Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't make money on Naruto, in fact I probably loose money doing this, etc etc, don't sue me please.
AN 1: If you didn't notice the anime, this is not my normal PoT stuff, this is Naruto, if you don't read this and complain that its not PoT I shall be cross. I have not abandoned my PoT stuff, just detoured to start on my Naruto storyline. You have been warned!
AN 2: This is vaguely based more on the anime than the manga. Only vaguely mind you, it's sorta a mush of them both, with a bit of creative license, ignorance of time-line, and other such excuses mixed in.
AN 3: there is no AN 3
The large gates before us were open, people milling about, laughing, talking; no one noticed three silent strangers enter. Which was odd. Where were the guards who should have stopped them? A glance at their post showed that the two on duty were busy helping direct an older couple, though this should not have made them so lax in their duties. The woman on the right looked at her companions then at the crowd around them. A mixture of languages were heard, and with a start they realized there were many, many foreigners present.
The red-head reached out a hand and snagged a passing merchant, "Old man, why are there so many people in Konaha today?"
"The chunin exams are being held, the final exam is going on today…if you hurry you might still find a seat." the wizened old man tottered off with his cart as he was released with an apology.
"The exams? We have been gone a long time," the brunette sighed and stretched her arms over her head.
"Well I suppose that means we won't be debriefed any time soon, Saotori is probably officiating. C'mon, lets go see if we can wrangle some seats." They increased their pace, heading for the main arena, but a sudden explosion rocked them on their heels. A passing blur showed two boys, one with red hair being chased by a darker haired one. "What the hell…" And then hell did indeed break out.
"Kidnap ninjas, attack!" they echoed together, dividing into the throng of enemy jounin that appeared. Blades and chakra flashing they took on all comers, a few lucky ones could say they nicked or pushed back the famous Kidnap Ninja, but none was successful in routing them. The three worked silently, the only noises they made were the breath they took to continue fighting. After an hour they had finally cleared a few of the attacking horde, but all three lifted their head as a familiar feeling chakra washed over the village.
"It can't be…" the one stated, but all three quickly made it to a parapet that hadn't been knocked over. The sight that greeted them chilled their bones. "It's back!"
"It can't be!" the brunette said, but their eyes didn't deceive them, the nine-tailed fox demon was back! However, this time it seemed to have brought a friend, a large sand-raccoon was facing off against it. As they began to panic a familiar voice greeted them, and the red-head turned and tackled him.
"Kakashi, it's horrible, the nine-tailed…"
"No, that's not the nine-tails, at least not the real one," they all gaped as they realized the copy ninja had uncovered his left eye. It seems he had been seriously fighting as well. "That would be my student, the ever unpredictable genin Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki Naruto?" they echoed in harmony. Anger, fear, and surprise was a mixed bag of emotions for each of them. Looking from face to face they said nothing before sprinting into the woods, hoping what the jounin had said was true, that their godson was indeed alive.
Twelve Years ago
"Fall back, fall back!" a wave of heat and wind pushed back the shinobi who didn't retreat far enough. Panting the three looked at the man whom seemed to stand against it all. "Go, it's time." We hesitated, it seemed they would need us more here, on the front, than they did elsewhere. When we didn't move he turned and looked us each in the eye. "Please, you cannot do anything here, but she needs you. I cannot, you shall be me, let her know all is well. You know I have to do this, so you must go." When put like that we couldn't deny him, so we left for the house far beyond the range of the attack.
Arriving we frowned at the single medic that was present, but with a start we realized that those on the front needed the medics more. "How is she?" Sake asked, taking him aside. Moving past them we headed inside, a forced smile on my, and my companion's face. "How are you?" we asked the woman ensconced in the bed.
"I'm…" she panted as presumably a labor pain hit, "I'm fine. How are the others?" Though she didn't mention him specifically we knew what she was really asking.
"He's fine," picking up a cup I handed it to her, letting her get a bit of water and ice chips. "He has a plan, you know he always does." Sitting in the chairs Amane brought over I smiled into her tired face. "Don't worry, he'll be here for the birth of his son."
Sake appeared in the doorway, her eyes hidden. Glancing at Amane I let her take over as I moved quickly to the door. Stepping back into the hallway I looked into her face. "What, what's wrong?"
Turning her head Sake swallowed and whispered, "The medic says it's been too long. She's been in labor since yesterday, she lied to him before he left, her water broke too soon, and now she'll have to give birth dry." Taking a deep breath she looked at me. "She won't survive it, she's too weak."
Blinking back tears I covered my mouth and shook my head, "No, you're wrong! Can't he cut in and take the baby that way?"
"No, it's too far along, the baby is coming, and he doesn't have the appropriate drugs to help stop it. All we can do is make her comfortable." Straightening her shoulders, "I can take away most of the pain, you two will have to do most of the work though, she won't be able to feel the contractions." As I began to cry she frowned and wrapped her hand around my upper arm painfully. "You cannot go in there blubbering. She may know what's wrong, but if you do that she'll loose it! Pull yourself together!"
Slowing doing as she asked I walked in behind her. Smiling at Amane I knew she had an idea what was wrong, her mouth was drawn tight. Sake moved to the woman's head and smoothed back her hair, small tendrils of chakra flowing from her fingertips to the tired woman's mind. "The medic will stay outside, he said you were uncomfortable with him around." She said in a soothing voice, and we could see what she was doing was calming the laboring woman.
