Chapter 7: Meanwhile

Takamiya Chika, a seamstress/tailor working in her own shop near the center of Konoha. She has a few workers under her helping around, sometimes her son also comes to move things or clean up. Her shop was small yet successful, equipped with good quality threads and needles to sew. Her customers always complement how fashionable and comfortable her products are.

After losing her husband, the widow was devastated. If it weren't for her newborn son, she would've lost hope in her life. Picking herself up wasn't easy, but she was able to somewhat return to her normal life.

After saying goodbye to another customer, Chika checked the clock and saw that it would be almost time for her son to finish school. Too bad that it's Monday, she has more work at the beginning of every week.

"Worried about Ken-kun?" One of her employees was embroidering a design on a blouse while asking her, "Relax, he is a bright child. He will be fine."

"It's not about Ken I am worried about, it's his..." Chika carefully chose her words, some resentment on her pretty features, "friend he hangs around with."

That set them quiet, the workers here are aware of the 'friend' he's made. One of them sighed, "Why does it have to be the kyuubi brat?"

"Oi, quiet. You know we're not suppose to talk about the Yondaime's daughter like that."

"Can you blame me? You feel just the same as I do, that little girl is too dangerous to be around with."

Silence permeated in the tailor shop, horrifying memories of that night seven years ago wasn't something that could be ignored easily. The rumbling earth, the ear-piercing roars, as well as that ominous chakra. Just seeing the bijuu from afar was enough to paralyze them in fear. The kyuubi simply rampaged without caring about the people it killed, many people lost their lives that night and they were lucky if they could even find the bodies barely recognizable.

As powerless civilians with no clear understanding of chakra or the chakra beasts, their way of thinking is the norm in Konoha. Although it's sealed, they feared that the bijuu couldn't be contained for long, constantly living in the same village with a ticking timebomb. Civilians just want to stay away from the jinchuriki, hoping that their hokage have the beast under as much control as he proclaimed.

"Chika-san, I know it's a little late to ask this. But are you fine with Ken hanging around that girl?"

Images of her genin days flashed into the widow's mind, remembering the days she met Kushina and the others though also remembering that unfortunate night seven years ago. While Chika wanted her son to be nowhere near the jinchuriki, she saw so much of his father in him that she didn't want her pain and hatred to influence his choices.

"No, I am not. Though knowing Ken, he probably already has some inkling of the reason why. I am willing to allow my son to make his own choices if he thinks it's fine."

"That's a lot of trust you're putting in a seven-year-old. Well, he's Hiraku's kid so maybe nothing too bad will happen."

Just as they got back to work, Chika noticed a lot of shinobis jumping across buildings outside. That doesn't happen often, "Is something happening outside?"

Squinting her eyes, Chika thought about the direction of those shinobis heading to before widening her eyes in fear, "It can't be... Everyone, look after the store for me."

Before the employees could stop her, Chika made a mad dash towards the Academy, 'Please let me be wrong!'

As she got closer to the destination, the more shinobis she could see and the more despair she was falling into. Chika repeatedly assured herself that her son is safe over and over like a mantra, though that doesn't mean her unease was alleviating. Cold sweat poured and heart pounded in her ribcage. By the time she arrived, her despair grew all the more.

Yellow lines and shinobis were surrounding the perimeter. Medical shinobis were even present to treat the injured while the teachers were attempting to calm the crying children. Chika didn't want to assume the worse until she heard the ambient people talking.

"How terrible. The Academy was attacked."

"How could they've let this happen?"

"Just when the Hokage is out of the village for business."

"I heard that some of the children were kidnapped."

Chika couldn't take it anymore, barging through the line and ran into the Academy. The shinobis and staff called out to stop her, "Wait, you can't go in there!"

"Ken! Ken, where are you!? Ken!" Ignoring the warnings, she charged in while shouting for her son's name. Nonetheless, she didn't get far before shinobis stood in her way, "Please let me go! I need to find my son!"

"Takamiya Ken is your son?" One of the shinobis asked in surprise before growing worried, thinking how he is going to break the bad news.

"Excuse me, Takamiya-san." A teacher with a scar on the bridge of his nose came, following behind him were Kushina and some of the clan heads. And none of them were wearing hopeful expressions. Riddled with guilt, Iruka felt that he should be responsible of informing the parent, "About your son..."

"What happened!? Where is he!? Is he hurt!?"

"..." Facing in front of the single parent, the teacher felt the weight on him heavier and heavier, almost too much to say the words.

She grabbed Iruka by the shoulders, screaming at him, "Why won't you answer me!? Where is my baby boy!?"

"... He was kidnapped by enemy shinobi along with the clan heirs."

"No..." Chika's legs nearly gave out on her, desperate that the teacher might have been mistaken, "NO! Why!? He's just a normal civilian! Why was he taken!? Why didn't you protect him!?"

