Naruto : Monsters: Chapter 15

"I had hoped that by exposing him to a new environment with many children his own age, he may eventually end up making some, and perhaps learn how to behave like a child for once. 

I must admit, though it was my own plan I had little hope for it actually working, not this quickly at least."

...

Hiashi shook his head, a wry smile on his face, "That boy has always managed to surprise me. I had only sent him to the Academy this morning, only for him to come barging back in not an hour later, dragging a blond-haired child by the hand behind him. Then before I could get so much as a word in he asked permission to sleep over at his new friend's place.

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Had I possessed any less control over myself I was not sure if I would have either whooped for joy at my son finally finding a friend or bashed my head into the wall that he chose to befriend the Jinchuuriki of all things. 

And while I would rather he had chosen anyone else, that child is still better than leaving Hikaru as he is."

"There is also the matter of Hikaru-sama's…confrontation with the Uchiha children." Hizashi reminded.

"A minor incident," Hiashi waved his hand as if swatting a fly. "We will send a formal apology to the Uchiha and I will naturally reprimand him on his conduct upon his return but the boy is still but a child. No one will take the actions of a six-year-old seriously. 

This event will be remembered as nothing more than a child acting out because he was nervous on his first day at school, if it is remembered at all."

Takehiko examined his eldest son's face for a moment before sighing. "Very well." He looked into his successor's eyes.

"I will support your decision in this, as the Clan Head and his father it is your right to decide how to best raise the boy. But make no mistake Hiashi, this does not mean I agree with your assessment about my grandson, I'm only siding with you on this because I believe it would be beneficial for Hikaru to make friends among his peers."

"Thank you, Father." Hiashi nodded to the man. "And for what it's worth, I hope I'm wrong about Hikaru too." Now that the more sensitive part of the conversation was over, Hiashi began leading them back into the compounds.

"The Hokage is going to want an explanation for all of this. You know how protective he is when it comes to the Jinchuuriki. He no doubt believes that we had ordered Hikaru-sama to befriend the child." Hizashi commented.

Hiashi nodded with a sigh, "I know, I'll go talk with-"

"No Hiashi, I'll be the one to talk to him." Takehiko cut his son off. "That old monkey owes me more than a few favours from over the years, and I believe the time has come to call him in on them. 

I foresee no trouble getting Sarutobi to agree to the arrangement; I just have to convince him that this would be a good thing for both of the children. 

No, it is not the Hokage that will be the problem; it's the other Clans that you have to concern yourself about. None of them are going to be happy about us getting close to the Jinchuuriki."

"Yes, that is true. And that is something I'm going to have to deal with myself. This is going to be a long day." As they walked past Kou, Hiashi snatched the flask out of his hand just as he was about to take another sip, before he took a long deep swallow from it himself. 

"Tell me Father, when we were children, did we ever cause you so much trouble that we drove you to drink?"

Takehiko let loose an uncharacteristic belly shaking laugh, "Boys, drop by my room tonight and I'll show the hidden stash that I started building when you two learned how to crawl."

...

Some things are always the same wherever you go. Whether in this universe or next, show me a city and I'll show you a bunch of people all packed closer together than sardines. And while Konoha was certainly called a village, in almost every way that mattered it was a city.

The streets were crammed with bodies, filled with all different kinds of people. Some were clerks rushing to work, others were the early morning shoppers off to the markets in search of a good deal and there was even the occasional ninja mixed in with the crowd, either patrolling the street or were simply out for a stroll. 

They crowded the street, so closely densely packed in together that all you had to do was swing your arm out and odds are you'd smack someone in the face.

Well, except for the area directly around us, which was conspicuously empty of people.

By all rights we should have had a hell of a time navigating through the crowds; one of the many disadvantages of being six years old again. 

Do you have any idea how hard it is to push through a group of fully grown adults when you were only three and a half feet tall? It was like walking through a herd of elephants, one mistake and you'd get stepped on.

Today however I did not face that problem, the crowd parted before us, like the Red Sea before Moses, leaving a bubble of space around us. While I had seen this happen quite often whenever my father would take me with him on a trip through the village, his status along with his intimidating appearance assured that, but he wasn't with me this time.

Naruto was.

There was no hatred in their eyes. No anger or loathing, not even a hint of disgust could be found anywhere in their stares.

There was just fear.

It radiated off them like heat from a fire, terror so strong that I saw more than a few people trembling as we passed them by. I could feel their wide anxious eyes on our backs, cautiously following us until we were out of their sight.

The Kyuubi was never kept a secret in this world.

Sarutobi, as the recently reinstated Hokage, had chosen a completely different approach to his counterpart. Instead of trying to keep the population of Konoha blind and ignorant about Naruto's status as Jinchuuriki, he tried to educate them instead.

No surprise that someone who was dubbed 'The Professor' by the Ninja community was the type of man who believed in the power of knowledge over ignorance. He educated Konoha not just on the fate of the Kyuubi that day, but on what it meant to be a Jinchuuriki.

He held nothing back. He explained about the sealing process, how the Tailed Beasts can never be killed only stopped for a time, and only by sealing them away in a jinchuuriki – a human sacrifice – and only through that sacrifice they could ever be safe from the Kyuubi's wrath.

Only the knowledge about Naruto's father was never revealed, but other than that nothing was kept secret. His mother, his heritage as the Uzumaki Heir, even that Senju Hashirama's wife, Uzumaki Mito, was the original Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was not kept hidden. 

He had been especially adamant in making sure that everyone understood that the Kyuubi and Naruto were not one and the same, that though they existed in one body they were two completely separate and distinct entities.

He honestly believed that if people understood that Naruto was not the Kyuubi, merely its jailer, they would see him not just for the burden he carried, but as the boy and hero that he was.

Sadly, he was right. Just not in the way he had hoped.

For all of the shocking information that they had just been told, the people of Konoha did not doubt their Hokage. Sarutobi had been their leader since before most of them had been born, and he was beloved and trusted by them like no other. So they believed him when he told them that Naruto was not the Kyuubi.

They had even acknowledged that for his sacrifice of caging the beast, Naruto was to be treated as a Hero and he had been afforded all the rewards his status deserved. That Naruto's apartment building was located in one of the top districts in the entire village was proof of that.

Yet for all of his wealth, he was still treated like a leper.

The villagers understood very well that Naruto was not the Kyuubi; it only lived in his belly. That only lines of ink drawn on skin were what kept at bay. 

That the Kyuubi can never be killed, only imprisoned, and only for a time. They knew that no seal was infallible, no prison inescapable, that there existed no chains that could hold the Nine-tailed fox at bay forever.

They knew that somewhere within him, the Kyuubi lived, ever patient, waiting for its chance to escape, just like it did with his mother before him.

And when that day comes, it would want revenge.

...

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