The Purple Flash of Kumo Chapter 37 (Names on a Tree) (Patreon)

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"Brat, where are you going?" Kyuubi demanded as Naruto kept running across the entire Village of Kumo, jumping on rooftops. He himself wasn't sure where he was going, but one thing he knew: He wanted to be left alone. He wanted just to let out his frustration somehow. That's all he wanted.

"Brat, answer me. What do you think you are doing? Where are you even going? At the end of the world, or maybe you want to cross the entire Black Sea?" He heard Kyuubi ask more questions, this time much louder. Naruto could no longer listen to him; the voices of someone chasing after him were already annoying. He didn't want to listen to anyone right now, not Kyuubi, not his father, not Yoruichi. No One.

"Why do you even care?" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as he jumped from one roof to another. He didn't bother speaking mentally; he didn't care.

"You said it yourself that we are not friends. The first time we met, you told me we were not Friends, so why bother acting like you care? Let's face it: All you want is to get out of me as soon as possible so you can be free, so stop acting like you care, and leave me Alone." Naruto shouted with anger, tears rolling down his face. The black clouds that loomed over him weren't helping. Kyuubi fell silent after that.

For a brief moment, Naruto felt bad for talking like that; he knew he was letting out his frustration to the wrong person, but at this point, he found it hard to care.

Soon enough, rain began to pour down upon him. Each droplet felt like a tiny hammer striking his face, the icy chill sending shivers down his spine. The deluge was relentless, soaking his clothes within seconds and making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. With determination in his steps, he pressed onward, the looming twin mountains beckoning him forward through the tempestuous weather. He could still hear the sound of someone shouting out his name from behind, but the wind was blowing, and now, with the heavy rain, he could hardly hear what they were saying, but he knew it was Yoruichi.

"Go Back, Sensei. I want to be alone." Naruto shouted at whoever else was behind before facing forward. The Twin Mountains were a place of high importance to Kumo, the tallest Mountain in the entire known world. Naruto reached the foot of that Mountain. The Twin Mountains had hundreds of smaller mountains near them, including hills, pits, hillocks, houses, valuable plants, and even shrines built for the Faith.

Naruto's feet pounded against the soft earth as he sprinted up the lush hillock, its rolling hills peppered with bustling farms that provided sustenance for the Village of Kumo. Each step he took brought him closer to his destination, his determination and Chakra-fueled speed propelling him up and up until he reached the base of a towering hill. With a swift and fluid movement, he began to scale the steep incline, utilizing his Chakra control to grip onto the slick surface and ascend. However, as the rain continued to pour down, the surface became slicker, causing Naruto to slip and struggle to maintain his footing multiple times.

At this point, every inch of his body was soaking wet. He was feeling the cold and much heavier. His sandals felt heavier, as did his clothes, and his fingers felt like they were turning into ice cubes. He looked up, trying to get a glimpse of the top, but the heavy rain made it difficult to see. But he knew the way. He had been here before, after all, with Ay.

Climbing and climbing, Naruto kept moving upwards; at this point, he had reached the base of the right Mountain. He breathed heavily, and several thunders struck down one after the other in the background; he looked back, and he could see the entire Village of Kumo laid to him like on a silver platter, being so high, and the darkness that had engulfed the large valley where Kumo was build, the dim lights in the distance of the hundreds of houses, looking at Kumo right now, it felt like looking at a floating village that was swimming in a sea of darkness.

But Naruto didn't stop, and finally, after two more hours, he reached the top of the twin mountain on the right side; the left side was only a meter taller than the right and two hundred meters away.

Naruto breathed heavily as he reached up with his hand, his hand closed around a rock, and with a push of his legs, he reached the top.

Naruto lay on his back. He could feel the freezing cold; it was difficult to breathe. Despite being from Kumo, being so high up was difficult even for them. He could feel the grass tickling his legs. The cold and his soaked clothes made him shudder. Looking up at the clear sky above him, the twin mountains were twelve kilometers tall, above the clouds. The highest cloud was seven kilometers above ground.

Naruto rolled his body around and looked down, and below him was a sea of clouds; he couldn't see anything beyond them, but he knew Kumo was at the bottom, but being so high up, he could see the outline of the entire continent of the Elemental Nations, and the blue ocean beyond that, he remembered that his father used to tell him that if they were only a little higher, they would be able to see Yassei, the second continent beyond their own. Not much was known about them.

