Author's Note: This was a random idea that came to me when talking to one of my friends who is OBSESSED with Naruto. I am just writing this for fun, and as of yet, have no real plot. Anyway, one thing you should know about me - my knowledge of Naruto is very limited. I am learning more and more, thanks to the mentioned friend, but I still only know a little. There might be some errors, so you can correct me - just do so nicely, please?
Don't know how serious I am about this story yet, so don't count on too many chapters just yet.
She wondered how she could have gotten so far from her village in such a short amount of time. She didn't even know where she was, to be honest. All she knew was that the sand had long since faded and she was getting tired of walking. And that she wanted her parents…
Mommy, daddy, why aren't you moving?
She shuddered at the memory and clutched her tattered cloak tighter. She could still smell the blood on it and grimaced slightly. Beside her, a sudden movement caught her eye. She let her blue eyes snap in the direction, to her relief only finding her puppet there. She still had to remember that it was there… she wasn't very good at that.
"Hi, Pantin. I forgot you were there," She smiled weakly, her voice barely a whisper. The puppet bobbed its' head, its' matted and bloody black hair falling in chunks around its' shoulder. She sighed, stopping in her tracks to stare the doll in its' lifeless eyes. "Where are mommy and daddy, Pantin?" She mumbled, lifting her chakra-tinted-blue hand to touch the dolls' face. Pantin moved slightly at this, reminding her yet again that she had control over it. Smiling weakly with her small lips, she moved in and pulled the hovering doll into a hug.
"It's all right, Pantin. We'll be fine, right?" She mumbled, pulling away and making the doll nod reassuringly. Pantin then shifted behind her once again as they started to walk on in the forest.
Mommy, Daddy, you have to wake up! Come on! The housekeeper will be mad if she finds you in this mess on the floor!
She stumbled then, falling face first into the mud. Her hands snapped out in front of her small body instinctively, Pantin thankfully breaking her fall. She fell on top of the doll and began crying uncontrollably as she shivered in the cold night air.
"I want my mommy and daddy, Pantin!" She wailed, her sobs echoing into the dolls' hollow chest.
Naruto wandered aimlessly through the forest, listening carefully for any sign that he had been tailed. Although being Hokage was beyond amazing, he had to admit that the constant watch was kind of annoying. He had almost no free time, and the time that he did, he spent with Hinata. They had gotten married and even had a child – a wonderful son named Minato, in honor of his father. He had the same blonde hair that seemed to run in the males of his family, but he had Hinata's wonderful eyes. He could never stop calling his son a beauty.
Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard some slurred, wailed words somewhere off in the distance. His head snapped to the right and he squinted through the trees. Sighing to himself, he decided he better take a look, otherwise the quilt might eat him alive. So, straightening his white and red flamed jacket, he moved off the beaten path and pushed his way through the trees.
"I want my mommy and daddy, Pantin!" A small light blonde girl, no more than five, wailed into the chest of a puppet. Naruto tensed immediately – he hated fighting Puppet Masters. He knew the girl looked to be only five, but he also knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. Sighing softly once again, he pushed through the last of the trees and ended up standing slightly behind the girl.
"Hey, kid, you all right?" He muttered, the question coming out less friendly than he had intended it. She whipped her head to face him, her tear-streaked eyes meeting his in total terror. Before he could tell her that he meant no harm, the doll had snapped in front of her and she had jumped a good three feet away. He tensed but tried to keep a calm face, determined not to get into a fight with a small child.
"Hey, I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me your name, and maybe I can get you back to your parents. I'm the Hokage," He explained in an even toned voice, watching as both the girl and puppet looked to soften at his words. The girl let the puppet float behind her, its' wooden arms wrapping around her shoulders protectively.
"You-You mean of the H-Hidden Leaf?" She stuttered, her blue eyes bubbling with tears. He nodded, not trusting himself to say another word lest he scare her away. She sank to her knees almost immediately as he nodded, causing him to dash to her side and catch her gently in his arms.
"M-My mommy and d-daddy a-are –" She started to wail again, burying herself against his chest as her puppet floated behind him. Soon, the chakra threads faded and the doll fell to the ground, as he was almost positive she fell asleep in his arms. He picked her up, then tossing the doll over his shoulder and walking back to the path.
Damn him for having such a soft heart.
