Chapter 1: Mother
As expected, the news spread through the village like wildfire. A single whispered word in any corner, a glimpse of his battered body walking down the streets, or the slightest incident during his walk from the Hokage Tower to his apartment was enough for all of Konoha to find out what they considered the greatest news in their history.
He had been exiled… No, he had been discarded, as if his life held absolutely no value. Not even after everything he had done for that damned village that had seen him born.
The streets filled with laughter, applause, even impromptu toasts in the village taverns. The kunoichi, most of whom had never exchanged more than a word or two with him, were shouting with their arms raised to the sky, celebrating as if they had defeated the greatest enemy of their lives. The veteran shinobi, normally stoic and composed, now acted like adolescents, convinced they could finally lower their guard and enjoy the best news of their careers. Some even cried... from joy and euphoria.
He couldn't help but scoff. Fools. Ignorant fools.
Of course, there were a few... truly very few, who doubted that his exile was a good thing. But their voices were weak, drowned by the majority's celebration. They didn't have the strength to rise against the crowd, and in Naruto's eyes, that made their silence the worst kind of betrayal: the betrayal of inaction.
Even so, he said nothing and continued on his way to the old, run-down apartment located in the red zone of the village. There, he began to pack the few things he could call his own. He moved slowly, careful not to reopen his wounds, but his face remained completely stoic.
Not because it didn't hurt to lose the only place he had ever known, but because of what he would be forced to leave behind: his brother, Teuchi, Ayame. With every piece of clothing he folded, the pain of leaving them grew stronger. With every object he packed, the weight of knowing he would never see them again became heavier and heavier.
By the time his old backpack—patched as many times as it could be, like everything he owned—was finally full, Naruto was so broken inside it was a miracle he hadn't collapsed.
And then, as if fate had decided it still wasn't enough, someone knocked at the door. It wasn't a polite knock, nor one from someone who came to comfort him. No… he recognized that kind of knock.
And when he opened the door, more to get it over with than out of any true willingness, he saw them.
Kakashi and Jiraiya. His so-called sensei.
Teachers who, like his so-called friends, had just made it painfully clear they had never truly seen him as a human being.
They told him how deeply disappointed they were in his behavior. That they expected much more from him, after all they had taught him.
Naruto laughed in their faces. They had never taught him anything truly valuable. And what little they had given came loaded with conditions. Hell, Jiraiya had even tried to kill him, and if it hadn't been for Yugao keeping watch during that training month, Naruto was sure the man would've thrown him off that stupid cliff.
And speaking of that… Jiraiya also said that since Naruto had never been able to summon the toads and had clearly insulted the values of the Toad Clan, the contract was revoked.
Not that Naruto cared. As Jiraiya himself admitted, he had never been able to summon those stupid frogs, so he held no particular affection for them.
Finally, after half an hour of a lecture he had completely tuned out, the two of them left, and Naruto closed the door behind them gently.
Then he simply collapsed onto his ragged couch, in the middle of an almost empty living room, and let out a long, heavy sigh. One that carried every emotion he had been holding back. Then he closed his eyes, hoping not to wake up again.
He was exhausted. Emotionally and physically drained. Not just because of the day he had just lived, but because he had nothing left to fight with. Even his stubbornness, even his indomitable spirit… had a limit.
But for now, he simply let himself sleep. Finally allowing himself a true moment of vulnerability. For the first time since he was three years old, he let the mist of dreams carry him to a place where he could simply be what he really was: a child who had lost everything and only longed for his mother's comfort.
His dreams, when he could have them, were always simple. This time was no different. A green meadow, wide and open, with nothing that made it unique. A sky so close he could reach up and touch it. And a light that didn't come from the sun, but from everywhere.
There he could allow himself to stop thinking, let his heart—that broken, beaten heart—simply beat... even if just a little.
And most importantly: there, waiting for him, was the most precious person of all. His mother. Mikoto Uchiha.
He didn't know how or why, but ever since the day of the Uchiha Massacre, his mother had been trapped deep within his subconscious, always waiting for him in his dreams. Always ready to welcome him with open arms, to care for him when he was sick, to console him when the pain grew so great he just wanted to give up.
Her hair, dark as the night, moved gently, like the leaves of the tree under which she sat. Her eyes, though dry, reflected the pure pain of a mother seeing her son completely shattered.
"I'm so sorry, my son," said Mikoto, wrapping him in a hug Naruto had longed to feel in the real world his entire life.
And even though he knew it would never be real, he let himself melt into it. He didn't return the embrace right away; he just closed his eyes and rested his head on his mother's shoulder. Here and now, even if the world turned to ash, he would be happy.
"None of this was your fault, Mom," he murmured softly. None of it was her fault, and because of that, she had nothing to regret. "Even if Dad's coup had succeeded... he wouldn't have ruled for long. When you rule through fear, sooner or later, you face a rebellion."
She only held him tighter. She didn't tell him the truth: that the coup wasn't meant to place the Uchiha in power, but rather to weaken Konoha enough so the clan could escape—with help from a mysterious woman who had offered them a way out... and then vanished just before the clan fell to Itachi's blade.
But none of that mattered now. Mikoto simply hugged him tighter, as if afraid that if she let go, he would vanish... and she would never see him again.
"We don't have much time left, my love," Mikoto whispered with sadness, her voice so soft it made Naruto's heart tremble inside. He couldn't lose her. Not again. "You're growing up, and soon you won't need me to protect you anymore… and the time I was given is running out. I'll have to go."
