Welcome everyone to the story, if you are a fan of Wolfpackersson19's work then you know the reason for this fic but I'll explain for anyone left in the dark. Wolfpackersson19 came to me for the idea of co-writing his Persona 4 story which I said sure since I read his experiment and it was a good story. Now before anyone talks about adding more fics when you haven't updated in a while there is a reason for that…life. I got a lot of things going on with college and everything so that's going to affect what I have time to do but I already know which fics I'm going to update.
Now I ranted enough you all came for a crossover so here's a crossover. Now…ON WITH THE SHOW!
Co-written with: Wolfpackersson09 and can be found on his page as well.
First Scent: Midnight Channel
It was calm quiet, evening over a road shrouded in fog; however, the silence of the night was soon interrupting by the sound of a tires driving down the road. A mysterious limousine was somehow navigating through the fog as if it didn't exist, even though the destination could not be seen. The interior of the strange vehicle was completely blue; everything followed the same motif from the cushions to the shelves that contained various amounts of cups and liquor. The driver of this strange vehicle could not be seen but the three passengers sitting in the back could, but one of three looked confused as to why he was in this strange carriage he's never seen before.
The confused guest then focused on his company inside the limo. One of the two individuals was an old man who was balding at the top but still had white hair; his fingers were intertwined in front of him with his elbows resting on a small table. The other individual was a radiant woman with platinum blonde hair and gold eyes. Both were dressed formally with the man in a black suit with white gloves and the woman in a dark blue stewardess uniform and blue hairband with golden rings, black stockings, and blue heels.
The bizarre old man then pulled down his hands to reveal a long nose and beady bloodshot eyes as he smiled to the third occupant. "Welcome to the Velvet Room." The bizarre man greeted the confused teen.
Before the boy could ask any question Igor decided to continue speaking. "It seems that you have an intriguing destiny. My name is Igor, and I'm delighted to make your acquaintance."
The third passenger nodded as he knew it would be rude to let the man introduce himself and not return the courtesy. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and where exactly is this Velvet Room? Last I checked I just went to bed…this isn't another no-ramen dream is it?" Naruto asked.
Igor chuckled a bit at the blonde boy's words. "I can assure you it's nothing like that; this, young man, is The Velvet Room…it is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor explained as he showed off a bit more of the limousine. "It's been years since we last had a guest, as only those who are bound by a contract may enter." With a wave of the man's hands, a small deck of cards appeared on the table before him. "Do you believe in fortune telling?"
"Not really." Naruto answered truthfully. Igor nodded as the cards spread out across the table with another wave of Igor's hand. While he was glad the blonde was truthful it seemed that he didn't much care for the answer itself. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the results are always different. Life itself follows such principles wouldn't you say?" One of the cards flipped over, revealing it to be a large tower like structure torn in half by lightning. "This is the card that represents the immediate future; it is The Tower in the upright position. A great catastrophe is coming to you, and the card indicating the future beyond that is..." Another wave of the hand and a second card was flipped showing a moon on top a river with two towers and a lobster in the background. "This is the Moon in the upright position; this card represents hesitation, and mystery. It seems that a catastrophe is to take place, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. At that time, you may come under a contract and return here."
"Catastrophe...mystery; I don't really know what you're talking about. But I do know I'm not going to let something like that happen to my village; that's a promise from Konoha's future Hokage 'ttebayo!" Naruto openly declared after Igor finished his Tarot readings.
Igor gave out an amused chuckle at the young Uzumaki's response before having the cards disappear with a final wave of his hand. "Oh so you are not afraid of what destiny has in store for you in the coming future? The coming year will be a turning point in your destiny; if the mystery goes unsolved then your future will be lost." Igor informed the young blonde.
"I don't believe in things like following destiny; my destiny is something that is decided by my own actions. If what you say is true and a catastrophe is coming then I will do all I can to prevent it, if there is a mystery I'll just have to keep searching until I find the truth." Naruto said showing a mature side of himself that he only reserved for certain situations. If it were possible Naruto saw Igor's large grin grow even more.
"It would seem that we have a very interesting guest in the Velvet Room this time around wouldn't you agree?" Naruto then saw the woman nod her head. Igor then decided it was time to introduce the other occupant of The Velvet Room. "Ah I forgot to introduce my assistant to you Uzumaki-san." Igor motioned to the platinum haired beauty that was sitting there.
The woman gave Naruto a small bow before beginning her introduction. "My name is Margaret, and I shall accompany you on your travels." The now named Margaret said simply, Naruto then saw she was holding a purple stylized book in her hand. Naruto noticed his vision was beginning to waver. "It would seem that we have run out of time, well until we meet again...Uzumaki Naruto-san." Igor said just as the boy's vision faded to black.
(Daytime)
Konohagakure no Sato, one of the five great shinobi villages and one of the most advanced. It was more like a miniature city then an actual village, but it still had many natural spots and trees keeping true to its name. It seemed like a normal day, or at least as normal it gets with Naruto started running through the town, with various uniformed shinobi trying to catch him. Now why was Naruto running from these ninja; well anyone who took a look at the famous Hokage Monument would know that answer as well as what was Naruto's latest prank.
Inside his office Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was passing the time with calligraphy after finishing the only surviving enemy of past Kages: paperwork. After the elderly Hokage let out a cloud of smoke from his pipe a Chuunin urgently burst into his office.
"Hokage-sama, there is something that requires your immediate attention. It is an act of treason, of terrorism…"
"Do not tell me you interrupted my break from paperwork to tell me that and don't tell me that it is about Naruto again." Hiruzen said pausing from finishing another brushstroke.
"It is about Naruto, this is worse than the time he turned all the Police uniforms pink and orange. He has vandalized the Great Stone Faces!" The Military Police Officer then pointed out the windows of the office toward the Hokage Monument which now sported graffiti all over the Kage of Konoha. Hiruzen then took a tired breath. 'And to think letting him live with his Uncle was supposed to straighten him out, but he still has that mischievous streak left inside of him.'
Meanwhile on the rooftops of merchant district Naruto was still actively dodging the Military Police's pursuit. "Come on, from the stories that Oji tell me you guys are supposed to be way better than this. I get better exercise running from the ANBU!" Naruto looked back as taunted his pursuers. This kept up until he seemed to vanish into thin air leaving behind a few confused officers.
"Where'd that brat go?!" One member of the group looked around.
The leader of the small group turned to the other two." Someone get Dojima-san! That brat couldn't have gotten far!" Said the officer; finally thinking of something useful outside of continuing this hopeless chase. As the area cleared out, Naruto revealed himself to be hiding behind a ninja camouflage sheet. "He he, I still got away from them even if this was my last prank since weeks ago." Naruto walked off to leave before more cops could show up only to bump into a civilian.
"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." Naruto apologized as he took note of the strange person. The civilian had sort of an androgynous appearance so he couldn't tell the gender, but saw long white hair and dull red eyes similar to a woman he remember seeing walk around the village.