"Thank you, I trust you to help me when it's time. He always said you had natural talent…I know…" she panted again for a moment, her skin becoming more ashen as this one passed. Looking down I nearly cried out as the color of blood became visible through the sheets. "I know you'll do what's right." Eyes rolling back in her head she seemed to pass out, and Sake gave us a pointed look.
Pulling back the sheet we both gagged at the blood, being ninja doesn't make the sight any less disturbing in such a situation. But, the unconscious contractions of her stomach showed us that we were already beyond the point of turning back. "Amane, help lift her, I'll pull out the baby." The three of us worked in chorus, and in a few moments the small life she'd nurtured for months was free of her womb. Sake then took over, cleaning out his mouth and checking for a pulse and breathing.
"It's a beautiful boy," having been released from Sake's control the mother was again awake, though weaker than before. "He shall be strong…like his father…" A contraction pushed out the afterbirth…and heralded the hemorrhaging. As blood poured from her tired body she grasped Amane's hand, her voice fading. "Nartuo…he always loved…my little Naruto, grow up to be strong…take care of my baby girls, he is all that will be left of us…." She faded away even as her son took a deep breath to let out his first cry.
This brought the medic running, with him a masked member of ANBU, but we didn't notice until he came to claim the child. Protesting as he pulled him from our embrace we glanced around furiously, the medic was now working on shrouding the body. "What's the meaning of this?" Sake demanded.
"He will take him to the others hidden in safety, they'll care for him until this battle is finished. Your job here is done, you must return to the front, hokage's orders!" Swaddling the baby the ANBU let the message sink in before he disappeared. Taking a moment each to pay respects to his mother we soon left, heading for the front. As we approached we watched as the frog boss was summoned, and knew that the end was near. Helping the medics pull injured shinobi back we didn't see the end, but the sudden cessation of the demonic chakra let us know it was done.
Later, after the casualties and injuries were calculated we had to wonder if it was worth it. Exhausted we wanted nothing more than to fall into our beds, let the nightmare be done, but we had to find the baby. We had each silently sworn to his mother we would care for him, and no amount of exhaustion would keep us from that. Stopping first at our sensei's we frowned when no one answered, maybe he was with his child? Going then to ANBU headquarters we tried to get someone to tell us where the infant had been taken, but they dodged our questions. Finally we were sent to the Third's, our frowns indicating we were not happy with this as he answered the door.
"Girls…I see you have come, I knew they would send you to me." inviting us in he waited as we were served tea, the tension mounting as we wondered why he wasn't saying anything.
"He told me you would not understand, so I ask that you let me explain before you say anything. First, I am afraid I must be the bearer of bad news. To stop the nine-tails, your sensei gave his life, he knew when the day started this would happen, but he did not want to worry you. He had hoped you would be with his lady, and not have to see it, that the joy of a new life would keep the pain at bay. However, as I understand it, his lady did not survive the birth…" at this he stopped and set down his tea cup. "Nor, as I understand from the ANBU who spoke to me earlier, did the babe."
"No!" the cry was wrenched from our throats. "He was healthy and fine when he was taken! What did those fools do to him?!" Sake and Amane ranted. I merely sat there, my whole body numb.
Holding up a hand, "I am not done. It seems the infant died in it's sleep, I am told this is not unheard of, though it makes it no less a tragedy. Maybe his mother sought him out from the other side, and unintentionally pulled him to the spirit world with her." In my mind I pictured his mother as she passed, swearing us to care for the child. She would have never done anything of the sort, this was all a horrible lie. "But whatever the cause, we should not mourn for him, he did not suffer, and now he is reunited with his parents on the other side. Our job now is to take care of the living." He continued with platitudes, my mind no longer registering them.
Eventually we left, though I recall none of the rest of the visit, looking at Amane and Sake I realized they too had retained nothing the Third had said. Our hokage was gone, our teacher was gone, his wife was gone, his child was gone…what did we have left here? Stopping in the middle of the road I stared at nothing. I knew my life had been blissfully without pain to this point, because nothing had ever felt like this. Sobbing I fell to my knees, my head falling back as I let out a scream of rage and pain, one that echoed in my head. No, it wasn't an echo, Sake and Amane had joined me in venting our rage, and we could only imagine what the village thought of this cacophony.
I knew that nothing else would be the same, but I couldn't think of the words to tell my two best friends this. Instead they told me. Amane placed her hand on my shoulder, Sake helped my to my feet. "Come, we cannot stay here. We have our list of targets, lets take this out on them." We both nodded, and so without a glance, without a word, we headed out of the village, away from the pain and loss
Present day
We reached the site of the battle just as the sand warriors took off with their comrade, but our minds were not on the enemy, they were on the blond nearly dead on the floor of the forest. Pushing aside the other boy we turned over the child we thought had died twelve years ago. Unknowingly we all were crying, our tears causing streaks along our faces.
"Hey!" the brunette drew a kunai on us and advanced, at least until he noted our village headbands. "You're of the Leaf Village?" his doubt was understandable, we had not been there in his lifetime. "What do you want with Naruto?"
Sake, ever the medic, quickly looked him over, then the unconscious female, before letting me gather up Nartuo. The wind chose that moment to whip through the now deforested area, sending leaves swirling around us.
"He is ours; we swore to his mother to protect him…we have done a poor job it seems." As the wind calmed we vanished, our young charge unmindful of the changes that are about to happen in his life.
a story for another time