Fanfic #219 Wind in the Woods by SunsetStar(Naruto)

This fanfic is a self insert into Naruto as Minato's older brother. I really like this fic because it looks at everything from everyone except the mc's perspective so there's a lot of interesting world building.

Synopsis: A Naruto Self-Insert... from the eyes of everyone who's not him.

Rated: M

words: 45k

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/wind-in-the-woods-a-naruto-si-from-the-viewpoint-of-everyone-else.986089/reader/

Here's the first chapter:

Hiruzen studied the youth in front of him carefully, eyes narrowed. The boy's appearance —a thin frame, a shock of cropped blonde hair, and a pair of (very intelligent) dark blue eyes— was unassuming, if fairly distinctive. It was also one that spoke of an unprivileged life, if the dusty, damaged clothes and sandals were any indication. Certainly, all of it matched with what little was written in the boy's small file: the five-year-old son of a prostitute, whose hair and eyes he had clearly inherited, born within one of the seedier areas of Konoha. The mother had died only a month and change ago from a second childbirth, leaving behind little but her last name and a younger brother, Minato.

However, what was on Namikaze's file was of little importance, at least for now. No, what was important was what wasn't on file. Namely, the boy's startlingly developed chakra system, at least for his age.

According to the Uchiha who had been "on break" inside the boy's home district for yet-undisclosed reasons (Hiruzen mentally snorted at that), it was easily on par with any child of his own age— if by child one meant clan heir. Said development wasn't genetic either, its growth clearly the result of near-constant use according to the reports—a fact only corroborated by the boy's short use of wall-running to escape his attempted captors, a pair of young men who had found their pockets suddenly empty after bumping into a young blond boy.

Even now, Hiruzen, if he concentrated, could feel the boy practically vibrating chakra-wise, tendrils of invisible energy reaching out in a multiple-meter long radius around him. Hiruzen felt one of them gently touch his own body— only for it, as well as its companions, to quickly snap back into the boy, his eyes widening a fraction. Better chakra control than first thought, he mentally noted. Likely even a natural sensor. Would make for an excellent scout if properly trained.

To his credit, the boy recovered quickly, immediately snapping up straight to attention, his expression shifting into one of innocence. His hands, however, easily betrayed his steadily rising anxiety, unconsciously wiping themselves on the boy's shorts.

Hiruzen let the silence between them stretch on, keeping the boy stewing in his unease. Then, just as he seemed to gather his nerve to speak up, Hiruzen cut him off, breaking the silence himself. "Namikaze Shīchi," he said, tone kept flat and neutral, betraying none of his own thoughts. "That is your name, correct?"

The boy swallowed. "Y-yes, Hokage-sama." The boy cringed then, too late to catch his stammer.

Hiruzen hummed. "Good. Seems we have the right boy. Now, Namikaze-kun," he said, voice shifting into something gentler, less interrogative. The boy relaxed just a fraction, his shoulders lowering by a centimeter. "Do you think you can tell me why you are here?"

"Why I'm here, Hokage-sama?" the boy echoed. Hiruzen nodded, gesturing at the boy to continue. "Ah, well…" he scratched at his neck, and for a moment, he looked like the five-year-old he was. "Because I stole some money, I guess…?"

"That would be why you were arrested, Namikaze-kun. I am asking why you are here, in the Hokage's own office. I assure you, inviting a five-year-old child in here is no everyday occurrence. Particularly not the five-year-old child of a civilian." With a sweep of his hand, Hiruzen slid the boy's file in front of them both, opening it with the same gesture. "Perhaps this will give you an idea?"

"A-ah." The boy's eyes swept over the manila folder's contents, taking in the small photo of himself and what little information was printed there. "I, uh, can't really see anything, Hokage-sama. Sorry."

"That's perfectly alright, Namikaze-kun," Hiruzen said, letting an indulgent smile drift across his face. The boy relaxed a fraction. "After all, there's nothing to see. Nothing but a young boy with little to his name but an infant brother and what little his recently deceased mother left him. Just another orphan."

The boy froze. It was just for a moment, but the damage was already done.

"And yet," Hiruzen continued, snapping the folder closed. A sharp gust of air blew past the boy's face from the force, and he flinched, immediately tensing back up. "That same orphan has been brought here, into the very highest office in Konoha. Quite the conundrum, no?" He raised an eyebrow.

The boy swallowed. "I guess so…?"

Hiruzen frowned. "I'm afraid that I don't need guesses, Namikaze-kun. I need answers." With that, he bent over the desk, leaning forward. "And I am quite certain you can give them to me. You're not quite as good at camouflaging yourself as you think you are, after all.

"Perhaps a Transformation Jutsu would have helped," Hiruzen mock-speculated, leaning back into his chair, "though I find that unlikely. A developed Sharingan is very difficult to fool, so I'm told." He folded his hands on the desk, eyes narrowed.

The boy's entire countenance shifted at his words. The innocent expression disappeared into a scowl, and Hiruzen heard him mutter an incomprehensible jumble of words, with the sole exception of the word "Sharingan" at the end. The rest of the blond's body tensed, and Hiruzen could feel a slight fluctuation of chakra in the air. It may have even been threatening, if it wasn't so laughable. There was little a five-year-old could do against the single most powerful shinobi in the village, after all.