Being so high up, Naruto took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but despite being so high, he couldn't help but remember all the words, all the times people had told him that he looked nothing like his family.

"You just remind me a lot of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. I mean, seriously, you look identical to him, from the spiky blonde hair down to the whisker marks on your cheeks, and you look nothing like the Raikage,"

"Raikage's son, are you sure? You look nothing like them!"

Naruto now knew why he looked nothing like them. He was never their flesh and blood. He was an outsider. Despite how hard he had tried to be one of them, he was doomed to fail from the beginning. His blank eyes looked across at the only tree one could find so high above the ground. His blue eyes focused on the two names carved into the white tree trunk.

' "I will climb the twin mountains, I will climb the twin mountains. Uncle, did you hear the news?" Naruto's heart was racing with excitement as he bounded on his tiptoes, eagerly approaching Bee's sleeping form. However, his enthusiasm quickly turned to frustration as he noticed his uncle's peaceful slumber, completely oblivious to Naruto's presence. Naruto took a daring leap and landed with a thud on Bee's stomach. A gasp escaped Bee's lips as the air was knocked out of him, while Naruto couldn't contain his laughter as he perched triumphantly on top of his uncle.

"Nephew, what is going on?" Bee asked, exhausted, trying to regain his breath as Naruto jumped up and down. Bee decided it was enough, grabbed him by the arm, and pushed him away from bed.

"I'm climbing the Twin Mountains, Uncle," Naruto shouted excitedly as Bee finally regained his composure, only to look at Naruto as if he had gone mad.

"Naruto, you are only four years old. You don't know yet how to climb a small hill, let alone the twin mountains," Bee reminded him while shaking a finger in front of Naruto's face, whose smile grew even more. He moved away from his fingers and kept jumping up and down on his tiptoes.

"I Know that, dummy, but Jiji promised me that today it was my turn; he will help me climb up," Naruto said excitedly. This made Bee gasp before a broad smile engulfed his face. He quickly grabbed his nephew before raising him in the air. Naruto moved his arms a certain way as if he were flying.

"That's my nephew. Fearless." Bee laughed along. As he placed Naruto on top of his shoulder, he quickly barged into the common room, where A and Ay were eating peacefully.

"Father, I will climb the twin mountains today," Naruto shouted excitedly as they strode together towards the table where they always ate their food: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even sweet breakfast, as Bee called it, whenever they ate something sweet after eating breakfast.

"So, I heard. My son is becoming a man today. I just hope you don't pee your pants like someone I know." His father said proudly before looking at Bee, making it clear about who he was talking about. Bee turned as red as a tomato while Naruto laughed along, trying to imagine his uncle peeing himself.

"Hey, is not my fault that he threw me over the edge to see if I was brave enough to not scream while falling from twelve kilometers!" Bee defended himself passionately.

"All I hear is excuses, Uncle. I might have screamed when he threw me from the hill, but you don't see me peeing myself as if I'm still in diapers." Naruto said with an evil smirk from above him, looking down at his face. Bee groaned and quickly got hold of his nephew before putting him close to his face.

"Listen, brat, now you have done it. Now you will face the full wrath of the eight tails; you are doomed." Bee shouted dramatically as he made a ridiculous pose, but Naruto wasn't scared; instead, he laughed along.

"I don't fear you, my father and Jiji will kick your ass," Naruto said with a broad smile; both A and Ay burst out laughing, enjoying the little moment, especially the old Raikage, as he was drinking his tea; at a time like this, he was happy that Naruto was part of their family; it brought so much joy.

Soon enough, Ay and Naruto were ready to climb the twin mountains. The warm rays of the sun cascaded down upon the landscape, creating a dazzling display of golden light. As Naruto stepped out of his house, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight of colorful birds soaring gracefully overhead. The sweet melodies of their chirping filled the air. Clad in a simple yet stylish ensemble of a crisp white shirt, sleek blue pants, and his trusty shinobi sandals, Naruto couldn't have felt more content. The sky was a flawless canvas of deep blue, devoid of any pesky clouds. That was obvious with the way he jumped around as if the ground was made of lava.

