The winds on the coast were rough, scattering browning petals and scraps of paper through the air. These winds smelled of salt and pine greenery, and the subtle scent of wet stone. They swirled restlessly throughout the small port town, ruffling curtains and causing wind chimes, newly hung for summer, to ring in unison through the narrow streets. Jiraiya, too, was restless, as he and Naruto walked hurriedly down the winding streets. Jiraiya was growing tired of pretending not to see the bags under his student's eyes, the way he grew tired after only two hours of walking, the heavy fear and exhaustion that seemed to cloud his features. Jiraiya had ignored it so far, for the sake of his student's pride, but it had been more than a week, and something was definitely wrong. Coming to a decision, Jiraiya stopped Naruto and pulled him into a small ramen stand across the road.
"I'll buy you whichever flavor you want," Jiraiya offered, but Naruto's eyes remained dull and he simply nodded and sat down. Jiraiya sighed. "Two miso with pork," Jiraiya called to the stall owner, before sitting down next to Naruto.
"Coming right up!" the stall owner shouted back, heading into the kitchen. Jiraiya turned to Naruto and addressed him quietly, causing Naruto to hum absently.
"Naruto," Jiraiya called again, "have you been having more nightmares?" Naruto looked away, grumbling something along the lines of 'shut up'. "Naruto, you need to tell me if something is wrong…"
"Nothing is wrong!"
The stall owner popped his head out of the kitchen worriedly. "Is everything okay? You were yelling…"
"Yes! Everything is is fine! I just said so, right? Everyone leave me the hell alone!"
"Naruto! Everything is not fine, not if you're having those nightmares again!"
"What makes you think I'm having nightmares?"
"Look," the stall owner cut in, " I don't mean to be rude, but if you're going to scream your lungs out, I'd appreciate if you did it well away from my stall. It's bad for business."
"I apologize for my student," Jiraiya said, bowing deeply and pushing Naruto's head down as well.
"It's not a problem, so long as you understand. Feel free to come back after you've sorted things out and have some of my ramen."
"Thank you very much." Jiraiya bowed one last time before ushering Naruto out of the ramen stand. They walked in stiff silence down the now quiet streets. At the end of the main road, they reached the sea cliffs, and Jiraiya sat Naruto down on one of the benches that were interspersed along the railing. "Now," Jiraiya started, sitting down beside Naruto, "you will tell me about the nightmares."
Naruto huffed angrily, turning his head away from Jiraiya and slouching against the back rest.
"I'm… not having nightmares."
"No? Then why do you wake up in the middle of the night panting, and then sit in a tree staring at the moon for the rest of the night?"
Naruto blushed and shrunk further into the bench. "You noticed?"
"Of course. What sort of mentor doesn't notice when his student is suffering?"
"…They're not nightmares. They're… more like memories."
"Memories?"
"I… I wake in darkness, and I can't see anything. Then, out of the dark, a red eye opens. I am slowly sucked into that eye, until I see what it sees. I see myself slaughtering villagers, children, and… and there are two people who are always there. A blond and a redhead. They have a kid, a really young one. And I kill them. Every time, without fail, I run gigantic claws through their bodies." Naruto shivered, hugging his legs and burying his face in them. "T-then… I'm… sucked into the child. And everything is black again. Sometimes there's more, sometimes less, but it always starts and ends the same way. I think… that it's a memory. And that's more terrifying than any nightmare. I'm a monster."
Jiraiya hesitantly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, debating whether or not now was the right time to tell Naruto the truth about his past. Before he could decide one way or another, a toad popped into existence on his lap, a thin, sealed scroll strapped to it's back.
"Urgent message from the Hokage, Jiraiya."
"Thanks. Dismissed." The toad disappeared in a puff of orange and Jiraiya hastily scanned the document, then read it through once more, thoroughly. "We have a mission, Naruto," he said, pocketing the scroll and standing up, the previous conversation momentarily forgotten. Naruto lifted his head and followed his sensei, eyes blank and unfocused.
A/N: H-hey everyone. So, I've been gone a long time. Again. Please don't kill me? Here is a (very, very) short update to tide you all over until next week, when I will have a bigger update out! On a different (yet connected) note, I have some news for you all. I will be participating in WEBTOON's upcoming short story contest! I'll be posting the link to my first chapter with my next update, so please come take a look, like, and comment to support my story! I have been dreaming about becoming a manga/comic artist for a long time, so I'd really appreciate 15 minutes of your time. Thank you for your continued support of me and my story, and I wish you all the best in these strange times. As always, fave, follow and review, please! Stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy your free time!
– Ayame