I leaned against the hard rock, sighing heavily because it was so uncomfortable and the sharp rocks poking my back wouldn't let my mind concentrate on the Icha Icha book in my gloved hands. I much rather preferred the hard trunks of the trees in the Fire Country. At least they didn't prod my behind. My sigh was lost in the vast openness of the desert, like a whisper in the wind. Where we had decided to camp would not have been my first choice, but Temari-san had said that this would be the most cover we would probably get since we had just crossed over the border, and she knew this barren smooth sea of sand far better than I did so I trusted her judgement. The circle of tall crumbling rock pillars would keep us sheltered from the vicious winds, and the hard clay ground had not yet converted to sand so it was much more suitable than sleeping in sand that got in your clothes and mouth overnight, so we thanked her, appreciating her consideration. She said that it was no problem; she was in debt to us for telling her what had happened to Gaara – if they hadn't of seen her, she probably would have taken her time going home. She laughed timidly after that, disclosing her plans to stop at the hot springs on the way out. I knew she felt horrible, and I could tell Sakura and Naruto were feeling upset as well for her because they knew what it was like to lose a friend, and also worried for Gaara. Especially Naruto. He wouldn't talk to anyone, and if that wasn't strange enough, when he opened his mouth to affirm quietly that he didn't want to stop, that they should keep going if they were to catch up to Gaara. I told him that it would be no use to go on in the night; we'd probably lose our bearings I lied, knowing full well that Temari was capable of finding her way home day or night. Naruto looked as though he wanted to argue, but gave up quickly once Sakura placed a hand on his arm and said that we didn't all have the same chakra reserves that he did. He said he'd take the first watch after dinner once we had all eaten, disrupting the eerie silence as everyone chewed wordlessly, the unanswered questions blazing like the bright spits of ashes floating in the air, as loud as the embers that cracked about in the fire. Naruto hadn't touched his ramen at all, but he discarded it and went to sit on the top of a high pillar above the campsite. We all took that as our cue to get ready for bed even though the sun was still high in the sky. I relieved Naruto of his watch a few hours after, and told him to get some rest. He obliged mutely, stepping off the edge without a word.
Now, alone with my book, which is all I had wanted, I was assaulted by paranoia. It was abnormally quiet; a calm, dead silence had settled over the night. Not a mouse scurried away from a snake intending to make it its prey, or did an insect come to investigate the light glow from our dying fire, now reduced to cinders that matched Naruto's orange tracksuit. Not even the wind moved. It gave me chills, and instinctively I lifted the left side of my headband that covered the scar running straight down my eye, activating my sharingan. I glanced around and saw the two sleeping forms of Temari and Sakura. I nodded, and then looked for the third body. Naruto slept around the corner, slumped against a rock pillar with his arms folded in front of him. Seeing no immediate threat, I deactivated my sharing, and returned to my book, trying to not let the rock distract me now. I sighed again; I really hated the geography of other countries.
Suddenly a loud, pained scream emanated from behind a rock pillar, and I put away my book, rushing to where Naruto was. I caught sight of him, sharingan searching for an attacker in the shadows, someone hiding behind one of the many rocks scattered around us. When I found no one I turned to Naruto to see if he was hurt. He was writhing as though he were in pain, trembling. He was mumbling slurred words as though he were awake but his eyes wouldn't open. His left fist curled into a ball tightly, and my eyes widened at the red shroud surrounding his hand, beginning to spread all over his body. I panicked at the sight of the seeping chakra and Naruto's convulsing body. I grabbed Naruto's hand and mixed my spiritual and physical energy until it reached the right ratio, then changed the nature quickly as I fed it into his slack form. An electric spark went through Naruto's body and he immediately jolted awake with a gasp, eyes flew open, momentarily mirroring the Kyuubi's. I was afraid that I had done something to weaken the seal, but was reassured when his familiar blue eyes returned and the red tint receded, slits changing back to pupils. That was short-lived, once I saw the troubled, anxious gleam in his eyes that he got when he was bothered about someone. I guess he caught up to the shady character in the tea shop. I smiled inwardly – I knew it would be best for Naruto to send his shadow clone. Even if he had attacked Naruto using his mysteriously acquired byakugan, the orange ninja knew better than any of us how it felt to fight a Hyuuga and what would work best.
"Naruto, I suppose your shadow clone has returned to you. About time, too," I said slowly, gauging his reaction. The boy sat up fast, and in the dull light of the moon sweat gleamed off his face and neck; he looked frighteningly alarmed, and for some reason my mind thought of him transforming into the fox form. His head swerved around to take in all of his surroundings, feeling the ground beneath him, as though he thought he was having a dream and had to make sure it was real.
"Kakashi-sensei, the boy… h-he… he's in trouble! We have to help him!" Naruto frantically pushed himself up and I shook my head, placing my hand steadily on his shoulder to keep him where he was.
