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Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 3rd Hokage of the village of the Hidden Leaf, stood over the hospital bed of a young boy. Anbu had found him alongside a redhaired woman, an Uzumaki?, unconscious outside the village with injuries on both of them and the child showing signs that he had been under constant abuse for at least a year now.
Sarutobi clenched his fists and muttered in rage as he read the initial diagnosis from the head medic-nin. The boy shifted and stirred, his eyes heavy with exhaustion, before slowly sitting up. He looked around blankly before setting his gaze on Sarutobi. His expression was fearful yet suspicious with no recognition in his eyes.
Sarutobi smiled warmly and spoke gently, “How are you today little one?”
The boy eyed Sarutobi carefully before answering in a bitter voice, “Are you one of my father’s customers? You look a lot older than my usual clientele.”
The color drained from Sarutobi's face as he realized what the boy was implying. “No little one! No one here is going to do something like that to you. No one should ever do that to a child." He pulled up a chair next to the medical bed but decided against touching the frightened boy. "What is your name," he asked solemnly.
“It's Lukas sir," replied Lukas, his voice short and clipped, before panic flashed across his features. "Wait! My mother! She was hurt, is she okay?"
Sarutobi nodded solemnly before responding, “Your mother is being looked after and the doctors are doing their best to restore her health. Don't worry about her for now.” Sarutobi paused and looked at the boy in front of him, noting his tired posture and large sunken eyes rimmed red with tears that were never shed. “You must have been through a lot to have ended up here,” he said softly.
Lukas nodded silently, unable to put into words what he had gone through or the emotions that were overwhelming him. Sarutobi's gaze softened as he studied the boy in front of him - his eyes filled with fear, his skin pale, evidence of bruises and scratches scattered across his body. He stood from his chair and placed a gentle hand on Lukas' shoulder.
“You are safe here my child. No one will ever hurt you again." His voice was strong but comforting as he spoke these words of assurance, and Lukas slowly looked up at Sarutobi, tears brimming in his eyes. For the first time in his life, someone was telling him that he was safe; a concept so foreign and yet so relieving.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Sarutobi smiled at him, his eyes filled with compassion. "You don't have to thank me, Lukas. It's my duty as the Hokage to protect the citizens of this village, especially those who cannot protect themselves."
Lukas tilted his head, a look of confusion on his face. "Hokage? What's that?"
Sarutobi chuckled lightly, explaining what it meant to be the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village before continuing on: “Little one… you don’t have to tell me but… do you know who did all of this to you?” His words were gentle and caring as he waited for an answer.
The boy stood still, his shoulders hunched as if he was expecting a beating. Hiruzen saw the way his eyes darted around the room and heard him swallow hard before speaking. His voice was barely above a whisper, “It was my father... he didn’t want a freak like me to shame him and his name.” He seemed so used to repeating those words that it felt like they were being pulled from him against his will.
Hiruzen frowned at the sadness on the child's face and asked gently, “What is it that makes him think you’re a freak? Surely you’re not.”
Lukas kept his head down in shame, afraid of revealing the truth he had kept hidden for so long. His voice shook when he spoke. “If you knew the truth about me, you would think of me as a freak as well," he whispered softly while still avoiding eye contact with Hiruzen.
The Hokage refused to accept this answer and said quickly: “I think you’d be surprised; The Village of the Hidden Leaf has quite the assortment of unique people."
Lukas looked up again, hope creeping into his expression as he mustered enough courage to finally ask what had been plaguing him for so long: "Do you have people that know that they were born the wrong gender?"
Hiruzen nodded in understanding and replied, “We do have people who are like that; they aren't particularly popular, but they're accepted.”
Lukas nodded solemnly in understanding before revealing what had caused so much pain in his life: "My father was so worried about his reputation that he tried to 'beat the queerness' out of me."
Hiruzen's face hardened in a mix of anger and sorrow as he looked at the young child, understanding why Lukas had kept his true identity hidden for so long. He stepped forward and hugged Lukas tight, letting him cry until he was calm enough to explain further. As Lukas went on, Hiruzen found himself struggling with rage and sorrow as he listened to what this boy had gone through - no one should have to suffer like that because of their identity.
When Lukas finished speaking, Hiruzen released him from the hug and studied his eyes intensely. “Your father is wrong," he said firmly. "You are not a freak or any less than anyone else because of who you are. How about your mother... did she know?"
Lukas shook his head before replying in a small voice, “No... she was gone for so long, I haven’t seen her for over a year but... she came back to rescue me and got hurt..."
