Hide
Disclamer/Note: I don't own Naruto, and if I did Itachi would be my boyfriend, so don't sue me because all you'll get is a bag of tootsie rolls and whatever change I have in my POS Honda, and that goes for all the rest of the chapters too. Hide's name is pronounced Hi-Deh… if you want to use her let me know… this is after the time skip when Jiraiya returns from another "research" trip, this was going to be two separate fics, but I figured what the hell, and made it one big one. Have fun with it! Ja-ne!
Mena
Jiraiya finished his third sake and then ordered another. After all, he deserved it and a big guy like him didn't get drunk easily. Jiraiya was halfway though the fourth when Naruto walked into the bar. Jiraiya had only been gone a year and Naruto had already grown in strength and size. Now he truly looked like Yondaime, albeit a little thinner. Naruto saw Jiraiya and waving furiously, called out to him.
"Hey! Old-Fart-sensei!" Jiraiya felt a stab of annoyance, Naruto may have looked matured but his brain sure hadn't caught up. "I missed you Old-Fart-sensei, where did you go?" Naruto pulled up a chair to the dark corner of the bar that Jiraiya was in.
"What are you doing in a bar?" Jiraiya retorted. "More sake please!" He called to the waitress. Naruto eyed the piling glasses Jiraiya had.
"Are you getting drunk?" Jiraiya downed the new glass of sake and then gestured for another.
"No. How old are you now, Naruto?"
"Fourteen, why?"
"Whoosh! I'm getting old."
"You've been old for a while."
"Shut up." Naruto shrugged.
"Can I have some?" The waiter had given up and brought Jiraiya a large bottle.
"No!" Jiraiya shouted, clutching to bottle to him. Naruto ordered water and pushed himself back on the chair, one foot bracing himself on the table. He stared into his cup and sighed. Jiraiya eyed him, "Why so blue?" Naruto looked up and grinned
"No reason, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing."
"Liar. Tell me or I'll sit on you." Naruto pouted, but then his face became deathly serious.
"Three more days and Orochimaru can take Sasuke's body." Jiraiya startled, he hadn't realized the time would come up so soon.
"What are you going to do?"
"Grandma Tsunade is letting me lead a team in the morning."
"A Chunnin leading a team?" Naruto glared at Jiraiya
"You've been gone a long time. I'm not a Chunnin any more." Jiraiya studied Naruto for the first time. The boy was wearing the sleeveless black jumpsuit, gloved half sleeves, grey vest and the boots, utility belt and metal arm and hand protectors of an ANBU member. Sure enough, when Jiraiya leaned over, Naruto had the tattoo. His forehead protector was around his neck now, leaving his blonde hair free to fall around his face. How could have Jiraiya missed that the orange jumpsuit was gone? Perhaps he needed to lay off the sake now.
"ANBU, huh? I'm impressed Naruto." Jiraiya said, pushing is sake bottle away. Naruto shrugged again, the brooding look back on his face. Jiraiya was taken aback; the Naruto he knew would have eaten up the praise and then bragged. Perhaps he had matured… enough to know… the boy was a man now, he had the right to know. "I'm thinking you're old enough to hear your parents' story." Naruto looked up, surprised.
"You knew them?"
"Yes I knew them. I know their story too. I was there for most of it… I trained your father you know. It's a sad story Naruto, I don't know if you really want to hear it."
"I want to hear it." Naruto was leaning forward now, his face intent. "I don't know anything about them, tell me everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything." Naruto nodded, Jiraiya felt himself itching for another swing of sake. He chugged some and then pushed the bottle back.
"You mostly look like your father, your eyes are bigger and you're thinner, perhaps, but the resemblance is striking… you look like him more every year, but your behavior resembles your mother the most. She was loud, outgoing, emotional and a bit of a trickster. She was beautiful too and the only woman I ever knew who could make your father blush or laugh."
"What did she look like?"
"She was as thin and short as your father was tall and strong… they looked funny together sometimes, but what she lacked in height she most certainly had in personality, and she—"
"Baka! I asked what she looked like."
"Oh, very pretty, long red hair and big beautiful green eyes, pale skin and quite a body... for a short girl." Naruto was unphased by this.
"Was she a ninja?"
"Yes, but she only was a Chunnin… she was more interested in being a teacher for younger children. She was good at it too, most of the children she taught went on to the academy and were top students… she gave them a good start, she was a person of kindness and values."
