Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. D:


Chapter 1

Festivities

The rain. It poured down from a black and dreary sky, crashing down against the soaked earth, the uproar of its beat drowning out the distant, rolling thunder. It pelted him - washed away the tears even as they fled from his bloodshot, blue eyes. A small, blond headed boy, strange little whiskers protruding from his cheeks as some sort of birthmark, laid out on the muddled ground and wailed. But like the thunder, like his tears, his sobs were drowned out by the cold, harsh rain.

The sky itself cried with him.

"Why?!" He demanded of it when his breath would allow - for it was the only one to listen. Two clenched fists smashed against the wet surface of rock he perched atop, as if it would give way to his strength; the strength of a seven year old. It would not. "Why me?" He asked again, weaker, voice trembling, barely heard spoken against the solid stone, his forehead pressed against its top.

'How did I even get here?' he would wonder later. Something blocked the memory inside him, like a curtain he couldn't lift. His arms and legs and chest and back and shoulders - no wound was to be found on them, yet still they ached and burned as if they had been taken into a fire. 'Why...?' He scowled, urging his mind to remember. Then, suddenly, like the flashing of lightning all around him, it all came back to him.


No day had ever been safe for him. Not even the jovial ones. Konoha's birthday, the day of its foundation by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Everyone celebrated it, from the Hyuga to the Inuzuka to the Nara to the Sarutobi to the Uchiha themselves. Even the Aburame partook in the festivities - and anyone who knew that family for the introverts that they were, knew that for them to party was a very special thing!

It was bright and cheery then. The pleasant, golden autumn sun sparkled and shone with a gorgeous radiance, only adding to the happy mood that engulfed everything within Konohagakure's high walls. It was clear to everyone that a storm approached - a cold, eastern wind blew in from the shore, and as dawn turned to noon, dark and grey clouds flanked the horizon. But there was time enough to have a good time, and so that's what everybody did.

Everybody, that is, except one Naruto Uzumaki. "Jii-saaan!" The little blond boy whined while staring horrified at a rather large, red covered book with a golden leaf emblazoned across the front, which laid across a short, square table. "Do I reeeaaally need to read all this? Really really really?" Naruto hoped the answer would be no - and what kid wouldn't? There were more important things to do than read a history book, after all!

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He was getting on in years; he didn't stand as tall as he used to, there were far more wrinkles on his face (and everywhere else), and his voice was broken and cracked. But he knew without a doubt that the one cause for his perpetually graying hair was the child sitting in front of him.

"Naruto..." He started after an exaggerated puff at his pipe, holding his free hand behind his back - supposedly it was a typical posture, but really it was just so he wouldn't accidentally smack Naruto upside the noggin. Something he wasn't altogether sure would be a bad thing for the blond's mental health. "The history of our village is important for everyone to know. It helps us keep to our traditions, those which keep the village strong, and it reminds us of why we're even capable of enjoying the day of its foundation. If we forget the sacrifices our forefathers made for Konoha, nothing will stop us from falling down the footsteps of their predecessors and causing Konoha and everything it stands for to-" Something was different. Hiruzen had closed his eyes at some point during his speech, and now that he reopened them he realized it - something somewhat startling, somewhat expected.

"...He's gone." The old man muttered, eyeing the spot Naruto used to be standing and the outline of the little boy's body flashing tauntingly at him. The long window that encompassed the side of the room - one of the panes had been opened. Naruto already demonstrated a knack for getting out of a tight spot despite his age. Or, out of what a six year old would consider a tight spot, which in reality wasn't very tight at all. Hiruzen stepped towards the window, idly watching the people through the fumes of his thin vessel of smoke. "Another time perhaps. He'll begin to take his studies seriously, eventually. ...I hope."

Hope was all he could do; Naruto had no inclination towards books or papers or anything to do with words, especially long ones. No, the little knucklehead's inclination was rather towards a far less productive 'hobby'. Pranks. Oh and he loved them too, more than anyone in Konoha had ever seen. All villages had that one individual, or group of them, who were the 'rat-pack' of the town. Who got into trouble and created a whole mess of problems. But none of them could ever compare to the terror Naruto inspired on the inhabitants.

