Once Zen was back in the shadow laden room he found both boys huddled behind the bed crying their eyes out. He wanted to leave them to their mourning, but he needed their help. He was unable to enter the room due to the flames.
"Guys, I need your help ok? Bring your mom to me so I can try to help her."
Naruto looked up and his watery blue eyes met Zen's worried green eyes. In a wavering voice he asked, "Why didn't you help mom?" A pair of coal black eyes joined the blue pair in its accusing stare.
Zen's apparition cringed and took an unconscious step back under the pressure from those distraught gazes and the innocent question. The question was the hardest to deal with, for he had no answer to it. He was Zengyi, Lord of Shadows and he was supposed to be a god. Gods don't fail like that. They weren't fallible or flawed and they most certainly did not let something as small as a burning building stop them. Zen felt ashamed. Ashamed that he let Mikoto down. He had let Sasuke, Naruto, and even Itachi down. Everyone had expected so much from him, but in the end he proved useless.
Zengyi was hurt, and his voice showed as much, "Naruto, you don't understand. The fires virtually extinguished any shadows in the room. I had no way to make a clone within the room… Now please go grab Mikoto. I need to help her!"
Quick as a flash the two 6-year olds were up and out the door into the still burning family room. The shadowy clone waited anxiously for the two to come back, and he didn't have to wait long before they came around the corner dragging their mom by each arm. Zen was immediately on the spot checking the woman for signs of life. He nearly fell over in relief when he noticed a weak pulse.
"Ok, everyone gather round. I'm taking us to the hospital and once we are there I need you two to split up and find a doctor to come help. I will be able to stop the bleeding for a little while, but like usual I won't be able to keep it up very long because of my situation. You guys understand? Find a doctor ASAP." Zen was all business and as soon as he got a pair of affirmative nods he transported the four of them into what appeared to be a closet full of medical supplies.
"Go guys! Go get a doctor and hurry!" commanded the Shadowlord as he applied his hands to Mikoto's gushing wounds. The two kids burst through the door and without a moment's hesitation took off down opposite ends of the hallway.
Naruto turned a corner and his grief numbed mind took a few seconds to process what he saw. There were injured ninja everywhere. 'What in the world is happening?' Thought 6-year old Uzumaki Naruto.
Snapping out of his moment's hesitation he scanned the room looking for a doctor who wasn't busy treating someone already. His eyes came to rest on a tall dark haired man wearing the familiar white doctor's coat. The man had just gotten done treating some nameless chuunin for multiple stab wounds and was preparing to start on another patient when his attention was grabbed by a small voice down below him. The doctor peered down and noticed a small blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy tugging on his doctor's coat while saying, "Doctor, Doctor! Come help my mom quick! She was attacked by ninjas!" The amount of fear and worry in the boy's voice was heart breaking, but he had an obligation.
"Kid, I'm sorry but there's a full blown rebellion going on out there. I have to treat the shinobi and kunoichi first so they can get back to the fight."
Naruto's face brightened as he exclaimed, "Oh! That's good since my mom happens to be a ninja! Come on this way, Doctor-san!" With surprising strength the boy began to push the nameless doctor down the hall towards the closet where Zen and his injured mom were waiting.
Sasuke meanwhile was having a hard time. He couldn't walk down the hall without having someone yell or lash out at him. All the doctors ignored him or at the most acknowledged him with a cold glare before moving on to another patient. Sasuke was confused. For some reason no one was noticing the fact that he was an Uchiha , because usually just being an Uchiha gave him special privileges and special treatment. 'Oh well, must be because of the rebellion that's going on outside. Everyone is too panicked to notice what clan I'm from.' He was about to give up hope when he saw a familiar yellow haired boy pushing a tall dark haired doctor down a crowded hall towards the medical supply closet.
Sasuke was immediately overjoyed and took off running trying to catch up to his blonde brother.
"I'm not treating a damned Uchiha!"
The doctor for some reason was not cooperating. Both boys were in shock… the Uchiha clan was always treated with respect. They were among Konoha's elite. They were praised for their strength and their abilities. Yet now their mother was a 'damned Uchiha.' Zen's clear deep voice cut through the shock.
