Wow! Thanks for all the support, guys! I love seeing how much you guys enjoy this story! Special thanks to Jennku for taking the time to review each and every chapter! You're so awesome!
Read on and enjoy!
For the First Time by The Script
The ground split open into fissures as earthquakes shook the land. The tall trees of majestic forests drowned as rivers and oceans rose high above sea level. Lightning rained from the sky with full force, destroying everything it struck. Hurricanes and tornadoes picked up with the storms, easily ripping apart the fragile homes. Fire seemed to rise from the heat of the earth's core, devouring the villages and their people.
The elements turned against those who worshipped them. Civilians and shinobi alike were engulfed in the growing destruction as the earth seemed to fall apart with each growing disaster that appeared.
At the head of one mountain, four faces looked out over what was once the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The stone carvings of the Hokage seemed to sadly watch their village drown in destruction.
However, one man stood at the very tip of the mountain. Dressed in black and dark red robes, a figure looked out over the fallen village. A smile spread across his sadistic face as his black eyes turned to rest on the crumpled heap of a defeated woman before him. His right hand emerged from the thick robes, and directly below the palm, a black circular tattoo glowed blinding white as its full power continued to activate.
The mysterious figure shouted at the top of his lungs, yelling one specific order to his now reluctant follower. A red dragon with stretched fierce wings descended from the sky, forlornly landing on the mountain to stand behind his maniac partner.
With another shout of an order from his now proclaimed master, the dragon hesitantly raised its scaly arm. With one swipe of its long arm, its claw punctured a hole in the dimension, and a black hole appeared as a result. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream.
From the mysterious black rift in the space, two ferocious blood red eyes opened. A loud roar, louder than all of the other disasters combined, echoed over the land. Pulling itself from its now destroyed confines of the Jinchuuriki, a massive demon emerged from the black hole.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon slammed its giant claws on the earth, and its tails swung ferociously as it continued to roar with victory at its release.
The man, the Guardian, smiled maliciously at the success of his power. Gekido let loose a triumphant laugh to mix with the roars of the demon.
Silver eyes shot open in a panic. The girl flung her body into a sitting position, and her head considerably slumped forward. Her chest heaved deeply, almost as if she had just rescued herself from drowning in a riptide. Her face was wet with sweat. She lifted her shaking hands to wipe her face, but it was then that she realized that her dream did not only cause her to sweat.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks to land on her sheets.
*Suki?* Kinmaru thought out to his partner as he stared at the twelve-year-old with worried golden eyes.
The telepathic message to the girl was unheard.
"Suki? Suki!" a voice yelled from down the hallway.
Silver hair clashed with the darkness in the room. The man flipped a switch, and the bright light of the lamp flooded the room, chasing the shadows away. But the fear still remained, and Suki's body began to shake with uncontrollable sobs.
Kakashi's unmasked face looked down at his daughter worriedly. The scar leading from the left side of his collarbone reached all the way until it reached the bridge of his nose, and the mark crinkled with worry as he moved to sit on the bed with his adopted child.
The jounin reached a strong arm out to bring the crying girl closer to him, and he let her sob into his chest. "Shh… It's okay, Suki. I heard you scream; what happened?" he asked as his calloused hand gently rubbed her arm up and down.
The girl tried to stifle her sobs to create some type of clarification to explain her current state, but her hyperventilating only worsened when she opened her mouth. Her father encouragingly stroked his daughter's messy hair and shivering body, patiently waiting for the moment when she could speak clearly.
"T-The… d-dreams are… g-getting… w-w-worse!" Suki sobbed loudly as she pressed her now red and puffy face into her father's shoulder.
Kakashi slightly stiffened, but he continued to comfort her nonetheless. He hated seeing his twelve-year-old daughter like this. Most of all, he hated asking her to think about it. "What happened in the dream?"
"I-I… s-saw the… L-Leaf V-Village… b-being destroyed!" Suki exclaimed in fear.
The silver-haired man forlornly looked at his daughter, wishing he could help her. But he knew there was nothing that he could do except be there to comfort her. He glanced up at the gold-feathered bird resting on its perch just beside the bed.
The hawk was staring at the Guardian out of the corner of his black and gold eyes. After five years of living with the bird, Kakashi was easily able to read his expressions.
At that moment, Kinmaru's beady eyes and slightly slumped head showed how sad and ashamed he felt.
Five years ago, Kinmaru flew into Suki's life to talk her into accepting her destiny. And when she accepted, she had unknowingly accepted strenuous training and unwanted visions.
Aside from training at the Ninja Academy, the animal guide had been teaching her about the history of the Guardian and the various usages and significances of the twelve animals. Suki hadn't minded any of this; in fact, she felt herself growing stronger. She welcomed that, as she wanted to protect her friends and family.
Unfortunately, once the training began, so did the visions. Or rather, the memories.
Suki was one of the thousands of reincarnations of the old monk who created the zodiac. And as a result of her training, memories from her past lives began descending upon her. What was worse, the majority of the recollections revolved around her former incarnation.
Suki's sobs continued, and Kinmaru turned his head away.
Kakashi sighed. As much as he wanted, and he was sure Suki wanted to as well, to dislike the bird for putting his daughter through so much pain, he just couldn't. Despite all this pain and horror, Kinmaru was family. Suki had grown so attached to him, and Kakashi had even taken a liking to him.
Kinmaru, however, couldn't stop the guilt that flooded through him. Neither Suki nor Kakashi had ever blamed him for bringing about these nasty dreams. But it was blatantly obvious that he was at fault. When he came to train her as the Guardian, the memories appeared.
All he could do now was comfort her, just as Kakashi was doing. But after five years, the dreams were worsening.
After a few more moments, Suki slowly drew her face from her father's comforting arms. She wiped at her puffy eyes and sighed sadly.
"Suki… are you alright?" Kakashi asked cautiously. The girl sadly nodded her head. "What did you see?"
She sniffled slightly as she wiped her runny nose. "…Gekido…" she hesitated slightly as she spoke the name, "called his dragon… Kazan… to summon the Nine-Tailed Fox…"
Kakashi slowly let his hand stroke her head, trying to help soothe her. "It's alright now… The dream is over…"
Suki shook her head at her father's reassuring words. "That's not all…"
Kakashi's onyx eye, as his mysterious left eye was closed, stared at her in worry. "What else was it?"
"F-For the first time… I saw everything… through his eyes…" Suki whispered, tears burning her red eyes again. Her face crinkled as a sob almost escaped her throat. "And it felt like I was happy at what I was seeing…" The tears spilled over, and she leaned into her father again, the sobs racking her body again.
Kinmaru's small but majestic head snapped quickly to look at Suki in surprise. Her words both gladdened and frightened him.
If she was able to relate to her former life, it meant that she was improving in her Guardian training. She was able to feel the emotions of her former lives, which meant that she was that much closer to reaching her full potential as the sacred protector. However, her previous life was Gekido, a dangerous psychopath intent on destroying the world and recreating it in his own image. If Suki began to relate too much to Gekido's feelings and emotions… she would end up just like him.
Kakashi inhaled sharply at the thought of her daughter being just like Gekido. "Well… how do you feel now?"