"We can't, we're already on a mission, remember?" I raised my eyebrows at Naruto. He swore loudly and thumped his hand on the ground, slightly cracking it.
"Shit, that's right. Gaara." He had fully returned to normal now, and I thought it was safe to ask what my curiosity and concern were begging me to ask.
"What happened, Naruto?" I attempted cautiously, as though I were creeping through the enemies camp. I had a million different scenarios in my head, but in none of them did Naruto extend his hand and offer me an old photograph, a little faded around the edges but in near perfect condition, with a picture of his mother on it as a child surrounded by a family that appeared to be hers. I stared at the photograph in disbelief, falling from a crouch next to Naruto, who sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest, hanging his head between his knees.
After a long period of speechlessness from me, not knowing what to say at all, Naruto's voice broke the sound void.
"He's like me, sensei. He is… special, like me. We've shared the same experiences; he understands my feelings, he knows what it's like to be a monster. And I can't even begin to imagine some of the things-" he cut himself off abruptly, shaking his golden head. "But he has had everything taken from him, and he doesn't have friends like I do. I'm sure he was born with his eyes, but wasn't taught how to use it because it seems no one besides him in his clan has the byakugan, I think. He gave me an odd feeling, Kakashi, not a bad feeling but a good one, ya know? That girl in the picture… I feel like I know her; why? Do you know her Kakashi-sensei?" he fired a million questions at me at once but I was glad he was telling me all of this. It was obviously upsetting him, and he was already an emotional wreck from Gaara being taken by the Akatsuki.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my eyes only lingered on the monochromic photograph. Naruto leans in closer and points to the older girl next to the youngest daughter on the sand, arms flung around each other and grinning mischievously at the camera.
"That's the boy's mother. She's the younger girl's sister, and they're all a family. He said his mom was from the Uzumaki clan that came from the Land of Whirlpools. I don't know much about my family history, hell; I don't even know who my parents are – no photos or other family – not even their names. But my name, Uzumaki Naruto, proves that I do have a family, a clan somewhere, and while I love Konoha more than anything… it kills me think about the fact that I don't even know my mom's name, or where she came from."
I closed my dropped jaw, my mouth very dry from the desert air and onslaught of guilt washing over me, like I had just been caught in a flood without a paddle. I had not prepared for this at all. It wasn't up to me to tell Naruto who his mother and father were. That was sworn a secret the day he was born, when Kushina and Minato-sensei sacrificed their lives to seal away the Nine Tails that rampaged through our village, destroying the landscape with a flick of its tail, killing hundreds with a swipe of its claws. They sacrificed everything for this boy, even his own happiness. Minato and Kushina knew the moment Naruto was known as the Jinchuuriki of beast that levelled Konoha, that his life would be a living hell. I thought about all the hundreds of times I had witnessed Naruto being attacked by the villagers as he walked past – it ranged from them simply sneering, eyes full of hatred while spitting at him he wasn't welcome in their shops and stalls, or tripping him up in the street, to actually physically attacking him violently. And it wasn't just the villagers either, but shinobi, too. I remember one morning, I was on my way to the academy – the first morning I was to formally meet Team 7. Walking past an alleyway, I heard screams, pleas for help, and pausing to see what the trouble was, I saw a circle of shinobi, some chuunin and jounin I recognized. They were all thrashing around, kicking a figure in the middle. It was dark in the alleyway, but I remember seeing that familiar bright orange and flash of yellow. I yelled at them to stop and they simply looked up at me and smiled, continuing to kick the boy a few more times before turning away and strolling past me, bumping their shoulders against mine hard. I remember one of them, Gorou, a younger chuunin, grinned arrogantly, tipping his head, and addressing me. "He deserves it, you know. It's his fault my father is dead, and why my mother won't stop drowning herself in sake. He should die. I can't believe the Hokage is letting him become a genin. And even worst, you're teaching him. Kakashi Hatake, the comrade killer. Let's hope we don't have another demon attack on our hands, eh senpai?" I just stood there, while he walked off, and then went to check on Naruto. Bruises were already forming on every visible part of his body, and blood covered the side of his head where it looked as though it would need stitches, like he had been knocked unconscious by the impact with the rocky ground and was then beaten despite already being out cold. His lip was swelling and blood covered his face from his cracked nose. I was worried enough to take him to the hospital, before I saw right before my eyes the skin on his face slowly repairing itself. I sighed in relief and thanked the healing powers of the beast, then leapt off when he began to stir, leaving a small flask of water and a small square piece of ripped material from the bandage around my shin.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice rang in my ears and I snapped back to reality, eyes focusing on his face. He looked so much like his father – I'm not sure how no one else had picked up on this uncanny resemblance as it was just staring them in the face. Well, actually, now that I think about it, the blonde hair was the dominant trait. But his eyes… they were like hers. Kushina was always mischievous and that excited, colourful attitude was definitely inherited in her son. Just seeing that pained look in his usually lively blue eyes made my resolve falter because it dampened the hope that I like to think I helped put there. What he was telling me now, sounded unbelievable, unrealistic, as though it were a dream fulfilled by kami for Naruto's resilient nature.