"Ugh who are you?" Naruto asked.
"Oh I'm just someone that's shirking work for a bit. I see you're a ninja." The civilian said noticing the tarp Naruto was holding.
Naruto saw the person's attention was on the tarp. "Oh no, though I will be in a few days; I'm still in the Academy but not got long. I'm going to become the greatest Hokage ever 'ttebayo!" Naruto proclaimed to the stranger.
Surprisingly the civilian didn't mock Naruto's words and instead gave him a small grin. "I see, well then I wish you luck future Hokage-sama." The person said while offering a hand. Naruto then shook it, as the person was very polite and wasn't criticizing his dreams. As soon as Naruto shook the person's hand, he started to feel a little dizzy. "I better get back to work, before my boss flays me alive." The strange person said and then walked off elsewhere.
"Well that was a little weird" Naruto said looking at his hand. He then saw a shadow fall over him, meaning someone was now standing behind him.
"Naruto! What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that?" This time it was a rough yet familiar voice that got Naruto's attention, the guilty blonde turned around to greet the officer. The man had short grey hair with a five-o-clock shadow and was wearing the Konoha Military Police Uniform which was the standard Chuunin outfit with a blue shuriken design on the back off the flask; on the shoulder of his outfit though the man had something different from most officers: a red swirl symbol.
"Dojima-oji, I was just having a bit of fun." Naruto said.
"I thought we agreed you can only do these pranks every once in a while; besides, you shouldn't try and cause trouble with the Final Exams looming over your head."
"What do you think I'm doing; this is to help me clear my head so that I'm not stressed over the finals." Naruto explained.
Dojima let out a tired sigh; "Yeah and every time you have a bit of fun I have to file an extra bit of reports at the office. I know you're doing better in the Academy now but you can't do things like these so close to Graduation."
"I know Dojima-Oji, the graffiti is supposed to fade off by itself in like an hour anyway; I'm just blowing some steam while I can." Naruto informed his Uncle. "Everyone has their own way of dealing with pressure and pranking is mine 'ttebayo and it's not like the big pranks that I used to do way back when."
"Exactly and I don't want your cousin picking up anymore of your habits, you're going to be a ninja soon which means you'll need to start acting like an adult…think of your cousin, what would she think if her "Big Bro" was out goofing around instead of studying or training?" Dojima asked him.
"Nanako doesn't want to become a shinobi so there shouldn't be any problem but I see where you are coming from…so are you going to lock me up?" Naruto asked. He then paled seeing the smirk on Dojima's face.
"Oh no I believe I know someone who can think of a better punishment than just locking you up and throwing away the key." Dojima then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit up one to smoke. "He's all yours Iruka-san."
Paling at the thought Naruto turned again to see a man with a scar across his face, his hair pulled in a spiky ponytail and wearing a Chuunin flak vest and uniform came up. "Thank you Dojima-san. I'll be sure to think of a good one."
(Konoha Shinobi Academy)
"Come on let me out please!?" Naruto asked, not quite begging, but it would come close to it. After chastising Naruto a bit Iruka eventually undid the ropes and then went behind the counter. "Alright class, the final exams are in a few days, and since Naruto decided to slack off instead of studying, we're going to review the Henge no Jutsu." The various students moaned at the sound of review.
"Everyone line up, and demonstrate the Henge no Jutsu." The students continued to moan but they complied as they lined up. One by one they each transformed into their Chuunin Instructor.
Coming close to Naruto's turn he watched the rest of the students successfully transform into Iruka. The one up front now is a girl with long pink hair, emerald eyes, and a high forehead. She had on a red Chinese dress with a white circle design along with dark green shorts. After her success Iruka nodded and marked down the grade. "Very good Sakura, now Uchiha Sasuke."
The next person to walk up wore white shorts with a blue shirt, with a fan stitched to his back. His raven hair struck in the back, similar to a duck. He also transformed into Iruka successfully and took his seat. The females of the class cheered for the Uchiha's success while several males groaned at their shrieks.
"Troublesome, this is a complete waste of time since the Final Exams are so close." Shikamaru said as he slouched against the wall waiting for his turn. "To think I could have gotten a few more moments of sleep if it wasn't for you being caught so easily Naruto."
"Hey not only do I have to worry about Iruka-sensei but my Uncle on the Military Police and both seem to know where my hiding places are." Naruto said.
"Still why do we have to pay for your screw-ups; if anyone needs to review the techniques it's you" Ino said after cheering with Sasuke's other fangirls. "Seriously why do we all suffer from your mistakes?"
"Well sorry to take away from your Uchiha ogling time" Naruto then heard his name be called up and walked towards Iruka. While most of the class seemed to clearly badmouth Naruto because of the review lesson, a few harbored no ill will to the Uzumaki.
"All right Naruto just perform the Henge no Jutsu…and no funny business!" Iruka warned the blonde.
"Of course Iruka-sensei, I'll do the Henge just as you say." Naruto then had a mischievous look in his face, and Iruka was the only one that recognized it. Before the Chuunin could say anything Naruto already had the handseals made.
"Henge!" Naruto did transform, but not into Iruka. He transformed into a buxom blonde female version of himself with clouds covering the private parts. With a single blown kiss, Iruka (and a few boys in the class) was knocked back with a nosebleed. Naruto then cancelled the technique and laughed at the perverted response Iruka made. "Well how was that sensei, I performed the jutsu just like you said.
"Cut that out!" Iruka yelled using his famous jutsu: the Demon Head no Jutsu. Naruto continued laughing but felt a large amount of killing intent form from behind him; the blonde turned around to see a bunch of girls that were angry at him. Before any move could be made Naruto grabbed his head and started to swagger a bit.
"Are you okay?" Iruka asked while making sure the girls didn't hit him for his apparent disrespect towards the fairer sex. Naruto managed to balance himself quickly and answer, "Yeah, it's just a small headache."
"You look a little pale, why don't you take a seat and get some rest. I'll figure out a suitable punishment later." Naruto nodded at Iruka's suggestion and took a seat. 'I've never gotten sick or anything like that before, maybe I should just take a nap' This thought seemed like a good idea. He was a little tired for some reason, and he wasn't sure what the cause was. Naruto rested on in his seat with his head on his desk wondering why he felt the way he did.
Once all the students finished the review they went back to their seats so that Iruka could finish his lecture. Soon as the class was over Naruto was waiting for whatever punishment he would receive but soon saw Hinata standing by his desk. "Hey Hinata-chan, if you're asking me to help with you at the Inn I sort of have my punishment with Iruka-sensei before I can leave."
The shy Hyuuga blushed but then shook her head. "No that's not what I wanted to talk with you about Naruto-kun. Are you feeling ok, you seem a little sick after using the Henge." Hinata stuttered out.
Naruto gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, must have worn myself out from all the training I do and maybe the prank was a little much. Don't worry I'll be fine be…sure to say 'Hi' to Hanabi-chan and Hitomi-chan at the Inn for me."
