Konohagakure No Sato :
Uzumaki Household :
The morning air outside was chilly and humid.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly up at his ceiling. Despite being awake, his body refused to move, clinging to the warm embrace of his bed.
Eventually, his eyes focused. He sat up, swung his legs over the side, and dragged himself toward the bathroom to start his morning routine.
While brushing his teeth, his eyes drifted toward the bathroom mirror, catching his own reflection. The blonde looking back at him had hollow, lifeless eyes framed by dark circles. Bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and arms, covering the lingering battle damage that he got while restraining Gaara in chains while being bombarded with shuriken and Kunai .
But what really caught his attention wasn't pain or sorrow—it was that the Person in the mirror has overwhelming confusion written across his face.
(....)
Was this emptiness?
Was he hollow inside?
Or what was this feeling???
And WHy
Naruto had expected a lot of things once the dust settled. He had envisioned the sweet taste of revenge, or maybe a long-overdue sense of absolute freedom. But sitting here now, there was nothing. No thrill, no liberation—just a gaping void in his chest.
After finishing his routine and taking a quick shower, he walked mechanically over to his wardrobe. He pulled out a black mourning outfit—an outfit he had actually bought weeks ago, originally intended to be worn in quiet celebration of the Hokage's death.
But as he put it on, he didn't feel a single drop of joy.
And somehow, the strangest part of it all was... he didn't feel any sadness either. after that Naruto took a band and gathered his shoulder length blonde hair and tied then in simple Ponytail .
Dressed in black, Naruto stepped out into the streets in the morning chilly air and the darknening sky .
The village was quiet, draped in grief. Streams of similarly dressed villagers and shinobi were lining up along the main roads, slowly making their way toward the Hokage Office to pay their final respects.
As he walked among them, watching the crowds, Naruto's mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts.
(....If not for the Third... would my life have really been any different as a Jinchuriki?)
The reality was that the Jinchuriki title was a curse in every hidden village. Look at Kumogakure's Killer Bee—even as the Raikage's adoptive brother and a Perfect Jinchuriki, he was still shunned and isolated by his own people for years.
Back when Naruto had just been an outsider looking in through a screen, he had endless opinions about how terrible Naruto's life was. But after actually living in this world for over three years as Uzumaki Naruto himself, he had come to realize something uncomfortable: he had never actually starved. For one reason or another, Hiruzen, Iruka, or Teuchi were always lingering in the background, making sure he survived.
The expired milk, the dirty apartment, the bad habits... a lot of that had actually been Naruto's own childhood neglect of himself. And as busy as the old Hokage was, Hiruzen had tried to teach him things in his own roundabout way.
THe Proof
He himself , in the third years since he started the change , didn't the circumstances changed too . whether it wasa jutsu or even some other manipulations , somehow all of them slowly but surely adapted , was this Just because of Hokage's whim or Because The HOkage saw Naruto's growth and adapted the same .
Unlike the Canon Naruto who didn't give up or grow in all 12 years or even more .
(....But the reason Naruto turned out like that in the first place.... isn't Sarutobi Hiruzen still somehow responsible for it?)
That was why he felt so conflicted today. Knowing that the Nine-Tails' leaking chakra naturally made civilian minds anxious and hostile regardless of what he did, Naruto was caught in an ideological spiral—especially today, as he walked to a mass funeral for all the shinobi who fell during the joint Suna-Sound Invasion.
As he reached the foot of the Hokage Building, his thoughts drifted to the reanimated Danzo.
(....If not for the Old Man keeping him in check.... wouldn't I have ended up locked in a root cell, turned into a mindless weapon by the likes of Danzo? .....And those rumors that ruined my childhood..... shouldn't those be traced straight back to Danzo's office, too?)
Ofcourse , The Third was also partially responsible but only partially , not fully either .
Walking forward , Naruto chakra senses moves and Sensing familiar chakra signatures above, Naruto slowly climbed the stairs leading up to the roof of the Hokage Office.
The roof was packed with a dense crowd of mourners. As Naruto stepped into view, the crowd parted down the middle. But as he walked past them, he noticed something different in their eyes. They weren't making way out of fear, nor were they shunning him.
They were making way out of genuine respect.
It was respect he had forced out of them during this Chunin Exams and the invasion—especially after he personally chained down and subdued a giant Tailed Beast right in the middle of the arena.
