AN: Honestly, I had mixed feelings brawling within me when I wrote this chapter.

I am an amateur writer with very little experience in storytelling. I hope to convey the story that I adore into written form, but I have a small voice in my head telling me that I don't have the writing capacity.

I know that I get better the more I write, but sometimes I feel extremely discouraged and unmotivated, causing me to be hesitant to continue.

But at the same time, I feel so happy.

Despite my shortcomings, I was able to write this chapter!

We have finally reached the end of the first story arc.

I've had this in my head since the beginning and no words can describe how accomplished I feel as I post this chapter.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it and am overjoyed that you have made it this far!

Thank you Brindani for being my beta!

And as always,

Happy Reading! ❤（っ＾▿＾）

To Change Fate

Chapter 8: The Nine Tails Fiery Attack Pt. 2

She did not feel brave like Mikoto wanted. Too many things were coming at her at once as she stared at the front door Mikoto rushed out of. Her past life, her new life, her sickness, her deal. Her chest ached. Kushina was in labor, and the Nine Tails might as well come out and squish her like a bug at any moment.

It's hopeless.

"Humiya?" Kushina hissed.

Humiya jumped and whipped her head toward Kushina and watched her get up from the seating cushion in the living room.

"Yes Aunty?"

"Can you… tell me where you keep a spare futon?" Kushina asked, breathing deeply.

Humiya bit her lip, noticing how uncomfortable Kushina was.

She remembered her guardian fretting about how there was enough room for a futon for Kushina to lay in. She unconsciously put a hand over her lips as she thought of where one would be. She wished that she explored the house more, but constantly being bedridden made that a bit difficult.

"Ah!" she shouted and shot up from her spot. "Know. I'll get,"

Like a flick of a switch, she recalled how Mikoto used to sleep on a futon next to her crib at night, so she could take care of her faster. She was sure that there was also one in Sasuke's room.

She scurried upstairs to Sasuke's room but stopped herself from running straight in when she didn't immediately hear the baby's coos. She slowly opened the door to see Sasuke sleeping soundly in his crib. Humiya tiptoed to the closet. Inside, she saw the futon she was looking for, but it was under a heap of pillows and blankets. There were also Sasuke's baby supplies and scrolls packed neatly in it as well. Humiya grabbed onto the futon's soft fabric and pulled as hard as she could, but the bedding would not budge. So, she pulled the lighter pillows and blankets onto the floor before trying again.

She accidentally hit her head on the shelf above her as she did this, making her hiss. She paused when she heard Sasuke whine and looked to see that he only shifted a bit in his sleep. Humiya continued to pull on the futon until it was successfully out. She sighed in relief when she grabbed the bottom part of it and carried it downstairs, the bedding dragging behind her.

When she reached the living room, she walked in on Kushina slowly pacing across the room.

"I'm okay. I am fine, ya know. I got a good grip on him and freaking out will only loosen it," she said in a hushed voice. "I must find out what was in her dream,"

Humiya was about to interrupt Kushina but felt the fiery chakra of the Kyuubi fluctuate within her. She watched Kushina groan and stagger as her chakra overtook it.

"Aunty!" Humiya screamed, dropping the futon, and running to her side.

"I'm fine. Naruto pulled a surprise attack, ya know.," Kushina replied as she rubbed her stomach, her voice. "Did you bring the futon? He settled down, so let me help you prepare it,"

"Uhm, no,"

Humiya looked toward the discarded futon before jumping up from her spot.

"Stay. No help," she insisted before running back up the stairs to get blankets and a pillow from Sasuke's room.

Humiya felt as if she was preparing Kushina's death bed as she spread the bedding across the living room floor, panting from overexertion. She could feel red chakra within Kushina struggling to rip out of her even without focusing on it.

"Where's Minato when you need him?! People call him the fastest man alive, and he is a turtle when you need him most," she grumbled before flinching and rubbing her belly faster. "Ah, all that preparation for nothing! You were not supposed to come for another 2 weeks, ya know! Why did you have to inherit my impatience, Naruto?"

"Aunty?" Humiya panted pitifully as she walked up to her, extending one of the blankets she brought down to Kushina.

