It was raining. As if the heavens themselves were weeping for them, for their losses, their people. He was vaguily aware of the screams and cries of his people as his heart stuttered in his chest for just a second before it started beating even faster, pumping his blood through his veins at a more rapid pace as he held the sobbing infant in his arms. His dark blue eyes drinking in her features. She was so beautiful.

He could'nt have been prouder of his wife for her part in all of this. She had done a wonderful job of giving birth to their daughter before she had died from complications. The baby parted her soft pink lips again and made a strange 'Ah' sound, his lips curved up in a smile as blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth and ran down his chin.

He slipped his finger in her tiny hand and cooed at her. "Pretty girl. Oh, yes you are. You are the most precious thing in the world." A part of his heart and soul lay in his arms. A missing piece to the puzzle that he had tried to solve for so long. His dream. His wifes dream. The dreams of his people rested with this one tiny little child. Tears slipped down his face as he cuddled her against his chest, the people would not understand her. Would'nt accept her.

He had just condemed his little girl to die in the most horrible of ways. He was a pathetic excuse of a human being. Hiding behind such a frail and innocent child. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder and stared into the sad eyes of his sensei-Jiraiya. Behind the man stood Itachi Uchiha, Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.

"I'm such a terrible person..." He sobbed as he looked back down at his daughter, she was sleeping now. No longer interested in the world around her or it's happenings, she had simply decided to call it a night.

Jiraiya looked down at the little one and decided to distract his student from his worries for now. "Is she what all the fuss was about?" he asked as he reached out to run the back of his index finger across her cheek. The baby twitched and scruntched up her nose reminding the sage of a rabbit. He chuckled, how cute.

"They'll kill her." Minato said softly, Jiraiya's eyes flickered from the baby's face to his. He could see the fear, loathing, and so many other emotions in his student's face. He knew he was right.

The villagers would'nt understand, they would simply think that the baby was the Kyubbi incarnated and try to destroy her. It was human nature, and it was wrong.

"They are'nt going to touch her, son. I'll make sure of it." Jiraiya said as he took the baby from Minato's arms and curved his arms protectivly around the infant.

"What do you want us to do Lord Hokage?" Sarutobi asked gently as he craned his neck to look at the child and smiled. Such a sweet little thing.

Minato thought for a second. "Protect my dream. Protect her. I don't care how you do it, or how many you have to kill, just don't let her die. She was sacrificed to save us all, for carrying such a terrible burden she has every right to be happy, to live her life as she likes. Please don't let them hurt her, don't let them destroy her. She needs to survive-" Minato said as a kunai shot out of the darkness to their left and thudded into his chest.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Sarutobi and Itachi all moved into a defensive formation as the fourth hokage slumped to the ground dead. Jiraiay stood in the middle of the formation, holding the baby as his eyes scanned the darkness until he saw a man wearing a black and red robe step out of the darkness so that they could see his face.

They all froze in shock and disbelief, Jiraiya tightened his hold on the child as the man smirked at them. "He's right, you know. You really do need to protect that child. Who knows when I might need her...." He said with a cold smile just before he vanished.

Tsunade sank to her knees, her legs no longer able to hold her up. "Was that who I-"

"It was."

"But how?"

"None of those things matter right now. We need to get the little one out of here before the rabid wolves get here." Sarutobi snapped as he took the baby from Jiraiya and vanished into the night.