Superman to the rescue!
Sasuke didn't know how they had suddenly appeared, or how they knew that they were in danger but he had never felt so grateful. Jiraiya gave a low whistle as he looked around the area and saw the blood and carnage. Minato also looked at it but with not as much sympathy before he turned to Sasuke who always seemed to lose his breath looking into those cold blue eyes.
Minato's eyes were nothing like Naruto's. Naruto had his heart on his sleeve, so his eyes were always warm. They were also deep and could look through you to your heart but it wasn't intrusive in a sense, more like he cared.
Minato's on the other hand had seen war. They had seen betrayal and hate. They were cold and calculated. When they looked at you it felt like you were being picked apart and exposed; Sasuke didn't like it.
"Sasuke, What happened?"
It wasn't a father asking for information so that he could care for his son. It was precise like the way a hokage asked for a mission report and Sasuke felt it a bit too cold, but he was not going to disobey the legendary fourth…
"We...we were attacked…"
Jiraiya laughed,
"Really cause it didn't look like they stood a chance"
"WE WERE!"
Sakura couldn't care less who they were. They hadn't see what had happened! they hadn't been there when..
"THAT GUY HE…!"
Jiraiya's eyes softened on the trembling girl, and he gave a sigh maybe he looked like he was taking things lightly but on the inside this was very serious. Naruto had unleashed three tails, Minato's jutsu had activated and summoned both of them since they had been together at the time. And what should he see when he arrived in the area, Naruto about to kill someone who he knew was important to him…
Jiraiya could feel a headache forming…
Naruto wasn't scared of the fox. He respected the fox and had wanted to become friends with the demon. However he was scared of the power the fox gave him. When he was young he had activated in unconsciously and not only hurt him, Obito, and Rin.. he had taken his father's arm. The shame and guilt had scarred him and he became terrified of himself. But instead of helping him it made it worse, Whenever that power activated he had less and less control and he would kill anyone...even if he didn't want too.
"What guy did what?"
Jiraiya asked gently, Because he knew at the very least something extreme had to happen for Naruto to unleash that much power,
"He...he..he killed him…"
Even Minato's calm face looked shocked,
"I swear… Naruto was dead… that guy killed him..naruto...he…"
Jiraiya looked at the unconscious boy. No wonder he went down so easily, his body was probably too tired and strained if it had to bring the corpse back to life… though this was dangerous. He looked at the pale faced children and looked at Minato who looked lost in thought,
"Well… Naruto's fine for now. In any case you guys were in the middle of an exam right?"
Sasuke frowned at the man and he had no idea what he did to deserve it,
"What's going to happen to Naruto?"
Ah! So that was it,
"Well, for now he's going to the hospital.. But we'll take care of the rest"
Jiraiya felt a bit proud that the boy still wasn't pleased, showed the kid cared despite what he had seen Naruto do; Naruto had made good friends.
"In any case because of this your team would usually be disqualified…"
Minato stated but neither child interjected and stood in solemn silence,
"Ah com'on Minato.. Did you guys get the scrolls, that's what you do in this part of the exam right?"
Sakura nodded,
"Yea.. we got both.."
She looked at the blonde boy in the dirt,
"Thanks to...Naruto"
Jiraiya smiled,
"Well then how about you let them off i mean you have to have SOME authority left, and if you explain the sitch, i'm sure Obito will let it slide."
Minato didn't look too pleased with the proposal as he watched Jiraiya pick up his son, but sighed turning to sasuke,
"Open your scrolls"
Sakura looked confused,
"But we were told…"
Sakura started but Sasuke wasted no time pulling the scrolls out and opening both up at once.
POOF!
A blast of smoke appeared and a silhouette of a figure could only be seen,
"Why you… WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CHEATING!?"
Both Sakura and Sasuke jumped at the familiar chunin,
"IRUKA!"
Iruka didn't look happy in the slightest though,
"YOU HAD ONE JOB AND YOU DECIDED TO CHEAT!? I bet this was Naruto's idea Right!? Where is the little…. MINATO AND JIRAIYA!?"
The man screamed and Sakura and Sasuke had never seen the man pale so much..
"Yo!"
Jiraiya said with a mocking smile, But it was then that Iruka saw Naruto hanging on Jiraiya's shoulder limply. And as he noticed that he began to notice the destruction of the forest all around him, the fallen trees, the changed landscape…. The blood.
What had happened?
"Iruka, i am giving permission for team 7 to continue the chunin exams as a two man squad."
