Fruits For Your
Consideration
Written by legacyZero
The Fruit of Knowledge
Or
Ten things you’re better
off not knowing
Or
Ten things that may or may
not come to pass
1) Uchiha Sasuke, unlike the mass majority of his support base believes,
does not think. In fact, it is safe to assume that he is literally brain-dead. Now,
why would this be the case when he could eat, breathe, sleep and basically
function as an independent shinobi should?
He was per say, a machine.
The boy known as Uchiha
Sasuke had died in the darkness of night, the night when his brother killed his
clan off in the same night he purged his blood. Spared His body might have
been, but his mind was not. The stress of Tsukiyomi had all but erased the
human aspect that was called ‘Sasuke’. Compassion, regret, ethics…all of that
was wiped cleaned, leaving behind only the negative aspects of humanity; rage,
cunning, apathy and more.
He would’ve been reduced to
a foaming mess. But he survived; his need for revenge gave him the will
power necessary to survive and all that hate was channeled and harnessed by a
simple directive. It would be that single thought which would form the
underlying basis of why he did everything that he did.
His friendship with Naruto.
His apathy towards Sakura.
His blonde teammate did not
understand, only assuming that the Uchiha was wrong and misguided. He did not
even blink at the sheer malice when Uchiha Sasuke told him straight in the face
in no uncertain terms, to fuck off, not even when that term was
conceptualized into reality by the gaping hole in Naruto’s chest. Unfortunately
or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Naruto did not care about the
abuse that was heaped on him. That was the norm of his life, and he could take
a Chidori just as well as a punch to the face.
But he did care when
that abuse was done onto those he considered precious. It was not until Uchiha
Sasuke plugged a Chidori or two into Sakura‘s chest that
Uzumaki Naruto finally realized that. Though he did not know intimately about
the truth of Sasuke, it was said that he did not care much for anything else
about Sasuke but his death at that point in time.
Uchiha Sasuke must die,
Naruto rationalized, the same way the younger Uchiha rationalized the single
directive thought that drove him to do everything in his power to kill his
brother.
But unlike the Uchiha’s
efforts, the sheer tenacity of Naruto would prove to be far more effective than
he could possibly imagine. Uchiha Itachi would fall beneath the heel of the
blonde Jinchuuriki, body maimed beyond respite and slowly dying. He would rob
Sasuke of his goal, and he would break news of this gleefully to the sole
remaining Uchiha, watching mercilessly as the Judas crumble to the ground like
a doll devoid of its strings.
It will take but a second
for Naruto to form a wind-imbued Rasengan in one hand, and a second more
to shove it into his body. Ironically, it would take less time than that to
wipe the last remnants of the Uchiha, whose eyes were so terrible that even the
great tailed daemons feared them, off from the face of the planet.
But you already knew that,
didn’t you?
2) People are one-sided creatures, spitting out and then indulging in
the comforts of what they have, heedless of the suffering they cause before. Relating
to this, Naruto wondered why he had to suffer such cruelty when he had no sin
to bear? For years on end, he thought that it was God’s way of testing him, to
ensure that only the most worthy could enter the kingdom of heaven, or so he
gathered from one of those western books he picked up from the trash. Hope,
like a cancer, spread through him, renewing his spirit but also preparing the
final nails into his coffin.
Years later, it is only his
belief in God that keeps him together barely, through the abuse and everything
else. His smile, like everything else about him, is upheld by a thin veneer of
the cancer that is called hope.
When Mizuki told him the
truth on that day, he feels hope leaving him, God having forsaken him. Anger
and despair replaces faith. Now that he knows why, he only feels more despondent
than ever, as if his meaning of existence was but to suffer. But the knowledge
of this does not crush him like it has done to greater men. Instead, it
strengthens him and drives him with purpose.
He will strive for the goal
of Hokage once more, but this time, his purpose wouldn’t be as benign as it
once started.
Naruto never forgets and
never forgives. That courtesy was only extended to those he felt worthy.
There are three great
fires in the history of Konoha; the first founding of the Hidden Village of
Leaf within the great forest, the catastrophic attack of Kyuubi no Youkai in
which unholy fires burned for three days and three nights, and finally, the
Great Purge of Konoha which was instigated by its last leader, the Rokudaime
Hokage of Leaf, Uzumaki Naruto.
