Two Sons

Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim credit related to the characters or events in the Naruto series illustrated and created by Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 01

- Torn Leaves -

What'll we do with him?

The cloaked shinobi covered from head to toe removed his mask and wiped away at the sweat accumulated by the flames conjured from the Nine-Tails. He had a hulkish figure but diminished in size under the rubble of the houses and buildings nearby.

Standing next to him were two kunoichi and another ninja carrying the body of a boy tucked under his arm; unonsciousness was what became of him as the boy's arms dangled lifelessly underneath the man. "I'm not sure, but we need to put him somewhere, eh? He gets kind of heavy after awhile."

The larger kunoichi scoffed while pulling away at a piece of wood skeward into the entrance of a home, "Get over your lack of strength and send him with the other survivors!" She muttered something under her breath as the male ninja shouted in his own defense.

"My arms just getting tired, shit! Here-" he pushed the young Iruka into the arms of the giant man and concealed his face soon after. "You have the best chance of getting him out of here in one piece. We'll meet up with you later."

"Wait!" his confused voice echoed into the streets while clutching the kid against him, but in vain as the rest of the group quickly scattered into other areas in search of survivors-and victims.

Minutes passed as the ninja dodged falling rubble that still proved dangerous, he heard word of the successful detainment of the Nine-Tails as it was soon driven out of the village.

"Kaasan.." The child stirred while on the back of the large male, causing the ninja to sigh under his breath. The realities of war left this boy with nothing but tattered clothes, and he was highly aware that he would have to be the one to officially announce the deaths of the Umino.

Making his way through the village as quickly as he could, the destruction soon receded, or so he thought, until a piece of the arch stationed over a destroyed building began to quickly bear down on them both.

Obviously frightened and taken aback, the man unsheathed the blade at his side and performed a Wind Release in order to cut the arch in two-but at a cost. He no longer felt the arms tied around his neck.

Iruka cascaded rapidly downward as the ninja was far above the sky already, only to be caught by the kunoichi from earlier who used her body to break his fall.

"Ahh!" she screamed in pain as Iruka's body smashed into her stomach. The child was safe again at this point, cradled in her weak arms as the sound of wood crashing to the ground cleared the silence that became of her shortly.

"Oh shit, I was careless! Are you alright?" The man shouted in shame as he dropped to his knees to check on his friend and the boy trapped inside her arms.

"Are you okay? Hey. . . Hey!!" He shook her repeatedly before removing Iruka from her body. From there did he notice the large pool of blood running down her legs as it seemed her stomach ruptured upon close impact.

The kunoichi never woke up after saving the boy, and that tore at the man who suddenly shouted out in agony. The fire surrounding them and the fallen comrade in his arms drove him mad until he ultimately decided to force the end of his blade through his own neck, having had enough of the failures life brought him.

Laying there unconscious still, Iruka's eyes opened slightly after hearing the final cries of the man who had helped secure his safety. His hands clutched the closest thing near to them, but he winced and let go after realizing they were cut and bruised heavily.

"Where am I?" Iruka wondered, falling back onto his rear as he stared around. It wasn't until he noticed a trail of blood seep down along his leg that he noticed the man and woman piled on top of each other at his side. His eyes widened immediately as he crawled back in fear of the sight. The small fabric that kept his hair in place snapped.

"No, no no no. . Are they dead!?" He cried, closing his eyes as tears begun to form and travel down his face. He clutched at the necklace his mother had given him before the breath emptied his body instantly.

He remembered the face of his mother, how her eyes closed when her body fell onto him. How he tried to convince his father to let him take care of her, only to be taken from them both.

"Ka-a. . ."

". . . KAASAN! "

"OUTOUSAN. . GAH!" Iruka wailed out loud and struck at the broken window beside him, weeping silently as he already knew at this point. His hair fell over his eyes as the scar on his face shook along with his skinny frame.

