The Anbu, Panther, arrived at the Hospital quickly and walked inside, gaining looks from the occupants. He could feel their eyes on him, boring in to him as he turned down a long hall. He, himself, had never been one to show himself others, but today he didn't have time to mask his chakra away and hide, spying in the shadows. His job was easy enough get the nurse and the bottles and get out, then return back to the Hokage's office to feed the babies until the Hokage returned from his meeting.
The hospital was the same as always with only a few minor changes, like the rundown look it gained from the attack and the loud sounds of patients, nurses, and yelling at every station. This was defiantly out of his comfort zone, which preferred to be hidden and not around a crowd of people. It made him tense as though someone would attack in a blind spot, using the hectic atmosphere as an advantage. A kunai in his grip soothed his nerves as he slid in out of a hidden pocket and grasped it tightly. He couldn't use his twin swords or that would surely cause an unwanted ruckus.
He sighed in defeat, strutting down the long, white halls that hurt his sensitive eyes when the lights from above reflected off of them. Shouldn't the hospital know that the color white, a bright color, wasn't what many wanted see during their visits or a color that most Shinobi would like? Unlike a civilian, a Shinobi had enhanced senses, some more than others and for him it was his eye sight. It was a curse to have it, but working as long as he had in the Anbu system, his eyes grew used to the darkness that shrouded him as he hide from targets that he was assigned to hunt down and assassinate.
Many Shinobi had complained about it before, but still nothing was being done to change it, leaving him to think that the hospital just wanted to torture his kind as they were know not to like Hospitals. The endless days of healing from a wound, could drive a Shinobi crazy if he/she didn't keep themselves occupied with something. He, himself, hated the place with every fiber of his being. The smell, look, and most of the cramped space that made him feel like the walls were closing in. And staying in bed with the threat of a possible angry medic-nin isn't something one wants, this being the reason why many Shinobi sucked it up and just go along with their ordeal.
Right now, he was just itching to return back to the Hokage's Office to carry out the most important part of the mission as he knew the Uzumaki twins would be targeted by assassination. Word of their existence and what they both held spread across the village, leaving it in an uproar, villagers and Shinobi alike wanting the children killed. He had no problem as none of his friends had perished in the fight, only gaining minor injuries or chakra exhaustion. The twins in his point of view just bared the ultimate burden that will label them for life as the demon twins.
He felt pity towards them, knowing that their life was going to be hell, unlike that past Jinchūriki that was loved with the secret of her status unknown by many, but her protectors. And him being a prodigy Hyuuga, he protect the women despite only being a three years older than her at age 13 as it was his duty. He would gladly take the position of the twin's protector, though, he was sure his clansmen would not approve, but he never really cared about what they wanted anyway. He rebellious as some would call him, ignoring some of the teachings of his clan and was much more…friendlier than the others who walked around with a serious face.
He did love his family, willing to die for them and protect them from any threat until death, but he hated the way the clan worked with the two branches. He thought of it as a disgrace to have your own blood working as a slave or servant, going against that ideal. He saw them as equal and treated them as such, earning him much love from his 'lower class' family. They always thanked him whenever he acknowledged them as family instead of just common servants, though, some were hostile towards him. He really didn't know why, but didn't question them about. They had a right to an opinion and feeling towards others; he couldn't and wouldn't change that.
Even with the Uchiha, he treated them with respect, actually thinking the Sharingan was cooler than the Byakugan. Though, he would never voice something like that out near his clans folk as the Hyuuga clan and the Uchiha clan are known for their rivalry, something he found to be silly and quiet worthless as they were considered comrades in one village, but treated each other as enemies, each bearing hostile feelings towards one another. Panther sometimes wished to change than, to bring peace between the two clans as the hostile feelings got overwhelming at times.
Panther had a strong believe that it could happen, if he could influence enough to believe in the thing called 'peace'. But many called his wish a stupid dream as the tie of hatred between the clans would never end and carry on forever. It made angry to see his clans men give up so easily on his ideal, looking down on it as they were 'superior' to those 'Uchiha scum'. Like little kids, he thought, trudging down the hall way at a quickened pace.
He came upon the room he was looking for, labeled as a place where they keep babies…well, the surviving ones as of now. He didn't drown on the thought of all the young ones that had lost their lives as it weighed down on him, him feeling as he should have been there to protect them from the attack. It pained him to having to go out, searching for bodies and finding babies and children littering the ground, dead…
The ones that survived would suffer with the gruesome images and lose their loved ones to a large fox monster that was sealed away into children that they would grow up to hate and blame for their misfortune. It was a side life for both to live, but that was 'life'. It was cruel, it was painful, but you grew from your experiences and learned from them, taming the hate you inwardly felt for another. The sorrow raging in you, swirling in your chest, throbbing lightly at the remembrance of what trails one went through.
The world was unforgiving, especially to those one chose to walk the path as a Shinobi. In this world, you saw your comrade's fall and see the comrades of others fall along with them in a long never ending battle. It was sad to see his friends die off, used like a bunch of tool and thrown away like trash, but that was a life that they chose to enter. The life of a Shinobi was filled with sorrow and hatred, the feelings never going away, continuing in an endless cycle. A cycle he had seen so many fall into and through it wanted vengeance against the ones who took away their precious people, slaughtering them. He knew the feeling all too well, but long ago he coped with the hate and addressed his enemies in high respect as they had also lost people that they cared for. He acknowledged their pain as he knew and felt it still, the feeling never truly disappearing.
