Akage heard the chirping of birds outside and was greeted by the soothing smell of citrus. He lay on something soft and his small body was wrapped in an incredibly warm embrace. He felt secure.
"It's time for you to wake up, my little angel." A soft voice spoke up.
His eyes snapped open and he slowly turned his head to see his mother smiling down on him. His chest tightened and his eyes watered.
"What's wrong?" Nami asked and wiped at his eyes. "Did you have a nightmare?"
The white walls of their tent greeted him when he looked around himself. His mind whirled and he couldn't get a word out. Without thinking, he just wrapped his arms around his mother and smothered her in a hug.
"What's with you?" She chuckled. "You're awfully clingy this morning. Even at night you tossed and turned until I hugged you. You clung to me for dear life."
"I-I thought you died," Akage cried. "That bald ninja stabbed you so many times, and you were so cold."
He lifted his head to inspect her. He only saw her long red hair, fair skin with rosy cheeks, and her usual soft smile. Her left eye was bandaged — Akage didn't know if he ever saw her without it — and her right iris was black. No matter how many times he checked her over, it was just his mother.
"Why would I be dead, silly?" She pinched his nose with a frown. "I was right, you had a bad dream, didn't you?"
He just nodded in response. She was right, it must have been a bad dream.
"Don't worry, there aren't any evil shinobi nearby that want to stab your mom. Besides," She smirked and brushed her fingers through his hair. "Your mom is really strong! Not even Madara Uchiha could beat me."
"Not when I have such a handsome little son to look after," She said and ruffled his hair. "I'll need to live long enough to beat all the hussies off with a stick, once you get older."
Nami pushed him back onto the bed and tickled him, and the tent was soon filled with giggles.
Yes, this was how it was supposed to be. Him and his mother by his side, just the two of them. He didn't need more than this, he was satisfied with what he had now.
"Stop," He laughed.
But Nami didn't stop her tickling attack, causing tears to form in Akage's eyes.
"Mom, stop! I can't breathe!"
He started kicking with his legs. Not harshly, but merely to get her off of him.
"Mom! Really, stop! I'm going to pee my pants!" He pleaded and grabbed her sleeves in distress.
Nami's hands trailed up and she continued tickling him until she reached his neck.
"I died because of you."
"W-what?"
Her face darkened and Akage sputtered as she wrapped her hands around his throat.
"You're weak!" She screamed. *Pathetic! I should have never given birth to you! Why couldn't you have died instead of Otoi?!"
"S-stop! Mom, w-why're you doing this?" Akage whimpered, clutching her wrist as the grip around his throat constricted.
Nami's face paled, her body growing as cold as the day she died. Her expression was twisted in mania as she squeezed and squeezed.
"I didn't need to die! I should have ran away and left you behind! You've always been a burden to me since you were born!"
Blood and saliva splattered from her mouth with every remark as she loomed over Akage and strangled him.
His face reddened from the lack of oxygen. The inside of the tent spun, his vision spotty while he slapped his tiny fist against his mother.
"I was killed because of you… Your dad was killed because of you… You're nothing but a burden, and a pathetic weakling."
His vision went dark, and with a final croak, his eyes closed.
"Happy birthday, Akage…"
***
"Hiruzen, hand over that boy to me." Danzo Shimura spoke in a measured voice, addressing the newest addition to Konohagakure.
"He belongs in Root. Uzumakis have the potential to become powerful shinobi, especially him. With who his parents were, he could become a weapon to protect the village from outside threats."
"No," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, tapping his pipe. "That boy will grow up like any other child should. He has suffered enough."
"Hiruzen, think!" Danzo exclaimed sternly, tapping the ground with his cane! "This could be a ploy by Kumogakure. That child could be a spy planted by them to reveal secrets about our village!"
Hiruzen shook his head slowly with an exasperated expression. He glanced at Danzo, lifting a sole eyebrow, and stared at him as if Danzo grew a second head.
"You don't even believe that yourself," Hiruzen scoffed. "You have seen that boy's mother, witnessed the state they left her in. You were there when we examined her body. 29 stab wounds to the abdomen."
