The Maelstrom Beast of Konoha
"Stop. Do it again," said Kakashi, his timbre reaching a darker range. The two students stopped, barely completing their attacks. Lucky for them, as well, since only one centimeter of distance separated Naruto and Sakura, who felt the sharp pressure of air pushing against their open pores. They jumped backwards, their feet getting used to the fluid surface of the lake. The small ripples coming from flaccid underneath them mocked them, their lines mimicking the ninjas' breathing. Naruto with his clear sea eyes stared straight at Sakura's vibrant forest irises.
Kakashi appeared before them in an instant like a malicious specter from a noiseless house. It mesmerized them how utterly soundless their teacher was in using the techniques compared to their rustling leaf ruckus. His towering frame loomed over them. They felt his eye inspecting them, like he could touch the involuntary twitches running inside their bodies.
"Let us take a break before resuming again," he said. "I'll check on how Sasuke is doing on his exercises." With his parting words, Kakashi used Body Flicker to immediately vanish from any detection in their eyes.
"Someday, we're going to do that, Naruto," said Sakura. "But first you have to stop falling into the water."
Both of the youngsters let out the stream of vocal percussion, bellowing and filling the area with sound. Earlier the two had been training with Kakashi, and Kakashi used his varying low-powered elemental jutsu with such efficiency that his jutsu caught the genin in various degrees of bruises. Their feeble techniques couldn't even overpower a tiny bit of his own, usually, his completely charge through their combined strength with more ferocity they didn't think their teacher held. After they were done being slaughtered by their teacher, he ordered them to the next exercise: Hand-to-hand combat on top of the lake they found.
Naruto thought he would be able to do the exercise faster because he learned walking on water first. Yet the first step he took on the surface of the lake, he fell right through the liquid barrier. Honestly, Naruto thought, while he had to applaud Sakura-chan for being able to do the water-walking skill within ten minutes, he realized how much he sucked at controlling his chakra.
He couldn't weave the fine webs of chakra like Sakura, who seemed to be naturally in-tune with her chakra. Despite practicing the lessons Iruka ingrained into him, his chakra sometimes spiraled out of control. But instead of laughing at him, both Sakura and Kakashi helped him with fine-tuning his skills further, so at least he could last about thirty minutes instead of the five minutes. The impassioned blond hugged both Kakashi and Sakura with absolute enthusiasm.
He knew what the problem was.
In the past, he sometimes felt surges of chakra going through his body, and since knowing what was sealed in him, he knew finally figured out those sensations were not his stomach telling him to eat anymore. Not going to break down because some entity made of chakra was inside of him. No, he would take this as a challenge of improving his chakra control through training. He was not going to be under whims of some sadistic creature.
"World to Naruto, are you there?" The cherry-oriented dressed ninja snapped her digits together while waving them back and forth near his face.
Blinking away his thoughts, Naruto yawned. "Sorry, I blanked out," said the orange-clad genin, taking in the sight of the scenery in front of him. Compare to the rather husk state of the rest of the island, the small green forestation along the edge of the lake was a welcome change. Even the warmth that inhabited within the area dispelled any lingering mist from the wintery depths of the surrounding ocean. The air no longer a cold apparatus wielded by the ocean with its clawing touches; the air became the gentle early instrument of muses underneath the lakes with soothing ministrations towards weary travelers.
Instead of the usual punch or vocal battering that Sakura did during their school days, she walked over the edge of the lake and put her uncovered legs in the relaxing liquids. "It's okay, Naruto. Since Kakashi-sensei said we should take a break, let's do that," said Sakura.
As he strolled towards where blue waves caressed the ground as if the spirits in the waters held hands with the spirits in the land, he heard some hissing coming from his female teammate. Looking past the clear, illuminating water; he saw the darken marks and scarred flesh. "Sakura-chan, are you okay," said Naruto, suddenly right at the side of his teammate. At first, he reached over, preparing to lift her legs to examine them more closely, but he decided that would not be the smartest choice.
"I'm just relaxing," said Sakura. Cupping some of the cooling water in her hands, she washed them over to some hidden bruise underneath her sleeves. She turned towards Naruto, and she saw his staring, his eyes taking in each individual wound as if he felt responsible for each one of them. "This is not from our sparring, Naruto. Actually only this one," said Sakura, pointing to one spot of pink flesh on her arm, "was from fighting. The rest of these are from kicking the trees or wooden poles or whatever else I could find. Don't you have these as well?"
While such an innocent question to ask, Naruto recoiled for a bit, feeling like Sakura told him he was the vessel of the Kyuubi. Darting his eyes to the left then to the right, he said, "nope. Didn't you already know I have a durable body?"
"The same body you used when some of the teachers and guards at the academy chase you throughout the village?" She questioned. The Prankster was his name known throughout school especially with the younger generation.
"Yup, those ninjas had nothin' on me 'cause I'm amazin'," said Naruto. Even through with he cheerily respond, a stressing silence eclipsed over the two relaxing genin. They didn't have the strength to continue talking, both of them knew as their sights set on the expanding stillness of the lake. The temperate waves coming to the edges washed away any truly active thinking. Reflection, the essence of their eyes mirrored the tranquility around the area.
Just a slight calm moment, away from all the stares and chatters from the outer world.
A floating bubble of quiet peace spread between them. Any words that would come out from their mouths would retreat as the silence of the vast nature commanded more authority than any spoken sound from humans. Naruto and Sakura let nature took hold of their bodies to sweet comforts.
It wasn't until Kakashi arrived that the artificial noise from humanity dawned back into the melody of nature. "Are you two ready again?" said their commander, his voice acutely cutting their created haven. They nodded, intending to go back to fighting each other when Kakashi reached out his hand. "This time I'm going to teach you two different techniques," said Kakashi, using his favorite technique to make a clone.
"Come with me, Sakura," said Kakashi, or was it his clone. Naruto's vibrant dressed teammate easily followed their teacher or his clone without question. Until they were the away from his sight, Naruto continued watching the two departing beings and thinking why they had to be secluded.
"The techniques I have planned for the three of you are too destructive without the right amount of control. I'm separating you three, at least, so you can train without holding back," said the original, or the clone of the original, or whatever, as it didn't matter to Naruto, answering the question that formulated in his head.
Kakashi touched his bag, taking out papers. He examined it with his eye slowly landing on a word and staying there for a few moments. The long pauses he did would make his student react as his blond eyebrows rose or gave out a slight twitch around the mouth. "Considering that you have a decent amount of ninjutsu already, your training will focus more on taijutsu and possibly get a new ninjutsu."
He touched his persona again, his fingers searching for every pocket of his vest. Another strange pause happened when he fished out a scroll in his right underneath-the-vest pocket, he said, "while both you and Sakura have the same foundations, you have a tendency to use your arms despite your style relying on the legs." Using the unmasked eye, he could tell Kakashi recognized his tapping fingers on his side as if doing that would make time go faster. Clutching the scroll, Kakashi took a step towards until his body filled his sight as Naruto moved his eyes to meet his own.