Looking at the babies and children huddled in the room, staying until their parents or guardians could find them, he hoped that at least one of them felt his ideals were worth to pursue. He hoped that they could see the bigger picture, that the entire world was suffering from the endless battles that continued to tear them apart. He might have been foolish to think that they'll see his ways, but one could always hope. The younger generation seemed to not think about the consequences of their actions or their actions and their affects against other villages. It was tiresome for him to hear the voice of a child say that he or she was proud to kill other human being. This way of thinking had his clansmen call him 'gentle' or 'weak' for what he believed in, but it was his ideals and he was to stubborn to let them go, rather keeping a hold of them in hope others would see it his way.
A child cried beside him, sobbing and curling up to another child with the soft whimpers of others joining in. It pained him to see this, to see children crying when they saw something that they should have never of seen. Another thing life gave was unexpected events, some worse than others and this, right now, was something he wished to block from the minds of these young ones. Their innocence gone and taken by the beast that was created by hatred and spread it to others, meaning that the entire village would now blame the twins. He knew seals and knew that the twins weren't the Kyuubi itself, rather both its jailer. But the Villagers didn't and those few who didn't understand the concept of seals, would believe that the two children were actually the Kyuubi split in half.
Walking towards a back room, a woman appeared a few seconds behind him, demanding to know why he was here. His purpose was none of her concern and a quickly glance back, made her stop at the sight of his stare, her body chilling as she felt his eyes staring into her soul. She backed off as if understanding her place and returned back to a child that needed bandages wrapped around her arm. He snorted mentally, turning around when she got the picture and continued his walk towards the back room.
The room wasn't large, but not small either with pictures and writings by children adorning its cabinets and walls. The main coloring was grey, dark grey, and white, the darker coloring drawing him nearer like a moth to a flame. Papers and books scattered its counters as baby and children items adorned it, with only two lamps and three overhead lights giving the room a dull shine to it. It was a place he could work with if he had a chance, a dark place he could remain in.
Inside a young woman with a child on her hip, talking to the young one with a tone most people would use on children and babies. From behind he could tell the girl was fit and healthy by the way her body showed of its curves and that she knew how to handle a child as it giggled and laughed at the nursery rhyme she was singing, clapping his little hands. The girl had unusual mint green hair that had a wild look to it as though she hadn't brushed it in a while. He was sure with the work her higher-ups were making her do, she wouldn't have time to look pretty.
Seeing that the women was the sensory type, he coughed, instantly gaining her attention as she whirled around and let out a squeak in fright at seeing the dark cloaked man, standing behind her in the darkest part of the room. The baby whimpered as if feeling the young lady's distress and buried his face into the crook of her neck as though curling up to her would protect him.
Such innocence, Panther thought.
"O-oh h-h-hello," The younger stuttered, watching him with her light grey orbs that held fear in them. "I-is there s-s-something y-you n-need Anbu-san?"
He sighed as the girl shifted away from him, keeping the young boy between her and the counter as if he would attack them. Were Anbu really that scary? "Hai, I need you to make enough bottles for two children and for you come with me back to the Hokage-sama's office" He stated in a low voice, and then added. "By the Hokage-sama's orders"
"O-oh…" She bit her lip and nodded. "J-just l-l-let me t-take l-l-little H-Hiro-kun b-back to t-the other…children" She whispered, her voice getting smaller and smaller as she walked out quickly.
His eye twitched at the girls continuing stuttering, finding somewhat annoying, but relented in saying anything. Anbu weren't supposed to show their emotions when they hid behind their mask, but only when the mask was off. So he buried the feeling and remained emotionless and motionless, awaiting the girls return. In just a few minutes, she returned, wiping her glasses as she did then looked up at him with an innocent gaze.
"J-just an m-m-moment Anbu-san a-a-and I-I'll g-get t-the b-b-bottles," She continued back to her work space, on the counter across the room from him. She quickly gathered her supplies and began working on the bottles under the watchful of Panther.
He could tell that the girl was nervous around him, which was normal as Anbu only showed themselves on orders and sometimes they weren't very good orders. Villagers were scared of their appearance, frightened away by the high ranking ninja that would kill without a second thought. They had a right to be scared of them; Anbu wasn't something to trifle with and usually lead to death if you messed with them or their work. Though, they would never harm the innocent, they would only scare them.
He watched as the girl worked and at times voiced his opinion if an added ingredient was necessary for the milk. She said it was, that it was a boost of nutrients that the twins would need after he told her how long they went without food. She seemed genially concerned for them, possibly thinking that they were your normal everyday children, but Panther wondered what the young girl would do when she found out exactly who she was going to feed.
She was done with a few minute, carrying four bottles, blankets, and even grabbed two stuffed animals, making him raise a brow. "And what would those extra items be need for?" He was sure the children wouldn't need toys and they already had a black in their crib.
