~Eight Years Later
There are some things that are so different because of one little coin. In many Konohas, the orphanage was full of children. Dozens of youths whose families had fallen in battle, either as brave shinobi, their blades flashing in the night, and then going dark, or as civilians, those who lived normal lives, many of them giving up those same sparks to protect their children.
In many Konohas, one little boy was different. The masters of the orphanage would never say why, but this one was the source of the children's pain and suffering. In many Konohas this boy would be shunned by the other children, who didn't doubt the words of the elders. The boy would begin to act out because of his isolation, pulling pranks, and making it those who chose not to look at him paid for their ignorance, earning himself quite the name amid the populace.
In many Konohas...this one was different though. The Fox had taken only two lives, willingly given. One had been a hero, the other a name known for power, but both were mourned by the people only so long as such things happened, tragedies, but not personal ones. The shinobi mourned longer, and sometimes, in their darkest moments, an eye would be turned to a blonde babe in the orphanage, a blade would be drawn, but then it would sheath. A sacrifice had been made, and with no blood to taint the child in their eyes, they left him alone.
So it came to pass that in this Konoha there were only two young boys at the orphanage. Oh, there were many who would pass through the door, but most found homes within a fortnight or less, as Konoha was a loving city, and would not let the children suffer long without a family. Only these two were left, for one would always be passed over, and the other could not be taken without the first, for that was what the Hokage had ordered.
"Sticky Fingers to Snatcher, do you read me?" asked a voice in the darkness.
"Snatcher here, are we clear?" came the response, from somewhere below. In the shadows cast by a strong beam of light, a form rustled, its tiny limbs unfolding from its position in the dark as it crept along, belly pressed flat against the surface, before its head came out of the darkness to look into the light.
A small boy's head was visible now. no more than eight years of age, his eyes sparkled purple, and his hair was a lustrous silver sheen that hung close cut against his head. He closed his eyes tightly against the blast of brightness that assaulted them, but after fluttering them open and shut a few times, he could see beyond, and found the hallway outside the room they were in was empty.
"Snatcher, you are free to snatch, I repeat, get them now," said the boy hanging upside down, and behind him, another form came up, soon fully bathed in the light, his body was smaller, and just a bit stockier than his companion. Though younger, he was already obviously more muscled, and many an adult said he would grow into a strong young man, sometimes with just a hint of worry in their voice.
The tiny form, bright blonde hair with spikes in it, and blue eyes that seemed like sapphires in the right light, moved with the swiftness and grace of a young ninja. His tiny hands grabbed onto the edge of a counter, and pulled his frame up it, while his partner's gaze went up and down the hallway outside. Behind him, the lookout heard the clank and clatter of dishes as they were pushed aside, before, with a near silent cry, he knew they'd struck gold.
"Yatta," said the blonde, and the silver haired boy looked back, and then motioned for him to come to the door, so they might escape. Above the pair, in the second story, a young woman moved forward, humming to herself as she cleaned, getting ready for a visit from a very important person. As she cleaned, she noticed a certain door in the sleeping quarters was open. One which she'd locked to keep two particular headaches inside today.
"UZUMAKI! YUY!" came a shout, and the pair of boys froze, the blonde with the cookie jar in his hands, the silver haired boy just standing there, before he turned to his friend and partner.
"Bolt!" he cried, leaping over the doorfames top, and landing on the ceiling. He then dashed off down the hall, soon followed by the blonde, who ran along the floor, stuffing cookie after cookie into his mouth, knowing already that their flight was pointless. Behind the two, the door to the second floor came open, and both boys stopped where they stood, staring at the woman who stood there.
"You two!" she screamed, and rushed towards them. The woman, a few years short of thirty, was faster than either boy could hope to be, and so she scooped up first the blonde, and then the silver, holding them both in her arms as she somehow got the jar of cookies away from Naruto, and stuck in the shelf as they passed.
"What have I told you two about snacking between meals?" she asked, as her arm bundles struggled to get away, the silver haired one jumping for the ceiling, focusing his chakra into his hands, while the blonde did the same, trying to get his own energy into his legs, making him faster. Of course, the one holding them was a kunoichi herself, retired but with all her skills intact. As such, she was easily able to disrupt their attempts, pushing a little of her own chakra into their bodies, and causing them both to collapse on the floor.
"Aw, man," said Naruto, as he and Heero were hauled upwards, lifted in one hand each by their ankles by the surprisingly strong matron. Of course, it was only as she rose that she noticed that they were now in the front of the orphanage, and more importantly, that her visitor had arrived.
"Oh my, Hokage Sama, I'm terribly sorry," said the former ninja, bowing, while still holding the two boys by their ankles. To their credit, both boys bowed towards the leader of the village.
"Heh, quite alright. I see your two wards are being as rambunctious as ever," said the old man, leaning down with one of his warm, grandfatherly smiles on his face.
"Indeed. These two are quite the handful, especially now that there's no one else for them to play with," said the woman, a bit of sorrow reaching into her voice. Not that she was sad to have the house mostly empty. No wars, no big disasters going on, and most families were stable enough to take on an extra mouth or two. Good times for all in Konoha, except for two little boys.
"I noticed that the young Mr. Yuy was running on the ceiling. It seems that lesson in chakra control is doing him some good," commented the old man as he helped the former kunoichi flip the two over and set them on the ground. Neither boy attempted to flee at this point, either out of respect for the old man, or perhaps because they knew if they tried the kunoichi herself would probably kill them.
