Hello and welcome to the Sakusa Circus. This isn't a new chapter but is a revised chapter. I haven't written in a while so I'm reading and editing my unfinished works so hopefully I can get back into the groove.
I only own the idea of the story, not the Naruto franchise or any of the music that I suggest in this story. Although I wish I did.
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Hiruzen engaged in a violent coughing fit for the third time that night. He took another look at the new tobacco he had received. He had gotten it from an ANBU he had sent to get him some more tobacco after his previous pack ran out. While it helped him relax, it did not have a good flavor, but Hiruzen would never let some perfectly good tobacco go to waste. Besides, it was supposed to be some exotic tobacco from China, 'Maybe I just can't appreciate the Chinese style'.
Hiruzen knew he was dying soon. Unlike when he was younger and risking his life on missions for the village, this time he knew it was inevitable. It was this inevitability that brought him some comfort. The doctors had only given him 3-4 weeks. Being an optimist, Hiruzen gave himself the full four, using the past week to set as many affairs in order as he could and hoping to do the same with this one so he could spend the last two with his family.
Looking into his crystal ball, Hiruzen watched as a 5 year old Naruto was running through the back streets of Konoha with a wide smile on his face. Hiruzen worried about what would happen once he passed on the title of Hokage. He knew the counsel would try to implement Danzo as the knew Hokage, they had been trying for the past 6 years since the Nine-Tailed Fox Attack, but Hiruzen had an ace up his sleeve. As much as the council pushed for Danzo to be Hokage, Hiruzen knew that they would much rather have one of the legendary Sannin instead.
Hiruzen dared not to think what would happen to Naruto if Danzo rose into power. As such, Hiruzen had called upon an old friend for assistance. Hiruzen knew that Danzo would eventually find Naruto, but Naruto would at least be given a few years of freedom and a better life than he had now.
The old Hokage started tearing up, thinking about his own children and grand children. That his grandson would never remember him. 'I may not have long, but I can at least try to fix my family affairs. Asuma may have returned but he still keeps his distance. I won't even be able to see Asuma marry'. Hiruzen felt a tear fall from his cheek at this realization.
A knock at the door shook Hiruzen out of his depression. "Come in," he called.
Kakashi walked in, "is the letter ready Hokage-sama?" he asked.
Hiruzen tiredly sighed, "Yes, Kakashi. Remember, no one must know about this," he warned.
Kakashi bowed his head in understanding. Hiruzen handed him a sealed scroll, Kakashi quickly placed it in a storage pouch on his uniform. "He'll be in that resort village, correct Hokage-sama?".
"Yes. Be sure to check the hot springs or red light districts first, and remind him that this mission needs to be done as quick as possible, " Hiruzen told the young ANBU captain. Kakashi once again bowed. "You are dismissed," the Hokage ordered. Kakashi vanished from sight, moving to enact his mission immediately.
Hiruzen turned his gaze back to the crystal ball sitting on his desk. "I hope you can forgive me Tsunade, but this is the best solution I can think of". Taking a seat in his chair, Hiruzen started to think about how he would go about healing the wounds between him and his youngest son. Having already lost a son and wife to the life of a shinobi, Hiruzen needed to make sure he wouldn't have any regrets concerning the little family he had left.
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Naruto had a smile crossing from ear to ear plastered on his whiskered face. The circus was in town! What was even better was that since Naruto was under 8 he could go for free! Naruto giggled as he took the backstreets of Konoha to arrive at his destination. He had learned quickly not to take the main roads after having formed an angry mob. To make sure he didn't miss a thing, Naruto made sure to leave an hour early,
As he ran, Naruto had fantastic thoughts fill his head. Acrobats doing more flips than he could count! Strongmen lifting huge weights with their bare hands! And lion tamers that could calm even the most ferocious of beasts! Naruto imagined him doing the same. The crowd cheering for him and his awesomeness.
His gleeful imagination was disrupted by a cry for help. Naruto quickly ran to investigate.
Upon turning a corner, Naruto found himself looking at some older boys bullying a girl around his age. Having a natural loath of bullies, Naruto quickly took action. "Hey! Poop heads!". The boys froze and turned to face Naruto, having been completely distracted.
"What did you say to us?" the biggest boy asked.
"I just said what I saw! Come and get me you turd nuggets!"
"You're in for it now you little demon!"
The three charged Naruto. Naruto made a cross with his fingers shouting, something he had seen several ninja use to create multiple clones of themselves when chasing him, "clone jutsu!". Two white floppy puddles appeared next to him.
The bullies laughed at him, "you call that a clone! Ha ha ha! That's a puddle of mush! You'll never become a ninja like that!". Naruto grew angry as they taunted and laughed at him, he charged, fists swinging. He was able to get one good hit in before the boys got angry again. After that, things quickly went downhill for our young hero. Within 2 minutes the boys had gotten bored of beating Naruto up and had left.
Naruto was now sporting bruises all over his arms, legs, and back along with a few cuts on his face and a bloody nose. The girl from earlier slowly approached him now that the boys were gone, tears running down both cheeks. "Why-why did you do that? You-you got, you got hurt," said between sobs.
Hearing her distress, Naruto completely ignored his own injuries and became very attentive to the crying girl before him. "I'm okay, really. Happens all the time. Are you okay?" he asked, steam rising off his injuries already.
