Little Boy Blue

Part Four

The trio finally made it to the hospital and entered the building, the dull roar of many people's voices echoing around them. Mori looked around, eyes desperately searching for her son. She followed Iruka as he slowly walked his comrade to a medical nin, and she bit her lip as her side gave a protest. Blood had been steadily dripping down her side from her wound, but she didn't say a word to anyone. There were people here with more serious injuries; they needed more help than her.

Mori blinked when she saw pink hair.

"Sakura, have you seen Tadao?" Mori asked the teen.

Sakura looked at Mori and shook her head. Mori bit back a whimper as pain flared to life from her side.

"I'm sorry, Mori. I haven't seen him since I came to help. He was here before," she said, and Mori felt her heart sink as her head lowered from the pain in her side.

'He's not here? Where is he then?' Mori thought to herself, and then her head snapped up as she gazed at the hospital doors.

"No..." she breathed out before sprinting out of the hospital, Sakura's confused yell following her.

The teen blinked as she noticed blood on the ground where Mori had stood.

'Blood? Is it from Mori?' Sakura thought to herself.

"Sakura? Have you seen Mori?" she heard her old academy teacher ask as he walked up to the teen, eyes looking around for his wife.

"She was here, but left. Iruka-sensei, did Mori get injured?" Sakura asked, green eyes worried.

Mori had been with Team 7 almost from the beginning, and Sakura enjoyed spending time with the older woman.

Iruka nodded.

"Yes, but I don't know the extent," Iruka said.

A little ways away outside the hospital, Tadao looked around. Buildings crumbled around him, and people screamed as more explosions sounded. He wanted to see what was happening and who and what his mother and father were fighting, but now he was lost. All the panic and explosions made the buildings look strange and unfamiliar. He pressed his back against a wall as a window exploded close to the five year old, and he let out a whimper of fear. He shouldn't have left the hospital. Tadao inched his way along the wall, and yelped when someone appeared in front of him. The five year old looked up to see a massive figure in front of him. Its bald head glinted in the sun and he shrunk back. It reached out to grab the child and Tadao froze in fear. Its purple eyes gazed at Tadao as his little body shook. The thick hand came closer, but stopped when a deep growl sounded behind it. It turned its massive body to see a black wolf standing there, lips peeled back from white teeth. It's fur bristled, making the black canine appear larger. The figure in front of Tadao turned its thick body towards the wolf, and with a smirk extended an arm. The wolf braced itself, growling low in its chest as the figures fist burst out and flew towards the wolf. Tadao cried out as the fist seemed to hit its target, and dust flew everywhere.

"Uncle!" Tadao cried out, scared his beloved uncle had been hit.

He shrunk back as the figure turned towards him, black studs glittering. The fist came back to its arm as it reached for Tadao again, but a snarl sounded from beside the figure as a white blur smashed into it. Tadao blinked in shock as his mother snarled and bit at the hulking figure. She had followed his scent after running out of the hospital, and she thanked the gods she had made it in time. The figure took a step back, its black and red cloak billowing in the breeze as Mori stood in front of Tadao, lips peeled back from her teeth. The wound in her side flared, but Mori ignored the pain. Tadao needed her, and she would fight to the end for her son.

The hulking figure smirked and lifted its other hand, fist clenched. Mori braced herself as the fist shot out on the end of a long chain. She leaped out of the way as the fist hit the spot she was just standing in. Dust coated her vision as the chain reeled back to its owner. She needed a weapon to help her; her teeth and claws wouldn't be enough. She quickly grasped her human chakra and human hands grasped a kunai from her pouch. The fist shot out again, and Mori brought up the knife. The fist slammed into the kunai, knocking the woman back a few feet. She gritted her teeth as the fist continued pushing her back. Her sandals dug into the ground as she heard Tadao whimper behind her. Growling, she pushed the fist away and it retracted back to the figure.

"Who are you?" Mori growled out.

The figure just smirked as its purple eyes gazed at her. A snarl behind the figure caused it to turn around, and the black wolf from before leaped out from the dust cloud. Mori saw her chance and threw the kunai at the stranger. It smirked and the shiny done that was its head opened, light beginning to radiate from a hole in the middle. Mori let out a gasp as she stepped back. A machine? The stranger was a machine?

"Hideo, move!" Mori shouted to her brother.

The black wolf managed to jump to the side as the beam shot towards him and into a building, destroying it in seconds. Mori threw herself over her son as the explosion echoed around them, and she bit her lip as glass and concrete slammed into her. She hugged Tadao close to her, pressing his face against her shirt. She could feel blood beginning to drip from the wounds, and her side flared again but Mori didn't care. She had to protect Tadao. Tadao coughed as dust invaded his nose and throat.

"Tadao, are you okay?" Mori murmured to her son, bringing a hand up to Tadao's cheek.

"Yeah..." he whimpered out.

Mori opened her mouth to tell him to run, but a cry sprewed from her lips as she felt a hard chain wrap around her. The links bit into her skin as it pulled her away, and Tadao landed on his hands and knees as his mother struggled.

"Mom!" he shouted as he saw the figure squeeze his mother with the chain.

Blood spurted from her lips as the chain bit deeply into her skin and squeezed. Mori couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried, and she felt the metal shredding into her. Her kunai was on the ground in front of her as she let out another cry. The pain intensified as the figure smirked. She heard a yell from beside her as Hideo ran at them, his own kunai raised. His black hair swung free from its usual ponytail as he brought his own kunai down on the figure, intending on impaling it into the thick neck. It turned slightly towards Hideo, a smirk once again on its face. The black studs on its face glinted as the first fist came back, hitting the black haired man in the side. Hideo flew across from Tadao, hitting a wall hard. Tadao stood there, eyes wide as fear consumed the five year old.

"Tadao...run..." he heard his mother rasp out as the chain continued squeezing.

He blinked and looked at his mother, red eyes wide as her own red eyes looked at him. She needed him to get to safety.

"Run, Tadao. Find your father or Kakashi," Mori bit out before letting out another choked off cry.

The links were cutting in deep into her flesh as if it was butter. Tadao stood there for a few minutes before blinking, his little face set in a frown. He took a rock from beside him and raised it over his head. Tadao hurled the rock as hard as he could and it hit the figure. He grinned in triumph, but it slowly disappeared as the figure looked at the child. It looked like the rock hadn't damaged the figure at all! It slowly walked towards the five year old, his mother being dragged behind him. She let out another cry as rocks and debris dragged along her body.

Tadao looked up in fear once again as purple eyes bore into his own red ones.

"Tadao, run!" Hideo bit out from beside him, and Tadao blinked before running down the destroyed street.

Hideo grasped another kunai as his head throbbed. He had to get his sister out of those chains. He could hear his nephews footsteps getting further and further away, and he let out a small sigh of relief. Hideo brought the knife up as the black robed figure slowly advanced on him, and he gritted his teeth.

At least Tadao had gotten away safely.