Her eyes flitted open and her blurry vision landed on the ceiling. She let her head fall to the side, her blonde bangs falling slightly on her face as she saw Pantin sitting in the chair next to her. She weakly lifted her hand and watched as he waved to her playfully, acknowledging that she was awake. She groaned at the action, her tired muscles protesting feebly to the chakra use. She let the threads die out, Pantin sagging in the chair as he 'went to sleep'.
"Glad to see you're awake," The same blonde man stated, causing her eyes to snap to him. She smiled weakly, remembering that he had been the man that had saved her and Pantin.
"Thank you, Mister, for saving me and Pantin," She smiled, sitting up as he came to sit on the bed by her feet. His bright blue eyes burned with determination and she suddenly knew that he was a very powerful ninja. She also noticed how fun his hair would be to mess up.
"Do I get to know your name? Mine's Naruto, Sixth Hokage," He smiled, his smile wide and nearly spreading over his whole face. She giggled at this, her small hand coming to cover her mouth sheepishly.
"Mine's Nakamura, but most just call me Naka," She smiled widely, getting a pat on the leg from the man. His smile dimmed but didn't leave his face as he began to talk.
"Well, Naka, can you tell me where you're from? Maybe why you were out in the middle of the forest so late at night?" His question was said with a smile, but almost instantly she could feel the tears begin again. She wanted to hold them back, to smile for him, but she knew that if she did that, her daddy would have told her never to hide anything. Hiding emotions was bad, wasn't it?
"M-My parents were lying on the ground and I couldn't wake them up! They were in a big puddle of red and I told them that if they didn't move, our housekeeper would be angry with them for making such a mess. Then I ran cuz a mean man was chasing me and I didn't know what to do. My parents told me to run away from strangers. I didn't run away from you, Mister Naruto, cuz you seem nice. I want my mommy and daddy!" She wailed, tears pouring from her eyes. Without thinking, Naruto moved closer and held her in his arms, making soothing noises as she slowly calmed down.
"Well, Naka, I think I could look into finding your parents, so long as you promise to tell me where you live. I also think that I know someone who would love to play with you until we can find them, all right?" He smiled, as she nodded weakly, wiping the tears from her eyes with some newfound courage. He pulled her from the bed, still holding her before she asked to be set down. She pulled the doll, he assumed was named 'Pantin' to her side and he looped around her shoulders.
He took her hand and they walked through the halls of the building before they exited into the village. He smiled as she looked to buildings in awe. He knew then that she must be from the Sand, or somewhere close in terrain. They walked through the village and soon came to his house, only to be greeted by a smiling Hinata and small Minato. Minato ran out and threw himself at his father, causing Naruto to wrap his arms tightly around the boy and drop Naka's hand.
"Who do we have here, Naruto?" Hinata asked as she came out of the house as well, smiling brightly to Naka. Naka blushed and hid behind Naruto, Pantin floating in front of her in an almost sheepish way.
"Daddy, can I go play with her?" Minato asked eagerly, and without waiting for an answer, walked over to the puppet and stuck out his hand for a handshake. "Hi ! I was wondering if I could maybe play with the nice girl behind you!" He shouted the words, loud and boisterous as both Naka and the puppet seemed to study him in curiosity. For a 7 year old, he sure did have a lot of guts.
"My name is Nakamura," She whispered, Pantin moving back to curl around her shoulders. Minato laughed and threw himself at her, tackling her to the ground as they both erupted into laughter.
"Mine's Minato! I'm the son of the Hokage and one of the best mommies in the world! Do you wanna come play with me!?" He shouted in her face, getting a flustered reaction out of the small girl before he took her by the hand and pulled her and the puppet into the house.
Both adults watched them go with wonder in their eyes before Hinata moved to his side.
"Who is she?" She whispered, watching through a window as her son smiled and laughed loudly as he tackled Naka again.
"She's a girl I found last night crying in the woods. From what she told me, her parents were murdered and, from what I can gather, she lived in the Sand Village. I have to go talk to Gaara, make sure that everything is okay down there," Naruto stated, placing a small kiss on her forehead before backing away with a smile.
"Take your time, I'm sure Minato will tire out in about a week," She smiled, waving as he took off down the road and she entered the house.
"No! Minato! Pantin is not for playing with!" Naka shouted as she tore the doll away from Minato's eager hands.