A broken village lay beneath a faceless mountain. Destruction and putrid death wafted through the ghost town of the once bustling center of Konoha. Shadows danced over the midnight gloom as crimson rain fell unblocked on flickering flames and broken bodies. Bones, memories, and tears littered the ground as buildings collapsed and people wailed in despair. Creaks and groans of humans and wood pierced the silence of ground-zero. The occasional caw of a crow was a reminder of the vast death that occurred on this day.
An impossibly large fox-like indention mapped the center of the village. In the center of the indention lay a legendary hero. Wheezing and shuddering breaths shook his frame as blood gushed from several wounds on his body.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lay dying beside twin babies. One a girl with a wisp of fire red hair was screaming. Amethyst eyes shone with tears. Her porcelain white skin was dirtied with blood both new and old. Her once soft blanket was stiff and shredded, clinging painfully to her sensitive skin. Narumi Uzumaki-Namikaze.
Her brother, in contrast, lay on the dying man's chest. Sun-kissed skin contracted and spasmed with every breath. One astoundingly beautiful blue eye was glazed over in exhaustion and agony. Six thin marks stretched across his cheeks. Steam rose off the small body and the smell of burning skin engulfed the area. Ebony veins sizzled as skin puckered and broke. Sickly yellow and clear white pus oozed and boiled against the body. White hot agony assaulted him into silence. Not a sound was heard from the baby except a constant sizzle as his skin melted and repaired itself in an ungodly fashion. His face was blank and lifeless. If not for the featherlight breaths he would look dead. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze.
Hiruzen wrapped his broken arms around the boy and gently righted himself into a sitting position. His sight blurred in and out focus as he gently held the second newest member of Konoha. Hiruzen smiled softly at Narumi. His arm, jointed in three places lifted her into his embrace. A wet and wheezing cough painted the twins in a splattering of black drops. Hiruzen suddenly tensed as his muscles contracted in pain. A muffled scream left Hiruzen breathless and weak.
A subtle and cushioned pulse of chakra gently crawled across the desolate landscape. Grunts of pain echoed out of a broken building. More chakra was released and the wall of the building blew out.
Four dust covered forms limped out, two men and women. The first was a giant of a man. Easily the tallest one, shuffled towards the ex-Hokage and twins. His usual snow white hair was splotched with dirt and Kami-knew what else. A five-foot lance of wood was wedged painfully through his shoulder; his right arm hung limply at his side while rivers of blood ran down dripping from his fingertips and leaving a spotted trail behind him. The standard navy blue jumpsuit was tattered and falling apart on his frame. Jiraiya gazed sadly at his former teacher's dying form.
Tsunade, Jiraiya's fellow Sannin, looked better than her teammate. A stunning face was shadowed by regret and sadness as she looked around the village. She had no noticeable wounds but her green jacket was riddled with holes and tears. Black ink in an intricate design covered her forehead and emerged from a purple diamond. Whiskey eyes settled on her sensei and she picked up speed already preparing her chakra to identify the wounds.
A couple staggered out next. Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. Minato was an epitome of injuries. Bones jutted from various points of his body and blood ran in a constant river behind him. Splinters as long as fingers and thinker than a wrist littered his back and legs. His gaze never wavered from his children as he leaned and stumbled towards them.
Kushina was death walking. Her skin was deathly pale against the shadowy background. Flakes of crusted and dried blood fell from her mouth. Her purple eyes were glazed and sunken. She looked unconsciousness on her feet and every step seemed to bring her closer to death's door. She tipped to the sides dangerously with each step. Her normally fiery hair was bleak and faded into a lifeless coppery hue.
Tsunade reached her dying sensei. She hesitantly reached out, but after seeing the look in his eyes; she changed to the pink wrapped bundle in his arms. A dim green light cast shadows on the group. Tsunade painstakingly moved her hand up and down the still screaming Narumi. It reached her midsection and raised a eyebrow in surprise and confusion. A small sound of questioning exited her mouth before she moved lower.
Tsunade retracted her hand and gave a gentle, motherly smile to the baby. Tsunade raised her and handed her to Jiraiya, who with surprising gentleness, carried Narumi to the injured couple. Kushina was still swaying as she stood with arms holding out to embrace her daughter. A spark of life and overwhelming happiness entered her eyes as she pulled Narumi into her chest.
