Past Healer

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Title: Past Healer Yaoi Version

Warnings: AU? OOC YAOI Mpreg

Pairings: ItaNaru/ one-sided SasuNaru

Author: Tsukishiro

Summary: The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sent him back into an alternate past, making him face new and familiar dangers, emotions, and events. Would this ‘past’ actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or would it further send him into oblivion?

Disclaimers: Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

A/N: Remember that older!Naruto is Kaze in this fic.

This fic is Beta-ed by Terriestal-angell. I love you! XD

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Chapter 7 – Shinobi of the Leaf

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-x-x-x-x-x-

Uchiha Itachi, the youngest Anbu in history, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan, and a man of a few words (well he’s actually a man of a single-syllabic word since all he says is ‘hn’ whenever he’s in a conversation) sat lazily on a tree branch, hidden by its foliage.

He was currently watching his mission, or ward (which was more appropriate) who had been trying his best to avoid the little shinobi-in-training that have been using him as a source of entertainment, money, and training.

The raven Anbu found it amusing to watch the young red-streaked blond male hide from those kids and failed miserably. The young blond was always caught, bound and gagged in one way or another. He would then be brought to the Yondaime Hokage for their ‘reward’ for catching him.

If not, they would just tie him up, hang him up on a tree, and leave him there to see if the man would be able to get out of his binding on his own.

It was sad really... since Kaze’s daily routine consisted of waking up, eating breakfast if he felt like it, hiding/avoiding the kids like the plague, doing some light exercises like jogging, eating lunch, hiding from the kids again, eating dinner, then sleeping.

To be honest, Itachi found it weird that the blond had tolerated the children’s antics for so long.

If Kaze was like the other civilians, he would have already filed a restraining order to keep himself safe and sane from those shinobi-to-be dev-... err... children.

In fact, he caught glimpses of the man’s face that said that he was actually ‘enjoying’ himself whenever he was playing ninja with those heirs, instead of being irritated from the constant pain he had to endure from it.

Itachi received another order from the Hokage to see if Kaze had any potential to become a shinobi of the leaf. So far, all the young raven saw was the blonde’s amazingly long thread of patience and an abnormally high tolerance to pain, annoyance and irritation.

Kaze also seemed to be developing his stealth and hiding skills with the help of those children (who were completely oblivious about this) and was fast on his feet (since he needed to run to get away from them).

With these skills and some training, the raven was certain that the blond would become a fine shinobi for Konoha, but everything would depend on the blonde’s decision – whether he would join them.

The young raven sighed. Watching the blond was entertaining but there were times that it became boring. All he had to do was stalk-err trail the guy all day long and watch.

Luckily, there would be a change in routine for tomorrow due to the peace treaty between Cloud and Leaf being held in the village, so he would be relieved from his long term mission, although temporarily, and be assigned to stay on guard in case anything would go wrong.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, he took glanced towards the blond who was now currently bound with thick ropes (again), gagged with a piece of cloth, and being dragged towards the Hokage tower for the seventh time that week.

‘To think it’s only Wednesday.’ The Anbu mused, getting up from his comfortable position on the branch of the tree to follow.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kaze can’t believe what was happening.

It appeared that the young heirs of the different clans were getting better in locating and capturing him as days passed by.

Well, if he was serious, there was no way that those kids would be able to capture him, let alone find him. But knowing that there was always someone watching him, he had to keep his skills way below average.

He chuckled, wincing once in a while as he was dragged through the rough ground with ropes.

He was certain that if he was any other person, he would have lost his sanity by now. Instead, he was having fun watching the younger versions of his ‘friends’ try their hardest and best to get him.

It amazed him to see how fast these young boys were developing, from their speed, to their strategic thinking, to their strength. He was certain that with the right motivation, goal, dream and/or ambition, these kids would be great in the shinobi world.

‘Friends...’

The thought made him frown. He found it hard to think of them as anything else but ‘friends’. Sure he ‘had’ fun being and working with them in his world, but after that mission, everything had changed.

