Ch. 1 – A new home
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Fingers stretched up to the clear blue sky. A loud yawn filled the area a group that trudged tiredly on a dirt road. One of the traveling members had finished stretching their tired limbs.
"Father?" the same member of the group turned backward and faced a tall, refined-looking man.
"Mmm?" his gaze continued at the road, unfazed by his daughter's obstruction. She pouted ungrateful at his reaction.
"How much longer 'til we arrive?" the young woman questioned with a bothered tone.
"About an hour and a half longer," he kept his pace and passed her up as she stopped abruptly.
"Ugh... This trip has been too long! We could've been there by now if we weren't dragging those along...," the annoyed girl pointed and glared at the other two members, "Whatever! They better have a hot spring or somethin' there... I feel gross." The group continued on the road, eagerly anticipating their arrival to one of the most popular of villages known in the world...
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Destination:
Konoha
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"Hello. I was wondering if you know where the nearest market is?" a young woman asked a ninja guard at the entrance of the village while she awkwardly handed him her identification booklet. The guard proceeded to stamp it and give her instructions on what paths to follow to find some food stalls. She thanked him and gave him a nervous grin.
'Well... I guess it's not that noticible...' She shrugged it off and made her way into the large and bustling city.
The young traveler walked around aimlessly for a hald an hour, hoping to find somewhere to buy groceries. She had tried to follow the guard's directions but it proved more difficult since she was unaccompanied. After walking around for half an hour more, her luck finally struck. A few randow food stalls were located on a long street she strolled into. She quickly but carefully made her way to one of them. The stall keep greeted her with a smile,
"Let's see... Hmmmm... mmmmm... hmmmm..." the young woman happily hummed as she grazed through the fruits and vegetables before her. 'Cabbages... carrots... apples...'
"Oh! Oranges!" her face gleamed in delight as she found one of her favorites. And right as she reached out to get one...
*POW!*
She collapses onto the dirt ground. Someone had crashed right into her causing her fall and spill all of the oranges onto the street.
'Ouch...' She rubbed her arm after sat up.
"Sorry about that! I really wasn't watching..." a young man breathing heavily from his running apologized.
"I-It's okay..." she stumbled around as she tried to get up.
"Here, let me help you." He extended his hand to her.
"Hmmmm..." her hand reached for him in an odd way. The young man looked at her funny, shrugged and grabbed her by the arm to stand her up. In the processes, she took note of his distinct spiked hair and odd markings on his cheeks but then,
"Hey! My oranges." The stall keep yelled at the assumed troublemakers.
"Oh my... I dropped all the oranges... hmmmm..." she covered her mouth in embarrassment. The oranges had scattered into different directions.
"It's alright, I'll help you. It's my fault anyway," the young man scratched the back of his head and giggled nervously. She smiled at him gratefully and thanked him. The boy then got on his knees and began to pick up some the oranges. Something odd caught his attention while he placed some oranges back on the stall – the young woman hummed as she bent and reached strangely for the oranges near her.
"You know what! I've got a better idea!" he startled her with his excited tone.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Four shadow clones puffed around him. In a matter of seconds, the clones and the summoner quickly picked up all of the oranges and piled them up into a little mountain near the other fruits on the stall. Stall keep was thankful but a little unnerved by the placement of his oranges.
'What... just happened?' The girl couldn't understand what the young man did.
"There! All done!" One of the clones dusted off his hand while the rest fist pumped each other in satisfaction then poofed away as fast as they had been made.
"Umm... thank you?" she looked around, still baffled by the event.
"You're welcome! And again, sorry for the mess... Say, you don't look familiar. You aren't from around here are you?" He rubbed his chin trying to think if they had met before.
"No, I'm not. I just came into the village to shop for groceries for my family." The young woman gleamed with contentment.
"Welcome to Konoha. My name's Naruto Uzumaki!" he stuck out his hand to shake hers.
