Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' in any way, shape or form. You really should know this by now.
To quote a song that you ALL should know of, "oops, I did it again!" That's right. I gave in and started writing another fic. Don't blame me! Blame the Muse…she's stubborn as hell.
The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk in silence, awaiting news about the current situation from one of his personal ANBU. His office was closed for the time being, and he was taking no appointments until this issue was dealt with. He turned to look blankly out the window overlooking Konohagakure, wondering how he had ever let it get to this. Suddenly, without a sound nor cloud of smoke, there stood an ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, she is awake, but refusing to speak. The doctors are going to sedate her, she was very distressed." The ANBU relayed from his position, leaning on one knee with his head down.
"I see…Thank you Bear." The Sandaime nodded in understanding, gesturing for the ANBU to stand.
"Sir, if I may enquire as to the girl's mother-"
The Hokage cut Bear's question off and replied haltingly. "Dead. With her injuries so severe, it is not surprising in the least."
"Hokage-sama…for someone who just lost a member of his village to an unknown culprit, you seem rather unconcerned." The ANBU stated carefully, aware of how it could be taken the wrong way.
"I am concerned Bear, just not for the fate of that woman. How she managed to avoid detection for so long astounds me." The Sandaime all but growled to himself..
"…Sir?"
He waved off the ANBU. "Never mind. You are dismissed."
The ANBU nodded and Shunshined out of the office. Hiruzen brought one withering hand up to his face and sighed deeply. The aging Hokage felt every wrinkle and crease at this moment, and his eyes held pure regret and worry.
"Naoko!" he called. Almost immediately, the large door opened a fraction and the sharpened face of his secretary peered inside meekly.
"Yes Hokage-sama?"
"I need you to send out a request for one of my Ninja, I require his presence." The Sandaime ordered sternly, adopting his voice of authority.
The brunette bowed. "Of course, who am I sending it to?" she enquired. Hiruzen's lips pursed.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
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Naruto was bored. Sasuke was being a Teme as usual, Kakashi was late again and he was currently nursing the swelling bump on his head that was the result of yet another violent rejection of the Sakura variety.
Not fun.
Not to mention he was tired. Gone was his usual energy, it had been sapped away overnight and the bags beneath his eyes were a testimony to that. Why, of all times, did that nightmare have to come back now? Team Seven had just recently completed their first C-rank mission, what if they got another today? He couldn't be yawning the whole time! Sasuke would never let him live it down! Growling under his breath, Naruto glared at the bridge rails as if they had wronged him personally.
They were Shinobi, why the hell did it need safety rails anyway? No civilians would be caught dead here, so close to the Demon's team's training grounds. Except the Sasuke Fangirls, but who cares if they fall in?
Realising he had gotten side-tracked, Naruto shook his head to clear the fog.
"Dobe, why are you shaking your head like a dog? Has Inuzuka been rubbing off on you?" Sasuke sneered. Naruto glared.
"Shut up Teme! I was just thinking." He replied angrily.
"Don't hurt yourself." The Uchiha mocked, causing Naruto's blood temperature to rise.
"TEME!"
"NARUTO STOP YELLING AT SASUKE-KUN, YOU'LL DAMAGE HIS PRECIOUS EARS!" Sakura screeched louder than should be possible. Naruto clutched at the side of his head in agony and Sasuke lifted his hands, checking to make sure there was no blood coming out of his ears.
"Ahh, getting along as usual I see?" Kakashi appeared with a quiet 'pop', holding his book in front of his face as usual. Naruto leaped, latching onto the surprised Jounin with anime tears.
"Sensei! Thank Kami you're here, someone replaced Sakura-chan with an evil Banshee!"
"NARUTO I AM NOT A BANSHEE!" the pink haired girl shrieked, bringing her fist down upon his already injured skull hard. He flaked off Kakashi and landed with a thud.
"…Never mind…it is her after all…" he grumbled. Sasuke shook his head.
"Tch, idiots. Do we have a mission or not?" he demanded, staring straight at Kakashi, who eye-smiled back.
"Nope!"
Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "No?" he verified.
"No. Hokage-sama didn't assign any today." Kakashi informed them all too cheerfully, never once tearing his gaze from the infamous perverted book. Sakura blinked owlishly.
"But why Sensei?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Who knows? Now, my cute little Genin, run home or do whatever else it is you do." He waved them off in dismissal before disappearing with a 'pop'. Typical.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted, stalking off in the direction of the Uchiha Compound, no doubt for either brooding or training. Sakura deflated, seeing that her crush was already too far away for her to 'casually' ask him for a date. Naruto, who had already had enough wounds inflicted by their female teammate today, plastered a bright grin on his face and ran off in a streak of orange without bugging her.
Sakura blinked again, suddenly realising she was alone. She huffed and strode off in the direction of Team Ten's training grounds. Maybe she could show up Ino-pig again…
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Naruto wandered around the streets aimlessly for a time, ignoring any harsh glares or insults muttered as he passed. They had long since lost any creativity. His stomach rumbled loudly and he sighed, too bad there was no one around to pay for his ramen, he had left his wallet at home again. Not that there was all that much in it anyway. Making up his mind, he headed towards the Academy. Maybe he could visit Iruka-sensei or even Konohamaru and his friends? Anything to pass the time…
He smiled as he walked through the gates at the entrance of the Academy, not even a year ago he had still been a student, a Shinobi in training. Now here he was, a Genin! One step closer to his dream of being Hokage.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" A pleasantly surprised voice asked from behind, causing Naruto to spin around rapidly.
