Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or events that are linked to Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Chapter Twelve

"Thank you for protecting Kushina." Kakashi's duty was finally finished. It was close to the date in which the jinchuriki would be induced, and all had been well. The Anbu had been sure to keep a close eye on the woman, and throughout the months that had passed, no harm had come to her.

Her or the 10 year old staying with her.

"It's usual for ninja directly under the order of Sandaime to take over the guard during the birthing period," Minato explained to his former student, the 14 year old slowly nodding.

"Then I'll be returning to my regular duties." The Fourth shook his head with a light smile.

"There's no reason to rush. Why don't you take a break?" Kakashi had been working hard, and he had spent all of his time for the last several months watching over Kushina; he deserved time to himself.

"That's not necessary."

"No need to be modest, Kakashi," Minato said playfully as said young man scoffed. "We all deserve a break here and there. You've earned it." And anyways, just by looking at him, the Hokage could see that he had been doing much better these last few months. He wanted Kakashi to be able to mingle with his friends again and integrate himself back into Konoha life—even if it was only a tiny bit.

Every bit mattered.

After a moment of silence, Kakashi slowly nodded his head. He carefully reached up to his porcelain mask and pulled it off, his former sensei not hiding his pleased smile.

"Thank you."

§

"It's not fair!"

"Karibi—"

"I should get to be there!"

"You don't want to be there. I don't want to ruin your childhood."

"But that's my little brother!" Karibi was less than pleased.

The time had finally come for Kushina to have her baby, and although the Burgundy haired girl was more than thrilled for her guardian, she had just been informed that no one other than Sandaime's wife and Minato were welcome. It was so secretive and serious that only a tiny handful of people knew about it. And no matter how much Karibi insisted she wanted to be there, nothing seemed to get through to anyone. And so, she begrudgingly let bygones be bygones.

But that didn't mean she wasn't going to complain.

Kushina chuckled at the girl who was very much like her younger sister and daughter lumped into one person. She smiled brightly as they walked down the dirt path of the forest; although Kushina had been strictly instructed to stay home, she had been able to sneak out for a bit.

"Karibi?"

"What is it, neechan?" The woman smiled as she stopped, the pair now standing in the middle of a clearing. She gazed up at her guardian with curiosity gleaming in her eyes, the pregnant woman taking a moment to catch her breath; even walking had become a bit difficult in her current state.

"Before I leave today, I want to teach you something."

"Teach me something? Now?" Karibi blinked.

"That's right!"

"What is it?" The young girl couldn't lie and say she wasn't at all intrigued by what Kushina was offering.

A serious expression suddenly came over Kushina's face as she gazed into Karibi's eyes. The chunin stared back just as composed, though inside, she was a bit nervous; Kushina was never usually this quiet when she trained her. So, whatever she was about to show Karibi—that meant it was something important and something big.

"You remember what me and Minato explained to you—that I'm a jinchuriki, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you remember what it means to be a jinchuriki, right?"

"Of course. I'd never forget." Kushina smiled softly.

"Well...there's something I want to teach you, for the future," the woman explained as Karibi nodded. "Something I hope you'll never have to use...but it will come in handy!"

Unknown to either of them, so began Karibi's very last lesson with Kushina.

§

Kushina-neechan sure was being strange today. Karibi walked through the village alone, having dropped Kushina back off at home—where a not-very-pleased Biwako had been waiting for them. The young girl glanced up at the darkening sky before she pouted, still lingering on the thought that she was unable to be present in such an important moment for Minato and Kushina. She frowned before tucking a piece of her long hair behind her ear. And just as she did that, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Kari-chan!" Knowing only a few people called her by that name, the 10 year old stopped and looked over her shoulder, grinning as her friend in green began to approach her quickly. "Help!"

"Guy-chan, what's—" Karibi paused before she smiled even wider. "Kashi-chan!" Said boy smiled slightly underneath his mask as he nodded to the young girl. The two stopped in front of her as she raised a brow, immediately noticing the distress Guy was in.

"What are you doing to poor Guy?" Kakashi scoffed.

"We need your help!" the ninja in green exclaimed as Karibi raised a brow out of curiosity.

"Help with what?"

"Picking out a new challenge!" She should have known.

As Guy prattled on to the 10 year old, Kakashi looked back over his shoulder. He tried not to frown, the same chill from earlier creeping up his spine. He finally turned in the direction in which he felt a disturbance, and as he did so, Karibi took notice. She gazed at her older friend with confusion, seeing the tense gleam in his eye. She then pat Guy on the shoulder, who had finally stopped rambling before he looked back at Karibi and Kakashi.

And that was when it happened.

