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"Elder Naori?" The request for counsel came out hesitant and small. It was unfitting to the child’s normally confident air and knowing demeanor, catching her attention immediately.
"What is your question my child?" She responded, setting down her book and meeting his curious red eyes to search with her own.
"You said before that our eyes weren't named after our planet, but rather to honor the power that brings life to our planet. Wouldn't that be the sun?" The question was carefully articulated. Simple in wording, yet intricate in content. It was very much Itachi’s way of speaking, and Naori smiled at the small reassurance to her earlier worry regarding his mental wellbeing.
"Very good Itachi, but you already knew you were correct in that assumption, so why don't you ask your actual question?" Itachi was never the type to directly state his meanings, preferring lead his audience to the idea he wishes to convey. Unfortunately for him, his greatest source of knowledge not found in books hated for her time to be waisted.
"I don't want to be disrespectful, I just--I don't understand. Our eyes and sun don't seem to have anything in common at all." The boy’s insatiable curiosity always inevitably won over the guaranteed discomfort. As always, she would enjoy watching him fidget and squirm as much as his pride would allow before softening her harsh posture and refocusing her overly assessing eyes.
"I've grown fond of this yellow sun and temperate climate,” she eventually shared in a wistful tone, gazing at the gentle curve of stone that served as both wall and ceiling in her dome-like home as though she could see through it to the sky outside, “but it hasn't always been this way. When I was your age, the sun was always red, and it burned with a vengeance."
"Please tell me the story." Itachi asked in earnest. His wide eyed look betraying his young age.
"It will be a long one.” She warns, both of them knowing from the start that she would agree. “This is a story about gods, mortals and life itself. It will do you well to not interrupt with questions."
“Of course elder Naori." Came his quick and excited response.
Usually, Itachi was the epitome of calm, always quietly assessing the whole situation before acting or even forming an opinion. This particular conundrum must have been volleying in his mind for some time now for him to be vibrating at her feet like the six year old child he is.
Noari, being the eldest alive of the Uchiha, was considered the wisest. Had her temperament been more bearable, she would probably have been stuck serving on a council until her final years. Instead, only the brave (and Itachi) came to her for advice, and only after they’ve exhausted all other means. Others out of fear, Itachi due to respect.
Noari smiled to herself at her own musings, glancing down to see her charge wiggling, but otherwise patiently waiting for her to start. She sighed to herself at the dramatic thought of missing when she used to get a rise out of him. Then, with no preamble, began the silently promised story.
"The story of the Red Sun starts far before either of our times. Back when gods roamed among us, basking in our love and adoration. Their powers were feared, but they were also respected and cherished. That is, until mortals decided that they too wanted to be gods.
"It started with temples. The people who built them said they were to be a means to localize worship for the convenience of their gods. However, overtime, It became clear they only served as a means to segregate.
"The gods no longer had to walk among us to be worshiped, and those people who did get to interact with them directly, were considered more highly. Through this, Priests quickly became the rulers of society, and their word became more powerful than the Gods that were no longer heard.
“The world's peace ended when the priests learned how to trap the gods into their temples--tethering their power to something worldly in hopes of controlling it as their own.
“The world became chaos. Tornadoes, floods, avalanches. However, The sun god's furry was the strongest of all. Where the other gods aimed to punish those who captured them, Kurama wanted nothing less than the annihilation of mortal life.
“People, of course, realized that the source of both the destruction and protection came from these temples and their associated gods. Wars over the nine lands with the temples undamaged by catastrophe added to the chaos.
“At first, the sun god simply sat back and laughed at everyone killing themselves without him even needing to interfere. Then, his isolated temple was finally found, and his anger grew with every mortal who dared pray to him for their safety. It enraged him more that they cared nothing for his state of being bound.
“Eventually, the power of his anger became so great, that it subdued the other gods. Not in that it had calmed their own anger, but that there was no more water to flood the lands, or carry the earth, or bring shape to the winds. The sun had grown to be so hot, that all the water on the surface had been evaporated into the atmosphere, causing the whole planet to turn a shade of red that rivaled the magnificent hue of the sun this planet was named after.
“As always, life changed and adapted. It continued deep below ground where water had remained trapped, and only ventured above while the sun god slept. Their priests had also learned to harness the power they had captured. Most who tried died for their efforts, but not before taking cities with them in their induced madness. However, those who succeeded, became demi-gods.
“The greatest among them was a highly respected priest. He had not only managed to collect the energy of every god inside himself, but was able to travel the world freely—immune to it’s harsh environment—and began sharing his knowledge and power.