Kushina sat on the rubble of an altar as she cradled and whispered sweet things to calm her daughter. Narumi's screams tapered off to whimpers then finally soft breathing. Tears of happiness leaked from Kushina's eyes and she gazed adoringly at her daughter's matching violet eyes.
Minato was watching the mother-daughter moment from over Kushina's shoulder. His face was set in a pained grimace, but his eyes were filled with such care and love as he observed his family.
Jiraiya had returned back to Tsunade's side to give his student some privacy. His gaze wandered to his sensei's face, only to immediately flinch and look away in shame. Hiruzen didn't notice. He was focused on Naruto. Tsunade's green hand had bled into a inferno of potent red chakra the moment it interacted with Naruto. Tsunade gave a surprised gasp followed by a hiss of pain as the chakra boiled her hand.
Kushina and Minato jumped at the sound. Their gazes focused instantly on their son and Tsunade. Minato's gaze turned calculative and worried as Tsunade pumped enough chakra to level a district. Kushina's eyes ran with new tears as she gently shook her head in a desperate plea.
Tsunade grit her teeth and pushed her chakra output to even higher levels as the green and red fought for dominance. Jiraiya's hand quickly joined Tsunade's and light blue and pale green mixed and battled the malicious red chakra. A deathly lavender chakra erupted from Naruto's body only to shroud him in an aura of menacing rage but the purple hue gave way to blue and green once more before settling down into a gentle bobbing wisp.
Tsunade gave a relieved sigh and settled down with Naruto in her lap. The seal on her face receded into the diamond and she leaned back onto her hands with her chest heaving. Jiraiya's eyes followed the in and out of chest before quickly looking at an interesting pebble as Tsunade's eyes returned to Naruto.
"That's not good." Tsunade's head quirked to the side while looking down at Naruto, who was looking up and reaching for one of Tsunade's golden ponytails. Cerulean and crimson stared into whiskey eyes. Naruto's left eye had mutated into a glowing red fox's eye. It was unnatural that such an eye was filled with child-like innocence. It was a stark contrast to the real thing usually filled with unending hatred and unmoving rage.
Naruto's eyes flashed briefly in light of dying flames. Tsunade gave a gentle smile and cooed softly. Her finger brushed softly against Naruto's small hands. He giggled and gave a happy gurgle as he bunched his small fist around Tsunade's finger.
"He'll make a fine shinobi, I can see it now," Jiraiya whispered. "Naruto the gallant."
Tsunade couldn't help but give off a small smirk at Jiraiya's joy. "As if his godmother would ever allow him to become a pervert." Tsunade looked up at her teammate and gave him a dazzling smile.
Jiraiya grinned at the pair below him and gave a goofy smile back. "It's already too late. With those eyes, he'll be a true lady killer. Women go crazy for the animal look. The Inuzuka won't be able to keep their paws off 'em."
Tsunade shook her head and gently got to her feet with Jiraiya providing support. She carried over Naruto and reunited the Uzumaki-Namikaze family. Kushina was openly crying while Minato's own eyes glistened with tears.
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched the family with contentment. A wet hacking interrupted the otherwise serene moment. The adults flinched at the thought of forgetting the man who saved them all. Hiruzen gave the group a beaming and understanding but bloody smile.
"Sensei…" For once even Jiraiya was at a loss for words. Tsunade whipped her hair around as she vehemently denied the fact that her sensei was dying. Hiruzen's body shuddered with another wave of pain. He tried to desperately hold on to his soul even as the Shinigami had his fingers wrapped around it.
"I couldn't complete the sealing. I'm sorry Minato." Hiruzen stood to his feet shakily showing an identical seal to the one on Naruto's body. The only difference was that Hiruzen's was blank inside the circle, while Naruto's seal had writing from edge to edge.
Minato looked slightly fearfully at Naruto's seal. He paused before giving a confident nod to his predecessor. "Thank you Hiruzen. I'll take care of it. The Will of Fire still burns brightly thanks to you."
