Hey Guys, It's only been a day but I'm already updating. Yaaaaaay. Also, To MikethePokeMaster, Nukumi and Fox-Sama, It brought me great joy to see you all enjoyed my story so much, and its cuz of you three that I pumped this chapter out as quickly as I could. I can't promise daily updates, but I will do my best. Just keep reviewing and I'll keep writing.
I in no way own the song The Cave by Mumford and sons, which is featured briefly in this story. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you go look it up. Great song.
On with the chapter!
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Once Upon A Time
Chapter 2
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Deep in the forest of the kingdom of Konoha, a boy rode on a horse with a girl behind him. Naruto let his eyes wander around the clearing idly, his mind occupied with what he was going to do next. After the events of this morning, he knew that he would have to watch his back around Ino, for her little stunt with the rock could not go unnoticed. Biting his lip idly, he also let his thoughts drift over there dwindling amount of supplies. He had, of course, packed more than enough to get him to the castle and back, but he had not counted on taking a captive along the way.
Ino's own thoughts where on the boy whom had taken her captive and the ways she could escape him and get back to her father. She had tried earlier, in vain, to knock him out with a rock when he was talking to his mysterious companion. She had been more then slightly surprised when the boy had seemed to sense her coming, and had defeated her with all the ease she would command her horse around. It frustrated her to no end to know she was all but helpless in defeating him, but she would not give up.
"Fair maiden, I must confess, you seem slightly irked with me, may I question as to why?" Naruto spoke, grinning under the cowl of his hood. Oh he knew the reason she was irked with him, but he found it amusing and a good way to pass the time when he asked her questions just to see her get riled up.
Ino growled softly, before speaking.
"Why? Why am I irked with you! I'll tell you why, you simpleton! You took me captive! You tried to kill my father! You insist on calling me that… That enduring term when we are in no means on that level! OF COURSE I'M IRKED WITH YOU YOU…YOU…YOU HORSE DUNG!" She stuttered at the end of her insult, unable to think of a good comeback. Naruto let his head fall back slightly before he laughed loudly, speaking with his voice full of humor.
"Horse dung? My Fair Maiden, if you are going to insult someone, do it properly." He said, looking back at her with a smile. Ino blushed, her rage growling even more at how he so callously dismissed her comment. Throwing her hair over her shoulder and sticking her nose up, she spoke once more.
"Oh, and I suppose you're going to educate me on how to properly insult someone?" Naruto grinned before he spoke once more, his eyes set ahead on the path they were on.
"Certainly. Horse dung, while not exactly an insult, is a good prelude to one, "Ino blinked, turning her attention back fully to the boy, "What you should say is something along these lines."
Naruto puffed out his chest, let his head rise up, and looked down his nose at the empty air in front of him.
"You dim-witted half brained Scarlet woman who sleeps with any and all in the horse dung of the stables!" He said, his voice taking on an over fake tone of disgust. Ino couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, but soon after letting said giggle escape she clapped one hand over her mouth.
"Ahhh so the fair maiden can laugh? And such a beautiful sound it is." Naruto said, grinning softly as he directed his horse to the side slightly to go around a downed tree. Ino pouted once more, before she spoke under her breath.
"Oh shut up you simple minded fool." Naruto let his eyebrow quirk up slightly, before he spoke, a small grin on his face.
"That's much better."
Ino huffed and was about to shout out a reply, when Naruto turned around suddenly and put his hand over her mouth. She squeaked indignantly, and made to bite his hand when the look he sent her silenced her in her tracks.
"Silence… we have company."
She let her eyes travel around, unable to see anything, and for a second thought the boy was losing his mind. But Naruto, his ears trained from a young age to pick up sounds out of place, could hear it. The soft pitter patter of horses around them, moving to circle around them, the barely audible clunk of armored troops descending around them, the clink of crossbow strings being pulled into place. Growling softly, Naruto suddenly kicked the reins of the horse up, before taking off in a full sprint away from them. Ino screeched and gripped around the back of his body as they took off, wondering what had gotten into the boy. She was answered not a second later by the shout of someone she recognized, the head of the guard of her father's castle.
"Stop him! He's getting away!"
Naruto let his body slide with the horse, easily traveling over the ground as he bounced ever so slightly over the horse. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see several horses pulling out around after them, and growled loudly as he urged the horse to go faster. Ino, on the other hand, was not taking it as well. As a high borne of noble blood, the only training she had had on horses was etiquette training, thus she bounced up and down with the gallops the horse was taking.
