Chapter 11: Ch 9. Baby Naruto
The days after the Kyuubi's attack were hectic, to say the least. The village needed to be rebuild after the destructive attack of the kyuubi. A lot of people had died, causing grief to a lot of people, including Izana. He had lost on of the first few friends he had. True, they weren't exactly of the same age, mentally and physically, but he could always go to them when he wanted to. Though Ryuujin had told him Minato and Kushina could still be saved, Izana wasn't optimistic.
Many things could go wrong. Even though he managed to collect Kushina's soul, he still needed to retrieve Minato's. And the only way to do that was to learn Fuinjutsu to take back Minato from the Shinigami. Aside from that, he would first need to learn how to summon the Shinigami in the first place, as it was one of the Uzumaki clan's forbidden sealing jutsu's. It was almost an impossible task, considering that there were only but a few Uzumaki alive to even speak of the technique, let alone teach him how to perform it. The reason was simple. It was a rare forbidden technique. It would be a miracle if he found an Uzumaki who knew how to perform the technique.
Then he would still need to find a way to construct their bodies so that they would truly be alive again. He had their DNA, as well as their main chakra organs, safely tucked away in a sealing scroll, hidden somewhere safe. He would need to learn more about the human body, how it was constructed, how it worked, what it consisted of, to truly figure out how he could create one from scratch. A difficult endeavor, one that countless people surely would have already tried.
He would be realistic, remaining pessimistic and believe that if it didn't work out, it was meant to be. Not that he would give up, but it would spare him some heart ache if it truly proved to be impossible. At least he would be able to let Naruto speak to his parents.
Meanwhile he would still be grieving about their passing.
Another thing he noticed, along with the other Uchiha, were the malicious gazes directed towards them. Even now during the funeral of many fallen shinobi, of which some were also Uchiha, there were still such eyes directed towards them. They were hostile, as some people visibly distanced themselves from the nearby Uchiha.
"Uncle, I feel uncomfortable." Izana said, as the gazes were hard to ignore. Fugaku looked around him, as he too had noticed their unwelcoming eyes, though he didn't feel them as strongly as Izana did. He had experienced worse during the war, though it had to be hard for a young child to be getting such looks. Especially if they came from their fellow villagers.
Izana seemed to become even more uncomfortable as the time prolonged. The stares finally stopped when Sarutobi arrived. He seemed to notice the tense feelings as he stood besides Izana.
Seeing the simple action Sarutobi made, Fugaku nodded in approval, as the villagers seemed to leave them alone soon after.
Izana gazed thankfully towards Sarutobi as he made the pointed stares turn away. They weren't gone, just turned towards other people. Though it seemed that the Uchiha clan members didn't seem to mind as much, as they didn't give any thought to the hateful looks being sent their way. It was something they had experienced before, even pre-kyuubi attack.
[Izana, it is okay to cry. No one will think lesser of you.] Ryuujin said as he could feel the sour feeling building up inside of Izana.
Izana shook his head as he kept the tears at bay. If he started crying again, he wouldn't stop until hetired himself out. He would surely be more sensitive towards the overwhelming emotions around, especially after tonight. Just as he was certain this feeling of sadness and helplessness would continue for a long time. It was a feeling that not only he would be experiencing. Of that he was certain.
When all the people had gatherd, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, began to speak.
"Though old leaves may fall, from old age, sickness or from injuries, new buds will emerge and take their place, growing to be as excellent as the old leaves once were. The fallen old leaves become nourishment for the new leaves to grow stronger. A peculiar thing is that though leaves may grow on their own, they all come from the same branch, growing large on the same tree and thrive on that same tree. Though they may be of different branches, all finding their own way to grow as strong and healthy as possible, they are still connected to the place they reside in." Hiruzen finished his speech, leaving many young ones to ponder.
Izana too wondered. If I am a leaf, the branch would be my family and the tree would be where I live. Konoha. We all live in the same place. Yet it seems that place began to see them as a malady, one that was detrimental to the rest...
Izana's thoughts were disrupted as Hiruzen bent down and put a hand on Izana's shoulder. "Are you such a leaf, young one? Do you have this Will of Fire?"
Izana knew what the Third wanted to say. Do you want to protect your home, your village. The point is, the people who he thought of as important, the people who made him feel this place was his home, had become scarcer. It was hard for him to truly see this place as his home, as only his current family was what kept him happy and feeling like he was truly alive.
