A/N: All right all though this is not my first time writing fanfiction, it is new for me to post fanfiction. I would love to know what people have to say about this story but please don't just hate on me.
With that said...I have to say, and it pains me to do so...I do not own the Naruto Universe nor do I own any songs that maybe in here and I sadly never will...but I do however own the creativity it took to write this fanfiction and the oocs in it.
This fanfiction is rated MA or R for any language, violence, or sexual themes/content.
All this being said and done with I hope you enjoy reading Time never heals every wound!
End A/N.
Chapter 13: Protecting Konoha
Two months came and passed. I was fully healed now and was no longer on crutches. Currently I was in my garden dressed in black shorts and Itachi's old shirt. I was singing the old lullaby my brother used to sing to me. Today was my seventeenth birthday.
"I know I could find you here." I jumped and spun around. Shino chuckled and held out his hand and I took it let him pull me up. I set the watering can down then hugged my boyfriend. Shino leaned down and captured my lips. This kiss was soft at first but as our passions rose it got more heated.
Shino gently pushed me up against the closed door not breaking the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him closer deepening the kiss. Shino's tongue darted across my lips and I gasped. He took the chance and his tongue darted into my mouth and started stroking my tongue. I moaned softly and moved my tongue with his in a dance for dominance.
We pulled away both panting and red in the face. Shino rested his forehead against mine. I smiled at him and he smiled back softly.
"Well that was a good birthday present." Shino chuckled pulling away slowly.
"That was not your present Mina." I tilted my head to the side looking curiously at Shino.
"Then what is?"
"You don't get to know that until later." I pouted as Shino grabbed my hand and lead me into my house then out the front door. I let him lead me down the streets of Konoha as I tried to figure out what my present was.
"You're not going to figure it out." I stuck my tongue out at Shino and went back to pouting. He merely chuckled and stopped us in front of the BBQ restaurant. I raised an eyebrow at Shino. I never had been here before because of being a vegetarian and all.
"They have a meat free menu as well as their regular one." I nodded and Shino pulled me inside.
"Happy Birthday Mina!" I jumped as everyone screamed at me. I blinked before smiling at everyone. The next few hours where sent laughing and eating. I enjoyed everyone's company and wished that Naruto could have been there seeing as he was away training.
He had left last month after the death of Jiraiya. It came as a shock to all of us to hear of his death. Naruto had taken it hardest though and had went off to train with the frog sages. No one had seen or heard from him since.
After dinner was over Shino and I wondered the Village hand in hand. I blinked and was about to ask Shino where he was taking me when we started walking up towards the Hokage monument, but decided to just wait and see.
Soon we both stood on top of the monument overlooking the Village. Shino stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist and I relaxed back into him enjoying the sights. It was a nice night out. There was a gentle breeze out that played with my hair.
"Happy birthday Mina." I gasped when something cold was put around my neck. I looked down and saw it was a necklace. The chain was silver and held up a small heart shaped clear stone. I picked the stone up off my chest and looked at it closely. It was a yellow color but that's not what surprised me most. Inside the stone was a small beetle.
"S-Shino it's beautiful!" I stared at the stone mesmerized by it. Shino moved to stand in front of me.
"It was my mother's. My father gave it to her when he asked her to marry him. They stood in this exact spot." I jerked my head up to look at Shino. He had taken off his sunglasses and was staring into my eyes searching me for my reaction.
"S-Shino…I…I don't know what to say…" I blushed red and looked over Shino's face. He was seriously asking me to marry him. I smiled softly and nodded.
"Yes." I laughed when Shino hugged me close to him suddenly. He captured my lips in a slow and searing kiss. We broke away as the ground shook slightly. I looked down confused then up at Shino. He put his sunglasses back on and was looking out over the Village.
"Someone's attacking us." I looked out over the Village and saw smoke rising in different places.
"Akasuki!?" Shino shrugged and grabbed my hand ready to lead me back down the hill. Suddenly all hell broke loose. There was a bright flash of light and the ground shook. I ran over to the edge and watched Konoha get pretty much flattened.
