Hi everyone. Thanks again for the reviews.
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Duty Over Hell.
Chapter Three – Right or Wrong?
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As Naruto got further and further away from the village, the people he knew as his friends were all sat in the Hokage's office waiting to hear any news about him. That was when Tsunade walked in, a white envelope in her hand.
"Naruto has left the village. He left only this letter in his apartment." Tsunade said quietly. The group waited expectantly for Tsunade to open the letter and when she did open it and start reading it, they could almost hear Naruto's voice from the words.
To all my friends,
I don't know quite how to say this but I have to leave for a while. The whole village seems to know what happened to me, and it makes me feel weak and useless. After all if I can't even protect myself, how can I protect the people I care about? That's why I'm leaving now. I think I need to get stronger before I can come back and carry on with my dreams. I promise that I will come back. I don't know exactly when that's gonna be. Everything is really confusing at the moment, but I trust you guys to be okay for a little while without me. Even though I'm not that important.
I don't want anyone to come after me. I need to be by myself at least for now. It's hard to explain but I need everyone to just trust me this one time. I'll see you soon, I hope.
Your Friend,
Naruto.
The group held their breath as they waited for Tsunade to make a decision.
"He says he's coming back. We'll give him a year. Then we'll go looking for him." Tsunade stated.
"But if we wait that long, then his trail will go cold and we'll never find the loser." Sasuke flared.
"We need to respect his wishes. At least for now." Tsunade said. She left the room, leaving no space for discussion. While the others felt shocked and angry that the Hokage wouldn't help them look for Naruto. They didn't know that the female Hokage was crying as she left the room.
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Naruto was quite a way away from the village now. He felt slight relief the further away he got. No more taunts, no more pain, no more cutting remarks. But he also wouldn't see his friends for quite a while. He sighed as he shrugged his pack on a bit tighter and was still moving. He didn't know his destination yet but he knew he would have to stop in the next village to get something to eat. He had some apples but he wanted to use them when there was nothing else to eat around. It was mid afternoon when Naruto finally reached the next village. He could feel his stomach growling and he was hungry, but as he walked past a fruit stall he saw a young girl being yelled at by the stall owner.
Naruto looked at the girl. She had brown hair that seemed to get lighter nearer the tips. Her eyes were such a mix of colour that Naruto didn't have a clue what colour they really were. One moment he thought her eyes were blue, then brown, then grey and then green, but her eyes, whatever colour they were, were full of mischief. She was dressed in a baggy, black, long-sleeved t-shirt and baggy black jeans. She was also wearing black, flat-heel boots, and black fingerless gloves. Her hair was loose, and styled into and inverted bob and Naruto could see a kunai pouch strapped to her right leg. It too was black.
Naruto blinked. He'd never seen anyone wear so much black before. Then he heard what the yelling was about.
"I'm not selling food to you damn outcasts. You freaks travel around with no one to tell you what's right from wrong, living out in the forest like trash that's been thrown away, we don't what that kind of customer in this town." The man said. The girl didn't let a glare mar her slim features.
"Well you can sell to me, or I can stand here all day waiting and scare away your customers, sir. So what's it gonna be?" The girl said. Her voice filled with cheekiness, along with the big grin on her face.
The stall owner glared.
"Fine. Take the fruit and vegetables. But if I find that you're even a penny short you'll be sorry." The stall owner grumbled. It was then Naruto noticed the girl had a large looking hand wagon with her. He watched her load the fruit and vegetables she had bought and then saw her moving along. She looked older then him by at least a couple of years, and she was about five foot four in height. He was five foot nine. He bit his lip and decided to ask her about these outcasts. They sounded like people he could be around without getting killed.
"Hey excuse me." Naruto yelled. The girl turned and looked at him.
"What did that stall owner mean by outcasts?" Naruto asked. The girl blinked.
"You're new around here I suppose. We're called outcasts because we live in the forest and we have our own reasons for not being able to go back home to our own villages. So what are you doing here anyways kid?" The girl asked.
"To be honest, I'm just trying to find somewhere to stay for awhile. I can't really go back home myself." Naruto said quietly.
"Oh?" The girl answered.
"Well you might as well come along with me. Meet our leader type person. She isn't exactly our boss, but she speaks for us when anyone comes along, and most of the kids listen to her anyways." The girl added.
Naruto blinked as he walked with the girl. He watched her pick up some other supplies, such as meat, fish, and barrels of milk and other things. As they started to walk into the forest, Naruto looked at the girl again.
"Uh… sorry, I forgot to ask your name." Naruto said. He blushed a little with embarrassment.
"I'm Shin. It's short for Shinigami. What's your name?" The girl asked.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replied easily. Shin grinned.
"Well kid don't worry, you'll be alright with us." Shin said cheerily. Naruto just nodded wondering if he was doing the right thing or not.
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O.K. people tell me what you think once again. Please R&R and see ya next chapter.
