90 Degrees

For warnings/disclaimers see part 1. Thanks to all that have faved and commented. I truly appreciate it!

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Part 2: Harm and Rescue

As the night progressed the crowds on the village streets slowly entered into what was known as the mob mentality. It was never really clear who started these waves of uncontrollable rage that swept the village streets but as usually happened on the anniversary it became so. It was as certain as the sunrise. On October 10th, on the day their most beloved Yondaime sacrificed himself to save his village and sacrificed a young child to be guardian, to be Jinchuriki, Konoha went mad. The individuals seemed to be tied together by a single thought. It was as if a steel cord bound them together. There only thought was, "Kill."

It seemed to the villagers that they were above law, above retribution. They would take vengeance for their most heroic figure. It mattered not to the villagers that the Yondaime would want the child to be treated with respect as it was his very existence that held back the Kyuubi no Kitsune but in the village mind all they could see was their revenge. If they killed the child, they would kill the fox.

There were very few who were above this mob mentality. One of these was Sarutobi, the Sandaime hokage. He ached for the young child he could not protect. Being leader of one of the hidden villages called for a detached attitude. He had done his best. No family would take the child. No clan would even foster him for the few years it would take him to be old enough to attend the academy. He had placed him in the best orphanage in the village but in his deepest of hearts, he knew it was not enough. He read the Anbu reports and while he couldn't find any fault with them, he also became uneasy every time he saw one.

Tonight, he looked out and sighed. October 10th, Naruto's birthday, the Kyuubi attack, the death of Minato – the same day.

He had not wanted to take the mantle of hokage again but there was no one else to do it. His dream had been to watch Minato and Kashina bring another golden age to Konoha. He had wanted Naruto to have his parents. He had dreamed of being able to be grandfather to the child and watch him grow and be able to see what combination of personality traits he would develop. Sarutobi understood better than most the pain the sorrow, the loss. On this night 4 years ago, he had lost a dear friend and student.

"Oh Minato, you would be so ashamed."

There was no golden age for Konoha. There were only shattered souls that had not healed and a child sentenced to hell.

He rose, Asuma was home and he wanted to try and mend things with his son though he feared like many other things, this too, would be beyond his reach.

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Another able to resist the mob mentality was Mitarashi Anko. In her case, she wanted to beat and maim villagers but did not. She better than anyone else in Konoha truly understood what the Jinchuriki was suffering. She herself lived something similar every day. It was so easy for people to hate what they did not understand. Anko had been young when her Sensei had decided to leave the village. She had not understood that by following him she would be known as a traitor herself. She had not understood that he was going against everything Shinobi stood for. He had always showed her a kind face. If she had only known… but it was far too late for that.

She hadn't even been aware that he was doing anything wrong until he had hurt her. She had run back home and only the kindness of the 4th and the wisdom of the 3rd had saved her – and for that, Anko would die or kill. For that, she would even try to live.

The cries of the mob were growing louder and for an instant, Anko's hands trembled.

"Snake-bitch, hoar, slut!" It was ironic that she had never known the amorous touch of man or woman and yet one of the most favored epithets for her was hoar, as though the very use of the words would make their hateful meanings real and a part of her. She laughed and scorned most of the villagers. They called her names; she used her stare to frighten, or her weapons to intimidate. Stores refused her services she found other places or had the very few precious to her shop in her stead.

She was no longer attacked. That had happened once. The villagers had been rushed to the hospital and in return for the shocking turn of the attack back upon them, took it upon themselves to cause problems not only for her, but for her very few friends. The shinobi she had pummeled mercilessly. She had expected better from them. The Anbu had retired. He could no longer fight. Her brutality had increased as her trust had decreased on that fateful night. She no longer trusted the title Shinobi nor did she respect the title of Anbu. They had sullied the purity of those offices and Anko would not respect those who instead of upholding the law used their positions to take advantage of their status.

That brought her to this night, October 10 and an orphanage that she had volunteered to watch in order to protect the Konoha Jinchuriki. She expected the usual: broken windows, thrown objects, screams for the Death of the young child. When dawn came and the initial furor ended, she expected the matron of the orphanage, a huge battleaxe of a woman, to demand that the Jinchuriki be removed.

"For the safety of the other children, Sandaime Hokage." She would plaster a concerned expression on her face. The Hokage would make repairs, give her some extra funds and the matter would go away until next year.

With a soft sigh, the special Jonin scaled a tree that faced the window nearest where she knew the young Jinchuriki slept. Though she was unaware, she was not the only one watching on this night.

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Just out of sight of the orphanage the majority of the adult members of the Uchiha clan waited. This would be the night where they would become ascendant. They would kill the Jinchuriki and destroy the Sandaime's hope and the Yondaime's legacy. That was their task. On this night, they would return the Shinobi to their rightful place and do away with councils. The Hokage's word would once more be law.

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One more watched the unfolding events on this night his name was Maito Gai. He was Konoha's joke Jounin and mostly it amused him. The only times it really bothered him were on those rare times that he needed help with something and his colleagues did not want to take him serious.

