Crystal: Err... an 'I'm sorry' is not going to cut it, is it? -fidgets in her swivel chair- Anyway, if anyone is listening - err, reading, I have good excuses. Projects being assigned, tests being written, volunteer events that I needed to do, procrastination taking over my body (gosh, it sounded like I was being possessed... heh -scratches the back of her head and smiles sheepishly-), etc etc.
ANYWAY! After two months of being in the dark - wow, two months? - I'm finally back! Thank you for those who reviewed, read and waited patiently. I seriously thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. And ChibiNekoSakura... you have the utmost patience that I surely lack. Thank you again! -huggles-
Umm, is there anything else... Oh yes! As compensation for my tardiness... I've left something lime-ish for you guys. Hope you enjoy? -smiles uneasily-
Have a happy reading!
Warnings: Yaoi, Language and M-Preg; and sexual contents as well. You have been warned! Seriously!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and even if I did, I would probably be six feet under already thanks to some people... -gives a narrowed look towards them-
Moments
Interlude One: As it began
With a long, exaggerated sigh, a young boy with tuft of blond hair and clear blue eyes waved farewell once again to the place he called home. Naruto gave a huge grin towards the Old Hag, Shizune and his two former teachers who were standing in the entrance gates and yelled excitingly to the white-haired Sannin he thought as mentor to hurry it up.
They were going away from Konohagakure again, to train and travel. Surprisingly enough, the old hag had agreed to let him come with Jiraiya again as much as she hated for him to leave. Naruto inwardly rolled his eyes at the Fifth Hokage's refusal and reluctant agreement. He knew the reason she did not want him to leave was because of Akatsuki, but he could handle himself just fine! She was just worrying too much, as always. Maybe that was why he could finally see grey hairs in her blonde hair (but he would not dare say it out loud).
Besides, it was not as if all they were going to do was train, travel and make sure the pervert of a Sannin would not get into trouble… they were also leaving because they were going to find out any information they can muster about Sasuke and Otogakure (even though Jiraiya had no idea they were going to do that…). He had made a promise to Sakura, and he would sure damn keep it.
Jumping from tree to tree, Naruto gave inhaled deeply and looked up at the cloudless, blue sky. He gave a foxy grin as he thought of Shikamaru getting annoyed because there were no clouds to see. Even though he had already left Konoha once for a long period of time, he could never get used to long distant trips; it made him homesick. But, he was used to it now… and it was not as if he would not come back anyway.
The blond hopped off the last tree branch and started walking beside Jiraiya, who in turn gave a curious look towards him. To tell the truth, Naruto had no idea where they were going. He wouldn't really think they would visit the previous areas they stayed in the last time he and the pervert took off, so what was Jiraiya up to?
"Ne… Ero-sennin… where are we actually going?" he asked as he put his orange-clad arms behind his head. Naruto relished the sun's rays as he gave an irritated look towards the toad Sannin when Jiraiya shrugged his arms.
Trust the stupid pervert to not know where they were actually headed.
Naruto sighed, and looked straight at the road they were walking on, surprisingly not annoyed by how quiet it was right now. Normally, the silence would annoy him to death… but right now if felt kind of nice.
Even though he was still brash, loud, and reckless, Naruto had matured a bit. Sure, even though he was still careless and always attacking on an impulse without actually thinking things thoroughly, he now finally used his noggin while fighting - thus passing the Chuunin exams with flying colours two months prior to his journey - despite the fact it was only sometimes he'd actually use his head to think up of a strategy.
He grew stronger - both physically and mentally - and he never let his emotions interfere with his battles unless it was deemed necessary to do so. But he still had more things to learn, more people to meet… and a certain person to retrieve.
It was funny… as Naruto kept on reminding himself about the promise he kept for his female best friend, it sounded like he was promising himself. He snorted inwardly and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes ahead.
The heat of the sun must have been frying his brain already. Sure, he missed the bastard but somehow inferring the promise he was keeping was actually intended for him was completely ridiculous!
'The sunlight must be really frying my brain cells…' he dreadfully thought. Luckily, he spotted a willow tree and persistently annoyed Jiraiya to take a break until the man smacked him in the forehead just to shut him up.
Sitting under the shade… Naruto gave a relaxing sigh as he lay down at the soft grass, ignoring the grumbling of his partner.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya frowned as he looked around the area and heaved an annoyed grunt as he reluctantly sat beside the blond. They should not be dillydallying and should start walking again if they want to be in the next village quickly. As much as it seemed calm and quiet right now, he knew that the Akatsuki would find out that Naruto was once again out of Konoha and they would make another attempt at kidnapping him.
With staying at a village, they could at least buy the necessary things they needed (like food, for instance) and have an actual bed to sleep in - not to mention a certain onsen so the white-haired 'author' could have inspiration for his novels - until they finally arrived at their supposed vicinity.
Jiraiya grimaced when he remembered about his lack of speech earlier on when the brat had asked him where they were temporarily going to stay. He was going to have an earful, that's for sure. Besides, it was not like he did not want him to know… it was because there might be people who were listening and saying confidential things like that wouldn't really be confidential if certain people - namely the Akatsuki… - would find out where they were staying.
