27 Family Discussions - Goals

Evening time (Kamui's Point of View)

It was late. The sky had already lost its light. The moon was high in the sky and Kamui was finally walking home for the day. She had spent five hours transcribing the critical information from Sima's memories. Not a few times did she consider her act of pulling that information from the man a mistake; the follow-up actions had been annoying to say the least. Of course, her logic would kick in a little after each time. That intel could save her village after all; even if Orochimaru didn't have the capability to destroy the leaf, his schemes could still cause a lot of lives.

It's a good thing she had the shadow clone jutsu and plenty of chakra to fuel it; with every shadow clone doing a portion of the work, the monotonous task was made a lot simpler. She wasn't used to spamming it to create as many clones as she did, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Honestly, she could probably finish tomorrow, rather than the two days her father held her to.

At the very least, the most critical intel has been completely transcribed and transmitted to her father. She could take the night off without worry knowing that.

Entering the door of the house, Kamui looked around to find that her siblings seemed to be hanging out in the living room.

"I'm home!" she called out.

"Kamui!" Her three youngest siblings called out as they ran to her.

"So how was your mission!?" Reina called out.

"Did you get to fight bad guys!? Menma asked.

Kazumi just stood there with wide expecting eyes; she wanted to hear her answer too.

"Whoa there. One at a time. I can't answer both of you at once." Kamui said, her hands raised to get a little bit of space.

"Can't you just use shadow clones?" Kazumi asked innocently, causing Kamui to give her a mild narrowed look.

"You know what I mean." She looked at her other siblings. "Anyway, yes the mission went great and I did get to beat up bad guys!" her cheer mimicking her younger siblings.

Then a voice came from the living room.

"At least someone gets to have some fun. You were out there being a ninja, while we were cleaning the kennels. How is that fair?" Naruto asked as he walked toward the group.

Chuckling, Kamui responded, "Well, it wasn't my decision. If I were to guess, Sakura is your weakest link, so why not help her out. If you make her a stronger ninja, you'll probably go on missions faster.

Naruto gave a wry smile. "Way ahead of you. Sasuke's helping her out as we speak. According to him, since he has her attention, it was best to make use of it. They even made a deal. If she can make a better showing than Ino in the chunin exams, he'll go on a date with her."

Kamui's eyes widened, shocked at the revelation. Reina's eyes sparkled.

Reina exclaimed, "Ooh, so is big brother bringing a girlfriend home!?"

"What's a girlfriend." Menma asked, prompting Reina to look at him with offense.

"A girlfriend is something you're supposed to wait for until you're as strong as dad. Don't worry about it till then." Kamui said, prompting Menma to nod in understanding and Kazumi to nod in agreement.

"Until we're as strong as dad!? Are you crazy!? If we all had to do that, Konoha would be a graveyard. He's the most dangerous man on the continent!" Naruto shouted in disbelief.

"That's just how it is. If you want to date, you have to be great." Kamui stated with a quick nod.

Menma stared at the scene in confusion. On one side was Kamui and Kazumi, while the other had Naruto and Reina.

"This is so confusing. I'll go ask dad." He mumbled before walking off to ask his dad about the subject.

"Seriously though Naruto, it's a good idea. If Sasuke gives her an incentive, she may train harder than any of us; her obsession is well known. Who knows, they might end up together." Kamui spoke, amusement prominent in her tone.

"Or she can move on and realize he's just a big jerk." He said, causing the siblings to laugh.

Before they could continue the conversation, they heard Kushina calling from their dad's study.

"Kamui, are you ready for our talk!?" she asked, causing the trio of siblings a bit of confusion.

"What talk?" Naruto asked, causing the two other siblings to nod as if affirming his question.

Kamui shouted back her reply, "Yes, I'm coming!" With that, she turned back to her siblings and clarified, "There were some things that came up during the mission. Dad agreed to let me ask our moms for advice. It's a secret though, so I can't tell you." She said with a smile, trying her best to dispel any concern her words may have created.

