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Burdened Soul: Uchiha SI Ch.48
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 06:12:47 +0000 UTCChapter 48
~5 Years Later~
MIKOTO UCHIHA
Mikoto hated war. She had hated it since the day it had taken her parents from her, and the hate had only grown ever since. She had fought in one herself, at least for some time, until she found herself pregnant with her eldest son, a son who had seen nothing but war.
Born at the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War, Izuna had found himself on the battlefield at a young age, and had exemplified himself as he made major contributions to the war, contributing directly to its end by his efforts on the Northern Front.
He had become the youngest shinobi ever to win himself an S-ranked bounty, as Izuna of the Blue Flame began becoming a household name just like the Yellow Flash, Professor and the Sanin.
She was both proud and worried for him, and had been grateful when the war had ended and her son became the Head of the Medical Unit. Peace had come, at a great cost but it had come at last and the Third Great Ninja War ended, as the world entered a new era of peace.
And with Minato taking over as the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha was set to enter a new era of peace.
Yet mere weeks into his reign as the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha found itself under attack. One orchestrated by Kirigakure, who did what not even Iwa and Kumo had managed to do together as they breached Konoha’s walls and attacked them within their borders.
Their target, Konoha’s two jinchuriki as they managed to even release the newly acquired Sanbi into the village, causing massive havoc and damage. She could not imagine what would have happened if they had managed to set loose the Kyubi as well.
Thankfully, their plans to release the Kyubi were foiled, and the entire village came together to eliminate the invading force while trying to contain the mighty Sanbi.
It was a herculean task, yet the village came together and managed to do the impossible, and regained control over the Sanbi once more through the efforts of her own husband, Fugaku Uchiha.
It had been five years since then, five long years as Konoha found itself at a crucial junction in its history, where for the first time since its inception it found its borders breached, as enemy shinobi managed to infiltrate through its walls.
“I cannot believe it has been five years since then,” said the woman sitting beside her. Half a decade had done little to change her appearance, for Kushina looked just as she did then.
“I can,” she answered, though much of the village would disagree with her. After the attack, Konoha found itself at a crossroads as Kirigakure denied all knowledge about the attack, claiming that the shinobi who had taken part in the attack had acted independently.
And they had but two options, to believe this lie or to retaliate and risk starting another Great Ninja War. It was a testing time, one which had tested the entire village until a final decision was made.
In the end, they had no choice but to retaliate, as Konoha entered another war.
“These years have not been easy on me as a mother,” for war had come once more, and her son had found himself at the center of it once more.
“It sometimes feels as if Izuna-kun was born for war. He has not seen a day’s rest since he became a shinobi,” she complained, as Kushina’s lips thinned as well.
“I am sorry about that,” and she looked to the side as they both sat on the porch.
“It’s not your fault,” she said, trying to soothe her.
“In the five years he has been home, but a handful of times,” and this pained her as a mother.
“My youngest doesn’t even remember his face,” she lashed out as Kushina looked to the ground in embarrassment.
“I know, and I miss him as well. But you know the real reason that Minato kept him away from the village,” and she did. She was amongst the few who knew that this was not a simple deployment, for though this was a war, Konoha had not let the other villages intervene.
The Two Sanins were each stationed along the borders of Iwa and Kumo with an active force, deterring them from any misadventure, as Konoha aimed its spear at Kirigakure, to retaliate against their untamed offensive.
There had been grumblings from Iwa and Kumo, yet they did not dare to test the might of Konoha with the Sanin stations right at their borders, ready to strike back with vehemence.
But that meant someone else had to lead the charge in Kiri, and the shinobi chosen for this monumental task was none other than her own eldest son, Izuna Uchiha of the Blue Flames. Many had thought it to be a great honor, yet the truth was that this was nothing more than a punishment.
Punishment for the alleged killing of the traitor Danzo Shimura.
“The old guard still wielded much influence with the village, if Minato had not named Izuna-kun as the vanguard, they would have pushed for an investigation into that, and asked for something more severe,” but with such a responsibility laden on his shoulders, the old bastards had no choice but to shut their mouths.
“That man was a traitor,” she retorted viciously, for she was among the few who knew of the extent of Danzo’s actions, and how his death had been one far kinder than a man like him had deserved.
To the entire village, Danzo Shimura had passed away peacefully during the Kiri invasion, his death a simple number amongst the hundreds that had died that day, but the truth was far more complex.
“Minato should have pushed back against the old bastards. He should have taken a stand for Izuna-kun,” and it was not right of her to badmouth a Hokage openly like this, but she was an Uchiha.
And the Uchiha were much prevalent within the village at the moment for their role in both defending the village during the invasion, and due to the actions of her son during this limited conflict with Kiri.
“He couldn’t do it. You know better than anyone else what the situation was in those days,” Kushina defended her husband, as she should. But it was not her son fighting on the frontlines for a crime he had not committed.
