Summary:She looks up to gaze at his coal obsidian eyes as he gazes downward at her enchanting sky blue eyes. They both thought, "Is this love?" Who says opposites can't attract? SasuFemNaru… MORE PAIRINGS INSIDE
Pairings:SasuFemNaru, ItaFemKyuu, LeeSaku, NejiTen, ShikaTema, KibaHina, ChouIno
Warnings: OOC-ness, language
Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto
Kesshite Wasuremasu
by Aesura
The Love of a Father
"My name is Namikaze Naruto."
Whispers erupted in the class as the students discussed amongst themselves of the sudden notice of the blonde joining their class. Who joins a class that's about to take the Genin exam?
"Okay, Naruto-san. You can sit next to…" Iruka scanned the classroom to locate a vacant seat. "Ah, Hinata!"
Hinata squeaked at the sudden call of her name.
"Hinata, please raise your hand so Naruto-san can know where you are."
Hinata nervously raised her hand, lowering her head a bit in embarrassment as everybody's gaze shifted to her momentarily.
"Hinata, huh? Man, she really has low self-confidence." Naruto makes a mental note to help her fix that problem later.
As Naruto began walking up the steps to the back row of the class, a certain Uchiha's dark eyes followed the blonde's every step, sparkling in interest, and in… recognition?
Iruka raised an eyebrow in awareness. Never before has the young Uchiha shown notice to anyone. He just glares at them until they go away.
Iruka hoped that Naruto would be able to drag the Uchiha out of his arrogant shell. They do seem like complete foils of each other, both looks and personality wise, like yin and yang.
Now that everyone is seated down, Iruka started with his speech.
"We will now start the final exam. The subjects will be Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge, and Bunshin no Jutsu. If your name is called, come to the testing room next door."
Iruka gave his students one last encouraging smile, as he and Mizuki turned and headed towards the examination room.
One by one, students went into the room, nervously. But there were still a large number of students to go. They were all gathered in their small groups, anxiously waiting to hear their names.
Naruto got bored and started observing her classmates, determining what their characteristics are like.
One girl, Haruno Sakura, was with a group of girls who were all arguing who would be the first to marry the class heart throb, Uchiha Sasuke.
This Sasuke character, Naruto noticed, was sitting in the second row alone quietly, but he had a scowl on his face and was glaring morosely at all who dared encroach upon his territory. But this only made him more tempting to the girls. For some reason, she thought that she met this Uchiha boy before, but shrugged it off.
"Maybe it's just my imagination."
Naruto's pondering was cut off by a stuttering sound emitting from someone beside her. She shifted her position to come in face with the shy Hyuuga girl.
Once Hinata noticed that the person she was trying to say hi to was looking at her, she quickly gazed downward while pressing her two index fingers together.
"Scratch that. She needs help NOW."
"Konnichiwa, Hinata. My name's Naruto. Nice to meet you!" Naruto said cheerfully.
"O-oh! It-t's n-nice t-to meet-t y-you, N-naruto-san-n." Hinata greeted unsuccessfully in a timid voice.
"Hinata, could you please drop the '-san'? I don't really like the formality."
"G-gomen…" Hinata looked down again, feeling like she has disappointed yet another person again.
"I guess I'm insignificant like everyone saids… Otou-san… Neji-nii-san…"
"Hello? Hinata, didn't you hear me?"
A hand was waving in front of Hinata's face, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"G-gomen, N-naruto. W-what was i-it agai-in?"
"I said, 'Do you want to be friends?'"
A shocked look appeared on Hinata's face as she turned to face Naruto. Someone wanted to be friends with her, a weakling like her? All she could say was…
"..D-Doushite?"
Naruto gave her a sheepish grin, thinking that she was just surprised by the sudden abruptness.
"Anou…, you seem like a nice person, and I really want a friend, since this is my first time here at the Academy and all. So what do you say?"
Smiling timidly, she answered, "H-hai."
The sheepish grin turned into a foxy one as she took Hinata's hand into hers and shook them both up and down. "Friends!"
Hinata smiled along with her new friend. Naruto can really be to-the-point sometimes.
"Namikaze Naruto! It's your turn now," said Iruka, popping his head through the examination door.
Naruto looked up and replied, "Hai."
