AN: So, I want to thank those who have reviewed. Also, I have two graphics up on my profile of what Naru looks like during her adventures. The pairing for this story has also been chosen.
I wanted to do something different from my usual Sasuke/Naru pairing, and this story is perfect for it since she didn't grow up knowing any of the kids in Konoha.
Anyways, please enjoy the chapter and the next will be up soon.
Child of Balance
Chapter 2: Surfs Up!
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked out the window of his office with a forlorn look on his face. Ten years, nearly eleven come October, had passed since the Kyuubi attack.
Since he'd arrived to find Minato, his successor as Hokage, and the Fourth's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, dead on the ground. On a alter, where he was sure their daughter, Naruto, had once been was evidence of a fūinjutsu used.
It didn't take a genius for him to realize Kushina had done something before her death. The smile on her face, even in death told him she'd had a hand in whatever had happened to Naruto. Just to be sure he'd sent search parties out, had Jiraiya investigate any leads on a blonde baby.
Naruto Uzumaki, legacy of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, was nowhere to be found. Most who knew the child as the jinchūriki of the Kyuubi, thought her dead and paid no second thoughts to it. To his disgust they even seem happy and relieved the girl was lost.
Others were simply searching in order to regain their missing jinchūriki and trump card. There seemed to only be a few of these, he found to his relief. Others, like himself, simply wanted to find her to know she was alive and to possibly bring her home.
She did belong in Konoha, but he also knew after being raised wherever she was now she had loyalty and ties there. She most likely would not leave, even for her birth village. There was also no proof she was even born in Konoha since she'd disappeared only hours after her birth.
Kushina and Minato had no time to do more than name her, either. Had she not disappeared he would have taken care of her birth records, but since she was not, there had been no point. She couldn't be a resident of Konoha or fire country if she was not there.
He supposed in the end that was for the best. No laws could legally bind her to Konoha if she chose not to return to her birth place. It still saddened him though.
Had she grown up in Konoha she would have been attending the academy now, with many other children, mostly clan heirs ironically enough. She would had been a fine kunoichi, like her mother, he was sure of that.
Alas, she was not around and the place seemed less bright. Minato had the same effect on Konoha, his personality and ability to lead. Many had said he was like Konoha's sun, and when he'd died a part of the sunlight and cheer had died with him.
The same, Hiruzen believed, could be said about Naruto. At least, he thought to himself, she was dead.
He knew that for sure. Kushina wouldn't had done anything to put Naruto in more danger, but for the life of him he couldn't understand what sort of seal the redhead had used and where it sent Naruto. That truth had died with Kushina.
"Thinking of her again, Sensei?"
Hiruzen turned, already knowing who it was from the voice.
Jiraiya.
"She will be eleven soon," he said, sighing. "Nearly eleven years, and yet no closer to where she might be."
Jiraiya sighed as well, nodding his head. He understood why he was upset, he'd been just as upset. Naruto had been his goddaughter, and when he'd gotten news she was missing, he hadn't taken it too well.
He was relieved, though, that it was something Kushina had done before her death. Some seal, though he couldn't recognize it. It was too badly damaged from whatever it was meant to do, and what was left legible he couldn't yet make heads of tails of.
It was definitely Uzumaki made, which was probably one reason he had no idea what it was meant to do. The Uzumaki had been renowned for their seals. So much so the skill had gotten them and their homelands destroyed during the Third Shinobi War.
"We can still find her," Jiraiya said. "It'll just take longer than we thought. Who knows, maybe she'll find us."
Maybe, Hiruzen thought.
Maybe.
Summer camp was a bit of a tradition, at least as far as Naru could recall.
She remembered the first time she'd came with her older brother (only by a year, she constantly reminded him). She had only been eight back then, and couldn't appreciate it quite the way she did now.
Summer, a time to relax and forget everything learned the previous year – well, maybe forget was a strong word, more like repress until it's needed again the next year.
This year, though, was strange. Maybe it was the lights in the sky, the weird temperature changes around the world which she hadn't known about at the time since she was, as stated before, at summer camp.
She wasn't even sure she was on earth anymore, but that's getting ahead of herself.
After all, it all started on a normal day, at least, normal until it started snowing. Now, snow might not be that big of a deal, but Narumi was positive it wasn't supposed to snow in mid July.
Of course, it got stranger after that. After she'd ran from the place she was playing volleyball with some of the other campers, Narumi watched as the strangest summer blizzard raged outside.
"You think it'll ever stop?" she asked, and glanced behind her.
"Why wouldn't it?" a boy with gravity defying dark brown hair, and brown eyes asked. "It snows all the time and it stops then."
Narumi stared blandly at the boy. Taichi Kamiya, or just Tai as he preferred. He was her older brother, but sometimes she had to wonder just what went on in his goggle wearing head.
Of course, she couldn't say much... she once wore goggles too, but she'd traded those in the year before for for a cap that had vulpine-like ears. Her mother had said it brought out the odd birthmarks on her cheeks – whiskers, like a fox.
"It's the middle of July, Tai," she said, rolling her eyes. "It doesn't snow in July."
"She's right," a girl said, a hat similar to Narumi's own, except it was not the adorned with ears and looked less like a beanie.
The girls hair was a reddish-brown color and short, just barely brushing her shoulders. Her eyes were also a light brown, and she had a tomboy style about her.
Sora Takenouchi. Narumi didn't know her well, but she knew she was Tai's age, a year older than Narumi herself. Most of the kids currently in the building they'd run too when it began snowing were. Except for Izzy, Mimi and T.K.
