Bole and Bolt
“Have they been found?” the old Hokage asked as he looked up from the report. His eyes were hard, mouth set in a firm frown. While he could tell there was more to the story than what he’d read—a caretaker crushed almost beyond recognition, two kunai lying on the ground, and child-sized footsteps leading off into the forest—it was more important they find the children.
He feared they’d not survive the night because of how cold it was.
Shikaku shook his head, “No, the Uchiha following the trail lost it about half a mile in.”
They needed a more experienced tracker. Hiruzen’s mind ran through the many tracker-class shinobi in the city as well as outside the walls. Only one came to mind.
“I see,” he sighed, glancing into a dark corner where one of his bodyguards stood. “Return to the site and inform the Uchiha to fall back. This is now being upgraded to a shinobi-only affair.”
The Jonin Commander bowed, “Yes, sir.” Then he was gone, disappearing in a flurry of leaves.
Hizuren exhaled a plume of smoke from his pipe and picked the scroll up again. “I trust you to find them. When you do, bring them here. I believe there’s more to the story than we’re hearing, and I’d rather not have the villagers out for their blood.”
“Yes, Hokage-sama,” a voice floated from the nether before the old man felt the weight of chakra in the room lessen. If there were any shinobi Hiruzen knew would find them, it was this one.
XxX
Naruto and Gumo huddled in the bole of a tree, listening as ninja passed overhead. The cotton was coming down thick, cutting visibility slim, and the blond once more thanked the ninja in the dog mask for showing him the bolt hole.
“Ruto?” Gumo asked softly. Naruto wrapped his arms around him, both to comfort him and to try and keep him warm. Instead of replying, he set a finger to his lips as they’d often seen the older kids do while playing hide and seek.
Gumo nodded in understanding, and Naruto poked his head past their loot sack to check outside. His brother hadn’t had to experience this kind of hiding before. He was never chased through the village by drunk villagers and called names. Always ignored and looked over for his silence. Sometimes, Naruto envied Gumo for his ability to go unnoticed.
Seeing and hearing no one, the blond child pulled his head back into the hole and murmured, “they shouldn’t be able to find us here. Dog ensured we could use this to hide for at least a night.”
“We can’t hide here forever,” Gumo frowned, curling up with his knees against his chest. “What will we do once we leave? We can’t return to the village; they’ll hurt you again.”
Naruto gave his brother a big grin, the bravado not quite reaching his eyes. “Come on, between you and me, we don’t need to go back. Besides, you remember that run-down house we found a little way back?”
“The one with the broken statues out front?”
“Exactly,” Naruto nodded, “we’ll go there.”
It was the sturdiest, quietest place they’d found in all their exploring since the caretakers started kicking them out at the beginning of last summer. If any place were safe, it would be there.
He settled beside Gumo, curling up to stay warm, and murmured, “We’ll leave in the morning.”
XxX
The snow was coming down heavily, cutting visibility to almost nil. Still, Inu kept going. If anyone was to know where those boys were going, it was him. The Sandaime may not have had ANBU on the brothers for long, but Inu at least ensured he was on those patrols as much as possible. They were his duty, his responsibility, and even if the old monkey forbade him from taking them in, he’d still make sure they were at least safe.
“They weren’t safe in that orphanage,” the rebellious part of his mind growled. He’d known that; wanted to rail against it, but it was the Hokage’s orders. Anyone who knew their parents and the story behind their blood was not allowed to interact with them, even when the caretakers would kick them out at dawn and not let them back in until dusk.
Or when the winter winds blew hard for the cold season ahead. Those boys only had rags for clothes, and Inu couldn’t do anything to change that. Coming to a stop above the bolt hole, the ANBU paused, took a deep breath, and focused. He’d shown Naruto the hideaway the night of his last birthday when the villagers were too drunk to know better, and the shinobi ignored the boy’s plight.
But Inu hadn’t.
He’d guided him through a game of tag to the tree and let Naruto find it. The boy was smart, much more than even Sandaime gave him credit for. He’d used it then, and if Inu was right, the brothers would use it now. The ANBU swung under the branch, his feet sticking to the bark quickly, and peeked into the bolt hole. If they were there, neither he nor any other shinobi could sense their chakra because of the seals carved into the tree.
Coincidentally, the branch he stood on was just high enough for him to peek in without the brothers noticing he was there.
A pillowcase filled with dried and canned goods blocked the entrance. If the Uchiha had been right, he’d found them. Flipping back on top of the branch, Inu settled against the tree and heaved a sigh of relief. The boys were out of the snow, at least. His Sensei’s sons were safe.
He should go back to the Sandaime and report success. Be the loyal dog they thought he was and turn the kids in. They’d go back to the orphanage, where it was warm, and they’d be bullied, ostracized, and tortured because of what they were—what they’d done.
He’d seen the mess, which was the Matron’s remains. Inu remembered every time she’d physically kicked them out or taken their food when they’d done nothing wrong. The other caretakers were saying she carried the kunai for self-defense. Maybe, at one point, she had, but there was no reason for her to use it on children.
Even as he sat here, he knew rumors would be spreading. The Konoha rumor mill was vast and terrifying when juicy gossip hit. The Matron’s death was the kind of gossip that would keep going for years. Which meant he couldn’t take the boys back.
The ostracization they felt now was nothing compared to the anger and fear they’d get upon their return.
The Sandaime had said to bring them back when he found them, but there was no demanded return time and no expectation of when he would return. That was a loophole he could use, and damn if he wouldn’t abuse it.