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Chapter 10
Naruto watched uncomfortably as light filtered through his tent, uncomfortable because of the person who was next to him, snoring like a hog. Gorba had never stopped snoring throughout the night, leaving Naruto irritable and exhausted. He rolled to face the tent wall, and grit his teeth as Gorba let loose a roar of a snore. 'I swear, I thought this would be easy. Good-for-nothing instincts.'
Another loud snore made his temples throb, and on the next one he was out of the tent and into the fresh morning. The sun had just risen an inch above the horizon, its light bathing the entire forest they were encamped. Naruto glanced to the other tents, ignoring the ashy remnants of TenTen's tent, and saw that no one but him was awake. 'Good, maybe I could catch a few z's.'
"GOOD MORNING, WORLD!"
'Or not.' Guy emerged from his tent, a bright grin on his face. "Hello, Naruto. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Naruto rubbed his face tiredly. "Depends on who you ask, sensei. I'm so tired nothing but a bed would look beautiful." A dirty thought popped into his head at right about this time, 'And so would Hinata's bo-BAD NARUTO!' He shook his head vigorously to clear it. "How long till we set out?"
Guy shrugged. "I don't know. Depends on the client. If it were up to me-,"
"If it was, sensei, we wouldn't have stopped until we got to the Land of Merchants. No offense." Guy smiled sheepishly. It was the truth. Naruto moved to lean against a tree, and almost instantly he was out. Guy looked over at Naruto's tent, trying to judge how much longer Gorba would be asleep. The merchant's snores rumbled through the clearing as he did.
Someone stirred in Neji's tent, and Guy resisted chuckling. He was tempted to peek in, but knew that most likely get him a kunai in the face or his tenketsu sealed permanently. He went back into his tent to take inventory before they headed off.
Inside Neji's tent, the stirring had been Neji freezing at TenTen's proximity to him. She was lying on top of him, her face nuzzled into his neck, her breath tickling him. He moved to slide her off, but she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer, a small smile forming on her peaceful face.
Neji's face was bright red, though he couldn't say he entirely hated this. Her presence was warming, and a flowery scent emanated from her, calming him a bit. He relaxed slightly. Maybe TenTen's tent burning up wasn't so bad after all.
Naruto fidgeted as he dreamed. Ever since he had been old enough to remember his dreams, he'd instantly regretted it. He always had the same strange dream about a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man that resembled the Yondaime and a beautiful woman with red hair. Their faces were always mournful yet also hopeful, an odd combination that disturbed Naruto.
His eyes fluttered open about an hour later, and he yawned and looked around. Guy had made a small fire and a small pot was cooking over it. Naruto rolled his stiff neck and shoulders. The hour of sleep hadn't really helped, in fact he felt worse now. 'Not sleeping would've done me better probably. Oh, well.' He crawled to sit by the fire, shadows evident under his eyes.
Guy smiled at him cheerfully. "Hello, Naruto. How was your nap?"
"Not very good," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes, "I feel like hell. Not gonna be much help today. Might even jump in with Gorba."
"TenTen'll be mad."
"Oh, well. She can't kill me."
"I don't know about that, Naruto."
Naruto snorted. "If she tries I'll throw my weights on her and then take off." He stared into the fire vacantly. He shook his head. "Ah, I hate this sleepiness." Guy laughed and uncovered the pot, revealing thick oatmeal cooking inside. He stirred it. "Have anything in it, sensei?" asked Naruto.
"Nope."
"Aw, that sucks. Have any sugar or anything?"
"Nope."
"Gorba's gonna love this," remarked the blonde sarcastically, lying back on the ground.
"He's probably got his own food. Clients usually do," said Guy, covering it back up. He glanced up to see Naruto give him an odd look. "What?"
"You know that you don't have to cover oatmeal, right, sensei?"
Guy waggled the spoon at him. "Of course I do. It's covered so that bugs don't get into it." Naruto accepted this, and closed his eyes. He entered a meditative state, the first one since the Genin Exams. He'd never had the time to actually meditate, but this was a welcome opportunity. The crackle of the fire and the smell of the forest dimmed to nothing, leaving him almost isolated. 'Alright, need to go deeper.' Slowly, a dark hallway lined with pipes and filled to the ankle with water materialized in his eyes.
Naruto grinned. These were his bodily pathways, the pipes representing blood and the water chakra. He looked down and shook a wet foot. "Thought it'd be deeper than this though. I got helluva lot of chakra." What he didn't know that most pathways were always dry. For the floor to be moist was a stellar accomplishment to most people.
He looked up. The ceiling was high, high enough that it disappeared into darkness, but he could faintly make out a metal different from the one that the wall was constructed of. A chain set low into the wall beside extended into the darkness above, angled toward the differing metal. Naruto cocked an eyebrow at this, but an idea appeared to him. "I bet it's the tenketsu that teme hits. Sheesh, no wonder chakra can't get through."
He wandered around the halls of his body for what seemed like an hour, and eventually he reached a four-way intersection. He tried to see farther down each one, but all appeared identical. He frowned. "This is no fun." He concentrated, pumping chakra throughout his system. The water began to lap at back of his shin, and eventually it was waist-deep before he stopped. The water receded quickly, leaving a strangely dry Naruto.
