Lost Pieces
By: Ximena-chan
Chapter 1: Little one
I never did like death but as a shinobi, I've gotten used to it. Every now and then, someone dies; they either die by my hands or someone else's. Death always follows a shinobi's footsteps. It hung over our heads as a shadow that can engulf you in its darkness anytime…
In just a blink of an eye, you could be…
…Gone
"I'm used to it." I always told myself that every time it's my turn to play as the grim reaper. I thought I could face it without much pain because I have faced it before.
I was wrong.
Naruto, she is dead…
When Neji told me that, I felt my world fall.
Death…her death…
…was too much for me.
I thought I could handle it but little by little, I broke down.
At first, I never admitted to myself that she was dead. I would look over the horizon by the gate while the sun sets slowly. I never knew how she died so I kept telling myself, "No. She's not dead. She's a strong woman. They're just lying; they're just trying to get me away from her…"
For a month, I was like that.
But then Hanabi came by my house carrying a vase.
I thought it was an ordinary vase she was just carrying around. It turned out it wasn't any ordinary vase; it was an urn.
She gave it to me while saying the words. "Oneechan…Oneechan's ashes are inside it…"
And then she left.
I went inside my house and put it atop my table. I stared at it for what seemed like hours. Then, a teardrop fell from my eyes and hit the cold floor. It was followed by more tears…tears that that were kept inside of me for a month.
With a thud I fell on my knees and banged my fists against the floor.
"She's dead…" I kept repeating it, from a low whisper and then to a shout.
I finally admitted to myself that she was gone forever. I just couldn't accept the fact that they cremated her without giving me a single chance to gaze at her…for the last time.
What was wrong with loving her? Was it so wrong?
That day, I hated Hiashi.
That day I loathed him.
I hated him for not being able to protect his oldest daughter.
For two months, I grieved her death and up until now I still do. Day by day, I would stare at the stream we used to visit a year ago. I would drop her favorite flower, a lilac, on the stream and let it be carried gently by its current.
And I think I would grieve her death for a long time.
He stared silently at his sullen reflection in the water. He began to stare back at his empty blue eyes.
Naruto stretched out his closed fist and opened it. A lilac fell from his palm and the stream took it away. He watched as it was taken away.
In his heart, he remembered a woman whom he cherished with all his heart.
"Gomen…I have to go now, Hinata-hime…" He whispered and left.
Tsunade waited impatiently at her office.
Her brows were knit together and their was an irritated expression in her face that still looked young due to her genjutsu. "What's taking that idiot so long? I told him to go here at 2 p.m.! It's already 2:30 p.m. for heaven's sake! Where is that man?" She muttered.
The door opened and a man entered while scratching his head. "I'm right here…" He had a grin pasted in his face. Tsunade knew that that grin was a façade again. "I'm sorry I'm late…" He apologized.
Her eye twitched. "It's ok…as long as you are here…" She gestured for him to sit down. "So do you know why I called you?"
After he sat down, he shrugged and asked. "Is it because I've caught Kakashi-sensei's habit of being late?"
Tsunade slapped her forehead. "No…that's not the reason…"
Naruto crossed his arms. "Then what is the reason?"
Tsunade's expression turned into a serious one. She raised a finger. "You see, Naruto. There have been a few assassination attempts on someone's life…" She said. She brought out a scroll and gave it to Naruto.
Naruto became serious too. "And who is this someone?"
Tsunade looked at him in a commanding manner. "Hyuuga Ichizoku Head, Hyuuga Hiashi…"
Naruto turned stiff and he grew grim. 'Just let that bastard die…' He thought.
"I know what you're thinking now but we cannot do that." Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
Naruto looked away. "I thought the branch members are the one who protect them?"
"Yes it is true that the branch house members are the one who protects the main house." Tsunade stood up. "But he requested for an extra hand that I recommend…"
Naruto sighed. "And you're recommending me…"
Tsunade nodded when Naruto shifted his gaze at her.
Naruto laughed sarcastically. "Are you kidding me? Hah, I'm sure he would not let me step inside his house!"
Tsunade planted her hands on her desk with a bang. "Naruto, he already knows…and for God's sake! Stop whining like a brat and just accept the mission! A mission is a mission! Don't let your emotions get in the way!"
Naruto was startled. After digesting all that Tsunade said, he looked down with eyebrows furrowed. "…"
Tsunade took a scroll out. "Here is your mission scroll." She held it out to him.
Naruto looked up and stared at her eyes. After a moment, he got up and took the scroll. "I just hope that he's okay with this…" He whispered.
"Don't worry Naruto. He already knows that you're the one I'm sending…If you're wondering why I don't just let Neji take care of this…it is because he was dispatched for a long covert mission."
Naruto sighed and walked out of her office.
"Damn it…" Naruto cursed as he opened the mission scroll. He was already seated at the bench in the Hyuuga compound. He read the contents. "Hah, what do they need me for? It's just a couple of B-rank missing-nins…" He flipped the rolled scroll. "The branch members would be able to handle it. And I think that old bastard would be able to handle it too…"
"Old bastard…?" Someone said. Naruto looked around and saw Hanabi. "Did you refer to my father as 'old bastard'?" She asked.
