To Live And Die [Private]

Chaimaru and Kaito raced relentlessly to the Sunagakure hospital. Chairmaru would not disclose what in the world had happened, but it clearly was not good. Kaito was trying his best to keep his cool, but without a sliver of information to go by that was becoming harder with each and every step that the boy took.

"Please, Chaimaru... Please tell me what in the hell is going on. What happened to Mom and Dad?"

Chaimaru remained silent, keeping his snout straight as he ran frantically alongside Kaito.

"Please, Chaimaru... Please..."

Still nothing. Kaito's patience, which was barely holding on by a string up until that point, snapped. He would use his full speed to run directly in front of Chaimaru and grab the ninken by the scruff of his fur.

"You tell me what the fuck happened, goddamnit!" Chaimaru, who would normally have ripped the boy's face off if he had done that in any other setting, did nothing as a tear escaped the threshold of his eyes and rolled down his furry cheek.

"Everything was going normally. Your mother was making dinner while your father was reading the paper. There was a knock on the door, and there was a group of men looking for you. Said they wanted to ask you some questions regarding a silver-haired shinobi and their friend Bunta or whatever the hell his name was. Your father, being the person he is, refused to answer any questions, and suddenly a swarm of ten of them broke into the house." Kaito's eyes widened to their fullest as his heart skipped a beat.

'Bunta Fujiwara... Silver-haired boy... no fucking way... Arantima!' Kaito would close his eyes and catch his breath before nodding, indicating Chaimaru to continue on with what he was saying.

"Your father and us ninken did our best, but they bested us... all my brothers and your mother..." Chaimaru's voice began to sputter as more and more tears began to fall from his eyes. Dark blood would also begin to seep from the edges of his muzzle. Deeply saddened and heartbroken from the news, Kaito felt as though his entire body was about to give away. It would only be through sheer adrenaline that he would pick up Chaimaru, resting the heavy dog upon his shoulders. "Wh-what the hell are you doing, boy? Put-agh!" The dog would begin to whimper in pain.

"Quiet now, Chaimaru. Hang in there." Without any hesitation, Kaito would continue to sprint through the streets of Sunagakure. Within minutes they were outside the entrance to the hospital. Though the double doors leading into the emergency room waiting room he could see a gurney awaiting him. "Nearly there..." As the doors slid open upon the Inuzuka's arrival, he gently laid Chaimaru down upon the gurney and rolled him on through to the check-in desk. Many nurses and attendants were already there, and all waved their hands up with looks of awe on their faces. One of them would rise from her chair, a concerned look upon her face.

"What do you think you're doing kid?" She asked, not even trying to hide the annoyance in her tone. "This is a hospital. Not a verternary clinic."

Kaito would allow his anger to answer for him.

"Look, I couldn't care less! My name is Inuzuka, Kaito, both of my parents are here somewhere, and I want so fucking answers!" He would access his rather skillful "Display Of Power" shroud himself in a deep, dark aura. "You are also going to admit Chaimaru here or else he is going to die! Do you understand!?" The lady would cower at Kaito's words. She knew that he meant it, and did not want to face the consequences of his wrath. She arranged two orderlies to take the curney into the operating room further in. Kaito would look back at her with an intense and unforgiving glare. "Now where in the hell are Inuzuka, Akari and Inuzuka, Haji?"

The attendant would check her clipboard quickly before tapping on it a few times.

"Akari and Haji Inuzuka, both admitted only an hour ago. Both are currently undergoing intense surgery in the intensive care unit."

"Any idea what the hell happened to them?"

The nurse would shake her head from side to side. Kaito would take this as a sign that he was getting absolutely nowhere with the woman and scoffed before walking off towards the intensive care unit.

"Hey! You can't go back there!" Kaito would activate his intense "Display Of Power" again.

