Most people will call me crazy for starting a new story when I've got a ton of stuff that I haven't yet finished but I can't stop thinking about this. I really think this will turn out to be a good one.
There are probably a million spoilers in this. I'm warning you now. I'm somewhere around episode 140. If you have no idea what I'm talking about I'm sorry, but I warned you about the spoilers.
This starts right after Kakashi brings back Naruto from his fight with Sasuke. I'm not really going to follow the actual story line after that. I feel like playing around with this one. Oh, I think I should warn you, I hate Sasuke, not so much for the things he did, but because he's whiney and emo and I hate emo people. Plus, he's complains too much to be male, haha, and he looks like a girl when he uses level two with the cursed seal. It makes me laugh.
If you guys don't like it, I won't continue it. If you do like it, please tell me! OK, here we go!
Don't Look Down
Chapter 1 – 6 Years Apart
"Kintaro! Wait for me!" A young girl shouted after an older boy.
"If you are going to become a great ninja, like you tell me everyday, you will have to learn to run fast sometime, Itonami." The boy called back.
"No fair, you're not a ninja. How can you run so fast?" The girl called back.
"Haha, I trained to be a tracker. They have to be fast, too." He slowed to a walk and waited for the girl to catch up.
"Can you teach me to be fast like you are, Brother?" The girl asked when she caught up.
"Of course, Sister." He smiled gently at her. Placing his hand on top of her head ruffling her already messy chin-length auburn hair, he started walking toward the house he had stopped in front of.
"We're home!" He called into the house.
A kind faced woman joined them at the entrance to the house, smiling at her children, with pale gray eyes.
"Mommy! Guess what? Kintaro's going to teach me to run really fast, just like him!" Itonami cried as she pulled her shoes off.
"He is? What a sweet brother you have!" The woman said, patting her daughter on the head and smiling lovingly at both her children. "Go clean up. Dinner is almost ready."
Giggling, Itonami ran into the house and disappeared down a hall.
Kintaro looked after her with a small smile on his face. "She's going to be as good as you are one day." He commented to his mother.
"I'm glad you said "are" instead of "were," and I agree. Her eyes are the give away that she will be the next to possess our Bloodline Limit. Sometimes it scares me that she will one day be a ninja. She's so small." The woman admitted.
"She may be small in stature but her heart is twice the size of even the strongest ninja's. Plus, you have to remember who her parents are." Kintaro laughed.
The woman smiled warmly at her son before giving him a hug and a shove in the direction her daughter went a moment before. "Go wash for dinner."
"Yes, mother."
"I start at the Academy in one week! I can't wait!" Itonami cried as she helped dry the dishes with the mother. "Soon I'm going to be as you as you and dad. Then we can go on missions together."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. You still have many things to learn." Her mother added.
Slightly embarrassed at her brash statement, Itonami lowered her head, her lower lip jutting out.
"I never said it wasn't going to happen. Just that it will take time. I know you will be a great ninja." Her mother laughed.
"Really?" Itonami beamed at her mother.
Before she could answer a man with auburn hair and dark eyes strode into the room with a relaxed air about him. "What's this I hear about Itonami being a great ninja? I think I will have to test her." The man smiled and scooped Itonami into his arms tickling her relentlessly.
"Papa – haha – stop! Haha!" Itonami shrieked with giggles.
"Who's making all the noise?" Kintaro asked coming into the room. He burst out laughing when he saw Itonami sitting on their father's chest with a triumphant look upon her face.
"Just what I expected from a great ninja like Itonami!" The man bellowed from the ground. "Even though you are the Great and Powerful Itonami, you still need to go to sleep."
"Oh, do I have to?" Itonami pouted, looking adorable.
"Yes." Three voices chorused.
"Come on Ito, I'll tell you a story of great trackers and tell you ways to become really fast like me!" Kintaro bribed.
"OK!" Itonami agreed bouncing off her father's chest and scampering after her big brother.
After getting to his feet, the man stood beside his wife and put his arm around her shoulders. "She will be great one day, like her mother."
"And her father. After all, we're both of the Uma clan. Plus she has your hair. I had nothing to do with that." She indicated her long brown hair, which she shared with her son.
"Ah, but she has your eyes. Those are the key to her greatness."
A week past in a blur for little Itonami. Everyday she laid out the outfit she would wear to her first day at the Academy, as if memorizing the fabric. She even had different shoes that she called her ninja shoes, though they were the exact copy of her normal shoes only these were a dark green instead of her normal blue.
When the day finally came for her to start school she was up at dawn, dressed in a sleeveless dark green top with the symbol for her family on the back and gray knee-length shorts. Her hair was as messy as ever but was now held back from her eyes with a black cap, a hand-me-down from her brother.