Minato and Kushina were some of the people who connected him with this place. Luckily he still had his family left, as they had not been implicated in the attack. If they died too, he wouldn't know what to do. He might lose that Will of Fire the Third spoke of. Not that he was sure he even had one. If he had, that 'Will of Fire' would only burn for his family. Of that he was certain. His dislike for the village only seemed to have grown after today.
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One by one everyone had put white lilies down near the flame sculpture. Protraits of those who had perished were placed there, their face staring at those that remained with a smile. Tear were shed, some shouted in anguish, but most kept quiet, their emotions bottled up till they returned home.
People began to leave towards their homes, one by one, eventually leaving only Izana on his lonesome near the graves of Minato and Kushina. He placed a lot of flowers near their graves to let them know how he'd felt when he spent time with them. Aside from the lilly, Izana had carefully thought of what to place, a kind lady at the flower shop patiently explaining what they all meant.
A bluebell to indicate his gratefulness for meeting them, a rosemary flower to let them know he would always remember them and a rainflower to let them know he would never forget. He wouldn't forget about bringing them back. He wouldn't forget about the masked man and he wouldn't forget the promise he made to Kushina. To take care of Naruto.
Izana sat down in front of the grave as he let the tears finally trinkle down, as he was sure no one was close enough to see him cry.
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The next day, Izana's eyes were red and puffy, all swollen from the crying that lasted till he fell asleep. Mikoto had a painful wry smile on her face as she looked at him sit down at the table, a saddened look in her eyes as she too had cried for Kushina. She had been devastated when she heard the news. Kushina had been a dear friend of hers. It was saddening to think she wouldn't be seeing her anymore, a past memory briefly passing by of Kushina laughing boisterously as she dragged Minato around with her.
Little Sasuke was happily waving his arms, a bit grumpy as no one gave him any attention. He prattled loudly, reaching outside of his baby chair wanting to be picked up. He made motions towards Mikoto urging her to get him out of his chair, screaming in happiness when Mikoto did, causing him to giggle for a long time.
Izana smiled at the funny antics of Sasuke. He quickly finished his breakfast and set out towards the hospital where Naruto was currently staying. The boy had been through quite a lot for a newborn baby and had to be checked up to make sure he was healty.
Running towards the hospital, Izana passed a lot of people, most who were silently staring at the sky, doing simple chores or were softly crying. It was a mix of daily life and a recent loss.
Izana arrived at the hospital only to see the Third argue with a man with a bandage covering his eye and a walking cane in his hand. They were standing at a more out of sight position of the room. Though they were whispering, Izana could still hear what they were speaking about.
"Hiruzen, give me the boy to me. I will make him a perfect weapon to use against our enemies. Just give the word. He will be the most powerful Jinchuriki there has ever been for the Kyuubi. Hiruzen, you know what the others are saying, he won't be able to grow up normal anyw-" The man was interupted by the Third, who had become annoyed and angry at the man's words.
"Don't even think about it, Danzo. I promised Kushina to take care of him if something would ever happen to them, so I will. He will grow up normally, outside of the r-" The Third stopped speaking as he saw Izana standing there.
He turned away from Danzo, but not before sharing his last thoughts on the matter.
"You've heard my answer Danzo, don't let me hear of it ever again."
The Third nodded at Izana as he left the hospital, not looking back even once. He had a lot of work to do, he had no time to spend on Danzo and his mindgames.
Danzo too left, but not before sending a thoughtful look towards Izana, making Izana feel uneasy. That man gave him the shivers, as he could somehow still feel his gaze pointed towards him
Izana quickly entered the room, seeing a small yellow haired baby with little whiskers on both of his cheeks. His pink little cheeks were really chubby, making him want to pinch them. Little Naruto squeeled in delight at seeing someone, reaching his little hands outwards, desperately grasping the air. It was rather adorable, but all babies were in their early years.
Unfortunately, the people outside didn't seem to think so as they had been turning their hatred towards the little baby. They only saw him as the Kyuubi and nothing else. The plague that had struck them only the day before.
Izana gently picked up Naruto, just as Mikoto had showed him, carefully rocking him up and down, making Naruto giggle in delight at the pleasant feeling. He seemed to enjoy it a lot, as a big silly smile spread on his face.
"Don't worry Naruto. I promise I will come and see you often. I also promise to give you the time to experience having a mom and dad. Even if I have to die to do it. You will see your mom and dad again."
Naruto giggle as his little hand grabbed Izana's free hand. The small hand clutching onto Izana's finger felt warm. It made the sadness of the previous day slightly dissapear, even if it only was just a little.
Izana spent the rest of the day in the hospital, taking care of the little Naruto.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone