Disclaimer: To own Naruto, or not to own Naruto? There's the question. I'll take the second one xD
A/N: Alright here is the second chapter! Hope it is satisfying, there's also a little fighting here, for the sake of Adventure. Not that I have Romance in yet, but who cares? The story has a long way to go. Once more, special thanks to my Beta, Bumblemark :D
On other news, is there anyone out there who can help me out? Some of you must probably know about DamenWren's story, 'Two Halves', the best NaruHina fanfic I've read till today. She hasn't finished the sequel and I want to know if there is anyone out there who has. If you know, please let me know where to find the story! I always wanted to see how 'Twice Shy' would go!
Towards The Heaven
Chapter2: Far And Beyond
The tapping of feet could be heard on the hard tiles of the furnished floor. The hallway seemed to go to no end, no door being to either left or right of the dark corridor. The way was enlightened by torches, amazingly hanging from the rooftop off what seemed to be nothing. The sounds of steps off the floor came to a halt as the figure dressed in a pitch-black robe stood before the only door of this hallway. Raising his gloved hand, it found its way to the knob. Turning it, the door was cracked open, slowly sliding the whole way towards the wall. Inside the room was a lonely desk, a wooden chair being noticeable behind it. The rest of the room was made out of stone, the floor being only dirt, a big difference between the previously tiled and furnished floor of the hallway. The dark dressed figure entered, closing the door behind him and engulfing the room in darkness. He whispered something after forming what seemed to be a hand seal in the darkness.
From the roof of the dark room, a small light started shining out of nowhere. It became stronger… and stronger… until its pale light washed lightly the otherwise dark room. But now, instead of being empty, the chair behind the desk was filled with a longhaired figure, its black hair hiding most of his face.
The black dressed figure brought his fist to his heart "My lord, you called?" he said, his voice deep and harsh, probably a male. The dark haired figure seemed to chuckle "Why yes, I've got something interesting for you to do" he said and a smirk was evident on his really pale face. He licked his lips with a far too long for human tongue, which also was forked. He seemed to hiss, like a snake. The figure across him slid his hood down…
XxxxX
Nightfall. It was nearing, and they had to find a place to sleep. Might as well set up camp or something. They were traveling all day long, no stop from their departure. They would have to sleep in the woods today, since no town was close enough for them to find refuge. The blond of the team cheered happily, earning a bump on the head from his two allies, the third only having shook her head and giggled.
"What was that for?" the blond ask, clearly irritated. The onyx haired teen 'Hned' while the pink haired kunoichi next to him was ready for another pummel, being enraged by her friend's foolishness.
"Dobe, you really should just shut up" Sasuke said and kept walking, grabbing Sakura from the shoulder so she couldn't kill the dobe of the company. Naruto was cheering and yelling like that for the past twenty minutes. The lavender eyed girl next to them just sighed and stood next to the blond. He was still rubbing his head, pained from the strikes he received moments ago.
"Are you ok, Naruto-kun?" she asked softly as always. He nodded and gave her a wide grin "Don't worry, I'm used to this!" he shouted but quickly grabbed his mouth. Slowly turning around, a raging Sakura along with a glaring Sasuke prepared their fists to make the blond shut up. Something in Sakura's eye made him understand that the last thing she wanted, was to make this quick. He gulped.
"See you later, Hinata-chan!" he shouted again and sprinted down the road, Sakura and Sasuke following the fleeing, yet also screaming teen. Hinata could hear Sakura shouting, "Shut up you baka!" She giggled. Naruto could be such a child at times. When they were nearly out of sight, she realized that she was left behind! Her eyes went wide before she started sprinting behind them herself…
XxxxX
After a few minutes and a few good pummels on the head, Naruto was finally able to control himself and his voice. They still had around half an hour to find shelter before the light of the sun would be completely gone. They stepped out of the road and into the woods, looking for a small clearing where they would set camp.
Luckily, there was a cozy area clear of trees where they all would fit nicely. Above them hanged the stars and the now dark sky. They would light a fire in the middle and luckily, there seemed to be plenty of big rocks around where they would hide under in order to sleep for the night. In their sleeping bags, that is.
"Alright, Naruto, go gather some wood for the fire. Hinata, you set up the tent. Sasuke-kun and I will bring food." Sakura commanded and they all nodded, satisfied with the job arrangements. Naruto went quickly deeper in the forest, looking for wood to burn. Hinata took the tent out of Naruto's backpack, which he had left behind as he sprinted in the night. Sakura and Sasuke walked away towards a river the Uchiha spotted nearby. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't far from their camp. They both entered the river while taking off their shoes. Fishing seemed appealing enough. Sakura had heard that there were plenty of big fishes in the rivers of Fire country during nightfall…
"So, what are we going to do with these two?" Sasuke spoke for the first time from the moment they began fishing. He was using his sword to stab the fishes, while Sakura infested small parts of water with her chakra, creating a contained small circle of poison, which could put a fish in deep slumber. It didn't work on humans…
She canceled the small jutsu to look at him confused. He raised an eyebrow while holding his sword high, a fish hanging dead in the grasp of his other hand. "You forgot already?" he asked a little surprised. She only stared as she searched her mind. It clicked
"Ooh, yeah I remember Sasuke-kun. But why should we push things?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Why couldn't they just let Hinata tell him whenever she wanted?
"Because she never will tell him if things keep going like this." He simply answered as if he read her thoughts. "The girl has no backbone in such matters, and the dobe is just too blind to see. We just have to open his eyes, without exposing her." He said and pierced another fish that came by. A big one.
She nodded, but still, why was it so important to just get them together? "The dobe fuels her with determination whenever needed, and she is really good at calming him down" he said and threw her a smirk. She grinned back, though a little surprised that his answer was as if he read her mind. Yeah, guess the dobe could need a calming hand, someone to support him at dark times. She needed someone to help her stand, help her understand that she was valuable. Who wouldn't be better than Naruto, the blond that could make a beggar think he's the best in the world!
They needed each other, in more ways than one…
XxxxX
After a little while, they were all gathered around the newly lightened fire. Hinata offered to cook, and the other three nodded, already knowing the cooking skills of this young Hyuuga. They would be announced MIA in Konoha in two days from now. So, the sooner they started to hide their tracks, the better. Being one step forward is the key of victory for a shinobi.
Naruto couldn't help but admire Hinata's cooking loudly, making the poor girl blush and mumble a 'thank you'. Sasuke smirked. He wondered what would happen when they had a more 'intimate' time with each other. IF they had, that is.
He too couldn't help but admire, though silently, the girl's cooking skills. Even if you hated fish, her cooking would make you love them.
It wasn't long after that they all went to sleep, Naruto giving Hinata a goodnight first, rather than his two other friends. But, they didn't pay much attention to such a small act, thus shoving it away. They unrolled their sleeping bags…
It wasn't long after that they all fell in a dreamless sleep…
A lonely figure sat atop the highest branches of a nearby tree, having full view of the little encampment. He smirked 'Good… very good…' he thought to himself, as shadows seemed to consume him…
XxxxX
Polished wooden floors. Dull white walls. People with eyes that seemed to have no emotion at all. People who put their pride above all others.
The Hyuuga compound.
A white dressed man, probably a branch member since he had bandages tied on his forehead to hide the seal, knocked on a double wooden door in the left of a hallway. A commanding, yet cold voice from inside gave permission for entrance. Sliding the doors open, the man entered and then closed them behind him. He bowed lowly to the man in front of him, who sat on a desk at the opposite side of the door.
The head of the Hyuuga clan
Hiashi's cold stare didn't go unnoticed by the guard, who in return gave another cold one, but not in disrespect. The Hyuuga's were taught this way, the way of coldness. There was only one Hyuuga who never used this cold face, and she was out of Konoha on a 'mission' with three more shinobis…
"Report" Hiashi practically commanded in his always cold tone. The guard bowed again
"Hiashi-sama, we have reports that Hinata-sama, along with her group, are heading towards a large town north of Konoha. This at least, is the official report given to the Hokage. The current position of the team can not be estimated." The guard said and bowed again. Hiashi nodded
"Very well. I'll send someone skillful enough to take Hinata back. I can't allow her to roam free, staining our name even more. No matter what the Hokage says, she will be taken back, even by force." He said and nodded again, as if agreeing with himself. "You may leave," he added and the guard bowed again, leaving the room seconds later.
