Can you believe it, can you receive it? Why am I quoting techno music? Has hell frozen over, because I finally have something new for all of you readers. As promised here is the first installment of Strengthening Bonds v2. Over 7000 words, all to set the scene for what I hope will be an epic story. For those who remember the announcement I put in v1, you can disregard it. I have since reworked the plot many times over to what I now have planned.

I have labeled this as a NaruHina story because I want to focus more on them rather than my OC. I also want to take this moment to give a big shout out to Leaf Ranger who was my greatest inspiration for finally getting this baby off the ground. Now, without further ado, let us begin...

Prologue: Boy and Girl

9 years before the Cataclysm

Some people have asked the question, where the hell do these D-Ranked missions come from? Maybe from a villager who has been incapacitated and needs help, or a noble who just can't seem to keep her cat where it should be. But, every ninja from genin and up will tell you that a good 90% of all those "missions" come from the towns that surround the village itself. Take Konohagakure for example. Deep within the surrounding forest is a quaint place known as Hayashi Town, named after the forest itself. While many requests have sprouted from this secluded community, very few shinobi, both ally and enemy, have actually seen it and as a result, the people who reside 'among the trees' live a very casual lifestyle. If one were to listen closely enough, they could hear the laughter of children flitter amongst the branches, much like the type when a group of kids play hide and seek.

"Ready or not here I come!" This was his cue to scram and fast. Though he was far enough out of site of his pursuer, he still had to find somewhere to hide. Left and right, back and forth, he started to panic when he heard him getting closer. That's when his back hit the outside of a rather large tree. The boy looked up and saw it was low enough to the ground, while having dozens of leaves for cover. When the voice rang out again, he turned around and jumped with enough power to reach a good limb about 15 feet off the ground, about 12-13 feet higher than the 4 year old boy who had scaled the height in a matter of seconds.

He stifled his giggles at knowing that when he used this trick to hide himself, he was never found until he was the only one left. He remained completely still as one by one the other hiders were picked off. He knew the other kids would moan and groan at his secret ability to disappear but he considered it an advantage above everyone else. Seconds later he heard the quiet noise of someone running by the tree. Taking that as his other cue, he jumped out, but saw no one.

Hearing another noise behind him, he spins his head and just notices another kid running up the wooded hill behind him. Thinking it was someone from the game he yelled "You went too far I'm over here stupid!" What the figure did next confused him because it started running faster. Taken aback by the sudden behavior, combined with his natural curiosity he starts to follow whoever was scaling the hill.

XxXxXxXx

She did not have a very good day. Actually, she rarely had a good day. But, every time she tried to think about it, it only hurt more. Her little legs had taken her pretty far from her home, but she didn't care. No matter what happened she had to get away. "You went too far I'm over here stupid!" Oh no, she had been found. Instantly her pace quickened as much as it could. Going uphill was difficult though but she didn't care, she had to get away, farther away where she'd be safe.

She turned her head to get a glimpse of who was chasing her but it didn't allow her to see the tree root sticking out of the ground. As her foot was stopped she let out and 'eep' as she fell over. Plus, she felt her right leg scrape against something hard as she tumbled onto her side. Looking down she saw an open cut on the side of her heel and would've cried out if the strange voice hadn't yelled "Wait up!" Ignoring her injury she continued to run upward. Every foot fall sends jolts up her lower leg, begging her to stop and rest, but she didn't relent. Not until the ground evened out when she reached the top of the hill.

She fell down again, unable to take much more pain than what she had felt already, but that voice was still getting louder. With her last bit of strength she crawled to a nearby boulder, half buried and big enough to hide someone as small as her. Holding her leg as she forced against her tiny frame she waited. Her labored breathing being the only thing she could hear. After a while she was sure she had lost whoever was chasing her. The plum painted locks on her head fell forward as her head hit her knees. Lost in her own world she could not be harmed anymore by anyone, but became unaware to what had really happened around her.