"I will…b-but could you walk me out of the gate; I don't want to be stopped by any of them." Hinata asked. Naruto sighed knowing who the Hyuuga was talking about. It was well known at the Academy that Hinata had many admirers trying to ask the shy Hyuuga out on dates only or her to politely refuse them; the only answers he ever heard Hinata give were she wasn't interested. It was known by the graduating class as the Hyuuga Challenge.
"Sure thing, I'll escort you…a knight has to protect the princess doesn't he?" Naruto teased the girl referring to the old games they would play as children. "Naruto-kun!" Seeing Hinata's blushing face he decided that the joke was enough and walked with her out of the class before anyone could start asking the Hyuuga out.
The two managed to get to the gate when someone walked up to them. It was a girl that was a year older than them wearing a pink Chinese style shirt, dark green pants and brown hair that had tied up into two buns. "Naruto-kun Hinata-chan! What's up?" The kunoichi asked.
"Oh, Tenten-chan, good afternoon." Hinata bowed slightly to her friend. Naruto was definitely happy that Hinata had at least one other person that she knew besides himself; it was good for the shy girl to have more friends besides him (and Shino to some extent). They walked down the street for a bit, and were stopped by a strange boy. His skin was pale in the wrong way, as well as pasty, his eyes were odd and he was wearing a school uniform from a civilian school. "Hina-chan."
"Do I know you?" Hinata nervously asked, but the boy didn't answer the question. "You coming or what?" The boy asked impatiently. This was confusing to the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, as she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Um, no." Hinata said politely declining the boy's offer; she also had a feeling telling her not to go anywhere with him. The boy got angry at this answer, "Fine!" He stormed off, clearly upset at being denied.
"What did he want with me?" Hinata asked herself.
"Well he obviously wanted a date Hinata." Tenten answered, and Naruto agreed, "Yeah, but it was creepy how he called you Hina-chan just like that out of nowhere."
"I see you turned down another love lorne fool, but I do have to agree that that was really creepy." The two girls and Naruto turned to see the pink haired girl from before, stopping on one of the newer inventions, the bicycle.
"Hey Sakura, still riding that old squeaking thing to and from the Academy huh?" Tenten asked the pink haired girl.
"It still runs good so I'm not complaining, plus I haven't raised enough from working at Junes so I can't replace it yet." Sakura then turned to Hinata. "Anyway that was brutal the way you sent him off Hinata; even though he was a creep."
"Did he really want a date; I didn't know." Hinata said. Tenten then patted the girl's back in understanding. "It's ok our little heartbreaker, though with that guy I'm sure you made the right decision. Hey why don't we all head to Junes now, it's been a while since you and Hina-chan were both free."
"Actually I think I have detention with Iruka-sensei for the whole prank incident." Naruto chuckled nervously. Iruka then walked out of the Academy and saw Naruto. "Oh Naruto, since you aren't feeling well and the graffiti faded away I guess I can leave you with just a warning." The Chuunin said before leaving.
That was surprising, normally he would've had to do something to emphasize the point, but now he was essentially free. A sound came from Hinata's pocket, and she picked up another one of the newer devices of the era, a cell phone. It had a text, one that seemed to make the girl slump. "I can't go; Obaa-sama needs me at the inn, so I can't go today."
"It's okay; I'll just hang with these two." Tenten said, and let the blue haired girl go off. Hinata nodded and then left in the direction of the clan district. Sakura just sighed, "Well, the most popular heartbreaker in school goes off, and I couldn't even ask her how to get a guy after me. It's a good thing she's not after Sasuke-kun."
"I still don't get what's so great about Sasuke." Naruto grumbled, he was always compared to the Uchiha, and he hated it.
"I'm sure you'll find the right girl for you Naruto-kun; but in the meantime there is a platter of steak at Junes calling my name." Tenten said as she began to almost drag the blond away from the entrance. Sakura decided to follow them since she was on her way to Junes as well. While the trio chatted as they reached the residential district where they saw some of the Military Police set up and a group of civilians gossiping.
"What did you think could have done that…do you think it could have been the de-"
"Sshhh, you know it's forbidden to talk about that. Anyway I heard he has an alibi for the event but I wouldn't put it past that monster child to do this; maybe the mountain was just a distraction for this."
"Even if it was, I never thought I would see a dead body be hung like that." What the last woman said shocked the two students and on kunoichi.
"Did they just say…a dead body?" Tenten asked. Before the other two could answer her question they saw a man run by with brownish-black hair and grey eyes who was clad in the Military Police uniform. As they saw the young man hurl they heard a voice call from behind him.
"Adachi how long are you going to be acting like a rookie? This is a serious investigation." Dojima said and then noticed his Nephew along with two girls. "Naruto, what are you doing here? I figured Iruka would have had you cleaning up the mountain."
"The paint was a mix that would fade away after a couple of hours. I had a slight headache, and Iruka said I looked pale so he let me off with a warning this time." Naruto said. Dojima nodded, and then he noticed the two girls that were with him. "Are these your friends?"
"I'm not really his friend, just his classmate. My name's Haruno Sakura and my father's the manager of Junes." Sakura introduced herself. Dojima nodded, and was glad that there were people that at least knew the blonde. Tenten shook her head to the girl's response and then introduced herself, "Well I'm definitely his friend, and my name's Satonaka Tenten."
"Thanks for looking out for my nephew; he can be a real handful. I'm Dojima Ryotaro, and before you ask how we're related I'm his mother's younger half-brother." Dojima introduced himself to the girls. He then looked at Naruto, "Just because you're off the hook this time, doesn't mean you should pull off any stupid pranks. I want you to go home and keep an eye on Nanako and I'd recommend you two ladies go home as well." Ryotaro said the last part to the two girls, and the three of them nodded.
"Looks like Junes will have to wait for another time, I'll see you tomorrow sometime Naruto-kun." Tenten said before leaving the small group; Sakura then set herself on her bike ready to take off. "Yeah I better run too, my shift is going to start soon and Tou-san will flip if I'm late." Sakura then rode the opposite way, hoping to take another root to her destination.
Naruto said goodbye to the two girls and decided to walk another way back to the Uzumaki/Dojima residence. As he walked he saw flashes of an old man and a young woman, he then clutched his head. The Uzumaki then felt his headache lesson and made his way home.
(Afternoon)
"I'm home!" Naruto walked into the small house and was immediately hit with a hug from his younger cousin. She was a little girl with brown hair in short hair and brown eyes wearing a white turtleneck dress with three shades of pink and red. "Welcome home Big Bro!" The girl greeted him. The blonde smiled and hugged his younger cousin back. "Hey Nanako-chan, did you have a good day at school?"
Nanako nodded her head. "I did Big Bro, but I don't think that Sensei liked my answer to a question." Naruto was somewhat concerned about this; he didn't want Nanako to have trouble at her school because of him. "What was the question?"
