Chapter Two
Naruto looked up at the tall looming figure, silhouetted by the dark night. All he could manage to see was long dark brown hair flowing in the strong breeze, complimented with almost glowing white eyes and-
"Neji's Uncle?" Naruto whispered as he stared at the cursed seal on the man's forehead.
"What's the matter Naruto, can't you recognize me after all these years?" The man replied. For the first time that night the moon appeared out from behind dark clouds and cast its silver light over the two ninja.
"Neji?" Naruto exclaimed pessimistically.
The two ninja just stared at each other, a great tension arising between them.
"Yeah" Neji smirked.
"W-what happened?" Naruto asked. Neji gave Naruto an odd look.
"You wouldn't know would you?" Neji sighed as he shot Naruto a fierce glare.
"Orochimaru and Sasuke" Neji hesitated. "They came here with a jutsu that couldn't be stopped but you were destined to be the one to stop it Naruto,"
"But I don't understand any of this!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up but Neji's sword followed naruto's neck. "Neji please put the sword down!" Naruto exclaimed
"Tell me why I shouldn't just slaughter you right now" Neji replied monotonously.
"What?" Naruto stared at the aged Neji in disbelief.
"It's been ten years since you went missing Naruto. After months of searching; they claimed you as a missing nin, a traitor like sasuke to leave the village."
"But I never left the village!" Naruto exclaimed.
"What?" Neji stared at Naruto and then lowered his sword. Naruto sighed in relief Neji had lowered his weapon.
"I never left, I just- All I an remember is I had no missions that day, to I went to the training grounds to train and, I was sitting up a tree when a bird startled me and I fell and hit my head, I woke up here, I don't understand what's happened or what's going on"
"Ten years" Neji whispered. "But you've been gone for ten years;" Neji turned his head to the side and put his katana back in its sheath. Neji was in deep thought. Naruto took at closer look at his old friend; he wore three layers of kimonos, the first layer being a subtle lilac with a slight pattern of small white flowers. The second was a gunmetal Prussian blue with golden circular patterns. The third layer was a plain olive green yukata that hung open sitting loosely on him. Naruto then studied Neji's face. Neji had an old look, a look that was too old for his 24-year-old complexion.
"So you have no memory of the past 10 years?" Neji asked snapping Naruto out of his examination of Neji. Naruto shook his head.
"Then I suppose it's up to me to fill you in as best as I can," Neji said as he turned around and started walking away from Naruto. "We'll go back to my house; I think a storm is coming"
Naruto followed Neji from the 'ruins' of Konoha several kilometers before they reached a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a small traditional Japanese house.
"Is this where you live?" Naruto asked in awe as he stopped and studied the architecture of the house. Neji stepped up the wooden stairs leading to the front door.
"Yeah," Neji replied.
Naruto hesitated.
"Where is everyone else?" He asked. This time it was Neji's turn to hesitate.
"They're- either dead or lost" Neji replied quietly as he slid open the front door. Naruto stopped as Neji stepped up the steps to his front door.
"W-what?"
"Come in" Neji simply replied and stepped inside. Naruto followed.
Neji slid his katana out from his obi and placed it against the wall next to the door. The whole house was very small and simple. The floors were laid with cream tatami mats edged with black giving the house a similarity to the Hyuuga mansion that once stood in Konoha. A few meters from the door was a dining table, low to the ground and surrounded by black sitting cushions. A little behind the table resting in the wall was a simple fire place made of dark mahogany with black edgings.
Moving his eyes away from the flickering flames of the fireplace, Naruto studied the rest of the house. On his right he saw a kitchen, a room opened to merge with the rest of the living area, although the only thing separating the two rooms was a Mahogany topped counter and bolted into the roof above it were mahogany cupboards.
Looking past the kitchen, Naruto's eyes fell upon a closed Fusuma door; a faint glow from a lamp could be seen through the paper door.
'Might be Neji's room,' he thought.
Looking left, Naruto spotted two more doors. 'Or... maybe one of them was Neji's room.' But no light could be seen from inside those rooms.
Neji stepped behind the counter of the kitchen and took out a bottle from a cupboard above the counter.
"Saki?" Neji asked as he also reached for a porcelain cup.
Naruto shook his head.
"I'm too youn-" Naruto looked down at his masculine hands. "Tell me Neji! What happened to Konoha! Where is everyone?"
Neji sighed as he decided to take the cup and the whole bottle of saki with him. He came across the room and sat down at the table with his back towards the fire place and poured himself a glass of the alcohol.
"The year you went missing, Orochimaru and an army of his, attacked. He had a jutsu that summoned a demon beast that ended up annihilating Konoha" Neji started as he took a sip of saki, still warm from a few hours ago. "Everyone tried to defeat it, but we were no match for it; just ebout everyone is dead now Naruto, all of our friends, everyone"
Naruto stared at Neji in disbelief.
"Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, even Lee and Tenten," Neji explained. Naruto's eyes began to sting as they welled up with tears.
"No-" Naruto replied. "W-what about Sakura-Chan, Kakashi sensei, Iruka sensei?"
"What little amount that survived gathered the dead bodies to bury, I personally never saw them Naruto, although it doesn't necessarily mean they're dead," Neji took another sip of saki. "After Konoha's fall, the survivors split up and went their separate ways."
"So I guess you were one of the ninja's who survived," Naruto stated.
"Yeah, Iruka, Kakashi and Sakura are all strong people," Neji tried to reassure Naruto. "I'm sure they survived too, but, I guess they're not around here anymore."
"I can't believe this," Naruto shook his head. "How could you sit here, knowing what Orochimaru has done?"
Naruto instantly wished he had taken back that last statement as Neji looked horribly offended.
"I've been searching for Orochimaru for 5 years Naruto, the last four I just had to give up, he's no where to be found!" Neji exclaimed as he slammed the cup down on the table in front of him.
"Then I will find him, and I will make him pay for what he's done" Naruto shouted angrily as he stood up. "And I'll also find Sakura-Chan, Kakashi Sensei and Iruka sensei! This obviously isn't a place where I belong, but the people I love are still here, and I'll do what it takes to find them"
"Then let me join you,"
Naruto looked at Neji with surprise.
"I want to join you Naruto. I don't believe you can make things the same as the used to be, but I want to see Orochimaru die for what he's done" Neji exclaimed.
Naruto was stunned at Neji's new found brutality.
"We can leave tomorrow morning, how does that sound?"
"Great" Naruto nodded.