Naruto's dreams only get worse as days pass. It has been weeks since he got a good night's sleep and the only thing keeping him functional is the Divine Touch. He wants, desperately, to tell his family but something holds him back.
Naruto wasn't foolish. It wasn't just his inhibition and fear holding him back, it was something else. Something he found hard to explain.
Every time he tried to talk to Kurama, Yuki or Nagin about the dreams, the words would slip past his tongue and he would forget what he was trying to say. They would listen to his hastily made excuses and would not question him further, not because they didn't know something was going on, but for Naruto's sake. They were waiting for him to go to them but each day he found it more and more difficult.
At nights the dreams would come and every abandonment and fear would reflect at him and chip away at his resolve until he couldn't say anything to anyone.
It feels like ages since he had a peaceful sleep uninterrupted by the dreams that felt so real that he cried every time. It wasn't always his fears reflected at him, there were other dreams, the strange ones that left the mark on his skin feel like burning.
The sound ruffling feathers that got louder and louder with each dream.
Naruto was scared. Truly, utterly terrified because he wasn't sure he wasn't going insane. After all that's what he was cursed with.
The Curse of Eternal Madness.
Naruto didn't want any part of this role he had been given to play but Fate was unfair.
"Naruto!"
Naruto was startled out of his trance by his Mentor's call.
"Aya! When did you come in?"
Naruto asks startled.
Aya took in the sight of the tired young man. He looked like he barely got any sleep in months. He was also skinnier.
Aya was worried, so were the others. But while they decided to wait for Naruto to come to them, Aya wanted to tackle the bull by the horns. She would've done just that if Nagin hadn't convinced her to give Naruto his space for now. She relented since Naruto's family knew him more than Aya did anyway.
"Kid, you look like a mess."
His little office was also a mess. Not the usual organized chaos that was Naruto's room but truly a mess. It was obvious that his care wasn't the only thing he was skipping out on.
"I am sorry."
Aya sighed, "Kid don't apologize... Just take better care of yourself. You're more than just a student to me, okay? I'd hate to see you get hurt."
Naruto looked anywhere but at Aya. He knew her worry was justified but the thought of telling the truth made him panic like nothing else.
"I am fine Aya," he says and hopes he's not as unconvincing as he thinks he is, "The last few days have been a little tough that's all..."
Aya doesn't answer him but looks at him with a piercing gaze and Naruto has to look away.
"I am fine..."
He mumbles not even sure who he's trying to convince anymore.
After a moment of suffocating silence, Aya sighs.
"Alright kid, I'll believe you for now... If you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask me."
Naruto nods with a smile.
"Well," Ays sighs, "I came here to say I'll be leaving tonight. You would have to run the clinic for the next few days all by your lonesome."
Naruto was confused momentarily before he remembers that Aya's daughter who lives with her husband in the neighboring village fell ill two days ago.
Aya would be going to attend to her daughter since her husband will be away for work for a few days.
"Ah... I almost forgot about that. Have a safe journey Aya, I do hope that Akane gets well soon."
Aya nods with a smile and ruffles his hair.
"Bye Naruto. Take care of yourself and my clinic."
Naruto smiles, "You know I will."
___&&___
Later that evening Naruto walks home heart and mind heavy with thought.
He is so distracted that he almost misses it.
A scream resonates in the air and Naruto's thoughts come to a screeching halt. That sounded like someone, a woman, in a lot of pain. He looks around trying to locate the source of the scream.
The second scream has him sprinting full speed towards the direction of the voice. He has a fleeting thought that maybe this is a trick by some bandits or something but his instincts told him to go there and they have never guided him wrong before.
Besides even if it's bandits Naruto can take care of them just fine.
What he finds though is not bandits, it's a woman, a pregnant woman. She's on the ground clutching at her large belly with her face twisted in agony. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she whimpered and whined at the pain.
The most alarming fact was the pool of red quickly spreading beneath her.
Naruto rushed to her not pausing to think twice. The bleeding was extensive and Naruto knew right then that the chances of survival for both mother and child were slim.
But as the woman's pained feverish eyes meet his, he mumbles,
"It's going to be okay."
He will make sure of that.
