DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THIS IS JUST A FAN-MADE STORY!
The tall dark trees stood like intimidating soldiers, casting their menacing shadows over the Village hidden in the Leaves. The gentle wind rustled their crispy, jade leaves, some of which fluttered to the ground and settled in a steadily rising heap.
The wooden buildings were draped in the white moonlight that the orb itself in the night sky lay over it. It might have disturbed some sleepers, but was ignored by others who were already far off in the land of dreams.
But despite the bright light that illuminated every tiny detail in the village, no one saw the ten-year-old kunoichi sprinting across the leafy grounds into the bordering forest ahead. Nobody even had the slightest idea that one of their fellow citizens was fleeing temporarily.
Once in the darkness of the outer forest, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, unseen again, She thought rather mischievously.
Her rounded black locks were too short to fan out behind her. She kept them short on purpose since long hair would only get in the way. Her eyes were a unique midnight blue, and so dark that they appeared black in the darkness.
This young ninja was unlike the other girls in her village. She was a rough tomboy, devious but in an innocent way, and she preferred to hang out with the boys rather than girls. Her sole aim was to become a successful ninja and one day become a legend remembered by every person in the village. She wanted to be acknowledged for her strength and bravery, not for her looks as other girls seemed to aim for.
What added to her distinction from others was the fact that she was the only girl in the village who had never been infatuated in any way by Sasuke Uchiha, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan belonging to their village. Every single girl she knew was mesmerised by him, but this girl had never paid any attention to him, in fact, she rather disliked him. He was far too proud and stubborn to pique her interest, and besides, he was rather arrogant.
No, Sasuke held no interest for her. He was nothing like the boy she was setting off to meet...
This particular boy was from the Village hidden in the Mist, and aspired to become the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist Village. He was adamant about it, in fact, she had never seen such determination. He was obsessed with swords, almost idolised them, which she found rather humorous.
He was a rather peculiar kid, immensely cheerful and with a cute face. His hair was shoulder-length and a pasty white with hints of blue. His eyes were a deep lilac, and he had a distinctive grin characterised by numerous shark teeth, which she often remarked were better than a hundred shurikens.
Wherever he went, he carried at least two water bottles with him, which no other ninja did. He was constantly drinking, and when she had asked why he was always so thirsty, he had said that if he didn't drink at least twice every hour, he would shrivel up and die. Funny thing about it was, he had a kekkei-genkai which enabled him to liquify himself at will, turning into an ordinary puddle of water. She laughed whenever he did so, finding it extremely entertaining.
Finally, she arrived at the clearing, sat down on a sturdy tree branch and waited. She wasn't gifted with much patience, but he never kept her waiting. In fact, after five minutes, she caught sight of the eleven-year-old boy emerging from the opposite side.
"Sui-chan!" she squealed happily, running over to him.
"Hey Tsubaki!" he called out, waving at her. As soon as she caught up to him, she flung herself into his arms, pressing her face into his shirt. He chuckled happily and ruffled her locks.
"I missed you!" she said, running her fingers through his white hair. He flashed her a toothy grin and winked at her.
"No one noticed you leaving, right?" said Tsubaki, taking a hold of his hand and walking over to a tree.
"Nah, no one ever does. What about you?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
"Me neither. Man, I wish you lived in my village, it would've been a hell of a lot easier!" said Tsubaki.
"Yeah," he said: "but then I'd have no chance of becoming the leader of-"
"-The Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Tsubaki finished for him.
"Hey! How'd you know?" he said rather jokingly.
"Duh! Let me hear you one more time!" said Tsubaki, and both burst out laughing.
Suddenly though, she quietened down as her eyes fell on a long wound on his shoulder.
"Hey! What happened?" she said in a shocked voice, pointing at his injury.
"Huh? Oh that, it's nothing really. Zabuza Senpai just got a bit mad at me this morning, that's all," he said, still wearing a smile.
"It looks bad, I don't think I like your senpai!" said Tsubaki.
"Nah he's not a bad guy, he just lashes out when he's pissed, y'know?" he said with a cool shrug.
"Why? Did you something then?" asked Tsubaki.
"Well, I was kinda late for practice, and so that ticked him off. But he just lost it when he began shouting and I just laughed. He aimed his sword at my shoulder...damn, that awesome sword..." and despite the injury the said sword had done him, his eyes had already taken on a dreamy look at the mere memory of it.
Tsubaki sighed and gazed rather affectionately at the boy beside her, who had started his usual description of his senpai's sword which he was especially fond of.
"It's awesome Tsubaki! Man you have no idea! It's long and sharp and-"
"-Yeah I can see that," Tsubaki cut in, nodding at his shoulder.
"W-well yeah, but anyway," and on he went about how dangerous and lethal it was and how great it was in battle, blah blah blah.
After an hour and a half passed, the two children decided that it was better if they returned to their respective villages since it was already three in the morning.
"Well, guess I'd better get going! Zabuza senpai'll slice me in half if he finds I'm gone, and if I'm unlucky, in a zillion pieces and have me for dinner!" he said in a cheerful tone, despite the macabre things he was saying.
"Sui-chan!" Tsubaki chided, then as he turned to leave, spun him round by the arms and kissed him shyly on the cheek.
"Tell your senpai he'll have to answer to me if he hurts you again, alright?" she said with a determined look.
The boy appeared rather embarrassed since she had never kissed him on the cheek before, but nodded nevertheless and waved a joyful goodbye.
Little did he know it was the last goodbye...
On his way back, the boy from the Mist heard a strange sound, as if someone else was approaching. He was afraid that it could be someone from his village, and he didn't want to risk it, so he sprinted onwards as fast as he could.
Until he saw the snakes...
One or two snakes didn't bother him, but the ones before him were countless. He immediately froze where he stood, eyeing them fearfully. He was pulling out his kunai when they shot at him with such blinding speed that he didn't even have time to make a move. They wrapped themselves around him and brought him down, causing him to struggle uselessly on the ground.
Until he heard a slithering voice:
"Don't worry about them, they won't kill you unless I order them to."
"W-who's there?" he asked in a panicked voice, trying desperately to pull his arms free.
"My name is Orochimaru, and you're coming with me...Suigetsu Hozuki," said the man as he emerged from the shadows.
He was tall and skinny, and whiter than the moon itself. His paleness contrasted greatly against his long, silky jet black hair, and his eyes were a golden yellow, their pupil slit like a snake's.
"How did you know my name?" the boy was begin to feel the taste of fear for the first time in his life.
"I've had my eye on you lately boy. That kekkei-genkai of yours piqued my interest, and I wanted to find out a bit more about it...if you don't mind..." the man began to move closer towards him, his hand reaching out for him...
From that day on, Tsubaki never saw him again. She missed him like crazy and her heart ached whenever she thought of him. She went back every night, just to make sure. Perhaps he was working hard during the day and was too tired to visit her in the night. Or perhaps he had been found out and was punished for leaving the village without permission. Perhaps he was banned from leaving ever again!
Or maybe, he didn't like her anymore... Maybe someone else had interested him more than her and now he had forgotten all about her...
Who knew?