Still, the instant hostility spoke quite a bit as to the boy's truecharacter.

"So you did know, then," he said, lips set into a thin line. "From the very beginning, I'm guessing?"

Hiruzen snorted. "Of course. Even if I decided not to believe the police force's reports, I would have realized as soon as you stepped through the door. Your chakra signature may be easily missed in much of the village, but here? In such a small space with no one else around? Well, your stealth certainly needs work, to say the very least."

The boy let out a huff at that, crossing his arms petulantly. "Oi. I've been running around for a year now, haven't I? I'd say that's pretty stealthy."

Hiruzen let out a short, shocked laugh. "Well now, I wonder where this sudden cheek came from?" He said, unable to keep a wry smirk from his lips. "You realize I can have you executed for your lack of respect, yes? I am the undisputed leader of this village."

"If you actually wanted me dead, I'd be dead," the boy said with a flippant shrug. "Don't see much point in civility when you can just punch the truth out of me, either."

Both of Hiruzen's eyebrows rose. He blinked. "Those are some rather… pragmatic words coming from a child. Also, 'punching the truth out of you'?"

The boy flushed. "Hey, just cause I can walk on walls doesn't mean I know how that jutsu stuff actually works. Far as I know, you really do just punch the truth out of people." He grumbled defensively, looking away with an actually-age-appropriate pout.

At that, Hiruzen outright laughed, mirth growing at the boy suddenly acting his age. The boy's scowl (and blush) only deepened. Wiping away the sudden tears in his eyes, Hiruzen said, "Well! Now I'm sure you're not a spy. Certainly precocious, but no spy." An amused grin stretched across his face as he proceeded to scan him up and down. The boy was still wound as tight as a spring, though whether it was out of fear or embarrassment he couldn't quite tell. Hiruzen rubbed at his chin, the grin receding into a thoughtful hum.

The boy just let out another quiet grumble. "Screw you, old man."

"Old man?" Hiruzen gasped in mock-offense. "I'll have you know I'm not even thirty-five yet."

"You're still almost seven times my age."

"So you know how to use your timetables in addition to your chakra? Impressive." The blond snapped his mouth shut with an audible click, his face looking as if he had sucked on a lemon. "That's another subject you won't have to learn at the Academy, then."

The boy's eyes widened at the mention of the Academy. "You want me to go to the Academy?"

Hiruzen rolled his eyes. "We both know the answer to that question, Namikaze-kun," he said dryly. "Even discounting how proficient you are in using your chakra, you're obviously very intelligent for your age."

The boy's eyes narrowed at the sudden praise, distrust flitting through them. "I don't have the money to go to the Academy." He said. "It's the reason I resorted to theft in the first place."

"A scholarship can easily be gifted to you, so long as you prove worthy of it." The Hokage answered back.

There was a frown. "I'm five years old. The standard entry age for civilian-born is six." Shīchi retorted.

"Disregarding how you would know that," Hiruzen said dryly, "it's not entirely unprecedented. There were quite a few children your age willing to join the Academy only a few years ago." In wartime, went unsaid.

The boy set his jaw, stubborn. "I can't just leave my baby brother alone in our sketchy little apartment. He is a literal infant."

"A sitter—and wetnurse, if required— can be hired for you. The village will offer a line of credit until you begin completing missions as a genin, at which point you may repay us with a portion of your earnings. With interest, of course." Hiruzen looked at the boy, expression impassive in face of the negotiations.

The boy stared back, blue pools only darkening with further suspicion. There was a short beat of silence as his lips tightened into a thin line, before he finally spoke again. "…You're willing to offer a lot, Hokage-sama. I might be a pretty smart kid, but I don't think I'm that smart, am I?" He shifted again, and Hiruzen felt a small, likely unconscious, rush of chakra from him.

"Namikaze-kun," Hiruzen sighed, a drop of frustration leaking through, "I assure you, whatever you believe, this is not a ruse. I genuinely offer the opportunity to become a shinobi at little personal cost to you."

Namikaze scoffed. "'Little personal cost?' Yeah, sure. There's always a 'cost'." The boy said bluntly, no longer bothering with excuses. "I'm just asking what it is."

Hiruzen felt a vein twitch, and for a moment, he thought about simply forcing the boy to become a shinobi. It would be a simple affair; he clearly cared about his brother, and he was still an unskilled five-year-old besides. Perhaps even create a few seals if he turned out to be particularly difficult to control.

Then the thought wiped itself from his mind, leaving behind little but exhaustion and a tinge of guilt.

"The catch, Namikaze-kun," Hiruzen said, instead of giving voice to his thoughts, "is only that you put that intelligence of yours to work for the good of the village, at least to the best of your ability. Nothing less, nothing more." Hiruzen answered with a tone of finality. Quiet descended back down upon them like a mantle.

The boy's brow furrowed at that, the gears in his mind visibly turning, scrutinizing his words with as much fervor as any shinobi in the Intelligence Division. The silence stretched on, each tick of the clock feeling like an hour.

Finally, he spoke.

"'To the best of my ability,' huh?" The boy said, echoing the Hokage's words, his eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Then, with a snort, he shrugged. "Welp, not much I can do. Fine."

Pools of dark blue met Hiruzen's own. "I'll become a ninja, Hokage-sama. To the very best of my ability."