Dark Fire

Chapter 2

By the time she got there, Kushina was tired so she climbed right into bed when she got home. But she couldn't get her eyes to stay closed.

There were just too many questions in her mind. Why did Danzou, who everyone knew hated the Uchiha, suddenly decide to use one of them as the host for a tailed beast? No matter how she tossed and turned, as she thought about it, she couldn't think of a reason that made sense…

Unless Danzou wanted the boy to rage and fail as a host. Could that be it? He wanted little Sasuke to attack the village from the inside, proving after they stopped him that the legendary Uchiha clan wasn't so powerful or great…

Well, that didn't make a whole lot of sense either but it just wasn't going to happen. She was going to protect him and teach him to control the beast. A Jinchuuriki wasn't a monster to be feared if the beast was sealed correctly and they were trained properly. There were so many things he should learn.

Kushina sighed. She didn't want to admit it, even to herself that she still felt scared though. Like she told Minato before they sealed Nibi, she was still afraid that tonight wasn't the last time she and Minato would have to work together to seal a tailed beast.

The feeling was unnaturally powerful and on one hand it made no sense. Because Konoha only had one- or well, now two tailed beasts. But Sasuke had his whole clan to protect him.

She didn't like to think about it, but she knew that the only time the seal was weakened enough to extract the beast from inside of her was during childbirth. And her baby was growing bigger and stronger every day.

Yes, the night that her little one was born, she and Kyuubi were essentially going to be at the most vulnerable point of their whole lives.

If something did happen to her… Well, Minato didn't want her to think such dark thoughts. But with what had just happened to Sasuke and Nibi's former host, how could she overlook the possibility that she and her unborn baby were in danger too.

Danzou was always scheming. This made the old bastard one of the most dangerous and generally unpleasant people she'd ever met in her life. He had hurt all kinds of people in every land from the Fire Country itself to the farthest edges of the ninja world...

And, no matter what he did, he said it was "for Konoha" and apparently the Third had agreed with him. How could a man like the Third who usually seemed so kind allow a man like Danzou this kind of power over his village?

Just like Minato had even said- Danzou didn't care who he hurt and it was true. She wished Minato were here right now. But she knew how important it was that they find the bastard before his connections to the underbelly of the ninja world allowed him to disappear completely. That man was one cagey old son of a bitch.

Luckily, Danzou was more than a little afraid of Minato. She knew her husband was a good man and he was not going to let the bastard get away with all of the crap he'd been pulling. That was why Danzou had chosen to retreat while they were busy.

But she wondered, it wasn't like Danzou to make a mistake and get caught in the middle of doing something terrible. They usually found out what he had been up to because of the aftermath of his actions.

Did he really think that no one would ever care if he got caught carousing with Orochimaru- especially in Konoha? Did he really think that no one would ever call him out on his bullshit?"

On the other hand, up until tonight he wasn't really wrong… Danzou had been making bad decisions for decades on behalf of the village and no one had ever tried to stop him before- at least, not that she had ever heard of.

Maybe it did make sense that this time he finally got too careless? Maybe he'd make another mistake tonight- one that would allow them to catch him?

She doubted it though, he was probably furious with himself and as dangerous as a rabid wolverine. She would be surprised if he didn't sacrifice every one of the guards in his security detail tonight just so that Fugaku and Minato couldn't find him using them...

She still couldn't help feeling like something was going to happen. Something terrible. Something that would not only keep her from keeping her promise to teach Sasuke to control the demon she'd helped to put inside him, but would force her to put Kyuubi into her baby...

Tired of rolling around in bed not sleeping, she climbed out of bed and found some paper and started to write at the kitchen table…

"To Sasuke and my son.

I hope that this letter finds you both well. And I truly hope that neither of you ever have to read this. But if the day comes where you find yourselves reading these words, please know that I am sorry.

I'm sorry because I was eleven and was given the choice to accept the honor and the burden of being a Jinchuuriki.

If you are indeed reading these words, that was a luxury that you were never given. And I'm sorry for that because I was not able to apologize for it in person.

I had to do what I did though.