When his friends were in need of his help, he was always there to lend a helping hand. He was always there willing to do anything for them to make them happy.

But when he was the one in need of help, none of them offered a hand.

None of them seemed to care.

When his deepest secret was revealed, he got glimpses of their faces, faces that were filled with fear, disgust and hate.

He had no idea why he trusted them so much. He had thought that they would accept him as ‘Naruto’ if ever they found out, or if ever he decided to tell them about his secret.

He had imagined them to be open-minded about his situation... for them to see him in a different angle than the adults who continued to hate and scorn him.

He was mistaken...

By the time those so-called ‘friends’ had realized their mistake, it was already too late.

Naruto had already broken all bonds connecting him to them.

He could not bring himself to care about anything that happened to them... he chanted that mantra to his head every time he saw them.

But for some strange reason, deep inside, he could not stop himself from caring about their well being.

He could not stop himself from wondering how they were, if they were alright, if they were safe.

Even after all that had happened, he still cared... maybe it’s because of the fact that they were his ‘first’ friends.

He still saw them as ‘friends’... not enemies, not acquaintances, not workmates... but friends; friends whom he could still trust.

‘No matter what I do, I can’t seem to change my perspective of them. Deep inside I still see them as friends... no, maybe it’s because I want us to be and remain friends. I guess it’s understandable since I have always dreamed of having friends since I was a child...’

Kaze broke out of his reverie when his head met with a sharp rock, injuring his tanned skin, drawing blood.

‘Shit... can’t these kids be gentle? I’m the one suffering here!’ the red-streaked blond wanted to voice that out to the world but the gag made it impossible.

He ignored the snicker his ‘tenant’ was making.

He mentally sighed. He turned his head upwards so he could see the boys dragging him towards their ‘money tree’.

He found it nice to see all the heirs smiling, laughing and enjoying themselves, while in his world seeing them smile altogether was a rare event.

‘For Neji and Sasuke to interact with each other this closely in my world will be when hell freezes over. Everything is so different.’

He then turned his gaze to the unending blue of the sky, basking himself with its vastness.

‘Then maybe... it was good that I got here... so I can start a new life... not as the demon incarnate, not as the monster they always labeled me to be... but as Uzumaki Kaze, the new citizen and shinobi of the Leaf.’

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kazama Arashi was frantically struggling with the numerous files, papers, and documents that littered on his desk.

Scribbling furiously on each and every paper, he was determined to finish everything in an hour, which was impossible as there were over five stacks of papers, each approximately five feet tall.

Sarutobi found his successor’s determination to finish so many documents in under an hour amusing and humorous.

Arashi had his butt planted on his chair, situated very close to the desk. Both arms were on the desk, on one hand a pen while the other served as support to his body.

The blonde’s Hitai-ate was currently tied loosely around his neck while a white strip of cloth with the kanji ‘I CAN DO THIS!!!’ printed on it was tied around his forehead.

The Sandaime resisted the urge to laugh from the young Hokage’s facial expression. Cerulean blue eyes were concentrated on the document at hand while his lips extended from one side with his tongue poking out like a child.

The blond may be a grown man of over twenty and a father at that, but he can still be childish at times.

All that stopped when the door to the office suddenly banged open.

The two Hokage, not surprised from the dynamic entrance, turned their attention to the new comers and sighed from the familiar sight.

“You captured him again?” Arashi asked, happy from the smiles that graced each child’s lips.

Each child gave him an affirmative nod and at the same time offered their hand for their ‘reward’.

‘I wonder what they do with the money they get from me. I am certain that my son will use it for food, especially ramen.’ The young Hokage mused as he handed out the bills.

Once all the boys left, Sarutobi, feeling pity for the young blonde’s predicament, got off from his seat and released Kaze from his bindings.

“Dang! Don’t those kids get tired from chasing me every single day!-? And they should be gentle! I’m the one getting dragged here!” the young blond complained, earning him chuckles of amusement from the two leaders.

