"So where are we supposed to go first?" Jiraiya asked, crouching near the campfire as he unrolled a weathered parchment across the sand. The old map fluttered in the ocean breeze, its edges cracked with age and the ink faded to brown.
Naruto leaned forward. "Where did you even get this?"
"And what's with the colors?" Sakura added, pointing at the splashes of red, blue, and green marked all across the circular island that was once Uzushiogakure.
"One question at a time, brats," Jiraiya grumbled, slapping his hand down on the map to keep it from blowing away. "This was drawn by Mito Uzumaki herself. I sent one of my toads back to Konoha to fetch it from the Hokage's vault. It's the only surviving full record of the village's layout."
"What are the colors for?"
"They represent danger levels," Jiraiya explained, tapping the red zones. "Blue areas are safe, mostly ruins or neutral ground. Green means mild traps and some sealing jutsu hiding a trap. But red…" He paused, his tone heavy. "Red zones are death traps. Mito's own note says even a Kage could die there if they make one wrong move."
That got everyone's attention. Sakura swallowed. "So basically… stay away from the red ones."
"Is there treasure hidden there?"
"Treasure? Kid, the only treasure here is a quick death."
Kakashi spoke up. "After Uzushiogakure fell, most of its valuables were scattered. Some were looted by enemy shinobi during the war, some taken by fleeing Uzumaki clansmen, and the rest... what was left, was sealed and sent to Konoha under Lady Mito's orders."
"So nothing's left?"
"Only ruins," Jiraiya confirmed. "And the defenses those ruins still hold."
Naruto hummed under his breath, studying the map. "Maybe there's nothing for you all," he said softly. "But there's something I need to see for myself."
"Something?"
Naruto stood, stretching his arms behind his head. "Yeah. I'll check Lordran later. Maybe Alvina can point me toward a clue about the fox. But right now, I just want to see the ruins."
He started walking toward the treeline, Oscar perched on his shoulder.
Jiraiya watched him go, the boy's silhouette fading into the misty ruins ahead, followed by Sasuke and Sakura.
When Team 7 was out of earshot, Kakashi asked, "You have something on your mind, Jiraiya-sama."
"I'm just trying to figure out why Minato or Kushina would leave clues about the Kyuubi here, of all places."
"Given that Lordran is apparently tied to their secrets," Kakashi said quietly, "it's safe to assume there was more to them than anyone knew."
"There's also the chance that Naruto's not telling us everything either."
"You think he's hiding something?"
"Come on, Kakashi," Jiraiya said with a half-smirk. "You and I can read that brat like an open book. He's been feeding us half-truths since we got here. He knows more than he lets on."
Kakashi didn't deny it. Instead, he gave a small shrug. "Maybe. But I trust him. Naruto's reckless, sure, but his heart's in the right place. Whatever he's hiding, it's probably something he thinks he has to deal with alone. Besides," he added, his tone turning a bit pointed, "he's not the only one sitting on secrets."
Jiraiya met his gaze, then laughed dryly. "I'm building up to it eventually."
"Eventually for the last decade?"
Jiraiya ignored the jab and tapped the map again. "I'm going to start by checking out the places Minato and Kushina used to visit every time they came here. They had their rituals, you know... always made a pilgrimage to Uzushiogakure once every couple of years. A day of mourning for the fallen clan."
"Yeah. Minato-sensei used to get quiet for days after those trips. I never knew why."
"Then it's only right that we visit them too. Maybe the dead have more to say than the living ever did."
The waves crashed louder against the shore, as if the sea itself was listening.
Meanwhile, Team 7 stood atop a massive tree that jutted out from the cliffs like the last sentinel of a dead land. Below them stretched the ruins of Uzushiogakure.
Even from above, the sight was haunting.
As children of Konoha, they were used to the warmth of timber, the living pulse of wooden homes, and trees woven into their architecture. But Uzushiogakure was stone.
The kind of craftsmanship that was meant to last forever, and yet here it was, broken and silent.
A great river wound through the ruins in a perfect spiral, the water still following the paths carved by the clan's founders. Around it, what had once been a majestic village now lay scattered across the valley like the bones of a titan.
Massive stone pillars lay shattered and tilted, their spiral markings weathered but still faintly visible beneath moss and decay. Some leaned against fractured walls, others lay snapped in half like fallen trees. The buildings themselves were hollow husks with roofs collapsed, walls missing, doorways gaping open like silent screams.
Sakura whispered, "It's… so beautiful and sad at the same time."
Her words hung in the wind.
Naruto said nothing. His hawk-like eyes traced every detail from the faded murals to the cracked towers and the empty plazas. His vision was so sharp that he could see the smallest carvings on the stone of old seals and clan markings now half-consumed by nature.
A strange heaviness filled his chest.
These ruins felt familiar.
Not just because they were his ancestors' home, but because they reminded him of Lordran, of the endless decay, the ruins filled with ghosts of a brighter age. Only, this place didn't carry the eternal cycle of rebirth that haunted Lordran.
This was a story that had ended.
And yet… in the quiet destruction, Naruto saw beauty. It all told a story of something that once mattered. Something that had lived, fought, and been loved before it was forgotten.
Maybe that was a gift Lordran left him. The ability to find meaning in ruin.
He didn't realize how long he'd been staring until Kakashi spoke, breaking the silence.
"Alright, team, I've got a copy of the map. The village is divided into sectors, so we'll start by scouting the outer ruins and move inward."
An hour later, the team stood by the river that coiled through the ruins like a silver serpent, its waters glinting faintly under the filtered sunlight. It was beautiful in its desolation.
Naruto sat apart from the others on a broken pillar near the riverbank, one knee pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on it. His gaze lingered on the slow swirl of the current, expression unreadable. Oscar sat beside him, tail curled around his leg, mimicking his partner who hadn't spoken in an hour. Not a word.
Sakura, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere, looked to Kakashi. "Sensei… what was the relationship between Konoha and Uzushiogakure really like?"
