Chapter Text
The cave was dark. Pure and simple. But no matter how many times they complained about it, their self-proclaimed 'leader' refused to do anything about it...then again he was probably just too busy reading his damn book to pay any attention.
It was rare for them to come together like this, with all the members of their secret organization physically present, but here they were. They all had just gotten back from five weeks of no contact. During those five weeks they had been investigating and locating all their targets. Although...'target' is a strong word, more like 'person of interest'...sort of. These are the people they need to join them in their...conquest, so to speak.
Of these people, a total of nine in number, two had been located. It wasn't exactly all they had hoped to find but it was progress nonetheless. One was five years old and the other was also five but about to turn six. A little young, true, but that was probably for the best. It was time to get this party started.
"Are we splitting up? Or working together, one at a time?" the blond girl crossed her arms with a clear expression of impatience.
"We're working together. It's too risky to try this without full man power. We only have one shot at each attempt. After our first try they'll increase security tenfold on our subject and that will make it all the harder. We go in quick and get out faster." The leader's tone took the side of a steady warning, his one visible, dark eye was focused dead ahead. He was usually much more laid back, but he was serious when he had to be, and now, he had to be.
"Which one do we contact first?" the almost sickeningly deep raspy voice of the snake-like man sounded through the darkness as he tilted his head in question.
"I-I'm not sure which we should go to first, b-but from what I've gathered, none of them are treated very well...wh-what I'm trying to say is, I-I think we should hurry..." the pale-eyed girl's voice was small but they could still hear it.
"I've seen it too, and I recommend we go after the older one." the violet-haired woman leaned lazily against the silver-haired leader's shoulder.
"What? Why? Shouldn't we go after the younger one since he's more vulnerable?" The blond girl argued beside her brother.
"I agree with sis here, hmm. The younger is less likely to be capable of defending himself, hmm." her brother nodded in agreement. (I'm sorry, they're not siblings in the show but they look so much alike so I had them be brother and sister in this so...yeah)
"Alright, so why do you say the older one, Anko?" as the leader turned to look at the one still leaning on his shoulder.
"I see..." the pale-skinned, snake-like man spoke before the woman had the chance to respond as he smirked, "I agree with dear Anko here. While the younger does suffer through multiple assassination attempts daily, he has been able to defend himself flawlessly. On the other hand, the other child suffers a daily dose of abuse as well, but the difference is, they actually get some hits in. The Anbu is hesitant to protect him as it is, but in a few days it will be the anniversary of the attack on the older child's town. We've already observed the abuse that specific child receives on a daily basis, but on that day? The anniversary of the attack? When the whole of the town gathers in remembrance of all the losses they suffered that day? I highly doubt the child will suffer less on a day like that."
Anko glared at the snake-human but before she could snap at him for stealing what she was going to say, the leader nodded in understanding as he weighed the pros and cons in his head. Coming up with the most plausible answer, he turned to the rest of them, "Alright, we're headed to the Leaf."
A few were hesitant but they gave a nod of acknowledgement to him, understanding his point of view and eventually agreeing with it.
"Now as for the plan..."
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(I'm only gonna say it one more time folks! WARNING: Mentions of Child Abuse)
The small boy with sunshine for hair and the ocean and sky for eyes that usually wore a huge smile straight out of heaven...was alone. His cherry pink cheeks were stained with tears, but...no...that couldn't be right. He never cried! Never! He refused to believe it. It must be raining...yeah that was it...
And it was raining. The only difference between the cold, icy raindrops that fell and dripped down his chin, freezing the skin there before splashing down onto the concrete street, was that a select few of the water droplets stuck to his face...were warm. But not warm like a beautiful summer's day nor like the warm fire on a winter's night. It wasn't comforting, nor was it gentle, but it was the kind of heat that stings at the touch. The kind of warm that hurts.
His face scrunched up into a scowl as he furiously wiped away the warm salty tears. He wouldn't cry. He couldn't. They laughed at him when he did. Crying only made them hit harder...
