Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Return of the Lost Son ❯ The Last of the Uzumaki ( Chapter 22 )

The impact had thrown up a dust cloud that made it hard to see what was going on. Was Yondaime ok? Had he defeated the Kyuubi? The gathered shinobi waited anxiously for the dust to settle so that they could see the answers to their questions. Slowly, the air cleared and light broke through the cloud of dirt. A shadow could be seen standing, and as more dust settled, it became clear that it was Yondaime. The shinobi on the wall let out a loud and jubilant cheer for their courageous leader because several feet away lay the listless body of Kenichi.

 

Like a dark curtain, the shinobi descended from the wall and flocked to their leader, the Kyuubi slayer. They crowded around Yondaime like excited little children. Kenichi's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. Blood stained his teeth and dribbled out the corners of his mouth. If anyone in that crowd had cared about Kenichi, their hearts would have broken upon seeing him in that condition. But among the gathered shinobi, there was no one who had ever looked at him with anything less than scorn. There was no one there who felt the least bit sorry for the monster; in their minds, he got what he deserved.

 

Someone tossed a katana to Yondaime. “You must finish him off before he heals up, Lord Hokage,” came a voice from the crowd.

 

“Idiot, that pig-sticker won't do jack against the fugitive, not with the Kyuubi still inside him!” replied another voice from the crowd. More voices chimed in with their opinions on what do with the Kenichi and with what to do it. All it took was the harsh and focused glare of the hokage standing over his little brother to silence everyone gathered. Yondaime knew what he had to do, but a part of him didn't want to do it. This was his brother and he had promised his mother to take care of him. Looking down at Kenichi, it was obvious that Kenichi had failed miserably at that job.

 

Kenichi grabbed a kunai from his pouch and slowly walked towards his helpless brother. He had to do this if he wanted to save his family. The Kyuubi's chakra still coursed through his wife's body and was killing her. Plus, this wasn't his brother. This was some twisted stooge that Kyuubi had manipulated into behaving like that. Kenichi had disappeared the night he left Konoha and been replaced by the Kyuubi. The bodies of 2 dead chuunin in the forest outside of Konoha 5 years ago proved that. When Kenichi's body was at his feet, Yondaime raised his arm and readied it to plunge the kunai into his brother's heart. He hesitated for a second, and then closed his eyes.

 

Images of Kenichi as a small boy flooded in. He was such a happy baby, always smiling and enjoying every new day. But gradually that smile faded away and his cheery personality was replaced by a dour, cynical one. He began to act out shortly after entering the academy. He complained about being teased by his classmates and some of the older boys, but Yondaime had just attributed it to boys being boys and sent Kenichi back out to the wolves. Things didn't change much for Kenichi over the years. As he grew older, the hazings just came from different sources -- classmates, teammates, adults, teachers, everyone. Maybe if Yondaime had spent more time being there for his little brother instead of on missions or training or teaching genin, he might have been able to calm the rage that grew inside Kenichi. Regardless if that was true or not, the past could not be changed, and he had to deal with the situation in the present.

 

Yondaime finally opened his eyes and looked down at Kenichi only to be met by his little brother's gaze. The blue eyes that they had inherited from their father locked on each other. Kenichi coughed and a little splatter of blood landed on Yondaime's pants, but he never took his eyes off his brother. Even though his entire body was in pain, a smile crept across Kenichi's face.

 

“Arashi,” he started, “how's Namiko?”

 

Yondaime was about to tell Kenichi the truth, that she was fighting for her life because he had infected her with his Kyuubi chakra and if she died, it would be his fault, but he stopped himself. There was no point in hurting his little brother with that bit of information, so he lied: ”She's doing better; it was only a minor wound.”

 

“That's good. I didn't mean to attack her. I'm glad that she's going to be okay.”

 

“Hm,” Yondaime grunted, not sure if he really wanting to share this moment with his renegade brother.