Tonight, he watched, and those who saw him rolled their eyes and ignored him or avoided him. For the moment, that suited his needs perfectly. He was here to observe and that was one of the tasks he was excellent at.

He had learned from the best, after all. Jiraiya the Toad Sannin had been his … teacher not sensei; he forbade gai from using that title – so Jiraiya-san had been their compromise. Jiraiya was rarely in Konoha. He usually came through long enough to work with Gai, to remind him how important it was to truly, "look beneath the underneath." Gai allowed himself a faint smirk. There were not many Shinobi or Anbu that could truly say they looked beneath the underneath. Even his rival Hatake Kakashi more often than not failed to look beneath the underneath.

Jiraiya-San was a perfect example; many knew he was one of the 3 sannin yet when they realized that he was the same person that wrote the Icha Icha series of adult novels, it tended to fly clear out of most people's heads that the two men were the same person.

"It's an example of looking beneath the underneath. I'm a super-pervy-sage! Hahahahah! Is that all there is to me, Gai?"

"No, jiraiya-San!"

There had been genuine praise in the smile that had come his way. He never forgot. It wasn't that Jiraiya lacked enjoyment of his spying efforts. He loved to spy on men and women both. He appreciated flexibility and pretty images. For that, people had stopped taking the Toad-Sannin seriously. Even the Slug-Sannin refused to take him serious and the two had grown up together on the same team.

Gai personally found it amusing and his dear teacher loved to send him signed copies – copies that he quickly hid and only opened long enough to see the dedications.

He had taken Jiraiya's teachings to heart, only in another direction.

He became an open book to those around him. He was loud, open with his feelings, emotional and always noticed. He was loyal, foolish, brash, Master of Taijutsu and barely 18. He dealt with failure through challenge and he wore Green. That was Maito Gai. He wore the mask so completely that sometimes he forgot it was a mask; sometimes he let it become reality.

Jaraiya usually came around to remind him to look beneath the underneath. He wasn't sure how the Spy master of Konoha didn't forget who he was. Sometimes it took pretty strong reminders to get Gai back on track. Once, Jiraiya had threatened to stop working with him if he didn't keep it all straight. Another time, Jiraiya had attacked him and Gai had found himself waking up two days later unable to move. The Sannin had apologized and given him several sets of weights that responded to Chakra use. Gai had made certain to not lose himself again.

Tonight his mind was particularly clear. He had been watching the Uchiha clan. He had seen them gather. He had seen them use chakra enhancement techniques. Worse than that, he had been observing Danzo and the Advisers and he was sickened. Not only were they going to kill a child but they would free the most powerful of the Bijuu. Bijuu could not be killed. They were worse than fools. Gai didn't have all of the information but he had enough. It was possible he might have to interfere.

If Naruto died, the best case scenario would be the fox was too weak to do any damage and in the worse case scenario – Konoha would fall.

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While the world outside plotted Lee and Naruto shared the rest of the young. Feeling safe for the first time in their lives the two were unaware that Naruto was being targeted for death and that Lee would simply be considered an unfortunate casualty.

The first instance either boy understood something was wrong; it was already too late for them to run. As a general rule, they were both light sleepers. Naruto was used to being hurt and had learned that if he was fast enough, he could make the pain less. Lee simply didn't trust people and he had become more aware of how people acted since his self appointed mission of protecting Naruto.

They were both snapped into wakefulness when the door banged open and a wall of sound descended. Naruto used to this woke fast, his mind instantly clear. Then he saw Lee. Lee who was sitting up in alarm. Naruto raw desperation making him use speed that would shock any Anbu pushed Lee into the corner. His eyes begged Lee to stay. Lee, still partly trying to figure out why all those people were standing in the door way, stared in wide-eyed horror, his only defense was to hold on protectively to the younger boy.

"Get the Kyuubi!" a voice shouted.

Naruto pushed out of Lee's hold and moved to the side but the crowd was too numerous and the space too small for them to avoid Lee.

"No, stop!" Lee yelled.

That seemed to incense the mob and one person through a bottle at Lee and he moved but not quite fast enough. The bottle shattered against the wall and the shards found his back and shoulders.

Naruto was more scared than he had ever been before. If it was just him, he wouldn't care if he was hurt but Lee shouldn't be hurt because of him. Someone tossed a rock at him and Naruto watched it move through the air.

"Stop!" Lee shouted and the rock not only stopped but shattered. He moved as fast as he could to stand over Naruto who was standing on the other side of the room. He watched as the people came in and grabbed Naruto and then someone reached for him.

Naruto kicked as best he could he used his hands and teeth to bight. Maybe if they got really mad … but the person holding him smashed a fist into the side of his head.

The mob moved through the orphanage the two boys being carried between them.

Lee remained perfectly still. He remembered when his father was angry the best way to be was still. He couldn't really see Naruto and that scared him.

As they walked outside both boys were allowed to fall to the ground. Then Naruto screamed and Lee stumbled to his feet towards the sound. He tried to see but he couldn't.

