After a hearty meal, both of them now looked with eagerness in their eyes. Aoto had made good rice with curry and kotatsu. Over time Aoto had learned to make good japanese style food but he would also make sometimes chinese and even indian foods.
"This is Karin. Just like your mother, her parents too belong to Uzumaki clan." Aoto finally spoke about Naruto's clan.
"Uzumaki clan?"
Karin looked at Naruto as if she was looking at an idiot. Didn't this guy hear about the Uzumaki clan ever before? Was this guy living under a rock?
"The Uzumaki clan once upon a time was known as one of the greatest clans. They typically had red hair and their symbol was a whirlpool (Uzumaki means whirlpool in Japanese). They were proficient with capable sealing jutsu and huge amount of chakra. Their ninjutsu were top tier so much so that other villages feared them a lot. So one day the other 4 villages excluding the Konoha decided to launch an attack on their clan and a single attack of their wiped away the whole clan leaving behidn stragglers."
This made Naruto speechless and clench his fists in anger while Karin became extremely sad. Even though she knew what had happened to the Uzumaki clan, but hearing it again from someone else affecter her emotions, more than she cared to admit.
"Did my mother die in this genocide?" Naruto asked as he seemed to think his mother died under the attack of other villages.
"No, your mother came for a secret mission at our village and the Uzumaki clan always held a special relationship with us. The first Hokage's wife was in fact from Uzumaki clan." Aoto said.
"So I am from Uzumaki clan..." Naruto mumbled under his breath while Karin just stayed silent.
"What do you think Naruto? Are you angry after hearing this?" Aoto asked. This made Naruto silent while Karin to lash out.
"I am angry with them. It is for them my parents suffered. It is for them we had to hide and cower and have a bad life. If it was upto me, I would kill them all." Naruto, who had been silent and trying to find and answer looked at Karin. He could see the pain in her eyes and made him feel sympathy for this girl.
Though he was skeptical about the girl, he couldn't deny the pain he could see in her eyes.
"You are right Karin. You are justified to kill them all, but is everyone responsible for what happened to the Uzumaki clan?" Aoto asked.
"Of course they are. Every single one of them." Karin shouted.
"Let me put it this way so that you understand. If your parents committed some crime, do you believe that their offspring's should also be punished?" Aoto asked. This question stumped both Karin and Aoto. They didn't know how to answer. She wanted to say no, but what she just proclaimed seconds ago would be contradictory of what she just thought to.
"Forget about it. Karin, I believe that if you go back to your village, you will only be ostracized. You don't have anyone from your family anyways, so why not just be with us at Konoha. I will ask the Hokage to give you a protective and refugee status. I think he will be delighted to know about your existence." Aoto said.
"Are you joking? Why will I want to stay with someone unknown as you. I would rather go back and suffer than stay with my kidnapper." Karin said.
"My brother saved your life and that is how you repay?" Naruto seemed to have forgotten everything about his mother and was furious for having labeled his brother as kidnapper. This made both of them have a brawl and Aoto could only sigh looking at her.
"You don't have to stay with me. I will give you enough money to buy your own home and stay there. Nobody will come to disturb you and Konoha will nurture you as its own." Aoto said in order to slowly keep her down. Karin was talented when it came to Uzumaki clan techniques. Though she might not be as talented as the heydays of the uzumaki clan, but it was enough to make her powerful even during the 4th great ninja war.
Karin thought about the words a bit but didn't immediately accept the deal. At the moment she was interested in Aoto and this supposed Uzumaki boy.
"Karin, there is a room upstairs. You can go and sleep there. I am sure you are tired." Aoto said. This made Karin hesitate a bit but she did move at the end and went upstairs which she didn't thrash and was fresh as new. She also felt a bit guilty of destroying the place and thus didn't make a fuss when Aoto forwarded a helping hand.
After she left, Aoto knew that Naruto had more questions so he sat beside him.
"You must have questions. You can ask."
"Why is nobody speaking of my parents in detail. You only give hints here and there and then leave me hanging. Why am I not ready to know about them." Naruto asked.
"Naruto, it is true that hiding your parents from you isn't really a big thing because if they had been alive, they would have been proud of you and you would have loved them. They were great warriors. Both of your parents. But knowing them will make you push to know about their death and their death wasn't as simple as you think. Knowing that will make you feel burdened more than you should be. You and Sasuke are close.."
"We are not close..." Naruto rebutted.
"Yes.. yes.. we know.. The main point is you have seen how Sasuke is since he came to know who killed his parents. He has only one goal in his mind and that is to kill his brother. He is consumed by it without trying to understand the whole situation. I don't want you to be like him. Do you understand?" Aoto said.
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read 50 chapters ahead on my p@treon.com/thelightedghost