"Guilty Until Innocent"
By: Shadow and Janime
Taka cracked her right eye open and looked at Naruto sitting across from, twitching and moving ever so slightly. "You do know that meditation is essential for a ninja."
"I know," the blonde boy sighed in frustration.
The two were sitting lotus position on the roof above Taka's apartment. The past couple days had been very long for the exiled Konoha ninja. Once Naruto fully healed and received the all clear from Teijo, Taka made good on her word. She had started teaching him basic techniques (even though Naruto grumbled about knowing already) and slowly moved him on to the more physical. Taka had kept them to a near minimum thanks to Teijo's stern warning.
He tried so hard to keep still but it was very difficult. He wasn't used to sitting still for too long, he got bored easily. He chuckled to himself as he remembered all the times he would leave Iruka's classes during the day with his friends. Sure he get yelled at when he was caught but it was still fun. Sighing he focused his mind to relax but it was difficult.
"How long do I have to be like this?" he finally asked.
"I'll let you know when we're done but you need to clear your mind. Try to slow down your breathing and lower your heart rate."
"Fine fine." His brow formed a crease as he tried to picture something to calm his thoughts. He tried everything but suddenly he could see himself running through a forest. He wasn't sure why but he felt so calm and relaxed. The forest broke in a lush and large clearing. But he'd never seen a clearing so peaceful and serene.
Are these Kyuubi's thoughts? he asked himself. This had happened a few times--while he would be sleeping he would offend dream of the wilderness far beyond Konoha, to places he had never been to before. He took deep breathes and could feel his heart beat slowing down, slowly moving in time with his breathing.
But something was different. Off towards the horizon, a lone figure stood--female from the body shape. The long hair was caught in the wind.
Mother? Naruto thought since he couldn't see the woman clearly due to the position of the sun. It didn't feel like Hidama though, but the blonde knew there was some kind of connection to her.
The woman turned, only the right eye visible, and then both eyes turned into the red slit orbs Naruto had when Kyuubi's power began to consume him.
Naruto gasped, breaking out of his trance, which also caused Taka to break hers.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"…Yeah," Naruto said as he calmed himself. "Sorry."
"Let's try it once more. Ready?"
He nodded as he felt his heart calm. Closing his eyes he concentrated. But he wasn't the only one training. Hidama was helping Gaara to train as well. In a matter of days they would return to Konoha and track down the killers that were framing him.
I don't think they're gonna take me back so easily even if Tsunade orders them to leave me alone.
--
Kakashi walked into Iruka's room. The instructor was still unconscious but his wounds were healing--and rather fast according to Sakura. Grabbing a chair, Kakashi pulled it over to Iruka's bed and sat reversed, resting his arms on the back.
"I don't know what to tell you," Kakashi sighed, "Naruto is still in Suna but he'll be back in a few days… I don't know how everyone's going to react to that. But I do want him home. He's a good kid; he wouldn't do this to you or anyone else. It's not the same without him, you know? Too quiet with him gone."
He sighed as he closed his eyes, unable to look at the still form. "You would have been proud of your former students. First time I ever saw them defy their parents like that in the open. They knew Naruto would never hurt you, they trusted him too much. The other shinobi and I have talked with them as well. They admitted that Naruto was a big mouth, always loud, and never respected anyone but they also said he loved this village with everything he had and how he always said he would one day become hokage. Some of the adults are starting to rethink things but most of them still don't trust him. Feels like a losing battle." He paused there, trying to recollect his thoughts on what to say. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he admired the teacher lying in the bed right now. He proved to care about his students more than any teacher he had seen before.
"I wish you would wake up and tell everyone what really happened but they won't believe you. Still..." he sighed and looked down at him quietly. "Don't worry Iruka, Naruto will be back. He's not going to give up on you or anything else." He smiled to himself lightly if strained. "I think he gets that from that woman, Hidama." He looked up sharply when he thought he heard something.
"... kashi..."
The silver-haired ninja moved from the chair closer to the bed. He leaned down. "Iruka?"
Slowly, the other man's eyes opened and tried to focus on the half-hidden face beside him. "… Kakashi…"
"Iruka," Kakashi's eye widened. He bolted from the bed to the door, yelling for Sakura and Hinata. He raced back to the bed and dropped to both knees. "Iruka."
"… Naruto…"
"He's safe."
"No…" Iruka shook his head weakly as the two medics ran in. "He's in danger… They… they want him… Kyuubi… Shadow… Fallen Moon…"
Kakashi felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. So it was them. "Iruka, do you remember who attacked you?"