Danzo grimaced. Hiruzen was right, he stood right next to him while her corpse was examined. Even someone as cold as him felt displeased by the savagery brought upon the woman. He even felt a flicker of remorse for the boy.
He quickly pushed that emotion away, there was no time for that right now.
"It could still be a trap."
"Not even someone as brutal as the Fourth Raikage would sacrifice a jonin of his village," Hiruzen rebutted, taking a drag of his pipe. "Especially not an Uzumaki."
"So what?" Danzo snorted coldly. "Are we taking in every stray who wanders into our village? Waste valuable resources to treat their injuries? You're growing soft in your old age, Hiruzen. Let m—!"
"Enough!" Hiruzen exclaimed in irritation, slammed his fists on the desk, and stood up from his seat.
Danzo straightened his spine and held his tongue. It seemed like he had made a mistake.
"A moment ago you wanted to take him under his wings, and now you're saying we're wasting resources of the village?"
Hiruzen's eyes drilled holes into Danzo. He could guess what his old friend was playing at. Danzo wanted him to discard the boy, so that he could snatch him up himself and turn him into one of his little puppets.
"Let me remind you about the teachings of our teacher, Danzo," Hiruzen began. "To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward. Like master, like man!"
"Those and the teachings of some of our previous Lord Hokage, Danzo. Be sure to ingrain them, because from your actions just now, I can see that I'm not the only one who has grown weaker in age."
Danzo gritted his teeth, he wanted to refute Hiruzen's claim! But when he looked behind Hiruzen, at the pride of their village, he saw the disapproving visage of his old teacher staring back at him.
"What about the matter with the Hyuga?" He asked. "Hinata Hyuga's failed kidnapping almost sparked a war. Kumogakure might really start one this time if they discover that we're housing the offspring of two defectors."
Hiruzen smiled at Danzo's contemplating expression. It seemed like he finally convinced his old friend. This was no rebuttal from Danzo, but a mere question about how they should play the cards in their hands.
"I must admit that I deeply regret the incident with Hizashi Hyuga." He sighed. "But his sacrifice was his own decision. Like myself, he didn't want to incite a war, but I agree that we should have handled it differently. I was foolish."
"There won't be a similar incident with Kumogakure in the future. The Fourth Raikage doesn't know about the existence of Akage Uzumaki, because no one of his Anbu could report on it. We have disposed of their bodies and covered our tracks."
"What about Nami Uzumaki?" Danzo questioned. "Won't he continue searching for her?"
Hiruzen just smiled in response, and he mulled that look over. A moment later his sole eye widened a fraction.
"I see," The edges of his mouth twitched. "It doesn't matter if he'll continue to look for her or not. Because, in the end, he'll just look for Nami Uzumaki. That boy's existence is unknown to him, like you've said before. And he'll never find his mother since her corpse rests here in Konohagakure."
"Correct." Hiruzen nodded.
"Where will he stay?" Danzo asked, thinking that he still had a chance to get his hands on him.
"Coincidentally, someone has already offered to take care of the boy." Hiruzen said.
"It was time that he finally mellowed out." He thought and took his seat again.
"Don't tell me!" Danzo exclaimed.
"You're dismissed." He said with a wry smile.
"Hiruzen!"
"Leave."
Danzo scowled and walked to the door. He opened it and paused to speak.
"Although I agreed with your earlier decision, I stand by what I said. That boy belongs in Root. I'm certain you'll regret your refusal."
"I won't."
Frustrated, Danzo slammed the door with all of his might on the way out. The bang echoed through Hiruzen's entire office, and even shook the windows.
"That old fool should have looked for a wife in the past," Hiruzen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "With all that pent up stress, he'd have his own children to fill the entire Root base."
"Inu."
A shadow landed in front of Hiruzen's desk and revealed the kneeling form of a silver haired Anbu member.
"Yes, Lord Third?"
"What's his current condition?" Hiruzen asked, tapping his pipe to his lips.
"He was still asleep the last time I checked on him." He responded. "The wound was infected and he ended up losing his left eye. The Medic-Nin were able to implant a new one, but he'll still have to keep it bandaged for a while. The scar on his face will remain."