"Well, that didn't help at all," said Naruto wryly. He crossed his arms in thought. He couldn't tell what direction the water had come from, but as he stood thinking, a malevolent presence made itself known. A bubbling sound from the hallway in front of him alerted the blonde, and he raised his head and peered into the darkness.
A thundering roar slowly grew nearer and nearer, and Naruto felt himself tense. A red glow appeared at the end of the hallway and rushed toward him, and once it reached him, the blonde could dreadfully make it out. A giant tsunami of bloodlike water towered over him, and seemed to pause before crashing down on him.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt-upright, gasping. He patted himself, making sure that every body part was still intact. Guy glanced at him, the pot still on the fire. "You alright, Naruto?" The blonde nodded, still breathing hard. 'What the hell was that?' He flexed his hand in front of him. 'It was the same feeling from the Exams. Odd.'
Guy studied him. The blonde was obviously troubled about something, but what the Jonin couldn't tell. "You really alright, Naruto?" Naruto nodded, eyes distant. 'The Fox? I hope to God that the darned thing isn't trying to take over. Though I don't think so. Naruto would've gone on a rampage if that were the case.' Guy smiled ironically. 'And I'd be close to death right about now, either from him or my own techniques.'
The blonde didn't notice Guy's pondering face, too absorbed in trying to guess what the foreign entity was. He was quite sure that nothing but himself inhabited his body, and he'd definitely notice something like that. 'A hallucination?' thought Naruto, 'Wouldn't be surprised. I'm really tired.' He yawned in response to his own thoughts, and lay back down, eyes closing.
Guy shook his head amusedly as he watched the blonde sleep. Even after a nightmare, he could still sleep. He looked over at Neji's tent, which hadn't stirred for at least a half-hour. He sighed; he needed to wake them up even if Gorba wasn't up yet. He stood and walked over to the entrance. He slowly pulled back the curtain, and his jaw dropped. "NEJI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO TENTEN!?"
TenTen had been enjoying a blissful dream before being rudely interrupted by Guy's loud voice. She jerked awake, blinking her eyes blearily and not understanding her sensei. "Huh?" She was vaguely aware of something warm and comfortable under her, and her face was nestled restfully in some warm nook. She blinked more and one thing came into view: Neji's own tomato-red face.
"AH!" She leaped back, smacking the back of her head on the bar framing the tent. Neji sat up and scooted to the opposite end, blushing still. Her own face was burning. 'I knew that this was a good-BAD idea!' She swallowed several times. "Uh, hi, Neji?" she said weakly.
He nodded in return. Guy, however, was livid. He stood holding the tent flap open, eyes flashing. "Can't I trust kids these days to not do that kind of thing if I leave them alone for a minute? I swear my generation wasn't this bad!" He ranted on among similar lines, leaving the three of them, since Naruto had awoken, feeling slightly confused.
"Uh, sensei?" said Naruto, interrupting Guy's spiel, "What are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you, Naruto!" replied Guy. He pointed accusingly at Neji. "This young man was trying to force himself onto TenTen!"
"Sensei, I did not. That…well, it just happened," argued Neji lamely, knowing that he wouldn't be believed. TenTen blinked and looked at Neji. "What is it, TenTen?"
"Don't talk to her!"
"Sensei, be reasonable. If what you are saying was the case, I would be missing some very vital body parts and organs. TenTen can defend herself," countered the Hyuuga, his reasoning coming back.
"True that, teme. And we wouldn't want to have little TenTen's and Neji's running around, would we?" teased Naruto, grinning tiredly.
"Silence, Uzumaki-san."
"Yeah, baka!"
"Oh, I must say, what is all that racket?" Gorba extracted himself from Naruto's tent and pouted at Team 9, Guy ready to strangle Neji. "Is everything alright?" he asked irritably, "Because you have interrupted my beauty rest!"
Guy took several deep breaths and counted to ten, trying to keep himself civil. He eventually replied through gritted teeth, "Everything's fine, Gorba-san. You can go back to sleep."
"Oh, never mind that. I'll never be able to go back to sleep," huffed the merchant. He brightened at the smell of something cooking. "Oh! What's for breakfast?" Seeing that now he had to deal with the client, Guy narrowed his eyes at the Hyuuga warningly before smiling graciously at Gorba.
"Well, we have this wonderful oatmeal…"
Two hours later, Team 9 was back to traveling in the same formation they had the day before, the palanquin shaking slightly under the sleepy clones' hold. Guy was in the front, still smoldering about the morning's event but seeing reason in Neji's words. He still didn't like it though.
He kicked a rock aimlessly. It hopped in front of the blonde, who tripped and fell. "Ow. Thanks for that, sensei." He dusted himself off. "I'm clumsy and tired today. Great combination. God, can't wait till this is over. Stupid me for trying to get this mission," mumbled the blonde, mind wandering over this morning. He noticed something. "Hey, sensei, that's the first time I've heard you curse."