The girl continued to cry, her head in her hands. Naruto now sat uncomfortably in front of her, his cuts and bloody nose having already stopped bleeding. Naruto did something he had seen some parents do for their kids when they got hurt. He extended both his arms on either side of the girl, enclosing them around her. He felt her shudder against him, her ters soaking his shirt and her hands clutching his shirt. After a few minutes she stopped, when she did he asked "you okay now?".
The girl finally lifted her head, revealing her pearl eyes. "Wh-why did you help me? You-you got hurt," she asked.
"I don't like bullies, y'know?" Naruto responded.
"I'm-I'm sorry for being a burden to you," she said with a bow.
Naruto felt uncomfortable by the apology. Not only was it the first one he had ever received, but he really didn't feel like it was necessary. "It was nothing… What's your name?"
"Hi-Hinata," she wiped some tears away with her sleeve, along with her runny nose.
"Well it's nice to meet you Hinata…. hey, do you want to see something amazing?" Naruto asked.
Hinata hesitantly nodded her head, Naruto smiled and took her hand in his, "Follow me". Hinata stood up and did as he asked, finding herself in something of a dream. Naruto led her to a giant tent set up on one of the training grounds of the village, lights shining into the sky, illuminating the red and yellow strips of the tent.
The two were in wonder at the sheer size of the tent. It was bigger than more than half the buildings in Konoha. Since Naruto had left early, they still had some time before the bigger crowds arrived. They walked up to the ticket booth, the woman there smiled and asked "you two here to see the show?".
"Yep!" Naruto replied. Hinata hesitantly nodded her head.
The woman chuckled. "You know what, since you two are first, how about you go take those seats up there," she pointed to a small section on the opposite side of the tent. "That's where you'll get the best view". Naruto was unsettled a little by her kindness, but he shrugged it off with a smile and led Hinata to the seats the woman had suggested.
After a few minutes more people started to arrive, taking their seats all around the circus but keeping a good distance away from Naruto and Hinata. More so away from one over the other. The entire time they waited, Hinata held Naruto's hand, enjoying his warmth. Naruto and Hinata talked about what wonders they thought they'd see, although it was Naruto who did most of the talking. Or all of the talking.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, silencing the tent. Naruto rapidly swung his legs in excitement as the room fell to darkness. Hinata found her heartbeat speeding up too, squeezing Naruto's hand a little.
From the darkness, a voice thundered throughout the tent "Ladies and Gentlemen!... Boys and Girls!... WWWWeeeellllcome to the Sakusa Circus!". A small light that looked like a sparkler launched itself from the floor, reaching its peak and falling back to the ground. When it touched the ground it burst into a ring of fire that ended at the beginning of the seats, lighting the torches along the way and revealing a ring leader in the middle looking down at the cane he had positioned in front of him, his top hat hiding all but the smile on his face.
*This next scene goes with the song "Come Alive" from the greatest showman. The ringleader is P.T. Barnum*
The ring leader circled the stage as he sang, eventually walking into the crowd and interacting with audience members. As the song went on performers started popping out of the crowd and filling the stage.
As the ring leader continued to circle the audience, the performers danced in the middle and on small podiums set up in the audience. Naruto didn't know which way to look. Everywhere there were performers in exotic costumes, some even with bizarre and cool features like marbled skin, hair and skin as white as snow or as dark as licorice. The song ended with a big finish before the lights cut out once again. Applause filled the darkness.
Naruto and Hinata were amazed, they didn't even hear the performers leave and the lights had only been off for a few seconds. When the lights returned the ringleader was the only one that remained. He looked around the crowd with a great smile on his face. He was an older man, wrinkled and with greying hair, but he still held a youthful glow about him.
The man ended his gaze on Naruto. His eyes stayed on Naruto for a second longer than usual before continuing to turn to face the majority of the crowd. "Thank you for welcoming the performers of the Sakusa Circus so warmly Konoha! And that is only the beginning of our show. Tonight you see wonders beyond imagination, impossible challenges made possible, and magic that will have even you shinobi in the audience stumped". A snicker could be heard throughout the audience, the unhidden doubt of multiple Shinobi scattered throughout the audience. Most of the skeptics being chunin, but a few jounin as well.
The Ringleader chuckled, "You laugh now, but let's have the performers prove my words to you. Now, first up is a knife thrower from the land of iron and his assistant. Now, this just any knife thrower, this man can make a knife change direction while in mid air! How does he do it? That's a secret. So without further ado, please welcome to the stage Mr. Eirina Ha!".
A man who looked to be a little younger than the Ringleader appeared in a puff of smoke next to the Ringleader with someone who Naruto assumed was the assistant. The man was wearing black pants with a black button down to go with it, the top two buttons undone. The only color on him was the blood red vest he wore. Standing next to him was his assistant. It was a woman who looked to be a similar age and was wearing a similar outfit, only she wore a red hair pin. Her hair was also cut short and she wore a big smile.
With a snap of his fingers, the Ringleader made a spinning target and glass wall appear behind them. After a brief set up, the woman had strapped herself to the spinning wheel, now spread across it as it spun with her. The man was now standing in front of the wheel. The crowd grew silent in anticipation. The man turned around, sliding knives out from his sleeves. He was now looking at the Ringleader who calmly watched the scene unfold.
Readying a knife, the man aimed for the Ringleader. There was a confusion about the crowd, had something gone wrong? The man threw the knife at the Ringleader, sending terror throughout the audience. Multiple screams could be heard and Hinata buried herself in Naruto's shoulder, not wanting to witness the sight.
