Hey all, Sarin-sama here! - This idea's been tumbling around in my head for a while and I've finally gotten the first chapter the way I want it xD Hope you all enjoy it

Note: Takes place after time skip (Shippuden, anime only as that's all I've seen and have experience with) and will hopefully go through most of the wonderful adventures (don't worry, my OC's not a Mary Sue, so i'm hoping you'll like her) There will be romance - HinataxNaruto as stated earlier and OCxSomeoneSecret lol I can't give it away yet, or the fun will be ruined!

I do not own Naruto, but Shiawase Kinshi is the newest addition to my mental family xD

!~Enjoy~!

The spring sun bathed me in warmth, my skin tingled happily as it took in the sunlight. A faint breeze whispered through the trees of the forest that surround the small village of Kikkiyo and played with the loose strands of my hair.

From my street corner where I sold my hand-painted trinkets and jewelry, I watched the lazy movements of the small town. It wasn't much more than a main street of shops and stores surrounded by scattered houses that littered the forest for a few miles out. Small dirt paths wove through the alleys created by the row of shops and into the forest in all directions. The small paths led to different outcroppings of houses and neighborhoods where the lax townspeople lived and went about their lives.

The town had been decent enough – definitely better than some I had been to, but overall nothing special or unique. I'd been to probably hundreds of towns in my six years of traveling, and after I've moved on from this place, I probably wouldn't remember more than a few simple facts, like the delicious smell of tea that seemed to constantly waft from the open entrance of the tea shop or that there were an abundance of grey fox in the surrounding forests. When I moved on, this town would become just another name on my mental list of places.

I'd been there for about a month, and was starting to feel the itch again. The itch to leave and continue down through the Land of Fire. Six years of traveling had taken me from the northern most part of the Land of Lightning where I was born, along the eastern coast and down into the Land of Rice Patties. I spent almost two years in that small land, but not by choice. When I finally left, I quickly passed through another small and unremarkable country and into the Land of Fire, where I've been ever since.

It was such a large and lush land that I couldn't help but zigzag through as much as I could. The terrain varied considerably, making every journey between towns exciting and fresh – sometimes it was forests and rivers, while other times I'd be climbing mountains and trudging through snow.

But my time through the Land of Fire was coming to an end, as I was reaching the western border that touched the Land of Rivers.

The scuffing of many footsteps coming closer to my street corner brought me out of my thoughts and on edge. By the number of them, it could only be one group and I didn't really feel like dealing with them today.

Pochino and his gang of nameless thugs were soon crowding around my work space. All of my wares were spread out neatly on a thin blue blanket as I sat cross-legged, facing the street. Pochino was a self-proclaimed rogue ninja – though what hidden village he'd defected from, he would never say – that had been like a beacon of light for all the low-life moths in the town. His little gang consisted of mostly drunkards, lazy asses, and petty criminals – the worst of which was Notabi, the second in command of the crew that was a known thief and vicious drunk.

"Hey, Kinshi – nice day today, huh," Pochino said with a fake smile in his voice as he leaned against a pole of a street light.

I sighed and nodded in response, hoping that if I let him be, he'd leave me alone.

"You really should reconsider my offer – you and that mystery power of yours would make a great addition to our team."

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. I quickly pulled out my note pad and pen and wrote out, "I don't have any powers – you are wrong."

Pochino laughed at me, "You can't hide it from me, sweetie – I can feel the power just rolling off of you. Have you forgotten that I'm a sensory-type?"

I rolled my eyes at him – I had serious doubts that he was actually a ninja, but if he was just making wild accusations, then he was spot on…

But I wouldn't let him know that.

Pochino sighed and crouched down beside me. I tried my best to ignore him as he flicked my hair loop, causing the small blue bead with painted waves on it to bounce off of my cheek and swing around my face. "It really is a waste," he started, "Such a pretty girl like you should be on the arm of a powerful man instead of selling trash on street corners." His rough fingers slid beneath my chin and turned my head to face him directly, "You'd be perfect for a piece of arm-candy – especially since you can't talk back with that pretty mouth of yours."

I scowled at him and pulled my face out of his grasp.

He laughed and gave me a sharp shove to the side as he stood up straight.

I fell to my side, managing to stop my face from hitting the ground by quickly pushing my hands downward. My palms stung as rocks scraped against them, but I knew that it could have been worse if my face hit the bumpy dirt ground.

Suddenly, Notabi stepped out from the midst of the crowd. "Boss," he started urgently, "Look over there!" Notabi pointed towards the northwest end of the road that led into and out of town. Two figures with small traveling packs were strolling slowly down the road.

They seemed weary and road-worn – I knew the feeling well – but both held smiles on their faces as they looked at the small strip of town. The one on the left was a tall and broad shouldered man who looked to be in his fifties – though he still seemed physically fit and roughly attractive despite his age – who had a mass of white hair that hung in a thick ponytail down his back. The older man had analytical dark eyes and red lines painted on his face, starting at the bottom of his eye-lids and stretching down to his chin.

My fingers automatically went to my own face that held similar markings, though mine were permanent burn marks instead of ink.

