Disclaimer: Naruto and co. are not owned my me. They are owned by Kishimoto-sama. I also don't own the idea of the country of Grass. That's part of the actual world Naruto world. However, it's never really been described. All we know from the manga is that it exists. The same goes for the country of Rain, which will also be included in my story. I'm not sure how much of these two countries were introduced in the anime, as I haven't really watched all the filler episodes. Picturing the country of Grass in my head, I somehow got an image of the Serengeti plains in Africa. As such, my geography is based off of that. As far as my original characters, they are of my own creation, along with the ideas and situations that these characters get into. I don't care if you steal them. I'd be honored actually. If I ever see anyone using my ideas or characters in future fanfiction, it would be a major boost to my ego. Heh. Well if you want to leave a review, please feel free to do so. I don't care if it's negative or positive. In fact, critical reviews are more than welcome. And if you say I suck, at least point out where so I can fix it. I haven't figured out yet as how to seperate the paragraphs without using line segments. I'm going to try to figure out how to do so soon, so please bear with me if you can. Until then, I'll shall try to make the segments shorter so they're not as conspicious. Gomenaisai, and arigatou once again Bunch-o-Nuts sama for the heads up, as well as for the tip on what to write next.

And so without further ado, here's the next chapter.


Perilous Journey Pt 1: Adventure in the Grass


A young bird's goal in growing up is to eventually fly and leave the nest. Humans are like that too in a way. When children reach a certain age, there seems to be this natural urge to fly.

Away from the nest and everything that protects. Away from the burdens and restraints placed by family and even society. A young bird will spread its wings, and fly into the sky. It

will journey and it will journey far. However, no matter how great a distance that bird flies…it eventually builds a nest the following spring, around the same exact place as its parents

before it. I guess we're a lot like birds in that sense. Or maybe it's just all life in general…

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We stopped at many places along the way, some more memorable than others. I hunted the food, while Hizashi scouted the way. During the first part of our journey, we traveled

through the country of Grass. A young shinobi's basic training consists of more than just the basic knowledge of jutsu and chakara control. We learn survival training, physics, problem

solving, along with history and geography. These things are taught because the more experienced ninjas know that sometimes you actually need these various types of knowledge on

missions. Due to the restraints of time and energy however, the graduating exam can only test a maximum of three out of five of these subjects per year, the other two areas being some

form of simple jutsu or chakara control. It was fortunately for Hizashi that the year we were graduating, geography was not part of that exam.

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"Hey, Hikari? Where are we?"

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"Where do you think we are baka? Look around." It was obvious to me where we were. There was nothing but grass for miles.

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"I don't know..."

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"You idiot, didn't you pay any attention to Kiba sensei's lectures on geography?"

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"Hehe…I kind of, um, took naps during those classes."

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"We're in the country of Grass. You should be able to tell that from all the grass that's around. See that tree way out in the distance? That's called an umbrella tree, that's where we're

going to camp."

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We made our way towards the tree. As we started to make our camp, we began hearing strange voices in the distance. Not knowing if those voices were friendly, we decided to

investigate. Hiding between the tall stalks of corn-like blades, we slowly made our way towards the sounds. As we reached the edge of a small clearing, the voices grew louder. The

clearing did not appear to be naturally made. It was too neat…too circular. I had a strange suspicion, and I'm guessing Hizashi had the same feeling. Crouching low, we waited in

anticipation for something to happen. Three men rushed out of the clearing, dragging along a young girl about our age, 12 to 13. She was bound at the hands and knees and appeared

to be having difficulty walking.

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"This isn't right! How dare they? She's only a girl! We should go stop them… Hikari?"

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"No Hizashi…let's wait and see what happens. We don't even know what's going on yet."

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As we watched, the two men appeared to be speaking to the girl. I began to pay attention to what they were saying.

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"Please don't be too upset. We have no choice in this matter. You have to make this sacrifice. For our village…please, don't struggle too much. It will be over soon. Your life will

save the lives of many. We're here already. Just close your eyes. It won't be that bad…"

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I still didn't know what was going on. Hizashi apparently had heard enough. I had to put my hand on his arm to hold him back. There was a slight chance this wasn't what we

thought…though that chance was slim. Still…there was no need to be rash. It did not appear that the three men were going to kill her right away.

