They could hear it. The screams, the shouts, the crashing of the trees and the roar of the monster. Although it was taking place outside of the village they could hear it all, and they could see the bright red chakra swell in fury into the sky.
There was panic everywhere, all shinobi except for the youngest Genin were running to the village wall, and to the battle field to help stop the monster. The civilians meanwhile, and the children were being taken to the caves and the tunnels on the side of the rock that held the Hokage monument. There was screaming, and crying, there was weeping and crying and the shuffling of numerous running feet, some towards the village wall, others the exactly other way.
Among this chaos a little boy, looking to be around ten, with a ragged, very messy ponytail was sneaking his way towards the huge gate of Konoha. There air was thick, with smoke, pain, dust from crumbling buildings and shouting. The boy hurried his pace to escape the numerous chuunin who collected the children from the streets and dragged them to safe hiding places. But for the little boy no place was safe – no place except for where his parents were.
He ran, blinded by tears towards the gate, circling through the narrow, now crumbled streets Suddenly a hand closed firmly over his wrist.
"No way! You're not going there! Too dangerous kid. Come on!" the person tugged his hand. The boy however pulled his arm away with all the strength he could muster and miraculously managed to wrench free.
"Umino Iruka! Get back here! You'll get killed!" The woman who caught him shouted but the boy covered his ears with his palms and ran on.
He ran like that, not really realizing where he was for some time, while the screaming, the smell of blood, and the red chakra were growing stronger. The boy suddenly stopped. As he opened his eyes he saw he was already outside the village gate. He looked up, and there before him stood the demon.
It was thrashing it's tails about, massacring the trees as well as the shinobi who were trying to stop him. Iruka started shaking, feeling the murderous intent flow over him. He wanted to drop onto the ground, curl into a ball and never open his eyes again. But then – his parent! The thought flashed hard in his mind, and the fear gave away just a little bit. He ran through the ranks of shinobi, drawn by something he couldn't understand. Somehow he knew that his parents were still alive, he knew he had to find them.
Then among the screaming he heard his mother's voice, he squinted his eyes and saw her. She was completely bloody, but standing, supported by her husband. As he trudged towards them he heard fear filled words:
"We've got to retreat. We won't make it!"
But the Iruka's father shook his head, "We can't retreat!"
"We can't," added the boy's mother, she wiped her bloody face with her sleeve, "we've got to delay it till the fourth Hokage comes!" she said firmly. Her husband nodded. She looked around and then, loudly repeated: "We've got to delay it until the fourth Hokage comes!"
Amid the bloodshed the woman's cry was repeated from person to person, and they all brandished their weapons and concentrated their chakra.
The young boy couldn't take it anymore, he sped up. Running through the mud towards the couple,
"Okasan! Otosan!" he called. Both the man and the woman looked round and stared at him with horror, as did some other nin around them.
"Iruka, go! Go away from here! GO!" the woman called, her face suddenly pale. The boy shook his head and stretched out his arms to her. The father meanwhile, fighting down the lump in his throat whispered to a chunnin by his side,
"Take him away from here, please!" The chuunin nodded his head obediently and sprinted away, catching the boy as he ran, towards the village. The boy shouted and the boy cried. He waved his arms helplessly in the air but the chuunin was holding him firmly. As they sped away the boy stared into his father's sad face and read rather then heard his mother's words, "I love you Ruka! Be brave!"
Farther and farther away the boy was being taken, but he could still see them turn round, back to the battle. And he saw his mother pull out her katana and his father forming seals.
"Let go of me, my mom and dad are still fighting!" he called out helplessly, and then his voice died away as he saw his father first, and then his mother, barely black silhouettes now, but he still recognized them, attack the monster, and saw the red chakra almost ripping them apart. Then everything went black – the boy passed out.
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Iruka blinked his eyes and tried to ignore the catch in his throat. However he tried to push the memories away, it didn't work.
Disclaimer: Iruka is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, author of the manga Naruto.
