Naruto: The heir of the Hoshino clan.

[Inside Seiji's Mental Landscape]

Seiji had always longed to meet his parents, especially his mother, Sera. He had always wanted to apologize for causing her death during childbirth and for separating her from the man she loved, his father, Kasuya.

He had dreamed of her countless times, yearning for the warm, protective embrace of a mother who would whisper words of love into his ear. After all, he was just a child.

Seeing his mother's loving smile, Seiji's heart felt like it was about to burst from excitement.

To Seiji, Sera was exactly as he had always imagined her. She wasn't the cold woman in the photographs, nor the indifferent person others had described. His mother was beautiful, caring, and... perfect.

"Seiji, sweetheart, did you hear my question? Goodness, you're just like Kasuya... always overthinking things."

Sera's sweet voice interrupted his thoughts. Unfortunately, Seiji hadn't caught the venomous tone his mother had let slip at the end.

"What question? Ah, yes... but the Hokage is a good person. He even sent someone to help me control my chakra. I don't understand why you'd ask for that."

Sera looked at him with a smile, but her eyes didn't reflect happiness. She carefully extended her hands and cupped his face, bringing her eyes close to his.

*Squeeze*

"Ugh..."

Seiji groaned in discomfort as Sera squeezed his face with immense strength.

"Seiji, sweetheart... I'll let your words slide for now, since ignorance isn't your fault. However, I don't want you to call that bastard Hiruzen 'Hokage' or 'good person' in my presence again."

Seiji felt a slight fear growing inside him, along with a sense of unease in his chest.

'Why does mom hate the Hokage so much?'

Sera, seeing the fear in Seiji's eyes, sighed and released his face.

"Seiji... how much do you know about Konoha's history?"

Seiji blinked, confused by his mother's sudden question. He hadn't yet entered the Ninja Academy, so he hadn't learned in depth about the village's history. However, his father had left many books detailing the shinobi world, and in one of them, the history of the most important ninja village, Konoha, was explained.

"Uh... Konoha was founded by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the 'Shinobi God.' He was a wise and visionary man who dreamed of a world without wars..."

Seiji stopped when he saw the mocking expression on his mother's face. She seemed genuinely amused by his speech.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry. You know, there are quite a few lies in your words, though it's not your fault. It's the fault of information being distorted over the years."

Sera sighed and continued:

"Ancestor Hashirama... was anything but a wise man. He was carefree and a bit childish... or so my father said, haha."

Seiji listened silently, trying to understand his mother's words.

'I thought mom and dad were orphans...'

"Maybe I should start from the beginning... I'm sure that by the time I finish, you won't refuse your dear mother's request. It'll be a bit long, so I hope you're patient. I'm not as good with words as your father."

Seiji nodded, though with a bit of disbelief. After all, he didn't believe Hiruzen was truly evil.

"First, the founding of Konoha... Konoha was founded by the two most powerful people I've ever known. One you already know: Hashirama Senju, the ancestor of the Senju clan... the clan my family belonged to. Though it no longer exists, but that's not important."

Seiji's eyes widened at his mother's revelation. He knew little about the ancient Senju clan, only that it had been the cradle of the first two Hokages.

"The other person who founded Konoha alongside Hashirama Senju... was Madara Uchiha, the ancestor of the Uchiha clan... and your father's clan. I don't really know much about that person, other than that he was extremely powerful, to the point of severely injuring Ancestor Hashirama, which caused his death later."

"As you know, the Senju clan was dissolved by order of Lady Tobirama, the Second Hokage. We were to 'integrate' into the village, she said... honestly, I don't understand her reasoning. She was supposed to be a smart woman... but she entrusted the village to a despicable person."

Seiji didn't know what to say. It was too much information for his young mind. The truth about Konoha's founding, his mother's clan, and the biggest mystery of all: his father's clan... the clan he had always been warned not to associate with.

Seiji also understood the questions his mother had asked him earlier. He remembered the burning sensation in his eyes and the chaotic state of his chakra... he had awakened the Sharingan.

He quickly stopped thinking about it. He felt that the more he analyzed it, the more he would discover things he really didn't want to know.

"Up until now, I've given you reliable information, as it was passed down from father to son within the Senju clan. The village's history was told this way, so it's truthful."

Sera clenched her teeth with an expression of fury, trying to contain her emotions.

"After Lady Tobirama passed away and handed the title of Hokage to Hiruzen, Konoha went through several periods of war..."

Sera's expression was one of seething rage, her eyes bloodshot from suppressed frustration.

"The former members of the Senju clan joined Konoha's ranks, and since there was a war, it was logical that they would participate."

"At first, it was subtle. Hiruzen would say, 'The Senju are quite strong,' so it was logical to send them on the most dangerous missions. With each mission, fewer Senju returned. Over the years, more people died on missions. Then, the 'injured' would die during recovery... and after the death of Nawaki-sama and the departure of Princess Tsunade from the village... everything got worse. Every Senju who went on a mission never returned."

"I was one of the few with a relatively pure lineage. My family was the last one standing..."

"I still remember that night. My father couldn't take it anymore and... we tried to desert. Before we knew it, members of 'Root' surrounded us. They killed my father and took the rest... my mother and my sister..."

"I remember begging for mercy, ha, but those things no longer had feelings. They were just puppets."

Seiji listened to his mother's story attentively. By this point, his face was completely pale, but he continued to listen.

"And then... I met him. Ha... your father saved me. It only took him a few seconds to take down the ninja. I begged Kasuya to save my family... but he refused and knocked me out."

"At first, I hated him for not helping me... You know, your father had a calmness about him that enveloped you and made you trust him. Honestly, after I understood that the reason he didn't save my family was because he was too weak, and after he promised to save them later... I think that's when I fell in love with him."

Sera smiled with nostalgia and a bit of sadness.

"At first, I thought he was a bit crazy, since he insisted on returning to Konoha and having us pose as war orphans... But I followed him anyway... ha, if I had known what would happen, I wouldn't have followed him."

"He connected with the most important people in the village, while maintaining a facade of blind loyalty. I couldn't stand seeing him pretend with a smile, befriending my enemies... But back then, I still had a blind love for him."

"Then his... questionable attitude with women started, ha. I couldn't say anything to him, since technically we weren't a couple. Honestly, I never thought he'd leave them for me... but everything changed when his health started to deteriorate."

At this point, Seiji didn't know what to think. His perception of reality had completely changed. The image of the village he had always loved had been tainted by the new vision of the Hokage's true face. Yet, he continued to listen, wanting to know the truth.

"Everything changed when he developed the third tomoe of his Sharingan. His eyesight began to deteriorate, and his body weakened progressively. I thought maybe we could find a skilled enough doctor to cure him... but he seemed terrified."

"He hesitated at first, but after a while, he told me. Apparently, it was an incurable disease that only affected people with a Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit) too powerful for their body. He said he knew of another Uchiha who had the same condition, and apparently, there was no cure."

"After that, he stopped pursuing women and proposed to me. And though his flirtatious personality never disappeared, he never cheated on me... or at least, not that I know of."

"He... was obsessed with the idea of having a son. He often said our son would be very special, ha."

"And one day... he told me the 'truth'... He was more twisted than I initially thought."

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If you're enjoying the reading, please leave me a comment. I would also appreciate some power stones.

Author: I'm feeling a bit sick, so there will only be one chapter today.