Naruto smirked. "What if I did?"
Hanabi chuckled. "It's ok…" Her eyes grew dark. "He's really an old bastard. No good father would let her daughter…die."
Naruto sighed. Hanabi sat down beside him. "You really loved Oneechan, ne?"
Naruto merely nodded.
"You...you must be really sad…" Hanabi said.
Naruto sighed again, "Very sad…" He whispered.
"…"
"You see Hanabi…your Oneechan was my other half." Naruto looked up at the blue sky. "All my life I felt very incomplete. I felt like a jigsaw puzzle that couldn't be completed when I was young. But then…friends came. They help me build the other half of the jigsaw puzzle. Still, the other half was still missing. I always thought I wouldn't be able to complete myself. And then…I met your Oneechan. I…fell in love with her. She was the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that I was finding to complete myself. She completed me…" He sighed and looked at Hanabi. "Now that she is gone, I've lost my other half again. I'm incomplete once again and I know…I would never be complete again because the other part of me is gone forever. That's why I'm very sad…"
Hanabi stood up. "I see…"
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.
"Training…" Hanabi said.
"Ah…take care. Hinata-hime wouldn't want you to get hurt…" He grinned
Hanabi turned around. "Hmm, how can you say that?"
"She was always worrying about her little sister…" He smiled. "Hinata-hime was always worrying about you."
Hanabi raised an eyebrow. She didn't know that Hinata cared. Her sister would only smile at her. They never spoke too much because their father was there. Their father was the wall that separated them. Her eyes grew dark; she envied Naruto because it seems like…he knew more about her sister than the younger sister herself. Hanabi turned around and smiled. She waved her hand.
"Ja ne…" She walked away. "…Naruto-niichan…"
Naruto laughed softly. "…Naruto-niichan, eh…?" He whispered.
"Naruto-san…?" A Hyuuga approached him.
"Hmmm…?"
"Hyuuga-sama requests for your presence…" The Hyuuga said.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I see…" He stood.
"Follow me please…"
White eyes that didn't convey any emotions stared up at the sky. The clouds were drifting by; they were dark and thick; they blocked the sun's rays.
He heard footsteps. He turned his head slightly and saw his helper and Naruto. Naruto stopped walking once Hiashi stared at him. Hiashi dismissed the helper with a wave of hand and he gestured for Naruto to come closer.
Naruto walked closer but he still kept quite a distance from Hiashi. It wasn't evident in his face that he was having a hard time stopping his anger against Hiashi.
"The clouds are unbelievably dark today, ne?" He asked.
Naruto just looked up; he didn't answer.
"Such silence for a loud youth like you…" He laughed. Naruto held back more of his emotions that threatened to explode anytime. "Anyway, the clouds are really dark. The sun should be high up by now but look…it is very dark, like I said. The clouds give me a feeling that they will attack tonight." Hiashi said.
Naruto still kept silent.
Hiashi suddenly said, "Thank you for coming here, Naruto…"
Naruto was startled by the sudden "thank you" that Hiashi said. He looked up at the dark sky again. "No need to thank me, Hiashi-san. It is my job."
Hiashi turned around and walked towards the entrance of his house. "But still, it must have been heavy in your heart to step inside the house of the man that took your loved one." He said before he entered.
Naruto sighed.
The sound of crickets filled Naruto's ears. It was already night. He looked out of the window and saw that the clouds were also able to block out the moonlight. "Hmmm…it is a favorable night for assassins. It is dark…" He said. He made his way towards the door of the Hyuuga conference room. The heads of the families of the Hyuuga clan were having a meeting with the main head. He was standing by as guard. It would be a bargain for the assassin to have all the heads in a single room. A bomb would be favorable choice for an assassin.
A Hyuuga branch member passed him. It was carrying a scroll. The pale branch member wiped away cold sweat with a cloth before he entered the room. Naruto let him be.
But he was bothered by how the branch member looked; the branch member looked like he was scared to death before he went there.
Naruto smirked, "It must be the tension of facing the scary Hyuuga head…"
He thought and laughed inwardly because of his sarcasm.
And he resumed his thoughts of the enemy's possible tactics.
"Bomb…" He whispered.
It then hit him. He opened the door to the room immediately and grabbed the branch member by the collar. "Where is the god damned bomb?"
The man looked at him guiltily. He was sweating more than before; it was a sign of nervousness or fear of what was going to happen.
Naruto then grabbed the scroll. He ran to the window and threw it far out. Seconds after, they all heard an explosion. Naruto huffed and saw the trembling Hyuuga branch member, the startled Hyuuga head and also shocked family heads.
"Save me…please…" The branch member said shakily.
Naruto approached him with eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?" He demanded for an answer.
"S-save me…" The branch member repeated.
One of the family heads exclaimed, "Hah! He must be saying it for the treason he has committed!"
Naruto's brows were still furrowed as the branch member shook his head.