"No face…" Iruka gasped out. "No face… nothing… Wanted Kyuubi… loose… that's why… attacked…"
Attacked you so that Naruto would go into a rage like he did when he thought Sasuke was dead, Kakashi thought. "It didn't happen--he was too much in shock when he saw you."
Hinata checked his vitals as Sakura tried to get him to relax yet he refused and tried to sit up. "Iruka-san please! You're not completely healed."
"... Naruto..."
"He's safe. He's in Suna," the silver-haired jounin said as he rested his hand on the other man's shoulders.
That made the teacher pause in his struggles but he refused to lie down. "Need... to speak... with Tsunade..." he whispered.
"I'll get her! Hinata, make sure he says in bed." And with that the pink-haired chunin was gone, racing to find her mentor.
The pale and shy heiress tried to coax the teacher to lay back but he refused to listen. "I'll find some more pillows so you can lean against them," she said softly and hurried out for the storage closet on the floor. That left Kakashi to tend to the teacher.
"Kakashi..." The shinobi looked at the teacher. "You mentioned... a woman's name... what was it?"
"Hidama. She claims to be Naruto's mother." He looked in surprised when the teacher began to shake. "Iruka, are you alright?" He rested his hand on his back but blinked in surprise.
Iruka Umino was laughing! "She came back... I knew she would come back... Naruto, is in safe hands..." He sighed and weakly reached up to rub his eyes. "She'll protect him."
Kakashi looked at him. "You know her?"
Iruka nodded. "She left Naruto with me… and Hokage Sarutobi… to watch over him."
"So… Hidama is his mother."
"Not by blood. She took him in after his mother died in childbirth."
"Which meant that she was there when Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto," Kakashi summed. But why did she call him her 'kit'?
Hinata chose that time to return with pillows and, with Kakashi's help, arranged them so Iruka could sit up. He was quiet before turning to the quiet girl. "How long have I been out of it?"
"Not very long, a few days at the most," she said softly. "We almost thought you wouldn't make it..."
"I can't die yet, I made a promise to someone very close." Tsunade came in, panting a bit as she took in the fact that Iruka was awake and looking a lot better.
"I'll be damn... you finally decided to wake up, Iruka," she said as she entered the room. "Sakura tells me you saw your attacker."
He nodded, seriousness written all over his face. "I saw him. He took me by surprise, said something about teachers being weak but I proved him wrong. He wore a mask but when I torn it off I saw that he had no face. It was as if someone had erased it off but he moved faster than anyone I have ever seen. For a moment, I thought he was going to kill me but I faked it. That's when he said he was hoping the vessel would find me first," he said coldly.
Her light brown eyes widen as did the girls'. "You mean he knew about the nine-tailed fox!"
The teacher nodded. "He was planning on it. He wanted Kyuubi to be released and destroy the village but I guess it backfired on him. He said something about the Shadow of the Fallen Moon, I think."
Kakashi looked at Tsunade. "Did he say anything about the other people who had been killed before he went after you?" Kakashi turned back to the injured man.
"No," Iruka shook his head, "not that I remember. Naruto can't come back here. They'll be waiting for him."
"And it's not like the rest of the village will welcome him back with open arms," Tsunade grunted. "Even with my orders or your word, Iruka."
"But Hidama said they'll be returning in a week and it'll take that long to send a message out," Kakashi pointed out.
"He can't come!" The teacher winced a bit when he moved too fast. "They want the demon fox."
"Naruto isn't going to give up," Sakura added. "I don't care who these people are but Naruto is my teammate and I won't just stand by as he's hunted down like this." Hinata slowly nodded. Naruto was her friend and she would stand by him no matter what.
The 5th hokage looked at them and sighed. "We'll know by the end of the week."
--
Gaara concentrated as a wall of sand rose, blocking the kunais from touching him. But the sand alerted him from another assault from behind. Another wall of sand rose but not fast enough. The shuriken skidded off his shoulder, cutting only the sleeve.
"Getting better but the idea is to dodge all attacks," Hidama said. She easily caught the weapons as they were thrown in her direction. "Remember, trust all your senses and try to picture where they'll strike. If possible use that to your advantage."
"Alright." He took a deep breathe and released it, letting the sand fall. Watching him closely she released several shurikens into his direction. Using her chakra she manipulated the weapons to slice through the air at abnormal curves and speeds.
Gaara focused, sensing them all and summoned the sand up before his feet, blocking the shurikens. But that wasn't it. Something else was being thrown at him, causing the sand wall to crumble. He looked at Hidama.
