Chapter 3

Tobirama turned away from the sleeping child and went out to the terrace he found earlier that day. The second hokage looked upon the village, his home, and his heart clenched.

So much time had passed.

The village hardly looked the way it did in his time, however long ago that was. The most notable differences were the additional faces decorating the hokage monument. One belonging to Saru and the other to a man he did not recognize. Tobirama hoped that his former student didn't die in battle the way he had, but rather retired after passing on the mantle to the fourth hokage.

His thoughts returned to the boy he left slumbering in the other room and Tobirama raked a hand through his eternally messy hair. What was his connection to the child? Were they related somehow? Distant relatives? Why was he tethered to this boy? Was it simply because the boy picked up his kunai and that action caused his soul to bound itself to the child? But if that was the case how did the boy even get the kunai in the first place? He didn't die in Konoha, so how did his kunai end up in a Konoha forest?

The dead man groaned.

There were far too many questions, and practically no answers. If there was one thing Tobirama hated, it was being ignorant. Ignorance was a weakness, and he hated being weak—

From the corner of his eye Tobirama caught movement and readied himself for a fight, only to recollect that he was merely a ghost, a phantom, that could do nothing.

A man (a young one judging by his lithe form) landed silently in a crouch position on the terrace floor, silver hair swaying gently. The young man rose from the ground and Tobirama caught sight of a familiar dog mask covering the other male's face.

ANBU

So, they still existed.

The second hokage watched as the unknown male, pulled a senbon from his pouch, and with what looked like practiced ease, opened the door leading into the child's bedroom. A moment of panic fell over the older man. An ANBU agent's primary skill was assassination, so what was this ANBU doing sniffing around a child?

Has his village devolved so much that it would send out an assassin to kill a small child?

The ANBU agent crept into the child's room, and Tobirama followed closely behind. The door shut soundlessly after the silver haired man, leaving only traces of moonlight from the window to illuminate the living quarters. The room was deathly silent, and the older man felt dread fill his being.

If he dares lays a hand on this child I'll kill him, Tobirama thought furiously. How he'd stop the man, Tobirama does not know, but there was no way in hell he was going to allow this boy to be slayed right before his eyes. The seconds ticked by slowly and in that time the mysterious man did nothing. He just stood there, masked face trained on the sleeping boy.

Then, without any prompting, the silverette moved forward, dropping to his knees to kneel beside the sleeping blond. His breathing slowly became ragged as the moments passed, and almost sound pained.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," he apologized, and Tobirama was thrown in for a loop.

He was… sorry? Sorry for what?

"I'm so sorry. I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive me," The silverette begged with his head bowed. "Please, forgive me for neglecting my duties to you, to sensei, but I'm—I'm nothing but a failure. My being here now, this close, is probably tainting you." He whispered ruefully, raising his head to look at the boy once more.

The masked man reached out to the boy—Naruto—with his left hand and Tobirama tensed at the action, but the ANBU's motives were innocent. Gently, the masked man brushed away blond tresses that fell into the boy's eyes. Naruto shifted slightly and Tobirama felt a slight tingling sensation in his ghostly fingertips. He couldn't help but wonder if the child's hair felt as soft as it looked.

"I wish I was better," The man confessed, softly stroking Naruto's cheek. "I wish I could be here for you, like sensei was for me. I wish I could've kept you. I wish… they'd see you for what you are, a hero. Our savior,"

Hero?

Savior?

This small scrap of a child?

"I have so many wishes, so many wants, and chances are that none of them will come true," he said despairingly, his grief almost palatable. The silverette turned his head towards the window and let out a sad sigh. "I have to go now, Naruto-kun. I have a mission to get to and I'm already late as it is, but don't worry, I promise I'll come back and watch over you some more,"

The shadowy man rose from the ground, allowing his fingers one last graze along the boy's face before pulling away entirely. And as quickly as the silver haired, dog mask wearing man entered their lives, he left. Leaving behind even more questions for the second hokage to ponder.

The boy was a hated hero, a despised savior.

"Just who are you, Naruto-kun?" Tobirama questioned the sleeping boy, and predictably he received no reply.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I had a hard time writing it and I'm not too sure how I feel about it, but this chapter was necessary. Anyway chapter 4 is under construction and will be ready for you by this time next week.

Thanks for reading!

youthfulfox