Chapter 9:
Now that Naruto had been branded a thief, everyone in the village threw him dirty looks and whispered about him as he passed by. Even more of a reason to stay inside and off the street. He didn't mean to get on their bad side. He was just trying to get answers. If Sai kept repeating the words 'white tiger' over and over again, there must have been a reason for it. Many of the stories he heard had a White Tiger in it. There must have been some kind of connection.
With nothing else to do and most of the village shunning him, Naruto kept the silent Sai company. All he did was sit and stare out the window as usual. He would smile at Naruto any time he tried to engage Sai in conversation and contribute no further.
Naruto watched him stare out the window as he had done for the past several days, becoming curious. "I wonder... Hey, Sai?" Sai didn't turn right away. "Did you want to go outside?"
Maybe that was why Sai kept staring out the window. Maybe he wanted to go outside and walk around. Maybe there was something out there he wanted to see.
Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the chair. "Come on. Let's go outside for a bit. The fresh air will do you some good."
Sai came along willingly. He bowed his head to the stone lions and stepped into the warm sunlight. Naruto and Sai walked shoulder to shoulder down the street. Hopefully being with Sai would allow Naruto to walk down the street without being criticized too severally by the villagers. Maybe they would think Sai was watching him to make sure he didn't do anything.
No one took much notice of them. The villagers were too busy with the wedding preparations to glance their way. Women compared fabrics and men carried large boxes and wooden tables from one street to the next. One woman held up a round lantern with a star pattern and turned to the woman beside her. "Shame she isn't getting married tonight. It is a full moon after all. It would be beautiful."
The woman beside her nodded. "Yes, but that was before. At the rate we're going, things would never be ready in time if they decided to do it today. The moon will still be big tomorrow night. And with no clouds, they should have no problems seeing it."
That was right. Because of the drought, there were no clouds in the sky. Which made the sun so much harsher and brighter. The heat was so terrible, Naruto wanted to turn back and wait it out in the inn; but he was curious to see what Sai would do now that he was outside.
For the most part, Sai didn't do anything but walk. The heat didn't seem to bother him while Naruto could feel the top of his head blistering. Sai stopped and looked down with a smile. "Rabbit." He bent down and picked up the small toad hopping towards him. He held it in both hands close to his face; so close Naruto thought he was going to kiss it.
"Why do you keep calling that thing a rabbit?" Naruto asked.
The toad's throat puffed out several times, sitting calmly in his hands. Sai's smile spread and gave it a pat on the head with his thumb. "Rabbit."
Naruto shook his head. "I wish you'd start making sense, Sai. Everyone thinks you're crazy. Even I know you're nuts but..." There was something going on inside Sai's head. Something no one could make sense of. Maybe he wasn't crazy after all. Maybe he really was trying to tell them something. Maybe he was speaking in code.
A little boy came running down the street, ducking under tables and around barrels, holding something in his hands. Naruto recognized those dirty ripped pants anywhere. It was Nozomu. And he was holding a bone in his hands. Ayaka's necklace! Naruto cut him off and wouldn't let him leave.
"What are you doing with that?"
Nozomu held it close to his chest so Naruto couldn't snatch it away. "I'm saving the village!" he said firmly. "It's a real tiger's bone! I'll throw it down the well and make it rain!"
"You can't do that." Even if he did believe this child, Naruto was certain he would get blamed for this somehow. Maybe the villagers would think he stole it again and tried to blame it on Nozomu or that he put the boy up to it. "You can't just steal it. You have to give it back."
"Why should I?"
"Because without it, she'll get sick again. That's what her dad said. That thing's magic."
"If it's magic then it will work and bring rain to this village. I have to do this!"
This boy was as stubborn as any other child. "Listen, you don't want Ayaka to get sick again, do you?"
Nozomu looked down. "No..."
"And it's her wedding tomorrow. You have to give it back. Do something nice for her and return it."
Nozomu frowned. "I don't want her to get sick again... But I don't want the village to suffer either! It hasn't rained here in a couple months! We only have the river left and soon that will dry up, too. It's already going down. I can see the banks and I couldn't before. When that dries up, the plants will die and we can't get food, we'll have nothing to drink and then we'll die. So I'd rather have the girl sick than have everyone dead."
"Good point." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. This boy had this well thought out. He knew how to reason. He couldn't let everyone in the village die just to keep one girl from getting sick. Besides, if everyone died, then she would die, too. It was probably best for her to be sick and alive than have her and everyone else die.