The boy from the teashop – he was a very strange and shady character that was true, but definitely interesting. I wasn't able to get a proper look of him, but my time in the ANBU wasn't for nothing. Taller than Naruto though possibly the same age and built like an agile user of taijutsu, with a head of messy crimson hair that swept to one side out of his pupil-less pearl eyes and jutted out in every direction. At first glance the boy looked like a frightened spirit. His features were perfectly symmetrical, a face that could have been carved from marble, sharp and defined, but he looked horrible, deathly. His unnaturally pale skin had a strong olive undertone and had a thin sheen of sweat coating his forehead, and his expression was one of alarm, opal eyes shrouded with so many unreadable mysteries that not even my sharingan could decipher, as though I were hunting on a bank where the morning fog clung to the deep river, obscuring all from sight. I knew about the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, and that there were others from his clan out there, strewn all throughout the shinobi world, but what Naruto was implying was simply outrageous. My mind sorted out all of the possibilities – a trick by Akatsuki to capture the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki? A prank by some kids from the village? Yeah, of course – Konohamaru would do anything to challenge his rival. No, there was no way in hell anyone else besides the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, the old council geezers, and a few others such as Iruka and some jounin who were there that night knew that Minato and Kushina were married in secrecy, so the Fourth could protect his family from his enemies. Everyone knew Kushina – the loud-mouth Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, another Uzumaki from that horrible, horrible slaughter that blew their clan to the wind, scattering them like the clouds over the world. Everyone knew she was his mother, because she was the only Uzumaki in Konoha, and I'm sure that only added to their contempt for her son when it became known to everyone that he was the container that held the beast that everyone feared. Or… gods forbid… was it the truth?
With unsteady hands I smoothed my thumb over the picture. It wasn't a fake, I was sure of that. And it was definitely a younger version of the Kushina I knew –the same devilish grin as Naruto. I glanced up at the nervous teen, anticipating my slow answer. I was feeling the pressure – it was making the palms of my hands sweat, like the truth was pouring out of my tenketsu, his saddened gaze was making my heart ache as I saw the same lost look that I wore as a child when I thought about my mother - a look you see in almost every child who did not get to know their parents. I knew it wasn't my place to tell him, so I lied, my voice coming out flat and surprisingly emotionless.
"I don't know who these women are. I have no idea who your mother or father was; all I'm aware of is that they died the day you were born. The Fourth sealed away the Kyuubi in you because that was what they wanted. They were older than me – I was only thirteen when the Kyuubi attack happened and even then all younger shinobi were made to help with evacuating citizens, as they would today. I'm sorry Naruto. It's something you'll have to find out on your own."
The way it flowed pass my lips sounded flawless and smooth, another skill I could owe to my years in the ANBU. Lying was easy, but the effects were devastating. The angelic boy's face dropped, colour draining until he looked more like a lifeless doll. The boy whose hope was just a moment ago in my hands – I could have delivered news that would have changed his life, yet instead I chose to crush it. It was for all the right reasons – I didn't know enough about the situation and what this new intel presented for the village, so making a decision without notifying the Hokage about the boy's claims first would be equal to offering up my head on a silver platter. Naruto wasn't in the right place right now to know this – the immediate threat being Gaara's capture by Akatsuki, who he knew were after him and gladly welcomed it – as long as it brought him one step closer to his goal of finding Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi, and thus, closer to bringing back his friend. Not to mention his already building lists of promises ever since he returned – to pay all of his old tabs at Ichiraku with his new higher rank missions he would be getting now, becoming a chuunin, teaching Konohamaru how to do the new sexy jutsu he learnt, something I wouldn't mind seeing, just for, uh, jounin approval. Oh, and we can't forget the promise he made to innocent Hinata, to help her find this mystery girl and make sure she was safe.
"Okay Kakashi-sensei. I get it; my parents didn't love me, because if they did then they wouldn't have allowed for this beast to be put inside of me. I understand, but I just want to know why they did this, and if I can't know that then to know who they were at least. Maybe then I could see why they would do this to me willingly." His voice was shaky and sounded as though he were on the verge of tears, though I didn't dare peep encase he saw the guilt glazed over my eyes like honey. My smooth mask wavered for a second as my mind registered his words in astonishment. I had heard those exact sentences before – vague as it might seem, that I would remember those familiar words from another conversation I had partook in before. It was the emotion behind those words – a strong desperate determination – which reminded me where I had heard that declaration before.