"Naruto!" was a commonly heard outcry every day, whether it be morning or night. The young Uzumaki knew no limits, no risks were too great. Even the Hokage Monument had not been spared some form of indignation (would it have been a living entity it would have crushed the village itself in anger), most recently having all four of its faces, those of venerable Kage, marred with horribly painted symbols and humiliating 'additions'. The Nidaime, for example, suddenly had a sloppy red mustache where once he was a clean-shaven man. But no matter in what form it was, in some way Naruto was always getting himself into tricky situations with the locals; often risking his own personal safety in the process.

Unfortunately that was the very reason he never could have a safe day in Konoha. Perhaps if he behaved he would have a peaceful existence within the walls, until his schooling was complete and he was accepted into the Shinobi ranks. But such a life was dull and boring to the hyperactive child, who was far more content with sacrificing safety for a bit of fun.

The joints creaked loudly as Naruto pulled on a wide, wooden gate marked with red ribbon along the center of three horizontal bars. It made him cringe, but all the same he couldn't stop himself from cackling in a quiet and sneaky way. "They'll be soooo pissed over this one!" He schemed, knowing full well the carnage his actions would soon bring. On the other side of the fence, snorting and shuffling hooves ran rampant like crashing waves off a shore. Anxious bulls desiring to be set free from their cage.

In hindsight, it was a terrible idea.

"Gaaaaaaah! Help me!" Naruto screamed not minutes later, running as fast as his faded-green sandals would carry him. It, sadly, was not nearly as quick as the wild and angry bulls who charged after him, leaving a massive cloud of dust in their wake. One would think they'd be more grateful to Naruto for releasing them; but the blond never could figure out wild animals. These were supposed to be somewhat tame, commonly being used to push heavy objects along roads or pull equipment horses and mules couldn't. But these seemed to be anything but tame.

In another case of mistaken facts, Naruto also thought that since he wasn't wearing any sort of red, the bulls wouldn't go for him. Little did he know that the rampaging monsters really didn't care what color he was wearing, just that he was a moving target to focus their rage on. They really were cold-hearted brutes. Trailing down the street like a speeding cart full of rocks, Naruto darted and dashed best he could, his shouts urging people to get out of the way; which they did as quickly as a panicked mob of individuals could. Then the blond took a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway, just in time to feel the rushing wind of the animals charging behind him and off down the street, where he was left breathless and tired.

"Aw man... That really went bad..." He panted quietly, swiping his forehead with an arm to clean away the cold sweat that had begun to drip off his brow. A prank gone wrong; nothing new, yet every time it happened Naruto really wondered why he kept doing them. A thought that always vanished within minutes as he began to plot another such undertaking. "The pig pens! That'll be a whole lot safer; and waaaaay more messy!" Naruto laughed. So long as the little white and brown (not traditional pink) squabblers didn't think he was their grub - and how could they? - it would be smooth sailing.

Peeking out into the street and glancing both ways in search of the stampede of bulls, but finding nothing but the cloud of dust and particles they left behind, Naruto nodded firmly to himself, dusted off his knees, and walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened at all. No, he wasn't responsible for that mess of a prank in any way, shape, or form. Only an amateur could have let something go wrong that badly; and Naruto was no amateur. Yet, for whatever reason, those few who dared stick their heads out of their doors or windows glared at him as if he had set loose a deadly plague.

"Eheh... Oops?" He offered, hardly a fitting apology, before dashing off down the road in an effort to escape their watching eyes before any of them decided to punish him for the act. They wouldn't do too much, of course - no, they couldn't. The Hokage didn't tolerate senseless brutality. But a scolding or a swat on the rump with a broom, or a combination of both, wasn't out of the question. That was a discipline even Naruto preferred to avoid; even though it did no more than make his butt sore for a few hours. It wasn't worth sitting still for.

The following minutes would find him performing a similar act as before with the bull pen, only this time instead of hooves and snorts there were squeals and something of an earthquake. Big, fat pork chops on legs were more than happy to take advantage of the exit Naruto gave them; a little too eager, since they completely trampled the poor blond in the process of making their escape.