Kushina turned to face her, the sweat on her face making her red hair stick to her cheek.

"Thank you. You are a good girl," she said softly, taking the blanket from Humiya's grasp, wrapping it around herself.

Humiya went over to the futon and motioned for Kushina to come over by patting the bedding.

"Come down," she insisted.

"Yes, I should," Kushina agreed, walking over to the futon before seating herself down, placing the covers over her legs.

Humiya trembled, holding the rim of her dress tightly as she sat before Kushina. She could not keep her intrusive thoughts at bay. Now that she thought about it, this moment might as well be the last time she will ever see Kushina alive before the Kyuubi breaks free and ravages the village. There was no guarantee that she would survive the attack either. She sobbed at the thought.

"Humiya, don't cry. I'm not mad, ya know," Kushina sighed before grabbing Humiya's small hand.

"This is a lot for a three-year-old to handle. You must… be so scared. Especially with your vision," she continued, her pause resulting in her taking a deep breath after another contraction passed through.

"Hey, look at me," Kushina urged, grabbing Humiya's small hand before giving it a small tug.

Humiya shook her head and looked anywhere but at Kushina. The mat under them, the small table in the corner, the door that led to the backyard, the blood that was staining the—, the wooden beams that lined the ceiling. Nothing in the room could distract her from the roars erupting in her mind of how screwed she was. She let out a long moan as she wept, the gravity of their situation hitting her at full force.

Kushina rubbed her arm, her hands trembling.

"It's okay to be scared, ya know," Kushina told her before leaning into her ear. "Let me tell you a secret,"

Humiya leaned in with a sniff, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves.

"People call me fearless. I have faced bad people… seen death." Kushina began, her voice soft. "My life has been filled with scary things. And felt fear every time,"

She gave Humiya's arm a comforting squeeze. "What matters is what you do when you are scared. Not if you feel it or not,"

Humiya wiped her face with her sleeve and swallowed the lump in her throat. She shook with fright.

"Scary. Aunty scary,"

"When something scares me, I face it head on and fight it, hard. Kick its butt, ya know!" Kushina replied, punching the air as if to demonstrate.

"Now, tell me what you saw in your dream so we can face our fears together. What you had was a prophetic dream and they are a glimpse of fate, Humiya. I have only heard of one once before,"

"Really?" Humiya asked.

"Yes. It was from my grandmother and if I did not listen to her, I would have died with the rest of my home village,"

Humiya was silent for a moment. She knew that the dreams she had were just nightmares and why she was hallucinating of her past life was beyond her. But those events in her nightmares were of what's to come and her past did happen. At that moment, she felt completely helpless.

Then a thought came to her.

What if telling her changes something?

She looked down at Kushina's shaky hand and put her hand over it.

Humiya concluded that saying nothing wouldn't fix anything gave in to the small thought. She looked around the house as if she were about to tell a secret.

"Okay… But very scary," she said before organizing her thoughts and trying to translate them.

"Dreams no good. Night dark. Big mess. Buildings go. Boom! Boom! Buildings down. Fire and red. Red spreading. Kyuubi fault,"

Kushina's face paled as she clutched her stomach with her other hand, making Humiya stop in her tracks.

"No, keep going. Are the buildings in the village? Where was I?" she asked, still clutching Humiya's hand and urged her forward.

Humiya nodded but knew that her explanation was lacking. She tried moving her arms for more emphasis, her voice becoming more desperate as the images of those dreams came back to her.

"Too much red. Ground red. People red. Not moving. Kyuubi fault. All his fault," she whispered. "You there in woods dark. Red chain. Led you. Naruto,"

She pointed to Kushina's stomach. "You… not moving. Kyuubi fault. Too red. Kyuubi,"

She could not say more, the images so gruesome that her limited vocabulary could hardly describe.

"I see," Kushina sighed before squeezing Humiya's hand with a scream, "Actually, I don't see, ya know! Stupid! Stupid!"

Humiya tried to free herself from Kushina's grasp, feeling the fiery chakra of the Kyuubi blazing as if rejoicing over what was said. She watched as Kushina's indigo eyes flashed red and her nails began to sharpen, sinking into Humiya's fragile skin.