Looking at their somber, reverent faces, Naruto's heart didn't flutter. His thoughts remained cold and detached despite the so-called 'Acknowledgement'
(....Bunch of sheep.)
As Naruto walked forward, the crowd couldn't help but notice his face. It was completely indifferent. There was no grief, no suppressed tears, no visible emotion whatsoever. His eyes were totally blank as he moved in absolute, quiet stillness.
It wasn't just the civilian crowd who noticed, either. His friends, rivals, former teachers, and the surviving Jonin all watched him with heavy hearts. Even the Sannin and high-ranking village officials who knew Naruto personally were watching his silent approach.
Hinata, Shino, and Ino instinctively stepped forward to comfort him, but their parents gently placed hands on their shoulders, softly advising them to give Naruto space. Sasuke stood off to the side, his hands in his pockets, choosing not to step forward for the exact same reason.
To everyone present, Naruto's blank, emotionless state was interpreted as deep, traumatic grief—the complete numbness of a boy who had just lost the man who was as close to him as a grandfather.
In reality, Naruto was spiraling internally because there was neither sadness nor hatred in his heart. There was only a suffocating, complicated confusion at the realization that his mind and soul simply could not generate a single drop of sorrow or joy for the death of the Shinobi Dumbledore.
(....WHY???)
Naruto reached the front of the stage and stepped up to the memorial table, placing a single white flower onto the surface.
The table was covered in hundreds of framed photographs of the fallen—Genin, Chunin, and Jonin who had died defending the Leaf. Their Konoha headbands gleamed in the photos, immortalizing the people who had laid down their lives during the assault.
(.....No, the whole village fought for survival... but in the end... these specific people just didn't make it out alive.)
Were they all willing sacrifices? He had no idea.
Were some of them terrified and dragged into it? No idea.
Or were they Just following the orders like a good shinobi .
Or were they just tools ??
Either way, it didn't change the cold reality that the village was still standing on top of their corpses.
(....Shinobi...?)
As his thoughts darkened, his gaze moved to the very center of the display.
Dominating the memorial was a large, framed portrait of the Third Hokage, dressed in his regal red Hokage robes and traditional hat, smiling softly.
(....The Old Man never used my Hiraishin mark during that fight...No he didn't even bring it ..... Why?)
Why? The answer was already sitting painfully clear in Naruto's heart.
The Third Hokage had deliberately chosen not to rely on him. Whatever happened inside that purple barrier—whether it was facing Orochimaru or dealing with the Edo Tensei or the possibility of Kazekage—Hiruzen Sarutobi had made a conscious decision to keep Naruto out of it. He refused to drag his 'grandson' into a suicide match or any conflict .
And that was the core of Naruto's utter confusion.
If Hiruzen had truly viewed him as nothing more than a Jinchuriki—a human weapon belonging to the Leaf—wouldn't it have been natural to summon that weapon to the battlefield to protect the village and its Hokage?
(Then WHY...????)
Why hadn't the old fart done it? If all those years of subtle manipulation and soft-spoken speeches were meant to groom the Jinchuriki into a loyal shield for the Leaf, why did he back off at the absolute last second? Why did he choose to die alone, taking his mistakes to the grave like Dumbledore?
*Pitter*..*Platter*. *Pitter*... *Pitter*...
Suddenly, wet drops splashed against Naruto's cheek.
For a split second, Naruto blinked, thrown into complete bewilderment thinking his eyes were finally tearing up. But as he looked up toward the overcast sky, he watched dark, heavy clouds open up, pouring cold rain down over the silent, mourning crowd.
Naruto stared up at the dark sky in a silent trance, completely drenched, and still utterly lost.
Naruto moved slowly toward the exit of the Hokage building, in no mood to talk to anyone present. He descended the stairs step by heavy step, his feet dragging as he headed toward his next destination.
Which he himself didn't know /
Mid-stride, Naruto suddenly stopped and looked down at his feet.
He was standing right in the middle of the street, completely drenched in the pouring rain.
With no one around
(...all alone...!! )
His chakra senses automatically flared outward, mapping out the energy signatures moving across the village.
Hinata was leaving with Hiashi, Neji, and the rest of the Hyuga family.
Ino was walking away alongside Inoichi and her relatives.
Shino, Kiba, Tenten, and even Lee were heading home surrounded by their respective families.
