Im planning on expanding on a lot more stuff when it comes to Naruto and so far none of what I add so far is out of the realm of impossibility for the anime but it might be better if you treat this as an Au
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'So this is what it feels like to die, huh?' Sakumo thought, his mind unnaturally clear. His body felt as if it was drifting through an endless ocean. Memories of his past drifting within it as he bathed in the highs and lows of his life.
The first memory was the first real sword he got when he was merely four years old; he could remember how he felt so excited to the point he fought a tree for hours.
Next was the day he graduated from the academy, the pride and accomplishment he felt that day…
Then when he met his sensei and teammates for the first time, there was Kai, who always challenged him to fights and never won even once but never gave up either, a person Sakumo respected due to the fact he was never too prideful to seek help from Sakumo, who was stronger, though he'd never admit it, simply saying he came to win that time.
Himari, who, despite her shyness, was the glue that held them together, always proposing team meals and training sessions.
Though Sakumo could tell this was in part to escape the suffocating pressure of her clan. How she'd always watch him from afar, a look he couldn't quite understand etched on her face.
And lastly, his sensei, a man who taught Sakumo the lesson he held the closest to his heart: the importance of comrades.
"A true man is someone who, when faced with the choice between what is seen as right and what he feels is right, always trusts the latter. Remember Sakumo, sometimes the hardest choices are the ones we're told not to make." The words chimed in Sakumo's head as he couldn't help but think
'He was a good man… and I got him killed,' the thought echoed solemnly as the water, as if alive, dragged Sakumo deeper into its embrace with no resistance from Sakumo.
Suddenly a familiar voice chimed in Sakumo's head as a hand plunged deep into the waters, grabbing Sakumo's collar and yanking him out. "It seems the spirit of the Hatake clan is strong in you, stronger than any other generation… My son"
…
"Huaa-cough cough." Sakumo jerked upright, and a cough forced its way through his lungs and out his mouth. "Where am I?" Sakumo asked his hand instinctively, reaching for his sword, which was not there, as his eyes analyzed his newfound surroundings.
'Is this the Pure Land?' He couldn't help but think as he saw the scerene atmosphere.
He was in a dense forest, the only light coming from a single bonfire that illuminated the figure of an aged man with silver hair that sat on a log, his face locked onto the bonfire.
Sakumo, looking at the man, felt a strange sense of recognition the words said to him in that ocean of memories replaying over and over as as the words his mind was trying to suppress and dissuade as impossible slipped out. "Father?"
The man hearing Sakumo's voice turned around slightly, his features illuminated by the raging bonfire.
The man had a face reminiscent of Sakumo's, but Sakumo could tell it held a weight that made it look decades older. Under the man's eyes were bags that made it seem he hadn't slept for decades despite the peacefulness of the atmosphere.
His hair, the only major difference when compared to Sakumo, was completely silver, layered, with a long, spikey undercut.
"Hello, son, how about you come and have a seat?" the man said as he beckoned Sakumo over to a log next to him.
Sakumo, still taken aback by the sight of his long-dead father, walked slowly to the log before plopping down beside his father.
"I was hoping you could entertain this old man with your story," the man asked, a smile on his face.
Sakumo, hesitant at first at the sudden request, still began to slowly recount his story.
"Well, Father, I and Grandpa have had a good life so far. He even said my talent in swordsmanship surpasses yours." Sakumo said as a small smile formed.
"I made friends and even…met the person you told me about…my master." Sakumo said as a pang of sadness flickered across his face, some part of him hoped Hiruko was alive, but another part wished they might just cross in the pure land.
"Ohh, tell me about him," the man asked, a hint of mischievousness in his voice as he pressed his son for details.
"Well, his name is Hiruko. He was even taken in by Lady Mito. He's…" Sakumo said trying to find the words to describe the man he followed.
"…Amazing, he's strong, smart, and cares about his family above all else. He also strives to get stronger and has this way of neglecting any aspect that can improve his strength, whether it be Jutsu, Taijutsu, or anything.
And he has this aura that draws people in and makes them follow him. He's simply a spectacular father. And…" Sakumo said, a smile never leaving his face as he dissected the very things that make him love Hiruko.
