Chapter Two

--Meeting with a Genius

*The three days have passed after the mysterious ninja invited Naruto to a meeting in Practice Area # forty-four*

"You should leave now, Sakura-chan." Naruto said from a room where he was not visible by his pink-haired companion. "Why, your home is nice." She replied. She was looking at a few old pictures set up on a small desk. One that particularly peeked her interest was a picture of a man that looked somewhat like Naruto. The same hair and eyes. "Naruto-kun?"

"Eh?"

"Is this your father?" She asked, holding up the picture so that it was facing the room that Naruto was in. He poked his head out of the bathroom to take a look at it, a blue toothbrush protruding from his mouth, filled with foam. He then withdrew back inside.

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Sakura yelled, slamming the picture back down on the desk.

"That's the Fourth Hokage, you of all people should know that…"

"But…why does he…and you…" He stepped out of the restroom, already fully dressed.

"Hmm? You say something Sakura-chan?"

"No!" She quickly replaced the photograph in its proper position.

"Well, like I said; You should be going now. I don't like people in my house while I'm gone."

"Your not seriously thinking of going, are you?!" Sakura poked Naruto in the chest. "You don't know anything about that guy or where he's from!"

"There's no way you could possibly understand, Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he slipped a few kunai and shuriken into his leg pouch. "I am going to become Hokage someday; I can't back out of a challenge now!" He wrapped his Konoha forehead protector around his head and tied it at the back.

"Fine! Then I'm telling Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun!" She threatened. She started to head for the door when Naruto snatched her back by the arm. "Let go of me!"

"You can't tell anybody about this. Kakashi-sensei will only worry and come after me, and Sasuke will try to show off again." He released her. "This is about me, and nobody is going to mess this fight up."

"Naruto…" She massaged her wrist where he had left a red bruise.

"I love you…Sakura-chan…" Before she had time to react at all, he was gone out his room window and down into the dark streets of Konoha. As he passed the Ramen bar, and was sure he was out of earshot he said out loud to himself: "Man! I'm so good! Right now she probably doesn't know what to think!"

***Meanwhile***

"He's late…"

"Don't be so impatient, Naku. He is sure to come."

"You better be right about this guy, Sumaru…."

***Back to Naruto, at the gates of Practice Area #44***

Naruto stared at the gates topped with barbed wire. He was just starting to have doubts about this secret meeting. 'What if that guy is trying to lure me into a trap?…' He shook his head violently, as if by doing so all the negative thoughts about his decision would disappear. "No! I will go!" Naruto clutched the cold thin metal bands of the fence and pulled himself up. As the fence was not that high, he made it to the top in a very short time. He sat on the rim of the fence for a few moments before lunging onto the other side.

Unfortunately for the young ninja he got un unpleasant surprise when he landed on the other side. As soon as his feet made contact with the moist ground inside of PA44, several mines and explosions were set off. Naruto scrambled further into the forest in a futile attempt to escape the traps. In the process of running away he triggered more traps, sending dozens of kunai and shuriken hurdling towards him.

He continued running as fast as he could. Then suddenly he was swept off the ground and carried high into the air, above the forest. In the center, about five kilometers away, he could see a giant tower. This is where the Chuunin Tournament is held each year. Just as he thought about looking up at the creature that had lifted him from the ground so easily, he was released and plummeted back into the forest, wailing all the way down.

His face made an unfriendly acquaintance with the rough dirt below. Nearby he could hear the soft pitter-patter of feet. He struggled a little, but managed to sit up strait. Closest to him was a boy who looked not that much older than himself. Black markings covered most of the right side of his face. A large sword was clamped onto his back. Somehow the sword type seemed familiar in Naruto's eyes.

"Hey, hey! That's the same kind of weapon Zabuza-san used!"

The boy didn't pay Naruto any attention. He was looking in his direction, but seemed to be looking at something other than him.

"Eh? Who are you? And what are you looking---" Naruto had turned his head to look behind him. Two more people were in his presence. One he recognized immediately as the ninja Naku, who extended the invitation into this area. Next to him, sitting on the ground, was a short boy probably about half his own age. He wore an old-fashioned red yukata. He had his eyes closed and his hands were performing the Ram seal with his hands in front of his face.

"Hey, hey! Who are you guys?!"