Taro is going to walk me to school today. This is going to be so much fun! I will be a great nin. Someday I will be the Kazakage!
When it was finally time to leave, Itonami was practically writhing in excitement.
"Bye mom! Bye papa!" Ito called happily from the door.
They waved and watched their kids walk down the road to the school.
"Taro?"
"Yeah, Ito?"
"Do you think I could be Kazekage one day?" She asked.
"You can do anything you set your mind and heart to. If that's what you want, then you will most definitely get it. It will take many years of harsh training and discipline, but if anyone can do it, you can." He said with sincerity and promise shining in his eyes.
"Then I will be Kazekage one day! I'll be stronger and faster than everyone. I want to be strong enough to protect the whole village. That's my dream, Kintaro!" Ito beamed with confidence and determination.
"Then learn well, and train hard. You have chosen the most noble of dreams." Kintaro stopped and kneeled in front of Itonami, looking her right in the eyes. His dark eyes, dark hair and fair skin, completely contrasting with his sisters almost white eyes, her auburn hair, and dark olive skin, but as they gazed into each other eyes there was no mistaking that both were of the Uma clan.
"Behind me is your school. There you will make your dreams come true. No matter what happens, we're proud of you!" Kintaro wrapped Itonami in a bone-crushing hug.
"Thank-you, Kintaro." Itonami whispered into his shoulder.
When they untangled themselves Kintaro stood to the side and Itonami waved one last good-bye before joining the rest of the children for their first day of training.
"….Sensei said that all ninja have the potential to be great and all it takes is hard work and—"
"I believe that's enough for tonight, little one. It is late and you should sleep before school tomorrow." Her father said.
"Fine." Ito huffed. "Good-night mom, good-night papa."
"Sleep well, little one." Her mom called after her.
A creak in the floorboard across the room awakened Itonami from a comfortable sleep. "Kintaro? What's going on?" She muttered sleepily.
"There's no Kintaro here, girl." Snarled a man voice right next to her bed.
"MOM! PAPA! KINTARO!! AHHH!" She shrieked when the man grabbed for her wrist.
Before she could make anymore noise, the name hit her on the back of her head, knocking her out. He through her over his shoulder and snuck out of the room into the quiet house.
"Don't move another step with my daughter or it will be your last step." Threatened Ito's father.
"It would be easier for everyone if you just let me leave with her. I promise I'll take good care of her." The man laughed.
"Over my dead body." Snarled Ito's mother.
"As you wish."
Before either could draw a breath two kunai protruded from each of their chests and two more men joined the first.
"I told them to let me leave, oh well."
"What about the boy?" One of the new ninja asked, gesturing to the unconscious boy over his shoulder.
"Leave him. We got what we came for. Let's see if the rest of the teams had as much success with the rest of this pitiful village."
Kintaro was thrown to the floor next to his dead parents, and the three men left the building with Itonami as their prize.
"Are you sure you should be up, Naruto? Maybe we should go back to the hospital?" Sakura asked. Concern written plainly across her face.
Naruto didn't reply as he stared beyond the gates of Konoha into the forest of the Fire Country. Sasuke…
A rustling in the bushes next to Naruto caught his attention. As he turned his head to look, a young girl burst from the bushes and collided with Naruto. Both went flying into the ground, hard. Naruto let out a pained gasp when he hit and ground with the girl lying on his chest. Said, girl recovered quickly.
"You have to run! That thing will get you, too!" She cried frantically.
"Huh? What thing?" Naruto muttered.
Suddenly, a huge black thing burst from the same direction the girl just came from. It roared and swiped a huge clawed paw at the girl catching her in the shoulder blades as she tried to get up and run. She was thrown into a tree on the other side of them.
"What the hell is this thing?" Naruto screamed also getting to his feet with a wince.
"I have no idea." Sakura answered.
The beast roared again, but before it could do anything else a kunai blossomed between its eyes. The beast howled in rage and pain before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Both genin looked over to the tree where the kunai had come from to see Kakashi standing next to the girl.
"Yo. Thought you might like some help." He squatted down to check the girl. "She's unconscious, and I can't see any serious injuries.
"ITONAMI!"
A young man burst from the trees where both the girl and the monster had both previously come. He was met with a kunai at his throat, courtesy of Sakura.
He stopped immediately and eyed the girl warily; his eyes fell on the girl beside the now standing Kakashi and concern contorted his whole face.
"Is she alright?" He blurted.
"That depends on who you are, why you were chasing her, and why that thing was chasing her?" Kakashi answered evenly.
"She's my sister. I've been looking for her. She was taken in the middle of the night. Please let me see her?" He begged.
Kakashi took a moment to look the man over before nodding to Sakura. Once her kunai was away from his throat the man rushed to the girl's side and gently gathered her into his arms.