"It was about our favorite animal." She answered him, "I said a fox because it reminded me of you, and how you like to prank people plus foxes are cute too…are you okay?" Nanako asked noticing that Naruto was a little woozy.
Naruto nodded since he didn't want to worry Nanako. "Yeah, I just a weird headache. And don't listen to what they say at school I also think that foxes are kind of cute." He said to Nanako's pleasure; still feeling worn from the headache he decided to turn in early. "I think I'll just get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning Nanako."
Nanako nodded and started to watch some TV by herself as Naruto went to his room. He walked upstairs into the small room, though it was a lot bigger then where he was living before the Dojimas came into his life. It had things most people would expect to find, and things one wouldn't expect to find in a room that belonged to Naruto. It had a desk, various potted plants, a couch, coffee table, and a miniature television on top his dresser. Naruto decided to just plopped down on the futon and soon fell asleep.
(Scene Change)
"Where the hell am I?" Naruto asked himself as he looked around the strange place. A thick fog shrouded the area, it reminded him of the fog he would some days in Konoha's rainy season and like those days the fog was hard to see through. The only thing he could see was a path of tiles that stretched out before him, and a complete white void as far as the eye can see. Naruto then looked behind him only to see a wall of fog with no pathway visible; the only direction to move was forward. He took a deep breath and then began running down the tiled path towards his unknown destination. After following the path for a while he heard a voice speak to him.
"Do you seek the Truth…?"
Naruto stopped to look around for the mysterious voice. Thinking he would find the answer if he continued along the path he kept running further until he heard the voice speak to him again.
"If it is the truth that you desire, come and find me…"
"I would if I didn't have to deal with this freakin' fog 'ttebayo!" Naruto grumbled out as he continued to follow the pathway hearing the voice from up ahead. Eventually the future shinobi found himself in front of black and red colored door. Sensing a figure behind the door Naruto hesitated for a second before barging right in to confront whoever it was that was speaking to him. He then saw a vague figure standing within the fog.
"So...you are the one pursuing me..." The unknown figure arrogantly said through the fog. Naruto didn't really like how the guy spoke.
"Maybe I am you got a problem?" Naruto asked as a Katana formed in his hand. 'This is one becoming a very weird dream.' The young Uzumaki thought as he tested the weight of the weapon.
"Try all you like..." The figure seemed to be provoking and demeaning the blonde. A tick mark appeared on Naruto's head as he perceived that as an insult; he then raised his weapon and Naruto attacked with the katana in his hands, thankful for the kenjutsu lessons his uncle gave him.
"Hmmm... it seems you can see a little, despite the fog..." The figure seemed to be…impressed by the fact Naruto was able to hit it.
"You saying I'm blind? This fog is nothing!" Naruto then felt something surge in him, and a lightning bolt suddenly struck his foe. 'Whoa, where'd that come from?' He looked around wondering who could have caused that Raiton jutsu/
"I see...You do possess an interesting quality." The figure seemed more amused rather than worried when he or she said that. Not seeing any assistance Naruto attacked with the sword again as the thing finished its small rant. Naruto kept his blade rose wondering why this thing didn't attack by now after two cuts and a bolt of lightning.
'Is this guy…testing me?' Naruto thought.
"But... you will not catch me so easily...If what you seek is 'truth' then your search will be even harder..." The figure then seemed to glow crimson for a moment, and the area became shrouded in an extremely thick fog; adding into the already present mist. The technique caused the figure to disappeared, completely enveloped by the fog.
"What?!" Naruto saw the figure fade into the harsh fog. His grip tightened on his sword and rushed forward swinging his sword only to hit nothing and almost stumbled on his feet to the tiled ground.
"Everyone sees what they want to…" Naruto heard the voice speak somewhere from in the fog. "And the fog only deepens…" Despite almost zero visibility Naruto still kept his guard up in case of a surprise attack. "Stop hiding in this fog and fight me!" Naruto once again felt a surge inside and saw a large blade cut through the fog only for it to bounce off something inside the fog. "…Will we meet again…?" Naruto heard the figure say. "At a place other than here…" Those words were then followed by an amused chuckle. "Hmhm…I'll look forward to it…"
"Stop acting so tough; if it wasn't for this fog I bet you wouldn't act so tough 'ttebayo!" Naruto yelled at the mysterious person. He then heard the voice laugh as the fog began to consume him. "Until we meet again." It was there that Naruto lost consciousness as he blacked out.
(Early Morning)
Naruto then woke up from his sleep; he shook his head trying to wipe off any remnants of the dream. "That was a really weird dream…and I was possible I didn't even have half a bowel of ramen before bed."
"Big Bro, breakfast is ready!" Naruto heard Nanako calling out to him in the morning, and he rushed downstairs. He saw Nanako had already placed two plates of toast and eggs; it was a simple breakfast, but it was still pretty good. Naruto didn't have to ask where Dojima was since he figured he was already off at the Police Station.
"Thanks Nana-chan, you'll make a good wife one day." Nanako blushed lightly at the complement, and went on to eating. After finishing and cleaning his plate, Naruto then took off with Nanako, it was technically a week before the finals and he had time to study, so he wanted to make sure that Nanako made it to school as well. 'Ten-chan's back in town, but for how long is the question. I really wish Sakura-chan would at least let me try, but she's still going on about Sasuke and reasons why he's so perfect; like I haven't heard that child genius thing before.' Naruto continued to walk with Nanako to her school.
As the two walked Nanako noticed the downed look on Naruto's face. "Big Bro, what's wrong are you still feeling sick?" She asked her older cousin.
"No I'm fine Nanako-chan, just thinking about some things." Naruto reassured her, he didn't want to involve Nanako with his problems…especially problems about his relationships. Coming up to the Civilian School Naruto gave Nanako a departing smile. "I'll see you at home later Nana-chan and if your teachers give you a hard time let me know ok." He said with a grin.
Nanako laughed knowing exactly what that foxlike grin meant. "I will Big Bro, good bye!" She gave him one more hug before joining the other children that were arriving at the school. After watching Nanako enter the building safely Naruto decided to just walk around the village before starting with his training. Going down the residential district he heard the familiar sound of a squeaking bike and a pink and yellow blur passed him before hitting some nearby trashcans.
'Wait wasn't that…' Naruto followed his curiosity and saw Sakura rolling around in a trashcan.
"So embarrassing…can someone help me out please?" The future graduate tried to ask for help out of the trashcan (if one could see her they would notice the swirls in her eyes as well. Seeing as there was no one else around Naruto quickly removed the can that was blocking her vision and helped her up.
"Thanks…I wish it didn't happen in the first place but better you than Sasuke-kun seeing me like that." Sakura said. Naruto was sweatdropping wondering if that was supposed to be a way to say 'thank you'. The pink haired girl brushed off the dust and dirt from her clothes and then looked to the Uzumaki. "Anyway thank you Naruto."