"What did she smell like?"
"I can't remember, something good—"
"What was her name?" Naruto was painfully close to Jiriaya now,
"Hide." Jiriaya pushed Natuto back into his chair. Naruto sat there for a minute, muttering his mother's name.
"Don't you wonder about your father?"
"Not as much as I wonder about my mother."
"You should wonder about your father more, he was a great man." Naruto was silent again.
"What was his name?"
"Rinn."
"What did he look like?"
"Like you, I just said that. Now, do you want to hear their story or not?"
"I do want to hear it; I want to hear it very much."
"Then shut up and listen."
Hide struggled against the rope that held her to the log, her green eyes blazing at Jiriaya.
"This is stupid. Why do I get punished for our lack of teamwork?"
"You tried to eat lunch before it was your turn."
"Yeah, well this is a stupid test." Hide struggled again, then gave up and sighed.
"I'll be back later." Jiriaya said, "There are some girls at the lake." He took off.
"Why did we get such a perv for a boss?" Fugaku muttered. Hide's stomach growled.
"He's not near us right now Hide, do you want some of mine?" Rinn offered. Fugaku glared at them.
"We'll get disqualified."
"She'll be no use to us weak from hunger; besides, I don't sense Jiriaya anywhere near here." Fugaku concentrated and then nodded.
"I don't sense him either, but don't expect me to feed the little monster."
"Who are you calling—" Hide was force-fed by Rinn.
"No fighting." She swallowed the rice and smiled lovingly at Rinn.
"Oh Rinn, you're so smart and strong, thank you. Why don't we get married?"
"I already told you, no."
"But—" Rinn shoved more rice into Hide's mouth.
"Hide was in love with Rinn from the second they met in the sandbox. They grew up together and when it was time to be Genin they were on the same team, that didn't last long. Rinn had skills that were very advanced… he became an AMBU member at fourteen. Hide asked Rinn to marry her at least once a week and although they were close friends Rinn refused her again and again over the years."
"Hide!" Rinn shook sleep away and stared at the beauty in his room. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Rinn was in his office, he had fallen asleep yet again on the stack of paperwork he was given every day. Hide stepped out of the shadows; she was in her nightgown still. Rinn was so used to her brightly colored tunics that seeing her in a simple long white shirt and short black shorts (even though she wore this all the time under her tunics) was unnerving, but her face was even more unnerving. Hide ran to him and buried her head in his lap, sobbing. "Hide! What's wrong?" Rinn muttered as comfortingly as he could, stroking her long, soft red hair, set free from its usual ponytail.
"I had an awful dream."
"About what?"
"You died." She sobbed harder. "It was horrible. The worst dream I've ever had, I had to come and see you." Rinn let her cry for a little while and then gently pushed Hide back onto her knees, she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"Stop crying, I'm fine." Rinn helped Hide up. "I'll walk you home." Hide hugged Rinn tightly.
"I love you." They both tensed, surprised. Hide had asked Rinn to marry her so many times… but she had never said love. Hide loosened her grip on Rinn, her eyes wide. "I said… I didn't mean… Rinn…"
"You're tired," Rinn pushed Hide away "Let me grab my coat and I'll walk you home."
"No!" Hide grabbed Rinn from behind. "I lied, I meant it, I did! I love you Rinn, I love you more then anything in the world."
"You don't love me, Hide." Hide let go of him and Rinn turned around. "You could never really love me." Hide backed away as if she were afraid of him.
"No, I do. I do and you can never love me back can you?" Rinn reached out to her, but Hide ran from him, out the door and down the stairs and into the stormy forest.
"Hide and Rinn were in their late teens when Hide confessed her love for him. This time it was different then the half-joke she would make when she asked Rinn to marry her, she meant it with all her heart, knowing this Rinn still refused her. At the time he was a high level officer and he was afraid to love, he was afraid that bad people would hurt Hide. Hide ran away."
Hide hadn't returned that day, Rinn felt his worry grow. Her survival skills were awful…combined with such a bad storm and the bad guys in the forest… Rinn shook it off, but he found himself grabbing his coat and walking out the door.
Rinn searched for Hide for hours, between the darkness and the rain he could hardly see anything. He caught sight though of a glowing speck of white far from him, he ran to it. The speck was Hide, she had a cuts and bruises everywhere and her ribs seemed broken. It was a deep cut on her leg that was bleeding profusely that worried Rinn the most. Hide's pulse was faint but steady. Rinn began to treat her leg, he stopped the bleeding, but Hide had already lost too much blood, he could feel her dieing. Rinn panicked, pulling her to him.
