1 – Her Debt
Five years later.
A dark spruce forest frowned on either side of the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped clean of their bark by the bite of the wind, black and ominous in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The terrain itself was desolate, lifeless, without movement – so lone and cold that even animals of the winter remained buried safe and warm in their dens.
But among the desolation and isolation, a figure dared to walk. The figure wore a long, dark blue winter cloak, and a blood red scarf the same gradient as her hair, over a black uniform that could be typical of any ninja from any country. No symbol betrayed her origin, nor did any feature provide hint to her heritage.
The only clue to her identity might have been found through the sleeping child on her back, with eyes bluer than the cobalt ocean and shining blonde hair that so resembled a well-known figure of Konoha several years ago, now a martyr of history.
Through this desolate forest, she dared to travel, knowing that a city resided on the other side, a city that several years ago, had requested for skilled architects of Konoha to permanently reside there and assist in the expansion of their village.
The Inuzuka couple that had decided to accept the opportunity had left behind a son. They had left behind a son that had been killed in action, and amid a disaster that followed shortly, were never notified. She had decided long ago that she would accept that responsibility.
As his partner, she would face the consequences.
Naruto's eyes opened sleepily as she emerged from the forest.
"Sensei, are we there yet?" the tired mumble made her pause.
"Nearly," came the soft reply. "Be patient."
"But I'm hungry," came the predictable complaint.
"Then go hunt."
"Too cold, Sensei." He buried his face into the hood of her cloak. "No animals are out here when it's this cold-ttebayo."
Her lips twitched and she paused at the top of the hill, staring at the twinkling lights of the city below.
"You're right. We'll have to buy dinner."
He scrambled off her back, suddenly full of energy, and plopped into the snow with a startled 'oof'. He jumped to his feet in a flash.
"Yes! Ne, ne, Sensei, let's get ramen! Ramen, ramen, ramen!"
She wordlessly started walking, and he latched on to her hand, practically drooling as they approached the city.
He was beaming as they walked through the streets, and she guided him towards the food stands. Stars sparkled in his eyes as he zeroed in on a ramen stand.
"Found it!" He took off and in the blink of an eye was sitting at the counter, ordering from the portly gentleman behind the counter. She followed slowly and took the seat next to him, allowing her hood to fall away from her face. The man turned with three bowls prepared.
"Three orders of miso ramen—eh? Are there only two of you?"
"He'll have them all," she informed the man quietly, an amused smile creeping up her features. The man paled slightly when he saw her face, and her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"O-of course, right away!" he hurried to set the steaming bowls in front of the delighted boy, and Kiruma's expression relaxed as she watched the young boy begin to eat with gusto. Out of her peripheral vision she could see the sheen of sweat on the man's forehead and the trembling in his hands, and sighed inwardly. It couldn't be helped. Even in other countries, she was easily recognizable.
"Seconds!"
The shopkeeper frantically hurried to make another bowl at Naruto's request, his eyes darting nervously between him and the assassin accompanying him.
After polishing off his fourth bowl, Naruto seemed to be satisfied. He grinned at Kiruma.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" she asked lightly, her own grey eyes light and amused.
He pouted.
"I ate more than you, Sensei," came the disgruntled reply.
"That you did," she conceded, and he grinned. She turned to the shopkeeper to pay, but he shook his head rapidly, backing away.
"T-that's all right! You don't have to pay, just p-please leave this shop and its occupants unharmed! I beg you!"
She watched him impassively.
"If you insist," she answered flatly before turning to go.
"Ne, Sensei, why does that always happen to us?" Naruto asked curiously as they walked away, again latching on to her hand.
"Let's go, or we'll be late."
The house was what you might expect of a skilled architect. In fact, a majority of the town was a sleepy little cluster of clapboard houses, tidy yards, and weathered but sturdy food stands rising humbly from the vast northern terrain. This house was slightly different, a bit smaller but more distinguished, with smooth wooden walls and a skillfully crafted pergola protruding from the side of the building.
Kiruma walked up the well-made steps slowly, and calmly stared at the door. Closing her eyes, she knocked, and waited with bated breath as Naruto ran back and forth across the front yard, exploring whatever he found interesting.
The door slid open slowly, revealing a young raven haired girl on the other side, with eyes as bright and gold as Kiruma remembered.