"Oh really? Are you going to stop me?" Kaito's vision would suddenly start to become hazy, his body becoming weak underneath his weight. Looking around, he could see a doctor no more than ten feet away from him forming the "Ram" hand seal. "What the fuck!?" He didn't know it yet, but he was now entrapped into a powerful sleep-inducing Genjutsu. He would fall to the ground and was quickly swarmed by nurdes and doctors alike before being lifted onto a gurney himself and strapped down tightly. Then, the world around him would become dark.

'Mother... Father...'

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Kaito's eyes would begin to open slowly, his breathing calm and light as a feather. His mind was foggy, still coming off of the effects of the Genjutsu that the doctor from earlier had put him under.

'Where am I?'

He would attempt to sit upright, but he couldn't. Looking down, he could see that he was fully clothed, but in an all-white room. Many monitors were scattered throughout it, but the thing that mainly took hold of the boy's thought were the black leather straps that were holding him tightly against whatever it was he was laying against.

'What the hell!?' He would do his best to struggle against the thick leather, but it did him no good. Then it all came back to him. Chaimaru had come to collect him from the training grounds, where he had been training with Raiden. The ninken said that something had happened to his parents; something terrible.

His eyes would narrow as he remembered what bit of detail Chaimaru had laid on him.

'Bunta Fujiwara... Arantima...'

Bunta Furjiwara had been a missing-nin that died at the Inuzuaka's hands a few months prior. The man, if he can be called such, had taken it upon himself to attack a former Sunagakure Genin, Arantima, during a training session that the two of them were partaking in. Kaito had taken it upon himself to do a bit of research into his former best friend and mentor and was able to find that he did have quite a bounty on his head. If the people who attacked his parents were looking for the boy, of course, the first places they would go to check would be the abandoned Demon's Guild shop, which Arantima had owned and operated, and then Kaito's home and possibly the home of other people the silver-haired boy and interacted with.

"This is bad. I've got to get outta here..."

The door leading into the room would suddenly open inwards, revealing a man clad in a white lab coat.

"You're finally awake I see." The man would say as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He had a somber look upon his face, and upon seeing this Kaito just knew that things were only going to get worse. "You made quite the scene when you got here, kid. Just wh-"

"My parents, doc..." He would interrupt, trying his best to keep his cool. "Where are my parents and Chaimaru?" The doctor could only lower his head and shake his head from side to side.

"It breaks my heart to tell you this, son, but your mother and the dog that you brought in, Chaimaru, have passed away due to their injuries. The two of them had very deep lacerations all over their bodies, cutting deep into their internal organs."

Tears began to well up in Kaito's eyes. Why was it the poor boy always had to lose those that he was close to?

"Wh-what about my F-father?" He choked.

"Your father, Haji, took the majority of the damage. He had severe burn marks upon his body, most likely the cause of some Fire-Release techniques, but like your mother and Chaimaru, he had very traumatic lacerations all over his body. He truly is a fighter, though, and while he was able to survive the surgery to stop the bleeding, I do not foresee him living through the night." The doctor would pause for a moment before continuing, allowing Kaito to try to take in all of what he was hearing as best as the thirteen-year-old boy could. "I was coming in to awaken you from the Genjutsu that we had to put you under to keep you calm, but you had already awoken. While I have no final say in this, I do really think it would be in his best interest to cease the life support. If he does survive through the night, he will be in constant, unceasing pain, and he will never be the same."

Kaito would lay absolutely still for a moment, numb to the world. The doctor would wait for a minute for a response before asking again.

"Kaito, I need you to be strong here. I know that this is never something a child should have to decide upon, but it needs to be decided upon..." After another few moments, Kaito would simply nod, unable to speak. The doctor would take note of this on his clipboard before looking back up at Kaito. "Would you like to say your goodbyes?" Kaito would nod again without saying a word. The doctor would release the boy from his bindings and help him up to his feet. "This way, Kaito..."

The walk to the intensive care unit was perhaps the longest walk that Kaito had ever endured in his life. While it was not really a long journey in regards to distance, it was long in regards to how Kaito's perception of time was working.

He didn't believe what he had heard.

He couldn't believe it.

Soon enough he would awaken from this horrible nightmare to the sound of his mother's angelic voice calling him downstairs for dinner. His father would then ask him to assist him with feeding the ninken before he would go off to join his friends in another mission or training session.

