Chapter 15
NARUTO
“He needs to be taken to a hospital, Hiruzen,” a voice said. It was deep and serious.
“He’s fine,” another voice said. Naruto recognized that one. It was Sarutobi.
“How do you know,” the first voice said. Naruto could recognize that one now. It was his biology teacher, Jiraiya.
“It’s too dangerous to take him to a hospital,” Saurtobi responded.
“So you’re just going to assume that he’s fine then,” Jiraiya said.
“It was only the fox spirit, Jiraiya.” Naruto didn’t recognize that voice. It was a woman’s voice.
“It doesn’t come out unless the body is in grave danger,” Jiraiya responded. “Or through training, but I don’t think he’s been trained yet.”
“He hasn’t. He’s not ready to be trained,” Sarutobi said.
Naruto opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but after a while, it became clear. He looked around the white room. He was lying in a bed, covered in a bed sheet. It took him a while but Naruto recognized this room to be the nurse’s office. He sat up and looked to his left to see Jiraiya, Tsunadae, and Sarutobi huddled together just outside of the room. Tsunadae had can of beer in her hand. Jiraiya’s body language looked frustrated, his back to the room. Sarutobi was already looking straight at Naruto.
“He’s up,” Sarutobi said. The other two turned.
A long silence. The three stared at Naruto as he slowly got up from the bed.
“Are you ok,” Jiraiya finally asked.
“I don’t know,” Naruto responded. He had no recollection of how he got to the office. “What happened?”
“It was nothing,” Sarutobi said. His face and attitude felt off. It wasn’t as stern or cold as it usually was. “Tsunadae, take a look at him, will you?”
Tsunadae came over and inspected Naruto, asking him to do different movements, each time asking him “does that hurt?” Naruto responded no to each one, but to say he felt fine would be a stretch. His entire chest felt sore.
“Seems fine to me,” she said once she was finished. “But I still don’t understand how that could’ve happened though.”
“How what happened,” Naruto asked.
Jiraiya and Tsunadae both looked to Sarutobi. The principal sighed and sat down next to Naruto on the bed.
“Naruto…” Sarutobi began. His voice sounded weird as well. “You uh…passed out.”
“I passed out,” Naruto asked. “How? When?”
“During football,” Sarutobi responded. Naruto looked at him weird. Everything seemed off.
Everyone sat in silence for a moment. Jiraiya and Tsunadae both stared at Sarutobi. Naruto couldn’t figure it out, but something wasn’t right.
“So, are we going to go home,” Naruto asked. The silence was too much.
“Yes, I think we will,” Sarutobi said, getting up from the bed.
“But, first,” Jiraiya blurted. “I think Hiruzen needs to talk to you about something.”
“About what,” Naruto asked.
“Nothing,” Sarutobi said.
“I think it’s time Hiruzen,” Jiraiya said.
“Time for us to go home, isn’t that right, Naruto,” Sarutobi said, grabbing the kid.
“Hiruzen,” Tsunadae started. “The kid needs to know.”
“Talk to me about what,” Naruto asked. “Also, what was that about me getting trained? What’s going on Sarutobi?”
“Nothing, Naruto,” Sarutobi said.
“Naruto,” Jiraiya began. “Today marks a change. I know your life has already been a tough one, growing up an orphan and such. Today is the day your orphaned status changes. your childhood, your upbringing, was all for a purpose. I know you might feel a little young and that’s because you are, but you must realize that you have been chosen! You were born to become this country’s savior! You were born to become this country’s leader-“
“NO!” Sarutobi fumed. Everyone looked at him shocked. He never raised his voice. “He’s…not ready. Not now.”
“It won’t be long Hiruzen till Madara finds out now,” Jiraiya responded.
“He won’t find out,” Sarutobi growled. “Regardless, he is not ready. And this is not what I wanted for him to hear today.”
“It’s time Hiruzen,” Tsunadae said.
“It is time when I say it is time,” the principal said. “And I say he is not ready. Come, Naruto, we’re leaving.”
Sarutobi dragged Naruto out of the nurse’s office and eventually out of the school. He never let go until he put Naruto into the car.
The car ride was silent. Not a word was said. Sarutobi gripped the steering wheel hard, his vanes popping out of his hand. His face was angry. He drove more reckless, speeding home. Sarutobi never sped.
When they pulled into the driveway, Sarutobi turned off the car and let out a tired sigh.
“Sarutobi…” Naruto said. “What’s goin-.”
“Just go inside, Naruto. I’ll meet you there.”
“What did they mea-.”
“Go inside. I need to be alone for a little, ok? I’ll talk to you later tonight about what’s going on.”
Naruto got out of the car and went inside. Once he got into his room, his sat down on his bed and started thinking.
What do they mean?
What happened?
Why can’t I remember part of try outs?
How did I get to my room?
What’s a fox spirit?
What did Jiraiya mean?
What’s wrong with Sarutobi?
Why does he look so concerned?
Should I be concerned?
What do they mean by I’m not ready?
Why aren’t I ready?
What am I supposed to be ready for?
Knocking at his room door brought him back to reality.
“Naruto…” It was Sarutobi on the other side of the door. “Come downstairs to my office.”
Naruto looked at the time. Hours had passed since he got home. He didn’t realize how long he had been in his own head reflecting on what was going. He went downstairs.
Sarutobi’s office was decorated in medals and awards the former Sanin leader had achieved during his military career. His office had pictures of Sarutobi with important people, like the current and previous presidents. Naruto rarely was inside of Sarutobi’s office and would often forget that the man used to be a very successful military leader.