"Blegh!" Naruto spat out a blob of mud and unspeakables from his mouth, and did his best to remove it from his eyes, as soon as the multiple hooves had moved on from walking all over him. Of course the nasty creatures had brought a whole bag-full of the stuff with them and completely covered Naruto in it, from head to toe! "I didn't mean THIS kinda' messy! C'mon!" He whined as he choked against the smell, barely able to even wipe the sludge off his clothes. A dozen showers wouldn't get rid of the brownish goop stuck all over his golden hair!

"Oi!" Shouted a middle-aged man bearing scrappy clothes, a wide straw hat, and a rusty rake - and there was the farmer. Naruto was beginning to wonder where he was, after the bulls had been released. "What've you done ya' little squirt?!"

'What does it look like?!' Naruto thought; "Ack!", however, was the only thing that came out, as he pulled himself from the sludge and took off towards the nearest street. Out of necessity and a lack of wanting to repeat the bull incident, Naruto made sure to pick a path not in the same direction the pigs were headed. Bad enough that they already walked all over him and covered him with animal waste. 'Oh man, this is all dung isn't it?! Gaaaaaah! They'll never let me live this down!'

"Git' back here Naruto!" The old farmer demanded as he chased after the scurrying Naruto; having no chance of actually catching the clearly swifter boy, but all the same willing to give it his best shot and scare the bejeebers out of the prankster in the process. Naruto certainly was worried, at least for the present - though more towards the glaringly sharp edge of the farmer's rake (despite being spotted with brown, cancerous splotches, it looked as if it could kill a man) than the farmer himself.

A mad dash across a stretch of open ground ended with a harsh skid on a single heel, the other foot smashed through the dirt to launch Naruto down another street. Heads turned, suspicious eyes gazed, all seeing the dirt-covered blond race down the lane. He was lucky there was a clear path. "What's he gotten himself into now?" A woman from a high window asked, a wince creeping onto her face.

"Nothing!" Naruto shouted quickly; doubting it would allay the growing frustration he typically inspired but willing to at least try nonetheless. Of course, the luck of the whole situation never was on his side. Just then the old man thrust his long, wrinkled nose around the bend, shouting in between gasps of air, initially naught but gibberish but eventually something at least coherent.

"Stop him!" He cried frailly. "The brat's gone an' let my pigs loose!" That settled it. Naruto didn't spare another word, there wasn't the time. In an instant nearly the whole street turned against him like an angry hoard of resurrected corpses - the blond had read that one from a book in Hiruzen's library. While there was a distinct lack of moaning or groaning, their grasping hands gave just the same impression. Naruto was forced to duck and weave around them, nearly getting nabbed multiple times before he managed to break free from the crowd. Another tight turn down an alley, a run that went as quick as his legs would take him; and then a sudden stop.

Just before leaving that narrow passage and entering the much broader space of the adjacent street, Naruto was intercepted by a squealing stampede of recently freed pigs. Naruto gasped, "Are you kidding me?!", and turned to stare in near horror at the other entrance, now blocked by a wall of human beings. He cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth and exchanging a testing gaze between the two artificial walls. Waiting for the pigs to all pass, 'How many of them are there, anyways?!', while ideal, would not work; especially not as the group of individuals stalked towards him.

They wouldn't hurt him; he knew that. He'd be sent to the Hokage, who would likely have him performing chores for the farmer for the rest of the year. It was the humiliation of that which kept him from choosing that outcome. Naruto was a fighter, not a runner. "Naruto, come here..." Said a voice from the crowd warily, hoping to draw the cornered blond away from the herd of pigs. They probably thought he couldn't take another trampling. But what did they know?

Naruto did just the opposite. He turned and leaped into the crazed swine, landing atop one and holding on to its over sized neck (or what substituted for it) for dear life. Perhaps he was a bit of a runner after all; it was just his own form of rebellion. "Hahahahaha!" He bellowed with glee, unable to contain the enormous smile that stretched onto his cheeks as he sat up on the pig's back and outstretched his balled fists into the air. "Did'ja see that?! Didn't see that commin' huh! Another win for Naruto the Gre-Gak!"