She stood up and turned towards Hinata.
"Wish me luck, Hinata-chan." She winked while giving her a thumbs-up.
"G-good luck." She said back, almost too softly to hear, as Naruto journeyed down the steps to the testing room.
Naruto now found herself standing at the middle of the Academy testing room where the graduation examination was being held.
Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei, were sitting behind a table on the far end of the room. Placed neatly over the table were dozens of leaf hite-ates, the thing that Naruto had been long fantasizing of having and the mark of her first step towards fulfilling her dream of becoming Hokage.
"Alright Naruto-san, for the graduation exam I first want you to perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu," instructed Iruka. "Begin!"
"KAWARIMI NO JUTSU"
The two proctors watched as Naruto switched places with a wooden log and back.
"Okay, good job on the Kawarimi jutsu, Naruto-san. Next is the Henge."
"HENGE"
As soon as the smoke cleared, Iruka saw a perfect replica of himself standing a few feet away from the proctor desk.
"Excellent transformation, Naruto-san. For your final task, I want you to create two clones," Iruka said, clearly impressed at the progressing talents of his blonde student. Though Iruka had a sneaky suspicion that these jutsus barely scratched the surface of her abilities.
"Heh, you're going to be surprise at this, Iruka-sensei," thought Naruto. She then started to gather chakra and executed a string of hand seals.
"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU"
Just as Naruto has expected, Iruka was very much surprised after hearing the name of the jutsu.
"Kage bunshin? That's a jounin-level ninjutsu! Did Naruto-san already master that jutsu at such a young age?" thought Iruka.
He was anxiously waiting for the white cloud of smoke that erupted shortly after Naruto announced the skill to fade away and see for himself.
After a short moment of waiting, all the smoke had faded away revealing three Narutos, the clones being perfect replicas of herself.
"Congratulations Naruto-san, you passed!"
Naruto gave him her foxy grin as she dismissed her clone. "Good thing Ero-sennin taught me that jutsu, or else I would've failed that part!"
She walked up to Iruka-sensei, getting the hite-ate presented from his hand.
Tying it on her forehead, the traditional spot of where the hite-ates should go, she turned around and walked out of the testing room, proud at herself for her accomplishment.
"Wait till otou-san finds out! He'll be so proud of me! Maybe he'll take me to Ichiraku's as a celebration!" Naruto thought happily as her smile widens at the memories of the many times her otou-san has taken her to her favorite ramen stand when she was young.
Amid undetected by Iruka, Mizuki was silently seething inside by the performance of the Kyuubi container.
"Damn, that Kyuubi brat passed the test. Heh, no matter. I'll still get what I want in the end…"
Outside the Ninja Academy, newly graduated students were talking among themselves, laughter and congratulations wavering through the air.
Their parents were gathered with their kids too, praising them and patting their child on the back.
"I'm so proud of you!"
"Good job! It's something I would expect from my child."
"Congratulations on graduating. Mom is going to fix you something nice tonight."
Those were few of the praises Naruto heard from where she was sitting, at the wooden swing under the tree, just a few yards away from the crowd.
She had a crestfallen look on her face, her once vibrant blue eyes now a bleak dull in the shadows of the tree.
Naruto lightly swung back and forth on the swing, one foot motioning the rhythm as tiny squeaking sounds emitted from the swing. She looked away from the praises, from the smiles, from it all…
"Where's otou-san?… Why isn't he here yet?… He didn't forget to come… did he?"
Naruto shook that unbelievable thought out of her head vigorously. "Of course he didn't! He knew this was an important day for me! ..But…"
She slowly glanced upward at the now depleting crowd. Hinata had already left with her father. Hell, even that loner Sasuke's family showed up.
Naruto saw one of Sasuke's family members, who looks so much like him, poke him on the forehead. Sasuke shot that person a light glare while rubbing the spot where he poked, but said person just look at him, with a ghost of a smile.
Her hands clenched on the rope swing, turning her knuckles white. Naruto then heard two ladies whispering from the crowd.
"Hey, isn't that girl the…" the lady whispered to her friend.
"Yeah, she's the daughter of the Yondaime!"
"I heard she passed the test with flying colors, and even performed a jutsu beyond her years."