He was hurting in a few places. His black eye, his sore jaw, his bruised side, his injured back, his growling stomach, and....his aching heart. The town hated him, he knew. What he didn't know was why. Why were they always hurting him? Throwing him out of stores when he had money to pay? Beating him up when he had just glanced at them? Calling him a monster and telling him he was no good? He knew...knew he had to have done something wrong. But he couldn't understand what! He asked them...they said he was evil. So he apologized....he apologized and apologized, over and over, again and again, but they just wouldn't stop! No matter how many times he said he was sorry, they didn't care...
And crap, here comes more of that damn 'warmth' dripping down his cheeks.
He was hungry. All the store owners had thrown him out again saying he was a monster. All the money The Third had given him to live off of for this month was stolen during the last attack. The Anbu ninja was nice enough to have saved his life but they hadn't cared enough as to treat his injuries, return the stolen items, nor even arrest the people who had done it. They probably would have joined in if it wasn't their job to protect him come to think of it.
He let out a shuddered breath as his hand clenched the fabric above his stomach. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with his over-sized, ripped sleeve. Oh yeah...his clothes were ripped and dirty and wet. They had been his last set of clothes...Oh well...they were pretty useless now, couldn't even keep out the cold.
Wow, he was freezing. His teeth chattered but he was in too much pain to pay too much mind to the cold.
He was tired....so very tired. He would go fishing tomorrow for some food, and maybe he could make some kind of cloak out of his blanket so he could wear it as well as sleep in it. But he would do that tomorrow, he had other plans for tonight. Such as finding those dirty bandages he had thrown away last week, he had run out as of a few hours ago, he realized, and didn't have any more, he shouldn't have thrown them away, it was stupid. He should've known he was going to get attacked again. It happened all the time. Duh.
He could also try and find a discarded bottle of alcohol. There were plenty laying around just outside of his crappy apartment. He had heard somewhere that you can clean wounds with alcohol. He had tried it before. It hurt...a lot...but he was used to that.
As he was making a mental list of all the things he had to find and put together before he curled up in bed that night, he saw a warm, orange light from the lanterns outside of the new restaurant that had just opened up. He looked up at the sign at the top, he had been teaching himself to read with some help of The Third if he could ever spare five minutes - which was rare in and of itself.
"Ichi--ra--ku Ra--men?" he read it slowly to himself. It sounded funny, he liked it.
He knew he shouldn't, since whoever had opened up this place would throw him out like everyone else for sure, but there was something about the place...a warmth, and not the stinging kind, that made him want to step towards it.
He cautiously walked up to the side of the warm little place and peaked his head in. It was pretty, at least he thought so anyway. Pretty and warm. Happy too. He almost felt inclined to smile...until he saw what was presumably the owner looking straight at him and he squeaked and hid behind the wall.
He heard a chuckle coming from inside. But it wasn't the cruel, mean one he was used to. No, this was a hearty, deep one. It made his heart warm and he wanted to look inside again. He already found himself missing that smell and the warmth of the place.
He cursed himself, this was idiotic, but he couldn't help it. It was just so...so...so right. And he didn't have anything that fit into that category in his life. So he found himself peeking in once again.
He was not expecting what happened next though. The man inside had a huge, kind smile on his face, a steaming bowl of some heavenly substance in one hand as the other beckoned him inside.
His legs moved on their own as he stepped into the warmth of the little restaurant. He wanted to go up to the man. He shouldn't....But he did.
The man's expression changed, however, once the boy came fully into view. It had changed into a frown and the boy immediately panicked. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should've known this would happen! The last time someone was nice, you ended up beaten to a pulp in an alley! Get out of here!'
He took a hasty step back but paused when he looked again at the man's face. The smile had returned, albeit a little more sorrowful this time. "My my, you don't look so good little buddy! I know just the thing to warm you up!"
The child watched in bewilderment as the man set down the steaming bowl in front of one of the chairs and his mouth involuntarily watered as his eyes shimmered in excited wonder.
But the boy tensed when the man came around the counter and over to him, and he tightly shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow.
He should've known better! It always goes this way! But his eyes shot open when he felt two large hands cup under his arms and hoist him up onto the chair in front of the bowl.