Another silent moment passed before Naruto said anything. "Yeah, I know, but punchin' feels natural." His deep blue irises darted from Kakashi's face towards the resting scroll then back to the commander.
"Then it's a good thing this skill uses your arms," said Kakashi as he traced the woven strings binding the scroll together. Naruto already had his hands out, spreading digits ready to grab whatever fell into them. The shine reflected in those familiar eyes expanded even more.
Nodding to him, Kakashi placed the training scroll into those waiting fingers of the boy for more ninja techniques. Instead of tearing the woven strings, Naruto undid them as if they were the precious jewels of some hidden treasure he stumbled upon. 'Cause they were. The boy knew what a grand privilege he had, especially when Kurenai-sensei spoke of Kakashi. Wanting to learn more and cherishing any techniques Kakashi gave out was something he had to earn. Techniques are some of the ultimate tricks and skills among almost all ninjas. He was starting to understand he was privileged, his connections allowed him to learn ninjutsu that not a normal ninja from a common background could learn. He noticed it with Sakura-chan, her want to become stronger but limited to certain things. Like what he said to Jiji, relying on his old tricks won't do in the real world, not when he was the jinchuriki for the Kyuubi.
"I have a question," said Naruto, his eyes detaching themselves from the smooth surface of the scroll. "Why aren't ya teaching us the same techniques?" He continued saying when Kakashi did not hold out his hand, which he did when he wanted them to stop from talking, or what Sasuke dubbed as annoying chatter. "Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?"
Naruto swore that the only visible facial part from his teacher swirled with colors as the light made the feature brighter than usual. Naruto saw the way Kakashi rubbed the wore down hostler around his right leg, seeing etched scratches and some of the fiber coming undo at the corners. "A team having the same skill sets doesn't produce the same amount of efficiency in missions. It would have been better off with them to have different skills," said Kakashi, his eyes no longer looking straight at Naruto's own.
The teacher blinked as if remembering he had a student there in the first place.
"Take you for an example, you have the general makings of a ninjutsu specialist like me while Sakura has more of a foundation of the genjutsu archetype. You know how deadly combining ninjutsu and genjutsu together, right Naruto?"
Tiny sensationally worms crawled throughout Naruto's body. Naruto shivered, his body subconsciously trying to get rid of those worms. Trembling as he remembered some of the illusions he wasn't able to break out of, he endured those haunting images while Kurenai-sensei played with his mind without so much building up a sweat. Her genjutsu was built upon layers and layers of illusions.
He froze when some birds flew out of the area, their calls inviting back those images. He looked over any shadows especially at the back of Kakashi. He took a step back from his teacher when the tall man's shadow seemed to have moved and grown in a split second. He would be damn if he let that beautiful teacher come up behind him again, using the shadows like a true assassin.
There was no telling when an ambush could happen.
"Anyway, from the report you three told me from those rogue ninjas, I believe the technique in that scroll will help greatly for you," said Kakashi, walking to the edge of the lake.
"Okay, so what am I suppose to do?" Both the males looked at each other when the blond realized just what he said. "Opps, my bad. Habit, I guess." After assuring his teacher he was fine, Naruto gradually opened the scroll, and his eyes took towards the diagrams illustrated within the length of the scroll.
Naruto's eyes moved through the writing and pictures breezing through the meanings than when he finished the academy, his mind comprehending the instructions deeper than before. The writing, compared to the usually written instructions from his teacher, lacked the exquisite and abstractly wording. When he arrived at the final stretch of the scroll, the final image depicted an armor-clad man with smoke-covered arms smashing a side of a mountain into bits. Something told Naruto if he could apply this jutsu without the use of hand seals, he would become a much greater ninja. Although one aspect bothered them, which was the element he was supposed to use, the author of the scroll stated your natural element was the best to use.
How exactly would he know his 'natural' element when he didn't know what's that suppose to mean anyway?
Barely getting a syllable out from his throat, his mouth widen when he saw Kakashi's arms blazing as if the experienced ninja purposefully poured oil on his limbs and lit them up with fire. Yet despite the raging storm of flames seemingly scorching to the touch, Kakashi stood there holding the blasting flames as if it was one of his dogs. "This technique requires pure elemental manipulation, a chunin-level skill; however, I do believe you can handle this, Naruto," said Kakashi.
Naruto blinked and blinked some more when he heard his teacher say those words. Such words coming out from someone that was not Iruka, Jiji, Teuchi, or Ayame usually send him taking a step back. Was it possible that Kakashi was actually encouraging him? Some people might have taken those words positively, but Naruto remembered who was Kakashi's teacher.
The blond knew he should call out his teacher about believing him due to his sperm donor, but as he tried to voice those acidic vices, those hurtful words didn't come out from him. What if, a tiny what if, entered into his mind while he constricted his eyes.
What if Kakashi was really saying this because the man with the snow-ash white truly believe him?
He exiled everything through his mouth with an extended breath. He would take a page from Iruka again, learning to blather anything coming from his mind at any given moment, so he could opt to derail the conversation by saying, "hey, isn't this better for Sasuke since you are using fire element? He told us his family members were primary fire users, so yeah, isn't it better for him to learn this?"
"I thought the most unpredictable ninja of Konoha would find this technique useful. Isn't this up your alley, Naruto?" With smooth waving like dusting off in the air, the raging storm disappeared as Kakashi continued to flicker his hands. "Not many people would expect this from a freshly graduated genin."
"Man, Kakashi-sensei, I like the way ya think," said Naruto, relishing as his teacher didn't catch how the ultra-thin like hairs on his body stiffened, and how the condensation of the air hit those open spots on his flesh. He could get away from thinking about that man today, Naruto thought. He just needed to smile and joke and act as if nothing was wrong in paradise they were in like they were in a perfectly crafted illusion. "So are we going to work on this jutsu or what?"
Kakashi planned on telling Naruto to calm down, but instead, he moved his hand over his mask to hide the short air came through his nasal pathway. "Hey! Did you just laugh at me?"
"Of course not, Naruto."
"You really did."
Knowing Kakashi could infinitely and possibly fake his way out of this game, his eyes rose when Kakashi said, "You just remind me of someone," Kakashi said. Each sound harshly bounced off Naruto's eardrums as if a drummer had invaded the inner tube.
Maybe, his teacher didn't really believe he could do this because he was Uzumaki Naruto, rather because he was the son of his teacher. Those emotions from the depths of his being started trashing about as if they were wolves starving at the piece of meat daintily hanging from the arms of Kakashi. He tried to reel in those violent breasts back; however, he closed and opened his fists repeatedly. He felt his face twisting at the center of his face as deep valleys formed with his nose as the towering mountain.
A tenuous silence stressed between the two males like the deceiving ocean with hidden creatures hunting for unexpected travelers. However, for Kakashi, he wouldn't walk to a grave beneath the roaring waves of the ocean. "Despite looking like your father," said Kakashi, "you remind me more of my friend. And you react more like your mother than anyone else."
