Confrontation (1)

The crisp winter breeze enveloped Hiruzen as he stood atop the Hokage Mansion's balcony, relishing the chill in the air while taking in the panoramic view of the village below. The prevailing peace within the village brought a genuine sense of contentment to the aging Hokage.

However, just as he allowed himself to savour the tranquility, a sharp exclamation interrupted his thoughts.

"!"

Hiruzen's peaceful reverie shattered as an unexpected chakra signature materialised, disrupting the serenity that had embraced him moments ago. Suppressing his initial reaction, Hiruzen turned to face the source, his eyes narrowing, and his aura remaining indifferent.

A figure emerged, his long crimson hair cascading like a cascade of blood. The intensity of crimson eyes portrayed a coldness that sent shivers down one's spine. The man was Namikaze Hayato, but in comparison to the times Hiruzen had conversed with him, at this moment, Hayato seemed different, almost like a completely different person. 

It didn't take a genius to discern that the crimson haired man was enraged! His features formed a vivid distortion, as evidenced by his bloodshot eyes, his face scrunched in disgust, and red with rage. As though further accentuating his frightening demeanor, his hair whipped wildly in the breeze.

With his lips slowly parting, Hayato initiated to break the overall ambiance; "Perfect, you're here old man."

He had unconsciously blurted out informal language in front of Lord Third, but as of this moment, that mattered not. Hayato did not have the leisure of correcting his immorality, nor did he plan on doing so.

"Haya- Ahem," Hiruzen quickly brought his fist to his mouth, recomposing himself. 

"Saruto," Hiruzen corrected. "Why are you here?"

"What were you doing while I was gone?" Hayato questioned angrily, his tone deep, and domineering.

Arching a brow, Hiruzen persisted, "What do you me-?"

"Naruto. I'm talking about Naruto," Hayato interrupted; "All this time, while I was gone, what were you doing?" he pressed.

Hiruzen could feel the seething rage from Hayato. The man had suddenly appeared before him, demanding answers.

Meanwhile, for Hayato, the old man's momentary silence was a testament to his carelessness in disregarding Naruto's well-being despite the inadmissible hostility. Hayato mouthed with a slight tremble in his tone, "Answer me! What the hell were you doing?"

It wasn't a tremble signifying sadness and fear, but innate wrath. Hayato was restraining himself from verbal slander. Nevertheless, his tone was commanding. This was no plea, this was an order. Hayato wanted answers!

After a slight pause, the unfazed Hiruzen proposed, "How about we head into th-"

"I want my answer now," Hayato demanded, cutting Hiruzen off who was offering to head into the office. 

Gnashing his teeth, Hayato was reminded of the vendor who had almost incited violence upon his nephew, and the bystanders watched in satisfaction. With the entire scene replaying in his mind, veins protruded by his temple before he roared, "THAT DAMN VENDOR WOULD'VE HURT HIM!"

Hiruzen was taken aback by Hayato's aura. Never in his life had he seen Hayato as angry as he was now. Even his heart had imperceptibly skipped a beat, but it quickly retained its former pulse. He maintained his professionalism and spoke; "I apologise, but I can assure you, Naruto's safety is a top priority. However, I can't oversee every detail of his life."

Hayato arched a brow. "Detail? This is not a damn detail. You act like what just happened is a minor inconvenience..."

"Haya-"

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME..." Hayato cut off loudly, his tone demanding silence to which Hiruzen involuntarily complied.

Hayato resumed, "... While I was on the front lines risking my life for the betterment of the village, believing that you would take care of Naruto, you did nothing?"

Hiruzen replied, "Hayato, listen. I understand your frustration, but you must trust that I have the village's best interests in mind. I acknowledge Naruto's pain, but there are matters of national security at play. The village must come first."

"National security? Are you serious? Naruto is a child, not a weapon!" Hayato rebuked.

"Haya-

"I absolutely... do not want to believe that you're talking about my nephew like this... especially in front of me," Hayato cut off Hiruzen, placing a finger up as though stopping him from speaking further, his pupils constricted in amazement...

Amazement at Hiruzen's incredulous counterargument.

Amazement that Hiruzen has the audacity to justify this!

A momentary silence ensued before Hiruzen spoke once again; "Hayato, he's a vessel for the Kyuubi, it was bound to happen. You must understand the delicate balance we maintain in the village. Naruto is important, but so is the stability of Konoha. It pains me, it truly does, but it is all for the greater good of the village."

Hayato scoffed, "Ha, greater good?! Right, so you're turning a blind eye to his pain, and using him as a tool for your political affairs." Massaging his temple, his jaws gnashed together before he muttered in disbelief, "This can't be happening."

Hiruzen continued, "It's not that I don't care for Naruto, but sacrifices must be made for the village to thrive."

"Oh, I get it now. So to you, Naruto is merely a sacrificial pawn?"

"No, Haya-"

"Old man, you're really crossing the line by pulling my nephew through these political affairs," Hayato raised his finger, twitching it back and forth impudently. He resumed, "I don't see why I shouldn't just pummel you into the ground. You're really pissing me off!" 