Right before the knife hit the man it completely froze in mid air. The Ringleader smiled despite a knife being close enough to cut his nose hairs. After a brief chuckle the Ringleader said, "You're supposed to hit the target, not me Eirina".
The man cracked a smile, "Sorry, forgot about that". The knife then went zooming across the stage towards the target, burying itself right next to the woman's face. Another jolt of terror would be seen throughout the audience.
From somewhere in the back a man yelled out, "He's using chakra threads! That's not knife throwing!". A series of agreements could be heard throughout the crowd.
The Ringleader smiled, "oh? Well that would be a problem. Eirina, would you mind throwing a knife at me again?".
The man named Eirina smiled and did as he was asked, the knife stopping right before hitting the Ringleader, sending another shudder through the audience. The Ring leader pulled out a knife. Suddenly the knife had a blue aura enveloping it, chakra. "As you can see, this knife is covered in chakra. Now, if what the gentleman from early saws is true, then when I swing this knife around the knife, it should fall. Let's see if he's right". With that the Ringleader started slashing at the air around the knife. No matter where he slashed the knife stayed in place, not even shaking. The crowd was in awe at the impossible feat. With the demonstration of his acts validity finished, Eirina pulled the knife back towards him and stared at the woman on the target, burying the knife next to her thigh, a smile on her face.
Naruto and Hinata had their jaws drop at the demonstration. They thought for sure the audience guy had gotten the best of the knife thrower.
As the show went on, the two only became more and more star struck. They witnessed a normal man lift an elephant, a woman who could make animals in the air with fire, Acrobats that flew through the air catching the bar they held on to with their feet, and so much more. Naruto enjoyed every second of it. He was especially excited for the animal tamer. Between the huge komodo dragons, colorful birds of paradise, and ferocious wild cats, Naruto was overloaded with amazement. Hinata didn't care so much for the scary giant lizards or angry cats, but she did like the colorful dancing birds. She thought they were funny with their little dances.
When it came to the clowns the tent turned into a factory of laughter. As three of them goof around in the middle there was one who would wander the crowds as if he was lost. The ring leader would call him out between acts, sometimes sending the other clowns after him to get him out of the audience. The series of clumsy mishaps and funny noises made it impossible for the crowds to remain silent. Naruto and Hinata had aching cheeks, the acts providing just enough rest between giggles to keep the pain tolerable.
The show ended with the dancing troupe from the beginning, their finale leaving the crowd speechless. After a few seconds the tent erupted into thunderous applause and everyone was standing on their feet. The Ringleader came out one last time and thanked the crowd before snapping his fingers. Once he snapped his fingers everyone woke up from a nap they didn't realize they had been taking. The Ring Leader wasn't there anymore and the crowd didn't know if what they just saw was real or the work of a genjutsu that they didn't even know they had been put under. Really made them question whether the show was real or not. The clown who had been hiding in the audience throughout the show was still there.
When he awoke he looked around and said "Oh, the show's over… AND THEY LEFT WITHOUT ME?!". He then stomped up to the stage, holding out a hand as if to call a taxi. A little car came rolling out from the curtains that a multitude of acts had used to both enter and exit the stage. When the car got to him it stopped. It was barely to his knee, he could pick it up if he really wanted.
He grumbled something as he opened the door and stuck his foot into the car. The rest of his body soon followed effortlessly. Once he was in completely the car took off once more, disappearing behind the curtains it had emerged from.
After seeing the clown somehow fit into such a small car the crowd only strengthened their belief in the show, but they never could be sure. The streets of Konoha were ablaze with chatter as the tent emptied.
The entire time Hinata had held onto Naruto's hand. As they walked out they started comparing their favorite moments in the show, Hinata being equally talkative as Naruto this time. After discussing their favorite moments, Naruto had made the bold proclamation that "After I become a ninja, I'm going to be the greatest circus person ever!".
Hinata smiled, imagining herself doing some of the amazing feats that had been displayed to them. "Hey, are you going to the ninja academy too?" Naruto asked. Hinata was startled by the question, she shyly nodded her head, memories of her shortcomings as a hyuga resurfacing.
"Great! We can train to become ninjas and practice for the circus. We can be Hinata and Naruto, the world's most awesome circus people! We could travel the world and show everyone how awesome we are!" Naruto said with one of his million dollar smiles. Hinata found herself blushing at Naruto's words, finding the idea of traveling with Naruto enjoyable.
"I-I don't, I don't know. I-I don't think I'd be ver-very, I'd be very good," Hinata said.
"Oh come on! You'd be great! You could learn to tell somebody's future like that old lady, or you could be like that magician and teleport everywhere! Oh! You could be like the escape person, y'know! She was soo cool!".
"What-what would y-you do?" Hinata asked.
Naruto's eyes shined as his imagination went into overdrive. "I could be like that cool little man who rode the horse. Or I could be like the animal tamer and play with all the cool animals! I could also breath fire! I could make the coolest things too!".
"But what if it-it-it's too ha-hard?" Wha-what if you tr-try and you just, you just can't do it?" Hinata asked.
"Then I practice until I'm the best! I'm going to be the coolest circus person ever! Believe it!" responded Naruto. Hinata smiled at his response. Finding hope in her own endeavors in his words.
After a few seconds of silence Naruto asked, "Hinata, are we friends?".
Hinata was startled by the question, tripping over her words as she tried to respond, "I-I thi we…. I- think we're fr-friends".
Naruto's smile somehow grew larger. Another seemingly impossible feat made possible.