Naruto opened the branch member's hakama and saw a bomb strapped at the man's body.
"It-it will explode soon!" The man said.
"Why did you bring it here?" Naruto asked hastily.
"They…they would kill my family if I didn't!" The man answered.
"Damn…" Naruto saw the writings that were possibly used to time the bomb quickly disappear. "…in just a matter of seconds…"
The man stared at him as well as the others.
Naruto faced the heads and exclaimed, "What are you staring at me for! Leave this room immediately!"
The heads quickly stood up and left the room while Naruto observed that there were five letters left.
The man shouted in fear. "SAVE ME!" He grabbed Naruto's leg.
Naruto had his eye wide open. He suddenly heard noises coming from outside.
He gritted his teeth once he saw two letters left. He kicked himself free from the man's grip and ran outside.
Naruto was able to escape the room before the bomb exploded. He found himself watching as the heads fought with the assassins in a destroyed hallway. One out of the eight men who were in the room was already slain.
Naruto looked around and saw five ninjas, the assassins.
He rushed near the head and while he was running towards them he threw shurikens at the assassins.
The assassins deflected the shurikens and seconds after, Hiashi spun around; charka swirling around him and repelled the assassins near him.
He suddenly spoke but there was hesitation in his eyes, "Naruto…"
Naruto back flipped towards Hiashi after sending a strong kick towards one of the assassins. "What do you want?" He asked and launched a couple of shurikens again.
The other Hyuuga members were also fighting with their lives.
Hiashi reluctantly told him, "Save the little one…" His eyes grew dark. "They are really after her…"
"Who…? Little one…?" Naruto asked.
Hiashi pointed a finger to his left. "Follow the hallway and take the first turn. After that, you'll pass one room and after that room there will be a door. Protect…her with all your life Naruto."
Gritting his teeth, he threw a smoke bomb at the ground and ran to his left when the smoke filled the room. He followed Hiashi's directions and quickly opened the door.
There was a crib on the room. A small baby girl about three months old lay asleep there. Naruto was captivated by the peaceful aura that the baby was emitting. But there was something more…something he didn't exactly know how to explain.
With a blink of an eye, he felt something near him. He turned around and reached out his right arm. A ninja suddenly collided with his arm and fell on the ground.
"Psh…stupid…" Naruto looked down on the ninja that was standing.
Hiashi and the heads finally finished off the assassins.
One of the family heads approached him, "Hiashi-sama, why…did you send him there?"
Hiashi looked at the man without conveying any emotions. "I had to…"
The man looked at him with panic clearly written on his aged face. "But…what if he takes her away? We…haven't…decided on it yet…"
Hiashi knit his eyebrows together, "We will continue the meeting tomorrow. You can all go back to your houses." He walked towards the room wherein Naruto was.
Naruto dragged the dead assassin out of the baby's room. When he finished dragging the man, he saw Hiashi walking towards him.
"They will attack once again." Hiashi said.
Naruto planted his hands at his waist. He stayed silent.
"They will not stop until they get little Hime…" Hiashi looked at the baby sleeping at the crib.
"Hime…" Naruto whispered and looked at the baby too. "Why…why are they after her?"
Hiashi approached the baby. "It is possibly the same reason why the Cloud was after her when she was young."
"They're not the Cloud, ne?" Naruto asked.
Hiashi shook his head, "No; the Cloud wouldn't be foolish enough to attack this village again."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I'm assuming the enemy are a couple of men seeking something extraordinary to wreak havoc in this world…"
Hiashi stared at the baby, "Probably…" He sighed. "Naruto thank you for your service tonight. You can go home now…"
Naruto knit his eyebrows, "Leave…? Go home…? Are you crazy?" He exclaimed. Hiashi turned his head towards Naruto. "I'm not gonna leave this house until the threat is gone completely! I wouldn't let such an innocent baby girl fall in the hands of evil men who seek meaningless pleasure for their sadist souls!" He grinned.
Hiashi smirked.
Naruto's grin disappeared. "But Hiashi, it doesn't mean I don't hate you anymore. Never forget that you're the man who took my other half away…" He turned around.
The Hyuuga head and family heads were having a breakfast meeting.
They had very serious expressions on their faces.
"The attempt has failed…fortunately…" One with a very long hair said.
Another tapped the ground with his walking stick, "I say place the seal on her!"
The youngest of the bunch reacted, "Don't be cruel. Hime is only a baby girl!" He banged the table with his fist.
The man with a big scar on his face suggested, "Why don't we just give her to her father? He is, after all, here in the compound at the moment…"
Hiashi stayed silent and after a moment spoke, "The seal won't be placed on her. I will keep her in my house. She will not go back to her real father…Uzumaki Naruto…"
Erhm...ooo...look...I have written it first. XD
Well...please...I tell you...it will be far more interesting as you read further..so please...stay with me until the end. For the length of this multichap, I plan it to be a little longer than "The right thing to do"
And this ficcie is for my uber creative niichan, Xero Ghost : winks :
R&R