Suki lifted her head slightly to shift her silver eyes upwards to meet her father's one open eye. "I… I was scared… and sad…"
The silver-haired jounin sighed as relief washed over him. Knowing that his daughter didn't enjoy being like the former Guardian was reassuring. But the thought of the dreams getting continuously worse hung over his head.
But for now, that thought was pushed to the side of his brain to think about later. He gently held his daughter's shoulders at arm length as he stared into her watery eyes. "Then you have nothing to worry about." Suki's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but the tears ceased their descent down her cheeks. "Right now, you are not happy with what happened in the past. That means that you don't approve of any of it." One of his hands reached up to ruffle his daughter's already messy raven-colored hair, and an assuring smile graced his unmasked face. "You're nothing like him. Don't worry."
The girl sighed, in both relief and exhaustion. Her silver eyes glanced over at her clock; the time read about 1:30 in the morning. Her body ached with fatigue, but her mind was reeling with fear of returning to the terrifying dreamland.
*Suki? Do you wish to meditate?* Kinmaru asked.
Kakashi glanced at the bird out of the corner of his eye. Meditation would leave Suki in a subconscious state, but since it was the middle of the night, he wasn't sure if he wanted her awake so late.
"You have the final part of your graduation exam tomorrow," her father reminded as he looked back at the girl.
She nodded in reply. "I know… But if I meditate, I won't think about the memory…" Mediation always helped to keep out unwanted thoughts… until nighttime, when they would return.
"Alright…" Kakashi sighed. "One hour, tops. You had better be in bed by then." His adopted daughter nodded in compliance as he stood up to leave. She slowly readjusted herself on her bed so that she was sitting cross-legged. She placed her hands into the sign of the Bird, and then she steadied her breathing to help clear her mind.
The following morning, the sun was shining brightly, illuminating the happy feelings of the Leaf villagers. Streets were busy with the early morning shoppers, and merchants plastered large smiles on their faces as customers stopped by.
Suki chose to not bother these particular people; she decided to take the less busy roads. Granted, it took a few minutes longer to get to the Ninja Academy, but it saved her from looking into angry glares.
Because five years ago, her secret had been exposed.
Once everyone knew, evil stares were continuously sent her way. Whispers of revulsion were murmured whenever she walked by, and threats were even thrown at her. Only because her father was a famous elite ninja of the village were there no more murder attempts. But Kakashi's ranking did nothing to stop the repulsion that the villagers felt as they stared at Suki. Even those few bystanders who had once seen her as a cute little girl who had moved to the village now saw her as a monster. A monster that had helped to cause the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago and to destroy the village during the war.
Suki shifted her eyes to stare at the ground and her feet as she walked on. The dirt road she traveled down was a little more deserted than the busy market streets, but a few villagers still walked along by her. The girl could feel the eyes burning into her, and she could hear the quiet words of disgust that circulated around her.
Kinmaru sat on his partner's shoulder, his small eyes glancing back and forth. As it was his duty to be so, he was very protective of the Guardian, and his normally gentle eyes turned fierce as he dared the villagers to say or do something they would regret.
*How are you feeling?* Kinmaru asked, changing his angry expression to a more tranquil one as he looked at the black-haired girl.
"I'm alright," Suki thought back.
During the years of training, Suki had easily picked up on how to send her thoughts telepathically back to her partner. Kinmaru's telepathy ability allowed him to converse with others through, to simply put it, 'mind chat'. In addition, he could choose who he wished to hear him. It came in handy during class, as when the bird decided to give a comment to Suki, only she would hear him, and she would easily reply with her own thought.
*Did you get enough sleep?* the hawk asked.
"Yeah… I think I'll be okay for the exam today. I know all the jutsu Iruka-sensei taught us…" Suki replied, keeping her silver eyes down to avoid making eye contact with the other villagers who she knew were walking by.
Before Kinmaru could continue the conversation, a loud yell filled the air. "SSSUUUKKKIII!"
The golden hawk ruffled his feathers in irritation, his brown head wincing at the loud noise. *I swear, that boy needs a mute button…*
Suki giggled at her bird companion. He was always so serious, but he did have a softer and slightly funnier side to him underneath those brown and gold feathers.
Right on cue, an orange blob leaped from one of the nearby rooftops to land ungracefully in front of the girl and her hawk. Face first into the ground, a muffled moan of pain could barely be heard from the dirt in the blonde's mouth.
Suki lifted her loose fist to her mouth to hide her smile and stifle her laugh. But when Naruto lifted his head up to reveal dirty whiskers and blonde hair with speckled brown, her control betrayed her as she let out an amused laugh.
"That's not funny, Suki," the blonde grumbled as he stood up to brush his now dusty orange jumpsuit.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," the raven-haired girl said, the bright smile still painted on her face. "Good morning, by the way."
"Yeah, morning to you! And you too, Kinmaru!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he shouted his greetings.
While Suki was smiling at her friend, Kinmaru was wincing at the volume of the boy's voice. *Yes, good morning to you too, Naruto,* the hawk said as he ruffled his feathers.
"Someone sounds grumpy," the whiskered boy said, his smile still as cheery as always.
He was completely unfazed by the voice talking in his head. After his best friend introduced the bird as her newfound animal partner, he welcomed the hawk with open arms. Plus, he found the mind chats extremely entertaining.
"So, are you ready for the final part of the graduation exam?" Suki asked as she continued to walk along the dirt path, Naruto falling into step beside her. "This is when we have to perform a jutsu in front of the teachers."
"Ah, this will be easy!" the exuberant boy announced with confidence in his tone. He lifted both hands to tie together behind his blonde locks. His bright orange jumpsuit clashed with the black shirt and white pants of his companion.
Suki raised an eyebrow. "Naruto… did you perfect your Clone Jutsu?"
The boy faltered, stumbling over his feet at the question. "Uh… well… maybe…"
The girl gawked in astonishment. "Naruto! What if the teachers decide they want to see the Clone Jutsu?"
"Ah, c'mon, Suki," Naruto said, flashing his signature foxy grin her way. "There are bunches of other jutsu that we learned. Seriously, what are the chances of the Clone Jutsu being picked?"
The girl wanted to retort that there was probably a high chance, as it was one of the most popular jutsu used in the shinobi arts. But she kept her mouth shut, and she fingered the bandages around right wrist nervously.
*Suki…*
Kinmaru's voice interrupted her inner thoughts, and she glanced down to realize that she had been tugging on the white wrapping around her wrist a little too much. She quickly readjusted it so that Naruto could not see the black markings.
Her secret had been revealed to the village five years ago, and she had often heard comments that cursed her for being the Guardian. Her classmates seemed to repel away from her, though they did not say anything about her being like Gekido. If her father was correct, the other children only listened to their parents forbidding them to talk to her; the chances of her schoolmates knowing she was the Guardian were probably very low.
Luckily though, Naruto had stuck by her over the years, and they grew closer and closer during the time.
Suki wished she could say the same about Kiba and Hinata.
She sighed sadly at these depressing thoughts, and the notion didn't go unnoticed by her friend. Naruto's eyebrow quirked in confusion and concern. "Suki? You alright?"
The silver-eyed girl jerked back into reality, and she placed a fake smile on her face. "Oh, of course. I'm just… worried about your Clone Jutsu. You know that you upset Iruka-sensei yesterday with your prank, don't you?"