There was no other choice with you, Sasuke. The beast, Nibi, was brought to the village within its previous host. And when she died, a barrier was placed around her body, preventing Nibi from reviving in a safe place, far from people. The spirits of the tailed beasts naturally revive somewhere safe, in secret. But Orochimaru and Danzou stopped it from doing so just for their own curiosity. And when they realized the barrier they used was too weak to contain the creature, they sought out another child to use as its new host.

As of now, we do not know why Danzou chose you, Sasuke. I hope we can catch him so that you never have to find out what his plans were.

All of your father's men on the police force and hopefully, all of the shinobi loyal to the village are searching for him and Orochimaru too. I wish that I could help them. I hate sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. But Minato is worried about our son who will be born in about three and a half months.

To my son, I'm afraid I don't know what to say to you. Except that I love you very much and I can't wait to meet you. But if you are reading this, it's likely that we never got the chance because I will have died, from sealing Kyuubi inside you. I know you'll have your father and Sasuke there beside you. But I can't help wishing I could be there too.

So, just know that I love you, my little Naruto. Don't let the things that people say about Jinchuurikis hurt you- or Sasuke. Eat your vegetables, clean your room. Don't drink alcohol until you're twenty! Find a nice girl and settle down with her…"

Minato was exhausted when he finally arrived at his door. His talk with the Third had not gone well. He had a feeling that the old man knew a lot of what Danzou had been up to and it seemed he was right.

However, the Third claimed that Danzou would never betray the Leaf by working with Orochimaru but tonight there was too much evidence.

An undiscovered Orochimaru lair that still had power, running water and a dead, frozen Jinchuuriki in an observation chamber guarded by Orochimaru's favorite barrier jutsu, a rarely seen technique…

People were worth nothing at all to Orochimaru or Danzou and their treatment of the child's body was revolting confirmation of that fact.

Fugaku's men had even found a few pages of handwritten notes at Danzou's home detailing that he had sent some of his members of Root to "acquire" the child from her homeland. And brought her to Konoha in secret just to extract the beast from her. There was even a note on that same page stating that they were not done doing this. They simply started with Nibi because its host was a much easier target than the Kazekage's newborn son, Prince Gaara would have been.

According to the medical corp, the girl had been kept alive and experimented on for weeks before they tossed her into the observation chamber. There, they let her slowly freeze to death over the course of two days, probably to check the temperature resistances offered to the host by the beast inside them.

Kushina would be heartbroken at the thought of such a terrible fate for such a small child, but especially a Jinchuuriki. In her point of view it could be her or eventually Sasuke that those bastards would have been experimenting on!

As he came into the house and around the corner into the kitchen he was surprised to see Kushina in the kitchen, slumped over the table. Quickly he hurried to check on her but she was just asleep. He was going to carry her off to bed, but noticed that she had been writing something.

He smiled as he read the first line of it. "To Sasuke and my son."

As soft hearted as she was beautiful, his wife was devoted to her friends and her family. True, she had a volitile temper at times, but for the most part she was sweet and kind.

He paused, did she really think they were having a boy?

Well, whatever. He had to get a few hours of sleep before it was time to go camp out in his office and wonder when they would find those bastards. True to his word, Fugaku had been making regular reports and had made considerable progress in proving that there was indeed a connection between Orochimaru and the village elder.

But where was the old bastard hiding right now? He could be anywhere- even outside of the city by now. And he couldn't really blame Mikoto or Fugaku for not stopping the bastard when their attention was on their baby...

And everyone knew Orochimaru knew the city inside out too. But still, that only made him wonder, how often did the bastard visit Konoha? Well, the dark Sannin was particularly good at disguising himself and during times of peace he supposed it was natural for the guards to be a little less on guard. But still, it was unnerving that such a traitor could be in his city at anytime.

He grinned as he picked his wife up and she moaned, shaking her head. "W-Wait. I need to finish my letter…"

"You can finish it tomorrow. Now you need to go back to bed."

"But, I couldn't sleep."

"I guessed."

"Hey, what happened, did you find anything?"