Sarutobi was seated at his desk when Naruto walked in. Naruto took a seat in a chair in front of the desk. Sarutobi had a sheet of paper with handwriting on it.
They both sat in silence. Sarutobi would look at his paper, open his mouth to say something just to hesitate and close his mouth. He would keep doing this for a while before standing up from his desk, crumbling the paper up and throwing it away.
Standing over the trash can is where he began.
“Naruto… I uh- I’m not good at speeches. And there is too much to say. Naruto, the next coming days are going to be completely different than what you’re used to. You are going to be thrust into the middle of a great conflict that I can’t tell you about yet, but that conflict is coming. You are going to be told many things before this conflict starts. That you are destined for this and that. That you were chosen to do something. That you are the next something…”
“When I was sixteen, I was in love with a girl. I wanted to marry her and when I graduated high school, I did. But my family wasn’t wealthy. We were poor. And I was poorer. I married someone that my family didn’t approve of. The girl brought no wealth to us. So, my family refused to support me. And she came from a poor family as well, so I did what any fresh graduate did to make some decent, stable income during those times, and I joined the military. Those days, war was often, so I was away from my wife for long periods of times. But, while I was away from my wife, I ended up finding great success in the military. After the first war I was in, I had already risen my rank to officer. Sure, they promoted everyone who managed to survive that war, but an accomplishment nonetheless. The second war, I was leading my very own squad. That’s when I started receiving medals.”
Sarutobi pointed to a chuck of medals in a corner of his office.
“Those I won from after stopping some rebellions.”
He pointed to another group of medals in a different corner.
“I won those after some war, I forget which it was.”
He pointed to the ones on his desk.
“Those I won for my time leading the Sanin…”
“So, I became successful and now I was being rewarded. People kept telling me you’re the greatest military leader to have lived. You’ve helped this country so much. I was destined to be in the military and help this great country. But, that’s how people get you to do things for you. They reward you for your actions and then put you on this great pedestal after rewarding you. But since your on the pedestal, you’re expected to live up to their expectations. They expect you to be this great leader. They expect you to always answer the phone to go to war. They expect you to do all these things for the greater good. They expect you to ignore your wife’s pleas to stay home with her. They expect you to ignore your obligations as a husband. They expect you to not care when your wife divorces you…”
He paused, looking to figure out what to say next.
“You’ve had a wife before,” Naruto asked.
“Yeah. I did… She was beautiful. I loved her. I only joined the military for her. To make enough money to buy us a farm and raise our future kids. But that never happened. Naruto, you’re going to be told things in the next few days that will make you feel like you must live up to someone else’s expectations. Because you are this great military leader, you must fight in this war. You must fight for this country and defend its people. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do anything. Naruto, I lost sight of why I was in the military in the first place and look at what that’s brought me? I live in a home by myself with a bunch of plastic in my office. And soon I’ll die, and this plastic will rot away. All this because I felt I was expected to be this person that people wanted me to be, rather than just being myself. Don’t let others tell you what you have to do. Do what you want to do. Do what makes you happy, not just what makes other people happy…”
“But.. I don’t understand,” Naruto said. “What did they mean? Jiraiya and Tsunadae? And what’s going on, why can’t I remember getting to the nurse’s office?”
Sarutobi looked at Naruto sad and disappointed.
“Naruto the-…. It’s not important…”
“Not important? You guys were saying a bunch of weird stuff around me that was about me but when I ask what it was, you’re just going to say it’s not important? It was about me, wasn’t it? If it’s not important, why can’t you say it?”
“Naruto, stop asking about it.” Sarutobi was starting to sound more stern again. Starting to sound more normal.
“Why can’t I ask about it?”
“Because I said so.”
“So, you’re just going to say some big speech about life and stuff but when I actually need to hear something important from you, you won’t tell me? What’s going on? Why are you acting so weird? Why can’t you tell me anything?”
“That’s enough,” Sarutobi fumed. “Go to your room.”
Naruto stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room.
His school year was doomed. He had another terrible day and felt that the rest of the year was going to be terrible. Naruto buried his face into his pillow and cried. He couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want to continue living like this with Sarutobi.
I should run away, he thought. Run far from here. From him.
But to where? I’m a nobody. I have no family. I have nothing.
There was a knocking at his door. It was Sarutobi.
“Leave me alone,” Naruto cried.
Sarutobi walked into the room.
“I said leave me alone!” Naruto didn’t want to cry in front of Sarutobi.
“Naruto…”
“Just leave!”
Naruto got up to throw his pillow at Sarutobi. That’s when he saw the principal’s face.
Sarutobi had tears in his eyes.
“I’m sorry…” Sarutobi said. “I know this is tough for you… You’ve lived a rough life and school has been tough to you…. I’ve been tough to you… I…”
Sarutobi sat down on chair in the room.
“I’ve been a bad guardian to you… I’ve never really taken care of you when you were in that orphanage and now that you’ve been living with me, I haven’t done any better. Naruto, I want to change. I really do. But I’m old. And old people are slow learners. But I don’t want to be a bad guardian to you. I want to be better than that. I want to raise you right and make you my own. All I’ve ever known is the military. I’ve never had a son…” Sarutobi stood up.
“And though I don’t make it clear to you, you are my son in my eyes. I hope you realize that through all my callousness and anger that I love you…”
Sarutobi walked out of Naruto’s room.
That was the first time Naruto ever heard Sarutobi say I love you to him.