I crouched low on the wooden railing, my shinobi attire blending in with the bleak darkness, sleet pelting down hard as it pierced my purple skin, beating ceaselessly, rhythmically, so it was easier for me to forget that I had been in that same position; soles flat, back hunched, for the past twelve hours since my superior had requested my presence here at the annoying time of 7am. I shivered, peering through the thick grey clouds that had sheathed the village overnight. The sudden drop in temperature suggested that snow could be on the way, despite it being only the beginning of October, halfway through autumn. It was strange because prior to last night, the weather had been perfectly fine, a crisp breeze occasionally but nothing as bad as what had rolled in last night, beginning with soft shower and escalating quickly this morning when we woke to the blackened sky blocking out the sun, making it appear as though it were night. The whole village had retreated indoors, boarded up shops and were warned to secure anything that wasn't bolted down. Everyone around Konoha was probably in their lounges drinking wonderfully warm tea around a hot fire, wrapped up with their families. Then there was the woman I was protecting, waiting anxiously for her husband to return home from the hours and hours of paperwork he was probably buried underneath right at this moment. I sighed drearily as thunder rumbled and suddenly lightning struck wires dangerously close to where I was stationed.
"At least the Hokage has the luxury of being inside." I mumbled to myself. I knew that a ninja had to endure, but I was cold and hungry, and if I didn't watch out there was the possibility of getting struck right in the forehead – I was mulling over removing my headband when I heard a soft cry come from the window below me, on the balcony where the front door was. Alarmed, I immediately jumped down on to the slippery platform and unsheathed a kunai. I glanced cautiously through the window, where the curtains were drawn back to reveal a kitchen that latched on to a living room, brightly lit against the blurring world. An attacker wouldn't have been able to get past my activated sharingan – I would have sensed them. A thought popped into my head regarding the heavily pregnant and almost due woman that I was watching over, and I grimaced at the prospect of having to carry the Hokage's secret wife in the rain who had suddenly gone into labour, indicating the arrival of their new born son. I peered into the window with this possibility in mind, and saw the one nicknamed "Red-Hot Habanero" leaning over the counter in her kitchen with her back turned to me. From what I could tell she was clutching her bulging stomach, round like a balloon, and taking exaggerated deep breaths.
"Ahhh!" the red-haired kunoichi who I had heard Minato-sensei describe to his fellow genin leaders in his earlier years of dating her, as the fiercest, most fearsome person he had ever met, was doubling over in pain as she silently cussed her husband for doing this to her. Then she took a deep breath and straightened up, turning around to face me. I thought her face would resemble her voice – grumpy, annoyed by her current physical state, but instead a loving smile adorned her face, eyes focused on where her hands gently rest on the mould, protectively and attentively.
"You little knucklehead. I bet you are enjoying giving your mom hell like this." She laughed feebly, but still had to suck in a few more sharp breaths to bear the pain. I thought it was incredible – men would never be able to experience endurance like that. I gawked unintentionally, and lightning flashed again, the unexpected explosion of noise causing me to jump slightly. When I glanced back to the woman I was supposed to be protecting I saw she had disappeared. Confusion muddled my thoughts and I was just about to leap back to the roof when I heard the front door open behind me.
"Kakashi?" a weak but curious voice sounded out over the pulsing rain. I swore inwardly – I had revealed my cover. I turned hesitantly and bowed deeply.
"Kushina-sama, I am very sorry to have bothered you. I will leave now."
"No, just hold on a minute." Her voice came louder this time; taking on the same firm tone I had heard her address our Hokage in before. I immediately froze in my half-crouch and swiftly spun on my heels to face the older kunoichi. She was very beautiful, in a very obvious way. Long thick locks of straight cherry-red hair flowed down her slim shoulders like scarlet waterfalls. I had thought her hair was strange when Minato-sensei first introduced Rin, Obito and I to her when she came to drop off his kunai he had forgotten. But Rin had gasped when she saw her head full of red and complimented her straightaway, earning a shy blush from the older kunoichi. Later, when we were alone with our teacher, she asked if he would marry the kunoichi with the beautiful hair. His blush was even redder than his lover's hair! He said he definitely wanted to and thought her hair was absolutely beautiful too. Rin was overjoyed by this news, while Obito and I were busy throwing up in our mouths. Then Rin said she wished her hair was the same colour, because brown was boring and not as striking as red. I remember Obito piping up loudly and exclaiming how she could have any hair colour in the world and she still wouldn't be as beautiful as she was right now. Minato and I laughed when both of their cheeks reddened. It was definitely one of the happier moments that we had as a team. Especially with Obito and Rin. Rin…
"Minato has been making you watch over me, I know he has because I'm able to sense you when I want to. I haven't said anything because I know how worried he gets, even though I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. However, I will not allow you to stand out here in this awful weather just to babysit a pregnant Jinchuuriki." Kushina-sama had her hands on both hips, with a scolding look aimed directly at me. I did not waver – I knew my mission. Her mentioning her status as a Jinchuuriki only furthered my resolve; I knew it was essential she was watched over during her most vulnerable time, and that task had been assigned to me. I put on a steely look beneath my mask, preparing to reactivate my sharingan.