"You mean with the frogs, cockroaches, and the cat going number two on his papers?" Naruto asked, a devious smile growing on his face.
"Yes, that one," Suki said, rolling her silver eyes. "He made you stay after school yesterday to clean up everything. What if he's still upset and asks you to do the Clone Jutsu?"
"But he bought me ramen yesterday!" the blonde exclaimed. "That should mean he forgave me!"
*Yeah, we'll see…* Kinmaru said mentally. Naruto sent a ferocious glare toward the bird, which Suki assumed meant that the hawk had wanted the blonde to hear him.
"Whatever," he grumbled unhappily.
The trio arrived at the Academy, and many students were running around with glee as the thought of the last day of school kept hovering above them. Naruto and Suki's classmates, however, were nervous with the final part of the graduation exam approaching. The written exam just the previous day had been enough to burn them out; now they would have to perform a specific jutsu that they wouldn't have the chance of knowing ahead of time.
"Alright, students! Everyone head to your designated homerooms!" the teachers yelled out over the yammering crowd of children and parents.
At the order, the kids all filed inside the building, a huge mob of small bodies lumping together towards the entrance. In the large group of people, Suki accidentally got separated from her best friend, and Kinmaru was even forced to fly above the crowd as he hated the crowded atmospheres. It was alright though, as the girl knew they would just meet up inside.
Just then, she accidentally bumped into someone's back, not paying attention to where she had been going. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said as she looked up.
Her silver eyes met red fanged tattoos. Kiba's mouth fell open in surprise as he looked at his former friend. "Ah… it's alright."
Suki shut her mouth tightly as she looked at him. Hinata was walking beside him, and upon hearing what was going on, she turned around to see her former best girlfriend. She blushed slightly, feeling guilt flood through her. Kiba nervously looked away, too ashamed to keep eye contact with Suki. Shrouding himself further into his hooded gray jacket, he followed Hinata inside the building.
"Good luck today, guys," Suki said towards his retreating form. The words escaped her mouth before she had even registered them in her mind, but she didn't regret saying them. It was the first time she had said something to them in five years, other than the awkward 'Hi's that occurred every now and then.
The Inuzuka and the Hyuuga looked back at her, each sporting a frown on their faces. Suki's eyes looked to the ground, despair filling inside her as her former friends walked away.
She understood that their parents wouldn't want them around her. Her own father had explained to her that her fellow students wouldn't know of her identity, but under the orders of their parents, they would stay away from her. Kiba and Hinata had stopped hanging out with Naruto and Suki not long after she accepted her role as the protector.
The last-year students had finally filed into the classroom, and Suki found her seat beside Naruto in the back of the room. Kinmaru made his dramatic entrance with the last of the students as he flew in, his gold feathers reflecting brightly with the fluorescent lights.
The children all settled into their seats, and Iruka walked to stand in the center of the floor, his eyes roving to look over all of his students.
"Welcome, students," Iruka said, a proud yet serious smile on his face. "Today is the final part of your graduation exam. Yesterday, you all took the written exam, and the scores have been calculated. The performance of your jutsu will help to determine whether you pass or fail the graduation. The jutsu you all will be performing will be the Clone Jutsu."
Naruto's mouth fell open in astonishment and fear. His head fell down to slam repeatedly against the wooden desk. Suki bit her lip in pity as she looked at her friend. She reached a hand out and rubbed his back in sympathy. Kinmaru, seated upon the girl's shoulder, glanced at the blonde in a small display of compassion, though he was really more worried about Suki passing the test.
"We will call you in individually into the next room," Iruka continued, his eyes looking up to see Naruto's obvious signs of distress. A look of pity appeared for a split second before he turned back to the rest of his class. "Good luck to all of you." And with that, Iruka disappeared into the next room, and the list of names begun. "Shino Aburame."
Meanwhile, the whiskered boy sitting in the back row proceeded to gnaw on his fisted hand in anxiety, his blue eyes shimmering with fear. "That's my worst jutsu…" he whimpered.
"Naruto, I know you can do it!" Suki said in encouragement. "You just have to think positive!"
"I can never create a clone though! Ever! Whenever I do it, it doesn't work!" Naruto yelled frantically.
"Sakura Haruno."
"They're on the H's already?" the blonde shouted, his panic growing quickly. "I'm so dead…"
"Naruto! Get a grip!" Suki said as she shook his shoulders vigorously. "You are Naruto Uzumaki! You can do this! You're going to be Hokage one day. This will be a piece of cake, alright?"
Blue eyes stared blankly at her for a moment before shifting into determination. "You're right! I'm not scared of anything, so I'm definitely not scared of the Clone Jutsu! I will dominate this exam!"
"Shut up, you weirdo," a random classmate yelled out to interrupt Naruto's rant of resolve.
Fire grew within the cerulean orbs, and he began unleashing a string of curses inappropriate for any twelve-year-old to know. The Guardian was just about to inform her friend about how swearing was bad for kids their age when she was suddenly interrupted.
"Suki Kurohoshi."
The raven-haired girl took in a deep breath before sending a smile toward her friend. He gave her a thumbs up, and she returned the gesture enthusiastically.
She descended the stairs and crossed the room, feeling the stares of her classmates on her back. A few whispers could be heard, but she blocked them out, just as Kinmaru and her father had taught her.
She walked through the threshold into the room where the final exam took place. Iruka and another chuunin, Mizuki, were seated at a desk towards one side, leaving the floor open for the girl to perform her jutsu. Forehead protectors were lined up neatly on top of the wooden desk. The blue cloth and metal plate with the village insignia were enough to make the twelve-year-old gulp as the realization of how much pressure she was under hit her.
"Oh, Suki, all animals must wait here, so as not to interfere with the jutsu," Iruka said as he motioned to the general area where he and his fellow chuunin were seated.
She nodded in response, and her bird flew over to rest on the edge of the table, right next to Iruka.
"Alright. You may begin whenever you are ready, Suki," Mizuki said, his silver hair flipping a bit.
The girl took a calming breath and quickly wove her hands into the correct hand signs. A poof of smoke appeared, clouding her from the sight of the two teachers. In her mind, Suki prayed that her jutsu didn't fail for the first time.
The smoke passed, but the girl had yet to open her eyes. "Pass," Iruka said proudly.
Suki's eyes flew open as she looked to her side to see two perfect copies of herself. She grinned in excitement, and the clones dispelled as she ran over to the table in glee. Her now former teacher proudly held up one of the many headbands up to her. She happily took the cloth into her hands, and her fingers ran over the swirl on the metal that represented the Leaf Village. She held the headband close to her chest, an excited smile widely spread on her face.
"Congratulations, Suki Kurohoshi. You're a genin now," Iruka said. Her contagious grin made both chuunin smile in return.
"Thank you so much, Iruka-sensei!" she exclaimed happily. She ran out of the room in delight, Kinmaru flying right out behind her.
The fluorescent lighting of the examination room disappeared behind her, and her silver eyes blinked against the bright sun as she ran outside. Crowds of parents were standing in the courtyard. Some adults were awaiting their children to arrive; others were congratulating their sons and daughters for passing. Newly appointed genin showed off their brand new headbands off to each other and their parents.