The two were sadly broken apart when Hinata's caretaker finally found her. "Hinata-sama!" He called out. Hinata froze at his voice. He approached quickly, snatching her hand from Naruto's and pulling her away from him. "Hinata-sama are you okay? Did the demon hurt you?".
Seeing the bruises from the bullies the caretaker scowled, turning to face Naruto. "How dare you hurt Hinata-sama brat!".
"What? I didn't hurt Hinata! It was some mean bullies from earlier, honest!" Naruto said. Unfortunately, Naruto was still learning that no matter what he said, he would always be given the blame for the troubles of others.
"Silence your lies, demon! I'll show you what happens when you mess with the Hyuga Clan!".
Hinata tried to stop her caretaker, pulling at him and trying to defend Naruto, but it was to no avail. Seeing that it hadn't worked, Hinata did the last thing she could think of. She covered Naruto with her own body, preparing to be a shield from her caretaker's attacks.
The caretaker had stopped mid strike to avoid hitting Hinata, and Naruto was frozen in amazement. For the first time in his life, someone had defended him.
"Please move Hinata-sama so I can deal with this urchin!" the caretaker demanded. His tone became sharp and dangerous as he referenced Naruto.
"N...n...no! I...I won't le-let you hurt!… hi-him!" Hinata proclaimed loudly. The caretaker was taken back by Hinata's boldness. Never before had she been so defiant or brave.
Realizing that a small crowd was starting to form, the caretaker quickly decided to end this ordeal as fast as possible. "Alright, but your father will hear about this," the caretaker warned. He then dragged Hinata off to home, pushing through the crowd and leaving Naruto to stand alone. When the crowd turned back around one person said, "did you see the bruises on that girl?".
"Yeah! It must have been that demon who did it!"
"Why did she protect him then?" someone with some sense asked.
"It must've been his demonic powers. He tricked her into protecting him!"
"Yeah! Get the demon! Make him pay!"
The crowd charged at Naruto, some with canes or shovels in hand. Naruto snapped out of his daze and his eyes grew wide in terror and he quickly ran into a nearby alley. The mob hot on his heels. Naruto ran for about 13 minutes before finally losing the crowd. He lost them by hiding in a trash bin, burying himself to hide his presence. When the coast was clear he poked his head out and flopped himself out of the can, picking trash out of his hair as he walked home.
As he trudged towards his apartment he found himself at the entrance of a backstreet bar. Two drunks wandering around the front, talking in slurs and with a bottle in hand. Unfortunately for Naruto, they had seen him and he was too tired to run away.
They threw him further into the alley and clumsily walked up to him, the smell of alcohol thick on their breath. "What er you doing eer, brat?..hicc" the first one asked.
"Yeah! Why waasz those people chasin youz?... You done some-in bad now, didn't ya?"
"I didn't do anything!" cried Naruto, tears in his eyes.
"You are a liar! If you didn't do not-in bad then that crowd would-int be chasin youz!". The man then slammed the bottom on the ground, the glass shattering everywhere. The other man threw his empty bottle at the wall with it shattering into various pieces as well. It started with a heavy right hook that sent Naruto to the ground and quickly escalated from there.
It only stopped 20 minutes later when the drunks had grown tired and passed out. Naruto had barely retained consciousness during the whole ordeal, only passing out after dragging himself home. He was only able to close the door.
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"That's the boy you want me to take Hiruzen?".
"Yes, Phineas. That is the boy".
"I had seen him during the show. Something seemed… off about his chakra".
"He is the Nine Tail Jinchuuriki. It can bring him great power in the future, but it has also brought him great tragedy. I'm asking you to bring him with you when you leave next week. There are too many who wish to gain control of his power both outside and inside the village. I fear Tsunade will not be able to protect him, and Jiraiya won't be able to continue his work with a kid".
"You haven't done a very good job yourself Hiruzen".
Hiruzen sighed with regret, " I am aware of my own failures. But, I have prevented something far worse from happening. I can not guarantee that you won't be hunted, by taking him you will not only risk your life, but your entire circus".
"I know the risks, you old fart! If you weren't already dying I'd kill you myself for putting me in this situation. You're lucky I understand just how important he is. I was hoping to leave this shinobi business behind forever by joining the circus, I guess only the shinobi life decides when you get to leave".
"Fair point… Me and my circus will teach him well. I'm sure I'll have a few years before anybody realizes what really happens. You still have the fake kidnapping set up right?"
"Multiple actually. No one must know. Now, I suggest you take him now and place him in a genjutsu to sleep until your troupe leaves".
"I feel bad. After seeing what a hellscape his normal life is, my show must've been a dream for him".
"Your show is quite spectacular"
"Not because of my show. Because of his company. It was the sweetest thing. Him and this little Hyuga girl were holding hands the entire time".
Hiruzen was surprised to hear that the Hyuga Heiress had gotten away from her caretaker, 'At least one good thing came from tonight'.
"I hate to break up the two, but it's for the best. Maybe one day he'll return and something will happen between them. In the meantime, it's off to the circus for him". The man named Phineas placed a sleeping genjutsu on Naruto and picked him up. Hiruzen made a shadow clone of himself and had it transform into Naruto, acting as a decoy.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Take this," Hiruzen handed Phineas a blue scroll container with multiple locks and protective seals on it along with the keys to go with it. "This is one of the few pieces of heritage the boy has left. I trust you to teach him about his Uzumaki heritage, but this is his father's work. Your magicians should be able to help him learn it".
