Book One: Tsunade's Chance- Mom...
"MOMMY! MINATO TOOK MY BEARY!" I heard Minako wail from the playroom.
I sighed as I got up from my chair in the living room. When I got to the playroom Minako and Minato were wrestling over Minako's 'Beary'. By the looks of it four year old Minako was winning. Here I was one of the best medical-nin in the Village, one of the best kunoichi in the world and I was playing referee for two four year olds. This is how things should have happened the first time. I pulled Minako off of Minato.
"Minato give Minako her bear back."
Minato had a sour look on his face as he held it out to his sister, who snatched it back.
"Minako you don't snatch things like that from others, even if it is yours."
"Yes, Mommy." Minako said quietly.
For the most part Minato was more on the quiet side. While Minako was the exact opposite, but they did have a bit of a rivalry. That was early, but anyone could see it. Minako said her first word; Minato took his first step, Minato potty trained himself (that shocked us all), Minako was able to read… The list was endless.
I have a feeling the fight wasn't about the bear, but a show of strength. Despite how much the two of them fought, they were closer than most of the other twins in the Village.
Minako was my mirror image, except for her hair color. Jiraiya said she had my temper, honestly I can't argue with that. Nawaki has taken to being an uncle despite the fact that he's scarcely older than them. And to be perfectly honest, Grandfather was loving being a great-grandfather. Although he'd never say it to the Village Elders.
I looked out the playroom window into the yard. Not much longer until this era of peace is over… And The Second Great Shinobi War will begin… Nawaki…
"What bout Uncle Waki?" I smiled at the nick name the twins gave my brother. I looked down at my children; I'm not sure which one asked the question.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing." I shook my head. They gave me skeptical looks. I swear sometimes they can see right through me! I guess I must have said Nawaki's name aloud without realizing it.
The Second War began just a few weeks later. Two years of this. I thought as tended to some wounded at the Hospital. I had seen so many die, but a lot less than last time, I knew how to save them this time. Countering Chiyo's poisons was almost too easy.
Then the day we became the Sannin came. It was hard to leave the Twins behind, but I knew Jiraiya and I would be coming back. The battle was exactly how I remembered it.
Hanzō had left Orochimaru, Jiraiya and I standing there with our dead comrades surrounding us, their bodies littering the ground. I heard the faint sound of crying. "Jiraiya?" I put touched his arm, "Do you hear that?"
Jiraiya nodded, looking around.
"Whoever you are, you can come out! We know you're there!"
Three kids came out from behind trees, rain flowing down their faces. Although the one with red hair looked upset. For a few moments the three kids stared at the three of us, the newly named Sannin. "You kids alright?" I asked. They didn't answer; they just looked a little scared. My heart went out to them. I just wish I could remember these kids' names.
Jiraiya walked up to the kids and pulled out some of our rations. Poor kids this stuff is horrible!
I went and stood next to Jiraiya, "Sorry about the taste but it's we got." I smiled as the boy with orange hair made a face as he bit in. I saw one of the red head had a small cut on his cheek. Maybe…
I walked over to the red haired boy. The blue haired girl backed away a little. I put my hand on his cheek and healed it. He looked at me for a moment and grabbed my hand. Jiraiya was quick to follow, Orochimaru followed slowly.
The red head lead me behind a tree where a puppy was laying there. "Can you help him?" the boy asked me.
"I'm no vet, but I'll see what I can do." I knelt down by the pup. I felt the pup slipping away. Come on mutt, stay with me here. The lungs! It was the lungs! I moved my hands to the pup's rib cage; the Mystical Palm Technique did its job. The pup's breathing became steady and less labored. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Is he going to be okay?" the boy asked.
"He should be. He'll need to see a vet though."
"Oh…"
"What's the problem?" I looked at the girl.
"We don't have any money." The blue haired girl said quietly.
"Your parents?" I inquired, knowing the answer.
"Dead, all dead." The boy with orange hair said, "I found Konan," he indicated to the girl. "And Konan found Nagato and his dog Chibi."
"We should kill them, to spa-" Orochimaru didn't get any farther than that. I had thrown a kunai at him and pinned him to a tree.
If Orochimaru had ever been scared, it would be now. I was giving him a look that was scaring even Jiraiya, and I'd given Jiraiya worse looks.
"Wow…" It was the little girl, Konan, who spoke.
"Keep-Your-Mouth-Shut!" I hissed.
"Orochimaru, I've ticked my wife off multiple times… But I think you've just topped my worst moments." Jiraiya said as Orochimaru pulled the kunai I had thrown at him out of his sleeve with his free hand.
"Thank you, ma'am." I looked around at the red haired boy, who now held a sleeping Chibi.
"You're welcome." I walked over to Jiraiya, "What are we going to do? We can't leave them."
"I agree, Hime. But what can we do?"
"I know, but we can't stay with them. We have the twins. And Orochimaru would kill them…" I bit my lip.
"Well…"
"Well what?"
"We could take them with us." Jiraiya said it like I was going to hit him for even suggesting it.
"Thank you for helping us." The boy with orange hair said from behind.