"There!" The man grinned, "Eat up little one! You're a growing boy, gotta eat lots of food so you'll be big and strong when you grow up!" as he returned to behind the counter.
The man propped his elbows up atop the counter and leaned his cheek against his palm as he watched the fidgeting boy.
"What's the matter? Too hot for you?" his tone was laced in a concern that the child had never heard before and he looked up at the man with big eyes, "N-no, not at all! I-It's just...I uhm...I...I'm not hungry!" he blurted out just before a loud growl filled the room coming from none other than the boy's stomach.
"You were saying?" the man raised an eyebrow as the boy turned bright pink.
He looked down in shame as he fiddled with his little thumbs, "Th-the truth is...I don't...have any money..." He couldn't bare look up the man after he said this. His expression would definitely be infuriated now since he had wasted the time making the dish only to find that he had no money to pay for it.
He was startled to hear a loud, booming laugh sound in his ears and he cautiously looked up at the man who would surely at least mock him for his lack of money.
"Oh kid!" he laughed as he wiped a tear from his eye, "It's on the house!" he grinned.
The child's eyes couldn't have been wider, "The...what?" and the man chuckled, "The house. It's an expression. It means its free buddy." as he ruffled the boy's messy wet hair.
"F-free? Y-you mean...I can...I can eat this?" as he pointed down at the bowl, "Even though I don't have any money?" he wanted to be absolutely positive that the man knew what he was saying. He didn't want to get in trouble, again.
"Of course! Now hurry up before it gets cold, ya stinker!" and the child grinned his brightest, "Thank you!" and he practically dove into the bowl and inhaled it.
It was so delicious, he wanted to cry. But he didn't want the man to dislike him or think he didn't like it, so he held back the tears. It was warm. So very warm. And this wasn't the stinging kind either, but the cozy, gentle, comforting kind that made him smile.
He slurped up all the noodles and soon lifted the bowl to his lips and drank down the hot soup, licking the bowl afterwards so as to not waste any, and he placed the bowl back down as he grinned, "Thanks old man! It was so delicious! I've never tasted anything so good!"
The man grinned as set about making another bowl and the child tilted his head, "What are you doing old man? Do you like your soup too?" the boy questioned and the man laughed, "Of course! But this isn't for me, it's for you! That is...if you're still hungry?" he smirked at the child, clearly knowing the answer to that.
The boy blushed, "W-well...I could eat a little more I guess..." he answered shyly and the man clapped a hand onto his shoulder cheerfully, "Good lad!" as the man laughed and the child laughed with him.
"But it's not just soup!" the man scolded as he raised his spoon to point it into the air.
"O-oh...what is it?" as the child's head tilted curiously and the man grinned, "RAMEN!" he exclaimed joyfully and the boy paused before he burst out laughing, "Y-y-you're funny old man!" and the man pointed the spoon at him, "I am not old!" and they both laughed together.
The man set down another steaming bowl with a warning to wait a little while since it was still pretty hot. The boy waited impatiently as he looked at the delicious food, with drool dripping from his mouth and stars in his eyes. The man finally gave him the 'okay' and the boy immediately dug in.
Four men came into the restaurant and the man greeted them with a happy, "Welcome!" They all say down and started talking among themselves, not even noticing the small boy that sat at the other end of the counter-top, but the boy noticed them, and his eyes widened in horror.
The boy's terror did not go unnoticed by the owner, and he raised an eyebrow and glanced from the men to the boy. The boy shivered and looked up at the man as he took quick, shaky breaths, with eyes full of fear and unshed tears, "O-ol' man...I'd like to go now...thank you for the ramen..." and the man frowned.
It wasn't that he needed the kid to stay, after all, it was pretty late, but he definitely wanted to know why the sudden change had occurred and he guessed it had something to do with those men. Kids aren't just that terrified without cause. The kid had warmed up to him pretty quickly so he definitely didn't act like this for no reason. There was something in the kid's eyes...a pleading. A desperate begging for help.
He wasn't one to turn down a child in need, ever.