Agreeing to Kushina's request was a huge mistake. Was it that she thought she could not dig herself a bigger hole than she already had? She knew that her Japanese was limited but she didn't expect it to affect her this much.

She screamed as the red chakra burned her wrist and Kushina clutched it tighter.

"You need to tell me more! I know ya know! All I got was that my worst fears will become reality!" Kushina roared as she slammed her hand on the ground in a rage, her voice almost primal. "How can this happen when we put up so many precautions?! Are we attacked? Where is Minato? Tell me! Tell me, ya know!"

"No know! No know!" Humiya cried, trying to rip her hand away and run away.

Kushina let out a feral cry as the Kyuubi's fiery chakra frothed around her and popped like lava.

Suddenly, Humiya heard the front door slam open and a flash of yellow with harsh wind before a man appeared on the other side of Kushina.

"Kushina!" the blonde man yelled.

Humiya watched as he quickly pulled down Kushina's covers and undid her clothing to reveal a swirling black void on her stomach that was getting bigger by the second.

Tears were dripping from Kushina's eyes, her clawed hands gripping the man's shirt.

"Minato…"

Minato made a hand seal before placing his hand over her stomach.

All at once, the once fiery chakra was overtaken by him and sucked back into Kushina's stomach.

Humiya watched as Kushina's eyes changed back to indigo and her nails retracted. It was then that she was able to escape her grasp and back away to a safe distance within the room, clutching her injured wrist close to her chest as it throbbed.

She wanted to slap herself when she recognized the man, his hair and Hokage robe told her as much; his resemblance to Naruto was uncanny.

"You are going to be okay, Kushina. I stabilized you and will get you where you need to be," Minato said, his voice shaky as he caressed Kushina's sullen face.

Humiya watched as he took his hand off her stomach and moved to pick Kushina up, but Kushina stopped him.

"Wait! Minato, you have to listen to me," Kushina cried, gritting her teeth as she moved his hand. "We have to evacuate the village. We must do it, ya know! The prophecy foretold that the Kyuubi will attack the village,"

Humiya felt her stomach drop and knew that the consequences of telling Kushina her dreams were unfolding in front of her. She sat there frozen as Minato stared down at his wife and held her hand tightly.

"Kushina, a prophecy? Like the ones from the Great Toad Sage?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"Lord Fourth, I advise you to not flash away without having me check on your wife's condition," an elderly woman called as she entered the living room with Mikoto and a pair of nurses.

Despite her elderly appearance, the woman had long light brown hair tied into a high ponytail with no signs of greying and sharp dark eyes ever so calculating. She wore a long purple dress with a white haori.

Minato turned to face the woman; relief written all over his face.

"Biwako, please help her! I have never seen Kushina act this way,"

"Of course, Kushina is not herself. She is in labor. Think of the worst pain you have ever experienced, and she is in worse pain," Biwako replied bluntly as she knelt to the feet of Kushina and clapped her hands twice.

The nurse immediately rushed forward, seeming to automatically know what Biwako wanted them to do. As Biwako lifted Kushina's covers, one nurse grabbed Kushina's free hand and the other went next to Biwako with a scroll. The nurse by the elderly woman opened the scroll and medical tools and a bucket of hot water popped out of it.

"It is too late to move her, Minato. It is about time for Kushina to push," Biwako announced as she put on her gloves. "Thankfully, we are safe here and Anbu are posted outside,"

Humiya was so entranced by the scene unfolding before her that she did not notice Mikoto come up behind her until she scooped her up into her arms.

"Mama," she whimpered as she wrapped her arms around her guardian's neck.

"I know, Humiya. You have been very brave. Do not fret. These people are here to help Kushina, not hurt her," Mikoto whispered, giving Humiya a comforting hug.

She looked down at Humiya's wrist and her face morphed into one of concerned fiery.

"Humiya, my baby, what happened to your wrist?!" she cried.

"I uh—" Humiya stammered,

"Worry not, Mikoto. One of my nurses will heal her," Biwako interjected before glancing back at the nurse stationed behind her.

"Thank you, Madam Sarutobi," Mikoto replied with a quick bow.

Humiya watched the nurse bow to Biwako before going up to them.

"Show me her wrist," the nurse asked, her hand glowing green.