___&&___
After leaving Tsunade at their hotel room Shizune goes looking for the pregnant woman. After some searching, she doesn't the woman.
She is standing at the edge of town when she hears a scream.
Shizune focuses on the sound and rushes as fast as she can to the source of the scream. She sees some others doing the same besides her.
When she reaches the area where the screams originated from, she finds the woman and a young boy. There is so much blood that Shizune is almost sure that the woman has just lost her child. But she is a medic and as such she doesn't take any chances.
Shizune rushes to help the woman. She hears someone shuffle behind her and finds that some of the locals have reached there as well. She hears them gasp at the sight of all the blood.
"Oh dear God, what happened to that poor woman?"
"Look she's pregnant!"
"Poor child! Wait, isn't that Naruto with her?"
"Oh yes, that's him. He can help her!"
Shizune doesn't pay much attention to the conversation behind her but she hears it none the less.
Shizune kneels next to the boy and the woman and that's when she notices the white glow of the boy's palm held over the woman's stomach.
'A medic?'
Shizune looks at the boy, 'Looks young enough to be a genin... But what healing technique is that? What exactly is he doing?'
"Who are you?"
Shizune startles when the boy addresses her. He is still concentrating on healing the woman.
"My name is Shizune and I am a medic," that's all she says and the boy heaves a sigh of relief when he hears her.
"Look the fall has caused a pelvic fracture. There is excessive bleeding and a C-section is the only way to save either of them at the moment. How experienced are you with labor?"
Shizune is looking at the boy wide-eyed for a moment before pushing her thoughts to the back burner and focusing on the task at hand, "unfortunately not much."
Not enough experience to manage a C-section on her own because unlike other ailments and treatments, pregnancy and childbirth are delicate matters.
The boy curses, "Well that makes two of us."
"You're a doctor?" Shizune asks to confirm her doubts.
The boy nods, "We need to get her to the clinic but there's no time."
Shizune frowns, "Why? Is the clinic too far?"
The boy shakes his head, "No that's not it. I think I forgot to mention that she is also poisoned."
Shizune's eyes widened and she looks down at the woman who gets paler by the second.
"I am trying to flush out the poison before it harms the fetus but each minute I spent on the poison, she is losing blood as well."
Shizune looks at the white glow of his palm again, 'So that's what he's trying to do. Flush out the poison...'
"Alright, You manage the poison and I will take care of the bleeding," Shizune sets about to do just that.
___&&___
Seven hours later...
She wakes up in an unfamiliar room but the smell of medicine and cleaning products gives the place away to be some hospital.
For a moment she is confused then her memories come back to her and she grips her stomach panicked only to find nothing. Her stomach is flat and her baby is gone.
She breaks into loud sobs and that's when he enters the room.
"Oh, Amaya..." he says softly and lovingly.
She hates the pain painted on his face because its as fake as the rest of his benevolent act but she says nothing. Only when he makes a show of trying to comfort her does she look around to see if they have an audience and she is not surprised to find that they do.
A young boy, around twelve or thirteen, is standing at the doorway in a white doctor's coat and some memory tickles the back of her mind. She remembers grasping on to the boy with all her strength, sobbing to save her baby.
The man, her husband, Lord Raijin, then turns to look at the boy, "Ah," he says, "That is the young man that saved your life my dear. Unfortunately he was unable to save our child..."
Amaya looks at the boy and the expression, the calm and knowing look, he gives her settles something within her and some memory comes back to her.
'You and baby will be fine ma'am...'
'He can't find out... He can't find out about my baby,'
'Who? Who's after you?'
'Don't let him take my baby... Keep my baby away from him...'
'Who?'
'My husband...'
"I am sorry for your loss," the boy says.
Amaya nods faintly, "Are you a doctor?"
The boy nods, "Yes. My name is Naruto Hayashi M'lady..."
Her husband laughs slightly, "He's awfully young to be a doctor, isn't he? Our physician believes that he is very talented that if it had been anyone but him, I would have lost you to the poison too..."
Amaya looks up sharply and the calculating gleam in her husband's eyes is disturbing and the young doctor seems to feel it too.
"Poison?" Amaya asks.
"Ah, yes my dear, you had been poisoned. Do not worry I have already found the culprit and he will be punished."