“Well, they are training to be Shinobi, and we all know that shinobis are not supposed to be gentle with their catch.” Arashi retorted.

“I know that, but of all the targets they can choose why me!-? I didn’t do anything to them!”

Arashi shrugged, turning his attention back to the pile of papers he had to finish.

“But you enjoyed it, right?” the oldest of the three stated.

Kaze stared at the old man for a few moments before shifting his gaze to the floor.

“Yeah... I guess.” was Kaze’s only reply.

“But I wonder... why do you find it enjoyable? If it was any other villager, they would have complained to us by now, but you seem to tolerate everything those children do to you.”

“I dunno... maybe it’s because I never had the chance to play with other children when I was little...” he murmured, but it was loud enough for the two Hokage to hear.

‘I thought he was living alone in the forest?’ Arashi wondered, certain that the Sandaime had caught it as well.

Arashi stopped writing, wanting to listen to the conversation of the two. The sadness emanating from Kaze’s voice was enough to keep him from multitasking.

“Why is that? Aren’t there any other kids around you when you were young?” the old man asked, finding this revelation disturbing.

A sad smile graced the red-streaked blond male.

“There were... a lot actually... but...”

“But what?”

Kaze eyes widened for a moment before he shook his head, a huge grin planted on his face as he faced the two leaders.

“It’s nothing. I’d better be going now. I’m sorry if I had held you from your work.” With that, the younger blond left, leaving the two Hokage to ponder on what they had just heard.

“I wonder what kind of childhood Kaze had... from the way he looked, I can say that it was not nice.”

Arashi could only nod, solemn expressions marring their faces.

While outside, just by the window, a raven Anbu stood quietly, processing everything he had just heard minutes ago into his head.

-o-o-o-o-o-

‘Damn! I can’t believe I slipped! I must have been too deep in my thoughts when I was answering jiji’s (1) questions!’

‘There’s nothing you can do about it kit. They will find out everything about you, one way or another.’ The great nine-tailed fox stated.

‘I know that.’

‘Then stop worrying. They already sensed your slip up but they didn’t do anything. They didn’t see you as a threat at all. Besides, you have something bigger to worry about, like that ‘event’ that will happen tomorrow night.’

‘I know. I’ll get ready. I won’t let him suffer in this world. But are you sure that it will happen?’

‘I don’t know kit. But it’s better to be there if it happens.’

‘I understand... thank you Kyuu.’

‘You’re welcome kit.’

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was late at night, all the shinobi, save for a few who were in guard duty at that time, and civilians were already asleep within the confines of their homes.

Everyone was exhausted from the day’s events, which consisted of a long parade held for the representative of Cloud for the peace treaty and alliance with the Leaf, and a small festival.

But unknown to everyone, Kaze was situated within the thick foliage of an old tree, hiding. He sat quietly as he watched the compound below, which belonged to one of the biggest clans of the village.

He was wearing a pair of black shorts and navy blue shirt, perfect for camouflage in the darkness of the night. But because of his bright blond hair, he had to wear a bandana to keep himself hidden from attentive eyes.

He sighed. It was already past midnight and he had been sitting there, doing nothing for over an hour now, waiting for something to happen.

‘Maybe it’s not going to happen in this world...’ the blond wondered.

He looked around, scanning the area to make sure that no one was there to see him.

Kaze was glad that Itachi, his 24/7 ‘guardian’ was given a break from watching over him, giving him temporary freedom.

Or so he thought, oblivious to the pair of onyx orbs watching him from a distance.

A sudden movement in the bushes caught the blonde’s attention. He got up and pressed himself closer to the trunk of the tree, certain that whatever, or whoever made that noise would be headed his way.

And sure enough, a man emerged from the bushes, carrying an unconscious child on one of his arms.

Kaze, using his sharp vision (thanks to Kyuubi), studied the unknown individual.

The man was garbed in shinobi attire, his face unidentifiable due to the mask he wore, and a hitai-ate was tied around his forehead with the symbol of Cloud engraved on it.