He looked at Naruto who'd fallen asleep apparently - damn, brat - and shook his head exasperatedly. Jiraiya knew what he was trying to do… the reason Naruto wanted to come with him again, and he would not allow it.
Tsunade knew it too, that was why she downright refused when Naruto came barging into her office and pleaded her for him to leave with the white-haired Sannin (even though both Sannin knew that Naruto would deny everything if one questioned him if he actually pleaded to the Godaime Hokage).
Looking at the blue sky, Jiraiya knew that even though the sun was still up and shining, the sun would set soon. Giving the oblivious blond an evil glint, the white-haired shinobi stood up and loomed over Naruto, who had no idea of the impending doom that was coming to his way.
--
"Mou, you didn't have to punch me that hard, Ero-sennin…" Naruto grumbled as he rubbed the forming lump on his head whilst seeing their destination.
It was a quaint, medium-sized village; it did not have any luxurious buildings and it also did not have a lot of people living there, but the aura was warm and welcoming. Despite the fact that the sun was setting all ready, children were still out and about, playing and laughing in the streets. Women were chatting quietly with each other, trading secret recipes and gossips.
Naruto sighed contentedly at the peaceful-looking area and gave a forlorn look when realized that they would only be staying in the village for a day or two. He wouldn't mind if they stayed a little longer. It looked so calm, and for all he knew even with a medium-sized village the Akatsuki would overlook this village when they search for him and the perverted hermit.
As if Jiraiya was poking and prodding into his mind, the white-haired Sannin snorted in disagreement and closed his eyes. "We cannot stay in this village, brat. It's too dangerous."
"Why can't we stay? This village is not that big - no offence - and I don't really think those bastards would come here looking for us… And would you stop reading my mind? It's bad enough the stupid fox is in my head already…" pouted the blond as he crossed his arms. He ignored the grumbling of Kyuubi and widened his eyes with delight when he saw a ramen stand at the far corner of the street. "Waaah, Ero-sennin! Can we eat there?"
Shaking his head, Jiraiya nodded his head instinctively, wondering how the blue-eyed shinobi could change moods faster than a pregnant woman. He watched Naruto as he ran straight to the stand, furiously shoving the flap away and scaring the cook by sitting on the stool like an eager puppy.
"Ne, Ojii-san! Do you have an extra large bowl of miso ramen?" eagerly asked Naruto as Jiraiya finally arrived the stand and sat next to his student. As he watched the cook nodding his head hesitantly (after all, he had not seen a customer this excited about ramen before), the Toad Sannin ignored the twitching of his eye, knowing that half the money he had brought would be quickly dispersed thanks to the blond's whelping appetite.
He supposed seeing Naruto happy was worth it, if not annoying. There were times where he had heard that Naruto was spending less time pulling pranks on the villagers and he felt disturbed by it. That or the brat was finally maturing (but he doubted the latter).
"Give me another extra bowl, Ojii-san!"
Yes, he now definitely doubted that Naruto was growing up and taking adulthood seriously (but Jiraiya would never admit it aloud, considering an orange-clad male, a voluptuous 'old hag' and a clan of frogs would call him a hypocrite). Jiraiya gave a bored sigh and turned around so his back was facing the counter. Looking at the blue sky, his forehead creased, calculating how many hours it would take to finish all of the errands they need to do before they could rest.
"Oii, Ero-sennin. Where would we stay for the night?" Naruto asked, as he took out the vegetables from his ramen carefully. "I mean, if we would stay here then we should at least go to an inn first and check to see if there are any rooms available."
"We should have… but some brat with a black hole for a stomach wanted to eat first so…" Jiraiya gave his blond companion a look and smirked when Naruto started scowling. Getting off his seat, he left Naruto, saying he would look for an inn for them to stay on. As he exited the ramen stand and suddenly gave a lecherous gaze towards a small group of women who were walking off towards the nearby bathhouse.
'But then again… I suppose the inn could wait a while…' he thought while snickering quietly and stealthily followed the women. Naruto saw the little ordeal his so-called mentor had and snorted loudly as he slurped his noodles. The old geezer was such a pervert that even after all these years he had known him, the blonde still did not get what was so fascinating at peeking in the bathhouse.
After eating his eleventh bowl, Naruto gave a thankful praise towards the cook and paid him - with Ero-sennin's money, of course - and left the ramen stand, taking a peaceful stroll as he walked down the streets. He knew Jiraiya wouldn't be looking for an inn right at the moment - considering he had a perverted look earlier and started looking for an onsen instead - so he took the responsibility of searching a place where they could rest for the night.
He felt uncomfortable when people started staring at him as he walked down the street. He was used to it, definitely, but this time… the looks he was receiving were pure curiosity. The blond had been under these stares before - in his previous missions - however, he was stunned that a semi-successful village has not seen an actual shinobi before.
Children stopped playing and looked at his head protector as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Naruto gave them a goofy smile and kept on walking, beaming when he saw the inn.
The inn was fairly small, with only two floors, but it had a welcoming atmosphere (just like everything else in the village). A few lights were open on the second floor, making Naruto think that there were still a few rooms available. He entered the building, seeing a lady from behind a desk.