"That's a good question, Sakura. The Senju and Uzumaki clans shared distant blood ties. In fact, Mito Uzumaki's marriage to Hashirama Senju wasn't just personal; rather, it solidified an alliance. The two villages became as close as siblings. Konoha even relied on Uzushiogakure for its sealing arts. They were unmatched."
Sakura blinked. "Then… why didn't we learn that in the academy?"
"Because, Sakura, in the shinobi world, information is currency. History is rewritten, withheld, or forgotten depending on who's paying for it. You only get the full picture once you're high enough to handle it. Chunin and above learn the truth about Uzushiogakure and about the shame tied to its fall."
Sasuke frowned. "What did Konoha do when the village was attacked?"
That question hit the group like a stone dropped into still water. Even Naruto turned to look at Kakashi, his expression finally showing the faint edge of anger—or maybe disappointment.
Kakashi was silent for a long moment, the sound of the river filling the gap. "…It's a complicated question for me to answer."
Sakura tried to break the tension with a small joke. "You say that like you were personally involved, Sensei."
Kakashi didn't laugh. His single visible eye didn't even move. The air grew heavier.
After a beat, Kakashi straightened, his voice turning lighter, more deliberate shift in tone meant to move them forward. "Well… because of our history, the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki was added to the back of every Konoha flak jacket. It's a mark of friendship and a reminder of what was lost."
The explanation didn't quite land.
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged uncertain looks. Naruto's jaw tightened. If the spiral symbol was supposed to honor his clan… why did no one ever talk about the clan itself?
The silence that followed was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Alright, everyone. How about I show you something special? A place only a handful of shinobi even know exists."
Oscar chirped, the sound bright and curious.
Kakashi chuckled softly. "Even the little guy's excited. This spot was shown to me by the Fourth Hokage."
That got their attention. Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke straightened. Naruto finally stood and brushed the dust from his cloak.
"The Fourth?" Naruto asked. "He came here?"
Kakashi nodded. "Several times. And what he found… well, it's something he only ever shared with a few people."
They began walking, the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly through the hollow streets. Moss-covered archways and broken bridges framed their path as they descended deeper into the ruins.
After a while, Kakashi slowed, his tone softer now. "Naruto," he said, "I know you want to understand what happened here… why Uzushiogakure fell and Konoha's history with this fall. And I promised I'd tell you the truth."
Naruto turned his head slightly.
"But… some truths aren't easy to say out loud. Give me a little time… to gather the courage to face the ghosts of the past."
"Alright, Sensei. I trust you. Just… don't make me wait too long, yeah?"
"I won't."
Near the edge of the inner ring of Uzushiogakure stood two colossal stone pillars. Their once-smooth surfaces were now cracked and pitted, spiral carvings half-swallowed by moss and age. The tops of the pillars were broken, jagged, and hung with spindly rock spikes that looked almost like teeth.
Between them stretched a vast, circular pit carved into the earth itself. Smooth stone walls curved downward into what seemed like endless darkness, layered in concentric rings of old craftsmanship. A narrow bridge of stone spanned the abyss, leading to a circular platform at its center.
Team 7 stood in silent awe.
"This is incredible…" Sakura breathed, stepping closer to the edge.
"Minato-sensei told me that Lady Mito's dying wish was for the Uzumaki clan to never be forgotten. With the help of the Senju, this place was built as a memorial."
Sakura frowned. "Wait… so this isn't part of Uzushiogakure?"
"No. It was made to look like part of the ruins. Hidden in plain sight."
"Then what's the point of making fake ruins? Wouldn't that make it easier for people to overlook it?"
Naruto, who had been staring into the pit with his hawk eyes, spoke up quietly. "It's not fake. It's a seal meant to hide something."
Kakashi threw a handful of kunai into the air, into the darkness below. The weapons clinked against unseen points in the walls.
A heartbeat later, the pit began to stir.
Lines of red and gold light unfurled like veins awakening under the stone, spiraling down the walls in intricate patterns that twisted into moving seals.
Sakura clutched her head, groaning. "The formulas… they're overlapping layers of sealing matrices. I can't even read half of them."
Before anyone could respond, the platform beneath their feet blazed with light.
In an instant, everything vanished.
When Naruto opened his eyes, the air was cold and damp.
They were standing in a dark forest. The trees were tall and thin, their trunks like black pillars rising into an endless void. The ground was uneven, tangled with roots and stones slick with moisture. A low mist hung over everything, glowing faintly blue under an unseen moon.
And all around them were figures.
They glowed softly, pale silhouettes shaped like people. Some stood, others sat cross-legged, others leaned against invisible walls. They didn't move, didn't speak. Each radiated a quiet, ghostly light, their forms fading into the fog the farther they were from view.
"Where… where are we?"
Sasuke's eyes flickered crimson as his Sharingan activated. "It's not real. We're inside an overlapping genjutsu. The seal must've released a projection made from stored yin chakra." He looked around, analyzing the faint chakra threads that connected each glowing figure to the darkness above. "This is a genjutsu graveyard. Each of those lights probably contains the information of an Uzumaki."
Then, an elderly voice rolled through the forest like the whisper of wind through ancient halls. "That's correct, young man."
The team turned sharply.
[ Name: Mito Uzumaki ]
[ HP: 1400 / 1400 ]
Naruto's heart skipped.
Mito was a young woman with long, vivid red hair, styled in elegant twin buns with intricate hairpins and three delicate clips in the front. A high-collared kimono of silken white and crimson clung to her tall form, and on the back of her obi, the spiral of Uzushiogakure was stitched in gold. Her lips were a deep shade of red, and a single rhombus-shaped mark shimmered on her forehead.
"Who are you?" Sakura asked carefully.
"My name is Mito Uzumaki. What you see before you is not truly me, but a chakra signature left behind to guide those who find this place. I cannot answer questions beyond what I was programmed to say, so do not bother asking too much. This seal exists only to preserve memory, not to reveal secrets."