Kakashi was walking side-by-side with Guy.
Even Karin was leaving under the care of Akane and Shizune.
A cold, heavy realization slowly washed over him.
(....Ahhh.)
Yeah... he was completely on his own now.
Now, even if he stumbled and scraped his knee, there wouldn't be an old Hokage grandpa bumping into him on the street to check on his wounds.
Now, even if he was starving, there would be no old man dropping by to take him out for a hot bowl of ramen.
There was no longer anyone standing in the shadows to look out for his well-being.
Regardless of the old man's subtle manipulations or political motives... at the very least, there had always been someone keeping an eye on him, shielding him from the harshest storms and keeping Danzo or others from dragging him into the dark.
Now, that protective shelter was completely gone.
Twelve years of memories with the Third Hokage came crashing down on his mind all at once—twelve years, essentially his entire remembered life. Memories of happy moments, stern scoldings, ridiculous pranks, shared meals, calculated manipulations, and genuine warmth.
And in that moment, Naruto finally understood why he had been so deeply confused.
The Third Hokage—the Old Man—had been like family to him.
A manipulative family member, sure.... but family nonetheless.
It was just like his previous life, where parents would make heavy-handed decisions for their kids or use subtle manipulations to force specific outcomes—whether it was about studies, sports, discipline, or life choices—using incentives like money, sweets, or guilt.
The Hokage had been the exact same way..... in his own roundabout,
Shinobi way.
And Uzumaki Naruto? He was just like those kids who held grudges against their parents—hating their father for one reason or their mother for another, no matter how small or large the grievance was.
In the end, those people still held a profound and complicated space in their hearts. Maybe not an idealized family, but definitely something permanent.
It was something that could never be replaced—not by Tsunade, not by Jiraiya, not by his friends, not by aunts or uncles, not by mentors like Iruka or Kakashi... and maybe not even by lovers.
(....So this is where the emptiness comes from. This is why I'm so confused.)
Drenched in the downpour, Naruto dragged his feet forward. As he walked, his sensory perimeter brushed against another familiar chakra signature moving through the rain.
(.....Sasuke.)
Just like him, the last Uchiha was walking entirely alone down a parallel street. From the direction he was heading, Sasuke was making his way toward the abandoned Uchiha Compound and the desolate cemetery built within its borders.
Feeling the faint, ancestral resonance echoing between their spirits, Naruto stared ahead silently.
(.....Ashura and Indra..!!)
Shaking his head , Naruto kept walking, the heavy rain flattening his clothes against his skin. His long, wet blonde hair slipped free from its single ponytail, cascading down around his shoulders and framing his face.
Before long, he reached his next destination:
The Konoha Cemetery.
He stepped through the heavy stone gates and looked across the grounds. The cemetery was packed with quiet, grieving crowds standing over rows of fresh earth.
(The shinobi were given grand honors for their noble deaths.... but what about these civilians?)
Naruto let his wet hair hang lower over his eyes, but through his blank gaze and sensory skills and Halo Eys skill , he watched the grieving crowds scattered throughout the grounds. He saw the freshly dug graves and listened to the muffled sobs echoing in the rainy air.
His eyes quietly scanned the names carved into the stone tombstones, alongside their dates of birth and death.
Suddenly, his feet froze.
He found himself looking at a weeping family—a mother, a father, and a little girl crying uncontrollably in front of a small, freshly placed tombstone.
Naruto read the short inscription carved into the stone, a bitter taste rising in his throat.
(....Hiro... Died at the age of.... 6..... Dreamed to become..... Hokage.)
Kakashi had graduated the academy at age 5 and became a Chunin at 6.
A talented kid usually joined the Ninja Academy at age 6, full of bright dreams.
And now...
A six-year-old child hadn't even been given the chance to try working toward his dream. Forget becoming Hokage, or even a full-fledged shinobi—the kid hadn't even lived long enough to see the rest of the village, let alone the outside world.
(... Konoha .. Suna ... Sound ....Third Hokage ...Rasa...Orochimaru....War ....or .... Selfishness .....In the end .....the one who pay the price is ...hehe )
Naruto moved past them silently, a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. Despite his usual cool-headedness and calculated detachment, today felt wrong.
...Was he feeling human??? Or what was this???
But one tin was certain , he was not grieving neither was he feeling guilty .