"One attack can be a distraction for another," she said and gestured to his left.
Gaara looked down, seeing the short sword next to his foot. Growling in frustration, the kazekage picked up the blade and walked over to the pale woman.
She stood there calmly, watching him. He was upset and she knew it but it was for his own good. He stopped short, still holding her sword tightly in his hand. Having lost Shukaku he felt so weak and defenseless; he still had to concentrate on using the Sand Armor. He couldn't use most of his attacks and he couldn't control the sand the same way he used to. It was all pointless.
"I'll never be the same as when I had the sand demon," he said coldly. "What's the use with all this pointless training? This is stu-"
A pale hand reached out and slapped him. It caught him completely off guard, causing him to stumble back, dropping the sword. Gaining his footing he reached up only to find the sand armor broken and his cheek stinging. Hidama slowly lowered her hand.
"I never want to hear you speak like that ever again, Gaara," she said coolly. "You relied too much on Shukaku and not enough on your abilities. And this training is not pointless; it's to help you stay strong."
"I'm not stron-"
"You are strong, you just refuse to accept it." Reaching out she turned him around to face the village but didn't remove her hands from his shoulders.
"It was unfair that they sealed the one-tailed raccoon dog in you but if you were weak you would have been consumed by him long ago. You made sure you were always in control, you tried to use the abilities granted to you to help those around you, you saved Konoha's ninjas with those same powers, and you didn't give into death. Tell me; are those the abilities of a weak boy? Or a strong kazekage?" She could feel him lightly tremble but stepped closer, letting their bodies touch and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He was slightly shorter than Naruto but that didn't matter as she nuzzled his injured cheek, letting her eyes close.
"I tell you this because I care," she whispered.
Her words seemed to echo in his mind. Someone... someone cared about him... she didn't fear him and she didn't hate him. She cared. He closed his eyes, trying to stop his body from trembling but emotions were running wild in his heart and mind. He shifted, feeling her arms draw away but before she could pull away completely he turned and did one thing he hadn't done even as a child. He embraced her tightly, clinging to her like a lost child. But then again, that's what he truly was. A lost little boy who'd been feared most of his life.
Slowly her hands slid from his shoulders to embrace him just as tightly. He was still shaking but she felt tears slowly coursing down his cheeks. She sighed and tenderly kissed the kanji tattooed on his forehead. He shivered but she held him tighter. "So right pup, just let it all out. I'll never betray you."
"... I'm not strong, not like you and Naruto," he said, muffled through her shirt. "I'm not sure I can do this."
"You can and you will. Just remember this, true strength lies within." He nodded but didn't let go; she didn't mind. She gently played with his blood red hair, seeing how different yet alike her sons were. I wish I could have taken both of you from here but what's done is done. I'm not leaving you two anytime soon. "You ready to train some more?"
He shook his head, refusing to let go of her. "Not yet."
"Okay, pup." Around them the sand swirled silently.
--
The week went by too slow for Iruka. While his injuries healed properly and he was able to get himself out of bed, he still had a long recovery road ahead of him. The teacher stood by the window, looking out; his right arm rested in a sling so he had the robe draped over his shoulders.
Iruka looked out at the village, old memories coming back from when Kyuubi attacked his home. He especially remembered when he met a mysterious, pale woman with a blue-eyed, blonde baby.
"His name is Naruto," the pale-haired woman said with a smile.
Iruka slowly walked over to her and looked at the five-week-old baby in her arms. "Is he yours?"
"Only in spirit, not blood," she answered, and looked into the young teen's eyes. "He will need guidance when he reaches your age. You must be there for him."
He looked up at her in surprise. "Why me? I don't know how to act like a parent."
"Then become his friend. Show him someone cares whether he lives or dies."
"... Are you sure you can trust me?" She just smiled at him gently, making him blush.
"You know what it's like to grow up alone." Carefully she placed the baby in his arms, showing him how to hold the small bundle without dropping him. Slowly, bright blue eyes opened and looked up at the young boy. Then he smiled. Iruka couldn't help but smile back and wonder how anyone could find this innocent baby evil. Demon fox or not, he wasn't the one that killed his parents.
Hidama smiled. "You've made your choice. One day I will have to leave Konoha, but I know I can trust you to care for him." She gently let her fingers brush over a whiskered cheek, making the blonde baby coo. "No matter what he'll always be my kit."
He looked at her questionably but she didn't answer. He looked down at his charge and smiled once more. "I'll be everything he needs, that's my promise as a ninja."