"Ne, Nee-chan, do you have anymore rooms available?" Naruto asked, as he tried to stifle a yawn. Was he really that tired? He barely heard what the lady had said as he tried to stretch his arms.
"Why yes we do… how many rooms do you need?"
Looking at the wallet Jiraiya reluctantly gave him, Naruto smiled gleefully when he saw that there was enough money for him and the perverted hermit to have different rooms. He was about to put two fingers up in the air when he realized that Jiraiya was still at the onsen, making his nose bleed to death… and the blond could not leave the inn. What if other people took the remaining rooms? He refused to sleep outside without a decent sleeping bag.
'Too bad Ero-sennin… I guess you'll just have to sleep outside tonight…' Naruto inwardly cackled, ignoring the disgruntled snorts from Kyuubi, who was resting from a long, boring day.
"Just one, Nee-chan!"
--
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
She realized that as the stars and the moon came out and covered the sky. Looking down at the village, she saw the lights illuminating the streets and houses, knowing that the villagers had not even noticed that a certain person left Konoha again. There would be no pranks, no gleeful laughter… hell, there wouldn't be any nagging of her treating said person to ramen.
Sakura sighed as she crossed her arms and placed them over her legs as she sat on top of the Hokage Mountain. She was alone once again. Okay, so maybe not alone, but still. As much as she thought of Naruto being a complete idiot, he was the only one who understood of what she was going through. A few years have passed now, of course, but she still felt like she was the only person who thought that something was wrong.
It did not bother her as much - since there was someone who was still persistent in courting her (even after all these years), but quickly forgetting the shattered memories and dreams she used to have was like Kiba hating dogs or Shino killing insects.
It was not possible.
The pink-haired female then bristled at the thought of Naruto not saying goodbye to her. What was wrong with him? She was his teammate, his female best friend, and his surrogate sister… and yet he had the nerve to tell her and the rest of their friends something important and then left without saying anything else?
"How could he be so selfish…" she mumbled under her breath, not noticing that she had company with her.
"Are you sure that he's selfish, Sakura?" a voice from behind her asked, making the kunoichi startled.
She turned around and saw Neji leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and arms crossed. Sakura gave a half-smile and looked back at the village. She was surprised that he found her… after all, only certain people knew where this place was. But then again… Neji was a skilled shinobi, and had no problems whatsoever about tracking someone.
"Of course not… Naruto's the most selfless person I know… demo, he should have at least waited for our responses before leaving Konoha…" she replied, as she lowered her head that it touched her arms.
"Che, what a drag. Sakura, do you honestly think Naruto would stick around if somehow we started thinking that he's disgusting?" Shikamaru came out of the shadows with the infamous bored look in his face. "And I thought you were smart… Ino forced me out here for nothing then."
Closing her eyes, Sakura smiled again and stood up from the ground. Dusting her skirt, she walked towards the two men and started walking beside them as they headed back towards civilization. She supposed Shikamaru was right… even though Naruto had a cheerful façade gallivanting on his face, there were times where she would see a whole different side of him.
But if Naruto did thought of that… then the green-eyed girl gave the blue-eyed male too much credit when it came to simple logic. Honestly… did he really think they were closed-minded people like the villagers they were trying to protect?
The three shinobi walked near a certain ramen stand, seeing the rest of their friends occupying the seats. Sakura smiled sheepishly as she saw ten bowls sitting innocently near where Chouji was sitting.
"Sakura-san! Sakura-san! Come over here, I saved you seat!" Lee enthusiastically said as he patted a stool next to him.
Sakura just smiled and thanked the dark-haired Taijutsu specialist as she ordered a small bowl of ramen. It was odd for all of them eat at the same exact restaurant her blond teammate adored, especially since said blond was not even there to enjoy the meal.
'Hope you come back soon… you idiot.'
Meanwhile, in the Hokage tower, Tsunade sat behind her desk as she watched the night sky from her window. She carefully patted Tonton who was sleeping soundly on her lap.
She would kill Jiraiya as soon as she saw him again and then after burying his old body, she would kill Naruto next. How could the both of them team up and somehow persuade her to allow the blond to leave? She knew as the Hokage she overruled their decisions - no matter how much pleading and begging they could do - but Tsunade knew in her heart that she could not just say 'no' to Naruto (even though she knew there was a limit). It was a different matter towards Jiraiya, but with Naruto there…
Where would they stay, first of all? They could not just sleep in the outdoors and setting up traps would be pointless since the ninjas that were pursuing them were elite.
And aside from the Akatsuki ordeal, she knew the only reason Naruto would leave Konoha that desperately was because of Uchiha Sasuke.
What was so special about him? Tsunade wondered. The brown-eyed Sannin knew it wasn't because Sasuke was a genius… a heartthrob… because Naruto hated those kinds of people. There must be something, anything…
"He was my first friend… my best friend."
"He chose to hate me… instead of listening to other people and be biased by their feelings…"
"He and I are the same… we are both orphans… we know how it feels to be alone, even if he doesn't show it well…"
She sighed and closed her eyes, hearing the same sentences over and over in her head. Definitely she did not know how Naruto felt, but she knew he and the Uchiha were two different people.
Sasuke chose to be self-destructive… and as for Naruto, he had a choice to be like that too but instead he chose to be optimistic and hoping.
