Chapter no.59 At the Hokage Office

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Sitting in the Hokage's office, I felt a familiar nervousness, like when I was six and almost got caught rigging a prank.

Only, this wasn't about a childish joke; it was serious, and I could sense the gravity of the situation pressing down on me.

"So, Naruto-kun, you've had quite the adventure tonight?" the Hokage asked, his voice carrying a weight that made my stomach churn.

Was he testing me? I decided to tread carefully.

"Yeah, it was an adventure, not all good either," I admitted, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Yes, you saw tonight one of the darker aspects of shinobi life. Traitors come and go and they all must be dealt with eventually. Despite your horrendous mistake, you have done a great service to this village in putting a stop to him," he continued, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me want to look away.

"I understand, jiji," I said, the familiar term slipping out more from habit than anything. "So, what's my punishment?"

"I don't think punishment will really be necessary this time, but please, don't let this ever happen again."

"Of course not," I quickly agreed, relief flooding through me. I added, trying to sound innocent, "I had no idea Mizuki was trying to trick me, I had no reason not to trust him."

The words flowed too smoothly, and I could feel my own discomfort with the lie. I knew my face must be betraying my true thoughts, but I hoped the old man's affection for me might blur his perception.

Despite my clumsy attempt at deception, Hiruzen didn't seem to question my sincerity maybe out of guilt or trust, I don't know.

"And that is exactly why you are not in trouble. It is also what allows me to protect you from certain elements within the village," Hiruzen concluded, his voice softening.

"Because of me being the Kyuubi?" I asked, the words heavy on my tongue.

"You are not now, nor have you ever been the Kyuubi. That beast is sealed within you," he clarified with a stern yet gentle tone.

The conversation took a deeper turn, and suddenly, another voice, gruff and distorted, filled the room.

I stiffened, fighting the urge to whirl around as the ANBU Commander appeared behind me.

"Naruto, meet Dragon, general of the ANBU of Konoha. Dragon, Naruto," the Hokage introduced.

The room felt colder, the weight of the ANBU's presence undeniable.

"Is it… Is it about what Mizuki said?" I managed, my voice smaller than I intended as I desperately tried to gauge the Commander's strength.

[ Name: Dragon ]

[ Real Name: REDACTED ]

[ Status: REDACTED ]

[ Title: REDACTED ]

[ Level: REDACTED ]

[ Class: REDACTED ]

[ Race: REDACTED ]

[ HP: REDACTED ]

[ CP: REDACTED ]

[ AC: REDACTED ]

[ Lineage Traits: REDACTED ]

[ Class Features: REDACTED ]

[ Feats: REDACTED ]

[ Stats: REDACTED ]

[ Allies: REDACTED ]

[ Equipment: REDACTED ]

[ Battle Power: REDACTED ]

[ Description: Dragon is the General of the ANBU division of Konoha. He wants to recruit Naruto Uzumaki into the ANBU because of REDACTED ]

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[ Note: Dragon's level and Battle power is extremely greater than the player's. Removal of redactions is possible through engagement in combat or leveling up. ]

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The description words crashed over me like a tsunami, impossible to comprehend all at once.

I am being recruited into the ANBU?!

The thought raced through my mind, wild and chaotic.

It felt like some bizarre, far-fetched dream—me, an ANBU?

The reality of it seemed as likely as discovering I was some sort of ramen royalty from a distant kingdom.

As I struggled to wrap my head around this, Dragon dropped another bombshell, one that gripped my attention with iron claws. "You have to know the truth about your status."

My status?

What more could there be to this night?

"Mizuki told you were the Kyuubi. It is not true. You are the Kyuubi's jinchuriki," Dragon continued, his words clear and devoid of any softness.

The Hokage winced at his bluntness.

"Jin… Churiki?"

The word was foreign, strange, tumbling awkwardly off my tongue.

The revelation that followed felt like a punch to the gut. The Kyuubi hadn't been killed; it had been sealed inside me as an infant. "

Me," I said, not as a question but as a realization, a fact settling into the pit of my stomach, heavy and cold.

