In a few hours, the Chunin exam finals would begin. I had to use this time to finalize Sasuke's training, but in order to do that, he needed my full attention. I left Aurora under the care of Sakura, who was thrilled to take care of my precious girl, but Aurora wasn't too sure how to feel. Sakura promised to meet me at the stadium with her later today, I just hoped neither of them started a fight. Aurora was stubborn she didn't like, and I know Sakura had a bad temper; I just hoped they got along.
Unfortunately, my skills with keeping track of time weren't the best and I almost go the young Uchiha disqualified. Luckily, his match had been pushed back by one and we were "on time."
"Sorry we're late." I apologized as the smoke cleared around us, the last of the swirling leaves fell. The crowd was wild, his match apparently was more anticipated than I thought. No one seemed to realize how much danger Sasuke was really in.
Sakura wasn't hard to find, seeing as Ino was sitting by her. Ino was loudly cheering and spitting out some profanities while Sakura tried to cover Aurora's ears. Aurora was not having any of it, and was struggling to get free while the pinkette tried to scold Ino. Aurora let out a cry, which was mistaken as a cheer by Ino and she told her to keep cheering. Maybe it really hadn't been the best idea to have had Sakura watch her.
"Yo." I said as I sauntered over towards them, breaking up the two. "What did I miss?"
"You missed everything!" Sakura turned her wrath on me, allowing Aurora to escape her grasp.
"Naruto-kun won!" Aurora happily cried as I picked her up. "He beat...um..."
"Neji." Sakura helped.
"Hinata-chan even cheered!" Aurora beamed. I was happy to hear the Hyuuga girl was doing better.
"Ma, sad I missed the match." I gave them an eye smile.
"Fader, what's a bitch?" I was stunned by the question and language my daughter said. I looked to the two culprits, who seemed to be fearing for their lives.
"Ino..." Sakura growled, turning on her friend. Maa, what am I going to do now?
Something felt off during Sasuke's match. I couldn't pin point it at first until it was almost too late. Genjutsu? I thought as I saw the feathers around me. Release! I dispelled it so it wouldn't put me to sleep, but it was too late for Aurora and most of audience Sakura was the only one that seemed to have caught on and dispelled the jutsu as well.
"Sakura." I called to her, setting Aurora on Ino's lap and grabbing a kunai. "Get down!" I blocked the kunai that was launched towards us. A masked ninja landed near us, with more suddenly appearing around the stadium. They were not ANBU, but looked like they were. Gai showed up not long afterwards and we fought off the enemy ninja. The question was, who were these people and who was the real target?
After everything was over, we learned Orochimaru was behind everything. He disguised himself as the Kazekage and planned an attack on the leaf, using the Sand Villages' ninja. He also apparently had his own village, the Sound Village, under his control.
The Sand had apologized and wanted to amend for what happened. The death of the Hokage made it very hard for anyone to accept it, but in the end they were tricked too. They had no idea it was Orochimaru, posing as the Kazekage, giving them orders.
The funeral for those we lost was the first for Aurora. She was still young and didn't quite understand what was going on. She had a vague idea of what death was, but she had never seen it before. I just hoped she didn't experience any losses like I had...
"Fader, what's going on?" She asked while everyone hung their heads in sadness. Some people around us glared, but at least understood she was just a child.
"We're mourning the loss of our Hokage." I explained. "Let's talk at home ok?" I knew she had questions, but it wouldn't be right to answer some of them here.
Later that evening, Aurora and I sat in the living room to talk about what happened. Her first question was why we all had to wear black, which wasn't the one I expected her to ask. I explained that's what people did when someone died, it was out of respect.
"Why is everyone sad?" She asked.
"Maa...a lot of people died. Do you understand what that means?" She shook her head,her wide eyes were full of innocence. I really didn't want to explain anymore, it would take that light away. "It means their life was taken. They...are no longer here."
"Where did they go?"