"Naruto's strong, he'll be fine."
She turned around calmly and saw Kakashi leaning against the doorway. Tsunade knew he was standing there for quite a while, so she wasn't startled when he started talking. Sighing again, she stopped patting the little pig on her lap and acknowledged the masked shinobi. "I know… but you do know the reason why he wanted to leave, correct?"
Kakashi walked further into the office and crossed his arms over his chest. Surprisingly he was not reading or merely holding his precious orange book; his eye had a bemused look into his eyes and nodded his head.
Of course he knew the reason, he was Naruto's Jounin instructor after all. He could see the guilt in those blue eyes; the fact that he thought it was his fault that Sasuke left Konoha. There were at times Kakashi almost smacked the blond for thinking such a thing but he knew it wouldn't have made any difference. His thoughts would remain the same until he had fulfilled his promise.
"Iruka's… not taking it very well," he finally said after a few minutes of silence. Before he arrived at Tsunade's office, he was with Iruka, who was looking despondent after they had seen Naruto's fading silhouette earlier in the afternoon.
Tsunade felt sympathy towards the Chuunin sensei and only nodded quietly. She knew how Iruka was feeling, after all, if she loved Naruto like a brother then Iruka must have loved the blue-eyed prankster like a son he never had. How would Iruka feel if he found out that his 'son' was abducted and killed by one of the most dangerous organization in the world? Surely it would kill Iruka inside…
"Look out for him, Kakashi. Company would be best suited for Iruka, don't you think?" Tsunade said, feeling amused when a slight surprise overcame the masked shinobi's visible eye. She was not the leader of the village for nothing…
"H-Hai, Hokage-sama…"
--
It was early in the morning, Naruto realized when he sleepily sat up from his futon. The sun was barely rising from the horizon, only its rays peeking in through the mountains. A few people were awake, only getting ready for a busy day ahead of them. Even the hosts of the inn were probably still asleep, knowing that none of their patrons were wide awake and ready for a hearty breakfast.
The blond went back to snuggling into his blankets, feeling a cool, rush of air through the slightly opened window and tried to fall back asleep. Fate, however, was not on his side, so despite the fact that he closed his eyes, turned a few times to get a comfortable spot and sighed at the softness of his pillow, Naruto was now fully awake - albeit very tired and restless - and ready to start his day.
Childishly pouting and sitting up, the blue-eyed Chuunin stretched his arms as he deeply yawned. He rubbed his eyes and crawled out of the futon, continuing to crawl through the bathroom. When he arrived there, he used his arms to pull himself up and looked at the reflection staring back at him.
His blond hair was dishevelled - even more so - and there were faint bags under his eyes (bloodshot eyes). There were drool marks on the sides of his mouth and he basically looked like the un-dead.
Naruto opened the faucet and quickly washed his face, scrubbing off the eye crust from his eyes and drool marks on his chin. With his eyes closed, he groped for a towel the inn kindly provided and rubbed his face with it. Quickly running out to his room to retrieve the small comb he always brings, he tried to make his unruly hair neat only not succeeding properly.
He looked into his reflection again to see a cheerfully smiling blond with vibrant blue eyes and whiskered cheeks. His eyes were no longer bloodshot, no drool marks were visible on the sides of his mouth and his hair was still fairly unruly - yet it looked perfect for the blue-eyed shinobi. He left the bathroom and with a record speed, cleaned up the futon, folding it properly and putting it back at the closet.
The blond wore his regular jumpsuit - after sleeping only with his black undershirt and boxers - and wore his necklace, safely tucking it inside the clothing. Tying and adjusting the leaf hitai-ate on his forehead, Naruto gave a foxy grin and carefully left his room, knowing that people were still sleeping (he had a great deal of respect towards the people who sleep, after all… everybody needed some shuteye and don't you hate it when someone walks in the hallways like some madman, stomping like a gorilla and you're trying to get some sleep?).
He hastily put his sandals on and exited through the inn's entrance, pouting once again when he took notice of the closed stores and restaurants, specifically the ramen stand he ate at yesterday.
He had been looking forward to eat a bowl or two as well!
Naruto grumbled and walked nevertheless down the streets, shivering slightly when a small breeze passed through him. Putting his hands in his pockets, he inhaled deeply and strolled down, looking for a small clearing.
Just because he was as hungry as a horse, it does not mean he would shirk out to training!
Nodding confidently, he kept a sharp eye for a pseudo-training field where he could spar against his Kage Bunshin. Even though it had only been a day where he had not trained yet, Naruto felt like his muscles were turning into flab. If somehow the stupid hermit pervert found out he had been slacking in his training, there was a great possibility of Jiraiya kicking his sorry ass (using Gamabunta as leverage) all the way back to Konoha.
'Speaking of Ero-sennin… where is he anyway?' the blond wondered, as he crossed his arms and gave an annoyed sigh. Knowing his stupid mentor, the lecher was either drunk yesterday and now has a hangover, or he was locked up in a prison because he was making a ruckus - while drunk - and started groping the waitresses that were working there. Naruto was even sure that regardless of Jiraiya being a legendary Sannin, he was still going to be behind the bars for being wasted and creating havoc in the night.