“When he birthed two sons, they became the first and most powerful born demi-gods. One was born knowing how to harness the energy of life. The other was born with the the gift of unlimited sight. Through their children, and many generations onward, came the two most powerful clans: the Senju and the Uchiha."
"Please, elder Naori! I want to know more about the Sun God, and what he has to do with our clan. Our world isn't like what you described. What happened?" Itachi interjected quickly, his small hand clamping itself over his mouth a mere breath after as though it tried to stop the outburst, but just didn’t make it in time.
He expected to be kicked out for disobeying, but was relieved of this worry at the sound of barely unsuppressed laughter.
"Who am i to turn away a youth seeking understanding? I am glad you need more than just knowledge little one.” The response was as cryptic as it was forward, so Itachi filed it away for later and instead focused on listening as she resumed her story.
"The natural gifts of the senju and uchiha clans allowed them more freedom above land. The senju with bodily resilience and the uchiha with the ability to see in the harsh atmosphere. Together, they settled in the harshest lands of all."
"The land of fire." Itachi supplied in a murmur as to not interrupt. His input was rewarded with a smile.
"And do you know why our lands are called that?" The elder asked, encouraging the active listening.
"Because these lands house the temple of the Sun God?" His answer truly was a question as well. His history books smoothed over the wars she described. Especially the part where gods are concerned, passing them off as the mythology of a more primitive stage of life than now.
"Exactly. After his first couple of visitors, Kurama aimed to make his temple unvisitable. No normal mortals could survive the trek to that temple, so the people of both clans were able to find peace from the wars of both the gods and humans.
“But they did not find the peace they sought, for they were not at peace with themselves. The senju held all the power of the land, but the uchiha believed themselves to be more worthy of that power—that the senju May be able to walk the land without cloaks, but were helpless without uchiha eyes to guide them.
“The leader of the uchiha left in search of more power. There were many stories told regarding his absence; most ending in his death."
"How do you know what actually happened to him then?" Itachi asked in the silence of the dramatic pause at the end of her sentence.
"Because of what happened after he left.” She answered, her tone matching her harsh, reprimanding gaze. “This is why i said it would be best to not ask questions until the end."
"Yes elder Naori. I apologize for interrupting. Please continue." He bowed with his apology, eyes and head dropping respectfully. Luckily, she could tell that he sincerely regretted upsetting her, verses simply wanting to get his information.
"Every story contains some element of truth. However, the truth in these stories can only be found in how they're connected." She explained, hoping that he will learn the deductive reasoning needed to supply his own answers from the stories people tell.
“The one common factor in all of the stories—other than the belief that he had died—was that he aimed for the temple of the Sun God. However, he was not the sort of man to settle for taking a bit of power inside himself like the priests had. What do you remember from the legend of the Kyuubi?"
"The Kyuubi was a monster made out of pure energy that destroyed most of our village. Two demi-gods—Minato who controlled wind, and Kushina who controlled fire—sacrificed themselves to lock the creature away. What does that legend have to do with this one?"
"Everything in life is connected. Based on all that I've said so far, and the legends you already know, what do you believe to be the truth of what happened when Madara left the village?"
"He wanted to control all of the Sun Hod's energy. The Kyuubi was Kurama...or at least a manifestation of his energy. How, and why would he use that power to attack a village he'd helped create?"
"Those are not questions I have answers to."
"Did the sun turn yellow when the demi-gods locked away the sun god? "
"No, but the sun was no longer too intense to sustain life. Life emerged from the ground, and looked to those who had been on the surface all along for leadership. Our city grew, and life once again adapted.
“However, the seals eventually began to fade, and the world was once again thrown into chaos. Salvation came in the form of a boy from our very own city. He seemed unaffected by the sun, the storms and the eventual out-lash of our people."
Noari could see the numerous questions on the normally blank face of the boy in front of her. He seemed dedicated to not voicing them and waiting, and that determination was also etched onto his features. She smiled, figuring she would reward his restraint with the information he desired.
"The boy seemed to be the physical embodiment of our current sun. He had bright blond hair, expressive blue eyes, and boundless energy. he was an orphan who never received much love or affection, but gave it out like the limitless resource he thought it should be."
Itachi’s eyes, previously alight with questions, now sparked with the idea of this boy and a need to know more. Noari was not one to disappoint with her stories.
"The uchiha were the only ones who knew that he was the child of the Demi-Gods Minato and Kushina. We kept close tabs on all of the demi gods, but the boy was a hard one to keep track of. He had no one to teach him how to handle his powers or his limitless energy, and he was often found through the pranks he played on the town."