With just those magical words, the chaotic features of Naruto turned back into banality like small sprouts growing under basking rays of a giving sun. His eyes, like looking at a clear ocean, widen, taking in the genuine posture of truth from Kakashi. "You know my mom?"
"Of course, I do. After all, you inherited your family name from her." Kakashi let his arms fall to his side while he blatantly glanced at the boy, who moved around in circles as if the blond didn't expect he knew his mother. As much as he wanted to tell the boy everything he wanted to know, more pressing matters tightened their schedule like a snake coiling around its prey. "We're getting off track here, Naruto," said Kakashi, "once we come back to Konoha, I'll answer some questions you have about your mother."
For a few moments, Naruto's eyes shone like a clean surface of a mirror with his pupils finally adjusting to his teacher's visible eye. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei. We do have a mission to complete after all."
Medic of the Emerald Butterflies
The only female Team Seven member opened her eyes to see heavenly lights dancing over a curtain of royal darkness. Getting up by hammering her hands down, she propelled upwards like a woke lion. She cursed when she saw the great moon slowly rising from the depths of the horizon. She turned her head to see the clone of her teacher there, kneeling to her level. "Good evening to you, Sakura," said the clone.
"Kakashi-sensei, how long was I out?" Quickly analyzing the flattened state of the short grasses around her, she had a long way to go from mastering her technique. He said he got the skill from Kurenai, which she called it Demonic Illusion: Flower Mist. He said the skill had a two-fold effect, making the target trap in a genjutsu and using roots disable the target. Using Kakashi's clone, she barely had trapped him after countless tries before she blacked out.
She tried to get up when she staggered back down. With a feeble attempt again, she nearly crashed into the solid ground. Except, Kakashi's clone saved her from any permanent scars on her face. She looked at the exact features imprinted from the original as the clone gently lifted her off the ground. "You've only been out for an hour," said the clone, "let's go back to the house."
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura, her lower limbs not having an ounce of strength in them as if her legs as been walking uphill for many days without stop. She gasped a little when those ripping arms took her form and lifted her more into the air. She held on tighter when the air around them molded her cheeks, making them like craters.
Far different her own movements were, she sucked in her amazement at the amount of height they across already as if they were gliding through the sky, dancing with each step and leap. She closed her eyes, perceiving herself one day just dancing through the sky without the need of a person.
She felt the air, just her flying through the skies, not chained by her mother's expectations, or that man's presence in her life. She would be free from the fear that clung to her like the humid air that pressed drenched fabric and hair to her skin as she took in the sights below.
Taking in some air and widening her mouth, just one more second until she would shout to the world. But it ended all too soon, the ride stopped when she spotted the lights emitting from the small house on the hill. The clone already crossed the base, hiking where the entrance was.
She slogged after the clone.
As they tromped through the declining hallway, the clone puffed away, leaving Sakura alone. However, the clashing clinks of silverware and human chattering led her to the scene of the kitchen. There was something off when she got there. She heard everyone's voices that were presented in the kitchen even Sasuke's short replies.
Except she didn't hear the booming sounds of Naruto even though he was only a few feet away from her.
Even with the way, Naruto cut his food instead of just vacuuming the plate clean felt off to her. Sure she saw the micro-motions of his cheeks, chewing on the piece of meat inside his mouth, but the churning sensations when Naruto usually ate vanished. No trace of his regular eating appeared. At first, she thought she got caught under a genjutsu from one of the rogue Mist ninjas.
But getting touched by the body heat, Sakura saw Tsunami ushering her to take a seat with Kakashi almost signaling with his eye that she was in reality. Sitting down on the grueling wooden chair, her green eyes wandered at the occupants of the table; she didn't see the hat-wearing son of Tsunami, who by now would usually eat the last piece of fish. Turning her head, she said, "Tsunami-san, where's Inari-kun?"
A shift happened: The whole table twitched for a fragmented second. "He's not currently feeling well," she said, the lines around her mouth drawing downward.
The sound of a sake bottle hitting a wooden table emerged to her right as glances were shot there. "Tsunami, don't sugarcoat for the lass. She could handle it 'cause she's a mighty ninja," said Tazuna, "yer boy there upset my grandson."
Instead of usually shouting out, Sakura calmly waited as Tazuna told her of the events leading up to her appearance. "I ain't going to talk bad to the boy 'cause he right. The only way to get away from the oppression is to fight against it. My grandson's just too sensitive to Gato cause Kazuki died. Gods, hope his soul rest in peace with the hell he been through. Anyway, lass, ya should eat, ya must be hungry training all day long." As Tsunami passed her a bowl and chopsticks, Sakura nodded, knowing what Tazuna really meant by his gesture.
"So how's your training going, Sakura-san?" the older woman said, pulling down some food on her bowl. A meager amount, for sure. Compared to what Sakura's mother did with dinner, Sakura only had one serving of rice with two fried pieces of fish and some soup made from the leaves of vegetables with some bits. Her mother always lavished the food: Two different types of meat, freshly cooked and seasonal vegetables and fruits, plenty of rice as if the fluffy white mountain would never disappear, and desserts of any kind when her stepfather and brother came over to the house. But even with the dramatic difference, she took the food, saying thanks.
Before she could take her first bite, her teacher got up and signaled the blond member of her team to come with him with only a glance, his black eye pointing straight into Naruto's aquatic eyes. "Please excuse us," Kakashi said, "and enjoy your meal, Sakura." After they passed the doorway, both Tsunami and Tazuna eased into steady breathing, and the slight pausing creased when Tazuna talked again about starting to build the bridge tomorrow.
Thrusting her chopsticks into the mass of rice, Sakura picked a cluster of rice, and she ate, chewing and savoring the texture. She repeated the action several times: some with the fish, some with taking a sip of the soup, and some with just the rice. Barely paying attention to the dribble of Tazuna, she heard a few phrases from the man, "I'll start gathering up men around the village," or "need a little wood," or "some stones need fixing," or "it will take a while." Especially the way he explained the details on how to build the bridge– using fir wood would be better than oak wood or using concrete would be better than most of the materials they currently have, except time and money were an issue.
As she almost reached the bottom of her bowl, Sasuke put down his chopsticks and nodded to the maker of the meal before leaving the room with his eyes honing at the distance. Sakura sighed when Sasuke did not bid her farewell compared to the rest of the team. Suddenly wrench crying broke out. She stood up with her kunai at hand with her eyes scanning the dull vicinity. She saw the curling fists of the older woman, her fingers twisting the dress almost to the point of ripping the fabric apart, and the minute flinches ravaging Tsunami did every few seconds. As her green eyes took in the woman rapidly wiping away the tears, Tazuna got up and crossed the distance between him and his daughter.
Seeing that tender action between the two, Sakura wondered if her own father would have done the same. She shook her head; he would have done the same. Despite her father being in the hospital for most of her life, he was a strong person who would take care of his family; she knew it in her mind. Yes, Daddy would have done the same.