Her form flickered slightly as she raised a translucent hand, gesturing toward the countless shimmering figures among the trees.
"Each of these lights represents a fallen member of our clan. They will not speak beyond simple introductions or memories tied to their lives. Do not expect forbidden techniques or hidden knowledge here. This forest is a graveyard, nothing more. Show respect to the dead, and you will be safe."
Her body stilled, the glow around her dimming into quiet stillness once more.
Team 7 exchanged uncertain glances.
Sasuke was the first to break the silence. "We should look around and pay our respects. This place went to great effort to preserve their legacy. It's the least we can do."
Sakura nodded. "Agreed. It's kind of amazing… all these people, all this history, and it's just been sitting here waiting."
Naruto didn't respond. He stood still, his expression unreadable as the faint blue light danced across his face. "You guys go ahead," he said finally. "I just need a minute."
As his teammates drifted off among the pale lights, Naruto crouched down and picked up Oscar. The little lizard's gem gleamed faintly.
"Yeah," Naruto murmured. "It's just like we thought, huh?"
Oscar chirped once.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki."
The spectral Mito, who had stood still as a statue moments ago, seemed to linger faintly on his hair.
"One of my parents was blonde, I guess."
"I am not… capable of responding. I am just a chakra imprint, nothing more."
"No, you're not."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You're not just some recording," Naruto continued quietly. "You're Mito Uzumaki or at least, the soul that wanted to be remembered. That's why you're here."
The light around her shimmered faintly, almost like it flickered in surprise, before her form dissolved into mist.
When the air cleared, she was standing closer now, older.
Her hair had grown long and deep maroon, cascading down her back in thick waves. She still wore her twin buns, but they drooped slightly, fastened by only two delicate pins. Her face was aged, lined with wisdom and weariness, her eyes deep as the river outside. A loose lavender kimono draped over her frame, tied with a dark obi. The rhombus-shaped seal on her brow glowed faintly, its light faded but not extinguished.
"I apologize for that. It has been… difficult to sense your lineage. Your chakra feels unlike any Uzumaki I have known. There is power in you, yes, but it does not seem like human life."
Naruto blinked, realization dawning on him.
"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's… probably the dragon blood."
"Did Ryūchi Cave succeed in raising a dragon?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Granny, but I got my dragon powers from Lordran."
"Lordran? What is that, dear? Some new village that popped up while I was busy being dead?"
Naruto looked at her with genuine surprise. Someone of Mito's power, stature, and knowledge not knowing about Lordran? That didn't make sense. He was pretty sure Lordran had to have some connection to the Uzumaki clan.
So why didn't Mito know? Did that mean Lordran invited the Fourth Hokage into its world?
Oscar's low chirp brought Naruto back to the present.
"So… Gran-Gran-Mito, are you going to teach me something? Like a secret Uzumaki fuinjutsu? Some super-cool family fighting style or something?"
"Oh heavens, child. Always expecting something flashy. You Uzumaki boys never change." Mito shook her head fondly. "No, I didn't seal a part of my soul to teach you spells or fancy chakra tricks. I'm here to guide you, the way a grandmother should."
"Guide me? To what?"
"To your rite of passage," she said, her voice dropping slightly, becoming more serious.
"Funny you say that. I actually came here for that exact reason. Tobirama's journal mentioned it, but it was all vague and said he wasn't allowed to witness it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So… how do I get my rune?"
"At the heart of Uzushiogakure lies the altar of beginnings. It's in ruins now, like much of our home, shattered by the passage of time. Your task, my dear boy, is to restore it." Mito lifted her hand, and a faint image shimmered in the air. A spectral map of the ruined village, glowing in soft red light. The center pulsed like a heartbeat. "When the altar stands whole again, the seal will awaken and recognize your blood. That is when your true trial begins."
Naruto squinted at the image. "So… fixing the altar is part of the test?"
"You could say that. Think of it like lighting the first candle before a long night. The start of something greater."
She turned, her eyes distant, her tone softening with memory. "Ever since Oden Uzumaki carved the first rune after enduring six days and nights hanging from the Great Tree, we have all been tested. Each generation must walk through their own darkness, face their fears, and etch their mark upon the world. That is the Uzumaki way."
Naruto stood a little taller, that fierce glint of determination sparking in his eyes. "I like a good challenge." He grinned, thumb pointed at his chest. "Dattebayo."
A strange look crossed the elder's face. Something like pain, something like joy. "…You said that just like her," she whispered.
"Said what?"
"Dattebayo." There was something tender in the way she said it, like a string pulled from the past.
"I was reminded of a little girl I used to take care of," she said with a fond smile, though her eyes shimmered. "She had this tick at the end of her sentences… always slipped out when she was flustered or excited. Dattebane."
Naruto tilted his head. His mind was already spinning, something tugging at the back of his thoughts. "Was she… your daughter?" he asked slowly.
"No. But I considered her family. I loved her like she was my own."
Naruto took a breath, the air in the genjutsu suddenly feeling heavier. "Why?... Why did you take care of her?"
"She was brought to Uzushio as a child, as she was chosen to become the next jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails… after me."
Naruto's eyes widened. His mind stumbled, thoughts crashing into one another. "…What was her name?"
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"Kushina Uzumaki."
Something broke in Naruto. His lips trembled first, barely perceptible, and then his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His knees buckled slightly as the realization sank in like a blade to the gut. His throat tightened. His chest ached. He collapsed to his knees, shoulders shaking violently as the dam finally broke. Tears streamed down his cheeks in thick, hot rivulets. He didn't sob loudly. It was quieter than that. More fragile. Like the kind of crying a child does when they don't want to be heard. When they're not sure they even have the right to cry.
Oscar immediately nuzzled up against his hand, chirping anxiously, wrapping his tiny body around Naruto's arm like he could shield him from the hurt.