Out of an enormous cloud of smoke rose the Nine-tailed fox.

Everyone stopped what they were doing in order to gaze up in fear at the creature in the distance. A force from his chakra made some stumble, though the more experience ninja were able to at least stay on their feet. Kakashi stared with shock teeming from his eyes as Guy gapped before Karibi's breath hitched. She trembled as she stared with widened eyes, Kushina's words echoing in her head.

There's something I want to teach you, for the future.

As Karibi gazed down at her hands, she then realized what the presence of the Kyuubi meant for Kushina.

"No!" Lurching forward, Karibi went to run towards the nine-tails. But as she did so, a figure appeared in front of her, blocking her path. "Kakashi, move!"

"I'm not letting you go," he stated evenly as he glanced over his shoulder, watching as the demon roared viciously with its head thrown back.

"I need to go!" Karibi shrieked as she tried to push past Kakashi. The Anbu held her back by grabbing her upper arms, but not wanting to actually hurt her, he merely did his best to keep her from going forward. He glanced to Guy, who quickly nodded, rushing behind the frantic girl and grabbing her by her shoulders.

"I said let me go!" she shouted as she began to fight against both of them; she was strong.

"Karibi, you have to calm down," Kakashi said sternly as he winced, the young girl shoving him back before she stepped firmly on Guy's foot. He yelled out in pain before the girl disappeared, and just as Kakashi shook his head and turned to rush after her, he stopped, a fellow jonin stopping him from going ahead.

"Gather in the guardroom now!" he commanded as Guy frowned.

"But—"

"Those were strict orders from the Sandaime, himself!" Hesitating, both boys glanced at each other before Kakashi relaxed, nodding his head.

"Hai."

§

She was running aimlessly. She wasn't sure where to look, but she had to try and find Kushina and Minato; they were in danger. Karibi ran from rooftop to rooftop before she stopped, nearing the Kyuubi and the damage he was causing. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the wild creature, watching as it swung one of its tails and slashed through a building, tearing it down completely. She glanced down at the streets, watching as the people screamed and ran while other shinobi tried to contain the beast. Without anyone noticing, the 10 year old jumped and continued forward, closer to the creature. She recited what Kushina had taught her in her head over-and-over again, but as she did that, she heard a soft cry in the distance.

"Mom! Dad!" The redhead stopped as she noticed a young boy around her age pushing past the retreating people. She stared intently at him, noticing his every feature; brown hair pulled up, scar over his nose, eyes welling up with tears. Her eyes widened when she took notice of how close they had somehow managed to get to the nine-tailed fox before she jumped down and shoved him out of the way of flying debris. They hit the ground together, the young boy coughing while Karibi quickly sat up, helping him to his feet.

"Hey! What's your name?" Karibi shouted out over the noise as the boy looked at her with shock.

"I—Iruka Umino."

"Iruka, what are you doing out here? The villagers were supposed to be evacuated," Karibi pointed out urgently as she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the Kyuubi, which was beginning to move further into the village.

"We have to go!" she shouted as she grabbed his wrist to pull him out of harm's way. She blinked when she stumbled back, the boy tugging his arm from her grasp and shaking his head.

"I have to find my parents!" he snapped as Karibi stared with wide eyes.

"It's too dangerous! If your parents are out here—"

"They're fighting that thing right now, and I have to help them!" he shouted as the redhead's eyes softened. She looked up at the demon fox as it screeched through the night, smashing everything in its path. Karibi shook her head as she tried to get the young boy to move.

"Please, we have to—" Karibi and Iruka screamed out when the fox's paw swung and tore through a building down the road. The roof broke into pieces, slabs of wood flying in every direction. The two quickly moved out of the way, but as they ran, the frantic boy fell over, a chunk of drywall colliding into the back of his head. He hit the ground with a hard thud, making Karibi stop in her tracks. She grimaced, quickly running back to his side and helping him back to his feet before another roar filled the night.

"Come on! Get back up!" she insisted as Iruka moaned, a small gash on his forehead. He stumbled to his feet, leaning against the young girl for support as she grunted, doing her best to keep him steady. "I'm going to get you out of here, ok?" she called out as Iruka merely grumbled, his head still spinning and the voices around him going in-and-out.

Stumbling down the street, screams rang out, Karibi doing her best to ignore them and the cries for help. Although she had originally gone out hoping to be some kind of help to Minato and Kushina, she couldn't pass up this young man, after all, he had been hoping to do the same thing for his parents. But that was when she had realized that this was no place for them. And so, she decided to try and drag him back, even if he was heavier than she expected.