"Please Hide, stay with me, I love you so much, don't leave me."
"Rinn waited all day for Hide to come back. When she didn't appear he set out at dusk in stormy weather to find her. It took him hours to find Hide, bleeding and broken in a particularly nasty part of the forest. It took all of Rinn's skills to keep her alive… and almost loosing her like that made him realize that he loved her just as much as she loved him, if not more."
Hide opened her eyes for the first time that week in the hospital, she was greeted by a room filled with cards and flowers and—
"I love gift baskets." She said weakly, Hide looked around and saw Rinn sleeping on a cot across the room. He looked thin and worried. Rinn stirred and jumped up when he saw Hide looking at him. When she caught his piecing blue eyes the memories flooded back. Hide grabbed her head and moaned. "I remember."
"What happened?" Rinn was at her side, holding her hand to his chest, the worried look intensified.
"Some guy… in the forest… I think he wanted to rape me. Ow." Rinn had squeezed Hide's hand tightly at the word 'rape'. "He didn't though!" Rinn relaxed his grip. "I ran him off, but not before he beat me up… and I remember passing out…and I remember feeling you close to me." Rinn nodded. "You found me…" Hide smiled happily. "You said you loved me!" Hide sat up, groaned and lay back down again. "I was hallucinating, wasn't I?" Rinn leaned towards her.
"No. I love you." He kissed her cheek. "Hide, will you marry me?"
"Rinn and Hide were married as soon as Hide had healed enough. Rinn's fears that Hide would be hurt by those wishing to destroy him were confirmed, but she was resourceful and protected herself well. Hide was in her early twenties when she got pregnant with you, she was so happy… "
"RINN! We have to go for ramen!" Hide burst into his office, panting. Rinn looked up from the pile of work he had to do.
"Why?"
"I have news!"
"Is it good news?"
"Yes it's good—"
"Is it really important news? News that will affect me forever? Because last time you just bought new curtains—"
"They were nice curtains!"
"They were lime green."
"I… it is important." Hide's face became emotional.
"Don't cry! I'm coming." Rinn stood up and grabbed the coat Hide made for him, most people thought it was too ostentatious for a man in his position, since it was a brilliant white with red flames spiraling up from the bottom, but the coat reminded him so much of Hide it was comforting, for him anyway, perhaps not for other peoples eyes.
Rinn followed Hide to the Ramen stand near his office. They sat down and ordered.
"What did you have to tell me that was so important? I have a mountain of work to do, you know." Rinn dug into his Ramen, he didn't particularly like Ramen, but Hide was practically obsessed with it, so he pretended he did. Hide pouted, and then she grinned mischievously
"Well, you see, I was at the store today and I bought the most wonderful purple curtains—" Rinn choked on an egg. "I'm kidding." She added as he swallowed water to clear his throat.
"Aren't you going to eat that?" Rinn gestured to Hide's untouched bowl.
"I'd just throw it up."
"Are you sick?" Rinn felt Hide's forehead, "No temperature…"
"So I've been puking a lot lately, and I wanted to know why so I went to the doctor—"
"I haven't seen you sick."
"Well you're never home, are you?" Rinn nodded. Hide's voice wasn't bitter, she understood Rinn's position and supported him. "Anyway, I went to the doctor. I'm not sick, I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant?" Rinn stared at her.
"Yes, pregnant, as in, there's a baby in here." She pointed to her stomach, "and it's your fault I'm going to get fat."
"My fault?"
"It takes two to tango, honey."
"Baby?"
"Are you ok? You're asking a lot of one worded questions."
"I'm fine! I'm more then fine! I'm happy!" Rinn jumped up and embraced Hide. She hugged him back, feeling warmth flow through them. With a final squeeze he picked her up and spun her around, laughing, "I'm so excited!" Hide laughed with him. Rinn put her down gently then got to his knees and spoke into her stomach.
"You're going to be a big and strong girl aren't you, my baby."
"Stop that, it's embarrassing! Besides I think it's a boy, and I want to name him Naruto."
"Like the fish stuff?" Rinn gasped.
"It's good stuff!"
"That's… I'm not going to argue, it's a fine name."