It happened in a flash, so fast Naruto never had a chance to react - not that he was paying attention. Before he knew it he had been thrown off his steed, and his body slammed into the ground and rolled. Once triumphant, now a dazed mess on the ground, for a little while Naruto couldn't even recognize where he was. The world spun and twisted, like he was staring into a disrupted reflection in the water. "Oooooow..." He finally groaned, rolling onto his back (having landed on his stomach). "What the...?"

"Naruto..." A voice interrupted.

"...Oh." Even knocked senseless as he was, Naruto could still very easily recognize the voice. It belonged to a man who had spent the last two years teaching Naruto everything he could, whether the blond wanted it or not, about the world and becoming a shinobi. And, simultaneously, beating the living daylights out of him whenever he pulled a stunt. Keeping one eye closed and giving the most sheepish smile he could, Naruto looked up towards him after a moment of hesitation. "H-hiya, Iruka-sensei..."

"What were you thinking?!" Iruka scolded, fists on his hips and bent down towards Naruto by the waist. "First the bulls, now this?! Do you know how much damage you could've caused?! People could have been killed, Naruto! You're lucky no one was!" For an instant a look of disbelief flashed across the boy's face - then, realization. And finally, dropping his chin low and letting his golden bangs hang over his eyes, remorse.

"It was just a joke..." He murmured in a whisper, "I didn't wanna' hurt anybody." A sigh whisked through Iruka's parted lips as he straightened, his once harsh, stern eyes mellowing to softer ones. A passing glance tore his gaze away from the despondent blond and towards the halted armada of oinkers; corralled by two men wearing green flak jackets and bearing a metal-plated headband over their foreheads. Ninja were trained to face opponents capable of cutting down a whole crowd of regular men. A stampede of wild animals was like child's play to them.

"You didn't, thankfully. We were able to trap both groups of animals before any serious damage was done. It could have been a lot worse. See, Naruto - this is why you need to think before you do something stupid like this. Defacing the Hokage Monument is one thing, but this... This is much worse." The teacher lowered to a knee, with his arm laid over the other. A scar running across the bridge of his nose stretched as he faintly frowned. "But even though we were able to put a stop to it before then, you'll still have to be disciplined for it."

Naruto nodded once, not yet willing to look his instructor in the eye. His mind had turned blank, only a single image haunting his eyes; a factitious vision of a world where someone had died because of him. Where another child much like him cried over the body of a mother or father, and blamed him for it all. Naruto hated the thought. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could offer, both to Iruka and to the imagined boy or girl.

"I know." Iruka replied, extending a hand to pull the blond up to his feet. "It's over now. Just... Think before you act, Naruto. For me?" A single, silent nod was the reply. "Alright. Farmer Hōboku?"

"Aye?" Replied the nearly keeled over old man, the very same who had followed Naruto all the way from the pig pens. He had fared rather well, ignoring the struggled breaths, sweat-drenched face, and paler-than-normal skin.

"I think it would be appropriate if Naruto were to help you with some chores around the village. Don't you agree?" Iruka quirked a brow towards the crop tender, "After all, they were your animals." Hōboku brought a skinny, wrinkled hand to stroke the grey whiskers sticking from his chin like little thorns, eyes closed as he mulled the idea over. It was a few seconds before he would reply.

"Hrm... Well..." He paused, eyeing the blond or another second or two, "I suppose it'd work. S'long as he don't make a mess'o things again. 'Er pull another o' his lil' jokes. And I'll be holdin' you accountin' 'fer anythin' more he does on my land!"

After hearing Hōboku's reply, Iruka turned to Naruto. "Well? You'd be willing to do that much, right Naruto?" The blond hesitated then, holding a desperate, almost pleading gaze up at a steadfast Iruka; yet upon seeing there would be no ground to break with his instructor, Naruto realized there was no other alternative. Cornered and defeated, Naruto let his face drop, swallowed his pride, and huffed noisily in discontent. "Right, that's settled." Iruka agreed with a smile, stifling a chuckle after looking Naruto over. "But first, let's get you cleaned up. You're covered in pig feces."

It was practically instantaneous - only after Iruka made reference of it did everyone notice it. Not so much the mess that coated Naruto, but the ridiculously smelly stench that wafted off of it. "EWW!" They all shouted, covering their noses and backing away from the stomach-churning odor.

