A Different Life

Chapter 6 :

Disclaimer : Insert Standard Disclaimer…. That a suggestion or a demand? Anyway, don't own Naruto… barely have 11 bucks to my name! Need a job!

Author's Note : Dang, first round of tests come and gone, second round too! Took me a while to get started on this again, huh? Oh well, let's see what kinda stuff I spout next (Don't worry, had the standard de-kuno-xication: lots and lotsa beer!)
Yay, happy birthday to me! (31st of may just so you see how lazy I am!). Oh well, just decided to keep track of how slow I with this. June 19 and I haven't quite started yet, surprised? Don't be… yah, I'm a busy bum. Oh well, let's move on to trying to write the story….

Today's Experiment…. FAILURE!

07-01-2005

(Actually 01-07-2005 for me, but my watch is made in the USA, oh well…) The trip has been long, the perils endless, and even after so much, the end remains hidden behind a wall of false hopes and Illusions, I am beginning to despair…. Will I actually manage to continue my fic? Or will the fate of so many other would-be-authors be mine as well? Only one way to find out, I will try again….

GIANT LETTERS MOVING FROM BOTTOM TO TOP, GROWING SMALLER AS THEY GET NEARER THE TOP OF THE SCREEN:

Sorry Mario,

But The Princess Is In Another Castle….

Damn, I hate that… Moving ON!

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Stride, skip, swerve, STOP! Dodge, bend, rebound, throw kunais, sidestep, dodge deflected kunais, be forced to walk into that ever-present trap right there, Kiwamari outta there, dodge other trap (falling tree) where I reappeared at… sheesh, if these guys are plain old regular bandits I'm a three legged chicken…. Let's check… 2 legs? OK, not regular bandits…. Sheesh, punch, jump, avoid kick to the guts, roll out of there

…. This taijutsu style looks very fami-urgh, IDIOT! Concentrate on surviving first, THEN analyse… some of these guys are just too damned good for my continued well being…. I wonder where the others are and how they are doing… Hinata-chan, sunglasses, cold-hearted teach…. Errr Itachi-sensei (Kuso! Even calling him that in my mind and I feel his very reaction to it… not human…) Heh, gotta find some way to turn things around, somehow….

- Abrut Scene Change -

While that small melee is happening just a few feet from where we are (deeper into the forest than we are looking at right now), also let's take the chance to look around. It's night-time, the embers of a scattered fire can still be appreciated all around us, ruined tents lie at our feet, half eaten meals and turned over packs finish setting the mood for this small part of the forest. The smell of blood and smoke fills the air; discarded weapons are everywhere, some even imbedded on trees. The sounds of fighting are all around us, but nary a sign or sound of animals in the forest is evident… Let's try to understand what happened here before "the fun" begun.

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10 Hours Earlier, 12:05 PM, in a sunny village

"OK, OK, so you guys didn't like the chicken-dance-anthon the other day so much, but I bet this'll cheer you up and make up for the other day…. WOMEN MUD WRESTLING!- this was heard just as the doors to a bar were suddenly thrown open…" said a familiar figure with blonde hair. Beside him were three other figures.

"Heh, that sounds great man! IF it's true, cause all I see is a mud-pit and some people running after pigs…. No scantly clad women mud wrestling each other!" said the one with spiky hair.

"I knew you'd like I- SAY WHAT?"screamed the blond man. "Hey! Waitress! Over here! I got a question, what's happening here today? Where's the MUD WRESTLING COMPETITION?"

"Mud Wres… Oh, my! That was yesterday honey, around ten at night. You missed it, today's the 'Catch the greased pig' competitions, if you want to join in I think you can still sign up, or you can watch from one of the tables, will you be wanting anything to drink?" said the waitress.

"10 pm…. Hmmm, it sounds familiar… I got it! Wasn't that the time we were at the chicken dance-athon yesterday? Shit….. uh, well guys, maybe we can enjoy the greased pig competition, ya know, it doesn't sound so ba…. Errr… guys? Hey guys, put the weapons down! Let's talk about this, ok? please? Hey, Max, nice sword! Where'd you pull it out off? I mean that double edge looks… veeery sharp…. Oh… no, man, I mean, c'mon! It's a Chinese Sword an all, and- Holey Moley! It's raining cheese outside!" cried the blonde.