"Of course it is. Come on you two. Let's let Kamui get to her business." Naruto said while rounding the two up to take them back to the couch. Before he got too far though, he gave her one last look with narrowed eyes.

Shaking her head, she began her journey to her dad's study.

'Is he still jealous?' she thought to herself.

Midway there, she noticed her little brother walking away from the study, his eyes wide in horror.

'I guess they must have spooked him. I wonder how they framed the subject.' She thought to herself in anticipation. She wouldn't ask her parents; she would ask him once she was done here. That would make it so much more entertaining.

Minato's Study (Kamui's Point of View)

Kamui walked in to see her father sitting at a dark-wooden desk with Kushina and Mikoto sitting on the couch, their distance about a person away from each other.

'I guess I already know where I'm sitting.' She thought with a smile. She really appreciates the gesture. Both of them would be by her side as she explains it; it gave them immediate access for head pats and hugs.

Sitting down between them, she silently wondered on how the greatest shinobi since Hashirama Senju was living in such a simple house. How would his enemies feel if they found that rather than living in an elaborate compound, the yellow flash lived in a simple small family house.

Clearing the miscellaneous thoughts from her mind, she refocused on her father in front of her.

"Alright Kamui, I'm sure you know why we're all here." He calmly stated.

"I do." She replied simply.

"Ok, just to restate, your sensei let me know that something changed you on that mission. Based on the events that transpired, she believed it had something to do with your sharingan pulling information from Suzune. Could you explain what happened?" He asked, trying to keep his tone soft and inviting to help their daughter open up.

She was about to explain, when she felt the women on her side scoot a little closer to her, letting her know that they were there. Seeing this, she couldn't help but smile even brighter for a quick second.

Turning serious, she turned to her father and started, "When we engaged the enemy, I was recognized right away. You've likely read this from the mission report, but this girl was one of the shinobi from Iwa who lost their fathers to you in the war. She bore such hatred; it was as if my presence was the spark that set off a mine field. She had just killed an entire caravan of people, effectively doing the same thing you did to her, and it didn't even matter as long as she could hurt you. Honestly, I had a hard time comprehending her mind." She paused to collect her thoughts.

Seeing as how Kamui wasn't finished, the three parents stayed silent. Their eyes showing concern for a topic that was definitely going to be hard to discuss when this was finished. Hatred was a difficult subject to explain in detail. In most cases, it was over simplified and therefore, not given the justice it deserved. Very few people really understood it. Hell, even Master Jiraiya with his extensive exploration on the subject likely only scratched the surface.

Kamui continued with a somber tone, "Then, it happened. Our eyes met and I saw flashes of her life. Specifically, I saw the moments that defined her life of pain. I felt her pain once she heard of her father's death. I felt her succumb to the village's contagious hatred for the man they perceived responsible, you. I felt her suffering as her dysfunctional family experienced crippling poverty due to their lack of income. I felt her despair when her mother committed suicide to be with her beloved again. I felt her twisted resolution as she embarked on a personal vendetta to make everything as right as possible before she too met her end. Finally, I felt any semblance of her self-identity vanish as she was coerced to commit profane acts of evil to hurt you in any way she could." While she shed no tears, her lost expression was enough to convey her mind.

Minato was stumped. What kind of ability allowed you to do that? With how dangerous their world was, that was just as dangerous to the caster as to the user

'To experience someone else's despair. What a horrible ability'. He thought.

Kushina and Mikoto were of similar mind. Mikoto especially knew how susceptible their clan was to emotions. If it had been any other Uchiha, that really could have been bad. They would have had a much harder time dealing with the torrent of emotions.

Mikoto was the one to speak first. "That's a powerful and dangerous ability. On one hand, it can bridge the understanding between you and someone else by letting you experience fragments of their lives. From the sounds of it, it may focus on the memories tied to their strongest emotions. On the other hand, if you have to experience their emotions as well, it can be very stressful. You have to be very careful when using that ability." Kamui nodded in response. "With that said, I guess I'll ask the thing we're all wondering here. How do you feel after everything you've experienced during that vision?" Mikoto finished, receiving nods from the two other adults in the room.