My eyes then looked over the second figure who seemed much younger than his traveling companion. The boy looked to be at or near my age of 16, with bright blonde hair that stuck out in all directions. Even from this distance I could tell that his eyes were a bright blue, almost like a clear and unpolluted forest stream that trickled around his pupils. Those bright eyes seemed to glitter happily on the outside, but I got the feeling he had more intense emotion hidden just beneath the outer façade. Those eyes spoke to me of suffering and experience, though his face was still young and relatively boyish.

But, what stuck out he most on those two travelers, were their headbands. Everyone in the Land of Fire knew those symbols by heart – a swirl that came to a point and then wrapped itself back to form a leaf.

They were from Konoha – the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

And I wasn't the only one to notice. Immediately, Pochino and his gang all stood up and made a quick dash through a back alley, hoping not to be seen by the real ninja who were entering the village.

I watched the newcomers as they walked down the center of the street, looking about the town. The older man with the white mane of hair brought his attention to the fleeing group of men, and once they disappeared, his dark eyes fell on me.

I tried not to act like I was staring, but I was, and the older man knew it. I'd never seen a Leaf Ninja before, and staring was all I could do. Even with all my time in the Land of Fire, I had only heard rumors and stories about the Leaf Ninja, none of which could be proven true or not.

The older man suddenly gave me a smile and veered towards me, causing the blonde-haired ninja to follow curiously behind. Both sets of ninja eyes were on me now, but my eyes were still trained on their headbands. It was entirely possible that they could be fakes – but everything about their physical appearance told me that they were the real deal.

Real ninja.

"I hope we didn't scare away your customers, young lady," the older man said with a small smile. His dark eyes gave me a playful look – one I had learned to ignore in my time on the road. It was surprising how many men in the world knew that hungry expression of lust.

I gave my head a small shake and offered a smile to the two travelers.

The blonde boy with bright eyes crouched down and picked up a black-leather bracelet with a blue painted bead tied down in the middle. "Oooo, these are nice. Do you have any in pink?"

I thought for a moment, and after rummaging through my satchel, I pulled out a bracelet of the same type with a faint red paint instead of blue, as well as a slightly different design on the bead – the blue sported a white bird symbol while the reddish one displayed a golden sun. I held it out to him and his smile grew wider.

"I think she'd love that," he smiled happily to himself, "How much?"

I held up five fingers.

He raised his eyebrows at me, "That much?"

I shrugged my shoulders with an apologetic smile. I had to make a living somehow.

He sighed and pulled out a money pouch that looked like a deflated frog. "Sakura better like this," he mumbled as he rummaged through his frog for the correct amount.

I nodded to him as I took his money. He narrowed his eyes at me, "You sure aren't very talkative."

I gave him a silent laugh and shook my head. I pulled out a pen and a blank scroll from my satchel that I kept for just such an occasion, and wrote him a small message.

He read my words aloud, "Sorry; don't talk. I'm Kinshi." He looked from my words to my face, "Huh, really?"

I nodded.

He got to his feet and scratched the back of his neck with an awkward smile, "Sorry then – I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

The white-haired man took a small step forward and gave an overly dramatic bow, "I'm the Great Sage Jiraiya – it's a pleasure to meet you dear, Kinshi."

I smiled and rolled my eyes as Naruto gave a quick snort of laughter, "'Great Sage' my ass – ignore him, he's just a pervert."

I laughed silently and shook my head at the two ninja travelers.

Jiraiya sighed and propped himself on Naruto's shoulder, "Not in front of the ladies, Naruto! Have I taught you nothing?"

"Nothing important anyways," Naruto said with a quick laugh.

Sage Jiraiya sighed again, "Anyways," he turned back to me, "Are there any good places to eat around here?"

"Oh," Naruto groaned in unison with his stomach, "I can't wait to get home. I've been waiting for Ichiraku's Ramen for two whole years! Nothing's even come close to being as good!"

I tapped my chin in thought and then held up a finger for them to wait.

They nodded and watched while I shoved all of my belongings and wares into my satchel, careful with the glass beads not to crack them on anything else in my bag. I packed my thin blue blanket last, and then got to my feet.

I dusted off the seat of my tan shorts and motioned for the two travelers to follow me. I led them down the main road a little ways and then down a small dirt pathway that would lead to the best place to get good, home-cooked food in this small town.

The food in any of the restaurants or inns in Kikkiyo couldn't shake a stick at Linita's cooking. Her meals were the best in town, and only the local's knew that she'd give you a good plate of food in trade for something she needed.

And I just so happened to have something she might like.

I smiled as we finally came to the decline in the forest that revealed Linita's house as well as a few others. It was a small wooden hovel, much too small for her five kids and herself, but she managed to make it work.

She always had food ready, thanks to her growing boys and the elderly neighbors that she regularly cooked meals for, so buying two plates off of her lunch menu wouldn't be too bad.

I smiled over my shoulder at the two following behind me and told them to wait once we reached a place where the ground leveled out. They both agreed with curious looks in their eyes, and stayed where I motioned for them to. I went the rest of the way to the small house and knocked on the partially opened door.

