Hey, guys! I'd like to thank you all for the reviews. I really appreciate them. I'm gonna' try to answer them as best to my ability as possible at the start of the chapters.
LSM: First of all, thanks for giving it a read. Second, I know Naruto is able to handle the Kyuubi because of his Uzumaki blood. I never said he couldn't. It's just physically and conceptually impossible to seal the Kyuubi ENTIRELY inside him. Minato himself said it (in both the Manga and my story) because its chakra is too big. So, the Kyuubi's chakra was divided.
Thirdly, Minato and Kushina both dying wasn't an excuse. I'll admit it from now that the first chapter was the exact same thing that happened during Naruto's birth (Besides the obvious half of Kyuubi's chakra being sealed into Sakura) and the Kyuubi's sealing. Fourth, it's possible for its CHAKRA and WILL to be sealed inside two people. Take Sora (From the Anime), for example. The Kyuubi's remaining chakra was floating around the air after it was sealed and Sora was chosen to become a half-Jinchuuriki, and they sealed the remaining chakra into him. It's possible.
Fifth, I didn't do this so Naruto and Sakura could be together. I obviously have a plot. I hate those stories where they have the makings of amazing plots but the two just get together and BOOM! It's done. I'm not doing that. They'll go through stages before they even get close to each other. Sixth, because Sakura obviously isn't of Uzumaki blood, she won't handle the Kyuubi's chakra inside of her. There will be consequences because everything can't be, "Hey, I'm a Jinchuuriki! Oh, my God! You, too? Great! Let's make-out!" There will be complications in the seals and power. Hmm, think of when Orochimaru placed the Five Pronged Seal on Naruto during the Second part of the Chunin Exams. Naruto's chakra control went haywire and he couldn't tap into the fox's chakra. He kept failing at the Walk-On-Water Jutsu until Jiraiya got rid of the Five-Pronged Seal. Sakura will have those same complications because, like both of us stated, she's not of Uzumaki blood. The complications won't be the same but they won't be different, either.
And Seventh (and most importantly), this is Fanfiction. We could do whatever the hell we want because it's in our imagination. I must thank you for bringing those topics up so I could explain them more clearly. Hopefully, you'll understand now.
Darkredblossomgodess:Not so much bashing as in, "Ah, you're an asshole, you brother of a murder! You should die! Bwahahaha! You duck-ass!" But, yes, Sasuke will be a major antagonist in this story. As to Sasuke bashing THEM, yes, he'll hate them with all his guts.
Xsd: They won't hate the village this time. Don't worry.
.You: Thanks for the compliment! I know it could've been better but I left a lot of openings for an even deeper plot. Yes, I'm evil like that.
Masen Lakain: Thanks for the review! Yes! This will be NaruSaku. Now, I never said they were going to be raised together. It seems like the most obvious of things to do. They do share the same last name; however, they will be brought up by different people. So, no, they won't be having any sibling-related relations.
To everyone else who reviewed, thank you so much! I've been feeling kind of bummed lately so hearing how you like my stories cheer me up greatly.
Anyway, rant's over so go ahead and read!
Hokage Tower- October 11th
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he rubbed his temples. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk to cover his face.
The Yondaime Hokage and his partner gave their lives to protect their village from the Kyuubi no Yokô. They had dealt with it at the moment of the attack, and now Hiruzen was left dealing with the leftover pieces. The Hokage sighed again as he ran his hands down his face and blinked at the numerous of files and papers on top of his old desk. Just one glance at the headings of the papers gave him a migraine. He's getting too old for this.
An Anbu materialized in front of him, bowing down before him. "Hokage-sama, all villagers have been returned to their homes safely."
The Sandaime Hokage nodded, "Very well. You're dismissed." The Anbu bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hiruzen sighed again as he leaned forward, pushing the papers that littered across his desk aside. He placed his face in his hands, a troubled groan making its way past his lips. A knock on the door made him sigh again. "Enter," He ordered, pulling away from his hands. He nodded a greeting at two of his most loyal Shinobi. "Kakashi, Yugao, I'm glad you made it."
"You requested our presence, Hokage-sama?" Yugao asked, bowing down. Kakashi gave a nod, hands carelessly stuffed in his pockets. Despite their calm and collected attitudes, Sarutobi could see the exhaustion in them. There were visible bags under their eyes and their eyes were duller than usual. Even Kakashi's lone visible eye seemed downcast. Sarutobi reasoned that the loss of the Yondaime Hokage had hit both of these kids hard.
"Yes. As you know, this village has suffered greatly these past few hours." The Hokage stood up and walked over to one of the windows, turning his back on them. He clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed out to his semi-peaceful village. "The loss of the Yondaime has affected the villagers - all of us - greatly. However, Minato wouldn't have wanted us to mourn over his and Kushina's deaths. This village is going to move on forward, just like it always has when disaster strikes."
Kakashi and Yugao nodded. "With all due respect, sir, why'd you call us here?" Yugao asked softly.
"I assume that you both knew of Uzumaki Kushina's status in the village…?"