"T-the b-b-blanket i-is g-going to b-be u-used i-incase t-t-they t-t-throw up…a-and I t-thought t-t-t-that t-they w-would l-like s-some," She said, looking at her feet, avoiding any eye contact with him.
He nodded in understanding, remembering the girl had no knowledge that she would be feeding the twin jinchūriki. So, she wouldn't have any reasons to poison or plant a bomb to kill an innocent baby. His thoughts seemed dark, but he had to keep his mind open and ignore the girl's innocent personality as it could harbor a deadly beast that was waiting to assassinate the twins.
"I see, then come" He gestured for her, holding his hand out for her to take.
"U-um?" She stared at the hand in confusion, a slight frown crossing her lips as she hesitantly took it and squeaked as Panther pulled her roughly against him and poofed them out of the room and onto the street in front of the Konoha Hospital.
The sudden appearance of the Anbu made the passing villagers and ninja's gasp in fright at the cloaked figure, holding a tight grip on a young woman dressed as a nurse with baby items in her hands. He paid them to heed and walked forward, wanting to get a few minute of fresh air, before arriving back at the Hokage's Office.
Behind him the young women followed quickly after him, ducking her head down, a red tint blooming across her face as eyes landed on her. She kept her gaze on the ground, keeping near the Anbu, feeling truly self-conscious. Panther felt the opposite really as he outright ignore the stares of the villagers and the questioning looks of his Anbu brothers and sisters, all of them halting to give him a second long glance, before moving on with their duty.
He felt something shift behind him and knew it was the girl, he could practically feel the nervousness rolling off her. What she was nervous about her couldn't fathom, with him right beside her she should feel safe as she had an Anbu protecting her. Though, she did seem like an…awkward child, making him believe she wasn't a social person as she stuttered a lot and held a submissive stance as she walk behind him. Did she truly think she could hide in his shadow? He chuckled lightly, too soft for her to hear, at the show of innocence that radiated from the young girl. It had been a while since he was around someone like that, almost refreshing, knowing that they didn't have secrets that haunted them.
The short trip back didn't take long at all, which made Panther equally happy and a tad bit sad. He would've rather stay outside to gaze at the stars, but at the moment with all the panic, he doubted that he would actually get to. A great loss on his part as enjoyed watching the stars, seeing them light up the world. It was peaceful, something he cherished as watching the twinkling lights that looked down at him from the heavens.
At times he wished he could be a star, a peaceful being in the sky. He wondered what it would be like, to watch the elemental nations from above, seeing that many battles and wars that took place. He wondered if the stars were ashamed of them, seeing how they killed each other off without regret. He wondered if it was peaceful up in the sky were there was no bloodshed, where he didn't have to see his comrade's fall or have to kill others.
He couldn't help but wonder…
~/**\~
~Back at the Hokage's office~
….
…
…..
…
The Hokage watched as Panther left in a puff of smoke, gazing at the spot for a second longer until all the smoke dissipated, then looked between the two Anbu. Both were still in bowing positions, nether moving; only staying still like a statue. It was considered rude to look at him, unless he addresses one of the Anbu properly, and could end in punishment if they did.
"The protection of the twins are essential, understand? With word already beginning to get out about them, they will need to be protected and cared for by my most trusted" He told them in a stern low voice, a Hokage's voice. It seemed only a Kage could have that kind of tone during crucial times, a kind of tone that immediately gain ones attention.
"Hai!" Cat and Turtle said in unison, their voices clear and loud, showing that his message had gotten to them. Protect the kids or you'll suffer…it wasn't hard for them to figure out.
He nodded; clearly showing he got his point passed them without the use of a lot of words. "Also Anbu-sans, only you two, Panther, and the nurse are allowed to be around the children. No one else, no questions asked"
"Hai!" They nodded their heads, their different tones mixing together in unison once again. With Cats deep voice, rumbling at a low raspy octave, while Turtle's was a young voice that he didn't change as both Cat and Turtle being 4 years apart. Cat being 20 and Turtle being at age 16, a student under both Cat and Panther, quite young but not unheard of to have such young ones in the Anbu ranks.
"Good," He nodded to himself, knowing he could trust his personal guards to protect the twins from harm. They had been with him since the last ones either died or was replaced, each giving good results as having a Hyuuga and Uchiha together on the same team was once thought to be impossible, but Cat and Panther showed them as they would talk regularly and was actually very friendly towards each other. "I expect good results by the time I return"
The Anbu remain silent as their ears pointed out that the Hokage was moving towards his desk and picking up and item, most likely his hat. It would be the most logical reason to have walked over to one's desk and pick up something that you need. And, he needed his hat for a meeting, no matter what kind.
Hiruzen glanced over at his two Anbu, fixing his hat as he went to leave, making sure to look back. "It is alright to raise your head Anbu-san, I am now taking my leave" But despite his announcement to them, they stayed bowed, not wanting to disrespect him even if he gave them permission. It made him smile at that, at their loyalty towards the teachings that they were put through during Anbu training.