Mito knelt beside him without a word. She didn't say anything right away. She simply opened her arms, and Naruto leaned into her. The older woman held him close, arms wrapping around him in the kind of hug that only a grandmother could give.
"I think… I think Kushina was my mom…"
Mito's hand gently stroked his hair. "I think you are right."
Naruto's breath hitched again, and more tears followed. His hands clutched at the fabric of Mito's sleeve like a child desperate to keep the moment from slipping away. "I never… I never knew her. I never saw her face," he whispered. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I don't know."
Naruto shook his head, pressing his face into her shoulder.
"But I knew her well. Better than most. She was fierce, loud, stubborn. Oh, that girl could throw a tantrum like a hurricane. But her heart… her heart was so full. She had so much love to give. So much fight in her."
She smiled down at Naruto. "She would've loved you more than life itself, Naruto. I can say that without doubt."
"Do you… do you think she'd be proud of me?"
Mito leaned back slightly and cupped his face with both hands. Her thumb brushed the tears from his cheeks.
"She'd be proud of your every breath. Of your strength. Of your stubbornness. Of your kindness. And your weird little lizard."
Oscar chirped proudly, causing both of them to chuckle through the tears.
"She would have doted on you," Mito said, eyes distant. "Probably fed you until you burst. Yelled at you for skipping your training. Sang lullabies off-key until you fell asleep anyway."
Naruto's laughter broke through his sobs like sunlight through storm clouds. He clutched Mito's hands tightly, holding on to the moment like a life raft.
"I'm… I'm not the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki anymore."
"What do you mean, dear?"
He avoided her eyes. "I used to be. But… something happened. I died."
Mito sucked in a deep breath.
"I came back," he added quickly. "Due to… circumstances. Complicated ones I don't really understand yet. But when I died, the fox got released. I'm not carrying it anymore."
Mito stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Naruto laughed bitterly, wiping at his eyes. "You'd think I'd be crushed, right? Losing a power like that? But when I realized I wasn't the jinchūriki anymore… I felt ecstatic. Like a weight I didn't know I was carrying was finally gone."
He looked to the floor.
"But then you told me about Kushina."
His voice trembled.
"You told me she was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. And I realized... if she had it before me… if she died… then that means she died entrusting me with that burden."
He looked up at her with tearful eyes, voice cracking under the weight of it all.
"And the first thing I felt after losing it… was relief."
Naruto's fists clenched. "Would she… would my mom be disappointed in me?"
Mito didn't respond with words at first. Instead, she gently sat him down and pulled his head into her lap without a word, letting him cry. Oscar chirped softly, draping himself across Naruto's chest like a cold blanket.
Mito's fingers ran through Naruto's messy golden hair, soothing and slow, like she had all the time in the world. "Oh, child…"
Her voice was gentle, filled with sorrow and pride. "No, Naruto. She wouldn't be disappointed in you. Not for a second."
Naruto sniffled.
"No mother wants her child to suffer with her burdens. She didn't entrust you with the Nine-Tails so that you'd love it, or carry it like a badge of honor. She did it because she probably had no other choice and because she believed you were strong enough to survive. To live."
She smiled down at him, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. "And you did. You lived. You endured. And you're still standing. That's all she would've wanted."
Naruto's lip trembled as he closed his eyes, letting the grief wash over him slowly instead of drowning in it.
Mito chuckled after a moment, fingers still toying with his hair. "You remind me so much of her, you know. Not just in your chakra or your soul… but in how stubborn and loud and ridiculous you are."
"Gee, thanks."
"She used to punch walls when she was angry. Once, she kicked a hole through a training dummy and got her foot stuck. We had to pry it off with a seal breaker."
Naruto laughed weakly.
"She once swam across the entire Naka River because someone told her Uzumaki couldn't swim. Nearly drowned, but she crawled back with seaweed in her teeth and screamed, Take that, jerks!"
Naruto was openly smiling now, tears still falling.
"She was fire and thunder and chaos," Mito said softly. "But she was also warmth. And heart. You've got all of that, Naruto. You carry it better than anyone I've ever seen."
There was a pause. Naruto hesitated, eyes still closed.
"…Gran-Gran-Gran Mito?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Can I stay a little longer?"
Mito's smile faltered a little, and she looked up toward the ceiling of the memory seal space. "I wish you could. But we're reaching the limit of what I can hold together. I still need to guide you to the astral plane."
"I still have so many questions."
"I know. And I want to answer them all. But you've got a long road ahead, and I think your friends are about to wake up."
"…I'll go. But... one last thing."
"Of course."
"What was my mother's relationship to someone named Minato Namikaze?"
Mito blinked again, then smiled slowly. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. I didn't see Kushina much after her late teens, but I remember she was absolutely smitten with that boy."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. She used to complain about him all the time, so naturally I knew she liked him."
Naruto tilted his head. "That makes no sense."
"It does when you're a teenager." Mito laughed. "He was quiet, talented and humble. Annoyingly polite. She used to say, That pretty boy's too perfect. Makes me want to punch him in the face. Then she'd blush for no reason."
Naruto chuckled softly, but something was slowly connecting in his brain. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Blonde… spiky hair. Blue eyes…"
Mito squinted at him, then gasped lightly. "Wait a minute. Come to think of it..."
"You think Minato might be… my father?"
Mito looked at him like the thought had just clicked for her, too. "Well, you've got his hair. And his eyes. But Kushina's personality, through and through. I don't want to say for certain, but… it would explain a lot."
Naruto stared into space, stunned. "I… might be the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze…"
Then he promptly flopped back onto the floor, Oscar clambering up his chest in confusion.
Mito laughed, clapping her hands together. "Oh dear. I broke the boy."
Naruto muttered, "Yeah, definitely not processing all that at once…"
Mito bent down and kissed his forehead softly.
"You'll be fine, sweetheart. You're an Uzumaki."
Naruto smiled faintly, eyes heavy with exhaustion and heart full of new questions, grief, and hope all tangled together.