Kakashi spoke this time. "She was the Kyuubi no Yokô's Jinchuuriki."
Hiruzen nodded and turned to them slowly, a sigh escaping his lips. "You're correct, Kakashi. Now, I'm assuming you're all wondering what happened to the Kyuubi, no?" At their nods, the Hokage smiled warily. "Konoha has a new Jinchuuriki." He jerked his head towards the crib that was positioned at the corner of the office. The two teens looked over. The crib itself was made out of wood and painted white. It was placed in the corner of the office, not quite obscuring any actions the Hokage may take part in but not quite completely out of his eyesight. "Go on," The Hokage encouraged them to look.
The teens shared a look before walking over to the crib silently. Looking inside, they found two babies. One was a boy. He had blonde, slightly ruffled and spiky hair. He had his eyes closed, so the colour was unable to be pointed out. His skin colour was slightly more tanned than normal. There were six lines running horizontally on his cheeks, three on each side. He was curled up with his tiny fists clenched. He seemed the smallest and youngest of the two, probably only a few days old. The other one was a girl. She had short, pink hair. Her skin was awfully pale. She was sucking on her thumb, her hair splayed all over her face. She was bigger than the boy with already a few months. They were both peacefully asleep.
Kakashi broke the silence in the room. "Which one, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi walked over to the crib, looking down at the sleeping babies. "Both of them," Yugao and Kakashi sent him incredulous looks, and he shook his head. "Yes. I'm not sure how Minato managed it but Konoha has two Jinchuuriki, both holding the Kyuubi no Yokô inside of them." He turned to his desk. "Now, I'm of need of your thoughts about these kids. Do you see them as simple, slumbering children or as the demon fox itself?"
Kakashi's gaze hardened and he looked away. "Minato-sensei had a reason to seal the demon inside of them. My thoughts are the same as they've always been. They're both just kids. I wouldn't see a reason to hold a grudge against him. If anything, they saved us all."
Satisfied at the young teen's answer, the Hokage turned to the other teen. Yugao gazed at the babies, her eyes clouding over in thought. "I just received the news of my parents being killed in the attack…." This information alarmed the Hokage; however, he released a sigh of relief at her next words. "However, there's no need to blame these kids for something they had so choice in. I'll forever hate the fox but these kids are our heroes."
Sarutobi let a smile grace his lips as he sat back down in his chair. He leaned forward on the desk as he watched the two teens gaze fondly at the babies. "I'm glad to hear this. Word of Konoha having a new Jinchuuriki – especially now two – will spread like wildfire around the village. I'm afraid Minato's wish of the kids being treated as heroes will be thoroughly ignored. For this, I am placing you both on watch. You will watch over them every single moment, twelve hours a day until they are old enough to defend themselves. I am classifying this mission as S-ranked and, because of this; you're both obligated to become Anbu."
Hiruzen paused, awaiting their reactions. When he only saw looks of understanding, he continued. "You will be working alone, and another of my most trusted Anbu will be switching places with you every twelve hours and vice versa. If you have any more questions, please ask them now."
Kakashi nodded. "Will they be placed together?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "No. I'm afraid this may cause a chain reaction within the demonic chakra inside of them. They will be as far away as possible for a while."
Yugao stepped forward. "What about their feelings? Kushina once told me how the village treated her when she was a Jinchuuriki. If they're together, maybe they'll be able to handle the pain that comes with being a Jinchuuriki." Kakashi nodded in agreement.
The Hokage sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, I've thought of that. However, this possible chain reaction may be more dangerous, and so, they will be separated. Besides, they're both going to be attending the Academy when they become of age. They're gonna' meet sooner or later."
The teens nodded in understanding. They gazed back at the babies before Yugao looked up at the older man. "Who are they, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi stared at her before chuckling slightly. "Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Sakura."
Kakashi looked up at their surnames. "Hokage-sama, Kushina was the last Uzumaki in this village. Obviously, the boy is her and Minato-sensei's son, but what of the girl? I know Kushina was only pregnant with one baby - a boy - and she looks a bit older than Naruto. So, who is she?" Kakashi questioned his only visible eyes hardening as he gazed back at the Hokage.
Sarutobi nodded his understanding and indicated to Sakura. "You see, the truth is, that I don't know myself. When we found the Yondaime and Kushina's bodies, those kids were on a ceremonial throne with seals on their stomachs. On Sakura's blankets was her name written in blood. We reasoned Kushina and Minato named her in the sealing process. There's no explanation whatsoever as so how or why she was there. I've already checked hospital records and it was a complete failure. She was never a part of the village until now."
"What of her parents?"
The Hokage shook his head at Yugao's words. "Nothing. There was no one within a ten mile radius of the attack site." At this, the teens looked sadly towards the crib. Seeing as they made no motion to say anything else, the Sandaime continued. "Yugao, I will assign you to look after Sakura and Kakashi will look after Naruto. Your assignment will be explained more thoroughly tomorrow morning along with the other Anbu members. Please hold off any other questions you may have for then. Your introduction to Anbu will be held off for next week, as we are still trying to recover from the attack. Just rest for today. It's been a long twenty-four hours for everyone."
