This is my first story on this site. Just a little tale from the mind of me and my best friend, Aidan. Yes, we are the main characters in the story, but almost all of the Naruto characters will take part in the novel.

No, I do not own Naruto. Rated M for violence, disturbing themes, and possibly other things later on that wouldn't be appropriate for kids. Enjoy

Chapter 1

The sun settled over the canopies of dark green leaves that clutched onto the branches of historically aged trees. All the while, two dark, lanky figures roamed the clearing that curves a path through the forest. The pair chatted quietly, paying more attention to the road ahead of them than the conversation being held. Of the two was a gentle man dressed in such a fashion that he looked as if he came out of the wrong century—this man was Thaddeus Collins. To his right lay his partner, the exotic bird tamer with eye lids blackened by dark make up known by the name of Alice Collins.

The two were outcasts, only known by those whom have sparred with them… and survived to tell the tale. Yes, they were dangerous, those two, even more so due to the fact they did not pledge their allegiance to any of the hidden villages. These shinobi were unlike any other of their kind… perhaps because they weren't the same as other ninja. Anywhere they wandered it was shown that wit, hazards, and pugnacity tailed them like a blood hound.

Nevertheless, even though their reputation became an ominous threat to others, the two seemed to enjoy the simple, mundane hilarity of life… of course, when they added their own spin to it, that is. The duo absolutely loved being eccentric, pulling pranks, and the general spark of adventure that came around every corner. Thus, true to their nature, the two were now making their way towards the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Almost there, Thaddeus," Alice said to her partner, craning her neck to get a take of her surroundings.

"Yes, almost," Thaddeus replied, lips curving into a vicious smile. "I think the Ringer will be in for a treat. I hear the village has many intriguing… characters."

After hearing the mention of his name, the wooden carcass strapped to Thaddeus' back stirred. Its head creaked upward, and the Ringer's big, florescent yellow eyes rolled down to stare at its master.

Yes, Thaddeus was a puppeteer, able to control the animalistic wooden figures he had designed to kill with the chakra streaming from his hands. Alice snorted and looked at her partner, a blond eyebrow raised.

"Oh really? You sure your little toy can handle the heat? I hear the sand shinobi are visiting so the Kazekage can attend the Chunin exams." She was correct, but this information wasn't given to her the mundane way, no, her messenger bird had retrieved the news from the village three days prior.

"Yeah, so what?" Thaddeus barked back, a little miffed she had even dared to insult his puppet that had the stains of war smeared all over his mahogany shell from countless battles beforehand.

'They aren't a force to be messed with. And seeing that we haven't crossed paths with them before, we won't know what tricks they have up their sleeves." Alice stated while her partner just shook his head with a smirk.

"Wait till they get a taste of all of this! They haven't seen our tricks either!" Thaddeus laughed, swiveling his hips while winking a light blue eye.

Alice chuckled at the puppet master, and after a moment of calculations she whistled. Seconds later a flurry of wings and screeching tweets came from above. Various birds, such as robins, hawks, crows, finches, and everything in between landed on Alice's outstretched arms. The birds were of her own control, but they were far from average even after that fact; although they looked normal, almost identical to the species they were passing themselves off as, the flock had certain… abilities.

If one were to look deep into the eyes of any of her creatures, he or she would notice the hunger that lingers through the bird. The way its feathers gleamed an odd color, one that was a dark cerulean blue coupled with a metallic shine classified them as anything but normal.

"Did you have to bring those stupid birds? I mean really, you've already got the Shikotsumyaku—why in the world would you want those stupid rats with wings on your shoulders?" Thaddeus growled. He always hated birds, mostly due to the fact they didn't quite enjoy him either.

"Even with my Kekkei Genkai," Alice stated, glowering at her partner. "I still enjoy my birdies' companionship, which I must say I am clearly lacking from you."

Thaddeus scoffed and clutched his chest with one of his hands dramatically. His partner rolled her eyes, smiling at him and continuing on with their journey to the village. Yes, each one of them had a specific behavior that irritated the other; for Alice it was the puppet master's arrogance, and for Thaddeus it was his partner's love of the vicious birds. Still, they were one tight knit pair, silently pushing each other on the curving path, giggling like children.

…

End of chapter one.

Just a little short intro before all the craziness happens. And also, shikotsumyaku is an inherited trait Alice has that allows her to be like Kimimaro (For those who don't know him, you'll learn later). Okay, ta ta for now!

From Russia.