"An Uzumaki? So I'm not the only one after all. Well it'd only be right if I taught him the art of seals. Although his hair doesn't show it. Honestly it looks more like your fourth…" Phineas trailed off as he started to connect the dots. "Ahhh. So that's the boy's father. Uzumaki and Namikaze. What a combo. It's a shame he didn't receive our red hair, although I'm not sure if it'd give him more or less enemies than he already has".
"Lucky for him we have the Yaminaka clan in town along with multiple blond families. It's still a miracle that no one has connected the dots".
"I'm sure they have. Although it's probably not the people you want to connect those dots".
Hiruzen's mouth formed a tight line as the thought of Danzo and Orochimaru came to mind. "I will miss you, old friend. I know I've asked a lot of you, but please give him an enjoyable childhood".
"I don't think I could put him in any more hell than he's in right now. Don't worry. It may be a business, but it's also a family. He'll have more siblings and aunts and uncles than he'll know what to do with," Phineas said with a smile.
"Thank you Phineas. You have no idea how much comfort that brings me".
"Hey, don't go getting all sappy on me. Save that for your family". With that Phineas took his leave, Hiruzen following.
The two left in their separate directions, unnoticed and neither looking forward to the inevitable troubles the future would hold, but hopeful that the time before those troubles would be as enjoyable as possible.
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When Phineas returned to his circus he was greeted by an upset looking Eirina. "Where have you been? Zo has been looking for you! He needs a place for the animals to rest. Apparently some of the seals on the contact are fading so we can't return them just yet". As Eirina got closer he raised an eyebrow at the sight of his boss carrying a small boy.
"Who's the kid?" Eirina asked.
"A new member to our troupe, and one that needs to lay low until we get out of here. He's under a hibernation genjutsu so he'll be fine for a week but we need a place to put him. Do the Haiwaiyas still have that empty trunk lying around?"
"I think so"
"Good, don't tell anyone about this. We can't risk anyone finding out about us taking this boy," Phineas said.
"What's so special about him?" Eirina asked. Phineas stopped walking and looked straight into his friend's eyes.
"He holds possibilities beyond our imagination. If we leave him here, the world may be risking destruction". With that said, the Ringleader continued on his way, leaving the knife thrower to ponder on what power the little blond boy could have.
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Just as Hiruzen said, multiple teams of fake kidnappers had arrived at the apartment, taking a decoy Naruto that had left there each time they arrived. Hiruzen resupplied the apartment secretly every day.
The plan went off without a hitch. By the end of the week Naruto was leaving Konoha with the Circus and no one was the wiser.
Later that same day Jiraiya returned with Tsunade in tow. Tsunade's return blew away all prior events that day. Many started questioning why she had been brought back to the village.
They were soon given an answer when Hiruzen announced his retirement the next day. Many were happy that the old Hokage would finally be retiring, but to say they weren't sad to see him go would be a lie. Tsunade was made the Hokage with almost no opposition and things continued to run smoothly.
Not only had Tsunade taken office, but she also had turned the Medical Corps inside out and made plans to make it 3 times more efficient than it already was. Being the most celebrated medical profesional around, Tsunade was also able to make one very important house call.
Hitomi Hyuga had been ill for years. After nearly dying after Hanabi's birth, the Hyuga Matriarch had been bed ridden for the past few years. Hiashi had made it his top priority to request Tsuande's services as soon as possible. At first Tsuande had rejected his demands, saying that she had other work and patients in more critical conditions to worry about. A brief mention of a Sake reward quickly changed her tune.
After several hours of work and lots of pacing from Hiashi, Tsunade had healed Hitomi. Tsuande had diagnosed Hitomi with severe anemia at first, but later discovered the cause of the anemia was due to her kidneys starting to fail. Thanks to her medical ninjutsu, Tsunade didn't have to bring Hitomi to the hospital for a transplant, instead she was able to heal Hitomi's kidneys, encourage the production of red blood cells, and remove the decay and bacteria to help prevent further problems.
After a few days of rest, Hitomi had finally been able to walk around the compound. With help of course, but Hiashi seemed more than happy to be her crutch. The clan was in celebration for the return of their beloved matriarch. Hinata was overjoyed to finally have her mother back. For the first time in 3 years Hinata was able to receive a hug from her mother. And for the first time in three years, Hitomi was able to hold Hanabi in her arms. The last time she had done that was when Hanabi was born, and even then, it wasn't for very long.
It was this series of miracles that provided the perfect cover for Naruto's leave. The only ones who had noticed were those at Ichiraku, but even then, Naruto had only been a customer there for about a year. It wasn't uncommon for customers to come and go after a year or so.
That was until Jiraiya had finally gotten his head out of the hotsprings and had gone to check on Naruto. Once he found the boy was missing he went straight to his old sensei. "Where is Naruto?!" he demanded, standing before his sensei with grandson in arms in the back of the Sarutobi Compound.
"Shhhh. You'll wake my grandson, Jiraiya! What makes you think I'd know where he is?" Hiruzen answered with a sharp whisper.
"You've always kept tabs on him. He's the nine tails jinchuuriki. There's not a chance in hell that you haven't known his exact location in this village at any time."
Hiruzen smiled at his student's deduction, "Naruto is safe. I sent him off with a good friend of mine".
"And you didn't tell me? I could've taken him! I am his godfather for Kami's sake!"
Hiruzen turned look his student dead in the eyes. "Eventually, people are going to notice Jiraiya. Maybe not after a week or two, but people will notice that the 'demon child' is missing. And who do you think is going to be most interested in the boy's whereabouts?"