Everyone (and I mean everyone, even the pigs!) in the bar turns to look over at the window, meanwhile the blonde high-speeds it outta there. One of the blonde's companions face looks ecstatic, while all the others just look from curious, to damned surprised. Soon as they notice 2 things (A. It's not raining B. Trix are for Kids!) they all turn to the blonde who just psyched em all, who is long gone.

"Oh man, he just made a fool out of us…LET'S GET HIM!"

At this, the entire bar empties out, and goes after the blond, the pig-riders having a tough time staying atop their mounts cause of all the grease…

Hoookay…. Wrong blonde and friends… why do those guys keep popping up? Anyway, back to Naruto and company.

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Another Sunny Village, 3 Hours Later

We focus in on a busy marketplace, people wandering everywhere, looking at the colourful stands of every kind: Food stands, pottery stands, fine cloth and clothes stands, game stands, etc. As we fly by, intent on reaching the Ramen stand right by the corner we barely have time to notice a tall, pale, dark haired, red-eyed man watching over a …colourfully clothed man trying to send all kinds of clothes and cloths to all the ladies he can see (strangely so, he ignores the men, then again, few of them even go close to his stand, preferring the okonomiyaki one two stands down, or the "Blacksmith's Forge" right next to it). Confirmation we ARE in the right village this time (only took some… 3 HOURS? Well, 3 hours to find… grumble hibiki grumble)

"Ano… Hinata-chan, you barely touched your ramen. Was something wrong with it? Or… is it..." -heart thumps-".. that you don't like RAMEN? B-but…. How? Ramen is a god-sent food! How can you not like it?" A panicking Naruto started to yell at this point, all of a sudden feeling the world turning upside down and playing dead!(Fetch boy, FETCH!)

To this, we see Hinata sweatdropping, crazy anime style-like, and she struggled to talk quickly and calm down her panicking and, by now, hyperventilating (did I mention overtly loud?) team-mate, going in so far as to grab him by both shoulders (Oh, if he wasn't panicking and screaming, I could just lean on to his face and blush), shake him slightly and say:

"Uhm, N-Naruto-kun …. I … It's just that… while we were waiting for you once we finished packing… we went and had lunch… so I wasn't THAT hungry to eat the jumbo sized ramen you insisted we all have." whispered Hinata.

Blank Daze, eyes wide open annnnnnnnnd twink twink "Oooooh, why didn't you say so sooner? Here I was thinking that one of the persons I like doesn't like Ramen" And, once again, Hinata is in her own dreamworld at hearing that Naruto "likes" her (Me! Oh, he likes me? I could /CENSORED DUE TO EXTREME GUSHYNESS/)

" Oh, there's Itachi-sensei! Let's ask him where we are gonna be sleeping tonight…" then, remembering his tortur… err… training, yes, training earlier, Naruto decides to dodge the bullet, and have some fun at his team mates expense " Neh…. Eyeglasses! Since you haven't talked all day, and you need to practice being more outgoing, how's about YOU ask him? Stay quiet if you agree!"

"……….."

"Then it's settled, you ask him!"

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Later on, within a forest

Damned Itachi-sensei! I mean, I don't know why he has it against me! It was Shino who asked him (no matter if he did it at my say so), but he makes ME carry EVERYONE'S gear PLUS Mr. Tatewakis' wares! He's beyond mean, he's sadistic! Well, at least he didn't take my ramen away this time…. Oh well, might as well enjoy the fresh air tonight. It seems different… fresher, maybe a bit richer… but it has a kind of "cold" metallic undertaste to it…

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Inside Naruto's Navel

Hehehehe… change is coming. He doesn't recognize it for what it is, but I do… the smell of promise. Of blood, death, fear, revenge, FREEDOM! I'll have my vengeance, and I'll make all humans regret their ever being born! Fire, death, terror, death, carnage, DEATH! I can already hear the screams, smell the fear, feel the rumbling of the earth as it too fears my return… Pathetic humans, I will enjoy the slaughter. Fear it, for I come soon… hehehehehe….

