Uzumaki Naruto did not live his entire life alone. Contrary to his own beliefs, he actually does have some semblance of an adopted family that predates his attachments to Team 7 and Umino Iruka.
His first few years were spent in the care of the ANBU. Every single one of them wore their masks around him at all times. Changing his diapers and singing him to sleep were Uzuki Yuugao's first assignments on the job. The song she sang to him was a melancholy tune of murder and hatred.
To this day, Naruto still finds himself compelled to want to hum the tune every time he sees someone in an ANBU mask.
Catch 22 by The Sh33p
Lullaby
The halls were eerily quiet as she headed towards the hokage's office. The constant shuffling of her clad feet against the stone floors echoed into the night, disrupting the preceding silence. The murmurs of civilians and shinobi alike no longer filled the Hokage tower; instead, families remained in their homes, meaning only to mourn the loss of the Yondaime and for many, the loss of brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.
It was now, in the aftermath of the Yondaime's funeral, that Uzuki Yuugao found herself called to the Sandaime's office to receive an S-class mission. The porcelain mask of the ANBU covered her face, painting her with the image of a cat, strands of hair the colour of the ripest of grapes adorning her head. She moved with the grace of Konohagakure's elite shinobi.
As she reached the doors to the hokage's chambers, she was met by his two guardsmen. Both sported bluish bruises under their eyes, signs of lack of sleep and endless mourning. They nodded as she passed by them, entering the room and the large oak doors closed behind her with a light thud, leaving her faced with the aged, wizened form of the Sandaime. The old man held his head in his arms, but at the sound of Yuugao's approach, he quickly straightened in his chair.
"Uzuki Yuugao."
Yuugao, briefly bowed before straightening and facing the aging man.
"Hokage-sama."
The ruler of the Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves let out a tired sigh, getting out of the chair and moving to stand near the large window that overlooked the whole village.
"Surely, you have heard of the Kyuubi's new vessel?"
The ANBU frowned, what did the Kyuubi child have to do with her first mission as member of Konoha's elite?
"Uzumaki Naruto? Of course, but why does the child concern my first mission?"
"He is your first mission. You have the task of caring for his needs and protecting him from the assassins who are sure to come."
Yuugao kept in silence, trying to comprehend the hokage's words. Her first mission as an ANBU would be to baby-sit the vessel of the nine tailed fox.
"It is very important that you keep him safe. He is the Yondaime's legacy."
"You want me to baby-sit a child."
Sarutobi turned to face her, meeting her black eyes with his own sad, dark gaze.
"Please Yuugao."
Yuugao nodded, not completely certain of how this whole ordeal would go down, but ready to do anything for the Sandaime. The man had seen the cration of Konoha through young, unexperienced eyes, and now he watched its fall from grace through old, wise eyes.
"Of course, sir."
………………ll……………
It was only five days after her meeting with the hokage that Yuugao truly met Uzumaki Naruto. He lay in a small wooden crib, a tiny child with wisps of golden hair and hazy blue eyes. He had not been fed since morning and his diaper was full and filling the small rundown apartment with a nauseous smell.
Yuugao did not now what to think of the child. Many of her colleagues that had seen the destruction brought upon Konoha by the Kyuubi wanted the death of the vessel, whilst others wanted him to be seen as a hero. To the young kunoichi however, he was neither demon nor saviour, now he was a babe with no parents and no future.
She did not usually feel pity for anyone, a trait brought upon her by the ANBU, but she could understand the pain the vessel was going through. The loss of parents and lack of family was something no child should have to endure, none. She had felt the pain, the loneliness, and she did not want another to also.
That did not mean she wantednto become Naruto's family. She would have rather watched him from afar, guiding him silently.
A sharp cry cut through her thoughts as Naruto cried out in hunger. She quickly got him out of his crib ( were all children this tiny?) and headed for the kitchen where she fed him the milk in the fridge.
As he ate, eyes watching her warily, confused but hopeful, she knew that this change in plans would only be for the better.
In the night, when the moon replaced the sun in the sky, Yuugao sat down in the old rocking chair and sang a lullaby to the small child in her arms, playing with locks of her hair.
It was a tune of melancholy and hatred, a tune every shinobi would come accosumed to. She sang it with a gentle, sweet voice and rocked the baby whose life would be consumed by the emotions in the song.
"Hush little baby, the demons are gone, mommy's not here, she's gone away. There's no more pain, so don't you cry, you will avenge your mothers life."
She sang 'till he fell into deep sleep, before settling him back into the small crib.
"Goodnight Naruto."
AN: I don't know whether or not this is a one-shot, only reviews will tell…or not/