Jiraiya's face grew grim as he spat out the name "Danzo".
"Yes. Danzo. And with that in mind, I'm guessing you can figure out who he'd look first," Hiruzen continued, letting Jiraiya mellow out as he started to piece things together.
Frustrated Jiraiya argued, "You could've told me at least! That boy is like a grandson to me!".
"And yet you never took him in when he was an infant. I know how important your spy network is Jiraiya, but the actions we took, or more so the lack of action we took to protect the boy has stripped us both of claiming him as our own. Where I have sent him, he will finally have a family that loves him. Isn't that what you want Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked rhetorically.
Jiraiya remained silent. Hiruzen sighed and told Jiraiya what he wanted to hear, "I didn't tell you because that would mean one more complication. I needed as few people as possible to know about this, and if I told you where he went that would only make it easier for Danzo to find him".
"Danzo can't track me," Jiraiya countered.
Hirusen chuckled at his pupil's foolishness. "Danzo doesn't need to. Danzo has spies everywhere, he'll notice a pattern between your visits and then he'll strike. I can't take that risk". Jiraiya tried to find any reason why his sensei was wrong but he just couldn't find any. When he finally admitted to his sensei being right, it felt like a stab through the heart.
"I'm still going to look for him. I can't risk losing the closest thing to family I have left," Jiraiya finally replied. With that he left. Hiruzen didn't stop him, more so because he couldn't. Hiruzen was reassured though, knowing that his friend P.T. Sakusa was even better at moving unnoticed than Jiraiya. If Sakusa kept to his old traveling habits there was no way Jiraiya would know where Naruto was. The crying of a young Konohamaru snapped the ex-Hokage out of his thoughts and Hiruzen started lightly rocking, softly telling his grandson that things were alright.
[}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{]
(Time Jump 2 years to when the academy starts)
Hinata was excited. It was her first day at the academy! Her father, mother, and little sister had walked her to school, much to Hinata's delight. Hiashi took some convincing, but Hitomi made short work of it. Hiashi held Hanabi, and Hitomi held Hinata's hand.
Being honest, Hinata had no interest in the academy. Ever since that night at the circus she could be found from time to time practicing some sort of circus trick, trying to tame the little critters that went through the compound and a few magic tricks. However, that's not to say she didn't want to go to the academy. He would be there. That boy from two years ago. She couldn't recall if he had told her his name or not, but that didn't matter. She had never forgotten what he looked like, it was chiseled into her memory. The little blond boy with whiskers who had saved her from a group of bullies.
During the entrance ceremony Hinata hadn't paid much attention, much to the displeasure of her father. She had been trying to find the blond boy, but it was to no avail. 'Maybe he'll be in the classroom' thought Hinata.
When she arrived at her class Hinata was slammed by a wave of nervousness. There were so many people, and they were so loud. Quickly becoming uncomfortable, Hinata made her way to the back to wait for the blond boy to arrive.
She remained hopeful, waiting for him to walk through that door. The young Hyuga's hopes were finally crushed when their new sensei read off the list of names. For every name he called, a hand was raised… The blond boy wasn't coming.
(*^=^*)
(Time jump 8 years. Naruto and Hinata are 16)
It was nights like these that Izumo was thankful for the well built hut that the gate guards were given. The shingles were being threatened to be torn off and the rain sounded like it was going to drill holes into the roof. A few lightning strikes appeared every now and then, creating booming thunder in its wake.
To pass the time Izumo had taken to drawing the flower he and Kotetsu had gotten. It was a lovely orchid that they had bought from one of the traveling merchants. Apparently it was easy to care for so it was perfect for them. It had a beautiful pink bloom, although it was only for a portion of the year.
His drawing was interrupted when Izumo received the scare of his life. A mysterious figure suddenly appeared before him. Never had Izumo moved so quickly, nor screamed so loudly. Fortunately it was the dead of night and the hut muffled most of the noise. The figure was wrapped up in a brown cloak, a giant scroll on his back. His face hidden in the shadows.
"The circus is in town. Although I wish it was during better weather. I haven't seen a storm like this in years! Now about entry into the village".
Izumo stumbled on his words as he tried to answer,"Uhh umm umm.. Village. Yes! You just form… sign… entry good… yeah," Izumo squeaked.
The figure tilted his head, the water that had gathered on the rim sliding off. "Would you mind repeating that. It was a bit hard to understand, y'know?".
Izumo had finally regained his wits about him, "Okay. I need to take a picture of you after you fill out… this form". Izumo slid a paper towards the figure along with a pen. The figure quickly filled out the form, signing his name as Kurama Sakusa.
When Izumo pulled out the camera he also handed the man a metal ball. "What's this?" the man asked.
"Safety precaution. It cancels any chakra you may be using. It's a security measure in case a ninja tried to infiltrate. Nothing a civilian like you should worry about".
"Well I guess I am a civilian in this situation. Well let's get it done and over with. I've got a lot of seating up to do, y'know," the man said.
Izumo quickly took the photo, illuminating the man's blond hair and whiskered cheeks. Once the photo was taken the man returned the ball and started on the form.
As this Kurama Sakusa filled out the paper, Izumo teased "You're missing a few people to have a circus, don't you think".
Kurama chuckled, "Don't you worry about that. Now, where can I set up shop?".