"Who?" she asks and her voice is trembling because she knows her husband well enough to know that the glee in his words means bad things for her.
"That traitor Nozomi," Lord Raijin informs her takes particular glee in her gasp of pain, "I have already set him up for execution. You won't ever have to worry about him, my dear."
Amaya shakes her head, "No that's not..."
The Lord adamantly pushes her back down on the bed, "You need to rest, dear. Do not worry yourself with things like this. I will be taking care of it."
Amaya starts crying the moment he is out of the room. She spares a desperate glance at Naruto.
Naruto sighs and steps forward.
His hands glow white and he places his palm on her stomach and pains that she hadn't noticed until then disappeared.
"Lady Amaya..." Naruto calls.
Amaya shakes and laughs brokenly, "Titles mean little to me now, young Naruto... Is my child really..."
Naruto looks at her, "Right before you lost consciousness you made a request to me. Do you remember?"
Amaya nods.
Don't let him take my baby... Keep my baby away from him...'
'Who?'
'My husband..'
Naruto smiles then and says, "Good, then I have to let you know that I did as you asked."
Amaya feels relief wash over her like a tidal wave but the undercurrent of grief is still there.
"What should I do now?" Naruto asks and Amaya flounders because she has no idea as well.
'What happens now?' Naruto thinks, "It's your decision. Do you wish to see him?"
Him, Amaya thinks with a smile, her son.
But the gravity of the situation is catching up to her and she sounds heartbroken as she says, "No. He will be safer if I don't... Where is he?"
"With Shizune for now. She was the other medic that helped you deliver," Naruto says softly. He doesn't know what situation this woman, the young wife to a fifty-year-old Lord, has gotten herself and her child into but he wants to help them. It was the right thing to do after all.
Amaya looks down and nods after a moment, "After we leave, the father will come..."
'The father...' Naruto can almost guess what happened now. It is obvious that the father to her child and her husband are two different people.
He remembers the way she crumbled at the news of the execution of the supposed 'traitor' and feels a bit sad for the woman, "Nozomi?"
Amaya nods and Naruto sees the determination in her eyes, "Yes... He will come for our son... I will make sure of it."
Naruto hesitates not knowing what to say and in the end he squeezes her hand and says, "Good luck."
___&&___
Lord Raijin sneers at the man cowering before him.
"My Lord-" the trembling imbecile begins but is cut off by the angry Lord.
"I do not need excuses, you imbecile. You said that the poison had no antidote! Then why is my 'wife' still alive?"
The man shakes but offers no answer.
"'An incurable illness that took the life of my sweet wife and unborn child', that was the plan. But somehow, your 'undetectable' and lethal poison with 'no antidote' failed. That boy detected the so-called undetectable poison, how? How did a boy no older than your grandson beat your poison? You are supposed to be a poison expert!" The Lord rages against the man.
The man looks down in shame and fear, this could mean the end of his life. He was desperately trying to come up with some excuse and a thought struck him.
"Maybe its a bloodline!" he cries out causing the Lord to look at him confused.
"What?"
The man trembles to explain, "A bloodline my Lord. I have heard that some clans have a bloodline that helps them against poisons!"
Raijin turns thoughtful, "A bloodline you say..."
A moment later he scoffs, "So what if the boy has a bloodline? The problem is that my wife is still alive. At least that parasite she carried is gone... Nozomi and Amaya will pay for betraying me."
___&&___
"So what do you plan on doing with the kid?"
Naruto turns to look at Shizune from where he is slumped down on his chair.
"I guess I'll have to look after him until his father makes it here..." Naruto says tiredly.
"If he makes it here," Shizune says, "You were the one who told me about the execution."
Naruto sighs, "Lady Amaya says that she will take care of it. Other than that, what can I do?"
Shizune frowns and rocks the baby when he whimpers before looking back at Naruto.
"Naruto, you could get in big trouble if this gets out. Your doctor's license will be revoked and there will be severe punishment... You're keeping the child from his father," when Shizune sees that he's about to protest she adds, "Legally speaking that is. You have lied about the death of the child and that's kidnapping and fraud."
Naruto looks downright miserable, "I know."