Hiashi looked to his left. A female servant stepped forward and bowed. Hiashi seemed to smirk, even for the tiniest split second.
"Bring me Neji," he commanded, and the still bowed servant left in a hurry…
XxxxX
"WHAT?!" screamed the young green beast of Konoha. The genius of the Hyuuga clan just shook his head in annoyance to his friend's attitude. "Lee… shut up" he hissed and the named teen went strangely silent. The weapon mistress of Konoha, Tenten, stood next to her nearly fully green dressed friend. "Neji, Lee has a point. We can't go down there and force Hinata back here!" she said and glared at her teammate. He sighed
Flashback
"You asked for me, Hiashi-sama?" Neji said as he slid the door behind him close and bowed. Looking up, he saw the current head of the clan nodding. Neji had already had his seal removed, so now he was a free main branch member. "Indeed" Hiashi replied. His cold stare was eyeing Neji up and down, as if trying to find him guilty for something.
"Have you been straining yourself in training, Neji?" he said. Neji was a little taken aback, not understanding the point of such a question. He replied nonetheless "No Hiashi-sama. I just had some strong sparring opponents lately" he said and the head of the clan nodded once more. Hiashi was known among the members of his clan for his short answers, unexpected questions and, something that has come to be a normal trait among the Hyuuga's, cold attitude.
"Good. You'll need your strength." He said and started checking something on an open scroll in front of him. "I have something of great importance for you to deal with, Neji" he said out of the blue as he kept looking at the scroll. Neji seemed to be ready to raise an eyebrow in curiosity, but he restrained himself from such an act.
Hiashi took his silence as a 'Go on'. "What I need you to do, Neji, is to bring Hinata back here the soonest possible. This girl cannot be allowed to roam free out there," he said.
Neji could explode in anger if his manners and respect didn't allow him. Girl? Hinata was nearly a full-grown woman for god's sake! And roam free? She wasn't an animal! She was one of the best shinobis Konoha had to offer, yet Hiashi didn't want to understand that. He sought complete perfection from anyone in his clan. But what would a simple girl do when her own father seemed to think she was weak? From were would she get the power to stand her ground and try again? There was no one to give her such power when she was a child, until the first day she went to the academy… her results were becoming better, little by little, yet her father couldn't just be pleased. If he didn't have perfection, he had nothing…
Nevertheless, he still had to give Hiashi an answer
He was ready to start talking, but it seemed that Hiashi had taken his silence as another 'Go on' sign
"I'll have some of my best guards to…" he was cut off by an 'ahem' from his nephew
"What is it?" he asked, irritation not visible in his features or voice, yet Neji knew that interrupting him was something that clearly annoyed the head of the clan. "Excuse me, Hiashi-sama, but I'd like to pick up my teammates on this missions by myself." He said and bowed. Hiashi eyed him for a moment.
Neji knew he couldn't get away from the assignment, so bringing with him the right people for the job would make it easier to complete his mission, without unnecessary casualties…
End Flashback
"So, let me get this straight. You want us to go and fight Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura in order to get the poor girl back? You know what will happen if she comes back better than any of us!" Tenten practically shouted but a glare from Neji made her go silent.
"Silence! None must know about this. I trust you, that's why I want you with me." Neji said calmly. Tenten nodded.
"Yosh! Let us go and save our beloved comrade then!" Lee shouted, giving them a wink. They both sighed. Thank god they were in a nearly desolated area of Konoha.
The rookie nine along with Neji's team, were some of the few that knew the truth about what was going on with their four friends. They all were somehow happy about them, knowing they were going somewhere better. But still, this didn't mean that they were safe yet, eh?
Little did they know, that something made of pure shadow was watching the whole thing…
XxxxX
A yawn. A stretch. Our favorite blond is awake!
"Yosh! Another day is up! Breakfast!!" he shouted excitedly. The fish he ate yesterday were one of a kind.
To his surprise, no pummel on the head came because he was loud, neither did someone shout 'shut up baka' or anything. To tell the truth… it was silence that met him.
Looking around, he noticed three sleeping bags around the small clearing. He got out of his own and slowly walked towards the one nearest to him…
Looking closely, he saw the usual, ink-blue haired head that its owner was a cute pale skinned girl…
Why did the 'cute' word kept coming up?
Seeing Hinata's peaceful expression, he was glad that at least he didn't wake her up with his shouting. It was so rare to see her like this. She was always blushing and nervous looking, but it was now that he really noticed the true paleness of her skin. It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little. It was just… perfect…
He shook the thoughts away as he had to check on his other friends and teammates. He slowly walked towards Sakura's sleeping bag. How did he know it was Sakura's? It was pink...
Searching for her head, he was frightened when he found nothing. He even looked inside the bag, as if hoping that Sakura had shrunk and was hiding inside it. He rushed towards Sasuke's…
It was empty…
Rushing back to Hinata, he was ready to start shouting and shake the poor girl to no end, but as he opened his mouth, the peacefulness of her expression made him go silent once more…
He grabbed her shoulders and started to shake her the lightest way he could.
"Hinata! Hinata-chan!" he shouted silently. It was then that her eyelids started twitching. She was awakening…
Opening her eyes, she met blue orbs. From were did she know this orbs?
Her vision soon became clearer, and she was now able to make out a black and orange jacket, a tan skinned face with whisker marks on each cheek, and spiky blond hair. She blushed…
"Hinata! Wake up!" he shouted silently again, and seeing the worry in his expression, her blush faltered.
"N-Naruto-kun, what is it?" she asked worriedly, still a little sleepy.
He explained what happened, from the moment he woke up till the moment he started to shook her.
"But Naruto-kun, what if they have just gone to find food or something?" she asked, a little curious as to why he hadn't thought about this. He scratched the back of his head
"Well…" he started but his voice trailed off. Hinata shook her head and smiled. He could be so silly at times
"Naruto-kun, they must be ok. You're just overreacting," she said reassuringly and he grinned "Yep, that must be it. Sorry for waking you up…" he trailed off once more. She shook her head again
"Don't worry about it. I would wake up sooner or later anyway," she said. He grinned again.
"If you want, I can make sure you won't wake up again, milady" a cold voice said, a little formally. Both shinobis jumped up in a fighting stance.
"Now, now, let us not be hasty eh? Don't you want to be a little tortured before dying?" he asked mockingly and chuckled. They turned to the left to see who was talking. Nothing.
"You need to look a little better…" the voice said again from their right. They turned… nothing…
"You know, I should just come out and kill you" The voice said again and now, right in front of them, a figure started materializing from the shadows. They stared in awe as a tall man was practically created in front of them. He wore a long black robe with red lines going from the shoulder and down to the bottom of the cloth. His hood hid most of his face, only the outline of it being visible. They were surprised nonetheless, that even in the weak light of the early sun, his face was still hidden in the shadows. His lips plastered a crazy grin.
"Oh, I will have fun. Your little friends escaped, but you will not" he said and by pointing a finger at them, the shadows around him were raised to ten feet height… and charged towards them…
XxxxX
"My head…" Sasuke whispered to himself before his eyes could even open. He felt as if hammers were pumping his brain. Slowly opening his eyes, he met white-golden ones that stared in his own, as if trying to read his soul.
"What the…" a whisper was heard and his world turned black once more…
XxxxX
"Are we there yet?" asked Tenten anxiously. They had departed with the first light of the morning sun. Neji ground his teeth. He calmed himself down "No. They are at least a day ahead of us. If my calculations are correct, we will meet them in about a day. And stop asking me!" he said and turned his head to look forward again.
