Loud explosions could be heard in the distance, the white smoke left behind in the wake of the destruction slowly obscuring the view of the nearby houses.
A throng of people was running along the smoke-filled streets, the elderly stumbling along as the younger children cried in the nooks of their parents` arms.
"Evacuate the civilians to the shelter! And make sure no stragglers are left behind!" The yell was repeated all around as several shinobi scrambled to follow their superior`s commands.
The shinobi worked with discipline and efficiency, dispersing among the crowd, calming disputes and directing the horde of frightened people towards a large square further away from the battle unfolding behind them.
But as the smoke around the square cleared... The crowd came upon a strange sight...
Two figures were arguing heatedly in the middle of the square and even though at least a hundred eyes were fixated on them, their quarrel continued...
"Come on, we can leave them! It`s not as if they wouldn`t do the same!" yelled the taller of the two figures, who wore a black ANBU vest over his attire...
The shorter figure, with whom he was arguing, was dressed in a rather... noticeable color which, along with it`s exotic hair color made the figure stand out even in the smoky plaza.
"I can`t just leave them to those... monsters... How will I ever get them to acknowledge me if I just le-" it began, only to be interrupted by it`s companion...
"DON`T YOU GET IT?" the first figure yelled, making some of the children in the crowd cry in fear... "They will NEVER accept you! They`re not WORTH SAVING!"
The second figure`s head dropped down, hiding it`s face from the other. But the first wasn`t done yet.
"They`ve ostracized you your entire life, they never treated you like part of the village, you were always just a monster! You said so YOURSELF!"
The villagers and shinobi on the sidelines looked down in shame after hearing this. Some looked indifferent but the majority, even some of the children were blatantly regretful of their actions. The second figure took notice of this but the first did not as he continued his tirade.
"They over-charged you, made you live in the shittiest place imaginable and treated you as if you were no better than trash... How can you still think that you owe them ANYTHING?"
While the first figure raged, the other kept calmly gazing at the crowd. Trying to look into the eyes of all the villagers and shinobi. The children and the elderly. Those eyes held many things... A few held anger, most held fear... Many held regret... But among them all... The eyes of a single girl, crying in sadness stood out...
Her eyes didn`t hold hate... or regret... They held only fear, sadness and... innocence...
"...You`re wrong... " It said, still keeping it`s head down and looking towards the crowd.
The other`s eyes widened, as did the eyes of many among the crowd...
"You... You can`t honestly just... forgive them?" he asked. And by the looks of the crowd, many shared his view.
The shorter figure merely smiled at their confusion "Just because you`ve given up... Doesn`t mean I have... I will never give up!" The determination and sincerity in it`s voice shocked even the more veteran shinobi into startled wonderment.
Noting her determination, the black-clad figure clenched his fists tightly before sucking in a deep breath. "I just... don`t want you to..." He began only to falter as his voice became too feeble to continue.
The white-clad figure looked up at hearing the pleading note in his voice and smiled sadly at him.
"...I know... And I hope someday... you`ll understand that, even if they hate me... Even if they ignore me... Even if they act as if I don`t exist... I will still protect them... Because I never go back on my word... and that, is my nindo..."
The black-clad shinobi took another deep breath, knowing full well what she would say... After all... His companion was one of the most stubborn people he knew... He also knew that he couldn`t... Wouldn`t stop her...
"Even though you don`t believe like I do anymore... I hope someday... You`ll understand why I have to do this... "
The mint-haired girl then ran past the other figure and towards the battle raging in the background... But not before saying two parting words to her companion... her teacher... her friend...
"Goodbye Naruto..."