But soon enough would never come...

It was the dark reality that the young boy was now confronted with...

The torturous way of the Shinobi life...

"We're here, Kaito." Kaito would be snapped from his thoughts by the doctor's words. He would blink a few times before being confronted by yet another white double door. Above it was an L.E.D screen that read "Operation Room In Use". It was currently shut off, indicating that the doctors were done with the surgery itself and had done all that they could. The doctor would place a delicate hand upon Kaito's shoulder. "I'll make sure that nobody interrupts."

Kaito would take light steps forward, stopping just before the door leading into the operation room for a brief moment before pushing it open slowly. The intense smell of cleaning supplies and medicine met his nostrils. It was enough to make him want to vomit, but he pressed onwards to his father's bedside. The doctor had not been joking when he said that Haji had taken entirely too much damage. Perhaps forty percent of his entire body was covered in third-degree burns and even more of it was covered in stitched-up cuts. It was easy enough to tell that they were from swords. Bloody rags lay in a collection bag only a few feet away and a cart full of operating tools was stationed at the opposite side of the metal table that Haji laid upon.

Beginning to hyperventilate, Kaito turned around to break into a run, but an arm suddenly grabbed his the slack of his jacket.

"Kai..." With eyes chock-full of tears, Kaito would slowly turn around. Of course, it was Haji who had grabbed hold of him, and he had been able to fight through all of his pain and wake up from his slumber. "My son... Oh, how I'm happy you're safe..."

"Fa-father..." Haji would try to sit up from the table but would wince in pain before falling on his back. Kaito would outstretch his arms to do his best to assist his father through this. "Please, don't strain yourself..."

"It's fine, my son... I know t-that I'm not going to make it..." Haji would stop for a moment to catch his breath. "There is som-something I got for you... I planned on giving him to y-ou as a birthday present, but I-I got you a ninken... Raidomaru is his name... I hid him in the b-basement of the kennel."

"I promise to take good care of him, and I promise to avenge you and mom and everyone else." Kaito would take Haji's trembling hand in his own, rubbing it solemnly.

"I know you wil-will, Kaito..." Haji's breathing would start to become more and more shallow with each and every breath. "Yo-you've made me... such a proud father... I..." The heart monitor stationed behind the bed began to hum as the man flatlined. Kaito hysterically began to fish around to see if Haji had any sort of pulse, but was unable to find anything.

"Dad... Dad please wake up..." Kaito allowed himself to bury his face into Haji's exposed chest, audibally crying at this point. "Ple-please don't leave me..."

"He's gone now, Kaito." Kaito would turn around to see none other than the doctor who had escorted him into the room. Fear and anger would begin to burn within the boy's gut as the man inched ever closer to him. "There was nothing that we could do. I truly am sorry for you loss..." Kaito would ignore the man, instead straightening up to his feet. He wanted nothing more than to punch the man in the face. There just had to be something that the doctors could do to save his father's life, but Kaito knew deep down that no such thing was remotely possible.

His father... His mother... everyone that he loved was gone...

Shaking his head from side to side, Kaito found himself running out of the operation room and into the hallway towards the entrance of the emergency room.

He had to escape the hell that he had been thrown into.

He just had to...

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Kaito would run straight home from the hospital.

None of what had happened could be real.

It all had to be a dream...

Upon arriving back to his home, however, Kaito was truly confronted with the truth that it was all real.

The home that he and his parents had moved to seven years prior was in shambles. The lot was blocked off with yellow caution tape, courtesy of the village's police squad, and the front door had been ripped off of its hinges. Windows were shattered and even the wood of the frame was splintered in some places. It had to have been a truly terrible and epic battle.

He would ignore the cautionary border that had been blocking off the lot, stepping right underneath of it and climbing the small set of steps that led up to the front porch. There were some black scorch marks, marking places where semi-powerful Fire-Release techniques had made contact. Kaito grimaced at this but would harden his resolve and continue onwards.