Naruto had single-handedly made it the smelliest holiday of the year.


A loud, surely exaggerated sigh interrupted the slow and melancholy brushing and sweeping of leaves. It wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last. A sun that teased the edge of a billowing wall of grey clouds, nearly overtaken by their rumbling advance, and a cold wind striking against everything in reach spoke of the hours that had passed since Naruto's unsuccessful sortie. A quick rinse down with a hose apparently sufficed for getting 'cleaned up' (Iruka cited a day as a farmhand would warrant a bath later on as a reason for not immediately removing the stench). Afterwards Hōboku set the young blond right to work at removing the mess he himself had made in allowing the pigs out of their pen.

Even now they squealed and snorted at him, perhaps taunting Naruto. There they were, trapped but well fed; while he was forced to be their proverbial waste disposal agent. 'This isn't fair!', Naruto thought, glaring at the beasts. 'I tried to free your sorry rumps! 'Least you could do is clean your own crummy mess!' Of course Naruto knew that was probably asking too much, yet he wished it was possible. Maybe he could trick them into eating it? They devoured just about everything else, after all.

Pops and cracks broke his train of thought, and whatever small amount of work he might have been actually doing. In the distant sky, fireworks shot off and exploded loudly in a fantastic array of lights of all colors and sizes. The final celebration had begun. In all likelihood a feast was being held in the village's square, where everyone was laughing with their friends and family and enjoying both the fireworks and a show commonly performed on a makeshift stage. Naruto frowned, an image of a group of children laughing and playing as their parents watched. He could be there with them, couldn't he? Stealing large amounts of chicken thighs when nobody was watching, swiping whole plates of food for one of his more "big-boned" friends.

Yet here he was, stuck performing as a personal slave boy for Hōboku; Kami only knew for how long. Iruka wasn't specific when it came to the time frame. For all Naruto could tell he'd be in his predicament for the rest of the year. Which meant he had a very boring few months ahead of him. It certainly wasn't the ideal outcome for his attempt at having a little fun, but at least Iruka had promised to treat him to some Ramen every once in a while if he did a good job! That was enough of an encouragement, at least for a while.

But in the end, no amount of bribing could make Naruto want to be anywhere else other than right in the midst of the celebration. Even ignoring the food, the games, the show, it was the perfect opportunity to pull of a truly awesome prank! What it could be, Naruto had no idea - but he knew it would be epic, at least.

"Git' back 'ta work ya' brat!" Hōboku commanded while waving his rake (Naruto half-suspected the thing was attached to his hand). In his daydreaming the blond had temporarily forgotten what he was doing, where he was, and that he was being monitored the entire time. There was no room for getting sidetracked or procrastinating. Not while that old thorn brush was watching him like the hawk he'd like to be. There was plenty of work to be done and not a whole lot of time to do it, especially not with the storm so close on the horizon.

"Right, okay, okay." Naruto answered mellowly, biting back the urge to say something he'd likely regret, and returned back to sweeping up the last few bits of sludge left behind after his mess of a practical joke. It had been an absolute pain to clean - most of it had gotten all clumped up in cracks between the pavement that surrounded the little pen. Incidentally, it wasn't on an actual farm - it was one of several agricultural locations scattered across Konoha. Apparently they were all strategically placed close to the establishments that most interacted with them; in this case, the slaughter house was right around the corner. As far as Naruto was concerned, the butcher could come and kill all the pigs right then and there.

Another flash in the background, followed by a loud crack, briefly cast a shadow over the whole ground. Normally they would wait a while longer before launching the explosive projectiles into the air, but on account of the approaching clouds the festival organizers thought it best to get them out of the way early. Why didn't they just save it for next year? Naruto bet it had to do with how the public would react. They practically demanded to have a fireworks display at the end of the holiday, and if they didn't get it there would be many complaints to contend with; something nobody really had any inclination of taking responsibility for.

