The Red Crimson Bride

The bright sun glimmers through the leaves of the forest. Birds hang on the branches, singing sweetly in the warm summer air. It was hot that day and the villagers of Konoha could feel it.

"Oh man, why do I have to guard the gate this day? It's too hot, I can hardly breathe." a voice whined. "It's not like anyone will come to the village through this gate, no one uses it." he added then he let out a deep sigh and fell on his chair. "Stupid job, I should have accepted the one to guard the front gate, at least there were people using it."

Tap tap, tap . The man rose from his chair.

"What's with this sound?"

Tap, tap, tap.

"Steps?" He leaned from his position to see if someone was coming. He looked through the gate at the forest. Suddenly, mist appeared. "Mist? In this kind of day?"

Tap, tap, tap.

"Is someone there?" he yelled and stared at the mist in front of him. He watched it carefully and finally a silhoutte appeared, the sound of steps could be heard louder and louder as the person approached.

The guard's eyes wide open, the person coming towards him had a black-white cloak and it's hood covered the person's face. As soon as the person arrived in front of him, the guard gulped. 'What's with this chakra? It's suffocating.'

"H-H-Halt. Name and your b-bussiness in Konoha, please." He said with a trembling voice. The person in front of him stopped and turned to him. He could feel that the person was looking at him, although he couldn't see his face. After a few seconds, the person nodded and rose the left hand which had a ring and let the hood down. Red eyes blocked on his and he made a few steps backwards. The woman in front of him smiled cheerfully and leaned over his desk taking a pen and the register.

"Naruki Hirayama." she said and wrote something there. "Just visiting." she made another smile and returned the register.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to tell me more details." he added. He made another step back in case that the woman in front of him won't burst in anger and do something. The woman chuckled and rose her left hand.

"Visiting the Hokage, I have to talk with him about something important." she said and waved it in front of him. He stared confused at the hand then he moved his gaze at her red eyes who were piercing him now.

"You can't go to him unless you have an appoint-" he stopped. Suddenly the man felt numb and fell on the ground unsconcious. Smiling at him, Naruki rose her hood and entered the gates.

"Guards." she said still smiling as the mist started to disappear behind her.

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"And this is the last one-" a voice said cheerfully but stopped as the pencil which he held broke in two pieces. Blue eyes gazed dumbfounded at the two pieces. "A bad omen?" he asked loud and rose from his desk then went straight towards the window. He looked through it at the village which was right in front of him. His eyes narrowed. "Such a strange chakra." he said and leaned forward as golden locks caressed his whiskered cheeks. "An enemy?" he murmured. Right then the door behind him hung open.

"Hokage-sama, there's an emergency!" a man with an eagle mask and ANBU uniform said. The person in front of him, who was staring through the window turned around a bit to see him. The ninja stared at his back, the white cloak had red letters written on it and he could easily read Rokudaime.

"I know. I felt her chakra since she entered the village." he said and made a few steps towards him.

"Should I send teams to capture her? he asked. Naruto made a smile.

"No, there's no need. In fact she is coming here by herself." he said and took a sit at his desk.

"But what if she's dangerous?" he insisted.

"Neji, you think that I can't handle it?" he asked grinning. There was silence in which none of them said anything. Naruto rose one of his eyebrows and was about to say something when a small knock on the door stopped him. "Enter." he said and the door opened. A tall figure entered the room and closed the door behind it.

"Konnichi wa, Hokage-sama." a woman voice said and bowed. When she straightened up she let the hood fall in order to show her face. "I guess my visit is an unexpected one." she smiled.

"You seem odly familiar. Have I seen you before?" Naruto asked.

"Well...yes." she said and made a small blush. "In the Bingo Book, probably, and also... ten years ago." she said and a smile crossed her lips.

Naruto stared at her with eyes wide open but soon his face turned from a shocked one to a frowning one. He clenched his fist and gazed at her with rage. Naruki noticed his sight and leaned her head down.

"Naruto-san. I thought that this encounter would have been different." she whispered. Soon, loud steps coming towards her made themselves heard and Naruki didn't knew what was happening until two arms pulled her in to a hug. She rose her head and saw golden locks blocking her view. She made a small smile and responded to the hug.

"You really thought that I was going to be mad at you?" Naruto asked laughing. Naruki supressed her urge to cry and made a small nod.

"After what happened these years, yes. I thought that you were going to be like the others. I thought that you hated me too." she said. Naruto patted her on the back and broke the hug. She rose her head and stared at his smiling face and at his deep blue eyes.

