The Land of Jade
Chapter Two
"Where is mommy?"
It was a simple question, asked by a young boy with innocent green eyes. Yet his pale cheeks were flushed and the white around his irises was pinkish, indicating that he had been crying.
"At the convenient store," or "out with her friends," his father, Uzumaki Naruto wanted to reply. "She will be back soon," he wanted to add the most. "Still working," he always ended up saying.
He could not look him in the eyes for long. Every time he looked at his - their - son, those spring-colored irises reminded him all too much of his wife.
Instead, he looked off into the distance without taking anything much into account. The window from Shinachiku's bedroom provided an expansive view of the forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village.
Uzumaki Sakura had disappeared beyond those borders, during a mission. Just as autumn was creeping in, she had gone with a team of medics to the neighbouring lands. These missions usually lasted three to five days, maybe a week depending on the travelling distance.
Sakura had resumed her busy work schedule only recently. It had been as soon as Shinachiku had started attending the Academy. He would see her less and less for she was always on the go, visiting villages which had been most affected by the war and providing them with free healthcare and medical training.
How he longed for the time she was always around.
For six years and many more before that, their modest home had bustled with lively chatter and merry laughter. Yet now, only the constant buzz of the radio could be heard from time to time the kitchen. It had become a habit for Naruto to listen to the news broadcast every morning, in the hope of hearing any report on missing nins.
It had been half a month now... None of the medics had come back. A second team sent to gather information returned emptyhanded. It seemed as if the mission team had simply... vanished.
Where are you, Sakura-chan?
"Daddy?" Shinachiku was shaking his Naruto's hand, bringing him out of his thoughts. "When will mommy come home?"
"Oh. Sorry, Shinachiku. Sakura-chan - I mean, mommy is still busy with work," said Naruto at last, trying to break the heavy silence in the room. He ruffled the child's fluffy blond hair as per his habit.
The two of them sat wordlessly on the young boy's bed for a long time.
He looked so much like Naruto himself. Even his name had been the father's idea - or rather, his obsession. As soon as he had held their newborn for the first time, he had been deadset on his choice of name.
Sakura had at first been incredulous at the thought of calling her own child after pickled food.
"Bamboo? Are you sure you're thinking it through, Naruto?" had been her rhetoric.
"It's always one of the first things I see when I eat ramen. And one of the things I keep for last. It leaves a deep impression. Right, Chiku-chan?"
He had nuzzled his nose into the baby's soft hair and nearly sneezed from the immediate tickle it produced.
"That's because you don't like eating it," Sakura had said with a soft laugh.
"I... that's not the point! I mean - I started liking it... Maybe. Anyway - Shinachiku is gonna be awesome, ya know!"
His arguments had been hardly convincing, but she had agreed ultimately. It was on the sole condition that she would be given all rights to their next child's name. Naruto had been so overjoyed that he failed to catch onto the meaning of her words.
When he finally did, a mad blush had spread on the young father's face at the implication. Sakura enjoyed teasing him to no end.
That memory unlocked more fragments of the past: wisps of thoughts he dared not linger on.
"Time to get ready for class," Naruto said groggily. He slipped his hands under Shinachiku's arms, and lifted him off the bed and onto the floor. A visible wince flashed on the child's face at the unexpected coldness of the wood beneath his feet.
"Daddy, it's super cold, ya know."
He rocked back and forth, shifting support from his toes to his heels, until his bare skin adapted to the chilly surface.
"Does that mean I get to go inside the bathroom first?" asked Naruto in a challenging tone.
Shinachiku's head immediately snapped in the direction of the door. "Nah!" he shouted, and off he ran, followed closely by his father.
"Hah! Raaah! I'm gonna catch you, Chiku-chan!"
A squeal of delight rose from the child, who picked up his pace and, as soon as he entered the bathroom, slammed the door behind him.
Later on, when he heard his son activate the flush, Naruto knocked lightly on the door.
"Come iiin!"
On opening the door, he saw Shinachiku perched atop a low bench to wash his hands.
"All clean!" exclaimed the beaming boy, raising his hands high above his head. Water streamed down his arms and countless droplets fell onto the tiles.
A small smile tugged at Naruto's lips. He hurriedly grabbed a towel and dried Shinachiku's hands.
As they brushed their teeth, father and son stared at their reflection in the mirror above the basin. When they were done, they rinsed their mouths and dropped the brushes in a porcelain mug. His was orange, while Shinachiku's was red. Sticking out of the mug was a third, untouched toothbrush. This one was the colour of ripe cherries. Naruto could not help but cast a lingering look at it.
Breakfast was prepared quickly - omelets and rice. Despite the occasional click of chopsticks, they ate silently. Naruto no longer abided by his rule of three cups of instant ramen per meal per day. After painstaking efforts, he had successfully reduced his unhealthy eating habits to one or two cups gobbled down at work. Truth be told, it was a feat in itself.
While Shinachiku showered, Naruto swiftly packed his son's lunch and stowed it safely in the latter's backpack. Half an hour later, both were ready for the day.
Sighing, the young father searched for his wide conical hat. He had dropped it next to him on the bed the previous night. He briefly glanced at the red character for fire 火 atop the smooth surface of his headwear, before putting it on.