3) Despite having been told otherwise, Uzumaki Naruto cannot be
killed. It is the reason why he finds it difficult to draw upon the fox’s power
as the days drew nearer towards his fifteenth birthday and finding less reason
to do so as the days go by.
The moment he became
fifteen, the Kyuubi was fully absorbed by the seal, thereby connecting Naruto
to the spiritual centre of the world, infusing him with almost god-like powers.
At first, he was thrilled at the prospect, thinking about the combat potential
it gave him. But as time wore on, he realized that being immortal has its own
price.
One by one, as his friends
and comrades disappeared because of war and age, Naruto resents his inability
to die.
His life-long ambition of
being Hokage (he already held that title for a long time), shifts gradually,
without him knowing it, into something completely different. And it would be
this revelation that prompts him to disappear from the face of the known world.
Uzumaki Naruto wants to
die, before all that he knows and loves vanishes into the wind.
4) To be born a genius was an honor and privilege, or so that was what
all they said. However, you never did hear the opinion of those concerned, did
you? To the clans that these geniuses were born into, it would do no less than
to flaunt off talent in the never-ending rat race between the noble houses.
It was an honor,
they would say.
Some of those geniuses
would say otherwise.
To Rock Lee, a person who
called himself a ‘Genius of Hard Work’, a genius born out of nature’s chance
was unfair. It was not an honor, as pompous self-indulged autocrats claimed. While
he acknowledged the strength of natural geniuses, Lee also sought to prove
himself to be better than a genius endowed with a bloodline, in his own
idiosyncratic way.
He got the chance to prove
himself in a blaze of glory in a mission gone so horribly wrong that even Team
Gai (with its reputed powerhouse members), could not handle. With Gai
unconscious with seventy-two broken bones in his body, and TenTen bleeding
profusely from a gaping wound to her side, it was down to either Hyuuga Neji or
Rock Lee to face down a living juggernaut and not both because someone has to live
and keep their comrades alive.
It was in that moment,
between the fine line of life and death that Rock Lee saw Hyuuga Negi falter
for the first time in his life, his lavender eyes usually so full of calm
reassurance were now filled with crushing despair. It would be in that moment
that Rock Lee finally understands the look in his comrade’s eyes for what it
is.
Rock Lee would interpret
it, landing on the conclusion that he has won. Won the contest between
the natural and artificial genius.
He knew now, that even
geniuses were human, with the fear of death deeply wired to their being. He was
the better man, and with that, he accepted the responsibilities of such. With a
great shove, he would push the Hyuuga backwards, towards his injured comrades,
towards life.
It would be the last time
that Hyuuga Neji saw of Rock Lee; his right arm extended perpendicular from his
body with his hand clenched and thumb facing upwards. Ah, the quintessential
‘Good Guy’ pose.
“Take care of them and
live.”
And live would Neji do,
though failing even the last task his rival gave to him. Neji would
wonder how it was an honor to survive when his team did not. It would be years
later when Hyuuga Neji, when his genius finally failed to make up the sheer
difference in numbers and skill and plain human mortality, would die a
meaningless death for a belief that was false.
Nara Shikamaru, perhaps one
in the long line of geniuses to descend from his clan, found the
title...troublesome, not surprisingly. Though it was not his father, the head
of his clan, to advertise his ‘late bloom’, It would be that title as a genius
that would cause the eventual death of his teammates, as word of his reputation
got around with every daring exploit he pulled. Other villages noticed the rise
of a team that paralleled the path of the Sannin. But unlike the benefit of
doubt that those three had received in the past, Team Nine would have no such
luxury.
It was not long before
Shikamaru became the sole member of Team Nine.
Never did he curse his genius
more strongly than on that day.
Some, on the other hand,
completely seek such praise and acknowledgement of their supposed superiority. Uchiha
Sasuke was one such example. He had gloated about his greatness once too often
before his prompt defection.
Sometime in the not so
distant future, when he stared down at the glowing whirlwind of raw energy that
would end his life, he saw the fragility of being mortal. Genius or not, the
ravenous power of the Rasengan would make no distinction.
The title of genius was
overrated, no doubt.
But it was the people who
bore it who were underrated.
5) Rock Lee had a reputation to be uncharacteristically lively, and some
grudgingly admit that Maito Gai’s pupil would probably outlive many, knowing
his vivacious nature.
But Lee knows the truth. He
knows that he will die before reaching the age of thirty. The reason for this
is the same reason why Lee cannot use chakra.