"Come in!" Linita's tired voice called out from the belly of the small house.

I pushed the door open lightly and took a few small steps inside. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house, I heard Linta call to me, "Oh, Kinshi! I didn't think you'd stop by today."

I sent a smile in the direction of her voice and stepped towards the kitchen. I could smell the spices of her special fried chicken and tanginess of her teriyaki rice balls. A growl escaped my stomach as I breathed in the happy scents.

"You look hungry," she smirked, "You have anything for me?"

I nodded and immediately started digging through my satchel. At the very bottom I found the gray fox furs I had caught, skinned and cured. I set down two of them on her kitchen table and motioned for her to feel how wonderfully soft they were.

She did as I nonverbally commanded and her eyes lit up at the soft touch of the furs, "Oh, these would be perfect for the new baby blanket I was planning – but are you really giving me both?"

I nodded and pulled out my scroll and pen. I scratched out the previous message and wrote beneath the crossed out words.

Two plates please. Nice travelers outside.

As she read my words she nodded, "Ah, I see – they must have bought something, yes?"

I nodded and held up five fingers.

Linita's eyes widened, "Really? No wonder you're giving them my good food – you ripped them off." She snickered at me and proceeded to pile up food onto two plates. Along with the breaded chicken and the rice balls, an assortment of steamed veggies and light fruity sauce adorned the plates. "Just bring the plates back – washed if you can."

I nodded and gave her a quick one-armed hug before taking the plates from her and stepping back out into the refreshing spring afternoon.

Light filtered down through the dense treetops that surrounded this small residential area. As I made my way back to the dirt path, I saw the eyes of Jiraiya and Naruto light up as they saw the two plates of food in my hands, piles high with steaming deliciousness.

Their mouths were practically watering as I handed them their food and pointed a little ways off the path towards a felled tree that would make a decent place to stop and eat.

Naruto's stomach growled greedily as he smelled plate of heaven, "This didn't cost you anything did it? I can pay you back if you – "

But I cut him off with a stern look and a quick canceling motion with my hands. I tapped the red beaded bracelet that the blonde had tied around his wrist for safekeeping and smiled.

He didn't notice much past the "No" in my eyes and expression, and quickly started digging into the food, groaning happily with each bite.

"Absolutely wonderful," Jiraiya smiled after swallowing a bite.

I nodded and started scribbling down a small message on my scroll: Her food's better than any restaurants in town.

Jiraiya nodded at me, "Give her my compliments." He proceeded to take another bite.

The two ate with gusto as they inhaled the plates of food. I took the empty plates from them once they were satisfied that there were no more edible scraps left to eat.

"Thanks, Kinshi – that was pretty great," Naruto smiled as he patted his stomach, "I'll have to tell my friends to find you if they come this way."

I smiled but shook my head. I tucked the plates under one arm and started scribbling away on my ink-stained scroll: Won't be here much longer. Tell them to bring something decent to trade for food and should be fine.

As Naruto finished reading my words he looked up at me, "What? So you don't live here then?"

I shook my head and made my index and middle fingers walk down my forearm. Naruto cocked his head to the side as he stared at my hands but Jiraiya seemed to get the point, "You're a traveler."

I smiled and nodded in response.

"Where're you headed?" Naruto asked as he stretched his arms above his blonde head.

I spun my head around and pointed southwest. I pulled up my scroll and pen once again and started writing a quick message.

The blonde read my words aloud, "Eventually towards the Land of Rivers." He looked up from the scroll, "Why there?"

Again I wrote a message: Don't have a "why". I'm just traveling.

"You've come far, I can see," Jiraiya added, "The Land of Lightning is quite a long walk from here."

My eyes widened and I questioned him silently, wondering how in the world he'd known.

The white-haired sage gave a small laugh, "You're darkly tanned skin and light colored hair gave you away – it's distinct of the Lightning Country."

I slowly nodded, still taken aback that the man could tell so much by just my appearance – even I hadn't known until I reached the Land of Fire that Lightning people had different characteristics. I finally realized it because an elderly man commented that it was unusual to see people of such tan skin and faintly colored hair outside of the Land of Lightning.

I took a deep breath and gave a smile that didn't reflect my alarm – if this man, this ninja of the Leaf, could tell my heritage from my mere appearance, I dreaded to find out how much more he could glean by spending any more time than necessary with me.

I held up the plates and pointed back towards Linita's house, signaling that I needed to be on my way.

Jiraiya nodded slowly – and I hoped he couldn't see the urgency I suddenly felt to get away from him. "We should be moving on as well."

"Nice to meet you Kinshi!" Naruto smiled, "Thanks for the great food."

I gave him a "don't worry about it" gesture and turned away from them with a small wave. I headed back towards Linita's house to escape from the two ninja's presence as quickly as possible.

So i hope you've enjoyed the first snippet~! What are your thoughts? Like, dislike? I know it was a little short, but that's just becase it was the first chapter. Hope you'll stick around to see what happens next~!

Thanks for Reading and don't forget to Review on your way out xD