Author's Note: After many years of just lurking and reading on this site, I decided to try my own hand at writing a fanfiction of my own. Since this is my first attempt, I apologize if my story is not up to par.
Warning: If you are looking for heavy plot action or romance, look elsewhere please. This is a slice of life fiction, with heavy emphasis on the concept of family. What I'm hoping to go for is "The Feels." If I have achieved this, then yay me.
In addition, this is an alternate universe, or alternate reality. To be honest, the world of Naruto according to Kishimoto doesn't really make sense to me, so I made some tweaks here and there by right of creative license. Some things will be the same, others will be different. However, I will try to stay as consistent as I can.
This is also un-beta'd. I tried proof reading this myself before posting, but I apologize for any mistakes I might've missed. I'm only human, you know.
Without further ado, here is the story.
Standard disclaimer applies, including London Tipton's signature phrase.
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Chapter One: Transparent
The mission was a failure.
In itself, the mission was a bit of an oddity. But Inu (Hound) raised no questions when he received the mission scroll from the Yondaime. Instead, he went straight home to pack and met up with the rest of his currently assigned squad at the main gates. As soon as everyone arrived, the four Anbu Black Op members sailed through the forest.
The scenery before him displayed a mess of splintered wagons, shattered goods and decapitated bodies all arranged in disarray.
It was strange, Inu mused, to send a full Anbu squad to act as hired escorts to a family of mere merchants. Despite the fact that it was ranked as an S-class mission and that the family was wealthy enough to afford it. That was what made the mission so odd. Usually, S-class meant assassinations or infiltration, and simple escort missions were beneath their skill set. A simple squad of Jounin or even Chunin would've sufficed.
They had arrived too late.
The strangest thing of all was that the merchants were from Kirigakure, and it's not as if Kiri was lacking any capable shinobi to carry out this mission themselves. But the Yondaime wasn't so foolish as to accept a mission that would start a war just after Konohagakure had finally gotten out of the Third Great Shinobi War, so Inu decided to trust his Hokage's judgment. He wasn't that interested in politics anyway.
Inu swept a calculating gaze across the destruction with his good eye. Someone had already attacked their clients before his squad even managed to meet them at the rendezvous point. This mission was doomed from the start.
He noticed the rest of his squad making their way to the debris, a vain attempt to find anything salvageable. The massacre of this particular Kiri family of merchants and their goods was complete. But he didn't miss the way his squad mates moved, deceptively relaxed, yet aware that the merchants' killers could still be around, waiting to attack them as well. The blood flowing from the ground was too new to suggest otherwise.
Closing his right eye, he opened his left to once again scan the area; this time, a closer inspection on any tell-tale signs that enemies may still be nearby.
There.
A demolished wagon a few meters to his left shifted ever so slightly, unperceivable to the naked eye, but the Sharingan misses nothing. Gripping his tanto in his right hand, Inu leaped and landed lightly in front of the ruined cart.
All movement stopped, as his squad became aware of his actions. Three pairs of eyes hidden behind porcelain masks observed their squad mate, and they too reached behind them to grab onto their tantos.
Inu ignored them in favor of listening to muffled sounds coming from below the wagon. Silently, he wrapped his left hand beneath the wooden cart and slowly lifted to discover a corpse of a woman face down beneath it; the muffled noise and movement coming from below her. The enemy must've been hiding underground. Stealing himself, Inu pushed the corpse aside and swung his dagger at the enemy, only to halt his actions when he realized that the person beneath the corpse was no enemy. It was a baby.
And freed from the corpse that muffled it, the baby wailed.
The deceptive silence of the mist around them shattered, and without thought, Inu scooped the crying infant into his arms and shot through the clearing, intent to get away from there. He could see the rest of his squad following him in his peripherals. No one exchanged words or secret hand signals. The message was clear: the cry was too loud, the clearing was no longer safe, and enemies may come for them soon.
