Naruto Namikaze:- The Wielder of Six Eyes!

Chapter 4

Two days Later

Naruto's Apartment

The night he was had fallen over Konoha, casting a somber mood over the village. Naruto, the young shinobi with a dream of becoming Hokage, was preparing to leave. His small and meager belongings were packed and ready for his departure the next day. A seal had been placed on him, causing his throat to ache, a constant reminder that he was forbidden from speaking about Konoha to outsiders.

His friends had visited him an hour ago to bid him farewell. The Godaime Hokage Tsunade prevented the council from announcing his banishment to the civilians and most of the ninja population until after his departure. She didn't want Naruto to face the scorn and ridicule of the villagers as he left. His friends only knew about his banishment because Tsunade had allowed their parents to inform them so they could say their goodbyes.

Among his friends were Gai and Lee, who had loudly protested against the council's decision. They vowed to work twice as hard to keep their "flames of youth" burning bright. Lee, in particular, had made a vow on his flames of youth. He promised to bring Naruto back to Konoha one day, and if he failed, he would run to Suna about a hundred times.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at Lee's vow. Despite his peculiarities, Lee was a loyal friend whom Naruto knew he could count on. They shared many similarities - both were orphans, considered odd in their ways, determined and never gave up no matter how tough things got, were at the bottom of their class, and had dreams they were striving to achieve.

"Lee, I want you to do me a favor," Naruto began.

"Anything for you, Naruto-kun!" exclaimed Lee.

"I want you to promise me that you'll accomplish your dream and prove that the dead last can become a great ninja, no matter what!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Yosh! Your flames of youth still shine brightly!" Lee cried, "And I will become a great ninja! It's a promise of a lifetime!"

Afterward, Neji came and gave his condolences over what had happened. He even said that all the respect he had recently gained for his Uncle was gone. He wished Naruto luck, and also told Naruto that Hinata had been forbidden to say goodbye to Naruto by her father. Naruto understood and could not help but feel sympathetic for Hinata for being cursed with a cold-hearted bastard like Hiashi as her father.

Tenten came as well and told him how enraged she and her parents were when they heard that Naruto was being banished for some 'unknown reason.' Naruto had been going to her family store for years since her parents, unlike most people of Konoha, treated Naruto like a person. They even gave him discounts for weapons and gear when he was short of money, which was quite often. Tenten also gave Naruto a set of silver kunai as a parting gift and said they would miss him very much, leaving Naruto truly touched by Tenten and her parents' kindness.

Kurenai also came to give Naruto her sympathy and a bento box from Hinata that she made herself. Naruto thanked Kurenai and told her to thank Hinata for him.

When Kiba arrived with the others, he began to rant and rave about the stupidity of the Council. He even told Naruto that his mom still hadn't stopped swearing, which made Naruto laugh.

Shino gave his condolences over the banishment. Naruto noted that whenever someone mentioned Konoha's Council, Shino's left eyebrow started to twitch in annoyance.

Shikamaru, Asuma, and Choji also arrived with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon to say goodbye.

Konohamaru was pretty torn up over Naruto's banishment. Naruto gave him his leaf headband, saying that he could have it as a keepsake from him. Konohamaru tearfully took it and promised to keep it safe. Naruto also tells him to wear it when he becomes Hokage so that they both become Hokage in some small way.

Konohamaru also promised to prank Konoha for this, especially those who had Naruto banished from the village. Naruto just chuckled and said, "Give them hell, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru, a young ninja aspiring to become Hokage, boldly vowed to Naruto. He promised that once he became Hokage, he would disband the Council that had banished Naruto and bring him back to Konoha. This declaration got a laugh from Naruto, who encouraged Konohamaru to hurry up and become Hokage.

Udon and Moegi, two of Naruto's friends, tearfully apologized for their grandparents' actions, contributing to Naruto's banishment. Naruto, however, reassured them with a smile, telling them they had nothing to apologize for. Shikamaru, another of Naruto's friends, wished him luck and advised him to avoid getting into too many troublesome situations. Naruto responded with a smirk, promising to do his best.

Choji, a fellow ninja and friend, presented Naruto with a pie made by his mother. Naruto thanked Choji and asked him to convey his gratitude to his mother, whom he remembered as a kind woman and an excellent cook. Asuma, a mentor figure to Naruto, expressed his regret at being unable to prevent the Council's decision to banish Naruto. Despite this, Naruto thanked Asuma, expressing his gratitude for his efforts.

Teuchi and Ayame, the father-daughter duo who ran Naruto's favorite ramen shop, arrived in a state of indignation. Teuchi swore vengeance on Ashikaga Shin, a man who had wronged Naruto, while Ayame kissed Naruto on the head, causing him to blush. They also gifted Naruto several cups of instant ramen and served him a large, hot bowl of ramen as his last meal in the village.

The arrival of Iruka, Naruto's former teacher, marked the peak of the emotional farewell. Iruka was livid about the Council's decision to banish Naruto and ranted about their idiocy. He even contemplated confronting the Council at their next meeting. The thought of Iruka using his Scary Big Head jutsu on the Council members brought a moment of humor to the otherwise somber occasion. Iruka expressed how much he would miss Naruto, advised him to take care of himself, and gave him a fatherly hug.

As Naruto prepared to leave Konoha, he noticed the absence of a few familiar faces. Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi had not come to bid him farewell. Asuma informed Naruto that Ino had left to tend to the injured Uchiha, Sasuke, who was still confined to the hospital. According to Kurenai, Sakura was already with Sasuke, and Kakashi would visit his prized student at the hospital. Naruto wasn't surprised by their actions and was indifferent to their absence.

Naruto shared his experiences with the others when questioned about his lack of reaction. He recounted the incident at the bridge with Sakura and how Kakashi's training focused only on tree walking and teamwork exercises. He revealed that he had witnessed Kakashi teaching Sasuke several flame jutsu, including the Chidori, while Sakura was trained to detect, dispel, and cast Genjutsu. Naruto also showed them the scars left by Sasuke's Chidori, a stark reminder of the dangers he had faced. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had survived. Asuma and Kurenai were appalled by Kakashi's blatant favoritism, and their respect for the copycat ninja dwindled. Gai was at a loss for words, unable to articulate his disappointment in his rival.

Once everyone had left, Naruto found himself alone, gazing out the window. He knew the ANBU's presence, even though he couldn't see or sense them. As he looked out, he reflected on his life in Konoha. There were a few good memories, but many bad ones overshadowed them. It was then that Naruto realized there was something he needed to know before he left Konoha forever.

Naruto had always wanted to know about his parents. When he asked Sandaime, the older man claimed ignorance. However, Naruto was sure that he was lying. He had also requested Tsunade and Jiraiya, but they, too, denied knowing anything. Yet again, Naruto knew they were lying. He knew that Tsunade was as poor a liar as a gambler, and if she knew who his parents were, then Jiraiya must know as well.

Determined to discover the truth, Naruto took out a life-sized paper-mache doll he had made years ago. He had created it as a decoy to replace himself in case anyone tried to attack him while he was sleeping. He snuck out through a secret hatch under his bed, a quick escape route he had devised to leave his apartment unnoticed.

Once outside, Naruto stealthily made his way toward the Hokage tower. Despite his chakra being sealed, he was still an expert at infiltration and stealth. After all, how else could a kid wearing bright orange sneak into the Hokage's tower and steal a scroll of forbidden jutsu? Naruto was determined to uncover the truth about his parents and wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Signing out Peace,

Nouhith.