Izumo offered one of the training grounds along with an empty lot where a building had been demolished but nothing had filled it in yet. The stranger thanked him and started on his way, inviting Izumo to come see his circus. Izumo was skeptical, but was appreciative of the invite. Izumo watched as the stranger walked out into the night, 'weird guy, I wonder where he comes from'.
[})~~~~~({]
Hinata was scrambling around her room to find her favorite piece of jewelry, a silver necklace with a beautiful amethyst fox at the end. The Circus had arrived last night and Sakura and Ino had made it their top priority to go to opening night. They had also talked about potentially meeting some cute boys there and threatened to take Hinata on another Karaoke night if she didn't. She still had PTSD from the first one.
"You're going to be late, Hinata. Sakura and Ino are already waiting outside," Hitomi said as she passed by.
"Thanks Mom!" Hinata called, putting on some last minute lipstick and powder before rushing to the door.
As she made her way over Hiashi called out, "Hinata!". The Heiress froze in place listening intently to her father's words.
"Act in a manner appropriate for a Hyuga," he said. The excitement in Hinata's eyes died a little as she was reminded of the values of the Hyuga she'd have to uphold. She then walked to the door, acting in a Hyuga manner like what was expected of her. Although she slowly started gaining speed as she approached the door. As she opened the gates to the compound she heard her father call, "At least stay away from boys!".
Hinata and the other girls giggled at this as they ran off to the circus. "What took you so long?" Sakura asked.
"I had to take care of some things!" Hinata defended.
"Yeah, yeah. We have to hurry before all the good seats are taken!" Ino said, pulling the two onward leaving little room for complaints. Within a few minutes they had arrived at the circus, buying their tickets and taking their seats. Lucky for them there were still plenty of seats left for them to get. Hinata felt a wave of nostalgia hit. The same circus, the same seats, she wondered what new performances there would be.
As they waited, the three girls admired each other's makeup and started scoping out the cute boys. (Listen to "The Greatest Show" official audio on youtube). Their conversation was interrupted by a series of voices erupting from all around them. The rest of the audience quickly quieted, listening to the singing and jumping at the sound of a lion's roar.
A series of spotlights roamed the crowds before sending the tent into complete darkness. They turned back on to reveal a tall man dressed in an orange ring leader outfit leaning on a cane with his hat tilted to hide his face. The man then started singing. "Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you've waited for"...
As the man continued to sing he started walking around the stage, his hat continuing to hide his face from the crowd. When the chorus arrived he slammed his cane onto the stage and jets of fire arose, revealing the performers surrounding him and his face to the audience. The group engaged in an entrancing dance performance, some dancers in the crowd and a bearded woman with an amazing singing voice standing on top of the entrance and exit that the performers would later use.
The audience didn't know what way to look. Everything was just so amazing. Dancers twirled around each other, animals of fire letting out silent cries above the audience, and ribbon dancers making incredible shapes and twirls. The ringleader remaining in the center.
The only one not completely invested in the magnificent scene before them was Hinata. She was far more busy staring at the ringleader. He was young, around her age, but that's not what distracted her. It was the yellow hair and whisker birthmarks that had taken Hinata's attention. A flood of memories from that night ten years ago crashed over her. 'It's him', Hinata thought.
When the performance ended Hinata had snapped out of her starring session and joined in the crowd's applause. As the various performers bowed the crowd started to stand, and rightfully so, many of them had only seen something so amazing in their life once before.
When the crowd settled down the ringleader once again hit the stage with his cane, causing all the performers to disappear in a flash of darkness. He laughed at the amazed faces of the audience. His smile sent Hinata's heart beating, she started feeling light-headed and grabbed onto Sakura for support.
"Are you okay Hinata?" Sakura asked, concerned.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Hinata replied, shaking her head to try and get a grip on herself. Ino and Sakura gave her worried looks before returning their gaze back to the ringleader.
"Hello Konoha!" the ringleader boomed. The crowd erupted into another round of applause, although this one only lasted a few seconds. "Man, what a great start to the show! Oh! Where are my manners?... Ladies and Gentlemen… boys and girls… WWWeeelcome to the Sakusa Circus!... My name is Kurama Sakusa, and I will be your ringleader for the evening. Now, who's ready to be amazed?". The crowd responded with screams of excitement. Kuruma once again laughed, sending Hinata's poor little heart into a flutter. She was able to control it this time though thanks to pinching her leg to snap her out of it before it got too bad.
"I love to hear it. So I don't know about you, but I've never been one for lectures. I've always enjoyed a good surprise in life. Who here likes surprises?". The crowd responded excitedly and with anticipation.
"Well it seems that I'm in good company. Without further ado let me introduce you to our first act! She's a wizard from a blizzard, please welcome Yuki Arashi!".
Kurama was suddenly surrounded by snow until it blocked him from sight. When the snow fell it revealed a young woman dressed in a white suit with light blue vest under her white jacket.
After introducing herself once more the woman then made a covered table appear. According to her, she would be separating her legs from her torso. Many weren't amazed because they had already seen the trick before. Their lack of amusement was quickly changed when her separated torso and legs got up and started moving around the stage, a cloth bag of sorts covering where she would've been cut in half.
Even the experienced shinobi there were stumped by how it was done. While her legs were on one side of the stage standing on their own, her torso was walking itself on the opposite side, her bottom easily walking under the safety bar that surrounded the stage. After reattaching herself to her legs the magician then demonstrated an incredible teleporting act. She had locked herself in a giant water container filled to the brim with a chest inside. She then, while holding her breath, opened the chest and got in. Before she locked it she took a needle out of her hair and poked her finger, showing that she was not a clone. After closing the chest and having itself locked the crowd was left in silence.