The Third Hokage turned his gaze to his ex-students. "You both make me so proud, you both carry the Will of Fire so strongly in you. I was honored to be your sensei."
Jiraiya gave a tearful but confident nod, while Tsunade turned her head and sobbed quietly. Hiruzen gave them a longful look, but turned his eyes to the new mother and her children.
"Take care of them, they'll need their mother." Kushina gave a confident smile to her grandfather figure, then she looked down at her pride and joy.
Hiruzen looked at the remains of his village with regret and sadness. The damage was extensive and the death toll unimaginable. Memories of his life flashed in front of his eyes. Starting the academy, training with his genin team, fighting in the three shinobi wars, being groomed for Hokage by the first and second, marrying his childhood crush, and finally starting his family. All those memories happened in this village, for this village. Now it was a ruin, a shell of its former self; if only he had been stronger. Regret ripped through his mind.
"Dad!" The sound of Hiruzen's own son ripped through the regret. Hiruzen saw the next 'King' of Konoha, the future and next generation of ninja were safe. As Hiruzen slipped into the next life, a smile split across his face. Hiruzen was dead before he hit the ground with the name of his wife and sons on his lips.
"Hokage-sama, you need to rest. We can handle it while you sleep." Genma, head of the Fourth Hokage's guard was feeling frustrated to say the least. Minato still hadn't recovered from his battle with the masked man and the plant-thing.
It had been been several hours since the confirmed death of the Third by Tsunade and Minato had been going constantly, still dripping blood and splinters as he commanded the remainder of the village into action.
It wasn't looking good. The village had been hit hard. Twenty percent of the entire shinobi population had been confirmed dead and more were dropping like flies from the Bijuu's volatile chakra. Civilians had been less hit by the deaths but their homes and workplaces were contaminated if they were standing or just outright destroyed. The economy was dropping as fast as their shinobi.
Clans, in particular the Uchiha, were hit very hard. The clans had taken the front lines against the Kyuubi in a impressive display of teamwork. They had knocked over the monster and thus allowed the Third to seal it, but the Kyuubi hit back just as hard. Platoons wiped out, one right after the other. It was a slaughter. The clans would recover but they'd be licking their wounds for quite some time.
Jiraiya was out rebuilding blocks of the village at a time with high-level Earth jutsu and Tsunade was healing as many as she could, but it wasn't looking good. The last thing they needed was their Hokage dropping from his injuries.
Of course that's if the Hokage would at least listen to anyone. Minato had taken charge and was pushing everyone to do something and keeping the villagers moving. If things stopped then the village might very well collapse into despair.
Genma himself was running on fumes. He had been allowed to carry messages around the village to organize the defense and eventual push back against the Kyubi. His legs were burning and he had eaten through several soldier pills just to keep up with his Hokage.
Finally, the cavalry arrived in the form of a angry Tsunade. "Minato if you don't get to the hospital this very second I will personally drag your broken body there." Tsunade was furious. This had been the fourth time she had come down to get Minato.
Minato stopped mid-step and gazed fearfully at the blonde. His eyes darted back to the door he was headed to then back to Tsunade. Several times his eyes flickered back and forth before giving up and limping towards the hospital. Tsunade rolled her eyes and quickly followed after the Hokage.
The Hokage and his advisors, Jiraiya and Tsunade, along with his family and the various clan heads were crowded into a hospital to discuss a new problem.
"Narumi is absorbing the residual bijuu chakra in and around Konoha, and in response the Kyuubi is pushing violently against the seal in Naruto. As of right now, the continued stress will kill Naruto and eventually release the Kyuubi. We need to separate them." Minato was breaking inside at the thought of losing one of his children.
The silence in the room was deafening. The clan heads were fearful. They had barely survived the first attack if a second were to happen the village wouldn't make it.
"What can we do? How far are we talking for separation? Opposite sides of the village or different lands?" Shikaku, Nara clan head, was rapidly running through plan after plan. His face was burning after a run in with the Kyuubi's chakra that left him with two nasty scars on the right side of his face.
"We don't know. Jiraiya and I are looking into it as we speak. All we know if that Narumi is going to have to be given a seal and taken away from Naruto. We don't know how she'll react to having so much of the chakra in her." Minato had started getting tearful while Kushina was looking saddened at her children.
