This is the prologue, it is just the general background information for the story, not really too important to read and if you skip to the first chapter I will not be offended at all.
The sound of a baby crying echoed throughout the Kazekage tower, accompanied by the sound of padding footsteps and hushed whispers. The baby, left on the tower's door step at three in the morning with nothing more than a blanket, a note and a necklace, was rocked calmly in one strong arm.
The blue blanket had the Initials A.T embroidered into it and the note only further reiterated the initials.
Azuya Tanaka was scrawled hurriedly on the page, the only way of ensuring that whoever found the baby would give it the right name.
They knew nothing about this baby, other than the fact that he was a boy and now they had to find somebody to raise a stranger's child in an already struggling economy.
Another problem was how the person that left the baby managed to get through the villages defences undetected, all the way to the Kazekage dome and then leave just as easily.
"Kazekage-sama, this baby could be a danger to our village. What if somebody comes looking for it?" Baki asked in a hushed tone, walking in step with the Yondaime.
He paused and looked down at the hushed baby cradled in his arms, teary Amber eyes stared up into his own green eyes before the baby bubbled into a wobbly smile.
The Yondaime did not understand Baki's way of thinking, there was no way an abandoned baby could be a threat to their village. If anything, they had dealt with a lot worse than this recently.
He continued to walk down the corridor, ignoring the question of his adviser. The baby could become a future asset to the village, if the person who brought the baby here was strong enough to get through their ground defences so flawlessly, then the baby could grow up to be strong too.
The baby couldn't be any older than his youngest son, Gaara and if he had just let the council get their way and get rid of the baby, Karura would roll over in her grave.
So later that day, the yondaime had one of his most loyal ninja come in.
"How may I be of service Kazekage-sama?" The kunoichi asked, bowing respectfully before she eyed the baby in the Kazekage's arms with confusion. What sort of mission would involve a baby? Some sort of escort mission perhaps?
"Pakura, I am assigning you to take care of this baby," The Kazekage began, burgundy hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at Azuya.
"What?" She asked in shock, she couldn't look after a baby; she was a soldier not a mother.
"Please reconsider Kazekage-sama, I am completely wrong for the job," She pleaded, head bowed and shoulder's stiff.
"You are one of our most loyal shinobi and I wouldn't trust anyone but you for such an important mission," The moment she heard the word mission, she knew she was going to be stuck looking after the child.
"Hai, Kazekage-sama," She sounded in a defeated tone, fumbling to position the baby in her arms when he was abruptly handed to her.
She sat in her apartment and stared numbly at the letter she was holding up between her index and thumb.
"Azuya, huh?" She muttered incoherently, staring down to the baby cradled in her arm. She had been on many missions for her village, she had even fought in the third shinobi war but this… This was something she never expected to happen, a mission that would occupy most of her time until the child had grown up.
Standing up from her chair, she walked over to the table and lifted a tin of baby formula in front of her eyes. The instructions were relatively simple and the Kazekage had gotten her baby supplies for Azuya.
She didn't understand why the Kazekage would choose her for a task like this. She was a kunoichi, there were plenty of civilian women around that knew how to look after a baby and would like to, Pakura had never wanted to have any children in a world like this.
How was she supposed to go on missions with a child she had to look after? She rose to her feet and prepared the bottle, amber eyes watching her eagerly and small arms lifting enthusiastically to take it from her.
The baby had obviously been given a bottle before.
She sighed and placed Azuya in the crib, using the blanket left with him to tuck him in, sheltering him from the chilly desert night air.
She would raise this baby, but she would not give up her role as kunoichi in the village.