"Chika-chan..."

"Don't touch me!" She swatted away Kushina's sympathetic hand, glaring at the shinobis in front of her, "Haven't you had enough!? You already took Hiraku away from me and now you took my only son! I knew I shouldn't have let Ken stay with that Kyuubi monster! Why are all the precious people around me keep getting taken!?"

Before they could stop Chika, she already dropped to her knees, sobbing her eyes out. The pain of losing someone she tried to suppress has overwhelmed her. People around them saw her state and heard her words, whispering to themselves. The jinchuuriki's reputation just plummeted further down. Although they were just as concerned about their children, Kushina and the others needed to diffuse the situation or else further chaos would disturb the peace in Konoha.


As soon as Minato heard the news via a messenger bird, he didn't even bother finishing his business and teleported as many times as needed to return to the village, leaving his escorts and bodyguards to handle the rest.

The sudden usage of Hiraishin so many times in a short period drained the Yondaime somewhat yet he didn't dare to take a break. As the representative from the Academy, an injured Iruka Umino volunteered to come and explain everything in detail. Minato, along with major clan heads were in the Hokage's office, paid rapt attention, until Shikaku Nara frowned at one detail.

"So you're saying that a civilian child was able to sense an abnormality coming when nobody else couldn't?"

"Yes." Iruka answered truthfully, filled with shame, "I had assumed that he was mistaken at first. As a teacher, I regretted not believing him."

"There is also the fact that he displayed chunin level speed and strength to help save our children." Suspicious, Hiashi stated his own opinion, "That is not possible unless he was hiding his talent or he is an enemy shinobi acting as a spy from within Konoha."

"No, I do not believe that Ken-kun could be a spy."

They all turned to Minato. The way he said so firmly meant that he knows something they don't.

Three years ago during Naruko's fourth birthday, his daughter got too excited and was lost in the crowd. The Yellow Flash wasn't too worried since he could tell her location via the hiraishin marker he incorporated into her seal. He didn't teleport since it would cause a commotion at that time so he walked, she wasn't that far anyway. So imagine his surprise when he found Takamiya Ken keeping Naruko company, he even went to buy takoyaki and shared with her.

Although he was the same age as her, Ken showed maturity beyond his peers. He treated Naruko not as the Yondaime's daughter or the Kyuubi, but as a normal person and friend, even showing genuine care about her wellbeing. Minato then decided not to reveal himself, knowing that his daughter yearned for a real friend so he let them have a little alone time while keeping an eye.

So imagine his surprise when Ken actually turned around and sensed the Hokage around the trees behind them. Minato was so happy for Naruko that he became lost in thought, the only reason he was able to evade his senses at the last second was his intuition and reflexes honed from years of experience in the battle field. The Yellow Flash wasn't stealthy enough to hide from expert shinobis at that time, though he knew that it was supposed to be more than enough to evade civilian children.

It was at that moment that Minato could see the potential in Takamiya Ken as Konoha's newest prodigy.

Tsume growled, "What are we waiting for? Let's form a team and go find our kids."

"Haste make waste, Inuzuka-san." Minato wanted to frown at the arrival of three old newcomers, but he had to keep up appearance. The Konoha Council, led by Danzo in front, denied Tsume's suggestion, "The village was infiltrated without anyone's notice until they emerged. If we leave without preparations, they might return. Or worse, other nations will find out about this."

The one-eyed elder gazed at the Hokage, "Particularly the Yondaime, they came most probably because you were not in the village. I know you wish to go save your daughter but your presence here is vital."

"I suppose that is the case." Minato reluctantly agreed, he couldn't leave even when he wanted to anyway. Wherever those enemy shinobis are keeping the children, it's too far for him to sense where his daughter's hiraishin marker is, "However, the next generation of Konoha is equally if not more important. We still must dispatch an elite group."

"We concur, which is why I have already assembled a team of Root ANBU specialized in retrieval and combat. They are ready at your command."

That... now that set warning bells in Minato. He knows Danzo who cares greatly regarding Konoha, yet his methods are at times questionable, "In that case, that saves time. I was worried because the number of shinobi I have in mind are too few. We will dispatch them as soon as possible."

The Hokage turned to his wife as well as the other parents in the room, "Everyone, rest assured. We will save all of them without fail. That why, focus on Konoha and investigate how they managed to infiltrate Konoha."

After they all bowed and left, Minato sensed his surroundings to confirm that he was alone before calling, "Come."

A shinobi flashed to right in front of the Yondaime, kneeling in respect, "What are your orders?"

"Follow the rescue team and keep a close eye on Danzo's Root ANBU, there is something going on. Your primary objective is the children's safety. I am counting on, Itachi."

"Yes."