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Traveling at full speed and carrying an infant was awkward. Sprinting while simultaneously trying to keep the said baby quiet didn't help matters much. So Inu was quite grateful when his squad leader signaled that a break was in order.
Escaping that clearing after the baby cried was not easy. In less than fifteen minutes, the Konoha Anbu were being chased by a whole squad of Kiri Hunter-Nin. The fact that they were Hunter-Nin raised alarms in the back of Inu's mind, because Kiri sending a whole squad to kill a family of their own native merchants, and Hunter-Nins no less, made absolutely no sense. But Inu had squashed that thought to focus when one of the enemy ninja charged at him.
Fighting the Kiri-Nin was difficult, especially so because of the baby cradled in his left arm. Also, Inu was no idiot and knew the repercussions that his mission would have for Konohagakure should any of the Hunter-Nins survived. They had seen the tell-tale marks that indicated that his squad was from Konoha. Should any of them survive and report back to the Mizukage, another war might come into play. So Inu hadn't fought to survive, he fought to kill. And he had full confidence that the rest of his sempais did so too.
Of course, Inu also couldn't use any techniques that would identify him as the killer once more Kiri-Nin found the Hunter-Nin's corpse, so he couldn't have killed his enemy as quickly as he would've liked. And using jutsus with a baby on board might not be the sanest idea. But Inu wasn't hailed as a genius for nothing, and his Sharigan allowed him to see through his opponent's movements, and so with simple kenjutsu, he had been able to slay his enemy in a matter of minutes.
Inu hopped down the scraggly tree that he was currently residing on and landed lightly on his feet. The sickly white trees of Mizu no Kuni (Water Country) were nothing like the healthy, green and lush ones of Konohagakure. Combined with the mist, trees and recent events, Inu couldn't shake off the ominous vibe that Kiri was emitting.
A gurgle brought him out of his thoughts, and Inu turned his attention to the passenger in his arms. This was the first chance he had gotten to study the infant in his care and the first thing he noticed was that she had pink hair. Or he hoped that the baby was a she. No male deserved to suffer the life of having pink hair. So for the sake of the baby, he assumed that the infant was a she.
The next thing Inu observed was the infant's eyes. They were green, thus giving the baby a very strange coloring, but he also noticed that a milky film seemed to be covering them; signifying that the infant was blind. How unfortunate, Inu mused, blind at birth, and only a few days after conception she already became an orphan. But alas, that is the way of the Shinobi world, he supposed. Suffering was a concept that no one was too young to learn.
"It is time to return to the mainland and report back to Hokage-sama to inform him of the loss," Inu's Captain's, Osuushi (Ox), voice broke through the silence. "We would have to take a boat just like before; however, this time we do not have the luxury of sneaking in because we have another variable." He gave a meaningful look towards the infant in Inu's arms, and the squad gave a sharp nod of understanding.
He continued, "We will have to use Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) to disguise ourselves as civilians. Since the boat is manned with only civilians, as this country has a strong distrust of shinobi, we do not need to fear being caught. However, I am sure that I don't need to remind you to never drop your guard."
Osuushi paused, no doubt to drill the warning home. Law of Shinobi #8: A Shinobi must never drop his guard and must always stay alert. The silence dragged on for a few moments longer until the Captain deemed it appropriate to continue. "We will disguise ourselves as simple civilians who want to visit their relatives in Nami no Kuni (Wave Country). I will pose as the father, Nousagi (Hare) will be the mother, and Taka (Octopus), Inu and the variable will be our children. We will become the Miura family. For your Henge, transform into someone nondescript, easily forgettable."
He paused once more and gave a slight nod towards the infant. "As a precautionary measure, it will be best to use Henge on the variable as well."
Ah, so the Captain had also noticed the girl's strange coloring. Inu gave a quick nod before performing the simple jutsu. Everyone, including himself and the baby girl, transformed into characterless, black haired and black eyed Mizu no Kuni natives. A nod from the Captain, no, Father, and the Miura family walked the remaining three miles to the bay.
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"Jiro-kun, could you pass your sister over to me please?"