And on his arms was the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, Hinata.

‘Bingo!’

The Cloud Nin scanned his immediate surrounding, looking for any possible signs of being detected. Finding none, he went on his way, completely oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching him.

‘There’s my prey, it’s about time I start the hunt.’ Kaze thought, dashing quietly from tree to tree to follow the foreign Nin while still oblivious to the other pair of eyes watching them both.

Because of Kaze’s speed, even though he was silent, he was unable to prevent the wind it caused, resulting in the rustling of leaves around him.

The noise alerted the Cloud Nin of his presence, making him stop. The man was unnerved; he was certain that there was someone watching him, but he could not detect him.

“Who’s there!-? Show yourself!” he demanded, placing the unconscious heiress on the ground.

‘Dang! I got caught... oh well.’

Kaze left his hiding place from the shadows of the trees and let himself fall to the ground.

He stared at the man impassively, annoying the foreign Nin with his silence and staring. The man got pissed further when a smirk graced the blonde’s lips.

“My, my, what do we have here? A Cloud Nin kidnapping a small child?”

“Who are you? What do you want?” the Nin demanded, unnerved by the blonde’s amusement.

“Hmm... I dunno.” He simply answered with his head looking up and a finger positioned under his chin, further irritating the man before him.

‘Is this kid a nutcase?’ the cloud Nin wondered.

“Well, since you asked me a question, it’s my turn to ask.” He stated, abandoning his goofy look with a serious expression.

“Huh?”

“What do you plan on doing with Hina-chan (2)? Is the Raikage that desperate to learn the secrets of the Byakugan to the point of faking a peace treaty and use it as a distraction for kidnapping? Hmph, so even great leaders will stoop that low to get what they want.”

“Shut up civilian if you know what’s best for you! Well, since you’re a witness, it would be best for me to dispose of you.”

The Cloud Nin positioned himself and pulled out a kunai from his holster. He was determined to bring the Hyuuga heir to the Raikage without trouble so he planned for a quick, clean death for the civilian.

Deeming himself ready, he sprung from his position and charged head on, not noticing the knowing smile on the blonde’s face.

As the man got close, he thrust his kunai forward, aiming for the heart but was shocked to see the young male dodge with relative ease.

‘WTF!-?’

He turned around and attacked repeatedly, still missing the male who was only making him go around in circles.

The man took out more kunai and some shuriken from his holster and began throwing them at the blond, aiming for all vital parts of the blonde’s anatomy. But to his dismay, Kaze dodged it all with ease while smiling, unnerving the man.

Loosing his cool, the man stepped back, putting his hands together to form signs for a jutsu.

The man hidden in the darkness saw this and was about to intervene when he saw the blond stare at the Cloud Nin with no fear whatsoever.

‘Maybe I should just watch and see how this turn out...’ the unknown man thought.

After forming over twenty seals, the Cloud Nin was about to cast the jutsu when the young male suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light, surprising both him and the man hiding in the dark.

‘W-what w-w-was that!-? T-that was the Hiraishin-no-jutsu.’ The man thought, panicking.

‘Wasn’t that the Hiraishin-no-jutsu of the Yondaime? And I thought Kaze-san only know the teleportation jutsu and nothing else? Is he a spy?’ the unknown figure thought.

The Cloud Nin suddenly felt something cold pressed on his skin. Behind him was Kaze, holding a kunai, which had originally belonged to him, pressed closely to his jugular.

“W-w-who a-are you?” the man stuttered, worried for his own life.

“Who? Me? Why I’m just a civilian who suddenly decided to take a walk into the forest.”

Without warning, Kaze pressed a pressure point behind the man’s neck, rendering him unconscious in an instant.

Taking out some rope, he tied the man securely on a tree before removing the mask that covered his face.

“The Raikage’s own brother? –Snort- figures.”