He, Tenten and Lee were at least halfway to the small town were their friends were supposed to be. One more day…
The weak light of the morning sun had suddenly vanished. They all looked up, but there were no clouds in the sky. Looking around, they noticed something that made them shiver…
Darkness had started engulfing the surrounding area…
"What the…" Neji managed to say. It was as if a dome of darkness had started materializing around them, engulfing everything in its way.
"Move!" Neji managed to shout and they were all shot out of their trance. They started running towards to what seemed to be the wall of the dome that was beginning to go higher and higher. When they got close…
Living shadows popped out of the ground and pushed them back. They were startled nonetheless, that shadows suddenly came to life.
They managed to keep themselves standing and eyed their new enemy. They were tall, black creatures made out of pure black shadow. You could swear that they were darker than the black color itself…
They had long pointy ears and their hands seemed clawed, as well as their feet. You could say that they were black trolls or something. There were three of them and they all chuckled evilly.
Neji slipped in the usual Jyuuken stance of the Hyuuga clan. Lee entered his Lotus stance while Tenten prepared a handful of kunai and shuriken. The monsters kept chuckling…
Tenten jumped high in the air and launched numberless shuriken and kunai to her enemies. You could swear that the weapons were coming out of thin air…
The monsters became one with the ground to avoid the attack. Tenten's weapons hit nothing but dirt.
One of them suddenly appeared in front of Neji, materializing right in front of him. Luckily, he was fast enough to avoid a claw attack that could easily severe his head. He launched his palm, targeting his opponent's stomach. His fist flew right through the enemy. He looked up and stared at the black eyes of the monster. There was now a big hole in the creature's stomach, but the monster didn't seem affected in the least… it just chuckled and raised its claws again…
Lee kept kicking and punching his opponent but to no avail. The monster didn't even move as the attacks practically flew through it. Lee himself had to dodge every attack the monster made, its claws seeming to be able to cut through stone as if it was hot butter. He jumped away towards Neji and Tenten
"What are we going to do? I can't even touch them!" he shouted as the monster charged towards him again.
Neji ducked another claw strike to the head. "I don't know! This thing's don't even have a chakra system!" he shouted and tried once more to hit his opponent, who just sat there to accept the attack which once more flew right through him.
"What do you mean?" Tenten asked as she barely dodged another strike. Her weapons couldn't even parry these claws, as the hand went right through them. They didn't fly through her long sleeve blouse though, as it was already shredded from one of the strikes, leaving her only with her shirt and a wrecked cloth.
"They don't have a system! They're made out of pure chakra!" Neji shouted again and they all jumped away from the monsters to catch their breath. These things seemed unbeatable!
The monsters chuckled evilly at the weakness of their opponents. They were such an easy prey…
Suddenly, the darkness was pierced with light
"Meimei Kaihou: Shinpai! (Divine Release: Judgment)" a voice yelled, but one couldn't make out if it was male or female. It just… was.
Light started emitting from the center of the dark monstrosities. They screamed as the light became stronger and stronger, and in the end, these monsters of shadow were consumed in a white-golden light. The three teens just blinked in confusion at the sudden turn of the battle. Looking around, they noticed the dome of darkness retreating back, allowing more of the morning sunlight to wash the land. They could swear they saw something flying into the woods with blinding speed, but they weren't sure what it was, the darkness still having hidden most of the surrounding area.
Neji looked behind him, sensing a strange chakra presence, but as his pale eyes met golden-white ones, the light of the world faded, leaving him in the darkness of unconsciousness…
His teammates were next to fall…
XxxxX
'What the hell is this?!' he kept thinking to himself as he tried his best to dodge the shadows. They weren't like the Nara clan's shadows… this ones could eat you for breakfast.
Shredded pieces of wood were lying everywhere. The lavender-eyed girl dodged another shadow beam, which enveloped the tree behind her…
As the shadow enveloped the whole tree, it faded, leaving the tree seemingly untouched for a second.
Then it fell to the ground… in pieces…
"Stop running away from your fate!" the black dressed man yelled as his shadows kept attacking. Both Naruto and Hinata were hailing shuriken and kunai towards him every now and then.
Too bad the weapons were lost in darkness as the shadows enveloped and seemingly vaporized them.
Naruto couldn't do anything else. He couldn't get near the guy, for the closest he was, the fastest the shadows were. And he could barely dodge them right now…
"Hinata! Run!" he shouted suddenly and the teen was surprised nonetheless. Naruto… run away from battle?
"We can't defeat him! He might even kill you!" he shouted again as a shadow beam run right above his left arm, shredding the cloth while luckily leaving only a gash on the skin. Naruto winced for a split second before jumping away.
Hinata was touched nonetheless, that he wanted to flee in order to keep her safe. Yet again, they really couldn't defeat him… not now.
They both balanced their step and prepared to run away
"Oh, no you don't!" the man shouted again. His hands flew like crazy through small series of hand seals.
"Kage Shakuhou: Kage Engai! (Shadow Release: Shadow Dome)" he yelled…
The teen's feet came to an immediate halt as mere meters from their position… shadows started rising…
They kept rising and rising till a great wall was created. It turned and started heading towards the other side. Soon, a dome was created in their vicinity, enveloping the area in darkness, allowing only a small opening at the top of it in order to let air and a little light to enter. Too bad… the opening was more than one hundred feet high…
"What the hell?!" Naruto shouted, surprised at the sudden change of events. They turned around to look at the tall black figure, who now was a mere foot away from them. They shivered… his face was now completely hidden in the darkness, while the only thing that let them know he was there was his chakra signature and his evil chuckle.
The chuckle turned to a maniac laughter as the man launched his head back and laughed his heart out.
He composed himself, but a wide evil grin was visible under the shadows
"Not hell kid. Not even close!" he shouted and launched his hands forwards as if wanting to grasp them.
Naruto knew what that meant. They now were in a Shadow Dome, with nearly no light! Shit! This wasn't good! The shadows now were everywhere, which meant that the whole area was under his full, deadly control…
What could he do? He could feel the man's chakra becoming one with the shadows, and they in turn rose and started to take the shape of a pointy triangle, ready to pierce right through them. He could feel the shadows enveloping, but could not see them!
Things were like shit…
As the shadows were ready to charge towards them and finish them off…
"Meimei Kaihou: Tenrai Tomoshibi! (Divine Release: Divine Light" a voice yelled, but it was just a voice, as if it came from nothing. One could swear… that this voice was pure light…
The shadows were suddenly destroyed, as soft golden light washed the darkness away. Both teens were practically blinded by the power. They felt hands grasping them, but before they could even react, their world was turned in a realm of darkness…
XxxxX
Sakura slowly opened her eyes… and gasped.
The last thing she remembered was her lying in her sleeping bag.
Now… she was sited on a rock, her back being against something hard, yet soft altogether.
Turning her head around, she saw the edge of an onyx haired head. Her world brightened realizing who it was. To her relief, she also realized that she wasn't tied up. Turning her whole body around, she hugged Sasuke's unconscious form and rested his head on her lap. His peaceful expression was enough to bring a smile on her lips
"I see you're quite affectionate for this youth, aren't you?" she heard a voice saying, but there was no mock in its words, no anger, no fear. It had pure sincerity.
Even so, thanks to her ninja and natural reflexes, her free hand flew to her thigh to catch a kunai. Too bad, the weapons holster wasn't there
"Now, now, let us not resort to violence. I'm sure we can short things out?" the voice said once more, curiosity and seriousness mixed together.
She looked around, but saw no one. "What the hell is going on?" she asked, clearly irritated. She heard the voice making a 'hmm' sound
"Now, hell isn't the right word to use here. Look around you." The voice said and she obeyed, even hesitantly. It was then that she really took notice of her surroundings.
She was on a large round rock, Sasuke in her lap. Around them were only trees, above them was only the clear blue sky. They were in a clearing… a rather strange clearing if you think that there was only a large rock in the middle of it!
