[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 41.
...
...
The celebration went on for a while, as everyone cheered for the honorees, who received a special decoration from the Village for their services during the war. anwhile, the Hokage handed them a scroll as proof of their achievent, along with so rewards.
Minato finally managed to leave the main building, departing imdiately to et his companions, who were now gathered with their friends from the academy. The crowd began to disperse as people divided to enjoy the attractions and stalls that rchants had set up in the center and surrounding areas, given the lack of space.
"You were amazing, Minato!" Kushina comnted with an excited smile as she saw him fall in step beside her.
"You really were! Now let's have so fun," Tsuna added, looking at them while Minato nodded, as the two seed eager to head to the stalls.
"You can go ahead. I have sothing to take care of first," Mikoto said, and Minato observed her as he nodded.
She cast a glance at the crowd, clearly searching for soone. There didn't seem to be a clear reason for her to want to distance herself from them at this mont. And it didn't appear to be related to the Uchiha clan, even though they consistently looked at Mikoto with disdain and anger. But it stopped at that.
As the others headed to the stalls along with the crowds and their companions, Mikoto discreetly moved in another direction. She maneuvered through the crowd, leaping over buildings and houses until she reached a more isolated area. It was a region with many spaced-out houses, so trees, and empty lots.
Finally, Mikoto reached a person walking alone in an alley.
"Why are you following ?" Hanabi asked, stopping in her tracks as she turned to face Mikoto, who had landed in front of her.
"You didn't even congratulate Minato after the ceremony honoring him as a Village hero," Mikoto said with a serious expression.
This imdiately made Hanabi shift her serious look to one of slight embarrassnt. "I... Well, I had so issues I needed to deal with, so I didn't want to intrude," she said, while Mikoto gave her a look that seed to say, "Really?" with a hint of sarcasm, as Hanabi avoided her gaze out of sha.
"It's your clan, isn't it?" Mikoto broke the silence, looking directly at Hanabi.
For a brief mont, the two remained silent. "It's complicated..." was all Hanabi said, her expression tinged with sadness.
"You know, when we were on the northern border, I thought I'd never see you all again. Today, I received a letter from my father saying I'd have to follow the clan's demands. He wanted to conform to their rules and follow their orders, leaving Team 7 after the war," Mikoto remarked.
"That's why you went to see him at the Uchiha camp... You stood up to him and even managed to get engaged to Minato," Hanabi continued, not sounding envious or upset, rely stating the facts.
"That's true," Mikoto said. "I stood up to my father, and today I'm expelled from the clan. None of them have told this directly, but the looks of disdain and anger make it clear that I'm no longer welco. So, yes, I'm out of my clan, and now my surna will be passed on to soone else," Mikoto murmured.
"But your clan isn't like mine..." Hanabi said in a neutral tone, eting Mikoto's gaze.
"You're right, Hanabi. But if you really want to help, you should talk to Minato," Mikoto replied.
"It's not that simple. You don't understand. We of the branch family are marked, and the mark we bear is impossible to remove. I can't simply decide what I want. I'm bound to this for the rest of my life. This is my fate, and it can never be changed," Hanabi said, her voice laden with sorrow.
Mikoto's eyes widened, stunned by Hanabi's words. She couldn't say anything as Hanabi simply turned around and continued on her way, leaving Mikoto alone in the alley.
Mikoto watched as Hanabi disappeared into the alley before she finally turned around and headed back to the village center. There, she found her companions, with Minato standing and talking to Shikaku, along with Chozo, who was eating so skewers beside Inoichi, while Tsuna and Kushina were arguing over a cotton candy and chatting with the girls from their old class.
Mikoto then landed near them, heading toward the girls. As she passed Minato, he glanced at her.
"How was she?" he asked.
Minato didn't seem surprised. It was clear that he already knew she had gone to talk to Hanabi.
"She's... not doing well," Mikoto replied, her tone tinged with concern as she recalled the girl's expression. It was the look of soone who had lost hope, destined to beco a puppet of her clan, bound to that fate. Mikoto felt sad seeing it.
"I see..." Minato murmured, montarily ignoring Nara.
"What are you going to do?" Mikoto asked, watching as Minato pressed his lips together.
"I don't know yet. I wish she would co to ," Minato admitted.
"You didn't wait for to co to you. Go talk to her, too..." Mikoto countered.
Minato said nothing, only nodding before sighing. "Alright, I'll talk to her anyway," he finally responded.
"Hey, what are you doing over there, Uchiha? Get over here!" Tsuna teased Mikoto.
She huffed and joined the group, blending in with the girls while they chatted amongst themselves. anwhile, the boys continued laughing and talking.
anwhile, Hanabi returned to the clan. The place was relatively empty, as most of the mbers were at the festival in the village center. She went to one of the smaller houses designated for branch family mbers.
"You're back, Hanabi. That was quick," her grandfather greeted her.
Hanabi rely nodded and went straight to her room, lying on her Japanese-style bed. She thought about what Mikoto had said earlier. Her gaze wandered to the ceiling, illuminated by the daylight.