"This is the part of the story that is hard for me to tell, Naruto." Jiriaya looked longingly at the still half-full sake bottle then shook it off.
"It's when they die, isn't it?"
"Yes." The two men sat in silence. "Before I go on, you should know something, you should never let it go to your head, though." Naruto nodded and Jiriaya took a deep breath. "The Kyuubi inside of you was put there by you're father."
"Why would that go to my hea—" Naruto suddenly took a sharp breath. "The Kyuubi was put inside me by the fourth—"
"Rinn was Yondaime and Yondaime was your father." Naruto was working this out in his head, Jiriaya let him.
"Finish the story." Naruto said suddenly, his face blank, grabbing his cup and studying the water inside of it, he said forcefully, "Now." Jiriaya raised his eye brows but continued.
"Rinn and I knew that the Kyuubi was coming, we set out on a mission to find long-lost scrolls that would show us how to seal the demon. It was a dangerous mission, we started with ten men and we ended with three. When I opened the scrolls they had dark spells on them… we thought at first that someone would have to sacrifice themselves to seal the demon inside a person, the spells took so much chakra.
Rinn burst into his home, screaming Hide's name. The Kyuubi would be attacking and he wanted to get her somewhere safe. He found her hugging herself in their room, her pretty face crumpled with pain.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't have you worry…" Rinn carried her to the hospital, panicking every time she tensed. He herd people shouting, preparing for the coming battle, it made him tense. Hide lay quietly, squeezing his hand, beads of sweat on her forehead. It would be a while before the baby would come. Rinn couldn't help but feel the pain she was feeling was abnormal, even for giving birth, but the doctors assured him it was fine. "Jiriaya is making you stay with me."
"I'm staying because I want to."
"You're staying because you have to." They stared at each other. Rinn sighed, he could never win with her anyway, why try? "I don't expect you to stay with me."
The day the Kyuubi attacked was the day Hide went into labor. It was a horrible night, plagued by turbulent weather. I tried doing the seal with another man. The Kyuubi was close to the village. I made Rinn stay with your mother. The seal did nothing to me or to the man we were going to seal the Kyuubi into or to the Kyuubi itself.
Jiriaya suddenly burst into the room.
"It didn't work!" Rinn looked up, his face pained. Jiriaya looked around the room, there were no doctors. Hide was strangely silent for a woman giving birth, her eyes closed with intense concentration on her face. "It's not here yet?" Jiriaya asked. Rinn shook his head.
"Give me the scrolls." He studied them intently at his wife's side. Hide moaned through pursed lips. "Jiriaya, fetch Kakashi and meet me outside this room in five minutes." Jiriaya had never herd such a solemn tone in Rinn's voice. He did what Rinn asked without question.
Jiriaya, Kakashi and Rinn stood in the dark corridor outside Hide's hospital room. Rinn's face was as serious as ever, he leaned against the wall as if for support, his eyes closed. "The scrolls can be translated into a confusing riddle, but I figured it out. Simply put, a new mother's blood must be used to write out the spells and then the demon must be sealed into her newborn. Naruto should be fine."
"No Rinn! I can do it..."
"I want to die." Rinn told Jiriaya. "And if anyone is going to put anything into my son I want it done right."
"But—"
"The people should regard Naruto as a hero for taking the Kyuubi into himself. I can die in peace knowing that the Kyuubi will never let my son die; he will be my legacy as Yondaime. Don't argue with me Jiriaya." He added, his blue eyes flashed. Jiriaya shut his mouth.
"Let me go with you." Jiriaya said, putting his hand on Rinn's shoulder. "You will need my support." Rinn nodded.
"I must speak with Kakashi privately now."
I fled back to the village and Rinn studied the scrolls closer. They were written in an old dialect, there were words I had not understood that he did. He took me outside Hide's hospital room and told me what we would have to do. The Kyuubi was the strongest demon and it would take ultimate sacrifice to kill him. Someone would have to write the spells in a new mother's blood and then seal the demon into her newborn. The person who sealed it would probably die, it took so much chakra, but the baby and mother should be fine.
Rinn came out of the hospital room, his face pained again. He nodded to Jiriaya and they went to an empty room in the darkened hospital. Rinn had a large bowl with him filled with blood. Jiriaya watched as he drew the symbols, in the shape of a circle around another candle lit circle. In the middle of this spiral was a basket where the newborn would go. Rinn finished drawing the complicated seal and tiptoed out of it.