She thought about letting go, rolling backwards to safety, but the speed at which they were traveling discouraged such an act. Whimpering slightly in fear, she buried her head against Naruto's back; disregarding the fact safety was just meters behind her, her fear overcoming such an act. Naruto, hearing her whimper, glanced down at her before speaking.
"Worry not Fair Maiden, I promise to not let anything happen to you." Ino blushed hearing his comment, and for a second felt safe with this boy. Then she remembered why exactly they were running in the first place, and screamed out at him.
"You foolish boy! You should just give up; my father's horses are some of the fastest in the land! You'll never be able to escape them!" Naruto let his head fall backwards in laughter, before he spoke, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"We shall see, wont we Fair Maiden." With that Naruto urged the horse on even faster. Turning around a corner he let his mind wander backwards to the men, before he saw that they were indeed growing closer. Growling out softly, he looked ahead of him only to see a tree branch in the way. Eyes widening softly, he reached behind him and pushed Ino down against the back of the horse, her body small enough she would barely clear under it, before leaping up onto the back of the horse.
"Stay there!"
Ino looked up to wonder what he was on about, before seeing the tree and once more flatting herself against the bark. Growling softly, she watched the boy and wondered what he was going to do. It took only the seconds between them and the tree to discern what it was.
The boy waited, till the last second, before he leapt into the air and twisted his body around to face the guards behind him. Mid air, he drew out two knives and threw both of them. Twisting his body around, still mid air, he landed perfectly on the horse, having jumped over the log that was impeding their path. Ino stared at him in mute shock for a second, before turning around and seeing two of the many guards chasing them slump down in their horses, before they fell off.
Naruto grinned hearing there heavy bodies hit the ground, before he suddenly pulled on the reigns of his horse and changed direction. In front of him, two more horse riders emerged, trying to cut off his point of escape. Growling out, Naruto made down a different path, and sighed inwardly.
'This path leads to the village…'
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X Village of Sukiyomo X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X
It was a quiet, peaceful day. The peasants when about their business as they always did, the life surrounding them lulled and relaxed.
That all changed in an instant.
Out of the thicket of the forest, a boy shot out on his horse. Peasants all over the village turned at the sound, and wondered idly what could make a boy ride so fast. There questions were answered in a moment, as they saw soldiers shoot out after him. Naruto urged his horse on; leaping over a table situated outside of one of the local inns, and heard more then saw two of the guards fail to make the leap. Grinning, he looked around for a better exit plan then just running. He needed to thin these guards out, a lot.
Naruto shot his horse down the main path in the village, before turning suddenly, and letting it travel into a grain mill. Urging his horse up and over a wooden table, he let it prance along the top of it. Ino, too scared to do anything but watch him, marveled at how easily this boy controlled his horse. The guards, after some fussing with their own horses, followed, but Naruto had gained valuable seconds on them. He felt his eyes trail in front of him, passing by a grinning young boy working in the mill. The boy held up a freshly baked loaf of bread, which Naruto gladly reached down and plucked out of his grasp. The boy cheered softly, before yelling at the unknown boy.
"You can do it sir!"
Naruto let his eyes can past all the peasants looking at them in shock and fear, before his eyes landed on a rotating mill barrel, one designed to be swung from one part of the mill to the other for faster grain movement. Grinning, he leapt upwards suddenly, grabbing onto it and swinging it all the way around.
Ino sat on the horse, which kept going without pause, and watched the boy do suicidal things, with only the hope he fell and broke his neck. The guards, unknowing of Naruto's plans, where caught off guard when he appeared swinging behind the back to guards. Kicking his feet out, Naruto caught both guards in the back, knocking them off their horses. Letting his feet land, one on the back of each horse, He drew his sword just as one of the guards swung at him.
Blocking the strike, while keeping his balance on the horses, Naruto swung back and watched with a satisfied smirk as the blade hit the man and threw him off his horse. Looking ahead, he saw his own horse was still galloping at full speed away from the men, and Ino's voice could be heard over the din of the horse's feet.
"You crazy boy! Get me off this retched horse this instant! Na-ru-tooooo!" She screamed, her mind overcome with the panic that she could no more control the horse she was on then one would control when the rains fell. Naruto grinned softly, his feet still on the two horses, as he deflected another sword strike and struck out against the man, his foot slamming into the man's face, sending him toppling forward.