Shizune shakes her head, "No Naruto you don't. They're part of the Shiro royal family. I saw their symbol. It is dangerous to mess with them."
Naruto gets angry, "what do you expect me to do then? Hand over the kid to Lord Raijin when I am pretty sure that the man was the one who poisoned his pregnant wife?"
Shizune sighs, "That's not what I meant. I just wanted you to understand the risk you're taking."
Naruto is back to being tired, "I know..."
Both of them are silent for a moment before Naruto asks, "Where are you staying Shizune? It's pretty late..."
That's when Shizune pays attention to the outside and her eyes widen, "Shit! I forgot about Lady Tsunade!"
Naruto freezes in shock and looks at Shizune wide-eyed, 'Lady Tsunade? As in Tsunade Senju? Then that means this is Shizune Kato... How many combinations of Tsunade and Shizune would be out there?'
Naruto's mind is running a mile per minute as he thinks about the implications of her being here. Over the last few hours they had a pretty nice camaraderie going on, after all they had to perform a C-section and participate in a severe crime by hiding a newborn according to the mother's wishes. He had already guessed that Shizune was a kunoichi from the way she used healing techniques and the way she carried herself.
What were the chances that the Shizune he becomes friends with is the apprentice of the Slug Princess!
Shizune turns back to look at him and Naruto carefully keeps his expression calm, "Naruto I have to go. My mentor will be looking for me by now."
Naruto nods with a weak smile.
Shizune smiles softly at him, "You should go home and get some rest too. You are looking a little pale."
Shizune hands over the baby to him gently and she says, "I'll come tomorrow to check up on the situation. I think I can convince my mentor to stay a few more days here until the baby trouble is over."
Naruto shakes his head nervously, "That won't be necessary Shizune..."
Shizune smiles softly at him, "Hey we got into this together so I think I'll stay by you till we get out of this as well."
When Shizune leaves Naruto sighs again.
___&&___
"Did you steal a baby?"
"You can't adopt a baby without telling us!!!"
"Did you knock up a girl and hide it from us?"
Naruto sighs, what even gave him the impression that this would be a good idea?
"I did not steal a baby and I didn't adopt either. Also I did not knock up a girl, I am ten for god sake!"
Kurama, Yuki and Nagin just stare at him for a moment and then Yuki asks.
"Its nothing illegal then?"
Naruto chuckles nervously, "Well..."
The three adults sighed simultaneously.
___&&___
Naruto stares at Yuki rocking the baby in her arms before telling them how the baby boy ended up with him,
"I was walking back from the clinic when I heard her scream. I went to check it out,"
Kurama interrupts with a sigh, "Naruto do not go searching for the source of suspicious screams when you are alone."
Naruto huffs his eyes, "I can take care of myself Kurama. As I was saying, I went to check it out and that's how I found Lady Amaya. She was pregnant and bleeding excessively. I went to her to help. She was poisoned and was barely conscious kept babbling about saving her baby. I tried stalling the poison but she had lost too much blood and I had to perform an immediate C-section but I couldn't when I had to drain the poison as well. That's when Shizune appeared."
"Whose Shizune?" Nagin asks curiously.
Naruto paused for a moment, "I thought she was just a traveling medic ninja."
"You thought?" Kurama questions, "So she wasn't?"
Naruto shrugs, "Well she is but there's more. I'll explain later."
Kurama nods, "Okay then continue please."
"Both of us had no experience performing a C-section ourselves but had assisted enough to know how to do it. So we did it. I drained the poison and Shizune did the actual surgery."
"Why didn't you call Aya?"
Naruto sighed, "She's gone to visit her daughter in the next village."
Kurama nods at that.
"Anyway, the child was a boy. Sometime after the surgery Lady Amaya woke up. She stayed awake only for a few minutes but she begged to keep her child away from her husband. I didn't know who she was or who her husband was at that time but seeing her desperation and the fact that she had been poisoned by some rare poison, I figured she may not be just delirious. So I promised her that I'd do it."
Naruto peeks a glance at his family wanting to know what they thought about his decision. Thankfully they didn't look too disapproving.
"And then I met her husband," Maybe it's the expression on Naruto's face but as soon as he says that he can see his family's expression harden, "I saw the look in his eyes when I told him about his wife. He was glad! He was glad that his son had died and disappointed that his wife didn't."