Miura Jiro looked up from his book to his mother and glanced at the infant sister he was still carrying. His mother was sitting at the foot of the cot he was currently perched on. Carefully, he shifted towards her and handed over his smiling sister to their mother's coaxing arms. His mother smiled, revealing the crooked teeth that indicated the common status of their family. Only people of status had perfect teeth.
As soon has Jiro withdrew his hand from his sister, the baby wailed. Startled, his eyes shot up too meet his mother's. His mother gave an understanding smirk and offered his sister back to him. Reflexively, he received the baby, but it was awkward. Holding a baby was unfamiliar, now that his mind had time to process his body's actions as they were no longer controlled by instinct. His mother chuckled, "It looks like my baby daughter became attached to her older brother."
Jiro frowned at that and as he looked down at his sister who was awkwardly cradled in his arms, and he couldn't help but feel how wrong that was. Her cries transformed into giggles and the crease in between his brows deepened in confusion. Babies shouldn't grow an attachment to him. He was a murderer with so much blood on his hands, even the blood of infants. He had killed countless of others her age, and because of his gift, he remembered every single one. She shouldn't be attached to him; she should be afraid of him.
A pair of hands wrapped around his face broke Jiro out of his contemplation. Coal black eyes softened in empathy and Jiro realized that Mother must've noticed his expression and understood. After all, Mother had killed even more infants than he did. Her lips quirked up slightly and she breathed a sigh out of her nose.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she whispered repeatedly, until Jiro's stiff shoulders loosened and his grip on his sister was no longer tense. "Although we may be the cause of suffering for others, it is because we must, and not that we will it. Therefore, we are not monsters because we could be good too. And today, because of you," an index finger with a chipped nail poked the center of his chest and rerouted itself to stroke his baby sister's cheek, "this little one will live."
The baby giggled at the touch and wriggled around, reaching with tiny hands as an attempt to catch the offending digit. Jiro silently observed his mother interact with his sister, letting the words that were spoken sink in.
"She's so precious," his mother cooed, and Jiro's own charcoal orbs softened. Maybe Mother was right. Maybe he wasn't a monster, he wasn't a constant failure, and he could save lives of those that matter too. But Mother didn't know. His gaze darkened, and his shoulders were once again becoming rigid. He became uncomfortable with the prolonged physical contact of the baby and the close proximity of the woman beside him. "Mother" thought that he was a good boy, but she didn't know; she didn't know that the blood of those that he held dear were on his hands too. He truly was a monster.
A baby bottle covered his vision, pulling Jiro out of his dark musings. His mother was smiling again, her inky orbs twinkling with mischief. "It's about time we fed the little one, don't you think?"
Jiro blinked. Ah, his mother must've stolen that bottle from another passenger. Mother always did have a bad case of sticky fingers. She gave him a knowing wink and the smile on her face turned sly. "So tell me Jiro-kun, have you ever fed a baby before?"
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"Ah, so the Haruno family was annihilated by Kirigakure's Hunter-Nin before you could even meet at the rendezvous point, and the only one to survive is this infant?"
"That is correct, Hokage-sama!" Usuushi replied.
"That is rather… unfortunate," Konohagakure's own Yondaime uttered, his face pensive. Placing both palms on his desk before him, he heaved a sigh. "Alright, there's nothing else we could do. This mission could be stated as a failure, but the objective of this mission was to safely escort the Haruno family from Mizu no Kuni to here. And she," he pointed at the baby still cradled in Inu's arms, "is a part of the Haruno family, and she is here. Thus, this mission will be declared as a partial success in your records."
"Yes sir!" the squad of Anbu dutifully replied.
The Yondaime stared at each operative in the eye before he continued. "Nevertheless, good job everyone. You are all dismissed, except for Inu and the infant. I need a word with you, if you don't mind."
"Sir!"
Inu nodded and stayed rooted in place while his senpai's gave the Hokage the soldier's salute and disappeared out of the building. His eyes never left his Kage's face.