Kaze, after removing his bandana, turned his attention to the unconscious heiress, checking her for any injuries before carrying her towards the Hyuuga compound.

The movement had awoken the young child as she stared at the blond with confused eyes.

“Hi there Hinata-chan.” The male greeted warmly.

The girl blinked.

“Kaze-nee-chan?”

Kaze faulted on the ground, face first, muttering ‘I’m a guy’ and ‘why me’ under his breath.

The man hiding from a distance heard the girl’s words and chuckled mentally.

“It’s Kaze-nii-chan, I’m male.” Kaze explained which only earned him a more confused look from the young child.

“I give up! Call me whatever you want!” Kaze stated dejectedly, not noticing the twinkle in the girl’s eyes.

Finally noticing where they were, Hinata began to ask.

“Kaze-nee-chan, where are we? What are we doing here?”

‘It’s Nii-chan for crying out loud!!!’ He mentally screamed

“Well, I saw some evil man trying to kidnap you so I beat the hell out of him and saved you.” He answered, not bothering to lie.

“Why did you save me?” the young girl asked, amazed from the revelation.

Kaze could only smile from the Hyuuga’s question.

“Well, you’re my little princess and I’m a knight. So it’s my duty to save you from the clutches of evil.”

Hinata giggled, somewhat happy from being called a princess.

“Thank you.” She said, planting a kiss on the blonde’s cheek before snuggling to his chest to sleep.

“You’re welcome, Hinata-chan.”

Kaze stealthily got into the Hyuuga compound and headed straight towards the heiress’ room. After tucking the small child in her futon, he snuck out, and just in time too because minutes later, Hizashi, Neji’s father, checked her room to see if she was there.

Happy that his friend was no longer in danger, Kaze left the compound and walked towards the Uchiha compound to sleep.

On his way, he suddenly sensed a chakra signature.

‘Itachi? He’s awake?’

Kaze stopped on his track and waited for Itachi to appear.

Itachi stood in front of Kaze, blocking his way towards the Uchiha compound with a serious look on his face.

“It appears that you were lying about everything, weren’t you Kaze-san.”

“So you saw everything?”

“Indeed. And I’m quite amazed that you knew Yondaime-sama’s Hiraishin-no-jutsu. Are you a spy?”

Kaze smiled.

“Do not worry; I’m not a spy at all. It is true that I did lie as it is for personal reasons. But I have no plans of doing any harm to this village.”

“Then from what village are you from?”

“I am from Konoha and that is no lie.”

“If you are indeed from Konoha, then how come no one here knows you?”

“It’s a long story and I don’t see any point in telling you. Don’t be mistaken, it is just that I don’t trust you enough to expose myself completely to you. I am certain that you too have secrets that you do not want others to know of, and I respect that, so please respect my privacy.”

Itachi could only give him a calculating look. Everything the blond said was true. Privacy was extremely important to every person and he respected that.

Furthermore, he sensed no lie in all of the blonde’s statements, meaning that he was no threat to anyone in the village. And the way he took care of the Hyuuga heiress was proof that he cared a lot for the village.

The raven male wanted to ponder more about this but he was already exhausted and needed rest. He would think about this tomorrow, determined to figure out everything about this man before him.

Giving out a sigh, he moved aside, giving Kaze a knowing nod which earned him a smile.

“Thank you, Itachi-san.”

Those two small words were sincere and honest, which led Itachi to believe that he could trust the blond.

Giving him another nod, the pair walked quietly towards the Uchiha compound.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Kaze stood quietly before the two great leaders of the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

The two adults waited patiently for the young blond to speak, eager to know what he might say.

“I have made a decision.”

Arashi and Sarutobi stared at him, urging him to go on.

“I decided to be a shinobi of the leaf, to serve under you and to protect this village with my life.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

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(1) Remember that Naruto had always called Sandaime ‘old man’ (‘jiji’/ oji-san).

(2) Naruto/Kaze had always interacted with children, so if he knew Neji, then he was bound to know Hinata. I was just unable to add that in the story.