Chapter 10
Ducks and sheep, made of origami and yet playing together in a field by the river, frolicking in the sparkling summer fields.
Naruto often had this dream, it was, at first calming and pleasant. When he was exhausted, he often tried to get some sleep, but due to the fact that his mind was a ball of yarn at the best of times usually prevented as such.
Every now-and-then however, he would hear Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune plotting to slip him something to help him sleep.
They usually mixed something into his evening meal, seen as he didn't get back until way past the norm.
He was thankful, they didn't know that he had once just pretended to eat his shrimp ramen, and soon after spat it into the bin.
His sleep states didn't last all too long in the first place, so he let it happen as often as he could, his body needed it.
Soon the fields would alight, a terrible fire would make its way from one sheep to the next, scorching the greenery as it went, the animals never moved, they just stood in the flame.
The streams water boiled, the ducks would cook in their homes, and in a last ditch attempt, the ducks would fly into the sky, and peck madly. Peck at him.
"Monster, beast, murderer" they shouted, screamed at him, and as the bad dream faded.
Like clockwork, he woke silently screaming and Tsunade was shaking him softly with worry plastered on her face.
"Naruto please, it's okay, your okay now. It's just me, your fine".
His mind tortured him frequently, often making it difficult to differentiate between figments of his imagination, or his memories.
The dreams of a jinchuriki were a terrifying thing. !"
Naruto trudged on downstairs after showering, and Tsunade was waiting for him, with a cup of freshly made ramen.
They boy had once told her that after a bad night, one of those settled his nerves, which was no lie, he just wished it did more than help his trembling hands.
He also noticed that, sat beside his spot on the table, was a blank scroll and a pen.
"Want to talk about it?", she suggested.
Naruto shook his head and quickly picked up the pen 'No..'
The slug princess closed her eyes and slowly exhaled.
"You can't keep it inside you forever boy. You'll need to talk about it sooner or later. I won't pressure you, but you know I'm always here, you know that, right brat?" she smiled lightly.
Naruto stopped mid way through bringing the ramen to his face and stayed that way for a minute.
He sighed, picking up the pen again and placing the chopsticks down, 'how can you help, when I'm not even sure what the problem is?'.
Tsunade looked puzzled.
The line continued, 'How can you help what you're not sure is even real?'.
She opened her mouth to speak, but waited until his last sentence found her eyes on the page.
'I think...unless I figure these things out soon...I may go crazy'.
It was just about noon when Naruto left to join his team.
The nightmare had left a sour taste in his mouth, that simply wouldn't go away.
"All right team", started Yamato.
"I feel as though you no longer need to build your teamwork, and your progressing enough individually that" he left them in suspense for a short moment, Naruto shifted uneasily, "we can find ourselves a C rank mission!".
The response was mixed to say the least.
Hinata had a worried look, Narutos grin could split his face in two, an Shikamaru simply sighed, convinced that it was only 'troublesome'.
Yamato just laughed, "It's good to have such differing opinions, however I won't take no for an answer! Besides, I really think you are ready. Are you prepared to meet your first C rank client?".
The group was suddenly buffeted with a dust cloud, and when it cleared, an absence of blonde was evident.
Unimpressive, was the best term that could be used to describe what the team thought of their first client, Tazuna-the bridge builder.
He was mostly a drunken old man with little to no tact, and was certainly not meriting any friends among them when he walked into the office of the Hokage.
"Tch, guarded by a bunch of children, l-ludicrous" he took another swig of his alcohol.
The Hokage coughed, "I assure you, they are ninja, and are certainly up to the task. If you don't like this, arrangement, then I'm sorry, I just don't have any other teams available, young or old", the Hokage smirked "Then you'd just have to take your chance with those bandits, now wouldn't you?".
The drunk blanched, "U-uh N-now now, I'll uh take your word for it!".
The Hokage nodded solidly, "Good, now then Yamato, you and your team will meet Tazuna here by the main gate in one hour".
He looked towards to the bridge builder, "Do be there on time, or be on your own, I'll not have my time wasted with any more kind words. You doubted my Shinobi, and in effect the leaf itself, so don't get lost in a bar on the way, do we understand one another?".
The client gulped and nodded.
"Goooood", the Hokage sniffed, and stamped his approval onto the document he had before him.
The smoke from the Thirds pipe billowed out towards those assembled as if urging them to leave his office, "Then you should all be on your way then, have a nice day, and good luck".
It was quarter to the hour when Tazuna eventually arrived, less than two minutes before his deadline. and his attitude was grating on the nerves of the team.
"So, why are your eyes all white then?" he asked Hinata pointedly, "What, you blind or somethin', makin' you more u-useless" he slurred.
Naruto clenched his teeth, 'This guy is going the right way for a sucker punch!'.