It was then that she also realized the presence of her two other friends. Naruto and Hinata were lying a few feet away from them, they too on the rock.
She gasped and she was ready to rush to their side, if only to check if they were alive
The voice halted her movements once more "Don't you worry about them. They are not harmed. I have other matters to talk to you about, but I need all of you awake. If you please now, let him out of your lap." It said gently and she obeyed. Lifting Sasuke's head from her lap, she noticed that his eyelids immediately started to rise
When he was fully awake, he jumped upwards, standing on his feet and looking around like crazy, as if expecting a monster to jump out of nowhere. It was then that he noticed his pink haired teammate sitting next to him, looking at him as if he had grown a second head. He sighed and calmed down. "Sakura… were are we?" he asked
The attention of them both was caught but a loud 'Awww' of annoyance at their left. Naruto was awake…
The blond did the same thing as Sasuke, though he looked more panicked, waving his hands around and shouting curses and threats to a 'black dressed man' as they managed to make out from his shouts.
Both of them pumped him on the head with Sakura shouting a 'Shut up you baka!'
It was then that they noticed Hinata was also awake, having sat down next to them with her eyes looking at them worriedly, as if expecting them to fall down any minute now.
"Now, if you are done arguing and such…" they all jumped, surprised at the sudden addition of voices. It was male…
Turning to their left, they saw a white dressed man walking slowly towards them. He wore a long white robe, his hands hidden in his long sleeves as a white hood also hid his face. His chin, mouth and the edge of his nose were visible under the hood. He had a short, white-blond beard. They also noticed that the robe was decorated with golden lines gracing the white cloth of the robe.
The man smiled
"A-Are you a monk?" Naruto managed to say. He, like the other three were stunned at the sudden appearance of the man. Well, you can also add the strange, yet fancy outfit…
The man chuckled to himself "No, no my friend. A monk I am not, at least not by the meaning you give to the word, that is." He said gently, his voice not too harsh, not too soft. The balance was clearly audible.
"Ano… what's going on here?" Hinata asked and they were all again a little surprised that she talked.
The man smiled again "This is something I'd also love to know" he said sighing, yet the smile that graced his lips didn't falter.
They all looked at him curiously, expecting an explanation. The sooner the better…
"Well, well, from were should I begin?" he said and sat down cross-legged on the rock. He motioned them to follow his example and they all mimicked his movement.
"There are powers beyond that of human understanding in this world. Am I correct?" he asked rhetorically and they all nodded. He smiled again "Well, this powers, even if they are not to be understood, they exist, don't they?" he asked again, his expression seeming serious under the hood.
They all looked at each other, as if expecting to find the answer in each other's eyes. Naruto shrugged "I guess… yeah" he said, bringing the demon inside him in his mind. Kyuubi existed, even if he didn't really understand his powers.
"Good" the man said and smiled again. "There is an unbalance lurking in the world right now, and you were unfortunately caught in the middle of a small conflict. I and my… men, managed to save you, but I must warn you" he said and his expression once more was serious. They could feel the seriousness emitting in the air around the man.
"Do not interfere, unless your life is at stake. You will not have the luck of us saving you every time my children. Now, if you please, I will take my leave." He said and stood up. Naruto's eyes went wide
"Wait! You haven't even told us your name!" he shouted. The man smiled
"All you have to know is that you must not interfere with the balance of the forces. Enough has happened, you should return to your original journey" he said and motioned them to stand up. They did
"Head north. The road is only a kilometer or so away from here." He said, pointing at the direction of the road. He smiled at them, and they saw that light started enveloping him. His smile never faltered
"Good luck, my children." He said as the light had nearly enveloped all of him
"We might meet again" they heard his voice whispering as the light suddenly vanished, and with it the man was also gone…
"Weird" Naruto finally exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head. What did the man mean by that?
Sasuke shrugged. "Probably problems between some villages, and we were caught in the middle. We should just keep going with the original plan" he said and looked at the others, who all nodded except Naruto, he still being a little confused.
A natural instinct then took over the blonde's senses. And he knew exactly what time it was…
"Launch time!!" he yelled happily and rushed for his backpack. He had noticed their items lying at the other end of the rock before. Opening his own with haste, his eyes started to beam as his hands touched what he thought as the gift of the heaven to the world.
Ramen
He took the packs of instant ramen out of the backpack.
He could rant about ramen all day long, but thankfully, Sasuke and Sakura were there to silence him before he could even begin. It was funny that the dobe could eat ramen at any time of the day, since now it seemed that the sunset was nearing slowly…
After an hour, and a physically satisfied Naruto, they began their journey to the unknown once more…
XxxxX
Neji's eyelids started to open slowly, his vision still blur and dizzy. He managed to make out… a white wall?
Wait… he knew this white wall… it was… his bedrooms white wall!
Wait… all of the Hyuuga's compound's walls were white! How the hell did he recognize his own…?
He shook these thoughts away as they made little sense. He looked around to recognize the rest of his bedroom. What the hell was going on?
"Aaah, at last awake my child?" he heard a male voice saying gently, yet his hand immediately flied for his weapon pouch… which wasn't there…
"Easy now, violence won't solve anything" he heard the same voice saying. He looked at the edge of his bed, only to see a tall man dressed in a long white robe sitting there. The man was looking at him, yet his eyes were hidden under his hood. A smile was evident under his bearded face.
"Who are you?" Neji asked, a little too confused as to how this man managed to enter the compound without being noticed by anyone.
The man's smile didn't falter "I am here to tell you everything will be alright." He said, sincerity covering his words. What did he mean?
It was then that Neji remembered the previous events. He was sent out on a mission… and encountered these strange monsters on his way…
"What you fought with was something beyond what any ninja could handle my friend. Please, forget about it. Now, about your 'mission'…" he said, and smiled again. "I have taken care of your respected leader. Please don't take me wrong, I have just erased from his memory the fact that he wanted to seal his daughter. The girl is now safe," he said and at this, Neji calmed down. But another question lurked in his mind…
"You still haven't told me who are you, and why you saved us?" he expected the man to have helped his allies too. His smile had yet to fall from his lips
"Your friends are safe, if that is what you want to know. As to who I am and why my men saved you, let's just say that we have some affairs with the monsters that came against you. All you have to know about me is that I exist." He said and light covered him. In a flash, he was gone… but a split second before the light faded, Neji heard words being whispered in his mind
"Live your life, young Hyuuga. Your cousin is in good hands…" the voice whispered before everything went silent. Looking outside, he noticed the sky had began to go orange. The sunset was nearing…
XxxxX
"Oi teme! A town!" a blond teen shouted excitedly at the sight of civilization. Sasuke 'Hned' while the two girls seemed to beam with light. At least Sakura did…
"A town!!" the pink haired girl shouted in excitement. The other three eyed her questioningly. "What? Can't I be loud for once?" she asked and glared at them all, who took a step back. Sakura's anger could easily match Tsunade's…
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Naruto shouted again and they all started walking towards the little town.
XxxxX
"Wow!" Sakura beamed as her eyes turned into stars. She was eyeing a pink-red dress, white stripes running around the cloth, making it look like strawberry with vanilla lining.
Hinata on the other hand, seemed to prefer a plain lavender dress. Both boys stood behind them, lost in their own thoughts
'It fits with her eyes…' Naruto thought as he glanced between the dress Hinata was looking at and the said person. He shook his head as thoughts, some a little inappropriate, entered his mind. He turned around looking at nothing in particular as people kept walking between them to their respective jobs. 'I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert…' he kept thinking to himself. He didn't want to be like his perverted senseis… at the thought of his old sensei, his mood darkened.
Yes Jiraiya was a perverted old fool… but his death wasn't something he could ever wish for…
Flashback
"Naruto! Get the hell out of here!" Jiraiya yelled as the ceiling of the roof started to collapse. Pein, along with his six bodies turned their gaze to the blond. Naruto stood right next to his sensei, who was bleeding badly, barely able to keep breathing.
