Chapter twelve – Journey outside of Konoha
Disclaimer : Come on people, we've done this so many times now. It's the same as the last chapter, I don't own Naruto. Though I wish I did.
With his things all packed, he locked the door of his apartment. Last night, he had trouble getting to sleep, because he was so thrilled for the trip. He couldn't wait to get out of Konoha, though he was worried about one thing. What if their family didn't like him? Naruto shook his head as he headed towards the dango store. He would stay positive, he thought to himself. As he neared the store, he saw Anko.
"Anko-sensei, what you doing here?" he asked and she frowned. "Where is the old man and Ami-chan?" he added.
"Is that how you greet your sensei, gaki?!" she asked, smacking his forehead and he yelped.
"Why are you so mean?!" he shouted, and she just chuckled. "You know you can be kinder to me!" he added.
"I could but I won't" Anko said and his frown deepened. "And as for your question, they're still inside getting the last of their things" she added.
"You still didn't answer my first question. Why are you here, Anko-sensei?" he asked her.
"I came to see you off" she said, and he arched an eyebrow at her. "What?"She asked, ready to bite his head off.
"You're going to miss me ~" he sang to her. She frowned and he cringed, waiting for the pain to come, but luckily, she didn't hit him.
"I don't think so" Anko said and turned to the sun that started to rise over the walls that surrounded the village. "I got you something" she said, taking out a storage seal and he watched as she unsealed a ball.
"Is that a joke? Why would you get me a ball? I'm not a kid, Anko-sensei" he said with a deadpan expression on his face. She rolled her eyes at him.
"It's to help with your chakra control. Since you're going to be away from the village for five days and the genin exam is coming up, you'll need all the help you can get" she added, and he looked at the strange, red ball.
"How will this help with my chakra control?" he asked, looking at the red ball that was as big as his hands.
"Focus chakra into it" she said and he placed the ball between his hands. He did as was told but nothing happened. She took it from his hands, and she said "Nothing happened because you didn't concentrate the right amount of chakra into the ball. If you did, this would have happened" His eyes widened as the ball floated in mid air.
"Amazing!" he gasped, as she dropped the ball, before it snapped back into her hands, just like a yo-yo.
"This is something I had one of my friends create just for you" Anko said, cutting off the chakra she fed to the ball. It plopped into her hands, and she placed it into his. He looked at the thing like it was some precious treasure he had just found.
"You have friends?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts and it earned him a smack behind the head. "Ow!" he shouted at her but stopped when he saw her concerned eyes.
"Be careful out there, gaki" she said, ruffling his hair. "I know you've had a hard time here in Konoha, but out there, the world is a lot worse" she added, and he nodded. "Don't slack off on your training, look after those two, and don't forget everything I taught you" she said.
"Wow, you sound like Ami-chan" Naruto said and she just rolled her eyes. "But thanks for worrying about me" he added. She scoffed but he could see the happiness in her eyes.
"Like I would be worried about a little squirt like you" she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I have better things to do with my time" she added.
"Oh, like collecting victims to torture?" he asked and she just chuckled. "You didn't deny it" he added.
"Hey, it's a living" she said, and he just shook his head. That was when Riku and Ami walked out of the store.
"Anko-san, did you come to see me off?" Riku asked and Ami as well as Naruto shouted pervert at him. "Oi, that's not how you treat your elders!" he complained but they weren't listening to him.
"You came to see off, Naruto-kun, right?" Ami asked Anko as Riku locked the store. Anko nodded and Ami smiled at her.
"What's with that grin on your face?" Anko asked and Ami just shrugged like she knew something that Anko didn't know.
"It's just nice to see such a strong bond between sensei and student" she said clasping her hands. Anko and Naruto snorted at the same time. This seemed to cause Ami's grin to grow wider.
"Anyway, gaki, come home in one piece because we only have a few days to work on your bushin" Anko said, turning to Naruto. Naruto nodded at her. "I hope you all have a good trip" she said and with that, she left with a shunshin.
"Well, let's go meet with the caravan!" Riku said, joining them. Naruto glanced at the dango store once more before they walked down the street. "Don't worry gaki. It'll still be there when we return" he added as he glanced at him. Ami ruffled Naruto's hair and he smiled.
"I know. It's just so exciting. I'm actually getting to go out those gates!" Naruto said, clutching the straps of his backpack.
"It's nothing really. Once we're out there in the hot sun, all that excitement will dissipate" Riku said with a chuckle as they headed to the gates.
"Uncle Riku is right, Naruto-kun. Once we get out the gates, all you're going to see are trees" Ami said, as she adjusted her own pack. "It's called the land of Fire, but all the eye can see are trees" she added and they chuckled.
"Is that them?" Naruto asked, as the merchant caravan came into view, with around thirty people crowded together. He gulped and Riku patted his head.
"Don't worry. They don't even know who you are" Riku said and Naruto relaxed. "And we're travelling with them only to Tanazuku Gai, since they're heading in another direction" he added.
"Tanazuku Gai? What is that?" Naruto asked and Ami frowned. "What is it?" he asked her.
