A few details of the show are going to be messed up in the story, but nothing too noticeable; I'm hoping none of you will notice. XDD So please don't look for my errors, okay? I've carefully thought all of it out--it's a first for me, too--and I've been writing long enough to know what I'm doing. Creepy, yeah?
Note: I'm sorry if this chapter is OOC. I tried. -.- And yet I probably failed.
'Nother Note: THIS IS NOT NASAKE/NARUTO OR ARASHI/NARUTO OR KAKASHI/NARUTO OR...Hmm...THIS IS NOT YAOI!! Ah! -looks pleased with self- I don't think there will be any pairings in this story, actually. -.- Ahh. Gomen.
Again, A Note: I'm sorry this chapter was rushed! TT-TT Please don't mind this chapter, please keep reading, and please don't flame!
Last Note: I'm hoping to bring Iruka in soon!
Will of Fire (Part 2) -
Inherited Legacy
No words could describe the silence that had replaced the soft sounds the boy had been making: the rustling of cloth as he kicked his legs out over the river, his soft humming as he stared out over the shifting prisms of light on the surface of the water were gone; instead there was a still, dense quiet.
...It was too quiet.
Arashi tensed when the boy's head snapped up and Kakashi leapt to the side suddenly, reaching into his holster for nin-weapons, hurling them at an unseen enemy; and suddenly the man was on his feet, hurling several shuriken in Naruto's direction, yelling, "Down!"
Rather than question, he--stunning the Yondaime--obliged to Arashi's command without question, and threw himself down. Behind him, a rogue nin stumbled backwards, falling off the bridge, kunai buried deep in his forehead.
And suddenly Naruto was off the bridge, sprinting for the line of trees. His hands were by his sides, unclenched, and he was slightly crouched forward, keeping some of the weight off his legs for him to move faster. This made his balance unsteady, but any non-ninja wouldn't have been able to tell. He crossed his index and pointer fingers, yelling, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly there were eight orange-clad blonde-haired boys, all snarling angrily and pulling out various nin-weapons.
Arashi wished he could see the boy's opponent; he and his ANBU companion, and Kakashi raced after Naruto. For some reason, something inside him would not allow for Naruto to get hurt; a primal instinct, perhaps, that saw this boy as a pup to be protected--almost the same as for his students, but different somehow: stronger.
"Stay away," he could just make out Naruto's words, "from the Konoha - and stay the hell away from it's Hokage!"
Arashi's eyes quickly found Kakashi--the Dog-masked boy had caught up with Naruto seconds after the boy stopped running. The silver-haired made no move to stop Naruto from fighting; it was his fight by right. Naruto was scowling at someone Arashi couldn't see, obviously listening to what they were saying; whatever it was, it made Kakashi tense up, and Naruto snarl, crouching lower, instinctively close to the ground.
"Shut the hell up!" Naruto snarled, sliding out more kunai. "Keep your damn mouth shut! You have no clue what the hell you're saying, you bastard!"
And he let fly his nin-weapons, and there was a moment of silence; the men who'd insulted Konoha's Hokage fell, bleeding heavily from various places. Arashi tensed and sped up; he was at Kakashi's side in seconds. Before he could say a word, Kakashi said softly, "They called you a fool. They said you would never amount to anything, and would lead this Hidden Village to ruin."Arashi blinked at him. "Naruto didn't take that too well," Kakashi concluded in an "as you can see" voice. "It seemed to morally offend him." Arashi glanced over at Naruto, who hadn't relaxed. "He's not doing very well, Yondaime-sama," Kakashi said in an even quieter voice. "But he's ready to leave the hospital." His voice was thick with a bigger meaning.