Shikamaru however, was not so silent. "She has a bloodline called the Byakugan, belonging to the Hyuga clan. It allows her to see over great distances and through objects as well, making her eyes better than everyone else here put together. Before you insult anyone else, I'd implore you to shut your gaping pie hole, so that we can get to our destination in both peace and good-will".
The shadow user sighed and moved to the front of the trail with Yamato, content that his piece was said.
The forest was quiet, too quiet.
Even Hinata was on edge, screwing one hand into her coat, where were all the bandits Tazuna was apparently worried about?
Yamato had told them that, often when people or ninja pass through the forests around the leaf, birds and other wildlife watched them curiously.
Even the beetles the Aburame used were once wild, sometimes they would even get close enough to feed on their chakra, a feat that eventually turned them into the Aburame's partners.
"Stay on guard" whispered Yamato, "I get the distinct feeling we are being watched".
The bridge builder paled, Yamato didn't miss this.
"That's right, we are going to have a little chat after we get to the destination".
As soon as he finished talking, Naruto felt a tinge of iron in the air.
In a moment later, a rush of steel sped past the group, and a bladed chain snaked its way towards the team, beginning to surround Yamato.
Reflex kicked in, and Naruto took a deep breath and brought up his hands.
The chain suddenly stopped constricting, the links clinked as it shook, an inch from killing the Jonin.
"W-what?!" called a startled voice, behind a tree on the opposite side of the road.
"It's the boy!" called another "Kill him brother!"
"Heh", the first man recovered from his surprise, and lunged "this guys toast!".
Narutos eyes widened, if he let go of the chain to defend himself, his sensei would be diced.
"Shadow Possession" muttered Shikamaru from the side lines, "Hinata, bring him down so we can concentrate on the other".
Hinata nodded "R-right!", she charged at the man, snapped from her stupor by the Nara's voice.
Disabled by the Nara's Jutsu, the assailant was unable to react, as Hinata brought her chakra infused hand forward and slammed it into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
Shikamaru turned to the other man, only to find him just a meter away, about to run him through with his steel gauntlet, its claws dripped a viscous purple liquid.
"Son of a-!" yelled Shikamaru, who tried to bring up a kunai in time to parry the blow.
"Shikamaru!" yelled Hinata, she dashed towards the man, trying desperately to deliver a blow to knock him away.
Naruto winced, and a lump in his throat formed, 'I'd hoped I'd never have to do this again...not so soon. But my friends need me!'.
Naruto reached out with one hand, sweat pouring from his brow, he strained and focused intently on the gauntlet.
A fit of anger ripped through his mind, and he bared sharpened teeth while snapping his hand shut.
There was a wet thump, and a shriek of metal, followed closely by the screaming of the ninja.
Hinata's hand jumped to her mouth in shock, and Shikamaru gulped, going white in the face.
It was the first time that he had seen the raw power that Naruto possessed in combat.
The mist ninja, who could now be identified by his headband, was lent against a tree, his breathing laboured.
His gauntlet was crushed and his hand along with it. The man was stuck into the tree via the twisted metal fingers.
Hinata turned towards Naruto and started muttering "Y-you didn't have to d-", but he had already walked off.
Tears gathered in the blondes eyes as he strode through the forest.
'All I'm good for now is killing things, thanks a lot fur ball!'.
"Tch" boomed a voice in his head "Stop being such a ingrate" chided the nine-tails "Both you and your friends would be dead if I hadn't done what I did to you"
Naruto stopped walking and looked to the ground, 'why are you always so damn right'?
He wiped his eyes, and Naruto got a picture in his mind of the kyubi's malefic grin.
"Don't you worry kit, you die, so do I technically. I've got your back moron".
Naruto frowned, 'Technically, what's that supposed to mean?'
The fox smirked, "Another time perhaps, the wood user comes".
Naruto turned to face Yamato as he approached.
"It's not safe out here squirt , when you get attacked by ninja on the road, the worst thing you could do would be to wander off".
Naruto exhaled and nodded, walking past him back towards where the others where.
Yamato shook his head "Naruto" he called, the boy turned back.
Yamato licked his lips, you will tell me if something bothering you right? You did nothing wrong, he was going to butcher your team. You do realise that, right?"
Naruto bit his lip and nodded slowly, 'Yes...'.
The wood user straightened up, "Then let's get back, they will be waiting".
It didn't take long to rejoin the team, Hinata noticed them first with her bloodline, before they even emerged from the tree line.
"N-Naruto" she pointed out to Shikamaru, he stood beside her and quirked an eyebrow.
"A second Sensei as well?" he looked to the Yamato behind him, which gave a thumbs-up sign to the original.
"Good job woody!" called Yamato, and with a hand sign, the wood clone clattered to the floor and sank slowly into the ground, "Wood clones, great stand-in's at parties" Yamato laughed out loud.
"Now then" Yamato looked displeased, "About those ninja".