Chapter 11: Talking with the Hokage and the Shadow over the Brothers
The journey home after the mission was tense. Everyone was silent, pondering what they had seen. The special Hirito. He felt more than just anxiety, something more. As if his movements, his decisions, were being carefully recorded by someone.
At the gates of Konoha, they were met not by Iruka, but by the Hokage himself, Minato Namikaze. This surprised everyone.
"Hirito." Minato took a step forward. "Come with me. Just you."
No word of why. No concern for Ino or Hinata. Just a short nod and a dive into a space-time jump.
The Hokage's Office
Minato stood by the window, looking out at the village, illuminated by the soft light of day.
"Do you know what weight is?" he suddenly asked, without turning around. "Not physical. Responsibility. Duty.
Hirito remained silent.
"You promote yourself. Not just survived. You commanded. You covered. You... led." Minato turned around. There was no joy in his eyes. Only wariness.
"And?"
"One of the people accompanying you... was no ordinary jonin. He gave me information."
Hirito narrowed his eyes.
"He was from Root, wasn't he?
Minato barely noticeable phenomena.
"Denzo insures everything. Even the smallest mission. A special place where you participate."
"Are you suspicious of me?" Hirito's voice remained calm.
"I... can't afford the luxury of not suspecting. You have something that others don't."
"Half of Kurama," Hirito guessed. "Yin."
"Exactly. Can you feel it?" Hirito didn't lie.
- Sometimes. In his sleep. In anger. He whispers. Softly, almost friendly... but I know it's just a form.
- You shouldn't tell anyone about this. Even Naruto doesn't know that you have his other half inside you.
- He will find out. Someday.
- Yes, but not now.
There was a pause.
- You are strong, Hirito. But strength without control is a threat. Not only to others, but to yourself.
- I understand that. That's why I don't take anything from him. Not an ounce of chakra. Not a thought. Not a desire.
Minato looked at him with interest.
- You are intelligent. And therefore dangerous. Including for Root.
- I'm not afraid of Denzo.
- You're not afraid yet.
He came closer and handed over a sealed scroll.
- There is information here. Personal. Just for you. And about you. Keep it safe. But don't open it until you feel ready.
Hirito took the scroll. It was warm. As if it had recently been held by golden hands. Not just a document. Something... different.
"What about your brother?" he asked before leaving.
"He's fine. But he has his own path. His future... will be different. Less lonely, I hope."
"I didn't let him go through the same darkness that I did."
"Sometimes darkness is a necessary shadow for the light to become brighter," Minato replied.
Hirito left silently.
Somewhere in Konoha
Meanwhile, Naruto found himself in an unpleasant situation. A routine argument with hooligans ended with him being lured into an old well on the outskirts of the village. A slammed lid, a blocked path, and a malicious laugh from above.
"Here you go, demon!" Stay in your hole! - someone shouted.
Naruto knocked on the stone walls, shouted, but no one heard.
It was at that moment that something clicked inside Hirito. His heart sank, and something foreign... and familiar at the same time flashed in his head. Warmth. Panic. Despair. Brother.
He appeared at the well five minutes later. Without asking, without calling. Just came. Instinct.
He opened the lid and looked down. There, sitting on the floor, trembling with anger and fear, was Naruto.
- Hirito?.. - his voice was childishly broken. - You... you came?
- Of course you came. - He threw the rope. - Climb.
When Naruto chose, he couldn't resist. He hugged him.
- I thought... you hate me...
- I don't see those who offend you. Not you.
Silence. Then a quiet:
"Thank you, brother."
Hirito didn't answer. But in the clinic, his chest felt a warm sensation. Something that had been dormant there for a long time.
Attachment.
End of chapter
– For the first time, Hirito consciously uses the subtle connection between him and his brother.
– Minato takes the first step toward frankness — but still hides the main thing.
– Root continues to observe.
– And down in the Anbu basements, Denzo receives a report and prints it on a magnet with a note: "Dangerous. Under observation."