The Yondaime stared at him for just another second, before making his way over to Naruto. Naruto was breathing heavily, fist clenched around another kunai, eyes never leaving the darkly shadowed trees. "It won't happen, Da...Fourth!" he snarled, shaking his head angrily in denial, giving no sign he realized he'd hesitated before speaking the D-word. "I won't let it! I'll die before you do - I'll do it, I'll make the sacrifice! People need you here, but they don't need me! I--" Don't we all love Naruto for his ability to run off at the mouth, but speak straight from the heart?
Arashi dropped his hands on the boy's shoulders, and turned him to face him. Now it was the older blonde whose gaze was unnerving; Naruto wouldn't meet his eyes.
You've said too much, kit.
Gee, thanks, Fox. I hadn't realized.
There's still time to run.
A--I can't feel my legs right now; I would never be able to run fast enough from the Fourth. Admiration was warm in his voice, even in his mind. And B--Where the hell would I go?
The Nine-Tails said nothing for a moment, giving Naruto the misperception of victory. And then he said, You know how to reach every neighboring country and village, youngling. You're not as stupid as you let everyone think. You know exactly how to get into each one with no problems. You know why you wish to stay here. Seeing Naruto blush angrily, the Fox chuckled darkly. It takes but one person to rewrite history, little kit. You're the only one with such a chance; you'd better do a good job.
Naruto blinked. Fox--
Missiles, from the left, two degrees down. The fox's voice was rather amused, but darkly so, immediately putting Naruto on the alert.
Naruto growled, and his eyes traveled quickly in the designated direction; kunai were flying for them, their main target the Hokage. In the brief second Naruto had before it was too late to act, he scowled; he couldn't sense them--meaning the Yondaime couldn't either. Arashi was still watching him, still had him rooted in place by the shoulders, so he grabbed the man's arms and yanked forward, hard, so they kind of swapped spots. Naruto tensed, waiting for the impact.
Arashi watched the shrouded kunai pierce through the boy's skin, blood flying from the fresh wounds. They weren't thrown well, so they merely grazed across his flesh; Naruto winced, but said nothing. Hehe...how was that, Fox?
You really are a baka, little gaki. The kunai wouldn't have killed him. You're being unnecessarily heroic again.
Naruto scowled, and said sarcastically, Well, I'm sorry, it's just an old habit o' mine!
Before he could listen to the Kyuubi's reply, Naruto was suddenly pulled away from anywhere near where the daggers lay imbedded in the ground. He blinked, face a blank as Arashi ordered the ANBU to kill whomever had attacked him. "Ah...Fourth, where--"
"If you ever do something insane like that again, I'll kill you myself," Arashi said irritably, glaring at Naruto as he sprinted; somehow, Naruto found himself cradled in the arms of an irate Yondaime, being whisked off to who the hell knew where.
This was lost on Naruto for the moment, who felt the need to justify his case. "But they were--"
"I have ANBU for that kind of protection."
Naruto simply voiced the words they both knew were true, not that it appeased Arashi any: "They wouldn't have gotten there in time."
---
Nasake opened the door with a flourish, stoic and unyielding, as she had prepared herself against puppy-dog eyes, pleads, begs, and bribes of all kinds. What she didn't see coming was Arashi standing solemnly in the doorway, cradleing a weakly struggling little boy, looking ready to kill.
"A...Arashi!" She hastened forward, eyes wide with concern. "What's--"
"Would you please bandage him up, Nasake?" he asked her quietly in a tightly controlled voice. "I'm going to talk with Dog and Owl."
Nasake blinked, worry not gone from her face, but nodded and put an arm Naruto's shoulders when Arashi set him down, to draw him into the house as Arashi turned to converse with the two ANBU. Moments later, Naruto was kneeling in submission to the woman as she bound his arm with medical tape and gauze. "You're Naruto, aren't you?" she asked him kindly as she tucked the loose end of the bandage away. "Arashi's really taken to you."
Naruto said nothing, eyes tightening as he studied the floor. He started when a slender hand crossed his vision to brush at his cheeks softly.
"Are these tattoos?" she asked him with a frown, fingers tracing the whisker-like possession marks.