Smoke rose into the sky along with dirt making it hard to see what was going on. I turned to Shino but suddenly found myself falling back. The rocky edge I was standing on was collapsing. I desperately reached out for Shino's hand but my fingers only grazed his and I plummeted to the ground that was now hundreds of feet lower then it used to be.
"Mina!" I opened my eyes and saw Shino falling after me. His hand was reaching towards me.
"Mina grab my hand!" I reached desperately for his hand again. Shino's hand made contact with mine and he grabbed on tightly pulling me into him and covering my head with his hand as we continued to fall. I closed my eyes and a scream ripped it's self from my throat.
The ground never came though. I cracked my eyes open slowly and found us inches from the ground. We were saved by Shino's beetles at the last minute. I breathed a sigh of relief before I gasped looking around what used to be Konoha.
"Oh Kami…" I was set on the ground by Shino. Movement to my right caught my eye and I ran towards it. I nearly cried out when I saw it was a little black haired child. He was trying to free himself from a large chunk of building that was on his leg.
"Shino can you help me left this?" Shino nodded and together we freed the child. I knelt down and offered my back so he could climb on. The boy hesitated.
"It's okay my name's Mina. I'm here to help. Shino and I are both Konoha Shinobi." The boy nodded his eyes wide with fear. He climbed onto my back and I stood up. The boy held on tightly as I steadied myself.
"What's your name?" I asked gently.
"Kyou. We have to find Ryou!" I looked around for another small body. Shino flagged me over to a house that was barely standing. Inside there was a small blonde boy. He was stuck under a piece of wood.
"Ryou! That's him!" Shino nodded and climbed inside retrieving the small boy. He came back out with the blonde boy on his back.
"Kyou your okay!" I smiled as the brothers were reunited.
"Do you know where your parents might be?" Both boys looked down.
"They were killed on a mission last month. Ryou and I live alone." My heart clenched tightly as I looked at Shino. He looked saddened by this as well. After that we walked around trying to find someone else that was alive.
"Mina! Shino!" I turned sharply when I heard Kiba's voice. I ran towards it and foundKiba trapped under a concrete slab. He kept it from crushing him by pushing it up with his legs. I set Kyou down and went to pull the slab off my teammate. Shino joined me after setting Ryou down next to his brother.
"Where's Akamaru?" Kiba pointed over to a small mountain not ten feet away. Kyou looked over at it before he hobbled over and started pulling things off. Ryou joined him and together they freed the white dog.
After some major pulling Shino and I freed our teammate. Kiba stood and looked around. His face was dirty and he looked grim. I knelt down in front of the brothers. Kyou had bright blue eyes were as Ryou had bright green eyes. I hugged them both close to me.
"Thank you for freeing Akamaru." Tiny hands gripped my shirt as both brothers held onto me.
"Please don't leave us like mama and papa did." I pulled back looking into their eyes. They were filled with such sadness for only seeing five years of life. Suddenly it was like I was looking into my brother's and my own eyes when we were that age.
"I will never do that. I promise." I held out my pinky finger and both boys wrapped their little pinky fingers around mine.
"Hey I think I see Shikamaru!" I stood up after picking Kyou back up. Shino picked Ryou back up and we ran after Kiba and Akamaru. We reached Shikamaru and found Ino as well and Shikamaru's father.
"Mina your alive! Shino you two!" Ino hugged us both even though Shino protested. Ino looked at the two children on our backs in confusion but didn't ask. Instead her eyes caught sight of my necklace.
"Mina when did you get that!?" I sighed leave it to Ino to ask about trivial things right now.
"Ino focus!" Ino jumped at shikamaru's barked order. I sat Kyou down and sat next to Shikamaru, Kyou climbed into my lap. Shino and Ryou both sat down Ryou sititng in Shino's lap.
"What happened Shikamaru?" Shikamaru filled us in on the details confirming that it was Akasuki attacking. He said there was seven of them that where spotted. I noticed a gaint puff of smoke appear in the center of the Village…well what used to be the center of it anyway.
"Is that…Naruto?" I asked trying to see from far away. I activated my sharingan.
"Yeah that's Naruto all right." I turned back to everyone. Kyou and Ryou stared at my eyes and I smiled softly at them.
