Little Boy Blue

Part 7

"Mom! Mom, please! Get up!" a voice pierced the darkness that encompassed Mori's mind.

Mori's eyebrows twitched as sounds began to echo in her ears. The sounds of battle and yelling got louder as her eyelids slowly opened to see Tadao looking down at her, red eyes worried. A small smile broke out on Tadao's face as his mother blearily looked up at him. Her eyes took in her sons appearance: his black hair messy, dirt and scratches dotted his face and body. His blue shirt was ripped in some places and Mori squeezed her eyes shut again. Her head pounded like someone was kicking the back of her skull over and over again. Her hands weakly came up and held her head as her stomach churned, her shoulder screaming in protest at the movement.

"Mom! Open your eyes!" Tadao shouted, and Mori let a whimper escape at her son's voice.

It felt like a kunai was severing her ears.

Tadao had woken up in darkness in his mother's arms, rocks and rubble surrounding them. He pushed and kicked at the rubble until he created a small opening. He squeezed through the opening and grabbed his mother's torn shirt in his hands, pulling with all his might. Tadao gritted his teeth and pulled his mother's shirt again. Mori's body moved little by little out of where they were buried. He pulled again with all his five year old might, and managed to move his mother out a few more inches before falling over some rubble.

"Ow..." he whimpered as he felt the sharp pieces scratch his skin.

Tadao felt tears prick his eyes, but he closed them tightly and shook his head. He needed to be brave! He needed to be strong and get his mother to safety. Tadao looked up as he felt the ground shake again. Naruto had come just in time, and the five year old watched as one of his idols fought the man responsible for all this destruction. Naruto had come with a bunch of toads, and the battle was fierce. Tadao had shrunk back against his mother's chest as Naruto was encased in a large rocky ball, and red angry chakra burst out from it. The chakra whipped around, and Tadao bit back a yelp as more bangs and explosions happened around him.

Mori groaned and opened her eyes weakly before squinting them shut again; everything was so bright and her vision swam. She gritted her teeth and lifted her head slightly, but immediately regretted it when everything rocked back and forth. She groaned again as she lifted a hand to the back of her head, feeling wetness coating her hand. She brought her hand away and gazed at it, blinking slowly at the sight of her blood coating her hand.

"Mom!" Tadao exclaimed as his mother's eyes glazed around.

"Tadao...what happened?" Mori weakly said, closing her eyes as her vision swayed in front of her.

"The hospital fell and we got pushed on the ground, it got dark and-and I woke up and you weren't moving. I tried to get us out," Tadao said.

Mori flinched as a wave of pain flowed over her body. Her shoulder felt like fire was eating the very bone, and her head pounded like a heartbeat. She felt Tadao clutch her shirt and bury his head into her chest as more explosions happened around them, and Mori let out a weak cough as dust billowed around them. Mori slowly got to her feet, swaying on her feet as her vision continued to swim. Tadao gripped the edge of her shirt as they took a tentative step away from the rubble.

Tadao tilted his head when a familiar howl suddenly sounded through the air.

"Uncle?" he whispered to himself as he heard Hideo's howl again.

A rumble shook the ground and Mori stumbled to the ground, dragging Tadao with her. Mori let out a cry as she landed on her injured shoulder, and she curled in on herself in pain. She couldn't move, and felt her muscles trembling from the pain. It felt like fire was racing up and down her shoulder.