CHAPTER ONE- The Return
Sweat was dripping down my back. I had accidentally torn my shirt across my left lumbar region. I looked like a mess, but I couldn't care less. I was starving (I hadn't eaten in 9 hours, whoops) and I was suppose to meet Hinata and Naruto at Ichiraku's. Well, I was already suppose to have met them. I looked at my watch and I was 15 minutes late. I was trying to perfect my new jutsu, but I got lost in concentration.
Naruto and Hinata probably wouldn't even notice. They were always too engrossed in themselves. The puppy love was too strong with them. It seemed like they would drown in each others eyes and you couldn't pull them out, unless you slapped one in the back of the head (which I or anyone else wouldn't do to Hinata, unless they wanted to face the wrath of Naruto).
Not wanting to be any later, I gathered my things. I looked back at the training grounds. The three tree stumps and surrounding forest area brought back many memories, especially memories of him. My heart twanged at the thought and I quickly put it in the back in my mind.
It had been a year since he left to travel the world. Part of me didn't believe that he would come back. Old habits die hard, right? I tried not to think about him so much, because how much I cared. It made me embarrassed to care so much about a person who could only seem to say 'thank you' when he left.
I was done with that. I pushed him to the back of my mind. I focused chakra into my feet and sprang into the trees towards the village. Hopping on the rooftops, you could just feel the peacefulness radiating off of everyone. When the war ended, people didn't worry anymore. Missions became more rare and the town was prospering. With my surplus of free time, I had been able to focus on my medical studies, maybe even a little too much. There wasn't a poison out there that I couldn't figure out an antidote to. Sometimes, people from other villages would even come out to me with a sample so I could figure out an antidote for them. It made me feel special.
I spotted Ichiraku's roof and jumped off the building I was on, 300 yards away. Walking made me feel less like a ninja sometimes, and it was nice. I could make out Naruto's blonde hair and orange shirt where I was. I could also see Hinata right next to him. But, they were talking to some man.
I couldn't see the man, but he had on dark clothes and had jet black hair. His back was facing towards me so I couldn't see his face. As I approached closer and closer, Naruto made eye contact with me and smiled very happily. I knew something was strange because usually, no matter what, Naruto always paid attention to Hinata. This must have been something important.
The man started to turn around, and I could tell he wasn't a man. Well, he was, but he was around my age maybe older. He had distinct but familiar features. Then I noticed a rinnegan under a thick covering of hair. My stomach lurched and the ground started spinning.
Everything went black.