"I cannot leeave. I must look after you – those are the Yondaime's orders."
She huffed, mumbling to herself. "Pfft. Minato that big-headed asshole… I think he's forgotten who really wears the pant in this relationship…"
Then she turned her attention to me and a warm smile graced her face. "I'm not insisting you leave. That would be rude of me, and although I don't need to be watched over, I wouldn't mind company right now. It gets awfully lonely, ya know?"
My body became rigid at her implication. The Hokage's wife wanted to… entertain me as a guest in their home? I reached up and scratched the back of my soaked head uncertainly.
"Um… I'm not sure I should." I replied awkwardly. I had spent the last eight months secretly spying on the lady and keeping an eye on her while she went about her daily business, but when it came to a request like this, it was as though she had asked me to grow a third eye on the spot.
"Nonsense. I just put on the pot for tea, and I have some cookies baking in the oven. I made them for Minato, but who knows when he'll be home." The scarlet women's gaze dropped to the floor and sympathy washed over me, filtered in the harsh, thick droplets pelting against my freezing skin.
I shivered involuntarily, and lighting struck close by. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to get out of this storm for a bit."
Immediately her face lit up and she clapped her hands together. "Great! Come in, come in!" She waved me inside, and I hesitantly crept pass her, poking my head through the front door before, eyes darting left and right before I took the courage to step into the foyer, where shoes were lined up in a neat row. I removed my water-trodden sandals and slid my feet into the dry slippers, cautiously following the shinobi into her kitchen and living room. Steam blew out of the kettle on the stove in a high whistle, where the pregnant woman quickly rushed to it and removed it from the red hot plate, placing it on a wooden board.
"Please, sit down." She gestured to the couches in the smaller living room, but I was still tentative. Her home was warm and just that – a home. Framed pictures of Minato-sensei and Kushina decorated walls, shelves and bookcases, as well as some with their friends, and I even paused when I noticed a familiar photograph staring back at me. It was the team photo of all of us. My heart dropped when my blank eyes took in Rin's eyes closed grin, and met Obito's goggled determined glare. Like he was reprimanding me for not looking after her. I turned away in guilt, not wanting the memories to resurface again, but was met with the woman's bearing gaze, as she balanced the pot and a few cups on a tray. She put the items down on the wooden coffee table and rushed out of the room quite suddenly, returning shortly with a towel that she passed to me. I thanked her and dried my hair with the towel, removing my mask. A sweet smell wafted up into my nose and made my mouth water. Once I had finished drying my hair until it stuck up in lengthy spikes, I dove into the cookies set before me.
The kunoichi just laughed at my enthusiasm, and grinned at my approving "mmmm" as the soft dough melted in my mouth, warm and sweet.
"These are so delicious! Thank you so much, Kushina-sama." I bowed deeply in my chair across from her once I had swallowed the last of the batch. The young woman leaned back in her chair with her arms in front of her, resting on her massive belly, smiling at me.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them. I've had so much time to myself lately, since I'm not allowed to leave the house much nowadays, that I spend all day baking for Minato, and I think it's gotten to the point where he only eats them to make me happy."
"Ah, yes I've noticed our Hokage growing a bit bigger around the waist." I joked, a closed eye grin forming on my covered face. She laughed in return.
"Guilty as charged. Hokage…" she gazed off into space, forgetting my presence. Silence filled the room, so I poured myself a cup of the warm green-tinted liquid to ease tension, and then some more in the other cup as well.
I glanced around the walls again, peering from frame to frame. I stood with my cup in my hands and inspected a picture on the wall closest to me. It was a young girl with bright red hair, looking sullen as she stood next to a woman with a darker shade of burnt scarlet locks. The younger child I presumed was Kushina, but the other woman appeared to be quite old. I didn't know much about Kushina, so I naturally assumed it was her relative.
"Is this your mother?" I asked curiously, pointing to the picture while jerking my head in her direction.
It was as though my voice had snapped her out of a sort of trance, the sound bringing her back to now. Her expression was one of daze, as she lifted her gaze to look where I was motioning. Once she saw the photo she frowned.
"No, that's Uzumaki Mito. She was the First Hokage's wife."
"Oh, yeah I remember learning about her. She's so…" I trailed off, trying to find the most appropriate word to describe her.