Naruto had to hold back his tears. He already knew, of course. He had always known. Every time he had something good, the world just took it away again and again, leaving him with nothing.
"If I hadn't been so selfish, none of this would've happened," she apologized again, gently running her fingers through her son's wild black hair.
Naruto simply shook his head. Of course his mother had been selfish—but so had he. He was the one who had chosen to follow her advice. Because it had been his mother who, in the moment he began to lose the fight after the first Chidori struck his chest, had screamed at him, "Take off the blindfold!"
She knew his eyes were powerful, as strong as the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—or so she had told him.
When he unleashed them, his strength and speed grew exponentially… at the cost of magnifying the pain of every wound a thousandfold. And, of course, at the cost of turning Sasuke—just like every time he saw those eyes—into a machine of blind rage.
In the end, despite the agony, it was using his eyes that allowed him to bring his brother down, even if it meant taking a second Chidori to the chest, just inches from his heart.
"You suggested it… but I'm the one who did it," Naruto said, burying himself deeper in his mother's embrace to stop her from blaming herself any further. Because she wasn't to blame. If he had lost, he would've been exiled anyway for failing the mission.
Even if he hadn't knocked Sasuke unconscious, they would have found some other excuse to condemn him.
"The only thing that matters is that even if I'm not with him... at least he's safe from that snake."
He couldn't help but smile faintly at the memory of the fight. A battle he hadn't fought to win, but to protect. To save his brother from himself, from the absurd choice he had made.
The fight had been brutal. He had only used taijutsu, since his chakra… was simply an anomaly. It didn't allow him to use any jutsu.
Even the Kage Bunshin—the only jutsu he had ever been able to perform—behaved strangely when he used it, so he avoided it.
The only thing he had, beyond a body trained to the edge through relentless self-discipline, was the Rasengan. A crude version, deep violet in color, that looked nothing like the one developed by his supposed biological father.
Still, he hadn't used it. He knew that if he did, he might have killed his brother.
In the end, it was his sheer stubbornness—harder than stone—and his absurd endurance that allowed him to stay standing longer.
Sasuke simply collapsed from exhaustion. It wasn't a true victory. But he hadn't tried to defeat him. Only to stop him.
"At least I managed to save his life," he said with a smile he wasn't sure was genuine… or completely hollow.
Of course, he wasn't expecting an answer. He just stayed there, wrapped in his mother's embrace. And that was all either of them needed in that moment.
"I… I'm not even sure your brother is safe without you," Mikoto said, letting out a sigh as long and deep as her sorrow.
It wasn't pessimism. It was realism—the kind that comes after watching your children grow, make mistakes, and shape their identities over the years. And Mikoto knew. She knew that without Naruto watching his back, Sasuke was probably in more danger than usual.
But none of that mattered now. Itachi was still alive, and as long as he lived, he would protect his two little brothers.
But Mikoto couldn't ask her eldest to give more than his broken body could offer. That's why she would make sure her youngest son was safe before her time with him was up.
"Now listen to me, Naruto. There's something we need to talk about," she said seriously.
And with that simple change in tone, even within the dream, the atmosphere grew dense, heavy—like the air itself had thickened.
Mikoto's dark eyes, serene just a moment ago, locked onto Naruto's with an intensity she rarely displayed—not even toward her own family. Naruto, of course, said nothing. He simply watched her, waiting.
"It's about what comes next, my love. You know as well as I do that Danzō won't let you go. And he's not even your greatest threat. Itachi…" she had to pause, swallowing air as she fought back the tears threatening to escape. "Itachi is dying on the inside. And soon, you and your brother will be completely alone in the world. That's why… I need to take you somewhere safe."
Naruto remained silent. Hearing that his older brother was slowly fading away was another blow to his already fragile world. Still, he did what he had always done: stay strong. Keep his composure. Even if deep down, every part of him—his entire being—was falling apart.
"Where do I have to go?" he finally asked, in a voice so calm and hollow that Mikoto didn't need to be his mother to know it was completely fake.
"Beyond the Great Wall," she said softly, barely a whisper. But those few words were enough to make Naruto feel like his blood had turned to ice.
He knew what the Wall was. Everyone in Konoha did. And he also knew—or rather, had heard the rumors—about what lay beyond it. Creatures born of nightmares, demons infinitely more terrifying than any Bijū, beings that wielded forces shinobi couldn't even comprehend. That place would certainly keep him away from his enemies… but it wouldn't keep him safe.
"However, before I explain my entire plan…" Mikoto paused again. This time, Naruto could see in her eyes that she was struggling to find the right words. The kind that would hurt—but needed to be said.
"There's something I need to tell you. Something I should've told you years ago. Something your father and I kept from you because we knew that, once you knew, it would shatter your soul."
Naruto felt his stomach tighten. His breathing grew heavy, strained. Every word added to his anxiety. What could possibly be so terrible it would break him?
"Your parents… are alive."
The sentence wasn't thunder. It was a dagger. Cold, direct, merciless. And just as Mikoto had feared, the only thing Naruto could do upon hearing it was collapse.
He didn't lose consciousness, but the strength left his legs. His control over his breathing vanished completely. He was gasping, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest—and with good reason. For years, he had consoled himself with the belief that his parents had died protecting him. That their sacrifice gave meaning to his suffering. That their death redeemed him, at least a little.
But now… not even that remained. Not even that comfort.
End of Chapter