Treasure Hunters
By: Seiryuu – East God
Summary: It all started when a young boy started his quest to find a certain valuable. Without him knowing, he'd gained much more than what he had sought.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter One
It was a fairly nice day. The sun shone brightly and the birds flew by, chirping happily at the warm glow. It was almost noon, and most citizens of the small village were up and about, walking around busily in the busted aisle, buying things they needed, or selling things they made to gain some income.
A boy, at the age of fourteen, got out of his small house. He was dressed in no more than a simple brown shirt and brown leather shorts. He wore sandals, and on his waistband, was strapped a blade he was proud of, and yet, it was the same blade that had brought loneliness to him. He looked around, and grinned.
It was today that he was about to set out on a journey to find a certain valuable that would forever change his life. He had been despised, hated, and disliked by the villagers because of that sword of his, but he heard that whoever could get the valuable, he'd be respected by almost everyone in the whole world.
He was hell bent on getting it, even if it meant putting his life on the line. He would make sure that he got that certain scale that people seemed to talk about, the Rainbow Scale.
-.-.-.-.-. flashback -.-.-.-.-.
A boy with blonde hair walked into the little bar. He had just finished his work at the old man's farm, and had just gotten his wage. His clothes and sandals were covered in dirt, but he didn't mind them. He needed a good cup of drink, and that was what he was getting, nothing else.
"A glass of soda, mister!" he shouted as he walked over to the counter and sat on one of the stools, away from the other customers who threw him disgusted looks. He was accustomed to those looks the villagers gave him, and he didn't mind it. Really. They were just a bunch of inconsistent and hypocrites, and he was sure that he had no time to deal with them.
The owner of the bar made a glass of soda, and slid the glass on the counter. The boy caught it with ease, and started enjoying it when he suddenly heard two mysterious figures beside him talk. He knew that they weren't from his village, for no one would want to sit beside him.
"Have you heard about the Rainbow Scale?" the first man, a man with long raven black hair that was tied tidily with a rubber band asked the second man, a man with shark-like face that made him look fierce. They wore cloaks that covered most of their bodies, and he couldn't make out any more details about them.
"You mean, that super rare scale?" the second man asked back, his voice deep and low. From the look of it, the boy could tell that they came from a same guild –there were many guilds at that time. The sorcerer's guild, the thief's guild, the knight's guild and others- and that they hadn't met up for a long time. Or maybe they simply are partners.
"Yeah," the first man nodded his head, "I heard that it was very beautiful, and that the one who could get the scale would be very respected by everyone," he explained as he took out a piece of paper that has smooth surface, unlike other paper, and the boy guessed that it was some kind of pamphlet or brochure.
"No wonder," the second man shook his head as he stared at the picture on the piece of paper, "It is very beautiful, and I'm sure it'd cost a lot," he added.
"I wonder if someone would want to take it," the first man mumbled. He placed his right elbow on the counter, and supported his chin with his right fist. He stared off as he waited for his order to come.
"What about your brother?" the second man asked suddenly, "I thought he wanted the scale for that, yeah, you know what I mean," the second man shrugged.
"I told him not to," the first man answered simply, "I told him to not go take it if he isn't with someone else," he elaborated slightly, and the second man merely nodded in understanding.
"Aren't you a bit of over-protective, Itachi?" the second man asked teasingly. He took the piece of paper and fiddled it with his hand while waiting for his order to come as well.
"Whatever," Itachi mumbled as he stared passively at the counter in front of him. Soon enough, their orders came, and they downed the drinks in no more than five minutes. It wasn't a surprise, though, considering the fact that they only ordered a small cup of tea.
"We're going now, Kisame," Itachi said, and got up from the stool he was sitting on, leaving the cup on the counter. The second man got up as well, and they walked out of the bar silently.
The blonde boy's eyes were impossibly huge. Had he just heard all of that, or was he imagining things? They spoke in low voices in a bustling bar, yet he could hear what they were talking about clearly. Maybe his mind had decided to pull pranks on him as well.