"Old?" a giggle erupted from the older shinobi and it was contagious. I soon found myself grinning too. I nodded. The First Hokage's time had been years ago, even before my father's. He would have died at least seventy, eighty years ago, while still in his mid-twenties or early thirties. I had heard the stories – after the Senju defeated the Uchiha, Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside of herself, becoming the first Jinchuuriki for the beast.
"Yeah, she was very old, even when I met her. She was like a mother to me, or a grandmother. In fact, I spent a lot of time with her eldest granddaughter, Tsunade, before she left the village after the death of her grandmother and the outbreak of the Third Shinobi War."
"How did you meet her?" abruptly came out of my mouth before I could stop it. It was rude of me to be so nosey, but I was genuinely interested in knowing.
"Well I met her one day when she came to the camp I had been living in. It was a refugee camp, for the survivors of a horrible battle that destroyed the home of our clan."
"Your home?" I asked, confused. Odd, I would have thought she had lived in Konoha her whole life – Minato-sensei certainly had given that impression when he told us of their relationship as children in the Academy. Apparently, she had declared she would be the Hokage on her first day there.
"Yeah, my home. The Land of Whirlpools, where all Uzumaki clan members originate from. It was destroyed when I was five – so about sixteen years ago." Her face had taken on a troubled air, like she was struggling to remember something. The wind howled like the kami were wailing in heaven, voices booming down in loud thunderous claps of lightning that echoed all over the Fire Country. It would have been distracting, but I was absorbed in what she was saying. I felt sorry for her – even I had warm memories of my father and me before he took his own life. My mother had died shortly after having me, but my father made it up by spending plenty of time with me when he returned from his duty to his village; training mostly and hunting every so often when he would return from a long mission. I was alone a lot of the time, but I guess it taught me how to look after myself. Prepared me for the inevitable fate every single child or grandchild of shinobi suffers from.
"Oh – I'm sorry. I didn't mean to probe, or make you feel sad in any way. "
"No, it's fine. I don't actually remember any of it, surprisingly. You'd think I would, but every time I try to remember what happened I just come up blank." Her tone was growing increasingly distressed.
I wanted to keep my mouth shut but for some reason questions just kept emptying out of my mouth.
"What about your family?"
"Hmm?"
"Your family… like your mother or father? Or sisters or brothers?" I felt insensitive for asking, but I wanted to know why such a girl would be chosen to be the Jinchuuriki for the Nine Tails. By the first Jinchuuriki of the beast, no less.
"I… I think they died." Her voice was full of anxiety and worry, and I feared my questions were getting a bit too much for her to handle.
"I really shouldn't ask so many questions. Forgive me, I will stop now."
"Please, it's fine really. It's just…" she took a deep shaky breath, "something that I don't like talking about, because every time I think about it, I come up short. I can't remember a single thing – not my mother's face, or my father's voice. I don't even remember their names, dattebane?" She laughed nervously, and then rambled on quickly, eyes permanently fixed to her hands, which now were curled into taut fists. "I know that I was from the Land of Whirlpools and that I belong to the Uzumaki clan, and that my entire family died during the destruction of our village, but I don't remember any of it. Not my life before the incident or how I survived it at all."
I stared at her in disbelief. Not remembering something like that was very peculiar. I could have shrugged it off, her not remembering her life beforehand or what happened, I could have even reasoned with myself that it was due to her older age now – people tend to forget their childhood. But my experience made me believe otherwise. I had met others who were like her; victims of the devastation war caused who had lost their families and were alone too. I found they all had one thing in common – those who had been at the age where they could talk when the tragedy struck had an impeccable memory when it came to their situation – the disaster was imprinted in their minds forever, and they could recall details of the event even years later. At the age of five she should have been able to recount every single detail, I'm sure of it.
"You don't remember a thing? How did you end up at the refugee camp then?" I questioned probingly, leaning in to hear her reply.
"I… I don't know. They said that one day they just found me unconscious, bruised and malnourished but alive, outside of the temporary barriers they had set up around the camp on the coast of our island. It was a small camp; there were very little survivors, ya know, set up by the Third Hokage as he felt guilty for letting Konoha's most trusted ally fall to the wrath of envy and fear. No one knew how I had gotten there, or how I had even survived, since less than five percent of our population actually lived to tell the tale. I was treated by many medical-nin, but they found nothing wrong with me, and finally concluded I had amnesia."
"Amnesia?" I repeated doubtfully. "What happened after that? Did they find out which village destroyed your home? Did your clan ever rebuild?"