"Why are you crying girl?" Her head snaps into attention at the voice which was closer than she remembered, before her was a little boy probably no older than she was. His dirty blonde hair fell around his head a little above his eyebrows. The curious expression plastered on his bright blue eyes betrays her expectations. She half expected him to be somewhat mad considering she had been trying to avoid him for the last…who knows how long it was. "Stop following me" she retorted rather bluntly.

"What kind of answer is that?"

"The obvious one and I was not crying now go away stupid." Though he didn't know why, but this girl was slowly starting to get on his nerves. After all he saw her running through the woods for no reason and decided to follow her. The next thing he knew she was against the rock like she was trying to disappear completely. All he wanted was to know why, couldn't she understand that much? He decided to get a better look at the strange creature before him and moved closer. The girl almost fell over when she turned and saw him right in her face. A small embarrassed flush appeared on her cheeks which once again irked the young boy's curiosity. Slowly he advanced his extended finger until it just touched her cheek. "Your face is all red and kinda hot, you sure you weren't crying?"

"I said leave me alone!" She smacked away his hand and got back to her feet. But, she wouldn't get very far before she fell back down on her knees. Seeing this odd reaction, Takuyo finally looked down at her feet and gasped when he saw a red smear on her ankle. Ever being the good boy he decided to let her know "AAAAAAAAAAH YOUR BLEEDING!" as if she wasn't already humiliated enough for one day. But she didn't try moving again lest she feel more pain so now she was stuck with herself and a clumsy boy who didn't know when to take a hint. When she lifted her head again she was greeted by the sight of his back as he had crouched down in front of her. "Get on silly" was all he said.

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Do you want to sit here and try to wish it away or do you really want to get better?" This boy was now working on her last nerve. Did he even know the meaning of the word 'stop' or is he just being an even bigger idiot by ignoring her pleas? Nevertheless, she couldn't say he was wrong about her leg so she crawled up and put her short arms over his shoulders while he grabbed her thighs. Lifting himself up he finally started moving back down the hill. Now the girl finally saw how far she had actually run. It was a longer hill than she realized and she was thankful that she didn't run her head into a tree. Though, she was a little anxious that her carrier might suffer something similar. "Better watch your step or you could end up hitting that empty head."

"I've been up and down this hill like 10 times so watch it girly or I just might drop you on your butt."

"What did you call me you stupid idiot?!"

"Takuyo"

"What?"

"My name is Takuyo" was his response. She made to retort but then she noticed that they were already out of the woods and back in town. How did he get here so fast? Furthermore where were they? "You must be from the western side of town girl" she could only gasp in surprise. "Are your reading my mind?"

"Hey do I look like a psycho to you……why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think you mean psychic, idiot." Takuyo sweat dropped at her comment but turned his mind back to the task at hand, helping the girl on his back. First thing was to get through the market then it would be easy from there. As the scores of faces flew by, few paid the young ones any attention at all. They mostly figured they were just playing some new kind of game. Kids could be so creative. "You never answered my question; do you even know where you're going?"

"Of course I do silly."

"But my house is the other way."

"I know, now let me think." Think, about what exactly? His face seemed to look back and forth and back again as if he was searching for something flying overhead. Next, he stuck a finger in his mouth then held it up in the air. Was he trying to call a ferry? They were nowhere near water. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Reading the wind, say, how fast have you gone before?" The girl's face paled slightly at his question. She was unsure of whether to answer or let nature take its course and see what he means. "I d-don't understand…"

"Hang on tight girl I'm kicking into turbo speed."

"T-turbo speed, what do you meeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" The only witnesses to her screaming were the birds, bugs, and few people that happened to be going along the same trail as Takuyo sped down the dirt road. The girl could only cling harder to him so as not to fall off. Yet, almost as soon as he accelerated, he started slowing down. In a matter of seconds they had come to a full stop leaving the little girl shaking like, well, a leaf. "You can open your eyes now silly, we're here…*sniff sniff*…and it's lunchtime too, I'm hungry." Slowly her lids lifted, and then they shot open. Before them was an open field the likes of which she had never seen before. The grass was long enough to come up just below Takuyo's shin, leaving it long enough for it to seem like an ocean when the wind lapped against the tiny blades.