It is because he is faced
with the truth of his own mortality why Lee clings so hard to Gai's overly
optimistic and insane view of life, no matter how painfully embarrassing it may
be. It is also why he pushes his body to the breaking point with reckless
abandon, perhaps even shortening his already limited life span.
Every time Sakura chides
him for his inability to keep still and heal, he simply smiles that
gigawatt smile of his and ignores her admonishment, and trains in
preparation of the day where he would go out with the brightest bang.
He does this because he
knows that his fires of Youth were already running short.
6) The reason for Hyuuga Hinata's crush on Uzumaki Naruto is quite
simple actually.
It is because it is of the
simple fact Naruto that did the outrageous and did not back down ever.
Oh, but while his antics
were amusing (and it made her heart all the more fluttery), she would soon
discover it was why he chose to do so that her attracted him. Naruto had
to courage to defy everyone, and not take it lying down despite every reason
for him to do so. She had no such luxury, despite every reason she should be
doing so.
She was to be married off
by the spring of her sixteenth birthday. It was a tradition in the clan to
offer the weaker daughter of the Clan Head as a bargaining chip for political
alliances. The thought left a bitter tang in her mouth but she could only bow
and scrape when all she wanted to do was murder the clan heads for invoking
such an anarchic law. She was born into obedience; that was what it meant to be
in a clan. Obedience to tradition and honor was the most highly prized traits
in their clan.
It is that difference
between her and Uzumaki Naruto that draws her to notice the blonde boy of
mysterious circumstance.
Despite her intentions, she
knows it is futile to fight fate.
She knows that she is not
that strong.
7) To be Hokage, the strongest among the best, was Naruto's greatest
dream.
A Hokage will protect his
Village, to his dying breath if that is what it takes. So long as the
‘Village’ remains, all sacrifices were not implausible, all deaths not in vain.
It is for that ideal why the Fourth sacrificed his only son to contain the
most malevolent creature ever to walk the earth. Sacrifice is the time tested
adage of the leaders of Konoha. Hard work is a constant. Approval is a must.
And it was sudden a lot harder if your name was Uzumaki Naruto.
However, even then with all the pain and sacrifice he suffered to order to
achieve his hallowed goal, there was an additional cost cast onto him.
It was an irony, to onlookers that lived during the short reign of the
Fourth, a sacrifice of a previous kage followed in the footsteps of those who
would damn him to a childhood of a misery. So when the time finally came for
him to sacrifice his friends for the greater good of the village, he was
reluctant but eventually succumbed to the tradition of his predecessors.
It was also when he started to resent his position as Hokage.
There are two tragedies in life; one is not getting what you want, the
other is getting it.
8) Jiraiya is old. The Toad Hermit
himself knows it best. For a ninja, living to the ripe age of 50 was akin to
that of living long enough. One does not live that long and not have a few
secrets to take to his grave.
Naruto was the son of the late Yondaime Hokage. It would be no surprise to
those who looked hard enough and had at least some brains within their thick
skulls. What they didn’t know however, which Jiraiya fully expects them not to,
was that Naruto was a bastard son.
The Gama-Sennin briefly contemplated (several times in one hour no
less) telling the boy of his parentage but refrained from doing so.
As he watched the blonde boy, whom he now considered a grandson,
concentrating with the intensity of a typhoon on a task that would either
surpass his limits or kill him, Jiraiya decided not to dwell on it any further.
The past was already gone and done with, and the present was all that they
needed to deal with.
That, and some secrets were just meant to be taken to the grave.
9) The reason why Hatake Kakashi does
not try his utmost best to train his first Genin team is quite simple.
He knows too much.
He knows how futile it will be to train the demon brat, with his lack of
patience and a refined mind. He also knows he will never forgive Naruto for killing
his sensei.
He knows how troublesome it is to break Haruno Sakura out of sickeningly
girlish habits.
He knows how much easier Uchiha Sasuke is to train, though the boy being the
last Uchiha has completely nothing to do with it, though that is what he
tells himself.
Kakashi relies too much on past experiences and that has blinded him to what
is in front of him.
He thinks that it will all turn out for the best, even as the warning signs
flash all over the place.
Too bad he was wrong for once.
10) The infamous Nine-tails of legend
did not descend upon Konohagakure no Sato. It was a thought many have
entertained, wondering at how much would have been the same, and how much would
have been different. However, it is obvious that life for one Uzumaki Naruto,
as he grew up without the burden of the bearer upon his awfully young
shoulders, would have been vastly different.