Guy shrugged. "So?"
"Well, it's that you never curse. It's just odd to me."
"All people, at least all people that I know, have swore at some point in their life. I don't do it that often since I don't feel the need to."
The blonde nodded. He looked behind to the shaky palanquin. "I hope to God that they can hold the thing." The clones were scowling at him with bloodshot eyes, every step heavy and plodding. Gorba was sitting in the palanquin, clapping his hands like an excited toddler.
"Whee!" Naruto rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of sleep. He would be so glad when this damn mission was over. They trudged on until they reached a small village, where they stopped to rest. The clones carrying Gorba dispelled before they could set him down, and Team 9 had to catch him. "Oh, dear! What happened?" he asked, brushing the dust from his expensive kimono.
"My clones were tired, sir," answered Naruto, searching for a café or something. The merchant raised an eyebrow.
"Are you supposed to be rested and strong?" he asked in an almost accusatory tone. Naruto felt a growl form in the back of his throat, but passed it off as a cough. "Well, young boy?"
'I'll show you boy when I shove that kimono of yours somewhere uncomfortable,' thought the blonde crossly, plastering a large smile on his face for the sake of Gorba and his team. "I'm sorry, sir. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping." 'Especially when there's a bear snoring right beside me.'
"Well, maybe you should sleep out in the open air," suggested Gorba superiorly, "It helps. I should know."
His smile straining, Naruto agreed, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll do that tonight and you can have the tent to yourself, sir." Gorba nodded, happy with the situation. He waddled away to a café, and the four of them followed.
"Hey, sensei," piped up TenTen as they sat down at a table across from Gorba, "How far are we from the Land of Merchants?"
Guy frowned and considered it. "Well, this is Tiyoko, about fifty miles from the border I think. We may reach the border by tonight or tomorrow morning at the speed we're going. Faster than scheduled, actually. Naruto's idea to carry Gorba was brilliant."
Naruto, who had laid his head on the table, grunted. "It was common sense, sensei. No brilliance about it."
"Sometimes common sense is all you need, Naruto. Remember that." A waitress came up to them and took their orders. She walked away. "Hope this place is good. I'm starving," said Guy. Gorba had also ordered, and the group sat in silence. "e. "and the group sat in silenceAnyone else hungry?"
"Kinda," said TenTen, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. Neji shrugged noncommittally, and Naruto snored, fast asleep. TenTen frowned at him, and reached across Neji to poke him. "Hey, Naruto, wake up." The blonde snorted and fell sideways into Neji's lap, drool hanging from his mouth.
The Hyuuga glared down at him and pushed him up. "There are many people I would rather have in my lap, Uzumaki-san," he stated flatly. Naruto's retort was instant, even though he was asleep.
"And your favorite is TenTen, isn't it teme?" mumbled Naruto, tumbling into the floor and under their feet. Now both of his teammates were glaring, and they glanced at Guy, who shook his head.
"No, you can't murder him yet. Yet," he said amusedly. TenTen humphed indignantly and settled for a kick to Naruto's ribs. The blonde frowned and flipped onto the other side, snoring. Neji inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to calm himself. The waitress came back and served them. She frowned.
"Where's the blonde kid?"
"Indisposed as of now, ma'am," replied Neji, and as she prepared another question, "Don't ask in what nature he is indisposed." She rolled her eyes and moved on to the next table. Neji picked at his food. "Uzumaki-san needs to awaken," he said, nudging the sleeping blonde with his foot. TenTen, who was devouring her meal, peered under the table.
"Hey, baka! Wake up!" she yelled, causing heads to turn. Naruto mumbled and rolled away. TenTen reached with a leg and poked him painfully. "C'mon, food! Ramen! Something!" He opened his eyes at one word.
"Ramen?" She nodded. "RAMEN!" He shot up and banged his head against the table. "Ow." He clambered up next to Neji, and quickly ate his bowl of ramen. After he finished, he leaned back and sighed contentedly. "Not as good as Ichiraku's, but still pretty good." He leaned against the wall, and was soon asleep again.
TenTen shook her head. "He can go to sleep anywhere." She finished her meal and neatly wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Wish I was like him." Neji laid his chopsticks down and crossed his arms, ready to go. Guy glanced over at Gorba. The man was also finished and was conversing with the waitress. She walked over to them.
"Yes?" asked Guy as she neared.
The waitress pointed at Gorba. "The man said that you would pay for him." Guy began to argue, but instead sighed in annoyance. He reluctantly handed over the money, and the waitress walked away whistling. The Jonin threw a pointed look at the ignorant merchant. 'This mission is becoming more and more a pain in the neck.'
An hour later they were back on the road. Naruto was in better shape than before, but his clones still struggled to hold the palanquin. He and Neji were at the back of it while Guy and TenTen were at the front. Neji had his dojutsu activated, and Naruto had other clones in the trees around them. The most dangerous thing that they had seen had been a bear so far, and Naruto's head was gradually being filled with a buzzing noise.