Giving another sigh, Naruto gleefully beamed when he saw the pseudo-training field he was looking for. He supposed training would have to come first before eating breakfast, searching for the white-haired Sannin, buying necessary items and heading towards… wherever Jiraiya was supposed to take him.
Positioning his hands to the usual seal for his favourite attack, Naruto yelled, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Three exact replicas of him appeared with a small pop and smoke, standing side-by-side and ready to take orders.
"Okay! Time for training, minna! You know what to do!" the blond took two kunais from his holster and spun them around as the other Naruto's did the same thing. Giving his usual cocky grin, the original Naruto went straight for the middle Bunshin and tried to stab him, using the other kunai in his hand as he dodge the third Bunshin's attack.
Naruto flipped backwards to avoid the first Bunshin's kick and landed on his feet, using his hand as a leverage to keep from skidding too far from the ground. He threw both of the kunais he was holding towards two of the carbon copies and showered the third one with shuriken.
When he heard a sound of popping, Naruto snickered triumphantly and turned around to see two Bunshin left, panting as they stared at the original, ready to fight once again. A few more hours passed, with Naruto not even noticing that it was almost lunchtime since he was focused on his training.
Gasping slightly and cursing that he had forgotten to get a water bottle, Naruto unceremoniously fell down on his back and breathed deeply. Trails of sweat were pouring down on his forehead and his hair was getting soaked because of it. He suddenly felt his stomach grumble and groaned, remembering that he hadn't eaten breakfast this morning and it seemed that he was going to forgo lunch as well since he was tired to go back to the village.
"You know… I'm really tempted on not sharing this delicious ramen…" a loud voice bellowed from the trees, making Naruto sit up quickly and inhaling the scent of ramen that quickly entered the area. He looked around for a bit where the smell was coming from until he saw a blur of white standing above the tree branches, clutching a bag of miso ramen for two.
It seemed that Jiraiya finally arrived from wherever the hell he had stayed from during the night. Although it looked like he slept in the alley, it was nice - albeit odd for him - to buy the blond Chuunin ramen. Didn't he say he was getting sick by just looking at the noodles?
"You looked like an army of cats mauled you, Ero-sennin. Where the heck were you?" Naruto asked as he watched the Sannin jumped down from the tree and walked towards him with an annoyed look on his face.
Jiraiya gave a gleeful snort when Naruto started sulking when he raised his arm (the one holding the ramen) out of reach and smirked. "For your information, brat, an army of cats did not maul me." He ignored Naruto ("I said you looked like it… not that you were actually mauled… stupid lecher…") and continued talking, "I was abandoned by a certain someone and left me out in the cold streets to sleep because I barely had enough money to go to an inn…"
"How'd you get the ramen then?"
"The cook took pity on me when he saw me near his ramen stand and thought I was a beggar… can you believe that idiot? A great ninja and super pervert like myself would not be a beggar! I'm too great for that!"
Naruto ignored the conceited laughing of his 'mentor' and gave a triumphant grin when Jiraiya finally gave him the bag and rapidly opened it as he inhaled the delicious aroma of his favourite food. Taking out the wrapped, plastic bowl carefully and snapping the wooden chopsticks apart, he started eating the noodles at a fast pace. He ignored the weird looks Jiraiya sent him and he slurped some broth.
"So, where are we going next, Ero-sennin?"
Jiraiya promptly ignored him and took out his 'research' book and started jotting down some ideas as he remembered his peeking time from yesterday. Naruto gawked at the lecherous glint in the white-haired man's eyes as he giggled like a schoolgirl and kept on writing.
The blond sighed and stared at the now empty ramen bowl. It would take hours for Jiraiya to have a writer's block…
--
"This is where we would be staying…?" Naruto bluntly asked as he stared at the building right in front of him.
Jiraiya ignored the odd looks from his young charge and nostalgically grinned at the sight. "Yep… ain't she a beauty?" he sighed as he walked ahead of Naruto, fishing out an old brass key from his pocket and unlocking the lock that was put on the door (he also had taken out a few traps and seals from the building). "Mind you, we would only be staying here for a while… and since I own quite a lot of these beauties, we would be staying in them as we travel further on."
"Your point? What about supplies…? And what about my precious ramen? Is there even a television in there? Any form of entertainment? And how come we never used this when we went travelling the last time?"
Ignoring the tick that was forming on his forehead, Jiraiya walked back out of the house and helped the blond carry the bags they had bought earlier from the village and into the house.
The house itself was not a grand mansion with many servants. It was at least two stories high (Naruto was not quite sure) and the interior of the building was spacious. The furniture inside was covered with white cloths to prevent dusts from ruining them and thick curtains were covering the windows (and to his relief, there was a television there). Said furniture looked antique, much to Naruto's surprise. He didn't even know Ero-sennin owned these kinds of things!
"Ne, Ero-sennin… for a cheap freeloader, you sure own things that look expensive. Are you sure you didn't steal them?" Naruto asked as he pulled a white cloth off a glass-windowed cabinet when he entered the den, coughing slightly at the dust that was collected on the surface of the cloth. He winced when Jiraiya smacked him and dropped the cloth to pat his head, which was forming a bump.
