A/N: A big thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. That'd be you NINjaJuUtsu, Silvermane1, TigrezzTail, Loretta537 and Yin and Yang! :D

Journey of the Jinchuriki

Chapter 3 – Four Years Later…

In a not so crowded bar somewhere in the Fire Country two figures sat opposite each other, looking very much out of place.

One of them was dressed completely in black. He wore a hooded, black top with black combats and a pair of sandals. Covering his head and face was a mask. The only features visible were his blue eyes, which peered out from small slits. The man sat opposite him was dressed just as mysteriously with his long, hooded cloak. Both men continuously scanned their surroundings inconspicuously.

"Nothing, so far," Naruto commented quietly.

Minoru nodded in agreement.

They noticed one of the workers heading towards them, carrying their orders on a tray.

Naruto sighed inwardly, seeing the fascinated look she gave him. Placing their orders on the table she leaned towards him, flashing her cleavage.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She flirted.

"No, thanks," he responded coolly.

She backed off, startled by the coldness in his voice. "Oh…um…okay," her cheeks quickly flamed red with embarrassment. "Hope you enjoy your food."

They watched as she hurried away, looking humiliated.

Minoru chuckled quietly. "There was no need for that," he pointed out.

Naruto responded with a careless shrug. He couldn't help it. It was the only way to get them to back off without things getting awkward and out of control.

Minoru shook his head lightly, noting in amusement that he'd rejected five women who'd approached their table since they'd walked in half an hour ago.

"You didn't have to reject all of them. You could've at least been nicer about it," Minoru teased.

Naruto ignored him, not in the least interested. He glanced around once more before pulling his mask up from the neck and started to eat.

The women had been eyeing him up for a while now, waiting eagerly for a glimpse of his face. They stared in wonder at the kissable, well-defined lips, silently wishing they could get a taste of them.

He was tall with a lean body any guy would kill for and the way he presented himself, looking all mysterious, was enough to capture their attention. His soulful blue eyes, so piercing and cool, were like the icing on the cake. Nearly all the women present wanted those eyes on them.

As he ate Naruto felt movement close by and stiffened.

Minoru kept his head down, having sensed the approaching figure as well.

The mask went down instantly, hiding the boy's features. When a firm hand landed on his shoulder he looked up. A man much older than him glared back angrily. "Can I help you?" Naruto asked coolly.

The man narrowed his eyes immediately. "Yeah, I want you to get the fuck out of here right now," he answered in a cold, hate-filled voice.

"And if I don't…?" Naruto replied calmly.

"I'll rip you apart," the man growled.

Naruto smirked underneath the mask. With incredible speed he grabbed hold of the hand on his shoulder and twisted hard, breaking it.

The man screamed, clutching his broken wrist. "YOU BASTARD!" He yelled, moving to attack him again.

Naruto was ready. He appeared behind him, grabbing hold of both of his arms and pushed him to the ground, pressing his knee painfully into his back. The guy whimpered, immediately begging to be released. Everyone else in the bar observed the scene in silence, clearly shocked and amazed by what was happening.

"I don't want any more trouble. Have I made myself clear?" Naruto asked steadily. The man nodded straight away and was released. He stood up quickly and rushed out. Naruto shook his head in disgust, sitting back down.

"Nice work," Minoru smiled amusedly. "This time you managed to sort things out without breaking anything."

Naruto grinned underneath his mask, remembering what'd happened the last time someone had tried a similar act. They just didn't learn.

"We'd better hurry up and leave," Minoru sighed. "Trouble might just be on the way."

After dumping some cash on the table they got up to leave, heading towards the exit. By the time they'd reached it 'trouble' had already appeared in the form of five heavily-muscled guys.

"Sensei, leave this to me. I'll meet you back at the hotel room," said Naruto, narrowing his eyes at the five guys who were glaring at him.

"Fine," Minoru replied, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Okay guys, let's take this outside," Naruto told them, boredom dripping from his tone.

"Sure, why not? I'm going to enjoy breaking every bone in your body," said one of them, flashing him a smirk.

"If you say so," Naruto responded nonchalantly.

They headed outside where a crowd had already formed, sensing there was a fight. People from inside the bar had come outside to watch, as well. They slowly formed a circle around him, trying to intimidate him. Unfortunately Naruto just stared back, completely at ease.

"Look, we don't have to do this," he tried to pacify them, knowing it was pointless but trying anyway. "You're going to regret this by the time it's all over."

All five of them burst out laughing. "The only person who's going to regret anything is you, kid," said one of them.

Deciding to end this quickly Naruto phased out, delivering quick, clean moves. Ten seconds later all five of them lay unconscious on the ground.

The crowd just stared, totally gobsmacked. "Hey, what the hell just happened? I didn't even see him move," someone cried out.

Murmurs of agreement were heard as Naruto began walking away. Sensing someone's eyes on him he looked to the right up ahead and saw a masked man looking closely at him. He had his back against the wall, a book opened in one hand. Naruto recognised the latest Icha Icha book cover. He had long, spiky, silver hair and was wearing a Konoha headband, which covered one eye of his. Judging by the flak jacket he was either a Jounin or a Chunin. Cursing silently Naruto kept his cool, looking away casually.

"That was quite impressive," the man commented when Naruto had reached him.

Naruto nodded, not bothering to speak. He continued walking ahead in silence. The guy didn't remark any further, continuing to observe him until he'd turned the corner. Naruto could feel his gaze burning into his back. He resisted the urge to teleport out of there, sighing in relief when he'd turned the corner. Seconds later he appeared in his hotel room where his sensei waited.

"We need to leave," Naruto announced. "I just saw a ninja from Konoha."

Minoru perked up instantly. Within minutes they'd grabbed their belongings and checked out. It was a good thing it was getting dark already, lessening their chances of being seen. The streets were still busy, but no one paid any attention to them as they leapt from roof to roof, heading out of the small village…

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review! Until next time… ^_^