𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 | 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙤

⁰⁴ ; ᶠᵃⁱˡᵘʳᵉ

Ronin had no idea why he was even trusting info like this to an Uchiha, let alone one he barely knows.

Maybe some part of him was dying to tell somone else how he felt, someone who understood.

Or maybe he was tired of being hidden, cast away like trash, kept a secret his whole life.

Strangely, he felt comfort in the fact that the Uchiha could understand how he felt. Noone else could.

Because in reality, every ninja is acting for the sake of their own home. But not for Kenjiro and Ronin. They couldn't relate.

By now they both knew they both came from Konoha, but life there wasn't great for either of them.

Both had their families taken away for stupid reasons, idiotic reasons.

And they both had to grow up, envying other children that had both parents—let alone one, in their life.

On top of that, everyone in the academy knew of Sasuke's undying hatred, his anger at the world.

But for some reason, Kenjiro wasn't the same as Sasuke. Kenjiro just seemed confused—lost.

So, Ronin confided in a stranger.

"My mother... is Tsunade Senju of the Sannin."

"and noone in the leaf knows one of the most famous ninja has a child?"

"I wasn't born here. Therefore, only a few people—now including you, know."

Kenjiro sat in silence, trying to fully understand the weigh of what Ronin had said.

"Eventually, it will be known. No matter how much I'd like it to stay a secret. So I'd rather people know on my own terms."

Obviously, Ronin is trying his best to convince the Uchiha, but it's failing to work. Understandably, as this story would be unbelievable to anyone.

Ronin sees the doubt written across Kenjiro's face, sighing as he understood the reason behind it.

He outstreched his hand, his palms facing the sky as wood emerged from it.

"Believe me now?"

Ronin lets out a little chuckle at the shock the appeared on the Uchiha's face, continuing his story soon after.

"i do."

"It's been years since I last saw my mom, ever since she left me to fend for myself."

"left you to fend for yourself?"

Kenjiro truly understood how Ronin felt in the moment, he felt the same way with his father—the one person they both needed in their life left them.

Ronin takes a deep breath in, then lets it out, his hands clenched into balls, and the skin at his knuckles so white, it threatens to split.

"She never failed to let me know how much of a failure I was, a terrible mistake she made one day when she had a little too much to drink."

"She went off with a man while she was in Suna and thought nothing of it the next morning."

Kenjiro sat and listened to Ronin, not daring to interrupt him.

"However, a few weeks later, As a world famous healer, she obviously noticed somehing wasn't quite right with her body—she was pregnant."

"And just how lucky for me, that she person she got with was the third Kazekage—my father."

Ronin starts to get choked up telling the story, convincingly holding back tears.

"She gave birth to me, and took me along with her once she left the village, having her assistant raise me while she did whatever, coming back later at night and wasted enough to verbally assault me."

"Well, then, on my fifth birthday, I guess she had enough. She lied to me and made me feel loved for once in my life."

Kenjiro didn't want to pity Ronin—out of respect for him, and for the reason that he was treated similar to how he was treated by his father.

"On that same day, she took me back to Suna. Claiming that it was to meet my father."

"I definetly did meet him, what i didnt expect though, was to be left with him."

By now, tears were flowing freely down Ronin's cheeks, the memories proving to be too much for him.

"I never saw my mother again. My father took care of me—better care than Tsunade ever did for me. I gained close relationships with my cousins, I felt like I had a family for once."

"However, the Suna Council wasn't very fond that an outsider was allowed within the village like I was, and the fact that I didn't carry the Kazekage's kekkei genkai didn't help."

"For years my father protected me as best he could, until he dissapeared—You could imagine how Suna felt that their strongest Kage had gone missing."

"And so, they Elected his brother; who had a similar ability, to be Kazekage. Though, that didn't help my case at all. He didn't protect me, no matter how much I and my cousins pled for his help."

"I was cast out, left to fend for myself in the harsh desert of Suna, no food, no water."

"I had to learn how to be a Shinobi, just so I could live. That's when I found out I had Mokuton Jutsu."

"so why not go back to suna?"

"I very well thought about it, but if I had to become a weapon for them in order to be accepted, I rather die in that desert."

Kenjiro nods his head in understanding, as the logic made almost too much sense. Because that's exactly how the Uchiha felt.

"Eventually, I found Konoha, and the third Hokage welcomed me with open arms once I explained my story."

"Once some rules were set—like having to keep my Mokuton a secret, I was allowed to stay here.".

It was an unbelievable story, but Ronin had done nothing but be honest, and Kenjiro saw him in a new light.

Ronin truly understood how Kenjiro felt, and that spoke volumes to the Uchiha.

Kenjiro stretches his arm out to the side, his fist balled as he offers a fist bump to Ronin, one that he returns.

"It's been hard for us huh"

"yeah...it has"
_____

published 6/2/21

revised 12/4/23

1001 words.