At last, in the near distance, she saw their destination. A cozy house planted right in the middle of the vast open space. Takuyo started running again, albeit this time at a normal pace, towards the door where food awaited him, and probably his passenger. Finally stepping inside, he turned and placed her down on a small bench by the door leaving his hands free to remove his shoes. "Wait here, I'll be right back" and he dashed into the next room. The little girl took the time to observe where she had been abruptly taken too. It was a simple room, a set of stairs leading to a second floor, and a hallway leading into the other rooms on this floor. Her eyes fell on the wall in front of her and she quickly inhaled. There were two pictures, one on top of the other, of three people. Given the background of each she assumed one was taken this past Christmas while the other was taken outside.

But, what sold her was that she immediately recognized the little boy centered in the images as the crazy, random boy she had just met not 30 minutes ago. She quickly assumed that the two adults on either side of him were his…parents. Her body seemed to shiver at the thought of such a prospect and she suddenly wished she was back in her room. "She's on the bench by the door mommy, please you gotta help her!"

"Alright Takuyo you don't have to push me." The melodious tone of that second voice could only come from an adult woman. The girl looked up and once again saw the now familiar face of Takuyo along with the woman in the pictures. Given his rather loud cry from before, this was no doubt his mother. She seemed apprehensive as the woman kneeled down by her leg. A small reflex kicked in as her soft fingers touched the bottom of her foot. "It's okay little one, I won't hurt you." She looked into her face, her short dark hair just reaching below her neck and those bright maroon eyes, and she was suddenly calm. The prospect was both relieving and scary at the same time to her young mind. Catching a hint of green her eyes moved to her foot as she saw the woman's hand glowing in the same color as it touched her wound.

Meanwhile she heard another sound coming from somewhere else in the house and noticed Takuyo press himself against the wall under the stairs. As he slid into the shadow she had a new set of questions to his behavior until another voice filled the air "I'm home Saya."

"I'm in the hallway Roshi dear." The girl soon deduced that this Roshi was the third person from the photos, Takuyo's father. Looking back to Takuyo's position she somehow understood what he was about to do. She quickly hoped that the woman would finish whatever she was doing and soon, before the man made his way further in. But it was too late as a tall, and armored figure stepped into the room. She only caught his blood red hair and beard before there was a loud cry echoing off the walls "BANZAI!!!"

"Too slow little boy." The girl was left breathless as she saw the man's arm extend and grab Takuyo's shoulder and maneuver him under his arm. The man's free hand formed a fist as he directed it to the little boy's head. Scared beyond belief she turned to the woman who was watching the scene with an amused smirk on her face, while still keeping her hand on her leg. Before she could even squeak the man's hand had already moved. Shutting her eyes she waited for the inevitable…laughter? "You are strong young one, but you are no match for my Noogie no Jutsu!!!"

"HAHAHAHAHA Okay daddy put me down! Put me down daddy please!" Roshi complied as he loosened his grip on his son, who was still giggling as he sat down on the floor. The girl couldn't believe her ears, let alone her eyes. She had expected to hear him cry out in pain when the man started hitting his head. But neither was the case as Takuyo got back to his feet so Roshi could talk to him. "You're getting better my boy, had I not felt you scuttling about when I first entered, I would not have sensed you till you jumped me."

"It still wasn't fair you knew where I was before you got here."

"Now Takuyo, remember a good ninja…"

"…is always on alert, I know dad. But you'll mess up sometime then I'll be the one giving the noogies!" The man chuckled as he ruffled the boy's hair, commenting on his determination. The girl was absolutely speechless. Never before had she seen such friendliness between such people before. Then again, she couldn't remember the last time she had been out of the house so the world outside was strange to her. She felt her heart skip a couple beats Saya broke her from her trance. "There, I'm all done." She shot her head down toward her foot. Her eyes widened when she saw no trace of the blood ridden cut that was there just moments ago. "You should be able to stand, there was no major damage" so she did. Amazed at not feeling any pain she brushed the dirt off her navy kimono. The man cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention towards him. He looked down at the young girl and cocked a brow inquisitively. "Just who is this young lady?" the tall man sternly asked