While Naruto thought, Nozomu tried to sneak around him but was cut off again. "Let me through! I have to throw this down the well and save the village!"
"Ok, ok, let's make a deal." Naruto bent down to be at eye level with the small boy. "You can throw that down the well..." Nozomu started to go around him and Naruto grabbed his wrist. "Wait! Let me finish! We'll throw the tiger bone into the well and when it starts raining we'll take it out and give it back to Ayaka. Deal?"
It seemed like a good plan. Nozomu seemed to think so as well because he agreed and led Naruto over to the old well.
The well accepted the bone. Nozomu watched its decent, leaning over the cool stones and listened. There was a dull thump as it hit the bottom of the dark well. Nozomu climbed down and poked his head out from under the old wooden roof, watching the sky.
Naruto shielded his eyes and looked up at the unchanging sky. No clouds appeared, no rumbling. Nothing happened. He looked at Nozomu who kept staring up eagerly with clenched fists. But nothing changed.
Naruto sighed. "Ok, let's-"
"Wait!" Nozomu kept looking at the sky, eyes squinting in the burning light.
Naruto looked back at the sky. Maybe the bone needed a few seconds to work. They stood staring at the sky for another minute but nothing changed. It was not going to rain. Feeling they had waited long enough, Naruto looked back at Nozomu. "It's not working."
"It has to! It's our only hope! I have to bring rain to the village and save everyone! All those stories are true! They have to be! It's the only thing giving me hope. If I throw a tiger's bone into the Dragon's Well, it will rain in times of drought. That's how the story goes." Even when his eyes started to water from the sunlight, Nozomu kept staring at the sky, hoping to see clouds and feel the rain.
Naruto couldn't wait anymore and looked down into the well. He couldn't see the bottom. According to what her father said, Ayaka would get sick again within minutes if the bone was not around her neck. He had to get it back.
He sat on the edge of the stone well letting his feet dangle and getting a feel for the well's size. It was smaller than he thought. There was no bucket or rope to lower himself with, but he didn't seem to need it. The well was small enough for him to hold onto the walls. He could easily climb down and use his Chakra to steady himself. It was just like climbing a tree without using his hands. This should be easy. Naruto started to lower himself. Soon he realized his first plan wasn't going to work. The well was almost as narrow as a chimney. Pressing his back against the wall, he could barely fit his arms in front of him. He couldn't even bend his knees. This meant he couldn't use the technique he wanted. He was having trouble pressing the soles of his feet against the wall. Maybe he couldn't get his feet in front of him but he knew he could step on the wall behind him. It was basic human anatomy. There were certain ways the body could bend.
As soon as he tried his back-up plan, it back fired. He slipped and started sliding straight down the well. He tried to slow himself with his hands but the bumpy stones only knocked his hands away and caused him a great deal of pain. He managed to slow himself just enough, however. When he finally touched the bottom, it wasn't as painful as it would have been. Now he faced a new problem. The darkness and lack of space. He couldn't see anything. He could feel different things around his feet but couldn't see them. To make matters worse, he couldn't reach down to pick them up. Naruto had to rely on his flexibility.
The bottom of the well was cold and smelled like mold. Parts of the wall were soft, some were slimy and some just felt like cold stone. Naruto pressed his cheek against the wall, trying to reach the bottom with his hands but his knees couldn't bend without hitting the wall. He couldn't lower himself any further. He had to improvise. He kicked off one of his shoes and started feeling around with his foot.
"What the hell did that kid throw down here?" Naruto winced, feeling all sorts of different textures. Some were hard, some were smooth, some bumpy, fuzzy, spiky and something that felt like dead leaves and thistles. He touched something with his foot and curled his toes around it. It was long and thin like a necklace chain. He kicked his foot flinging the object up and caught it in his hand. He felt it with his thumb. It felt like jewelery but he couldn't feel the fang-like bone. He felt around again. His toe managed to hook something long and thin. He kicked it up and caught it. He could feel the hook-like bone and knew he had the necklace. He slipped his shoe back on and looked up.
Now he faced a new problem: how to get out of here?