"The only plan we have is for me and Kushina to take Narumi out of the village. If we leave Naruto here in the care of the village while we travel and train Narumi it would work out the best. Jiraiya will take care of his spy network and still be allowed to serve the village's sealing needs. Tsunade will need to leave the village to gather support and resources for the village." The clan head's were shocked by Minato's plan. Naruto was practically being abandoned for the sake of the village.
"Who would be the next Hokage then? What about you? The village will turn hysterical at the current Hokage just packing and leaving." Tsume practically growled out. She didn't like the idea of leaving a pup behind, it left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Tell them I succumbed to my wounds. It'll hurt the village but not as much as it would if I just left. Naruto will be raised in an orphanage away from the elders. Nothing will be said of him not his status as a jinchuriki nor of his relation to me. Leave him to grow up normally until we can come back and take care of him. Naruto will be just another child with no parents. Hopefully safe." Minato met the eyes of every person in the room. The not so subtle threat hung in the air with a healthy dose of KI.
"Tell the village that Narumi is the Kyuubi jinchuriki and she's been taken out of the village by Jiraiya and Tsunade for safety reasons. Narumi will be safe with us while we travel and Naruto will have the protection of the village and the clan heads. I'll deal with the fall out of everything when I return." The clan head's shuffled uncomfortably in the room as they looked at each other. The plan was wrong morally but they were shinobi. Morality wasn't a job requirement.
"But why do you both have to leave? Can't at least one of the parents stay with Naruto?" Inoichi was grasping for straws at this point. He wanted the Hokage to stay in the village.
"Inoichi, Kushina has to come. Narumi is the only source of Bijuu chakra safe enough to draw on. She will need Narumi close until she can live without it. Kushina is also needed to help make the seal. She's the best bet we have on getting anything from Uzu or suppressing the Bijuu chakra if it gets out of control." Minato explained this gently while giving a sad smile.
"Troublesome," Shikaku made some last minute calculations while his hand ran through his hair. "We'll take care of the rest Hokage-sama. When will you be leaving?"
"As soon as Kushina and I recover. Kushina will live thanks to a seal siphoning parts of Bijuu chakra from Narumi. She'll be shaky at first, but she'll be as good as new soon. Two days at the most." The room was engulfed in silence once more as the clan head's retreated to their thoughts. One by one they left the room leaving the family alone.
"I'm so sorry Kushina, but it's the only way." Minato's eyes searched his wife's for any kind of response. When the situation had started Kushina turned hysterical at losing both of her children. She didn't get any better once the plan had been discussed and she hadn't said anything through the meeting. She only stared longingly at her children.
"It's not your fault Minato," Kushina sighed. "I just wish we could be a happy family. I already miss him." Kushina gave a soft chuckle as she ran one finger over the soft skin of Naruto's whisker marks. Tear drops fell from her face as she started to shake softly. "I finally have a family and we have to split them. Will he forgive us Minato?" Kushina looked up desperately searching in Minato's face for an answer.
Minato did the only thing he could. He lied. "I'm sure he will. He'll understand once we explain. I'm sure of it." Kushina seemed to find solace in his words. She gave a swift nod and wiped her face. She looked down into discolored eyes and planted a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead.
"We'll be back. I promise. Just wait for us. I love you sochi." She placed Naruto into his crib and laid back into Minato's form as she fell asleep. Minato gave an apologetic glance to Naruto's sleeping form. "I'm sorry, please forgive us."
With the death of two Hokage and the abandonment by both of their Sannin, the village was left to wallow in despair. The clan heads tried the keep peace, but hatred of the Kyuubi steadily rose with every passing day. The village was given a raise of morale with the announcement of a Fifth Hokage and with no other choice, the Fire Daimyo chose Danzo Shimura.
The day of his inauguration the village learned of the truth; Naruto was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. The clan heads were completely blindsided by the news and rushed to defend the boy. Their words fell on deaf ears. Everyone had seen the orphan's eye, and while the excuse that Naruto had come in contact with the Bijuu's chakra held, the black seal on his body didn't. The clan heads were left without any backing as the village took the frustrations out on Naruto. They couldn't aid the boy directly or indirectly without their clan's backing.