The twelve-year-old girl made her way through the mob of families, wondering if her father had been able to come. As much as she wanted him there, it wouldn't have surprised her if he had a mission or something else important.
However, her doubts were wiped away when she saw the familiar spiky white hair standing out above the crowd. A big grin plastered on her face, Suki politely pushed through the adults and students towards her adopted father.
The familiar navy blue mask came in sight, and the one visible eye landed on the forehead protector in his daughter's hands. His eye crinkled as he smiled at her. "Congratulations, Suki!" he said.
"Thanks, Daddy! I couldn't have done it without your help!" Suki grinned.
*Ahem,* Kinmaru interrupted as he landed on her shoulder.
"Yes, and your help too, Kinmaru," she said, her smile still lighting her face.
*You've done well, Suki,* the hawk said, a small smirk lining his beak.
"Yes, you have, honey," Kakashi said with a smile beneath his mask. "Would you like to go celebrate with some dinner?"
"I want to wait for Naruto first," Suki replied. "Can he come too?"
"Sure, if he wants," her father shrugged in agreement.
A few more children emerged from the school, each presenting their new headband to their parents. Joyful genin jumped around in glee, and adults beamed with pride at their graduating sons and daughters.
Suki watched each individual person emerge from the building, internally going down the alphabet and the list of students in her class. With each kid exiting the school, the girl grew more anxious as she waited for her best friend. The suspense in waiting for Naruto made her fidgety, so she decided to finally tie her headband around her forehead. The blue cloth stuck to her head comfortably, and even though the metal provided extra weight, she smiled.
She was a ninja now.
Her silver eyes looked back up just in time to see the blonde spiky head making its way towards her direction. Her grin widened as she waited for him to approach.
But as the whiskered blonde fully came into view, Suki's smile slowly fell.
There was no forehead protector anywhere on him.
His blue eyes rose to connect with her own silver orbs, and despite the normal bright colors of their eyes, each of the twelve-year-olds were radiating with a dull sadness.
"Naruto…" Suki managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.
Unshed tears shimmered in the pools of cerulean as the boy looked away. "…I didn't pass..." he choked out.
"I'm… I'm so sorry…" the girl replied quietly.
"I made a clone… but it was pale and stupid looking…" Naruto muttered unhappily. "Iruka-sensei said that my written exam score wasn't high enough to pass me anyway. I failed that too."
"Naruto, if you needed help with the Clone Jutsu, why didn't you ask anyone?" Kakashi asked as he furrowed his eyebrows.
The blonde's forlorn expression suddenly changed into one of anger. "Because I wanted to prove that I could do it myself!" he yelled in outrage.
Suki frowned at his frustrated response, and her father felt a pang of sympathy. Naruto had always been a good friend to his daughter, so Kakashi had already grown to like the boy. Albeit, he was obnoxious and loud, but if he was friends with Suki, he was always welcome. It saddened the jounin a bit to hear that he hadn't asked for the assistance of someone to teach him the Clone Jutsu.
"Naruto, there's no shame in asking for help. That's what comrades and friends are for. That's what teamwork is," Kakashi pointed out as he pushed his hands into his pockets.
"Ah…" Naruto started, but he trailed off as he looked away, not bothering to answer. He didn't have a response, and he didn't feel like coming up with one anyway.
Suki looked to her bird companion for any kind of help, but he was just staring off into space. If the girl didn't see the sad look in his eyes, she would have thought that he didn't care. It made her feel a bit comforted to know that Kinmaru cared for her friends, and she only hoped that Naruto felt reassured by the compassion they were trying to give him.
"We… We were going to go out for some dinner. Do you want to come, Naruto? You're welcome to join…" Suki said, trying to gather up as much joy as she could, hoping it would rub off on the depressed boy.
He shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a bother to you guys…"
"You wouldn't be a bother, though," his friend insisted as she tried to lock her eyes onto his. He only continued to avert his gaze.
"It would do you good to get your mind off of this," Kakashi suggested.
"No. It's okay…" the boy said.
Before anyone could stop him, he turned around and walked away. Hands shoved into his pockets, his head hung limply down so that his chin rested on his chest. His eyes never left the ground as he passed the other parents.
A few murmurs could be heard as he walked by all the adults, but he refused to let his tears spill over in front of all these people.
"Humph, that's the only one who failed."
"Good. He shouldn't be a ninja anyway."
Naruto closed his eyes, a mixture of anger, sadness, and loneliness flooding through him. He broke into a run to escape from the torture of listening to the insults and seeing the glowers.
Suki watched him go, and she took a step forward to go after him, but her father's hand on her shoulder prevented him from doing so. She looked back up at him, but his own eye was looking in the direction that Naruto had gone in.
"He just needs some time cool off and be alone. You can talk to him later about this," Kakashi said. He let his eye finally turn to her, and he tried to muster up a smile. "In the meantime, how about that dinner?"
His daughter shrugged slightly, the weight of Kinmaru prohibiting the proper motion of her shoulders. "I guess…"
The jounin and the hawk glanced at her sadly, but the group turned away to head back into the heart of the village to find a good restaurant that would hopefully brighten everyone's moods.
Naruto walked around the village for hours. He had long since left the school and escaped the harsh whispers of the parents. Now he was just wandering around the village, aimlessly walking about. He was unaware of where in the village he was, but he cared little about that fact. His feet ached a bit, and his stomach growled hungrily. His eyes burned immensely, as he had yet to lift his head to look at anything but the ground; the lack of change of view began to blur his vision and sting his eyes.
"Naruto?" a voice called out from behind him, startling him out of his blurred world.
He turned around to see a head of short white hair and concerned black eyes. "Mizuki-sensei?"
The chuunin walked up to fall into step beside the student. Naruto went back to staring at the ground, unconsciously ignoring his new companion. Mizuki glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "How are you feeling, Naruto?" the man asked.
Naruto turned to stare up at the ninja, anger burning in his crystal blue eyes. He countered the innocent question with a heated question of his own. "Why didn't Iruka-sensei let me pass? At least I actually made a clone!"
Mizuki gave a small smile at Naruto's words. The wind gently picked up, softly picking his hair up with the breeze. Naruto's own blonde hair shifted only slightly, the spikes barely budging from their normal messy state.
"Iruka is a serious person," the chuunin said in a quiet tone. "His parents died when he was young, so he had to take care of everything himself."
"But why does he only pick on me?" Naruto yelled in frustration, stomping the dirt path with his right foot.
Mizuki gave a sad smile as he looked at the boy's pouting face. "He probably sees himself in you."
Naruto froze in his mini tantrum. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at his sensei incredulously.
Upon seeing that he had captured the blonde's attention, Mizuki continued. "He's probably thinking that he wants to see you become strong in the real way. Try to understand Iruka's feelings, since you also have no parents."
After a moment's hesitation, Naruto shrugged, his orange jacket crinkling a bit with the movement. He stopped walking, his position halting in the middle of the path. His hands shoved in his pockets, he slowly looked away from his white-haired sensei. "I still wish I had graduated…"
Mizuki, a few feet ahead, smirked at the boy. "Then in that case, I have a special secret that I'll share with you."
Hours later, the sun had long since disappeared, the moon replacing it with the night. Stars littered the black blanket that was the sky, and the full moon casted its glow upon a sleeping Konoha.