"Have I?" Iruka said quietly. "Have I kept my promise, Hidama?"
Turning away from the window, he slowly padded back to the bed and sat on the edge. The mattress squeaking in protest at the same time Iruka grunted from the twinges of pain dancing over his body.
"Glad to see you up and about."
Iruka looked over to the door and Tsunade walked in.
"Are they here?" Iruka asked. "Any word?"
The hokage shook her head. "I'll take a guess that they'll be here before sunset."
He sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. He was hoping they would have been here already despite his concerns.
Tsunade noticed this and silently closed the door behind her so on one could listen in on their conversation. "He'll come; he won't give up, Iruka. You should know that."
"I know... I'm just worried about him."
"So am I." What neither realized was that Konoha's number one hyper active ninja was already here.
The shinobi at the gates looked over the badges then at the four people standing before him and his partner. The red head they immediately recognized as the kazekage of Suna Village, the second was a pale beauty of a woman he remembered from a week ago, the third was an attractive lady, and the fourth was a young man. Everything seemed to be in order. "Reason for visit?" he asked.
"I must speak to the hokage," Gaara replied; "It's concerning a ninja from here."
"Name?" the other asked.
"Naruto Uzumaki." His eyes narrowed when the men snorted but handed them back their badges. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah. He's no ninja. We don't allow heartless killers who kill their own people become ninja much less become hokage. Like he could ever reach such a goal!"
The brunette growled low in his voice, his colored eyes turning red but it quickly faded when he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. He forced himself to relax. The other guard noticed this and looked up at the woman.
"What's his problem?"
"My cousin is tired. It's been a long journey and we're looking forward to relax for a bit before returning," Taka said calmly. They seemed to buy it as they were allowed to enter the village but she didn't remover her hand. "For a moment I thought you were going to explode."
"I almost did," Naruto said through his teeth. "I know I pulled my share of stunts but the moment something goes wrong, they blame me."
I know that feeling, Taka thought.
"Gaara!"
The group stopped and Naruto moved a bit behind Taka as Sakura ran to them. Granted that his hair was now brown (thanks to Taka's suggestion to dye it) and his whiskers were covered with a deep blue face paint--inverse triangles with a line through the center and one at the point (also Taka's idea)--the exiled ninja didn't want anyone to recognize him just yet. Naruto considered himself lucky that the sentries pretty much ignored him.
Gaara gave a quick nod to the pink-haired girl. "Where is Tsunade?"
"She's with Iruka."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"He's awake and doing much better."
Naruto sighed quietly in relief, and then felt Taka's right hand close around his left.
"Gaara, is Naruto okay?" Sakura asked.
The red head nodded. "I need to speak with Tsunade."
"And I with Iruka," said Hidama. "We might as well all go to his room then."
Sakura nodded and led the group to the hospital.
The young medic asked how they were doing, their trip here, but also tried to get more about Naruto. The disguised blonde couldn't help but smile at that. His friends really were concerned about his well-being. Arriving at the hospital they were led to Iruka's room only to find that the leader of the Hidden Leaf village was there. Iruka looked up at them, recognition settling in when he noticed the pale woman. "Hidama..." he whispered.
She stepped forward, looking him over, and gave him a cool smile. "Been years Iruka," she spoke.
"It has and you still look the same." he tried smiling but he couldn't. "Hidama, I'm sorry. I tried to keep my promise to keep Naruto safe but I failed. I'm a terrible parent-"
"Don't say that Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said as he quickly went to him and hugged him as tight as he could. "You're the best parent I ever had next to mother! I'm sorry you got hurt because of me." He could feel tears running down his cheeks, smearing the paint. "I'm sorry."
It hurt yes being embraced tightly but once he recognized the voice the pain didn't matter. He reached up with his good arm and immediately hugged the boy back. "N-Naruto...?" Tsunade stared and Sakura gasped behind her hands.
The blonde turned brunette nodded against his shoulder. "I had to come back, I couldn't stay away. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done."
"Don't be," Iruka patted the boy's back, "it wasn't your fault."
"Naruto…" Sakura just about whispered. "I didn't even notice… I mean, I saw you but I didn't realize…"
"Amazing what a little bit of face paint and hair dye can do," Taka smiled, "as well as changing the wardrobe."
"Indeed," Gaara let a slight grin appear. The outfit Naruto had on was one of Gaara's but Taka modified it to fit the Konoha ninja and changed it a little--taking off the symbol that was meant for the kazekage was the major change.
Naruto moved back from Iruka, the face paint was smudged and ran down to his neck from the tears.