Why ? because
For the village or what not \
You can pick any fancy name
But the core was the same
( In the end , Old man did things in his selfishness .....and i did the same .....in my selfishness )
While Naruto felt this answer was right
he also felt something wrong .
Because the confusion still remained .
(.........But why ?? )
Slinking through the rows of tombstones, Naruto eventually came face-to-face with a distinct, dual grave. The tombstone was significantly larger than the others, featuring far more detailed inscriptions—a special, sacred monument reserved for two individuals buried together.
Dying together.
Buried together.
A final, eternal bond for a married couple.
And the names carved onto the stone?
NAMIKAZE MINATO
UZUMAKI KUSHINA
This wasn't the first time he had visited this spot, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
The new "Naruto" was definitely not some blindly dutiful, filial son. Yet today, after witnessing all the bloody sacrifices made in the name of the village and seeing the overwhelming grief of the survivors, his feet had brought him here automatically.
Looking down at the names of his biological parents, feeling the crushing weight of the day, his thoughts turned dark and reflective.
(....So this is the WILL OF FIRE... HOW TERRIFYING.)
Before today, Naruto had never taken the village's ideology seriously. He viewed it as cheap propaganda.
But today felt different.
Why?
Because Naruto realized that if it came down to protecting Hinata or Ino... his own logical, self-serving actions wouldn't have a clear answer anymore.
In the past, he would have definitely tried his absolute best to save them, but he would have ultimately prioritized his own survival above all else.
Now?
He didn't have a clean answer for what he would do.
His eyes locked onto the dual grave of the parents who had sacrificed themselves for the Leaf.
...And maybe sacrificed themselves for him, too???
Isn't it natural to prioritize your own life above everything else?
Then why were people so willing to throw their lives away?
Why was a village or a nation so important that someone would happily lay down their life for it?
What had those nameless shinobi—or even the soldiers who died in the line of duty in his previous life—been thinking right before the end?
What was so wrong with prioritizing your own survival?
Why did a village become so sacred that dying for it became second nature?
Why did a wife and children become so important that a man would happily toss his life into the flames to protect them?
why would a wife can also sacrifice everything for her family
Why would even a quivering child will also do the same ??
and why all of them can also do the same for the village .
Why lay down your life to protect a wife... when after you're gone, she might eventually move on years later and find someone else?
A kid who will also forget and move on /
Not just a wife or kid —whether it was the village, the kids, or anyone else... life goes on, and everyone eventually moves on.
Aside from a single, hollow "thank you" carved on a monument... what was there worth dying for?
THEN WHY????
Staring at their carved names, Naruto finally voiced his confusion out loud, muttering softly into the rain.
"....Why can't I find the answer.... for... everything??"
"....Because a shinobi's true value is measured not by how they live, but by what they leave behind."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. He slowly turned his head toward the shadows of the surrounding trees as Jiraiya stepped out into the open. The Sannin was equally drenched in the rain, speaking in a low, somber tone as he slowly closed the distance.
"A shinobi's worth is decided by the choices they make right before death—transforming an end into a meaningful legacy.... Dying means entrusting a sacred duty to the next generation."
"...."
".....They achieve peace in their own way... even if they do not live to see it themselv—"
"I don't need your answer, TOAD....!! "
But Before Jiraiya could step any closer to preach to or guide his supposed Child of Fate, Naruto cut him off with an icy tone.
Jiraiya stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the boy in stunned silence. From behind those long, wet strands of blonde hair, the child's blue eyes were glinting with an blood-chilling coldness in the rain.
"..."
"....Save your breath," Naruto said flatly. "I will find my own answers. I am done listening to preachings."
Seeing Naruto's hostile, detached state, Jiraiya felt a deep pang of bewilderment. But he wasn't about to just walk away simply because the kid pushed him back.
"Naruto, the Hokage and the others.... they—"
Naruto was completely out of patience.
".....Your Hokage chose death."
"..."
" He didn't even bring my Hiraishin Mark with him "
"...."
"He chose death over answering my questions!!" Naruto snapped, his voice sharp as glass. "He ran away like a hero without taking a single shred of responsibility!! Hundreds of questions.... forever gone with him in smoke!"
"...Naruto, the Old Man had his own diffic------..."
Naruto glared at the Sannin, his gaze darkening by the second. He took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them. His sudden movement forced Jiraiya to choke back his lecture.
"...And just like him..... you also had your own 'difficulties'.... right?"