The man, seeing his son's enthusiasm, couldn't help but smile even harder. "But none of these are the reasons you chose to follow him, are they?" the man asked
Sakumo, hearing this, looked at his father, his face covered in surprise as his expression conveyed the question, 'How did you know?'
"A father knows all," the man simply said.
"You're right, I followed him because… Of his heart, he tries to hide it behind reasons like he doesn't want to be bothered or he's just doing it on a whim, but I can tell he is simply a good person. And it's for that very reason I want to protect him and be the one that handles the darkness to protect him from danger." Sakumo admitted
"And how can you do that if you're dead?" The man said, his smile disappearing as he looked Sakumo in the eyes, as his question weighed on his shoulders for a few tense moments before Sakumo spoke up.
"Father—" Sakumo started, only to be interrupted by his father's voice. "Sakumo, you know the origins of our family, right?"
Sakumo, a little taken aback by his father's abrupt question, still answered, "We're a samurai clan that was mostly wiped out during the Warring States period. We then transitioned to the life of ninjas when Grandfather followed the god of shinobi, Hashirama Senju. Aside from our family sword techniques, every other thing that dealt with our lives as samurai was destroyed." Sakumo said as he perfectly reiterated the information on the family's historical records.
The man, clearly happy with this, ruffled Sakumo's head as he smiled slightly. "You're right; however, you're missing two very important pieces of our history. One is the fact that the Hatake did leave behind their sword techniques." The man said,
"What?" Sakumo couldn't help but ask as the meaning of his father's word eluded him.
"What is the difference between samurai and ninja?" The man shot back with a question of his own, but before Sakumo could answer it, he responded himself,
"It's Chakra. Back in the warring states period, the Samurai Clans refused to use Chakra, instead making up for it with pure swordsmanship. But as the war continued and gods who could kill thousands with a mere breath appeared, they no longer held onto their reservations and came up with a compromise. To use an ore called Chakra metal to create Chakra-conducting swords, they wouldn't use ninjutsu; no, that would be forsaking the path of a samurai, but using chakra to channel and enhance their strikes—now that wasn't a problem." The man said, his face curling into disgust as he talked about the so-called samurai of the Warring States period.
"The only clan to refuse this new way of living was the Hatake, and because of this the ire of Ninja and 'Samurai' alike was turned on them. But your grandfather was strong; if you weren't the Uchiha, Uzumaki, or Senju, you wouldn't be able to touch a single hair on his head. But that didn't apply to the other members of the clan…" The man said, his voice full of pain as his fist clenched with anger.
"Then Hashirama Senju came around and convinced your grandfather to follow him, but how does a man whose strength is rooted in the fact that he is using nothing but the pinnacle of swordsmanship—a samurai through and through—make his techniques fit the style of a ninja? By weakening them, of course, shaping them to have the strength of a samurai and the speed of a ninja. Creating something defective and utterly repulsive." The man said as anger boiled in his chest as his teeth gnashed. The very mention of the name of Hashirama left a disgusting taste in his mouth.
Sakumo watching this felt both slightly unsettled and intrigued, as he couldn't help but ask, "And the other piece?"
The man, hearing Sakumo's voice as if flipping a switch, turned back to his calm, serene expression. "Oh, my son, the will of a samurai wouldn't be erased so easily, and this will resulted in a curse."
"My suicide was the product of it, wasn't it?" Sakumo asked as he pieced together his father's words.
"I knew my son was smart. This curse is the will of our ancestors punishing us for any actions that don't follow our path as samurai. It takes our doubt, fear, and sadness and amplifies it until our spirit breaks, leaving only one option…"
"Suicide," Sakumo said, finishing his father's sentence.
"Yes, and the greater your talent, the stronger the curse, my son. So make sure you hold on to your ideals and never question them. Even when the world does, the only person who you need to tell you whether you are right or wrong is the man you choose to follow."
Sakumo, hearing this, became solemn. "But I'm dead, Father. What does it matter anymore?"
"Hahaha, my son, it's far from your time yet, for he has told me so," the man said.
"He?" Sakumo couldn't help but ask, confused.
"Don't worry, you're about to meet him." The man said, pushing Sakumo back into the ocean, he pulled him from
As Sakumo drifted back into the waters one finale word from his father reached his ears "And ask your Grandfather about me… About my Name! You don't even know it do you?"