"Alright, Naruto, since today we are climbing the tallest Mountain in the world, you will always stay with me; you are not to let go of me for any reason. Got it." His Jiji said strictly, the same tone of voice he used on A and Bee when he wanted them to do something exactly as he wanted them to do it. This was the first time Naruto heard that kind of tone when he was addressing him, but he wasn't scared; this was his Jiji, after all. The man might be as big as an elephant, but Naruto never feared him.

"Roger that, Lord Jiji," Naruto said, trying to sound like a proper Shinobi. On top of that, he did the Kumo salute, but the broad smile betrayed him. His Jiji looked impressed before letting out a burst of laughter; he reached down, grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling him up as if he weighed nothing. He placed him behind his head, his legs hanging down over his shoulders, his little arms getting a hold of him, grabbing the back of his shirt.

"To the Mountain." His Jiji shouted with a raised fist.

"To the Mountain." Naruto quickly did as he did, raising his fist as well.

Naruto had expected that his Jiji would use his 'Where did he go?' Speed to reach the Mountain as soon as possible, but instead, he took things slow and walked out of their compound through the front door. The soldiers guarding the door, especially Jee, greeted them with a smile. Naruto greeted them back before facing forward.

As they walked through the streets, Naruto noticed the way people smiled at the sight of his Jiji. Many stopped whatever they were doing to greet him, and quite a few women would even giggle the moment they caught sight of Naruto.

'Such a handsome boy.'

'He will be as strong as our Lord Raikage.'

Naruto smiled broadly. It felt good to see so many people treat his Jiji with respect. "Jiji, are they all greeting you like this because you are the Raikage?" Naruto questioned curiously as they reached the outer parts of the Village. The number of houses built in these parts was feverish. Those that were built here were built on the side of mountains, connecting each other through long bridges.

"Yes, but not just because of that Naruto. I have fought my own battles and wars and saved countless shinobis of this place. I saved fathers, brothers, siblings, husbands, friends, sons, and daughters. People of Kumo are usually wary of outsiders; this is why our Village is built so high up, amongst mountains, but unlike all the other villages, we are more connected with one another. We love each other more than the other villages do, this is why people are so friendly here, and seeing them smile like this, all the tough decisions I have to make, I do it so these smiles that you saw will never disappear," His Jiji said with a heavy voice as if he was reliving something he didn't want to relive, but Naruto didn't notice that, all he could think was what his Jiji said, about making sure their people would always smile, would always be happy.

"I want to do the same, Jiji." Naruto abruptly blurted out, his body moving so much that it almost fell from Ay's broad shoulders.

"Huh? Do what?" Ay asked, looking back at his grandson over his shoulder.

"Protect the people, Jiji. I want Kumo to be a place of joy and happiness, I want to make sure that it will stay like that." Naruto said passionately, raising his hand in the air.

Ay felt his heart swell with joy. He let out a laugh as he moved his arms a little, making sure Naruto wouldn't slip from his shoulder. "Oh, and how will you do that?" Ay asked eagerly as they were now walking up the hillock.

"I Will become the best Kage to have ever lived," Naruto exclaimed, his voice echoing through the air, winds spreading his echo throughout the Village as if wanting the entire Kumo to hear what he was saying, the sun behind him. Ay looked over his shoulder; the sun was making Naruto's face glitter like a star in the night sky, and his spiky blonde hair looked made of gold.

"You mean Raikage right?"

"Nope. I will become the Best Kage, better than even Hashirama Senju. One day I will become the best of all of them." Naruto declared, this time even louder.

Ay couldn't remember the last time he had felt so proud, even his son telling him that he would become the next Raikage; that couldn't compare to what he was feeling right now. I know you will, Naruto, Ay thought, knowing that even if he wasn't there to see it, he fully believed that Naruto could truly become the best Kage to have ever lived.

Soon, they started climbing on top of the Mountain; Naruto held tightly, his fingers almost tearing through the fabric of Ay's shirt as they climbed. Ay had a basket strapped to his back where Naruto's legs were resting, his arms around Ay's shoulder. He expected his Jiji to climb up using his Chakra, but instead, he was climbing up the old way, with his hands and legs, with no chakra usage.

