April 5th, 3 years after the Nine-Tails attack in Konohagakure
"Mom has done something very bad," Nami Uzumaki said, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Dressed in shinobi clothing — black pants, a sleeveless black shirt, a one-strap-over-one-shoulder white flak jacket, and her deceased husband's tanto strapped to her back. All standard attire for Kumo Jonin — she sat on the log in front of her tent, the snow, which covered the Land of Iron, crunched everytime she moved her feet.
Nami touched the headband on her forehead, slouched forward, and traced her fingers across the crossed-out symbol of Kumogakure. They slowly drifted downwards to the bandages around her eyes and she smiled. She might've been blind now, but she was still a sensor type shinobi.
"Is that why we're always moving?"
Nami stilled and turned her head to the voice. Although she could no longer see, she'd always remember the voice of her little angel.
If only she could see his cute face again: Short red hair like hers, a cute button nose she couldn't resist to pinch, and the same shade of brown skin as the husband she had lost three years ago. Akage really was the best of both worlds, her handsome little angel.
"If only Otoi were still here," Nami mumbled with a heavy heart. "Go back to sleep, Akage. Tomorrow will be a long day for both of us."
It was a long way to the Land of Fire, and the two hadn't even made it past the border of the Land of Iron yet. They'd also still need to cross the Land of Hotsprings, afterwards.
Nami wasn't sure if it was the right decision to contact Konoha since there was a possibility that Kumo could intercept her message, but the chance that she could protect her son in her current condition was low.
She'd taught him the Chakra Suppression Technique, how to sense chakra and the basics of moulding it, but he was still a long way off of being able to protect himself.
She hadn't even taught him how to throw shuriken, handle kunai, or the tree climbing exercise yet.
"He's only three years old, it's too early," was what she told herself.
There was a small part of her that regretted it, but she wished for her son to grow up like any other normal shinobi, even if that might be too late now with their predicament.
That's why she contacted Konoha and offered them information on Kumo. She was unsure if Konoha would treat them right, but her father always told her that Konoha was an ally to Uzushiogakure and that she could trust the village.
"I'm scared," Akage mumbled back, and looked down at his short feet. "I had a bad dream, and it was dark inside the tent. I was lonely."
Nami gave a wry smile in return and patted her lap.
"Come here," she said, and sat Akage in her lap once he did.
Akage nuzzled his head against her chest, and Nami smiled down warmly at him. She brushed through his short and soft hair with a tired smile on her face.
"I did something very bad," She repeated. "The people that are looking for me are from a place called Kumogakure. It's a big village with lots of powerful shinobi dressed like me."
Akage looked up at his mother and asked, "Is kumogakure our home?"
"... No," Nami said, with a wistful expression. "I've lived there for a long time, and it's the village your father was born in, but it never felt like home to me. I didn't belong.
"When I was your age I lived in a village called Uzushiogakure. That was my home — the village I loved. Everyone had beautiful red hair like us, and we'd treat each other well.
"My father was from Konoha and he loved the village. He always smiled when he spoke about it or the Will of Fire."
Akage scrunched his face up in thought. Wrinkles formed on the bridge of his small nose, and his eyes gained a hopeful glint.
"What is dad like?" He asked, after a small eternity of thinking. "Was he strong and cool?"
"The coolest," Nami smiled and pinched his nose. "Your dad loved to be helpful to others. He always had a smile on his face when you asked him for something. The Genin probably loved him the most amongst our ranks, he always helped them out when they couldn't understand ninjutsu or kenjutsu.
"Otoi was the kindest shinobi I knew. He never abandoned his comrades on a mission, didn't shy away from helping when somebody was being picked on, and he was so happy when he heard I was pregnant. He promised to pick up more missions to save up more Ryo… He—"
Cold wind howled through the treetops, rustling their leaves. Akage felt his mother's heartbeat skip, and heard her breath hitch.
He glimpsed at her forlorn expression.
"Where is he?"
"I stole something from Kumo," Nami's voice was empty, resigned. If that question had been asked a year ago, she would've sounded broken up, but now there were no longer any tears to be shed. "So they took him from me. It was my fault. I'm the reason he's not with us."
Akage frowned and looked down at the snow, savoring the feeling of Nami's resumed hair brushing. He glanced to the side and spotted something brown hidden by the log they were sitting on.