The father held his one arm around the shoulders of his only daughter and said, "It's okay. Nobody would die like Kaiza again." The jerks plaguing the gentle mother soon stopped when gawky embrace reached her. The older man even patted her back, then slowly moved his hand down her back.
No longer able to fight against suspense and possibly the lingering memories of her father, Sakura said, "why? What happened to Tsunami-san?"
"My daughter's best friend and her family disappeared yesterday. Everyone knows who done it since I'm going up against that damnable Gato. He knows that once the bridge is built he be losing his monopoly over us. Just trying to fucking scare us, that coward" said Tazuna. His fingers moved away from his daughter's shoulders into his graying hair. "Damn it, maybe I could do something."
"You know you can't, Dad. She knows how important the bridge is for the village. She would've wanted you to keep going instead of worrying about her, and Kaiza won't die for nothing," said Tsunami, whose voice broke in-between each sob, while caressing her stomach, the action her mother did recently in the house.
What could Sakura have done with this scene? How could she witness such a scene then intrude with her meaningless words? She knew she let her opinions known most of the time, but even she knew it was insensitive to talk right now even if she could say that they could help– what right did she even have?
She couldn't possibly persuade Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke-kun on going into a rescue mission without any concrete information about what exactly happened; she didn't even know how would Naruto react towards the news. Despite training together almost every day and interacting with them, she honestly had no idea how would they react.
She thought she knew them as graduates, and they would stay the same. But Naruto shattered her expectations. Sure, he has his jovial antics, but the same old class clown Naruto vanished from her mind. Familiar tightening embedded her fingers– those active digits of expression of her deepest secrets coming forth– as she slid her hands absentmindedly on her thighs.
No sound exited from her lips, not even shrieking notes that numb the eardrums. No question, no comment, a total silence entrapped the sounds in her voice. She couldn't even say any comforting words that could ease the crying from the adult woman in front of her.
She was a single, still novice genin; what opinion did she possibly could have given that would have swayed the mind of her teacher?
She shook her head, pausing while her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. The silence that fell onto the room grew longer, pinpointing the tenacious doubts radiating off from the father and daughter pair. Getting up from her position, her feet dragged her away from the scene that made her fingers searched within her for some answers Sakura didn't want. She heard the minute good nights from the two when she walked towards the room she was staying in.
As she opened her eyes for the nth time later that night, she released a sigh; a bubble of air that compressed her thoughts and feelings since starting the mission. Exhaling more thoughts away, she threw her sheets, which covered her frame, revealing her creased and wrinkled uniform. Not even bothering with fixing her uniform, she prayed those images of the rogues cutting their flesh didn't pass into reality.
Standing up and striding towards the hallway, she heard the rumbustious noises of deep sleep resounding through the thin walls of the house. Taking the soundless motions from the lessons she learned, her feather-like weight on the floor did not even make the weak spots on the stairs sound.
A little bit more. With just one last step forward, she could exit the sleeping house.
"What are you doing up so early, Sakura?" The deep vocals of her teacher emerged from the cloak of midnight. Her green eyes narrowed her sight focusing where the faint glow from outside glinted the tall figure of her teacher. His almost all-seeing visible eye locked onto her as if she had breached the normal conduct of what a genin was supposed to do.
Taking a deep breath, the only thing she could do was tell her teacher her plan. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm going to train more." There was no complexity involved in her plan; her mind shifted to improving her already learned skills to prepare for the assault against Tazuna. Without any words, her teacher took another stance of defiant quietness that he used against Tsunami by crossing his arms together and leaning on the doorway entrance.
Taking another deep breath, the coolness of the night filled her with a vigor that laid dormant under the rays of the bright sun. Her voice commanded like a huntress under the moonlight. "I know it's reckless to go out there, but I need to finish that technique."
Her eyes took hold the glinting glows from outside and basked in them, making her eyes even clearer and brighter than during the day. She straightened her posture, holding her head up high and staring straight into her teacher's eyes... well one visible eye. She hoped the hidden eye of his face was not an empty socket, missing an eyeball.
Instead of taking her hand, or ordering her to go back upstairs, or talking her out of her idea; her teacher opened the door.
A choice.
She was given a choice, and she knew what she chose when she stepped outside with her feet touching the grasses waiting for the morning condensation of dew through her sandals. Inhaling the sincere waves of cool air, she quickened her steps. Each step taken brought about and washed away the doubt invading her mind. Her digits of expression danced through the dark veils, gathering the wind around her as if she wrote magic symbol in the forest under the night sky.
Another skip in her steps landed her to the lake where she sparred against Naruto. Maybe, she could have better luck in mastering the skill of manipulating chakra into foreign objects. Staring at the slumberous waters of the lake, she exhaled, trying to dispel the distractions building within her being. The heightening cries of Tsunami; the breaking voice of Tazuna; the defying silence of Naruto; the locking commands of Kakashi; the lingering stares of those starved citizens; the decaying state of the land; but more importantly, Sasuke's distancing indifference towards her.
She shook her head at first. But the repeating words from her mother rung throughout her mind. "You should get his attention! It would be so lovely, honey!" Again, she tried shaking her head as if that motion would erase any traces of her mother's words inside of her.
"Attention. Lovely. Attention. Lovely. Honey. His attention. So Lovely. Get his attention. So, so lovely."
Her expressive rods curled, scratching the surface of her thighs. "Focus on something else, Sakura," she said to the reflection on the waters. The Sakura on the water seemed to stare directly at her without any voices preaching in her head as if silence was the universal truth of the world.
Then, Sakura pushed her hands in the lake, distorting her image reflected by the grace of the moon. Cupping some liquid, she washed her face, letting the pristine fluid cover over her. Cleansing; only drops remained as Sakura stared into the lake again.
Feeling the drops gliding through her face made the voice of her mother stop.
She celebrated when she heard something in the distance. "Who's over there? Show yourself," she said, hissing the last syllables out.
"Sakura-chan, it's just me!" The blond member of the team said, popping out from the thick barks of an unusual cluster of trees. The brilliance of orange jumpsuit of her teammate sharply contrasted against the mellow night scenery; she had to blink thrice because of such a sight.
But even with the darkness embracing them, Sakura spotted the smears of dirt on the boy's sleeveless. "Naruto, are you also training?"
"Yeah, I can't maintain the proper form. You?" said Naruto, walking over where she could reach over with her fingers without overstretching herself. Now those smears of dirt became bigger and darker as if Naruto played near a bonfire instead of the ground. Her nose twitched while she moved her hand in front of her. She bobbed her head side to side, sniffing the sourcing scent coming from Naruto.
She shook her head. She thought it was possibly the result of failing to achieve the proper outcome of his technique like her flatten grass blades, resting to the quiet melodies of the sunken winds. "I'm the same as well, Naruto," she said, inhaling as if stuffing her lungs with plenty of air to take a dive.
Instead of sitting next, the blond boy stood with his frame glistering from the reflected moonlight. "Sakura-chan? Wanna practice together?" Naruto said with his voice growing darker as if mirroring the blackening night.