In one lonely apartment, a man laid on his bed, his hands intertwined behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, recalling the day's events. Just after the final part of the graduation exam, he had reported to the Hokage to hand in the list of names of the students that had graduated as genin. Naruto Uzumaki's name was the only one not on the list.
"Iruka, I understand how you feel. But he is very similar to yourself," the Hokage's voice echoed in the chuunin's head in memory.
The man closed his eyes, his face crumpling in deep thought. Images of that fateful night twelve years ago began flashing in his mind.
"Let me go! My mom and dad are still fighting!" a much younger Iruka yelled as a jounin dragged him away from the battlefield.
"Your parents are skilled jounin. They'll be fine!" the man who carried the boy away yelled over the chaos. His words sounded more like a distraction to get the boy away, rather than reassurance.
"But they're fighting Gekido and the Kyuubi!" Iruka shouted, squirming in the man's grasp.
The present Iruka hissed at the awful memory. A sudden picture of two particular students flashed in his mind. Guilt immediately flooded through him at the thought of his mind even considering blaming them for his distress.
An unexpected knock awoke him from his thoughts, and he gladly answered the door, happy to be away from his upsetting contemplations. But when he swung his door open to see a distraught Mizuki, he wished he hadn't been disturbed at all.
"Iruka! You must come to the Hokage's Tower immediately!" Mizuki panted as he tried to take in deep gulps of air and speak at the same time.
"Why? What happened?" the other chuunin asked, fear beginning to course through him.
"Naruto has taken the Scroll of Forbidden Seals as a prank!" the distressed man said, trying to keep his breathing steady but failing as the urgency of the matter continued to rise considerably.
Iruka gawked, quickly returning into his apartment to get fully dressed. It took him a matter of seconds before he was ready, and he headed out with his comrade towards the Hokage's Tower.
"Do you think Naruto's okay?" Suki asked as she sat up in her bed to stare at her father.
Kakashi was seated on the edge of the bed, and he glanced at his daughter with his one eye. He sighed with a small shrug. After thinking about it for a moment, he finally nodded his head. "Yes. He is a tough guy with a lot of willpower. I think he'll eventually get over this and head back to the Academy with an even stronger determination than before."
The raven-haired girl slowly nodded her head at her father's words. "I guess you're right. I'm sad for him though. I wish that he and I could have worked together as genin."
*Maybe when he graduates next time, you'll see him more,* Kinmaru said from his wooden post a few feet away from the bed. He smiled encouragingly down at his partner.
"I hope so," Suki said softly.
Kakashi leaned over and kissed the top of her head through his dark mask. He tucked her into bed and rose to leave the room. But just as he was about to turn the lights off, a knock from the front door caught everyone's attention. The jounin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but he quickly hid it from his daughter and her hawk.
"One moment," Kakashi smiled reassuringly. He quickly left the room and headed downstairs to answer the door.
Suki stared at her closed bedroom door in bewilderment. She quietly untangled herself from her covers and tiptoed to the door. She opened it just a creak and listened to the voices downstairs.
*Suki, it's just your father's friend, Asuma,* Kinmaru said as he stretched his wings to prepare for bed.
"Shush!" she hushed quietly as she pressed her ear closer to the slightly ajar door. The hawk squinted with authority at the girl, giving her a disapproving glare. Suki ignored his glower. "Can you hear what they're saying?"
Kinmaru sighed as he lightly flapped his wings to fly over and land on her small shoulder. He easily listened in to mentally hear the thoughts of both jounin. His feathers ruffled in sudden worry.
The Guardian easily noticed her hawk's growing discomfort. "What's wrong?"
*Naruto has stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals!* Kinmaru thought back in a surprised panic.
"What?" Suki shrieked. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, and when she heard footsteps coming toward her room, she rapidly dove under her covers while the golden bird rested back on his perch.
Kakashi opened the bedroom door all the way and quickly made his way to his daughter. "Suki, I have to go out for a quick mission. I'll be back in the morning, alright?"
"Alright, Daddy," she nodded, hiding the fright in her voice.
He gave her a goodbye kiss on her cheek and left, following Asuma out the door and toward the Hokage's Tower.
Once Suki was certain the jounin were gone, she threw the covers off once more and quickly dressed herself in her ninja gear. She tugged on her white sleeveless kimono top with a black vine and flower design and her black pants. Grabbing her kunai holster and weapons pouch, she ran out the door, not forgetting to place her blue sandals on. Kinmaru was right on her tail, flying just above her head as she ran through the dirt roads.
*You realize you'll get in a lot of trouble with your father for leaving the house this late at night, don't you?* Kinmaru thought out to his partner.
"Naruto will be in even more trouble if someone else catches him before I do!" Suki countered hastily.
Kakashi and Kinmaru had told her legends of the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. It was a scroll with various forbidden jutsus. It was a dangerous scroll whose contents were banned from the human eye by the Fourth Hokage. If used in the wrong way, it would create danger and chaos.
*Suki, calm down,* the hawk said, interrupting her thoughts.
"How can I calm down? The entire shinobi population of the village is surely hunting Naruto down right now!" the girl shot back, throwing caution out the window as she put on a burst of speed.
*Suki, duck!* Kinmaru yelled.
"Wha-"
Suki was thrown off track as she felt something roughly push her. She fell to the ground of a nearby alley, the dark shadows of the buildings mixing with the night sky to completely conceal her form. It took her a moment to realize that Kinmaru had been the one to push her as he landed softly on her shoulders.
She was just about to yell at him for making her waste time when she saw several figures run by the mouth of the alleyway.
"That brat won't get away with this one!"
"Yeah, we'll find him and throw him in prison for this crime!"
"That monster has gone too far!"
She finally put two and two together, and she realized that the people running by were shinobi who were on the hunt for her best friend.
*They almost saw you, Suki. If you get caught, you'll be sent to either your father or worse, the Hokage. Then you can forget about finding Naruto,* Kinmaru scolded as his eyes turned to sharply stare at the twelve-year-old.
"I…" she trailed off, knowing that her hawk was right.
The ninja who were running through the village were elite chuunin and jounin, and she was a recently graduated student from the Ninja Academy. She was barely a genin by ninja standards, as she had yet to do any formal training or missions.
*You have an advantage though, Suki,* Kinmaru continued, a reassuring smile appearing on his beak. *Put your Guardian training to good use.*
Suki's eyes widened in realization as she comprehended his words. She nodded her head, determination reigniting in her.
She closed her silver eyes and concentrated on her chakra. She placed her hand on the ground, letting her energy flow into the earth. "Legendary Style: Eye of the Bird."
*You were born in the year of the Bird,* Kinmaru's voice echoed in her head.
The Guardian spread her chakra through the ground, extending her senses to find what she was looking for.
*Observance is your strength.*
She could feel the pure elements that made up her village. The dirt, the rocks, the trees, everything meshed into her mind as she filed through all these passing images. Even with closed eyes, she was able to see each and every one of the land's elements flashing pictures in her mind.
*Channel your soul into the elements of your surroundings. Once you learn to sense through them, you will be able to harness them.*
The trees that made up the forest suddenly called out to her, and she gasped. Her eyes reached beyond her physical form and flew through the village to finally find what she had been searching for.
