Kudo, after seeing Naruto off, went home with his mother; he couldn't wash away all the loneliness in Naruto, but he could wash away enough. Naruto was one of the brightest people that he knew; his positivity seemed infinite, but it was not, and more often than he liked, he had seen a shadow of loneliness in him.
At the Tanehiko household;
A shinobi headband sat on a table, 2 figures staring at it in silence. Ina had her shoulders slumped, the weight and realization settling into the marrow, a surface truth boring deeper. Her son was now a shinobi. She turned her gaze to him, his tender face not marred by human brutality and darkness yet. She was unfamiliar with all shades of humanity, but she knew one side, greed. As a secretary and the widow of a successful merchant, she had seen greed more times than she could count, and it was an ugly sight."Well…congratulations son…" Her words lacked warmth. As a civilian family, there was no pride or joy in being a shinobi. Shinobi were the dregs of society in peacetime. They lived for conflict, but without it, they disturbed the peaceful lives of the civilians, so they were unwelcome by most villagers; even if the villagers never said so, their distance was loud enough."Thanks, mom." Kudo smiled sheepishly. He knew she was worried, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was a part of her nature as a mother, a perspective he grew to recognize and love about her. It felt nice having someone like that.
"Son, I wanted to tell you about where we come from, our lineage," Ina said. A tense silence reigned in the room. Kudo had noticed, of course, his pitch-black hair and eyes reminiscent of a certain classmate, often enough that during his 6 years at the academy, students from the ordinary shinobi classes had confused him with that clan."Is it about how I look like a Uchiha?" He gulped dryly, arms fiddling and eyes zoned in on his mother.Ina looked away at his intense gaze, "It's not that you look like an Uchiha son, you are an Uchiha. A descendant, if you will, but from a branch, our own little branch." She whispered.
Kudo's eyes widened at the confirmation. He first felt shocked, then a sense of unfamiliarity, and then elation, a small one. Everybody was aware of the Uchiha kekkei genkai, the sharingan, eyes of unrivalled power, which made the Uchiha one of the village's strongest clans alongside the Hyuga.
Ina felt her heart drop, looking at his bursting emotions, "Son, we are separated because we can't awaken the Sharingan. I haven't managed, so have my father and grandfather. 3 generations without being able to awaken the Sharingan. From what my father said, though it might not seem like a big deal, to a shinobi, it is life and death, the difference between earning respect and being shunned. Your great-grandfather was shunned because he couldn't awaken the Sharingan, so he left. After the first shinobi war, with his merits, he struck his name from the Uchiha records. Since he was weak, they let him be and figured it was a meaningless loss.He changed his surname and lived as a civilian shinobi and eventually had my father. My father, like his father, was unable to awaken his Sharingan; he felt hopeless for letting your great-grandfather down. Your great-grandfather died of old age and succumbed to his injuries. My father died in the chaos of the 3rd great shinobi war. In a war, even the Uchiha go to war, so security is lax. Since he couldn't awaken his Sharingan, my father gave up the shinobi life and settled for civilian life.
He was robbed and stabbed to death, my mother followed soon after in grief, but by then, I was a teenager, and I could take care of myself. I also settled for civilian life after I couldn't awaken my Sharingan upon the death of my father. I guess I am weak at heart; even with the death of my husband, I still couldn't do it." Ina said her eyes were watery, " I tell you this so you know, but don't obsess over it. Although I am not a shinobi, I know that shinobi with powerful kekkei genkai stand out and are respected. You work hard, my boy, and I fear that being normal will limit you and you will fall behind." She sat silently waiting for him.
Kudo couldn't deny he was disappointed upon hearing the truth, 3 generations couldn't awaken the Sharingan, and he was smart enough to know that he wouldn't be an exception. It did, though, shed light on how even with money, he could be trained by a special jonin of the Uchiha clan. Unlike the Hatake clan, the Uchiha were rich and would better invest resources in their own progeny than in an outsider.
"I see mom." He said, grabbing her hand, "I'm not disappointed, not really. I knew I had to make my path myself, rise with my own effort. Whether I have it or not, it doesn't change who I choose to become. You didn't let me down. I know you do a lot for me, and I'm happy that you are my mom." He said, looking into her eyes, his gaze settling into her, that he was telling the truth. She suddenly embraced him tightly.After a moment, "Mom! I'm suffocating." He grunted, tapping her."Haha, I'm sorry about that. Anyway, let's get dinner started. It's a pity Naruto couldn't come." She stood up and walked into the kitchen."Yeah." Kudo nodded, turning to the window, the darkness outside having swallowed all light.
Elsewhere;
Naruto ran into Iruka.
On a tree, Iruka stood fiercely facing Naruto, his disappointment palpable. " Naruto, you are now a shinobi of the village. This is treason, you want to betray the village? Hand me the scroll of sealing or else. Don't even think about running, or I will classify you as a rogue shinobi to be hunted by the village". Iruka bellowed, 'I'm sorry it must come to this, Naruto. I wasn't hard enough on you.' Iruka thought."Iruka-sensei, Mizuki sense said—" "I'm sorry, but I can't let you take the scroll, Iruka," Mizuki said, appearing from the shadows, turning to Naruto. "Give me the scroll, fox brat." He smirked viciously.Kudo lay awake, his mind sorting out the truth he had discovered, but elsewhere, Naruto was having a life-altering moment while equipped with the A-rank forbidden multi-shadow clone jutsu.