Iruka gave his former student a quick look-over. "Nice outfit, but black isn't really you, Naruto.
"For now he'll have to wear it," said Hidama. "If the other villagers discover he's returned-"
"They won't hesitate to kill me," said Naruto as he wiped his cheeks with a towel Sakura handed him.
Tsunade frowned, knowing even if she ordered them not to harm the boy they would find someway around it. She looked up at the woman. "You kept your promise."
Hidama gave her a cold stare. "I always do." She looked back at Iruka. "We can't let anyone outside this room know Naruto is back. I am not taking any chances so for the time being, Naruto is Kenji, Taka's cousin from Suna."
The young ninja made a face at the name. "I hate that name," he grumbled but didn't argue to change. Iruka chuckled then sighed.
"I'm glad your back but the ones who attacked me are no doubt watching the village. They'll find out he's here sooner or later."
"That's why we're here," Gaara spoke up. "We know who the attacker is but we're still not sure about their motives."
"Who's our enemy?"
"Shadow of the Fallen Moon." The blonde woman winced as her scar throbbed and Taka quietly hid her emotions. "The clan was supposed to have been wiped out 50 years ago but looks like some of them managed to survive. It seems they want Kyuubi's powers."
"They won't be able to control Kyuubi," said Hidama.
"So why attack me?" Iruka asked. "Why try to send Naruto into a frenzied rage?"
"Because the Shadow of the Fallen Moon failed to destroy Konoha," Tsunade spoke quietly. "They're probably the same ones who killed the villagers we found. Shift the blame to Naruto, and when whoever attacked you, Iruka, no doubt was planning the aftermath."
"Fortunately, that plan didn't completely fall through," Kakashi spoke as he entered.
Hidama frowned at the masked ninja as he walked past her.
Kakashi clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Welcome back."
He smiled up at his mentor. "Hey Kakashi-sensei."
"Wait, Fallen Moon... I've heard about it but not the whole story," the teacher confessed. "Can someone explain?"
"They weren't always called that. They were known as the Seventh Moon, everything revolved around seven points," Taka began. "They were like any other clan but some of them wanted power and used the dark arts to get it. They kidnapped people from the surrounding villages, mostly children, and used them as sacrifices to gain power and strength beyond anything you can imagine. They were slowly destroying a once proud name..." It hurt for her to remember that she was now clan-less.
"The leaders of the villages couldn't take it anymore so they put their differences aside and formed an alliance to wipe them out. It took days--though it felt like years--but we did it. I had thought we had killed every one of them but I was wrong."
"You sound as if you were there," Kakashi pointed out only to have her glare at him coldly.
"I was there. Even the best of the best couldn't stop them so they call for outside help. I answered the call. The last stand was here in Konoha and we won but those who rejected the dark arts were spared. The clan disbanded and joined other families." Sliding her pack from her shoulder she opened it and removed a carefully wrapped item before throwing it at the Copy Hound. "Tell me this isn't proof of my skills."
He looked as her before slowly unwrapping the item. He nearly dropped it and Tsunade gasped as she took it from his hands to look at it closer. It was a porcelain mask all ANBU wore only hers was the shape of a sleek fox with a silver and blue pattern but there was no insignia of a village on it. The hokage looked up at Hidama, her eyes wide.
"You saved me... from being killed that night..." she whispered. The other woman nodded.
"Why did you stay here after the battle?" Taka asked softly.
"I was asked to stay. I was here when Kyuubi attacked but unlike most idiots here I didn't attack him. Demons don't attack out of the blue like that and the Yondaime knew this as well as I did. He ended up sealing the fox into a baby." She looked over at Naruto. "He wanted the child to be seen as a hero but sadly your mother didn't survive the labor and died. When everyone turned their back on you it took everything I had not to kill them all so I took you in." She closed her eyes tightly, her hands forming into fists tight enough for her nails to break the skin of her palms.
"I will not let those murders take away either of my sons away from me."
Authors' Notes:
Janime: Wow, this is getting interesting.
Shadow: Indeedy.
Janime: I feel sorry for Naruto having to dye his hair
Shadow: But he'd be one dead ninja if he wasn't in disguise.
Janime: (sigh) Most of the villagers are such idiots.
Shadow: Tell me about it. Thought blue paint is a nice touch.
Janime: Better than Kankurou's red paint.
Shadow: LOL It looks like he lost a fight with lipstick!
Janime: You're terrible. Well the drama is slowly unfolding.
Shadow: But we have a lot more planned for later on.
Janime: So stay tuned to for further updates.