Naruto, seated in the middle of the forest, was looking through the scroll that he had stolen. He looked bruised and tired, but otherwise, he was alright. And alone… for now.
Suki released her chakra, her inner being returning to her. She crumpled to the ground, the immense energy usage leaving her weak.
The technique was something that she had been practicing ever since she had accepted her duty as the Guardian. Since she was born in the year of the Bird, she was to learn the abilities associated with that year and go in order from there.
But she was still a rookie as a ninja, and the jutsu took too much out of her. Kinmaru looked at her worriedly, his head tilting slightly so his golden eyes could look at her. *Are you alright?* he asked.
"I'm just drained…" she replied. "I found him. He's alone for now, but we have to hurry."
Kinmaru nodded. *Don't rush though. If you go too fast, you might collapse from exhaustion.*
Suki ran off, both hearing and ignoring his advice. She ducked around buildings and tried to hide as much as possible so the other shinobi didn't spot her. But her main focus was just on finding her best friend.
Naruto sat on the ground, breathing heavily. One arm rested on his knee, and he winced slightly with each breath he took. The Scroll of Forbidden Seals was strapped to his back, making him hunch over from the extra weight. His body was so beaten and bruised from his practicing. Despite the pain though, he smiled. He had done what he wanted to do.
"I've found you," a voice growled from above him.
Surprised, Naruto looked up to see his teacher standing right in front of him, leering down at him. Hands dug into his hips and an angry smile on his face, Iruka was the picture of frustration at that moment.
"Hehe, you've found me," Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his blonde head. "I only had time to learn one thing though."
"You look all beaten up. What were you doing out here?" Iruka asked, squinting down at the boy suspiciously.
"Never mind that!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly very excited. "I'm going to show you an awesome jutsu, and then you'll let me graduate, right?"
Iruka's eyes widened in surprise at the words that escaped Naruto's mouth. "He's been practicing out here? And enough to damage his body too…" He quickly shook his head to keep himself on task. He raised an eyebrow as the boy was about to complete a hand sign. "Naruto, where did you get that scroll?"
The whiskered boy broke from his stance to look up at his teacher. He grinned at him as he pointed at the giant scroll on his back. "Oh, this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it. And then he told me to come here after I found it. He said if I showed you a skill from the scroll, I'd definitely graduate!"
The chuunin gawked at the boy. "Mizuki?" A sudden presence alerted him that he and Naruto were not alone, but only too late was he able to react.
"Darn it!" Suki hissed under her breath as she peered through the bushes. "I didn't make it in time."
*Wait, just look,* Kinmaru thought to her, his voice sounding a bit reassuring. *Iruka is not scolding Naruto. He doesn't even seem that angry.*
The girl moved a stray strand of her black hair back behind her ear, her silver eyes squinting to get a better view. Kinmaru was right. Iruka was standing over Naruto, hands on his hips, in what appeared to be an angry stance. But from her spot in the bushes, which was located just to the side of her former teacher and best friend, Suki could see that Iruka's expression was more confused than frustrated.
The girl sighed in relief. At least Naruto hadn't been caught by someone who would instantly throw him to the Hokage to be placed in jail.
"Kinmaru, you should fly ahead and make sure no one else is around," Suki said, her inner voice sounding a bit worried. "I don't want someone to come in and convince Iruka that Naruto should be put in big trouble."
*And what do you intend on doing?* the hawk asked, raising a feathery brow.
"I'm going to be there for my friend if he needs me," the girl replied easily, a bit of confidence evident in her inner tone.
The bird nodded. *Just be careful, alright Suki?* The girl nodded her own head in return, and with one flap of his wings, Kinmaru quietly and softly took off through the trees and into the dark sky.
Suki continued to watch the chuunin and student, waiting for something even more reassuring to happen. Maybe Iruka could give Naruto a hug? Maybe Naruto could apologize for putting everyone through so much worry?
But instead, Suki picked up on part of the conversation, leaving her befuddled and curious. "Never mind that! I'm going to show you an awesome jutsu, and then you'll let me graduate, right?" Naruto asked in excitement.
"What?" the girl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
Just before she could question Naruto's words further, a hand clamped down on her mouth from behind. She squealed in surprise and fright, but her shriek was muffled by her captor. "The last thing I need is for you to spoil my plans, Guardian," a familiar voice hissed in her ear.
Suki's eyes widened. "Mizuki-sensei?"
She cried again, louder this time, in hopes of catching either Iruka or Naruto's attention. But the chuunin who held her in his grasp only tightened his hold on her mouth and squeezed her wrists behind her back.
"Oh, this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it. And then he told me to come here after I found it. He said if I showed you a skill from the scroll, I'd definitely graduate!" Naruto's exuberant voice said from the clearing in the woods.
In a flash, Mizuki had his hand in his weapons pouch, removing about ten kunai. With a flick of his wrist, the knives were thrown from their position in the bushes and hurled towards the two unsuspecting victims.
"Naruto!" Suki instantly cursed herself for using up the majority of her chakra so quickly, and she stared wide-eyed as the weapons seemed to fly in slow motion toward her teacher and her best friend.
In the clearing, Iruka sensed the weapons hurtling towards Naruto and himself too late. He threw his palm into Naruto's chest, sending him flying backwards toward safety. The fast-moving kunai flew towards the tan chuunin, and he skidded in reverse until his back made contact with a tree. While some knives lodged themselves in the bark of the trunk, some weapons found themselves pierced into Iruka's arms, legs, and chest.
"Haha, so it seems you have found the moron!" Mizuki's voice said in a maniac excitement. Iruka's eyes nervously glanced around the forest, trying to pinpoint his fellow chuunin's location.
"I see… So it was you behind all of this…" Iruka managed to groan out as blood trickled down from the corners of his mouth and oozed from his growing wounds.
"Naruto, I suggest you hand over the scroll to me," Mizuki's voice maliciously purred from the darkness of the forest, enhancing the fright that grew within the blonde.
"What… What is going on here?" Naruto sputtered out as he frantically looked around the clearing. He scrambled to his feet, throwing himself into a battle stance, but his body betrayed him by quivering where he stood.
"Naruto! Whatever you do, do not give Mizuki the scroll!" Iruka yelled as he clutched his right arm to cease the blood flow. His upper body leaned over in a hunch from the pain, but his face turned to Naruto to make eye contact, hoping to show the seriousness of the situation. "That's a dangerous scroll filled with forbidden ninjutsu! Mizuki used you so that he could get his own grimy hands on it!"
Understanding suddenly crossed his features, and the boy growled in response to his sensei's explanation. "You…" he spat out as he tried to locate the enemy's spot.
"Ah, it's a shame you won't listen to me," Mizuki's voice echoed out, sounding rather amused. "I guess this little girl is going to have to suffer then."
Both Iruka and Naruto furrowed their eyebrows in confusion at the man's words. Mizuki leaped from his spot behind the bushes to stand on a tree branch so that he towered over his new opponents. The blonde boy's eyes widened at what he saw.
Mizuki was holding Suki captive, one arm wrapped around her neck in a chokehold while his other hand held a kunai up to her chin. Both of the girl's hands were clawing at the arm that held her captive, but the man's strength easily overpowered her.