 

“Well, it looks like my mission is a failure and my time on this world is almost over. Before I go, I just want to say that I never held a grudge against you. I never blamed you for any of what happened to me. Fact is, even if you had been the greatest brother in the world to me, I still have a demon living inside of me. I would hear its voice when I was younger and as I grew, it became louder. I spent so much time alone and wanted friends so badly that in my loneliness, I started to listen to him.

 

“The Kyuubi told me that he would make me strong, strong enough to make everyone that had ever hurt me pay, strong enough to be acknowledged by everyone in the village. I told him I didn't want that; that I wanted to stay in Konoha. But every time I was ignored and disrespected, its voice would return and tell me that I wasn't wanted. Finally, I agreed to leave and I made it promise me that it would train me until I was strong enough to come back and destroy Konoha.

 

“In our 5 years away, the Kyuubi taught me how to master my own chakra. It was only through total control of my chakra that I could even begin to tap into the true power of the Kyuubi. Up to now, I had mastered 7 of the tails, but whenever I reached the 8th, I could feel the power inside of me start to grow out of my control. I had always managed to get a hold of myself before the power could slip away because I could feel that losing control was what the Kyuubi wanted. Now I know why.

 

“When I was trapped inside the barrier, my anger grew out of control and I wasn't able to reel it in like before and before I knew what happened, I was trapped inside my own body, watching the Kyuubi control my movements and my words. It was then that I realized that all along I had just been a tool for the Kyuubi. It exploited me as a means to achieve its own freedom, using my isolation and hate to twist me into a walking bomb. When I realized what it had done to me, I felt hollow inside.”

 

At this point, the tears were forming in Kenichi's eyes and ready to roll down his dirty cheeks. He continued, “But that doesn't excuse what I did. After seeing how a new generation of Konoha shinobi embraced and embodied the very things I looked for during my childhood, I realized that I was wrong. I am sorry, Kenichi. Perhaps when we meet in the afterlife, I can find a better way to express it, but for now, I offer you my life for my crimes against Konoha.”

 

With that being said, Kenichi's closed his eyes and prepared to receive his death sentence. Even those that had not known Kenichi before his escape from Konoha felt a twinge of sorrow in their hearts at his words. Yondaime was about to deliver the fatal blow when his radio chirped.

 

“Lord Hokage,” Yoshi's nervous voice started, “You need to return to the hospital right away. Your wife has taken a turn for the worse and there's nothing else I can do. If you haven't killed the beast that infected her by now then it is pointless. The effects of the foreign chakra have already done their work.”

 

Even under the dirt that was caked to his face from his hectic battle with the Kyuubi, you could see the color receding from the young hokage's face leaving it ghostly pale. He had been too late and it had cost him his wife and unborn child. He clenched his fists tightly around the handle of his kunai until it felt like either the handle or his hand would break from the pressure. Then he just let go and let the kunai fall to ground. He fell to his knees in despair and was ready to cry out in anger, when Yoshi's voice came in over the radio again.

 

“I am sorry for your loss Lord Hokage, but there's something even more urgent that requires your attention as well. While I fear your wife is too far gone, there is still hope for your son.”

 

Yondaime's demeanor changed immediately. “My son?” he thought to himself with an equal mix of surprise, joy, and relief. He had completely forgotten about his traitorous brother who still lay at his feet, helpless. He was ready to turn him over to the crowd of angry shinobi, many of whom would relish the opportunity to execute the fugitive, so that he could join Yoshi at the hospital. But before Yondaime could leave, his brother, who had heard the news from the man on the other end of the radio, stopped him.

 

“Arashi, I know what the doctor will tell you when make it to the hospital. During the heat of the battle I did not notice my chakra signature coming from inside the village, but now that the fighting has stopped, I can feel it moving with malicious intent. I can feel two separate signatures - one in your wife and the other in your son. Sacrificing my life is not enough to repay the damage I have done to Konoha, but maybe saving your son's life as well will help settle the difference. If you want to save your son, take me with you to the hospital and I will do everything I can to help.”