Despite the clear danger he was in, Naruto found himself feeling more and more safe the higher they climbed. Soon enough, he could see the entire Kumo behind him and the sun still high in the sky. He knew it was around 2 p.m., and they still had time until the night came.

As they climbed, Naruto watched in amazement. They weren't the only ones so high up. He watched as Goats climbed up and down the side of the Mountain, using small rocky features, followed by the little goats.

Naruto couldn't help but like the baby goats; they were cute. But he couldn't understand why they were so high up. They had no chakra like them; if they slipped, there was no way to save them.

"Why are they here?" Naruto wondered out loud as Ay kept climbing up. Upon hearing his question, he stopped and turned to look at the goats. One of the little ones looked at them curiously as if trying to ask, "What kind of goats are these two?"

"They are safer here, Naruto; those mountains don't have that many predators for them to worry about. They climb like this in search of food, but the safety they have up here is paid by the risk they face every day, every time they search for food, one slip and it's over." Naruto frowned; he watched as a little one was stuck in a bad place until his mother showed him how to climb toward her. With a leap of Faith, the little goat jumped, reuniting with his mother.

After five more hours of climbing, they finally reached the top. Naruto jumped out of the basket and onto the ground, breathing heavily. Being so high up, it felt like his lungs weren't being filled with oxygen despite how hard he tried. His face turned red as he breathed heavily.

"Do not worry, Naruto. The first time is always more difficult," his Jiji said calmly as he pulled something from his bag. 

After a few more minutes of deep breathing, Naruto felt much better and only now looked at the view. Under them was a sea of clouds, but he could still see the continent's outline very far away. Naruto couldn't remember ever seeing a view like this one. It was magnificent; he had no other words to describe it.

"Jiji, it's beautiful," Naruto said, amazed, not being able to look away from the view until he looked up. There was no sign of clouds, and the sun burned his eyes more than it usually did when he looked at it.

"Yes, it is the highest point in the entire world. You know why there's a ceremony held every year in Kumo?" His Jiji asked. Naruto shook his head. He knew it was perhaps the most popular activity in Kumo, but he never really thought why. He just figured people loved climbing.

"Look over there." Naruto turned around and saw it. The top of the right Mountain wasn't exactly a tip like he had thought it would be, but more like a large clearing, with several rocks forming the shape of a tip. At the very top was a small black rock, and carved into it was the name Takai Hikui.

"Takai, he lived five centuries ago. He had no children, his wife was barren, but they still loved each other dearly. One day, she got sick from 'The Black Lungs.' it's cure was very hard to come by back then. The whole continent was in war with itself, it was the age of Wars amongst Clans, and Takai was no shinobi, he didn't even know what Chakra was, but he knew his wife needed the cure to survive, when he went to the doctor, he pleaded for hours, but the doctor told him they couldn't use such a valuable medicine on a non Shinobi, so Takai was left with no choice. The main ingredient of the cure was found on top of this Mountain. It's a tree with white leaves and white flowers, called Naosu. Takai tried to climb, but he had no tools to help him, no chakra, nothing, nothing but his bare hands and feet. Takai tried and failed, but he didn't give up, he tried again, again, again, and again, but everytime he tried, he learned something new. On the fourteenth try he started climbing, and did not return for a whole month, by that point, many thought he was dead, he could have fallen to his death like many others before him, but on the thirty third day. The people of the Village, they saw him climb down, his clothes were all torn, and he was suffering from sickness and hunger, but holding tightly on his hands was the flower needed for his wife." 

"So he saved her?" Naruto asked with a broad smile, but his Jiji didn't return the smile as he shook his head.

"She was saved, but not him. Takai had lost too much blood; his hands were ripped open, as were his feet; his boots were long gone, as were his gloves, and his skin had bled and bled from climbing for so long, but he still managed to survive. It is said that when his wife opened her eyes when she was finally cured, at that moment, Takai's heart stopped beating. Since that day, this ceremony has been held in his honor. The seeds of that tree are planted here by the winner. While today, curing The Black Lung is no problem, back then it caused the death of thousands of people every year only in Kumo." His Jiji explained before walking up to a small tree; it was still growing. Naruto had never seen a tree with a white trunk before.