"You're Salem's little sister, right?" Kiruma began, her voice gentle. The girl nodded.
"Have you come to tell us how Nii-sama's been?" she asked. "You're his friend."
Kiruma nodded, and the girl opened the door to let her in.
"You'll have to be quiet. Father is sick."
"Is your mother home?" Kiruma asked quietly as she crossed the threshold. The young girl shook her head.
"She died a couple years ago. Same sickness."
"My condolences."
The raven haired girl seemed unfazed as she walked to the kitchen.
"Would you like tea?"
"No, I won't intrude long."
"Father should be awake, I was about to take him his meal. Would you like to speak with him?"
Kiruma nodded.
"If it isn't too much to ask."
"It's fine. We don't get many visitors." She picked up a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of water before leading the way.
"I'm Yuzu, by the way," she introduced herself as she walked down the hallway. Kiruma glanced out of the window, ensuring that she could see the blonde boy scampering across the yard before pausing in front of the room.
"Kiruma," she offered in return.
"Yes, I've heard about you," Yuzu answered calmly, and Kiruma almost sighed, knowing that any rumors spread would not be particularly pleasant. "He's inside."
She opened the door and walked in, setting the tray next to the bed that occupied the room.
"Father, you have a visitor. She said she has news about Nii-sama."
The old man before Kiruma seemed to be decaying right before her very eyes. Veins stood out prominently along weathered and aged hands, and wrinkles adorned the corners of sunken, yet bright eyes that still had a spark of life burning within them. Salem's father was so thin and frail compared to the time Kiruma had known him. The color had left his skin, and the gaunt man sitting up in bed before her was barely recognizable to her.
"Inuzuka-san, it's been a while."
"Oh, my my," despite his apparent condition, the man's voice was warm and held no trace of despair.
"Koizumi-chan, you've grown up into quite the beauty, haven't you?"
"Your memory is admirable," she answered quietly, taking a seat next to the bed and facing the window so that she could keep an eye on Naruto.
"How could I forget the only girl my son ever noticed? I may be an old man, dear, but I am not blind."
He suddenly coughed deeply, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and Kiruma didn't have to see the thin fabric to know that it was stained with blood when he pulled it away. This man was rapidly approaching his final hour.
"So, what brings you this far, and especially in this weather?"
"I came to talk to you about Salem."
The man's eyes twinkled.
"Don't tell me you've come all this way to ask his taste in women," he chuckled deeply, and his voice was slightly hoarse when he continued. "I'd think you'd have found out on your own fairly easily."
"No, Salem was very straightforward," she answered quietly. "His intentions were always honest and clear."
"He always has been," the man smiled fondly, and Kiruma couldn't hold his kind gaze.
"Inuzuka-san."
"Ah, I know," the man sighed. "Koizumi-chan, I'd hoped you might come to tell me my son was going to get married and that I might see some grandkids in my lifetime."
He reached out and rested a hand on hers.
"But if my boy hasn't come to see me himself… Well, Salem was a lot of things, but never negligent."
"If I had known your family was suffering, I would have come sooner."
"It was hardest for you, wasn't it?"
Kiruma blinked, having not expected such a blunt assumption. She met the man's eyes.
"You lead a dangerous life, Koizumi-san, in a world where trust is easily shattered. It must have been hardest for you, to lose a partner you finally could count on." Kiruma remained silent as the man turned his gaze to the ceiling, and a tear slid from the corner of his eye.
"I'd hoped to outlive my own son," he murmured, and his voice cracked slightly on the last word.
There was a silence, and for all the forethought she had put into this meeting, right then she could think of nothing to say.
"Koizumi-chan." His voice was now quiet. "Was he protecting you?"
The simple sentence felt like a physical blow straight to her chest, and Kiruma's jaw clenched as hot, burning shame rushed through her.
"He was," she barely managed to spit the words through her teeth, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. She had thought she had overcome this. She had thought she was stronger than this. And now she was slightly apprehensive. This man now had every right in the world to hate her as the rest of civilization did.
His reaction was much worse.
"I'm glad." He squeezed her hand and then released it and leaned his head back into the comfort of his pillow, looking like he had aged ten years just in the span of time she had arrived. "That's the way he would have wanted it."
Kiruma disagreed, but she couldn't voice her opinion. Not with this man lying at death's door, looking broken and jaded.