"Tat...? Of course not!" He scowled at her, moving away from the contact. "If I was gonna get tattoos, why would I get some as dumb as these?"
She blinked, then smiled. "I think they're cute."
Naruto shut his mouth with a blush, and turned to glare at the wall. "Hn."
"How did you get this cut on your arm?" she asked, tapping lightly at the fresh bandages.
"Rogue nin attacked," he said without preamble.
"What?" Nasake frowned. "Where?"
"At the bridge on the other side of Konoha." He felt her tense up, and continued, "Don't worry, the Fourth is taking care of it. It'll be fine." He spoke quite calmly, drawing the grown woman into the assurance.
"What makes you so certain?" she asked him after a moment, more curious than doubtful.
"...What do you mean? He's the Fourth," Naruto said as though that should explain it all, eyebrows raised as he turned to face her again.
"...You really trust him, don't you?" Nasake asked softly, still staring at the boy. Said boy shrugged and averted his gaze again. After a few minutes of silence, Nasake stood, gathering her medical supplies and stowing them back in the box she brought them in. Standing, balancing the weight of the burden on her hip, she started for the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Naruto leaned back against the wall, sitting tailor-style, arms crossed; his hair shadowed his face, so she couldn't see his expression. From the rythmic movement of his chest, to the slow, steady breathing, she gathered that he'd fallen asleep. She paused in the doorway, and deliberated. Then she soundlessly set the box down and tiptoed back to where the boy sat.
She watched him carefully for a moment, taking his every signature detail in. The way his fingers curved as he rested his hands on his lap; the way his expression changed from bitterly determined to innocently curious in his sleep; the way his hair brushed low over his face as the spikes limpened. And as she put her arms very gently around him, every piece of him reminded her of the husband she adored.
She couldn't let this boy go.
"Goodnight," she said in her softest whisper, "...Naruto." And when she pressed a gossamer kiss to his forehead, he shifted ever so slightly in his sleep, brow easing upward. And she smiled, leaning him back against the wall, and went to fetch a blanket, leaving the medical supplies where she sat them.
As soon as she left his side, two cerulean eyes opened slowly, watching her depart.
"...Goodnight..."
---
When Arashi reentered his home, it was to find his wife kneeling on the floor sipping tea, with Naruto asleep across her lap. He blinked several times, and opened his mouth, but was warned into silence by a fierce glare and a finger over the lips. "Shhh! He just fell asleep," Nasake hissed, stroking back sweaty blonde hair from Naruto's face.
Arashi smiled and sat down on her other side. "Okay," he whispered back agreeably, shutting his eyes and smiling. When he opened them again, they were full of a hopefulness Nasake understood at once; "Well? Do you like him?"
And although she knew he knew the answer, she felt the need to answer with more than just a glare. "He's...he's different. I can't explain how..." She looked up quickly from Naruto to see if Arashi understood; he did, and said so with an empathetic nod. Encouraged, Nasake continued, "He's...its like he needs attention, but he's too afraid to ask for it, you know?" She frowned, rubbing his arm. "And these scars...Are they--?"
Arashi nodded sadly. "Yes."
At once, Nasake's eyes filled with a passionate fury. "How dare they?" she hissed angrily. "Whoever did this--how dare they?" Instinctively she brought the boy closer to her; the Yondaime watched approvingly, and smiled again. "You do not hit a child!" Her voice was low, but still irate. "Especially not one as special as Narut..." She trailed off.
"Yes," he repeated. When she gave him a sidelong glance, he held up his hands. "Naruto is very special," he said hastily. She returned her gaze to the slumbering boy. "But you know, Nasa-chan...it's not really up to you anymore."
Honey-gold eyes met light blue ones. "What?" she asked confusedly, still petting the boy's blonde hair.
"I mean, even if you decided he couldn't stay here, I wouldn't let Naruto leave." Arashi shut his eyes and tilted his head to the side still smiling. "I'm sorry."