"Of course, Naruto. It's better to work together," she said, her body getting up from the ground with her teammate's aid.
The pair of ninjas struggled with their techniques through the restless night with the moon and stars as their unworldly witnesses.
The Maelstrom Beast of Konoha
Staring at the iron bars holding the most dangerous being in place, Naruto sighed. "Why am I here again?" As his eyes wandered the vast space, the murky water underneath seemed to be expanding. Like the chaotic ocean currents, countless streams constantly collided, formed, and devoured other paths of water. He plodded, his feet crossing the unpredictable currents.
His destination was the glowing eyes.
His eyes glanced up after arriving, the glowing sangria beast hovered its eyes on him. "What do you want?"
"Come closer, boy," said the Kyuubi.
"What do you want? I'm not going to ask again."
Seeing the distorting smirk of the Kyuubi, he narrowed his eyes. His eyes went back to the currents moving around his feet, their somber waves touching his skin. Get away. The currents detached from his body as if the currents read his mind, it's sobering touching fading away. The water danced, their flowing patterns mocking Naruto with unrestricted freedom.
"You're weak, boy. I'll make a deal with you. Use my chakra and my knowledge to make you stronger, and I'll–" The great blood beast stopped when Naruto stuck his index finger into his ear, the finger moving and scraping the wax off. Pulling out his finger, he flicked the remaining wax to the face of the beast.
Dusting his finger, Naruto looked back to the angering eyes of his prisoner. "My answer's no. Why the hell should I believe anything you say? Use your chakra? It's your chakra that mess with mine. I don't know the full effects of your chakra on my body, so I ain't getting your chakra. Plus, last time I checked you are split to two, so no way I'ma release your chakra."
A great whirling of wind blasted behind the body of the beast, its massive pressure forcing the water back into the other set of bars. Kyuubi growled with volcanic intensity, his teeth showing their sharp edges. "You're a stupid boy if you think you can survive in this world without our power. Our perfect host's more stupid than I thought."
"Perfect host. Stupid boy. Perfect host. Stupid boy. You sound like a broken record. Can't you hear yourself?" He said in a remote manner. But his ears perked at the same words of "perfect host", his teeth biting the insides of his cheek.
No matter how much Naruto tried hiding his interest, the ancient body of chakra saw the signs. Even the shifting currents surrounding the boy echoed the boy's inner thoughts, the great beast smiled. "Your eyes deceive your belief. You're really stupid if you think you can fool me. Don't worry, you'll understand my meaning when I burn down your village and the world with our brothers and sisters."
Naruto opened his eyes, his mind cursing the beast inside him. Shutting his eyes, he willed himself to go back to the laughing beast. He needed answers, and the riddles the stupid beast spewed didn't help his situation. But the invading rays of the sun kept piercing their illumination on him. Feeling his body waking up to the new day, Naruto opened his eyes knowing the beast would call him again when it wanted more riddles.
He turned his body to avoid the direct rays of the morning sun. As his eyes settled in their new environment, a figure with long, flowing black hair wearing a floral kimono sat. Thinking about the gentle girl in his village, he said, "Hinata-chan, wha'cha doing here?" His brows contoured inward as he heard a familiar melody being hummed by the figure.
A delicate laughter emerged from the figure, her body turning. Focusing his attention, the figure didn't have lunar eyes. A homier dark brown shade, he didn't find it as appealing as those beautiful white cloudless moons. "I'm sorry I'm not your Hinata-chan," said the lady, whose ambrosial voice added alluding filigree with the laughter.
His eyes widen as recognition slammed into his face like a sledgehammer smashing against a candy brittle. "You're dat lady with those kids," he said, his hands pushing the rest of his body up. As he rushed pushing himself, he nearly tripped on the damp grass.
The lady laughed with her hand covering partially her mouth, her angelic notes dancing through the morning sky. Her head tilted towards the lake as she said, "it seems I made quite the impact on somebody especially since it's a ninja."
His mind went on alert with him taking a step back. "How did ya know I'ma ninja," he said, his left fingers reaching into his bag for his weapons.
"Well, there are burn marks on the trees surrounding us with punch imprints. And considering the marks on your hands seems like they were from a fire, I guessed you were practicing your ninjutsu here. Oh. And you're wearing your village headband," said the lady, her eyes brimming with more delight. As she continued laughing, her soft hair caressed down, covering some of her features.
'Oh." He moved his right hand, his fingers touching the metallic surface of his village insignia on his head. "Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."
The lady moved both her hands over her mouth letting out her melodic laughter like a siren singing forbidden songs for sailors. "It's fine. I know ninjas have to be secretive especially a ninja of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages," she said. "Also instead of calling me you, call me Haku."
"Sorry, sorry. I'm Naruto," said the blond, his fingers withdrawing from his bag. "What are you doing here all by yourself, Haku-chan?"
"I'm gathering herbs for my friends who got injured during a fishing trip." She placed a straw-woven basket, stems of herbal plants bursting out. He recognized some of the plants such as speedwell and plantain, while his eyes stared longer at some plants. "It seems like you know some plants I have here. Want to help me gather? I can teach you some of my knowledge," she said, her eyes seeing the admiring gazes the blond did on her basket.
"For real?"
"Our first lesson is picking out goldenseal," Haku said, her fingers pulling out the plant from her basket. "I'm so glad I found a moist forest around here. Did you know you'll find goldenseals grow usually in rich forests." Standing up with artisan grace, Haku moved deeper to the forest with Naruto tagging along.
As they got further into the small forest, Haku said, "so what's a ninja doing around these parts?" Naruto heard the shuffling as Haku's fingers moved through her basket. He tried straining his ears as he heard the small grinding of steel, but he shook his head as there was no way such a nice person would be hiding a knife in the basket.
Scratching his head out of worries, Naruto said, "well, I'm not really supposed to say, but I'm here to help out the village from Gato."
Her body turned facing him with ballerina execution. Her eyes took a strange glow in the shadows of trees. She bit her lips, the red becoming more prominent. "How? I highly doubt you ninjas are here to help out without any profit."
"Why does everyone keep saying that ninjas are only in for the profit? Jiji never says those items are important for ninjas," said Naruto, his chest filling with uncertainty. He puffed out, releasing any doubt any civilians have against ninjas.
Like how Naruto puffed out air, Haku sighed with her head shaking with pity. "But isn't it true? No ordinary citizen could possibly afford ninjas without growing bankrupt. Citizens have to labor their entire lives while one ninja mission is worth more than one citizen's lifetime. So how can you say ninjas are not in only for the profit?"
His fists curled, feeling the creases of his palms. "That's just a cop-out reason. I'ma ninja, choosin' to stay on dis mission even though my teacher wanted to abort. The ninjas you encountered were just bad ninjas, to begin with, 'cause they're too greedy."
"You don't understand." Her voice grew darker as if a caged beast roared against its icy prison, time making the darkness expand. She stood taller, her frame towering his body while encasing his being in her shadows. Her eyes hallowed as if she was winter's avatar, her being signaling the slowing of life. "Aren't you just disobeying your superior officer to become a ninja?"