"It's a place only for adults" Ami said and Naruto just 'oohed' at her. "And no, we're not stopping there. In fact, we're not even entering the city" she added.
"Are you Riku-san?" one of the men asked, as they neared the caravan, he could see that the crowd consisted of varying people of different ages. Naruto even saw a woman holding a baby in her hands. Riku nodded and they all bowed at each other.
"We aren't late, are we?" Riku asked and the man shook his head at him. The man, had short black hair and a fairly handsome face, with modest clothes despite the fact he was the lead merchant of the caravan.
"No, you all are right on time. We were just waiting for everyone to gather before we set out" he said with a smile. They walked over to the group and the man moved in front of the caravan.
"I want to just get a few rules clear before we set out on the road" he said, and everyone looked at him. "With this caravan, we leave no one behind so stay close. We don't want any fighting and please, just look after your neighbor. You never know how far an act of kindness can take you" he said, and with that, they nodded. "Yosh, then let's go!" he said and they set out. The women rode on the caravan, while the men including Riku walked.
"Are all these people merchants?" Naruto asked Riku. He walked beside Riku whilst the other men had already settled into little groups, most likely with people they knew.
"No, most of the people here, are travelling like we are" Riku said and Naruto nodded. His eyes fell on the large wooden gates at the entrance, and he clutched onto the straps of his backpack tighter. As the gates slowly opened with a loud groan, his heart sped up. Riku chuckled at him and patted his head. "So, did you say goodbye to the Hokage?" he asked.
"Yeah, last night he helped me pack" Naruto said, though his eyes were strained on the gates. Once they were open, he gaped at the scenery. "Amazing" he whispered.
"Come on, Naruto. Don't space out" Riku said, and gave his hand a tug. Naruto nodded and they walked past the guards who made note of him. Even though they couldn't see his tell tale blonde hair that was hidden because of the hood, they knew that it was him. Who else was that short? And only Naruto was so close with Riku and Ami. Naruto didn't glance at them. He kept his head straight and Riku placed his hand on his shoulder. As soon as they walked past them, he released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "You did good, gaki" Riku said and Naruto could only smile.
"That boy keeps staring at me" Naruto whispered. Riku looked up, and saw a boy around maybe fifteen with bright orange hair indeed, focused on the blonde. He wore clothes that Riku knew were traveler's clothes. He wore a sleeveless, blue shirt with tan pants and sandals. He had a bag hung over his shoulders and bandages ran from his hands to his elbows. He had a strange feather and bead accessory in the front of his hair. When he saw Riku staring at him, he turned his head away.
"He's just curious" Riku said though his eyes were now pealed on the boy. "So, what do you think about the open road so far?" he asked the blonde.
"It's okay" Naruto said and waved at Ami who was looking at them. She smiled and returned the wave.
"You know you'll have to take off that jacket soon enough, right? Or else you're going to roast. Especially around mid day, when the sun is at its highest peak in the sky" Riku said, and Naruto pulled off the hood.
"I didn't even think about that" Naruto mumbled and Riku chuckled. "I guess you really are a traveler, huh, old man?" he asked.
"Of course I am. I've been nearly everywhere in the Elemental Nations. I've seen it all, gaki" he said.
"What is your favorite place?" Naruto asked, ready to hear one of the man's infamous stories.
"I'll let you in on a secret, my boy. Even though the places change, the people are the same" Riku said.
"I don't think so" Naruto said and Riku arched an eyebrow at him. "Jiji always told me that everyone is different, that we have our own unique colors" he added.
"Oh, so you believe that old, senile man instead of me?" Riku asked and Naruto spluttered at him. "I'm joking, gaki" he said and Naruto frowned as Riku laughed.
"This is serious, old man" Naruto huffed and Riku just smirked. "Do you really think that people are the same?" he asked.
"Not everyone. For example, I've never met a kid like you before. Even though you remind me of my son, you're completely different from him in certain ways" Riku said and he knew he had gotten the blonde's full attention. "You're stronger than he ever was" he added, and Naruto looked at the ground. "I believe that even if you had been diagnosed with his disease, you wouldn't have given up like he did" he said.
"Don't say that, old man" Naruto said, though he didn't look at Riku. "With a dad like you, I knew that he certainly tried his best to live" he added and Riku's eyes widened. "I know that, because if he thought like me, he wouldn't give up if you were there supporting him. That's what I believe and you should too" he said and Riku's eyes softened before he ruffled his hair.
"Thank you, Naruto" he whispered and Naruto pretended like he didn't see the few tears that fell down the man's cheeks.
Author's notes : First off, I want to admit something. I have no clue what happens when civilians leave the village. No clue, so if I got it wrong, sorry about that. Secondly, the ball thing. I made that up. I just thought that if Naruto was leaving and with the genin exams so close, Anko would ensure that he had something to train with when he was away. And finally, who was that boy ready to chew Naruto's head off? I have to admit, when I made his character up, I had Ichigo in mind. No,this is NOT a crossover so it's not Ichigo. Oh, before I forget, I have another surprise coming up. It's going to be good, so look out for that in the upcoming chapters.
Frostycookies.