"What's that next to us?"
Nami stopped the brushing, and moulded her chakra with bated breath. She scanned the surrounding area, but couldn't sense anything hiding or approaching. They were safe! It was a false alarm.
"What do you mean, sweetie? Full sentences please."
"There! Next to the log," Akage called out. "There's something brown and fluffy hiding."
Nami reached behind the log and smiled when felt the texture between her fingers.
"I almost forgot to give it to you," She said, holding up a teddy bear as big as her son. "Here, it's for your birthday."
Akage marveled as he hugged the plushie to his body. His hands and eyes scanned it over until he stopped at the necklace around its neck. A small red pendant hung from it, it looked like a swirl.
"What's this red thingy around its neck?"
"That's the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan, it's the pride of our family. The people of Uzushiogakure all wore it, and the shinobi in Konoha wear it as well to show that they're allies of the Uzumaki. If you ever see someone with that symbol on them, then you can trust them.
"Always carry your plushie with you. And if you need help, just point to the pendant and proudly tell them that you're 'Akage Uzumaki, future shinobi of the Hidden Leaf' and they'll gladly help you out."
"You got that?" Nami asked and smiled at her frantically nodding son. "Happy birthday, my lovely little angel. 3 whole years old, you're almost a big boy now. Soon enough, I'll teach you some of my jutsu. Promise me to grow up big and strong 'till then."
"Got it!" He cheered. "I'll grow big and become the strongest ninja ever!"
"You'll need plenty of sleep for that, so I'll tuck you into your sleeping bag," Nami stood up, carrying Akage in her arms, and kissed his forehead. "I love you—"
The sharp chime of a bell echoed in the distance and Nami stopped in her tracks. One of the traps she set has been sprung.
She cursed inwardly and moulded her chakra, and almost drew blood biting her when she sensed 20 different signatures approaching them.
"Akage," Her voice was even, and Akage immediately knew that his mother was serious. "Remember what I told you before. Take your plushie, keep the Chakra Suppression Technique activated, and hide in the hollowed tree like I taught you before. Now!"
Nami set him down, drew her blade, and started gathering chakra while Akage did as instructed. She sensed the enemy shinobi picking up speed, and frowned at sensing a familiar signature.
"Nine Jonin, five Elite Chunin, and six regular Chunin…" She muttered. "They're really serious about this."
"Of course, we are."
Nami flinched at the voice, they were here faster than expected. The shinobi surrounded her on all sides and stood on tree branches above her.
"It's not a regular occurrence for us to hunt down defectors."
She tried sensing Akage and was reassured when she couldn't.
"That technique is active," she thought. "If I can't sense his signature, then they can't as well. Akage listens so well, and he's quick at picking up techniques. He'll become a better ninja than me, just as great as his father."
She tightened the grip on her sword, her left hand ready to weave through hand seals.
"I'll just have to make sure that he lives long enough to reach that point."
"Nami Uzumaki," The booming voice of the anbu squad leader rang out as he read through her file. "29 years old, wife to Otoi, both former Jonin of Kumogakure. A Sensor-Nin, skilled in water release and lightning release jutsu. You completed 732 missions — 26 S-ranks, 114 A-ranks, 229 B-ranks. The rest are evenly spread among C-ranks and D-ranks."
The shinobi around Nami drew their swords and he read on, "Although you're from the fallen Uzumaki Clan you have close to no talent in fuinjutsu. Your genjutsu is average at best, and you're just as mediocre at kenjutsu as you're in you're in fuinjutsu. Your only redeeming talent lies in ninjutsu and taijutsu."
"Tell me," He rolled up the scroll, then put it away while eyeing the blade in her hand. "What do you plan on doing with that? Poke your other eye out with it? Although I can see that you already accomplished that." He glanced at her bandaid and pursed his lips.
"I thought about running it through your chest," Nami spat. "But traitors like you have no heart, anyways! How did it feel, Aruku? Killing Otoi— Your own teammate! Did it make you happy, you bastard? Were you satisfied?! You were at our wedding, damn it!"
"You have no right to call him that, thief!" A kunoichi beside Aruku spat.
"Murderer!"
"Traitor!"
"Quiet," Aruku said through gritted teeth. "Lord Raikage ordered us to bring you back to the village. Although you murdered many of our fellow shinobi, due to your unique lineage, he's ready to show mercy. That is, only if you don't resist."
