Soft darkness settled comfortably into the sky and bade the world to sleep peacefully. Konoha seemed to have missed the memo. The night had finally fallen silent around the decimated outskirts of the village, but the village itself was bubbling over with life. Medic nin flitted from place to place with anxious looks plastered to their faces. Children wailed at the loss of their parents, parents lamented over the still bodies of thier children - death lurked at the edges night itself as those injured breathed their last. Damage reports from all over the village were beginning to overflow the makeshift office that had been built to serve as ground zero headquarters. The Kyuubi had left Konohagakure in a state of utter panic and ruin.
In the center of town, Hokage Tower loomed like a headstone over the wreckage of the village. The Tower was still however, the madness enveloping the village lapped uselessly against it. The Tower seemed to hold its breath - and with good reason. The side room to the Hokage's office was full of people that late evening. Two lanterns provided a cozy glow to the otherwise tense and twilit space. The small room was quiet save for the occasional soft breathing of the swaddled infant asleep in his basket on the table. Clustered around the small child were numerous anxious-faced men and women; elders from the village, a few notable jounin, and the Third Hokage The Third was the only one present who wore a look of easy placation.
"What should be done with it?" spat one of the elders, eyeing the sleeping child scathingly.
The man's sudden speech made some of the congregated jump in their seats, their eyes widening as if they'd just realized they weren't the only one in the room.
"Send it away! You'd have to be mad to keep it here!" a woman with a worry-lined face called out.
"I say we seal it underground and forget about it…"
"Are you crazy?! That's sure to anger the beast!"
"Why don't we kill it? The beast within would die as well!"
A shouting match ensued around the closely packed table. Men and women shouted at each other from their chairs, some brandished kunai threateningly at the other members. The child slept peacefully amidst the torrent of shouting.
"ENOUGH!!" The Third stood abruptly, knocking his chair over with the sudden movement. All voices quieted at once, the congregated ninja stunned into silence. The baby flinched in his sleep but remained silent. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves; he's an infant for kami's sake."
"Sarutobi-sama, are you implying that this…this thing poses no threat to us?!" an aging jounin hissed through clenched teeth, his face angry under numerous bandages.
The Hokage retained his calm, "That is exactly what I'm implying, Danzo-san. This child is harmless." He turned and gingerly picked up his fallen chair before easing himself into the cushion. "Now, we must not let our imaginations run away with us. The boy is Minato's own flesh and blood; how could you call yourselves Konoha ninja after tarnishing his memory like that-"
"Then what do you intend to do with him, Sarutobi?" Koharu Utatane spoke quietly but the sharp edge in her voice was not masked.
The Hokage steepled his fingers and thought. The room held its breath. All eyes in the room weighed heavily on the aging man, the glares of those gathered seemed to settle into his skin. The decision was going to be difficult – no matter what path it formed. Sarutobi closed his eyes in remembrance.
Minato - his beloved prodigy - stood before him, blue eyes swimming with unshed emotion. His infant son, merely weeks old, was cradled lovingly in his arms and wrapped in the ridiculously orange blanket Kushina had hand-knitted months before. The blonde man seemed at a loss of what to say.
"Sempai…I want you to keep my son safe for me."
"Minato, what do you mean? Of course I'll continue to help you look after him. But now is not the time, the demon fox is upon the village and we must do something to stop it. Too many lives have already been lost."
The Fourth Hokage's golden brow knitted in agitation and sadness, "That's…That's not what I meant."
Sarutobi looked askance at the younger man, "Minato…is there something you're not telling me?"
Minato wasn't listening. His eyes were cast down at the serene face of his baby boy, swathed in that garish blanket, and he was smiling fondly. The smile caressed his sad ocean eyes and they seemed brighter for a moment. He placed a tender kiss on the baby's brow and looked up at the older man again.
"Just promise me you won't let anything happen to him."
The Third's eyes stung as he surfaced from his reverie, the gaping hole in his heart where his student's memory resided throbbed to life. If he ever broke any promises in his long life, that one would certainly not be on the list.
"Sandaime-sama." It was Homura that spoke harshly now, his glasses flashing in agitation as he pushed them back up his nose.
The Hokage rose from his seat, lifting the infant from his basket tenderly and cradling his tiny form against his chest, "He stays in the village. There will be no questions asked. From this day, anyone who speaks of what transpired this day will be severely punished. The boy is not to know of any of this." His sentence was punctuated by the sharp opening and closing of the side office door.
The meeting was over; the gathered ninja were left in the subtle dimness.
XoooX
"Tsunade."
The young woman looked up at the sound of her name, "Yes, Sensei?"
"I want you to take this child to the hospital. Leave him in the care of the nurses there who have taken in the other orphaned children."
"Right away, Sensei." She accepted the proffered child from the old man and turned to walk away. She hesitated, "Sensei…This is Minato-sama's little boy isn't it?"
Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
Tsunade frowned, realization coming to her eyes as she pieced the evidence together, "Wh-what's his name?"
"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."