Once he settled his business, Itachi followed the loud rumbling in the distance. A fake trail lead them to another hideout though the Uchiha was perceptive enough to notice the decoy, and the other trail of blonde hair confirmed his suspicion. He just hoped that he can make it in time.

As soon as he got closer, he pressed the receiver and quickened his pace, relaying the message via his intercom, "I found them at the north-west. Hurry."

He heard their cries for help. Itachi knew that his mission was to save the children, though he couldn't help but assess Satsuki's condition first. As her older brother, he wanted to be certain that she's fine. She has internal injuries, her solar plexus is where it hurt the most judging by how she's holding her stomach yet nothing fatal.

Can't say the same for the civilian child. He has internal injuries, near depleted chakra, and a large hole in his stomach. With how pale he is and the amount of blood lost, normal people would think that he's a corpse by now.

"Nii-san!" Satsuki clung to his pants leg, trembling. Initially Itachi assumed that his little sister was horrified by the kidnapping, that was until her next words cut him off, "Please save him! He risked his life to protect us!"

While he showed no changes, the ANBU shinobi was surprised for a split second before analyzing once more. The civilian child aside, the others were tearing up more so in concern for their friend instead of their injuries. It seemed very unlikely, but Itachi deduced that the dying child fought the enemy shinobi and somehow got everyone to escape.

All of those thought processes occurred in less than one second in the Uchiha's mind, and his hands were already moving before said thought processes were finished. Opening his pouch, Itachi began administering emergency first aid, including topical pain relief medication, bandages, etc, "Don't worry, help is already on the way."

Just as he finished, the medical shinobis he messaged earlier arrived. They didn't bat an eye to Ken's condition and began medical ninjutsu. One of them grunted in worry, "This is bad, this child won't last for much longer."

"We'll have to treat him as we travel. Itachi-san, we will leave the others to you."

Three medical shinobis carried Ken off, two were keeping him alive and one was holding him stable as they travel. This is nowhere near the ideal treatment though they don't have any other choices, only the more advanced medical equipment in Konoha's hospital could have a chance of saving the boy. They didn't expect the enemy shinobis to inflict mortal injuries to the hostage they went out of the way to kidnap, they can only hope that Ken can last long enough.

"His pulse rate is slowing, can we make it in time?"

"It doesn't matter, we have to do what we can!"

They pumped more chakra while leaping through the trees, maintaining a delicate procedure that requires a lot of chakra control while hurrying was putting a lot of stress on them.

Once they made a long enough distance, one of them pulled out a kunai and funneled his chakra, stabbing it to a tree. An instant later, Minato teleorted in front of them and teleported them to back to the hospital.

The stretchers and doctors were already prepared in advance, bringing Ken immediately to the Operating Room for surgery. The Yondaime didn't even pause to wipe his sweat from the long distance teleportation, opting to ask for information until she heard a scream.

"KEN!"

"Chika, please wait-"

Fugaku Uchiha tried to stop her from barging in, though he didn't have the heart to do it when he can only see mortifying fear on her face. Chika harshly pushed in the midst of the chaos, hoping to see if her son was brought back safe and sound.

Well, her son was brought back, but not safe and sound. As soon as the single mother saw his state, her untrained eyes only witnessed what can understandably be Ken's corpse.

"No..." Chika didn't even register that the stretcher was going to the Operating Room, only dropping to her knees in despair as the image of her only son's lifeless body forever burning into her mind, "NOOOOO!"

"Chika, please listen. Ken-kun is still alive. Your son is still alive." Minato grabbed her shoulders, doing whatever he could to calm her down, "Konoha has one of the best medical facilities in the world, Ken-kun still has a chance to survive."

"Ken- He-he-he-" She hiccupped several times, only hearing that her son is still alive, "He's alive?"

"I know his condition is severe, but I know he is a strong child. Ken-kun can-"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY SON!? YOU COULDN'T PROTECT HIRAKU!"

Taken over by intense hatred and fear, Chika starting hitting the Hokage in frustration. The surrounding shinobi approached to take her away until Minato's hand stopped them. There was a silent order for everyone to not interfere, partly for his friend's sake and partly because Minato felt that he deserved it.

"WHY!? I ONLY WANTED WHAT'S BEST FOR KEN! WHY DID IT TURN OUT LIKE THIS!? WHAT POINT IS BEING HOKAGE WHEN YOU COULDN'T PROTECT YOUR PEOPLE!? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE MY HUSBAND!? WHY DID YOU LET MY BABY BOY GET IN DANGER!? WHY!? WHY!?"

At this point, she was a sobbing mess, nearly breaking down from the emotional pain. All the happy moments she had with her son, from the day he was born holding his tiny little fingers, to the present time when she saw his smile before going to the Academy. If she lost Ken, she could never experience those moments again.