And then the genjutsu began to flicker, the memory space dimming around them like a dream at dawn.
"Go. The altar awaits. And so does your legacy."
Naruto sat up slowly, Oscar hopping onto his shoulder.
"Thank you, for everything."
Mito smiled one last time. "Now go show the world who you are, Naruto Uzumaki."
And with that, she was gone.
As night rolled around, Naruto sat silently near the campfire, the flames casting soft shadows across his face as they danced against the growing darkness. The crackle of burning wood filled the quiet, broken only by the occasional chirp of night insects or the distant rush of waves against the shoreline.
But Naruto barely heard it amidst his thoughts.
Minato Namikaze… the Fourth Hokage… might be my father.
The pieces were falling into place, and Naruto couldn't stop the ache growing in his chest.
It explained so much.
Why he was chosen to bear the Nine-Tails. Why the Fourth sealed it in him at all. Why the Hokage had insisted that the child be treated like a hero. Those weren't the words of a leader thinking of the village.
They were the desperate, hopeful wishes of a dying father.
Naruto exhaled shakily, staring at the sea as if it could offer answers. If that's true… then what does that make me?
He didn't want to believe it at first. But the more he thought about it, it was too much to be coincidence.
And now his thoughts were loud and racing: Didn't they leave anything behind for me? A letter? A message? Something? Where were their friends? They were famous. Respected. They had to have allies, comrades. Why didn't anyone come to help me when I was alone? Why did I grow up hated and ignored?
Where was Kakashi? He was the Fourth's student. Where was he back then?
What about Jiraiya? Wasn't he the Fourth's teacher? Where was he when I needed a family?
His chest tightened, breath catching in his throat as frustration and confusion threatened to overwhelm him.
"Naruto!"
The young knight blinked, snapping back to the moment.
Sakura sat across the fire, pointing. "You're burning your marshmallow."
Naruto looked down at the stick in his hand. Sure enough, the marshmallow at the tip was blackened and sizzling. He stared at it for a moment, then said flatly, "It's fine."
"Are you okay, dobe?"
"I'm fine," he muttered, flicking the charred marshmallow into his mouth. It was crunchy on the outside, gooey inside. It was bitter and sweet all at once. Kind of like how he was feeling.
"You've been spacing out a lot since we came here."
"I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?" Jiraiya asked casually from the other side of the fire, trying to sound nonchalant, but Naruto could hear the edge in his voice.
Meanwhile, Oscar was now stuffing twelve marshmallows into his tiny mouth at once and puffing up like a ball of fluff. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the little lizard's determination. He reached over, gently plucking one marshmallow from Oscar's cheeks, only to have the stubborn lizard steal it back.
That helped a little.
"You've got that blank, brooding face again," Sasuke commented, glancing at him from across the fire.
"Yeah?"
"It doesn't suit you, dobe."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know I'm an incredibly deep and intellectual person. What goes on in my brain is beyond your comprehension."
Oscar choked in disagreement.
"Pretty sure eighty percent of your brain is ramen."
That actually made Naruto laugh, and Sakura too. The tension around the fire cracked just a bit.
Naruto leaned back, arms behind his head as he stared at the stars. The laughter faded as quickly as it came, though, as he asked quietly, "Sensei, I know you wanted time to face your ghosts… but please, just tell me one thing. Did Konoha really stand by while Uzushiogakure was destroyed?"
Jiraiya replied with a serious look. "That kind of intel is above your rank, kid."
There was a pause.
"…It was because of a failed mission," Kakashi said suddenly, startling Jiraiya. He wasn't just talking to a genin anymore. He was talking to a boy who deserved the truth.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha was spread thin, fighting small but constant battles along every border. The Uzumaki, meanwhile, were caught in their own civil war. And that's when the invasion came."
"Okay… but how does that explain why we failed them?"
Jiraiya shifted where he sat. "You really going to tell him?"
"…He deserves to know."
Naruto tensed.
"The Uzumaki Clan discovered the invasion before it began," Kakashi explained quietly. "They managed to prepare a highest-priority scroll. A request for reinforcements from Konoha. At that time, a small Konoha squad was stationed in Uzushio, and it became their duty to deliver that message back home."
He took a slow breath. "But the squad was ambushed on the way out by the enemy."
Naruto leaned forward.
"The team leader had a choice; complete the mission, or save his comrades."
Sakura swallowed hard.
"He chose his comrades."
And the silence fell again, deeper this time. The fire crackled, the night air cold around them.
"The scroll never made it back. Uzushio was overwhelmed. By the time we even heard the village was under attack…" Kakashi exhaled slowly. "It was too late. The heart of the Uzumaki Clan was already gone."
Naruto stood slowly, his hands clenched at his sides. He didn't look at anyone as he asked, "What happened to that team leader?"
"He was shamed. Vilified. Not just by the Land of Fire… but by his own village. Even the comrades he saved turned against him. The shame… broke him." Kakashi poked at the fire with a stick, watching the sparks float away. "His skills deteriorated. He lost his will to fight. And eventually… he took his own life. He committed seppuku to preserve his son's future so the dishonor wouldn't follow him."
The fire flickered softly in the stunned silence.
Naruto stared at Kakashi, disbelief and sorrow tightening in his throat. Sasuke's expression was unreadable, but his eyes never left Kakashi. Sakura's eyes shimmered with tears, her hand over her chest.
Jiraiya didn't speak because it wasn't his story to tell.
"The man was the White fang of Konoha." Kakashi lifted his head, meeting Naruto's gaze. "… Sakumo Hatake. He was my father."
The world fell out from under them.
You could almost see the tectonic shift in Naruto's mind. …You're serious?
Kakashi didn't answer. He didn't need to.
"I'm… I'm gonna go to sleep," Naruto muttered, his voice cracked and uneven. He looked dazed, like he couldn't hold up the weight of everything he had just learned. "I just… I don't know what to think right now."
