Naruto: The Chosen Undead

Chapter no.205 Naruto

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Chapter 205 The Legacy, the Mystery and the Tragedy!

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As night rolled around, Naruto sat silently near the campfire, the flames casting soft shadows across his face as they danced against the growing darkness. The crackle of burning wood filled the quiet, broken only by the occasional chirp of night insects or the distant rush of waves against the shoreline.

But Naruto barely heard it amidst his thoughts.

The pieces were falling into place, and Naruto couldn't stop the ache growing in his chest.

It explained so much.

Why he was chosen to bear the Nine-Tails. Why the Fourth sealed it in him at all. Why the Hokage had insisted that the child be treated like a hero. Those weren't the words of a leader thinking of the village.

They were the desperate, hopeful wishes of a dying father.

Naruto exhaled shakily, staring at the sea as if it could offer answers. 

He didn't want to believe it at first. But the more he thought about it, it was too much to be coincidence.

And now his thoughts were loud and racing: 

His chest tightened, breath catching in his throat as frustration and confusion threatened to overwhelm him.

"Naruto!"

The young knight blinked, snapping back to the moment.

Sakura sat across the fire, pointing. "You're burning your marshmallow."

Naruto looked down at the stick in his hand. Sure enough, the marshmallow at the tip was blackened and sizzling. He stared at it for a moment, then said flatly, "It's fine."

"Are you okay, dobe?"

"I'm fine," he muttered, flicking the charred marshmallow into his mouth. It was crunchy on the outside, gooey inside. It was bitter and sweet all at once. Kind of like how he was feeling.

"You've been spacing out a lot since we came here."

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" Jiraiya asked casually from the other side of the fire, trying to sound nonchalant, but Naruto could hear the edge in his voice.

Meanwhile, Oscar was now stuffing twelve marshmallows into his tiny mouth at once and puffing up like a ball of fluff. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the little lizard's determination. He reached over, gently plucking one marshmallow from Oscar's cheeks, only to have the stubborn lizard steal it back.

That helped a little.

"You've got that blank, brooding face again," Sasuke commented, glancing at him from across the fire.

"Yeah?"

"It doesn't suit you, dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know I'm an incredibly deep and intellectual person. What goes on in my brain is beyond your comprehension."

Oscar choked in disagreement.

"Pretty sure eighty percent of your brain is ramen."

That actually made Naruto laugh, and Sakura too. The tension around the fire cracked just a bit.

Naruto leaned back, arms behind his head as he stared at the stars. The laughter faded as quickly as it came, though, as he asked quietly, "Sensei, I know you wanted time to face your ghosts… but please, just tell me one thing. Did Konoha really stand by while Uzushiogakure was destroyed?"

Jiraiya replied with a serious look. "That kind of intel is above your rank, kid."

There was a pause.

"…It was because of a failed mission," Kakashi said suddenly, startling Jiraiya. He wasn't just talking to a genin anymore. He was talking to a boy who deserved the truth.

"During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha was spread thin, fighting small but constant battles along every border. The Uzumaki, meanwhile, were caught in their own civil war. And that's when the invasion came."

"Okay… but how does that explain why we failed them?"

Jiraiya shifted where he sat. "You really going to tell him?"

"…He deserves to know."

Naruto tensed.

"The Uzumaki Clan discovered the invasion before it began," Kakashi explained quietly. "They managed to prepare a highest-priority scroll. A request for reinforcements from Konoha. At that time, a small Konoha squad was stationed in Uzushio, and it became their duty to deliver that message back home."

He took a slow breath. "But the squad was ambushed on the way out by the enemy."

Naruto leaned forward. work linking the astral and physical planes together.

Naruto felt a bead of sweat slide down his forehead as the weight of what he had just seen hit him.

A village that doubled as a seal to another plane of existence? That was beyond anything he'd ever imagined. And now he was supposed to fix the door to this place.

A crooked grin tugged at his lips.

He blinked once, letting his Soulsight fade away. The glowing web of energy vanished, and the ruins returned to simple, broken stone.

Naruto turned back to Kakashi, forcing a shrug. "Yeah, I got nothing. Guess we got the wrong spot after all."

Kakashi hummed softly, clearly not buying it. He tucked his hands into his pockets and started walking. "Naruto," he said casually, "are you hiding something from me?"

"Sensei, we're shinobi. Hiding stuff kinda is the job description."

"Fair enough. Just make sure you know what you're doing."

Naruto watched him walk ahead. For a second, he thought about saying something—about telling Kakashi the truth about the altar.

But the memory of that mysterious figure of the hawk flashed in his mind. The deal they made.