"Truthfully, I'm a little lost. I can't comprehend her actions. I vaguely understand her downward spiral as a result of the various circumstances that plagued her. I can recognize the logical chain of events that led to her distorted state, but I can't comprehend the mindset she lived her life by. She didn't assert herself. When opinions came storming through, she didn't evaluate the information. She didn't reflect on her own village's shortcomings. She justified them, just as she justified her own.

"During our conversation, she justified all of her village's atrocities behind a need for resources. Sure, that could justify the war itself, but what about the brutality they're known for. I know that our records are biased against them, but even then, it probably wasn't pretty. I wonder how much of that was actually necessary for resource expansion. She didn't even consider that the land of earth probably has some of the largest deposits of tradable precious metals on the continent." Kamui explained.

The three adults were stumped. They came expecting to council their daughter on the emotions concerning her experience. What they didn't expect was that her problems were in the lack of a logical thought process.

"So let me get this straight." Kushina started with one hand holding her forehead, trying to contain the small headache she was starting to feel. "It's not her emotions that bothered you, it was the mentality she lived her life by?"

Kamui thought for a moment and clarified, "It's not that the emotions don't bother me, they do. It's just that her follow-on actions were more concerning to me. She could have prevented a lot of the pain she went through if she just questioned her environment more. She just took everything at face value and adopted the mindset of those around her.

"I want to save people like her. To do that, understanding the cause of the emotions are more important than the emotions themselves. I can't relate to what she's feeling; that's a fact. From my interaction with her, she didn't seem to want sympathy, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. If this village is any indication, shinobi have too much pride for appeal to emotions to be viable; at least I won't be able to do it. Since that's the case, I've decided to focus on the logical portion, the part that I can excel in. In this case, I want to understand why she lived her life with so little concern for the truth; she just accepted what she heard and made it a part of her" Kamui clarified to her audience.

Kushina and Mikoto looked at each other with amusement. This was probably the funniest things they'd ever heard from their daughter.

Minato decided voice their collective thoughts on the matter. From their expressions, he could tell they were of a similar mind.

Chuckling, Minato started, "Honestly, Kamui. This is pretty funny." He said, causing Kamui to feel a small amount of indignation.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a furrowed expression showing her confusion and disapproval of his amusement.

"You can understand the most complicated of jutsu, you can put together overly complex plans, but you're failing to grasp something so simple." Minato replied, prompting the nods of Kushina and Mikoto.

Kamui looked at her father, mother, and aunt in confusion. What was she missing? They clearly understood something she didn't.

Kushina was the one to respond, still trying to stifle her laughter. She spoke, "Kamui, not everyone is as strong or as logical as you are. Most don't question what they are told by those they trust. Take your brother Itachi, he's a great ninja, but would make for a terrible revolutionary. The problem is that he doesn't think outside of what he's been taught. Any actions that he would take would be that of a ninja."

Mikoto decided to contribute her input. "She's right. Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point. If it wasn't for Fugaku's sacrifice during the nine-tail's attack, the Uchiha would have been in a bad position. It's not well known, but a coup was in discussion. I've told these two at length about it, but I think you should know. If the fourth's projections on events is correct, Danzo would likely have been the one pushing for this. Based on his actions, he's shown clear desire to exterminate the Uchiha and had mission records of root missions to steer our clan toward a coup decision. Once it got bad enough, Minato predicted that Itachi would be the perfect pawn to exterminate the clan. It would have been perfect. Since a clan member exterminated the clan, there would be no retaliation from the other clans and since they were plotting a coup, Danzo would get off with a slap on the wrist from the third.