"No! I can't leave you here!" the blond yelled. Jiraiya frowned "Go now you fool! There are people out there who need you!" he said with all the power he could master. Team seven waited for him outside, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura were all battling with the other members of the Akatsuki. Only Kisame and Itachi were absent from the battleground. "I don't think so" all of Pein's bodies said in unison as they glared at the blond teen. Naruto frowned but a large chunk of rock that fell a few feet to his left reminded him of the situation.
"Then I'll take you bastard with me!" Naruto shouted angrily. Jiraiya coughed blood "No… Naruto… get out… of here… please…" he said weakly, his powers being drained. Naruto looked worriedly at his sensei… he had said please…
Before he could contemplate further on what to do, one of the bodies charged against him. The others circled around him, just standing there.
Naruto knew what he was doing. He was getting a full field of vision. The Rinnengan had the ability to link visual contact among Pein's bodies, thus giving him a field of vision that outmatched the Byakugan, since one, in this case Pein, had six points of view.
The body attacked at full speed, and Naruto, who was already tired from the battle, could barely dodge the attacks. A kick found him in the gut…
He was sent flying above the bodies and near the exit. The bodies ignored him as they turned towards Jiraiya once again. The roof of the cave slowly kept falling. The only reason that it hadn't collapsed was because of one of Pein's earth Jutsus that kept the rocks together. But even Pein isn't god right?
Pein himself took out a kunai from inside his robe. He eyed the wounded Jiraiya. "Now… I shall finish this…" he said and slowly walked towards the defenseless hermit. Naruto could only stare as his own powers were fading. That kick was quite hard…
"Naruto! Get… out of here!" Jiraiya managed to say one last time before he collapsed. He coughed blood again and raised himself with all the strength remaining in his hands. He raised his head to look at Pein's smirking face.
"It has come to an end, Jiraiya-sama," he said, faking formality. Jiraiya made a fake smile "Indeed it has" he said and grabbed Pein's leg. Whispering something, Pein felt all the control he had over the earth Jutsu fading
"What the…?" he said and looked up. The ceiling was now falling…
"Damn you!" he shouted and kicked the hermit away. He turned towards the exit…
Naruto stood there, right at the exit of the cave. He was smirking…
A Rasengan had formed in the blonde's hand. He glared as Pein's expression turned from surprise to horror.
"See you in the afterlife!" he shouted and rammed the Rasengan at the top of the opening, smashing the stones and letting the entrance crumble.
"Nooooooo…." He heard Pein's voice fading as the sound of massive rocks smashing was heard. A flicker of light blinded his vision for a second, but he thought it was just the sun. Turning around…
"Hey… dobe… had… fun?" Sasuke managed to say between his breaths. He clearly looked exhausted from the battle. Kakashi stood next to him, blood covering parts of his body. The silver haired ninja noticed his student's worried look
"Not mine" he simply said, simply raising his hand to wave off the worry. Naruto sighed
Sakura herself had managed to survive through the slaughter. The whole force they had brought with them to take out the Akatsuki hideout had turned in a battle for survival, as the Akatsuki members killed their fellow ninjas just for fun.
Finally… this menace had come to an end.
The pink haired girl smiled weakly at her team. She was wounded, some deep cuts gracing her legs and hands.
Kakashi eyed them all "Any sign of Itachi… or Kisame?" he asked. They all shook their heads. He sighed
"It looks like they haven't entered the battle at all," Sakura said and Sasuke ground his teeth. He thought this was his chance to finally battle his brother…
"What about Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked again and all three looked at Naruto. The teen lowered his head, reminded of what had happened…
End Flashback
"Naruto! Help!!" he heard Sasuke shouting. Quickly turning around, the sight before him made him want to laugh his head off.
Sakura was dragging Sasuke in the cloth store, while he struggled to free himself. Naruto smirked. He knew his brother could easily escape. He took notice of Sasuke's slight smirk a second before they entered the store…
He felt someone tugging his sleeve. Turning to his left, he saw Hinata's pouting face pleading him to come with her. He sighed and shook his head. She made the most irresistible puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. He sighed again and nodded, pretending to be annoyed. Hinata giggled and hastily walked towards the store, still holding on Naruto's sleeve. When she was sure that her front was out of his sight, she finally allowed a slight blush to grace her pale face…
XxxxX
"Damn it…" Sasuke mumbled to himself as he sat on a small couch, still waiting for Sakura to change. It had been around an hour doing the exact same things. Why did he let her drag him into this again…?
She would gather a bunch of clothes, enter the changing cabin, exit and ask him his opinion. He would 'Hn' and she would nod, as if he had openly said he liked it. She would go back in and try something else on…
He turned his gaze to the left, were Naruto sat on a chair waiting for Hinata to come out of her own changing cabin.
He sighed. The dobe must have been taking it even harder than him, since he wasn't allowed to bounce around or yell like crazy. He smirked…
"Wow, that looks great Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily as Hinata got out of the changing room. She wore a blue round hat, a white long sleeved shirt and lavender pants that reached down her knees. The only thing that showed she was a ninja were the sandals she still wore.
She smiled "Thank you Naruto-kun," she said but she couldn't help but blush slightly. He would always praise every cloth she wore. She started to think he just did it because he had to, not because he really found her pretty. She was a little disappointed at this thought but didn't let this show on her features.
This… perfect… features by Naruto's opinion…
Wait, when did he start thinking like this again?
He shook these thoughts away as she entered the cabin once more. He noticed her picking up something lavender before she did so. What outfit was up next…?
XxxxX
"Alright! How's that looking?" Sakura asked excitedly and couldn't feel more satisfied in her whole life. Sasuke was ready to drool in front of her.
She was wearing the pink-red and white-lined dress they had seen before. It was sleeveless, the crook of the neck being clearly visible while her sides her also exposed from the cloth. The dress reached down her feet, hiding her shoes or whatever she wore. Sasuke couldn't help but stare…
"This… looks good…" he finally said as he composed himself. Sakura giggled. It was so obvious that he found it more than gorgeous…
XxxxX
Naruto patted his feet in anxiety. What was up next? To tell the truth, it didn't really matter. Anything she would wear looked good on her…
He turned around, hearing a ruffle from the direction of the cabin. At what he saw… he could swear he was dreaming…
Hinata walked out of the cabin, her feet hidden under the long dress. It was this… lavender dress they had seen before! He could swear he hadn't seen anything more beautiful. Even a pork ramen deluxe couldn't match this sight.
The dress fitted her perfectly, complementing the right curves. It was sleeveless and the crook of the neck wasn't covered, while two strands of cloth on the shoulders kept the lavender cloth from falling. Her back was also exposed, leaving the pale skin visible.
She had also rounded up her long hair in a big bun, letting the whole beauty of the dress be visible.
He was sure that the cloth was soft like silk... he wanted to check if this pale skin was silky too…
Hinata blushed at his gaze, the red taint visible on her pale face. Naruto was staring at her as if there was nothing else existing in the world…
He shook his thoughts away as Hinata waved a hand in front of his face "Naruto-kun, are you alright?" she asked a little worriedly. He was zoned out for more than a minute now. He shook his head "I'm fine Hinata-chan. This dress looks fantastic!" he exclaimed happily. She smiled, yet blushed altogether. She could see the sincerity in his voice, in his face, in his eyes. It was all over him…
XxxxX
After another hour of endless clothe searching, the girls finally managed to find an outfit that they really liked. To the guy's secret disappointment, the dresses they had seen before weren't in their choices. Sasuke could swear though that he saw Sakura slipping something in the bags…
XxxxX
"So, what about that town?" asked a blue skinned man. His cheeks were lined with three large lines each, giving you the impression that he was a shark. He had canines while his eyes were small and round. His hair were 'Kakashi-style' but blue in color. On his shoulder he held one of the legendary swords of the Seven Swordsmen of The Mist. He wore a long high collar black robe with crimson red clouds scattered around.
