Being an orphan in a ninja village wasn't rare, sadly, it wasn't even uncommon. Hayate grew up in a fairly nice house with several other children whose parents' lives had also been cut short. He had a healthy upbringing; the caring old couple that looked after them were always there when he needed them, he always had food and clothes, there wasn't little that he could complain about really.
There were, however, some situations where being one of eight was less than desirable. Times like when he needed help with his studies when he was at the academy; he had graduated a few months ago and was now a part of the ninja forces that protected the village. There were sadly other times that were a little more serious.
The day had been like any other, his team had been assigned a D-rank to work one a couple of the gardens of the East side of the village. Hayate wouldn't admit it but there was a part of him that really did enjoy planting new flowers and keeping the gardens in order; their village really was beautiful. His team then spent a couple of hours at training ground fourteen; a small field with a couple of trees keeping it from looking too empty. He tired himself out with his katana; it really wasn't a special day.
The sun was slowly descending the sky; a warm red illuminated the streets as he took a scenic route home. That was the last clear thought he could remember having. The rest of the night was a blur; it was almost dream-like, he couldn't remember anything clearly.
He was a genin, he should have been helping but his mind just couldn't comprehend what was happening. Blood. Screams. An unearthly roar.
Hayate woke in what would normally have been a pristine hospital room but there was blood staining the floor and he was led on what seemed to be a pile of sheets. His skin was grey; the dull ache of his body and the trouble he felt when trying to breathe told him that he had got into a little trouble out on the street. Slams and distant shouts from outside told him that whatever had happened hadn't yet been resolved.
He was brought back from his thoughts by a scream coming from a woman only metres away from him in one of the two beds; not a makeshift one like his own. As he watched, she yelled obscenities at the two medics that stumbled around her. For a second he thought she was badly injured but as his brain slowed down and he heard the medics trying to soothe the woman, he found out the she was giving birth. The middle of a battle was probably not the best time for this but he knew that it wasn't something that the woman could really control.
He sat there silently, watching the woman scream and cry as a new life entered the world. Inwardly wondering why people described this as one of the most beautiful things you would ever get to see, on the contrary, Hayate felt uncomfortable and may or may not have been having sympathy pains. He could understand, though, when he heard the sound of the newborn crying and saw the look on the mother's face. There was no way to explain the look on her face; that pure affection.
There was no telling how long that moment lasted but the young genin couldn't take his eyes off of the woman and her baby. She just stared down into her arms where the baby had been placed.
A cough broke through the room and Hayate saw the women look up to the source. A familiar face, the strong jaw of the Jonin Commander; his hair no longer tied and two deep cuts letting blood leak down from his forehead and cheek.
The man didn't look at the other occupants of the room; he only had eyes for the woman. As they made eye contact, he could see the pure sorrow in the man's eyes and the woman immediately broke into tears.
He crossed the room and as they shared a quick embrace, he whispered something into her ear. He scooped up the baby into his arms and looked the woman straight in the eyes once more. The Jonin Commander then left the room.
The hospital room remained quiet, the only noise being the muffled sobs coming from the woman. Barely twenty minutes could have passed before nothing could be heard outside.
Hayate drifted off to sleep, hoping that whatever this was, it would never happen again. Sadly, barely two weeks after the events of that night, Konoha would be attacking by the Nine-tails. The damage caused to the village would seem irreparable and Konoha would never be the same again.
A/N: I won't be including many A/Ns. I just wanted to say that this was just a prologue, chapters will be longer. I don't have a good track record for updating so I'm sorry if I don't update regularly/ I may forget the story altogether. I'm more of a reader than a writer. If anyone wants to beta then please message me; I will definitely need the help. Also, if you have any ideas for the title, please put them forward.
I do not own Naruto.