The Fourth
Part 8
By Mieren
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#flashback#
It had happened. Kyuubi had sided with the phoenix. After discovering that the blond could not seal the beast, he took the last option he saw possible. He merged with the demon. God and demon. The blond cried out in anguish as the monster sank into him, turning him into something not God or demon. His wings flapped helplessly while he screamed out in pain. His legs bent at awkward angles and started sprouting fiery red fur. Fangs and claws grew in.
Cerulean eyes in agony, he called out.
"I have him, Jiraiya. Take us."
The older man in this life could feel tears burning in his eyes. He lunged at the blond and held him to the ground, ripping off his clothes.
"What?" the winged man tried to ask, only to be punched.
It was the only way and it broke the sannin's heart. Immortals were not easily killed, tending to have the annoying habit of coming back to life. He had found a way to end the life of the golden man and it crushed his heart.
Using a few seals to help him stay up, he raped the nude blond. Twinned tears seeped from cerulean eyes as the winged man died. Jiraiya nearly died as well when he saw the appreciative smile tugging at the still golden mouth. Kami, what had he done?
Blinding light filled the area, radiating from the golden wings. The strange appendages retracted and the dead man took in a lurching breath, shrinking in size rapidly.
Tears streaming from his eyes, Jiraiya gathered his former student into his arms and ran. There had to be another way.
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#flashback#
"We can't do anything!" Tsunade yelled in hopelessness. The blond had saved all of their lives and would now suffer indescribable agony for it. Naruto was dieing, his phoenix blood polluted by the fox demon. Or so everyone thought. The phoenix's and fox's blood had been enough to change things. Instead of killing one another, the fox was trying to live while the sunbird was trying to die from what had happened. The phoenix was stronger. As a result, the golden and red creature was slowly fading away.
"Seal him!" Tsunade commanded.
"I did! He's not stable!" the white-haired sannin said. Tsunade shoved him out of the way. Only her expert skills as a healer stopped the child from shrinking further, the red fading from his golden complexion. A baby cried. A baby with whisker marks on his cheeks, the mark left from the second seal.
"Oh God, Yondaime, what have you done?" a weary sounding blond doctor breathed. He had saved Konaha, but at what cost?
"What do we do?" Jiraiya asked wearily. Shizune slapped him across the back of the head.
"We… send out word that Yondaime didn't survive, but his son did." God, Tsunade thought, please never let him remember.
"Tsunade!" Shizume yelled, sounding scandalized.
"What are we supposed to tell them?" she asked wearily. Yondaime fused with Kyuubi then Jiraiya, a respected sannin, raped him? Oh, and here's the possible monster child that resulted.
"Strengthen the seal. I'll tell Konaha that the baby survived."
"This isn't right…" Jiraiya started.
"Neither is what you did, Jiraiya!" she shouted. Tsunade knew what he had done and his reasons for it, but she didn't agree with the methods. There had to have been a better way to save him.
"God… send out notice that… the boy is a jail for the fox. The Fourth is dead, understand?"
"What do I tell everyone about… the boy?" Shizune asked, unsure if anyone would even believe her.
"That the Fourth had a son." Turning away, no one said a word as Tsunade's hand rose to tightly grasp the gem necklace, one that Yondaime had once worn.
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"He was too young. You had no right to force him," Tsunade warned. She was heating up for a battle, one that she meant not to lose.
"He never said a word," Jiraiya started. It was a dead lie. Yondaime had spoken to him so many times. He was cut off before he could explain.
"He was a child!" Tsunade shouted.
"He was an adult!" Jiraiya countered. The white-haired sannin was among the few that knew the true nature of the Forth. The phoenix had intended to sacrifice himself.
"How many times did he run away from you?" Tsunade barked so loudly that half of the Hokage tower heard her.
"I don't know…" Jiraiya said sheepishly. Twenty-two, his mind supplied.
"Shouldn't that have been your first clue?" Tsunade shouted. Mentors were chosen carefully and someone had made a mistake. The blond woman gestured to the silent baby furiously, too angry to realize that her shout was making the tiny one frightened. "You did this to him!"
Jiraiya waved his hands to the cradle where they had placed the child. "Ssh… he's waking up." The Hokage silenced herself when she noted the other sannin spoke the truth.
"Yondaime?" the blond woman asked softly. "Yondaime?" Inside, she plead for a response. Any response, but none came.
"How bad is it?" the hermit asked.
"I don't know. He's not responding." Fretting and yelling seemed to be Tsunade's two new favorite hobbies.
"Does he remember us?" Jiraiya wondered. He stroked a golden cheek and was bitten for his efforts.
Tsunade looked own on the tiny baby sadly. The Fourth's response to Jiraiya was proof enough of that. "He won't for long." She performed a long series of intricate hand symbols. If not for her gifts and unique skills, she might have failed.
"Wake up… Naruto."
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"Naruto! Wake up!" a loud female voice demanded. The blond snorted himself awake. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He pushed it aside. He was on a mission and he was only doing his share of the chores. Nothing seemed wrong until Kakashi threw the blade that killed him.
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To Be Concluded…
I am SO sorry about the delay. I just moved 150 miles and only now have my net up as of today after being attacked and spending two days in a coma and another two in the hospital. Please tell me that you still love me and R&R!