Who else could it be than Hoshikagi Kisame?
The man standing next to him eyed him with his red gaze. His long onyx hair where caught in a ponytail, while two small lines went down between his eyes and nose. He too wore the same robe as his ally. He had the Sharingan bloodline limit that now graced only two people in the world with its power. One of the holders was Uchiha Sasuke, ninja of Konoha.
The other, Uchiha Itachi, slaughterer of his own clan and high ranked missing nin.
And this man stood right now beside Kisame, his red Sharingan gaze having befallen on his combrade.
"What?" Kisame asked a little afraid. Itachi sighed. "Nothing… nothing" he said while he shook his head. His eyes turned their normal onyx color again. "Let's move on, there's a town up ahead." He said and started walking.
Kisame stared at him a little surprised "What? That's what I said!" he said and hastily fell in step with his teammate…
XxxxX
A man dressed in a black robe was slowly walking down the road. His gaze was fixed right in front of him, down towards the horizon. His eyes were caught by the sight of a sign at the left of the road. He didn't stop to read it but he could make out big letters that could only evidence one thing.
If one could see in his robes, he could take notice of the man's hands stroking a strange sword with anxiety at what was to come next.
He was nearing a town…
XxxxX
At the western part of the little town, two men, both dressed in long white robes with hoods hiding their faces sat cross-legged atop a hilltop, gazing over the small community. The one at the left had a short grey-blond beard while the one next to him seemed to have a much younger face. The small part of his visible features evidenced that his face was more than beautiful. They both seemed to stare at the small town even if their eyes were hidden under the hoods
"What do you think senpai? Should we allow things to roll on their own?" the young one asked, his voice evidencing a young male man. The older one stayed still for a moment.
"Hmmm…" he said, evidencing his deep thought.
"Be patient young one. We shall see… I just hope that we don't come to this…" he said, a little bit of fear evident in his otherwise sure and serious, yet gentle, voice.
"Senpai, you knew that the day would come. People have the right to know…" the young man was cut off as the older one raised his hand
"My child, you must understand that some things aren't for the ears, nor the eyes, of the many." He said wisely while he lowered his hand. He sighed
"We still don't know what the Lord really plans…" he added. The young man smiled "Did we ever?" he said, mock not evident in his own gentle voice. The older man smiled himself.
"You are right. But humans have the right of free will. We will not interfere unless needed." He said and nodded. The young one nodded himself.
"I understand. Let us hope that things will go well. Otherwise he might not survive…" he said a little worriedly as he trailed off. The old man nodded again "True. This youngster is such a rare occasion…" he said a little worriedly himself. "But you know we can't define His will. Things will go as He wishes" the old man added. The young one nodded
"Let us hope He knows how to wish…"
XxxxX
They exited the clothing store and it was then that they realized that night was really setting. Hinata suggested finding a hotel to stay the night and so they did. After a few minutes of searching, they found an economically satisfying hotel. They took two rooms, one for Hinata and Sakura and one for Naruto and Sasuke, each one with two beds. Each room was at either side of the hallway, boys to the left, girls to the right.
After they settled their things in their rooms, they met up again in the entrance of the hotel. They were all grinning. Naruto's stomach made a loud rumble, evidencing his natural situation. Sasuke sweat dropped
"Dobe, you ate five bowls of instant ramen before we left the forest." He said, a little amazed that Naruto could burn food that fast. The said blond brought his hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, but I guess it's because I usually eat nine and…" he cut himself off as he noticed a vein twitching wildly on Sakura's forehead. Yep, she was sure he would start ranting about ramen again…
Sasuke and Hinata sweat dropped as Hinata tried to get Naruto's attention away from ramen and Sasuke tried to calm Sakura down. Too bad… they were failing miserably…
Hinata tugged his sleeve and made this irresistible puppy dog eyes once more. Naruto couldn't help but crumble…
Sasuke resorted to the final thing he could do to hold Sakura back. He kissed her on the cheek. She froze right at that spot. It was as if time had suddenly stopped. Yep, her anger was forgotten for sure…
"Very well, we should find somewhere to eat" Sasuke suggested and the others nodded, Sakura having merely done it since she was still a little stunned at Sasuke's act. Naruto on the other hand caught himself stealing glances at Hinata, as if expecting to see that wonderful pale lavender eyes do that pout again.
What was wrong with him?
He shook these thoughts away as he remembered what Sasuke said. His mind went on overload with one word
Food
"Food? Can we have…" he was cut off once more as he noticed Sakura's glare, her anger ready to flare at any moment. He sighed…
XxxxX
As they left the hotel and turned around a corner, a pair of men dressed in a black robe with crimson clouds walked down the street towards the hotel. Their steps were halted. The onyx haired one eyed the sign that hung above their heads. The blue skinned man next to him was looking around, as if in high alert.
"Itachi… something doesn't feel right…" he said worriedly. The named man eyed his ally. "I know" he said and walked in the hotel, Kisame following behind. They stood before the counter, a young woman smiling softly at them both. Both Itachi and Kisame were smiling back. The first having put up a genjutsu from their first moment in town, making them both look like normal civilians.
"May I help you?" the woman asked gently. Itachi nodded "We would like to have a room please" he said gently himself. Kisame stayed silent and just kept the smile on his face. The woman nodded and got out of a drawer the customer catalog. She gave Itachi a pen.
As the missing nin wrote down their names, fake ones of course, he took notice of a very, very familiar name at the latest entities of the catalog. He smirked inwardly. Two birds with one stone…
XxxxX
They had finally found a nice restaurant at the edge of town, not far from their hotel. They all sat down at a table, which found itself near the windows. Looking outside, one could see the dark forests that enveloped the land beyond the small town. There was also a hill among them… the moon hanging right at the top of it, like a ball of light based on the structure of nature. The two males sat next to each other, facing the females of the small company. Sasuke smirked, Naruto and Sakura grinned while Hinata smiled.
The lavender eyed girl felt a little weird being away from her former team. She was used to them, used to their presence, used to their attitudes. But this group was a new one. Thankfully, it wasn't unpleasant at all. Sakura was more than a good company and Sasuke wasn't the 'Iceberg' people thought him as. And of course, it was also Naruto…
Naruto looked between Sakura and Hinata. It was quite amusing. Sakura had short, bright pink hair while Hinata had long ink-blue. Sakura was more tan skinned while Hinata pale skinned. Sakura was always angry against him while Hinata was always gentle and caring.
Wait a minute…
Now that he thought about it… there was no other person that acted like that towards him. She was the only one that cared… from the beginning… his memory flashed at the time she gave him that medicine three years ago at the preliminaries of the Chuunin exam. It flashed again when she encouraged him before his battle with Neji. No one had acted like that for him before. Were everyone wanted to make him pity himself, she made him believe in it once more. She wasn't simply a nice person, a person he liked. She was…
"Dobe, what do you want?" Sasuke asked as he raised an eyebrow towards his 'brother'. Naruto shook his head. Eyeing the catalogue quickly one more time, he noticed that there was no ramen! He finally ordered Sushi…
Sasuke faked boredom as he looked between his friends, his gaze locking on Sakura for a mere more second. She had stopped a long time acting like a fan girl. She was more like a friend now, and she treated him like a normal person, rather than the 'All mighty Uchiha'. He liked it. She, along with Hinata, was one of the few girls right now that didn't fan girl him in Konoha. He liked it even more. She had bright pink hair and green emerald eyes. Imagine what children might come…
He shook the thoughts away. Where was his mind getting him? He had other matters to attend to right now. He would get to warm Sakura up later…
"So, what are we doing?" he asked out of the blue. All three eyed him as if he was crazy
"Umm, we're in a restaurant and are about to eat?" Naruto asked rhetorically. The girls nodded slowly. Sasuke glared at the blond
"Dobe, I mean, what happens when we finish dodging the ninjas and such? Where will we go?" he said and now the girls nodded while Naruto brought his hand to his chin as if in deep thought.