"That I can't really answer." I didn't want to lie to her and give her the same crap everyone said. "I think you meet your loved ones on the other side. Besides that, I don't know."
"Other side of what?" Should have guessed she'd ask that.
"Maa...when someone dies...their body is left behind but...their spirit is...released. Their spirit goes to the after life, the other side as some people call it." There really wasn't a way to explain where you go.
"Oh...so they leave this world?"
"Yes." She seemed to be getting it.
"So...why do we die? Why do we live?" I was not expecting her to ask hard questions like this.
"Hm...good question. Each person has a different reason to live. I live to protect those precious to me." She gave me a confused look. "Others have different reasons."
"But why?"
"Why what, caterpillar?"
"Why does everyone live?"
"Maa...that's...there isn't really a good answer I can give you other than what I just said. Each person has a different reason. As to why life exists..." that wasn't a question I had pondered before. "I don't know."
"Why do we die though?" She seemed frustrated at my answers.
"No one wants to, but that's how life goes. People die from old age, protecting something precious to them, and many other reasons. We fight to live, and in doing so sometimes we die."
Aurora was quiet for a bit, mulling over everything I said before asking more.
"So...why do I exist? Why did my... why did they die?" My three year old asked. I kept having to remind myself she was only three.
"Your parents died saving you, their most precious person. You exist because they loved each other. You are the product of their love."
She looked down at the floor for a bit, thinking something over but seemed hesitant to ask.
"Is there anything else?" I asked.
"Why did you take me in?" She was still looking at the floor.
"Maa...I...I'm still not sure myself." I let slip. "I mean, it's not that I didn't want you, but I don't know why I took you in. We were so small and helpless then...I felt like I couldn't let you go. The Third offered to take you to a foster home but...something told me that was wrong. Something told me I should raise you." I still doubted that voice. I wasn't the best father figure, nor did I think I would ever be, so why did I adopt her?
"You loved me right?!" Her voice broke as if she were crying.
"Of course I did. I still do." I said scoping her up into my lap. She buried her face in my shoulder. "I just can't explain why...but never doubt that I do." I didn't mean to make her cry…
I was left to repair the damage done to my team. The three of them went after Gaara, two of them getting sorley beaten down. Naruto had been hurt as well, but he was able to talk Gaara down in the end. However, it was becoming apparent that Naruto's seal was weakening.
Jiraiya got word of everything going on and had returned. Apparently he was going to train Naruto from now on. It wasn't what I wanted to happen, but he was right. I wasn't able to take on the tailed beast inside of him. Jiraiya had a better knowledge of the seal placed on the boy and could easily use it to block off the beasts chakra if Naruto lost control. I just wondered if Naruto would be ok with the old pervert.
I was left to focus on preventing Sasuke from following a dark path. He'd been struggling to keep control of the curse mark, nearly succumbing to it in the fight with Gaara. The defeat had put him in a very dark place and I needed to figure out how to pull him out of it.
I felt someone pull on my pant leg, pulling me from the thoughts. I realised the air around me had gotten colder, the metal on the bench even had frost covering it. I looked up from the book I'd been absently staring at and saw Aurora had frozen the park, children and parents alike were walking away in fear. The swings chains were coated in ice, along with the climbing bars, and the sand had a dusting of frost. I looked down to her, guilt written on her face.
"I didn't mean to…" she said sadly. How had I not felt her chakra flare?
"Ma...what happened?" I asked, though I knew it was just because she couldn't control it yet. The question was, what set her off?
"I got 'cited…" She looked up. "Now they won't play and called me names…" I looked around and saw everyone had left by this time.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of." I assured her. "With more practice, you can control it. You're not...whatever they called you." she hadn't said, possibly not understanding what had been said to her. She was a three year old...with a bloodline that was difficult to control.
"Why do they be afraid of me?" She asked.