"Late just like his Sensei… jeez how troublesome." I rolled my eyes at Shikamaru then focused on trying to find all the rest of our friends and family. I spotted Hinata and another Hyuuga not far off to the left.
"Hinata's over that way Kiba. She looks fine." Kiba and Akamaru got up and went were I pointed. I looked for more people. Using my sharingan this way was harder than normal as it wasn't meant to be used like the Byakugan, but I could still pick up familiar chakras.
"Lady Tsunade is being brought this way by a toad." As I finished talking said toad landed beside me. Ino rushed forward and collected the passed out Hokage. She set her down against something and checked her over. The toad went back to Naruto.
"Shino Kurenai-sensei is trapped in whats left of her house!" Shino nodded and vanished into a cloud of beetles that flew towards our Sensei. Shikamaru tried to get up to go help take care of his Sensei's pregnant wife but couldn't walk. Asuma-sensei had died on a mission a while back so Shikamaru took up resonsiblity for Kurenai-sensei's needs. He said it was what Asuma had asked him to do.
"Ino I can see Sakura to the right of us a few miles away." Ino nodded and took off to get the pink haired girl. Kiba, Hinata and Akamaru came and joined us followed by Sakura and Ino. Shino finally came back carrying Kurenai-sensei.
After everyone was checked out by Ino or Sakura we sat back and watched Naruto's fight with Pain. Sakura had informed us of his name. We couldn't do anything to help because Naruto had asked Tsunade's slug summons to tell everyone to stay back. It didn't sit right with me. So when Naruto was pinned to the ground I ran towards the fight.
I had told Kyou and Ryou not to worry that I would come back as I ran away. I reached Naruto and lunged for Pain chidori sizzling to life in my hand. Pain jumped back in time and I ended up hitting the ground creating a small crater. I straightened up and stared at Pain.
"Get out of here Mina! He'll kill you!"
"I'm not going to stand by and watch you take him on by yourself Naruto! You're not alone anymore!" I turned and kicked the poles that stuck out of Naruto. They broke in half but that was all. Suddenly I was flung in the air and sent crashing down again some feet away from Naruto. I picked myself up.
I glared at Pain and I could feel the curse mark spreading across my skin. I fully transformed, my hair went while and my skin turned blue, lightning came off my body like I was super charged with static. Pain stared at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Your one of Orochimaru's lab rats…interesting." I growled at the man. I lunged again picking up a fallen kunai and pushing chakra into it turning it into a lightning swords. Pain dodged my attacks and sent me flying again and again. Each time I picked myself up and rushed at him again. There was no time to weave jutsu so I was stuck trying to hit him.
Suddenly pain erupted in my abdomen. I looked down and saw a pole sticking out of it. I coughed blood out onto Pain's face. I froze as his chakra invaded me but I didn't stopped fighting. I grabbed Pain's hand holding him close and looked into his ringed eyes. My Mongekyo sharingan spun to life.
"Your genjutsu is useless against me girl or did you forget who works in my organization." I glared but only closed my right eye. Pain's eyes widened and he struggled to get free. Just as I opened my eye Pain used his jutsu pushing me away. The black flames that I summoned sprang to life on his cloak which he quickly dropped.
"You're more annoying than I thought." I was thrown into the sky and sent flying back towards the group I had come from. I smashed into the wall behind Shino and it crumbled on top of me. I couldn't move let along breath.
"Mina!" I heard five voices yell as the world grew dark.
[Shino's P.O.V]
"Mina!" I yelled along with Hinata, Kiba, Kyou and Ryou as she tumbled to the ground and crushed by the wall she smashed into. I rushed forward and started uncovering her. Kyou and Ryou hobbled up and started helping. They had tears pouring down their faces and seemed very attached to Mina.
Hinata, Kiba, Ino and Sakura came over and all of us pulled debris off Mina. Finally she was uncovered enough to be pulled out. Sakura quickly pulled the pole out of her abdomen and dropped it. Ino and Sakura worked together to heal Mina.
Kyou and Ryou were on either side of Mina holding her hands both were crying. I knelt and placed Mina's head in my lap. Sakura and Ino finished healing her, but she wouldn't wake up. In the distance Naruto lost control and was on a rampage going after Pain.