He shook his head. 'Yep, so glad I get to sleep outside.' He yawned and looked up at the sky lazily. 'Shikamaru loved to cloud-watch. I never really developed a liking to it but it was fun on days I was feeling lazy.' He picked out several shapes as they walked, and remembering the times he did this with Shikamaru. He smiled slightly. 'That lazy genius. So much potential and yet he's too damn lazy to do anything.'
Naruto yawned again and nearly tripped. This day was going really slow. Three hours later, and still nothing had happened. All of the Genin members had lowered their guard, even though Guy kept them on their toes by randomly lashing out at one of them. "A ninja must always be alert!" he said, kicking at Naruto, who stepped back languidly.
"Hmm, kinda hard to when nothin's happened for hours, sensei," he countered, stumbling forward.
"Don't make excuses, Naruto!"
"They're reasons, not excuses, sensei,"
"Well, pick up the pace! We're only twenty-five miles from the border!"
Gorba jumped in. "Oh, really? How joyous!" Naruto sighed and looked dolefully at the horizon which the sun was lightly touching.
"Looks like we won't get there in time though," said the blonde pessimistically. He trudged on for two more hours, complaining and at times swearing loudly. The horizon now hid the lower half of the sun, casting odd shadows everywhere. Guy frowned and kicked at the ground in irritation. They had moved about ten miles, a good pace, but now he calculated that the group would reach the Land of Merchants about midday tomorrow.
He halted. "Let's set up camp for tonight. It's getting late." He put down his pack and proceeded to tie up in a tree, and Naruto did the same as well tying up the others' packs. Naruto unsealed a few pans from a scroll and each member (excluding Gorba) contributed an ingredient to make a soup. TenTen filled a pot with water and set it to boil over a hasty fire.
Naruto grinned as he added his ingredient. "Time to add some naruto!" He added several slices of dried naruto slices into the boiling water, and his teammates rolled their eyes. Neji added soba noodles, TenTen a dried vegetable medley, and Guy poured in a good dose of spice, much to Neji's dismay.
"Sensei, is that not too much spice?" he asked. Guy beamed at him.
"Of course not!" Neji felt his stomach squeeze at the fact he might have to eat anything spicy. The soup was done in minutes, and everyone dipped themselves a bowl. They sat in silence, the only sound being the night and their slurping. Naruto nodded appreciatively.
"This is pretty good. The noodles are too, even though I've never had this kind." He looked to Neji. "What kind are they, teme?"
"Soba, Uzumaki-san. Only a fool wouldn't know," he needled. The blonde looked ready to argue, but he let it go.
"Be lucky I'm tired, teme, or it'd be ringside up in here," he warned tiredly, finishing his soup. Neji responded with a disbelieving snort.
Naruto quickly set his tent up and motioned Gorba, who was done, to get inside. "Thank you, young man. Now you get some sleep. I need you to be in tip-top shape tomorrow!" Gorba wiggled into the tent, the flap closing. He stirred for several more minutes until his loud roar of snore rumbled through the camp. Team 9 sighed in relief. Naruto rolled his shoulders as he sat down.
A thought occurred to him. "Hey, sensei, shouldn't we have a watch or anything? I know we didn't have one last night, but I thought we forgot."
Guy shook his head. "No. If we were on a higher-priority mission, maybe, or if we were in an area known for its bandit activity. This one, though, isn't really that high. Gorba's rich, but he isn't some political official or anything. Plus, the bandits around here are louder than thunder. We'll hear 'em." Naruto nodded in understanding, and took his sleeping bag from his pack.
He climbed into a tree and propped himself up against the trunk. "Well, goodnight. I'll be in the tree if ya need me." He slid into the sleeping bag, and was out in a minute.
"Hey, mister! Wait up!" A young Naruto ran after a distant figure on short legs. The figure paid him no heed as he turned a corner in a dark street. Naruto felt tears come to his face, but couldn't identify why he wanted to meet the figure. "Wait!" He turned the same corner and came to a large crowd of still people, all of whom regarded him coldly.
The blonde took a step backwards in hesitation. "Do-do any of you know where that man went?" he asked timidly. No one answered, continuing to glare at him. He could hear their thoughts, somehow. 'Demon, half-breed, abomination, murderer… get out.' The last words were the clearest, and the young Naruto felt his tears fall to the ground.
He turned and ran back into the alley, back in anonymity. Naruto collapsed and crawled to a wall. He dragged himself to a sitting position and hugged his knees close, sobbing. Tears fell freely as he pondered why the people hated him. What made him different? What made a child like him deserving of hate? Why?
"It's because they don't understand, Naruto-kun." He looked up wildly. A man with blonde, spiky hair and blue eyes just like his own knelt in front of him, smiling softly. "They are ignorant, foolish, petty. They cannot distinguish between this," he pointed to Naruto's heart, "And this." He moved down his stomach.
"But, m-mister, I don't-I don't," stuttered Naruto, wiping his eyes.