Naruto thought for a moment.

"Hey," Kakashi called from ahead. He hadn't turned around, but his voice softened. "You don't have to tell me everything right now. Just… keep yourself safe, alright?"

"I will, sensei. It's complicated, ya know?"

Kakashi gave a small nod. "Trust me, I can imagine. Everyone's got their secrets, and some of them weigh a little heavier than others."

Naruto glanced at him then, wondering if Kakashi was thinking about the Fourth Hokage and about the truth of their connection.

He didn't press.

"Maybe one day," Naruto said finally, falling into step beside him, "when we're both ready… we'll share a few of those secrets."

"I'll hold you to that, Naruto."

"Same here, sensei."

They walked for a while in a comfortable silence.

"Hey, Sensei… can I ask you something weird?"

"With you, Naruto, that could mean just about anything. But sure, go ahead."

"Do you think your father was a good person?"

"Yes. Yes… I think he was."

Naruto nodded, eyes thoughtful.

Kakashi exhaled quietly. "I'm sorry that my father's choice led to something so tragic," he said, voice low. "But even with everything that happened… I can't see him as a villain."

"I don't expect you to," Naruto said. Then, with that natural bluntness that always managed to cut straight through the heart of things, he added, "What kind of man was Papa Hatake?"

Kakashi stopped mid-step, blinking once before a small smile tugged at his lips. "Papa Hatake?"

"Yeah. Sounds friendlier than 'The White Fang.'"

Kakashi shook his head slightly, but there was a warmth in his tone. "He was a simple man. Honest. Quiet. He didn't care about titles or glory. He loved his home, his comrades… and he loved me more than I probably deserved. For all his skill, he was the most humble man I've ever known."

Naruto smiled faintly. He could hear the pride behind Kakashi's calm words. "How strong was he, really?"

"Strong enough to make the Sannin nervous."

Naruto's jaw dropped, eyes shining. "No way. That's awesome!"

"Yeah," Kakashi said softly, though his voice carried a trace of something bittersweet.

"You sound like you miss him a lot."

"I do." Kakashi's voice grew quieter. "There are days when I still hear his voice. But… it's complicated." He hesitated, then asked, "You don't despise him, do you?"

Naruto looked confused. "Why would I? I mean, I don't even know the guy, but from what you said, he sounds like someone I'd want to have ramen with."

Kakashi blinked, caught off guard by the honesty in the boy's tone. "You don't blame him? Not even a little?"

"Sensei, I'm not dumb. There's no way one man could be the reason Uzushiogakure fell. We were already a target long before that. My clan was powerful, and power makes enemies. Let's say Sakumo-san completed his mission. Maybe Konoha sends reinforcements just in time. Maybe they push the invaders back. But then what? Another army comes later. Or the same one comes stronger."

He paused, his tone calm and almost too mature for his age. "That kind of thing doesn't end because of one decision. It's bigger than one person. Bigger than one choice. So blaming him…" Naruto shrugged. "It just doesn't make sense to me. He already paid a heavy enough price for trying to do what he thought was right."

Kakashi's steps slowed until he stopped completely. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he murmured, "That's more understanding than most grown men ever managed to show him. Maybe if they had… I wouldn't have come home to find him dead on that day."

His voice trembled slightly at the end.

Naruto's expression softened. Without saying anything, he reached out and grabbed Kakashi's hand, giving it a small, firm squeeze.

"I'm fine," Kakashi said quickly, though his tone betrayed him. "I just… hate that memory."

"Yeah. I get it. Some memories don't fade no matter how much you want them to."

For a while, they stood there, the sound of the wind filling the silence.

"You know, I think Papa Hatake would've liked me."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because he and I are alike," Naruto said simply. "We're both humble and strong."

"Humble, huh? You sure about that, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned. "Okay, maybe not all the time. But we both care about our friends. We'd risk our lives for them without thinking twice."

"That… sounds about right."

Naruto's voice grew quieter. "And we both made choices we thought were right… even if they ended up making a bigger mess."

Kakashi stopped walking for a moment. The breeze tugged at his flak jacket as he looked out over the broken horizon of Uzushio's ruins. "Maybe," he said quietly. "But your mess ended better than my father's. You brought hope to a place that didn't have any left. He… didn't get that chance."

"I don't blame your father for anything, ya know. He was just one domino in a whole line that was already falling."

Kakashi let out a slow breath. "Thank you. I never carried his sins, but… hearing that still means something. More than you probably realize."