"I'll leave before I'm noticed," she promised, knowing her reputation might get this family in trouble if she lingered. He passed a hand over his eyes and nodded mutely.
"Thank you for traveling all this way, my dear." He croaked out the words, and she couldn't answer as she left and closed the door behind her.
"Thank you for your hospitality," she said to Yuzu as she passed the kitchen.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes. I don't wish to intrude too long."
"I see." Yuzu followed her to the door, and paused with her hand around the handle. Her fingers trembled slightly, but her face remained controlled.
"Kiruma-san," she began slowly. "Nii-sama won't be coming back, will he?"
Kiruma turned her head and looked Yuzu squarely in the eye, his eyes, but on a more feminine face. It was more painful than she had anticipated.
"No, Yuzu-san. He won't."
Yuzu's knuckles went white.
"I see." She opened the door, and Kiruma paused on the threshold, her eyes shadowed.
"Where will you go?" she asked quietly, knowing that the last of the girl's family was now dying.
Yuzu paused, her gaze fixed directly at Kiruma.
"It's not really your business anymore, is it, Kiruma-san?"
Kiruma stood still for a moment. She had expected that reaction from the entire family, and was prepared for it, so it was almost a relief that one family member reacted with slight hostility the way she anticipated. And then she just felt melancholy, because she looked at Yuzu and saw herself, when her own mother died, and Salem had come to her doorstep to ask about her family.
It's none of your business.
She turned her back to the girl with eyes so gold it was painful.
"Forgive me," she answered mildly. "It wasn't my place."
Naruto, who had somehow managed to get himself on the roof and had been inspecting the chimney, immediately tumbled down and landed in the snow in a disgruntled heap.
"Ne, ne, Sensei, where are we going next? I wanna go somewhere cool! Somewhere with lots of ramen!"
"Don't get left behind," was all she said, already walking away.
"Ack! Sensei! You were gonna leave me!"
"Keep up."
"You were, weren't you?!"
"No, kid. I wasn't."
"Stop walking faster! That's not fair-ttebayo!"
"I told you to keep up."
"But you got a head start!"
"Sensei, how long are we going to keep walking?" a familiar voice complained yet again.
"You can stay behind if you want."
"Stop trying to leave me behind!"
Kiruma's lips twitched in the ghost of a smile, but she said nothing as the snow gave way to mud and mud gave way to grassy hills. Naruto's vibrant energy seemed to return as the sun came out, and he began to whine less and run around more.
He paused for a moment when they came upon a small village.
His eyes were unreadable for once as he stared at a couple and their child walking down the path hand in hand.
"Ne, Sensei," he asked quietly after a moment. "Did I ever have parents like that?"
Kiruma watched the family as well for a moment, and turned her gaze to Naruto.
"Yes," she answered.
"Am I from a village, too?"
"You are. And some day you will return," she assured him. He frowned slightly.
"I think… I think I'd rather stay with you, Sensei," he grinned brightly at her. "Because you bought me ramen, and you're teaching me to be super, super strong, and… and…" his smile faded slightly, and Kiruma felt her own good mood fade along with his next words. "And you won't look at me funny. Like other villagers do."
Kiruma had already told Naruto exactly what he was. She didn't know the details of his seal, but if it was like hers and was controlled by willpower, it was too dangerous to leave him naïve to it. With her, the ignorance had led to disaster. She would not allow Naruto to suffer the same fate. But with that knowledge came the burden of being different.
Throughout their travels, Kiruma was recognized and Naruto was treated as a foreigner. They didn't quite fit in with society, and Kiruma kept Naruto away from the villages as much as possible, though he still inevitably noticed.
He sat in the grass and crossed his arms with an adorable pout on his round, whiskered face.
"I hate being a jinchuriki," he muttered bluntly, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. He stared out at the sun as Kiruma stood behind him, unmoving.
The two were silent for a moment.
"There are worse demons out there, kid, than the one you possess," she answered quietly, her voice unreadable. He started slightly and turned, blue eyes watching her curiously.
"Really?"
She gave a slow nod.
"If you think you are alone, you are sadly mistaken. Remember that."
Her voice was soft, speaking with a certain gentleness that only he could draw out, though it was rare. There was a fondness there that only the son of Minato and Kushina could bring forth from the dark kunoichi.
