(recap)
"To new beginnings"
"To new beginnings" we all choruses and drank from our cup.
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(itto pov)
The laughter and chatter that followed came easy — small stories, half-forgotten memories, gentle teasing about who drank too fast and who couldn't hold their sake.
but as the night wore on, the laughter began to fade — not abruptly, but like a song slowly running out of verses. One by one, voices trailed off until all that was left was the faint crackle of the hearth. The air changed, heavier somehow, like even the house was holding its breath.
My eyes drifted toward Jiji just as his gaze met Ojii-san's across the table. Something silent passed between them — not anger, not accusation, but something older. Tired. Jiji's lips pressed into a thin line, his fingers tapping once against his cup before he gave a slow, almost reluctant nod.
Ojii-san let out a quiet breath, the kind people don't realize they've been holding. For a second, he looked years younger, the kind of man who'd been waiting far too long to say something and finally got permission to. The weight of that unspoken exchange settled on all of us, soft but unmissable.
The fire popped, and in the quiet that followed, Ojii-san turned toward me. The lines on his face seemed deeper now, his eyes distant — like he was staring at something far beyond the room.
When he spoke, his voice was low and rough, the kind that carried years of words left unsaid.
"Itto," he began, "there's something I need to tell you… about your mother and father. Their story—it's not an easy one."
He paused, looking down at his hands, as if searching for the right words. "Your father, Daichi... he was a good man, a strong man, and a damn good jōnin. Your mother, Reiko, she was so smart, so strong in her own way, even if she was just a chūnin.
They loved each other more than anything. But... it wasn't easy for them. Especially because of me."
His voice wavered, and for a second, I saw the weight of regret in his eyes. "I... I didn't want them to be together. I was scared, you know? The risks of them having you... it haunted me. Kids like you... born from two clans, it almost never ended well. I thought—I was sure—that something terrible would happen if they had you."
He glanced up at me, his expression soft, worn by the years and then looked at jiji with a resigned expression. "But Reiko's family—your obasan, ojisan Shigeru, they didn't care about that. They didn't care about the old rules, or the risks. They just saw two people who loved each other, and they stood by your mother and father through it all."
He sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. "Your mom, she wasn't just smart, she saw things clearly. She knew what marrying into another clan could mean for you to be born. Not to mention her own mixed bloodline. With no need to mention the political ramifications. She also knew if you were really talented the three united clans could even break up over your custody.
That's why she... she gave you the name Heizo to protect you. She wanted you to be safe from all the pressure that would've come from our clans. She was trying to shield you from that mess."
He ran a hand over his face, the memories clearly weighing him down. "It was during the war, things were already rough, but then... your mother's pregnancy, it got complicated.
About three months before you were supposed to be born, her chakra went haywire. And then there was the umbilical cord... it wrapped around you."
His voice dropped, as if the words were physically painful to say. "The doctors... they said they couldn't save you both.
They told us... either you go, or Reiko does. They said the only one who could even try to fix it was Tsunade."
He swallowed hard, and I could tell he was trying to keep it together. "I thought... I thought the right thing was to save Reiko. We all did—me, your great-grandfather, everyone. We thought... you weren't gonna make it. But Daichi... and your mom... they wouldn't hear it. They weren't giving up on you."
His eyes glistened slightly as he looked at me, and I could hear the tremble in his voice. "We fought. Daichi and I... we had it out. I told him it was too dangerous, that they should have never tried to have a child. That you would... that you wouldn't survive. That fight... that fight was the last time we spoke."
He paused, taking a shaky breath. "They defied me. Defied us all. They left the village in secret to find Tsunade. They believed she could save both of you."
He clenched his jaw, and for a moment, I saw tears in his eyes."Your grandfather — Shigeru's son — Sigeru Nara Jr was the one who found them. He caught them trying to leave. But when he saw your dad, saw your mom's face… he couldn't stop them. He realized then just how deep their love ran and decided to help them. He was the one who decided to go with them."
He looked at me, his expression a mix of sorrow and pride. "They fought for you, Itto. Everything they did, they did for you. Even though... even though it cost them everything... "
The room felt still, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. I could feel the depth of their love, and the price they had paid to bring me into the world. He let that sink in for a minute, then he continued.
"And the rest... well, the rest is what the ANBU recounted to us before handing you to us..... The anbu who returned alone with a new born baby... ."
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Bet you guys will never guess who the anbu is!!!!!!!
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