A wave of anger surged through Hiruzen as he looked down at Lukas. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in frustration, feeling an overwhelming sense of injustice towards the boy. He wanted to do something, anything, that would make up for all the years of hurt and pain that he had endured.
"Lukas," he said firmly as he leaned forward in his seat. "I want you to know that you are no longer alone. There are people in this village who will help you and I'm going to make sure you get the support you deserve." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But first things first, is there another name you'd like me to call you? You should never be misgendered by anyone ever again."
The boy looked up with a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes and whispered a single word: "Angelina". It was a beautiful name, one of strength and courage. It fit her perfectly.
Hiruzen nodded and smiled warmly at the young girl before standing up and heading towards the door. "Angelina it is then," he said, "Now go rest while I talk to the doctors about your mother's condition."
With every step that he took down the hallway, Hiruzen's resolve only grew stronger. No matter what it took, he was determined to fight on Angelina's behalf and make sure she got the justice she deserved.
After speaking with the doctors and visiting Angelina's mother who remained sedated until he heard back from the head of the Yamanaka Clan, Hiruzen felt a chill run down his spine as he returned to his office to find the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clan heads standing around solemnly.
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In the Hokage's office:
Inoichi Yamanaka stepped forward once the Hokage had taken his seat. "Hokage-Sama," he began, "I did a mind read of the woman as per protocol, and what I discovered is beyond belief but her memories were solid proof of it." His voice was heavy with dread.
"What is it?" the Hokage asked, looking every bit as regal and strong as ever.
Inoichi took a deep breath before continuing, "The woman is named Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as the Black Widow...and she is not from this world."
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock at Inoichi's words, hardly believing them to be true. "What do you mean she's not from this world?" he asked in a whisper.
Inoichi nodded gravely, "Her memories were of a place far away from here where superheroes, aliens and gods existed side by side. She was one of them--a member of a group called The Avengers who worked together to protect their world from unstoppable forces." As he spoke, the room filled with an aura of awe and wonder as Hiruzen listened intently to a truth that he had long suspected but never fully accepted.
"But how did she end up here?" He said after Inoichi had finished speaking, his mind racing with questions.
Inoichi shook his head sadly, "I don't know, Hokage-sama. Her memories only showed up until the point where she was knocked unconscious while saving her child from being abused by the father."
The Hokage's mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts. He couldn't imagine what Natasha must be going through, having been thrown into a completely different world without any means of returning to her own. His heart went out to her and her daughter, who had suffered so much at the hands of her abuser.
He took a deep breath before addressing the clan heads. "We need to keep this information confidential," he said firmly. "We don't know if anyone else might be looking for her or her daughter. For now, I want to focus on helping them both recover from their injuries and find a safe place to stay."
Choza spoke up for the first time, "daughter? I thought it was a boy that was found next to Natasha," he sounded very confused.
Inoichi shook his head, "No, it was a girl." He looked at Hiruzen, concern in his eyes. "Her memories showed that the child's father was abusive towards her because of her gender identity. So she went in knowing fully well that she was trying to rescue her daughter."
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief at the news that Angel's mother had accepted her identity. "Now we need to figure out a place for them to stay," he said.
Inoichi ran his fingers through his hair distractedly, “I can offer my home. My wife is well versed in etiquette and would be able to help Angel with all things feminine, while my daughter could serve as a role model for her. I'd also be there to closely monitor her recovery progress.”
After coming to an agreement, the group quickly departed in puffs of smoke - all heading towards their respective clan compounds - leaving Hiruzen alone in his office. His eyes settled upon the stacks of papers littering his desk, and he sighed wearily. But soon a thought came to him - Maybe I can treat Naruto to dinner - and with that thought he too left the office, determined to make good on his idea.
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When Inoichi opened the door to his home, he called out, "Girls, I'm home." Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway as Ino rushed up to greet her father. Instead of finding herself embracing her dad as usual, she skidded to a halt when her gaze showed her that her father had a very serious expression on his face.
Takeda peaked her head around the corner and her lips curled into a smile which dropped when seeing how serious Inoichi looked.
He motioned towards the living room, and they all sat down, waiting for him to speak.
He released a sigh before starting his story. "Last night, Anbu discovered an unconscious woman and child outside of the village walls who had injuries that could have been life-threatening if untreated. So they took them to the hospital and kept their existence a secret. After further examination, it was revealed that the child suffered constant abuse for a while now."
