Originally posted on aff 2009-01-07 - 2009-04-26

I

Tsunade steepled her fingers as she stared out the window, looking at the ashen trees and leaves. She fancied she could see buds, new bark, birds and squirrels in those burned trees, fancied that they were beginning anew just like the village was. The truth was, though, those trees were as dead as the one who had created that fire that had destroyed them, figuratively speaking. Two years ago – had it really only been two years? – Konoha had been attacked out of the blue, unprepared and undefended. Everyone had done their best to protect the non-combatants and the genin, hurrying them to the caves so the jounin could return and fight.

Tsunade herself had been attacked, as had the Council. He'd had them at his mercy – and then had gotten cocky. He'd taken them out of seclusion to a public area, calling out the jounin, the chuunin, even the genin. No one had shown up to the first threat, so he'd tried again. Tsunade knew no Konoha ninja would appear to watch the executions. The genin were under the watchful eyes of the chuunin and jounin and ANBU – and the jounin and ANBU had their orders. The chuunin forced the jounin to follow those orders.

Their orders were to stay away and defend.

On the third threat, someone appeared to stage a rescue. Alone. Naruto aced Sasuke and Sasuke's minions alone to defend the leaders of a village he called home. He hadn't even looked at Tsunade when she'd ordered him to stand down. Naruto hadn't said one word, not even when Sasuke began his rant, when Madara began to sing saccharine lies into his ear, or when one of the Council tried to run for it and got cut in half. Naruto, at sixteen, was only a genin. He wasn't strong enough to take down Sasuke – everyone in the village knew that. Naruto was only hurrying his death and Sasuke seemed all too willing to help him along. Tsunade had screamed in denial when Sasuke had rammed a kunai into Naruto's chest, and screamed again in joy as the shadow clone burst into flames, consuming Sasuke. Tsunade was no fool, though, and watched Sasuke clear the flames with only minor injuries. Naruto reappeared, his face something beautiful. His unnatural sapphire blue eyes were as cold and still as a mountain lake, tinged with only a bit of orange around the pupil. His whisker-like scars had widened, but he hadn't even changed into his demonic form, Tsunade noticed. He was just standing there, watching, waiting.

The moment Sasuke had lunged toward Tsunade, Naruto burst into movement, blinking out of existence without even a puff of smoke and reappearing before Sasuke, chakra exploding from his palms much like the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist. It was enough to knock Sasuke away from Tsunade and give him a nice bruise.

"Naruto! Join us! Together, we could destroy this stupid village! We could rule it!"

Naruto's eyes had only sharpened. Slowly he began to perform a jutsu Tsunade had never seen before, taking step after step forward.

"You don't understand," Naruto whispered, "you don't understand at all."

Tsunade could remember hearing tears in Naruto's voice, years and years of pain piled up on his small shoulders; finally she understood. It was too late though; Naruto unleashed his jutsu and torrents of flame separated Tsunade and the Council from Naruto and Sasuke.

She watched them fight while the Council ran for their lives. Tsunade watched the exchange of words and blows, watched blood flow, and bore witness to the rebirth of the Kyuubi. The nine-tailed beast broke out of the encircling flames and launched itself toward Sasuke, snapping and snarling and Naruto just stood between its ears as if Kyuubi were a normal summon.

Tsunade was aware of the Council staring, and she knew what they were thinking. Naruto had become dangerous. If he could summon the Kyuubi, he needed to be eliminated.

In the end, Sasuke and his group had fled and Naruto and fallen into a coma and was currently still bedridden in the infirmary. Tsunade sighed and leaned back further, closing her eyes. She'd gone through hoops to save that extra-extraordinary boy. He'd been promoted to chuunin during the first few months of his coma – during which his curse seal had been scrutinized to every last detail. Nothing was found. It wasn't broken, wasn't cracked. Only Naruto himself knew what happened and he wasn't talking. Probably wasn't going to.

He'd just woken up two weeks ago, after all, and had been assaulted by all of his friends as if they'd been awaiting his return. He hadn't told them anything and Tsunade knew the Rookie Nine (eight, really) weren't about to push Naruto. Sakura had beaten into all of them just how fragile Naruto really was. How fragile he still is.

A knock sounded at her office door and slowly Tsunade turned herself around, ready to face her next challenge. Iruka slipped through the door, giving the blonde woman a respectful bow.

"How is he?" Tsunade asked.

"Better than he was. He's smiling now."

That was progress, Tsunade agreed silently. He had barely spoken since waking up.

"Has he said anything?" Tsunade had to inquire.

Iruka shook his head. "He says he doesn't remember that day. We've decided to let it be."

'We've' meaning everyone who gave a damn about the blonde chuunin. Which was almost every shinobi in the damn village plus three in Sunagakure. Tsunade sighed.

"I called you here to discuss three students of yours." Tsunade said, offering the chuunin-sensei a manila folder. "I hear they're being plenty of trouble."

"It's amazing they're even going to graduate." Iruka murmured. He took the file, leafing through it slowly, page after page.

"I've decided on a sensei for them." Tsunade began slowly. "However, he doesn't seem inclined to expand his current circle of friends."

Iruka took a moment to stare at the Hokage. "He's not even a jounin. He hasn't even been tested."

"Anyone who can get Kyuubi to obey is already a jounin as far as I'm concerned. Besides, I hear he's been hanging out with Kakashi almost every day."

Iruka's lips thinned.

Of course, he (and others in on it) had known Tsunade would find out. There wasn't a thing that happened in the village without Tsunade knowing.

"When did he pass?" she asked, pinning the chuunin with a decidedly cold stare.

"Yesterday."

"Still not talking?"

Iruka reddened. Tsunade sat back in her chair and sighed. So Naruto was fully healed, if not back to his old self. Surprisingly he hadn't come to see her, but she understood.

"Tell Naruto the Hokage wishes to see him and that if I have to demand, he won't enjoy it."

Iruka looked at the file in his hands and then back at the Hokage. "I'll tell him. He'll come."

Tsunade gave Iruka's back a skeptical look until he turned around and said something that made her heart ache and tears come to her eyes.

"He loves you." Iruka had said. "You're like the mother he never had."

Tsunade put her face in her hands and wept, smiling despite.