"You did so many to me, I couldn't hate you, even though you did some wrong things all these years." he said and Naruki moved her gaze away ashamed. "But I know that you changed. I'm sure of it." he said and Naruki turned to him. She stared at him with teary eyes, she couldn't believe what he said. But deep inside her she could, she knew very well what kind of person he was. Protective, loyal and also a good friend. She smiled, everytime she was in distress she would talk with him and that will make her feel better, like when they met for the first time ten years ago.

"I'm sorry, I-I made so many mistakes and also-" she was cutt off as Naruto brushed his index finger against her lips.

"There's no need to apologize." he smiled. "I'm sure you didn't mean it, you have been manipulated by them." he said in a serious tone. Naruki made a small nod, she had been. "So what brings you here? You thought of making a visit?" he asked. Naruki stared at him suprised. "Believe me, when I saw your letter in which you were saying that you survived the destruction of Amegakure I thought that you were a fake person." he said and made a small smile.

Naruki smiled, the person which she trusted the most was him, her first friend beside Kohaku. She considered him a friend too but the connection between her and Naruto seemed a stronger one. They were very much alike and both of them had ambitions. She, to become stronger and he to become Hokage. 'One of us granted his desire.' she thought smiling.

"Sorry to interupt Hokage-sama, but isn't she Naruki Hirayama? The assasin?" Neji asked. The two of them turned to him suprised, they had forgotten that he was still there watching them.

"Yes, I am." she said and turned to him. Neji frowned under his mask and his hand tightened around the hilt of the katana. So she was Naruki, after all? The assasin which was famous for it's brutal killing and the one which was impossible to caught? But she was dead, the Akatsuki killed her. Then why was she there in this office?

Naruki saw him doing this and made a few steps towards him, her red gaze never escaping the tiny holes of the mask which he could see through.

"You probably think that I'm here in order to assasinate the Hokage, am I right?" she asked. Neji didn't answer and kept his state like before. "Then you're wrong. Dead wrong. I don't do paided assasinations since I died almost four years ago." she said. "Akatsuki is an organisation which I don't belong to anymore. I left it four years ago in order to have a peaceful life, but they found me and killed me along with Amegakure village." she continued. "But I survived and now my only goal is to stop them." she said and leaned her head down. "I know that I'm still considered a criminal, an assasin but seeing my sinful life from another point of view, I could only think how fool I had been, how ignorant and how naive. I could only think about the good and beautiful things which I missed because of my colaboration with Akatsuki. Having true friends, colleagues, family, children, these ones I missed the most. When I found out that I was pregnant, I could only think about the fact that I will finally be part of the regular world having a family, raising children then die happilly in their arms knowing that they love me and that they always will." she said and made a pause.
"But my chance to become a regular person again, had been taken away from me as they found me and killed my children." she rose her head. "And now he's in danger." she said and pointed at Naruto. "I want to help him escape their plans. Because is my duty of doing this, I have to do this because it's my fault that so many innocent people died. And I won't let other persons die again!" she yelled the last part.

Naruto made a few steps towards her and put his hand on her shoulder making her startle. Her eyes faded to blue-green and she turned to Naruto panting heavily.

"Neji, she's one of the persons I trust the most. She didn't have a very good past but she's a great person as a friend. Loyal and a caring one. I guarantee it with my life." he said and Naruki leaned her head down.

The ANBU guard took his hand away from the hit and turned to Naruki.

"I'll still be watching you even if Hokage-sama has trust in you." he said. Naruki made a small smile but it broke immediately as she turned to Naruto.

"You were right, I'm not only in visit. I'm bringing bad news as well." she said serious. Naruto let out a deep sigh.

"If you're going to tell me that Akatsuki captured the other eight Bijuu's and that they are after Kyuubi, I know already." he said.

"This and that you need my help. I'll be going after them, I'll hold them so they'll delay their plan to capture Kyuubi." she said

"I'm not letting you fight alone against them. It's pure madness!" he said.

Naruki rose her gaze and gazed at him with disbelief.

"You must understand how I feel, Naruto-san. I must do this, alone, it's my fault they got this powerful and that they did everything they pleased. It's my burden, I won't give it to anyone." she said.

"You can't do this alone." he said.

"I can and I will. Not even you can stop me." she murmured. Naruto watched her shocked, was she really the clumsy girl he met ten years ago? The woman in front of him didn't even held a glimpse of her personality from that time. Now she was determined and forceful. No one could even get in her way.

"But you'll still receive my help, no matter what." he grinned.