Turtle listened as the Hokage spoke, staying still even after he was done as his Superior Cat hadn't moved at all, instead staying as still as possible. And he followed in suit, remaining bowed as the Hokage moved back across the room, to what he was sure the door, as the metallic sound of the metal door knob twisted, rattling loudly through the quiet room. A squeak of an opening door followed after, like the rattling door knob before it, its noise blared through the room.
Some might call him sensitive; his ears twitching as the sound meet them, greeting them to its sounds. It was like that for a long time, his hearing better than others, a reason why he was place on a scouting team when he was younger and on the Hokage's protection squad, so he could point out where the enemy lies in wait. By adding chakra all his life, sending it up to his ears, they developed into sensitive hearing that he cursed now as anything that blared loudly would make him wince, but he was praised highly about it from his brethren at the Anbu Hideout.
Each having their own specialized gifts, ranging from many things, but mostly their senses as that was the most important thing to a ninja. Taste, touch, hearing, feeling, and seeing was what made up a human, and an Anbu would work hard to enhance them greatly by adding chakra to a specific part of them that they wanted to enhance. The chakra fueling the sense, making it greater than it was originally. But it was a dangerous thing to do as one had to apply the correct amount of chakra or it would cause the sense to die off slowly or be destroyed completely. Turtle remembered hearing about an Anbu who hyped up his taste buds too much, then ate some kind of food dish while still having the chakra fueling his taste and it ended with his taste buds being destroyed completely.
Medic-nins took this matter to the Hokage, stating that it was too dangerous to be used, but he declined their want for the practice to be destroyed by saying that it was essential for Ninjas. The Medic-nins weren't very happy with his answer and argued their point, until he created a class for chakra enhancing techniques in the academy and in the Anbu system. The lessons were dubbed important; every academy student taking its course as well as the Anbu, but their teachings went deeper as you had to learn about the senses and about the body parts of where the sense came from and how it was created.
Being already graduated, he had to raise his rank and get entered into the Anbu, before he could take the course. It was very interesting to him as he was also an Anbu medic-nin in training, rather than just being a guard or field Anbu. The course kept him on his toes, always on the edge to learn more about it and surprised he saw that many things could be used against the enhancing as his 'good' hearing could make him go deaf if a loud noise would pierce the air, much like the jinchūriki's screams.
His hearing was now dimmed back down to regular or normal for ninja as a headache grew with all the noise the babies were making. Chakra slowly receded, his ear aching slightly, but thankfully not damaged by the loud shrieks.
His gloved hand rubbed his lefts ear, the rough cloth leaving a spot behind as it scrapped against his skin. He stood, following his Taichou's movements faithfully, the man striding over towards the crib with a confident stance. He followed after, taking his place by the man's side, both staring down at the two small beings as they wailed, gripping each other close. Turtle examined them curiously, leaning forwards, hovering over the two baby Jinchūriki, tilting his head as the two's alluring blues eyes stared up at him. Their gaze didn't meet as they were young; their small, primitive minds canceling him out as nothing. Blue's eyes were shut off from the world as their respective eyelids covered them, squeezing out the watery tears that flowed down their faces in a constant manner.
In an attempt to calm them down, he flared his chakra, sending warmth from the heart to them. They answered his call with small whimpers that sounded from between their wails and their hands reached around, instinctively trying to find the him. He smiled, thanking Kami-sama that he remembered how his mother had taught him about the ways of chakra that quelled a crying baby's wail. As babies, their chakra channel was developed, having the two unable to send flares of chakra back towards him, so they, on instinct, would reach out to search for him.
Though chakra flares, usually were used to show a variety of emotions that were packed into them when released, a flare near a baby or child should be calm with no negative emotions placed into it. When the flare spread, coming into contact with the baby, they would reach for the one had given off the flare.
He reached down, carefully picking the blonde child up and cradled him to his chest, flaring his chakra again. The baby reacted immediately, curling against his chest, his whimpering sounded out as he rubbed his head against the Anbu's grey Flak Jacket. Behind his mask, Turtle smiled warmly at the blonde and stroked his head with his pointer finger that belonged to the hand that cradled the boys head.
Turtle could feel the burning stare of his Taichou as the man sent him a curious glance, watching him interact with the blonde Jinchūriki. "It seems you're good with children" He stated simply, the slight incline of his head meaning for Turtle to start up an explanation to feed his Taichou's curiousness.
Turtle swallowed and nodded. "My mother taught me when I was young how to handle children, when my little brother was born. As it was shown to her by her mother, she said it was essential for me to learn it as a big brother. I should know how to quell my brother's cries when he became upset" He shifted, letting his chakra hum. "Of course, that was before they were killed"
"Ah yes, the maternal instinct of the mother" Cat murmured. "Only a Kunoichi mother would know how to use chakra to stop a baby from crying, then passing on the ways to her children. Common knowledge, I supposed"
"If you don't mind me asking Taichou…" He paused for a brief second, as the blonde wiggled before coming still. "Why don't you know how? Didn't your mother teach you?" He asked, rising his flare level so it could reach to still wailing redhead.
"My mother died on a mission when I was very young" He answered in a stiff voice, the topic showing to be a sensitive one.
Seeing he had overstepped his boundaries, Turtle bowed his head. "Forgive me from prying Taichou, I didn't mean to cause any ill feelings"
"As long as you don't try to pry into my personal life again, you're forgiven" He told him, a warning lacing his words.