"Don't leave. . me...Don't go, please..." Iruka clawed onto his own shoulders and brought himself back to the ground as his eyes, now open, saw nothing but fire. Nothing like the green grass and the blue sky he thought he'd see the following day.

...

Is someone there!? Keep talking, I'm almost there!

Iruka rose back up quickly and stared down the road when he noticed the body of a man with the same jacket as his father.

"Outousan?" He called out, wiping his eyes clean of tears to get a better view; his hope left the moment he found the man in front of him was much younger.

"I-Iruka?" He replied and examined the boy who had wounds in his hands, legs and along his back which was hardly protected due to the rip in his shirt. "I can't believe you're. ."

The man dropped to his knees and clutched the shoulders of his friend's son, examining his face until he could no longer resist the urge to pull Iruka into his chest.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm sorry. . .You didn't deserve this."

"Where's my parents? I want to go with them, my mother's still out there!" Iruka cried, "She's hurt!"

The man only shook his head and kept the boy close to him, sharp tears dribbled down his cheeks, nose and neck. He felt at this moment it was only right the boy knew the truth.

"Iruka, listen to me huh?" He sighed and pulled the boy back until his eyes caught the attention of the younger male's.

Your mother and father...They died." He cringed after admitting it, feeling the child jolt from his fingertips.

"You're lying." Iruka whispered, pulling away from the shinobi before growing angry and irritable about everything. "You're lying and you know it! My father wouldn't let my mother die, he would protect her!" Iruka growled and shouted, "TAKE ME TO THEM!"

"Sumiko and Shachi are dead!" The man reaffirmed the facts, gathering himself back to his feet before removing his forehead protector. The older shinobi kicked at the dirt before focusing his attention back on the son. "I swear on my life, Iruka. Let me get you out here."

"NO!" Iruka screamed and rushed for the man before unsheathing the sword tucked away at his side. His teeth bared, he raised it and watched as his reflection came into view along with the flames, and the chaos behind him. "If they won't come back, then-!"

"You're going to kill yourself, is that it!?" The man roared as he stood across from the boy, not going near him. "If you think that'll bring them back then you're wrong! They lost their life and saved yours in the process!" He clutched his hand against his chest,

"Do you think your parents would want that, Iruka? Think about it, just think!"

. . .

Iruka remained staring at the blade as the man's words cut through him instead. The tears once again formed as he swung the sword into the ground with gritted teeth and a heart full of malice; aware of a new source of hatred inside of him, he sought after that path.

"I'll fight! I'll kill the Nine-Tails! I'll do it for my mother and father!" Iruka screamed and lifted his head up at the man, "Let me fight. . Please!"

"Iruka..." The man looked off to the side at the bodies piled alongside them, realizing what he had to do at this point, regardless of whether the boy would forgive him at this rate.

"Yeah..I'll let you fight someday" he responded slowly, walking up to the young Umino with his fingers clutched on top of Iruka's head. "But this war. . ."

He sighed and curled his fist as he launched it straight for the kid, knocking him unconscious once more.

"This war is not your battle. Those were your father's last words."

"Calm down, Kurenai!" Asuma's eyes shifted over to his female friend and comrade who had it with her father's rules. The detainment hindered them all, those who felt strongly about ensuring whatever was out there was gone for good. They wanted to fight—but couldn't.

"You're a sorry excuse for a father!" Kurenai cried out while suddenly advancing forward, only to be halted by Gai who stood beside her.

"We must listen to our elders if only this once, Kurenai." Gai muttered while staring down from the guilt he felt by being of no use to this cause. "Her father is correct!" He shouted, turning back to face his young, fellow comrades. "We can still ensure the safety of these survivors! Am I right!?"

Kakashi turned his gaze to stare at the flames off in the distance, his eyes turning back to stare at Gai with approval. "You're right." He acknowledged simply while Asuma gently grasped Kurenai's arm and turned to face her completely.