He tried to climb out by pressing his back into the wall and pushing against the opposite side with his arms. That didn't work. He couldn't get his arms up far enough to exert enough pressure. His back kept sliding down the wall with every attempt. He couldn't get a good grip. Next he tried climbing using his hands to pull himself up, using the bumpy stones as a ladder. That didn't work either. The stones were too smooth and there was very little to grip onto. Even using his Chakra it was too difficult. The stones would shift or slip from his grasp. He was stuck.
"Hello?" he called up from the bottom of the well. With any luck, Nozomu would still be nearby looking up at the sky and hear him. "A little help? Hello? Hey, I'm stuck in here! Help!"
"Naruto?"
"Yeah!" Naruto could barely make out Sakura's image above him, but he heard her voice very clearly. "Sakura, I need some help! I'm stuck down here. Can you get me out?"
"You got yourself down there, can't you get yourself out?"
"I tried but I can't. Can you throw me a rope or something?"
Her head disappeared and a second one appeared. It was Neji. He looked down the well then turned away shaking his head.
"Well, sorry!" Naruto called up. "I've tried everything else! Are you gonna help me or not?"
Something hit the top of Naruto's forehead. It was a rope. "Does that answer your question?" came Neji's voice. "Now hold onto that and I'll pull you up."
"Ok!" Naruto held onto the rope, still clutching the objects he found at the bottom of the well in his left hand. Naruto couldn't climb the rope with so little space, but being pulled up seemed like the best strategy. He held on tight as the rope started to move. The rope groaned and strained, but Naruto was moving.
"Climb the rope!" yelled Neji. "Don't make me do all the work."
"I can't! There's not enough space. This well's tiny."
"And old," came Sakura's voice. It was faint at first, then got much louder. "You're an idiot, Naruto! What kind of ninja are you, getting stuck in a dry well?"
"I didn't know it was this narrow!"
"Did you think of using Shadow Clones?" came Neji's voice.
"No!" Sakura's voice came again. "The well's already old and falling apart. I mean, look at it. If he uses his Shadow Clones, the well could break. Plus, Naruto said it was too narrow. If he uses them, he'll be crushed. The best thing to do is to pull him up with the rope like we decided."
Neji pulled on the rope, his feet sliding across the dry dirt. He was strong, but having Naruto's dead weight on the other end didn't make his job easy. Not to mention the rope's poor condition. It was old and felt like straw against Neji's palms. As the rope rubbed against the stone well, dust and flacks were shaved off and fell like rain drops from a branch after a storm. The rope was practically falling apart in his hands, but that was what the villagers offered him.
At this rate the rope wouldn't last much longer. Parts of the rope were beginning to unwind and some parts were getting thinner as it rubbed against the stone like cheese on a grater. "Hurry up and put some effort into it! At this rate, the rope's going to snap long before we get you out of there."
"Then hurry up!" Naruto yelled from inside the well.
"Contribute something!"
A crowd had formed, all watching the spectacle at the well. Some people whispered, some people giggled, some offered different ideas, but everyone stood around watching the ninja try to get their comrade out of the old dry well. Among the crowd was Sai, still holding the toad in his hands. He peered around shoulders and heads, trying to get a better look. Seeing his friends struggle, he stepped forward.
The midsection of the rope was getting thinner. It was going to snap before they got Naruto out. If they wanted to get him out before that happened, they had to do it quickly.
Sai looked at the toad sitting calmly in his hands. Then he carefully reached up and gingerly set the toad on his head. Hands now free and the toad safe, Sai moved closer to the well. He walked straight over to where Neji was struggling and took hold of the rope, a little further from where Neji's hands were gripping. Sai held the rope in one hand and, with very little effort, gave the rope a sudden tug.
Naruto shot out of the well like a rocket. It was a miracle his arms were still attached after such a powerful jerk. He was pulled straight out of the well and into the air. In midair, the rope snapped but it was no longer needed. Naruto was free. He soared over Sai's head and crashed into Neji who stood like a stunned animal still holding onto the broken rope. The two went tumbling over into the dirt.
Naruto, Neji and Sakura all stared open-mouthed at Sai. Though Naruto had not seen it from inside the well, he knew what had happened. Sai smiled at them all and took the toad off his head. Cupping it in his hands, Sai turned and walked away into the parting crowd.
"That's so weird..." Sakura murmured. "Sai was never that strong before. To pull Naruto up single-handed like that..."
"He didn't put any effort into it at all," added Neji. "He just tugged on the rope with one hand. Just a flick of his wrist."