"As much as I love my son, I know he would do it. He's been raised on shinobi values all his life and aside from a Hokage-like understanding of the profession and the will of fire, he doesn't have the capacity to think outside those instilled values. In your case, you'd probably start 'leaking' intel to the daimyo to spark an intervention, identifying key rebellious figures to minimize the loss of life, and even finding out the full story to appeal to the other clans, whether you were allowed to or not. Itachi wouldn't; he would accept his fate once the easier solutions were no longer available and execute the clan down to the last man. Sasuke would likely be the only survivor to keep the Uchiha blood alive in the village; you'd probably be alive too, but wouldn't count as an Uchiha since you can't produce more for the village. You'd probably be likened to a Jinchuriki in the minds of the village leadership. Itachi may even think that Danzo did him a favor, not realizing that both of you being alive was his desired outcome as well." Mikoto paused, looking at Kamui's eyes widened in horror at events that could have been.

She continued with a serious expression, "The point is that the two of you are different. Even though you both come from privileged backgrounds, you handle situations differently. Even though you're both prodigies, you both excel at different situations. For example, Minato would never send you on a mission to do the village's dirty work. He would have no trouble sending Itachi; he's just the type of person who'd be able to complete it without having it affect him.

"In the case of this Suzune person, she likely wasn't very inquisitive and likely took the information she received at face value because she trusted her village. Indoctrination is so effective because the majority of people are susceptible to it. The problem is further compounded when emotions are put into the equation. When a person is confused by pain, anger, hatred, frustration and any other stress-inducing emotions, their decision making will be impaired. In that state, they're at their most vulnerable to outside influence." She finished; her expression shifted to a smile at some point in her explanation.

Mikoto was relieved that this was the problem. Here she thought that Kamui would be affected by her mission, or even her first kills. It seemed that she was wrong though; Kamui was trying to figure out why these things happened in the first place. It was a much easier problem to address. While the answers were more complicated, the resolution was simpler. She hoped Sasuke would be similar. According to Minato, their team would be ready for their first mission in a few weeks.

From there, Minato decided that it was his turn to get a word in.

"Kamui," Minato started, prompting her to look at him. "Over the next few years, you'll learn a lot about the world. There'll be a lot of missions where you'll be given the opportunity to expand your awareness of how people operate. You'll also have to perform quite a few undesirable missions involving sabotage and assassination. Through the moral murky waters inherent in being a ninja, what is it you want to do? Have you been able to find your purpose?" He asked, causing her face to brighten into a smile.

"I have. I'm going to change this world. I don't know how just yet, but one day, I'm going to create a world where people can be happy. I probably won't be able to reach everyone, but I'll reach as many as I can."

Hearing this, the three adults smiled at the naivety of her decided purpose. It was a grand one, but at least it was positive.

Deciding to throw a wrench in her plans, Minato commented, "You know, everyone's happiness is different. You won't be able to avoid conflict." Kamui shook her head at that.

Taking on a determined countenance, "I'm under no illusion that it will be easy or bloodless. First, I will idealize what a happy world means based on what I see over the next couple of years. Once I've got it set in my mind, I'll proceed with making it a reality."

"And if others disagree?" Minato asked calmly. Mikoto watched in trepidation as she hoped Kamui's answer wasn't what she was thinking it would be.

Kamui replied, her expression hardened, "Small compromises will be possible, but the core will not be up for negotiation. Ideally, they can be reasoned with to join hands. Those who continue to stand in the way will require a more forceful approach. Conflict cannot always be avoided." She spoke steadily.

One common theme in most of the literature she's read in the village over the years is that shinobi are a violent lot and to compromise their interests will lead to conflict. From what she's read, even the creation of this village required an immeasurable volume of blood to be spilt; it would take time, but she would resolve herself to that reality. Hopefully it wouldn't be as necessary as those tales imply.

Kushina gasped. She liked to avoid conflict if possible; it was the way of the Uzumaki clan. They hated conflict so much, they turtled themselves in an island and hadn't expanded for almost their entire time there. It's one of the reasons they were so easy to exterminate. Once the secret of bypassing their sealing barriers, whirlpools, and other defenses was sold out, the enemies really only needed to seize one base. They likely would have survived if they had expanded even a little.