"It would seem so. Only three weeks with the technique, and he can now walk on any flat surface. A few more, and I'm sure he'll be able to walk on water," said the woman, a hint of pride seeping into her voice, as she looked down at the lad, and then turned towards the blonde boy.
"This one's control is still rather lacking, but I must admit, he's already good at using his rather abundant reserves to enhance his strength," she added the last while ruffling her hand through their hair, getting affectionate grins from both boys.
"Ah, perfect. Now then, why don't you two both go upstairs for a moment, so your keeper and I might have a discussion?" asked the old man, and the two boys, showing far more respect than one might have guessed, bowed deeply, and then rushed towards the stairs, the blonde leaping up two at a time, and the silver haired one changing course so he was running on the wall instead.
"They look happy to be told to go to their rooms," remarked the Hokage as he and the woman moved themselves to a large open sitting room, the sun beaming in through a nearby window onto some pallets, on which they sat down.
"Heh, they're hoping this means I'll have forgotten about them stealing those cookies a few minutes ago, but they are sorely mistaken about that. I'll have them washing the windows on the whole house for the next week," the matron of the orphanage assured him, a rather wicked grin crossing her lips as she readjusted her kimono for better comfort, before turning to find the Hokage with a rather deep look on her face.
"What?" she asked, knowing that those sorts of expressions meant he was thinking on something she wouldn't like.
"It concerns those two, and finding a home for them," he said.
"You mean, someone is willing to take them, both?" she asked, having heard nothing of this, but finding a spark of hope in her heart for it. Of course, the old man shook his head, dousing the spark before it could grow.
"Many would take the child who bares the Blood of the Four Gods, but none would take the Fox. It's a shame really, but I know their fathers would want the two to grow up together, so I've been looking into alternatives. After all, they'll be starting the Academy next year, and as such, they need to be out amid the people," he said, and then withdrew something from his robes. The item was just a sheet of paper, but what was written on it instantly caught her eye.
"A house?" she said, looking up and down the sheet, which was a deed. It took her some few minutes to finish, and then to think of the property it represented, a small home on the edge of the city, just within the walls.
"Inheritance for Heero. His father lived here after his wife died, intending on purchasing a bigger home when his son was coming of age, but..." the Hokage trailed off, looking up towards the heavens as he did so. The matron of the orphanage just nodded.
"So, you're going to let them go to the Academy?" she asked at last, as she passed the paper back to the old man, who quickly rolled it up and placed it in his sleeves.
"They seem adamant, and it's impossible to deny they're already skilled with chakra use," he said, and she nodded. Heero was already able to maintain a wall run or a ceiling hang for minutes at a time, and Naruto...she'd seen the boy busting blocks one day, his fist glowing with chakra as he pumped more and more into it. Those two would one day be great ninja, possibly the greatest in the village.
"You do know what Naruto said his intentions are, correct?" she asked.
"He informed me the last time I was here. He wants my job, and he'll be welcome to it when the time comes," said the old man, and the woman looked at him. She was middle aged, as such things were measured, nearing the latter half of her thirties, and the old man, well, he was far older. He'd been of the age to retire since she was a girl, and when he finally had...a year was all the rest he'd been given, before the event. The years since were etched into the lines of his face, but he still seemed hard enough to do what needed to be done.
"And Heero's goal is much the same. To master the Jutsu's of his forebears, and then take them one step farther," she said, regretting again the decision that had been made without her, to give the boy his father's diary. It had been what had taught the two the chakra control techniques they were using. Barely eight years old, and the two had abilities she knew some genin would envy. It wasn't right to grow up so fast.
"Indeed. As such, they need this. Their goals require the Academy to train them, and students there, cannot be living here. I would wish it could be different, but...," he trailed off, and the matron just nodded. Suddenly, a whistling sound came to her ears, and she cursed to Kami that she'd forgotten the water. Excusing herself, she rose, rushing towards the kitchen, leaving the Sandaime to his thoughts. The Clans of Konoha would never allow an orphan who lived within the walls to learn in the Academy. Too many of them could be plants from another village, spying for their homes. No, they had to have homes in the village, even if that meant a child living alone in some tiny apartment, or in this case, two young boys in a small house.
"Here we are," said the matron as she returned, bearing a tray with a few cups and a kettle on it. The things were simple affairs of tin, but they allowed the flavor of the leaves to soak into the water as it was poured inside, allowing the two adults a moment of respite, before they spoke again.
"It would be best if they had the year before the Academy started to be adjusted, and do not think we would leave the pair alone. Kurenai has returned, and I want her to watch over the boys, seeing as she won't be leaving us any time soon," the Hokage informed her between sips of sweet tea, and the matron nearly let her surprise show on her face. Kurenai was a jonin, one of the best genjutsu users Konoha had. She was also nearly broken. Her team, it had taken a mission and returned shattered. One of her teammates dead, the other his coils destroyed, never to use chakra again.
"I would think she would need some time to recover," was all the woman said, and the Hokage nodded solemnly.
"Normally, I would agree, a few months of rest, but this is a special case. Apparently she blames herself for the mission failure, for not seeing through a genjutsu before it claimed her teammate, and requiring the other to injure himself to break. She is not to blame of course, but she does, and I think caring for two others, might help her to open up," was the only explanation that was given, as the matron nodded, wondering idly what it must have been like for the woman, to have lost so much, so suddenly, as the two adults sat there, planning out how to move the boys into their new home, and towards the next step of their lives.