Something was definitely wrong with Sai. But now he wasn't just odd. He was creepy.
"Naruto, why were you in that well in the first place?" asked Sakura.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Naruto held up the necklace. "Nozomu threw this down the well so I went in to get it back."
"Nozomu!" A man stepped forward, putting his hands on his hips. He was frowning at the small boy. "I thought we had put aside this nonsense!"
"But dad..!"
"Dad?!" Naruto looked from the man to the boy. Now he remembered. That man was the same one who was feuding with the groom's mother. Naruto had seen him the other day with Haruki, but he had no idea he was Nozomu's father.
"I thought I could make it rain if I did. That's a tiger's bone. If I-"
"I know you're trying to help, but you can't just take things and throw them down a well. Not to mention, you took that from Ayaka. The poor girl's been sick for so long and then you turn around and steal from her the day before her wedding?"
"I said I was sorry!" Nozomu didn't look sorry for his actions as much as he was that he got caught doing it.
"This wouldn't happen if you had been watching your son better," said a woman. Naruto knew her, as well. This was Haruki's mother.
"I would if I wasn't busy with you all the time."
"You don't have to be!"
"It's because you keep insisting about that silly bracelet. I told you, I don't have it! It's not in my house. You must've misplaced it at home."
"I had it when I went over."
"You did not!"
By this time most of the onlookers were going back to work. Some stayed behind to watch the two neighbors bicker. Naruto stood up and brushed himself off, dropping something in his hand. That's right. He had brought up two items from the well. The necklace and...
"Naruto, what's that?"
"I must've taken that from inside the well, too." Naruto bent down and picked up...
"My bracelet!" The woman ran forward and ripped it out of Naruto's hands. She polished it on her sleeve and quickly fastened it to her wrist. "Wherever did you find it?" The woman looked so overjoyed to have her treasure back.
"I got it from the bottom of the well."
"See?" said the man firmly. "I told you I didn't have it!"
"Then how did it end up inside the well?"
"I threw it down there," answered Nozomu.
The woman and the father both looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"I found it in the kitchen when the lady was over cooking with mom. I asked if mom had a bracelet and dad said no so I threw it down the well. It was shiny and white so I thought it would help make it rain."
"You took it?"
Nozomu nodded.
"I knew you had it in your house. I knew I came over with it."
The father looked ready to argue, but realizing he was at fault for not watching his child, he deflated. "You're right, I'm sorry. I was so sure... but I guess I should have bothered to look and maybe ask if my son had seen it. I didn't put forth any effort to help find it. I guess I should have been watching him better than I was."
The woman sighed. "I suppose you're not completely at fault either. I was quick to blame you. I'm sorry for that."
It was awkward for both of them to admit that they were both at fault. Apologies were exchanged, marking the end of their quarrel. Now the neighbors were smiling at each other and the remaining onlookers gave relieved smiles and returned to work.
While the adults reconciled, Naruto looked through the crowd trying to find Sai. Naruto hurried, hoping to catch up to him. Sai was easy to find. He hadn't wandered too far, walking slowly with the toad in his cupped hands. Naruto easily cut him off and stood in front of him in the middle of the road. "Sai." He didn't say anything. He stood politely, listening.
Naruto didn't know what to ask first. How did Sai possess that kind of strength to yank him out of the well like that? Why was he still hanging onto that toad like that? Now Naruto had a new question to ask: how did he know the bracelet was in that well? Earlier that day, Sai had said the word 'lost' when he was holding onto Ayaka's necklace. Then they happened to go for a walk right by the well just as Nozomu was getting ready to throw the necklace into it. Sai never stopped Naruto from going down that well. It was as if he wanted him to. It couldn't have been coincidence. Sai must have known the lost bracelet was down there and wanted Naruto to find it.
"How did you know the bracelet was down there?"
Sai didn't answer.
"How did you know?"
"White tiger," Sai mumbled, stroking the toad's head.
Naruto stepped aside and followed Sai back to the inn. Maybe Sai hadn't lost his mind after all. Perhaps he knew more than he was letting on. Everyone was ignoring Sai, brushing his actions and words off as something done from his shock or possible insanity. Even Naruto hadn't been paying much attention to him. That was all going to change. Clearly Sai was in his right mind, just unable to communicate the way he used to. Naruto had to pay close attention from now on.
Sai wasn't crazy.
If Sai's not crazy, then what is he?
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