The man put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't understand, but remember my words. And remember this: Only you can change their hearts and minds, no matter how twisted they are." Naruto felt tears come to his eyes, but this time out of relief that, finally, he found someone who cared. The man opened his arms, and he dove into them, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you," sobbed Naruto, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome," said the man, ruffling Naruto's hair. "Now-," He stopped abruptly as if cut off. Naruto felt something warm splatter on his shirt, but he looked at the man, who still smiled as blood streamed from his mouth. Now Naruto looked down at the man's chest. A large, red object, which appeared to be covered in blood-matted fur, protruded out.
"Mister?" The man met the blonde's eyes for one last time, and the expression chilled him to the bone. It was the same hopeful yet melancholy one the man in his dreams always wore.
Naruto started, woken up by a stick cracking. He was sweating from the dream, which was slipping from his grasp like smoke. He unwrapped himself from the sleeping bag and stared down at the ground. A large tiger padded a perimeter around the camp, teeth bared silently. Naruto stiffened as it neared Neji's and TenTen's tent. The tiger sniffed it cautiously and rumbled lowly, but did not advance.
'Why isn't it doing anything?' wondered Naruto. He noticed the smoldering fire. Its flames were weak and fluttering, and it was apparent that the fire would go out any second. 'That's why. My friends' lives hang by a candle flame. Just great.' He silently reached for a kunai, tensing his legs to spring at the beast.
He waited for thirty minutes, nervously watching the tiger circle the camp. It hadn't caught wind of him yet, and he wanted to keep it that way. If he were to charge it or vice-versa, he'd be disemboweled in an instant. He glanced at the fire. It gave one final flutter, and then the camp was enveloped by darkness and an ominous silence.
An earth-shaking roar tore through the forest, and Naruto, whose eyes had now adjusted, sprang from his perch directly at the tiger. He tackled it and swiped with his kunai, opening a bloody gash in its side. The tiger whirled and snarled at this new enemy. Naruto backed out of its reach, and the tiger pounced.
Naruto bent backwards as it sailed over him and swung upwards with the kunai. It slashed the belly of the tiger, but didn't achieve the disembowelment he had been hoping for. It simply made the tiger more ferocious as it landed and spun to face him, a growl emanating from its throat. The two circled cautiously as each calculated their next move.
The tiger was the first to move. It raced toward the blonde, movements fluid and elegant in a deadly manner. He dodged to the right, but the tiger lashed out with razor-like claws, ripping his left sleeve. He winced as he touched the wound, hands coming back red.
He jumped into a tree and peppered the beast with shuriken, moving from branch to branch as he did. The tiger roared again, shaking the leaves. It bounded into the tree Naruto was in, and he narrowly avoided decapitation by a swipe of its huge paw.
'Why hasn't sensei woke up yet?' thought Naruto as he burst from the branches and landed on the ground. 'This thing could wake the dead!' He sensed it sailing toward him, and he darted to the left, the tiger crashing into the spot he'd occupied a moment before. He backed up, and felt his foot hit the trunk of a trunk. Eyes scanning for other escape routes, he inwardly knew this was the ultimate moment.
The tiger, seeming to smirk, padded toward him with a lazy grace. Naruto braced himself for anything. It shot forward with no warning, and the blonde found himself pinned under the massive weight of the tiger. It snapped at his neck, but he held its head back with his hands. It snapped again, and he moved to the left, its face slamming into the ground beside him.
Using its momentary dazedness against it, Naruto planted his feet on its belly, unclasped his weights, and heaved. The tiger flew backward and rolled as it hit the ground. It snarled as it rose uncertainly, and it tore toward him. The blonde vanished, bewildering the beast, and reappeared above it, hooking his legs around its neck and plunging a kunai into its neck.
The tiger fell and tumbled immediately, Naruto jumping to avoid being crushed. He stumbled as he landed and fell to his knees, panting. 'That…was tough.' He swallowed dryly, and wiped a cold sweat from his brow. "Thank…God," he breathed, sitting up.
A weak growl caught him off guard. He twisted around in alarm, but saw that the tiger was still on its side, motionless. Another weak growl went through the air, and the blonde saw the chest of the tiger twitch. Despite the fact it had nearly killed him, Naruto felt a twinge of pity and admiration. 'It's still alive, even after that move…Tough son of a bitch, gotta hand it to 'im.'
He moved in front of the tiger, and it glared at him, eyes still holding its dangerous fire. Blood matted its neck and poured from the mouth, and Naruto felt truly terrible as it growled, the growl laced with pain. 'A true fighter. More honorable than some bandit to tell the truth.' He shifted to meet its glare head-on, and closed his eyes.
"Forgive me." He drew back a fist, and slammed it between the tiger's eyes. The fire was extinguished as the beast's brain was crushed in by the massive blow, and Naruto lowered his hand, now red in his blood and the tiger's.
He looked down at the splashes of red. This wasn't going to haunt him like killing another human being, but it would stay with him nonetheless. This animal had shown more courage and bravery than some people could ever hope to possess. Naruto had heard of respecting one's enemy, but had never fully grasped the full meaning of it until now.
Naruto clenched the hand into a fist, blood dripping to the ground. He nodded in admiration, and didn't look up as Guy neared. Guy said nothing as he knelt near the blonde, choosing to the let the blonde speak first.