Naruto leapt upwards, off the horse's back, to dodge a swing of a sword at his leg, and let said legs flash forward, catching the man full in the face. He watched as the guard's metal helmet buckled under the force of his strike, as the man fell backwards off his horse. Leaping forward onto that mans horse, Naruto caught his balance before almost falling off, and leaned backwards to dodge another strike of the guard in front of him. Almost losing his balance, Naruto let his hand creep outwards and push off the wall, allowing him to keep his balance while also giving him the forward momentum to lash his leg out and catch the offending guard in the stomach.
Looking ahead of him, Naruto saw a ladder, as well as the mill take a sharp left turn. Biting his lip, and taking a gamble, Naruto leapt upwards onto the ladder. His body vanished from the sight of the guards, who then turned forward. They figured the boy had made the smart choice and had merely decided to vanish among the crowed of the village, so they turned their full attention to
Ino watched the boy disappear, and thought for one second that she was finally, truly safe. Suddenly, the horse made a sharp left turn, and she was almost thrown off it. But she held on and low and behold they were now exiting out of the mill. Whimpering softly, she was at least glad the boy had decided that she wasn't worth the trouble, and had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, behind her just as she exited the mill, she heard a crash. Looking behind her and up, she saw the young boy leap from a window on the second floor of the mill, and watched as he landed right in front of her on his horse. He turned, and grinned cheekily at her, before urging the horse onto even greater speeds. Ino looked on at him, dumbfounded and speechless, before she finally found her voice.
"Are you suicidal or something!" Naruto laughed, before looking over his shoulder. Two of the guards remained, the rest either knocked off by random objects they had failed to see, or by Naruto's own hand. Growling softly, Naruto looked ahead of him and saw naught but green fields, so he reached down to the pack strapped to the horse, and pulled out a bow. Placing one arrow in his mouth, and the other on the bow, he turned suddenly on the horse.
Ino, mid speech, suddenly found herself in a rather… intimate embrace with the young boy she had come to understand was without a doubt crazy. She felt his rather muscled chest against her own, and blushed a deep red before screaming.
"What on Earth do you think you are doing!" Naruto, however, just ignored her, and let his arms snake around her in a sort of faux hug. Drawing his bow string back, all the while ignoring her indigent screams at how she was being treated, he let one arrow fly, and watched it sink into one of the guards. Knocking the other arrow, he let that one fly too, only to watch in frustration as the last remaining guard got his shield up in time.
Growling out, Naruto turned back around, ignoring the sputtering remarks of the girl behind him. Urging his horse on once more, he turned back into the woods, and heard the horse behind him grow ever closer. Letting his eyes settle ahead of him, he saw a low hanging branch, and his mind sparked with an idea.
The guard behind him urged his horse on as fast as it would go, and was quickly gaining on the boy. Grinning, and thinking of the promotion he would surely receive for capturing the boy, he didn't notice the branch the boy had pulled back on his passing approaching him, till it was far too late.
Naruto heard the cry of alarm, and then the sound of a body hitting the ground, and grinned. Now free of the guards, Naruto let his horse slow slightly, but still kept it in a gallop. Checking his hip pouch, he felt the bread he had gotten from the boy in there firmly, if a bit squished. Sighing softly, he focused on putting as much distance between him and the downed guards as quickly as possible. He knew his horse, though well trained specifically to run for miles and miles without slowing down, couldn't hold a full speed gallop for more than thirty minutes, so he slowed down to let it rest some.
That's when Ino decided to let her presence be known.
"Are you utterly and completely insane! I could have died, you could have died! What in the name of the gods above where you thinking!" Naruto let his eyes travel behind him, quirking his eyebrow up in interest before speaking.
"Worried about me are you Fair Maiden? I'm touched." Ino blushed, before screaming in frustration.
"You are the single most infuriating person I have ever had the displeasure to meet!"
Naruto simply laughed.
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"What do you mean; you haven't been able to catch him? We breed these horses, purely, for the pursuit of targets! How could you have possibly been out run by a simple teenage boy?" Inoichi growled out, his voice a dangerous whisper. The head of the guard, his face swollen from when he had failed to see a post in his way before his horse stopped and threw him into it, spoke softly.
"The boy's skill on a horse is… Incredible. He managed to not only out ride me and our best riders, but lead them through a chase in a grain mill. He not only rode his own horse well, but after somehow managing to get behind us, rode our own horses as good as I've ever seen you ride. I am truly sorry My Lord, He was just… better." Inoichi let out a frustrated yell and threw his goblet against the wall.