"They don't understand." I was going to continue but from a distance, I saw two figures. The sight of them paralyzed me for a moment, I recognized one of them.
"Ma...how about we call Sasuke to meet us for some Dango?" I wanted to follow them, and had a guess at where they were going. Aurora immediately perked up and I noticed the ice started melting. It's affected by her emotions…
The bird I sent to Sasuke had done its job and I saw the raven haired boy coming towards us. Aurora hadn't noticed yet, distracted by the colorful balloons at the next stall over. Inside the dango shop, the two figures sat at a table. I know they had sensed I was there, but they hadn't made a move yet. Before Sasuke could reach us, Asuma and Kurenai walked by.
"Hey you two. On a date?" I teased them. Aurora looked up and smiled at them.
"Heh, Anko told me to pick up some sweets." Kurenia tried to brush it off.
"What about you? Getting some sweets from dad huh?" Asuma ruffled Aurora's hair. She pouted and fussed with it after.
"Ma, we're just waiting for Sasuke to get here first." I felt a shift in the air after I said his name. As I said his name, Sasuke arrived.
"Kakashi, it's rare for you to arrive early." and in a flash of chakra, the two inside were gone. I noticed both Sasuke and Aurora looked inside at that moment. Both Kurenia and Asuma disappeared soon after, chasing the men.
"I'm not really one for sweets…" Sasuke said dryly.
"Then, please get something for Aurora before you leave." I said handing him my coin pouch. "I just remembered, I need to be somewhere." I said and was gone with a poof of smoke.
Sasuke's View:
Typical Kakashi...dropping off his kid on people. I looked at the surprised child and sighed, taking her hand.
"Come on, what would you like?" There was something else going on, I was going to find out, but right now someone had to watch her.
On the way back to Kakashi's home, Aurora told me about how she had frozen the park. The kid couldn't control her chakra just yet, but even then it was quite a feat to do at her age.
"Fader said it was ok but...ever'body in da park ranned away." She sounded sad about this.
"It means you're getting strong." I said as we walked up to her door. I stopped when I felt other persons chakra. I grabbed Aurora and rushed her inside, worried something bad had happened. I sat her on a chair and told her not to move as I ran upstairs. There I saw Gai, Asuma and Kurenia all around a passed out Kakashi.
"Why are all of you here? Why is Kakashi sleeping?" At that moment, another ninja barged into the house and rushed up the stairs. Aurora screamed, scared by his sudden entrance.
"Is it true?! Has Itachi really returned and is chasing Naruto?" At his words, I felt my blood boil.
I bolted out the door, ignoring Aurora's cries for me. Why was he back? Why was he after Naruto?!
Kakashi's view:
I awoke to Aurora hovering over me, Asuma sitting close by to watch over me. I couldn't move, not even to look at my daughter. I did see that her eyes light up when I opened mine.
"You're awake?" He asked. "Good...we weren't sure you would." He sighed heavily.
"H-how long have I…" My throat was dry, at least a day if I had to guess.
"A day and a half…" I sighed, not liking that I was out that long. "Itachi...he went after Naruto, as he said. Luckily Jiraiya was with him. Sasuke though...he's in the hospital." Asuma stood from the stool he was sitting on.
"Don't you worry about your kid, she's been with us." Asuma grinned. Aurora seemed to be more concerned about what was wrong with me though. "Also, Lady Tsunade is back."
That was surprising and explained why I was back in the real world. I then remembered a little bit of what happened, Gai had rushed her off to look at Lee after she healed me. How did I get back home? Did he carry me again? I'll have to thank the green clad man later, and scold him for carrying me.
"Now that you're up, I guess I'll take my leave then huh?" He said getting up. I was able to nod and sit up a little as he left the house. Aurora quickly crawled into my lap, looking into my face to make sure I was ok.
"Hey caterpillar...sorry if I worried you." I still needed to rest and might not be myself for a little while. I hoped she could forgive me for that.