Turtle winced; the subject of his mother must have been a very sensitive one…
But before the younger man could dwell on the topic anymore, Cat nudged his shoulder and nodded down at the redhead. "If you really want to make up for it, you could teach me how to do it"
Surprise flared in his chakra, causing Naruto to jerk from his chest and wiggle. He apologized to the baby and regained the calm flare. "H-hai Taichou, it's quite easily preformed. All you must do is level out your feelings before flaring"
Level out my feelings… "Explain it more thoroughly, please"
"Of course, Taichou, the first lesson is to gain control of your emotions, separating the positive from the negative before giving off the flare. If a child, even a baby, senses hostile feelings within your flare it would alarm them. But if you perform the act perfectly, then they'll reach for you, at least until they find the one that released a flare that they would instinctively deem safe," He explained. "The flare must be like a mother's, inviting to the child and protective, while giving off love and affection."
He hummed. "I believe that the act is like giving off killing intent, except love is the only emotion allowed in"
"Anything that you think a child would want during distress" He said, sweat dropping.
Only my Taichou would relate killer intent and a 'loving' flare…
"I see…" He muttered under his breath, staring intently down at the redhead, before closing his eyes to concentrate on the chakra the swirled in his stomach, spiking as he began to manipulate it.
Despite making it sound easy, Cat knew that the task wasn't as simple as that. Chakra flares reacted in the instant when the user wants it to, carrying out the feelings during that split second. And being in the Anbu, he was used to only giving off killing intent nowadays. Then again, having no mother to teach you the most basic thing for many who belonged into clans or in Shinobi families, the blame couldn't be mainly placed on him.
He sighed, feeling his chakra, how cold and unfeeling it was, mixing in with confusion and frustration as he dug to find the feeling of love with in him. He was irked as he searched for the alien feeling, tilting his head as he tried to force the feeling, but the feeling of love wasn't there. He read in a dictionary what love was supposed to feel like, but he never experienced it for himself, not even receiving it from his father. Cat lived an alienated live after the death of his mother, the loss cutting deep into him when he first looked down at her corpse.
His chest vibrated with the pounding of his heart as he remembered…secretly seeing her Teammate bring her body back to the leaf, dripping with blood. They thought he didn't see and lied to him about it…and he went along with it right up until her funeral when they 'broke' the news to him.
He inwardly cursed at his apprentice, his chakra flaring in reaction to his sudden dark emotion.
His thoughts of the past were interrupted when a warm feeling settled in, relaxing his now raging chakra. He released a confused sound, turning towards Turtle and tilting his head as he wrapped his chakra around the foreign chakra, expelling it. "What?" He questioned his apprentice, more on the warm chakra than anything else.
"You're scaring them"
Cat frowned, returning his gaze to the redhead as she was shivering, but not from the cold rather from his flares of threatening chakra that escaped from him without his knowledge. He must have been deep in thought if his chakra escaped from him that easily. "Forgive me, I had no knowledge…"
"It's fine…just stop trying so hard. The feeling can't be forced; the children can sense that, so try and duplicate my chakra. I know you felt it"
How annoying…The Anbu thought. "It seems we underestimate children these days, when they actually can feel the things around them and react accordingly to them"
"I suppose…"
He ignored his apprentice and concentrated again, searching for the warmth he felt. His chakra reacted, but his feeling didn't recuperate with what he wanted, when he thought about what he was actually doing. His apprentice wanted him to openly show feelings to the child through his chakra. The idea…wasn't appealing to him in the slightest bit. He had a reputation for being cold-hearted and unfeeling, burying his 'love' deep within his heart, away from him. He didn't want it. The warm feeling. It would only hurt him in the end. So in order to prevent it, he ordered his apprentice to create a Kage Bunshin.
It was safer this way, for him and the child
Turtle sent his Taichou a confused look, before obeying and instantly a clone was formed beside him. Without an order, it went over to the crib and picked up the redheaded baby, carefully cradling her in his strong arms as he leaned against a bookshelf, flaring his warm chakra. The baby's wails lowered, eventually changing into whimpers as the clone continued flaring his chakra without a word. The clone rocked her back and forth, smirking to its self as the baby giggled at the sudden movement.
Acknowledging the action, Turtle repeated it with young Naruto. He was giving the same results as Naruto giggled with a wide smile and his blue eyes still glistening from shed tears. The baby was waving his arms around, almost shrieking with laughter when his hand hit Turtles chest. The Anbu snorted as the baby wiggled laughing even louder as Turtle began to move around the room, rocking him and spinning them slowly in a circle. He found himself wanting to join the baby in his laugh fit, no matter how un-Anbu-ish it sounded.
Cat, on the other hand, was sitting on the Hokages desk with his eyes closed, deep in thought. When he opened them, chakra channeled to his eyes gave life to his Sharingan, giving his eye holes a slight reddish glow to it. The orbs swerved around the room, searching for any unwanted chakra signatures. He chose to keep them channeled, for safety reasons. He blinked, watching as Turtle entertained their charges, their laughed bubbling out of them.
