5 The Death
(After a week)
"Namikaze Mirei...I challenge you to battle with me", said Little Hana Inuzuka, She challenged Mirei almost daily
"Sigh...Hana why don't you be like other girls and be a fangirl of Itachi?"
"What are you talking about, don't tell me you are backing out coward"
"Alright, but first why do you want to defeat me so much"
"Huh? that's because we females of Inuzuka are the dominant ones in the relationship"
"WHO THE HELL IS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU"
"B-But we did K-K-Kiss; you know", said the furiously blushing young girl as she poked both her fingers with each other
"Sigh...Hana that was a mistake...we collide and we fell in an awkward position, tha-", Mirei words were cut by her
"Doesn't matter you kissed me and that's final, it's time we fight, come at me", countered Hana
'Sigh...what a troublesome woman'
-------
"Mirei, It's time to learn an attacking method", said Kushina
"Really", Mirei's eyes were practically shining
"Yes you are good enough with fuinjutsu to be able to do it, It's called Admantine Sealing Chains"
-------
There were just 5 weeks left for Naruto to be born
-------
After a few weeks at school, everything comes to conclusion, Mirei was a genius at study he was always at the top.
But during taijutsu session he was always dead last, his physical portion was laughable. His aim was poor, His strength minimal at best, and his speed was extremely slow, The only thing good about Mirei is the Endless supply of Chakra he has and the endless stamina he has
The school was torture.
He always heard the whispers, the snickers, the stares – "That's the Yondaime's son, isn't he? I hear he's a disabled kid." "Addled brain?" "Hah, the useless boy is more like it"
Judgmental. All of them were like that.
If you were strong, they isolated you.
If you were weak, they bullied you.
The same thing applied here. Geniuses such as Itachi were resented, idolized, put on a pedestal to be isolated from others—at the top. This world's brats had pegged Mirei as the weak, the one below the average.
It was infuriating.
-------
"What did you just say", asked the angry Minato as he slammed the fist on the table
"Lord Hokage please don't be angry, what I said is true Mirei cannot be a ninja, he has practically zero movability, he cannot perform taijutsu and his aim has no power whatsoever", said the teacher from the academy
"But he is super strong for kids of his age"
"I don't disagree, In fact, he is so strong that only Uchiha Itachi can win against him and sometimes even he loses, but that's just temporary, with no movability Mirei is bound to be an average shinobi that's only considering he keeps up his great defense, and if he falters at it even a little he will be below average, he might be even worse than that"
-------
"Otou-san what are you doing"
"I am creating a new technique for you, using wind release"
"Really, but why?"
"Mirei you are already good enough with defense but your mobility still gives you a huge disadvantage in battle, not to mention when you are given a mission you need to rush from place to place which you definitely cannot"
"So this new technique you are creating"
"It's a wind technique meant for flying without using a single hand sign, with your endless stamina and chakra, you can practically do it forever of course, not during the fight considering it just gives you mobility"
-------
Minato begins to look like an Old man with all this tension
"Tou-chan, Please Let go"
"What do you mean Mirei"
"You are trying to create a technique to grant me mobility, alongside strength but you are punishing too much for it, I am a disabled child dad and that's not going to change no matter what you do, not to mention Kaa-saan is Pregnant with only 4 weeks remaining, shouldn't you be with her celebrating the birth of Naruto?"
"M-Mirei *Hic* Minato was crying
Mirei just hugged the blond man, "Don't worry dad I am happy I got You, Mom, Chi, Shishui-nii, even that annoying girl Hana, Now I am going to have Naruto as well, Hee-Hee just you wait I am going to be the best brother ever"
-------
If someone asked Mirei, He wouldn't be able to describe the day of his baby brother's birth in full detail.
All the bad memories cropped there, so dark that it churned and blotted out other memories.
It was a bright autumn morning, He recalled. Mirei walked to school with Itachi, in good spirits—or as terrific his mood could be with the impending birth of his brother— he even bought dango to share with him, and they did reach school.
Screams punctured the air, hammering in the reality of what Mirei was seeing. He reeled back, slamming into Itachi who barely caught. How his body was wracked with trembles had little to do with his physical energy now.
"K—Kyūbi…?"
How was that possible? It broke free in spite of everything?
(It was sunny just moments ago but, as if the evil emanating from the Kyūbi was a ladle, it stirred the clouds, forming a gaping center in the darkening sky)
"Mirai, don't stop!" cried Itachi, tugging urgently on my hand.
"Namikaze, Uchiha, hurry over here!" Funeno-sensei—Their homeroom teacher—was the one shouting at them. His face was pale with terror, sweat beading down his cheek.
Up ahead in the schoolyard, Mirei saw all the teachers trying to keep order. He spotted the youngest class making their way up to the Hokage Mountain where the shelters were already. He saw everything with crisp clarity.
