A/N: hee hee... It's finally here. The official first chapter of The Light That Burns. I'm freaking out. Please remember that this is my first story. I'm trying hard.
Okay then. I've wasted your time enough. Time to start the story.
Disclaimer: All rights go to their respective owners.
The Hero, Uzumaki Naruto -ヒーロー、うずまきナルト - Hiro, Uzumaki Naruto
Nothing was going on. And he hated it.
He walked through the streets, bored as hell, desperate for something to do. He couldn't go to the training fields. The Genin exams had just ended and they were all full of new teams training with their new sensei. He couldn't see Sakura. She was with her family, looking for a new house (the old one had burned down when her father had tried to make scrambled eggs). Even Ichiraku's was closed for remodeling, depriving him of the wonderful, tasty, salty, delicious nectar that was ramen. All he could do now was walk around the village, which was less than satisfying.
It wasn't the first day he'd been bored in a long time. Ever since the Fourth Great Shinobi War, things had been awfully quiet. He got fewer missions. He got pestered less by Konohamaru. Everything had slowed down. You'd think he'd be pleased, finally having a little down time. But it was driving him insane.
"Naruto!" A voice called from behind him. He turned around.
"Shikamaru?" He asked "When did you get back?" Shikamaru had been on a 'Necessary Leave of Absence' (Read: Vacation) for three weeks. Naruto had heard he wasn't coming back until the end of the month. For Shikamaru to come back from a vacation early, something had to be really wrong.
'Maybe' Naruto thought 'Maybe something did go wrong. What if he was right about-?' Naruto viciously stopped that thought from fully forming. If he even considered it, he would up half the night, vomiting everything that had ever been in his stomach.
Shikamaru reached him.
"Hey!" he greeted "I've got news!" He didn't seem troubled, which helped Naruto settle down a bit.
"About what?" he asked
"It's troublesome, but... I got a mission. And so did you." Naruto stared at him for a few seconds.
"...ASSHOLE! Don't joke about that! Do you know how bored I am right now!? I'd kill for something to do! That isn't funny!"
"I'm not joking," Shikamaru assured him "We really have a mission. Close your mouth. You look like an idiot, just gaping at me like that."
10 minutes later...
It felt wierd for him, standing in front of the Hokage again, after all that time off.
Tsunade Senju was the same as ever, long blonde hair in two ponytails down her back, eyes focused and alert. Shizune had changed a little bit. Her raven hair was slightly longer, coming down past her shoulders. She was now dressed in a long, flowing, bright red kimono, with small, purple flower designs on it, probably the result of her recent pay raise. Otherwise, she was exactly the same.
They stood there in silence waiting for her to say something. When she didn't they assumed she was waiting for whoever else was on the mission.
After what felt like an eternity, the door behind them creaked open. Naruto turned to see who it was, and then grinned, "Sakura-chan!"
"Hmm? Naruto, you're on this mission too?" She stood next to him. Behind her Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru, and Tenten filed in.
"Okay," Tsunade said, "I see everybody is here. I will now brief you on your mission."
"Straight to the point today, Tsunade-oba-chan," Naruto noted, "This must be a dangerous mission."
"That's not it," Shizune said, "The mission is hardly dangerous at all, unless you trip and fall in the dark. She has other reasons for being upset today."
"Why?" Tenten asked, although she had a pretty good idea why.
Tsunade made a face, "Horse racing is fixed. Leave it at that." Naruto and Kiba both stifled laughter.
"At any rate," She continued, "You're mission, as Shizune said, isn't very difficult. It's probably no harder than a D-rank, though were being payed for a C-rank."
"D-Rank!?" Naruto shouted "Tsunade-oba-chan, you're kidding me! Surely by now you think more of us than that!"
"You can do manual labor in the land of waves if you like. I was going to send Konohamaru, but if you want it-"
"Nevermind!"
"Anyways, I'm sure your all aware by now that relations between the shinobi world and the outside world have been steadily improving since The Fourth Great Shinobi War."
"I heard about that," Shikamaru agreed "They were accusing us of trying to cause armmagedon at first, but after the situation was explained they started to send aid."
"Correct. And now that relationships are steadily imporving after nearly a millenium of constant isolation, we're all very eager to learn more about eachother's culture. So, some cultural geographers and the like from both the Shinobi World and the Modern World are paying relativly generous sums of money for us to simply allow you to... well... basically mingle with some people from the Modern World. Some of them will be quizzing you, but more than likely, they'll all want to ask you questions. From what I hear, we're becoming very popular out there."
"So..." Kiba said "Your paying us to take a test, and then go on vacation?"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes, that about sums it up," Tsunade shook her head, like she could hardly bear the stupidity of it all. Everyone else just grinned.
"That's it?" Sakura asked cautiously, "No catch? No add-ons? We just answer some questions and mingle with people, and when we get home you'll give us money?"
"That's right. I'm sure I don't even need to ask this, but do you accept the mission?"