Minato stayed silent, having no excuses for what he's done. He could only two words, "I'm sorry."

"... If you're really sorry... If you're really sorry..." Chika stared directly at the Yondaime, her hatred wasn't worth losing her only remaining family. Backed in a corner, she couldn't think of any way of saving Ken by herself, tearfully begging for a miracle, "Then please save him. I'll pay you back no matter how much. I'll do whatever you want. Just please... save my baby boy..."

Kushina and Mikoto went to Chika's side, the latter still in a mess as she sobbed on their shoulders. Minato hardened his gaze, giving her his word that without a doubt, he will save Ken, "I will."


In a certain town where the stores lit brightly under the night sky, a blonde pig-tailed woman was getting wasted from alcohol. Her words slur as she downed the drink and ordered for more, "Ahhhh! Oi! Get me more booze! This stuff is good!"

"Tsunade-sama, I think you have enough for tonight."

"Don't be such a wet blanket Shizune. Come on, you have a drink too."

"How can you drink when we just lost almost all of our ryo!? We'll need to eat wild herbs and stay in the woods for months before we can be financially stable again!" The ravenette laid her head on the table in despair, tears streaming down her cheeks while feeling her wallet as empty as her stomach.

Tonton vainly tried to cheer the medical shinobi up by rubbing his head on her cheek, "Oink."

"It's not like this is the first time, we can just do odd jobs and find some patients to earn back the cash." The Legendary Sucker flipped the newspaper before bringing out her lucky number, excitingly wondering what's her luck today. She was a bit busy with today's gambling and haven't checked her number yet, "Look Shizune, we can still get some ryo with today's lucky draw."

"... Oou."

"Stop worrying, this time we got... second place."

Shizune and Tonton were fully alert upon hearing those words. Whenever the Sannin has good luck in money, there will always be tragic luck in life approaching. Tsunade grabbed her belongings, "We're leaving now."

"Really? You just said you wanted another drink."

The ravenette silently gasped at the newcomer. His long spiky white mane and the kanji 'oil' on his forehead protector were dead giveaways. He smiled slyly at the sight of the beautiful big breasted woman in front of him, "It's been a while Tsunade, mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead, because we are leaving."

Before the medical shinobi could get up, Jiraiya was already blocking her way, "Feisty as always, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

As much as Tsunade did not want to be involved, she didn't have much of an option considering how rusty and slightly wasted in her current condition. She supported her head with an arm propped up, scowling, "What does Minato want?"

"Quick on the uptake I see, I'll call him in then."

From their seat, they see a blonde spiky young man without his headband entering before joining them. Since he's so (in)famous, Minato dressed more casually without anything indicating his status, "Good eve-"

"Skip the pleasantries, I know you're in urgent need of my help." Tsunade drank the rest of her alcohol, prepared for the trouble she doesn't want to be involved in, "We had an agreement, you'll let me travel under the condition that I come back to Konoha once every two years, and my last visit was less than six months ago. What's so bad that you need to come here personally?"

"I'll get to the point then." Minato interlocked his fingers, a professional air surrounded him, "I need your help to treat a young boy. Rouge Iwa shinobi infiltrated the Academy and kidnapped him as well as the clan heirs. We managed to rescue them yet the boy sustained fatal injuries."

"Iwa? I was wondering when they'll target you for the last war. How did they get through Konoha's barrier?"

Jiraiya answered, "We are investigating that and found some leads, though right now that gaki is our top priority."

"What's so special about him?"

"He is a civilian child with no proper shinobi training, yet he was able to fend of a jounin-level shinobi and saved all the other clan heirs."

Tsunade, Shizune, and Tonton widened their eyes when they heard that. The blonde Sannin whispered after piecing the puzzle, "Another prodigy."

"Yes, and also a hero. He selflessly risked his life to protect eight other seven-year-old children despite being the same age as them. A courageous young child such as him deserves better than remaining in a coma in the hospital."

"... He even saved Naruko?"

"Especially Naruko. In fact," Jiraiya had a lewd smile on his face, "I heard that they're pretty close. I already got a lot of inspiration for my new book."

A dark aura emanated from the Yondaime, his hollow eyes was enough to spook the other shinobis present for a second. And the way he was still grinning amicably only made it creepier, "Now now Jiraiya-sensei, Naruko is still too young for that."

The medical shinobi glanced at the Yondaime, expertly detecting subtle occurrences due to her experience. Increased breathing rate, slight perspiration, flushed skin etc. He was trying to conceal it, though Tsunade could tell the teleportations he did must have consumed quite an amount of chakra, they were drinking in a store nowhere near Konoha after all, "What is his status?"

Returning back to normal, Minato handed her Ken's medical report. Tsunade flipped through before gapping in shock, "Is this real?"

Minato nodded solemnly, "Every word of it."