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Back with Naruto

… don't know what it could be… oh well, hopefully it'll be nothing bad… anyway it's almost nightfall, we'd best be finding a place to set up camp shortly…. Knowing Itachi-sensei I'll probably have to do most of the work! Heh, guess he must be psychic or something… we finally stopped.

At this the travelling group came to a halt in a small clearing, whereupon the overtly serious, pale, dark haired man started giving orders.

"Naruto, start setting up camp for tonight! Shino and I will go looking for some wood over there. Hinata, start setting up traps on the other side, Shino and I will help close up the perimeter once we have all the wood we'll need. Tatewaki-san, please make yourself comfortable and remain within the clearing, we'll have the camp fully set up in a few miutes and dinner started shortly after that. Now, MOVE!" ordered Itachi to his team.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"

3 guesses as to who that was. Anyway, pretty soon a dozen or so blonds were busy pitching up tents, clearing a fireplace, securing the food and getting out all the gear they would need to spend the night-soon he camp was fully set up, food was prepared (not ramen) and then eaten and then the guard duty was assigned. (Naruto got the third shift, Hinata got the second and Shino got the 4th. Itachi had volunteered to go first claiming that he didn't feel tired at all, unlike his students, who could use the rest)

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Da Actual Fight

Yet Another Camp Site, Same Forest, Only Deeper

A mysterious figure slowly approached the fire, silently conferring with the other figures who came to challenge his progress, after a few minutes, he was allowed to pass on to the central fireplace where a strongly built guy brooded alone.

"Sir! Our spy reports that our target took the eastern trail into the forest just a few hours ago, they should not be very far right now!"

At this, the figure stood up, and exclaimed."Excellent! We'll strike up camp (don't want to leave any traces of our being here, now do we?) and head out towards the eastern trail. Once we find them, we attack. Everyone remembers why we are fighting them? Good. Show no mercy… just like WE were shown none!"

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Dreamscape

Mom! Dad! They're alive! But… but I thought the Kinjutsu had finally taken them away! Hayato and Myouga are with them? The whole Family is together again! Wait for me guys! Wait for me! Wait… where's this red glare coming from? No! It's surrounding me, pulling me down, it's keeping me from my (LITTER KITS) brothers, my mom and (THAT MAN! THAT OH SO DESPICABLE MAN!) dad! NO! I won't allow it! Even if I have to bite and claw my way over any (SMOKE FILLED DEVASTATED RUINS) anyone anywhere! (DEATH, PAIN, SUFFERING! BLOOD?) I'll---

BOOOM!

What the? Smoke? Blood? Sweat?… wait… THINK! I was dreaming… dreaming? A dream, but it was so… FOCUS! What woke me up? Why does it smell that way? Traps! Explosive ones at that! They were laid by my team! Get out of bed NOW and get some gear on! Wait, my team… Hinata-chan, sunglasses.. Itachi-sensei? Loud-mouthed-idiot-client-thingy? I hear fighting! Under attack! OK, first things first. Deny enemy information, or as much of it as possible… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Send the clones out, search for everyone and try to sow some confusion on whoever is attacking. Now the-Killing intent! JUMP! Kunais? Not your usual bandit hardware, but not that uncommon either thanks largely in part to missing nins. Shit, here they come! Punch! Doge, kick, jump, no time to think, none for jutsus either… gotta rely on my instincts right now, while I can figure things out some more. Shit! They're pushing me into the forest and away from the camp! Where's everyone?

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END NOTES! START HERE!

Freaking cliff hangers, sorry people, the juice ran out right about here, need to go buy more Tang. Didn't mean to have the cliff hanger here, but it happens. More will come when it comes. Thanks to Max Knight, my beta for this chapter, might even be for others. Did a good job (you notice the disclaimer? He reminded me of that one!). And all the reviewers, just wish I had more of those, oh well. Later y'all!

Next Chappy:

The mission ends, Status?