Iruka's mouth fell,
"Also i am revoking Naruto's admission in the chunin exams; he has failed"
Jiraiya couldn't refute that and Iruka looked as devastated as he was sure Naruto was going to feel.
"I...I understand"
The chunin said. Because though they all know Naruto would hate for this to happen there was no way that he could continue at this point.
"Also…"
Minato continued and everyone couldn't possibly get what else he was going to say,
"I'm revoking Naruto's ninja license, please inform Obito that Naruto will no longer be a part of the ninja system"
"What?"
Sakura whispered because surely she couldn't have heard right, Naruto wasn't going to be a ninja anymore?
"YOU CAN'T!"
Sasuke shouted.. What the hell was wrong with the man that he would do that? Being a ninja was Naruto's dream! He couldn't take that away from him!
"Lord Minato…"
Iruka trembled,
"Um...Naruto has worked really hard… to get where he is...to just take that away...I mean he's not even awake…"
But it was hard to talk when those cold blue eyes looked at you like you were the enemy,
"He's my son"
And it was as if that was the only reason he needed, As if saying that meant that it was okay to take away whatever he wanted, Sasuke had never been so angry. Sure he knew that Minato hadn't wanted Naruto to enter the ninja world but he had thought that was because he was worried about him. However this went further than worry...this was just cruel!
"Now now…"
Jiraiya stepped up,
"Let's not get hasty, we can discuss all those details at another time, right?"
Minato didn't even look back at his former mentor,
"Iruka right?"
Jiraiya smiled and it put the chunin at ease,
"Please deliver at least the first message to Obito. We'll sort the rest out later. Oh! And tell Kushina that we're back i'm sure she missed a certain someone…"
Jiraiya said cheekily and Minato just sighed. Sasuke made a note of this man cause clearly he knew how to handle the blonde boys; Sakura would probably know who he was, he'd ask her later.
"Wait Kushina?"
Iruka said baffled and they looked at the confused man,
"Wait… could it be… you don't know?"
The air that was just starting to relax suddenly froze over. And even Sasuke looked wide eyed,
"Iruka"
Came the commanding tone of a man who had become hokage
"What happened to Kushina?"
Jiraiya placed a hand on the man's shoulder, because they all knew the girl was unwell. It would be no surprise if she was in the hospital or even intensive care. But scaring the man to death was no way to get the answers,
"Uh….well...uh sev...seven days..seven days ago…."
Iruka tried but this was not something he wanted to say. He did not want to be the messenger of such news! he didn't even know if Naruto knew! But telling Minato Namikaze… He was doomed.
"What happened seven days ago?!"
Jiraiya said impatiently because dragging it out only made it worse,
seven days ago….
was a little bit after Minato had left hearing of a cure to help Kushina.
Seven days ago….
Sasuke realized Naruto had gone off the grid and Itachi and Shuhei left for an important confidential mission,
Seven days ago…
Sakura remembered she had searched out mentor Rin to ask for advice and couldn't find her.
Seven days ago…
"Kushina… was pronounced dead"
The forest in the thousands of years of its existence had never been so quiet…
And then Minato disappeared.
"DAMN IT!"
Jiraiya yelled and he snapped his neck back at the chunin,
"DOES NARUTO KNOW!?"
"I..i don't…"
Iruka shook his head frantically because he was talking to a very angry sannin, and he didn't know the answer,
"He has to…"
And they all turned to a wide eyed Sasuke who now understood everything. Who now knew why no one had heard from Naruto three days before the exams… whose eyes were dilated when he arrived.. His mood and…
"Hey... you changed your Outfit?"
There was a pause that filled Sasuke with a bit of dread as Naruto looked up eyes closed in that cheeky smile he usually had,
"Yea well… while i was training it got a bit messy so i had no choice ya know?"
He now knew why Naruto, the only Ninja in the world that would wear that much orange… that loved the color so much.. That had so much orange in his closet it would blind a person… He knew why he had decided to wear black….
And tears poured out and he didn't care that everyone saw,
"He knows…"
Because though he claimed Naruto was his best friend he had missed it,
Naruto gave that neck rub he was so known for and a smile,
"Ah yea... i'm good i swear, nothing's wrong."
He had missed the pain and the meaning of the black outfit Naruto had dawned as if screaming for someone...anyone to notice…
Because really if black were to have any meaning…
It meant…
mourning.
I totes felt my heart clench here... so good... NARUTOOOOOOOO!