Little Boy Blue

Part Two

Mori briefly touched the scar on her chest as she leaned against Iruka. It had been years since that incident with Danzo and the elders, and a small part of her still blamed herself for what happened. She had never told Tadao what happened or why she had the scar.

A chakra spear shooting into her furry chest as the wolf went wild in the village of Konoha. People screaming, blood flying everywhere, and pain. So much pain.

"Mori?"

"Hm?" Mori blinked out of her flashback, glancing up at Iruka.

"I have to go to the academy now," Iruka said and she nodded.

"Tadao just fell asleep, so I think he should skip just today," Mori said as Iruka walked out of their bedroom.

Iruka nodded and waved goodbye as he left the apartment. Tadao had begun his classes at the academy, and was excited to be in his fathers class. He wanted to be a ninja like his father and uncle. Like Kakashi and Naruto. Mori was happy accompanying some ninja every so often on various missions, or helping around in the village.

Mori absentmindedly touched the scar again and glanced out the small bedroom window. The sun was now climbing its way up into the sky, and villagers were beginning their day. She needs to start her day too, beginning with getting groceries for her hungry boys. It astounded her how much Tadao could eat as a five year old. She stood up and dusted off her black pants and fixed the shoulders of her grey top. She quietly walked to her sons room and opened the door quietly, peeking in. His light snores met her ears as she saw her son curled up in his bed, hands grasping his blanket tightly. Mori smiled and closed the door before quietly walking to the front door of the apartment. She would go and buy some groceries quickly before Tadao woke up. She quickly put on her sandals before walking out, the front door closing with a soft 'click'.

As she stepped onto the streets, Tadao woke with a start. He sat up and rubbed one eye with his fist, looking around his room.

"Mom?" Tadao called, but no one answered him.

"Dad?"

No answer.

The five year old slid out of his bed and opened his bedroom door, peeking out. The apartment was quiet and empty. A grin spread across his face as he put on his blue sandals. Now was his chance! This time he could go out and really explore. Maybe even go outside the village by himself. Tadao hastily opened the front door and peeked out, checking if the coast was clear. Some villagers walked around, talking and laughing with others. He slowly inched his way from the front door before running across the street. A small laugh bubbled from his throat as the five year old jogged down the street towards the gates. As the gates got closer, Tadao slowed down before coming to a stop. He pressed himself against the wall of a building, peeking around the corner to look at the guards.

'How am I going to get past them?' Tadao thought with a pout.

He looked around and saw rock on the ground. An idea suddenly popped in his mind, and Tadao grinned. He took the rock and threw it at the gate, hitting the side with a 'clang!'. The guards jumped in surprise and went over to investigate the noise. As they moved, Tadao took his chance. He ran as fast as he could to the gate and through it. He ran and ran as fast as he could, hoping the guards didn't see him. He zoomed past a fallen tree before ducking behind it, his breathing hard and ragged. He placed a hand on the rough bark of the fallen tree trunk to support his five year old body, and breathless cackles escaped from his mouth.

He did it! He got out of the village by himself!

Tadao looked around, taking in the sights. Everything looked so different when he was by himself. The five year old continued walking down the dirt path as the sun continued shining, going farther and farther away from Konoha.

Back in the village, Mori was carrying a bag of groceries to the apartment. The bag crinkled with each step as she walked, and she sighed as she tried to make sure the food didn't fall out. She had bought quite a lot today, and she sent a quick prayer to the Heavens that the bag didn't break open or the food fell out.

As she rounded a corner, her heart stopped as her red gaze fell on the apartment door. The front door was open, and a cold pit formed in her stomach as her eyes widened.

"Tadao?" Mori called as she rushed to the apartment, dropping the bag of groceries without a second thought.

Silence met her ears as she raced in, eyes frantically searching for her son. His bedroom door was wide open, and his sandals gone.

"Tadao!" Mori cried as she ran back outside the apartment.

She grasped her canine chakra and blue chakra surrounded the frantic mother. Within seconds her form changed, and she lifted her head to the sky, letting out a desperate howl. The howl called for help and support, for the loss of her son. Within minutes another howl met her ears. Her brother heard her, and was on his way. Mori flared her nostrils around the apartment, trying to locate her sons scent.

There! His scent led away from the apartment and onto the road.

Mori lifted her gaze to the road, and her heart sank as it led towards the gates of Konoha. Pants reached her ears as Hideo skidded to a stop beside his sister, black coat shining in the sun.

"Hideo, Tadao left the apartment. He's gone towards the gates," Mori whined, pacing back and forth.

Hideo let out a growl, and the two siblings shared a look before leaping into a run towards the gates. The two ran as fast as they could, and villagers jumped out of the way of the two canines. Mori suddenly stopped in front of her brother, and the black wolf had to stop quickly as to not run into his sister. His lip lifted slightly in annoyance.

"Go tell Iruka and Kakashi what happened," Mori said before turning and racing off.

He nodded and took off the opposite way as Mori continued through the streets towards the front gates. She knew Hideo telling Kakashi was the fastest way to get a message and scroll from the Hokage.

"Hey Mori, what's the hurry?" Izumo said as the canine stopped in front of him and Kotetsu.

A howl sounded deeper within the village, and Mori looked back. Hideo must be telling Kakashi by now to get the Hokage. They were used to Mori and Hideo's two forms by now.

"My son has snuck out of the village. Please, let me through," Mori whined as she paced back and forth in front of the guards.

The two looked at each other before a 'poof!' echoed beside the trio. Mori's ear twitched as Pakkun appeared, holding a scroll in his little paw. The little hound looked at Mori, Izumo and Kotetsu and threw the scroll from Tsunade at the guards. Izumo caught it and cracked it open, briefly glancing at it before nodding. Mori gave Pakkun a brief tail wag of thanks before bolting through, paws thundering against the dirt.

'Tadao, I'm coming!' she thought.

Tadao continued walking down the path, gazing around him with his heads resting behind his head. The sun had been in the sky for hours and the six year was starting to get tired. He hadn't eaten anything all day, and his stomach rumbled in hunger. He stopped and looked around, lost and alone as his arms came down and grabbed his hungry stomach. He had turned down some paths and climbed over some trees and logs and before he knew it, he was lost. Tadao didn't know which way his village was, and he felt his lip begin to tremble in slight fear.

Voices suddenly sounded nearby and Tadao glanced up before jumping behind a tree trunk as the voices got closer. He peaked around the tree and saw three men walking down the path he was just on, laughing and jeering at each other. His red eyes caught the sight of a bag of food hanging from one man's belt, and he swallowed thickly. His stomach rumbled again, and the five year old continued watching as the three men stopped at a fallen tree close to the child. If he could just reach that bag of food, he could eat it and run without the men knowing. As the men got settled down for the afternoon by the tree, Tadao slowly inched his way towards the bag of food that was now on the ground. He crept closer and closer to the men, eyes on the bag of food.

Almost...there...

As his hand touched the bag of food, a shout suddenly sounded from in front of Tadao.

"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing!" one of the men noticed him, and Tadao froze.