Naruto: Hatake Zoro

The sun, now high in the sky at 10 am, bathed the quiet forest clearing. The scent of fresh earth and leaves filled the air. A small 3 years old boy dashed across the training ground, his bright green hair bouncing with every step. Zoro ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, a wooden stick clutched tightly in his hand like a prized sword.

"Faster, Zoro!" Kakashi called, leaning casually against a tree, arms folded over his chest. His masked face betrayed no emotion, but amusement sparkled in his single visible eye. "If you can't hit me in ten minutes, no onigiri for you today."

"Shio sake onigiri?" Zoro's eyes widened, his voice filled with hope.

"Yeah. But only if you succeed."

Determined, Zoro sprinted toward Kakashi with all his might. His movements were clumsy, the wooden stick wavering with every swing, but his spirit was on fire. Despite the awkwardness in his movement, there is an inexhaustible power that drives him to get the target.

Kakashi dodged effortlessly. He barely had to move, stepping aside just as Zoro lunged, causing the boy to stumble face-first into the grass.

"Again!" Zoro shouted, scrambling to his feet, his face covered in mud but he still wants to continue to get his favorite food.

Kakashi sighed under his breath "Ahh.. this idiot, when will he get tired.. I hope he won't become like him.." he murmured, shaking his head thought about certain green dressed friend.

The Hatake Compound – Afternoon

Later that day, back at the Hatake compound, Zoro lay sprawled on the tatami floor, exhausted from his training. Kakashi sat nearby, flipping through a scroll, while Susuna prepared lunch in the kitchen, humming softly.

"I almost got you today," Zoro mumbled, rubbing his bruised forehead.

"Sure you did" , Kakashi replied without looking up.

Zoro scowled and crossed his arms. "Next time, I'll win. Then you'll have to make me shio sake onigiri every day!"

From the kitchen, Susuna's sharp voice echoed, "Not every day, brat! That onigiri obsession of yours will be the death of me."

Zoro stuck out his tongue. "You're just scared I'll beat Kakashi-nii one day."

Kakashi snorted, amused, while Susuna carrying dishes to the table while saying "Yeah.. Yeah.. just don't come home with all the mud in Konoha next time."

"You just don't want to clean the house because of your old age.." Zoro mumbled under his breath. "You brat!!!" furiously susuna shunshin-ed to zoro *boink*boink*boink* three meatball-sized thing form on his head.

kakashi shuddered while thinking not to get her mad in anyway possible.

.....

*clank*clank* susuna is making the dinner, while zoro is in the hallway carrying 3 bamboo stick while planning how to carry extra stick.

*boom* suddenly an earthquake the sticks in zoro hand fell and susuna felt a shock. Suddenly susuna voice rang from the kitchen.

"Zoro, stay inside!" Susuna's voice was sharp as she stormed into the room, already wearing her shinobi gear. She clasped Zoro's shoulders and sees his eyes with hers and commanded "Don't move until I say so. Do you understand?"

Zoro blinked, confused and frightened. "What's happening?"

"Zoro.. don't ask anything now." while carrying on her back and mounting him with a cloth, "and don't ever turn back!" she said with extremely serious.

She know from the aura alone that a tailed beast is nearby, as she seen and fought a real tailed beast in the past, but she doesn't know which beast and why and how the hell it appeared in the middle of Konoha. But she knows wasting a second will cost lives.

She then jumped on the window and ran from the house's courtyard. She knows there will be shelter near the hokage building, she needs to make sure zoro is safe.

*Roar**rumble**rumble*

Zoro shuddered from the sound, and he knows he shouldn't see the thing that created the sound in back as the old lady said. But the curiosity doesn't leave him.

Slowly he turned his head, *hup* his breathing stopped for a second. What he sees cannot be described with his small known vocabulary. The legs big as 2 story house, the nails that easily tear through the big stone, The huge tails with every wave it creates the shockwaves, The towering body that can looked down on everything. He can't reach for the head because of the height. Totally, it is a huge big gigantic red walking disaster. He can't think of any words.

*shudder* Susuna feels the trembling in the back. "Hey zoro, listen" while running "I know, I can't stop you from seeing the thing in the back." as she glanced back, she catch the sight of big red monster, she shocked for a split second, then continued to run "But, remember I am here." while embracing with her hands on the back of zoro. "yes, grandma.." He calmed down while hugging her tightly.

As she runs towards the hokage building, she comes across several jonin ninjas who are going to defend. And learned from them the shelter area is left side of the hokage building.

As she runs towards the hokage building which is just 500 m in front of her, suddenly her instinct kicked in. She turned towards back suddenly where the kyuubi opened its mouth wide and gather ultimate amount of chakra.

She knows the bijudama will be released from that monster within a second or so and she can't avoid it with zoro in the back. She made a split second decision to use her one of the strongest ninjutsu that can be used within 2 seconds.

*zing**zing**zing*..

She quickly weaved hand signs as she poured large amount of chakra from her reserve. [Kumiawase Gijutsu: Nijū hogo] (combination technique: double protection), suddenly the earth stone with 1 m thick, 10 m semi-circle formed around her, and inside the stone semi-circle formed a 1 m thick water layer.

This is one of her strongest defense jutsu that can protect and absorb the most of damage from the offense of strongest foes. Just as protection formed around her, a massive bijudama that form of yin-yang chakra launched towards her.

*boom**boom**boom*...

As the bijudama pass through, the houses and buildings in its path can't hold the pressure release from that alone. One by one crushed after the big purple thing passed through, as it travels beyond the speed of sound.

Soon it reached before semi-circle protection, susuna holds her breath as she binds the jutsu to stay remain. Unfortunately, the bijudama is just 2 m high from the ground and clashed with semi-dome but it doesn't last long, it just holds the structure for 2 seconds as the pressure multiplies soon it crumbles, even the water protection can't absorb the shock more than a second. It is amazing that the bijudama can be hold still for 3 whole seconds which is a lot of time for the higher level ninja.

But as amazing as it may, it cannot hold the big purple ball for indefinite. Soon it reached susuna who poured almost entire chakra as the protection around her. But the old age can't sustain the huge amount of burden from the chakra as she maintain around her and zoro.

She know that she doesn't have enough time to perform another jutsu to protect. So, she made up the mind and poured almost entire chakra as the protective barrier around the zoro and in a fraction of second she suddenly turned her body as she loosed the cloth around her. As she turned around, she tightly hugs the zoro.

Then the bijudama without any resistance moved forward, susuna who's back is facing the bijudama suffered a huge shock as she send flying towards the buildings. Just the moment before bijudama hit her, she slightly turned her trajectory towards the outer scope of bijudama's straight path.

She curls her body and hugs tightly the zoro who wrapped in the cloth.

*boom**boom**boom*

Hatake susuna breaks through several houses and streets and came to halt coincidentally near the shelter where ninjas actively guiding several civilians to move towards the underground pathway which made from scratch.

As the sound of breaking reached the ninjas around shelter, they became alert. Soon the smoke which covers the area subdue. Came the figure in curled stage that covered in mostly blood and some dirt.

After sometimes of shock, a chunnin ninja soon came to the figure's side as she inspected condition. Then she saw the figure tighly holds a small child that wrapped in a cloth and also covered in strong chakra around it.

After the initial shock, "We need the iryo-nin (medical ninja)!! Soon hurry up!!!" she quickly ordered the ninjas station at the shelter as she tried to separate the child from the now-unconscious susuna, But she couldn't even bulge the arms around the child even with her chunnin level strength.

"We need stretcher! come quickly!!" She ordered another ninja as she trying to wake the figure.