Naruto kicked a loose pebble, sending it skipping down the dirt path. "I guess lately I've been thinking about stuff like that. About being angry and being bitter. They're not the same thing. I think I can live with being angry. But I don't want to be bitter anymore."

He smiled faintly, the kind of small, honest smile that felt older than he looked, and nudged Kakashi's shoulder with his own. "Besides, if your dad raised you, he couldn't have been that bad, right?"

"You've got a strange way of comforting people, you know that?"

"Yeah, but it works," Naruto said, shrugging.

"It does," Kakashi admitted. He looked at Naruto then, really looked at him, and reached out to rest a hand briefly on the boy's shoulder. "He would've liked you, Naruto. You're exactly the kind of person my father wished there were more of in this world."

"I don't know about that, sensei. I'm one of a kind."

Kakashi chuckled softly and reached out, ruffling the boy's hair with an almost brotherly gesture.

"Yeah. You really are, Naruto."

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Author's Note

Well, here we are again. Some of you love this part, some of you probably hate it, but either way, let's dive in.

Q: Why did I link Sakumo Hatake to the destruction of Uzushiogakure?

Yeah, that plot twist probably caught a few of you off guard, and that's exactly what I was going for.

Here's the thing: Sakumo's suicide in canon always felt undercooked to me.

I get what Kishimoto was aiming for thematically as the tragedy of a man crushed by the hypocrisy of the shinobi world, someone who did the right thing and still got destroyed for it. It's meant to reflect how harsh and morally twisted that society is.

But from a writing standpoint? It doesn't land. We never meet Sakumo. We never see the mission. We never feel the consequences. We're just told,  That's it. There's no emotional weight behind it because we have no context.

So I started asking myself: how big was this mission? What could possibly cause such widespread condemnation, not just from the higher-ups, but from the entire village, including the comrades he saved?

Think about that. Even the people whose lives he saved turned against him. That tells us whatever mission he abandoned must have been big. And when you look at the worldbuilding we do have, there's a huge blank spot that could fit right in there: the destruction of Uzushiogakure.

Canon tells us Uzushio was allied with Konoha through the Senju-Uzumaki bond. Their sealing techniques were unrivaled. And one day, they were just destroyed. And Konoha, which was their supposed sister village, didn't send help or maybe they did but kishimoto never bothered exploring this side of canon.

So I connected the dots.

What if Sakumo's mission was tied to aiding Uzushiogakure? What if his decision to save his comrades allowed the invasion to succeed?

That one change recontextualizes everything.

It turns Sakumo's  into a true tragedy of scale, not just political fallout, but the loss of an entire nation. Suddenly, the hatred and shame make sense. The world saw him not as a hero who saved his friends, but as the man whose choice led to the death of an entire allied clan.

Now, about his death. Canon shows him committing suicide, but if you look closely, it reads a lot more like seppuku.

For those unfamiliar, seppuku is a form of ritual suicide in Japanese culture, historically performed by samurai to restore honor after a perceived disgrace or failure.

So if we frame Sakumo's death through that lens, it makes perfect sense. He wasn't just ending his life out of guilt; he was also trying to protect Kakashi from inheriting his shame and to restore his family's honor. And if you add the Uzushio connection, his suicide becomes even more layered. He wasn't just a broken man, rather he was someone crushed by the weight of something massive, something no one man could fix, but everyone blamed him for anyway.

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Well, that was my attempt at adding some nuance to the whole Uzushiogakure destruction storyline while also fixing something that's always bugged me in canon.

The whole idea wasn't just about rewriting canon for shock value. In canon, the Uzumaki's fall is brushed over, and Sakumo's death is this vague moral lesson that never really gets explored. Tying the two together gives both stories more purpose and emotional grounding.

It also naturally deepens Kakashi and Naruto's relationship. They're two sons shaped by legacies they didn't ask for, both living in the shadow of men who made impossible choices.

Their conversation wasn't just about forgiveness; it was about recognition. Naruto doesn't excuse the past, but he understands it. And that empathy, especially coming from someone who's lived through isolation, loss, and responsibility beyond his years, hits harder than simple absolution.

I wanted this moment to feel like a turning point for both of them. Naruto finally gets a glimpse of the humanity behind Konoha's mistakes, and Kakashi gets to hear that his father's story wasn't just one of failure.

If that came across as logical, consistent, and meaningful within the story so far, then I'd say it did what it was meant to.

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That's It… For Now.

As always, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read, comment, and follow along with this story. Your feedback means more than you know, and it helps push me to make each chapter bigger, sharper, and more true to the worlds of Naruto and Dark Souls.

Until next time, Praise the Sun.

—Adam

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 95, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!