Although everyone was celebrating, and Minato had been recognized as a hero of the village and the war, Hanabi knew she had nothing to celebrate. That's why she preferred to be there, alone, so as not to spoil their celebration with her sadness. Without realizing it, tears began streaming down her face. She quickly wiped them away, trying to forget everything and fall asleep.
The festival continued for a while. Minato left the group and went to another spot, stopping gently beside Mada Gorete.
"You're here at last, boy!" she said, opening a sincere smile.
"How are things?" Minato asked, smiling back as he greeted the orphanage director.
"We're doing very well... Happy to see that one of my boys has beco soone so important to the village... We had no idea what you were already doing for the village when you last ca here..." she said.
Minato hadn't spoken to her since he arrived back in the village, exchanging only a few words with her and other acquaintances.
Minato just smiled, but before he could respond, a child tugged at his clothes.
"Are you Minato Namikaze? Tell , what was it like fighting in the war? Did you really face the Raikage alone?"
This opened the floodgates, and all the other children began crowding around Minato, pushing against him as he tried to stay balanced. Their eyes sparkled with admiration for the blonde.
"Kids, calm down! Let Minato breathe a little. If you want to ask questions, do it one at a ti and be polite!" Mada Gorete intervened, trying to organize the chaos.
Even other people nearby started noticing the situation. So children who weren't from the orphanage tried to slip away from their parents to join the crowd surrounding Minato, all eager to hear the stories of the young village hero, hoping to gain recognition like him soday.
Mada Gorete managed to control the excited children surrounding Minato. In the end, Minato chatted with them, explaining the events of the war in a more child-friendly way, avoiding exaggeration. He also shared valuable advice for the children who were attending the academy.
The conversation remained lively until soone shouted nearby.
"Minato!"
The unmistakable voice of Might Duy rang out as he ran toward the group in his peculiar way, followed by his young son, Guy. Both were dressed in green jumpsuits. Minato watched them, raising an eyebrow at the duo.
"Look who's here!" Duy exclaid, making Mada Gorete grimace at the sight of these peculiar individuals.
"Hi, Minato-sensei!" Guy exclaid, pointing a finger at him.
Minato smiled, looking at the duo.
"You truly represent us, Minato! Youth shone through you when you stood beside the Hokage up there," Duy proclaid with so much energy that it startled a few children.
"Yes, Dad is right! I can't wait for my ti to shine!" the boy exclaid, his eyes blazing with determination.
The two seed completely in sync, both displaying the sa energetic and determined spirit as always.
After so ti, the conversation shifted. Duy ntioned that he had spent the last year of the war training to further improve his skills, mastering up to the sixth gate, and that he had been crucial in recent battles at the northern border.
"I can't wait to show you everything I've learned and developed on my own, Minato!" Duy exclaid, brimming with excitent.
"I'll be looking forward to it, Duy. How about we et at Training Field 7 tomorrow?" Minato suggested with a challenging smile.
"Of course! I'll prepare myself, and we'll have a battle of youth!" Duy exclaid enthusiastically, with his son joining in.
After that, the two began walking on their hands, almost running in that position as they left, saying they were going to train for the next day's battle.
Minato shrugged. Duy and his family were no longer part of the Senju clan, having moved after he returned from the war. They no longer belonged to that place and were deeply grateful for being allowed to leave Guy at the orphanage while Duy was away. Duy had received a generous reward and was promoted to Jounin at the end of the war, earning enough to afford a larger house with space for their own training.
Afterward, Minato returned to Mada Gorete to continue their conversation before bidding farewell.
"I promise to visit again in the coming days," Minato said.
"The children will be thrilled," she replied as he smiled and handed her a scroll.
"No, Minato. You've already helped us so much. We still have leftover funds from your last donation," she murmured, trying to decline the additional money he was offering.
"Then pass it on to other orphanages. I'm sure you know who could use these resources," Minato insisted, his smile warm.
Gorete realized she wouldn't be able to convince him to keep the money and reluctantly accepted it.
After that, Minato t up with Kushina, Tsuna, and Mikoto, who were already waiting for him. The sun was setting.
"Do you want to stay here, Minato?" Tsuna asked.
He shook his head. "No, let's go to my apartnt. I think we can prepare sothing special there. Mikoto bought quite a few things from the market over the past few days."
The group nodded and began walking back to Minato's apartnt. There, Minato prepared the al himself while they enjoyed their ti together, reminiscing about the old days—except for Hanabi, who should have been there too.
Kushina and Tsuna ended up spending the night at the apartnt. The next morning, they decided to head to Training Field 7 to practice a bit. The village was still lively with celebrations in the center, but they chose to focus on honing their skills, as they used to do before the war.
Minato, however, was deep in thought. He was waiting for Duy to arrive. It was ti to see how his combat style, developed with the armant haki he had refined over the past year, would asure up. Despite his responsibilities—managing a camp and other duties—he had found ti to grow stronger and reach an advanced level. Perhaps Duy would be a worthy opponent to finally test his power.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
-----------------------------
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible monts. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the sa ti, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so beco a free mber on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: spatreon/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
🔮 Danmachi - Infinite Mana System!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Ga of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Ga of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 tis a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
User Comments
0 comments from readers