"No problem Sakura, though I'm sure I pretty much earned a date huh?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Please in your dreams" Sakura said before Naruto got his hopes up, as she gathered her bike to leave a thought occurred to her. "But…I guess I do owe you one as long as you don't tell anyone about this. How about I show you some of the shinobi stores in Junes, it might help you get ready for the Final Exams."
Naruto beamed at that, it was the first time that Sakura offered to show him around or even spend any amount of time with him outside of the Academy. "Yeah, I'd like that. You sure your dad won't mind?"
"He won't. I'm sure he and mom don't mind you that much." Sakura said, and the two headed towards Junes. On the way, they saw someone that they knew, and Sakura started to pale. "Oh crap." She muttered softly/
"You, Naruto Sakura, what's happening?" Tenten greeted the two. Sakura knew she might be in trouble so she decided to come clean. "Um, Tenten-san…" The nervous girl then grabbed a box from her pouch. "Thanks for letting me borrow this and I'm sorry for what happened to it please have mercy until my next paycheck!" Sakura said pleadingly. She then grabbed Naruto's and tried to move on before the kunoichi noticed what she was speaking off.
"Hold on Haruno, what did you do to my DVD?!" Naruto couldn't help but wince in pain and look away as the bun haired girl, essentially smashed her foot in an area he didn't think would also hurt for girls.
Tears streamed down the pink haired girl's eyes as she lay slumped on the ground. 'Shannaro…today just isn't my day.' The abused girl thought thinking back to the crash and now this. "You didn't have to hit me there you know!"
"My Trial of the Dragon! It's completely cracked, you owe me Haruno!" Naruto decided to try and stop the fighting before it got too bad, "Hey Ten-chan, I could just buy you another copy of it. Let's just go to Junes and check out some the stores there...this is the first time we got to hang out in a long time!" He tried to mediate the situation.
"Fine…but just remember you owe me!" Tenten then began walking to the store. Naruto decided to help Sakura up and followed the angry kunoichi to Junes. 'That was brutal, though this is better than Tenten using any of her weapons on Sakura-chan.' He thought as he continued to walk with the injured Sakura.
(Junes)
Naruto and Tenten were talking with each other animatedly as they waited for the third member of the reluctant group to arrive. The kunoichi had calmed down since arriving because Naruto bought her the DVD first thing before going to some libraries so that Naruto could find some chakra control scrolls. Sakura then arrive carrying three drinks on a tray.
"Here's to make up with for the DVD and for you spending your money Naruto; it's not much but I don't get paid until the end of the week." Sakura said as she sat down taking a sip of her drink. "Though as soon as we graduate I'll be able to have a lot more money saved up" The girl said wishfully.
"That's right your class is graduating soon right Naruto-kun; guess this is me wishing you luck then." Tenten raised her drink comically as she gave the two students a toast. Before the conversation can go too far into the shinobi topic Tenten decided to talk about something else since she was off duty. "Well we hear enough about shinobi every day but let me ask you both a question…have you ever heard of the Midnight Channel?" She asked in an almost ominous voice.
"The Midnight…Channel? I haven't really heard much about it." Naruto said honestly.
"You mean that old urban legend? Please Tenten-san you're older than us, I thought you wouldn't believe a thing like that." Sakura said in disbelief. "You're a Kunoichi, basically an adult thanks to the law, but you still believe in old fairy tales?"
Naruto was still confused at the talk, as he never heard the rumors himself. "What is the Midnight Channel exactly?" Tenten beamed with pride at the question and quickly answered it. "Well, according to what people say, if you stare into a turned off into a TV at midnight on a rainy night, your true love will appear on the screen."
"It's just a load of bull." Sakura quickly said killing the mood Tenten was trying to set. Irritated, the bunhead slammed her drink on the table.
"If it's just that, then why don't you try it out?" Tenten challenged, the two started to listen. "It's going to rain tonight, so why don't we all try it out." Before Naruto and Sakura answered, Sakura; however, noticed someone to the side that was looking almost dazed. "Hold that thought for a moment." She got up and went over to the girl, "Hey Konishi-san, you don't look well, are you okay?" She asked the dazed girl at the other table leaving behind two confused teens.
"Oh hey Saku-chan, I'm all right just feeling a little under the whether today." The brown haired girl said. As the two talked Naruto watched them curiously. "Hey Tenten-chan, do you know who that is?"
Tenten took a moment to think but then remembered the girl's face. "Oh that's Saki Konishi, I know her family owns a good sake store in the merchant district but I guess she works here too." Tenten shrugged her shoulders while taking another sip. "Then again, a few stores around Konoha have trouble keeping alive because of Junes" She said nonchalantly.
After calming down her fellow coworker Saki then noticed Tenten and Naruto sitting at the table. "Oh is that the Naruto guy you told me about; he doesn't look as annoying as you told me he was." The young woman said. "That's because you don't have to deal with him asking you out all the time." Sakura huffed. "Ah it's cute that Saku-chan has an admirer, though last I remember last week didn't you say something about cute whiskers?" Before Sakura could object Saki then walked over to the table Naruto and Tenten were sitting.
Saki then greeted the two at the table. "So you're the infamous Naruto Uzumaki, there's quite the gossip about you but me and my Otouto enjoyed that prank you pulled on the mountain." Saki said causing the Uzumaki to blush a bit. "I hope Saku-chan hasn't been giving you a hard time, she's a sweet girl once you get to know her."
"Saki-chan!" Sakura blushed in embarrassment. "No need to tell them that…especially Naruto-baka!"
Naruto slumped down at that, 'I'm not that much of an idiot am I?'
"He doesn't look like a Baka to me and it's nice to see you hanging around other people for a change." Saki said, she started to move on, but she muttered something that the two soon to be ninja and the actual kunoichi caught, "Why did I leave school early today?" It was an odd thing for them, but they ignored it generally.
"She's pretty cool." Naruto admitted.
"You'd think so Naru-baka, but because she know anything bad about you." Sakura seemed to be teasing Naruto at that, but it was getting time to go. "I guess I should get going; Nanako's probably out of school by now and I'm usually looking out for her. I'll see you girls later."
"Hey, Naruto-kun, make sure you try that thing out tonight!" The kunoichi called out to him.
"Sure thing Tenten-chan, you're going to try it too right Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked the pink haired girl.
"I got better things to do than follow a myth, but we got some time before the Finals so I guess I'll test it out. Maybe I can sucker Ino-pig into watching too." Sakura said whispering the last part. After finishing their drinks they all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
(Evening)
Naruto and Nanako were eating at the table in the living room while watching TV. As she watched one of her quiz shows Nanako let out a sad sigh. "Tou-san is late again."
"Don't be like that Nana-chan, I'm sure Dojima-Oji just busy working a tough case or maybe he's stuck doing the paperwork after my prank of." Naruto said trying to cheer up his cousin. The two then heard the door open and Dojima walked into the living room. Nanako stood to her feet.