"Of course, I don't think you should really care, Naruto, considering what she's done to you," the white-haired chuunin chuckled evilly.
"What are you talking about? She's my best friend, and I won't let you hurt her!" the whiskered twelve-year-old growled as he clenched his hands into fists. His knuckles turned white and ached from the pressure, but he ignored it as he glared at the chuunin.
"Oh, so she hasn't told you about who she really is?" the man smirked as his eyebrow rose in mock surprise.
Iruka and Suki instantly caught on to what he was saying. The girl quickly tried to wiggle herself out of his grasp, but it was to no avail. The Academy instructor pulled himself up so that he almost stood up straight, despite the kunai lodged in his body. "Mizuki, don't say anything!" Iruka yelled out desperately.
His former comrade completely ignored him. "Naruto, I'm sure you've heard of the attack that occurred twelve years ago, eh?"
The boy in question quickly became confused, his determined and angry face suddenly giving way to bewilderment.
"Years ago, the world was at war because of the former Guardian, Gekido," Mizuki continued, his smirk growing into a crazy grin. "That man summoned the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, destroying the Leaf Village as a result. And since that day, a special rule was written that no one could tell you about."
Suki's silver eyes narrowed in confusion. Even she wasn't aware of where Mizuki's explanation was going.
However, Iruka was struggling against his pain to try and stop the other chuunin's speech. "Stop!" Iruka yelled out.
"What is this rule?" Naruto asked. "Tell me!"
"The rule is that nobody is allowed to tell you that you are the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon!" Mizuki cackled out. "You're the monster who killed half the village, including Iruka's parents!"
Both Naruto and Suki's eyes widened at the words. "Wha… What?" the blonde stuttered.
"And you know whose fault that is?" Mizuki taunted. "Gekido, the previous Guardian. He is the one who summoned the Fox Demon, and he is the reason you are the hated monster of Konoha! The Fourth Hokage, the great man that you admire, is the one who sealed the demon inside you! You've been lied to by everyone!"
"Stop it!" Iruka shouted, but his demands were ignored.
"The legendary sacred protector is the cause for your pathetic life," Mizuki laughed. "Gekido summoned the demon only to have it sealed inside of you!"
Suki suddenly stopped her squirming, her eyes as wide as saucers. Images of the previous night's dream unwillingly came flooding back, drowning her in unwanted visions.
"And guess what? The girl you call your best friend has been lying to you about who she really is!" the crazed chuunin laughed maniacally.
"What?" Naruto sputtered out.
"Suki Kurohoshi… is Gekido," Mizuki said, his loud voice suddenly turning into a malicious whisper. But his quiet tone was still loud enough for everyone to hear. "Your best friend is the new Guardian."
The blonde's blue eyes widened, and tears began to brim the edges. "Suki…"
"Naruto… it's not true," Suki managed to choke out. But even her words sounded like a lie to her ears, because no matter how many times she tried to deny it, she was the reincarnation of Gekido.
"Ha! That's what you say! But we all know that you are Gekido, no matter what you look like or what your name is," the white-haired male said as he tightened his chokehold on the girl. "Gekido was, is, and will always be you!"
Tears spilled from Suki's eyes as she depicted the twisted truth in his words. Sobs racked her body, and she would have crumpled to her knees if the man wasn't keeping her standing up by the throat.
"Suki lied to you about who she was because she is the reason that you are a freak," Mizuki said.
"Naruto… I didn't know that you were…" the girl tried to say, but her sobs interrupted her from saying anything more.
The boy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to escape this horrible truth. But with everything suddenly being explained to him, he finally connected the dots. He was the Kyuubi Fox Demon; that was why everyone hated him. Suki was the Guardian… she was Gekido… that was why everyone seemed to stay away from her. And it was Suki's fault that he was considered a monster.
The abrupt pressure and stress overwhelmed him, and he felt a sudden surge of energy flow through him. He unleashed a loud growl, and he could feel an overpowering feral sensation encase him. He willingly let it take away his pain and sorrow, and his wounded soul was replaced with a deep unsettling anger.
"No one has ever loved you! And no one ever will!" Mizuki yelled, a triumphant smile spreading on his face.
He threw Suki to the side, and the sudden action shocked her so much that she barely had time to react. Her head collided with the hardened bark of a nearby tree, and the wind was knocked out of her. She fell to the ground, and she clutched her head in pain. She gasped as she felt the warm sticky substance on her fingers. Her head was bleeding.
Mizuki quickly leaped from his perch on the tree branch, aiming straight at Naruto, who seemed to be shrouded in a reddish cloud of energy.
"He's never known a parent's love…" Iruka thought hastily as he pushed himself up. "He wants people to acknowledge his existence…" The man threw himself up until he was properly standing and then hurled himself forward.
The sound of flesh being pierced with metal echoed through the clearing, and the smell of fresh blood wafted through the air. Suki looked up, and what she saw brought tears to her eyes. Her body was paralyzed with shock, and she was unable to pick herself up from her spot on the ground.
Iruka was leaning over Naruto, who appeared to be just as surprised as Suki felt. The reason for the astonishment was because the large shuriken that Mizuki had thrown was lodged in the other chuunin's back.
"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto whispered. The red energy that had almost engulfed him with his anger had vanished as his bewilderment rose.
Tears fell from the man's face in rivers, landing on Naruto's own dusty and bruised face. "Naruto… I understand how you feel…"
Cerulean orbs widened in surprise at the words, and tears brimmed the edges of his own eyes.
"To be ignored… To be unaccepted… To feel worthless… I understand your pain. I went through it myself…" Iruka choked out. "When my parents died, I was alone… And so were you, until Suki came along…"
Naruto glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eyes. She was on the ground, staring at him with concerned eyes, both hands clutching the back of her head as it continued to bleed. Just the day before, if he had seen her in the state she was in now, he would have immediately leapt to her side and brought her to the hospital.
But now, after hearing these painful truths, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel as he looked at her. He turned his head away from her, closing his eyes to block out the guilt, the sadness, and the anger that flooded through him.
Iruka didn't seem to realize that Naruto has having an internal battle with himself. "Naruto…" The boy with whiskered cheeks snapped his eyes to meet his sensei's once more at the mention of his name. "I'm so sorry if I wasn't there to give you the encouragement you needed… I didn't try hard enough to be there for you, like Suki tried to…"
"Tsk, tsk, all this sappy nonsense," Mizuki interrupted, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He raised his second shuriken, ready to hurl it right at his former comrade. "Pathetic."
The metal star left his light grasp, spinning gracefully and dangerously towards the injured man and the surprised child. The girl off to the side gasped. She tried to pick herself up and throw the shuriken off track, but the growing concussion in her head throbbed, knocking her off balance. Suki fell back to the earth, and her hands squeezed her hair as a shooting pain coursed through her cranium.
Her vision was blurred with black dots, but even through her fuzzy eyesight, she was able to make out what was happening. Her mouth fell open in both astonishment and wonder.
Naruto was standing in front of Iruka, arms across his chest in a horizontal fashion, pointing to the left. Both hands were bloodied. Off to the side, the giant shuriken was stuck to a tree, it's metal gleaming in the now fading moonlight. It took Suki a few moments to make out what happened, but after she blinked back the black spots obstructing her vision, she lightly squeaked when she realized what had occurred.