His Jiji pulled a knife and carved two names into the tree trunk. 

Jiji Yotsuki

Naruto Yotsuki

"Those that are here, have the right to carve their names into the Tree Trunk, so the future climbers will know of them." His Jiji explained as he sheathed his knife.

"But your name isn't Jiji." Naruto quickly pointed out, but Ay laughed out loud.

"I can't believe I made such a mistake, but it's not important as long as our names are carved into this tree. I will always be Jiji to you, and you will always be my grandson." '

*

*

Naruto looked at the tree with blank eyes. The names were still carved into the tree trunk; despite being eleven years old, the tree was still growing, and the white petals would soon bloom. Naruto strode forward, his right slowly being engulfed in Purple Lightning.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" But he ignored his voice as he slashed forward, his hands piercing through the tree trunk like a knife through butter.

Their names were gone. The piece of the tree holding the names flew into the air, ready to plunge down over the edge, but Naruto quickly sent a bolt of lightning towards it. He watched it as it exploded into tiny pieces, engulfed in flames that fell over the edge, followed by a trail of fire that faded away as it fell down.

Naruto sank to his knees, his back facing the tree, his hands gripping blades of grass, as he stared at the endless sea of dark clouds. He didn't know what to do anymore. The man he had idolized more than anyone, the man he had believed could do no wrong. That man had tried to kidnap his mother.

"What would you do to her?"

"You don't want to know that, Naruto."

The words echoed in his ears. He gripped his head, covering his ears, as tears rolled down his cheeks, and with all the strength he had, he let out a scream of pain and agony; he kept screaming and screaming until the sides of his mouth started burning.

"Brat, calm down."

"Shut Up!" With a furious roar, Naruto unleashed his pent-up anger and frustration in a flurry of powerful punches, each one causing the ground beneath him to shudder and splinter. Despite the searing pain shooting through his arm with each strike, he heard a snap sound, but he ignored it; he refused to relent, determined to release all of his pent-up emotions. As his knuckles tore open and blood spurted forth, Naruto's cries echoed through the air.

"Naruto." Someone grasped his arm from behind, stopping him; the blonde stared down; he didn't try to punch the ground again, as his other arm slumped down, feeling defeated.

"Uncle." Naruto muttered weakly in a choked voice, suddenly feeling his arms from behind as Naruto sobbed loudly.

"Shhh, I'm here, Naruto."

"I just wanted to be one of you." Naruto choked as he cried more and more, but Bee didn't say anything and listened. "I always knew that I was different. Even in the academy, many told me that I looked nothing like any of you, but I kept training, and I tried to do everything right to make all of you proud of me and get stronger so I could become more like you three." Naruto choked more as he remembered all the training he had gone through, entering the Whispering Wood, because there was a slim chance that he would master Purple Lightning, but now, after hearing the truth and what his Jiji had tried to do, he wasn't even sure what to feel anymore.

"But I never was, and never will be. My own mother, he-he-he, he said that he would have done-done bad things to her." Naruto sobbed more, stuttering more and more as he tried to speak.

"Naruto, you were always one of us. The moment I saw you the day that A brought you here. I Knew I Would always protect you. You might not look like us, but you were always be one of us, and now. You know I told you how they used to hate me, the people of Kumo. They looked at me as if I was a plague, there are many times where I was this close to let Gyuki loose on them. That's how they saw me, even Yugito will tell you as much. While you might not have our name, you are still one of us. A Yotsuki. I know this will be difficult for you, but I just want you to know that I will always be your uncle. Our blood and name might be different, but I'm proud of the man you have become. Naruto, you truly are a kind kid. Someone I love dearly. Whatever you wish to stay here, or go to Konoha with Jiraiya. I will support you." Bee said as he hugged Naruto from behind, sobbing until he was exhausted.

"W-why my mother? Why would he try to do anything to her?" Naruto rasped; Bee sighed, knowing there was no good answer.

"Naruto, I don't think anyone can ever give you a proper answer, or an answer that will satisfy you, or an answer that will take out what you are feeling right now. I'm afraid neither can I." Bee said regretfully, still hugging his nephew from behind.

"I can't forgive him, uncle." Bee heard his nephew murmur, his body still tense.

"I will never forgive him."