The earth seemed to be shaking from the force of the Kyūbi's continuous roar. Students bowling one another down in search for younger and elder relatives, shouting in panic and fear, and amidst it, I saw a lost puppy whimpering, lost, kicked around; Hana's puppy.
"We have to share it", said Mirei
"What are you talking about, we can't go in there it's too dangerous", said Itachi
"Chi- It's Hana's Puppy, She is a friend no matter how annoying she still is a friend"
"But-"
"Don't you always say that every life is precious and every single thing in this universe has the right to live"
"...."
"Chi"
"Let's go and save it"
-------
Mirei squinted over Itachi's shoulder. "Is it me or is the school empty?"
"No, it's not you … it's …" Itachi kindly left out how they have been ditched because Mirei messed around and delayed. Bot saw a steady line streaming into the Hokage Mountain—the distance was great so Mirei only saw a small hole of black that was actually the gaping entrance to the shelters.
"How did they move so fast?"
"Saving one's own life must be a good incentive." Itachi pointed in the direction of the Kyūbi.
Mirei turned only to see a massive gathering of Yin and Yang energy: a bijūdama that overshadowed Konoha with its blinding glare. It was so powerful the air distorted, drawn into its direction, whipping our clothes and hair. I was ashamed to admit I clung to Itachi and cried out in fear.
To be fair, the Kyūbi charging up a bijūdama wasn't a courage-inspiring scene.
"If that hits Konoha," Itachi started to say in a strained, choked voice, but didn't finish; when, in a flash of white, the bijūdama threatening to raze Konoha to the ground—and obliterate—disappeared. "It's gone," Itachi gasped, his grip on Mirei shirt loosening.
*Badump*
"What is it", asked Itachi
"Sasuke, the Uchiha who was with Sasuke is dead in the rumble, Sasuke is alone GO"
And Itachi took off with his full speed, he must protect Sasuke his precious little brother, or how would he answer his mother and father who said as a big brother he must take care of Sasuke
-------
One Badly hurt Puppy, alongside one disabled Kid was in the middle of the rumble
He looked instinctively in the direction of his father's face on the Hokage Mountain.
(A speck of white in the gleam of darkness— Namikaze Minato had arrived to save the village—)
The earth shook one last time from the last defiant roar of the monster. And was gone.
-------
(After a few minutes...)
*Badump*
"What the...", he who was hugging the puppy ran, he ran for the first time, his physical strength was giving out, he was on the verge of collapsing but he ran with tears in his eyes
His spiritual energy picked it up, the dimming Chakra levels of Minato, Kushina, The bright almost inexhaustible chakra of a newborn, the spiritual energy that makes him an incredible Chakra Sensor, frightens him
Nothing.
No signal from any of them … No!!!
He somehow reached the place of the sealing ritual using all of his strength
His tears kept coming as he watched his mother dead body, alongside his father and the little precious and cute blond boy, a newborn
"Naruto...my brother", muttered Mirei before passing out
-------
After a week he opened his eyes, but the moment he opened his eyes, and his eyes met Old Man eyes
he enveloped Mirei into a hug.
Mirei protested and squirmed. He hated being touched by someone, not family, not someone He recognized or loved. His hand found Hokage shoulder and Mirei gave one hard shove, dislodging the Third Hokage from him. Mirei stilled once he saw the Hokage's face: Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was lined with age and grief. Mirei belatedly realized that his wife had just died.
"Where's Naruto?" Mirei asked
Brother.
There is still a family. A tiny bundle of pink cheeks and blonde fuzz came to Mirei mind's eye.
"He's safe in the hospital, resting from a dreadful ordeal—he has been orphaned after all and saddled with a burden no infant should have," Sarutobi's mutter was barely discernible.
"You mean he's the jinchūriki." His look of surprise made mirei snort over a bitter sob. "If my mother, the previous jinchūriki is dead, surely someone else must take her place. Who else but my brother and I have inherited the compatibility to host bijū?"
Sarutobi decided against arguing. "Yes." His dark eyes flitted to the frames hanging on the wall, depicting the previous Hokage. "You know, with you sitting before me, it's not hard to believe Minato isn't dead." He met mirei eyes. "A part of him still lives in you. I can see it in your eyes."
"Can we get to the point of this meeting?" Mirei asked when the silence began to thicken.
Sarutobi's gaze was fixed very steadily on Mirei visage, eyes hard. "Mirei-kun, you are well aware that the village knows of your existence as the Fourth Hokage's son?"
"So?"
"I'm afraid Naruto can't be publicly seen as your brother or the Hokage's son."
(My mother—that was a nice memory. I remembered her smile, the vibrant red of her hair, and those soft purple eyes so much like mine)