"....."
"...'Research' in the hot springs....for years ... hehe."
Naruto stopped, casting a backward glance at the dual grave before locking eyes with Jiraiya once more.
"I've heard plenty about the Toad Sage's shamelessness.... but to think you can stand there and speak so high and mighty right in front of their grave.... really.... 'difficulties,' huh?!!"
Jiraiya's face drained of color. He looked past Naruto toward the tombstones of Minato and Kushina, a wave of painful memories flooding his mind.
He remembered the day they named their child 'Naruto' after the heroic protagonist of his very first book. He remembered them asking him to be the boy's godfather, entrusting their son's future to his care.
Watching the silent, pale Sannin, Naruto stepped right past him toward the cemetery exit, his voice dropping into a soft, detached monotone.
"A young hatchling needs parents, elders, teachers .....and their guidance, and protection for the early years of life , when he is most vulnerable ..... but eventually, he needs to form his own vision.... especially once he has grown."
Naruto kept walking, his rain-soaked hair obscuring his face. But as his shoulder brushed past Jiraiya's, his voice echoed one last time—devoid of the icy rage from before, sounding like a simple, undeniable matter of fact.
Just like a Sun rises in east
A fact that required no argument.
And what Naruto said next completely shattered the Sannin standing beside him.
"I didn't need you for the first twelve years of my life... So...... why NOW?"
Naruto walked away, leaving Jiraiya rooted to the wet earth in complete silence in the rain , staring blankely at the graves at front .
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As Naruto left the cemetery and walked down the quiet streets, Naruto gradually composed himself.
( TO lose composure like this .....How Laughable ....this whole day is )
Looking back on it, it felt almost laughable that Jiraiya had suddenly decided to step up and 'guide' him now—after twelve whole years of total absence.
(Hehe... did he come looking for me because I'm Naruto, a lost soul in need of help? Or because I'm the son of the Minato and Kushina? ....Or maybe just because I'm his supposed 'Child of Destiny' wit Blue eyes /??)
In the grand scheme of things, had Jiraiya ever actually cared about the hundreds of grieving children in this village or in world ? , or was his entire life's purpose just a crusade to find a mythical 'Child of Destiny'?
In the end, aside from Nagato, Minato, and now himself... Jiraiya's goal had always been the same, hadn't it?
When Nagato desperately needed guidance, he was there to preach
But when Nagato needed his protection ....Jiraiya was not there
When Minato needed help on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, Jiraiya wasn't there either .
And when Naruto needed someone during the first twelve years of his life—the most vulnerable, formative period for any human child—Jiraiya was nowhere to be found either .
But now he was .
(....Is he a good guy.... a selfish hypocrite? ...Or just a grand daydreamer?)
Shaking his head, Naruto pushed the thoughts aside, refocusing on his own mind to sort through the emotional mess.
Lost in a trance-like state, he eventually arrived back at his Home ... only to freeze right at the front gate.
Standing beneath the small overhang of the entrance gate were four girls, all dressed in black mourning clothes. They were huddled together to escape the pouring rain, their clothes damp from the storm.
Hinata.
Ino.
Karin.
& Yugao.
Naruto stared at them in total silence. His confusion deepened, but at the same time, the dark clouds in his mind cleared away—and one of his lingering questions was instantly answered.
(... So I am not alone ....Afterall )
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Author's notes :
The whole chapter has nothing to clarify
The questions
The answer and even the chapters message itself .
As written , Naruto didn't grieve for either Third or anyone else . But this series of wevents and hundred of deaths , definetly impacted the new psyche ,
different fromt the airheaded canon naruto whose pnly focus was on third death and was later 'taught' by Iruka and Jiraiya .
The chapters whole puprpose was to focus on mc's confusion and also to make readers confuse too .
Well all this to just show Hiruzen and Naruto's thoughts and circumstances .
no matter what , Naruto still didn't grieve for Third HOkage
and no matter what , Hiruzen still manipulated but also protected naruto .
Naruto not taking action and letting third die ....and third not dragging naruto in his fights for any nonsense reason .
No one is fully right or wrong .
And with this chunin arc is done .
Just so readers know , There is no fact in anime or mana that proves that rock lee was orphan , it's all in air , that's why , in Konoha 12 , only Sasuke and naruto are orphans .
though Sasuke's brother is still alive .
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