Naruto stood motionless as Owl gently started to unbutton the boy's orange pants. The ten year old shuddered in fear and disgust. Eight hours ago Naruto had brought two small lives into the world, only to lose them an hour later. Two hours ago he had buried his children, half an hour ago he had been taken to see the Hokage. And now? Now he was face to mask with someone who very well could have been Jirou and Emiko's father.

A new feeling flooded through Naruto, making the ramune the Hokage had given him shake in his hands. Anger. He was sore, tired, and filled with greif. His kits had struggled to breath and passed away on the bed in the other room. Naruto still had tacky blood on his inner thighs and afterbirth on his bathroom floor.

Naruto glared at the blank unfeeling owl mask in front of him. The ANBU had succeeded in removing the boy's pants.

Naruto was many things. He was a ninja (in training), he was a jinchuuriki, and most importantly;

He was a vengeful mother.

The glass bottle of ramune struck Owl across his mask, not only causing the mask to crack, but for broken glass to shred the ANBU's unprotected face. Naruto briefly saw the man under the mask, typical Yamanaka Clan features. Naruto pulled his pants back up from where they pooled around his ankles and ran further into his apartment.

He slamed his bedroom door shut as he sprang over his bed to the window. Fourth floor window or Owl? Naruto could hear Owl cursing in the other room, the sound of broken glass crunching under quickly approaching steps.

Throwing the window open, Naruto climbed onto the fire escape. The bedroom door behind him flew off it's hinges as it was kicked in. There was no time to take the ladder. Descision made, the young blonde sucked in a deep breath and took a leap of faith.

Sasuke was wondering through the back alleyways of Konoha late in the evening. Most people had gone home by now and the only people still out were drunks He did this often to escape his clan compound (it was so big and so very empty). As he passed an open dumpster he heard a quite whimper. Sasuke stopped and looked back at it. Surely someone hadn't tossed a dog or something. Another whimper had Sasuke heading back. He wrinkled his nose at the smell but leaned over to look in. That was most certainly not a dog.

There amongst the trash sat the dead last of the Academy; Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto was curled up, clutching at his ankle. Sasuke could see shards of glass embedded in his hands. Tears ran over his whiskered cheeks as he tried to move, whimpering again.

"Dobe?"

Naruto jolted and looked up over his shoulder at the other boy.

"T-Teme."

Both stared at each other for a moment before it was broken by Naruto sniffling. Sasuke reached in to the filth and grabbed Naruto by the back of his jacket. He dragged the blonde out and held him up.

"Come on dobe."

Naruto hobbled along with Sasuke's help.

"W-Where are we going?"

"Hospital"

Naruto violently shoved away from Sasuke, causing him to have to put weight on his bad ankle. Naruto cried out and fell to the ground.

"What the hell dobe?! Are you trying to hurt yourself even more?"

"No hospital."

"You need a hospital, idiot."

"No. Just help me back to my apartment."

Naruto pointed upwards towards an open window above the dumpster. Sasuke eyed the ledge. Had Naruto jumped from there?

Either way, the idiot was hurt. Sasuke may not like him but he couldn't leave the dobe.

"Do you have anything to treat your injuries?"

Naruto huffed and looked down at his hands. Glass and blood covered them. Naruto winced.

"I'll take that as a no. Come on."

Sasuke pulled Naruto back to his feet and slung one of his arms over his shoulder.

"I said no hospital, Teme!"

"I'm taking you to my place."

"Oh."

Naruto was silent as they hobbled down the empty street.

"Thanks Sasuke."

"Hn"