"Ignorant Brat! Just because I don't have money with me often doesn't mean I'm poor! With being a great author and an awesome shinobi, I think indulging myself would be best, don't you think?" Jiraiya sighed once more as he started to take off the cloths, cringing slightly at the dust flying around. "Now, as your first task… you will sweep the floors and wipe the windows until they squeak cleanliness, wakarimashita ka?"
"NANI? Why won't you do it? You own the stupid house!" the blond grumbled as he crossed his arms defiantly and tried to give the older shinobi a menacing glare. He was there for the training, not for being a damn maid! When Jiraiya did not budge and continued to look at him with irritation in his eyes, Naruto huffed and picked up the groceries, looking for the kitchen so he could prepare himself some ramen.
The house looked small from the outside but as Naruto walked towards the series of hallways, he realized that one could get lost in here. It was like a freakin' labyrinth with minus the deadly traps (unless Ero-sennin had installed them). Sliding one door open, he noticed that he arrived in the dining room and his eyes lightened inconsiderably when the blond thought the kitchen was getting closer.
Passing by the furniture that he thought was a table - since it was again covered with a white cloth, Naruto hummed an incessant tune as he looked back over his shoulder once in a while for any signs of Jiraiya. Knowing the old geezer, Jiraiya would probably end up punching the back of his head because of earlier. He gave a triumphant grin when he finally arrived in the kitchen, dumping his carried goods on the counter. He opened the cabinets, in search of a kettle to boil the water in and did not even notice the owner of the house enter the kitchen until he was smacked in the head.
"ITAI!"
"You ungrateful brat! Unless you want to pay for your rent and food, you will do the chores!"
Naruto caressed the bump that was forming underneath his blond locks and tried to glare at his so-called mentor as he took the kettle he found from one of the cabinets. This was abuse! "Ero-sennin, I need my daily dose of ramen!" he exclaimed as he went straight to the sink and opened the faucet. Unfortunately, no matter how much Naruto tried to turn the 'offending' object, no water came out. "Uhh… Ero-sennin, your sink's broken…"
Jiraiya felt proud of himself when he found out he had a little self-control left for not beating the boy into a bloody pulp - after all, if he had done so he would have to face the wrath of Tsunade - and merely had a tick in his forehead. "That was I've been trying to tell you Naruto…" he gritted out patiently, while rubbing his temples. "The sinks both in the kitchen and bathrooms are disconnected from the main pipe!"
Naruto gave the white-haired man a dumbfounded look while clutching the kettle hard. No water? Then how the hell was he supposed to eat ramen? And if Jiraiya wanted him to mop the floors and wash the windows, where was he supposed to get the water? "Ero-sennin… if there's no water, then how am I supposed to clean?" he asked, whilst slamming the kettle on the counter. He yelped when Jiraiya picked him up by the collar and threw him outside the back door.
"There's a water pump somewhere out there. Here's a bucket and have fun getting the water!" Jiraiya threw the pail at his direction cheerfully and walked away from the kitchen and heading towards the bedroom he was going to be sleeping in.
The blond Chuunin gawked at the closed door and cursed the Toad Sannin inwardly. He feverishly picked up the bucket - he glared at the offending object when he realized that it was only medium-sized and would not be enough to clean the entire house.
After flipping the building as if it was Jiraiya personified, Naruto turned around to see a vast clear grass field, perfect for training. Trees surrounded it and a huge tree stump was in the centre of the field that looked perfect for kunai and shuriken aiming, as well as for practising Taijutsu.
Naruto started walking across the field, shivering slightly when a huge rush of wind passed by him. He looked up to the sky and frowned when the rays of the setting sun was mixing with the blue hue of the atmosphere. It seemed the day had passed by without the blond even realizing it and Naruto knew it did not take that long for him and Jiraiya to find the Sannin's house.
Looking throughout his surroundings, he narrowed his eyes and subconsciously rubbed his arms (he had taken off his jacket earlier because he was feeling warm), cursing slightly that he had forgotten his jacket in the kitchen counter. He knew he couldn't go back there because Jiraiya would just kick him out again. Aside from that, he could not help but feel he was not alone.
It felt like somebody was watching him… which made no sense at all since his mentor had told him nobody knew the location of this place except for Tsunade, the Sandaime and the Yondaime. Ignoring his newfound feeling of paranoia, Naruto managed to find the water pump and started gathering the water.
Besides, it was just probably the new sense of staying in a different surrounding, he decided.
'Yeah… that's probably it.'
--
Naruto scowled as he stared at the retreating back of Jiraiya. The nerve of that perverted asshole… leaving him here in this creepy house! He huffed as he slammed the door and stomped into the den, jumped into the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest and a sulky pout on his mouth.
They had been staying here for almost a painful year now. Painful because all the blond ever did was clean the house; whether it was mopping the floors, wiping the windows or cleaning the gutters, Jiraiya made sure Naruto cleaned them all. And while the younger shinobi was busy keeping the place spic-and-span, the Toad Sannin just sat on his futon in his room or on the fluffy armchair in the den writing his stupid novel or drinking sake while watching R-rated movies and laughing like a moronic drunken bastard. To think… he owned this house too!