"That Assassin has my DAUGHTER! I want you to find him, no matter how long it takes, and when you do bring him before me! He will answer to none but me…" Inoichi growled out, his breath labored in his chest from the anger he was feeling. The guard nodded once, before he turned and left quickly. Inoichi sighed, and let his body slump down into his throne. Rubbing his forehead, he let his thoughts run over what had happened the past few days, and how much it hurt to know he, as a father, was unable to protect his little girl.
She was supposed to be in the Great Castle of Konoha, but she had been delayed by reports of bandits in the outlying area. She had insisted that she could handle any and all trouble that could possibly come her way, but Inoichi had refused. He had, of course, been worried for his little girl, what father wouldn't be? That girl was his life, after his wife had died many years ago; he had taken it upon himself to be the best father he could possibly be.
And in one, foul, wretched swoop, his little girl was taken from him. By a boy, a boy her age no less! That was one of the reasons he was so… so… infuriated with what had happened. Who knows what that boy might do to his little girl, and if he wasn't above murdering people for money, then he most certainly wasn't above taking any and all forms of the female flesh even if they didn't want it. Sighing and feeling his body grow weak from lack of sleep, he looked upwards into the arches of the great hall.
"If you so much as harm one hair on my daughters head, my boy, I will personally skin you alive. Do you hear me! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE YOU WREATCH!" he screamed, mostly to himself than anyone else, but it sent some of the servants around him fleeing. No one wanted to be around any lord when they were in a bad mood, and his could be described as absolutely enraged. Sighing once more, Inoichi lifted himself off his bed, and without another word, left the great hall.
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It was getting late, and Naruto knew they wouldn't have the supplies to stay in the woods one more night. The bread he had gotten from the boy had been eaten for lunch, and with it the rest of their food and water. Sighing gently, he looked upwards and wondered what he was going to do. He had, unfortunately, broken all of the remaining arrows while in the chase with the guards, and the only two unbroken ones he had used. That put hunting out of the game, for no animal was going to let him get close enough to throw a knife at it. That and he had no string with which to lay snare traps. Therefore, he faced a large problem.
He needed to go to the nearest village to replenish his supplies, but he had no way of doing that while he still had this girl with him. Undoubtedly she would slip away the first chance she got, and in a crowded village it wouldn't be too hard. He couldn't even stay next to her the full time, for that may draw unwanted attention to them. The only way he would be able to do that would be—
He grinned.
Oh she wouldn't like it; in fact she would probably hate it and fight it with all her strength. That, he mused, was part of the reason he had chosen this option in the first place. Even if she fought it, it was one of the privileges of being the captor that it didn't matter if she hated it; she had to go along with it anyways. Turning his head to glance back at the girl, he grinned at her, making her look at him with slight trepidation.
"What are you planning now…?"
Just outside of the clearing they were in, a deer was grazing idly on the grass. It lived its life, unknowing and uncaring of the dangers that presented itself every day to him. Lifting its head, while chewing on the grass, it heard the sound of people nearby. Freezing in its place, he stood perfectly still.
"WHAT! NO! ABSOLUTLY NOT I REFUSE TO DO THAT! NOTHING YOU SAY OR DO WILL MAKE ME DO THAT!"
It fled.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X Later that Night, Village of Yokitomo X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X
The Inn keeper of The Broken Goblet let his eyes rise upwards as the door swung open. His Inn, the only one in the small village, was packed to the brim as it was every night, and he had already gathered that everyone who was a regular was already there. So the sight of two teenagers walking in caused him slight pause, before he went back to scrubbing his goblet. Both of them walked up to him, hand in hand, before the boy spoke.
"My dear man, I am in need of room and food for tonight. Unfortunately I have no gold with which to pay." The Inn keeper scoffed slightly, before he spoke himself, his voice gruff.
"Then me Laddie', Yer' out'a luck ain't you?" The boy laughed jovially, before he leaned in slightly closer to the man and spoke.
"Perhaps, my good man, we could strike some kind of a deal. You see, my betroved and I are traveling, and we recently came upon a spot of bad luck when we were robbed in the dead of night." The Inn keeper raised his eye, allowing the boy to spin whatever tale it was he was telling. He would get no sympathy from him, he had families to feed, "But luckily, in my younger days, I was a traveling entertainer."
The Inn Keepers eyes perked up. Entertainers where a good thing to have in an Inn, and would drag many of those who had decided to forgo the Ale and Wine for the night in, for a chance to hear the young man play. It was a good way to make money, and to give the young man and his love a room and food for the night was no problem if they drew a large enough crowed to watch them. Setting the goblet he was cleaning down, the man looked at him and spoke.
