

It was every orphans dream, wasn't it?

When he'd lived at the orphanage, the other children would play a game: one would be the orphan and the other the long lost parent or sibling. Naruto wasn't allowed to play with them, but he'd sit in his bed, close his eyes tight and imagine a pretty lady, or a kind looking man would come in and say, “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t know you were here. I’m your mother.” or your father, uncle, aunt, older sibling… He’s imagined grandparents before, but they weren't his favorite fantasy. 

But, now, suddenly, the fantasy in front of him was real... and instead of the feeling of incontrollable joy and relief he had always expected and imagined… all he felt was dread.

It felt like a trick. A cruel one, at that.

“I thought…” started Naruto, stumbling with the words, unable to look at either the woman or at jiji, staring down at his worn table. Worn because he got it second hand. He’d only been at the apartment for a year.

“I thought I didn’t have any family. That no one knew who my parents were.” he finished. The words got quieter and quieter as he talked. He half expected one of the adults to interrupt him, but neither did.

It was quiet for a moment, and then the woman spoke for the first time. Her voice was deep with age, stern and very proper, but Naruto found that despite all that he liked it. He looked up to her through his bangs.

“Your mother’s name was Uzumaki Kushina.” she said with certainty, and Naruto’s eyes widened.

A mother! He had a mother…

The old woman continued talking.

“…I am not allowed to tell you of your father, but Kushina was my granddaughter. She came to Konohagakure from our homeland, Uzoshigakure, when she was a child, a little older than you are now. She left because it was a time of war. That is why we have never met before. I do not live in Konoha, and so never before had the chance to meet you.”

It was a lot of information, but Naruto absorbed it immediately and believed it to be true.

“My mother…she wasn’t from Konoha?” His heart filled up.

It wasn't that his family didn’t want him! It was that they didn’t live in the same city! It had taken Chiba- Chiba-baa-chan? (!) a while to get to Konoha, but now he had a family!

And then other thoughts began to flood in. If his mother wasn’t from Konoha... maybe that was why no one liked him? Why kids weren’t allowed to play with him and why vendors always charged him more than what the labels said things were worth when he bought groceries?

“She was, Naruto-kun” said jiji, interrupting his thoughts. “When Kushina became a ninja, she pledged her allegiance to the Hidden Leaf, renouncing any other loyalties she might have had previously and becoming a full citizen of the village.”

Naruto frowned. He’d asked jiji before about his parents. Countless times. And jiji had always said he didn’t know. Suddenly he did? And Chiba-baa-chan said she couldn’t tell him about his father? It didn’t make any sense.

“Baachan-" He started, but was interrupted.

“No. Obaa-sama. I am the head of our clan. Though we are small now, more than ever, we respect tradition.”

Naruto blushed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

He’d never been very respectful. He’d never had a reason to. Adults, in his experience, didn’t really deserve his respect. But this was his -grandmother- he could make an exception for her.

“Baa-sama...why can’t you tell me of my father?”

Chiba-baasama inclined her head towards jiji.

“Hokage-sama has asked me not to speak of him. In this matter, I defer to his authority.”

Jiji sighed, and though he looked sad, and Naruto had always wanted to avoid jiji looking sad… suddenly he felt angry.

Jiji’s had lied to him. He’d lied and Naruto couldn't understand why-

He thought Hokage-jiji was different.

He thought Hokage-jiji cared about him.

“It's for your own safety Naruto-kun. Your father was a powerful ninja, with many enemies… I believe you would be in great danger if knowledge of your parentage were to reach the wrong people.”

Naruto reached levels of angry he’s reached few times before. He couldn't really articulate, even though he tried-

“you could've told -me-“ he started, stoped, growled.

“I wouldna said anything… you know who they were and you -lied- to me…”

He stoped. He wanted to SCREAM, he wanted to throw something at jiji but… he glanced up at Chiba-baasama. Her face was blank and expressionless, but her eyes were tracking him, and more than anything, Naruto didn’t want her to think he was bad.