The only thing that kept him sane was his training and usually he was only the one doing it on his own. Usually, Jiraiya would come and spar with him but most of the time the white-haired shinobi would leave the house and go to the nearby village to get drunk elsewhere and probably use his shinobi skills to disgracefully peek into the women's side of the bathhouse. The only company he ever had was Gamakichi, whom he accidentally summoned one time and appeared every now and then (without being summoned), asking the blond Chuunin to play with him.
Blue eyes peered slightly at the dark corridors outside the den and leaned back into the couch, and grabbed a throw pillow that was sitting innocently beside him. For the past months Naruto had stayed in Jiraiya's 'vacation house', he still could not shake off the feeling of being watched. He told Jiraiya about this and they did search all around the area of any suspicious accounts, but they found nothing.
Jiraiya had thought he was being delirious, but he was still cautious for his charge's safety and had told him to keep a sharp eye around when he was either training or simply lying around doing nothing.
It did not help either when Naruto saw the dark, grey clouds looming over the sky right outside the window, meaning there was a storm arriving soon. Gulping slightly, he shook his head and laughed nervously as he looked for the remote control of the television. He knew he was afraid of storms (he still is, but that was not the point), but a few little dark, menacing clouds would not scare him! He was a shinobi after all, and no stupid looking clouds could scare the shit out of him.
Now feeling a little confident, the blond turned on the appliance and started surfing over channels, looking for something interesting to watch. Hearing his stomach grumble once more, Naruto stood up from the comforts of his seat and turned on the volume to maximum, walking towards the kitchen to cook himself some ramen (he found out that there was an easier way to go to the kitchen without walking through the long hallways).
Putting some water into the kettle - Jiraiya had somehow miraculously fixed the kitchen and bathroom sinks a week ago, and to think all these months the blond had to pump the water out in the back! - Naruto opened one of the cabinets and looked curiously at the ramen cups with different flavourings. He chewed his bottom lip, unable to choose which flavour he wanted to eat next. Randomly choosing the extra-flavoured miso one, Naruto happily placed it on the counter and leaned against it, listening to the loud music that was coming out of the television from the next room over.
After pouring the hot water unto the cup and waiting for the long three-minute wait, Naruto picked up a pair of chopsticks from the utensil drawer and strolled back into the den, carefully sitting down so the broth would not spill.
'I miss Ichiraku's ramen…' he sighed and slurped some noodles while his eyes fixated on the TV screen. He gulped the rest of the broth and placed the ramen cup and chopsticks on the side-table as he stretched his limbs for sitting at an uncomfortable position.
Naruto looked outside the window, and cringed when he saw the rain started pouring already. He could hear the noise the thunder was producing, making him jump up in surprise and clutch his chest like he was going to have a heart attack. He quickly went back to the kitchen and almost ran straight into the back door, clicking the locks in place. Then he went into the sink and locked the window that was placed on top of said sink.
"Stupid Jiraiya… leaving me here alone just because he suddenly had a writer's block! Didn't he even realize that the village is at least almost two days away?" the blue-eyed male grumbled as he ventured into the entrance hallway, and checked to see if he locked the front door closed.
He sighed with relief and happily sauntered back into the den, not even realizing a minute later that the loud noises coming from the television had mysteriously disappeared and every single light had been turned off. "WHAT THE FU - OUCH!" he yelled as he accidentally bumped into the leg of a table when he came skidding into the den.
'The stupid storm knocked out the electricity…' he numbly thought as he hopped all the way into the sofa, using the pillow as a makeshift shield. He knew that if Jiraiya was here, the Toad Sannin would have smacked him and called him a coward, but he didn't care! Staying at this creepy house all alone… somebody was bound to be paranoid! Especially since there were sounds coming from upstairs!
'Wait… sounds?' his eyes widened at the realization as he heard a few ruffling sounds above him. Albeit it was a fairly small sound, but with Naruto's sensitive hearing he was able to hear it. He knew that it could have been just rats - as Jiraiya failed to mention and the blond had to learn the hard way when he was cleaning - but it did not sound like the usual scuttling or squeaks. 'Maybe it's Ero-sennin… actually making fun of me because he knows I hate power failures!' he thought, furiously fuming at the thought of the perverted shinobi giving him an evil laugh at the sight him being scared.
"ERO-SENNIN, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE! STOP IT ALREADY!" he hollered, while getting off the sofa and climbed up the stairs, the feeling of fear mostly out of his system. He turned to his left and entered each room, peering to each one as if Jiraiya was hiding in them.
The last room was the white-haired Sannin's own bedroom, and Naruto stood right in front of it, staring at the closed door with an angered look on his eyes. He kicked the door open and saw…
Nothing.
The room was quite messy with crumpled pieces of papers all around the floor and an unmade futon on the far corner of the bedroom, but there was no sign of the older man. It reeked like sake in here that Naruto had to pinch his nose in disgust as he entered the room.
He slid open the closet doors to find Jiraiya's clothing and nothing else. The blond even checked for a faint chakra signature of his mentor but there was none. Frowning deeply, Naruto was about leave when a shot of pain suddenly came to his stomach and back as if somebody had punched him; he keeled over, falling to his knees at the pain.
He was about to look up, when darkness literally came to him and his vision was blurred.
Naruto fainted without even realizing it.