"I'm listn'in."
Naruto grinned.
"I will, of course, play for room and board, but you must give us a door with a lock on it. My Fair Maiden has become slightly afraid sense the night we were robbed and I in no way want to put undue stress on her." The Inn Keeper nodded before he spit in his hand, and held it out to shake. The young man in front of him did the same, and they shook on it, sealing the deal.
"You mus' play' afor' ye' get fed Laddie'." The boy nodded, before he himself spoke, his hand traveling to the case at his side.
"Of course, if you will just direct me to a good place?" The Inn keeper nodded before he led him to a small stage built in the corner of the inn. Ino followed behind him, fuming silently at having to act as this ruffians love. But, she mused, she would do her best to do so, if only to keep the young boy happy and non-violent. Once they had sat down near the stage, and the Inn Keeper had left to go about his business, she turned to Naruto and spoke in a whisper.
"How on earth do you plan on pulling this off? You can't fake being an entertainer." She watched as he fiddled with the case he had brought in with her, before slowly drawing out a guitar, its strings gleaming in the night light. She felt her eyes widen softly, before she caught his voice.
"Who said I was faking?"
The Inn grew silent as the young boy pulled out a guitar. Chairs shuffled forward and calls for more ale were heard in the silence. They were all interested and hopeful that tonight would be better than normal; an entertainer was a rare commodity. The boy took his place on the stage, careful to keep Ino near him. Letting his hands fall to his guitar, the boy looked forward at the people gathering around him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may introduce myself. My name is Naruto, and I'm traveling with my beloved Saki over there." He smiled a genuine smile that caught the eyes of many as he looked at the pretty blonde girl sitting at his feet. Many people smiled softly, remembering a time when they too were in love, unaware of the lie the blonde was unfolding in front of them, "Now, my first song is one many of you may know… The Cave."
At this, many people cheered softly. Of course they knew it, it was a folk song many of them had grown up hearing, but was a good song none the less. Settling into their chairs, they waited to see if the boy could pull it off.
Naruto took a deep breath, letting his fingers settle on the strings of his guitar, and Ino watched him with a hint of doubt in their eyes. First an assassin, then a master horse rider and now a traveling entertainer? This boy was full of surprises, but she still held out that he wouldn't be able to do it.
Suddenly, music floated into the Inn as the boy played, softly at first, his fingers dancing along the frets and strings of the guitar as he smiled. Ino, watching the boy, felt herself take in a soft breath, her eyes growing wide, and only to grow wider as the boy started to sing.
It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun it raises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears and
All the faults you've left behind
Ino felt her breath hitch at the sound of his voice as it floated above, and she wasn't the only one. He sang with a majestic quality about him, his voice floating along the air as if it was forever meant to be there. It was soft, and the melody it sang was one of pure beauty. She stared, entrapped, at the boy in front of her as he let his fingers dance along the strings.
The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal you meat eater you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat.
The beat picked up suddenly, as many people started whistling, and a few joined in. Naruto grinned as he played and sang, and Ino found herself marveling at the boy. Indeed, she was his captive, but still, to be so talented at entertaining, why was he an assassin in the first place? She didn't know. Letting her eyes gaze around, she saw many people start to stomp their feet in time with the beat.
But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
With this, everyone in the Inn started stomping their feet to the music, and Ino just watched as the young boy sang with a smile on his face. She was marveling at everyone, at him, at how this young boy could capture and hold the attention of so many. Thinking about it brought the smallest of smiles to her face, as she watched the boy go through his song with joy. The Inn was full of activity, as more and more people started arriving, hearing of the traveling entertainer that was currently playing in the Inn. The Inn Keeper himself was busy, listening to the music and moving around re-filling goblets and bringing food. People where stomping the ground in time with the beat, and more than a few where singing along with him.
Ino stared at the boy as he made his way through the song, before she felt a presence move in next to her. Turning her head, she found another girl around her age sitting next to her, staring at the young man in front of her. The girl turned her head slightly, before speaking to Ino over the din of the music.
"What an amazing boy, you truly are lucky to have one such as him." Ino looked at the girl, and bit back the urge to start screaming she wasn't his love. Turning her head back to the boy, she decided at that moment that there was much more to this Naruto then met the eye, and she settled on the only thing she could say.