"Come. She needs medical treatment and we have the best medical team of all the countries. Naruto I think you need to get some of those injuries looked at again." Kakashi turned and walked back into the village, followed by Sakura then the two mystery people and finally Naruto.
"Uzamaki Naruto! What are you doing out of bed? Tsunade-sama will not be pleased at all!" Shizune scolded. "Oh my! That girl needs attention. Bring her this way."
The man holding the girl followed after Shizune. Naruto didn't even flinch at the scolding he almost got. His eyes were still distant but they seemed to focus on the two new people. He followed Shizune, also.
"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! I need your help!" Shizune cried as she hurried through the halls.
"What is it?" Tsunade barked entering the halls from one of the rooms.
"This girl needs help."
Tsunade looked past her apprentice to the boy holding the girl behind her. "Bring her in here."
The boy hurried forward, the girl cradled gently in his arms. "Can you help her?" He asked anxiously.
"Yes. But first I need to know who you are and where you can from. Are you a ninja?" She added after a pause.
"I'm not a ninja, never had any potential or desire to be one. My name is Uma Kintaro. She's my little sister Itonami. She was kidnapped from out village six years ago, along with all the children starting in the Academy. We come from a village, more and out-post, on the edge of the country of wind. We weren't prepared for an attack. Please, can you help her?" He pleaded.
Tsunade's eyes bored into Kintaro as she thought over what would be done. "I want the whole story later." She took Itonami from Kintaro's arms and laid her on the bed. "Naruto." She called over her shoulder.
"Huh? Yeah, Granny Tsunade?"
"Why are you wandering around Konoha, opening all your wounds again? I told you bed rest." Naruto dropped his gaze to the floor, eyes dull.
This isn't Naruto. What happened with Sasuke that could change him so drastically? Tsunade pondered.
"Kakashi, can you take Naruto back to his room and make sure he stays there this time. Those wounds won't heal otherwise." Tsunade said.
"Of course, come on Naruto; let's leave the Hokage to her work." Kakashi complied.
Naruto didn't move but his gaze traveled to the girl on the bed and her brother standing anxiously next to her. As Tsunade lowered a hand to the girl's forehead her eyes snapped open and her hand flew to grasp Tsunade's wrist in a surprisingly strong grip for a girl her size.
Tsunade didn't pull away or fight her. She stared levelly into the girls eyes.
"Where am I?" Itonami asked.
"Ito! You're alright!" Kintaro cried.
Itonami turned to her brother with tears shinning in her eyes. "K-Kintaro? You're really here? Did they take you, too?" She cried, releasing Tsunade's wrist and throwing her arms around her brother sobbing into his shoulder.
"No, you're safe now. Whoever took you will never get you again. I swear." Kintaro whispered softly into Itonami's hair as he stroked her back soothingly.
When Itonami's sobs quieted, she pulled away from her brother and looked at all the people gathered in the room. "Who are they?" She whispered to Kintaro.
"I don't really know myself, but they offered to help heal you." Kintaro answered.
Itonami's gaze traveled around they room again. When they landed on Naruto she dropped her gaze to her lap. "Sorry for running into you. I didn't know there would be someone standing there." She apologized, wringing the bottom of her shirt in her hands.
She's apologizing to me? Why?
"Heh, don't worry about it. I'm fine." He said with a cocky grin, his statement belied by the poorly concealed wince.
Itonami looked up with a smile. "Um, who are you all, though?" She asked tentatively.
"I am the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. That's Shizune, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto. Now, I know your name is Itonami, but nothing else. How old are you?" Tsunade asked.
"Twelve, I think." Itonami answered.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And how old are you?" The question was directed at Kintaro.
"Eighteen, ma'am." He answered. Tsunade's expression was unreadable as she pondered over everything that she had learned from these two.
"I need everyone to leave so I can examine her. We will talk later, Kintaro." Tsunade ordered all business. "Naruto, back to bed."
Naruto sat in his bed looking at the forehead protector in his hands. I will bring you back. I made a promise. That is my way of the ninja!
His head jerked up when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
The door slid back and Sakura walked in carrying a single flower. "Good morning, Naruto."
Naruto looked down again. "Sakura, I'm sorry I couldn't bring him back." He whispered.
"You will. I know it. One day, you'll bring him back." Naruto's head snapped up, a slow grin coming to his face and eyes.
Thanks, Sakura.
OK. That's where I'm leaving it for now. I want feedback. If you like it, tell me, and I will continue. And you all know how great I am at updating quickly (HA!) you'll all review so that I will update all the faster!
BTW, there will be no romance between Itonami and Naruto. I think Naruto and Hinata are the cutest couple in the world and I'm not going to make anything that isn't a Naruto X Hinata pairing.
So, show me some love, or just general feedback, and I'll be sure to post a new chapter soon!