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Right now there isn't a lot to talk about."

"Okay, fine," She murmured quietly and scooted over to her side of their bed to make room for him. "I love you."

"I love you too," He said quietly as he slid his arms around her.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Kushina called out the front door. The two seven year olds came to the door in great bounds. They had been playing on the sidewalk in front of the house with different colors of chalk.

As usual, Sasuke was first and unmistakably adorable with his wide, dark eyes set into his mother's exquisite face. And his black hair pointing up in the back but framing his face in the front. Everything about him was regal and catlike. From his quick reflexes to his relaxed but alert temperament. The boy was affectionate but always took his time getting close to new people.

The only exception to this was Naruto. The first time they met as infants they fell asleep holding hands. It seemed natural then that they were always happiest when they were together. Whether they were playing with blocks and dinosaurs or sparring, they were inseperable.

Her own son was very handsome too though, she thought proudly. Naruto was blond like his father, and his hair pointed in every direction too. But she kept it kind of short because it was much easier to take care of since Naruto hated to comb it. And his eyes were a wonderful crystal blue, like his dad's but even brighter. And he had three little whisker like scars on each cheek. A gift from Kyuubi's dark chakra that had flowed through him while she was pregnant with him.

"Are we finally going to practice sealing techniques today?" Sasuke asked eagerly. The boy was an incredibly fast learner. True, he wasn't the genius that his older brother Itachi was, but neither was anyone else in the village. Besides, Sasuke was still smart and extremely clever. Kushina had been teaching him to create his own chakra chains and he seemed to have a real knack for controlling them. They would never be as strong as hers, because hers were a bloodline technique. But his quick mind was already figuring out ways to use them in his sparing matches with her son.

"I wanna go out for lunch today. Can we, Mom? Please?" Naruto said suddenly.

"I can make ramen for you here, you know, Naruto," Kushina chided gently.

"Yeah, but Ichiraku's Ramen is the best ever!"

"Well, you two have been training awfully hard lately and your summer break from the Academy ends tomorrow... I guess it wouldn't hurt- just this once. Do you want to come too, Sasuke?"

"Sure. So, what are we going to practice?"

"You're always ready to train. Aren't you?"

"Itachi graduated the academy early. I want to too! I want to go on secret missions and stuff too!"

"I should have known this was about your brother being promoted to Anbu Captain." Kushina giggled. "But no one was supposed to tell you…"

"Some of Dad's officers in the clan were talking about it last night on my way home. No one ever talks about me. It's always Itachi this, Itachi that," Sasuke scowled, kicking at a small rock as they walked.

Kushina ruffled his hair. "You'll get your turn. I promise. You both will. For now, you just have to be patient. You have to give yourself time to grow and make mistakes. That's what the academy is for. Besides, your brother didn't have to learn to control or blend two chakra pools at once."

Sasuke snorted. "That's what Mom says too."

"Well, you should listen to her because she's a jounin too, just like me. Just because we're retired doesn't mean we forgot everything we learned. You've seen us sparring a million times, we're still pretty cool, huh?"

"For girls, I guess," Sasuke said sourly.

Kushina laughed. "What about you, Naruto? Are you in a big hurry to graduate too?"

"Nah. I like to be in school- there's a girl I kind of like… She's really shy and cute and pretty and she's in our class."

Sasuke made a gagging noise. "Sakura, right?"

Naruto ignored him indignantly. "I don't think she likes me though, Mom."

"Give her time," Kushina grinned, ruffling Naruto's hair as they walked. "When she's about twelve she'll start thinking boys are just about the coolest thing ever."

Sasuke gagged again.

"You're feeling especially sassy today." Kushina grinned.

"I think Itachi has a girlfriend too," Sasuke growled. "So now he'll have even less time to play to with me. Uchiha Izumi, she's in the academy but she's graduating next year."

"Don't worry. You'll like girls someday too." Kushina smiled. "Although I guess if you decide you liked boys instead that would be okay too…"

She bit back a giggle when Sasuke looked at her son and blushed, quickly looking away. Naruto hadn't noticed though. The blond was much too busy tugging her arms out of their sockets as they approached the ramen stand...