"These injuries are enough to kill most fully trained shinobi. Over 14 hours of continuous surgery and now hooked up with 4 life supports to keep him alive, and this is about a month ago. Why did you leave him in this state for so long?"

"It wasn't easy locating you." The Yondaime frowned sadly, "We are doing everything we can, ready to expect for the worse. With our current medical shinobi, this is the best we could do. And despite all that, Takamiya Ken is still clinging onto life. Even when unconscious, he refused to die. This is why we need you."

"Takamiya." Tsunade remembered that name, Uzumaki Kushina was from the cousin clan of Senju Tsunade so naturally they had a bond. Kushina told the Sannin about her friends and it seems that this child's parents are part of them. In fact, this child's mother was the one who personally made Kushina's and Minato's wedding attire. She could still remember how beautiful those two look at that time.

However, if this report is true, then treatment isn't possible without exposing herself to blood. Tsunade shuddered, recalling how mutilated her deceased little brother and lover became in the last war, the nightmares which befell on her in Konoha surfaced to her mind once more.

"I'm sorry Minato, I can't-"

"I will pay back all of your current debts, and I'll also pay you two million ryo."

That one sentence was almost enough to push those nightmares away. The medical shinobi narrowed her gaze whereas Shizune gaped at the large amount of money the Hokage himself offered. With how Konoha is on the road of recovery from the Kyuubi incident, their finances were directed to the village the last time Tsunade checked. In addition, the pile of debts she has was not anything to sneeze at either. There's no way Minato can offer her that much money unless...

"You are willing to pay me with your own money?"

The Hokage nodded without hesitation, retrieving a heavy pouch from his inner shirt pocket and placing it in front of her, "I will give you one million right now as deposit, the rest will be delivered once you treated Ken-kun."

Taking the pouch, Tsunade and Shizune confirmed that the money was real and not counterfeits, "Why are you going so far for this one boy?"

Minato's thoughts drifted to his genin days, from when he was a genin with Hiraku and the others, to the night of his death during the Kyubi incident, then to the day when he first saw his newborn baby son, "Because I wish to save him."

They could feel the sincerity and subtle pain in his voice, especially Jiraiya who knew the people Minato wanted to save yet couldn't. The Toad Sage added his own opinion, "Tsunade, I understand that you're hurt from Nawaki's and Dan's death, but I also understand the reason why you became a medical shinobi in the first place. Right now there is a kid who is even younger than your little brother when he died, putting his life on the line, please think this through carefully."

Shizune and Tonton watched their boss carefully. To be honest, they want to save this little boy as well after hearing everything. Tsunade furrowed her brows in thought, an unclear haze in her eyes before finally making a decision, "I'll do it under two conditions. First, Shizune will provide the treatment. I'm confident that she is skilled enough to save him so I don't want any complaints."

"As long as Ken-kun can be saved then I have none. What is the second?"

"Secondly," A conniving smirk was on her features as Tsunade brought out cards, "we will gamble. If I win, we won't oblige and you'll clear my debts and give the two million. If you win, we will go with you to Konoha."

"Fair enough. It is a race against time, please begin."

A fire lit in the Legendary Sucker, "Yosh, I'll win this in five min-"


Several teleportations later, Tsunade was waiting in a special room outside the Operating Room as Shizune was healing the boy. Thanks to Minato, no one except the chief physician knows about their arrival. The Sannin grumbled petulantly about her lost.

Said Sannin was accompanied by the other Sannin. Jiraiya stared flatly at his old teammate, "Why do you keep gambling when you know your losing streak is bigger than your boobs?"

"I thought I could win that one, Minato was never that good at gambling."

The spiky haired Toad Sage could only groan at her bad habit. Taking another look at the Operating Room, Jiraiya frowned at the time, "It's been over an hour, Minato told me that this particular brat absorbs medical jutsu chakra like a sponge. Part of the reason why his operation was so long because the doctors didn't have enough to heal him as they exhausted themselves first."

"A special constitution even I don't know about." Tsunade commented in interest, "A seven-year-old civilian defeating a jounin is unprecedented. Had he been from a clan or properly trained before, then I could understand. I suppose the prodigy has a drawback along with his immense power. Regardless, this will be good practice for Shizune."

Glancing at the Toad Sage, "And why are you still here? I thought you would be out of the village already searching for information or writing your book."

"Minato still needs me here for some business. Besides, I'm curious about this new prodigy." Jiraiya pulled out some wine and poured a cup, offering to his old teammate, "So, how about some small talk. It's been a long time since we could chat like this."

Tsunade smirked, accepting the drink, "Why not? I don't have much to do anyway."

Meanwhile, in a separate room, Takamiya Chika was watching her son through the glass. The newest doctor treating her son was wearing a full personal protective equipment, so she doesn't know who it is. Minato only said that he brought someone who could save Ken.