"This woman is a loyal Kunoichi of the leaf. She is dying. Therefore you are obligated to provide her with medical attention regardless to which clan she belongs to and which clan you have a grudge against," coldly stated the Shadowlord, his voice was filled with pure, icey, and barely controlled rage.
The doctor paled but didn't immediately cave. "I'm not going to administer so much as a band-aid on that woman. She is an Uchiha and by proxy a traitor!"
"Uchihas? Traitors? What's going on here?" asked Zen, mystified.
"Where have you been for the last hour or more? The Uchiha clan is leading an insurrection against the Hokage for control of the village!" said the doctor feverishly. He was hoping to gain some form of support from the man. Zen and the two boys were stupefied.
"There's no way… has this been the plan all this time…?" muttered Zen before going silent in contemplation. The whole room was held in absolute stillness as Zen seemed to bore a hole into the wall. The only sign of motion came from the shadows whirling around Zen's hand as he held it over Mikoto's chest wound.
Suddenly Sasuke snapped out of his funk and in an eye blink was at his mother's side. Naruto soon joined him. This caught Zen's attention and after seeing the distress clearly labeled on the faces of those two boys (who he sees more as his own children than his real biological ones back in his own world) he realized his priorities. Looking up he met the tall dark haired man's eyes.
"Doctor, heal this woman. She is no traitor. She got these wounds fighting off a pair of jounin level Uchiha assassins," Zen was on the verge of begging. Mikoto was dying and there was nothing he could do about it… he was a warrior not a medic! He was a person who took lives, not save them.
"I don't know…"said the doctor uncertainly not fully trusting the man.
Zen's face grew grim: it was time to use his trump card and go all out. "I happen to be pretty good friends with Sandaime-sama… I'm sure that he wouldn't like to hear how you let a loyal leaf nin die because of your hesitancy."
The not-so-subtle threat worked and the doctor sighed in defeat. If this man really was a friend of the Hokage then he was in trouble… if not then there would be no harm. "Oh well, better to err on the side of caution," were the doctor's last words before bending down to begin his diagnosis and treatment.
"Great, I'm glad that you see reason. Now I have to go see the Sandaime about hitching a ride," said Zen before turning to the two boys. "You two stay close to Mikoto for me please? I have to go. Be good!" In typical Zengyi fashion he simply turned into mist and dissipated.
The Hokage was fighting. In a fight it is only natural to treat any and all surprises as a threat. Therefore it shouldn't come as a surprise that when Zen randomly stepped out from behind the trashcan directly behind the aging Hokage that his clone got a face full of a fire ball causing it to poof out of existence.
"Damnit Sarutobi! Who else do you know that can morph out of shadows, huh!?" was Zen's comical response.
"My friend, it is most unwise to sneak up on shinobi. Unwise and unhealthy. Now, what is it that you want? I am kind of busy right now." Spoke the Hokage commandingly as he deflected a few shuriken with a flurry from his staff.
"Sarutobi this is the work of your student, Orochimaru! He is making his move and it is time for us to make ours. I have made my preparations and only await activation of the technique on this end."
This statement caused the old man to focus his gaze sharply on Zen. "Are you sure you wish to go through with this? I understand that this will be a great sacrifice for you."
Zen met the old man's sharp gaze with his own. "You mean giving up on being a god? Of course I'm willing to giving up on that. I've been the Shadowlord for over five thousand years and its starting to become the same old, same old."
"This technique will leave me bed-ridden for days at the least. I will effectively be placing the safety of my village in your hands for that time period… are you prepared take responsibility? Beyond that… are you strong enough for replace me in this battle? Or will my sacrifice be a great blunder?"
"Old man please. I used to spar with Minato and never once lost against the blonde-haired fool. You insult me," said Zen in mock outrage.
Chuckling the whole time Sarutobi said, "Fine then. I am making my way to the summon point then. Be prepared."
A/N
OK guys sorry for the long absence, but srsly… parties are too much fun to pass up! Anyway, I have two methods that I could use next for telling the battle vote on which one you want:
I can just skip forward 7 years and tell the battle through flash backs.(time skip isn't optional)
Or I can tell the battle…. And STILL have flash backs…lol.(there will still be a time skip of about 7 years.
I am still accepting votes on pairing. So far its AnkoxNaruto or FemHakuxNaruto or a combination of those two. Well, just let me know! R/R damnit!