"Roshi, your son seems to have made a new friend today" Saya added with a smile

"Really now, well a friend of my son is a friend to this family any day!" The man resumed his laughter as he ruffled her hair. The girl was once again breathless, she had to be dreaming. Convinced, she started slapping herself but was stopped when Roshi got a grip on her wrists. "Now don't do that, Saya just finished healing your foot. Please don't force her to do the same with your face alright?" She could only nod as she seemed incapable of any other movement. It didn't stop her stomach though. "Well now I think a certain little girl is hungry" he said with a soft pat on her tummy.

"Don't worry I can set up an extra place at the table."

"YES! Thank you mommy!"

"You're welcome Takuyo, now go get cleaned up your face is dirty."

XxXxXxXx

She ended up spending near 3 hours in their company after which she expressly wished to be taken home. The whole afternoon was easily the weirdest moment of her short life. Never before had she seen such a group of people so…so…she didn't even have a word to describe it all. Then again she was only 4 years old, her vocabulary was shoddy. Even now, as the young boy held her hand as they followed Roshi down the street she couldn't form a coherent sentence outside of directions back to her house. In the span of less than 10 hours she had run up a very large hill, injured her leg, met a total stranger, went to said stranger's house, got her leg healed, and had a very decent meal. What would her father say? Before she knew it, they had stopped again, this time in front of a much smaller house and one she knew all too well. "This is your house, but it's so small."

"Don't be rude son just remember that we've been very lucky in life." Roshi responded. The little girl just looked down, embarrassed and a little sad. The boy was right her home was very small, probably smaller than they knew. But that wasn't the worst of it. "I just remembered young lady we never got your name." She looked up at Roshi's imposing form and was a little stunned to see a pleasant smile on his face. She looked back at Takuyo and saw something similar. Part of her swore she was looking at the same face, just smaller. The odd thing was she felt an unfamiliar sense of comfort around the two. "G-gomenasai…I'm…"

"Anko there you are." She shivered a bit before looking up at the man who had appeared at the door. A little shorter than Roshi, he was still a good 6 feet tall. His trimmed muscles and tan complexion suggested he was a fighter, and he was indeed. Jibunka Mitarashi was the self-appointed town defender. Everyone knew his name even if they didn't want to, even Roshi. True he and his family had only been in town for 2 years but it didn't help. Roshi saw him at work once and he was gravely disappointed. In fact, he had almost gotten himself hurt against the Konoha jonin who had brought his genin into town for a mission. Not only were his priorities askew, so was his fighting ability. He did show good potential, but actions spoke louder than words to Roshi.

It then became clear to him that he had just spent most of the afternoon with this man's daughter. Looking back down at the young girl, he was slightly surprised to see her shaking. True normal people wouldn't notice such things but he was former jonin himself, and he always kept himself in shape. Next to her was Takuyo who had a funny look in his eye. His little brows were scrunched and his eyes squinting. Also, Roshi wasn't the only one to notice. "Most people will tell you that staring is rude brat."

"You're her daddy?" the boy said curiously. Jibunka smirked and patted his tiny head. He turned to his daughter and his smirk flattened. He flicked his head to the side. Anko seemed to understand as she dashed into the house and up the stairs. As Takuyo watched her vanish behind a wall, he swore he could hear a door shut and lock. "I apologize sir, I hope my daughter didn't bother you too much." Roshi turned back to him and grinned.

"Quite the contrary Mitarashi-san, my family and I very much enjoyed her company. Though, she did seem somewhat, shall I say, flustered around us. I'm sure that can be described as a typical reaction around strangers but I'm curious, does she often go outside?" Under normal circumstances Roshi would have strayed from such prying questions. But, looking at his son he could tell that there was something about the man the young boy didn't like. He may only be four, but his curiosity gave him an incredible insight in a situation, though his age made him unaware of it.