"Mina wake up! This is no time for a nap!" Kiba shouted down at Mina. I glared up at him.
"Mina please wake up!" Hinata tried to wake Mina, but nothing happened. I sighed and stroked her cheek with my thumb looking at the necklace that had somehow remained in tacked.
"Mina you need to wake up now." I tried to wake her, but even that didn't work. Kyou and Ryou looked horrified thinking she was dead probably instead of just being in a coma like state.
"You said you wouldn't leave us!" Kyou yelled at Mina's unmoving form.
"You promised us Mama!" Ryou yelled out. All of us look at the boy. His brother the only one not looking at him as he was crying into Mina's chest along with Ryou. It was understandable I guessed. I mean they had lost their own parents and Mina had saved them from dying.
Suddenly Mina's hand twitched. I looked down at her face to see her eyes scrunch up. I held my breath waiting for her to open them. Mina's hands lifted and petted the head of each boy. They looked up sharply.
[Mina's P.O.V]
Darkness was all I could see. I felt nothing. I wondered if this was what it was like to die. Just nothingness. Suddenly I heard a chuckle and turned around.
"You're not dying just yet my child." I gasped and watched as my father appeared. He looked the same as when I had last seen him alive.
"Mina, please forgive your old man. I was a fool for thinking I could over throw the Hokage. I only caused you and your brothers pain and suffering."
"I don't blame you Father." He nodded
"I know you don't. I have seen you visit our grave all the time." I smiled. So they were able to see me.
"Your mother sends her love. I must be going. You will be waking up soon." I nodded and watched him vanish. Darkness over took me again.
"You said you wouldn't leave us!" I could hear Kyou's voice in the distance.
"You promised us Mama!" Ryou's voice this time came but louder. Mama? They thought of me like a mother? A strange warmth filled me and I knew I was never going to leave them.
Light blinded me and scrunched up my eyes. Suddenly I could feel again and let me tell you I preferred not being able to. I felt a weight against my chest and guessed it was the boys. I reached up and petted their heads. I opened my eyes and saw Shino looking down at me.
"Hi." Shino chuckled at me and leaned down kissing me on the lips. I felt something wet hit my cheek and knew Shino had started crying a bit. He pulled back and I wiped his cheeks off. Kyou and Ryou tackled me into a hug and I laughed softly.
Sitting up I looked around trying to find Naruto. I couldn't and it caused me to frown. Suddenly there was a million blue lights shooting down from the sky and into bodies. People started raising all around us back from the grave.
"Naruto must be behind this…." Everyone nodded at Shikamaru's statement. I stood and we all walked towards the Village gates where people where gathering.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled out once she spotted her sensei. He looked back and nodded before leaping off into the forest to probably find Naruto. Kakashi came back ten minutes later with Naruto slung over his back.
We all cheered and Naruto was thrown up into the air by the Villagers. He laughed happily as he was set down again. Naruto looked around until his eyes met mine. He rushed forward and tackled me into a hug. I laughed and patted his back.
"Good job Naruto." He smiled and backed away. Kyou and Ryou grabbed hold of my hands as a lady came up to us.
"Kyou! Ryou! Thank goodness your both okay." They nodded and held on tighter to my hands.
"Thank you for watching out for them but I'll take them now. They need to go back with the other orphans." I looked down at each boy. They both looked up at me with pleading eyes. I looked to Shino who nodded with a small smile on his face.
"I'd like to adopt them." The woman stared at me.
"What?"
"I would like to adopt them. I can care for them." The woman looked to the boys who both were smiling.
"I guess you can. I don't have anything for you to sign of course." I smiled and knelt down hugging the boys close to me. They cried happy tears and held onto me.
Two weeks passed and the Village was getting back on its feet. Gaara had sent over some shinobi to help protect Konoha in her weakened state. Areas outside the gates where used to house the injured in tents while the medical staff tended to them. I had refused to stay there deciding I was fit enough to help clean up.
It was a long process of clearing debris and rumble from around the crater. Those who could use earth jutsu slowly worked at raising the ground to be more level so buildings could be built back up. Weeks passed and slowly the Village was cleaned up a somewhat level again. Now came time to rebuild.