"Tou-san, you're late!" Nanako accused her parent.
"Sorry, but I've been busy with work. Everyone at the Military Police is working on this case that was brought in by Hokage-sama; and I'm one of the field officers assigned to be working on it." Dojima said. Naruto thought back to the dead body gossip yesterday and wondered if that was what the case was about. "Anyway I'm sure you had a good time playing with Naruto." Dojima playfully rustled Naruto's hair before sitting down.
"Still you need to try and be more on time Oji, you know the Uzumaki-Dojima rule." Naruto gave Nanako her cue and the girl nodded. "An Uzumaki-Dojima never goes back on their promise!" The girl said cheerfully.
Dojima chuckled, "Yeah that is true…how about this; I was going to save this for after your Final Exam but how about we have Ramen Night a few days early." Dojima offered. Even though he was only Kushina's half-brother, the love of ramen was still there in his blood and was also passed to his daughter.
The two of them practically had stars in their eyes when he said that, "Can we? Can we, can we?" Nanako asked playfully, and Naruto was all for it, "Yay! Ramen, ramen, ramen, miso, beef, chicken, and pork!" Naruto essentially sang, and Dojima got up, "Alright, I got it. I'll get Ichiraku to deliver." He then got up and called a line, he made sure to limit the amount of ramen the two got, and set an example himself.
"Hello, it's Dojima-san. Yeah, the usual, just one order and can you make it a delivery? Thanks, sorry for making you come out when it's going to rain soon." He hung up the phone, and sat down on the couch. "Ayame-san will be here with the ramen. We'll celebrate more when you graduate."
Deciding to pass the time Nanako then changed the channel to the Konoha News just as the news started. "...Regarding the death of television announcer, Yamano Mayumi-san, the Military Police have done what they could to try and determine the cause of death, and have yet to make any progress. We were able to get an interview with the person who discovered the corpse."
Dojima sighed; "We were only given the case just a day ago after an ANBU heard word of the corpse, if these reporters had done their research they would know that…and how'd they get an interview with the kid?" The man asked out loud.
The news switched to an eccentric looking reporter talking with a young woman whose face was blurred for investigative and privacy reasons. Despite the blur Naruto felt like he had seen that woman before. "What went through your mind when you saw Yamano-san's body? Could you tell she was dead, did you see her face?!" The reporter asked holding his mike to the girl.
"Umm…" The girl's distorted voice said; clearly she was overwhelmed both by finding the corpse and the reporter's bizarre questioning. "Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on foggy day, in our own village no less?" The reporter asked not seeing the girl's discomfort.
"Huh…did you say she was killed?" The girl said in surprise at the reporter's words. As Naruto tried to figure out who the girl was he then heard a knock on the door. He decided to be the one to go and answer it though he was still in earshot of the television so he continued to listen.
"Err…so did you see anything suspicious when you found the corpse, some kind of clue, the culprit fleeing the scene?" Naruto heard the reporter say just as he opened the door and greeted Ayame. "Thanks Ayame-chan, you know we would've come and visit you and Teuchi-oji but Oji came home a bit late."
"I understand, just don't forget to visit us; we'll be wishing you luck on your exams." Naruto nodded as he paid the ramen girl wishing Ayame luck. After giving the blonde the ramen Ayame then left with her umbrella at her side just in case she didn't beat the rain home. He passed the bowls around as the interview continued. "No, not really…" The girl answered the reporter's questions.
"Ramen-time!" Naruto said as he passed the bowels around. As soon as Naruto sat down he and Nanako, in near perfect synch, started slurping down noodles like they were starving. Ryotaro just started eating normally, but he grimaced at the two's actions. "Nanako, Naruto, how many times have I told you to actually eat the food?"
"I'm sorry." Nanako said now taking a slower pace while eating her ramen.
"Again Oji-san, it's like the hundredth time or something." Dojima was able to finish his ramen before his cell phone rang. "Dojima speaking…hmm, I see…I'll be there." He hung up his phone and got up, and walked towards the door. He briefly turned around and said, "I'm sorry, but the guys at the station wanted me for something. I think it has something to do with this new case. I'll try to be back when I can." He then stepped out the door and by then it was already raining pretty hard. "Nanako, did you get the laundry in before it started raining?" Dojima called out"
"Hai and big bro helped me out." Dojima didn't reply as he had to get moving quickly. The news then switched and went to commercials, one that got Nanako's attention. "At Junes, every day is customer appreciation day. Every day's great at your Junes."
"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako cheerfully sang the Junes jingle. "Big Bro, do you think we can go to Junes after you become a ninja?" Nanako asked the blonde.
"Sure thing Nana-chan, but right now let's make our bentos for tomorrow and then get some sleep." Naruto said after the two finished their ramen. "Come on, I'll help you with the dishes too." The blonde smiled. Nanako nodded, "Ok, thanks again Big Bro." The two then proceeded to clean the dishes and Naruto helped prepare their lunches for tomorrow.
Sometime after they finished Naruto helped tuck Nanako in bed and went up to his room. Checking the time he saw it was close to midnight, the Uzumaki then heard the hard patter of rain outside his window. Naruto looked outside and then closed his blinds to lessen the sound.
"Tenten-chan said around midnight right, so I just stare at a blank TV and my true love will appear?" Though he was still confused over the myth a part of him was hoping that Sakura would be the one to appear on the small TV. As the clock ticked down to midnight Naruto moved closer to the screen having turned off all of the lights, when midnight hit the Uzumaki continued to stare at the blank screen.
'Maybe this is just a prank somebody started it, I knew it was too good to be true." Naruto was about to walk away but then the screen flickered to life showing him the faint image of a girl on screen. Lightning began to strike outside as a ringing began to sound in the blonde's ears.
"I am thou…thou art I…"
Naruto clutched his face as he felt himself beginning to sway, the blinds suddenly opened up bringing light into the room as the lightning lit up the night sky with thunder rattling the window.
"Thou art the one…who opens the door…"
Naruto then fell to his knees gasping for air as he felt the sensation beginning to pass. The blonde then got up and walked over to the now blank TV wondering if it was the cause of his nausea. He touched the screen only to see it ripple like water, curious Naruto found out he could sink his whole hand into the screen. Suddenly he felt something tug on his arm and tried to pull him into the small TV.
"What the hell!?" He asked in alarm at the thing trying to pull him into the TV. Using enough force he managed to pull his arm out of the TV but in doing so, gravity took its course and he slammed his head on the table behind him. "Big bro, are you okay?" Nanako asked outside his door; the sudden crash must have woken the girl up.
"I'm fine Nana-chan, just slipped and hit my head is all. It'll take more than that to bring me down." Even though she couldn't see it Nanako could almost fell Naruto smiling at her. "Sorry to wake you Nana-chan."
"It's okay, good night." Nanako replied and went off to bed. Naruto yawned, "That was just plain weird. Ah well, might as well get some sleep." He then snuggled into his futon and drifted off to sleep, the storm outside not even worrying him.