"No she doesn't, she gets scared pretty easily. I'm trying to work that out of her." Jibunka snorted as he turned back to where Anko had run. Turning back to his present company he gave Roshi what he thought was a neutral look. "As fun as getting to know you two is, I have some business to take care of, so I'll wish you good day" and with that being said, he closed the door. There was still a lingering sense of suspicion in the air as Roshi motioned for Takuyo and him to leave. They had barely gotten a mile away from the house when the silence was broken. "Hey dad…"

"Yes Takuyo, what's wrong?"

"I don't like that man. I think he's mean." The older man couldn't help but agree with his son's rather astute observation. Maybe the basic training he's put him through is progressing faster than he had hoped. But still, something did not seem right about the way that man presented himself towards others, much less his own daughter. "Takuyo I want you to listen to me very carefully." The little boy's ears perked in curious imagination. He knew whenever his father said that, he knew something big was about to happen, and it usually involved him. "After what we've seen tonight, I have your first mission."

7 years before the Cataclysm

Many months have passed and very little has changed for Anko. Her daily life continued to follow its normal, and predictable path but now with one little hiccup. There were some times where Takuyo would find her on the road and, in his own special way, initiate a form of tag. Freeze, hide and seek, or just plain, it didn't matter because every time she jumped when he seemingly popped up out of thin air. After that they'd watch the view from atop the same hill where they had met.

Takuyo said it had become something special to him, and that it was just as special to her. Despite some embarrassing moments with him and some of his friends, she was beginning to think that maybe there was some sense in his head. Of course, she had to lock away such thoughts when she was home lest her father catch her doing something he wouldn't approve of. Now she was concerned because he seemed to be catching on.

She made it clear to Takuyo and his parents that she be home around 5:00 or earlier. But, it didn't stop the boy from making a few close shaves. Anko thought he was crazy, but he just told her what he always told her for the past months: it was all part of his training. Part of her wished she could do what he could especially now. Nearing her front door once again she paused.

She inhaled deeply thinking 'Calm face Anko, calm face' as she got closer. When she felt sure enough she reached out and touched the handle. "I'm not letting this go on any further Jibu-kun." Anko stopped herself from opening the door. That voice belonged to her mother, and it sounded like she was in some sort of panic. Though she prayed it wasn't that bad, she would be proven wrong as the second voice wormed its way to her ears. "It's your problem, you know that, how is anyone going to take me seriously if she's always running away?!"

"How is it my problem when I've done nothing?!?!" It had started again, for the fourth time this month. Anko backed away from the door as her face fell. All their arguments nowadays had her as the main focus, but why? What did she do to provoke their anger? Her balled fist tightened slightly when she finally remembered what she was holding. Uncurling her fingers she looked at the now crushed item in her hands. Taking one quick look back at her house, she sighed before turning around and walking away. She would eventually break into a run as there was only one place to go now and she needed to get there fast.

XxXxXxXx

He really had to find a way to thank his father for what he had learned. Observing the sky as he leapt from limb to limb, one would think he was just doing it for fun. No, Takuyo was taking a path that had long since been burned into the corners of his brain. Finally catching sight of a break in the trees, he jumped back down to the ground. A little winded from using so much chakra he walked the rest of the way, finally reaching his destination. What's more, there was a surprise to greet him there. "Hey Anko, you're here early, what's going on?" She didn't give an answer and to him it only meant one thing. He was given this mission almost 2 years ago and to this day he still seeks to complete it. 2 years ago his father had told him to keep watch over little Anko and if something ever happened, to immediately tell him about it. Boy did they know how right they were about that.

It was 3 months ago that Takuyo had stumbled upon the house. Through the open window he heard shouts and cries coming from inside. His instinct told him to run and tell his father, but things started to get nasty. His father was on the other end of town when Takuyo heard a slap that he could feel from outside. His basic ninja training kicking in, he leapt through the open window, grabbed Anko and bolted out of there as fast as possible, but not before he was caught by a punch that grazed his temple. Needless to say, when the two bruised kids walked in the house, Roshi was concerned, shocked, and furious all at once. It was that day that Takuyo and his family learned the truth they hoped that wasn't.