Naruto was probably most helpful next to Yamato of course. Turns out the man can use wood style jutsu like the First could. Naruto being himself used shadow clones and helped build several building at once. I sighed and whipped off the sweat that poured down my face.
I stood in a building that was being used as a mess hall during rebuilding. I was made head chef of the kitchen and given a crew of the local cooks to work with. Currently it was dinner time. Curry and rice along with ramen was being made in the kitchen. I was setting up the tables.
I pulled out another folding table and set it up before getting the chairs out. I was hot and sweaty even though I still wore Itachi's old shirt and a pair of shorts. The shirt had a hole where Pain had run me through with a pole and blood stained the cloth but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.
"Mama need help?" I smiled as Ryou came running in followed by his brother. Over the weeks they had both taken to calling me mother. It warmed my heart greatly and eased my mind to know that they wouldn't have to suffer like Sasuke and I had.
"Sure you can go pull out the plates Ryou. Kyou you can grab the spoons and chop sticks. Set them on the long table." Both boys nodded and ran off to do their choir. I looked up when Shibi walked in. I smiled at him and he smiled back.
"I see you both have taken to each other quiet well." I nodded. When I first adopted the boys I didn't know what to do with them really so I had ran to Shibi for help. He had laughed and told me to just take one day at a time. It had worked for him with raising Shino.
"Yes. They behave very well for five year olds." I laughed thinking back to how much trouble Sasuke and I got into when everything was still in tacked in our lives. Shibi chuckled and nodded his head.
"Well need any more help my dear?" I looked up from the chair I unfolded and smiled. Shibi was always in here when he wasn't busy. He would ask me if I needed any help with this or that claiming that it was his job to offer help to his daughter in law. Even though Shino and I were not married yet Shibi insistead that it did not matter to him if we were or not and that I'd still be his daughter in law.
"Not from you old man, now sit and rest. I know you've been working all day so don't try to fool me." Shibi chuckled before taking a seat at a table. He was used to being told to rest by me so it never bothered him neither did me calling him an old man.
"Mama what now?" I turned to see the plates and other things set out. I smiled Kyou and Ryou always did more then asked.
"You can sit and watch over you grandpa. Make sure he rests." Kyou and Ryou sat on either side of Shibi watching him intently. The boys took to Shino and Shibi right away. Shino was unsure about them calling him father though. I smiled at the boys and walked back into the kitchen until the dinner call was made.
After dinner was served and cleaned up everyone left going to their own way. Shino met me and the boys at the door along with Shibi. We walked towards what was left of the Uchiha Compound. Most of the houses had been demolished in the attack but four where left standing. I was happy to say that my house was one of the four.
My garden however didn't really survive. There were two things that had lived. My nutmeg plants and the sunflowers. I would never know how they had live but I was glad regardless. Shibi and Shino had moved into my house seeing as the Aburame Compound had been completely demolished. Only a few things had been salvaged. One thing was Shino's picture of his mother and father that used to sit on his dresser.
The second house to survive housed Kiba and his family as they two had no home left. Naruto took up a room in their house as well. The Third house held Sakura and Ino's families plus Choji's family. Kurenai-sensei and Shikamaru's family were staying in the last house.
"Mama sing us a song please?" I looked down at Ryou. We all sat in the living room just relaxing after they days hard work. I smiled and Ryou and Kyou climbed up into my lap. I let the words to a lullaby I knew come flowing out.
(She sings we're in heaven by Dj Sammy)
I smiled down at the two sleeping boys in my lap. Shino came up to me and picked Kyou up while I stood then picked Ryou up. We headed up stairs and into the room across from mine. Inside was a bed and two dressers. Together we pulled back the covers and set both boys down then covered them up. I kissed Ryou on the forehead then leaned over and kissed Kyou on the forehead.
Shino and I walked out closing the door behind us. I smiled up at Shino and he smiled back. He reached his hand up and placed in on my cheek stroking it softly with his thumb. I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes.
"I love you Mina." I smiled softly.
"I love you two Shino." Soft lips found mine and I melted. Shino kept it short and tender pulling away after a few minutes. I pulled back and went to my door opening it. Shino went down the hall to the master room he shared with his father. I smiled at him one last time before I walked into my room closing the door behind me.