"That's just as expected of the Hokage-sama's daughter. She's bound to surpass even her father. He must be so proud of her."
That last sentence did it.
Naruto felt a not-so-familiar sensation creeping into the corners of her eyes. She hadn't cried in over five years.
"What the hell? ..Che, damn it.. I shouldn't be acting like this…"
She quickly rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand and growled. She would not allow herself to cry. Nothing could make her cry again, ever.
Then jumping out of her seat, Naruto disappeared, leaving the swing vacant as it sways back and forth.
But unknown to Naruto or anyone else, a pair of devious eyes from a certain silver-haired man watched her movements from a distance, then shortly disappeared afterwards.
The Yondaime sat wearily at his desk, a mountain of paperwork piled up at his sides, threatening to collapse upon the tired Hokage. It took him a lot longer than he thought to clean up mess. He sighed and looked out the window.
The sun was already setting.
He was several days behind on his paperwork that needed to be sign. Of course he could, and he wished he could leave, but the damned rules say the Hokage must have a delegation for the important talks he must present to the Kazekage, which didn't give him a chance.
"I wonder, Naru-chan, how are you now?" he thought. "I hope Kakashi and the ANBU will look after you."
He sighed again.
"I'm a bad father. I should be with her, not hanging here signing these stupid documents."
But… Minato knows that he's the Hokage. He has to sign negotiations and maintain his position as the pillar of his village. He won't have time to be able to be with her.
"I'm sorry, Naru-chan…"
Night has now fallen over the peaceful village of Konoha. But the activities broiling down at the Administrative Building were anything but tranquil. A group of angry shinobis have assembled in a crowd, raising an uproar.
The active Hokage was standing in front of them, a stern look sketched on his face.
"That traitor! He won't get away with this!"
"If he carries the Scroll of Forbidden Seals outside of the village, it will become a major problem!"
"Hokage-sama! We must do something about this!"
The Yondaime nodded. The look on his face told everyone of the graveness of the situation.
"Yes. The jutsus written in that scroll are dangerous and forbidden. If used in certain ways it can cause great trouble." The Hokage turned to his shinobis with all seriousness.
"Bring Mizuki here."
"Hai!
The crowd disappeared in a wink of an eye upon the Yondaime's order. The shinobis dispersed in all directions and began scouring the entire village for the missing chuunin traitor.
Just as they vanished from sight, another reappeared in a cloud of smoke, stopping the Hokage in his tracks just as he was about to leave.
It was Kakashi, with a worried look in his only visible eye as he looked at his former sensei.
Pinching his nose to stop an upcoming migraine, the Yondaime said in a tired voice, "Kakashi, this had better be good news."
When he was assigned the job as Hokage, he expected the glory and fame that came along with the rank, not the stress.
Hatake Kakashi was unusually fidgeting as he gave his message.
Clearing his throat and taking his time to talk, as if he wanted to stall whatever might happen he said, "Err... Naruto's missing... it seems that the teachers from the Academy couldn't find her after the Genin Exam..."
"Nani! Missing? Kidnapping?"
The Hokage fully came alert, eyes directly averted to his former student. Even though he is a ninja, being a father was his first priority. His face demanded information and Kakashi's report.
"Naruto was last located near the Academy on a swing, but I felt another presence with her, disappearing after I lost track of her." Kakashi grimly accounted the events of his findings.
"I'm and some of my summoning dogs are attempting to locate Naruto's whereabouts, whether she is alone or indeed kidnapped."
The Yondaime nodded. "Do that, and send another squadron to patrol the borders and sector 54."
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Sighing, the man sped off to the direction of the forest, the stern look upon his face earlier was now replaced with one of worry.
His parental instincts knew that Naruto was in some sort of danger, and she had no knowledge of the predicament.
As Minato continued to jump from one rooftop to another, a jolt of panic and worry flashes through him. A dreaded look etched across his face, his only thought was…
"…Naru-chan…"
He concentrated all his chakra he had and disappeared in a flash of yellow, hoping he was not too late.
Naruto had been running for hours through the dense forest of Konoha. Her tears have now dried, but she still felt like there's a big block of lead in her chest. Naruto growled to herself.
She hated this feeling.