"That's fine," He smiled. "It's good enough that he's alive."
Hiruzen took another drag of his pipe and a quiet lull remained in his office as he was in silent contemplation. A while later, he pulled out a file from his desk and addressed the kneeling figure.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said. "Don't you think it's time for you to leave the Anbu? You should resume your regular post and take leadership of a genin team."
Kakashi stayed silent, his form rimrod straight. Hiruzen sighed, and turned his head to the carved face of Minato Namikaze hanging on Hokage Rock. He was feeling sentimental.
"I see," he spoke. "Inu, you're dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Third," he answered and body flickered back into the shadows.
"Uzumaki…" Hiruzen mused. "I wonder if the two of you could be friends?"
***
Four weeks later, Akage Uzumaki awoke with a start. His throat was parched, there was a funky taste on his tongue, and his surroundings were entirely foreign to him.
He sat on a soft bed inside of a room with white walls and a brown tiled floor. There was also something stuck to his face, touching it revealed the familiar feeling of bandages.
"… Just like mom…" He mumbled with a heavy heart.
His' was the only bed inside the room. On his left was a wooden nightstand with flowers in a pot and a cup of water. Just what he needed!
After taking a sip and setting the cup down, Akage's eyes drifted to the giant glass window on his right and what he saw took his breath.
There were countless buildings with blue, orange, green, or white roofs. Shinobi jumped from one building to another, and civilians walked amongst other shinobi on the streets and struck up conversations.
There was no snow that covered everything, even the green leaves on the trees danced freely in the wind. The only thing cold about this scene was the glass underneath Akage's fingertips while he clung to the window.
It was beautiful.
Was he finally in Konohagakure? Did he make it? Had the shinobi brought him to this village?
He decided that he should thank them personally. Mom always told him to give his thanks if somebody did something for him. It would show his appreciation.
Akage guessed that he was in a so-called 'hospital', a special building where ninja made people healthy again. He should thank them too!
He was here, but where was his mom—!
… Right… she was …
He bit his lips and shook his tears away. He'd cried enough, and it would never fix anything anyway. He'd still be the same weak burden afterwards.
Just then, the door opened. Akage instantly looked up at the tall black haired man who walked in. He had tan skin, a beard, and wore a green flak jacket and a sash around his waist with the kanji for 'Fire' marked on it.
It was one of the shinobi who had saved him, carrying Nami's tanto and Akage's teddy bear.
"Oh, you're awake," he smiled. "That's good. I'm Asuma Sarutobi."
"Akage Uzumaki," Akage responded, staring intently at the objects Asuma carried.
"No need to introduce yourself again," Asuma chuckled and closed the door behind him. "There's no way I could forget your heartfelt declaration back in the Land of Iron."
"O-oh," Akage mumbled with a small blush. "What about the other shinobi?"
Asuma scratched his head, unsure of how to word it. Sure, Akage wasn't unfamiliar with death, but he was only a three year old in Asuma's eyes.
"They're… Well…"
"Dead?"
"Yes…"
"Good." They should be.
They were directly responsible for the death of his mother, he wouldn't feel any remorse for them. That only left him as someone directly responsible.
Asuma pursed his lips at the cold glint in Akage's eyes and the blank expression on his face.
"Here," He handed Akage the objects in his hand. "I thought you'd want to have them. No clue what your mother did to the plushie, but the blood was easy to wash off. I didn't even need water, it wiped clean with just a towel."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me," Asuma waved it off. "They're yours anyway."
Akage grabbed the plushie and straight tanto and held them tight against his body. They were the only objects he could remember his mother by.
"Not just for that," He shook his head. "Thank you for saving me."
"Of course! You're a future Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf after all."
Asuma chuckled and grinned at the tiny smile on Akage's face. He was happy that he could bring it out. Kids like him should smile like that.
"I guess I should fully introduce myself. My name is Asuma Sarutobi, your current guardian. You'll be living with me from now on."
Akage's head snapped up. His eye widened at the reveal, and he stared at Asuma's roguish grin.
After a pause, Asuma bent down and put his hand on Akage's head. It was warm.
"Welcome to Konohagakure."