“Those were tense times, and there were already many whispers against Minato brimming up. He had no choice,” and that was a lie, but it was true that many voices had begun to speak against him after the attack. Yet, he was the Hokage. He could have ignored them all, enforced his will.
But in the end, Minato had chosen unity and appeasement over conflict. A choice she did not fault him for, given the eruption of hostilities. Yet she did not need to agree witht hat choice.
Minato hadn’t immediately called for war after the attack;,he had waited for several weeks before making the final judgement, and during those weeks, whispers began to emerge about his lack of decisiveness and experience.
“But it is done now, the war is over,” Kushina added, and indeed it was over. The conflict had lasted half a decade, and in the end, Konoha had decimated Kiri’s major forces, going so far as to attack them within their own village, just as they had done to Konoha.
And now, with the death of the Sandaime Mizukage, Kirigakure had agreed to make peace at their terms.
“Izuna-kun is even more famous than the Sanin now, the power and influence of the old guard has been cut down. They cannot make a move against Izuna-kun,” as if her son would ever let them do anything to him.
“No thanks to Minato,” she huffed as Kushina sighed.
“Even Izuna-kun does not blame Minato-kun. You have to let it go now,” she pleaded, it was not so easy for her. She had seen her eldest put his life in danger for years, her son had fought in wars for more than half his life, and though he had lived through it all, she still worried for him as a mother.
“What are the terms?” she asked, for she had not heard even a whisper about them.
“Kiri will be relinquishing control of their Special Swords to Konoha. There are some other things as well, but the greatest concession is about Uzushio,” and her eyes widened at the mention of that name, and her head snapped towards her friend.
“Your village?” she gasped a bit, seeing Kushina give a slight nod at the mention of the ancient Uzumaki village.
“Yes. Kiri will be relinquishing all control over the isle and will be handing back all that they managed to take back from my village.” The terms were harsher than she had expected them to be.
“That is some good news,” she added as Kushina nodded.
“It is, and it is all thanks to Izuna-kun,” and though she worried much for her son as a mother, she was also very proud of him for what he had become.
Kushina’s words had not been a lie. Izuna’s fame had indeed sky-rocketed because of the war, and now he was as much a household name as the Sanin and even Minato himself.
“When will he return?” she asked as Kushina leaned back and gazed at the sky.
“Soon. Within days probably,” and that was some relief for her, as Mikoto turned to the garden infront of her where two little boys were racing against one another.
“I only pray this is his last war,” for her son had seen enough of it for a lifetime.
“We all do,” but thankfully given the limited nature of the conflict, the effect of this war was minimal, and with Kiri losing its most elite shinobi even before the start of the war meant that they were lacking in fire power.
The combined offensive led on one side by Izuna, and on the other side by Minato himself had made quick work of Kiri’s forces, with Konoha slowing down the pace later on and hitting them on and on later.
“I hope neither of them have Izuna’s luck,” she said, smiling at the two children arguing in the garden.
“May they never have to know the horrors of war. I do not think I have the heart to see Naruto-kun leaving for war,” and she had thought as much, but when duty came calling the heart often gave way.
“Where is Itachi-kun?” she asked. Her middle child had graduated from the academy two years ago, becoming a genin two years ahead of his peers. Izuna had argued against his graduation, but in the end, he was helpless for by that time, Itachi was even more skilled than his teachers who were helpless about what to do with him.
“He is at the Police Station with Fugaku. Izuna-kun has shown little interest in taking over Fugaku and so he is thinking about changing the rules and giving it to Itachi,” and years ago, such a descion would have drawn much ire from the elders, but those days were gone and the position of the elders had been abolished after their betrayal during the invasion.
“It’s a good idea,” Kushina agreed, and as one of Izuna’s teachers she did know much about his interests.
“Izuna-kun will have to agree first, for the position does belong to him by tradition,” but she did not think that he would deny it. He was already the head of one of Leaf’s divisions and had little interest in Police Work.
“Well, speaking of that, there is something else I wanted to share with you,” Kushina suddenly added, her tone turning somber as Mikoto turned toward her friend.
“What is it?” she asked, and her face was dour, as Kushina was slow to answer.
“Rin is dying....”
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MINATO NAMIKAZE
Five years ago, just weeks into his tenure as a hokage, Minato was forced into making some of the toughest decisions of his life. His family and village had just been attacked, and the person behind the attack had been none other than his own student.
Though the village remained oblivious to the last fact, yet the sense of betrayal and rage added to his misery. In the end, whatever Kiri’s stance may be, the attack on the village could not go unanswered.
And so, war it was once more. But it was his job to make sure that this did not expand into an all-out Great war, for neither Konoha nor the continent could sustain another great conflict.
And so, they needed to be cautious and ruthless at the same time. And in the end, he had no choice but to rely on the two Sanins to deter Iwa and Kumo, and employ a new shinobi to the vanguard.