The sun had already set, gracing the sky with a clear night atmosphere. She wasn't really paying attention for her next jump.
She was still muttering curses under her breath as she made the leap. Suddenly, Naruto crashed into something in midair, knocking both her and the object down to the ground.
"Itai! Damn, what the hell was that?"
Naruto rubbed her head as she looked around for the offender.
Several feet away from her, there was a man wearing a chuunin vest. He staggered to get up, his silver hair obscuring his face from view.
But Naruto recognized him anyway. It was no other than her former teacher, Mizuki-sensei. But what the hell was he doing there?
"Che, so it's the Kyuubi brat again. What's the matter, is daddy's little girl all alone because everybody despises you?" he mocked as the traitor shinobi regained to his feet, dusting off the dirt that speckled his chuunin vest.
Naruto blinked several times as she struggled to register what was happening.
"Oi... what's going on? Why are you even out here? And what the hell's on your back?" She pointed at the object strapped to the nin's back.
Mizuki laughed bitterly as he said, "It's the forbidden scroll. With it, I'll become powerful and rule over this village!"
"Nani?"
"Heh, doesn't that surprise you, demon? That I'll rule over this land instead of your precious otou-san?"
Anger started to flow through Naruto's veins. She clenched her hands into fists while throwing a glare at her ex-proctor.
"Don't talk about otou-san like that!"
A malicious grin spread across Mizuki's face. "Why are you even defending someone who has cursed you for the rest of your pitiful life?"
"Huh? What the hell are you even talking about?"
"Hm. I'll tell you the truth. A rule was created after the incident that occurred twelve years ago."
"A rule?" Naruto temporarily forgotten about her rage against the chuunin.
"It was a rule that only you, Naruto, cannot find out about."
"Only me? What's that rule?"
The grin widened on Mizuki's face. "It's the rule not to say that Naruto is the Kyuubi."
Naruto's eyes widen in shocked. "N-Nani?"
"In other words, you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune that destroyed our village and killed countless of innocent lives."
He sneered at the demon brat's frozen body. He decided to continue her torment.
"You've been deceived by the village people and your otou-san all this time. How does it feel, Kyuubi? To be deceive by everyone you know? Especially that person who you called your otou-san, who was the one who sealed that demon inside of you with his own two hands!"
Naruto just lowered her head, obscuring the emotions running through her eyes.
"Now's my chance. I'm going to become the hero of this village by getting rid of this demon!"
Mizuki took a kunai out of his weapon holster, twirling it around his finger. "Now my first decree as Hokage, I ordered your death!"
He charged at her with full intent to kill.
Naruto suddenly smirked. She needed to burn some of her anger off. She looked up as Mizuki charged at her.
"Well let's see you try!"
She crossed her two fingers together as she performed her trademark jutsu.
Twenty clones appeared out of thin air and attacked the ninja, but suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke as the enemy casually destroyed them with no trouble at all.
"How-?"
Mizuki threw the kunai as Naruto suddenly caught it. "Hokage's brat or not, you're still a pitiful genin."
He drew out an array of kunais and shurikens, interlaced between his fingers and threw them with perfect aim and precision at his target.
"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU"
The blonde quickly evaded the weapons aimed for her head as duplicates of herself took the blow. She felt herself getting tired after using that B-ranked jutsu twice.
"Damn, I wasted too much stamina running around this forest!"
Naruto futilely tried blocking the taijutsu attacks Mizuki was throwing at her with her arms but, it felt like she was being beaten by a giant.
She panted as she tried to keep up defending the chuunin's blows.
"I can't keep this up. I don't know how much longer I can last.."
A hefty kick sent her flying into a wall. It nearly buckled in half as the Kyuubi vessel was rendered useless. Pain seared her body as she was sure that she had at least broken something.
"Heh, so it ends... DIE!"
Mizuki's wrist whipped out, and dozens of kunai and shrunken of almost every assortment all aimed at Naruto sliced though the night air, making almost a whistling sound.
Horror was the only thing the fallen genin could feel as time itself slowed down.
"I don't have enough strength to dodged this attack. ..I'm really going to die, aren't I…"
She closed her eyes and cringed…
Blood splattered everywhere as the blades hit human flesh.
