NARUTO SI: A Burdened Soul (Elder Brother to Itachi SI)

Chapter 31

MINATO NAMIKAZE

The Ninja world was both cruel and unequal. Shinobi from the same village, of the same age would be different from one another because of their talent, hardwork, and lineage.

Minato was one such example, and though he worked much hard, he was not blind to his own talents for the ninja arts. Kakashi had possessed that talent too, and so had Obito and Rin, but Kakashi was a cut above the rest.

Though, none of it had mattered in the end, for when death came calling it cared neither for talent nor for lineage, for in the ninja world, few things were more certain than death, and the last mission had proven just that.

All that could go wrong in a mission had gone wrong in his students' last mission, as Kakashi, Rin and Izun-kun found themselves ambushed by Kirigakure's most elite squad members, and despite their talents and prowess, they were no match for the mighty Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

They had struggled, using ever resource at their disposal, and yet the odds were simply too much. There was a reason that the Seven ninja Swordsmen were as feared as they were, and Kushimaru Kuriarare was one of there more insane members.

His tactics and psychopathic behavior made him an insanely difficult opponent, as they would all learn.

Many in the village blamed Izuna-kun for Kakashi's death, focusing on the fact that it had been his jutsu that had killed the Hatake boy, yet he did not.

Kakashi's had chosen to push Rin away, he had died on his own terms, and even beyond that it was miracle that him and Izuna-kun were able to hold on for as long as they had.

If there was anyone to blame, then it was the Intelligence department, and then himself and Kushina for not making it in time, for pushing all that heavy burden on two young shinobi like them.

"And what makes you think that?" the boy asked, as Minato looked into those dark irises as he opened is mouth and replied in a whisper.

"Because I know that Madara Uchiha could do that," and while the expression on the young Uchiha's face did not shift, his chakra flickered momentarily at the mention of that name.

"Mito-sama's journals," the boy guessed and he nodded.

"Kushina allowed me to read them years ago," and few knew that she had fought alongside the Shodaime when the man had faced Madara Uchiha all those years ago, and in her journals she had written a detailed description of their fight.

Kushina had inherited them from the woman and had allowed him to read them years ago, and to this day he could scarcely believe the scale and absurdity of the jutsu and powers mentioned in them.

"She wrote that Madara's Sharingan allowed him to control the Nine Tails," he added, and then there was Rin's report, and she had written how Izuna-kun had stabilised the seal somehow by putting the three tails to sleep.

And it had reminded him of that line by Mito-sama.

"Rin mentioned something similar in how you were able to make the beast stop rampaging," he added as Izuna-kun nodded.

"Did you submit the report to the Hokage-sama," and the man nodded.

"Yes, and he had me remove that part of the report, and told me to not speak of it again," and that had confirmed his suspicion.

"It is a kinjutsu," the boy answered.

"One that only a few amongst the Uchiha can use, Madara Uchiha was one them. I am another one," the young Uchiha continued.

"The secret is known only by a select few. Even amongst the clan, only the clan head knows it," and he nodded.

"I can understand why," he added, and he could, given that the ability to control a bijuu was something that would put a massive target on their backs, similarly to how it had done so for the Uzumaki.

"I will speak of it to no one, but I was hoping that you could use it to control the three tails' rampages and help Rin through these troubling times," he asked, and the boy nodded.

"Of course, that won't be an issue," and Minato nodded.

"Then when can I expect you to come to the tower?" he asked.

"Tonight. I will be there tonight after my shift at the hospital ends," and Minato sighed, his mind at ease now that he had found a solution for his only student's problem.

Rin's condition had been troubling him and Kushina for weeks now, and he had scoured the texts for a solution until he finally came up with this idea.

"Thank you, Izuna-kun," he smiled, and the boy nodded.

"And do know that, I do not blame you for Kakashi's death, neither does Rin," he added just to assure the boy.

"She blames herself, even though she really should not," he finished as the boy's lips thinned.

"That mission was a disaster," the boy added with a small sigh.

"That it was...."

0000

HIRUZEN SARUTOBI

Years had passed since Hiruzen had truly been at peace with himself. For years now, he had carried the burden of the village on his shoulders since that day in the forest when their sensei, the Nidaime, had sacrificed his life to save them all, leaving him with the mantle of his successor.

It was not easy to fill the shoes of the man who had built Konoha, for while the Shodaime Hokage may have created the village, it was the Nidaime Hokage who had built the village in many ways—hashing out the alliances, designing the infrastructure, establishing the academy and so forth.

Hiruzen often wondered if he had ever been able to fill those shoes? Had he really been able to do justice to the title of Hokage, that he had been granted by his sensei?

Though now it would matter no more. He was to head to the capital soon. The Daimyo-sama had called for a meeting, and him and his advisors would all be leaving for the capital to choose his successor.

Fugaku Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and Orochimaru, each one with its own pros and cons, driving support from their unique qualities and personalities. Other names were in consideration as well, but by now, it was obvious that the choice for the next Hokage would be made from these three.

Hiruzen himself had little to no preference for one or the other, even if one of them was his own student. And so, he was rather surprised when, just as he was about to leave, one of the three called upon him, and now he found himself face to face with his own old student.

"It is rare of you to call on me like this, Orochimaru," he greeted his golden-eyed student, who gave him the briefest of smiles.