He turned around, and noticed that the piece of paper was there. He slowly reached out to take the piece of paper, and gasped in surprise when he saw a scale, a small scale that glowed in seven colors. It was truly beautiful.
The paper nearly fell down, but when it started to slip from his grasp, he grasped it once again, tighter this time. He couldn't believe this. If he could get this scale, then he'd be respected by everyone!
He downed his drink excitedly, pocketed the piece of paper and walked out of the bar. He passed by the two men he saw earlier, but decided to play dumb and act as if he didn't know anything about the paper. He continued his way home, and when he reached his home, he decided to go to the neighboring village to gain more information on the scale tomorrow.
-.-.-.-.-. end of flashback -.-.-.-.-.
He had collected what little money he had at that time –after he'd sold all of the things he wouldn't need anymore- and bought supplies he'd need in a journey. He'd bought a bottle of an ointment with him, but he thought that more wouldn't be necessary. He had only brought his prized sword with him, and was certain that he wouldn't need more weapons.
He walked down towards the bustled aisle. He took out his cloak –the only piece of clothing he had brought excluding the ones he was wearing- and put it on. He couldn't afford to let the villagers notice him. He'd always done this in the past whenever he was out doing shopping.
And yes, it was shopping he was going to do.
He pulled the hood of the cloak up and over his head, then he approached a bakery at the end of a secluded aisle. He knew that it was the cheapest shop ever, and even if their bread wasn't of the top quality, it was above standard, at least. And the cheap factor supported his liking towards that certain bakery, though he hated its location.
He walked slowly past the various trash cans and scattered trash. How people managed to get to the other end and actually buy those breads was beyond him, though he did manage to do the same. He skipped pass the heap of trash, and finally reached the bakery in question. Hanging slight above the entrance, was a huge wooden board that had splinters and scrapes all over it. On it was written, 'Hearth Bakery'.
"Excuse me Mister?" he called in soft low voice. He looked up. He pulled the hood of his cloak down and walked over to the counter. He grinned at the baker, and shoved a bill towards him before he pointed at several kinds of bread that were on the display.
The baker merely smiled at the boy and took the bread he ordered from the display. He placed them in a paper bag and handed it over to the boy before he took the bill and placed it in a small box he had put beside the display. He hadn't had enough money to afford the cashier machine, but was comfortable with it. He didn't need it anyway.
Out of all the villagers that hated him, only this particular baker did not. In fact, he was the one who had told him the truth behind the hatred. He had told him almost everything. Everything that his ancestors did, his parents did… and he had grown a liking towards the baker. He was such a kind soul, someone everyone would cherish if they were to meet one of that kind.
"Where are you going, Naruto?" the baker called for the boy when he noticed the backpack slung on his shoulders, and the blade strapped on his waistcloth. He had never brought the sword with him, and he was confused when he saw him with his sword. Of course he'd also notice the difference of his usual attire with this one as well.
"I'm going out on a journey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he stared at the man who merely stared in shock at him. What's wrong with him setting out on a journey? It wasn't as if he wasn't skilled in swordplay. In fact, he was quite skilled in swordplay. His teachers had been the best swordsmen he had ever known.
"Where to, Naruto?" Iruka finally settled for a small smile dancing on his lips instead of the short lecture he had always prepared for the blond boy. He knew that Naruto respected his swordplay teachers more than anyone else, and he was lucky to be one of them. He had taught Naruto the basic skills he had to know in swordplay before he brought him to see a more experienced swordsman when he was old enough.
"I'm going to find the Rainbow Scale!" he answered excitedly. He practically beamed at his former teacher and his favorite baker, and became more excited when Iruka told him how the scale looked. It was different from the ones pictured. It was far more beautiful than the ones in the pictures.
"Be careful on your journey then," Iruka merely said as he waved goodbye to his favorite student. He knew exactly why Naruto was after the Rainbow Scale. The Rainbow Scale, was a scale shed by a mythical dragon once in a century. It was then kept in a small cave under the protection of several guardians. He had seen it once before, when a friend of his brought it home to sell it and help the beggars.
And that friend of his, was Naruto's father.