"No, wait. My daughter is sensitive to chakra," Mikoto stated.

"Understood," the nurse replied before removing her hand and taking out some bandages and ointment.

Mikoto looked down at the items presented and accepted it by gently taking Humiya's arm showing it to the nurse. The nurse quickly took it and opened the jar of medicine to apply in Humiya's burn before wrapping it with a bandage. It smelt of an indistinguishable assortment of bitter herbs.

"Mikoto, do you know the location of your husband?" Minato asked, his voice calm and clear.

"Yes, Lord Fourth," Mikoto replied simply.

Humiya leaned over to see Minato writing something into a scroll.

"I need you to take this to your husband and to alert him that there has been an evacuation order,"

Mikoto's face flashed with confusion before quickly appearing cordial.

"I see. I will give this to him right away,"

Mikoto rushed up to Minato and took the scroll from him with a bow.

Humiya bit her lip as she watched her guardian walk toward her and caress her cheek.

"After she is done wrapping you up, go upstairs and stay with Sasuke until I get back," she told her before walking out the door.

Humiya watched her guardian leave before Kushina's cries made her look back.

"Humiya, please tell Minato what you saw!" She cried. "Maybe he can understand your baby talk, ya know,"

Humiya sat there frozen as Minato brought his attention to her for the first time, his face pale but eyes ever so calculating. She could feel his chakra without focusing on it like the Kyuubi. She knew that he could kill her without even blinking. She bit her lip so hard that she could taste iron.

"Kushina, let's not focus on a prophecy. I have already called for an evacuation order, and everything is going smoothly. All you need to worry about is delivering Naruto… And we will have a full family just like we always dreamed," Minato assured before leaning down and kiss her on her cheek. "Just imagine,"

Kushina sniffed before shaking her head.

"No! There's no time. I can't! I can't ya know!" she sobbed. "I can't live knowing that hundreds died for our selfish dream! I can't live! After Naruto is born—"

"It is time to push, Kushina. Remember to push with the contraction," Biwako interjected, voice calm despite the tension.

Minato quickly placed his hand back onto Kushina's stomach.

"On the count of three. Three. Two. One…Push!"

Kushina leaned forward at the push, gritting her teeth.

"Kill me, please!" she cried as she pushed before laying back. "You have to… So selfish, aren't we? So—Ah!"

She cried out as she pushed again.

The world around Humiya became a blurry mess at Kushina's pleas for death, the fact that she was part of it sinking its claws into her heart. Ignorance truly was bliss.

She couldn't move as the Kyuubi's chakra clawed at her, seeping into her skin. She could hardly breathe as she stared at the scene unfolding before her. Her heart thudded, phantom hands wrapping around her neck. She felt the familiar feeling of death staring her down.

When she finally took a breath, instinct took over. She screamed at the top of her lungs before fleeing the living room, slipping on the hallway floor as she hurried toward the back door. She bumped against the side of its frame before escaping, her side surely bruised.

The cries for her to come back fell on deaf ears. She did not look back. Run. Running was the one thing in her mind.

She opened the back gate and ran into the dark forest, not caring which direction.

Tree branches and prickly bushes slapped her, and her heart clawed in her chest, but she did not feel it. Farther. Farther into the woods. Danger was behind her. Her life demanded it. Darkness overhead skewed her vision but it did not stop her. The sharp sticks and rocks under her feet stabbed her but it did not stop her. It wasn't until she tripped on a stump and the feeling of being weightless stopped her.

Her vision began to spin as she rolled down a hill, her breath struck out of her when a tree broke her descent. Her body slammed against the ground. She gasped a few strangled breaths before she tried to push herself up to run again, but the pain sprang up her leg and made her fall onto the leafy ground. She screamed and tried again and again, slamming her fist with every failed attempt. Her endless attempts to get up turned into her just slamming the grown and screaming, the anger and sadness of her condition flowing out of her. Soon, those screams became mute with her voice hoarse and only silent tears escaped her. Once her tears had dried and most of her energy left her, she turned over and looked up at the trees that loomed over her.

She did not know how much time passed as she took shaky breaths. The pain from her injuries became more prevalent. Her whole body throbbed, and it struck with every breath she took.