"The camp moved again to the mainland after a few months, turning into a temporary village, and the Hokage kept it open for a few years while the homeless Uzumaki clan struggled to regain their strength. However, dispute broke out between who was left of our clan and Konoha officials. They said that the Hokage wasn't doing enough to find out who was responsible for the killing of innocents, even though he had held many meetings with the Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage. It had been only five years after the Second Shinobi War had passed, and it seemed that we had finally reached a state of stability and peace under the Third's reign. But then with the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools they all said the same – it had nothing to do with their village, pointing fingers at another nation, who would swell up and yell back that it wasn't their doing either. In fact, Mito-san told me that many had actually signed peace treaties with the Uzumaki clan – something they would never do with Konoha willingly – and were even sympathetic enough to take in some of the refugees after our downfall. Our clan excelled in creating bonds you see – we had married into other clans to strengthen relationships, like we did with Konoha, and our trademark genetic red-hair is always prominent here and there, a symbol of our armistice with other nations. Normally, treaties were nothing more than a piece of paper with scribbled on empty promises, but the Uzumaki changed that. From what Mito-san told me, the Uzumaki clan were very skilled in tactics, highly intelligent and held the most knowledge in fuinjutsu than any other clan in the shinobi world. They found a way to force the Five Kage and other main villages and clans to cooperate and abide by the rules of a treaty, indefinitely. They created a sealing treaty, where both parties would ask their leaders, the clan head, Daimyo, or Kage for instance, to draw blood using a special kunai and sign their names in the blood of the other party's leader. The jutsu they placed on the scroll beforehand would activate and seal in the chakra of these leaders through the chakra-concentrated blood drawn out by the kunai, but because they wrote in the other party's blood, it would bond together the two highest members of the clan and link their energy. By linking their chakra it would mean that if either party tried to attack the other or even tried defying the rules of peace, the seal would activate and destroy the guilty party's leader. That's why Uzushiogakure wasn't fortified heavily apparently - we were feared and respected by all villages, and had this peace treaty in place with many, so the elders saw no need for much protection. Who would be stupid enough to attack us? That's what they thought. It was that arrogant way of thinking that led to our stealthy end. From what I've heard, most were wiped out overnight by the first attack, and the second one came only a few hours after a messenger was sent to Konoha to deliver the urgent request for assistance after all of their attempts at communication with the Leaf and other allies had failed. The Hidden Leaf sent many teams to help, but it was too late. It was a week later that I turned up on the coast where the camp was set up. I first met Tsunade-sama there, who was in charge of running the medical unit, though she never actually healed anyone and would always rush out of the tent as soon as the metallic scent of blood overwhelmed her senses. I was brought to her for examination, and she said it was strange that I knew my name and how old I was, despite having no memories of anything else. Many others didn't even have that it seemed – a lot of people I met and talked to had no memories whatsoever of the attack. These people were villagers, or small children of clan members. But our shinobi were the complete opposite – they had gone crazy, insane because of the attack, thrashing around when a medic would try to ask their account of the attack, and yelling about shadows rising up from the ground and slaughtering their families. Many ended up committing suicide, while others simply faded away from reality, bleak and unresponsive. They were the only source of information of the attack, unreliable as it may have been. Any knowledge of who was responsible – what they looked like, what village they were from, had been lost the day our great clan fell. It was what everyone eventually accepted when they finally closed the refugee camp, three years after the disaster. Other villages had graciously welcomed the drifting souls; whether it was out of the kindness of their heart, or simply to gain the great fuinjutsu powers of our clan is still questioned. Our numbers dwindled over the years, the friends I made moved away without even a goodbye, until it was just me left. Tsunade then brought someone with her to visit me on the day they closed the camp. My first thought was that she was very old, though she didn't look fragile. The next was how similar our red hair was. She told me that she wanted me to return to her village, to Konoha, so I could be the next Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I was shocked naturally, not because of her proposition for me to become a Jinchuuriki, but because she said she would give me a home. It was what I had wanted so desperately – a home; a family; a place to call my village. The camp could hardly be considered that, with fights and arguments occurring between our clan members on a daily basis. The war had not only destroyed our clan, but our sense of family. With no previous memories of our unity, we only had one thing in common; the name Uzumaki. That's why there have been no attempts at rebuilding our once great clan – we are too broken now." She said the last part remorsefully.
I sat there for a while, silence hung thick in the air around me, constricting my ability to speak or even move. All I could do was think, mind racing with questions.
I began slowly. "So you became the Jinchuuriki of the beast," she nodded, "and Konoha became your home."