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The third man took out a huge, moderately thick spiked log-branch that had been strapped to his back. He used his huge bulging biceps to slam the log into the ground at the center of

the clearing. They carried the girl to that spike, and began untying her. But as soon as they were done untying, they began retying her to the stake. All the while, oddly enough, the girl

made not one sound of protest. It was all very strange. Apparently Hizashi noticed this too.

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"Why isn't she making an effort to get out? Is she just going to accept her fate like that without even a word?"

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I would have told him to be quiet…except I doubted those men would have been able to hear him had he shouted those words. They had a frazzled, nervous look in their eyes. As

they were at last done, the three men went a few steps away and made a large bow in unison.

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"Arigatou, Misaki-san!"

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After that, they took off at a speed a ninja would have been proud of. The girl's expression was a strange one for the situation she was in. Her eyes were closed, and her chin was up

in the air…as if she was proud that she was being sacrificed in such a way. I let go of Hizashi's arm, and began to walk towards the girl. Just as we reached the center of the clearing,

the girl opened her eyes. They widened in alarm.

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"What are you people doing here? You're not supposed to be here at all! Do you want to be killed along with me? Run! Before it comes."

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"It?" I asked, along with Hizashi. We looked at each other, puzzled. The girl gave us a look as if we were idiots. And now that I reflect on the situation, we must have looked quite

silly.

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"Don't you know about the Snake God Jiyuu? Where are you guys from! You're not from around here are you?"

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"We are Konoha ninjas," replied Hizashi. "And don't worry, a pretty girl like you we will definitely save from some snake."

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"He's not just any snake! He's the most powerful snake in the entire…"

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At this point, a loud hissing sound was heard. It was coming from the north of the clearing. This sound was familiar to me. I had killed man of its kind in the forest of death long before I

came here. What I realized after a while though…was that the sound came from a monster much bigger than the kind I was used to killing.

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"Oh no…it's too late…you are all doomed. Well at least this year he'll be happier…with three sacrifices instead of only one."

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As the sound became louder and louder, Hizashi and I prepared our kunai….neither one of us was planning on becoming a lunch-snack for a giant snake. The hissing came closer and

closer. Soon we were face to face with the largest snake either one of us had ever seen in our lives. We both knew that this was going to be a battle unlike any other.

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As its eyes fixed upon us, there was a momentary pause, almost as if ittoo was surprised that there were two creatures here instead of only one. That instant of hesitation gave Hizashi

just the time he needed to slash the ropes holding the girl. He slung her over his shoulder, despite her protest, and we leapt out of the way just as the snake's head crashed into the

post. It reared back a little. The post must have given it splinters. That's when I knew that what we were fighting against was not any kind of God, but merely a snake that was larger

then the type I usually fought. However, because of my prior experience, I had knowledge I otherwise would not have had. You see, a snake typically senses its prey using special

receptors in its face. So the first step in killing a snake this big would be, not to take out its eyes necessarily, but rather to take out its tongue. Fortunately for us, I had just the

equipment for doing such a thing. You see, there are times such as these when a sword comes in handier than a kunai or a shiruken. It was just for the purpose of something like this,

that I have a belt that is actually a sword strapped around my waist. Typically when I kill a large snake, I use this sword to hack off its tongue as it protrudes out. However, this time I

lack the element of surprise I usually do, and in addition to that the snake happens to be a lot bigger. However, accessing my current advantages, I had Hizashi with me…and

something that is bigger often moves slower too.

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"Hizashi, distract it for me."

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"Why am I always the distraction?"

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"It's what you're good at."

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"I doubt the sexy no jutsu's going to work on a snake Hikari."

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"Just think of something!"

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"Okay, geez…oh shoot its coming!"

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We both dived out of the way once more. As we were doing so, Hizashi threw his kunai at the snake. His aim was pretty accurate. He managed to hit both eyes of the snake right in

the cornea using six kunai, three in each eye. This was a good enough distraction. It reared back. Its mouth was wide open, and as such, I rushed in at the greatest speed possible and

made a quick cut. I'm not a samurai; therefore my skill is nowhere near as good. I did manage to hack off the tongue, along with some of the skin connecting its jaw. However, I also

accidentally cut off the tip of one of its fangs. As liquid spewed out from the fang that was cut, a question was answered that I had previously forgot to ask. The snake was poisonous!

Some of the poison came in contact with the skin of my forearm. Before the poison could act, I quickly did the hand signs for my recently acquired fire jutsu. This burned away the rest

of the poison that had been coming my way, and fortunately also succeeded in further addling the snake's nearly incapacitated senses. I quickly jumped out of range, as the snake

thrashed around in agony. My arm was beginning to become paralyzed. Hizashi seemed to have noticed that I was in trouble, because the next thing I knew he was at my side. He

seemed quite worried. I showed him my arm, which was turning slightly purple.