Naruto studied his hand. He asked without looking up, "Sensei, how can people be so afraid of things that animals will meet head on?"
Guy sighed and stared up at the starry sky. "Who knows? Some say that we feel fear because our rational side is warning us of impending danger, and since animals lack a rational part, they don't feel fear. Or it's our advanced minds with overactive imaginations that cause fear. No one's right, in my opinion. Most people just value their own skin more than others."
The blonde nodded. He stood, looking solemnly at the body of his former combatant. "This guy has my respect, a place few people have ever gotten into." He climbed into the tree that held his sleeping bag and was asleep in seconds, dreams bothering him no longer.
Naruto awoke to the smell of fire. He peered down and saw that the body of the tiger was gone and Guy had set up a small fire. He glanced at the sky, which was lightening by the second as the sun crawled its way above the horizon. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning. 'Despite the crazy night, that was the best sleep I've ever had. Strange. Hope I'm not insane or something.'
He looked to the ripped sleeve. 'Need to get this patched or something.' He looked under tear and saw nothing remained of the injury but faint scars. 'Good.' He hopped down from the branch. "Been up since last night, sensei?"
"Yeah, but nothing's happened." Naruto nodded and gazed at the fire. A thought occurred to him.
"Hey, why didn't you jump in or something? Or did you just not wake up? If you didn't-,"
"Oh, believe me, I did. I heard the stick crack and I was up. And only someone deaf couldn't have heard the roar it made."
"Then why didn't you attack him when the fire went out like I did?"
"Well, I was hoping it would go away or something. And obviously I was wrong."
"And too slow," said Naruto, grinning.
"True." Guy chuckled. "Never thought I'd say that." They both laughed and Naruto pulled out a scroll.
"Guess you need the pans?" Guy nodded and held up a finger. The blonde unsealed a pan and handed them to Guy, who walked off to fill them with water from a nearby stream. Naruto looked toward Neji's tent, which hadn't stirred throughout the night. 'You can't tell me teme didn't hear that?'
A rustling inside told him that at least one person was awake, and soon Neji pushed away the tent flap, blinking the light. Naruto glimpsed a curled-up TenTen before flap covered the entrance.
"Hello, teme. Get enough sleep?" asked Naruto pleasantly. Neji rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at the blonde. "Something wake you up, teme?"
"Of course I woke during the night, Uzumaki-san. I am not hard of hearing."
"Then why didn't you help? I coulda used it, y'know!" demanded Naruto, enjoying the opportunity to badger the Hyuuga.
"Because-because at that precise moment I was preoccupied. Again," stated Neji uncomfortably.
"Aw, were the two of you trying to start a family again?"
"Uzumaki-san, if you continue-,"
"Yeah, yeah, I will lose some body part of mine, blah, blah. You're worse than TenTen sometimes."
"And I take it you are the epitome of originality?"
"Hey, I didn't take it that far, teme. And that means that you two were making a family! Aw, how cute!"
"Uzumaki-san, may I remind you that TenTen and I are twelve."
"So?"
"So-," Neji stopped, facepalming himself. He felt his face burning. "I hate you, Uzumaki-san."
"Love you too, teme." Guy came back with the pot half-full with water, and the two stopped their argument as the Jonin made another pot of oatmeal. "Great, oatmeal again?"
"Get used it."
A yawn came from Neji's tent, and TenTen emerged, stretching. "Good morning, everyone. Get enough sleep?" All deadpanned, and she raised her eyebrows in puzzlement. "What?"
"You didn't hear anything?" asked Guy.
"Hear what? I didn't hear anything 'cause I was fast asleep." She stretched again, arching her back. "And it was good sleep." Neji was massaging his temples as he covered a light blush, and Naruto rolled his eyes.
"You can't hear thunder, TenTen," he remarked.
"What?"
"Exactly." The blonde laid back. "You missed something exciting last night, by the way."
"Really?" piqued TenTen, "What?"
Naruto waggled his fingers theatrically. "A big scawey monster came into camp, and nearly ate all of you. But I," he jerked a thumb at himself, "saved you all. Guy-sensei couldn't do anything-,"
"Then clearly you are lying, Uzumaki-san," said Neji flatly.
"Am not! Sensei, could ya tell 'em?"
"Well, I wasn't helpless to begin with, Naruto," corrected Guy, deflating the blonde, "and let me correct what I said earlier: I would be too slow to save you. I could still kill the tiger and let you die."
"And then the world would be better off," said Neji, smirking.
"Shut up, teme!"
"Or?"
"Or I'll kill you!"
"I thought you were the embodiment of creativity, Uzumaki-san. Such tedious platitudes are not your style."
"Ah! You're making my head hurt! Shut up with the big words!"
Guy intervened before Neji could give another sarcastic reply. "Alright, alright. Settle down, you two. No need to kill each other before we get back to the Leaf." Naruto and Neji glared at each other, but then Naruto fell back in laughter. "What now?" he asked tiredly.
"Nothing, sensei, just that I think arguing with teme is funny sometimes," replied Naruto, wiping an eye and grinning at the Hyuuga. "Doesn't change the fact I want to strangle him though."
