Arashi and Kazuya sat across from each other, each of them refusing to even look at each other's eyes. The tension between them certainly made the room quiet and awkward. Miyu smiled nervously at this. She felt somehow at fault for her teammates not being well-gelled.
Suddenly, Tatsuo bursts into the room, his cheeks beaming with excitement, "Mother! Father! I saw Arashi san do the greatest jutsu I've ever seen!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, unable to contain the excitement or read the room, he spat out, "Not even Natsuo could've done it! He-"
Suddenly, Kinoshita smacked his hand on the table, startling young Tatsuo into silence.
Kinoshita stood up, "I'm full, thank you for the food, Hanako." He said and left without further notice. 'He's angry…' Arashi thought to himself.
"I'm sorry for that…" Hanako apologised. She looked at Tatsuo and frowned. "Tatsuo, why would you say something like that?"
"I just…" Tatsuo frowned, and his head dropped. "I'm sorry…" He apologised,
"So that's it?" Arashi muttered. He looked at Hanako, "Forgive me for asking, but who was Natsuo? Who was he to Tatsuo?" He curiously questioned.
Hanako sadly frowned as her head dropped. "Natsuo… he was our son. He was also a shinobi; he trained in the hidden leaf village and came back to protect us." Arashi listened as he was told about Natsuo.
"After I gave birth to Natsuo, the doctor told me I could never have another baby. Natsuo's birth was already harsh to bear, but I was glad to have a son with the man I loved.
My husband and I weren't angry or sad, for we already had our own child, and if we wanted another one, we could just adopt. And so we did…" Arashi widened his eyes,
"Tatsuo is… adopted?"
"He was an orphan. His parents died shortly after he was born." Hanako said,
"When we adopted Tatsuo, Natsuo was overjoyed he'd have a younger brother. He loved Tatsuo and Tatsuo loved him." She added,
"Even though they knew each other briefly, Natsuo left an impactful mark on Tatsuo's life." She said, smiling.
"Then… what happened to him?" Arashi hesitantly asked,
Hanako's smile slowly faded away.
"Two years ago…" Hanako explained what happened that fateful evening.
The Hidden Hot Springs Village was nestled between gentle hills and lush forests, a serene, picturesque place known for its soothing thermal waters. The village was quiet on that fateful day, a calm before the storm that would forever change its tranquillity.
Natsuo, a young and valiant teenager, was known throughout the village for his courage and sense of duty.
Natsuo had black, short hair and wore a low-collared black shirt with black trousers. He had multiple weapons stored in the pockets, but was known to use a tanto.
As he ran past his village, many villagers would greet him with a smile, "Natsuo kun, come here!" An old woman called him.
He stopped in his tracks and walked towards her, "How can I help?"
The old lady smiled and handed him a black pouch, "Take this to your father, please."
"Hai!" He proclaimed and took the bag before quickly vanishing.
Natsuo took the bag and left towards the hot springs atop the mountain. He ran over many houses and disrupted many of them. And even then, everyone smiled when he came into view. He had a heart filled with compassion and an unyielding desire to protect those around him. His warm smile and determination won the hearts of many in the village. Besides, who could be angry at the son of the most successful man in the village?
Natsuo travelled on the mountain path. He ran quickly and swiftly jumped from tree to tree. Until he was met with a terrifying scream, "Aaah!" A lady screamed.
Natsuo made a sudden halt at a tree.
'What was that?' He questioned himself as he looked around. Whoosh… A kunai passed right by his eyes, making Natsuo move from his position. He jumped back and took out his kunai.
He still couldn't see where the enemy was, but he hid behind a tree.
Suddenly, a shinobi appeared in front of him, holding a katana as he went towards him. Natsuo blocked the attack with his kunai; he shoved him back and kicked him.
Whoosh! Multiple gusts of wind passed by his side. Natsuo glanced at them and realised there were multiple shinobi running past him.
He widened his eyes, 'They're going towards father's hot springs!'
"Ah!" Natsuo screamed as his eye had been cut wide open.
"You should always pay attention to your enemy…" the shinobi said before weaving hand signs,
"Water style: shark bomb jutsu!" An incredible amount of water is coming from his body, assembling into a gigantic shark.
Natsuo widened his eyes as the shark quickly travelled towards him.
He jumped backwards and began running around.
The shark tailed his every movement.
"Let's see how well this shark will do over here!" He took a sharp turn into a cave. The shark followed him in.
"Where's this kid going?" The shinobi wondered,
Shhh! A thick amount of steam shot from the cave…
"What the-" just before he said anything, he felt a cold blade on his neck.
Natsuo stood behind him, glaring at him with his one eye.
