Prologue

In the crimson night, Konoha burned.

The Kyuubi rampaged through the village. It lashed out with its claws and nine tails, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.

Amidst the beast’s attack, a pair of civilian parents awaited the arrival of their child. With the mother already in childbirth, they were forced to remain in the hospital to ensure safe and successful delivery.

“Hurry! The Kyuubi’s chakra is circulating through her womb!”

“Kenji! It hurts!” The mother, Momoko, clutched her husband, Kenji’s hand.

“Hang on, Momoko! You can do it! Our baby is counting on you!” Kenji tenderly rubbed his wife’s hand with his thumb.

The building shook and rumbled.

Kenji shielded Momoko with his body as objects toppled around them.

The nurses and doctor surrounded Momoko protectively, continuing with their work.

“There! I see the baby!”

“Almost! Almost!”

“Got the head! Pull out now!”

The cries of a newborn baby filled the room.

“Wonderful! Your daughter has finally come into the world!”

Kenji beamed. “You did it, Momoko!”

Momoko gave a tired smile. “Oh. Thank goodness.”

A nurse held the crying newborn up to Momoko for her to see.

Momoko’s lip trembled, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Haruto. I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

Kenji blinked. “Eh? ‘Haruto’? A boy’s name? Are you sure about this, Momoko?”

Momoko took Haruto into her arms. “I think it’s quite fitting for our little girl. What do you think, Kenji?”

“Haruto. Haruto.” Kenji smiled. “Kuzumaki Haruto. It has a nice ring to it.”

Momoko and Kenji both gently placed their hands on Haruto’s chest. “Haruto. Our little sun.”

Their daughter’s heartbeat felt steady and her chest trembled as she continued crying.

Kenji pointed at Haruto’s head. “Look, Momoko! Haruto-chan has your spiky black hair!”

Haruto barely managed to open a single eye. Then she shut it again.

“And she has your red eyes, Kenji!”

Kenji leaned closer to Haruto’s face. “But what about those whiskers?”

On each of Haruto’s cheeks were three whisker marks.

Momoko traced her finger over the whiskers. “Such strange birthmarks. No one in either of our families was born with these.” She cooed. “But they do make Haruto-chan look cuter than she already is!”

The building shook again. Much harder this time.

“Not good! We need to leave for the shelters now!” The doctor turned to the nurses. “Get Kuzumaki-san ready for departure!”

Kenji took Haruto from Momoko’s arms as the nurses helped lift Momoko so she could stand up and walk.

The group hurried outside of the building.

The air was permeated with heat. Flames spread across the village.

Haruto’s cries pierced the night.

“Sorry, Haruto-chan. Such bad timing to be born during a village invasion. My poor little girl must be so scared.” Kenji gently laid a hand on Haruto’s head. “But don’t worry, Father and Mother will not let anything happen to you!”

A ninja appeared in front of the group. “The Kyuubi’s injured a lot of us! You need to report to the battlefront!”

The doctor and nurses, being medic-nins, had to obey orders. But they still turned and acknowledged the civilian family they were with. Part of a ninja’s responsibility was ensuring the safety of their home village’s inhabitants, after all.

“Don’t worry! We’ll be fine! You guys better get going to protect our village! Good luck!” Kenji assured.

The medic-nins nodded. “Right!”

The medic-nins hurried away, leaping onto the rooftops.

“Momoko, you hold Haruto. I’ll be on the lookout for anything dangerous coming our way.” Kenji placed Haruto into Momoko’s arms.

“All right, Momoko. We need to keep moving.” Kenji wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter protectively, continuing forward.

“Momoko, what do you think Haruto’s favorite color is going to be?”

“Hm. Red?”

Kenji laughed. “Oh! Red like the color of my eyes! Good one!”

“What about her favorite food?” Kenji continued talking. He had to keep them talking happily about their newborn daughter. Anything to keep them tethered with the chaos ensuing around them.

So much destruction.

The collapsing and burning buildings.

The screams of the wounded and dying.

It was a nightmare straight from the depths of Hell.

Something cracked and crumbled from above.

“Momoko!” Kenji cried.

Something splattered onto Momoko’s face.

Blood…

Her husband…

Kenji…

Kenji’s blood.

“Kenji!”

Momoko desperately tugged on Kenji’s hand. “No! Kenji!”

A chunk of a building had come crashing down upon the Kuzumaki family. And Kenji had pushed Momoko out of the way. Now Kenji was nothing but a bloody lifeless mess on the ground.

“No! No! This can’t be happening!” Momoko sobbed.

In response to her mother’s distressed screaming, Haruto’s cries grew louder and deafening.