She began to walk away, and he leapt to his feet in outrage when he noticed.
"OI, SENSEI! You're trying to leave me behind again!"
Kiruma returned to the cabin that had served as their temporary home the last few weeks. Naruto had long since grown weary of walking and was asleep and currently drooling on her shoulder. She carried him to his bed and covered him with a blanket before turning her attention to her desk, where assorted old newspapers were strewn across the rickety wooden surface.
HOKAGE'S SON KIDNAPPED and TRAITOR LEAVES KONOHA LEADERLESS were among the oldest headlines, and she had been unable to receive the most recent news due to Konoha's sudden surge of security. The first year had been a desperate struggle to not only stay alive and undiscovered herself, but to protect the infant she had stolen with her and learn to care for someone in a way she was foreign to. Danzo had tried to find her with a feverish intensity that had left her shaking with each close call.
She left the cabin at midnight, and remained at the far edge of the forest outside of Konoha, tensing naturally as she did every time she neared the village. Despite the fact that she had trained herself vigorously to the point of unconsciousness every day since leaving, she was still paranoid that Danzo would come after her after losing his precious fire weapon.
A shadow moved behind a tree, and within an instant, both of them had kunai knives drawn and aimed at the other's throat. Of course, she wasn't the only one that had been training.
"Sensei," the hazy figure's voice came sharp and clear from the night.
"You're early," she answered shortly, lowering her weapon but not relaxing. Her student took a step forward into the moonlight.
"My apologies," Itachi offered, and she loosened her grip on her weapon as he put his away.
"You have information?" she guessed, pulling the hood of her cloak down to reveal her face.
"Three and Dandelion wish to see you," he informed her calmly, and she closed her eyes.
"Too dangerous," she dismissed the idea immediately. "The three of us can't be together at once. Have you told them to separate?"
"I did, but their duties often intervene with their intentions."
In other words, Danzo wouldn't allow it. Her eyes narrowed. Itachi was treading thin ice, saying the most he could with the seal that bound his tongue. He was dancing around the facts, leaving hints so that she could draw her own conclusions, but she had to be careful to ask the right questions.
"What of the Akatsuki?" She had learned the name of the organization her brother had become affiliated with just recently, and had been hunting for information on them ever since, though the secret group of criminals was so covert that such Intel was more than a little scarce.
"I will know more soon."
There was an ominous tone in that statement.
She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to figure it out.
"How are relations between the village and the clan?" she asked, and Itachi stiffened, confirming her guess.
"You are sharp as ever, Sensei," he noted.
"I'm just no stranger to unpleasant missions, Itachi. I have no way to know the details, but whatever you choose to do, be careful." Her voice was laced with warning, but he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"I intend to be. I have a prime example to follow."
"That doesn't mean you should get framed for murder and be seen as a traitor to the village for the rest of your life," she teased him dryly.
He seemed to find something in her words amusing, and his lips curved upward in a wry smile.
"If it means protecting someone, both of us would go to ludicrous lengths, would we not?"
Her own lips twitched.
"Idiot," she chastised. "Don't assume we have the same path. You'll find nothing but pain and loneliness once you forsake what you have."
"I realize."
"Anything else I should be aware of?"
"Our orders are to kill you on sight. Be wary of your own faction."
"Of course."
He turned to leave, but paused, his eyes shadowed.
"Sensei…" she waited expectantly, and his next words caught her by surprise. "It is good to see you alive."
A small smile graced her lips at the uncharacteristic words from her student.
"You as well," she returned evenly, before pulling up her hood and retreating to the safety of the woods.
Finding herself oddly disquieted that night, undoubtedly due to the encounter with the declining Inuzuka family, Kiruma found herself training outside of the cabin for the rest of the night.
A particularly harsh kick split a tree straight through its center with a loud crack, but Naruto slept on, oblivious to raucous noise in his sleep, though his instincts were still sharp when it came to danger.
White fire curled gracefully around her body, forming flowers in her palms and then intertwining around her weapons as they swung in glowing arcs with her movements. She had mastered the white flames to the point where they no longer burned her, learning to manipulate the airflow around them to keep it just far enough from her skin, but her red flames were another story. They melted a majority of her weapons almost instantly before she even had a chance to attack.