'You just wasted time trying to explain to yourself why the fireworks are going off so early. Do ya' really need something to think about THAT much?' Naruto mused with a soft chuckle, scraping away the last little bits of disgusting globs into a pan and discarding it into a square, green bin beside him. Swiping his hands together and puffing out a breath he'd been holding for just about the majority of time he'd been working, Naruto smiled, relieved to finally be finished with that particular task. "Hey geezer! I'm all done with the-" The blond cut himself short as he turned to look at the chair Hōboku once sat in - only to find it empty. "He's gone?! What the-?!" Naruto shouted, wide-eyed. "Now I know how Jii-san feels!"

Of course that left the whole evening open. If he didn't know where the old man was, Naruto couldn't very well get a new task from him. While some small part of him felt obligated to at least find his 'boss of the year', the rest of him couldn't care less and was really only interested in sneaking some fun in at the festivities. 'The old guy's probably there anyway. Snuck off hoping I wouldn't notice!' Grinning a wide, Cheshire cat's smile that promised mischief, Naruto quietly leaned the messy broom (there was no way he was cleaning it anyways, the thing was trashed) and began a tip-toe away. Even though he thought the farmer had gone to the village center, still Naruto suspected he might not have after all.

Perhaps it was that suspicion that clued Naruto in on the truth. Had he been a little faster, he likely would have missed it - but in his peering and seeking, to make sure Hōboku wasn't merely taking a pee behind a tree, or spying on him from around a corner, Naruto caught a glimpse of it instead. It was unusual on its own that something so insignificant had caught his eye, but it had. It was round, though with a section distorted on its outside edge, and no larger than a fist. Nearby was a similar little thing. And another, and another - leading off around a corner heading towards the wall. Red, scattered drops of freshly shed blood.

"What the...?" Naruto wondered aloud, stopping for a moment to consider, then advancing on the trail. It led him down one of Konoha's less active streets, most of the buildings were boarded up or run down to the point of collapse; some already had. Where once the blood had been noticeable, soon it became increasingly less so, as if the source had been wrapped up and contained. What little of the path remained Naruto followed, until he turned into a narrow, dark, and haunting alleyway between two abandoned buildings. And there, on the farthest wall, he could make out two standing silhouettes; and by a torchlight held behind them, the barely recognizable form of Farmer Hōboku. "Wha-?"

"He took the bait. Didn't see that comin'." Said the taller of the two, who appeared almost to be a giant from what Naruto could tell. The other, someone who looked just about his size and with red, wavy hair approaching the individual's shoulders, jabbed the other with an elbow to the arm.

"'Course he did thickbrain! My flute ain't gonna' screw somethin' as easy as this cakefest up." She retorted angrily; only then did Naruto see the flash of something thin and cylindrical in her hand. "Now hurry up ya' brute; we ain't got long before the grumpy tree kissers figure out we're here, and bone-boy can only keep those masked stooges busy for so long!"

"Right." Returned the larger one who, at that moment, lumbered over in Naruto's direction. For a while he was frightened, neither sure whether to run or hide or try to fight back. They'd killed the old man, and he hadn't even noticed. Naruto didn't know who they were or what they wanted - or why they were after him - but he knew well enough to tell they were cold-hearted killers. Or at least, seemed to be. That thought alone caught his feet on the ground, like glue had stuck to the bottom of his heels and refused to let him go. His knees shook and his hands quaked. Fear. This was fear.

Naruto didn't scream - his voice was caught in his throat - but at the very least he managed the strength to run away. Back out the alley and towards the wall; there were guards there. They'd help him. He had enough sense to know that, at least. A chanced look back revealed the giant skulking out of the lane's entrance like some monster out of a horror film. Immediately he looked ahead again, feeling the rush of panic rise from his gut and into his chest; he had to get to that wall! Already it loomed over him, a horrific image on its own to some, but right now Naruto could only think of the structure as his savior. "Help!" He finally yelled, finding the strength to. "Help me!"

There was no reply. Where were they? A strong gust of wind, in the opposite direction of the storm, blew against him; some eerie feeling created by it forced Naruto to pause; and he looked up to see something of a net descending on him. "Gah!" He cried just before it hit, shoving him violently to the ground and sticking him place. It was no normal net - unless someone had begun to put a sort of putty on them. No matter what he tried, Naruto couldn't get it off of him or squirm out from underneath it! Then there was a rumble, an earthquake he thought - until the ground underneath him began to rise. Naruto gasped in shock and awe, barely able to believe his eyes as he witnessed the rock he was tied to leaving the earth.