"Damn right, we accept it!" Naruto yelled.
"Alright then," Tsunade said, "Shikamaru, you're in charge. Here are the details-" Here she tossed Shikamaru a small scroll "-Please don't let Naruto or Kiba see it. You head out at 6:00 a.m. in two days. You'll travel to the coast, get on a boat, and from there on out you'll pretty much enjoy yourself. If you find yourself in a country where your old enough to drink, feel free to help yourself, as the terms of the agreement state that on this journey you are only subject to the laws and regulations of the country you are residing in at the time. But please, don't make us look bad."
Tenten held her stomach at the thought of Kiba with alcohol, but said nothing.
"Any more questions?" They all shook their heads, "Alright then. You have a little over a day to pack and prepare yourselves for what may be the most severe culture shock ever. Get ready!"
The Warrior, Inuzuka Kiba - 戦士、犬塚キバ - Senshi, Inuzuka Kiba
When she told him what they were doing, Kiba almost jumped for joy.
It was a Vacation. She said it like it would be a hassle, but it was a vacation, plain and simple. He would go around the world, telling people about how awsome he had been in the Fourth Great Shinobi War, meeting women, and finally not being bored. It was a dream come true.
"We lucked out, huh, Akamaru?" His dog barked in agreement.
"Kiba-kun!" A familiar voice called.
"Hmm? Oh, Hinata. Good to see you," he said, waving.
"Konichiwa, Kiba-kun. Good to see you to."
"I just got a mission," He informed her, "I'm afraid I'll be out of Konoha for a few weeks at least. I not going to be here for that party we talked about."
"Oh," She said, looking a bit disappointed, "That's alright. What is the mission about?"
He gave her the details. They talked about it for a little while, wondering what the people would be like, and if they would find the way of life in the Shinobi World strange.
"Probably," Kiba said, "But I'm sure we'll think their strange too."
"That's right," Hinata agreed "So, who's going with you?"
"Shikamaru, Sakura, Tenten, and Naruto."
"N-Naruto-kun will be out of Konoha?"
"Yeah," Kiba said, "I don't think it makes much difference, seeing as you were too nervous to invite him to your little get-together." Hinata blushed deeply.
"I suppose your right..." she said forlornly, "... Well, I'd better be going. I'll come to see you off."
"Sounds good," He said, "Ja ne."
"Goodbye."
After that, Kiba went home. He decided to do all his packing right away, so he would have a day to himself before they left.
As soon as he walked in the door, he heard his sister say, "Kiba, is that you?"
"Yeah it's me," he said "I got a mission. I'll tell you more about it in the morning."
"All right."
He went to his room, and opened his suitcase. He hoped that maybe he would meet some pretty girls on this trip. But, if not, he was still getting paid to travel.
The Light that Burns - 燃えている光 - Moete iru hikari
Far away, in the country of France, one of the pretty girls Kiba was going to meet was in her room, trying on clothes.
"Ms. Anna?" a voice called through the door.
"Yes, Sebastian?" she called back.
"The Taxi is here," He said. Anna muttered some curse words in rapid-fire french. She started rifling through all of her cloths, quickly stuffing some in her suitcase.
"Coming- Merde...! I'll be there in just- Ou est-ce? Just a minute-" BANG! "Fils de pute immonde!"
Meanwhile in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan a boy was finishing up his street fight. He grabbed another boy twice his size by the arm, and flipped him flat on his face, knocking him unconscious.
"That's why they picked me and not you, idiot!" he yelled, running off. He had to pack quick, or he wouldn't be able to go!
And in Miami, Florida, U.S...
A woman of about thirty years, zipped up her duffel bag and headed out her door. She smiled at the world around her, anticipating the adventure she was about to have.
"Relax, Brooklyn..." she muttered to herself, "Maybe this won't be so bad," on that ever-so-exciting note she marched to the curb, where her taxi awaited.
And it was the same in Cairo, Egypt. And in Mexico City. And Manhattan. And London, and Tokyo, and St. Petersburg.
All throughout the world, people were preparing. All of them excited for the future, all of them ready to be a part of something huge.
None of them felt that ominous chill that was slowly spreading throughout the world.
None of them felt the presence preparing to strike.
A/N: Dear Lord... I thought I'd never finish this. I can't apologise enough for the wait. I meant to have this up the day after I finished The Beige Room. So much for that.
Also, I'll be explaining more about the whole modern world thing. I'm sure it seems a little confusing, but I'll make everything clear by the next chapter. For now, The Modern World is part of the story, along with many people from it. But that won't be a major plot point for a while.
I felt like this chapter was pretty short. I know Kiba's part was tiny. Sorry about that. I'll try to work on it more in future chapters.
And for those of you who came here expecting a horror story- It's coming. It's not here yet, but it's coming. I have plenty of ideas for how to horrify you.
As always, I'm open to any tips or Constructive criticism you can give me.
Thanks for reading next chapter soon.