"How is that possible?” Itachi blurted, not even caring to stop as his brain struggled to receive information that contradicted existing knowledge. “Earlier in the story, it was implied that a demi-god cannot be born from demi-gods who obtain their status by wielding harnessing a higher god's power. The only time that was the case was with the the one who harnessed energy from every god. Kushina and Minato both gained their energy from just the sun god."
"Once again, the truth becomes clear when the stories are put together.” She answers, but this time with more compassion considering his state of frustration. “Do you remember how the Kyuubi was sealed away?"
"In the Kyuubi story, both of the demi gods had been apart of the group studying seals…which I now know were originally to allow humans to capture the energy of the gods through the temples!” Itachi shared, enthusiastic about putting two pieces together without being prompted. After a calming breath, he continued: “The legend said that they continued their studies even after succeeding in harnessing the sun god's power, but records of their studies have never been found, so no one knows exactly how they did it. The legend just talked about how they wanted to improve the methods to be more safe and cause less deaths, because they thought sharing that power would enable more people to live above ground.”
The deceptively young boy had simply replied like the encyclopedia his mind is. It took a few breaths of silence for him comb through his words to put the pieces he himself supplied together. “Oh! They succeeded! They managed to make a seal so safe, they were able to successfully contain the energy of the most powerful god in an infant!"
"What did you think happened before that realization?" She responded, a single eyebrow raising to compliment her teasingly sarcastic tone.
"I thought that they had stored so much of the creature's energy inside themselves that they died from it, but that they were able to store enough of it to contain the creature because they were gods and their clans were descendants of the Senju."
"If containing the energy of a god made one more capable of harnessing more of that god's energy, why would anyone who's accomplished it stop?"
This question didn’t require an answer, but was meant to guide him to complete his earlier reasoning, so he took his time piecing through what she had corrected, supplied and left un commented on.
"So it's based on both the seal and the vitality of the person.” He offered, but there was still a part of her story that bothered him greatly. “But wait. Why didn't the uchiha tell people? Why wasn't the boy taken care of and worshiped like his parents?"
"The only emotion stronger than fear is love." Her answer comes in a form too complicated for his current understanding. They both wait as he struggles to understand the true magnitude if depth to the statement, before he decides to file this one away as well. There’s a silent exchange when Itachi shifts his attention back up to Naori, and she resumes her story where she had left off.
"The world began to flee underground again, but this boy had only ever known of the peace. He wanted to save his city and the people in it—even though they hated him for not being affected as they were. The ones who recognized he was a demi-god even blamed him for it, hating the gods for always attacking them.
"When he told them of his plans to seek out the sun god's temple, the village laughed at him. His parents were the only ones who had ever visited the temple and have made it back to tell the tale, but both the village and the young demi-god had no idea of this connection, and thought it to be the suicide mission it always had been.
"True to their beliefs, the boy was never seen again. However, they woke up one day to blue skys and a yellow sun." The last sentence had a tone of finality, and Itachi searched her eyes for approval before speaking.
"How did he do it? Was all of his parents studies at the temple? Did he re-seal the sun god?" Came his barrage of questions.
"No one knows.” She answered truthfully to all of them, before expanding her answer so that it would be acceptable to the knowledge-greedy mind before her. “There have still been times in my life when the sun had burned red and hot to the point that protective cloaks were needed. The lands have calmed, but still no one has been been brave enough to search for the temple and find answers."
"I think he became the god's friend." Itachi chirped happily, rocking in a whimsical manner she hadn't seen in years.
"Oh?" She asked, surprised at his behavior, but also lightened by it into an almost hearty mood herself.
"That sounds like something he would do. He probably understood what it was like to be feared and hated for something done to him, and was the first person to care about the god and probably even try to help him.” He explained, sure in his opinion of the heroic boy. However, a frown soon followed, accompanied by his next question. "Elder Naori? How come people talk about the legend of the Kyuubi, but not this one?"
Naori smiled, but her eyes were sad as she responded.
"Most of the commonly known history is told through story tellers, but no story tellers knew of a random orphan boy who joined many others in leaving the city right before the sun changed from red to yellow. Only the uchiha were permitted to know of this boy’s origin.”Her smile faded as she talked, her eyes becoming distant as she once again looked beyond her earthy home. In a wistful tone, she supplied another cryptic story-like answer.
"Born from two demi-gods of senju origin, with the ability harness half the power of the sun god, Naruto became the strongest human alive. However he gained neither the respect nor the acknowledgment he had dreamt of as a child. His sacrifice was lost on the world he had saved."