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"Poison…I was careless."

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I fought against the darkness threatening to overcome me. However, I knew that I probably wasn't going to stay conscious long.

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"Hizashi…do the 64 hands of Hakke…third vertebrae down from head…chakara point…"

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About that point, I couldn't really talk anymore. Of course, I managed to struggle for long enough to see Hizashi jump on top of the snake…and I thought to myself that we were all

doomed. But then again…maybe I should have put more faith in my best friend.

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I remember hearing voices in my head as I was lying there unconscious. It was in a dream, and the voices I soon identified were that of my mother, aunt Tenten and uncle Neji.

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"She'll be alright," this voice I recognized to be aunt Tenten. "She's pretty tough you know. Did you know that she's managed to learn how to do a katon justsu all by herself?"

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"Yes, Hiashi told me about it. He was quite impressed. However, it didn't look like any of the identifiable fire jutsus. She apparently came up with it on her own through reading about

it in a textbook. I do not think anybody capable of doing something like that is in the category of the weak." I almost wish uncle Neji really was capable of saying something like that.

As it is, he rarely if ever compliments me for anything. He's always the one who, no matter what my achievements were, would always challenge me to try harder…to do better. He

never seems to be satisfied with any sort of accomplishment, always reaching towards a higher level. I've always figured that's the way he is, and I've admired him for that. Hiashi is a

lot like him in that way.

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"My little girl…she'll always be my little girl. No matter how strong she becomes, and I know that she's strong…I'll always worry about her. There's no way I can stop worrying. I

just hope that wherever she is…out there…that he'll watch out for her." Mama...

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"You know my son will protect her with his life. It's the way he's been taught. It's what I expect."

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"I know, Neji-san. But I wouldn't expect such a thing. I'm talking about her father."

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"Sakura-chan…"

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"Tenten…I know I sound crazy, or maybe you think that I'm lying to myself…but somehow I've always had this feeling that he's been watching over us. I know that he's gone…but

somehow…I just"

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At this point, those voices began to fade away.

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"Wake up Hikari. You won't die here."

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This voice, felt strange to me. It was as if I should know who it belonged to, but for some reason I didn't. It was deep, airy and had a faintly soothing quality to it.

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The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes. I felt tired and devoid of energy. Slowly, the surroundings became clearer. I was in a small thatched hut, with wood framed windows.

Attempting to get up was a hard thing to do. I saw from the corner of my eye a movement. He helped me sit up. I turned my head slightly, and I saw that it was Hizashi. I never saw

him look so worried before.

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"Hikari…I thought you were going to… Don't you ever do that again! Do you know how many people would kill me if you died?"

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I smiled. It looked like things were going to be okay after all. We went out into the village later that day. Apparently I was out for quite a few days. There was an antidote for the

poison. However, the herb necessary to make said antidote was in an incredibly hard to reach place. It was only hard to reach because the place where the plant grew was guarded

by ninjas from the Hidden Grass. Hizashi told me that after killing that giant snake, a few ninjas weren't that big of a deal. That guy sure seems to be basking in the light of victory,

especially among the village girls. They were quite awed by his incredible feats. He was even offered Misaki-san's hand in marriage, since he did save her and allSurprisingly he

declined.Maybe he's not that much of a pervert after all, but then again... After the first bathhouse incident, his appeal lessened slightly. We decided to stay there for a

while, to recuperate as well as get some much needed supplies. After about a week, we were prepared to leave. However, we just had to be confronted by a small army of

Hidden Grass ninjas on our way out. It was a good thing the village wasn't one that was surrounded by a gate. As it was, we managed to hightail it out of there with a few angry ninjas

behind our backs.

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"Hizashi…just how many did you kill?"

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"I didn't kill any of them! I swear… Except I think I might have accidentally neutered one."

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"Oh… Hizashi…sometimes I really underestimate you too much."

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"Hikari, how could you of all people doubt my greatness?"

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"Hn, well you're something, I'll give you that much."

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"Well I guess I can't really expect more from you. I was kind of getting tired of those village girls worshipping me anyways."

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"I'll never be one of them. You can count on that."

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"You never know…"

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"Baka. You're my best friend."

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"Thanks…I think."