Disobeying Kakashi-sensei wasn't his reason for wanting to be on this mission. It was for strength! Being stronger would surely help him find his infinite possibilities like what Iruka said. Strength to find worth, strength to find pride, strength to change his path, he needed to prove that. "No! I'm trying to find my potential!"
"Potential?"
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"It's nothing..." He said while he shook his head. He put on a smile. "What I mean to say is I'm going to be the next Hokage."
The cold exterior of Haku melted, her eyes returning to spring's shine. Her dark eyes expressed the whirling and dazzling lights coming into the forest. A smile returned as she said, "that's a wonderful dream you have there, Naruto. Maybe, if it's you the balance between villages can finally dissolve, and maybe then ninjas will actually help citizens."
"Ehh? What do you mean?"
"Did you know your village has been the strongest ninja village since its formation? The other villages always wanted to take the throne away from Konoha, from what I heard. Yet despite their apparent might, Konoha still can't achieve dominance over the others. Do you know why?"
"Is it because Konoha can't attack another major village without retaliation?"
"Yes, conquering a village takes an immense amount of resources; something your village can't afford to spend. Other villages would use their resources to attack Konoha if Konoha planned on invading another village. That's your weakness as a village from dominating the ninja world, but it's also your seating Hokage's fault that this power balance between village continues to persist."
"Hey! Don't take about Jiji as if you know him."
"Jiji?"
"Yeah, Jiji is the current Hokage. No matter how pretty you are, you can't insult Jiji."
"Your grandfather is the Hokage," said Haku, her lips dragging the syllables out. Her fingers slid under the folds of her pink kimono.
"Nope, he's someone who took care of me, so yeah, you better say sorry," said Naruto. He saw Haku putting her slim and flawless hands out. Each fingernail perfectly polished as if water spirits cleaned her hands every day. Traveling his eyes from her nails to her face, he blushed when he saw Haku's dark eyes on him.
"I'm sorry but I'll not take back what I said."
"It doesn't matter 'cause when I'm Hokage, I'll prove your words are wrong. When I'm Hokage, I'll break down that balance of power," said Naruto.
"Even with that wonderful dream of yours, do you really think you can change the way ninja village has been running? I don't think so. It's not you, Naruto. It's the villages themselves. The ninja world is in a stagnant state of mistrust against its own self. You becoming Hokage is a drop of mistrust among an ocean of mistrust. Becoming Hokage won't stop the pretentious peace between villages, I don't think the ninja villages will know true peace," said Haku, staring off the distance with a gloom covering her eyes, "but at least, they can help others, people who really need it."
"You don't know me that well. But I'ma promise you, Haku, I'll break the situation between villages when I become Hokage," he said. "I'll prove to every ninja and every citizen in the world that I'll break what you said about the ninja world."
No grand gesture of superiority, no articulated antic of laughter, and no robust smirk of confidence: Only one solemn stare into the eyes of Haku. Her eyes gradually softening, she smiled as if she became nature's child– sweet, warm, and sincere. "You're strong, Naruto. I can see the path the ninja world might take when you become Hokage, and it'll be wonderful, I know it."
Naruto blinked as Haku stared into his eyes with equal devotion. Despite the redness spreading around his face, he said, "how do you know so much about ninjas?" His eyes lingered on the imperial features of the stranger, his guts telling him to be wary. But his mind told there's nothing wrong with the person, who seemed to be a civilian.
As they stared, rustling footsteps echoed, their sound coming closer and closer. A slender hand shot out of the bushes, parting the intricate woven leaves and branches. A head full of long pink hair popped out, green eyes searching the area. "Naruto, I was looking for you," said Sakura.
"Is she your teammate?"
"Yup, she's awesome. Wait, how did you know?"
"Everyone knows about Konoha four-man teams with three genin and one jounin."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone. It's really no secret, Naruto. Come invite your teammate over."
"Sakura-chan! Come meet Haku, she's so smart."
With Naruto's exciting personality, he introduced the two without the usual awkwardness. Sakura blushed, her eyes, at first, staring elsewhere before landing on the elegant person. "Hope, Naruto didn't irritate too you much," Sakura said, her mouth saying the only thing in her mind besides the really, really beautiful person.
A small fluttering laughter materialized as Haku shook her head. "He was very much like a gentleman." The flawless fingers slid through the long strains of midnight hair. "I have an idea. If you are staying on this isle, I'll show you two a remarkable temple that survived the Warring States era as a sign of good faith." The older female stood before the younger ninjas could respond to, but they followed her out of the safety of the tiny forest.
When they reached the edge, where the immovable land and dominant ocean met; Naruto asked, "What's the Warring States era?"
Both females stopped, their sand prints fading by the incoming waves. "Naruto. The Warring States era was the period before the ninja villages were first established. It was a constant bitter warfare between ninja clans and ninja families vying for supremacy," said Sakura, her mouth forming the same words as Iruka when he lectured on the subject. Her green eyes turned to the young woman next to her. "You mean there are actually surviving monuments after the Warring States?"
Haku's dark eyes shined with an unusual sparkle. "If you don't know, Naruto, the Warring States was an extremely destructive period. Many cultural sites, places, and monuments were destroyed by ninjas. In fact, a lot of the castles, towns, famous landmarks, and cultural monuments you've seen are probably less than a hundred years old," she said, her body gliding through the barren landscape with seasoned finesse.
Pretty soon, the females bombarded Naruto with their historical, encyclopedic knowledge. His eyes traveled from his teammate to the pretty stranger back and forth as they displayed their knowledge. His head started spinning; his mind wanted them to stop the massive overload of information. He endured, not wanting to admit defeat; he was Uzumaki Naruto, after all. But it was difficult, he must admit.
Walking further and further, the young ninjas trailed behind Haku, their lungs and bodies demanding for rest. "Hey, Haku, how much further?"
The stranger female stopped, her body turning with looming presence. Her eyes darkened even more as if her eyes were capturing the essence of an abyss. Instead of the imperial features, the ninjas grew accustomed, the features hardened, her lines taking a haggard appearance like hunters waiting for any winter hunts. Like the storm clouds with its forewarning signs of awaiting chaos, her lips mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before she disappeared.
Sakura screamed while her body was hurling through the sky like a ball game between children using rag dolls. Her left arm flanged out as she landed on a thinly covering of leaves. Her weight broke through the barrier exposing a gaping hole. She screamed more as her body was sucked into the darkness.
Naruto jumped as Haku appeared with her leg sticking out. "Shit, you're part of the Kiri ninjas,' he said, his mind piecing together the message his guts churned at. The clean fingers, clean clothes, no hallowed cheeks, and the trusting attitude of hers.
"You're more observant than I thought," she said, "but not enough to notice I'm a guy dressing as a girl."
"What's your point," Naruto said, taking out the kunai from his bags.
"Nothing. Just I didn't kill you sooner because you didn't notice. Your team is in the way of my mission," she– he said before appearing right next to the blond ninja, his skin feeling the cold breathing. Grabbing the collar of his jumpsuit, Haku tossed Naruto into the hole.
