Alternate Universe

t w o : A New Version Of Him

Jiji, don’t you think it’s a little bit too late to act like you care?.

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Naruto Uzumaki.

The boy who had been claimed kidnapped three years ago, but now Hiruzen is certain that’s not the case.

Three years ago, Itachi Uchiha arrived in his office, looking dishelved and hastily reported that his brother, Uchiha Sasuke, saw how two unidentified individuals had kidnapped Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke also testified that Naruto was unconscious during the kidnapping.

He ordered every available ninjas in the village to look for in every neighboring villages, and his heart would always ache whenever his ANBUs would shook their heads, he always wonder why it feels like they always arrive earlier than intended but he shrugged it off by thinking that he was always lost in his own mourning that he had lost the sense of time.

At one point, he thought that maybe, he should put Naruto as a ‘missing-nin’.

As Hiruzen was busy drowning himself to his paperwork, to distract himself that he had, again, failed someone dear to him. He didn’t realized a year had passed.

In one particular day, one of the members of the council handed him an invitation, he politely asked what was the occasion but his question fell into dead ears as the said councilor was busy smiling ear-to-ear.

Reluctantly, Hiruzen attended, and as he was there at a Grand Hall. He couldn’t believe his ears when they announced what they were celebrating, “Today we celebrate the anniversary of the disappearance of the demon kid!.”

He was frozen in shock, as other guests drink to what the announcer had said, he looked down and realized civilians was also cheering – and recognized that some of the ANBUs were also celebrating.

And then everything clicked. The reason why the ANBUs always arrive early, is because they weren’t actually looking for Naruto. Instead, they were merely pretending for the sake of obeying him.

Hiruzen glared at all, as he threw the glass he was holding. He was here, celebrating with them. His eyes burned as he blinked away the tears, as he did so – he looked down as he swore that he saw a familiar blonde hair.

And he felt guiltier than he already did, he really hope that it was just a hallucinations of his like always but he knew, deep inside, that Naruto was there.

The next day, he called everyone in the village for an important announcement, summoning even the ones who was in a mission, Hiruzen wore the Hokage cap on his head to hide his swollen eyes.

Hiruzen marched forward, looking like he was ready to fight in a war. He looked down as recognized familiar faces, such as some of the clan heads, Fugaku, Hiashi, Shikaku, Tsume, he knew the others were on there way.

He took a deep breathe, as he told them everything that happened thirteen years during the attack of the Kyuūbi. He didn’t skip a breathe, telling then word by word how Minato sealed away the Bijuū – and of course, the civilians cheered for their dead hero.

Hiruzen shushed them by raising his hands, “And he sealed the Bijuū to a baby, and that baby is no other than, Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki.”

“Namikaze?!.” He heard someone shouted behind him.

“Yes, Naruto Uzumaki is Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki’s only son.” As he finally said those words, Hiruzen felt something heavy lift from his shoulders.