Jiraiya and I turned to see the three kids standing close together. The three of them looked like they were going to leave. Jiraiya looked at me for a moment; I gave him a small nod.
"Hold on, what about your pup?" Jiraiya asked.
The kids looked unsure.
"You know at the Hidden Leaf we have some pretty good vets." I offered.
"But what about after that?" The orange haired kid inquired boldly. Smart kid.
"What was your name kid?" Jiraiya asked
"Yahiko."
"Well Yahiko, you let me and my wife worry about that worry about that." Jiraiya took my hand.
Two years later the War still raged, I was still easily countering Chiyo's poisons, and I still lost my brother. I foolishly gave the necklace to Nawaki hoping it wouldn't happen again. But I lost him again, despite how much I begged him not to go out on that mission. I was in my brother's room clutching the necklace, my legs gave out.
"Hime…"
I turned my head slightly to see Jiraiya standing in the door way, then turned my head from him. I heard his footsteps coming closer to me. He put his hand on my shoulder. I got up and walked past him.
I looked in on Minato, Minako, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. Minako had grown rather attached to Konan and Konan to Minako. Nagato and Yahiko clicked with Nawaki and Minato looked up to all three of them. Each of them were halfheartedly playing with random toys. Chibi sensing the kids' distress was chasing his tail trying to cheer them up.
Yahiko stood up and took a few steps closer to me, "If war is going to continue- I will become the God of the world!" His face full of ambition.
"That's a dangerous ambition, Yahiko. No one can completely end pain, not even a God. As long as there is life, there will be death. As long as there will be death there will be pain." Come on Yahiko, stop being foolish! It's too dangerous…
"Yahiko, I think she's right." Konan said, "It doesn't sound logical that someone can become a God."
"So you're turning your back on me!" Yahiko burst out.
"Yahiko... Even if you were to become a God and rule the world people would oppose you." It was Minato who spoke.
"No one can rule anything without someone wishing to over throw them." Minako continued for her twin. This was one of her rare serious moments.
"The Twins are right, Yahiko." I said slightly in shock that two six year had been able to comprehend that.
"I knew you'd take their side! Just because they're your biological kids! You don't care about us! I don't care what Konan and Nagato call you! I'll never call you mom! You're not my mother! You never will be my mother! I hate you!" Yahiko yelled as he shot past me.
"Yahiko!" Konan exclaimed.
Nagato started to go after him. But Minako grabbed his hand and shook her head. It's hard to believe these kids are as young as they are…
"Mom, when is this war going to end?" It was Konan who spoke.
"I don't know, Konan. I just don't know." I shook my head. Even though what I had just told her was a lie. Konan was the first to call me Mom; Nagato said I reminded him of his mother so he was soon to follow, but Yahiko… I don't mind him not calling me his mother. I know I'm not and I know I never will be his true mother.
I left the room when the kids went back to playing. I knew they weren't really playing; they were too upset to really play. I went outside to find Yahiko sitting under a tree with his knees pulled to his chest. He was really close to Nawaki, so this was just as hard for him as it was for me.
"Hime…" I jumped a little at the sound of Jiraiya's voice and looked at him.
"Let me talk to him." He walked past me. I watched him and Yahiko talk for a while before they started goofing around. I smiled at the sight.
I woke up in the middle of the night and made my rounds, checking on each kid. Everyone was in their bed, except for Yahiko. Great! Now I have to go looking for him. Hey you took him in. Haven't heard from you since I saved Chibi. Didn't have a reason to. I really bug myself. Hey! Ah well it's true.
I found Yahiko on top of the roof, stargazing, his knees pulled to his chest.
"You okay?" I sat down next to him.
He just shrugged.
"I used to come up here all the time after my parents died. Somehow it made me feel closer to them, as if I could just reach up and..." I raised my hand slightly and closed it into a fist and brought it to my chest.
"I'm sorry I said I hated you." He said sounding miserable, "I didn't mean it."
"I know."
"If you had let Orochimaru kill us I could be with my parents."
"Do you think that's what they would have wanted?"
"No. But it wouldn't hurt."
"But it would have hurt them." He looked at me as if I was crazy. "If you had died, you would have gotten to be with them, sure. But they gave their lives so you could live. If you had died, then they gave their lives for no reason. You'll see them again when the time comes, but until then live your life."
We sat up there just looking at the stars and making pictures with them. We did this for some time. Although I'm not sure how long.
I remembered something, "Yahiko?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you want to be a God?"
"If I was God then I could stop all wars, and stop people from dying. I could stop the pain."
I chuckled a little.
"Why did you laugh?"
"It's not that funny really. If you stopped people from dying then there would be no room for new people to come into the world. There would be not enough food for everyone, people would starve. Even a God can't do everything. We'd all be packed together like sardines!"
That last bit made him laugh a bit, "I guess it was kinda stupid, to think I could be a God…"
"Not really. Everyone wishes they were one at some point in their life."
"Even you?"
"Yes, a lot of times actually. Hey it's getting late we should head in before we catch a cold."
I tucked him, "Goodnight, Yahiko." I was about to leave his room when he said…
"Night Mom."