"Wait, Naruto..." Sakura started, taking a step toward him.
"I'm okay. Just… tired. Everything hit me at once. I just need to lie down."
Oscar gave a chirp and scampered after Naruto as he trudged to his sleeping bag. The boy curled up with the little lizard, pulling the blanket over both of them. Oscar nestled close, coiling around Naruto's chest in a gentle, silent hug.
The fire crackled behind them.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, eyes still glued to the darkness beyond the firelight.
Sakura sat down again slowly, visibly shaken.
Kakashi said nothing, merely watching the boy disappear into sleep, or at least into silence.
"He took it better than I did," Kakashi said softly, after a while.
"You never had someone to explain it to you," Jiraiya replied.
They let the fire burn.
Let the stars listen.
Let the ghosts of fallen clans and shattered legacies drift with the wind.
And Naruto dreamed of a red-haired woman with a loving voice and a man with blonde hair; two faces he might never fully know, but who, tonight, felt just a little closer.
Morning came quiet and still, save for the soft rustle of waves hitting the shore. Team 7 stirred one by one, stretching out of their sleeping bags, only to find one conspicuously empty.
Naruto's.
A folded note rested neatly atop his bedroll, the handwriting messy but familiar. Gone to Lordran. Need to clear my head and maybe find more clues about the Uzumaki stuff. Don't wait up.
Jiraiya frowned deeply, the lines on his face tightening. "I don't like this. Not one bit."
Sakura yawned. "Like what? You think he's in danger?"
"I don't know. But with that boy? I'm more worried about him doing something. Like… not coming back."
Sasuke, who was calmly packing his gear, glanced over with his usual cool expression. "I wouldn't worry about it. Naruto's stronger than you think. If he survived being alone his whole life, he can survive anything else that comes with the truth."
"Relax, Jiraiya-sama. Naruto's the type who runs off to think, not to vanish. He'll come back when he's ready."
Sure enough, by the afternoon, the blond knucklehead came trudging back into camp, Oscar perched on his shoulder. He looked tired but calm, which only made Jiraiya more suspicious.
Over a fire-roasted fish meal that Jiraiya had prepared, Naruto spoke between bites. "So, uh, I asked around in Lordran. The answers I got were kinda weird. Something about how the spiral of Uzushiogakure and the fox's seal are mirrors."
Everyone stared at him.
"That's… vague."
Naruto shrugged. "Pervy Sage, finding anything not vague in Lordran is like trying to find a straight noodle in a bowl of ramen. It just doesn't exist."
He reached into his bag and pulled out two worn pages. One looked like a half-finished map of Uzushiogakure, the other was an unevenly drawn version of the Eight Trigram Divination Seal Formula.
There were a few obvious mistakes on both.
"You redrew these from memory?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, feigning nonchalance. "I've been trying to see if there's a connection. The patterns are kind of similar if you squint hard enough."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, watching him carefully. The boy was hiding something, that much was clear.
Before he could say anything, Sakura's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Wait a second. What if the Eight Trigram Seal isn't just a sealing formula, but a map? Look, if we overlay it on the village layout—"
She took a brush and began sketching over Naruto's map, aligning the outer lines of the seal with various points across the ruins.
Naruto grinned, all enthusiasm and praise. "Sakura, that's genius! I think you might actually be onto something here."
"Thanks!"
She was onto nothing. Not even close.
Naruto hid his amusement well. This was exactly what he wanted, to send them chasing ghosts while he went straight to the altar of beginnings alone. The less they knew about that place, the better.
Jiraiya, still skeptical, tapped the edge of the map. "I don't know… this feels too random. I can't imagine Minato leaving behind something like this."
Naruto shrugged, feigning uncertainty. "Maybe. It could mean nothing, or it could point to something we're missing. Either way, it's worth checking out."
"Alright. Seven of these spots fall in the red zones. I'll handle those myself. They're too dangerous for you kids."
"What about the center?"
Jiraiya frowned and unrolled his own copy of the map. His finger traced the inked spiral until it landed on the central point. Unlike the rest of the diagram, it was completely blank, just an empty space ringed by thick patches of red zones.
"I think if I can get a good vantage point, I'll send a few shadow clones ahead to scout it out. If it looks promising, we can all go."
Jiraiya looked up from the map, studying the boy's face. The eagerness was there, barely masked beneath a layer of forced calm. Naruto wasn't just offering; rather, he was angling. Whatever lay in that blank space, he wanted it.
"Hmm," Jiraiya hummed, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
Kakashi, who had been watching the exchange silently, caught the look.
"That's very responsible of you, Naruto," Jiraiya said at last, rolling the map back up. "But something about this doesn't sit right with me. The center's surrounded by red zones for a reason."
"All the more reason to send clones first, right? I won't do anything reckless. Promise."
Jiraiya snorted. "You saying that doesn't make me feel better, brat."
"Come on, Pervy Sage. You think I'm that bad?"
"Yes," Jiraiya and Kakashi said in unison.
"You guys have no faith."
Jiraiya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before finally conceding. "Fine. Kakashi, you and Naruto will check out the center. But keep your distance until you're sure it's safe. I don't want either of you setting off some ancient death trap or waking up a seal we can't put back to sleep."
Kakashi nodded, his tone easy. "Understood. We'll move carefully."
"Good. Sakura, Sasuke... you two take the eighth point on the outer ring. It's close enough to the safe zone that you shouldn't run into anything too nasty."
The two genin nodded, already preparing their gear.
As the teams began to split, Jiraiya gave Kakashi one last meaningful look.
Watch the boy. Whatever's in that center… it's calling to him.
The eighth point of Uzushio was once a place once meant for training.
Sakura and Sasuke stepped through the cracked stone archway that led into what must've been a training ground centuries ago.
At the center of the clearing stood a broken statue.