Ever since her son was admitted in the hospital, Chika never left for she wanted to be by her son's side. Her store was taken care off by the employees, they understood the situation and told their boss to stay with Ken as long as she needed. There were others, mainly his friends and their parents, who came to visit, yet they maintained distance since Chika was currently bitter towards shinobis more than usual. They didn't want to aggravate the single mother's condition any further.

Over eleven hours later, the operation ended and after some discussions, Minato approached Chika, "Ken-kun will be fine."

Relief washed over her. Chika cried as tears trickled down her face, "Tha-... Thank goodness. Thank you."

"It is still too early to thank me. His condition has stabilized but he still needs rest, he could wake up in days or weeks. Nevertheless, the doctor said his vitality and persistence are nothing short of miraculous, he will definitely wake up sooner or later. She also said she'll stay and monitor until that happens."

Giving her time to calm down, Minato spoke once more, "Chika-san, I know you hate us shinobis. However, I, as well as the clan heirs, will visit Inoichi-san. He said he can show us the children's memories of what exactly happened that night. We had to postponed it for the sake of Ken-kun's treatment as well as other urgent matters, though now we have the chance. You can join us if you wish."

Blowing her nose in a piece of tissue, Chika mulled over the offer, she didn't want to part from her son right now though she made her decision, "Seeing the injuries Ken received that night will greatly pain me, yet I still have the responsibility to watch over my son and see this through. I would like to join."

Nodding, Minato allowed her to make a quick visit to see her son before leading Chika to a special room at Konoha Intelligence Division. The moment the civilian mother entered, she saw the children who were kidnapped along with their parents. The shinobis didn't want to worsen her mood while the civilian doesn't know how to address them after all this time. An awkward tension passed until Kushina walked towards Chika.

"Chika-chan, it's good to see you in better health. I heard about Ken-kun, I'm glad that he is recovering dattebane."

Kushina froze as her old habit returned whenever she's nervous. Staring at the embarrassed redhead, Chika giggled, "I see you still have that verbal tic Kushi-chan."

Upon hearing the old nickname, Kushina smiled so brightly and glomped her old friend, "Chi-chan!"

The others relaxed upon watching the interaction, it seems that the clan heirs won't have to worry about being hated. Inoichi cleared his throat for attention, "Then, I will explain once more. I will read the the memories and project the images into your minds, you will receive closeup view as if you were present that night. I know recalling that scary night is difficult, but would any of you volunteer?"

"I will." Satsuki voiced out, "I didn't see everything and the killing intent at that time was hard for me to concentrate, though I saw more than the rest besides Ken. Do you guys have any objections?"

"It's a drag for me so no."

"None from me either."

"True, we were knocked out longer than her."

"Why does the teme always get all the good stuff dattebayo?" Naruko grumbled as Minato sweatdropped, patting his daughter to calm her down.

Inoichi placed a hand on Satsuki's head and connected their thoughts to everyone else. "Alright, I will begin the memory transfer."

It was blurry at some parts, enough to guess what they were planning though not enough for the kids to know any secrets like Naruko's status. Part of the reason why they brought their children here was to make some quick explanations if necessary to ensure that they don't know too much.

Everyone had a variety of reactions, the clan heads were furious with how they treated their children yet impressed with Ken's achievements. Minato felt guilty for getting them involved but hardened his resolve for the future. The moment everyone saw his so called meiton chakra, they were shocked to see the amount of potential and growth the young seven-year-old could do.

However, only Chika and Fugaku paid attention to the fire in Ken's eyes instead of his new ability. The former covered her mouth in tears while the latter's usual stoic face showed sadness and disbelief. In the heat of Ken's proclaim, what they saw was the image of their deceased former teammate who died seven years ago.


Naruko scampered from the Shinobi Division to the Generals Division, forgetting that she's not supposed to run down the halls. Roughly six weeks passed since the Iwa Incident and the Academy has reopened to teach the younger generation. The pig-tailed blonde has finished school and went to pick something up.

Sliding open the door, she energetically shouted, "I'm here again dattebayo!"

In contrast to her loud voice, she was met with the cold silence of a teacher, not that it bothered her. Naruko took Ken's homework and went back home, acting as the delivery girl for her still unconscious friend.

Although there was a teacher who scolded her for running down the halls again, she didn't stop doing it. Along the way, Naruko saw her classmates waiting, "I got them."

"Make sure you don't crumple them this time, it's troublesome to explain it to Chika-san." Shikamaru whined while waiting at the entrance.

Due to the incident, security was tighter and all students regardless of any shinobi related history, are to wait with the teachers until their guardians arrive to fetch them.

"That really happened?"

"Yeah, you should've seen him Sakura, he was jumping around so fast and punched the Iwa nin in the stomach."