"Hey old man!" Naruto said, finally letting go and hopping up to the bar.

"Ah, Lady Kushina! What a nice surprise!" The cook grinned broadly, "Welcome."

"Thanks," Kushina smiled, climbing into the seat between Sasuke and Naruto. "Three specials please."

"Coming right up!" Teuchi said and got right to work.

Ayame smiled. "So, how are you guys today?"

"Great!" Naruto said excitedly. "How are you?"

"I'm good too, thanks."

"H-Hey, Guys!" Someone on the street cried. "Did you hear? That old traitor, Danzou's been sighted in the Fire Country! And everyone says he was wearing an Akatsuki cloak!"

Kushina froze. "Danzou? Akatsuki?"

She hadn't thought about him in years! Honestly, he was reported killed! And besides, he was so old and crusty looking the last time they saw him-

"Danzou? You mean the old jerk who made you and the Lord Fourth lock Nibi inside me?" Sasuke asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yes… Can I trust you two to eat and then go straight to your house, Sasuke? I'm going to call your mom and tell her you're coming after you eat, so don't keep her waiting. I need to go talk to Minato..."

"I want to come!" Naruto said. "I haven't seen Dad for like a week!"

"That's because when there's a lot going on he comes home after you're asleep and leaves before you get up."

"Yeah, my Dad does that too," Sasuke sighed. "Are you sure we can't go with you?"

"I'm serious, you both need to go to Sasuke's house right after you are done eating. If Danzou is- nevermind. Just hurry to home to your mom and play there, both of you. I'll be there to train with you guys as soon as I can, okay?"

"Fine," Sasuke grunted as Teuchi gave the boys their food. She slid the payment for all three meals over to Ayame.

The Hokage Tower was always a busy place. But it was especially busy right now. Over a dozen people greeted her cordially, but she didn't have time to stop and chat with everyone so she smiled and politely excused herself. She hurried to the top of the tower and knocked on the door of her husband's office and then peeked inside. She wasn't at all surprised to see Sasuke's father was already there and the two were studying a map.

"Does this mean it's true?" Kushina asked, coming toward the desk. "There's a rumor going around town that Danzou's been sighted."

But Minato and Fugaku didn't seem to hear her… Puzzled, she came closer.

"Everything's been quiet for so long…" Minato said softly, leaning back in his chair for a moment. "It's hard to believe he's really still alive. The black ops team that reported him slain was one of our best, Shisui is on it. If only Kushina was still here to protect and train the boys to control the tailed beasts."

Kushina frowned… 'Train the boys to control the tailed beasts? That doesn't make any sense! I'm right here, and I am training the boys, you idiot…'

But all thoughts of speaking left her when she caught sight of a picture on her husband's desk… It was a recent family photo- she remembered the day they took it. But in the picture where she had been standing, no one was there! The photo- it was just Minato and Naruto...

"I know," Fugaku said. "Mikoto misses her too… but Kushina is the one who made sure that the village and Kyuubi weren't lost that night, seven years ago. Naruto holds the Nine Tails, and Sasuke the Two Tails- they are her legacy."

She gasped. "No… that's not true…"

Kushina shook her head, horrified. But when she searched inside her mind, Kyuubi wasn't there. Where the demon should be was just an empty cage… Dark and filled with shadows but it was empty- the doors were wide open!

How was this possible? How could she not notice? She was dreaming, right? This had to be some kind of a nice dream turned nightmare… Didn't it?

"Wait! What happened seven years ago?" She finally choked out. She tried to touch Minato but her hand reached right through him without him noticing a thing.

"Damn it!" She growled. "Oh no! The boys! I have to get back to them!"

She was running, but the door to Minato's office never got any closer and the room was going dark despite the sun streaming in through the room's large windows.

Kushina sat up in bed drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. "Damn it…"

Minato wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?"

Honestly she felt like crying and wanted to tell him everything. But she knew he would just sigh and tell her not to worry again. "J-Just a nightmare… Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep. I need some water."