CHAPTER 2: NARUTO TO THE RESCUE
WAVE COUNTRY; 2 DAYS AGO
The wind whipped Naruto's hair around as he bound from tree branch to tree branch. He had just completed his solo mission of taking down some nameless team of thugs that were heckling Tazuna's village, claiming that they were there to protect the town for any threat- for a fee. He was done with that within an hour and was treated to ramen, courtesy of Tsunami.
Off to Naruto's right, the rustle of a bush could be heard. Naruto froze dead in his tracks on the tree branch he just landed on, not daring to make any sound or any move that could give an enemy an advantage. He stood frozen in a combat-ready position, listening and rapidly scanning the surrounding forestation.
Then came a sound that seemed like a whimper. Curiosity taking over, Naruto headed down the tree's trunk, muffling the sound of his steps with extra chakra.
Another whimper came from the bush Naruto was focusing on. The said Genin approached at a slow pace, careful not to walk into an ambush. He peered over the bush and what he saw made his heart break in sympathy. In the middle of a clearing, a cat-like girl lay on her side, curled up in a fetal position. Gashes and cuts littered her body, staining the grass around her dark red. Some of the wounds still had a kunai or shuriken lodged in them.
The girl continued to whimper and lightly sob every so often. Naruto had seen enough and he began to approach the injured cat girl, hoping that there weren't any further traps.
The girl saw him coming and one could see the fear in her face. Naruto saw this and knelt down next to her.
"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you," he said softly as he pet the girl's head, which seemed to calm the girl down a little. Naruto then moved his other hand toward a kunai that was stuck in one of her wounds. He barely touched the handle when he suddenly jumped back away from the cat girl, dodging several enemy projectiles.
"Get away from our prize, kid," warned a gruff voice. Even more projectiles flew in Naruto's direction following the threat. The said Genin drew a Kunai of his own and knocked away the entire oncoming volley.
"Gotcha!" Naruto found himself trapped in a bear hug from behind by a large man with well-defined muscles. A woman appeared several feet away, proceeding to scoop up the "prize". Naruto struggled in vain to get free. The man's arms didn't even budge.
"Aoi, why don't we finish this kid off?" the man said to the woman, "We can't have witnesses." Aoi gave an evil smirk and drew her katana. Dumping the cat girl onto the ground, Aoi rushed at Naruto who was powerless to move- or so they thought.
Confusion lined Aoi's face after she plunged her blade into Naruto who poofed out existence. From behind Aoi, Naruto jumped up from some bushes and summoned several Kage Bunshin. Before the large man knew what hit him, he was taken out by a Rasengan.
"Matsu!" Aoi cried out. She tried to run over to his unconscious form but was stopped by Naruto and his clones, several having Rasengan at the ready. Aoi began to back away before turning and running, dropping her katana in the process. Naruto dispelled his clones and picked up the katana.
I could get some special training for this, he thought as placed the sword in a sealing scroll.
Naruto found the cat girl resting against a nearby tree. The girl looked up at him and gave a small smile before saying a quiet, "Arigatou."
"Oh, you can talk," Naruto tried his best to hide his surprise. They would then start conversing and getting to know each other while Naruto helped her heal. He pulled out the Kunai and Shuriken still lodged into her skin and she then healed those wounds with a medical jutsu. From what Naruto found out, the cat girl's name is Felicia. She is 40 years old in "cat years" and 7 in "human years". She was raised by a human family but has been out on her own ever since she narrowly escaped an arson fire that killed the human family.
Felicia cried as she told her story, breaking Naruto's heart for the second time. When she finished, Naruto pulled her into a comforting hug, allowing his shoulder to become wet with tears.
Despite his reluctance, Naruto told Felicia of his own back-story. He included everything from the glares the villagers gave him to the hateful insults to the mob-fueled beatings. Recalling all of it lead to Naruto breaking down for the first time in a few years. Now it was Felicia's turn to give a comforting hug, but not without shedding some tears of her own out of sympathy.
After a while, both eventually calmed down, happy to get everything off their chests. Naruto then made an offer to Felicia that she could come back to Konoha with him. Felicia couldn't believe what she heard. She pounced on Naruto, holding him in an affectionate death grip. She, of course, had to let go (quite reluctantly) after Naruto begged for air.
With the matter now settled, Naruto continued on his way back to Konoha with Felicia just a step or two behind.