"Naruto, if you can somehow manage to survive and defeat me in a duel. Then, I'll acknowledge your dream of change, and I'll use my body to help you fulfill it," he said as his hands taking out notes. The newly revealed Kiri ninja used his bloodline limit, conjuring his strongest ice barrier that not even the scourging sun can melt. He sighed, his eyes lingering on the depth of the hole.
"Asshole!" His eyes took in the ice forming as if winter arrived with its freezing temperatures. He twisted his body as he tried reaching his arms out. Only resisting air slipped through his fingers; he cursed again as he continued his descent into the hole.
Landing on a marshmallow-like material, he bounced off, hitting his head on a cement floor. "Is that you Naruto?" He heard the hissing strain coming from his teammate. Soon it was followed by a groan with wobbling and uncertain footsteps.
"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" He pushed himself off the floor, his eyes trying to adjust predominating darkness. Barely a glimmer of light penetrated, not enough for him to see his teammate. "Keep calling out my name, Sakura-chan. Stay where you are, I'll come get you."
He heard the way Sakura-chan hissed his name out with more groans. The hisses became louder as he tread, his feet feeling the smooth surface. His ears picked up the unsteady breathe. He bent down and said, "Sakura-chan, I'm going to do a jutsu, so relax, okay?" Hearing her confirmation, he reached sealed flammable tin. He set the tin down while undoing the seal.
"Fire Release: Spark Flyer." The fiber tips of the tin caught the embers, creating a small light. The slow-burning flames revealed Sakura's paling skin. Drops of sweat condensed on her head while her hand pressed against her shoulder. "Sakura-chan, are you alright!"
Sakura managed a smile despite dreading circumstances they were in. "I grabbed something. I bounced off and fell on my shoulder," she said in between straining moans. Her hand continued pressing against her shoulder as she bit her lips every time she felt waves of pain from her injury. Her green eyes spotted wooden planks laying on the floor. "Naruto, get those pieces over there."
Naruto nodded, his eyes staying on Sakura while grabbing the pieces that Sakura could use to make a mend. He remembered Sakura being one of the ten students the medic, who came for a special class, praised. He dragged his fingers on the steady woods as he circled around Sakura. Lifting her with the care one would take with fragile dolls, he paused as he pressed wooden block on her shoulder.
Damn, it was his fault for trusting the unknown ninja.
Medic of the Emerald Butterflies
Sakura sucked on her teeth as the wooden block ground against her skin. Feeling the pressure, she forced her hand to press another block in place. A cry of reluctance wanted to yell out, calling for her teammate to stop. She tightened her teeth together, so she could resist the sweet surrender of pain.
She blinked, her eyelashes catching the falling tears. She closed her eyes as Naruto was creating the mend in her shoulder. Concentrate, just like how medic taught them. Concentrate; don't focus on the pain but keeping your body fit. Concentrate, the priority of the mission came first, hearing the words uttered by the medic within the shadows. She could also see the skin tone uniform the medic-nin wore during that day, his voice strangely resembling Kakashi-sensei.
She sighed with relief when she felt Naruto finished wrapping the mend. "Thank you, Naruto," she said.
Not hearing a response, she turned to see Naruto's eyes turning away from her. His lips formed a hard, thin line across his face with his hands curled into fists on the ground. She heard the excessive exhaling of anger.
"Dis happened 'cause I was careless. I should have questioned why a pretty girl... err, a man in disguise talked to me. I should have realized with the general attitude of civilians Haku was different, especially his knowledge of ninjas."
"Naruto–"
"Don't say it's not my fault. Ya know, when I became a genin, I promised to be a real ninja. And a real ninja would have seen through Haku's lies."
She sighed, her mind understanding his point. "Okay, but we need to move, Naruto. He might have already alerted his team about the situation. We need to get out of here. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun could be in danger as well as Tazuna-san and his family." Shuffling her feet around, she leaned on her better side as she pushed herself up.
She was about to gasp when she stumbled, but Naruto caught her without touching her injury. "You're right, Sakura-chan. We have to warn Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke."
Lifting the flaming tin, their only light spread only an arm's length. The flame rapidly burned through the tip; they need to find the exit soon. Stones and clouds of dust controlled the landscape, each step they took more stones and clouds of dust scatter through the paved floor. They looked up to see a blank dark overhead; their minds wondering just how deep were they for no sunlight to break in.
They pulled through their path, their light flickering as time grew longer. Despite the lonely atmosphere permeating in whatever they were, they stood their guard with one of their hands touching their blades. Only second chances happen, never a third in the ninja world.
Spotting a departure from the vapid scenery, the two narrowed their eyes when a staircase appeared before them. No other alternatives, they tread on the staircases with shifting awareness. An odor of collecting dust hit them, their particles chocking them. "Geez, someone needs to clean this place. I'm sure my eyelashes aren't supposed to catch dust bunnies," said Naruto, coughing in between breaths.
She knew she wasn't supposed to do it in their situation, but she giggled anyway. She thought Naruto had a special power of dispensing almost hopeless scenarios with cheer as her body filled with more energy. "We have to keep moving, Naruto. I'm sure this way would lead us out of here." She tightened her hold on her shoulder. The mission came first, she thought, instead of awaiting death below them. Move forward, she welded her feet to move forward.
As they walked, small breaks of light shed through the veil of darkness. The lackluster stones soon shined with the glitter of light, while the dust circulating around them disappeared as if the incoming lights were warrior chasing away the villains of dark dust. "Sakura-chan, do you know where we are?"
Both of the young ninjas rubbed their eyes as their eyes wandered through the area. Hundreds of bodies laid on top of others with their hallowed expressions of death littering the brightness of a light. Weapons and armor rusted into a sharp copper with the bodies unevenly mummified: Some bodies had a little flesh attached while others were pure husks of skin.
Naruto and Sakura threw up, the liquid fading into the greyness of their skins. The acidic smell of their liquid couldn't dispel the putrid decay of human bodies. "I don't know. I don't know where we are, Naruto."
Sakura tried wiping away the bile, but it was no use as she felt the burn in her throat. "Sakura-chan, we have to keep moving," said Naruto, his voice no longer wavering in confusion. "I see a door over there. There's no point staying here."
The only way they could cross the door was to step on the bodies. With one step forward, their weight crushed the vapid corpses like twigs on a sunny day. Each snapping sound echoed in the area... in their ears as they closed their eyes. They pushed on despite the sounds hammering against their eardrums like a roaring train colliding with another.
As they came closer to the door, her eyes searched the painting on the walls, depicting astronomical forms of men dashing with their weapons to nine figures of unique beasts. Her mind reeled with shocks as the myth of Tailed Beasts came into her mind. Legendary beasts with chakra rivaling the deadliest Kages in existence, her eyes searched further up as there was a something above the nine figures with the light not dispelling the darkness on the ceiling.
Finally arriving at the iron-enforced door with its metal reflecting the harsh light, Naruto put his hands on the surface ready to push forth.