Helplessness. That sickening feeling gnawed at her. The feeling that came and went in waves throughout this pitiful life of hers. It bogged her down to the muddy spot.

She didn't even notice the small flame that zipped toward her.

"I found you," Itachi panted, his voice frantic.

Humiya jumped when she saw his face.

Itachi looked her up and down poking here and there with an intensity she hadn't seen before. She was too weak to stop him even when he touched her throbbing ankle. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cuts, bruises, and a sprained ankle," he stated before digging his hand into his back pouch to take out supplies. "Nothing basic aid and few nights rest won't fix,"

Humiya hiccupped as she watched him open a tin of ointment and put it on her wounds and bruises, his hands precise and experienced. Her mind began to drift as a pleasant smell caressed her nose and the cooling sensation from the ointment turned her stabbing pain into an endurable throb. It was much more pleasant than the nurse's medicine.

Hinoki.

She said nothing as he continued, her body drained, but she noticed his hands tremble with each wrap of the bandage.

"Sorry," Itachi whimpered. "I should have been there to protect you. I was on my way home when I heard you screaming. And I-I couldn't find you,"

It sounded as if he was trying to hold back a lump in his throat. "When you stopped, I feared the worst."

Humiya never heard Itachi sound like this before. He was usually calm and collected, always in control.

"Ninja never cries. Ninja never—" he chanted under his breath as he continued his work, blinking rapidly with a look of shame.

She lifted her now bandaged hand and patted his pant leg and mouthed, "Ita," to comfort him. Instead of giving him any sort of solace, it seemed to have made him feel worse. His silent sniffs quickly morphed into desperate gurgles until a sob finally escaped him.

She felt a few droplets fall into her eyes and down her cheeks. Despite his crying, Itachi did not stop his task of patching her up and did it as gently as his little hands could.

Despite Humiya's vision being blurred by tears, she saw him clearer than ever before. The conniving image of a boy who would kill her when she was older shattered to reveal the five-year-old boy he was. The anime be damned. This was her brother, not some ruthless character from a show. Itachi the character might kill her, but not him. Not her brother. Shame filled her as she struggled to push herself up.

"Do not move," Itachi hiccupped as he whipped the mucus off his face with his arm. "I am not finished. You cannot move until I am done,"

Humiya pulled him in for a hug and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Was bad,"

"Humiya, you do not need to be sorry," Itachi sniffed as he returned the hug, avoiding all her bandages.

He gave her a light squeeze.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Itachi asked as he let go of their embrace.

Humiya hesitantly nodded, knowing that Itachi would understand her better at least.

"Kushina visited. Gave gifts. But baby. Had baby at home. Said wrong and ran away," she said with head down and holding the hem of her now muddied dress.

"I am sure they will understand why you ran away. It is quite a shock that the Hokage's wife is giving birth at our home," Itachi rambled as he put his medical supplies away. "And if they do not understand, I will explain it to them. You must have been very overwhelmed. Mother and Father would understand, and I am sure Kushina would too. They must be very worried since you ran away,"

Itachi paused for a second.

"Now I think about it, Mikoto would have followed you and,"

"Mama with Papa. Out," Humiya added typing to get up but flinched, her body sore.

Itachi frowned at that before turning around and motioning to his back.

"You are in no condition to walk on your own. Let me carry you home,"

"Kay," she replied before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Humiya could not believe she did not notice how drained she felt before he said that. She might feel significantly better with the medical treatment, but all that running and screaming could knock anyone out.

"Whatever happens, I promise that I will get stronger. No, the strongest ninja alive," Itachi assured as effortlessly he hauled her onto his back, giving her a piggyback ride.

Humiya shook her head as she tightened her grip.

"No,"

Itachi glanced back at her with confusion. "What do you mean no? I need to protect you from all the bad that might come at us,"

"No," she said again with more momentum.

She did not want to just be protected nor did she want her emotions to roar out like they did. Her mind might as well regress to that of a child with what she did, or she never truly matured in her past life. Whatever it was, she needed to grow stronger to do what she needed to do. Then a memory of what Itachi said in the past came to her mind and reached down to grab his hand.