It was half-swallowed by ivy, its once-polished stone skin now dulled by time and rain. What remained of the figure showed a tall warrior frozen mid-strike, a long spear clutched in both hands. The tip was missing. Only one eye of the statue remained intact, smooth and expressionless, staring eternally toward the horizon.
There was nothing else to note in the area.
Sakura kicked a pebble ahead of her and watched it bounce into a pile of shattered brick. "Kind of overwhelming, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"Everything we're learning about Naruto," she said, her voice soft with disbelief. "I mean… he's always been this chaotic, loud idiot, but it turns out his past is..." She stopped, searching for the word. "...bigger. He's the ex-jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. A member of the Uzumaki Clan. He's… important."
"Hn."
Sakura gave him a sidelong glance. "Don't you think that matters?"
"No."
"Seriously?"
"It doesn't change anything. He's still the same moron who couldn't do the clone jutsu two months ago yet he has grown strong enough to save the wave."
"Yeah, but… it makes you think, right? Like maybe there was something in him all along."
"He didn't need a pedigree for that," Sasuke said simply. "People keep looking for reasons to explain him. But Naruto's strength? That's his. He built it."
"Maybe you two aren't so different."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "We're completely different."
"You say that," she said with a knowing tone, "but look at it. You're both from powerful clans that were nearly destroyed. You both carry something you didn't ask for. You both act like you aren't alone, but… you are."
"You've been writing poetry, huh?"
Sakura gave him a little shove on the shoulder, smiling. "I'm serious."
Sasuke looked forward again as the wind tugged at his hair.
Sakura waited, watching him.
"He's a loudmouth idiot who never knows when to quit. He dives headfirst into danger like death's just a rumor. He's stubborn to the point of madness when it comes to doing what he thinks is right. But that... that's Naruto. Not the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, not the heir of some lost clan. Those things are just fragments of him, not the whole picture. It doesn't matter if he's the son of a Hokage or a goddamn bowl of noddles. I know exactly who that knucklehead is."
He paused, hands still in his pockets as he stared out at the wreckage of the past.
"…He's someone I know I can rely on. Someone who won't die on me."
Sakura's eyes softened. "You're getting weirdly sentimental lately."
"Hn. Must be the ocean air."
There was a pause as they stepped over the remains of a broken bridge, water glinting below.
"You gonna tell him you said all that?" Sakura teased.
"Not unless I want him crying and hugging me for the next three days." Sasuke side-eyed her with a half-annoyed, half-embarrassed look. "Which is why you're not going to tell him."
She grinned. "Only if you answer one little question first."
"No."
"Aw, come on... just tell me how you feel about me." She gave him big, sparkling eyes, clasping her hands under her chin like an overly dramatic heroine. "It can't be that hard, right?"
"…You're annoying," Sasuke said flatly.
Sakura giggled. "You already said that last month. Come on, something new."
He smirked faintly. "Fine. You're ugly."
Sakura gasped, then laughed. "You know, I've paid Naruto to fix my axe, and it's conveniently in reach right now."
"I think I hear the Nine-Tails barking," Sasuke said quickly, bolting in the opposite direction down the ruined path.
"GET BACK HERE, SASUKE!" Sakura shouted, chasing after him with a grin on her face and vengeance in her step, her voice echoing through the empty halls of a lost village.
And for a moment, as the shadows of their laughter drifted through the ruins, it felt like Uzushio breathed again, through the bonds of friends.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Naruto made their way through the overgrown cliffs.
Their goal was simple: reach the vantage point high enough to see the center of the village. The climb had been long, but when they finally reached the ridge, the view made both of them pause.
The heart of Uzushiogakure lay below, and it was a wreck.
The Altar of Beginning was nothing but a crater of broken stone and shattered walls. Great slabs of rock were strewn across the clearing like the aftermath of a battle. Charred marks scarred the ground, and even from afar, the air shimmered faintly with unstable chakra.
"It's a mess," Kakashi muttered, lowering Naruto's binoculars. "Looks like someone intentionally blew it up."
Naruto nodded grimly, as it made sense. If the altar was that important, the clan probably destroyed it themselves. Better broken than stolen.
The boy squinted, focusing his vision. His hawkeyes caught faint etchings along the ruined walls; small, almost invisible seals scribbled like desperate handwriting. They pulsed faintly with chakra, the same pattern he'd seen before in the memory graveyard.
Naruto figured that those seals would've allowed Gran-Gran-Gran Mito's soul to get to the Altar of Beginning.
"Did your hawkeyes pick up anything?"
Naruto didn't respond right away. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, letting his focus shift from the physical to something deeper.
What he saw with Soulsight made his stomach twist.
The entire landscape changed before his eyes. The ruins vanished, replaced by a glowing web of chakra lines and intricate symbols woven into the very earth. At the heart of it all, he saw a massive seal, far larger than anything human hands could ever hope to create.
The design was breathtaking and terrifying.
A vast spiral lay at the center, pulsing faintly with dormant energy. From it, circular patterns spread outward in concentric layers, each one etched with foreign symbols that glowed faint blue under his gaze. A vertical line bisected the entire pattern, linking all the rings together like a spine. Along that line, smaller spirals—each one distinct—shimmered like chakra nodes.
Thin hooks and branching symbols extended outward, forming connections between the rings, their purpose precise and deliberate. It wasn't just a seal. It was a map, a system, a network linking the astral and physical planes together.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me… Naruto felt a bead of sweat slide down his forehead as the weight of what he had just seen hit him.
A village that doubled as a seal to another plane of existence? That was beyond anything he'd ever imagined. And now he was supposed to fix the door to this place.
Man… my ancestors were crazy. And Gran-Gran-Gran is insane if she thinks I can fix this somehow.
A crooked grin tugged at his lips.
Good thing I've got a few tricks from Lordran. Plenty of magic and shiny junk that can fix almost anything.
He blinked once, letting his Soulsight fade away. The glowing web of energy vanished, and the ruins returned to simple, broken stone.
Naruto turned back to Kakashi, forcing a shrug. "Yeah, I got nothing. Guess we got the wrong spot after all."