"Whoa!" Karibi stumbled as Iruka's foot caught on something on the ground. They hit the ground, the 10 year old wincing as she knocked her head against cement. She kept her eyes squeezed shut as the sharp pain shot through her, her hold on Iruka loosening. She rubbed her head as she quickly tried to push past the pain, forcing herself back to her feet. "Iruka! I need you to work a little with me!" she shouted as she dragged her companion along.

With another howl to the moon, the fox let all of his tails do as they pleased, crushing all in their path. Karibi quickly jumped out of the way, carrying Iruka along with her. As she ran with him, the young boy began to slowly come to, blinking away the blurriness that was draped over his vision. He cringed, his head aching, but the warmth from beside him brought a bit of comfort to him.

§

"You what?" Hayase was livid. He was seeing red, and it was hard for him to really be aware of what exactly it was he was doing.

They had all been given strict orders. None of the younger generation of ninja were allowed to leave the designated area outside of the village. Seals had been placed around the clearing they had gathered in, keeping any sort of danger out for the time being. Many of the older jonin had already gone back out to the battlefield, leaving four jonin to keep guard of the younger shinobi. And although they were all safe from the chaos outside of the barrier, no one was truly safe from the chaos inside.

Hayase and Hana had been together when the village had turned into a mess. They had been eating dinner together, smiling and laughing together—as if it was just the two of them. Because, unknownst to Hayase, Hana had been keen on his feelings for her, and she happened to be rather pleased with that; she had been silently harboring her own feelings since after their first mission together as a team. As the two continued on their night out, the fox sprang up and began destroying their home. And before they could even react, they had been summoned and evacuated from the village.

And when they had discovered Karibi was still out there, Hayase had nearly lost it completely.

"Hayase, stop." Hana frowned as she tried to calm her teammate down, the young man glaring at Kakashi as he held him roughly by the straps of his flack jacket. He snarled at the 14 year old, not caring whether or not the gray haired ninja was part of the Anbu black ops or not.

"He just left her! He left her out there with the Nine-tailed fox running around and destroying the village!"

"Hayase, it wasn't—"

"Shut it, eyebrows!" Guy frowned at that.

Hayase glared menacingly at Kakashi, the more skilled one of the two staring with a cold look of his own eye. He remained calm, though it was beginning to become a bit more difficult; his head was thrumming with concern.

"Karibi isn't a pushover."

"Yeah, and she's also a 10 year old chunin!" Hayase exclaimed, the other people around them merely watching quietly, some trying to mind their own business and others eavesdropping without being noticed. "You think she stands a chance out there with that monster?!" Hayase shouted as Hana carefully pried his tight fist off from Kakashi's jacket.

"Hayase, it's not Kakashi's job to watch over Karibi like her guardian." But in some sense, it had been.

"Maybe not as her guardian, but as her friend!" the angry boy snapped as he glared at Kakashi, who stared hard right back to him. "She's obsessed with him! Never stops talking about how awesome he is and how I should be nicer to him! But you're exactly what I knew you would be!" Hayase said as he took a dangerous step closer, his face in Kakashi's face.

"You're just a guy willing to do what it takes to survive. Even if it means abandoning your friends." And, somewhere in Kakashi's head, there was a nerve—one, last nerve that suddenly snapped.

Without thought, Kakashi's expression remained blank and icy, but he was moving quickly. He clasped tightly to the collar of Hayase's shirt, shoving him hard into a tree, and as he did so, the chunin gasped, the wind being knocked from his chest. Hana's eyes widened as she nearly shouted out, the other adolescents watching with shock and fear.

"Oi! What's going on over there?!" a jonin shouted from a distance as he noticed the commotion from behind.

"Kakashi, let him go," Guy said nervously as said Anbu glared with his one eye, and although it was just his right eye, Hayase could nearly feel the rage and the hatred seeping through it.

"Kakashi, come on," Asuma added as he glanced over his shoulder, the jonin approaching them. The masked boy's fists trembled as he held Hayase against the tree, the 12 year old staring down at Kakashi; he was instantly regretting his words.

After a short second, Kakashi released Hayase, the chunin sliding down the tree and coughing. Hana quickly knelt down beside him with a frown. The 14 year old stared down at him silently, Hayase's words repeating in his head.

"What the hell is going on over here?"

"Nothing, sir!" Kurenai quickly said with a forced smile. The man glanced around the small group of what must have been quarreling friends before he hesitantly nodded, leaving it at that. He turned and quickly made his way back to his post, leaving them to whatever they had been doing.

Hayase felt himself coming down from his furious high, and as he relaxed he realized the blunder in his words. He frowned to himself as he looked up at Kakashi, the masked boy not once looking away from him. They stared at each other for a long moment before the silver haired ninja turned and began to walk away. Guy grimaced and quickly followed after his eternal rival, the others looking after Kakashi and Guy.