Aruku brushed his blond hair back, narrowed his eyes at the small footsteps in the snow, and then exhaled.
"Otoi told me before that you were pregnant."
Her heartbeat skipped out.
"If such a child were to exist, then they should either be brought back to Kumogakure or perish here."
Her fingers twitched.
"It's a shame that you lost this child from all the stress of being hunted down," Aruku sighed. "Otoi would surely have passed down his good looks and kekkei genkai."
He glanced at the surrounding Kumo-Nin and nodded, "Remember that we offered mercy."
Nami understood. She scoffed and wondered how she ever could have been friends with someone so twisted.
Her left hand sped through hand seals, "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
She spat a stream of water at the ground, which circled her and formed a giant water wall that blocked the incoming kunai.
Four signatures dashed towards Nami, sensing them, she blitzed through another wave of hand seals and cupped her hand in front of her mouth.
"Water Release: Water Trumpet"
A large jet of water cut through the falling water wall and sent the four chunin flying. They crashed against the trees, their bones breaking with sickening cracks that echoed through the forest.
"Damn you!" An elite chunin cursed.
Nami ducked under the sword slash meant to decapitate her, and stabbed the elite chunin who body flickered behind her through the chest.
Blood splattered on her face, and sensing danger, she vanished in a cloud of smoke, dodging eight shuriken thrown at her.
She reappeared above the Kumo-Nin, hanging upside down from a tree branch with four shadow clones by her side, all weaving through seals.
"Water Release: Water Bullet!"
Their stomachs bulged, and soon after, they expelled powerful torrents of water towards the enemies below them.
"Watch out!" Aruku barked out and started weaving.
But it was already too late for the chunin that were higher up than the others.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A huge stream of fire left Aruku's lips and impacted the five incoming torrents of water. The two jutsu impacted and warred for dominance, before exploding into a giant cloud of mist that shook the entire area.
Nami's heart hammered in her chest as she panted heavily. Using so many jutsu took an immense toll on her, even with being an Uzumaki. Especially while she was still recovering from her eye injury.
"At least half of them should be hit," She thought. "I can't recklessly throw more jutsu around or they might hit Aka—!"
Her stomach exploded in pain from the kick that connected with her, and her breath was knocked out. Nami was sent spiralling through the air before she slammed into the ground and cried out.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The mist was cleared, revealing the scuffed up figures of Aruku and the other eight jonin.
"I see that I've been too lenient with you," He sneered, and flung four kunai into her stomach.
"Spare… your whining…" Nami spat blood. "For someone that… cares."
"Should I carry her Aruku-san?" A bald jonin asked.
"No, just dispose of her. It'd be too troublesome to keep her alive."
"... Fuck you…" She chuckled and winced when she tried to prop herself up.
She fell back on her back. Her arms flared up in pain when she tried to move them, and she couldn't feel her legs. Everything was dark — she couldn't sense chakra signatures with so much of her chakra used up.
"This is for my juniors you killed." Spat a vindictive voice.
The floor was wet and cold. She heard the air being sliced, then something pierced her abdomen and she screamed out.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
Her body jostled again and again.
Her lungs filled with blood, breathing grew harder and harder.
"Akage… my little angel."
Her arms were numb now — the cold was getting to her.
Was she dying?
"Akage…"
"Mom?"
She was tired.
"... Akage…"
"Mom!"
That voice was familiar. Why did she know it?
"Hey, that kid? He looks like Otoi."
"Just let him through."
Someone was shaking her.
"Mom! M-mom!"
Her arm was being lifted, and she heard something clatter to the ground. Tiny pudgy hands wrapped around her hand.
"Mom! Please get up!"
That's what it was… the voice belonged to her little angel. But what was his name?
"Don't die! Mom!"
"... A… A-Akage."
"M-mom?"
That was his name, Akage. Her handsome son. She would always remember his name, and always recognize him. Even if blinded, she could spot him out of a group of strangers.
She'd always remember the voice of her little angel.
She struggled to lift her arm, it felt like it weighed tons. Her son's face was still so soft, but he was so big now. She remembered the day he was born, it was three years ago on this day. She was sad without Otoi around, but felt so happy once she held him in her arms.
Akage, she named him, like the red hair he was born with.
She smiled, today was his third birthday.
"Happy birthday, Akage."