Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

Visitors at an orphanage

4 Years later- Konoha- Hokage's office

It has been four years since the disappearance of Hinata Hyuuga, and these four years have gone without any major incidents, though a cold tension loomed at the borders and within.

It was just eight in the morning, Kushina had just returned from her mission and just had to report to Hiruzen before returning to her flat. Just as she reached the door it opened and Hiashi and his wife exited the office. The couple greeted her with a nod before taking their leave. She entered the office to see Hiruzen smoking his pipe. An ANBU wearing Otter mask stood next to him silently.

"Good Morning Kushina-chan, how was your mission?" Hiruzen greeted.

"Good morning Hokage-sama," Kushina greeted back, "It was another wild goose chase."

"All this office work really stresses me out," Hiruzen replied with a tired smile, "Hiashi-kun and Hinamori-chan visited again asking for any updates on Hinata-chan, I had to disappoint them again," Hiruzen sighed, "Any ways I know you must be tired from your recent mission but there is an important matter that needs your attention."

Kushina nodded in reply.

"Recently the Fire Lord sent me reports of children going missing all over Fire, especially from orphanages and has requested deep investigation into the matter. I believe these unsolved disappearances or rather kidnapping cases are related, even to those of Konoha, especially Hinata-chan's. Kidnappings at orphanages mainly involve adoptions by persons who don't exist. I have already sent ANBU teams to various orphanages of Fire, where these kidnappings are common place. I want you to investigate the orphanages of the Naka Tomeru province starting with the one at Shinja town. This mission is classified S. You may rest now and then leave at dusk." Kushina nodded then wore her fox mask.

"Do you want anyone on your team this time?" Hiruzen asked.

"No thank you," she replied before leaving.

Root Base- Near Valley of End

Danzo was meditating, on his mat in a room dimly lit by sunlight the flowed in between the curtains. Suddenly a Root ninja appeared beside him, bent on his knees as Danzo opened his eyes.

"Torune report!" Danzo ordered.

"Most ANBU teams sent by Sandaime-sama were unable to find the connection between Root and disappearance of children as our ninjas were able cover up evidence and threaten witnesses, except for two ANBU teams who were dealt with. However, Mole reported that an hour ago Sandaime-sama assigned Kushina Uzumaki to investigate the orphanages of Naka Tomeru province starting with Shinja Town. She is expected to leave at dusk." Torune reported.

"I see..." Danzo whispered then he jotted down something on a scroll before passing it to the agent, "Torune, brief them. And tell them Hiruzen must not find out about Root at all costs."

Torune nodded before vanishing into thin air leaving Danzo to his meditation.

Shinja Orphanage

The Shinja Orphanage was also a church slightly isolated from Shinja town, located a few kilo meters away from the town into wilderness. The children played with a ball in the backyard as a few nuns watched over them.

As they were playing one of them kicked the ball too hard and it shot towards the fence. A boy ran to get the ball, but stopped when he saw the ball stop at the feet of a young girl with long red hair.

"Oye girlie! Pass the ball!" The boy yelled.

"Conan, be polite!" a nun scolded him.

"Please..." Conan added as the girl passed the ball to him.

"Are you lost my child?" The nun asked the girl, the girl nodded in reply, "I am Serah and What is your name dear?"

"Naru," she replied.

"Well you must be hungry, why don't you have breakfast with us," Serah offered leading Naru and other children to the dining hall. Serah and the other nuns went to kitchen to prepare the breakfast.

Naru pulled out a few photos of some children, 'Infiltration successful, nothing suspicious found yet,' she thought to herself, 'I should ask the eldest child around.'

She glanced at every child present till her violet eyes stopped at Conan who was sitting alone, 'He seems old enough to remember details.' She walked up to his desk and sat in front of him.

"Hey Conan," Conan turned to Naru in a questioning manner, "I was wondering if you know these guys?" Naru pulled out photographs of five children.

"Wow, you've met these guys?" Conan prompted out loud but Naru shushed him.

"So do you know where they are and how are they doing?" Conan asked with a broad smile.

"Unfortunately not, I was hoping you knew," Naru replied receiving a sad sigh from Conan.

"Last time I saw them they were taken in by some weird people."

"Can you describe them?"

"Well, Gin-nii, Yuki-nee, Haru-nii, Chris and some other kids were taken by this lady with pearly eyes and jet black hair. She comes every year or two,"

'Sounds like a Hyuuga,' Naru noted to herself.

"But, Raizo-nii was taken in by this old man with one eye and a cross scar on his chin, he had a walking stick and he was wrapped in so many bandages that he looked like a Mummy. This guy came about eight years ago."

Naru's eyes widened at this claim, she pulled a sketchbook out of nowhere and sketched Danzo before showing it to Conan.

"Yeah! That's the guy!" Conan exclaimed.

"Who are you talking about?" Serah chirped from kitchen.

"That Mummy guy-" Conan replied.

"Shut up!" Naru murmured angrily.

Before Serah could ask anything else a nun came running to her and whispered something in her ears. Serah nodded and the two nuns rushed out. Naru got up from her table and followed them secretly. She saw the nuns go to the prayer hall. She hid behind a door and peeked to see the nuns talking to two ninjas wearing black hooded overcoats and animal masks.