Leaving Karibi on her own hadn't been the plan. Kakashi would have gone after her had he not been stopped. And although he was skilled and could have easily evaded the jonin, he knew that it wasn't the right thing to do. The village was in danger and so were the people. Had he gone out there without any clue as to where Karibi was even headed, he would have just been causing more trouble for the others. Still, perhaps Hayase was right. He shouldn't have abandoned Karibi as he had done. He had vowed to himself that he would never make that same mistake again, and yet, here he was, reliving it all again. He had thought he was better than that. He thought he had been changed. He had truly believed in what Karibi said about him, but perhaps she was wrong.

"No." Kakashi suddenly turned and disappeared, catching Guy off guard. The boy in green blinked as he glanced around for his friend. He looked back to the others as they gapped, having no idea where exactly the Anbu had gone off to, but then, they all had an idea as to where he had gone.

Hayase blinked before he sighed. "Looks like I was wrong about him."

§

"Iruka! You still with me?" Karibi had nearly made it to the outskirts of the village. She had carried Iruka all the way herself. She could have easily asked for assistance from a fellow jonin, but everyone had their hands full. The village was still being evacuated and there were ninja dying left and right in order to keep the fox demon from getting any closer to village.

"M—My parents," the young boy muttered as he pried his eyes open, finally getting some semblance of control back in his body.

"For now, we have to get you out of here. And then, I promise! I'll ask someone to look for your parents!" Karibi insisted; she was better off than Iruka was. The young boy blinked with a surprised expression as he looked up to the girl who had saved him.

"Y—You'd do that?"

"Of course! It's a ninja's duty to protect the people and—" Karibi's statement had been cut off, tremors from the ground causing both kids to blink as they looked down to their feet. The earth began to grumble as the ground shook, and as it did so, a building to their right began to crumble from lack of support. Karibi's eyes widened as she began running, Iruka staring up with wide eyes.

"We have to go faster!" she shouted as she held tightly to his hand now, but even as she ran, she had a feeling they wouldn't make it.

That is, until someone else appeared.

"Karibi!" Said girl looked back and began to grin, a woman using all of her strength to hold up a piece of the wall that had nearly crushed them.

"Riku-sensei!" The jonin panted as she winced, her chest aching and her arms and legs burning. She had been out with the others, doing her best to keep the fox demon contained, but things hadn't been going well.

"What are you doing out here?!" the woman shouted as she threw the chunk of wall away from her student, quickly approaching her and kneeling down before her and another boy. "You were all supposed to be evacuated!"

"I know! But I need to help him!" Karibi explained as Riku looked over at Iruka. She eyed the boy for moment, recognizing her features.

"You both need to get out of here, it isn't safe!"

"But my parents!"

"No buts! I'm taking both of you out of the village!" Riku snapped as she grabbed Iruka, who began to fight against her strength; even in her weakened state, he was no match for her.

"No! You can't take me!" he shouted as Riku frowned, doing her best to keep the squirming boy in control.

"Alright, Kari—" Riku's eyes widened when she found the girl gone. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened. She began to look around frantically. "Karibi!"

The time has finally come :( The Nine-tails has arrived and with that, we all know how this goes. We'll just have to see what exactly is in store for Karibi and the village. It's going to be a very bumpy road for Karibi as well as several other characters. Not going to say much else, but from here on out, it's going to be an uphill battle. But all good things come in the end! And there will be a lot of growth and a lot of struggling, so hopefully it will be interesting for whoever decides to read on!

Per usual, thank you for reading, following and favoriting as well as reviewing! I truly appreciate you all taking the time to read and support this story and my hard work :)

Reviews:

Juliedoo: Yeah, it is really sad :\ But, as many people say, it gets hard before it gets easy...unfortunately for Kakashi and Karibi, it just gets SUPER hard before it gets easy LOL But who knows! The future might be a bright one for them ;D Thank you for reading and thank you so very much for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy this story and I hope that my hard work will pull through and keep your attention!

Kit: No, there isn't any action between Naruto and Karibi yet because yes, Kushina is still pregnant. Unfortunately, she doesn't give birth until now. So obviously there will not be any action between Naruto and Karibi until later on. I am also keeping to the timeline of this story matched with Naruto, as I've mentioned before, so major things that happen in the series that are important to the plot will remain as is. This story isn't really about changing what happens, but about taking what happens and doing what you can with the circumstances that you're given. I already have this story mapped out and what I want to do with it. Thanks for your suggestions though! Thanks for reading.