It sounded harmonizing to him…
His infamous eyes locked on to the redheaded child, watching the happy expression on her face. He found himself unable to look away from the sight of the newborn, his eyes following only her. The child was definitely an Uzumaki by her blood red hair that usually symbolized her clan, so that also meant Naruto was an Uzumaki despite his hair coloration. And their last names also added to his theory after the Hokage informed them of the twin's names. It was rare to be in the presence of an Uzumaki, especially one of their offspring, since the fall of Uzushiogakure.
The girls' looks were vastly different from her brother's looks. Her spiky red hair giving her a unique look, along with those eyes of hers, colored in the same alluring blue as her brothers and her skin pale, soft looking. Her facial structure was strong, but still feminine, informing him that she wouldn't have baby fat later on in her life like her brother probably would; seeing as his face was round. But her most unique look of all was the whisker markings that ran along her face that told him of her possession of the Kyuubi no Yoko, which also appeared on Naruto's face, though in a lighter tone than hers.
His crimson eyes looked away, giving the group a last glance before resuming their duty. Cats' eyes moved back and forth, up and down, studying the room with their piercing gaze, narrowing slightly when he picked up a chakra signature moving down the hallway at a fast pace. He stood up from his spot and became stiff, a Kunai now clutched in his hand, its metal glinting dangerously in the light.
One couldn't be an Anbu and dismiss small possible threats…those are the ones who usually get killed…
The arrogant ones
His student also felt it, stopping his turning for a split second, making the babies laughs slowly die down until a small smile was all that was left. The clone followed after them, before Cat appeared before it and took the baby from its grasp, tucking her into his arms. He then expelled the clone by stabbing it rather brutally in the jugular with his Kunai. It was a clean stab with enough force to get the hilt of the Kunai into its throat before the clone gurgled at the sudden attack, falling back, clawing at its throat then disappearing into a puff of smoke with no blood of any trace.
Cat ignored his students gasp as Turtle rubbed his throat, the clones memories transmitted back to him after it disappeared. He knew the young Anbu was stunned by the action, knowing that it could have been a different way to expel the clone, like letting him release it for starters. But Cat was still holding a secret grudge for the brat reminding him of his mother and the Uchiha were known for their grudges.
The younger Anbu cursed under his breathe, giving his Taichou a weak death glare and coughed. His throat stung, not even close to the pain his clone had felt, but enough to know what had happened. He rolled his eyes as he stood straight, watching the door. Though he couldn't sense anything by the Jutsu the Hokage still had in place, his Taichou was showing obvious signs of a possible attack with how he took a defensive stance. Turtle shivered at the illuminated eye holes, knowing the man had activated his Sharingan. He personally thought the Dōjutsu was fascinating and cool, but he still fear and respected it as it would have been stupid if he had not.
He watched on, looking for any signs that his Taichou would have signaled him. All the while, he rubbed the baby's head with his finger, making sure it wasn't too rough, fearing his gloves would hurt little Naruto. That would lead to him getting into all kinds of trouble and would probably earn him punishment for a while. After his last punishment, that almost killed him, he wasn't looking to go through that again. But the rubbing made Naruto happy, the baby leaning into his touch, relaxed with a soft look on his face.
He looked over to Cat then down at little Reika. She was almost covered up by his dark cloak, the spiky tips of her hair and an arm the only thing he could see. She was moving, wiggling in the man's hold, obviously not liking the way he held her. He watched as the small baby hit her small fist against his Taichou's chest as the man continued to ignore her. She even had her cheeks puffed out from what he could tell. He snorted at that and at how awkward his Taichou seemed with the Uzumaki, but didn't say anything as it could be him that received the next Kunai.
To his surprise, though, his Taichou lowered his guard and relaxed, cutting of his Sharingan. He then walked up to the door and opened it, revealing a unique looking woman with bottles in her arms, along with two blankets and toys. He said nothing as he allowed her in, his eyes trailing her before returning back to the door to give Panther a nod of his head. He received one in return as Panther passed him and a raised eye brow when the man glanced down at Reika, watching as she squirmed.
Cat sighed in annoyance, shutting the door and walking up to the other three occupants as the bundle of joy kept moving. He knew the others, except the women, could sense his displeasure at holding the child. But neither helped, rather wanting to see how he would react to having to keep holding the baby. The conniving bastards.
He shifted her in his arms, hoping to get her into a new position that she liked and wouldn't complain about. But he had to admit the baby was cute when she was angry, her cheeks all puffed out and her fists flying everywhere to hit anything that they could reach. He was amused, easily so, but annoyed at the same time. But he was more annoyed than amused at the Gaki, her moving around made very hard for him to concentrate.
A loud clonking noise caused his head to snap up and for the babies to flinch back from the sudden sound. The young women immediately began rushing out apologies to them and panicked even more when Naruto puffed out his bottom lip, tears forming at the edge of his eyes. It wasn't long before the first of many cries were released from his mouth and tears cascaded down his cheeks.