While Ino was recounting her experience to Sakura, Hinata timidly asked, "H-has Ken-kun wo-woken up?"

A small crack formed on Naruko's smile before she quickly fixed it, "No, but don't worry. It's Ken-kun, I'm sure he'll be okay soon dattebayo."

"Ken-san will pull through. Why? Because he is strong in body and mind."

"Yeah, we all saw how tough he is. I bet he'll just yawn without a care after sleeping so much."

Shikamaru and Satsuki were silent from Kiba's optimistic attitude, they were well aware of how severe his condition was mostly because they overheard from the adults. However, they'll just hope for the best and not say anything unnecessary.

"And he'll be hungry too. You guys wanna go visit him again today?"

"Sounds good but my old man has planned a training session for me so I can't go. What a drag."

"Hm... Same here."

"Guess you guys aren't the only one. Kaa-san kept hounding me to get stronger."

"I-I-I as well. So-sorry."

"We can go check on him next time, and might as well bring some gifts while we're at it."

"Agreed."

Eventually, their parents came to take them home. Kushina as well, held Naruko's hand and walked back together as the latter told how her day went . Once they reached home, she saw her father welcoming them. The little blonde eagerly went for a hug, "Tou-chan, you're home early dattebayo."

"Welcome back Naruko, did you pull any pranks today in school?"

"No, I was a good girl who slept through class the whole time."

The casual reply made the Yondaime sweatdrop. He then put on a serious face and so did his wife. Oblivious, Naruko didn't notice the change and simple smiled.

"Naruko, I think it is time that I told you the truth."

She tilted her head cutely, "What truth dattebayo?"

"Please be calm when we tell you this honey." Kushina bent down, staring at her daughter face to face, "And you must promise to not tell anyone about this, not even to Ken-kun."

"Okay, I promise."

"Good girl. It's about what happened during the Kyuubi incident. Seven years ago, we announced to the public that Sandaime-sama and I managed to kill the Kyuubi. However, that was wrong. An enemy shinobi infiltrated at that time and I wasn't able to stop him."

"Not even tou-chan dattebayo!? But you're the Hokage, you're the strongest!"

Minato chuckled, "That's right, he had a special power and I wasn't enough. I determined that the Kyuubi's power was needed and Sandaime-sama sealed it into a newborn infant at the cost of his life. We call people like this jinchuriki, people with Tailed Beasts sealed inside them to harness their enormous power. People of Konoha were not allowed to talk about the jinchuriki to maintain secrecy and allow her to live a normal life. Regardless, it didn't work as well as I hoped."

"After the Kyuubi which killed so many of the villagers, it terrorized not only the land but the minds and hearts as well. I wanted everyone to see the jinchuriki as a hero for holding back the Kyuubi, though everyone was haunted too much by that night and couldn't accept the outcome so easily."

Although she wasn't the sharpest, Naruko was starting to get a bad feeling. Her heart pounded in fear, "Wha-what are you saying tou-chan?

"I wanted to tell you this when you're older, but the situation has changed. Naruko, the Sandaime and I sealed the Kyuubi inside you."

At that revelation, Naruko's whole world spun. The little blonde remembered the whispers and glares whenever she met people outside. Now it all made sense, "Th-then... the whole reason why everyone hates me... why I couldn't make any friends... is because of you...?"

The sight of his daughter trembling and tearing up wasn't easy for Minato to handle, "Yes."

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Naruko shouted in frustration, glaring at her parent, "Do you know how hard it is to be treated like a monster!? All those times when I wanted to make friends and then they avoided me the next day!? Why would you do this me!?"

"Naruko-"

"No!" She slapped away her father's sympathetic hand, "I don't want live here anymore! I hate you! Tou-chan you big dummy!"

Before either of the parents could stop her, the jinchuriki bolted through the door. Minato and Kushina couldn't simply chase after her, the latter especially knew what she's experiencing right now. They had to give their daughter some alone time to sort out her emotions.

Didn't mean that they weren't heartbroken about this. Minato understood it was cruel and made the decision for his daughter without consent, his heart pained as if a knife twisted an open wound.

Kushina placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, "She didn't mean any of that, I'm sure Naruko would return."

Minato nodded, mentally keeping track of the hirashin seal on her. As long as he can sense her, he won't make the same mistake again.


Under the evening sun, Naruko ran away from her house while crying and sniffling. The seven-year-old little girl couldn't understand the reasons why she has the Kyuubi because of her father. She always thought that fathers always love their children, yet this was the opposite of it. She didn't stop running, despite the stares she gotten from the people around her, she couldn't care less and ran.