When he went back into the living room, Shinachiku was looking directly at him, clutching his backpack tightly.
"Daddy, I miss mommy."
"I know…," he replied, quietly. He never really knew what to say in these moments. "I do, too." Every day, every second.
He moved closer and placed a comforting hand at the back of Shinachiku's head.
There was a sudden knock at the door.
"It's Kou!" said Shinachiku with a gasp. He rushed to the entrance and almost tore the door off its hinges. He had also inherited his mother's strength.
Indeed, a young girl his age was standing outside the apartment. Her smooth black hair was combed neatly behind her ears, yet a rebellious strand fell on her forehead. The calm look on her face broke into a smile as soon as she saw Shinachiku. Her eyes shone like wild fire in the sunlight.
Uzumaki Shinachiku bowed at the sight of her father, wrapped in a dark cloak.
"Hey, Sasuke, Kou-chan" said Naruto, donning his Hokage jacket as he approached the newcomers.
The four of them walked leisurely to the Academy.
"You're unbelievably quiet," noted Sasuke as the two adults walked behind their chattering children.
"... Mhm. I was just thinking." Naruto's uncharacteristic reply earned him a raised eyebrow from Sasuke.
"You really deserve a punch right now."
Silence ensued.
"She'll be back," said Sasuke finally, noticing the frown darkening his former teammate's features. "We are looking everywhere for her. This morning I'm expecting a full report."
"Thank you, Sasuke," answered Naruto as he gazed at the ground. "That should be my job, not yours."
"Who's the head of the ANBU here? Your Honorable Hokage-ness?"
The head of the village let out a dry laugh. "I preferred it when you lacked a sense of humour."
"Blame it on Karin," replied Sasuke, looking at the clear sky.
"She did a good job."
"... I guess so."
As Naruto looked ahead, he noticed that the two children had stopped in their tracks. They had just started across a bridge that passed over the biggest river of Konoha.
"Shinachiku, why did you stop-"
"Mommy!" cried the young child. He rushed towards the middle of the wooden structure. Kou wanted to follow suit, but she was swiftly held back by Sasuke.
A stunned Naruto could only stare ahead. A young woman, clad in a simple white robe, was facing them. Her long hair, flowing like a stream of cherry blossoms, framed her slim figure. Gingerly Naruto's blue gaze zeroed in on her face.
"Sa… Sakura-chan…"
"Naruto," said Sasuke, trying to catch his attention in vain. Stupor had numbed the senses of the young Hokage. "Hey! Snap out of it. Naruto!"
The Hokage jerked back to attention.
"Look at her feet," continued Sasuke. "She has no shadow."
Alarmed, he finally realized the decreasing distance between his son and the young mother. The latter opened her arms for an embrace.
"Shinachiku - COME BACK HERE!" Channelling chakra through his body, Naruto broke into a sprint towards him.
A startled Shinachiku looked back. But by the time his father caught him, the two had already reached the young woman. Silently, she wrapped her arms protectively around them.
Together, they vanished into thin air.
The villagers, who had stopped to greet the Hokage, were now amassing where the Uzumaki family had disappeared.
"Father - they - " Utter confusion mixed with disbelief in Kou's voice. "Shina - NO!"
She fell to her knees, eyes wide in shock. Her whole body was trembling.
Feeling powerless, Uchiha Sasuke tore his gaze away from the scene of the incident. He knelt in front of his daughter and held her by the shoulders.
"Kou? Kou, are you alright? Hey, look at me."
Dread was clouding his mind. He examined her eyes. She was still staring straight ahead, but not really seeing him.
Her irises were still the same colour. Still, he dared not blow a sigh of relief. He kept observing them for any slight change. Hardly seconds later, his suspicion was confirmed.
Around each of her pupils a small black tomoe mark began to appear.
"Kou?" He rubbed her upper arms gently. She barely responded. For a second, she looked at him. Then, as though an invisible switch had been flicked, her eyelids dropped and her body sagged in his hands.
"KOU!"
A loud crack, followed by deafening screams, suddenly resounded behind Sasuke. Instinctively, he gathered Kou in his arms and, leaping towards the river bank, he whirled around to confront the commotion. An immense fissure was forming where Naruto, Sakura and Shinachiku had vanished. The center of the bridge abruptly collapsed. People scattered in all directions but some unfortunate citizens fell to the river below.
"A - a ghost!" shouted a man. "There is a GHOST!"
A girl, again clad in a white robe, had appeared. But this time, she was floating right above the gap in the bridge. Her skin was as pale as death. Her eyes had lost all colour. However, they held no resemblance to the Hyuga's ocular trait. Those eyes were those of a lifeless being.
She opened her mouth, and her voice resonated in the cold air.
"We, of the Lower Realm, have come to reclaim what was once ours."
With those words, other forms began to appear around her.
A wave of despair and distress overwhelmed Sasuke. He could recognize some of them. They were victims of his massacred clan.
Turning around, he began to flee.
.
.
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[Author's note]
Hello everyone! Sorry for the messy chapter update. Trying to improve the flow of the story as much as possible.