Another thing was that the young girl seemed to be more of a recluse after that day, like dying embers on a dim lit fire. Sometimes she would not appear before them for days on end. When she did, she'd often have another bruise or cut that needed attention, but that was all she wanted. The icing on the cake was that she'd even walk herself home. Eventually Takuyo got fed up with her behavior and sent Anko a message. Meet me on the hilltop today was all was written along with his name. For a while she wasn't going to do it then she heard the loud voices from inside her house. She thought if her parents were preoccupied with themselves then they haven't noticed she wasn't there, so she ran. She didn't know why nor did she care. What mattered was that she had a potential direction to go to besides down and only one person could confirm that for her "Why Takuyo?"

"Excuse me, I don't understand?"

"I mean you and your parents, why do they keep doing this?"

You're not making any sense Anko." He could tell there was something she wanted answered, but the questions she's thrown so far were not really clear. Though he had an idea, he too wanted confirmation. "What is it that I've done that's bothering you?"

"Everything…"

"You got to do better than that Anko."

"I mean everything that you…um…y-your parents have done…for me." Takuyo figured it was something he did wrong but never in his short life had he expected an answer like that. The one thing he was happy was that Anko didn't see the bewilderment covering his face. She was too buried in herself to notice much outside from the grass beneath them. "You spent almost 2 years watching over me. You feed me, give me a nice bed to sleep in, a place I can almost call home. Why do all that for me?"

"I don't know how, but you're making look like you don't want it, Anko what's wrong?" There was no answer from the timid girl. He asked again, but was once again met with silence. Taking a more direct approach he moved in front of her to see if he could make her look at him. The response was her pushing him away while she turned her back to him. Though it wasn't what he had hoped for, he knew why she was so quiet now. This time as he moved towards her, he knelt beside her, like he did 2 years ago and said "Anko…why are you crying?" All he heard was something akin to a steady case of hiccups. "H-how can you be s-so k-kind to me?"

"Anko I don't think…"

"H-he always tells me I'm worthless…a failure…a stupid waste of space!"

"How could you say…"

"I SAY IT BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!!! Every time I ever try to be something that's what he tells me! 'You'll never amount to anything wasting your time on such trivial objects' he says every single freaking day! I'm lucky if all I get is a slap in the face! How can I be the girl he wants if I always do things wrong?!"

"But what have you done wrong?!"

"I……I…I d-don't know Takuyo. How can I have such wonderful things if I can't answer that?"

"That makes no sense at all!"

"Yes it does, it means I'm everything he says I am! How can I get your kindness if I d-don't *hic* even d-deserve it?" That was the last straw. Takuyo couldn't take anymore of her sad, self hatred. He wanted her to know she was wrong, and damn it all he was going to prove it to her. "NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME GIRL!" That did its job of getting her attention. As her face rose from her knees it revealed the hot, swelling, tear stained face of a girl who always tried to keep it inside, but in the end lost the battle. Takuyo found it strange that he himself had to fight down the urge to cry at the sight as he continued. "I don't care about what he thinks, I don't want to hear what he says. If something is going on then we'll always be there to help you, if not my parents then me!"

"B-bb-but…why…" before she said anything else Takuyo put a finger over her lips. All he did then was gaze into her chocolate colored eyes with something she had never seen before. As the air left her lungs he whispered "It's what friends do, they help each other when they're sad." She would always remember that as the day she finally broke down in front of someone else. He would always remember it as the first time he truly helped another. Both would remember it as the time their true relationship began.

XxXxXxXx

The following year saw a major change in young Anko. Roshi finally confronted Jibunka about his actions toward her and in many ways was the back breaking straw. Before divorcing her bastard of a husband, Chimushi, Anko's mother, made sure to spend at least one full day with her before leaving for parts unknown. She knew she had allowed Jibunka to play her like a drum thus paving the way for many bad memories, ones she wanted to replace. But, Roshi, Saya, and Takuyo were there to pick up the pieces and welcomed her into their home. Though the first week she rarely came out of her room aside from meals, she eventually opened up to the three of them more and more with each day.