Kurama once again returned, this time in a puff of smoke. "So, audience. For those of you who don't know, there is a shinobi technique called the shunshin. This technique allows for very quick movement, but does not allow for the user to teleport through walls. As she is now, there is no way for Ms. Arashi to use such a technique. I feel like I must also point out that Miss Arashi can not breathe while in that chest, and between you and me," Kurama said behind a hand to hide what he was about to say from the magician, "she's not very good at holding her breath. Anyways, let's start the timer!". A spotlight lit up a giant clock above the stage entrance curtain.
A minute passed, then two, then three. The audience started growing concerned for the woman inside. Kurama leaned casually on the glass container, reading a tiny book "Failed Magic Tricks of the Ages". From the crowd a voice could be heard asking, "shouldn't you check on her? I think she's dead!".
Kurama looked up from his book, "what? Oh that, yes. Might as well. Seeing as it's one of my top performers in there, I guess I should take haste in my efforts". Kurama then touched the glass with his cane and it shattered. Bringing it to the ground once more he created a divide before him that the water parted at. Taking another step towards the chest he pulled out a huge keyring with what looked to be 100 keys on there. "I know the key is here somewhere," Kurama muttered just loud enough for the crowd to hear. The audience started looking at each other with uncomfortable glances.
"Ah! There it is!" Kurama announced. He then opened the chest revealing it to be empty.
"Huh... Well that is a predicament," Kurama said, his hands on his hips.
Turning to face the ground once more Kurama called, "Hey Yuki! Come on out!"
The woman named Yuki then stood up from behind Hinata. All three girls were amazed beyond belief, and had a bit of their pride hurt. They were three well trained chunin and had no idea that that woman had appeared behind them.
The magician walked back to the stage, a smile on her face and dripping wet. When she reached the stage she turned back to the audience. Kurama once again tapped the ground with his cane and fire swirled around her, drying her off.
Hinata was enthralled in the show, just like the rest of the audience. Her attention was diverted when she reached into her pocket for a small packet of candy she had smuggled out of the compound candy storage. Next to the candy she found a piece of paper. 'I didn't put that there'.
Pulling out the piece of paper Hinata's heart was sent into another flutter.
'Meet me after the show, behind the tent. ~Kurama'
Hinata's face turned bright red. Sakura and Ino could feel the heat coming off her face. They had looked away from the show for a second to check in on their friend.
"Hinata, are you okay?" Sakura asked.
"I think she's more than okay," Ino said with a sly smile.
Sakura followed Ino's gaze to Hinata's lap, seeing the note and a smile quickly forming.
"Ooooo. Hinata, it looks like someone's taken an interest in you. And it just so happens to be one of the cutest boys I've ever seen," Sakura said.
Hinata started burying her face in her hands. Sakura and Ino laughed before returning their gaze to the show and giving Hinata a break. A man in a lab coat and goggles had come out with a multitude of bizarre plants. He would drip some sort of chemical on them and they'd become even more weird and amazing.
The show was filled with a multitude of amazing acts that were either equal to their predecessors or even better. When the show came to a close the circus troupe treated the crowd to another amazing musical number.
(Of course not the exact lyrics but I would suggest playing "The Other Side of Hollywood" as it's what came to mind with this scene)
(I'll quote the song but it's only for placement purposes, timing and all that if you want to align the music with the writing. If you want to skip then skip)
"Ain't it the best," Kurama sang. "Long live the dead!". As Kurama said this the tent darkened and a giant orange fox head rose out of the ground around Kurama, chomping down on him with the final beat of the song before everything went dark. A second later the lights turned back on to reveal the stage to be completely empty.
Now that the show was over, Sakura and Ino turned their attention back to Hinata. "So, are you going to take him up on that offer?" Sakura asked.
"Aren't you two looking for dates for yourselves?" Hinata asked, trying to divert the conversation away from her.
"Eh, we already know most of the boys in the village. Besides, this is faaarr more interesting," Ino said. Sakura confirmed her agreement. Together they helped the increasingly embarrassed Hinata out of her seat and out of the tent. Once out there they shoved her towards the back of the large tent in a giggle fit.
Hinata gave them a nervous look back. "Oh come-on Hinata! You're a badass shinobi of the leaf! He's only a circus ringleader! If things get bad just beat his ass!" Sakrua said.
"Not too hard though! If it doesn't work between you two I'm going to want to take my chances," Ino called.
Hinata replied with a nervous smile as she shuffled towards the back of the tent where all the performers and animals were. If it had been any other boy she wouldn't be as nervous, but this was him. Her first crush, and even worse, the cutest damn boy she's ever seen. 'I guess he really did join the circus' she thought.
As Hinata made the final turn she saw him start to approach. He had ditched the hat, coat, and vest leaving him in his white button down shirt and pants. The top two buttons were undone, hinting at an impressive physique beneath. Hinata started breathing a little heavier for a few seconds before her thoughts were broken when he greeted her, his hand scratching the back of his head. Her face erupted and a short greeting was returned. The boy smiled nervously and looked down, making him even cuter to Hinata.
"So, would you like to go out some time, y'know?".
^)(^)(^)(^
Bada-bing bada-boom. Chapter One is done. I hoped you liked it. If you did, please comment, it brightens my day. If something didn't make sense, isn't cohesive, or you just didn't like, also comment that too so I can improve for the future.