After confirming that it was only those three that were in the room, the Yondaime returned his gaze to the remaining Anbu operative and smiled. "Kakashi-kun."
With practiced ease, a hand shifted the porcelain mask off of Inu's face to the side of his head. And as the mask came off, the thirteen year-old shinobi was no longer, Inu, but Hatake Kakashi. He returned the greeting to the man before him. "Sensei."
His ex-sensei smiled in response. Then his expression turned a tad impish and Kakashi instantly grew slightly uncomfortable. "I see that this mission had been particularly interesting for you, Kakashi-kun."
The silver haired teen glanced off to the side, avoiding his Hokage's gaze. "So it seems."
Ocean blue eyes glanced down at the small third party in the room. "From the reports, I read that she grew attached to you. That she simply refused to let anyone who wasn't you, hold her."
Kakashi grimaced slightly. "I have no idea why."
Minato laughed, obviously enjoying his ex-student's discomfort. Kakashi scowled at the laughing man.
"You should feel flattered, Kakashi-kun. Personally, I find this very endearing."
The scowl grew bigger, although it was hard to see since it was covered by a cloth mask. But Kakashi knew that his ex-sensei knew that it was there.
Taking pity on the grumpy teen, Minato sobered. "You realize that she would have to be put into the orphanage."
Without missing a beat, Kakashi nodded, making Minato pause. He gave his ex-student a slight smile and joked, "I guess you're not attached to her as she is to you, huh."
Kakashi gave him a look. What a stupid question. Getting attached to a mission client was against the rules. Law of Shinobi #10: Under no circumstance should a Shinobi grow partial to a mission client. Partiality will only hinder a Shinobi's judgment.
"Always one to follow the rules, aren't you, Kakashi-kun?" The blonde man sighed, shaking his head slightly before smiling again. "But like I always tell you, rules don't always have to be followed. There are times when one must simply adapt them."
Kakashi gave a slight nod; he heard this from his ex-mentor's mouth many times before. He waited for the blonde man to continue.
"Anyway, as I've stated, the mission client needs to be put into the orphanage. But none of the mission reports state her name. Were you able to find anything from the Harunos' belongings to indicate her name?"
The teen shook his head. "By the time we arrived, nothing was salvageable. And as soon as we discovered the infant, we had to escape immediately."
The Hokage gave a slow nod, absorbing the words. Smiling, he made another inquiry. "In that case, why don't you name her then?"
"Me?" Came the startled reply. Kakashi wasn't expecting such an offer at all. A wide open grey eye gawked at smiling soft blue ones before sliding down to glance at unseeing green ones. "Why me?"
"You're the one who found and rescued her. Besides, since she has an attachment to you, I believe she would be honored to be named by you. So, what do you say, Kakashi-kun? What do you want to name this little Haruno?"
For a few seconds, Kakashi's mind blanked. Never in his fourteen years did he think that he would ever name a child. He observed the baby in his arms, the infant he carried and took care of throughout the travels from Mizu no Kuni to Konoha. He took in the pink hair and the green eyes, and instantly, he knew what to name her. He cringed slightly at the unoriginality but decided that he didn't care. He never claimed to be creative anyway. Satisfied with himself, he gave a name. "Sakura."
"Sakura," his ex-sensei parroted. The blonde stepped around his desk to stand directly in front of the teen and infant. Stooping down to brush a long finger along the baby's porcelain cheek, he smiled. "Welcome to Konohagakure, Haruno Sakura."
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Author's Note: Your thoughts anyone?
If I get enough reviewers believing that this is worth continuing, I will try my best to update soon, even though I am aware that this is probably more like a prologue more than anything. But if it captivates anyone's interest, I will be happy to oblige. However, I will not appreciate (and I'm pretty sure no writer does) any reviews that simply demand that I update. That is highly inconsiderate and rude of any reviewer. One should always ask nicely.
Anyways, as a first time writer, I would love to see your guys' opinions! Thanks!