A soft smile tugged at her lips at the statement. "Yes, the Hidden Leaf village became my home, but I didn't like it straight away. When I first came here, I was treated differently because of the way I was – people called me Tomato – they knew of what had become of my clan, and that I was living with the oldest living member of the Uzumaki clan, the Jinchuuriki of the beast. They were really mean about it sometimes, too. I would beat them up, but it was… hard, being alone. Mito-sama was nice and she treated me the same way she would treat her own granddaughter, but I was very… sad. At twelve I became the Jinchuuriki after Mito-sama passed, and suddenly the teasing turned to threats and people treating me harshly, shunning my presence and ignoring my actions. I knew the fate of Jinchuuriki, but I never imagined it would lead to me being kidnapped while my fellow peers watched on at the park, not doing anything to stop the brute men from taking me away. It was Minato who saved me, and told me he thought my hair was beautiful. I loved Konoha from that day on; I changed my fate, and became a shinobi who protected the Hidden Leaf as though it were my own village."
She smiled warmly, and I knew her love for Minato-sensei and Konoha were genuine from the passion in her words, the adoration for her husband and home shining through them, but I could still tell something was bothering the kunoichi by the way the light didn't reach her eyes.
"Did you ever find out what happened to your family?"
She shook her head softly, red strands floating around her pale face. "No, never. Tsunade told me years later that there was the possibility that my family blocked my memories for some reason with a sort of seal and that would explain why I was able to recall certain things like my name, age, birthday and information about myself."
"Why? Why would they do that?!"
After a long pause, she spoke again, but her voice was thick with tears.
"I honestly don't know. I have read all of the remaining documents of my clan's fabled fuinjutsu that Mito-sama gave to me when she passed over and over a hundred times, but none of them even mention a seal that is able to seal memories!" the frustration was tearing into her impeccable composure; her voice cracked as she continued, tears now flowing freely from her violet eyes. "I just want to know why they did this! If I can't know that then to know who they were at least. Maybe then I could see why they would do this to me, why they would just put me in the dark for."
I didn't know what I could say or do to make her feel better. I cursed myself for asking too many obviously sensitive questions, and was thinking of ways I could redeem myself when I heard a quiet chuckle. I turned to the woman, who was amazingly, grinning, though the rivers continued to pour down her face.
"I-I feel so-so silly. I blame these d-damn hormones." Another chuckled came from her sobbing form, louder this time. She then straightened up and with two swift swipes at her red face, she looked me straight in the eye and grinned, brighter and I knew that it wasn't forced at all. The kunoichi's smiles were never forced. They were honest, like she was putting all of her strength behind that single show of assertiveness.
"I shouldn't be blabbing on about my past. What happened sixteen years ago is behind me. It still hurts to know that I'll never know the truth, but I have my whole life ahead of me to figure that out, if I want to. There was a time where I would have died to find out just what had occurred that night, to answer all of my unanswered questions, but now… I'm comfortable just being where I am in this instance. I am married to the man of my dreams; I have friends; I have a village that I can call home and where my son will call home, too. That's more than I ever asked for. The one thing that I can do to make up for that gift is to ensure my son grows up not knowing what it feels like to be alone, to feel as though he isn't loved by his mother. I may never know who my parents were, but I'll be damned to hell if my son doesn't know who his mother and father are."
I exhaled loudly and patted his shoulders in an awkward manner, getting to my feet. I stood, back facing him, as I put as much coldness and carelessness in to my voice as possible.
"I am truly sorry Naruto, but I can't help you. I don't think anyone can help you."
I forced the shame rising in my throat back down as it threatened to spill out the truth. It was only a week later that Madara Uchiha managed to unseal the Kyuubi from Kushina-sama and let it rampage through our village, a week after our encounter that the boy who sat, golden head still suspended between his orange clad knees. I took a few steps away from him when he didn't say anything, sliding my hands into my pockets.
"No."
My head lolled over my shoulder at the sudden unexpected determination in his voice. "Hmm?"
"You might not be able to help me, but that boy can, I know it. We will meet again one day, when I've brought back Gaara and Sasuke and the Leaf village has acknowledged me. Kakashi, you might think that I'm just being childish and that I should let it go but I won't. I need to know who they were; I need to know Kakashi-sensei."
An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as I glimpsed back in a lazy fashion at the young adult. He was staring up at me with that same resolve that Kushina-sama had in her eyes when she spoke of her son, and I even reconsidered just telling him to save the poor kid the trouble. I turned away as a small smile pulled at the corners of my lips. I straightened up and faced forward again, waving a gloved hand back at the uncharacteristically serious teen.
"Do what you want then. It's polite to return someone else's personal property, after all."
I would just like to take a moment to thank all my readers and specifically:
Crimson Ribbon, MonkHerrick, Raptor200z, Strife666, azaneti, gaara king of the sand, , iridescent08, kawaihana, marale-chan, zoeh8, Kenzie605, Those-carrots, animatedgemini, 3, lioncousin
For following or adding this to your favourites list! I really appreciate the support and am so sorry for the long wait for updates. The recent Naruto manga kind of threw a wrench in my chances of a believable plot, but don't worry, I have found some new inspiration. Hopefully next chapter the action can begin! We'll see what I have planned for Emiko :)