The cheap swords in her hands now were her ninth pair since leaving Konoha, and not for the first time, she longed for her sensei's flawless craftsmanship, but unfortunately one blade had rusted away and the other was likely confiscated when it was left behind in the Hokage's chest.
Just before sunrise she reentered the cabin, and hurled a blunted kunai in Naruto's direction as she moved past his room to make breakfast. A resounding thunk echoed in his room as on instinct, he'd grabbed his shoe from the ground and blocked the blow with a sleepy groan.
"Sensei, why do we do this every morning?" he pulled his blanket over his head, but a shuriken following the first projectile caused him to leap up with a startled yelp.
"Oi, oi, I'm coming, I'm coming-ttebayo!"
"Finish eating and start training, kid," she poured a glass of milk and Naruto came running in, dressed in his winter clothes, and grabbed a piece of toast as he rushed to the window, grinning as he lunged to the ledge.
"I'm going off! Be sure to teach me a super cool jutsu when I'm done warming up-ttebayo!"
"Eat your breakfast, you little turd."
The frightening warning laced in her voice made him freeze and go slightly pale.
He grinned and scratched the back of his head sheepishly before sitting down at the table.
"Heh, actually, I'll be off as soon as I finish breakfast."
Satisfied, she watched him eat quickly and drain his glass before rushing out into the woods. She shook her head with a sigh, and hoped he would burn off some of that inexhaustible energy.
She returned her attention to the newspapers she'd scavenged from various villages, hoping to be able to piece together any subtle hints concerning either Yuuko and Obito or Konoha and Danzo's intentions.
Some headlines were interesting, particularly an article announcing that Suna had attained a tailed beast, and likely a host, as well as the birth of the Kazekage's third child. According to a recent headline the Mizukage was trying to propose a plan to make jinchuriki illegal as a source of military power, and while Kiruma couldn't agree more, there was frustratingly little useful information that pertained to her current predicament.
Namely, Naruto was five now. If he had been raised in Konoha, he would be attending the Academy next year. That would be a cause of concern for Konoha.
Kiruma was an S class missing nin as of four years ago. Originally she had only been a B rank priority, undoubtedly because Danzo had thought it would be relatively easy to find her. But as both she and Naruto remained undiscovered despite numerous searches done by the elites, the classification became ever more severe.
But Naruto was innocent. He had no classification other than that of 'missing due to kidnapping'. But that would change once he was considered old enough to fight.
Kiruma had wanted to protect Naruto for Minato and Kushina, not trusting him in the hands of the Council or—heaven forbid—Danzo, and knowing she wouldn't be allowed to watch over him as a key figure of his father's murder.
But now she wanted so much more for him. Naruto was bright and creative and on occasion could be intelligent, though he put it to practice with pranks and games more often than not. But who could blame him for having fun? Certainly not her. She wanted for him the childhood she never had.
She wanted him to have a bright future so much that it hurt. But if she kept him for much longer, he would face the life of a criminal.
Knowing that, it really only left her two options. One, she could change Naruto's name and have him settle in a peaceful village far away from the Leaf, though she would only be able to see him time to time since she was too easily recognized; or two, she could return him to Konoha.
She stared out the window as her personal ray of light struggled through the warmups she had taught him before he could even walk.
There was no denying how she felt. Either way, she didn't want to give him back. Why should she? Naruto was hers. She had cared for him and allowed herself to love him and he loved her in return.
But she couldn't be selfish.
She walked out to the blonde and crouched next to him as he did a backbend. With a blank expression, she poked him in the side, and he immediately tipped over, landing with a startled 'oomf!' on his side.
He leapt to his feet immediately, enraged as he jabbed a finger in her face.
"Oi, Sensei! Why are you interrupting my training?!"
She blinked.
"I just poked you."
"It tickles-ttebayo!" he ranted.
"Let's train at the river today. It's time to learn something new."
"Yes! I bet it's a super amazing jutsu! Are you gonna teach me to shoot fire? Oh, oh! Teach me how to make things explode!"
"You're going fishing," she told him bluntly, and suppressed a smile when his face fell.
"Sensei, I already know how to fish-ttebayo," he complained, kicking a pebble in his path glumly.
"Without getting wet."
"Huh?"
She just motioned for him to follow and headed towards the river, with the bright five year old close behind.
Maybe she could hold onto him for just a little longer.
A/N: Did you miss me?