The clan heads fought back with the statement that Naruto was the son of Minato. Rumors from an unknown source laid accusations saying it was the Kyuubi's attempt at blending into the village. Once again the clan heads were left struggling with no backing or power and the village rained down on Naruto for the Kyuubi's transgressions.
Any attempts to help the boy or send messages to the Sannin or Minato were blocked and headed off by ROOT.
"Am I a monster?" A four year old Naruto wrapped his arms around his shaking body. The news of being the Bijuu holder had left him, understandably, upset. He had fled the village's growing anger and had hidden in a warehouse.
Crimson and cobalt stared at his reflection in a puddle from the leaky roof. He didn't look like a monster. Whisker marks, spiky hair, and a full human face mirrored his slightest move. Naruto poked and prodded at his face for a clue of the monster that hid underneath.
A large banging startled the young boy. Shelves and boxes started raining down on the top of him. Plastic casings full of rusted kunai and shuriken broke as they hit the floor. Sparks blazed on impact while shards of metal pierced the surrounding area.
Naruto screamed in surprise and fear as he pressed flat against a wall. By some miracle he was uninjured and only left with the barest of wounds. A simple scratch across his bare leg.
He gave a chuckle. "That was close dattebayo." Discolored eyes scanned the mess around him. A lone kunai settled on top of the wreckage seemingly in better shape than the others. Iron-gray gave off a slight shine in the dim light. The smallest patch of red-brown rust set on the very tip of the blade.
"My day just keeps getting better." His face split into a beaming grin. He reached for the kunai only to have it disappear.
"...What?" Naruto was baffled until he saw the handle protruding from his chest. Several seconds passed as he stared at the thing in his chest like it was some great mystery on how it got there.
"Blood? Is that mine?" The pain lanced through his body straight into his brain. Naruto's mouth opened to scream in pain, but it turned into a choked gurgle as the kunai was pulled down and out then swiftly inserted and pulled back up to just under his chin.
Naruto could only shiver and shake. The kunai was lodged through his throat. It blocked his mouth from opening. Innards fell from him after a particularly nasty shake sent him to one knee. Pale yellow intestines, a dark stomach and one pink lung greeted the open air following a river of blood that poured from the child.
Callused fingers held his throat together before slamming the blond container backwards into the ground. A wet impact split the silence in the room. It was followed by a rapid whistling as Naruto attempted to breathe through a ruined windpipe.
The whistling took on a more shrill tone as dirty rusted shards were pushed through his hands and into the dusty floor of the warehouse. More streams of blood fed the large puddle beneath him. A blue iris was widened in fear and pain as it darted frantically for a source of comfort or help. A crimson iris with a blackened slit burrowed into the attacker's eyes.
The attacker's breath hitched. The fox eye glaring at him coupled with the eye's different and rapid movement set his hair on end and solidified Naruto's guilt of being a demon. Their hesitance and guilt vanished. Their shoulders set and they proceeded with their gruesome task.
The attacker straddled his, no it's, they refused to call it something human, gaping insides. Brown eyes flickered over the target's face as they pulled out a kunai. The whistling picked up in a desperate speed. The kunai was held firm as it entered flesh.
Whisker marks were turned into ragged and bloody gashes. Skin was hacked to bone. Teeth were pried out one by one. The nose was carved back, chiseled down, and narrowed. Waxy, pale chunks of flesh splashed in a crimson pool. Radiant drops peppered the sides of Naruto's horrendous young boy had passed out from pain within seconds.
His head was rolled to the right. The stump of his tongue poked from in between lacerated gums and warped cheeks. The pool of blood engulfed his body three times over, ripples and bubbles surfaced with every staggering breath. Blue peeked from the bottom of a half-closed eye, but his eye left eye pulsed gently with his every heartbeat. It stared straight ahead with an animal intelligence and intensity.
Tsume Inuzuka found him. The words "Monster of Konoha" had been ingrained into the skull of his forehead, the kunai served as a period by being shoved tip deep. The Kyubi Jinchuriki was brutalized. His face had been carved into a horrid rendition of a fox.
