Forest by night, a immense distances from any village was dead silent other than occasional mumurs of crickets.
A shush sound through the branches, a kunai knife with paper bomb embedded into a tree trunk.
KA-BOOOOM!
A cream blonde kuniochi flew through the plum of smoke and another blonde spiky shinobi narrowly avoided the falling tree. They bounded side by side, jumping across tree branches. The blonde kuniochi turned to her teammate as he klenched a scroll.
"That was close, we have to get this scroll to the Hidden Stone village!"
The Hidden Leaf duo continued to bound through the forest, Hidden Grass ninja were in pursuit.
The blonde shinobi stopped, and threw out some smoke bombs hoping to confuse their pursuers.
He bounded to quickly catch up, but the kuniochi was gone. Only spots of blood were present on a nearby branch...
"No..."
As he followed the trail, careful to give away his location. Frantically searching for his teammate when he heard faint moans of a woman in pain. It was her, wounded badly with various shurikens jabbed into her bodily front with blood seeping down.
"What happened?"
"It-it was a trap. A trip wire sent a large set of shurikens in my direction, I couldn't deflect them all."
"The scroll?" He asked while trying to remove the bloody weapons.
"Still here with me. Not bad for your wife to be a teammate, huh?" She smiled, wincing as he tended to her wounds. He lefts her up and around her shoulder, bounding back into the trees.
"Hang on, dear. When we get to Hidden Stone village, we'll get you medical attention."
They were almost to the border when a male voice sounded behind them,
"There they are!"
Showers of kunais flew their way, he swiftly shoved out of their way but many hit his back. With both of them hurt, the kuniochi slipped some blood onto her hand while formed hand signs then slipping her hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, a toad appeared wearing a green cloak.
"Gamaichi, take this scroll to the Hidden Stone's Kage, we'll hold off the Hidden Grass ninja."
"Very well, will do." The toad grabbed the scroll and put it in his pouch, pounced away as the duo stood ready.
Smiling, the shinobi grabbed his wife's hand.
"My wife, let us fight these ninjas with everything we have to ensure our village's safety."
"For our son."
Though bloody and exhausted, they stood as the Hidden Grass ninja headed for them kunais drawn. The shinobi spoke with determination through his fatigue.
"There are things we must protect..."
His wife spoke beside him, "...and as long as we have that..."
They spoke in unison just as the shadows of their enemies covered them,
"We'll never give up!"
A few hours later, in the Hokage office.
"Lord Third!" The young Leaf jonin spoke as his leader smoked his pipe.
"News on the mission? Yes, the scroll is safe and the Hidden Stone will send reinforcements to help us battle the Hidden Grass village."
"Good, good. And our Leaf ninjas assigned the mission?"
"They...they didn't make it. Killed in action, sir."
The Third Hokage saddened, "It's a shame, they were some of our best ninjas. What of their son? Any relatives?"
"No sir, he is an orphan now."
"Very well, let us do what we can for him."
"May I ask, sir, who were the ninjas that died?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze. Their son should be starting the Academy in a few weeks."
"I shall inform him right away-"
"No, let me tell him. He should hear this with as much support as possible."
"His name, sir?"
"Minato Namikaze."