"Strength shared so both strong," Humiya told him, her mind clear. "Fight for me, no. Fight together. Together!"

Itachi blinked at her outburst before giving her a small comforting smile. "Okay, get better and let's grow stronger together,"

Humiya watched her trees pass by in a blur as Itachi climbed up the hill and ran through the woods, anticipating what's to come. A part of her wanted to believe that she was overreacting. She was three years old after all.

Humiya did not want to think about the dangers ahead and think only happy thoughts, but reality always had its ways of reminding her.

Itachi stopped and his body tensed, making her tighten her grip.

"What wron—"

"Shh," he whispered before looking around and slowly stepped forward.

She scrunched her brows at his sudden demands and looked ahead. She looked up at the lights of their house which illuminated their path. Nothing could have set him off until she looked down. She covered her mouth in horror.

In front of them, a masked man laid motionless; the smell of blood making her cover her mouth. Itachi jumped up into the branches above and looked at the backyard. She could hear a baby crying from the living room. She could deduce that Naruto was born. Her heart stopped when she saw a man in black robes and swirl markings on his white mask faze through the gate and into the house.

She rubbed her eyes when she saw it, thinking it was a ghost until screams erupted and part of the house exploded. She hid her face behind Itachi's in horror as a wave of heat and wooden debris scraped her. The chickens clucked in panic and fled into the woods. She wanted to flee too, but the yells and the clings of metal made fear she felt when she faced Kushina a mundane worry.

When she gained the confidence to look up, the part of the house where the living room was supposed to be was on fire, flaming debris scattering the once pristine backyard. She looked toward the window where Sasuke's room was and it thankfully looked unscathed, but the fire looked to be spreading.

"Sasuke," Itachi whispered as he ran to the edge of the branch and jumped into the window of Sasuke's room.

They looked and saw the room untouched with Sasuke lying in his crib uninjured but weeping with fright, his body shivering and his face wet with tears and snot.

Humiya got off Itachi and sat herself down onto the floor, watching her brother quickly grab a sling from his messy closet. He took the howling Sasuke out of his crib and into the sling before shushing him as he rocked. But it did little to stop Sasuke's cries.

Humiya closed her eyes and felt only two flames shining dimly, one brighter than the other. She felt her body ice over, knowing that there should be more and that she recognized the flame that struggled so dimly.

"Mama!" she cried, hastily trying to get up and go to the living room but the pain from her ankle stopped her.

Humiya quickly got up and flinched when she put into her sprained ankle. But that didn't stop her from

Itachi then presented her back to her and she hopped onto his back before they headed downstairs to the destroyed living room. Blood splattered with the midwife's assistants dead on the floor. Kushina was no longer in her futon, it now lay bloodied and bare before them. There was a fiery hole where the wall used to be, and a hanging piece of fiery wood fell onto the ground.

But Humiya could care less of the state of the house when Mikoto laid there, bloodied with Biwako over her with her hands glowing green over her stomach.

"Mama!" Humiya cried as Itachi ran over to the pair.

Mikoto opened her eyes and looked up at them, eyes glossed over and breathing shallow. She lifted her hand up and Itachi grabbed it.

"You're all alive… thank Naka," she cried relief before hastily adding, "You have to leave,"

Itachi looked up at Biwako and demanded, "What happened here?"

"We were ambushed by a masked man and your mother protected me. Now, listen to your mother and run head to the shelter," Biwako replied, not looking away from her healing.

Humiya watched Mikoto's eyes flutter and wanted to gag at the coppery smell of blood. She couldn't stop staring at the source. Along with small cuts littering her guardian's body, a large gaping wound that went along her side that seemed to be closing slowly with Biwako's chakra.

"It's better than it looks, so do not worry," Mikoto urged "Itachi, I need you to run as fast as you can,"

"But you,"

"We will be fine. Reinforcements will come," Biwako added.

Humiya shook her head.

"No leave! No! No!" she cried, feeling her guardian's flame fading away.

Mikoto coughed and a heap of blood came out her mouth, her hand slipping from Itachi's grasp.

"I will take care of your mother. Focus on your survival! Go!" Biwako barked.

