All I Wanted
I'm not going to take up a lot time talking but just to warn you guys, the story branches out from the anime (or manga if you prefer) but it will join up later in the story. I'm changing various points so place yourselves in fictional suspension and enjoy the story. I'm probably not gonna say much throughout this entire story so enjoy without the usual author ramblings.
Oh and REVIEW!!
It's strange how one perfectly peaceful moment, almost bordering on insanely boring, can turn into a moment of absolute chaos.
Especially if it involved the two most prominent (and arrogant) clans of Konoha, the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clan, and a certain jailor of the most powerful being in existence.
"Hokage-sama, Hunter Teams 1 through 5 were dispatched along with ANBU Teams 4-7. Are there any other orders?"
"Not presently. If anything else comes up, report to me immediately. You are dismissed."
The ANBU bowed and exited the room, replacing the mask back onto his face.
Sandaime let a deep sigh escape and turned toward the window.
The blissfully unaware civilians slept on as the village underwent emergency procedures. The lights in the Hyuuga and Uchiha districts pierced through the darkness of the night. Several black shadows flitted through the village, leaving only a stir of wind in their wake. Most were centered on the alarmed districts.
To tell the truth, the third Hokage was not entirely worried about the safety of the successors of the two powerful clans. Instead, he was more worried about the third individual who had also mysteriously disappeared when the kidnapping of Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata was discovered.
There wasn't anything special about Naruto that deemed the attention of other hidden villages, aside from the fact that he held the nine-tailed demon, but that fact hadn't been revealed to the younger generation much less the other hidden villages.
There wasn't any reason for the kidnapping of Naruto. The boy certainly didn't stand at the same level of importance as Uchiha or the Hyuuga, at least not in the same way.
And that was why Sandaime was worrying.
Because with the lack of reason, came suspicion and random guessing. In the end, Sandaime could only come to two conclusions.
One, Naruto was indeed kidnapped.
Or two, Naruto had run away.
And with this conclusion, came an endless wave of worry for the blonde.
Naruto was inexperienced, not even old enough to begin attending the Academy. And because of this, Kabuto felt the first wave of insecurity overtake him since his childhood.
And because of this, Naruto had spent the entire trip on Kabuto's back.
Naruto didn't mind, he didn't mind at all. He'd rather enjoy the journey in comfort than sacrifice the acceptance and kindness that Kabuto was showing by dragging him down, which most likely would result in them getting captured by ANBU.
With Kabuto traveling at his own speed, they were able to reach the hidden village in only four days, instead of the usual eight days.
Naruto yawned as he opened his eyes, still hazy from sleep. The trees blurred past in a haze of green and brown, the same view as the last four days.
The boy's stomach rumbled but Naruto didn't complain. He took a deep breath and pushed his stomach out to stop the rumbling. It was something he picked up during years of torture from the villagers. He learned it was better to deny the bite of hunger than to cave in to the villagers and allow that small piece of satisfaction at the look of pain on the demon boy's features.
But Kabuto was not a mere civilian. He had felt the vibrations. "Naruto-kun, we're almost there." He said, reassuringly.
Naruto just nodded to confirm that he heard and was about to close his eyes when the surrounding blur of green and brown was suddenly ripped away to be replaced by a clear blue sky, dotted with wisps of white clouds.
The change was so abrupt that Naruto was still looking around to find the source. Were they under attack? Was that why the familiar forests had disappeared and, in their place, stretched plains of grass?
Kabuto immediately noticed the sudden tension in Naruto's body. He softly chuckled as he explained to Naruto, "You've never left Konoha before so you've never seen the countryside. This means that we're close to Otogakure, the hidden village we're going to."
Naruto's body slowly relaxed. Kabuto slowed his pace so Naruto grasped this opportunity to appreciate his new surroundings.
Both honey yellow and lush green grass stretched on both sides to touch the horizon. The light blue sky was reflected on the surface of many small lakes that dotted the area.
This surrounding was so new and unfamiliar. Naruto's lips twitched into a smile, which grew bigger with each second.
A new surrounding, a new village, new villagers, and new friends.
Naruto's smile grew.
Kabuto slowed to a jog and looked back at the large smile on Naruto's face. This was the first time he had seen the boy smile and what a brilliant smile it was.
Naruto felt Kabuto's gaze and turned a shy smile to the teen. Kabuto smiled in return, his eye corners crinkling.
For the first time, Naruto felt what he believed was happiness.
Naruto looked around the small shop. Its wooden boards stuck out at strange and unsightly angles and the paint were mostly chipped off. He wondered why Kabuto had told him to stay here while he went to meet with the kage of this village.
The old shopkeeper placed a tray and teacup in front of Naruto and left him to enjoy with a kind smile.
Naruto folded in on himself as a reflex from his experiences in Konoha. No shopkeeper ever let him near the shop much less eat within it. But the old lady merely smiled and walked away to give him his personal space. And for that, Naruto was grateful.
He couldn't change his entire way of life in one day. He would need time to get used to the kindness.
He looked around the small shop, far too small to place more than three small tables within it. Besides him and the old lady, the shop was empty.
Naruto sighed a breath of relief and looked down at the substance on the plate.