A cry of chimes emerged from the door.
In their ears, it sounded more like the agony of dragons instead of the melody of a bell hanging on the words of the wind. The door splint opened, sliding with a tremendous amount of force that wind pushed against the two ninjas with the bodies flying away.
Waves of blue appeared from the other side of the door, their alluring brilliance inviting the two ninjas to wander inside. With no other option, Naruto and Sakura took the invitation. As they let the waves of blue surround them, the iron door closed behind them.
"Thy child returns to thee," said a voice with the depths of a man's tone and the highness of a woman's accent; the warning droning of creatures accompanied the voice.
Looking up, Naruto and Sakura gasped at monstrous human centipede crawling on the rigid walls. Each section of the creature was made out of the same gray tint bodies outside the door. Its legs formed similar to wobbled human legs, and eyes littered the flesh of the creature. With the movement of the fastest bird, its head stared straight at the blond ninja. "Thy flesh and blood returns. The blood and flesh, thy part of the Great Father's body.
As the creature opened its mouth, human hands shot out, latching its invading fingers on Naruto.
She screamed.
Project: Tengu
The owner of the store glanced back at the door, waiting for that figure to come back. Her lavender hair dancing in the hair, the light seemingly binding their sheen within the curls, made his heart swell. He did not understand this feeling. It was as if the woman was familiar, but not. His past, he wondered. It didn't matter since the burning in his heart did not go away. So different from the other beautiful women passing through the village street, there was something breathtakingly gravitating about the woman.
Yet, he remembered how her eyes filled with the mirth of the sun as she started at his masterpiece, 'Calling of Birds.' He towed hours and hours, etching the details with the gentlest touch, carving the jewels, molding them into eyes that could contain a soul, building the background, setting the tone between the two birds.
He wanted them to fight, to make love, to create meaning outside of his own, become life and create a peace: some meaning towards this world that masked itself.
As she had gotten closer, her breath gave life to his masterpiece, the birds almost coming to life. He wanted to meet that beautiful woman once again; he could still make out her figure despite the oncoming and crowding mobs on the streets.
Still, for the people finding their eyes and pockets drawn to his masterpiece, he wasn't selling it until the woman comes again. With the way her eyes lit up, it was only a matter of time until she would come again. He was waiting for that time. As he looked around the beautiful crafts made from his hands, a sense of accomplishment filled his body; never did he think he would be able to own a store, as he remembered nothing before five years ago. Thankfully, a grandfatherly man with an aged beauty mark helped him out, wearing red and white robes.
The bell to his store pealed. He raised his head, hoping to see the woman again.
His hope dashed away, seeing a bandaged man walking up to his spot, his cane banging against the wooden floor. The man's lone eye stared hard at him. Most ninjas coming to his store had the same hardened stare, but those stares gave no warning signs in his mind compared to the bandaged man.
He put his hands into his pockets, a habit he did not know when he picked up. Still, he smiled; a customer was still a customer in his eyes. "Hello there. Welcome to Jizo's Craft Store. Jizo here. Wha'cha eyeing here?"
He wondered if his pun was insensitive. But seeing how the man kept walking towards him, the older man stopped before putting his cane on the edge of his corner. That cane, a black slither that reminded him of the dark streaks in the night sky, came down with a thump that resonated in his empty store.
He stood straighter. "Mister, are ya okay there? Don't ya need it, you know to walk?" He glanced the man's clothes, his arm bandaged like the rest of the old man's face. He nibbled on his lips, his hands combing through his raven black hair.
"The dying embers raises again," said the old man. "The hidden falcon soars, delivering the justice of the creed."
He blinked twice, before posturing rigid like a solider. His eyes stared, nothing else entering his mind. He sloped his head down while honing his eyes on one of his masters. "What is your command, Danzo-sama?"
No longer did he care about the figurine or the woman, his only desire was fulfilling the command of Konoha's leaders.
"Hiruzen has commanded you to a special task. You are to track down Kuriarare Kushimaru, a missing-nin from Kirigakure. You are to retrieve the missing nin's head and his weapon, the Nuibari. Both Hiruzen and I are expecting great results from you, Tengu."
He bowed, precisely at the right angle in his wrist. "I shall not fail Hokage-sama and you, Danzo-sama."
His master briefly smiled, his eye honing on his stance. Grabbing the black cane, his master sauntered out of the store. Striding to the door, he locked the entrance before putting the 'Close' sign up. As he turned back to the junk filling the store, he walked behind the counter.
Forming a seal, he pushed a bamboo cage open, revealing safe with three written seals on it. Cutting his thumb with one of the useless knives on the counter, he smeared his blood on the seal, the written words glowing red before fading out of existence. Opening the safe, a painted red mask with an enlarged nose was hosted inside, with black robes and coat.
Donning the mask and uniform, he disappeared from the store.
A/N:
V.2: Added Project:Tengu section. Corrected some grammar.
Omake
Naruto hummed as their house (Iruka's and his, after signing some many papers Jiji wanted) filled with his friends. After finishing the training camp, Team 7 and Team 8 hadn't hung out with each other like normal people. He suggested they have a get-together with the majority of the members agreeing (only Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei politely declining while Sasuke flat out refused to come).
Whatever, he didn't want to entertain Mr. Popular anyway. Having Shino, Kiba, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan with Iruka over were enough for him (totally since this is going to be the first time he was going to have friends over). They were going to play games and have fun in general.
But first, he needed to finish cooking his eggs. He clicked his tongue against his teeth as Iruka had to buy grocery for the dinner.
Honestly, Iruka forbade him from cooking eggs. He thought his eggs were awesome especially seeing Iruka's various reactions with each bite. Come on, he successfully cooked fish, how hard was it to cook some simple eggs. As he heard the increasing laughter from the other room, he hurried the finishing touches with one grand swipe.
Turning off the stove, he walked into the living room with perfectly cooked scrambled eggs. 'Don't worry guys. Iruka is getting some groceries. He'll be back with chips and dips and dinner soon. But I made some food for us," said Naruto. The gathering students got some with their noses tingling with excitement.
As each of them took one bite, most of them screamed. Not out of excitement... but of horror.
Shino hit his head on the table with excessive drool coming out of his mouth. He uttered his final words with uncharacteristic attitude. "It's... so salty."
Kiba choked on his food as he contoured his face with restricted agony. "Naruto, what did you put in? Too bitter, too bitter, man," he said before fainting.
Sakura closed her mouth with a giant's grip. Her facial lines focused on her mouth. "Sour,' she said before running to the bathroom.
Naruto's eyes focused on Hinata, whose red face had sweat running down. Her eyes rolled back before she said anything. "Hinata-chan!"
"This is why I told you," said Iruka, his frame coming into the house, "don't cook eggs."
"Why not? Mine tastes savory like meat," said Naruto, who was fanning the fallen heiress.
Iruka shook his head, his tooth feeling the sugar candy egg when he tried Naruto's eggs.
Eggs vs Ninjas
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