"I'll go get Naruto now."
"He's been born?"
"By now he has." Jiriaya could hear Rinn's disappointment and sadness that he couldn't have been at the birth.
Jiriaya followed Rinn to Hide's room. Rinn shook his head when Jiriaya tried to follow him in. Rinn needed time alone with Hide Jiriaya knew. He waited outside until a solemn Rinn walked out of the room, holding a baby wrapped in his white and red coat. Rinn himself wore only his ANBU uniform now.
"He looks like you." Jiriaya said of the child, who was silent.
"I know." Rinn and Jiriaya went back to the room, Rinn walked to the middle of the circle and dropped to his knees. Rinn cradled the baby Naruto, Jiriaya felt Rinn's pain. "I want… I want so badly to see him grow."
"I could still—"
"No, my fate was sealed when I drew the last symbol." Rinn placed Naruto in the basket, the coat acted as a cushion and a blanket, he stared at his son. "I need you to stay with Naruto… don't touch him or anything else though."
"Of course."
"I have to go on alone." Rinn stood up, his face hidden by shadows. Jiriaya stopped him as he passed.
"Rinn… thank you." Rinn nodded and walked out of the room. Jiriaya stood in the corner of the room and watched Naruto sleep, his tension building with every moment. Abruptly the blood symbols began to glow with blue heat and snaked across the floor to Naruto, who cried out. Jiriaya couldn't stand it anymore. He transported himself to where he knew Rinn was.
Rinn stood in front of the massive Kyuubi, which was withering in pain. He was still making hand seals, his face concentrated. Chakra spun around him and the beast. Suddenly the beast disappeared, Rinn stood alone in the clearing of the forest. Jiriaya couldn't help but feel amazement, the amount of power and control to seal such a beast was awesome… but too much for one person.
Rinn gasped painfully and fell foreword, as if in slow motion. Jiriaya caught him as he fell.
"Rinn…"
"Hide… Naruto…" Rinn convulsed and coughed up blood, then his body went limp.
Rinn did the sealing that night, he took blood from your mother and he took you right after you were born. He did the seal perfectly, I watched him die and when I took a screaming you from the circle of spells he had made, I had a sense of dread…
Jiriaya carried Rinn to the hospital, He laid him out in the morgue and went to gather Naruto.
Naruto was screaming. Jiriaya picked him up and he screamed louder. He would take Naruto to Hide, he knew she would quiet him. Jiriaya carried the newborn, but with every step he took towards Hide's room his sense of dread deepened. Soon he was running, but it was too late. When Jiriaya burst into Hide's room she was dead. Kakashi still sat next to her, holding her hand. Jiriaya put Naruto in his mother's still warm arms. The screaming stopped and soon Naruto was asleep. Jiriaya sat on the floor, fighting tears.
"How did she—"
"Hemorrhaging. Sensei knew."
"That's why he died to willingly… but to leave a newborn…"
"Sensei knew what he was doing." Kakashi left the room but Jiriaya herd the boy's sobbing from behind the door and he joined him.
The doctors said your mother died because she bled to death after having you, but Hide was stronger then that. I know she died of a broken heart."
Naruto was silent again. Jiriaya watched his face, expecting anger or sadness… but Naruto's face was blank. Jiriaya sat back and sighed.
"So now you know the truth." Naruto's wooden cup shattered. Jiriaya sat up and stared at him, Naruto stared at his hand. Then he pulled out the piece of wood stuck in his hand and watched as it bled profusely. "Naruto!"
"They died because of me."
"No! Of course not, they died because of the Kyuubi." The waiter caught sight of Naruto's hand and swooned, but then ran to get a towel.
"The Kyuubi is me." Naruto said, showing Jiriaya his healed hand. "We are one." When Jiriaya had last seen Naruto it would have taken the Kyuubi inside of him a day to heal that injury… now it only took seconds.
"No, the Kyuubi is your tool; you use it, not the other way around." Naruto shrugged,
"It doesn't matter; I'll probably die tomorrow anyway."
Okieday! That's a looonnnnng first chapter, I know. They'll be short from now on, it's when the second part of the fic starts... please read it and review! I love feed back! Oh, and I had to give Yondaime a name, I know there's already a Rin, so I gave it another 'N' he felt more like a Rinn then a Quade (A name meaning fourth in latin, I'm so damn unorignal, but orignal enough that you should keep reading!).