Humiya reached out to them as Itachi got up and slowly backed away. She didn't know what to think as her guardian lay wounded. So much blood. So much red. All she saw was red as her vision became clearer than it had ever been.

"Go!" Biwako repeated, intent leaking out of her.

"Mama!" Humiya screamed as Itachi turned to run away.

He rushed out of the house and into the chaotic street, not looking back. A crowd of people were outside and rushing in the same direction with men in police uniform guiding them. Humiya clung to him like a lifeline as Itachi waved through the mass of people. She thought her tears were dry, but they came with new vigor as Mikoto's wounded body and desperate face showed clearly in her mind's eye.

"We have to go to the shelter," he mumbled to himself.

Sasuke's cries were reduced to weak whimpers, but a strong gust of wind made him scream. Humiya felt a huge wave of chakra suddenly appear from above and she knew what it was by its intense killing intent.

She jerked up at the sky and screamed as she pointed, "Kyuubi!"

The Nine Tailed Fox appeared from above and crashed into the middle of the village, the impact sending waves of destruction in all directions. Chaos ensued.

Humiya couldn't keep her eyes away from the Kyuubi as it stood at a distance, its nine tails flicking in all directions, crashing into buildings. She wanted to cover her ears as it let out a blood curling roar before clawing at the building around him, the waves from his cries exploding building and sending them and people up in the air.

"Look out!" she screamed.

No one was safe as the Kyuubi wreaked havoc. The crowd around them scrambled in horror as the debris came hurtling toward them. Itachi quickly grabbed Humiya, ripping her off his back and onto the ground before covering her and Sasuke with his body. She closed her eyes and covered her ears, but she still heard the cries of the unfortunate and the sound of debris colliding with the ground around them.

Miraculously, none of the heavy debris hit them and Humiya opened her eyes when the crashing around them subsided, and the ground stopped shaking. She swallowed bile when she saw those who weren't so lucky, her tears not obscuring her vision. The bodies of the unfortunate scattered across the wreckage, their bloodied bodies in different states of mutilation and homes caved in.

Itachi quickly covered her eyes with his hand, Sasuke screaming in the other.

"Do not look," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Only look at what is in front of us,"

He took his hand away from her face and turned around to put Humiya back on his back. She wrapped his neck and her legs around his waist before he broke into a run.

She saw that the path they were previously taking was now blocked by a massive piece of building, so Itachi ran down desolate streets and back allies, occasionally jumping over rocks and weaving around scattered pieces of houses.

As they went, the sound of a desperate girl's cries was heard in the distance.

"Mom!" she called frantically before coughing. "Mom!"

Itachi turned a corner and she saw see a small girl who looked not much older than Itachi. Her dark brown hair was covered in grey dust and her purple long sleeved shirt was tattered. The girls' brown eyes looked dazed as she called out once more.

Humiya looked up and saw the largest piece of a building hurling toward them and she quickly slapped Itachi's back to get his attention on it before pointing it and the girl with a whine.

"Come on!" she screamed, getting the girl's attention.

He leaped into the alleyway and pulled the girl out of it before the rubble colliding with the building crushed them. Dust surrounded them, making Humiya cough and clutch Itachi's body tighter. Luck seemed to be on their side once again, for she only felt sharp pebbles hit her already bandaged body. Once the dust cleared, she saw the little girl on the ground, battered but alright as well. She looked as if she was Itachi's age.

"Have you s-seen my mom?" she cried as she looked around them.

Humiya and Itachi shook their heads at the same time. The little girl then stared at Humiya.

"Sharingan?" she whispered.

"Shelter!" Humiya cried. "Shelter!'

"Humiya's right. We have no time to look for your mother and we must head to the shelter to be safe," Itachi continued before grabbing her girl's hand. "Follow me,"

"But mom!" The girl cried as she tried to pull her hand back, but Itachi's grip was too strong.

"Your mom most likely would be there as well," he added before running again, dragging the girl with them.

Humiya looked back at the girl and saw her biting her lip but was keeping up with Itachi's pace.

And they were off, weaving through buildings and over wreckage as the ground occasionally shook from the Kyuubi's howls and buildings getting destroyed. Humiya felt herself lose her grip but quickly held on, her aching arms screaming for her to let go.