Anko also seemed to fall into her own skin quiet well. Going from a scared, introverted girl, to a spark of energy with an attitude, well as much of an attitude a 7 year old girl can have without looking crazy. Today was one example as she was the one to tackle Takuyo, also 7, face down into the grass "HAH I got you, now say it!" She could only giggle at his muffled voice, but then again she did have him pinned. Finally able to turn his head he spit out whatever had crawled into his mouth. "NEVER, not until you break every bone in my body! I will find a way to…OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT!" Anko turned her head and one second later was laid flat on the ground, Takuyo holding her arms down. "You cheated."

"Ninja training, I'm two years ahead of you did you forget?"

"How could I when you remind me every day?" She said rolling her eyes before being tickled. Takuyo loved doing this to her, making her laugh. To him it was a sure sign she was happy, and it seemed to happen a lot recently to. He would've kept going had a familiar mental alarm not gone off. When Anko stopped giggling, she saw the serious look in his eyes as they darted about. Having started her own ninja training she knew they were not alone anymore. She nodded and Takuyo made a single bunshin to stay in place, while he went off to greet their company. Moments later, Anko heard the cry of "BANZAI" from the woods to her left so she immediately made a break for it. She stumbled upon a very confusing sight.

Takuyo was down, spirals in his eyes, while a strange woman knelt beside him. Her long red hair loosely tied back fell down way below her shoulders above a light blue tank, a small yellow stripe running up and down the middle. Matching arm warmers easily concealed the mesh armor she wore underneath along with her fingerless gloves. Light blue pants rounded out the suit while black shin greaves and shinobi sandals covered her feet. As Anko gazed into her dazzling pale sea foam eyes, something inside her told her she was way out of her league. She wanted to run, but that would mean leaving Takuyo to an unknown fate. "I'm sorry, is this your friend little one?"

Anko was brought back to her senses at her melodious voice. Now the woman had a puzzled face as she kept looking back and forth between the kids. Anko finally swallowed the lump in her throat finally finding her voice. "H-how did you do that?"

"He kind of caught me off guard, it was a reflex more than anything. He's still conscious, just dizzy."

"But I dun-wanna feed gramma bacon while she's in the bathtub." The woman laughed out loud at the random statement. Seeing as the she meant no harm Anko crouched next to Takuyo and lightly shook him out of his stupor. Getting the feeling back in his head he too turned to face the lady before him. "I think I'll be feeling that one for a while, are you a jonin?"

"Y-yes…I am."

"No wonder my brain suddenly has a pulse. I think I'm done for the day."

"Takuyo, there you are." Roshi finally appeared before the trio. Having sensed his spike in chakra he knew something had happened. He was glad he and Anko weren't hurt. Then he noticed the third person. "Seeing as there are no broken bones or anything, I'd like to know why a Konoha jonin is here unannounced."

"I'm on a mission, a big one. Do you know of a man named Roshi Kataimei?" The older man raised a brow and on instinct got in front of the two kids. "What business does the leaf want with me?" The woman stiffened at his question. Roshi had to adopt a defensive stance as he watched her release a katana from a seal on her forearm. However, before either moved, another figure entered the fray, right behind the sword wielding woman. "Stand down Kushina-chan."

"M-Minato-kun…but this man is…"

"I know who he is, and that's why we can't kill him." Kushina hesitated before lowering her sword and resealing it. Takuyo saw an opportunity and stood back in sight of the two jonin. "What do you want with my dad?" Both Minato and Kushina seemed surprised at this new information. He looked back at Roshi to see him rubbing the bridge of his nose in quiet frustration. "I think we're getting off on the wrong foot. Roshi, if you don't mind, we need to talk."

16 years after the Cataclysm

"Anko-san are you alright?" The woman was cast from her thoughts and abruptly looked to her companion. The boy desperately needed to get some sun, and his social skills were pretty abysmal. Nevertheless she did admit that Sai, though a member of ROOT, was a big help on the recently cancelled mission. She, him, and Yamato had just found the location of Kabuto Yakushi when the wood master suddenly took off saying there was an emergency. They had followed him back to the village and immediately they stopped. The sight was almost unbearable. Everything was gone, flattened like a pancake while rubble accumulated at the edges of what used to be Konoha.