"Yes."

"But… But I… Then…"

My mind raced, tripping over emotions and half-thoughts.

"I am not a demon, then?" I whispered.

Just a prison for one?

Relief mingled with a deep, aching confusion.

"Of course not, my boy!" The Hokage's voice was heated, vehement. "And allow no one to call you that!"

His words were meant to comfort, but they opened a floodgate.

"But then… Why? Why do they treat me like that?"

My voice cracked, the weight of years of isolation and misunderstanding pressing down on me.

The room was thick with heavy sighs from both the Hokage and Dragon.

"They fear you, Naruto. You are a reminder of the pain the Kyuubi caused," the ANBU said, his tone harsh with truth.

"But I did not ask for it!" I protested, tears breaking free despite my efforts to hold them back.

It wasn't my fault, yet I carried the burden, the hatred.

The Hokage was quick to wrap me in a hug, a rare comfort in a world that often felt so harsh and cold.

"Of course not, Naruto. But the pain the Kyuubi caused turned to fear, and fear to hate. Rather than see you as the hero you are, they blame their sorrow on you."

"They decided to cling to their hate and blame you, rather than honor the sacrifice of the one they claim they love," Dragon added, his voice cutting through the air.

The hug broke, and I stepped back, wiping my face fiercely.

I sat back down, hunched over with my head bowed, arms crossed and tucked tightly between my knees, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on me.

Dragon and Hiruzen watched quietly, letting me process the torrent of emotions crashing through me.

"Why was this unfair burden thrust upon me?" I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips.

"Naruto..." Hiruzen began, his voice filled with sympathy, but Dragon cut him off sharply.

"Life is unfair, kid. Deal with it."

I looked up sharply, my gaze fierce as I glared at the man. I didn't care how strong or important he was—I wanted to punch him. Eight years of isolation, of glares, whispers, mocks. Years of sabotage, name-calling, refusal of services, and loneliness. All because of a crime I didn't commit. A crime of simply existing, bearing a beast I never asked to carry.

My chakra flared, the floor cracking under the force as my emotions surged out of control. Dragon didn't flinch but instead pulled out a katana.

Hiruzen was alarmed, but Dragon pointed the handle towards me.

"Everyone in this world carries some burden, some have less, some have more. There is no such thing as a burden-less human. But there are those who either choose to fight or give up. Which one are you?"

I remained silent, digesting his words.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I have read your file. While your anger is justified, think about it—does your anger do anything in this situation? Your anger won't make those villagers change, your anger won't make the Kyuubi go away, your anger won't change the past. But your actions can change the future, just like how you changed. No friends to being friends with Hinata Hyuga and Tenten Higurashi."

I stared at the katana, my eyes locked onto it as if it held answers.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the hot anger dissolve into a cold resolve.

Dragon was right.

My past, filled with pain and loneliness, was not something I could change.

But the future? That was mine to shape.

If I continued to let anger control me, I'd only be fulfilling the fears of those who hated me without reason.

The room felt smaller as I stood there, my brain churning with thoughts accelerated by "Spirit Possession."

Everything around me took on a sepia tint, details sharpening under the skill's influence.

I was piecing together a puzzle I hadn't known existed until moments ago.

Why; me?

My hands clenched into fists, knuckles whitening.

It wasn't random—nothing in the shinobi world ever was.

There had to be a reason.

It couldn't have been a matter of convenience.

I wasn't just any baby; I was selected.

As I pieced together the information, a sinking feeling took hold.

The Kyuubi had not been near the hospital during its rampage.

The old man had said my parents died in that attack.

Were they civilians caught in the crossfire, or something more?

The notion struck hard.

What if my existence had been so insignificant that my parents hadn't even been present at my birth?

Had they already been victims by the time the Kyuubi was sealed within me?

The thought was chilling.

"The Fourth—killed my real parents," I concluded aloud, the words slipping out flat, devoid of emotion, not because I felt none, but because I was overwhelmed by too much.

"What!?" Hiruzen looked like I'd slapped him. "Naruto, what gave you this idea?"