Sakura raised her hand "I think we should head north, out of Fire Country. Lighting is a rather good country ne? We might find new techniques and such" she said with a smile. Sasuke 'Hned'.
"We can't. Lighting is in war with the Sand. We would get in the middle of conflict…" he was cut off as he noticed Naruto's eyes had gone wide.
He looked at them all wide eyed and then made a grin that one could think was impossible for a face to plaster.
"Gaara!!" he shouted excitedly and earned a pump on the head from Sasuke. Sakura was held back by Hinata…
Hinata looked at Naruto a little worriedly "You know the Kazekage?" she asked. Naruto nodded vigorously
"Gaara is a friend and a former Jinchuuriki! We can stay in Suna for a while" he said and nodded, agreeing with himself. The others sighed
"Naruto, Suna and Iwa are in war. If we interfere, we might get caught in the middle of the conflict." Sakura said wisely, filling the hole that Naruto forgot. The blond hung his head in disappointment.
An idea flashed in his mind then, an idea that he had buried in his mind, an idea of a place that wasn't too far from here, but not to close. It would be a close call, but it was all they had. He grinned to himself again.
"What about the west? I think there are some clans there that have cool techniques we could get with my Sharingan" Sasuke suggested. "Stealing techniques isn't that wise. And, we will most likely have to fight them in order to let you copy them. We might just end up getting killed in the end," she said, countering his idea.
"What about Orochimaru, Sasuke-san? Isn't he a threat?" Hinata asked worriedly. She hadn't forgot that Naruto barely managed to bring Sasuke back from the battle at the valley of the end. After Naruto's Rasengan and Sasuke's Chidori clashed, Sasuke was thrown unconscious and Naruto, who managed to keep himself awake, brought the Uchiha back. Afterwards, the raven-haired boy was freed of the cursed seal and Tsunade assured them that such an attempt was most unlikely to happen again. The seal corrupted his mind, making only vengeance and hatred guide his vision.
He was able to see clearly now, and he was one of the best ninjas Konoha had to offer. For the Uchiha clan wasn't part of it anymore…
Sasuke 'Hned' with a smirk and stroke his blade, which he had placed standing next to him. It was a silent 'Let him come'. She smiled, but worry wasn't taken off completely. It just couldn't…
"Oi, guys. I know where we can go," Naruto said out of the blue and all attention from his three friends was once more drawn on him. It was rare of him to speak seriously, and now… he did.
"Where?" They all asked at the same time. Naruto's grin was wide as ever.
"Listen up" he said and now his look turned serious. He looked around worriedly, as if expecting to see someone spying on them. When he was sure that there were no prying ears or eyes around, he turned to his friends with a grin.
He started explaining. During his three years of travel with Jiraiya, he and the hermit had passed by a village to the north. It was quite far away from here and it would be a little dangerous journey.
"But Naruto-kun, what kind of village?" the lavender eyed kunoichi asked worriedly. The other two nodded. Naruto grinned at her and then looked at his other teammates.
"Well, I should take the story from the beginning ne?" he asked with a grin. The others nodded and smiled themselves.
Flashback
Naruto and Jiraiya were walking down the road in the middle of a small forest. Trees were to their left and right while the sky above their heads was clear and sunny. A perfect day…
"So, Ero-sennin, where are we going now?!" Asked an overexcited blond. Jiraiya frowned at the hearing of his nickname. "We are going to meet a friend of mine. And stop calling me Ero-sennin!" he yelled the last sentence in the blond's ear, who was taken aback a little.
"And you stop yelling at me!" he shouted back. Jiraiya sighed at his student's foolishness and let the matter drop. He knew they would end up in a dead end anyway…
XxxxX
It had been around half an hour of walking when they finally exited the forest. Naruto's eyes went so wide, that if you tacked him on the back of his head, they would pop out for sure. The sight before him was amazing…
Till the end of were the eye can see, was an endless valley. Down the horizon, he made out the form of what must have been a mountain. Though it looked like a large rock from his point of view right now. The valley seemed endless as at his left and right was only the flowered or grassy campus. He could make out the cliffs at each side of the valley. But if you looked down the road, the path of dirt seemed to be lost in the horizon, leading to that rock that must be a mountain in close.
Jiraiya grinned widely, seeing his pupils look of amazement. He started walking down the path. "Come on kid, his house is a few minutes away!" he shouted as Naruto was still standing there, staring at the endless fields of green.
Naruto was shot out of his trance and looked at his sensei, who was now quite a few meters away. "Hey wait up!" he shouted and dashed behind him…
XxxxX
After a few more minutes of walking, Jiraiya halted his movement, making Naruto bump into him. "Hey, why did you stop?" the blond asked, clearly irritated. Jiraiya turned to look at him with a grin. "Because we're here kid!" he exclaimed and took a step towards the field. Naruto looked at him confused. There was nothing but green and flowers around them…
Jiraiya stood one step away from the edge of the field. He looked at his pupil and motioned him to stand next to him.
He ran through a series of hand seals stopping with the dragon sign. He reached his hands out with his palms open in front of him
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he said and Naruto was surprised nonetheless. The series he had made weren't for that technique…
Out of thin air runes and symbols started materializing in a circle in front of Jiraiya's hands. A circle was created and then several lines started expanding to different directions. The runes and symbols started changing, and something that looked like wood started materializing…
A huge house had started materializing right in front of them. It became bigger, and bigger… till it finally revealed a mansion.
It was purely made out of wood. The front was a deep brown color while the rooftop seemed to be painted a bright red color. The door was only a foot away from them.
Jiraiya smirked. The house was just like how he remembered it. "Come on kid. The old fool will be waiting for us" he said and opened the door. Naruto was shot out of his trance as he too stepped in the house and closed the door behind him…
End Flashback
"So, you've told us about an enormous valley with endless fields of green and flowers. And a house that materialized out of nothing. Mind telling us about the village now dobe?" Sasuke asked a little curiously. Hinata nodded and smiled while Sakura kept staring at Naruto. He sighed. "I was getting to that teme" he said a little irritated…
Flashback
It was noon and darkness would very soon engulf the land in the dark sheet of the night. At the big mansion among the fields, three figures sat in a small room, lighted only by a few candles and the light of the full moon from the open windows. One was the frog hermit, Jiraiya of the Sannin. The second was his pupil, Uzumaki Naruto. The third was…
"Well, how're you doing Jowa?" Jiraiya asked happily while raising his hand in greeting. The old man in front of them was as tall as Jiraiya, while Naruto was a little shorter.
"Better than usual" Jowa answered, his voice a little harsh and old. Naruto had realized that this man must have been really old, since he had no hair, but a nice bald head. He also had a long pointy gray beard gracing his chin. He wore a long, dull yellow robe with what seemed to be white clouds flying around. At the center lied a bright sun, numerous lines expanding from the ball.
Jowa's old face formed what seemed to be a smile. Naruto was looking a little strangely at this new acquaintance. This man looked weird…
"If I am weird, then how weird is a ninja with bright orange clothes?" Jowa said as if he read his mind. He didn't have to, for Naruto's look on the man said everything the teen didn't put in words.
Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared at the old man. "Wait, you read my mind?!" he asked, clearly surprised. Jowa smiled
"No, but what you said right now confirmed my words" he said and his smile was wide as ever. Naruto looked down disappointed with himself. Jowa chuckled
"You've got much to learn young one…" he said and sat down cross-legged, a cup of steaming tea lying next to him. Jiraiya and Naruto followed his example and sat down themselves.
"So, Jiraiya, how could an old fool like me be of use?" Jowa asked gently. Jiraiya chuckled "Always praising yourself eh?" he asked rhetorically and the man in front of him chuckled. Naruto was boringly looking at them.