"Iruka-sensei!" the blonde grinned, "Nothing really, training was cancelled and we didn't have a mission so…I thought I'd say hi!"
"Really? Well that's odd, but in any case it's good to see you! It's been a while, almost a month, I was beginning to think you had forgotten your poor Academy Sensei." Iruka joked with an exaggerated sigh of dismay. Naruto just laughed, brushing aside the small twinge of guilt.
"Haha, no way could I forget about you Iruka-sensei! You are my favourite Sensei after all!"
"Don't let Kakashi hear you say that, from what I've heard he can pull enough strings to set you up with a week-long training session with Gai!" Iruka warned, shuddering slightly as he said the last part.
Naruto didn't get it. "Who's Gai?"
"You don't want to know." Iruka replied with a sudden seriousness. Naruto shifted in discomfort at the gaze.
"Um…right."
"So Naruto, how about we go out for ramen? You can tell me about the missions you've completed." Iruka suggested, lightening the dramatic atmosphere instantly as of the sun had come out.
"RAMEN! I love you, I love you, I love you Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered as he pulled the laughing Chunin to Ichiraku's.
"-And then out of nowhere this massive sword came swinging at us, nearly took off our heads! Kakashi-sensei fought the guy, Momichi…no, Momochi Zabuza. He was a Missing-nin! Anyway Kakashi-sensei got caught so I came up with a plan to rescue him, even Sasuke-Teme agreed to it! So then-" Naruto babbled excitedly, somehow managing to speak coherently with a mouth full of ramen. He was so engrossed in his story that he never noticed somebody was standing behind him until they cleared their throat loudly.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naruto turned on his stool and faced the speaker. It was an ANBU, one of the ones he had seen around the Hokage Tower, meaning he or she was one of Jiji's personal guards. "Hai?"
"You are to go to the hospital immediately, Hokage's orders. He is waiting for you there." The ANBU informed him.
Blue eyes widened. What, why? Is somebody hurt? Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-Teme…Or even Jiji himself! Oh no, oh no, oh no-
"Uzumaki?" The ANBU said, snapping the blonde's attention back to him.
"Oh, um, right. Yeah, I'll go there now." He told the masked guard. The ANBU nodded once and leapt away, leaving a confused Genin in his wake.
Iruka, noticing his former student's nerves, set down his own chopsticks. "Would you like me to go with you Naruto? I'm sure everything is ok…"
In a rare show of uncertainty, Naruto looked down as he nodded. "That…that might be nice Iruka-sensei. Thanks."
What was going on? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
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The Sandaime walked over to the pair as soon as they entered the hospital. "Ahh, Naruto. You have arrived…And Iruka, long time no see. Here as a favour to Naruto I presume?"
Iruka nodded in respect. "Hai Hokage-sama, but if you must speak to him alone I can step outside-"
The Hokage just held up a hand and shook his head. "Nonsense Iruka, I know Naruto trusts you above any other. You may stay unless he requests otherwise."
"Jiji…what is this about? Is someone hurt?" Naruto began, before another possibility came to him. "I swear I haven't done anything, if someone is saying I did-"
Hiruzen knew where the boy's fears were coming from, unfortunately he wouldn't put it past the Council or his citizens to accuse the blonde of such things. "Now Naruto, calm down. There has been a…new development in the case from a few years ago." He said slowly, unsure of the Genin's reaction.
All the blood from Naruto's face drained shockingly fast, leaving the blonde unnaturally pale with a slight shaking to his frame and dumbstruck eyes. Iruka watched with confusion and worry, what on earth could scare the blonde so much? He had never seen him like this before.
"W-what, I mean, how..." Naruto muttered weakly mostly to himself, trailing off at the end.
"It is best that you see for yourself before I can explain everything." The Sandaime said gently, and at the blonde's hesitant nod, he led the boy down the hospital corridor, Iruka following close behind. Pushing open a generic grey door, the Hokage gestured for Naruto to enter first. The blonde's heart was racing as he entered, but he then stopped in puzzlement at what he saw.
A tiny figure lay wrapped inside painfully white sheets. Her mid-length hair was slightly mussed, as if she had been having a restless night's sleep. Naruto could sympathise. He turned to the Hokage, not understanding why he was here, was this the wrong room? It had to be, this girl wouldn't have even been alive when…that happened. And after all, that was what Jiji was talking about, right? Seeing the Hokage's head tilt in the direction of the young girl once again, Naruto returned to registering her features, looking for some kind of connection.
Blonde hair, she was pretty small, maybe only four or five years old? Her hands were lightly clenched around the pale bed sheet, a sign of distress he knew well enough. Her breaths were slow and relatively calm, contradicting the little frown crinkling her brow. She tossed her head to the side and picked up her breathing, causing a strand of hair to fall from the pillow and come to rest upon her whiskered cheek.
Wait…
Whiskered cheek? Naruto's blue eyes widened to a shocking size, and he turned his wordless stare in the direction of the Hokage, who was standing in front of an equally confused Iruka.
The Sandaime gave the blonde boy an appraising look and took a deep breath. Better to just come out and say it. "Naruto…this is your daughter."
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…
…"WHAT!" Iruka choked.
Naruto dropped to the cold tiles in a dead faint.
Well what do you think? Continue or not?
By the way, here are the WARNINGS: Future swearing, mentions of past rape, child abuse.
(I didn't put them at the top as it would be a total give-away. Besides, it didn't really get into it here yet. From now on they will be at the top if I continue.)
-TITM