It felt like an eternity for Naruto, awaiting the pain that was supposed to be shooting through her body. But she felt nothing.
Naruto opened her eyes slowly as a shadowed image of a hunched figure stood protectively over her, like an angel. Kunai and shuriken protruded out of its back, thick red liquid gushed out of the wounds.
"D-Doushite?"
The short, yet simple word was full of surprise and astonishment. Naruto stared at her savior with wide, astonished blue eyes.
Coughing up blood, a hand wiped the thin trickle from her chin. "Hey Naru-chan, are you all right?"
Blood matted blonde hair and dulled eyes searched the girl for any signs of permanent damage.
All Naruto could do was nod her head.
The Yondaime fell forwards, as Naruto felt hot tears of rage building up in her eyes.
"NO! OTOU-SAN!"
The words exploded from her mouth, full of emotion and heated anger. A kunai found its way wedged between Naruto's fingers, hands clenched tightly around the weapon for all that was worth.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
Mizuki subconsciously took a step backwards, taken aback by the girl's killing intent. His shock intensified as Naruto suddenly disappeared and he whipped his head around just in time to avoid being decapitated.
He skillfully leapt backwards, parrying attacks, no time to perform handseals for a ninjutsu.
Naruto's rage was just kept barely under control. She forced back the sudden upset for fresh blood, kicking back the abrupt urges to rip apart this foolish mortal with her bare hands.
She. Is. Namikaze. Naruto.
Not some demon!
Suddenly, her body felt strange... like it was suddenly light as a feather, able to lift off the ground for the first time. She felt her chakra returned to her again as she sees yellow.
Mizuki panted for breath. For the first time during this fight, was afraid. It couldn't be! The yellow aura of the legendary jutsu used by the Konoha's Yellow Flash!
"How... do you..."
Mizuki involuntary took a step backwards, a chill ran down his spine.
"Shut the hell up. I won't forgive you... for what you did to..."
Naruto looked back at the fallen Hokage and another wave of vehemence threatened to consume her. Her body trembled in fury as her fist clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Mizuki barked a laugh that was halfway between a snarl and a cough.
"Please. Like a demon like you would ever defeat me. As you know, I'm a chuunin while you're still a pitiful genin, so like in hell you'll ever manage to beat me." His sneer abruptly slid off his face as Naruto ran at him in a yellow flash.
Mizuki prepared himself, but was shocked to see nothing in font of him.
"Where did she-"
"FUUTON: SENTEN GUFUU NO JUTSU"
He turned his head around to see a powerful burst of wind forming into a tornado, heading straight towards him. On top of the branch was Naruto with a fixed scowl on her face.
"Not so tough now are you, you bastard?"
The jutsu rushed towards the defenseless chuunin, in direct path of the tornado.
"Heh, you think that jutsu can stop me, then think again!"
He was about to jump away from the line of attack, but he couldn't move his feet.
"N-Nani?"
"Surprise, aren't you?"
A sweat drop ran down his face as he glanced up at Naruto again, realizing he was in grave danger. He looked down shakily at his feet to discovered two hands holding his feet down.
"A kage bushin? But how?"
As if reading his mind, Naruto explained.
"When I disappeared out of your sight, I silently made a kage bushin of myself, telling it to bury underground underneath your position, awaiting the moment to hold you in place. When I called out my jutsu, that was the signal for my kage bushin in grab hold of your feet. You never stood a chance."
"How can that Kyuubi brat execute a plan that quick? It's not possible!"
He was brought back to reality by a sudden whirl of wind coming his way. The tornado, now immensely large in size, rushes towards him in top speed.
Mizuki screamed in pain as the tornado came on impact, slashing cuts all over his body. The jutsu continued moving, carrying the traitor inside the vortex, heading for a tree.
A deafening explosion erupted from the collision, splinters came flying through the air in every direction. Someone was sure to have heard that noise.
Naruto jumped down from the branch she was on while panting, drawing in each breath as to satisfy her burning lungs. She looked hard at the unconscious Mizuki-sensei, a kunai in her hand, staring almost guiltily at the innocent-looking weapon.
"Killing you would be just as bad as what you did to..."
Her aura was now diminished, her anger gone and no longer fueled by her emotions. She turned around and walked over the figure of her otou-san.
