章節 20: Determination

"Kaito...I am sorry..." Naruto had his head downcast. He was apologizing to his brother for doing such a reckless action. That it would end up like this. Who would really think that enemies would lurk so close to the village?

Kaito turned his head away from the window he was looking through and watched his brother.

"Don't worry. Everything is fine, no?", said Kaito with a smile and slowly approach him with the crutch under his left arm. It seemed that he broke the left bone below his kneecap when he blocked an attack.

The adrenaline at the time didn't let him realize it. But now that his body was slowly healing he clearly felt it.

Kaito was actually surprised that his body wasn't regenerating as expected. Such wounds should normally not take that long to heal, right? But he was new to this and he did remember Naruto being hurt from time to time.

His bias about the later powers he has, tend to cloud his judgment. At least at some things.

"But this only happened because I wanted to prove myself being a good ninja...and to make friends..."

"There is nothing wrong with that. Connecting with people, no matter what is something I am proud of you, Naruto. I don't blame you for any of this."

"But!" Now Naruto started to get louder and one could see small teardrops collecting in his eyes. "You still got hurt trying to protect me!"

With that sentence, he actually started to cry a little.

Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Naruto...You should understand that what we are doing is not always fun and games. The way of Shinobi is a hard one. People get hurt and blood always flows. But even then you should still protect what you believe in. Will you just stop doing what you wanted to do? Are you going to break the Nindo you promised to always keep?"

Then he raised a fist toward his brother and grinned.

"It is up to us to change all of this. We should never give up!", added Kaito and proclaimed once more their ninja way. He also followed the same path. After all, it was the one he chose before he got his memories. And why bother to stop following it? He will just roll with it.

Naruto looked at him and wiped away the tear stains. Then his face became firm and he fist-bumped Kaito´s outstretched fist.

"Dattebayo!(Believe it!)", said Naruto with a very firm voice.

"Let us become stronger so that neither of us ever ends up in such a situation again." After those last words Kaito took his right fist back. Naruto only nodded to that and grinned again.

"Who saved us?", asked Kaito now.

"It was Iruka-sensei...He somehow managed to find us...", replied Naruto.

Kaito smiled now. "See, he isn't all that bad, right? Looks like we have to thank him. How about it? Do we invite him to Ichiraku´s? I saw him there from time to time."

Now that Naruto became somewhat happier he also felt relieved. But in his mind, he would still remember this and always think back when training later.

"Sure, I am hungry as hell!"

"You glutton. If I am not wrong you probably ate instant ramen all the time I was not home, right?" It has already been 4 days since he was in a coma state.

Naruto flinched as if he was caught. "I didn't! I swear!"

"What, are you telling me you somehow didn't miss my cooking at all and learned how to cook? I wonder what happens if I get home? Will I find chaos?" Naruto flinched again when he heard his questions.

Kaito then laughed lightly. "Go back home and get some rest. I am probably gonna be here for a few more days."

"Eh, really?"

"Well, I am still not fully healed. It's not like the doctor will let me go anyway."

"Alright. I will be back tomorrow. See ya."

"Take care." With Naruto leaving Kaito looked back outside through the window.

----

A week later Kaito was already discharged from the hospital. The injuries did heal much faster than normal. At least for such degree of wounds.

Currently, a small boy with red hair was standing in front of an old man that smoked a pipe.

"What did you say just now?" Hiruzen his face became stern and his friendly old man smile disappeared.

"You heard me correctly, lord third.", said Kaito without repeating at first. "I am not the same boy from the time you met us."

He was talking about the time when Naruto and he were still in the orphanage. The two once went outside into the forest and foraged it for food. At some point, Hiruzen came to them and introduced himself as an old friendly man. Later both of them would find out that he was the current Hokage.

"I want to become stronger. And for that...I need our inheritance. I want to learn every jutsu that my mother and father had left behind. I am sure you are someone that has them.", repeated Kaito now.

Hiruzen looked at him. "When did you...?"

"For quite a while now...I know even about the Kyuubi."

"I see." Hiruzen took a deep breath of his pipe and exhaled it. He was clearly agitated now. "But even if you ask me such a thing I can not just give them to you. That is even if I have those things you want."

"I know pretty well that you do. The fourth...No...My father was a very dutiful person that took pride in this village. I am pretty sure every Jutsu he made he also contributed to the village. That means that you should know them."

Hiruzen frowned now. "That still doesn't make you eligible for them. The ones your father was famous for are also A to S class jutsu that can only be handed to people with high merit to the village."

Now it was Kaito frowning. "So you are basically stealing my inheritance? I wonder what other people think about this when they give jutsu to the village? Why bother contributing them if the village doesn't share them?"

"That is not what I meant with my words. They are beyond your level of comprehension. I admire your thirst for getting stronger but you need to slowly build up. I wouldn't want you to kill yourself. I would even prefer if you two never knew about your parents."

"...At least let me study them. I promise to burn the copies. Sealing should not be that dangerous, right?" Kaito still tried to somehow persuade Hiruzen. he knew from the start that this talk would have a high probability to fail.

Hiruzen just looked at him and stayed quiet. "Are you actually trying to play around with the seal on you?"

Kaito flinched. Did Hiruzen actually think he would unseal Kurama? "No, of course not. Why would I do that? I only want to become stronger to protect those dear to me. Even this village that I have little good memories still is like family. Those shinobi watching over us should know that."

Hiruzen his eyes became wider. "I see...Fine, but you will only read them once and right in front of me....ANBU..."

A shinobi appeared. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Bring me the copies of all Uzumaki Fuinjutsu stored and also the flying thundergod scroll as well as a copy of the Rasengan."

"Hiruzen, are you out of your mind!?", an elderly person on the right of Hiruzen was shouting now. He kept quiet all the time but could not stay silent any longer.

"This is my decision, old friend. Let us see what the young lads can do. I am quite intrigued. I will take full responsibility if something happens.", denied Hiruzen and didn't want any more talk on that matter.

"...As you wish." The ANBU replied and disappeared.

Kaito his eyes started to glimmer. "I can really learn them?"

"It will depend on you...I will give you that chance. Whatever you can grasp of the contents inside those scrolls is up to you. You may only read them once. After that, I will destroy them. And to make sure they don't leave this building you will have to read it in front of me. Understood?"

"Yes! Thank you very much, lord third!", said Kaito and bowed a little. Internally he was grinning from one ear to the other.

It seems Hiruzen wanted to assess his talent but with his gamer ability, he would probably learn those Jutsu just by touching the scrolls.

The only thing that would give him a headache is those old fogies watching. Now that bastard Danzo also probably knows. Every information for that vulture is like a luxury meal.

But Kaito was sure he would now begin his ruthless training. And having his inheritance will be a good start. Especially since seals are not taught in the academy because of their complexity.