Naruto: Tenth Dragons Poison
Chapter 12
Awakened By a Rain Drop
It was still darkened, only a shred of light finding its way into the room to alert that dawn was soon to come. It was this very streak of light that hovered across his eyes in affect waking him from the night sleep. There was nothing that could contain his excitement from this moment. He tiredly eased up from where he laid, wiping the sleep from his eyes before shifting his head to the left side to have a glimpse out the window.
It could be barely be seen, only slightly peaking its presence from behind the arisen from afar. This was all he needed, knowing the time had come. He sprung free with a burst of energy, landing onto the ground aside the bed which then resulted in him stretching his arms.
"No better way to start the day."
Once finished he headed toward the dresser that could be made out through the darkness, pulling the top drawer open to view all contents inside. Everything was already set in place from the night before, simply reaching in to grab all clothing that could be found sitting before him. First came the pants which slid right into place, followed by the shirt which clamped into place. No sooner after came the jacket, placing it on to only shield his definition further.
This left only one thing to tack into place, leaning forward to grab hold of its soft fabric while shifting it to place around his head. Once aligned he neatly tied it into place before turning for the door which was just a few lengths away.
"This might be pushing it a bit early, but better than showing up at the last minute."
He stopped only once upon reaching the door, sliding his feet into the sandals which had been placed in the same spot directly on the right side of the door almost every night. Once on he pushed the door open with the slightest of cracks, closing it with just as much care. He took those first moments to look to the still dark sky, taking a deep as a means to calm himself further before moving on.
"That will do, now to go to the point we agreed on."
With that he made a move for the stairs, casually making his way down as his hands found their way to his pocket. His head rose after doing so, catching a glimpse of an apparent shooting star. For some reason this brought a smile to him, his focus turning back for the path shortly thereafter. The bottom was reached soon after, feeling his hands ascend from the depths of his pocket at what he came to find.
"Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru," Naruto said surprised to see the two. "What are you doing here; I thought we were supposed to meet at the front entrance."
"You've ascended sooner than expected," Kakashi said lowering the book held in hand from his line of sight. "We weren't expecting you for at least another thirty minutes or so."
"But it seems things have worked out for the better," Shikamaru said. "It only benefits us by leaving sooner, giving us a head start ahead of schedule no matter how slight it may be."
"How about those from Iwagakure," Naruto inquired. "Are they aware we will be coming?"
"I'm unsure," Kakashi replied. "A message was sent by air this morning, whether they've received the letter by now is anyone's guess."
"But by the time we arrive they would have long had the knowledge we were coming." Shikamaru added. "And before you ask I already took the liberty of packing enough rations for the trip, enough to last for all three of us."
He immediately tapped the bag sitting upon his shoulder to let him know where the stash sat.
"Sounds like we're all ready to go," Naruto said. "Is there anything else I should know before we take off?"
"Only that there's no telling how long it will take for this task to be completed," Kakashi answered. "We're not going to Iwagakure to simply exchange words, but to investigate the matter in full."
"And there will be no leaving until some kind of ground is gained." Shikamaru finished.
"All while we look into the other matter as well." Naruto murmured to himself.
"If neither of you have anything further to ask or add I see no reason in us delaying any longer."
"Agreed," Shikamaru said in response. "There's no real point to us discussing matters here while we can do just that while we walk."
"Makes sense to me." Naruto said being the first to begin walking.
"Then it's settled," Kakashi said as he began to walk as well. "Our mission begins now."
"Iwagakure here we come!" Naruto announced with one final statement.
With that the journey was set to begin. What it would bring was anyone's, but one thing was certain; what may appear to be on the surface was no reflection to what they would soon come to cross.
….
All had fallen from the mind, a feeling as if nothing could be felt. It was almost as if they were trapped within their own subconscious. No matter how hard the push there seemed to be no way of breaking free, only receiving trials of exhaust with every attempt. Then it came, a scent that found its way through the mist… seemingly breaking all barriers that weighed down.
This sparked the first feel. It was nothing but a slight twitch of the finger, a reminder not all had been lost. The scent only became pressed the limit, almost acting as a stimulate to push them to stand once again. Their eyes slid open with a burning sensation to reclose them. The pain was all too staggering, but there was no going back. Only a blink was given, becoming further aware as another sense returned. It was a sound, a shallow tap of something touching down to the ground in the surrounding area could be heard, but what was it.
Now being fully conscious and aware of their current position, they tiredly began to push up from where they rested upon a rough surface, finding their eyes looking to the sky above after pulling to their knees to be greeted by a shower of many soaring drops.
"Rain… that must be what I heard just a second ago."
As many as there may have been the rain drops were light, bothering him very little. With one last surge of energy he stood to his feet completely, coming to the realization that the scent that had come to his aid was that of the rain itself. He then looked to the ground to a puddle of water that was just in his line of sight, seeing a reflection of the bat which brought it all back to the surface. He immediately turned to analyze the immediate area, catching sight of his fallen comrade lying face down a few yards away.
"… Superboy."
His energy had yet to fully return, slowly dragging himself along the whole way to where he laid before then dropping down to a knee once again. He then reached out, giving him a light tug as he called his name.
"Superboy it's me, are you alright?"
It was no use, no matter how many attempts there was no response was to be received. Going a step forward he checked for a pulse.
"At least he's still breathing." Batman puffed with a sigh of relief.
He then turned his focus to the surrounding area, standing back to his feet as he did. Even with several large structures towering above one thing was clear, they were no longer in Gotham City.
"Where are we, and how did we get here?"
This question was most striking, the last thing he recalled before being stripped of all senses was that of a blinding flash of light. But regardless there was no time for waiting for what would come next in his mind. He looked back down to the ground, kneeling down to grab hold of his unconscious ally, placing him onto his shoulder before standing tall once more. The added weight was most notable, but there would be no stopping. An answer for where they were was top priority, and leaving one of his own behind was not an option. He staggered along with delaying all tiredness to the mind as he pressed on through the alley they found themselves in. The end was reached soon after, having a peak out to see the many buildings across the clear, different in form and appearance then he was accustomed to.
"What is this place?"
As small as it may be an answer of sorts was given soon, catching glimpse of a street sign standing in place across the way. Using his free hand he accessed the zooming system of the cowl, zooming in on the sign to find it read, 'Welcome to Amegakure'.
"Amegakure," Batman thought with confusion only rising. "Where in the hell are we?"
To Be Continued