"I don't agree with him, either. I think we should be able to fight, but for now let's do what we can." Asuma announced his thoughts to her in hopes that would ease her distress. Kurenai stared up at him and clenched her teeth before exhaling slowly.

"Let's do what we can." She replied solemnly.

Thus the younger generation of shinobi scouted around the areas that carried wounded survivors and aided them the best they could; Gai and Asuma helped carry those who could no longer walk more quickly to seek medical attention. Kurenai and Kakashi helped tend to the children, many of whom were fighting to keep their tears down, while others were empty and without tears to shed.

Having cleared the area of the disabled, Gai turned to stare at the group of boys huddled alongside one another, all sore-minded and saddened in the face. The bowl-cut clad shinobi smiled and jumped in front to encourage them.

"I know this all seems horrible, but remember! You are the future!" Gai swung his arm up and flipped his thumb up into the sky with a wide grin on his face. "Am I right, friends?!"

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma turned their attention over to him at that moment, all smiling in turn.

"That's right."

"We live to fight another day."

"Cheer up boys! This isn't the end."

Gai dropped his composure and looked back in surprise after hearing the support of them all, smiling feverishly with tears in his eyes, "Thank you my friends!"

Their aid wasn't without challenge

As the hours went on, the young shinobi of the village banded together to secure the rogue flames and clear roads of dangerous debris. The effort required of them left the men exhausted and the women practically in tears over what they each had to experience.

Soon, word of the Nine-Tail's destruction caused a rally of cries to erupt around Konoha, but not without mourning as many soon lost their lives, namely the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina,

During day-break, the people of Konohagakure looked over at each other while still carrying wounds from last night. Many civilians, children, younger shinobi and the elderly were exempted from hearing the whole truth concerning the attack. This left many feeling ill trust and forgotten, thus spurring their hatred onto the closest source of speculation, the Uchiha clan.

Nonetheless, this battle proved to only serve as a true mystery as to why it every occurred; the young shinobi eventually grew and went about with their duties while some in particular traveled a different path.

"I don't understand this! We only—" the teenage Sarutobi stared at his father, only to walked away from before he could finish it sentence. The Sandaime struggled to deal with his son's actions tied to the local orphan, Umino Iruka, but that didn't stop him from aiding the boy back into recovery after feeling personally responsible for his parent's demise.

"F-Father, wait! Listen to me!"

"I will listen the moment I began to understand the situation, Asuma." Hiruzen turned around to stare at his half-clothed son. His eyes were stoic but lost and in question over what he caught occurring not moments ago.

"Until then, I do not want to see Iruka in your room any longer."

"Damn you and your ideals!" Asuma roared in a fit of anger while draping on the shirt closest to him, determined to leave before his father could serve as his controller any longer. "What I do with my body is my own damned business!" He had enough of it at this point, and felt strangely lost inside his own home, with a father he couldn't hope to make proud any longer.

"Asuma. ." Iruka murmured while hearing his friend's outcry, staring outside from the Sandaime's quarters the moment he saw his friend run off. This caused him to rise off the chair and attempt at stopping Asuma from leaving, but Hiruzen soon entered and stopped him from any sudden advances.

"It is not you, and it is not him." Hiruzen assured the teen, sighing with a gentle smile as his hand pressed down onto the young Umino's head.

"I pray you will not view the ill in me, Iruka."

Iruka dropped his eyes in despair, realizing what the Sandaime was trying to say. But it was too late, Asuma was now absent from his company and Iruka felt lost again. The Hokage's touch did little to comfort him, but he felt it would do no good to go against his word.

"H-Hai, Hokage-sama."

He clutched at his bare chest, a necklace cradled below his neck, remembering those last few minutes of grace he had with the son of the Sandaime.

Hiruzen traveled with Iruka over to Asuma's room and sighed even more deeply.

"He will return one day, Iruka." The Hokage muttered wile his hands clutched the shinobi's shoulders, "When he does, I ask that you will remain his friend."