The women quickly took the baby from Turtle's grasp, the Anbu tensing as she did wanting the baby back in his arms safely. But he knew the infant was hungry and the strange nurse was the only one to know how to properly hold a baby and feed him. Doing nothing, but standing there, he watched with narrowed eyes as the women sat in the Hokage-sama's chair, putting a towel on her shoulder, the cradling Naruto. He instantly stops when the bottle touches his mouth, the woman pressing the tip to his lips and rubbing it around. He watched as Naruto's lips puckered and covered the bottles tip, sucking his meal out fast.
The woman giggled, wiping the tip of his mouth with the end of the towel. "Well now, someone's a messy eater"
Naruto opened his eyes, peering up at her, before they crinkled up at the edges and his mouth opened into a smile, gurgling on the milk as he let out a playful laugh. She shook her head playfully at him, wiping the milk that ran out the corners of his mouth as the child continued to smile at her.
Turtle tilted his head at how interact, curiously watching the display like his two teammates were. The young women seemed to know what she was doing, but did she actually know who she was feeding. He wanted to ask, but held his tongue when Panther gave him the 'look' that dared him to say anything. So she didn't know that she was feeding a Jinchūriki, eh? That was probably for the best; anyway, they didn't need her to start over reacting if they told her about the two infant's status. Ignorance was a bliss as some said.
For now anyway…
After giving the younger Anbu member the 'look', something the boy had learned to fear, he turned to the woman. A small sigh slipped through his lips, before he asked, "What's your name, Nurse?" He asked, his voice deeper than Cat's, but held no rasp.
She gave him a confused look, looking up from Naruto and then nodded her head to gesture to herself. "Y-you m-m-mean m-me, A-Anbu-san?"
He nodded his head in confirmation, amused by how the woman looked like a deer when a Shinobi had finally caught it. It seemed she was still frightened. "Of course, you are the only female in here, other than little Reika"
Her face suddenly gain color and she dipped her head down in embarrassment. "O-o-oh, s-sorry I j-just, I-I'm s-sorry-"
"Your name, please" Turtle interrupted her stuttering rant, annoyed by it.
Her green hair covered her face as she bowed her head towards them. "M-my n-name i-i-is K-Kurosawa Akinari"
"Kurosawa-san," Cat greeted as his two teammates chorused after him in unison. "Thank you for coming on such short notice"
She waved him off with her shaking hand. "I-its f-f-fine A-Anbu-san a-a-and p-please c-call me A-Akinari"
"Hai, Akinari-san" Cat and Panther replied, but their youngest, Turtle, added on the 'Chan' to the end of her name earning him a tentative smile from her.
"Hello…" She paused realizing that they haven't introduced themselves to her yet. She waited, watching as they took notice of her pause and the one with the cat mask stepped forwards. Yes, she already knew their animal, Code-names, but refrained from calling them that. It was rude to not introduce oneself to another when they have already introduced themselves.
"You may address me as Cat, Akinari-san" He introduced himself with a bow then straightening up, before gesturing for the other two Anbu. He earned a smile from her as Reika had begun laughing loudly when he bent over, her smile was wide and true, honestly amused at him bowing down.
"Panther, you've already met me" He said curtly, rolling his shoulders as he acknowledged her with a nod. She nodded back to him hesitantly, giving it a kind of twitchy look when her head bobbed.
Turtle wasted no time in grabbing her attention, by stepping up rather loudly and proudly introduced himself. "Yo, I'm Turtle, nice to meet you Akinari-chan"
His Taichou and teammate rolled their eyes at his childishness, but knew he was only acting like a regular teen to make Akinari more comfortable around them. The boy was oozing happiness and hyper-ly walked over to her and sat on the desk, watching her feed Naruto.
"W-what are y-you doing T-Turtle?" She asked, blinking her wide doe eyes at him.
"Keeping an eye on Naru-chan, we're his protectors" He said in a friendly tone, watching as the girl slowly began to relax, leaning back into the chair and slumping her shoulders. Inwardly he felt bad deceiving the girl like this, acting out of his normal character just to gain her trust. It was working to, way too easy but then again Akinari seemed like the innocent type, completely naive. And he used that against her as it as it was part of a Shinobi's job to deceive others to complete the mission.
She looked up at him in question. "Protecting them?"
Without missing a beat Cat stepped up, copying the way the Akinari held Naruto with his Sharingan, shifting Reika into the same position. "More like watching over them, their orphans to a family that had close ties to the Hokage" He replied smoothly, knowing that their last name titles were something to be acknowledged, especially since their the offspring of a now almost extinct clan.
"I see," She looked down, giving Naruto a sad look, never witnessing the pointed looks that the two elder Anbu sent to Turtle. "That's terrible" She whispered, rubbing the boy's cheek with the towel.
"Very unfortunate" Cat agreed curtly, thanking Kami that Reika had finally settled down in his arms and was now cuddling to his chest, staring up at him with those alluring eyes he found fascinating. They reminded him of…
Ridiculous, it couldn't be, it was impossible…
But…
Both twins were Uzumaki…yet they held similar features to…
Cat looked up to the picture of the Yondaime, his eyes widening as theories began popping up in his head. Oh shit.
He created their seals!
"Cat?" Panther called to him quietly, nudging his shoulder as his Taichou stood stiff. It wasn't just his body language that told Panther something was wrong; it was the air around him. It had changed from his normal serious atmosphere to something else.