"I'll keep everyone safe… starting by killing you!" He quickly executed the shinobi before travelling towards his father's direction.
'If I hadn't used the shadow clone jutsu when I did, I would've died…' He reached for his eye.
'This will be a problem…' He thinks as he wipes the blood trailing.
Natsuo got to the hot springs. He widened his eyes, seeing it in fires. "Aaah!" He heard a man screaming above him. Natsuo recognised that voice and went to the right building. He found Kakuji and saw a log of burnt wood fallen on him. He quickly pulled it away and helped Kakuji up.
"Kakuji, where's my father? Is anyone else in trouble?" Kakuji shook his head,
"You have to go help Kinoshita! He's the target in all this. I saw him with Nakamura inside the building. Run!" Natsuo nodded and dashed past him.
The door was ablaze, but this didn't stop Natsuo. He pushed right through the door. He quickly covered his mouth and nose when he saw all the smoke coming from inside.
'I can't see a thing…' He thought as he looked for his father.
As he looked around, Natsuo widened his eyes as he heard his father's voice,
"We're never abandoning this building!" He yelled. Natsuo immediately located them on the balcony behind him.
He ran desperately chasing them, "Aaah!" He pushed through the door.
As he got there, he found five shinobi holding his father hostage.
He quickly threw multiple shurikens in all directions, hitting two of them in the chest.
"Nakamura san, you and Father should run. I'll take care of them." Nakamura looked at Kinoshita and nodded. Kinoshita shook his head, "Over my dead body am I leaving you behind!" Natsuo frowned, "This isn't up for discussion!"
He widened his eyes, seeing a kunai flying towards his father. Making a quick hand seal, he flickered between the kunai and his father. The kunai went straight into his back, his eyes widened out of pain, and blood spat out from his mouth, right in front of Konoshita. Kinoshita caught his son's falling body.
Crack… the edge of the mountain began cracking. Seeing this, the shinobi nodded and jumped back, throwing multiple paper bombs towards them. "No!" Natsuo saw this and jumped, holding Kinoshita and Nakamura,
The entire building went up in smoke as it exploded and fell off the mountain.
Natsuo opened his eyes. Seeing they were getting closer to the ground, he made hand seals: "Water style: syrup trap!" He spat out a large amount of sticky liquid, softening their land.
"Aaah!" They fell into the forest and slid, hitting many bushes before they stopped,
Nakamura got up first. He stared at the top of the hill, where the destroyed hot springs had debris burning. "After all this work…" He clenched his fist, "It all goes in flames." He muttered with anger. He held his hand in pain; it received multiple injuries, but none too severe.
"Natsuo saved us all… had he not done what he did, they could've all continued their rampage against the village…"
"Natsuo!" Kinoshita cried. Nakamura turned to Kinoshita; he saw him desperately searching for his son.
"Natsuo!" He yelled.
"Kinoshita sama!" He looked back. Nakamura pointed towards a trail of blood.
Kinoshita followed the trail of blood and found Natsuo weakly leaning on a stone with his eyes closed…
"Hey, Natsuo, get up!" He yelled, quickly running towards him,
"Come on, get up!" He yelled.
Natsuo didn't respond,
"Natsuo," Kinoshita's voice trembled as he spoke his son's name. "Stay with me."
Natsuo managed a weak smile, his eyes reflecting the love he felt for his father. "Father… did I… save you?"
Kinoshita's grip tightened, his anguish and pride warring within him. He looked into his son's eyes, his voice breaking as he whispered, "I'm proud of you, Natsuo."
Hearing those words, Natsuo's strength faded, and his breathing grew shallow. The villagers who had been saved by his heroism gathered around, their faces a mix of gratitude and sorrow. They offered their condolences, their voices filled with respect for the young hero who had given his all.
But Kinoshita's grief was overwhelming. He looked down at his son, his heart aching with regret. "Natsuo," he choked on his words, his voice barely audible. "I… I love you."
Natsuo's eyes fluttered closed, a peaceful expression gracing his features. He had saved the village… he saved his father and family. His sacrifice ensured their safety. But as he slipped away, he never heard his father's last words.
The village mourned, grief-stricken by the loss of a brave young soul. Kinoshita stood amidst the sombre crowd, his heart heavy with sorrow and regret. He had lost his son, his greatest treasure, without ever telling him how much he meant to him.
Amid the village's mourning, Kinoshita's anger flared. He lashed out at those who offered their condolences, his grief and pain manifesting as misplaced anger. He chased them away, unable to bear the weight of their gratitude and sympathy.
"My husband was never the same after that day… please… try to understand him." Hanako finished her story, leaving Arashi with a better understanding of him.