"I'm so sorry pup," Tsume could barely look at the kid. She knew it was one of her clan, she could smell it. She had been suspicious of the smell and followed it to the abandoned part of the village. She had rushed when the smell of blood hit her and she came upon her victim.
The alpha paced back and forth debating on what to do. A quick glance resulted in a flinch away followed by whimpering and tears. She knelt down and stroked his hair gently, almost motherly. Sniffles were heard as she caressed what was left of the jinchuriki. Her head turned away and with a grunt of exertion, she yanked the kunai out. Chips of skull clicked and clacked on the floor, clear gelatinous brain fluid leaked down and parted around his red eye.
The eyelid of his blue eye had reflexly opened. The eye danced around unfocused and lifeless. It brought a hitch and a lurch in Tsume. She vomited as hacking coughs racked her body. When her courage returned she turned back to Naruto. His left eye was a stark contrast, peering dead ahead. It looked to be the most life filled thing on him. She would've closed his eyes but the left had no eye lid.
"Fucking monsters, I promise I'll find the person who did this to you. You have my word pup." Tsume found it easier to clean up the body if she pretended it could hear her.
'Not it, fuck sorry. I fought in a war for god's sake, what is wrong with me?' Tsume hands were bunched up in frustration. 'Why is this so hard?' She glanced down again, but couldn't hold the look for more than a second. The poor boy.
She shook her head and gained some fire back into her. With surgical precision that would make a certain whiskey-eyed sannin proud, she removed the rusted metal and did her best to clean up as much as she could.
She lifted the body and cradled him to her chest. Green leaves met blood when they both disappeared.
"If Minato doesn't kill us, then Kushina will." Shikaku gazed tiredly down at the body of the blonde. His face had gone through more emotion in the last hour than it had his whole life. The other's couldn't blame him, they were furious and sickened.
"What do we-" Chouza Akimichi was cut off as the new Hokage stormed in. The room was engulfed in silence. Danzo strode in and straight up to the body. He eyed it with a calculating gaze.
"Bring the body, but remove the left eye. It can still be salvaged." A ROOT Anbu appeared suddenly beside the boy's head and pulled a small blade from the pouch on his hip. The blade reached down toward the animal eye but was swiftly removed when the ROOT found himself pinned to the wall by an oversized hand.
"What is the meaning of this Chouza? Do you mean to be a traitor?" Danzo's single visible eye focused on Chouza who was still holding the ROOT against the wall. Several ROOT dropped from the shadows to land in front of their Kage and master.
The clan head's took up their various attack positions in response. "You are Hokage, but you will not lay another hand on that child." Danzo rose one eyebrow in response to the normally stoic Aburame clan head, Shibi. Clouds of kikachu surrounded the Godaime and his puppet-like servants.
Tethers of the blackest night stretched out and around the Kage's guard pinning them in place. The deer clan head was immediately covered by Inoichi and Tsume, claws and teeth bared to mirror her partner. "The clan head's have spoken," Chouza bellowed, "Kage or not, You. Will. Not. Touch that child." Chouza had been the most affected by the inhumane treatment Minato's child had experienced in it's last moments, that's also why he was the most surprised when the cadaver rose from its previous resting place.
"W-what?" Shibi's tone was equal parts revolting and surprise. The body had no pulse, no life. His bugs had confirmed it. That thing had no life in it at all so how was it standing.
The sheet fell and crimson equal to the sharingan glared at the assembled nin in the room. A single, momentary pause pregnant with disbelief was broken under a tidal wave of absolute, godly loathing. The moving corpse blinked out of existence to occupy the place of one of the Kage's trapped guards.
The sound of falling water and a lake of blood was all that remained of the ANBU-level nin. The only sound was Tsume's choking gasp. It had just taken a life with no remorse. It looked as easy as blowing a out a candle. Just gone. Nothing left but a brief gurgle.
Danzo had exploded into motion and was already subduing the monster while the clan head's watched. What could they do? Minato's blood had just slain a loyal leaf Shinobi. It was a criminal and therefore under the Kage's power.
The fox's prison was chained, cuffed, and dragged into the depths of the Hokage's tower accompanied by the prayers of the shinobi.