"And, I see you also got a pupil. Does he make you read his books kid?" Jowa asked worriedly. Naruto was immediately shot out of his trance. "What! No, no! I would never read Ero-sennin's books!" he said while waving his hands in defense and pointing at his sensei. Jiraiya sighed while Jowa kept chuckling
"A new nickname Jiraiya? I must say, it is better than the 'baka' Tsunade gave you." He said and chuckled. Jiraiya glared at him and then turned his glare towards his student, who was still defending himself without having noticed that Jowa wasn't interested in that subject anymore.
He gave Naruto a pummel on the head "No, this brat over here has that title and I swear to god, he is the word in flesh and bones." He said and chuckled himself. Naruto pouted "Hey, what was that about?" Both men sighed and looked between each other.
"How long have you been training him, Jiraiya?" Jowa asked and both student and teacher looked at him.
"Two years." Jiraiya answered seriously. Jowa nodded. "I see, and how long will the training last?" he asked again and Jiraiya took a glance of Naruto, who was still looking at the old man. "One more year" he said and Jowa nodded again. "Good. Now, I'd like to ask the boy a few questions. I don't want you to interrupt for any reason Jiraiya." He said seriously and it was the hermit's turn to nod. Naruto looked worriedly at his teacher and then back at the old man. He noticed that the man was looking at him as if trying to read what he wanted in Naruto's face. The boy gulped. Jowa smiled
"Well, Naruto's the name, am I wrong?" he asked rhetorically and Naruto's eyes went wide for a second. How did he know his name?
"I know many things. One of them is your name" Jowa said, his smile never faltering. Naruto nodded. It was as if this man could read his mind…
"Tell me Naruto. Why do you want to be a ninja?" Jowa asked as he took the cup of tea that lied next to him in his hand. Naruto grinned widely.
"That's easy! I want to prove to everyone how strong I am and that I'm not a nobody!" he said happily, proud of himself. Jowa kept smiling and took a sip from his tea.
"I see. And, why do you want to train and become stronger?" he asked again and Naruto looked at him as if he was crazy.
"What are you talking about? How will I become Hokage if I'm not strong?" he asked and grinned widely. Jowa nodded "So, you want to be the Hokage of Konohakagure?" he asked seriously, his expression a copy of his voice. Naruto nodded vigorously. "Hmm… why?" Jowa asked again as he took another sip from his tea.
Naruto was still grinning widely "Because when I'll be Hokage, I'll be the strongest ninja in the village! Then everyone will see how strong I really am and they'll stop hating me." He said and his expression grew a little sad. Jowa looked at him strangely for a moment, as if his eyes pierced into his soul. He smiled
"Doesn't anyone in there love you?" he asked as he took another sip. His smile was wide as ever. Naruto shook his head "No one loves me… well Tsunade-Obaa-chan does, maybe Ero-sennin too, even though he's a pervert and such" he threw a smirk at his sensei who ground his teeth. Naruto never lost a chance to point out Jiraiya's perverted side.
"No one? What I see is different" Jowa said seriously but his smile was still there. Naruto looked at him as if he was crazy. "What are you talking about?" he asked curiously. Jowa chuckled
"There is someone in there that loves you kid. You're just too blind to see it. Focus on something else other than training, and your vision will clear." Jowa said seriously and smiled warmly. Naruto looked confused for a moment. Who would love him in the village, other than Baa-chan and Ero-sennin?
End Flashback
"Till today, I haven't yet found that person. I looked and looked again, but never found it. I thought it would be Sakura-chan, but your behavior gives different clues" Naruto said as he grinned widely at Sakura. Hinata was blushing furiously next to her, but Naruto thought it was just the heat. It was a hot night anyway.
Sakura sighed herself. If he was so good at reading her behavior around him, then how the hell hadn't he noticed Hinata's? Naruto was so unpredictable that you couldn't really tell if he truly was an idiot or not, though that's what he showed most of the time…
"Dobe… you still haven't told us about the village…" Sasuke said and the two girls nodded in agreement. Naruto sighed "Alright. After that, 'Someone loves you' thing, they got me out of the room for about… five-ten minutes. When I entered again…"
Flashback
Naruto closed the door behind him and sat cross-legged next to his sensei once more. Jiraiya was grinning while Jowa was smiling
"I still don't get why I had to go out" Naruto complained and Jiraiya sighed while he shook his head. Jowa's smile never faltered. "Personal matters, we wanted to catch up with the past. Nothing that should concern you, young one." Jowa said seriously but his smile was still there. Naruto sighed
"So, what goes on around here old man? I mean, you live all alone in the middle of nowhere?" Naruto asked curiously. There was a village, but it was across the forest they came from, quite a few miles away. Jowa kept smiling
"I'm not really alone. There's a village to the north of here, but strange things happen lately. They seem to have a few problems." Jowa said and his expression turned in a one of thought.
North… that mountain that he had seen was north of here. Could the village be there…?
"Is it a hidden village?" Naruto asked again and Jowa eyed him for a second. He then nodded. Naruto searched his memory, but couldn't remember any hidden village being in this vicinity.
"A hidden village it is indeed, but only a few outsiders know its existence. It is… a somewhat rare occasion. You must not tell anybody else about this village young one. You may visit it, but not tell anyone else about it. Am I understood?" Jowa said seriously and Naruto only nodded. The old man smiled…
End Flashback
"So, where is this village?" Sakura asked excitedly. Naruto eyed her. "North. Far to the north." He said and all eyes went wide.
"B-But, Naruto-kun… if we go north, we will have to go through Sunakagure…" Hinata said a little worriedly. Naruto nodded. "I know. The old man didn't tell me where exactly the village is, but he told me it was north from his house. And his house is north of Suna. So, here you go. A new village which a few people know, the perfect place for us to begin anew!" he said excitedly. Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata looked between each other for a minute. Naruto sat in his place, waiting for their opinion.
Sakura nodded. Getting through Suna would also let her get a few herbs she would need for some special medicines. Like, 'The Dessert Flower', a plant that could only be found in Suna.
Hinata nodded. If Naruto wanted to go there, then so be it. She would go through hell for him…
Sasuke nodded. He didn't know anywhere else that they could go anyway…
"Yosh! Tomorrow we depart then?" Naruto asked happily and they all smiled, Sasuke smirking.
"You bet" Sakura said
"Alright, N-Naruto-kun" Hinata added
"Hn, ok dobe" Sasuke agreed.
Naruto grinned at them all and it was then that their orders arrived. Naruto's grin seemed to go wider, if that was even possible…
"Let's eat!" he said happily and the others nodded…
XxxxX
At the hilltop of the small hill among the forest outside the restaurant, the full moon made a dark figure visible. It seemed to wear a pitch black robe while his hands seemed to stroke a strange large sword. The darkness couldn't completely hide the smirk that was plastered on his face.
Soon… very soon… his weapon would feast…
XxxxX
After they finished dinner, they sat at the restaurant for a few more hours to contemplate on their journey. What would be the possible dangers and such.
They would have to go through Sunakagure, in order to head north of it towards the valley Naruto had mentioned. If they were lucky, they would get through it easily without having to face Iwa ninjas.
But there was a slight problem. After they were marked MIA, they would have to keep their hitai-ates hidden from plain sight, just so that they wouldn't attract attention. They would also have to go to Suna as travelers, thus reducing the possibility of involving themselves in a fight.
Suna was three days journey from where they were. And in three days… everything can happen…
XxxxX
A/N: Well, here you go. You guys must have noticed the 'Light/Darkness' thing of the story ne? I must say, I was always attracted to the idea of such things, you know, divine powers against darkness and such. So here I place it in my story in the best way possible. The whole plot will soon run around it. The techniques you read are created from me for the purpose of the story. You know, 'Divine Release/Shadow Release' and such. There's much to come. Please tell me your opinion. A review would be more than appreciated xD
Finally, I'd like to tell you guys that once more I'm restarting playing World Of Warcraft, a game most people amongst the globe know. So, I'll be busy and such, gearing up my 70lvl character, so expect updates to take a little longer. Not much, but a little longer indeed
"Sigh" life is hard. Ain't easy to be an author and a gamer at the same time eh? Please Review!