True rebuilding had begun, evidence of Yamato's newly created buildings, but she still felt somewhat sad, probably because of the loss of her favorite dango shop. It was then she heard the sound of Kiba Inuzuka's voice and decided to investigate. She met up with Sakura Haruno, Kakshi Hatake, and the hero of the hour, Naruto Uzumaki. While she was surprised at the villager's change in attitude towards him, it would soon pale in comparison to what she was about to hear. "What's going on over here, the village is in shambles and the lot of you are just standing around." Team Kakshi nodded to the dog boy who turned to face her. "I had just found out that Tsunade was just dismissed as Hokage, and that some freak named Danzo has taken her place."

The spike in energy was noticeable for a good mile, and it was coming from Anko. Unknown to her, the whole of Team Kakashi knew Danzo as well, for various reasons. "Beg my pardon Anko, but do you know the dear elder?" Kakashi enquired. Before she could answer, 4 ANBU agents suddenly surrounded them. Not far behind was the bastard of the hour himself, a smirk over his mummy like face. "Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage has ordered you to be placed in ANBU security." The agent with the bird mask blankly droned.

"On what grounds exactly?" Danzo looked as if he was about to spit in Naruto's face

"You have no rights here Kyuubi, take him down." The agents prepared to attack while Kakashi, Sakura, Kiba, and Anko prepared to defend Naruto. Danzo's only reaction was a bland frown. "You dare go against the Hokage, then you are all traitors, take the boy, kill the rest." The fight was about to begin until the immediate area became shrouded in blood. The commotion had drawn the attention of some nearby workers who had heard the confrontation. They would vomit when they saw the corpses of 4 ANBU Root agents, freshly killed, blood spewing from the shuriken wounds in their heads. "They're dead, b-but how is this possible, who did this?!" Danzo yelled.

"That would be me" a voice responded from behind the elder. He spun around only to be caught in a head lock and forced onto the ground. The newcomer wore faded black pants matching his sandals. Leather, fingerless gloves on his hands marked the end of the long sleeves of the beige jacket, the sheepskin lining showing on the folded down collar. The coat was unbuttoned showing the dark red top he wore underneath it all. The only thing not visible was the top half of his face, it being covered by a bandana and sunglasses but did nothing to hide the brown-orange facial hair growing on his chin and upper lip. Danzo squirmed beneath him but also knew that this attack would bring reinforcements under his control. "You have made a poor choice of action stranger. Even if you escape them, my ninja will hunt you down and erase every trace of you."

"You can't threaten me with criminal status Danzo. Last I remember I had already achieved the highest level in your eyes" the man whispered. Danzo stopped wiggling and slowly turned his one good eye to look upon his assailant. "It c-can't be you…"

"Call off your men, or the village will get a better Hokage" at that moment more Root agents appeared, though seemingly hesitant to engage the intruder. Danzo gave them a light nod and they backed off. The man lowered himself again to whisper "You live another day elder, but know this. Things have been put in motion that you could not even begin to comprehend. I will be back, and next time, someone will be coming with me. Beware dear elder, I will be watching." The man the leaped off Danzo and struck the ground with his fist. The rock spires that shot up broke the group of converging Roots. When they retracted, he was gone.

I'm looking at this piece of work right now and all I can say is WOW. This is a 'I have seen Star Trek and it was friggin awesome' WOW. I've rarely felt so good about any of my work. I think I finally see again why I had became a fan author in the first place. Being a Mechanical Engineering major in college, I'm opening myself to a wide variety of career paths. Just like that, your mind can create many paths for countless situations. In short, it's called being creative. I hope you've enjoyed the prologue because now is where the fun really begins.

Another round of thnaks to Leaf Ranger, keep doing what you're doing man!

EDIT 6/19/09: fixed two small grammar mistakes. Also, Kushina's outfit was made by Nishi06 on Deviant Art in her MinaKushi doujin. Just wanted to give proper credit.

EDIT 7/02/09: who the hell is KAKSHI? Found 2 of those and corrected them