"It's nothing, just something I thought about…" He trailed off unsure if he should tell Panther about his theory until it was confirmed.
Thankfully, Panther could sense his friends' unease and patted his shoulder. "I understand, Cat" But he didn't, only saying so Cat didn't have to make up some excuse for whatever it was.
Cat nodded to him in thanks, before a small whimper drew both of their eyes downward to the redheaded Uzumaki. She was smiling at them, her fists pulled up towards his chest as she began cuddling up to Cat, continuously gripping his cloak in her tiny fingers. He marveled at the small infant, at how tiny she was, at how innocent she was.
But his state of awe was interrupted when Akinari cleared her throat loudly, gaining both of the Anbu's attention as she no longer held Naruto and was holding her arms out for Reika. Snapping out of his strange trance, Cat walked over to the girl and made an attempt to give her the baby, but the infant had different idea's as she clutched his cloak in a strong grip that made her hands turn slightly pink. He easily worked her hands off of him and passed her over to Akinari.
"Aw don't worry Reika-chan, I'll give you back to Cat," She cooed to the small child as its face twisted up and tears were about to fall. In hopes of cheering the baby up, she pressed the tip of the bottle to the baby's lips. Reika took the bottle hesitantly, taking light sips.
It was but a few seconds later when the girls expression became softer, soothed by the warm milk. Her tiny hands were now clutching the bottle or trying at least. Instead of grabbing her small fists kept sliding across the bottles plastic, unable to get a good grip. It didn't seem to frustrate the infant in the slightest as her narrowed eyes wandered around the room, the orbs drinking in the sights of the room. They continued to roam around the room, her eyes instantly stopped for a few minutes when she found Panther and Cat, standing side by side. Her eyes glittered and she smiled, before her gaze moved to Turtle, who still held a now sleeping Naruto. The Anbu leaned over and rubbed her head with his thumb softly as though she was a doll that could break at the slightest touch. Intrigued, her tiny hands bumped into his thumb that hovered beside her face and managed to grasp it after the 6th try.
Turtle's expression behind his mask softened as she began playing with his thumb, mostly just holding it or clenching and unclenching her hand as if testing out the use of her hand. She was such a curious child, he noted as she had mostly looked around the room. Sadly, he removed his finger in favor of putting Naruto to sleep in the crib, but just as he did, he and the rest of the occupants heard a gurgling sound, each keeping their eyes on Reika as Akinari removed the bottle.
Reika, now refusing to drink had her face scrunched up once again; her mouth opened showing her gums. She was whimpering, tears appearing at the edge of her eyes as her bottom lips trembled and her tiny fists pulled to her chest, clenched together. The Anbu knew what was coming, preparing for her cries.
Akinari was frantically trying to calm her down, seeing how the child was suddenly upset. "T-Turtle g-g-give y-your f-finger b-back" She ordered weakly, placing the almost empty bottle on the desk.
"Eh?" Turning back to them, almost getting half way to the crib to place Naruto down, he shook his head. "Taichou you can do it, Naruto is my top priority right now" He said in a serious voice, but the two other Anbu could hear the slight stutter in it for asking his superior for something. Almost like ordering.
A slight pause filled the air, no sound interfering with what the younger one had said. It was a great disrespect to order them around. They were of a higher rank, they were stronger and smarter, they got the title Taichou for a reason, and ordering a Taichou around wasn't something many did often. It could lead to very painful punishments or being thrown out of the Anbu.
But Cat followed the suggestion as he put it and walked over to the infant Reika, wiggling his finger at her as she began wailing at the loss of Turtle's contact. Her face burned a light reddish pink; her eyes scrunched shut, her mouth gapping open as she cried. He honestly hoped this would work, the Gaki's cries made them all uncomfortable and there was a fear that the wailing would have woken up Naruto.
So he kept on wiggling his finger at her, rather, awkwardly as he didn't know what to even do. It was uncomfortable. He could feel everyone's stare on him, watching him intently as his finger failed to stop the crying infant. He then pressed his finger against her fist, rubbing his pointer against her fist that was now shaking. It took a few more minute for her to respond, but she did, grabbing his pointer instantly and bringing it shakily to her chest then having her other hand grabbing his pinky.
They were all surprised at how calm she seemed to be when holding another's hand, as if it had a calming effect on her. The action was almost immediate when she had grabbed a hold of Cats two fingers, clutching onto them like they were her life-line. Akinari believed it to be, somewhat, strange as she hadn't seen this kind of behavior in an infant before, but choose to ignore it as she knew each child had their own personalities and characteristics that made them Unique.
She manage to resume and ended up feeding two bottles to each baby, both still seeming hungry even after the two bottles they had both devoured. But the warm milk had done its job and made the twins drowsy, leading both to fall asleep within the hour that they had eaten. Another characteristic shown about the both of them was that they would only sleep if someone held them or they would be half-asleep and angry little twins.
And it seemed that both like to cuddle, making Akinari giggle at the image of Anbu letting two babies cuddle up to them. It was both cute and weird to look at. Her giggle, though, stopped when the door opened and the Hokage walked through looking very ticked off…