Naruto never past out. He always remembered what was done to him. He found himself staring into a pair of strange eyes. They had dots and as he watched more dots came. Then there was hurt so big that he was certain there wasn't a word to express it. He screamed. He couldn't beg he would have tried but even his mind hurt.

"You will die on this day and we will be ascendant. You will not be allowed to corrupt children."

Naruto didn't understand the words at all but it didn't matter because suddenly he could no longer make sound.

Lee just stared. Naruto was being cut and his skin was coming off. Lee was sick all over the people holding him down, bits of the food he had eaten suddenly making an appearance. He was back-handed for his actions and punched in the stomach and that caused him to sick up more.

"That's what happens to demons, brat! When we're done with you, you won't ever associate with demons again."

Lee didn't know what a demon was.

"Now kid. The Kunai suddenly before him made Lee gulp. At first, he didn't feel any pain the knife was that sharp as it first pierced his skin but when the pain hit it drew a long shriek from Lee. Lee fortunately past out.

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"Oh Kami. What is this?" Anko stared in stunned horror. She wasn't certain what course of action she should take. She recognized the people standing there inflicting harm on the two boys – they were Uchihas.

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She watched a blur of movement and then bodies were flying everywhere. One of the boys was picked up and taken away. Then the blur was back and Anko decided she should join the fray.

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Gai decided that he was going to take both boys out of this. He told himself not to become ill. He was a Jounin and he couldn't afford it. The closest child was not the Jinchuriki but he needed to get the boy out of the way.

He jumped down from where he had been observing and quickly took out the people attacking the child. He was dressed in Anbu colors so no one would even think to question where he had been. As back-up He had also created a Kage-bunchin that was – entertaining itself by inspiring Kakashi. He grinned a bit. Then quickly flickered into action. Dropping the weights he wore at all times he moved like the wind in the trees through the group of Uchihas. They weren't quite sure what was going on – but suddenly they were without their target. Unsure what to do, they vanished.

Gai suddenly found himself, not alone; a Kunoichi wearing some kind of mesh form fitting body suit was suddenly among the remaining group. He admired her fluid movements for a moment before he grabbed the Jinchuriki.

The child was whimpering. It took Gai a moment to get a firm hold on the child as he was slippery with his own blood. He quickly placed the Jinchuriki next to the other boy and flickered back to the fight. For such a great clan, the uchihas didn't give many problems. Gai used a spinning kick that broke someone's bones. It made him very pleased.

When the last person was out for the time being, he looked up and saw the Kunoichi staring at him. She was his age maybe a year or two older.

"You'll get them help, right."

He didn't speak but he thought he saw recognition and amusement in her eyes. He winced but nodded in agreement. She shrugged and disappeared into the trees surrounding the Orphanage.

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He gingerly lifted both boys into his arms. He marveled at how light they both were. The Jinchuriki didn't even look his age. The other boy was not as under nourished but it was still bad. He admitted to himself that it was hard to even be certain of what he was seeing simply because of all the blood.

He all but ran through the village to his own home. He would not take either child to the hospital. He knew that tonight of all night the boys would not be helped especially the Jinchuriki.

The street where he lived was one filled with Jonin. More importantly, some of the Jounin he trusted. He made a half seal with his ring and middle fingers and his door slid open.

He set the boys down one on each of two padded benches he had set up for weight training. Then he made a couple of hand seals and waited as the smoke cleared and a small turtle was standing before him.

"Gai? What, Oh my."

Tarna-Sama, will you go find Kurenai and Asuma for me? This is urgent. I need medical supplies. Tell them, I had to intervene. They'll understand, and hurry please!"

The small turtle flashed away and Gai was left with two children so physically damaged that he wasn't sure what to do. As he hesitantly started to make use of the few healing Jutsus he had at his command he was unaware that his night was going to devolve into an even stranger one than he had already experienced.

Then his front door banged open and Hatake Kakashi stood there a furious look on his face.

"You …"

He forced himself not to panic.

"Kakashi, not now."

Then Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan and began to work along side him.

"You bastard! You were using me tonight to accomplish this? What is this, anyhow?"

Gai shook his head and started laughing as the information of what he and Kakashi had been doing over the last couple of hours came to him.

The laughter quickly fled though when he saw that despite all the work the two of them had been doing, the boys didn't look much better.

"I wouldn't just use you for something. I used Kage-bunchin and you have a bet to fulfill."

I do not! You bet with me under false pretenses."

"Ah, come now my eternal rival…"

Kakashi sighed. He could never actually stay angry with Gai. He wanted to most of the time, but it was impossible. Gai was probably the only person that was really a friend to him.

"Is that the jinchuriki?"

"Yes."

"The other boy?"

"I don't know but I was not going to leave a child in the hands of animals."

"Truth." Kakashi sighed again.

"Gai, go clean yourself up I'll sit here with them."

Gai was undecided.

"If you truly consider me a friend, you'll do this."

Gai's shoulder's slumpt in defeat and he went off to shower the blood away.

TBC: next up actual healing and living arrangements.

Will post on Friday.