"I am, aren't I?" The girl giggled softly, before turning her attention back to Naruto and swooning. Ino sighed gently under her breath, as Naruto finished his first song. A few patrons of the Inn walked forward, and dropped a few gold and silver pieces in his case, to which Naruto bowed his head and thanked them profusely. Taking up another song, this one much more upbeat and fast paced, he grinned as everyone in the Inn started to stomp their feet. Ino laughed, losing herself in the moment, and clapped along with the others, as more than a few people got up and started to dance.
He played through three more songs, before finally standing and speaking to the gathered crowed.
"My dear friends, you have been far to kind to one such as me, and it saddens me to say that I must take a break for now. For I am Hungry! And a man needs to fill his belly when it calls." He said with a mischievous grin, to which many people laughed. Taking the money out of his case, he counted it before placing his guitar back into it, and returned to Ino's side. Said girl was looking at him in a slightly different light as he sat down, to which he addressed.
"Ahhh, my Fair Maiden, you mustn't look at me with such eyes, one might think we truly are in love." Naruto said, smirking softly as Ino blushed and glared at him. Ino pouted softly, before turning around and flipping her hair, speaking in the same low tone he did to avoid others hearing.
"I know not of what you speak, you will still be hanged for your crimes against my father, if it's the last thing I do." Naruto laughed at this, before suddenly looking up. Ino glanced to where he was looking, seeing the Inn Keeper approach them with two large bowls of something that smelled absolutely ravishing. Placing them down in front of them, the Inn Keeper spoke.
"Me Fam'us Lamb Stew! Enje'y it, me boy, ye' ern'd it!" Naruto laughed softly, before thanking the Inn keeper and turning to Ino.
"Enjoy it my love, for it was a hard earned meal!" Ino groaned, before settling down to eat her meal. Indeed, it was good, not as good as the meals she ate in the castle, but was still delicious none the less. Naruto ate his with gusto, and when they were both done he returned to playing.
While he played though his songs, Ino watched him, and decided that there were worse things then traveling with this boy.
X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X That Night X x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X
Naruto sighed as he closed and locked the door behind him. Ino had already declared the bed as hers, and said with no uncertain terms that captive or not, she was taking it for the night. He decided, after her marvelous performance as pretending to be his love, that she deserved the small commodity that was a bed. Chuckling lightly, he pocketed the only key to the door, thus insuring that she wouldn't escape while he slept. Yawning lightly, he took off his cloak and laid it on the ground, before settling into it.
He lay there for a few moments, before Ino's voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Why do you do it…? Kill people for a living. You could easily just be a traveling entertainer you know…" Ino's voice was soft, filled with the confusion that today's events had firmly put into her. Naruto let his eyes travel upwards, and was silent for a moment before he spoke.
"Because it's what I was born to do." Ino felt her brow cress at that, before she decided to just let it go and get some sleep. Naruto lay on the floor for some time, long after he could tell she was asleep by her steady and even breath, his own thoughts on why exactly he did what he did. Grumbling softly, he turned over in his cloak, and let his head fall down.
Tonight was exhausting, and no time for thinking such thoughts.
Letting his eyes close, he slowly let his thoughts consume him, till he too fell asleep.
-Eastern Mountains of the Kingdom of Kumo-
"You mean to tell me that he not only didn't kill the objective, he kidnapped his daughter?" The voice spoke. Itachi remained calm on the outside, but inside he was sweating. He knew that Naruto had entrusted him to this task, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Pein stared down at him from where he sat, and Itachi had the feeling of being incredibly small in front of the man.
"Yes, My Lord. He assures me he has everything under control and the girl is simply traveling with him until such a time that he can exit the country. He wants you to know he will not let this impact him in any way." Pein growled softly at that, his own mind a torrent of thoughts.
Unknown to everyone in the organization except for him and Konan, There organization wasn't as free lance as he led everyone to believe. In truth, they served the Dark Wizard Madara, whom they were both eternally indebted to. He had commanded the death of Inoichi, who was one of the top strategic minds of the country, for his coming invasion. To hear that Naruto, one of his top assassins, had failed to not only kill the man, but then had done something as reckless and foolish as kidnapping the man's daughter, was distressing in the least.
Waving his hand, he dismissed Itachi, who walked away without a sound. Sitting there in contemplative silence for awhile, Pein thought over the plans he could go through with to rectify this misjudgment. Growling as he came up with nothing, he stiffened slightly when he felt an arm wrap its way around him, before settling down upon seeing Konan behind him.
"It'll be okay love, we'll think of something. Madara will not be pleased to hear about this though." Konan spoke softly into his ear, making Pein nod his head in agreement.
Not please indeed.
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