This broke Momoko out of her reverie. - She couldn’t stop here now! She needed to get her daughter to safety! For Kenji’s sake…

Pieces of small sharp debris scratched Momoko’s arms and back as she shielded Haruto.

Further along the way, Momoko finally spotted a ninja. “Please! Help! We need to get to a shelter!”

“This way, Ma’am! Hurry!” The ninja guarded Momoko and Haruto as she guided them into a shelter.

Momoko panted, tightly holding onto Haruto as they sat among many of the other fearful civilians.

They had made it.

But at what cost?

“The Kyuubi has been defeated!”

The civilians around Momoko cheered as the ninja shared the good news.

“It was the Fourth Hokage who managed to defeat the Kyuubi!” The ninja’s voice grew soft, his tone changing instantly. “He sacrificed his life protecting us.”

Momoko lay her head against the wall and shut her eyes.

So many people had lost their lives this night.

The ninja who fought against the Kyuubi.

Lord Hokage.

The casualties from the battle and the village’s destruction.

Kenji was one of many who sacrificed themselves for their loved ones.

Momoko almost started crying again. She looked down at Haruto.

Haruto had long fallen asleep, too exhausted to keep on crying.

Momoko gently rocked the sleeping Haruto.

Her precious daughter was still here. Still in her arms. Still alive…

“I’m afraid you don’t have much longer to live.”

Momoko’s mouth ran dry. “What? What do you mean?”

“Kuzumaki-san, the Kyuubi’s chakra invaded your body while you were in childbirth. That has severely weakened your body and chakra coils. Your chakra reserves were also severely depleted.” The medic-nin’s expression was somber. “I’m sorry.”

The medic-nin turned to Haruto, who was afflicted with a fever. She was placed in a small hospital bed next to Momoko. “I’m afraid your daughter’s chakra coils are in a frenzy as well.”

“What’s going to happen to her?!” Momoko shrieked.

“We…don’t know. As of now, she may or may not survive,” The medic-nin said grimly.

"First Kenji. Now Haruto?" Momoko whispered. Did fate really have to be so cruel?

Haruto whimpered.

Momoko pressed a cool cloth to Haruto’s forehead. Her poor baby must be in so much pain. And yet, Haruto persisted.

I must believe in Haruto-chan! Look at her. She's fighting to hold onto life! She has the same strength and willpower as her father and mother.

Momoko had to survive long enough so her daughter did not fight alone.

“Please let me stay with my daughter. I don’t want to leave her alone.”

The medic-nin nodded solemnly. “Very well.”

Momoko grabbed hold of Haruto’s hand. “Haruto...you can do this. Don’t give up.”

“Good news.”

The medic-nin smiled at Momoko. “Kuzumaki-san. Your daughter’s chakra coils have stabilized.”

Momoko was filled with hope. “So you’re saying…?”

“She’ll live.”

Momoko burst into tears, clutching Haruto close.

Her little girl was going to stay alive.

But…

Momoko’s happiness was quickly dampened.

But she wasn’t, was she?

She wasn’t going to live long enough to raise her daughter and see her grow up.

Over the past few days, Momoko had already made the proper preparations: a will and an inheritance of funds left behind from herself and Kenji.

“Kuzumaki-san…” The medic-nin looked troubled, glancing from Momoko to Haruto.

Momoko put on a sad smile. “I know. It’s almost time for me to leave.”

The medic-nin nodded. “Yes…We’ll give you a special medication that will make…the process painless. It’ll be just like sleeping.”

“But what about Haruto-chan?” Momoko looked down at Haruto with worry. “She will be all alone…”

“Do not worry, Kuzumaki-san. The village will take great care of your daughter. Konoha shall be one big family to her.”

“I should hope so.” Momoko ran a hand through Haruto’s tuft of hair. “Please...give me some time alone with my daughter.”

“Very well.” The medic-nin left, shutting the door.

First, Haruto lost her father. Now she was going to lose her mother.

Neither of them would get to witness their daughter’s first word, first step, first school day…

Momoko had already written down her farewell message in a letter. Now it was time for Haruto to hear those words in person from her mother herself.

“Haruto-chan. Mother is sorry that she has to leave you so soon…
Your father and I wish we could’ve been here together with you. We wanted to raise you and see you grow up into a wonderful young woman.
If only things didn’t turn out this way…
Growing up without a family. It will be harsh. It will be sad. There may be days when you feel like crying your heart out and giving up.”

Momoko gently cupped Haruto’s cheek in her hand. Haruto gurgled and placed her small chubby hands on her mother’s hand.

“But I know you can do it. You have more strength within you than you think.
Your father believes in you. I believe in you.
Know that you are loved. We love you, Haruto.”

Momoko pressed a tender kiss against Haruto’s forehead.

“Do your best, Haruto-chan.”