"Why me? Why not one of the clan heirs? There was a whole generation to choose from, but he picked a nameless orphan. Doesn't that make you wonder?" I pushed, each word sharpened by logic and a growing sense of betrayal.

Hiruzen's face was a mask of shock and desperation, trying to form words that wouldn't come. "N-no, Naruto, of course your parents didn't—"

"Then they abandoned me, disgusted by me," I shot back, my voice rising.

"Of course not, Naruto—"

"Then why me!?" .

"Who were my parents? Where are they now? Why did they let the damned Yondaime use me like some container?" The questions poured out faster than I could catch my breath.

"I cannot—" Hiruzen started, his voice straining under the weight of the truth he held back.

"Kushina Uzumaki."

My head snapped towards the source—Dragon.

"What?" I blurted out, my heart pounding in my chest, confusion clouding my thoughts.

Suddenly, the air thickened with killing intent so potent it was almost visible. In a blur of motion faster than I could track, the Hokage had Dragon by the throat, hoisted off the ground.

The threat in his voice was unmistakable and chilling, "One more word and I'll have you executed."

But Dragon, struggling for breath, managed to gasp out, "Kushina… Uzumaki."

The room froze.

Time seemed to slow as I absorbed those words, those syllables that shaped the identity of a woman I never knew but was connected to me more deeply than anyone else.

"You knew," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my ears.

"All this time, you knew. And you told me nothing."

The betrayal stung, cutting deeper than any kunai could. It wasn't just that they had kept this from me—it was who had kept it from me. Hiruzen, the old man I had trusted, looked at me then.

The pain in his eyes mirrored my own, but it was no comfort.

His expression was etched with regret, but it was too late for regret.

Feeling a cold, hollow emptiness spreading through my chest, I stood. My body moved on its own, stiff and mechanical. "Hokage-sama, may I be excused?"

My voice was emotionless, detached, as if belonging to someone else.

"Naruto…" he started, his voice heavy with unspoken words.

"By your leave, Hokage-sama," I interrupted, not wanting to hear any excuses or apologies.

They wouldn't change the facts.

They wouldn't undo the lies.

He sighed, a deep, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of the world. "Dismissed, Genin Uzumaki."

I didn't wait another second. I turned and walked swiftly out of the office, each step echoing hollowly in the silent hallway. As the door closed behind me, I felt the finality of it, like closing a chapter in a book—a chapter filled with naïve trust and unasked questions.

Outside, the cool air of the evening brushed against my face, but it did nothing to soothe the burning anger and confusion inside me. As I walked away from the tower, the faces of the villagers blurred into a sea of indistinguishable features, none of them knowing the storm of emotions raging inside their village's most notorious prankster. Today, I wasn't just the village pariah or the prankster; I was a son betrayed by the closest thing I had to a grandfather.

And that hurt more than any prank gone wrong.

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Hiruzen glared harshly at the ANBU he was still strangling.

"I should execute you."

"You… Are… A coward," spat the masked man, his throat held shut by the vice-like grip of the old Kage.

Hiruzen opened his hand and the commander fell in a heap on the ground, wheezing and massaging their throat.

"You are dismissed, Dragon."

The ANBU rose to its feet and nodded stiffly.

"To solve a problem, one needs to face it. We need the God of Shinobi back, not this frail old man who thinks peace is the solution to the problems of our world."

"Out!" The old Hokage roared.

"Let Naruto know the truth from someone he trusts rather than someone who doesn't have the best intentions for him."

The room seemed to hold its breath. Dragon's deliberate repetition of Iruka's words was no casual reminder; it was a carefully chosen message, a coded warning that rang clear to Hiruzen.

This was Dragon's way of signaling that something was amiss—security protocols had perhaps been compromised, sensitive information had leaked.

What did that mean?

Why was the ANBU Commander using coded messages as if whoever was the reason for the breach was enough to give his teammate the need to do this all? Hiruzen looked out the window.

Guess I have really turned too soft and forgotten that even in the calmest waters, snakes can swim.