Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Knock on Wood Konoha ❯ Newyddian ( Chapter 3 )

Title: Knock on Wood Konoha

 

Chapter 3: Newyddian

 

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I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

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Sakura wandered down the street, half heartedly looking around at the shops and stands.

 

Her mind was focused on the conversation she'd over heard in Tsunade's office earlier.

 

***Flashback***

 

Sakura hummed as she walked down the hall to Tsunade's office for an impromptu lesson that she planned to annoy out of the sannin healer.

 

She smiled and raised her hand to knock then stopped, she could hear voices through the door.

 

“You can't be serious Danzo!”

 

“I am deathly serious Lady Tsunade. Naruto is approaching his 18th birthday. Soon he will learn the truth.”

 

“I think it's safe to say he already knows the truth.”

 

“He is already a danger to this village, and he will only become a greater danger to the village in the future.”

 

“You don't know that, no one does.”

 

“You cannot deny that it is a very likely possibility.”

 

“He's shown no sign of going rouge or leaving the village before now, I highly doubt he's going to, we would have seen signs by now.”

 

“With all due respect Lady Tsunade, I have watched him since he was a child, some of the influences in his life have been less then…decent.”

 

“And you think that means he's suddenly going to turn and become rouge?”

 

“I have seen it before!”

 

“In seasoned ANBU, not a child.”

 

Sakura paled and backed away from the door, turning on her heel and fleeing the building, ignoring Shizune's concerned look.

 

***End of Flashback***

 

Sakura turned left and entered the Yamanaka flower shop. Ino was standing behind the counter reading a book. She looked up when the door bell rang.

 

“Hi, how can I-Oh, what's up billboard brow?”

 

“Hey, Ino got a minute?”

 

Ino frowned. Something was wrong with her friend. “Yeah, sure what's up?”

 

“I over heard Lady Tsunade talking to someone in her office today.”

 

“About what?”

 

“Naruto…”

 

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Kiba sat back and watched as his mother handled the Inuzuka clan elders. Though she said she preferred actions to words she was more then capable of talking the elders in circles when she wanted to and now was a prime example.

 

He wasn't sure what exactly they were talking about today, he picked up `time running short', `won't be eligible', `advanced training', and `dead' which really creped him out because throughout the entire conversation they kept glancing over at him and whispering.

 

If this kept up he was going to get paranoid.

 

An hour later the elders left and it was just Kiba and his mother which was probably even more nerve racking because she was staring at him with narrowed eyes and a serious look.

 

He fidgeted.

 

“Kiba.”

 

“Yes mother?”

 

“Have you thought about what you want to do with your life?”

 

He frowned. “Well, I'm going to be a ninja but other then that I don't really know.” He paused. “ANBU maybe if I good enough.”

 

She frowned. “Have you considered any careers beside shinobi?”

 

He frowned again. “No.”

 

“Would you die for this village?”

 

HUH?! Kiba paled. What the hell was she talking about? “Uh, yes?”

 

A tense moment and Kiba started fidgeting under the heavy gaze.

 

“Kiba, have I ever told you about the genin team I lead?”

 

Kiba was taken aback. “No?”

 

She smiled softly. “Most talented group of kids I've ever trained. All of them. There were nine in all, three genin teams, three jounin instructors. Your friend Shino's father was one of them.”

 

“Really?” Kiba couldn't help himself.

 

“Yup. Two girls and seven boys who managed to be the most promising and troublesome bunch at once. They…were a lot like you and your friends now that I think about it.” She smiled sadly.

 

Kiba felt his curiosity pique. “What were they like?”

 

“They were wild. Very, very wild. Some of the things they did,” she shuddered. “We once had to use ANBU to break up one of their parties in the Forest of Death. It took over 40 ANBU and jounin six hours to round up over a hundred chunnin.”

 

He gaped. “Why'd it take so long?”

 

“They were playing Step-Shadow-Step; they didn't even know ANBU was out looking for them until they got caught individually.”

 

Kiba's jaw dropped.

 

“It was hilarious when they finally caught him, he just looked at them and blinked and said `if you wanted to play all you had to do was ask'! He was thirteen years old too!”

 

Kiba watched his mother laugh and realized that it been a very long time since he'd last seen her enjoy herself.

 

“Who was he?”

 

Tsume smiled as she looked at her son. The curiosity was blazing in her son's eyes and she remembered very well how that determination in another boy's eyes had become a determination that had led to him becoming one of the greatest nins alive.

 

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Shino stared at his father, his normally stoic face an expression of pure, unadulterated shock.

 

“You, what?” It's all he can get out and his father looks amused.

 

“No doubt your friends are probably receiving similar offers right now.”

 

Shino can't manage words so he settles for a wide eye stare, obvious even behind his glasses.

 

“I want you to think about it. For as long as you need. I never regretted my years as a hunter nin, no matter what the rumors say. It's a hard life, but in the end, if your good enough, it can be more rewarding then anything else. And son, I think you, and your friends are good enough, and I'm not the only one.”

 

His father was a hunter nin?

 

When? Is his first thought.

 

Why? Is his second. He knows the rumors his father is talking about, dark ones about the lives of hunter nins.

 

And then he remembers the last part of his father's sentence.

 

Shino's confused now. “Who?” His voice is still slightly cracked from surprise.

 

“Someone who cared very much for this village and its future. Someone who cared more then any of us deserved. Someone you knew very well, even if you didn't realize it.”

 

Shino swallowed. He had a feeling that this went far deeper then his father was letting on and that it was much bigger then a simple hunter nin.

 

Shibi watched as realization dawned on his sons face. Realization that quickly turned to curiosity and then to a light spark of determination that Shibi had no doubt would one day be a blazing fire.

 

He smiled.

 

Shino was going to be just fine. Just fine.

 

…diwedd…