Kurama narrows his eyes, "Was the child really his?"
Naruto shakes his head, "No."
"Well that would explain it..." Yuki says, "He probably went mad when his wife cheated on him."
Naruto frowns, "I don't know mom. Something tells me its more than that..."
"So what are we supposed to do with the baby?" Nagin asks.
"Lady Amaya said that the baby's father would come for him. Until then we have to keep him safe."
___&&___
A week passes by and Naruto was becoming worried. There was no news from Amaya who had left with her husband and the boy's father didn't show up either.
Naruto was starting to wonder if they ever would.
Things were getting complicated. How long were they supposed to hide a baby? What were they supposed to do?
Shizune had kept to her word and stayed. Coming occasionally to see the child. Thankfully neither Shizune nor Tsunade had linked Naruto Hayashi with the Hokage's banished son.
Naruto didn't take any chances and kept everything about his past under tight locks.
Tsunade has also taken an interest in Naruto. She allowed Shizune to teach him some of the advanced medic techniques that were beyond Nagin and Yuki's knowledge.
They develop some kind of routine after that. Naruto genuinely liked Tsunade and Shizune but he would never disclose his true identity to them.
Things change one night when Naruto returns home to find an injured man being tended to by Nagin and Shizune.
"Who are you?" Naruto asks.
The man keeps his expression blank as he answers, "I am Nozomi Tanzo."
Naruto takes in the answer and observes the man silently. He looks like a broken man; lost, lonely and injured. He had been starting to think that Lady Amaya had failed at saving her lover.
Naruto nods at the man and watches Yuki walk down the stairs with the baby in her arms. He feels a little sad, knowing that Nozomi will be leaving with that bundle of joy.
"Thank you," Nozomi says distracting Naruto from his thoughts, "For saving my son. For taking care of him... Thank you."
Naruto just nods and asks, "How is Lady Amaya?"
"Dead."
Naruto stares at the man surprised, "What?"
Nozomi looks at Naruto with a broken expression, "He killed her... That bastard killed her..."
It was like a dam broke and the man crumbled into tears.
None of them had any idea what to say to the man. Before Naruto could even think of something Tsunade slams open the door with a grim look.
"Naruto, there is a group of soldiers approaching this house."
"Oh no!" Nozomi says through tears, "They're after me... You can't let them see my son!"
Naruto's eyes widen, "He knows?"
Nozomi nods, "I don't know how but he knows our son is alive. Please you have to hide him!"
"Naruto..." Shizune calls him panicked. Even if they hid the baby, this would mean big problems for Naruto and Shizune.
Tsunade interrupts and tells Nozomi, "We have to hide you too."
The man shakes his head, "No. I'll give myself up. That'll give you time to hide the baby."
Nagin growls, "There is no time for anything, Idiot! And you're not sacrificing yourself for your son. Imagine how it would feel to grow up knowing both your parents died for you!"
Naruto was thinking of a plan.
Then he says to Nagin, "They probably have our home surrounded... Nagin, take Nozomi and the baby to the roof."
"To the roof?" Tsunade asks confused but trusts that the kid knows what he is doing.
Nagin understands what he is saying and replies, "Yeah that would work."
Kurama interrupts, "Except for the fact that giant flying lizard isn't exactly inconspicuous!"
"Then you go with them," Yuki says, "Use that cloaking spell I have been teaching you!"
Kurama thinks for a moment, "I don't know how long I can-"
"You won't need long Kurama. A few seconds and I'll be far out of their vision range by then," Nagin assures.
Kurama nods, "Okay then."
"And don't come back for a few days at least. Use that time to find those scrolls you talked about," Yuki said reminding him of the demonic scrolls he knew about.
There is a sharp knock at the door at that moment.
"Let's go," Nagin says and rushes upstairs with the baby while Kurama tugs a reluctant and confused Nozomi behind him.
Naruto sees Shizune and Tsunade's expression and says, "I'll explain later."
"You better," Tsunade warns.
Yuki takes a deep breath to calm herself and goes to answer the door when there is shouting from the other side to open the door.
Naruto and Shizune watch with trepidation as the door opens and the Royal guards rush inside.