As Kaito stepped into the house's living quarters, he could see it was all messed up. Family photos had fallen from the walls to the floor, glass shattering upon impact and laying all over the place. The couch and his father's chair were toppled over along with the coat hanger from which his father's jacket typically hung proudly. It too was laying on the ground but was in no way damaged to any degree. Kaito would pick it up and examine it before putting in on himself. It was big, but it mattered not. It would be the only keepsake that he would be able to keep of his father. He could still smell the man's scent upon it as well, drawing tears from his beat-red eyes.

Stepping foot into the kitchen he would find another heirloom; the golden bracelet that his mother would typically wear. She had told Kaito perhaps a million times how Haji had gotten it for her for their first anniversary after getting married. She really did cherish it, and not a day went by that she didn't wear it. Kaito would also put his bracelet around his left wrist.

He would next proceed up the steps to his bedroom, which he could see was also in shambles. There was, however, a body mirror in the far corner next to his dresser. His body would shake desperately as he walked to stand in front of it to see what he had become.

'This is all my fault...' He would allow himself to sit on the edge of his bed and cuff his hands on his face. He balled harder than he ever had before, even harder than when he had lost his previous ninken, Kawomaru, at the hands of the scumbag Bunta Fujiwara.

Bunta Fujiwara...

Kaito's hand, balled into a tight fist, would slam into the wall to his right, leaving a wide, gaping hole in its wake.

"'Bunta's gang... Arantima... This is all their fault! If only I had never gotten involved with that fucking traitor in the first place, all of this could've been avoided!" Kaito would rise to his feet but would fall down to the ground instantly as a wave of physical pain overcame him. "Gah!" Kaito could feel his body heat begin to rise tremendously. His mouth would begin to elongate gruesomely and his ears would begin to sharpen to a point at their tops. Then suddenly, the pain would subside. Kaito would allow himself a few moments to catch his breath and bearings before rising back to his feet again.

Looking into the mirror, however, he could see a truly fearsome version of himself looking back at him...

'What the hell is this?' He asked internally, grabbing at his face.

It was, in fact, an involuntary transformation into Kaito's "Animal Sage Mode". It would take the appearance of a wolf, and it was something that Kaito had done much research into. The only problem, however, was that Kaito himself was not the one to activate the Sage Mode. He would ponder for a moment before a painstakingly familiar laugh would sound off in his head.

'This, Kaito, is true power...'

Kaito's eyes would narrow with annoyance. It was the other him that resided within his psyche. The one created from the darkness within his soul the day that Kawomaru was killed all those years ago.

'Get the hell out of here!? You're the last thing I need in my life right now!'

'I'm hurt, Boy. I really am. You know damn well that I am the one who has granted you strength, and look at what you failed to do with that strength; save your family from dying a gruesome death!' The words would sting the real Kaito deeply, and his face lowered down towards the ground with shame. 'You are in no position to control our body anymore. You are too weak! Too soft... Hand over the reins to me and I will guide us to true strength! I will start by severing the bonds that you have with those other putrid beings that you call friends. It is your friend that caused all of this to happen in the first place, so why in the world would you ever be able to trust anyone ever again!?' Kaito would ponder for a moment as he shut his eyes, weighing his options before nodding in agreement.

'You win... Our body is yours now, so give it the strength to avenge our family... Our honor...'

The laugh of the Dark Kaito would erupt with an ear-splitting wave of emotion from Kaito's mouth. Internally, Kaito could feel his body heat rising again and he could feel a fire erupt from deep within him. The laugh, which normally would be distinct between the two different Kaitos', would go through a metamorphosis until it equaled out to be Kaito's normal voice.

Kaito was no longer himself anymore...

He was now the "Hellhound of Sunagakure"...

Slowly opening his eyes, Kaito would release his Sage Transformation and take back his normal appearance again. He would grin menacingly into the mirror, realizing who was now in control of their body.

"I'm coming for you, Arantima! Just you wait!"

[TOPIC EXIT]

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[Word Count (Total) - 3,469]

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