Nasake hit him lightly. "Don't be so foolish, Arashi," she berated him scornfully. "You think I'd kick him out?" She huffed and turned away again. Suddenly two arms slipped around her, hugging her tightly. She smiled and lay back into the warm, loving comfort.
And laying that way, they felt more complete than they ever had; they just couldn't explain why.
---
He opened his eyes slowly, wondering what to expect. He and Kyuubi had been talking in his dreams; for the past few years, they had done that. When Naruto was left on his own, his mind created the most horrible of nightmares--enough to wake him up, almost screaming. So Kyuubi took to waking him up from his dreams mentally, and they would sit inside the golden cage together, Naruto sprawled out on his stomach, Kyuubi sitting across from him, tails tucked around him with dignity. As time passed to the present, the only thing stopping Naruto from getting rid of the seal on the golden cage in his subconciousness at all was the Nine-tails' own safety.
And suddenly two golden eyes were inches from his own. "Ah! He's awake!"
Naruto, as resigned and calm as he had been when he woke up, shot into an upright position with a start, trying to control his palpitating heart. Two calming hands of someone behind him settled on his shoulders, easing him back into warmth. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, to find the Fourth sitting behind him on the bed.
Wait...I didn't fall asleep on a bed...
"I was beaten into carrying you to bed," Arashi said cheerfully, standing. "I still have bruises. Don't get too close to Nasa-chan. She bites." The woman next to him rapped him hard on the head, and he winced, inching away, rubbing the tender spot on his head. Naruto watched the exchange with wide eyes.
"So, Naruto," Nasake chirped seconds after hitting her husband, "it's past noon. Are you hungry?"
The kit is always hungry.
Shut the hell up!
"I'll take him to lunch, Nasake," Arashi offered. "You haven't had a day to yourself for quite a while. Just take some time off, alright?" When Nasake opened her mouth, undoubtedly to argue, Arashi set his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his forehead on hers, looking down into her eyes. "Please?"
The woman frowned. "Damn you," she said a little breathlessly. "Don't do that."
"Yeah! I win!" Naruto could picture the 'Winner!' banner streaming around him. "C'mon, Naruto, before she changes her mind." And then Naruto was being dragged out of the house by a very cheerful Arashi, into the streets of a familiar different Konoha.
---
"AWRIGHT!" Naruto broke apart his chopsticks, grinning widely. "Ichiraku's, the best ramen in the world!"
The young man behind the counter blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, really?"
"You bet! Itadakimasu! (sp)" Naruto was slurping the noodles up with a excitedly contented expression, eyes shut. Arashi, beside him, smiled at the boy.
"I'm hoping that my daughter will work here with me when she's older. My wife passed away, and I could use the extra help," the man said kind of turning a nostalgic gaze on the rest of the ramen stall.
Arashi smiled sympathetically, but Naruto laughed, "Don't worry! You're daughter's gonna be just as devoted as you are, you'll see! She'll never let you down!" He thrust his empty bowl forward. "More, please!"
---
"Well, Naruto," Arashi sighed contentedly, stretching. "You ready to head home?" When he didn't get an answer, he glanced down at the younger blonde; said boy's gaze was riveted on something farther away than Arashi could see, blue eyes intense. "Naruto?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah," he muttered, sliding off his stool. Arashi followed his expression mild. Then Naruto stopped. "Hey, Fourth? Do you think..." Naruto frowned, pointing towards the Hokage monument. "I'm gonna be up there. I will be."
Arashi followed his finger to the monument, and then back to him. His expression was trembling, from anger to determination, a fire burning in his eyes. The will of fire is stong in this one, he thought, recalling words the Third Hokage had said. He smiled, laying a hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair.
"I'm sure you will, Naruto."
Short, yes, and rushed. I'm sorry. -.- Please don't flame! I'll work harder!
Arigato, thanks for reading!
-distant6