He had a few options, but in the end, he was forced to make an unlikely choice in Izuna-kun, as the boy found himself at the centre of a great controversy.
The true circumstances of the death of Danzo Shimura remained a secret to this day, yet to those in power, it was evident that the man’s death had been unnatural, and it had taken the Third Hokage one glance to figure out just who was responsible for it.
Despite their recent fights, the two men were close friends, and so Sandaime wanted the culprit punished. The man was willing to go quite far for his friend. Izuna-kun made a rash decision, going against his clear instructions just for his revenge.
And Minato needed to respond, not to the extent demanded by the Sandaime, but to enough of an extent to maintain balance. And after much deliberation, the best decision he could make was to make him one of the leaders of the offensive, both punishing him and protecting him with one swift order.
“Peace has been made,” and he had not expected that his tenure as Hokage would begin with a war, and yet a war had begun. And now five years later, it was finally over.
“Kiri has admitted defeat,” and this was a great victory for the village, which had suffered minimal losses in the war, mostly because of the efforts of Izuna-kun who was gaining another moniker for his Iryo-ninjutsu.
The God of Death, for on the battlefield, he was a God.
“Is that so?” the Third Hokage added as he sat opposite to him, and because of the war he had no choice but to rely heavily on the man. Yet their relationship had become far too strained now, and so he was happy that the war had come to an end.
“They have agreed to the terms, most of which will not be made public,” for doing so would harm Kiri’s pride, yet they had no other option for Konoha had a knife to their throat.
“You have shown them mercy?” the Third Hokage asked, but Minato shook his head.
“No, Konoha has gained all it could from the deal. We have gained back control of Uzushio, and Kiri will hand all that they ransacked from the village during the attack. We will have hostages as well, and much more,” and that seemed to satisfy the man.
“Izuna-kun will be returning to the village.” he skipped straight ahead to the main reason he had summoned the man to his office. And at the mention of the Uchiha clan heir, the old shinobi’s face tightened.
“You were too lenient on him.” his disapproval was evident.
“Others argue that I was too harsh on him,” and that was mostly Kushina, who had not talked to him for a year because of his decision. In the end, Izuna-kun himself had intervened on his behalf, to soothe her anger.
“Izuna Uchiha is now a hero of the village,” and the Sandima’e eyes tightened at his words, but this was not the situation from five years ago, where he needed to rely on others.
“I turned away to the yours and your teammates’ actions all those years, but I will not do so again. Any of you make a move against him, and I assure I will not stay his hand,” and the Third was silent for some time before he looked into his eyes.
“He killed Danzo, a war hero, who was m...”
“A traitor!” and Minato did not mince his words as the office became silent.
“Izuna-kun may have disregarded my own orders, but make no mistake that I do not disagree with what he did.” It was time to make that clear.
“Danzo Shimura was a traitor. The only fault in Izuna Uchiha’s actions was his hastiness and nothing more. And he has paid the price for it, but now he is a hero of this village who has won us a great victory, and you will treat him as such,” and that was his way of paying him back.
Izuna-kun had served the village during the war. His iryo-ninjutsu had allowed them to keep casualties to a minimum, so it was his duty to ensure he was afforded the respect and status that he deserved.
“So be it,” the Third agreed, for he had no other choice, and with that, he rose up and began to walk towards the door. And there was a time when his respect and admiration for the man had been absolute. Minato had thought him to be a man without fault, yet over the years, he had come to learn that he was as flawed as any man.
Perhaps even more so.
And as he opened the door, Minato decided to ask a question that had plagued his mind for years.
“Would you have punished Danzo, if he had done what Izuna-kun had?” he asked, and his words seemed to still the old man, and Minato still held a soft corner for the man because of his wife, Lady Biwako, who had sacrificed her life to protect Kushina and her son.
“No,” he answered truthfully, and that was his fault. It was why Lord Danzo had gotten as bold as he had, for if he had been punished the first time he had stepped out of line, he never would have gone rogue as he had.
“I see,” the old man added, turning to face him once more, and there was a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked him in the eye and added.
“And that is what differentiates the two of us. Izuna-kun is just as dear to me as Lord Danzo was to you, yet I acted as a Kage would, while you chose to act as a friend,” and that was his mistake.
“I shall let history be our judge,” and with those parting words the Third Hokage left his office, and just as Minato sighed and leaned back in his chair, he found himself getting surprised as the window besides him was opened suddenly.
CHUNK!
In an instant, the window to his office was pushed open. Minato opened his eyes and found the familiar face of Izuna Uchiha sitting in the window, smirking.
“Well, that took an hour too long.” Minato was surprised, for he had not been able to sense the boy’s chakra as Izuna jumped into the room and saluted.
“Izuna Uchiha, reporting back,” he began as Minato smiled and opened his mouth.
“Welcome back, Izuna-kun....”
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Comments
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
Almaz Zakytkazy
Thanks for the chapter