Itachi's pacing began to quicken when they saw more alive people than dead, all rushing toward the same destination. They followed, the sounds of rushing water and demanding shouts filling their ears the more they ran.

"Head to the Southeast Shelters!" the voices cried. "To the Southeast Shelters!"

They came to a clearing to see that everyone was running toward the Hokage Monument, the Hokage's faces being a beacon of hope for Humiya's sore eyes. She noticed that the people heading to the side of the mountain were small buildings hanging along the monument wall, safe from view and from Kyuubi's destruction. At the base of it was a wooden bridge over a raging river that they all had to cross to get to the shelter.

"Shelter!" Humiya cried with relief, pointing at it with excitement.

Itachi then slowed to a stop to survey the crowd, confusing her greatly. Humiya was about to slap the back of his head but stopped herself when she saw where her brother was looking.

Amongst the people was Fugaku with others in police uniform, some directing.

the scattered crowd to line up to cross the bridge while others aided the injured. Their father stood tall with his arms crossed, grimacing as he surveyed his surroundings. He did not seem to notice them.

"Go on ahead," Itachi told the girl after he stopped in his tracks, making the girl look at him with confusion.

Humiya thought Itachi was crazy. She knew that Fugaku was just fine without them and her aches in her arms and legs were increasing by the second. It would be better for them to go to the shelter and go to him afterward.

"But we are so close!" the girl insisted, pulling Itachi's hand toward the bridge. "Come on, we can go to our parents after."

"No go! Shelter!" Humiya added, shaking Itachi's shoulders for emphasis.

"My Dad is the Head of Police. He is amongst those policemen," Itachi replied, motioning over to the policeman with his head as he rocked the whimpering Sasuke. "It will be quick,"

Humiya shook him some more.

"Come on! Come on!" she whined.

"I have to show him that we are alright," Itachi said bluntly, letting go of the girl's hand.

The girl brought her hands close to her chest before looking at the bridge and back at them.

"Fine," she whimpered. "Find me when you get to the shelter, okay? I'm Izumi,"

"Itachi," her brother replied with a slight bow.

Izumi gave them a sad smile before running into the crowd heading toward the bridge.

Humiya frowned as she watched Izumi run to the bridge, wishing Itachi wasn't so stubborn.

"Follow..." whines weakly in a last-ditch effort to persuade her brother.

"We have to go see Father, Humiya. He must know that we are alright," Itachi told her as he ran over Fugaku.

"Father!" he called, catching his attention.

Fugaku looked down at them, his sour expression unchanged as he looked them up and down.

"I knew you would get here alright. Head to the shelter," he commanded before going back to assessing the crowd.

Humiya puffed out her cheeks at him.

He could at least act concerned.

Itachi nodded and turned around to do what he was instructed, looking back at their father for a second before running into the crowd as they went to the bridge.

It groaned as they crossed it. Itachi tried to weave through the crowd but couldn't be due to how tightly packed everyone was.

Despite the bridge's wooden frame, it held them up fine, but Humiya felt her heart quicken due to it sinking due to the weight of everyone. Mixed with her anxiety was rejoicing anticipation, for they were rejoicing anticipation as they were already nearly halfway across.

However, that solace was short-lived. The Kyuubi let out another reverberating howl, causing the river to rage and the bridge to tremble. She looked up to see the Kyuubi waving it claws at flashes of light and dots as if he were swatting at flies. Then let out a final roar of outrage before being pushed out of the village by some force.

Humiya would have been celebrating this development if the massive fragments of building and slabs of stone hadn't been thrown toward them by the beast. Policemen shouted to protect the bridge and tried to break down the rocks, but there was too much debris. Panic ensued as the wreckage hit the bridge. People shrieked and bawled as they tried to get off the bridge, trampling whoever was in their way to avoid getting hit.

Humiya knew that her luck had run out the moment. Someone bumped into her, and her arms gave out. She heard a huge crack as the bridge broke with her dissension. Everything was in slow motion as she watched Itachi look back in utter horror as they both fell.

"Ita!" Humiya yelled, reaching out for him.

Everything went black as she hit the water with a thud. She hoped the blinding light of death would not come to consume her, but only darkness did.