Before she knew it, she found herself at Senju Park. Wiping her tears, Naruko hid in bushes, the same one where she first met Ken. Her current mood made her want alone time as she hid herself from everyone. Wrapping her arms around her legs, Naruko stayed like that and lamented.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, and she didn't care. Naruko simply sat in the same position even with the leaves falling on top of her head and the chilly air. Some time passed, she eventually calmed down a bit though she was still angry with her father.

The bushes rustled, Kushina went out alone and found her daughter. Dusk has long past and it was already night. The redhead crouched down, "Naruko, do you want to talk about it?"

When Kushina received a silent shake of a head, the Uzumaki sat next to her daughter, "I know what you're going through, I was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi before you."

"... Really dattebayo?"

"Yes, it was painful and difficult. However, the jinchuriki before me said even we can have a happy life." Kushina embraced Naruko in a warm hug, "With love. As long as we have someone loving us and we love them back, then being a jinchuriki isn't a problem for us dattebane."

Warmth spread around Naruko as she could feel the cold in her heart melting slightly. The sound of her mother's heartbeat was very soothing, "Does tou-chan love me too dattebayo?"

"Of course he does. Your tou-chan was hurt that he had seal the Kyuubi in you. He wanted to find another way but couldn't. Your tou-chan loves you very much."

Naruko wiped the tears, her eyes were still slightly puffy, "Kaa-chan, can we go visit Ken-kun?"

Kushina was surprised though it does make sense, "Okay. We can't stay for too long because it's late, let's hurry."

Taking her hand, Naruko walked to the hospital, entering the room where her comatose friend is. Chika was there and wasn't expecting visitors this late, she and Kushina talked a bit and realized that the former forgot to have dinner. After some persuasion, the mothers left to get a quick bite, leaving Naruko sitting next to Ken's hospital bed.

The smell of disinfectant, the noises from the machine, the injured friend. Everything was still the same the last time she visited. Naruko wasn't sure why she came here, and spoke, "Hey Ken-kun, you'll never guess what happened today."

She tried to turn her sad smile as bright as possible, "Tou-chan told me that the Kyuubi is sealed inside me dattebayo."

...

"Crazy right? At least now I know why everyone hates me. Is that why I have whisker marks? You always said they're cute."

...

"I yelled at tou-chan and blamed him and ran away. It's his fault that I'm like this." The more Naruko talked the more she couldn't stop. Perhaps she just wanted to tell someone about this without being judged. And what better person to tell to than someone unconscious, "Tou-chan said to keep it a secret so don't tell anyone dattabayo."

...

"A lot of people died when the Kyuubi came right? Even your tou-chan. I guess I can understand why everyone hates me now."

...

"And then those Iwa shinobi came out of nowhere, I realized that they came because they wanted the Kyuubi."

...

"Because of that, you tried to save me and got hurt. First I killed your tou-chan and now I almost killed you."

...

Drips of tears flowed down her face, beads of water dropping on the floor, overwhelmed with guilt, "You... are the first real friend I made. You always hanged out with me whenever I told you to. I was so happy that I took our friendship for granted, I always believed that you'll wake up any time soon. Now I only realized that it might not happen. I really am an idiot for noticing this late huh?"

...

"Ken-kun, I'm... sorry. I'm so sorry that all the bad things that happened to you was because of me."

... You didn't do anything wrong. I chose to help you.

"You still got hurt because of me. If the Kuubi wasn't with me, this wouldn't have happened to you and everyone else."

And if more shinobi comes, I'll protect you again. I'm not dumb enough to let myself get killed, it would be pointless if I die and couldn't hang out with you again.

"Even after everything that's happened? I don't want to go through this again."

You're not alone. Me and your parents will always be by your side. You're just as much of a victim as everyone else for housing the Kyuubi. That's why, it's all right now, we're here for you.

"Really...? You promise that you won't hate me?"

Yeah, I pro-

Naruko almost slipped out of her chair before grabbing the bed rail. Blinking, she wiped her eyes and noticed that she fell asleep. Her mom and Chika-san weren't back yet so it couldn't have been long. A small smile appeared on the little girl's face, even if it was just a dream, it made her feel a lot better, "Thank you Ken-kun."

"You're welcome. Did you know that you can talk in your sleep?"

"Ah! You didn't hear any of that-" When Naruko turned to the door, there was no one present. In fact, there was no one else in the hospital room besides her. She was visibly confused.

"You might also want to wipe that drool. Some of it got on the bed when you slept."

That voice sounds dry and raspy. If there was no one else... Naruko was scared, fearing that it might be a dream again. She turned around slowly... very slowly. Her eyes widened when she found the owner of the voice. Violent emotions whirled in her heart, yet the biggest one was happiness. Naruko wiped her tears once more, smiling brightly like she usually does.

"Hey Naruko... I'm back."


AN: I will make no excuses, I'm starting to become too lazy to write. Anyway, hope you like it.

Ja Ne