Speaking of the others.
There was Yamato 'Matt' Ishida, again she didn't know him well. She'd never exactly been overly social, though she had friends in her age group. Like those she played Volleyball with, unfortunately her school didn't have a team, only the High School in Odaiba had a team. She digressed; Matt was one of those cool guys according to her brother.
Naru knew those two would clash if they spent too much time around one another, they were alike in ways, but also completely different. Matt reminded her of a lone wolf, a cute one, she would admit. What girl wouldn't notice that, with the golden blonde hair that was messy and seemed wind-swept, and sapphire blue eyes.
Not that she cared, she was just being observant. Really.
Moving on, though; Koushiro Izumi, or Izzy as he preferred, was a bit of a computer know-all. Every time she'd seen the redheaded boy he always seemed to have his laptop, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had other electronics in his bag as well. He was smart, smart enough to be her age, but be in her brother's grade. Apparently he'd skipped a grade.
Mimi Tachikawa was a sweet girl from what she knew of her, and Naru's age, though older by a few months. Narumi sometimes hated being born in October, it made her younger than a lot of her age group.
She didn't know Mimi well, though, but she guessed the girls favorite color would be pink from the amount the dark strawberry blonde wore daily.
Next was Joe Kido, and again Naru didn't know much about the dark blue haired boy. He was her brothers age, and rather smart looking. From what she knew he was studying to be a doctor.
Last was Takeru 'T.K.' Takaishi. He was Matt's younger brother, the same age as Naru's own younger sister, Kari. He was a bit strange, but a good kid – though he was only about three years younger then her, give or take a few months. She didn't exactly know when his birthday was to be more exact.
"It is rather strange," Izzy added, never looking up from his laptop.
Tai laughed, shrugging, and noticed it had stopped snowing outside. The ground was covered in snow, inches upon inches of it. Amazing since it only lasted about fifteen too twenty minutes. Needless to say, everyone was sure the canoe racing had been canceled. Which was fine with Naru, she wasn't a big fan of swimming anyways.
"I'm gonna build the biggest snowman ever!" T.K exclaimed as he exited the cabin with everyone else.
"T.K, be careful," Matt called after his brother.
Sora shivered, looking around her at the winter wonderland.
"I wish I'd brought a sweater," she said, rubbing her own arms.
"At least you have gloves," Naru said, standing not far from the slightly taller girl.
Both actually wore gloves, though Naru's were more form fitting gloves. Naru also wore sleeves that went a few inches past her elbows, and flared a little, but had a high collar similar to Sora's yellow sleeveless shirt.
"Yeah," Sora muttered in agreement.
"Hey, guys, come look at this!" Mimi called, staring wide eyed at the sky. "It's so pretty."
Everyone gathered around, looking up at the sky which glowed with colors. Narumi's eyes were wide as she stared, wondering what it could be.
"But what is it?" Izzy asked, voicing what everyone was wondering.
"Maybe it's one of those aurora things," Sora said, hesitantly as if searching for the right words.
"You mean an Aurora Borealis," Izzy clarified.
"That's impossible, isn't it?" Naru inquired, looking back at them. "I mean, I thought we learned in class those wore northern lights. They happen in places like Alaska, or something."
Izzy nodded.
"Right, we're too far south for that," he added.
"Try telling that to the snow, I didn't think it could snow in July either," Sora said.
"I really think we should go inside," Joe said, nervously. "We could get pneumonia or something, and this can't be safe."
"And miss this?" Matt asked, his eyes locked on the sky. "The sky, it's like it's short circuiting or something."
"Hey, what's that?" Tai asked, and everyone tried to focus on what he was seeing.
It wasn't that hard. It was like some sort of green vortex in the sky.
"That doesn't look too good," Naru said from her brother's side.
Just then eight lights glowed from what seemed like inside the vortex and seconds later the lights shot out like meteors.
"Everyone get down!"
Snow flew about as the lights hit the ground in front of them, seconds later when it was over the eight of them got up from where they were hunched down.
"You alright, sis?" Tai asked, looking the blonde over for any injuries.
Naru nodded, sort of dazed about what had happened.
"Yeah," she said, and a second later Sora asked if everyone was alright.
"We're still here," Matt said, help his brother up.
"That was scary," Mimi muttered, clutching at her cowgirl-like hat to get it in place. "Lets not do that again, please."
"What was it, though?" Joe asked.
Izzy crawled towards on of the holes left by the lights, slowly.
"Meteors, maybe," he muttered, almost questioningly "Ah, huh? On the other hand, maybe not..."
He stood as the lights came from the holes, and in front of everyone a bluish, white light covered object floated up. Everyone grabbed one after a moments hesitation, revealing a medium sized, light metallic gray device of some sort.
"What... are these?" Sora asked slowly, as they all stared at their own strange device.
"My guess would be some sort of remote digital device... but I really don't know," Izzy said.
"No instructions, then?" Matt asked.
Narumi's eyes widened as she saw the water from the lake explode upward in front of them.
"I think we have bigger problems!" she exclaimed taking a single step back. "Everyone, surfs up!"
"I knew I should have gone to Cheerleading camp!" Mimi exclaimed as they were seemingly suck up and and falling.
"Naru, hold on!" Tai yelled as he tried to keep a hold on his sisters hand.
Narumi grunted in annoyance and felt her hand slipping from her brothers. She groaned in annoyance again, and the last thing she remembered was her hand slipping free of Tai's.