The boy had jumped in front of his sensei and taken his chances with the metal star. When it reached him, he had pushed it to the side. His palms and fingers were covered in his own blood, and his hands were crooked, signifying that they were now broken.
"If you so much as touch my sensei…" Naruto growled out as he moved his arms back to his sides, "… I'll kill you!"
His head lifted up to meet the cocky eyes of Mizuki. The cheerful blue was gone, and it was replaced with a crimson color to match the blood on his hands. Suki's own silver eyes widened as she saw the red slits for eyes that somehow seemed both familiar and foreign to her. A sudden memory from her dream hit her like a boulder.
From the mysterious black rift in the space, two ferocious blood red eyes opened.
"Ha! You think you can take me on! I'll destroy you in a heartbeat!" the oblivious chuunin mocked as he reached for his weapons pouch. "You don't stand a chance against me."
"Bring your worst! I'll deliver the pain back to you times a thousand!" Naruto roared, red eyes burning with unleashed fury.
He threw his broken hands into his newly learned hand sign, and in a giant puff of smoke, one thousand copies of himself appeared to take up the majority of the space in the forest. Mizuki's mouth fell open in a silent scream, his eyes taking in the clones of the student.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Iruka's eyes widened as he stared at the clearing. He was leaning against the trunk of a tree to stay away from the hundreds of Naruto clones.
"Physical copies, not just illusions…" Suki thought in awe as she groaned at the pressure continuing to push on her brain.
"So how about it? I'll take the first move then!" Naruto laughed, a hint of humor coming over him to replace a bit of the deadly aura around him.
Within moments, the horde of Naruto clones leaped from their perches and jumped on the frightened Mizuki. It only took minutes for the copies to have their fun with the beatings before they dispersed themselves, leaving an injured chuunin to lie in the middle of the clearing.
During the chaos, Naruto's fury had been relieved, and the terrifying red eyes changed back to the normal cheery blue.
The boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he chuckled. "Well, I guess I went overboard just a bit…"
The sun was beginning to rise just over the tips of the trees, brightening what was once a terrifying darkness.
A sudden rustling in the trees alerted the group of another presence. Iruka and Naruto quickly turned to the source, while Suki only glanced out of the corner of her eyes, as her brain was pounding viciously against her skull.
Kakashi emerged from the thick foliage of the forest to land in the center of the clearing. Kinmaru flew in right after him, landing on the jounin's shoulder. Just as the man with silver hair was about to ask if everyone was alright, his eyes landed on his daughter, clutching her head in pain while her forehead pressed into the dirt in an attempt to ease her growing headache.
The ninja was beside his daughter in less than a heartbeat. He crouched down to her side, quickly pulling out a first aid kit. He pressed a cloth to the gash on her head before she took over and held it herself. Kinmaru landed on the ground to stand near Suki's head, examining the wound for himself. His feathers ruffled in agitation at seeing her injured like this.
The jounin finally looked up to see Iruka leaning against a tree, breathing a little heavily. Naruto was collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. His hands appeared to be broken, but other than the bruises and cuts, he seemed fine.
"What happened here?" Kakashi asked.
"Naruto is innocent of any blame," Iruka explained. "Mizuki is the one who convinced him to steal the scroll, merely for his own benefit. As I'm sure you've guessed, it appears that Suki came to see what was going on, and Mizuki attacked her as a result."
"Injuries?" the jounin asked.
"I only have a few gashes, but they're not life-threatening," Iruka said. "But I don't think walking is an option. Naruto's hands are broken and cut. Suki's head seems to be worse, as I'm sure there's a concussion at this point. She hasn't been able to move, and I haven't had the chance to treat her."
The masked man nodded, his silver hair falling into his one eye a bit. Through the dark cloth that covered his face, he bit his thumb and wove a few hand signs. After slamming his hand to the ground, a small poof of smoke appeared. A little brown pug appeared through the smoke, looking up at his master.
"What do you need, Boss?" the little dog asked, his deep voice not matching his small form. He was dressed in a dark blue vest, and a Leaf forehead protector was tied securely around his head.
The sound of the voice woke Naruto from his dazed state on the ground. He jumped up and stared at the dog in shock. "Did that dog just talk?" he shrieked in disbelief.
Kakashi ignored him as he continued to converse with the pug-faced brown canine. "Pakkun, I need you to find some help to bring Iruka and Naruto to the hospital. I need to take Suki there immediately, as it appears she has a concussion."
"Right away, Kakashi," the pug replied. With one small jump, he was running through the forest as fast as his little legs could carry him.
The jounin quickly turned back to his adopted child, and he gently picked her up so that she was leaning into his side. "How do you feel, Suki?"
"Dizzy…" she muttered.
Kinmaru's feathers rustled even more at that response. *We need to move her now!* he exclaimed.
Kakashi quickly nodded. He maneuvered her so that she was resting on his back, and he held her legs securely by his waist. He was about to leap away into the trees when a voice stopped him.
"Wait…" Naruto murmured, almost inaudibly, but everyone was still able to hear him. "Suki…"
The girl slowly turned her head to look at her friend. Her left hand was clutching the bloodied cloth to the gash in her head. Her eyes were drooping, but they tried to focus through the blurs to concentrate on the blonde as he approached.
"Was Mizuki… telling the truth? Are you… the Guardian?" Naruto asked nervously as he whispered the last word.
Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, and Kinmaru turned his golden eyes onto the fallen chuunin to glare at him. But both immediately glanced over at the twelve-year-old girl to see her reaction.
Tears appeared in her eyes, obstructing her already distorted vision even more. Very slowly she removed her left hand from her head to unwrap the white bandages around her right wrist. The wrapping fell to the ground, and she held her arm out to display her cursed black tattoo.
After staring at it for a few moments, Naruto was able to regain himself. Staring at the mark in fear, he backed away. "So it was you…" he muttered.
Suki's tears began to slowly stream down her lightly tanned cheeks. "Naruto, no, it's not like that…"
"You're the reason why everyone hates me," Naruto said, his voice growing steadily louder. "You're Gekido. You did this to me!"
The girl let out an involuntary sob as she looked away from his angry eyes.
He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're the reason I'm a freak!"
Iruka stared at his pupil in both surprise and sympathy. Kakashi's eye glanced in another direction as the tension instantly grew. Kinmaru stared up at the boy who had befriended his human companion so many years before, and he shook his head in disappointment.
Even though Suki wasn't paying any attention to it, the cut on the back of her head was beginning to drip with new blood. Her father and animal guide immediately sensed it, and without another word, Kakashi jumped into the trees with Kinmaru flying right behind him.
Suki sobbed into her father's back as he carried her away from what was ultimately her former best friend. Through the tears and her pulsing eyes, she glanced at the signature of the Guardian plastered forever on her right wrist. Her left hand was still being pressed to her injury, but if she had been able to, she would have clawed at the ugly black tattoo.
But she continued to stare at her wrist, and the mark that looked back at her made her cringe. She couldn't understand how one tattoo could hold so much meaning. Yet it was the reason why everyone in the Leaf Village hated her. It was the reason why everyone in Kagayaku had always hated her. It was the reason Naruto now hated her. It was the reason why she hated herself.