Life As A Fox
Chapter 47
NSW-The Forsaken Author of the Lost Story (see my bio for explanation)
Naruto ran swiftly, his mind remembering the course he took that dreaded night, even if he was in a blizzard. He moved closer and closer to where he was meant to be the final resting place of two of his students. He found Chikao first, his nose located the body and told him of the condition it was in, long before his eyes had laid upon it.
He had hoped the winter snows had preserved the body [which it had to some degree] But even Naruto's Anbu training did not prepare him for what he saw. He would not describe the sight only that it had made him empty his stomach three times before he could even get near the corpse.
He couldn't stand long next to it, the smell of the rotting flesh was too strong, finally after much debate of what to do. He came up with the sad plan of having to move the body by use of the only earth jutsu he knew, which only allowed him to move an expanse of earth a short distance.
So first he dug the hole, then after some rest he used the jutsu and from a distance he carried his student's corpse to the hole. He somewhat gladly shoved a blanket of earth over the hole. He was relived happily from the smell. Finally he walked up to the grave.
Naruto took a tree stump and cleaned it up and made it look presentable. Then carved Chikao's name his rank, and the date of the death upon it. He also added 'Beloved student and cherished son' at the bottom of it. When he had done that, he gathered as many wild flowers as he could find and placed them on his grave.
Then he stepped backwards and lifted his head back and howled for a long long time, giving Chikao the much needed and rightfully earned mourning howl he was supposed to receive. After that Naruto curled up and slept next to the grave darkness had fallen, and everything he had done today had worn him out.
The next morning he got up and stretched then continued on with his quest. He made his way towards where Baru was. He once again found his student with his nose, taking the old saying 'fallow your nose' to a grotesque level. Baru lay on the forest floor, he like Chikao was an unnerving and un-speakable sight to behold, you only needed to know that it was something no-one should see their loved one in that kind of condition.
Once again he puked what little was in his stomach. Then he made the long grueling journey of carrying Baru's body the almost three mile journey to where Chikao lay properly buried. It took up most of the day, but by nightfall it was done. They both lay next to each other two brothers together forever in this world and the next.
Naruto grieved for them that night as well. Miles around animals were kept awake as a lone wolf howled his mourning song deep into the night.
The next morning he awoke, he looked towards Konoha, he thought it should be time to go back, but he just didn't want to at the moment. So he staggerd up, weak from hunger a bit. He hunted and managed to get himself a meager meal of a grouse hen.
While he was circling about the woods he came across something of interest. A circle of mounds. With a simple stick marking the one side. 'graves' he thought to himself, as he looked about, 'but whose?' he asked himself. He was answered when he saw a familiar object, a pair of glasses that belonged to the man of the Chen clan who had forgotten them in the meeting hall.
Naruto studied the graves they where old. They had somehow managed to bury their dead in the dead of winter. Anger tore through his heart. 'They bury their own, but leave my students to rot?' he growled even he would do no such lowly thing. He shook as he growled 'they will pay, that bloody clan, for everything! I will destroy them, I will make them wish they had never entered the village, I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE'!
But just as sudden as the anger came it was gone. He stood there, shaking in a new emotion, fear. 'what...what am I doing? what...what have I become? have I really sunk this low?...to want for vengeance? He looked up to the sky 'what am I doing? I don't know...I don't know what I want, who I want to be with, or where I want to go...I'm lost...and alone...Sakura...was right...I'm not Naruto anymore...I am something else...I am a pathetic something else...Konoha, deserves better...much...much better.
With that train of thought, he ran off, the nameless demon wolf ran off into the wilderness, hoping to find his reason for life somewhere out in that mysterious new world.
Well, that is what I have so far, don't worry though, Naruto will find himself again, just give him and me some more time and patience.
Also, in three weeks I will be heading for collage, so chapters in a while will be loaded slower but I will try to keep writing.
From,
The Forsaken Author of the Lost Story
NSW