He would enjoy the company of his father, till the tender age of nine,
before he is killed by another war with the Cloud. This time, his enemies learn
from their mistakes and not even the Yellow Flash can escape his mortality.
There would be mourning of course, but such things are often forgotten in the
shinobi village of Konoha. Death was natural, pain a by-product of their
profession and emotions an unneeded hassle. A Hokage’s death for his village is
both celebrated and mourned.
His mother, now widowed, will try to bear the dual burden of raising her now
petulant son, and moving on with loss. It would take only two years before she
broke down and cut her life thread with the polished steel of her katana. It
would be remembered as a small footnote within the archives of the village.
The Uchiha Massacre would still occur, and Sasuke will be left alone,
physically and mentally scarred.
Uzumaki Naruto would mature throughout his time within the Academy but with
the seeds of destruction already planted within him. He would not be as loud as
he would have been in another time and place, but his pranks would cause no
small grievance to the village, though there would be no reprisal, only a light
reprimand for his actions because of the simple fact that he was the child of
the Fourth. He craves attention but does not get it. The forbidden scroll will
be stolen by forces unknown, and along with it, the secret of the Kage-Bunshin.
Naruto would pass his exam with neither flair nor brilliance. He would be
placed with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura under the painfully neglected
guidance of one Hatake Kakashi. And the rest is history, with a few notable
differences.
Wave would forever be under the oppression of the Gatou Corporation, with
its bridge to freedom destroyed and its architect dead.
Naruto would survive the Forest of Death only because Orochimaru thought him
not worth the effort to kill. It was better to let your enemy live in shame
than die with honor.
Jiraiya would drop by in the village for the first time in fifteen years,
and take the depressed Naruto under his wing. The boy will then cheat death by
a inch but he will be stronger for it.
The Sand-Sound Invasion of the Leaf would lead to the death of not only the
Third but the death of one Haruno Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke did not have the
power necessary to defeat Sabaku no Gaara in time. Sasuke will leave Konoha in
favor of Orochimaru, and Naruto will prove less than willing to drag his
treacherous comrade back. Alive.
They never did recover much of the younger Uchiha.
These are but some of the things that would have not much apparent
significance within the natural order of the world, but even the little things
in numerous quantities can tip the grandiose scales of fate.
Eventually, the Akatsuki will enact their plans for the world and the sheer
madness erupting from this would surpass anything the continent had ever seen.
Nations would form and disappear, cities gone without whim or reason, and the
world plunged into a sea of fire.
Not surprisingly, Konoha would not be spared.
Fortune comes with two sides, balanced by a scale incomprehensible to mortal
minds.
Perhaps some tragedies are the prequiste to a better tomorrow, for there is
nothing such as a happiness without tragedy, success without failure.
A/N: Before anything else, yes, I know that some portions of this are
fictitious to canon, and yes, I’m aware of it. Look at the alternative titles.
No, this is not beta-ed, unless some gracious proof-reader skilled at deducing
errors in my grammar is interested to be my beta for my ‘lesser’ works.
Never again am I going to
write and elaborate an interesting drabble point again in this type of fiction
format. No matter how enticing it may be. There is a reason why other authors
don’t elaborate; the effort leaves me creatively and emotionally drained by the
end of it.
Some of what I have written
here is in direct response to a lot of fics out there depicting a story Naruto
either gets worshipped right off the bat or goes through a ridiculously short
amount of training to become disproportionately powerful and then ends
predictably in happiness for everyone involved.
To be honest, it ruins the
coming of age and crucible of struggle that Naruto endures that would make him
what he is; a mountain in the face of adversity. Removing all the struggle and
pain because the author had to pity Naruto for the burden he carries, would
only make him weak in my opinion and negates all the symbolism that his
sacrifice represents, making it worthless. The last drabble would be proof of
my dissatisfaction of it.
This entire chapter is my
contribution to making the world of Naruto a darker place, with realism
involved among other things. Some parts have been inspired from other authors’
stories where they have tried to portray the Naruto world in a shade of grey,
mostly notably from ‘The Dobe’s War’ which is reflected in drabble 8. Needless
to say, if you read this far, this fic is more or less anti-Sasuke. Not in a
bashing sense but a taste of grim reality should the world of Naruto actually
exist with a sense of reason.
Read and review at your
leisure, though I would be very happy to receive constructive criticism from
the latter action.