(Scene Change)
The next day, Naruto sighed as he walked around Konoha. He was walking through the wet streets of the village in order to clear his mind; after feeling the small bump on the back of his head he remembered what happened last night wasn't a dream. Going on his way he accidently bumped into someone.
"Whoa Naruto-kun you may want to pay attention to where you're going next time?" Tenten said after stumbling a bit. "What's up with you, you seem more out of it than usual." The bunheaded kunoichi asked him.
"Well last night I tried that Midnight Channel thing and…"
"That's right!" Tenten said excitedly cutting Naruto off. She then grabbed the stunned blonde's arm and began to drag him towards the shops. "Come on, we need to go and find Haruno-san before you say anything." Tenten then proceeded to drag Naruto all the way to Junes. After a mile Naruto had to convince his friend that Sakura was probably home and not working.
(Junes)
After calling the pink haired student the three found themselves at the same table they sat from the day before. Sakura sat in her seat with a puzzled look. "I didn't think that the myth was true but after last night I'm still shocked."
"I know, seeing the screen flicker on like spooked me for a second. I may have been out on missions but I'm not used to things like that." Tenten said. Sakura noticed the surprise in Tenten's voice. "Wait you mean you didn't try it before last night?!" The Haruno yelled at the kunoichi.
"Hey I was skeptical of it too; obviously I wasn't going to try it alone." Tenten tried to defend herself. Naruto then came to the kunoichi's rescue. "So what did you two see on the Midnight channel?" Naruto asked eager to hear Sakura's response.
Tenten was the first to answer before Sakura did, "I seriously saw a girl! She looked like she was a bit older, possibly a civilian senior. Long hair, I think. The picture was pretty blurry so I couldn't get a good tell."
"You saw a girl too? I think I saw the same thing, and it was creepy enough." Sakura responded. Naruto felt disheartened as he didn't appear on Sakura's TV.
"Wait, does that mean we have the same soul mate, and why would it be a girl?" Tenten asked curiously, and then looked towards Naruto, "What did you see in the Midnight channel Naruto-kun?"
"I think I saw the same girl, but then it got weird. I heard a voice saying something about it's me and I'm it, opening doors, and then I almost got sucked into the TV. It didn't work 'cause it was too small, but I banged my head pretty good after that." The two girls looked at him with a huge amount of skepticism.
"Okay, weird voices aside that was strange." Sakura had the kind of look that signified that you had grown another head or something.
"I liked how you got stuck because the screen was too small. That reminds me, my parents are thinking of getting another TV, and I have to watch my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" Tenten chimed in, with the excited fervor of a bit of shopping. If there's one thing that's universal, even amongst kunoichi, it's that girls love shopping for some reason.
Sakura smiled as the girl's love of shopping sets in between the two females. "Well I may not be working but I can still help you with finding a TV. Follow me and we'll see what we can find for you Tenten-san." The pink haired girl stood up with Tenten following her, Naruto decided to follow since he had nothing else to do. The three then found themselves inside Junes' electronic store staring at the largest TV on display.
"Whoa…who can afford a TV like this?" Tenten asked looking at the large flat screen.
"I don't know, maybe some of people on the council or the Hokage. You know rich folk." Sakura said as they all looked at the TV. The girls then shared a look and walked over to the TV and placed their hands against the screen.
"Nope, can't get in" Tenten said after their attempt failed, though Tenten also did it to tease her blonde friend.
"Figures it wouldn't work, besides with a TV like this you would only fall out the other side." Sakura then noticed what she said and grimaced. "What am I saying; maybe I'm catching your crazy Naruto."
"I'm not crazy like I said the TV tried to eat me last night 'ttebayo!" Naruto yelled wanting the two to believe him. Naruto knew he couldn't have made up last night's events but the two girls didn't want to believe him.
"Ok ok I believe you Naruto-kun, so Sakura think you could hook me up with a TV?" Tenten asked. "And can it please be one within my price range; this one is way too much for a Genin's salary." She said after eying the number of zeros on the flat screen display's price. "Ok, let's look at some of these other models." Sakura said having Tenten walk with her to see some of the smaller TVs; leaving Naruto by himself with the flat screen.
"I know I didn't make it up, maybe…" Naruto placed his hand on the screen of the TV. Just like his own the screen ripple and his hand slipped in as if the screen was water but this time he didn't feel a presence trying to pull him in.
'This proves I wasn't making it up!' Naruto thought as Sakura was explaining things about one of the TVs. She then had a thought, 'Maybe Naruto might be interested in buying one, he wouldn't resist if I'm the one selling.' It had a slight mischievous tone to it, but it was business after all. "Hey Naruto, what kind of TV do...you...have." When she turned her head to ask, Naruto still had his hand inside the TV with the same black and white ripple effect appearing on the screen.
"Something wrong Haruno-san?" Tenten noticed Sakura's dumbfounded expression, and turned, getting the same expression as well. "Is it just me, or is his hand inside the TV?"
"Yeah, his hand is inside the TV." Tenten answered the pink haired girl's question, and the two of them got in close to see it. "Okay, now I believe you. So, what's the magician's secret is it a new jutsu you decided to make up?"
"I don't know Sakura-chan, but maybe..." He didn't finish that sentence, as he decided to stick in more than just a hand. The screen was large enough that half his body went one. "Oh kami, he's in the TV." Tenten's brain started to overload on that thought.
"Wow, it's really spacious inside." Naruto said absentmindedly making the girls was even more surprised.
"W-what do you mean spacious? This better not be one of your pranks Naruto-kun!" Tenten said still shocked at the blonde's display.
"This is freaky…way too freaky to be a prank!" Sakura said as she crossed her legs together. She then ran out the store trying to escape the weird scene only to come back. "Shit, some of the customers are coming back!" Sakura warned them.
"But we still have a guy half stuck in a TV!" Tenten reminded her.
"It's fine I'll think I can just pull myself back out." Naruto said but the girls didn't hear him as they were too busy freaking out. Tenten and Sakura began running in circles trying to figure out how to pull the blonde out the TV only for them both of them to hit Naruto sending all three of them into the TV.
"Wait…whoaaa!"
The three then freefell seeing flashes of white and black; the reluctant travelers then landed on their backs falling from the sky and into an unknown place. Naruto stood up after the pain faded away. "Are you two all right?"
"Yeah just peachy" Tenten groaned as she rubbed her sore bottom. Sakura slowly rose to her feet as well. "I think I landed on my pouch" the pink haired girl whined before she noticed the pattern on the ground: a target with had what appeared to be outlines of fallen people. The girl looked around and saw that they were in some kind of studio hidden in fog. "Great now where are we?"
"Forget that, how are we supposed to get out? Did you see where we fell from?" Tenten asked trying to look around for an exit in the fog filled area.
