Loneliness Chapters: The beginning (#1)

Chapter 1- Iruka

"No! No! My parents are still back there! Put me down! I'm going to go back!" A young boy cried to the two ninja's taking him out of the battle area at top speed. "No!" He screamed again to no avail.

The nine-tailed could be seen at a glance raging and destroying everything in it's path. Its chakra, glowing orange-red, cast an eerie glow. Even at a small glance you could tell that he wasn't just a demon. With nine-tails, the kyuubi was king.

"No!" Screamed kid Iruka again. His mother and father were still fighting! He had to help! What if they were killed?!

Suddenly a cloud of swirling smoke appeared . A summon. Of a frog?! A lone figure stood on the frogs back. With the billowing cape, it could only be the Fourth Hokage. But what could he do? Save Iruka's parents? A white light flashed. And thus ended Iruka's last memory before he passed out.

Iruka woke up with ice on his forehead and an elderly lady bustling about in a dimly lit room. Iruka immediately sat up. Where were his parents? The elderly lady turned around. Her face was a smile but sadness was visible in her murky eyes. She had been crying.

"Where are my parents? Where's the demon? What happened to the fourth?" he demanded without hesitation, ignoring his throbbing head and aching bones.

The lady kept the smile but sadness seemed to take over.

"Not now, Iruka-san. Get some rest."

" Where are my parents, Sachie???" He screamed, louder, and his face red with anger.

Sachie's smile disappeared. "Dead." she whispered with saddened eyes.

"How?? Why?? What about the fourth? What about the nine-tailed?" His anger swelled and then burst into sadness.

"The fourth died in sealing the kyuubi. He saved countless lives, but your parents weren't with them. Neither was my husband." Sachie immediately started crying silent tears.

Iruka's heart seemed to burst. What? No! It couldn't be true. He laid back down. "What about the new hokage? Who died?" The words barely escaped from his lips. Sadness loomed around him.

Sachie answered in a hoarse whisper. "The Third is coming back. There are counting the bodies. The funerals the day after tomorrow." Looking at the clock she changed her mind. "Tomorrow I mean." She corrected sadly.

A voice came from the hall. Sachie turned to leave. "Iruka, rest. We'll talk later. The orphans are asleep. We mustn't wake them." And thus Sachie left, shutting the door lightly behind her, leaving just a small light.

But Iruka couldn't sleep. Shock has flooded over him leaving him feeling lifeless, empty. Images danced through his head. Gone? Gone forever? Impossible. No! Never. Yet he knew what was true. Realization had hit and passed yet shock stayed. Slowly he become aware of voices out the door. It was Sachie speaking with another ninja in hushed tones. He listened in.

"No! I can't take him. He has the demon inside of him!" Sachie seemed to be uncharacteristically upset. The word demon perked up Iruka's ears.

"Sachie be realistic." a calm voice answered. Probably that damned Kakashi. Not only was he the fourth's favorite but he was a 12 year old jouinin. He had a secret misson tommorow with a new team. Iruka's hear filled with jeolously. "Your one of the best medical ninja's around, you worked with Tsuanade, no doubt and your job is take orphans. And this baby is an orphan. Besides it's the fourth's wishes. His dying wish. You don't want to disapoint the hokage do you?" He kept the same coolness but Iruka detected sadness. Kakashi did love the Fourth like a father he never had.

"He killed my husband! He killed countless shinobi! Poor Iruka is an orphan now! What am I supposed to say! How will he grow up! How?! What about the demon?" she shrieked ending her final question in a hoarse whisper muffled by sobs.

"He will not know about the kyuubi. The third insists. It is a rule. No one can tell. The new generation shall not be told. Word cannot get out. It's a secret. We do not know his parents." The last statement had a pause before it. He was lying. "We don't even know how the fourth got him. He is to attend the academy. The demon will be fine. It's just a baby."

Sachie broke down.. "But what is his name?"

The ninja paused. "Naruto Uzamaki." he replied. Seconds later feet left the building. Sachie slowly opened and walked in. Iruka pretended to be sleeping. Silently she set a little bundle down in a crib. She then walked out of the room.

Iruka eyed the bundle. That was the kyuubi? This was him? He'd save them all the trouble of growing up with that demon. Revenge clouded his heart.

He sat up and slowly got up. Walking across the room to the crib he slowly picked up peice of fire wood as a club. He would save them all.

He got to the crib and looked down at the bundle. The blue blanket was like a hood covering a mess of yellow hair. Two bright blue eyes stared out at him. The log dropped with a thud onto the wooden floor. Something Iruka's farher said right before he left to fight popped into mind.

"Son, i don't want to go.But being a man means to protect loved ones. Being a ninja means protectiong the new generation. The new lives. Our future. And you son have a big future."

And as Iruka looked down to the bundle, he felt, no, knew that Uzamaki Naruto had a big future. And he would be the one to help him grow.

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Chapter 2- Kakashi

Kakashi stepped outside into the cool, silent night. Peaceful, in a reason. He began to slowly walk towards the forest. No need to rush. Why would he hurry in this sadden time of remorse and sorrow? To go help Obito with the bodies? Yeah, sure. Go listen to "I'm going to be the hokage this and I'm going to be the hokage that". Or better yet they could talk about ramen. Joy.

Or he could help Rin. Yeah. She'd go googly eyed and he'd do the work. No. His butt.

As he walked he thought about his lost. He thought about the dumb bridge mission. The war was depressing. Reminded him of...White Fang. They would save everyone. Or as he thought he would . He obeyed the rules. He wouldn't be like his father. No. Besides he was a 12 year old jounin. The mission was supposed to be today. If not for that demon fox. Unbeatable. Just thinking about the demon reminded him of the fourth the light and now this.

Kakashi speeded up. He wouldn't ponder. No he'd take of the buisness.

No one must know about Her. No one can know about Him. Nobody.

The plan's, burned. Letter's, burned. Personal items, buried. Files, trashed. Everything but two were burned, buried, or trashed. One was the letter.

The letter that they wrote before they prepared the seal. The letter explaining all. Explaining his herietage. And the other was just a photo. A single dirty photo. The were Kakashi's to give to him when the time was right. When he was ready to know how he was the fourth's own blood. That was Kakashi's job his ever last mission given by the fourth just mere hours ago. To help Naruto Uzamaki grow.

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