If she thought he was -bad- then...

then...

“I’m truly sorry Naruto-kun” said jiji. “It is for the best.”

Naruto felt tears prickle in his eyes, and he looked back down. He clenched his fists, and squeezed. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't let the tears fall. He was going to be good for baa-sama.

They were all quiet for a while.

Naruto trying to be good.

And the grownups gave him time to compose himself.

After a while, baa-sama spoke once more.

“Naruto.” she said, and Naruto looked back up to her. She had crossed her hands in front of her, over the table. Naruto noticed that despite being old, she had long, straight fingers.

“I did not come to Konoha by chance. When your mother, Kushina, came to this village, she was not alone. She, along with many other citizens came as refugees.”

She stopped, cleared her throat and continued.

“You see, our village, Uzushio, was very nearly destroyed 20 years ago in the last great war. To save our citizens, we urged many to evacuate and migrate to our allies. Some citizens came here, to Konoha. Some went to Kuso… Ame... Suna. The war ended 10 years ago, and some of us decided to return and rebuild Uzushio.”

"I have spent the last few years traveling the world and urging these evacuated citizens to return to our village. Some return, but some have created families and gained a new home. That means some decide to stay where they are. I force no one to return. When I came here, I was aware of your mother’s death. I was unaware that you even existed.”

There she stopped again. It looked like she was composing thoughts in her head.

“I don’t understand,” said Naruto.

Because he didn't.

“I will not be staying in Konoha.” said Chiba-baasama, carefully, and quieter than before.

“Both your parents were Konoha shinobi Naruto. You were born in this village, and that makes you a citizen of Konohagakure. But since your mother emigrated from Uzushiogakure, you are also a citizen of the village hidden in the Whirlpools. If you wish, you may legally renounce your citizenship of this village, and come live with me in Uzushio.”

“Naruto-kun” said jiji as soon as Chiba-baasama stopped talking,

“If you go, you must be aware. Uzushiogakure is much smaller than Konoha, they have less resources and people. You will have much better opportunities as a Konoha shinobi. If you leave, you will no longer be a citizen of this land, and many opportunities will be closed to you.”

Naruto felt scared.

Too much had happened in very little time. He was supposed to start the ninja academy in a month’s time. He had the date triple circled in his calendar.

But…

“Obaa-sama, if I stay in Konoha will you come visit me?” He asked, his voice small.

She frowned.

“It is unlikely Naruto. I am part of the village council in Uzushio and I have many duties that I cannot disregard. However, if you decide to stay, I will inform the rest of our clan of your whereabouts, and they may come visit if they wish. Likewise, once you become a ninja, if your travels ever bring you close to Uzushiogakure our doors will always be open to one of our own.”

The decision he had was simple, thought Naruto, and at the same time, they hadn’t really come out and said it plain.

Jiji spoke once more.

“We know this is a lot of information to take in Naruto-kun, and it is a difficult decision for one so young. Chiba-dono leaves in three days time. You may take that time to think about your decision.”

What they were saying was that Naruto could either live in Konoha, or live in Uzushio.

What they were saying was that Naruto had to choose, between the village were he was born and leaving for the unknown.

Maybe it was a difficult decision for other people. But Naruto knew what he wanted, and he rarely, if ever, changed his mind about anything.

“No need jiji!” He said, smiling for the first time in the conversation, small but true.

"I already know what I want to do… I’ve always dreamed of a family. I’ll go with you Chiba-baasama. I wanna… I wanna be a part of your family.” he said.

The old woman, who had been serious and proper since Naruto had first set eyes on her suddenly grinned. Eyes crinkled, teeth exposed. 

“You are more than welcome, grandson.”

Something unwound inside Naruto.

He felt like he could finally breathe. A matching grin of his own split his face.

He had a family.

...

When Naruto woke up, it was to the sound of his alarm clock.

He sat up in bed, yawning.

The memory of his dreams faded as his eyes landed on his calendar. 

He grinned. 

Today, his team would set out to Konohagakure for the chunnin exams.

He was going back.