Kamui's response was completely opposite of her own desired approach. It's one of the reasons she knew she wouldn't make for an ideal Hokage, despite it being her dream to fill the role. In essence, she was too nice to really perform some of the darker aspects of the job. While she'd probably make a great Hokage in peace time, it wouldn't last long on this continent. She wouldn't say anything for now; Minato and Mikoto were better equipped to handle this.

Mikoto was a little different. Her response was a simple sigh. At the end of the day, this was the way of the Uchiha. Once they formed their ideal, they would carve a path of blood to reach it; hopefully it wouldn't be as bad in her daughter's case. She hadn't mentioned killing, but it was certainly along the same lines. It was fortunate that Kamui's as rational about this as she is; they didn't need another Madara Uchiha.

The village may have labeled him a traitor, but he really wasn't. It was just a conflict of ideals; Hashirama wanted to make peace with the other nations through treaties, while Madara felt Konoha needed to conquer the others for the same end. Needless to say, Hashirama won. If Madara had just been a bit more patient, he would have had his chance during the first great shinobi war, but he wasn't. Maybe it'd be a good idea to teach her the true history behind this event in the near future. Maybe.

Minato's expression became stern. As Hokage, her words could be interpreted as a threat to the village. If he didn't know his daughter well enough, he just might. Although she didn't state it, there's a possibility that the Konoha of that time wouldn't want her desired approach. What then?

Fortunately, he'll have enough influence in her life to steer this in a favorable direction. The problem was that it conflicted with the ideals his sensei instilled in him. Maybe he could bring them together for a discussion on this later down the line?

He thought, 'Let's see how she responds to Master Jiraiya's dream.'

"Kamui" he started, his expression shifting back to a calm one. "What do you think of peace? It was always my master's vision to establish a lasting peace in the world and I was wondering what your opinion was on it. You may be young, but with this type of goal, I'm curious on your current opinion." Hearing this, Kamui sank into thought.

"How long would you want the peace to last?" She asked, still visibly in thought.

Minato responded, "Perpetually. The ideal would be to have a world with no war." Hearing this, she shook her head.

"I'm not yet a worldly person. I haven't traveled enough to see the nuances of people's behavior. That's what I want to find out. That said, I have this feeling, that peace can never be permanent, that there will always be conflict in one form or another. I don't know why, but it's a nagging feeling that plagues my thoughts.

That last part was a lie; she knew why. These were the remnant beliefs of her predecessor.

She continued, "My goal for the next several years is to understand the world better and understand whether this conclusion is correct. Hopefully, through understanding, we can build the best outcome with as little blood as possible." She finished with a smile. She really hoped she could do it without going to war with the world or something. Wouldn't that make her the villain? A peace made that way wouldn't be worth it.

Mikoto was quick to jump on that comment. "Be careful of nagging thoughts. For Uchiha, they rarely lead to good ends. That said, you're not a normal Uchiha. I just want you to be wary." She warned causing Kamui to nod in response.

It was a fair point. The reason she didn't know much about her predecessor was for that very reason. Her predecessor didn't want her to be tainted too much by her beliefs. The whole point was so she could form her own identity and belief system. It was also why Yume didn't provide her input all that much during these philosophical ponderings.

"Makes sense. I'll keep that in mind. That said, I would appreciate it if I could ask you for advice like this whenever there's something that doesn't make sense to me. "

"Any time. Now, I think it's about time to have dinner. I think that's enough philosophy for one day" Mikoto spoke, ending the conversation to give the adults time to think. The other three agreed and began to get ready for their evening supper. They had waited for her to get home after all. It was a little later than usual, but they had to celebrate Kamui's first successful mission.

While Kamui calmly went about her business, the three adults looked at each other with worry. They would need to pay closer attention to their daughter going forward. She had a lot of potential and would absolutely change the world when she got older. Therefore, they needed to make sure they were involved in these early conversations to steer her in a positive direction.