At their shocked gasps, he paused and then continued, "Lord Hokage spoke with her after she woke up and saw firsthand the amount of abuse she'd faced. As such, I offered that she and her mother, the woman found next to her, to stay with our family so she can heal and experience love from a caring family as well as feel accepted despite how different she is.
“What do you mean by that daddy,” Ino asked.
Inoichi looked at his daughter with a kind smile. "Angelina, the child, is transgender and has been misgendered and abused by her father because of it. But now, she will be in a safe and accepting environment where she can be herself without fear of judgment or harm."
Ino's eyes widened in shock and a wave of empathy washed over her as she thought about what Angelina must have gone through. "That's terrible," she whispered.
Takeda nodded in agreement, "It's unforgivable. But we can make a difference in her life now by showing her love and acceptance."
Inoichi smiled at his daughters, proud of their kindness and compassion. "Exactly. We will give her a home and a family that will support her no matter what. And hopefully, with time, she can heal from the trauma she's endured."
The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Ino spoke up, "What can I do to help?"
Inoichi smiled at his daughter, touched by her eagerness to help. "Well, for starters, we can make her feel welcome and comfortable in our home. And if you ever see anyone being bullied or mistreated because of their identity, speak up and defend them. It's important to stand up for what's right."
Ino nodded determinedly, feeling a sense of purpose and responsibility. "I will. I promise."
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The next morning:
Angel slowly opened her eyes, which were met with unfamiliar surroundings and furniture. It seemed the sun was just starting to come up, as a faint pink hue filled the room. Her heart started racing and her stomach felt like it had dropped a few floors as her mind tried to make sense of what happened.
She looked around and instantly noticed the architecture wasn't from her hometown. Was this some kind of dream? A reality she never knew she could attain? Tears rolled down her cheeks as she imagined herself still being in that same situation, stuck in a life she so desperately wanted to escape. It all felt too good to be true.
She barely heard the door open and jumped out of surprise. She quickly wiped her tears away, trying to hide whatever evidence of joy left on her face. Someone sat next to her on the bed and wrapped their arm around her waist, pulling her closer to them. A soft voice — clearly a woman's — asked “What’s wrong, little one?”
Through sniffles Angel managed to whisper “This feels too good to be true, I feel I’ll wake up and still be stuck with him."
The woman held Angel close and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She could feel the young girl trembling beneath her touch, and she whispered soothing words of comfort. "It's okay, Angel. You and your mother are in a safe place now. No one will hurt you here."
Angel sniffled and leaned into the woman's embrace, feeling the warmth of her body and inhaling her earthy scent. A deep sense of safety settled over her. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice a barely audible whisper.
The woman pulled back and wiped away Angel's tears with a gentle hand. "My name is Yumi," she said kindly. "I'm here to help you in any way I can. Do you need anything? A glass of water, maybe?"
Angel shook her head, feeling overwhelmed yet strangely comforted by the woman's presence. "No, thank you," she said quietly. "I just...I don't know what to do."
Yumi smiled warmly and placed a comforting hand on Angel's shoulder. "That's okay. You don't have to do anything right now. Just focus on healing and taking care of yourself, and we'll take care of the rest."
Angel nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope in her heart for the first time in a long time. Maybe this wasn't some kind of dream after all--maybe she really was safe now. With that thought, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to finally relax, knowing that she was in good hands.
"My mama...is she okay?" Angel asked timidly, afraid of what Yumi might say.
"She's in the room next door, sleeping," Yumi replied softly. "The doctors say she's going to be alright but needs to rest for a while longer. You both had a pretty rough night, but if we all work together I'm sure you'll both be just fine."
Angel nodded once again before hesitantly asking: "Will I be able to see her soon?"
Yumi tenderly cupped Angel's chin in her palm and looked into her eyes with compassion. "Of course you will," she said reassuringly. "But for now, it's important that you get some rest too--you deserve it."
Angel was overcome with emotion as she smiled gratefully at Yumi, feeling immense relief that someone was looking out for her and her mother. Yumi smiled warmly in response. “Of course, little one. But first, why don’t we get you cleaned up and ready for the day? I bet a nice shower and some new clothes would make you feel right as rain!” Angel nodded eagerly, overwhelmed by Yumi’s kindness and guidance. As she rose from the bed, the weight of all of her worries seemed to lift from her shoulders—for the first time in ages, she felt hopeful about the future. Excitement bubbled inside of her as she followed Yumi out of the room and towards the bathroom, ready to begin a brand-new chapter in her life.