'ANBU? No wait! Sandaime only sent me here so these must be Danzo's men,' Naru thought to herself.

"Shinobi-san, we received your notification but I'm afraid no one came from Konoha," Serah explained.

"Are you sure Serah-san? Because our intel said an ANBU would come from Konoha," one the Shinobis enquired receiving a nod from Serah.

'So Sandaime has moles in his office, why I am I not surprised,' Naru sighed to herself.

"Are you telling the truth?" the other one enquired, "for all we know you may have already informed Sandaime-sama."

"No, we are telling the truth," the other nun mumbled quickly.

"Nun, you better be telling the truth, because that will be best for both you and the orphanage," The Root agent threatened, just then Naru entered the room alerting the occupants of her presence.

"What are you doing here kid?" the Root agents asked drawing their Tantos.

Naru stared passively at them then said, "I am the one who'll be asking!" she puffed into smoke and Chakra Chains emerged from the smoke striking the nins on the chest and abdomen. The chains though pierced them didn't injure them but the Root agents felt a huge chakra drain on their bodies. The smoke cleared revealing an adult red head in ANBU uniform and a fox mask, shocking everyone.

"Kushina Uzumaki!" exclaimed the Root agents exclaimed together.

"It seems Root doesn't teach manners," Kushina retorted before turning to the nuns, "Daimyo-sama suspected foul play by people with influence and people in charge of Orphanages for disappearance of children all over Land of Fire. I could have interrogated directly but I doubted that would have helped so I disguised myself as a child and asked other children as well."

The nuns looked down in shame, "we would never allow this to happen if we could only help ourselves, but we were helpless," Serah explained herself, "Eight years ago, Danzo Shimura came to this orphanage. He said he would take some recruits for his Root program every year or two. Sister Arisa, who was the matron then protested, saying she would report him. That monster just cut her throat," Serah cursed as the other nun broke down crying, "He threatened us saying he had support from higher places and that he would burn the orphanage and take all the orphans if we didn't listen. Sure enough, the world forgot who Sister Arisa was."

"Danzo won't cause any more trouble once I report him," Kushina reassured but just then her senses kicked in, she drew her katana in time to parry a rain of kunais that burst through the roof. As she was parrying the kunais a hissing sound alerted her and she leapt for the nuns in time as an explosion and smoke engulfed the prayer hall.

When the smoke cleared, Kushina was shielding the nuns who had lost consciousness. She stood up and turned around to see a Root ninja standing at the main entrance to the church. The ninja had a hooded overcoat and a fox mask, going by his height he was probably around twelve.

'I sensed him just seconds before the attack, did he fool my sensory ability or is he just that fast?' Kushina asked herself, she glanced at the Root ninjas who had attacked earlier, 'He attacked without care for even his comrades. Though they are just unconscious, they could've been killed, this boy is vicious.'

Root Base- Valley of End

Danzo was still meditating, when Masaru rushed into the room and stood in front of him, seemingly agitated.

"Is it true? That you sent Tsubasa to take on Uzumaki Kushina," Masaru demanded.

"And what of it?" Danzo retorted calmly, leaking killing intent to remind Masaru who the leader was, yet Masaru seemed unaffected.

"Tsubasa is strong but Kushina is his mother, besides being the previous Jinchuuriki, she is a very skilled kunoichi espescially when it comes to sealing arts," Masaru ranted.

"A perfect opponent to test Konoha's mighty weapon," Danzo commented.

"And might I add that Tsubasa knows little about sealing, thanks to your orders."

"A perfect position to test how he overcomes this difficulty."

"If Kushina wins and realizes Tsubasa is her son Naruto, Root will bear a heavy price for it."

By now Danzo had enough of Masaru's rant, he stood up and met Masaru's amber eyes with a glare, "Tsubasa has been trained by the finest of Root, mostly by you Masaru. You should have some faith in him," Danzo reproached Masaru who nodded having calmed down a bit.

Konoha- Hokage's Office

Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe as he glanced at each ANBU assembled before him with disappointment, "A mission from Daimyo-sama himself, children disappear from all over the Land of Fire and my best soldiers tell me they have found nothing!" Hiruzen made his disappointment known.

"Five teams have yet to report Hokage-sama, maybe they found something," Otter reassured.

"I hope so," Hiruzen sighed. Just then the door banged open. Everyone took arms and turned around to find a badly injured ANBU wearing Bear mask. Bear he stumbled as Otter caught him while another worked on his injuries. Hiruzen bent next to Bear who was trying to stay conscious.

"Who did this to you?" Hiruzen demanded promising pain to the culprits but the reply left everyone speechless.

"Ro... Root," Bear huffed before passing out.

Back at Shinja Orphanage

Kushina took a stance, her katana poised to strike the Root ninja. Tsubasa in reply slipped a Wakizashi from his right sleeve and took a defensive stance. The more Kushina stared at her adversary the more her goosebumps rose and for good reasons.

'His Chakra is Kage level. Moreover, I see two auras in this, one cold as ice and the other outright evil... yet both seem familiar somehow. Just who are you?'