The plate was occupied with a couple of circular objects. The shape from the top was similar to a swirl, with rice fillings and crabmeat tightly wrapped in dark seaweed paper. Beside the group of sushi, as Kabuto had called them, was a glob of greenish brown solid that bordered on liquid.
Naruto cautiously leaned down to smell the group of sushi but they yielded nothing while the smell of the strange substance on the side overwhelmed is senses, taking the stinging all the way to his head.
The blonde quickly recoiled away from the substance and reached for the cup. The outer layer was hot, but not scalding. With a sniff, a calming sense enveloped him.
Naruto took a small sip of the blackish liquid and sighed. The warm liquid raced down his throat, warmed his heart, and settled in his stomach. Though the appearance of the tea was questionable, the taste was certainly heavenly. He finished the tea and placed the cup back on the table.
With his stomach revived, it was impatient for food. Naruto looked at his plate and cautiously picked up a sushi. With slow motions, he brought the roll to his mouth and took a bite.
The taste was mild, a little too mild, but otherwise all right. He was about to take another bite when he realized that the remaining sushi had broke free from their seaweed wrapping and was spilt onto his lap.
Naruto frowned but before he could clean up the mess, the old lady's wrinkled hands came into his field of vision.
Naruto didn't jump in fright or surprise. Strangely, the old lady's presence was as calming as the tea she served.
Within a few seconds, the mess on the boy's lap was cleaned up and his tea was refilled. The old lady disappeared into the back room with a kind smile.
Naruto turned back to his plate. The food had tasted too mild by his standards. At that moment, the stinging smell of the green substance reached his nose and he considered what it would taste like.
Since there were no utensils, Naruto dipped his fingers in the mushy substance and brought it to his lips. The taste was immediate as it entered his mouth. Tears sprang up as his nose flared at the stinging. The heating sensation continued to his head.
Naruto sat there for a few moments, letting the sting wear off. There wasn't any taste except the pain which meant that either this wasn't meant to be eaten or wasn't meant to be eaten alone. His glance strayed to the sushis.
Cautiously, he picked one up and dipped it in the green substance. Slowly, he took a bite and allowed the stinging to overwhelm him.
His eyes widened at the sensation. After years of pain at the hands of the villagers, he had given up his senses, his emotions to save himself from hurting again. With the sudden rush of heat, his senses were reawakened to taste the succulent crabmeat mixed with the sticky rice.
Naruto was disappointed at how quickly the rush left him. His motions were quick and desperate as he dipped another sushi and stuffed it into his mouth. A look of pure pleasure lit up his face as the rush came back.
As he stuffed the last sushi into his mouth, he noticed with disappointment that he didn't have any sushi left.
"Would you like another serving, dear?" The old lady said in a clear, vibrant voice as she appeared beside Naruto.
Naruto nodded fervently.
The old lady smiled kindly and went to fulfill his order.
This time, Naruto smiled back.
"What did you say?"
Light glinted off Kabuto's glasses, hiding his eyes from the Kage lounging in the chair. "I have brought Uzumaki Naruto, container of Kyuubi, here to serve under you. He has developed a hatred towards Konoha that I believe would benefit your future plans." Kabuto paused before he added, "Orochimaru-sama."
The chair swung around to face Kabuto. The person who occupied the chair could bring a series of shivers down a person's spine with appearances alone.
The man had a long, pale face, similar to a cobra's, with slitted-golden eyes outlined with purple. His lips were too thin to compliment his face. Curtains of black hair, separated down the middle, cascaded around the pale face to reach his shoulders.
If his appearance brought on shivers, his resume would probably send you running home.
The man passed by the name of Orochimaru, the same Orochimaru of the three sannins, missing-nin of Konoha, student of the famous third Hokage, and former member of Akatsuki,
Orochimaru smiled, his thin lips stretched even thinner as the purple corners of his eyes crinkled in satisfaction.
"Kabuto, you have done a great thing bringing Naruto-kun here. He will be a great and powerful addition to our forces. Imagine having the power of the nine-tails at your disposal." Orochimaru's fingers flexed as he imagined the power at his fingertips.
"Where is he, Kabuto?" The Snake Sannin asked, impatience and anxiousness in his tone.
"I left him in a nearby restaurant."
Orochimaru smirked. "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring our honored Naruto-kun up here to meet me. I want to measure his potential."
Kabuto nodded and exited the dark room, making his way through the maze-like corridors and climbed the series of steps to reach the first floor. The secret entrance to the underground hideout shimmered our of existence, the same color as the walls around it.
As he exited the building, he couldn't help but ponder his feeling of uneasiness. He had to admit, he didn't want to hand Naruto over to Orochimaru and his twisted teachings. There was no guarantee that Naruto would survive, or if he did, with his mind intact.
A sudden feeling of possessiveness made itself known. Everyone was considered a new toy to Orochimaru, to be used and disposed of as soon as its usefulness or interests were depleted. Naruto was special because he would supposedly have a longer usefulness but it wasn't guaranteed when Orochimaru would be bored with the demon boy.
Usually, Kabuto didn't care. He had his own share of misery that needed his attention rather than focusing on saving those 'poor souls'. But strangely, Naruto was, again, a different matter. After witnessing so many hardships that the blonde had to endure, he was starting to think of the boy as the little brother he never had.
Especially that brilliant smile.
Hope you liked this chapter! I hope I projected Naruto the way he was in my mind.
REVIEW!!