He smiled at the boy, "You don't have to worry, little one!" the child's face read of clear confusion but the man didn't find a need to explain as he turned to the four men. "Alright, party's over. Get out." He could stand loosing a little business for the sake of the kid.
The four turned to him with frowns and raised eyebrows, "What? This place doesn't close until nine!" one protested.
"So? I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, and I said. Get. Out." he glared and one glanced to his left to see the child shrinking back into a corner, "Hey, it's that demon brat!" he pointed and the child visibly tensed.
Another of the four let out a laugh at the sight of him, "What? Didn't we teach you a lesson? Or did you forget?" and a different one shook his head, "It was only a few hours ago boys! You must have hit his head too hard, Tony!" and they all laughed.
Of all the times to come, they chose the worst! He was finally making a friend! Now the man knew he was evil...knew he was a monster...and would probably join in the beatings this time...
"So that was your doing boys, was it?" the man questioned in a dangerous tone but the four were too busy enjoying themselves that they didn't pick up on it. "You bet old man! The demon brat had it coming!"
One laughed but it was swiftly interrupted by a wooden pasta roller to the face, fracturing the jaw on impact. A strangled yelp escaped the mans throat just before he crashed onto the ground and they all turned to see the man hitting the wooden pasta roller into his hand with a dangerous, resounding 'slap!' and they all looked at him in horror.
"I said get out." he growled, "You didn't listen, which means you're trespassing on private property. Now get OUT!" as he raised the roller high into the air. They didn't need to be told again as they scrambled out of their chairs and back out into the street.
The man came around the corner and grabbed the groaning man that was still on the floor and threw him out into the street, "DON'T FORGET YOUR TRASH!" and the men stumbled back, and, grabbing their sorry excuse for a human being, they ran off. "AND DON'T COME BACK!"
He turned back around and went behind the counter again, muttering insults and curses under his breath as the child watched in awe.
"No one is allowed to treat you that way, ya hear? If they do, come straight here and I'll beat their heads in." And the child wordlessly nodded with his mouth straightened into a thin line, making the man chuckle, "Want another bowl?" and the child's face lit up as he frantically nodded.
As the man set about making another bowl, the child smiled, "Thank you old man, for the food and for...saving me. No one's ever done that before other than to keep me from...dying." and the egg in the man's hand broke under the strain of his tightening fist, but he covered his rage up with a forced smile, "Don't worry about that, little one. If you ever need anything, I'm here for ya." and the child nodded as he returned to making the ramen.
"Old man?" and he hummed in response, "Why did you defend me from them? You heard what they said right? That I'm a...a...." he trailed off sorrowfully with downcast eyes and expression, and the man glanced back at him, "I knew who you were as soon as I saw you. But they're wrong about you, little one. You aren't what they say you are. Besides, no one's allowed to call me 'old' but you!" and the child laughed.
"What's your name, little one?" as he set the bowl down in front of the boy who grinned, "Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!"
The man smiled warmly at the boy. Everything about this place was warm, the atmosphere, the food, the man. Everything. And Naruto found that he loved the warmth.
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"Is that him in there?" The blond girl whispered to her two companions. They had split up into teams.
"Y-yes. Now we just have to wait for the signal." the pale-eyed girl answered.
"What was the signal again?" as the blond frowned in confusion.
"I-Ino-san! W-weren't you paying attention?" the pale-eyed girl's brow furrowed and the blond just shrugged.
"No, she wasn't, she was playing with her hair. Now watch and wait for the signal." the snake-man glared.
"Why did we get stuck with you again?" the blond grumbled out the complaint and her lips pursed in annoyance.
"I-Ino-san! Don't be rude, please! I-I'm sorry, O-Orochimaru-san, you're right." the shy girl apologized for her blond friend and he only nodded with a creepy smirk at the blond who only rolled her eyes in response.
"You shouldn't apologize to him, Hina! He's a creepy snake!" Ino hissed. "You sound more like a snake than me at the moment, Ino-chan~" Orochimaru snickered as the shy girl had to hold Ino back from lunging at him.
A flicker of light in the distance stopped them all in their bickering, as their expressions turned serious, "Let's go."