Hayato's tone deepened, his cold gaze even more prominent, and predatorious. The nefarious eyes of a killer who cared not for their prey, nor for the repercussions. He looked like he might actually commit the heinous deed!

Hiruzen, too, understood the misstep of his boundaries. Internally, he compared the way he spoke, to that of a familiar "friend" of his... And so, he opted for silence.

Nonetheless, Hayato protested, "The moment he walks around the streets, all eyes are turned to him... Everyone scorns him... And to even go as far as abuse... We're talking about a little child living on the edge."

Now Hiruzen was silent.

It was then something struck Hayato's mind like a lightning bolt, as evidenced by his furrowed brows. It was an essential query, one he most definitely needed an answer to, and so, he raised his concern, "I'm still confused... old man, why is the village aware he's a vessel?" 

The winds had ceased, encircling the domain in a palpable silence. Hiruzen had a sweat drop, and though subtle, his lips slightly twitched. He wanted to answer, but at the same time, he was hesitant in front of an enraged Hayato. 

His reaction though, didn't go unnoticed by Hayato.

Cocking his head, Hayato continued, "Seriously? Are you even a Hokage? You couldn't even keep that information secret and someone managed to reveal it?"

Hiruzen remained silent, allowing Hayato to lash out.

"Didn't you even think it would be right to tell me? What was even the point of concealing his heritage, I might as well announce he's the son of Lord Fourth?"

"That- "

"What are you heads of Konoha even doing? For wise old men who have monitored Konoha for decades, neither you nor the council seem to be able to do the job right... You didn't even think of telling me that Naruto was being abused..." Hayato paused for a while, retracting his gaze from Hiruzen and clutching his head with both hands, pulling his long crimson hair in frustration.

He had thought he could amend for past shortcomings, but little did he know he had screwed up badly. This entire situation had gone far into the south, because evidently so, it seems he has trusted the wrong person!

He looked right back into the old man's eyes, plucking several strands of his vermilion hair before letting it drift with the winter breeze. 

Raising his hands in surrender, Hayato intoned with a wry smile, "You know what? I keep interrupting you... Yeah, that's right, you're the Third Hokage, so there's a logical explanation to this, right? Surely you can't be this incompetent?"

As Hayato spoke, his tone shivered. At this point, he was really at his wit's end, and he didn't know how much longer he could put up with Hiruzen's negligence. 

Furthermore, a chill ran down Hiruzen's spine at Hayato's sudden nonchalance; his nonchalance was purely sarcastic. It was evident to Hiruzen that Hayato was trying to be calm, but he was inwardly struggling. 

It was extremely difficult for Hayato to grasp Naruto's predicament; he had left the youth in the care of the higher-ups of the village.

"Old man, I just want my answer..." Once again, Hayato paused. Instead of relentlessly lashing out, he also understands he must try to adhere to the opposition's perspective before judging.

In the presence of the Hokage, he didn't care about respect or authority; in this situation, Hayato was the one asking questions, and Hiruzen was the one to answer.

And Hayato will get all the answers he requires merely with this single word, and that is taking into consideration the opposition answers...

And so, Hayato asked;

"Why?"

His tone was demanding an answer. 

Time had come to a standstill merely with this singular word, and the setting retained a peculiar ambiance, as though mother nature herself was expectant of an answer.

However, even mother nature would remain left in suspense, as the wise old man was quiet.

As such, Hayato was receding to an intemperate persona, his facial features reverting to their former wrinkle as his face scrunched in grotesque, and he looked at Hiruzen with detesting eyes, but his lips were pursed shut as he opted to remain patient for a little while longer. 

Only a little while longer, allowing Hiruzen to recollect himself. 

Hiruzen didn't know how to answer that, or rather, now that he was being confronted about this, whatever he says was only going to leave a negative aftertaste.

And it was at this moment, Hiruzen's eyes lost clarity, his mind had become null, as he fell into a daze, traversing memory lane, reminiscing of a crucial memory...

***

The sky was veiled in a navy blue hue with the radiant moon hung high in the sky, serving as illumination, and revealing to the naked eye the collateral damage of the canvas!

The setting presented itself to be a disoriented forest, prevalent with mangled trees unrooted from the earth and scattered aimlessly, encompassing a half-a-kilometer range, hinting at a major calamity... Or at the very least, the presence of a destructive force!

Amid the ambiance, stood a figure draped in obsidian combat attire, featuring a long-sleeved black shirt and dark trousers, enabling ample maneuverability in battle. He also wore a helmet serving as a forehead protector. 

The familiar man had wrinkled sin, hinting at his old age, and a perplexed expression etched across his face. The old man was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen.

An infant of yellow hair was cradled in his arms, but Hiruzen's gaze was elsewhere, his eyes flickering in sorrow at the sight presented before him!

Reflected before his eyes was a woman with fiery red hair. Her complexion paled by the second, as her life was slowly being sucked out of her, yet that didn't diminish her beauty.

Under ordinary circumstances, the first thing one would notice is her vibrant red, silky hair; a composition that deviated from the norm, and a trait belonging to the revered Uzumaki clan.

However, at this moment, her outlandish feature was a gaping hole in her torso, signifying her final countdown in the mortal realm!

Her name was Uzumaki Kushina.