Flash Forward: Naruto Edition

Chapter 6 - The Secret

Ladies and gentlemen, your new installment of Flash Forward: Naruto edition is here.

Enjoy!

The Third hokage had long since passed his prime. It was an undeniably fact he had accepted years ago yet despite that fact, somehow he always found himself in situations that seem to drain the life from his weary bones. Perhaps it had started all those years ago when his prize student Orochimaru had been caught red-handed for his crimes. It was a moment of utter disbelief and shame for him to accept the fact that the pale-skinned shinobi that he had thought to be a second son was could stoop to such atrocious levels. He had hesitated in the decisive moment and now, one of the world's most dangerous criminal was at large because of his moment of weakness. He had found a brief reprieve when Minato had accepted the mantle of hokage and allowed the aged hokage a well earned retirement. Those few years he spent with his beloved Biwako were bliss compared to his younger days on the battle field. But that too came crashing down on his head when the Kyuubi had attacked. News had reached his ears that the monster was freed from his chains and that his wife had passed away - murdered, he had learnt a day later.

That fated day had seen the fall of one of the greatest kages and the birth of a new jinchuriki. Hiruzen had been forced to retake the hat that night and lead his village once more. As the years passed and his strength - both physical and political - waned, he found himself dreading for the future generation. It was an undeniable fact that he had learnt from one of the sensei, the Second Hokage himself, the no matter the era, there is always war. He had hoped that the stoic Senju had been wrong in his philosophy but yet again, his sensei had been proven right.

'I'm getting far too old for this,' The aged hokage thought.

Looking over at the young genin, he could clearly see the divide that had somehow occurred between them. A large gap had made itself known between Naruto and the others - with the surprising exception of the Uchiha heir. Most of the genin were giving the boy wary glances, clearly unsure of what to do with the now stated fact that someone, one of their own had some connection to the monstrosity that had almost caused the end of their village. The Hyuga heiress herself was giving the boy an apologetic glance, obviously having been drawn from his side by her teammates. It was truly a sad sight.

'It's human nature to fear what we don't understand,' Hiruzen thought, 'But that doesn't make it justifiable to cast such a heavy burden onto a young child,'

"It would seem that without a doubt, the scenes from the last viewing have shed light upon a subject I had hoped would have remained a secret until much later into the future," the old man spoke, grabbing each person's attention. The Third rose from his seat with his signature robes draped over the back. Clad only in his battle armor, he no longer looked like the most powerful leader in the Elemental Nations, but like a weary war veteran, tired of seeing the bloodshed of his enemies and comrades alike. "And I have no doubt it has placed a lot of confusion in the minds of the genin."

"I had truly hoped that this day would never come but it would seem that the world we live in his not one built on dreams, not matter how much we wish it so. What I am about to say within the confines of this room is a S-rank secret. Meaning, if you utter a word of it to another person, you will be killed on the spot. No exceptions!" he commanded and grimaced when the rookies gulped visibly. He hated threatening children, but they were shinobi now, and as such, had a duty to their village and its leader. "Am I understood?"

They nodded slightly.

Inoichi was the first to protest, just like Hiruzen had suspected. "Hokage-sama, if I may, you can't possibly be talking about that secret?" he asked, making an unnoticed nod into Naruto's direction.