The two newly promoted Anbu bowed their understanding and left the office. It seemed as if the kids felt them leaving and one of them began to cry. Sarutobi risked a glance at the crib, frowning when he saw that it was the blonde who was wailing. This caused a chain reaction, and the girl woke up from her peaceful slumber to wail along with her fellow Jinchuuriki. That's when Sarutobi noticed one small detail about her. They were pretty faint but when she moved the muscles of her cheekbones to cry, the six lines – which seemed familiar to Naruto's own – were slightly visible.
Sighing, Sarutobi made a Kage Bunshin and they both reached for the warm bottles of milk by his desk. As he reached in to pick Naruto up, he let another sigh escape his lips. 'I'm getting too old for this….'
Hyuga Clan Estate- December 26- Six Years Later
Soft giggling could be heard coming from a room in the Hyuga Clan Estate as it neared midnight. Inside the room were two little girls playing with stuffed animals. One of the little girls had short navy locks that barely reached her neck and two bangs framing her face. Her eyes were a light pearl colour, indicating that she had the Hyuga Kekkei Genkai. Her skin was pale but not by much. She was smiling shyly at the girl that sat across from her on the carpet, holding a panda bear in her tiny arms.
The other girl was giggling uncontrollably. She held a stuffed fox close to her chest while she grinned. Her short pink hair was displayed around her face, easily indicating that she was the troublemaker of the two. Her emerald green eyes shown in the little light the lamp by the table on a corner of the room provided. Her skin was fairly pale, something quite unusual for girls her age. When she grinned, six faint horizontal lines were visible on her cheeks, three on each side.
The pink-haired girl giggled as she bounced in her cross-legged position. Excitement seemed to roll off of her every pore as she grinned. "Hinata-chan! It's almost time for your birthday! Aren't you excited?" The girl tilted her head to the side, her grin lessening into a soft smile, the lines on her cheeks disappearing as she did.
Hyuga Hinata nodded softly, smiling up at the slightly older girl. "Yes, Sakura-san. But are you sure you could stay the night? Shouldn't you be going back to the orphanage?" The soon-to-be birthday girl asked tenderly.
Uzumaki Sakura tensed at the mention of the orphanage. She looked away briefly, memories of that dreaded place flickering behind her beautiful eyes. She wanted to avoid that place as much as possible. Everyone there hated her for some reason unknown to her. The glares and whispers scared her and she flinched every time someone who clearly hated her walked by her. She'd rather be ignored than have people glare at her for something she wasn't sure she did(1).
She disliked the way some of the parents who wanted to adopt would just brush her off or glare at her as the caretaker reviewed over their files. There was this one time she had almost been able to have a family but that caretaker prevented it. The parents had seen her reading, all by herself, and pitied her. They had asked who she was. The caretaker had sent her a disgusted glance before whispering something to the parents. This, in turn, made them glare at her with an intensity that still sent shivers up her spine.
Sakura quickly looked back at her first and only friend, and put on a weak smile. "No, it's fine. They won't mind." Once Hinata smiled back softly, Sakura looked down at the stuffed fox in her hands sadly. 'More like they won't care.' She added bitterly. Hinata was about to say something but the clock struck midnight with a ding, interrupting her next few words. Sakura quickly used this chance to change the subject. "Hinata-chan, it's the 27th! Happy Birthday!" Sakura quickly embraced her friend before letting go and smiling at her.
"Thank you, Saku-"
A small but audible explosion rocked the small room. The two girls looked at the door, hearing a few footsteps passing by. 'What in the…?' Sakura shuffled to her feet, tucking the precious fox under her arms and running to the door. Before she could grasp the doorknob, the door swung open, throwing the girl back a few steps.
The first thing Sakura saw was the Kumogakure Hitaiate around the man's forehead.
Hey, guys! Quick update. It's short but I figured that'd be a good place to stop at. Anyway, the plot is slowly unfolding. I'm sure a few of you (If not, all of you) know what's going on right now, neh? It's two years later than the canon but this event, though small, rocks the very foundation of the Hyuga clan. It will also damage Sakura to the core. That last line foreshadows something that's gonna' happen to Sakura.
One thing, if you didn't or haven't read the review response I wrote for LSM, then I suggest you do. It has my thoughts and some pointers on the story's plot and development. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. PM me or leave me a review.
If I made any mistakes, regarding grammar, spelling, etc. and you manage to spot it, tell me so I can fix it.
(1) In the canon, Naruto is a prankster because people start to ignore him after seemingly being tired of sending him glares. He's ignored and became a prankster to get attention. It was done in a slightly negative way but it had the result he was looking for. In this, Sakura is the complete opposite. She wants the glares and whispers to stop. She'd rather be ignored than be put on the spot by glares and whispers.
I'm sorry for the lack of Naruto in this chapter. I'll try to squeeze in some Naruto-ness in the next chapter. Be forewarned, the next chapter is pretty serious. A lot more serious than this one.
Anyway, thanks for reading and drop off a review, please!
7th Creature.