"How am I supposed to know where we fell from? I was going to pull myself out, but you two were too busy freaking out!" Naruto wasn't really yelling at the two, but it was annoying that all three were trapped because the two panicked.
Sakura shook her head. "I think the bigger question is where are we? I mean look around, this doesn't look like any place in Junes I've been in."
"Yeah, it looks kind of like a studio." Naruto indeed noticed it looked like one, lights, supports, but no cameras. Tenten couldn't help notice this as well. "But what's with all this fog, or is it smoke?" She asked. "Maybe we could be someplace nearby Kirigakure."
"Maybe we should check this place out; there might be an exit somewhere. Hopefully, this is just someone else's idea of a prank." The girls nodded at Naruto's suggestion, and walked off in a random direction. This was made more difficult because of the thick fog that hindered their vision. They were however able to slowly navigate their way through the strange studio and out to an area which looked like a twisted version of merchant district.
"The longer we stay here the longer I'm going to start hating this fog." Naruto grumbled and soon the group decided to check out one of the buildings. The trio came to an open door which had a familiar black and red void (the same one Naruto saw in his dream); they walked inside and saw that it was just a bedroom…a bedroom with posters scattered across the walls.
"What…people actually live here?" Tenten asked as she looked around the room, she then noticed the abundance of posters along the walls. It was obviously a poster of a woman from the kimono but where it reached her face the poster was torn as if something ripped the woman's face off. "Whoever lived here definitely didn't like this poster girl." The bunhead kunoichi said. Naruto nodded his head as he saw the posters.
"Ugh guys…"
The two then turned to Sakura who had noticed another odd thing about the bedroom. It was a single chair with a scarf hanging from the ceiling shaped like a noose. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is; this set up never leads to something good." Sakura said worriedly.
Naruto gulped at the implication of the scarf. "Y-yeah, I don't think we should find a way out here."
"Yeah, I really want to go home, and I don't think I'm feeling well." Tenten added, as the three started to feel sick. Naruto started having a really bad headache, was it from the atmosphere of the place? "Yeah, let's try going back to where we came from; this place is just plain awful."
"Y-yeah for once you're right Naruto, let's just go." Sakura agreed and the three of them started walking back the way they came. They eventually found their way back to where they came in. "Isn't this where we fell from?"
"Yeah, Naruto-kun, you're right, but how do we get out?" They then heard some squeaking and noticed a figure standing in the fog, it then started coming closer to them. The group then went on their guard, 'Damn, I should've brought my katana.' Naruto thought wondering what else could possibly be inside this place.
The figure kept walking forward becoming more visible to the group; the three held their guards high until they almost fell over seeing the strange being walk out of the fog. It was anthropomorphic bear with blue fur wearing a red and white jumpsuit with a large comical zipper around the neck. The three just stood there wondering what to make of the strange bear.
"What the heck is that thing, a summons or something?" Naruto asked cutting through the silence.
"Maybe, we could have somehow fallen into a Summon Realm" Tenten tried to think though still holding out her kunai incase the 'bear' tried something. Sakura looked at the older girl strangely. "I don't think Summons can connect through TVs and what would one be doing in a place like this?"
"That's what I should be asking, I wanna know who are you guys are?!" The Bear said shocking Naruto and Sakura; Tenten wasn't surprised to see the animal talk since she experienced talking Summons from being with her sensei. However; still seeing a talking red, white, and blue bear made her uneasy.
"First of all, who are you and what is this place?!" Tenten yelled at the bear causing him to cower in fear from the girl's loud voice. Naruto noticed how he got uneasy when Tenten shouted so he asked the question again but more gently. "Hey come on, she didn't man to yell…first what are you and where are we?"
"Me, I'm a bear can't you tell?" The bear asked bouncing back from Tenten's shout. That question also caused Sakura to sweatdrop. 'Like we couldn't have guessed that.' The bear continued with his explanation. "And this place is where I live, it doesn't have a name."
"What kind of place doesn't have a name?" Sakura asked. The bear turned to the pink haired girl. "Well can you tell me everything about your world? Anyway I don't know who you are but you need to hurry back to the other side."
Sakura was starting to get annoyed at that statement, "That's what we've been trying to do." The bear got frightened a bit at the girl's yelling. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!" The bear tapped his foot on the floor a bit, and they heard a poof; before them stood three small TVs stacked on top each other.
"What the…where did these come from?" Tenten asked as she and others inspected the televisions. As they all turned their back to the bear he went behind them. "Now go, go, go!" The weird bear had suddenly shoved them towards some television sets that had suddenly appeared, and they fell through again.
(Junes)
"Ow, if I ever get my hands on that bear, he's getting hurt." Sakura said before noticing where they are. "Hey, we're back at Junes." The two girls noticed that it was true; they were back at the Electronics section of Junes.
The PA started a ding before an announcement came on, "At Junes, every day is customer appreciation day. Why don't you use the fresh produce that Junes picked for you this morning as a side for tonight's dinner?"
"It's that late already?" Sakura asked, but Tenten was staring at something. "Hey, that's the poster that was in that weird room."
The three of them moved closer, and the face on the cutout was of someone that was famous. "Isn't that Hiiragi Misuzu-san? She was overseas when she found out that her husband was having an affair with Yamano-san." Sakura noted, but Naruto wasn't sure as he didn't hear the news that often.
"Why would her poster be hanging up inside a place like that?" Naruto asked still thinking about the world they just left. "I don't really watch the news much but I know Yamano-san was the woman they found dead about two days ago."
"Wait does that mean…that place could be related to Mayumi Yamano's death?" Sakura asked thinking back to the noose they saw in the strange room. "Aaah, enough I don't want to talk about this anymore!" She said frustrated.
"Just calm down Sakura-chan, I don't know what was up with that room but we're back now and that's all that matters." Naruto said.
Sakura did let out a calm breath but her expression clearly said she wanted to forget about the day's events. "I just want to go home and wipe all of this from my memory; I already got the Finals to worry about I don't think my heart can take us just walking out of a lady's death room."
Tenten agreed, "As shinobi you have to get used to the idea of death eventually but that place did give me a chill…maybe we should all go home and you both do have your Exams to deal with. Let's call it a day and keep all of…that to ourselves."
"Right and it is getting late, I better go before I worry Nana-chan too much." Naruto took one more glance at the TV and then shook the idea out of his head. 'Something about that place doesn't feel right.' Naruto then waved goodbye to the girls. "Later Tenten-chan, Sakura-chan I'll catch you later." The two nodded and they all proceeded to leave Junes.
Well that's the first chapter everyone and won't be the last; once again the story is on Wolfpackersson09's profile as well in case any of you want to see the story again. It's being co-written so it may appear on his profile before mine and vice versa. Make sure to review the story and you may have already guessed which Social Links are which if you read Wolf's experiment story but as for the rest you are in for a big surprise. Don't forget to Review!
-Shadowlight0982 out.
Next Scent: Exams and Shadows