She felt so tired, mentally, as if she lived through a hundred years and back.
"...But... you..."
She started to choke, tears made it no longer possible for her to see properly.
"...took away the only family I ever had... now I'm alone... and it hurts so much…"
Naruto was now standing over her otou-san's body, guilt eating away at her. She remembered how mad she was at her otou-san for not showing up at the Academy, for not congratulating her for passing that exam.
But he gave away his life, just so he could save her. He really does care for her.
His face looks almost peaceful in a way, even in death. Naruto wished that it was her that died instead of him.
"… I never meant to be angry at you... I still love you... but I guess it's too late to apologize now… I'm sorry... I never meant.. for this to happen... Otou-san..."
She fell down next to the body of the Yondaime and cried, finally no longer able to keep her pain locked inside her.
It felt good. Crying made the heavy pain in her chest seem a lot lighter. It lifted the burden she had kept inside herself, hot streams of tears ran down her face.
Suddenly, strong arms hugged around her tightly, pressing her head against their beating heart. Naruto was so surprised. Could this person be alive, this person who was hugging her with so much compassion and love?
A thick voice slightly muffed, as if they too had been crying said, "I'm so sorry... Naruto... I'm such an awful father..."
"What's... going on?" Naruto wiped her eyes as looked down to see her father, tired sapphire eyes that had a hollowed look crinkled into a happy upside-down 'U' as he painfully sat up in a sitting position.
He's moving... that meant that...
"You're... YOU'RE ALIVE!" She exclaimed as she tackled the Yondaime to the ground again as she cheered. "Alive! Alive!"
The Yondaime smiled as his daughter pranced up and down his chest, even though it hurt like hell.
"Yes, very much as you're jumping on my solid body and seeing that you haven't fallen through yet." He gently pushed her off as he affectionately ruffled her hair.
Naruto smiled with happiness and relief. She lightly swat the hand away in mock annoyance.
"Cut that out, otou-san!"
They both started laughing, happy noise in the air.
Growing serious, Yondaime looked directly into Naruto's eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"...I heard what he said back there... And you're not the Kyuubi, Naru-chan. You're just a vessel, nothing more. …I'm so sorry that I sealed the demon inside of you, but I trusted no one else but you to carry that burden.."
He slipped a rough hand under the girl's chin, causing her to look up.
"Just remember that you'll always have people who care for you. You're a hero worthy of the Hokage title and for carrying the Kyuubi. Naru-chan, I acknowledge you as my daughter and the hero you should be: Konoha ninja."
Naruto found herself looking deeply into the cerulean gaze, so alike as her own.
"Otou-san..."
Naruto buried her face in her otou-san's chest, hugging him as if he was going to disappear any minute.
She started crying again, but this time...
It was tears of happiness... Of still having a loving parent...
After hours of fruitless search, the villagers have gathered back at the front of the Administration Building. Anger was the evident emotion there as the shinobis asked each other if anyone had spotted the traitor.
"Did anyone find Mizuki?"
"No."
"Damn, this isn't good."
"I also heard that Naruto-sama is missing."
"Nani? What if that traitor kidnapped her?"
"There's nothing to worry about." A new elderly voice said.
"Hokage-sama!" the shinobis called out as they watched the Sandaime stepped out of the building.
He had a calm exterior, evidence that the troubles have passed and that there was nothing more for the village to worry about. He had watched the whole ordeal from his crystal ball.
"They will be back soon."
Does it seem a bit rushed to you? Heh heh… Sorry if it was. But the first episode does seemed rushed to me, but my other chapters won't be! At least, I hope not..
Now some of you may be wondering why Naruto doesn't remember the cute little promise she made with Sasuke. Well, it was so long ago and she has been traveling around with Jiraiya for so long, that she doesn't remember vividly. But don't worry, she'll remember in the future. Besides, I want that rivalry between the two of them.
And I don't think that I'll make Iruka that major of a character in Naruto's life. Unless, any of you readers know how I can.
Also, the Hokage and the Kazekage are discussing about the upcoming Chuunin Exams. (That's the reason Minato has to do that delegation).
Next chapter, we find out how Itachi got out of trouble from the wrath of his mother after his otouto got "married."