Responsibilities | A Naruto FanFic

Chapter Two: Death

" Nature is about balance. The world comes in pairs. The Yin and Yang, the right or wrong, men and women; what's pleasure without the struggles of pain? "
                    
                - Angelina Jolie

————————————————————

The quiet expansions of the crickets in the shining bright stars of the night sky, the calm and relaxing chirps of the crickets sounded to the skies.

However, the grunts of pain and determination sounded out through the silence, in an isolated compound of the once great Kyōraku clan where those grunts were heard.

Two individuals of high caliber and skill were training, the tallest of those individuals was clearly holding back but not a majority of his power.

The smaller one was using his power and height disadvantage to his advantage, hitting the achilles' heel which was near impossible for the normal size opponent.

The taller was a male about forty to fifty years old, he had long silver hair with a light-skinned complexion. He was ridiculously tall being about 190cm ( 6'1 ) and 84kg ( 184lbs ) in weight, he had gray eyes with his long and silver hair tied into a long ponytail and he had long bangs that framed the right side of his face.

He wears a Sugegasa straw hat and a white and black haori and kimono, he does not wear tabi with his sandals. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye that was damaged during the many battles he endured over the years.

This was Tadashi Kyōraku, the clan head of the Kyōraku and one of the few remaining survivors of the first, second, and third great shinobi war.

He was currently sparring against his youngest son, Kyōraku Naruto. Naruto was decently tall for his age, he shared the same light-skinned complexion with the same high cheekbones as his father. Unlike his father, Naruto had the bright blue eyes of his mother. Naruto's hair is black instead of silver like his fathers, Naruto didn't have the long hair like his father with his mullet look.

( Think of Mullet Ichigo when he returned from the Dangai )

Their battle was merely impressive, they were both using bokken ( Wooden Swords ) in their battle.

While Tadashi has the height and weight advantage, he doesn't hold the speed and agility advantage that his son possesses.

Naruto was flawlessly readjusting and countering all of Tadashi's attacks and counters which was impressive for a mere three year old boy to accomplish.

However, he still had much to learn. With a well timed kick, Naruto was on the ground and before he could move out of the way or block, a bokken was placed on the area where his heart is located.

" I win, " Tadashi said, his voice deep but calming and smooth at the same time. Naruto just smirked at his father, " What do you mean, Tu~san? This is a draw, " Naruto replied calmly.

In his left hand was a small wooden tantō pointed to Tadashi's right side where his lungs were. "True enough my boy," Tadashi said while getting up.

He stretched his hand out to Naruto who happily took the hand, Tadashi effortlessly picked up Naruto off the igusa floors.

Tadashi padded off the loose rushy grass off of Naruto's back with the younger boy doing the small, however, their preparations for another spar was interrupted when they heard the sounds of clapping from the door's entrance.

Both Naruto and Tadashi turned around to see a beauty beyond words.

She was a slim and youthful woman with long black hair that's normally kept pinned back with a diamond pin-wheel hair; pins tray are very expensive into two bangs hanging either side of her side of her face.

She was wearing oval framed glasses with a flowery pink kimono over a black haori. This was Emi Ise, the wife of the eldest son of Tadashi.

" Well done, Naruto~kun, Tadashi~sama, " Emi Ise said respectfully while bowing down, Naruto frowed at the suffix he was given.

He was nearly four years old, he should have at least a san or sama suffix but he still had the kun suffix. It didn't really bother Naruto, just annoyed him that he was still referred to as the little brat rather than the second son of the clan head of the Kyōraku clan.

" Ohayō, Emi~chan " Tadashi said whole Naruto just waved at her, " Where is Masao~kun, " Tadashi said referring to his eldest son.

" He left in the morning to talk to Sakumo~san, he should be back soon, " Emi said, Tadashi nodded and padded the head of his youngest son.

" Naruto~kun, take a shower and get dressed, I'll take you to the academy for the first day, " Tadashi informed his youngest son, Naruto smiled and happily runned towards his room, showing some remaining childish behavior which was quickly leaving him.

The moment Tadashi saw Naruto turn the corner he sighed, " You can come out now, " Tadashi said, within a second a person came out of Emi's shadow.

" What happened, Masao? " Tadashi said while the shadow fully come out and he got a full look of his eldest son.

Masao is a tall, muscular man with mid-length straight black hair that reaches to his ears. His eyes are gray, just like his father and younger brother, and he has thin black eyebrows and a scar on the corner of his right lip.

For casual attire, Masao wears a simple outfit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt and matching pants with sandals. While fighting, Masao wears a tight-fitting short sleeve shirt, sports tan baggy training pants with a black belt weaved through the waist and black martial arts slippers. Masao wore a dark-colored haori over a black yukata.

" It's bad news, like you suspect, Sakumo~san committed suicide, " Masao said, clear sadness and guilty in his rough but smooth voice.

Tadashi looked down in shame, " I have failed you, Sachiko~sama, " Tadashi said under his breath.

" What about Sakumo's daughter, what happened to her? " Tadashi asked, " She currently under the protection of the hokage, she will most likely live there until the house is clean up and the funeral is over where she'll will have all the possesses of her father including the clan head title, Ryo Sakumo earned throughout the years, and all his estates, " Masao said, Tadashi nodded expecting that much of his long-term friend, Hiruzen.

" I see…you can go now, Masao~kun, Emi~chan. I'll take Naruto for the first day of his academy " Tadashi informed Emi and Masao, they both nodded and went to left the area.

Emi already left but Masao stayed behind for a while, " How long do you think before Naruto~kun finishes the academy? We both know the massive potential that be holds, he might actually be the one to manifest out clan's legendary weapon, " Masao said, he knew his time on earth was limited.

It's most likely that he would die within a few years, " He's a prodigy that this world has never seen before, he'll graduate from the academy within a week. It's a matter of partial knowledge that he needs, he already has the power to be a mid to high chūnin, " Tadashi said, Masao smiled and left the open room.

" I truly have high hopes for you, Naruto~kun, "