"The feeling is mutual." TenTen giggled as Guy shook his head in exasperation. This team would drive him insane one of these days. A hog-like snort erupted from Naruto's tent, and Gorba was heard yawning. He waddled out a minute later.
"Oh, what is for breakfast? I hope not that horrid oatmeal again." The team exchanged glances, and Guy smiled awkwardly.
"Well, you see…"
After watching Gorba forcing down the oatmeal and Naruto drop his weights on his toes before reattaching them, the group set out. They ran for four hours at a slower pace than the day before, and reached the border of the Land of Merchants by noon. At a border station, a group of bodyguards for Gorba was waiting.
The clones lowered the palanquin to the ground and dispersed, the palanquin closely following as Gorba stepped out. The bodyguards took position around the merchant, who waved as they departed. "Goodbye! It was nice meeting you!" Team 9 waved back half-heartedly, and as soon as Gorba was out of view, they dropped their hands.
Guy stood in front of them and beamed. "Ready to head home?" The Genins nodded, relieved, and the four jumped into the trees and raced off. "Let's make it to the village by sundown!" called Guy.
"Are you nuts!?" demanded TenTen, "How about halfway?"
"C'mon, TenTen! Let the Power of-,"
"Be quiet about the youth thing, sensei!" Guy grinned and laughed, but increased his speed, leaving his Genin in the dust. "Hey! Wait up!" TenTen pushed off the next branch with all her strength and chased after him, closely followed by Naruto and Neji. Guy's laughter drifted down to them, riling her further. "I swear I will catch you!"
"She can't be serious," said Naruto, trailing just behind her.
"I'm afraid she is, even though Guy-sensei could easily outrun the wind if needed," responded Neji not far from the blonde. They raced along the canopy of branches for hours, determination fueling TenTen and nothing but stamina the others. Eventually, on a leap above the trees, Naruto caught sight of something familiar.
"Hey, I saw the gate!" he shouted.
TenTen, who was panting, wheezed, "Thank God, we'll be stopping soon and I can whack sensei for leaving us." Neji, who had his dojutsu activated, did not correct her; Guy had never gotten more than fifty meters ahead, just on the border of his sight. A half-hour later, the three burst from the trees and landed in front of the gate where Guy was waiting, happily waving his hand.
Naruto looked up at the sky, which had turned into the orange of sunset. He had been vaguely aware of the passing of time in the dimness of the trees, and now he was sure that they'd been running for at least six hours, possibly more. He looked over to his teammates. TenTen was hunched over, gasping, and Neji was standing, but still breathing heavily. He himself was fine as was Guy.
The Jonin grinned at the blonde. "They're just amateurs, aren't they?"
Naruto chuckled. "No. It's just that we're too good." This got him glares from both of them, and he grinned sheepishly back. "Anyways, are we going to turn in the mission now or tomorrow?"
"I'll turn it in tonight. You guys have the day off tomorrow, but come back the day after, alright?" They nodded, and he shunshinned off. Naruto smiled largely as they entered through the gate.
"Heck yeah! Home sweet home!" he yelled, jumping into the air. "Gotta love the Leaf!" A clearing of a throat caused him to turn, and the two Chunins, the very same ones that had checked them out, were there.
"Hey, kid, you have to show your ID," said the one named Izumo, standing rigidly behind the counter. His partner, who was asleep, cracked an eye open.
"Just let 'em by, Izumo. Ain't gonna hurt anything," he mumbled drowsily.
"That's not proper protocol!"
"So? We remember them."
"There is something called the Transformation Jutsu, Kotetsu!"
"Then hit them."
Izumo exhaled and restrained his temper. He turned to the Genins. "May I see your IDs?" They handed them over, and he looked them over. "All seems to be in order," he said, handing the IDs back.
"See, Izumo? Told you so."
"Kotetsu, I will find where you-," The team left the two squabbling Chunins, and parted ways.
"Good-bye! See you either tomorrow or day after!" said Naruto, jumping onto a rooftop and waving down at them. Neji and TenTen walked a little farther, and TenTen's parents' shop came into view.
"Well, here's my house. See you Neji," she said, smiling, "and thank you for letting me share your tent."
"My pleasure, TenTen," he said, making her blush. She opened the door and disappeared into the shop. Neji smiled a ghost of a smile as he moved on toward the Hyuuga compound.
Naruto hopped from roof to roof, picking his way toward his apartment and his mind wandering. 'That dream from last night…hard to believe it was just last night…what was it? I can't remember but it feels important.' He pushed off another rooftop. 'Argh! This is getting annoying!' He landed in front of his building and took the stairs three at a time.
When he reached his floor, the blonde smiled. He walked toward his door, and paused. From his position, a paper hung from his door, and he couldn't make out what it said, yet anyway. Once the writing came into view, a grimace formed on his face.
Demon:
Do the villagers a favor and leave. You're a menace to the whole village, and a danger to everyone that comes within five feet of your sorry self. If you were a normal human, I would say God strike your soul, but His name would burn your tongue and twist the void that is your soul. May hell incinerate your body.