He was sure that Naruto would repeat the history once again, and he knew that he'd be back bringing the Rainbow Scale with him. He was sure of that.
"Okay!" Naruto shouted cheerfully as he walked out of the bakery happily. He walked to the way opposite of the way he had come from, and merrily skipped the heap of trash, carefully balancing his backpack and his paper bag as to not let them fall down into the heap of trash.
He walked on and about, unaware of the presence behind him.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
A boy, about the same age of his, was standing behind a pole. He was wearing ragged jacket on top of a black shirt, and was wearing dark brown shorts. He wore sneakers, and beside his foot, was a white-furred dog with long ears that were bent to the side.
He eyed the blond boy as he made his way down the aisle. He had watched him even before he entered the bakery, waiting for the right time to make an action. He couldn't risk being careless, and so, he had hid behind a rather big pole, waiting for him to walk by on his way out of the aisle.
His dog barked softly when the boy neared, and he bent his knees a bit, taking a charging position. When the blond boy was right in front of them, the dog barked loudly. The blond boy was surprised at this. His grip on the paper bag loosened, and the boy took this chance.
He charged at the boy, stopping merely inches away from the boy, and took the paper bag. He turned around swiftly and ran out of the aisle with his dog in tow, leaving the blond boy speechless.
"He- hey! Come back! That's mine!" the blond boy quickly snapped back to his senses, and within seconds, he was already up, and running after the boy who was holding onto his paper bag. He nearly tripped sometimes –the dog of his continued distracting him-, but he managed to catch up at last.
He glared at the boy as he grabbed his elbow roughly. He took the paper bag from him, but stopped midway when he heard a loud rumbling sound.
His eyes went comically wide, before he sighed, snorted, and pouted. "Fine, you can have some of it," he said as he sat cross-legged on the clean part of the aisle. He watched as the boy took the bread out of the bag and downed it greedily, followed by his dog who had made his way to his master's side.
He kept on watching, but after a while, decided to snatch the bag back. "I said you can have some of it, not all of it!" the blond boy shouted heatedly as he glared unhappily at the boy who merely licked his fingers that were smeared with chocolate and jam. His dog did the same.
"Why are you out here anyway?" the blond boy asked. He noticed the ragged jacket, and knew that the boy had been out for almost one month, at the very least. He wasn't fond of getting himself involved in other people's problem, but he really wanted to know what made the boy stay out in the open.
"None of your business," the boy answered as he leaned back on the wall, leaning his shoulder on the pipe right next to him. He lifted a hand to wipe his face-painted cheek, and stared at the blond boy. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going out to look for the Rainbow Scale!" the blond boy answered as a grin was formed on his face. He was no longer angry at the boy who had just tried to steal his food from him. He knew that he was the same as him, and that fact made him slightly less angry than he had been.
"The Rainbow Scale?" the boy asked as he raised an eyebrow at the boy. He looked at the ground for a while, before he stood up, brushed the dirt from his pants, and turned around.
The blond boy merely stared. He watched as his dog walked towards his master.
"Are you coming or not?" the boy asked suddenly, turning around. "I've been wanting to look for the scale as well, so I think we could be comrades for the time being," he explained.
"Really?" the blond boy asked excitedly. He stood up and approached the other boy while his dog barked softly, his lips curled up in a slight smile.
"Yeah, but first thing first, we'll need information about its whereabouts, and we'll need money," the other boy nodded his head and slowly started to walk out of the aisle and into the outer part of the region.
The both of them raised their arm to block the invading light as their eyes gradually got used to the sudden brightness. It was dark in the aisle, even if it was near the exit.
"What's your name?" the other boy suddenly asked. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and this dog here is Akamaru," he said, looking down at the white-furred dog that barked softly as it looked up, though his eyes were narrowed into slits.
"Kiba and Akamaru, eh? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet ya," he said as he grinned at the two.
"Naruto, eh? Nice to meet you too," Kiba said as he faced the blond boy, "Come on, I'll take you to a place where we could get a lot of money," he offered.
"Okay!"
And that was how their journey started.
End of Chapter One