Kakashi hummed softly, clearly not buying it. He tucked his hands into his pockets and started walking. "Naruto," he said casually, "are you hiding something from me?"
"Sensei, we're shinobi. Hiding stuff kinda is the job description."
"Fair enough. Just make sure you know what you're doing."
Naruto watched him walk ahead. For a second, he thought about saying something—about telling Kakashi the truth about the altar.
But the memory of that mysterious figure of the hawk flashed in his mind. The deal they made.
It's not like the hawk will know if I tell Kakashi, Naruto thought for a moment.
"Hey," Kakashi called from ahead. He hadn't turned around, but his voice softened. "You don't have to tell me everything right now. Just… keep yourself safe, alright?"
"I will, sensei. It's complicated, ya know?"
Kakashi gave a small nod. "Trust me, I can imagine. Everyone's got their secrets, and some of them weigh a little heavier than others."
Naruto glanced at him then, wondering if Kakashi was thinking about the Fourth Hokage and about the truth of their connection.
He didn't press.
"Maybe one day," Naruto said finally, falling into step beside him, "when we're both ready… we'll share a few of those secrets."
"I'll hold you to that, Naruto."
"Same here, sensei."
They walked for a while in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, Sensei… can I ask you something weird?"
"With you, Naruto, that could mean just about anything. But sure, go ahead."
"Do you think your father was a good person?"
"Yes. Yes… I think he was."
Naruto nodded, eyes thoughtful.
Kakashi exhaled quietly. "I'm sorry that my father's choice led to something so tragic," he said, voice low. "But even with everything that happened… I can't see him as a villain."
"I don't expect you to," Naruto said. Then, with that natural bluntness that always managed to cut straight through the heart of things, he added, "What kind of man was Papa Hatake?"
Kakashi stopped mid-step, blinking once before a small smile tugged at his lips. "Papa Hatake?"
"Yeah. Sounds friendlier than 'The White Fang.'"
Kakashi shook his head slightly, but there was a warmth in his tone. "He was a simple man. Honest. Quiet. He didn't care about titles or glory. He loved his home, his comrades… and he loved me more than I probably deserved. For all his skill, he was the most humble man I've ever known."
Naruto smiled faintly. He could hear the pride behind Kakashi's calm words. "How strong was he, really?"
"Strong enough to make the Sannin nervous."
Naruto's jaw dropped, eyes shining. "No way. That's awesome!"
"Yeah," Kakashi said softly, though his voice carried a trace of something bittersweet.
"You sound like you miss him a lot."
"I do." Kakashi's voice grew quieter. "There are days when I still hear his voice. But… it's complicated." He hesitated, then asked, "You don't despise him, do you?"
Naruto looked confused. "Why would I? I mean, I don't even know the guy, but from what you said, he sounds like someone I'd want to have ramen with."
Kakashi blinked, caught off guard by the honesty in the boy's tone. "You don't blame him? Not even a little?"
"Sensei, I'm not dumb. There's no way one man could be the reason Uzushiogakure fell. We were already a target long before that. My clan was powerful, and power makes enemies. Let's say Sakumo-san completed his mission. Maybe Konoha sends reinforcements just in time. Maybe they push the invaders back. But then what? Another army comes later. Or the same one comes stronger."
He paused, his tone calm and almost too mature for his age. "That kind of thing doesn't end because of one decision. It's bigger than one person. Bigger than one choice. So blaming him…" Naruto shrugged. "It just doesn't make sense to me. He already paid a heavy enough price for trying to do what he thought was right."
Kakashi's steps slowed until he stopped completely. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he murmured, "That's more understanding than most grown men ever managed to show him. Maybe if they had… I wouldn't have come home to find him dead on that day."
His voice trembled slightly at the end.
Naruto's expression softened. Without saying anything, he reached out and grabbed Kakashi's hand, giving it a small, firm squeeze.
"I'm fine," Kakashi said quickly, though his tone betrayed him. "I just… hate that memory."
"Yeah. I get it. Some memories don't fade no matter how much you want them to."
For a while, they stood there, the sound of the wind filling the silence.
"You know, I think Papa Hatake would've liked me."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Because he and I are alike," Naruto said simply. "We're both humble and strong."
"Humble, huh? You sure about that, Naruto?"
Naruto grinned. "Okay, maybe not all the time. But we both care about our friends. We'd risk our lives for them without thinking twice."
"That… sounds about right."
Naruto's voice grew quieter. "And we both made choices we thought were right… even if they ended up making a bigger mess."
Kakashi stopped walking for a moment. The breeze tugged at his flak jacket as he looked out over the broken horizon of Uzushio's ruins. "Maybe," he said quietly. "But your mess ended better than my father's. You brought hope to a place that didn't have any left. He… didn't get that chance."
"I don't blame your father for anything, ya know. He was just one domino in a whole line that was already falling."
Kakashi let out a slow breath. "Thank you. I never carried his sins, but… hearing that still means something. More than you probably realize."
Naruto kicked a loose pebble, sending it skipping down the dirt path. "I guess lately I've been thinking about stuff like that. About being angry and being bitter. They're not the same thing. I think I can live with being angry. But I don't want to be bitter anymore."
He smiled faintly, the kind of small, honest smile that felt older than he looked, and nudged Kakashi's shoulder with his own. "Besides, if your dad raised you, he couldn't have been that bad, right?"
"You've got a strange way of comforting people, you know that?"
"Yeah, but it works," Naruto said, shrugging.
"It does," Kakashi admitted. He looked at Naruto then, really looked at him, and reached out to rest a hand briefly on the boy's shoulder. "He would've liked you, Naruto. You're exactly the kind of person my father wished there were more of in this world."
"I don't know about that, sensei. I'm one of a kind."
Kakashi chuckled softly and reached out, ruffling the boy's hair with an almost brotherly gesture.
"Yeah. You really are, Naruto."