49 - 49 - Surprising News

After receiving their headbands and officially becoming both Genins and ninjas, the kids were allowed to leave the ceremony, now complete.

Izuna walked home, looking forward to getting his hands on all the C-rank jutsus as well as the Fuinjutsu section. 'After mastering this section, I will officially become a Fuinjutsu master and will be qualified to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.' Then, the only thing he would have to do is perfect the jutsu, hopefully with the help of Minato. Since, in this current period, Minato hadn't been able to make his improvements to the jutsu. While the jutsu was still overpowered, it still could be better.

As Izuna walked through the streets of Konoha, there was a noticeable difference in how the civilians looked at him. Before, they just looked at him like the child he was, but now, when they saw the Hidden Leaf headband on his head, they saw him as not only a ninja of Konoha but a protector of the village they all held dear.

Izuna made his way through the streets of Konoha, then through his clan's estate, and finally made it to his house.

As he walked in the door, his parents were there waiting, ready to congratulate him.

Akemi and Takashi exchanged glances, a shared joy twinkling in their eyes. In unison, they turned towards Izuna, their voices harmonizing in celebration. "Congratulations, Izuna," they both exclaimed, their smiles bright.

His mother, overcome with joy, pulled him into a heartfelt hug, a gesture that said everything words could not. Following this tender scene, his father, voice brimming with pride, posed the question, "Why didn't you tell us you created an A-rank jutsu?"

Izuna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The news had spread faster than he anticipated. Turning towards them, his curiosity got the better of him. "How do you guys already know about that?" he inquired, genuinely puzzled by their swift grasp of information.

Takashi's voice carried a smug undertone as he spoke, "Do you really think we would miss your graduation exam? Of course, we went and watched from a distance. Plus, the Hokage himself came down here after the ceremony and personally told us how proud he was of you and also that he was giving you access to the C-rank section of the library."

With a sheepish smile, Izuna finally spoke up, his voice laced with mild regret for the oversight. "Oh, okay, I see. Well, I had just created it and simply didn't have time to tell you guys." It was a simple explanation, one that gently acknowledged the situation without dwelling too much on the oversight.

Takashi's face showed that he really didn't believe him, but then Akemi butted in and said, "No matter what's important is that you actually created an A-rank jutsu. I'm so proud of you, honey." She then gave him another big bear hug that lasted for several seconds.

Trapped in the smothering hold of his mother's arms, Izuna's voice emerged muffled and breathless, but he still eked out a grateful, "Thanks, Mom."

His father, with a tone of pride, declared, "Well since Hiruzen has given you access to the C-rank section of the library, that means we will be able to get you access to the clan's C-rank section as well. So, congratulations."

Izuna turned towards his father, his eyes reflecting a deep appreciation for the guidance and support he had always received. With a slight nod, he expressed his gratitude in simple, heartfelt words, "Thanks, Dad."

Leaning back slightly, Takashi observed the new graduate with a mixture of pride and contemplation. He then broke the silence, saying, "So now that you have graduated from the academy, I guess you deserve another gift. What would you like to have? I would get you a new sword, but carrying around a fancy sword as a Genin on your missions will just be asking for trouble."

Izuna paused, his thoughts churning, before a spark of inspiration struck him, "Father, does the clan have any Kekkei Genkai scrolls I can look at? I obviously don't know if I can use them, but I'd like to try." The Uchiha clan, with their Sharingan, was sure to have collected various Kekkei Genkai Jutsus throughout their illustrious lineage.

With a smile that hinted at a blend of nostalgia and hope, Takashi revealed, "Of course, we do. While we don't have them all, and all the ones we do have are incomplete, we do have several Jutsus from several different Kekkei Genkais. While I myself also tried this when I was younger, I unfortunately couldn't use any of them. But maybe you will have some luck. I'll just have to get permission from the clan elders. These Jutsu are held in the secret section of our library." Takashi had no idea that Izuna could use every type of Kekkei Genkai.

Izuna was more than happy to hear this news; maybe he would finally be able to learn some more Kekkei Genkai. While he would only be able to learn the ones involving wind, fire, and earth, that still left a ton of combinations.

"Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it," he uttered, acknowledging the depth of his father's gesture.

Akemi then looked at Takashi, and he looked back and nodded. Izuna noticed this and was confused about what was going on.

Takashi paused, a knowing look crossing his face before he turned towards Izuna, the anticipation tangible in the air. He cleared his throat slightly, his voice steady yet filled with an undercurrent of excitement. "Izuna, we have some big news."

Izuna's curiosity was piqued as he leaned in slightly, his gaze sharp and attentive. "Ok, what is it?"

Overcome with elation, their voices intertwined in a chorus of euphoria, Akemi and Takashi declared in unison, "I'm pregnant," "Your mother is pregnant."

Izuna just looked at them in shock. He couldn't believe it; he was going to be a brother. He honestly didn't know what to say, so he just smiled and said, "Congratulations." He then gave both his parents a big hug, which then turned into a long group hug.

While Izuna was hugging his parents, he was thinking about the timeline, 'This means in about 9 months, Mom will have the baby; this is around the same time that Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Guy are all supposed to be born; this just doesn't make any sense. My father is literally about to be Kage level, but he was never known in the show, and now they are about to have a second kid whose dad was this powerful. There's no way a Uchiha with this lineage would be unknown if born at the same time as Kakashi and the rest. This just doesn't make any sense.'

After having that last thought, Izuna's reality suddenly changed. He once again found himself in the all-white expanse of the god-like being's mysterious realm.

"So you finally connected the dots," the god-like being said with a playful tone, obviously enjoying the show that was Izuna's life.

Izuna was surprised to be brought back here so suddenly, then said, "What do you mean, 'connected the dots'?"

The being spoke, reflecting a moment before continuing, "Well, you see, when I was thinking of where to put you in the Naruto world, I didn't want to throw you into the body of a character that was already going to be present. That wouldn't be fair; I would effectively be killing them."

Izuna was surprised to hear this. The being clearly didn't care too much about death, considering one of his favorite pastimes seemed to be watching his life, and he was bound to start killing people in the story eventually.

The being continued, "So that's when I found your parents. You see, on the day of your birth, you and both of your parents were supposed to be killed by those Hidden Sand ninjas. Your mother was supposed to lose her fight due to having to protect her baby. Then, after seeing your mother and his newborn son die, Takashi would lose his focus and his will to live and then be cut down. So, I changed it. Since they were supposed to die, I just threw you into the body of their baby, then tweaked an event or two, and then boom, everything worked out."

Izuna's thoughts were now spinning, 'So, me and my parents were supposed to die. That does make sense why my father was never known in the show. Since, at the time, nobody knew he had an MS, he was just an average Jounin. So, to the village, they just lost two Uchiha Jounins, and then both their kids were either killed or never even born.'

Then, the being announced, "Well, now that we've cleared that up, you can go back now. Have fun." Then, Izuna found himself back in the embrace of his parents, his thoughts in a chaotic mess. He still couldn't understand why this god-like being would go through all this trouble just for him and why the guy seemed to like watching him so much.

His parents then let go of the embrace, and the family went and ate the food his mom had prepared, which was all of Izuna's favorite meals.

Izuna paused, shifting his weight as he faced his father. With a hint of eagerness in his voice, he posed the question, "So, do you know which squad I'll end up on?"

With a knowing smile, his father leaned back and replied, "No, nobody ever knows except the Hokage, the teachers, and the jounin senseis until the day it's announced. It's a bit of a village tradition."

Izuna had no idea who his jounin sensei was going to be. He just hoped that they would help him reach new heights and not hold him back. He was tired of being weak.