The rest of the Konoha team heard the commotion and rushed over, only to see Naruto standing next to Menma's broken form. Naruto's expression was one of cold fury.
Naruto (cold voice): "Threaten my daughter again, and I will end you. Just because you're a jinchuriki doesn't make you invincible."
Naruto turned to the rest of the team, who froze under his gaze. His presence was like a mountain, and they felt like mere insects he could crush.
Naruto: "Pick the trash up."
He continued smoking as he walked past them. Kakashi went to help the broken-faced Menma, and Satsuki wanted to talk to Naruto but didn't have the courage. She knew how much he hated her. Naruto walked far away, sat down, and leaned against a tree, taking another drag from his cigarette and exhaling the smoke.
Kushina: "You know smoking is bad."
Naruto didn't look up as Kushina approached him.
Kushina: "Can we talk?"
Naruto (exhaling the smoke): "What's there to talk about? You keep asking for forgiveness to make yourself feel better, but even if I forgive you, that feeling will never go away. No matter how much you lie, you let your master control you and strip away your free will." (gestures with his arm open) "I'm a free man, with far more understanding than your ramen freak addiction can comprehend."
See AlsoInfinite Blue and Evergreen - Chapter 18 - KALAThe Shinigami Side Effect: Konoha's Second Chance - Feather85Suture - Chapter 2 - PerchingPasserineKushina flinched at the insult. She loved ramen, but being called something like that hurt a lot. She was confused about what he meant by being a free man.
Kushina: "Why are you free?"
Naruto: "Tsk tsk. You never learn. Makes sense for a house mom—your only purpose is to breed and cook for the big man."
He chuckled, further insulting her. Kushina held back her tears; every word he said hurt.
Naruto: "The reason I'm free is because I have a duty to deal with the cancer of the village. You think the shinobi world is just what the grown-ups told you, but you're wrong. The shinobi world has secrets that are kept hidden for a reason."
This caught her attention. Secrets of the shinobi world?
Kushina: "What secrets would that be?"
Naruto looked at her with cold, calculating eyes, making her flinch. He didn't want to tell her, but maybe it was best to lure the dumbass flash with this information.
Naruto: "The real purpose of the tailed beasts' existence."
Kushina stiffened. She knew about the tailed beasts but had always thought of them as mindless demons that attacked people. She had never given much thought to their origins.
Naruto: "All of them were created to protect this world."
Kushina froze, her eyes widening. She couldn't believe it. She had always been taught that the tailed beasts were demons.
Naruto (smiling): "Heh, stupid bitch."
Kushina: "Huh?"
Naruto: "I know that expression. You're in disbelief, wanting to refuse to believe."
Kushina: "They were beings of chakra and attacked villages."
Naruto: "Who told you that?"
Kushina: "Minato."
Naruto (scoffing): "Of course. You keep forgetting that during Hashirama's time, he caught the Kyuubi and decided to catch the other tailed beasts while they were minding their own business or sleeping in their temples. He decided to enslave them, and the old stupid bitch Mito caved in—"
Kushina (angry): "Don't talk about Lady Mito that way, you son of a bitch!"
Naruto (smiling): "Hey, at least now you know you're a bitch. Have you ever wondered who created the tailed beasts?"
Kushina thought about it. Who did create the nine tailed beasts? She had never even considered their origins.
Naruto: "Well, allow me to slap some reality into you. The only person powerful and smart enough to create such creatures out of thin air is none other than Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths himself."
Kushina was shocked to find out the Sage was real. She had heard of him as a child, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. The tailed beasts were powerful beings capable of causing earthquakes and tidal waves. But how did Naruto know this?
Kushina: "How do you know it's the truth?"
Naruto stood up and walked past her, leaving her with a confused expression.
Naruto: "Does it matter if you believe me or not? Besides, it's not like you're free to think for yourself. You have a leash, and it will never be taken off."
Kushina flinched again. It hurt when he called her a pet. She wasn't, but deep down, a part of her felt like she was.
Naruto: "Well, I'm heading to the bridge. Be ready—Zabuza will come."
Kushina (looking at him with shock): "Wait, what?!"
To be continued...