What Naruto couldn't see was the 'giant' who stood underneath the rock, lifting it up over his head as if it were but a foam block. He grunted and drew his arms back, then launched the detached landmass into the air like a projectile; Naruto barely stopped himself from losing his lunch because of how fast the makeshift ball was rotating. Because of the rate of spinning, the fact that the world literally was a blur in Naruto's eyes, the blond missed the lone figure who stood atop the wall, surrounded by a small group of corpses. He was heavily tanned, and had multiple arms; but most importantly carried something of a bow, with a golden 'club' held against the thread.

"You oversized idiot." He muttered, mouth hung open in disbelief as the ball, Naruto in tow, flew over him and onto the other side of the wall; Naruto was screaming wildly, but because of the fireworks and the distant thunder, and the wind that caught the blond's breath, they couldn't hear a thing. "You're not supposed to kill the poor fool." As the projectile reached its apex and began a fast descent back towards the ground, the archer followed it with his bow, surpassing it and aiming lower. "Lucky I'm here or it'd be game over."

For Naruto's part, he never realized what'd hit him - or what caused the mound of earth he was tied to suddenly explode into a field of flying debris. The thread that'd held him down was torn to shreds, whatever sticky substance had been on it melting away. Something hit him hard on the back, thrusting him away from the volley of ripped rock and slinging him down into the trees; one branch broke his fall, another his leg (there was a loud pop and a harsh and sharp pain that told him that much), and the last - well, by that point he was headed for the ground. Then there was nothing left at all.


The memories had returned; he remembered now. How he'd gotten there. Suddenly his little temper tantrum from before wasn't making nearly as much sense. But the fact that his leg was now fully-functioning and only mildly sore was left unexplained - he was sure it had been at least sprained - and the question of "why" still remained unanswered. 'Why are they after me?' The blond realized that a little while had passed; it wasn't raining when the fall had happened, and it wasn't as dark. Another thought came to mind after the time became more apparent. 'Where are those... monsters? They gotta' still be looking for me! I gotta' get back to the village!'

He made to stand, attempted to push himself off the rock he had apparently found perch on; which on closer examination looked much like the same ball of dirt that'd been ripped to shreds. But Naruto found that, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get up. Something was stopping him, as if it was pushing against his back as much as he was against the rock. "Wha-?" He started, glancing back - eyes flashing wide in horror.

"Sorry, blondie. You're not headin' back to hippieland." Said the girl from before, the one with the red hair. She had her foot pressed across the center of his back, arms folded over her chest like keeping him down was nothing. A cocky smile stretched on her face, and she regarded him with something between disgust and amusement.

"Who're you anyways? What do you want?!" Naruto demanded, mixed between an internal conflict of fear and boiling blood - hers were the same as everybody else's. Disdain. 'What for?!'

For a moment she stayed silent, and Naruto could only faintly see a flicker of astonishment in her blackish eyes; but then she resumed the cold, hard stare. "Sorry kitten. You'll be too busy in whatever gushy dream your weaselbrain comes up with to bother." It was then that Naruto saw that same metallic object he'd briefly noticed prior in her fist; as she brought it to her lips. A soft, yet haunting tune came from it - a flute -, at first nothing but sound, followed by a feeling of sudden and alarming drowsiness that was way too out of place. Yet there was nothing he could do; harshly shaking his head had no affect, urging himself to stay awake was similar.

And then, everything went black.


Hey all! Welcome to Rise of Demons. I hope you've made it this far! ;)

This'll be a first story of mine. I intend to make it a pretty fun adventure for all parties involved - you lot and myself. Updates may not be consistent, but I ain't plannin' on dropping out unless some kinda' crazy stuff happens in real life, like I get warped into a space-time continuum. But I'll do my best to stick with it! ^.^

Be sure and leave a review lettin' me know how ya' feel! Constructive criticism is appreciated, but be gentle! I'm a delicate lil' Anon! xP

See ya' next time! ...Hopefully. No, wait, you bettah' come back! You bettah' or I'll track ya' down n'- *Poof*