"There was no need or opportunity for such a thing before, though, was it sensei?" he replied, and indeed, with the war going on, it was rare of him to have enough time to entertain such a request, not that any of them had ever made one.

They had all grown up and had their own interests and responsibilities. And despite the circumstances surrounding Tsunade, Hiruzen was rather proud of his three students and what they had achieved.

"Indeed, the war has kept us all rather occupied," and Orochimaru nodded.

"It has, but now it is over, and times are beginning to change," and Hiruzen raised a brow.

His resignation was no secret, and neither were the names of the three front runners to replace him.

"I have heard that you are set to leave for the capital," and Hiruzen nodded, surprised that Orochimaru would be so bold.

"I was about to leave," he answered truthfully.

He had always been rather direct, lacking the tact for deception and so forth.

"Then I am just in time because I had a request to make of you," and Hiruzen was surprised.

"Of what nature? If you wish for me to vouch for you in front of the Daimyo, I must caution you right now. Because even as your sensei I will not give you any favor," he spoke cautiously as those golden eyes crinkled in jest as he chuckled.

"Don't worry, sensei, I am not here to ask that of you. In truth one could say that I am here to ask you not to do that at all," and Hiruzen was surprised at those words.

"I do not understand," and with that, Orochimaru reached into his pocket and passed him a scroll.

"I know that my name is being considered as your successor, along with two others. And as honored as I am, I do not think myself suited for the duties and responsibilities of the Hokage," and those words took aback Hiruzen.

He had always thought as much. He had hoped that one of his students would one day take his mantle, yet it was seeming more and more unlikely. Jiraiya was simply too non-serious, and the less said about Tsunade, the better.

Of the three, Orochimaru was the best option. He had always been dutiful, and his prowess as a shinobi was second to none. Yet, he had always felt reluctance from him about the position, and being a Hokage was a grave responsibility.

"You wish to take your name out of contention," he asked, and Orochimaru nodded.

"Yes, and while I am not on the advisor Council, as one of the potential candidates for the title of Hokage, I was hoping to put in my own backing for one of the candidates," and that was surprising, as Hiruzen picked up the scroll, realizing just what it was.

"And which one might that be?"

"It is in the scroll. I would much prefer it if you only read it after you reach the capital," his old student offered as he leaned back.

"You could speculate on the way then; it would make the journey a bit interesting." Hiruzen smiled, liking the idea.

However, he did not miss the hidden intentions. Orochimaru wished to keep the letter away from prying eyes and wanted this to be a secret.

Why? He did not know and chose not to ask.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked.

"It is not sudden entirely," Orochimaru answered.

"I have always had my reservations about taking the title, and in recent days, have only cemented my initial thoughts," and he was surprised by those words.

"And why is that?"

"You must know, sensei. I now have taken apprentices of my own," and indeed. He was surprised when Orochimaru had chosen to do so, but he had inferred it as the opposite and thought that his student was trying to show his willingness to take the hat by taking on students.

"I have learned that I am quite fond of teaching and research and would hate to give it all up for a desk job that comes with no rest," and Hiruzen chuckled at that.

"There is indeed no rest in this job," but he would be resting soon. Would be able to sleep without the heavy burden of the hat resting on his head.

"Exactly, and I doubt it would be in the good interests of the village if an unwilling candidate became the Hokage. I doubt I would be able to do justice to the job," and it was one reason why he had always been hesitant in naming him his successor.

That and his closeness with Danzo had always put Hiruzen off whenever he had previously considered choosing Orochimaru as his successor.

"Then, as the Hokage, I accept your withdrawal," he said, and Orochimaru nodded.

"Thank you, sensei," and with that, he rose up as Hiruzen called out after him.

"How does it feel to be a teacher?" he asked as the boy turned around to answer.

"It is hard but rewarding in its own way, though unlike you, I only have two students," and indeed, he had handpicked the two from the academy, and one of them was a Uchiha girl who was rather close to Izuna Uchiha.

"It is hard work indeed. Perhaps you could bring them to me sometime after I have retired," he offered. After all, he would have little to do after his retirement, and he had always liked teaching.

But he did not want to train a new team. He was too old for that.

Though giving pointers to his grand-students would be a good use of his time.

"I might just do that after your return," Orochimaru said, walking out of his office. Hiruzen stared at the scroll he had handed him and began to wonder which of the two names was written inside.

And as his mind raced, he smiled and pocketed the scroll.

"This has been quite interesting...."

0000

Late into the Night, as Izuna was about to leave the hospital, he found the Snake-Sanin waiting for him outside the Hospital. As Izuna walked past him, the Snake-Sanin opened his mouth.

"It is done," he said and Izuna stopped as he turned to face the golden eyed man.

"Good. I do hope that you keep my warning in your mind, though," he added as Orochimaru raised an eye.

"Such distrust. What have I done to earn this?" he asked with a smile, but the young boy's face did not shift.

"If you even harm a single hair on Saiko's body, I will kill you myself, uncaring of the consequences," the boy threatened, ignoring the Sanin's words.

"I know," the Snake sanin smiled as he simply raised a brow.

 "And I would much rather live. Your friend will be safe with me, but you must not forget your own end of the bargain," the sanin added, and Izuna nodded.

"I won't. You will have your alibi, and I will have that seal off of you soon. I promise," and with that, he walked past him.

0000

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