Chapter no.25

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( Author Note: A friend of mine has released his original series : Murim : Struggle of the Weak. Would appreciate it if you checked it out ? )

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Village Streets

Several minutes later Naruto could be seen walking through the village streets, which is strange in it's own right. After all, being the only student of Shunshi no Shisui you you begin to pick up the habit of Shunshining everywhere you go. However Naruto was using to this time to think in order to collect his thoughts. He had been so busy the last few days comforting Mikoto and Satsuki that he hasn't had much time to himself. In fact this was the first time that he had been on his own since the day of the massacre.

'The first thing I need to change is my hair. I will not walk around this village with this godforsaken blonde hair. Had I been born with red hair like Kushina this wouldn't be as big of an issue.'

Our currently blonde friend soon found himself outside the best barbershop in Konoha. Why were they the best? They could cut your hair into any style, even if it went against what your hair did naturally. It was also owned by retired shinobi who were extremely skilled in chakra dying. Chakra dying can only be done by customers who are able to use chakra. Chakra dying is a process where the customer infuses their chakra into hair dye in which the chakra makes the hair dye permanent. It can only be removed by exposing the hair to the person's chakra.

And this was exactly what Naruto was here for.

'I guess I could also use a haircut. I haven't gotten one since before my coma.'

With those thought running through his head he walked into the shop and was greeted by a man in his mid-sixties with a slight limp in his step.

"Ah Naruto-sama! What can I do for you today."

Naruto was glad the man didn't call him by his surname. Had he done so Naruto may have melted the man's flesh off.

"I've come hair for a haircut. As you can see it has gotten quite long. Too long for my tastes. And more importantly I came to get my hair chakra dyed."

The man stroked his beard, "Ah yes you do look like you are due for a haircut, but many people in the village would kill to have your particular shade of hair. I'm surprised you would want to get rid of it."

Naruto's emotionless expression turned into a scowl, "I am not the biggest fan of it."

The man noticed the underlying disgust in his voice but chose not to comment on it.

"Alright Naruto-sama just hop onto this chair and describe to me what kind of hairstyle you wanted."

Naruto smirked as he knew just what he wanted, "Alright well first..."

2 Hours Later

A young man with wavy black hair that naturally parted in the middle and bangs on the side of his face that refused to touch his forehead walked out of the barbershop. This young man looked like the spitting image of a young Portgas D. Ace. A man he admired more than anyone.

'Man that took longer than I thought it would. Chakra dying sure does take a long time. Well whatever I'll never be doing it again if I can help it.'

As Naruto walked down the street his mind began to wander. His mind immediately went to Shisui. He really missed his sensei. He was like the older brother he never had, hell he had raised Naruto better than his own father had. The new ravenette just couldn't bring it in himself to forgive his father for everything Minato had done to him. His eye caught the Yondaime's face on the Hokage Monument and he remembered what Portgas D. Ace once said to Hagoromo.

"Do you know what it really means to forgive someone? Forgiveness means accepting all of the betrayals that a person committed against you. It isn't as simple as people think, could you forgive Kaa-san for all of the pain and suffering that she had caused to the people of this land? Forgiving her for all of her sins is no different than telling all of the people that their suffering was worth nothing and that we don't care about what she had done...I can't do that. I can't just accept what people have done without looking at their past betrayals and being able to believe that they won't do the same thing again, that is why I don't believe in forgiveness. You don't need forgiveness for the people who will stay at your side no matter what. The people who have always been there for you will never need to be forgiven."

"People will then ask why I can't just forget everything that happened. People always try to forget and move on, but does that really happen? Would you be able to look at Kaa-san's face and be able to forget everything that she ever did to us, to our people? No, you will always be reminded of the past that is why forgetting is impossible...And would you want to forget anyway? The past is what shapes us, what makes us who we are today. Should we change who we are just because it's at a person's convenience? I refuse to do that. Always remember! I do not forgive and I do not forget. These are two of the most important ideals that I live by."

When those memories surfaced in his mind he had made his decision. He would live his life just as Ace had. Ace had been a man that Naruto respected above all others. He had been a man born with no special traits or abilities, but he still rose to the top in a world riddled with war and helped put an end to the tyrant seeking to control mankind.

While his brother sought noble dreams such as peace and harmony, Ace had never been influenced by them. He lived his life of his own accord and only sought two things. The answers to his life long questions and freedom.

Naruto would live his life the same way.

It was then that something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, a tattoo shoppe. Naruto smirked and headed inside.