"My name's Imao Tanaka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto." She bowed and smiled politely. Naruto took back his hand and reciprocated with a bow instead, "Well, I have to continue shopping so, I'm going to have to ask that you please not run into me again." her face changed to a serious and bothered expression. Naruto gulped uncomfortably before he scratched his head and laughed nervously. Imao broke the tension by lightly covering her mouth as she giggled,
"I'm kidding. Just be careful when you run around like that. It's rather dangerous for anyone that doesn't see you, as well as yourself." She gave him a little pat on the shoulder to show him she meant no harm.
"Ha ha! I knew that!" he grinned with lightly flushed cheeks. Imao then turned to the other fruit stalls, continuing her grocery shopping.
'Hmm...' Naruto began to take note of her physical attributes - her medium brown hair was pulled in a short low ponytail, her faded baby blue eyes, how the simple purple two-toned kimono she wore complimented her fair skin... he blushed lightly as he had caught himself staring a little too long. He walked to her and tried to be nonchalant.
"So, besides the shopping, what else brings you here?" Naruto blurted out with his usual curiousity - he has never been good at trying to be cool and collected.
"Ummm... well, my family and I are just visiting for a few weeks. We actually arrived a few hours ago." Imao started to hum a little tune while she picked fruit.
"Well, I have an errand to run today, which I wanted to get done quick but you know..." He smiled sheepishly at her, "Anyway, if you want I can show you and your family around. Just let me know," he picked up an apple from the stall they were at and started playing with it. The purple dressed girl thought to herself for a few seconds before agreeing to Naruto with a nod.
"Sure. That would be very nice. Maybe after we're both done with our to-do's you could guide me around this maze of a village." Naruto and Imao simultaneously giggled at her little joke. 'Hmm... I'm surprised he hasn't noticed.' She shrugged to herself and continued with her errand.
After Naruto had gone to completed his errand and Imao her grocery shopping, Naruto took her around the massive Konoha village, showing her from places to buy specific items to places he enjoys going to. He especially took her to his favorite place to eat, Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. He made sure to treat her to the best ramen bowl and after satisfying their stomachs, they continued their tour of the rest of the village. At the end of the guided tour, Naruto helped Imao carry her groceries to her new little, one story home on the outskirts of Konoha, located about a couple miles away.
"Wow, I didn't think there were any houses out here." He gazed at the small, wooden house in question. It looked sturdy but had some wear and tear.
"We found it abandoned out here. Instead of setting up our tents, like we normally do, we just made it our own home." She smiled sheepishly at him.
'Hmm... must have been one of Captain Yamato's creations.' Naruto pondered as he strolled around the little cottage, examining the walls and windows for anything odd. He finally came back around to the front, where Imao waited patiently for him.
"Well, Naruto, it was fun. Thank you so much for your help. I truly appreciate it. I am in debt to you." Imao smiled with appreciation and bowed at him.
"Awww... don't worry about it." He blushed while scratching the back of his head.
"Well, I'll be going in now. Thank you again." They stepped right in front of the entrance door. She then leaned awkwardly to his side and lightly kissed his cheek. Naruto sucked in a little breath and immediately blushed as she pulled away from him. He gulped and took a shocked step back.
"You're... welcome..." A nervous giggled escaped Naruto pursed smile.
"Hmmm... mmm..." Imao turned to the door and hummed as she tried to open the door. Naruto snapped out of his embarrassment and noticed her humming again, like she had done many times before during the day. His curiosity finally got the better of him, as it usually does, and let himself think out loud,
"Hey, uhh..." he blurted out and startled Imao once again.
"Yes?" she stopped her hand from turning the doorknob and looked towards Naruto with a kind smile.
"Why do you hum all the time? Is it a song you like?" he tilted his head curiously at her while scratching his temple.
"Well... actually... no..." Naruto intrigued, took a step closer to her and rubbed his chin. "It... it helps me see..." she paused and bit her thumb as she thought about how to explain her situation in simple words. "Humming helps me... because..."
"I'm blind."
