Behind the Mask: Silver Blood Fox

I Love You

"Wait... You don't - you don't remember?" Kyuubi asked, his large eyes widening further.

Naruto simply shook his head.

"Itachi? Hiruzen? Kakashi?"

Naruto shook his head to all of them.

"Temari? Ino? Sakura?"

"Who are they?" Naruto asked. "Why are you saying random names to me?"

Kyuubi's blood chilled. "What do you remember?"

"I know how strong I am," Naruto said, curling his fingers into fists. "I know my abilities. I'm more powerful than..." He paused. "I'm powerful. And I know who you are, and I know my name."

"Is that all you know?" Kyuubi pressed. "Do you know your parents?"

Naruto tipped his head. "Who?"

Kyuubi stilled, his tail sliding to a halt on the floor.

Naruto doesn't remember anything.

Everyone closed their eyes, tears falling. Zabuza and Naruto had been buried side-by-side. "We have to head back," Kakashi said after a moment of a silence. "Haku, are you-"

"I'm following you," Haku said quietly. 

Kakashi nodded and led the way, Sasuke following right after. Temari walked behind him, and Sakura and Haku took up the rear, Sakura looking sympathetically at Haku.

"He'll forgive you eventually," she said.

Haku nodded silently, forcing herself to keep walking.

Sakura kept pace with Haku, sighing inwardly.

How could we leave Naruto there? It just feels... Wrong.

"YOU WHAT?!"

Kakashi winced as the desk creaked ominously, but thankfully it didn't break as the aged Hokage punched it out of disbelief.

"Naruto's dead," Kakashi said once more.

Hiruzen shook his head.

There's no way he could be dead. He's even stronger than me.

"How?" he asked.

"It was my fault, sir," Haku said timidly. Sasuke stiffened, gritting his teeth.

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Haku. Haku Yuki," she stammered. "I was Zabuza's ally, but he died so I followed them here."

Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi. "You allowed it?"

"She isn't a bad ninja."

"I was trying to protect Zabuza-sama," she said. 

Kakashi's whole body tensed up. "Hokage-sama, may I speak to you in private?"

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and nodded. "The rest of you, dismissed until further instructions. Leave." Instantly, they left out of the door.

"Hokage-sama, it was my fault." Kakashi shook his head. "It was all my fault. I was going to kill Zabuza, and then Haku jumped in the way-"

"Let me guess." Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto didn't want Haku to die, so he jumped in the way."

Kakashi nodded. "I'm sorry... It's all my-"

"It's not your fault, Kakashi!" Hiruzen said. "It was an accident. You couldn't stop it from happening."

But why hadn't Naruto used a Jutsu or something to stop it?