--
Bleary blue eyes slowly opened as the thunder rumbled once again in the dark, rainy sky. Naruto blinked a little and then winced at the pain that lingered in his abdomen; he started coughing slightly when it took a while for him to breathe. A few minutes earlier he realized that both his hands were bound and he was tied in a star figure where his arms and legs were all over the place. His mouth was also gagged as well, so when he tried to talk all that came out from his mouth were muffled sounds.
He did not know where in the house was he, mainly because the place was so dark that one would think they were in the dungeons. He shivered slightly when he felt the temperature dropped, suddenly realizing that he was only wearing his boxers and nothing else.
Naruto did not even realize that the one who had bound and gagged him slowly entered the room, until he felt cold hands slowly caressing his chest. He tried squirming away - after all, it felt like the dead was touching him - but the ropes that were tightly holding him prevented the blond from moving away. The hands kept on caressing him, making him close his eyes tightly at the touch and groaning involuntarily.
Fingers made way towards his nipples and a hot mouth attached itself into his neck, nipping violently at the tender flesh as the unknown person's digits pinched the nubs on his chest. The blond had never felt like this before and he didn't want to feel like this! It felt wrong, and he didn't even knew who the hell was trying to - he gasped when one of the hands started going lower and lower until it stopped right in front of his groin.
His body was betraying him… as the hand ghosted over his boxer shorts, he felt his cock become sensitive to the touch and started to harden. Naruto tried to contact Kyuubi - hoping to find some answers as to who the fuck was touching him in a violated way - but he could not hear the deep, growl of the demon he was hosting.
"Mmph…" he whimpered when the lips that were sucking his neck came to his one of his earlobes and started sucking the tender flesh sensually. The hand kneaded his groin, earning a pleased yet unwanted moan coming out of Naruto's muffled mouth. Tears of frustration came into eyes as the unknown person continued to touch him sexually and his body mindlessly bucked on its own, trying to find more contact.
The blond heard of fabric ripping and gasped when he felt a cold breeze of air making contact around his lower regions. He furiously tried to free himself, but he was pinned to the wall, and the body of his unknown assailant continued their ministrations.
He wanted this to stop now… but no matter how much he hated it, it felt so good! Especially when a calloused hand had grabbed a hold of his erection and started pumping him feverishly. His body tried to buck again, desperate for a more intimate contact, but his assailant refused his wishes.
The hot mouth that was continuing to leave bites in his neck started going lower down to his chest and started sucking one of his nipples, driving Naruto into the edge he had never felt before. "Aughhh…" he groaned, lifting his head up with unwanted pleasure. He shivered when his sweaty body came in contact with the cold air and almost screamed when he felt a tight heat closed around him.
Naruto felt the bobbing of the person's head as they kept on sucking him to the said person's heart content. The blond knew since he had no experience whatsoever, he was close to his orgasm. His fists clenched and his toes curled as the calloused hands came in contact with his butt cheeks and squeezed it tightly, making Naruto moan with pleasure once more.
The last suck was unbearable to the blond youth as he came hard, seeing blinding white lights underneath his eyelids. He panted harshly, and his half-lidded eyes stared at nothing until the same calloused hand grabbed his chin gently and lifted his head up slowly.
He couldn't see the face of the unknown person but when the lightning gave a strike and its light went through the window, Naruto saw a pair of deadly crimson orbs and pale face staring at him blankly with no emotion coming through his eyes.
Naruto was about to muffle the name… but his eyelids closed in exhaustion and fell into an uncomfortable slumber.
The next morning, Naruto grudgingly woke up to the sunlight peering through the open window. The storm had passed and now a cloudless sky came to greet him a lovely morning. Suddenly, memories from the night after came back flooding to his head as Naruto shot up with his eyes wide in shock.
Gone were the ropes that clung onto his wrists and ankles tightly and he was wearing a black shirt and boxer shorts. He was sitting in his futon in the middle of his bedroom. No signs of him being bound and gagged from last night… but it all felt so real.
"Was it all a dream…?" he wondered as he shook his head in confusion. Everything, from the touches, the pleasure… it felt real. He knew he couldn't have dreamt this. He stared at his wrists and ankles, seeing no bruised marks on them. He quickly ran into the bathroom and looked at the mirror, seeing his reflection.
His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was more dishevelled than before. He arched his neck slightly upwards to see if there were any bruised marks but all he saw was a perfect complexion of his tanned skin.
He remembered the crimson eyes that were staring at him… creases were formed in his forehead as Naruto exited the bathroom and came downstairs. Everything was still in place just like yesterday. His frowned grew deeper when realized something…
That feeling of being watched was gone, disappeared just like that.
'How odd…'
Tsuzuku
Next Chapter: In which we return back to the present, two people are meeting once again and the search for Naruto begins.
Crystal: Heh, so how was it? I'm not fairly sure when the next interlude will be out, so expect the unexpected. Aside from that, uhh... gee, I can't really think up of whatelse to say... just, review and make this girl happy? Again, I'm not sure when my next update will be... but knowing myself, it would probably be at the end of my school year (YOSH! Ten more days until school is over (though, suffice it to say, my exam days doesn't count on that...)! -runs a hundred laps with Rock Lee around Konoha-) or something like that.
Until next the next update! Ja ne!