Someone who cares for this village
Naruto stared stolidly at the paper for a whole minute before he crumpled it and threw it to the side disgustedly. He slammed the door open in anger and flicked the lights on, hoping there wasn't any damage. He nodded; there was none. He threw his pack onto the small couch and fell down beside it. He looked at the wall for half an hour, chewing the inside of his cheek to restrain himself and tasting blood as he did so.
The blonde rose and went to go take his shower. He stood underneath the water for an hour before he finally turned it off. As he pulled on his pajama pants, the dream reoccurred to him. 'A man…I remember a man. What was he trying to say?' He climbed into bed and closed his eyes, wanting sleep to take him away.
Before it did, however, what the man had said came to him, as clear as day, "Only you can change their hearts and minds, no matter how twisted they are."
Neji slid back the door, and peered into the darkness of his house. He stepped inside and closed the door, letting his eyes adjust. His mother was lying in her bed, asleep and still sick by the sound of her labored breathing. He frowned worriedly and crept past her, trying not to wake her. He entered his room to set down his backpack and went back into the living room.
He gently shook his mother awake. "Kaa-san, do you feel any better?"
Kinami opened her eyes slightly and smiled weakly. "A little," she lied.
"Did you get any sleep while I was gone?"
"Yes, and it has helped, though I've missed you." She put a pale hand behind her son's head and kissed his forehead. "It's good to see you, Neji-kun."
"You too, Kaa-san," said Neji, smiling, "Do you need anything?" She paused and considered it. She put her own hand into Neji's and looked at it. She squeezed it, her grip feeble.
"Your hand is bigger than mine," she observed, trying to sit up. Neji caught her before she fell and carefully sat her up. "Thank you, Neji-kun." He nodded, and she moved her hand from his hand to his face. "You look so much like your father. Did you know that?"
"Yes, Kaa-san," said Neji, "You've said that many times when I was a child."
She laughed, surprising Neji. "Yes, you were so cute back then. I remember." She erupted into a coughing fit, turning away from him.
"Kaa-san-,"
"I'm fine. No need to worry about me." She pressed her forehead against his. "Hizashi would be so proud of you." A tear fell. "So, so proud of his little genius."
"Kaa-san?"
"Oh, ignore me. Just reminiscing, that's all," she said, smiling sadly.
"But-,"
"Shh," she whispered, putting a finger to Neji's mouth, "I told you to not worry, right?"
He smiled gently. "I always worry about you, as I always say, Kaa-san."
She smiled back. "You are the best son a mother could have." She laid back, Neji pulling the blanket over her. He rose to leave and was about to walk out of the room when his mother's voice floated to him. "Just remember that both of your parents were proud of you." The words struck a painful chord within him, and he turned to see that Kinami had fallen asleep, all of her energy now gone.
The next day, Naruto rose with a certain dread in his stomach, as did TenTen. It was if a disaster had occurred, and neither could place what caused the despairing feeling. They looked out of their windows, seeing the overcast sky. 'Something's happened.'
Neji awoke to the sound of silence, pure, deafening silence. He sat up and swung his legs out of bed. 'Why is so quiet? I usually hear Kaa-san breathing. Has she left?' He dressed and exited his room to go to the kitchen. He didn't want to wake Kinami. He prepared some toast, the smell drifting into her room. 'Usually this would wake her up. Is she out of the house?'
With a glass of water and a slice of toast for his mother, Neji entered the room. His brow furrowed. His mother was lying there, completely silent and unmoving. His stomach knotted. 'M-maybe she's sleeping well.' He set the breakfast to the side and knelt beside her. He laid a hand on her's. Cold.
"K-Kaa-san?" He shook her, and she limply turned over, her sightless eyes gazing at the ceiling. "Kaa-san!" screamed Neji, not wanting to believe his eyes. He laid his head on her chest, vainly listening for a heartbeat. Stillness answered, and the tears began to fall. He clutched his mother's kimono, not believing it and not wanting to. He sat for an hour, rocking back and forth, holding Kinami's body close, and his tears falling on her kimono.
"K-Kaa-san," he muttered despairingly, taking her hand. Something crackled, and he started. Neji looked and saw a slip of paper grasped in her cold fingers. He gulped and wiped his eyes. He pulled the paper from her hold, and read her last words.
Neji-kun
I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you in person. It is entirely my fault, and do not hate me for it. I lacked the courage to tell you about this disease. I wanted to protect you for as long as I was able but I could only protect you for so long-
Here her handwriting took a shaky appearance.
-Please, blame me but do not hate me. I was just being a mother. And this disease was debilitating. The Main Family wouldn't-
A jagged line ran off the side of the paper, signaling her end. Neji stared at the paper, and he began to shake with suppressed rage. He set the paper down carefully, and closed Kinami's eyes. "Rest in peace, Kaa-san," he whispered. One anger-filled thought came to the surface: 'I will never forgive the Main House.'
Well…erm…there you go. Hoped you liked it. Please review, and please tell me if I did a good job with it all. I like criticism, but not outright hate. Toodles.