The wolf and the fox walked along a forgotten path of the wood. The white-tufted tail of the fox was held up high as a beacon to the wolf, who was trailing behind the fox just slightly. Since the creature was at least three times the size of his companion, he was charged with carrying the young boy they had found. Since he himself was concentrating on not dropping the boy, the fox had decided it would be easier if he kept his senses in alert to watch instead of both of them. He told the wolf that if he sensed anything, his tail would drop, and they could try to find safety.
The path, already invisible except to the well trained eye, becoming even more crowded with all different types of flora present. Tree roots threatened to trip any unwary passerby. Bushes barricaded the way, and various weeds and grasses interrupted in patches. But neither the fox nor the wolf was deterred, going through the plant life as though it never existed. After they finished passing through, the area shimmered ever so slightly, and the area looked as if not a soul had just passed through; no displaced leaves and branches.
The path began to slope downwards, and the moonlight started to become scarce. The trees' branches entwined together to form a canopy, creating a pattern that, even if studied for hours upon hours, even the shortest branch could not be traced back to its parent.
This mattered not to the two animals and the unconscious boy. The pair only seemed interested in bringing their quarry back to their destination before the sun rose.
The path became steeper still, and the light darkened even more as the trees grew denser. The wolf and fox cared not, for the eyes of their races allowed them to see on all but the blackest nights. They continued to walk until they met with a steppe, a solid rock wall.
The wall had no paths carved into it, or handholds allowing a climb. The rock was completely flat, nothing blemishing the surface at all. But once again, the Ookami and the Kitsune were not deterred. Ripples were sent out as they passed through, stopping at a certain point, as though something ended there.
Dark tunnels lit with torches were walked along by the pair we are currently following. Shadows danced along the walls, in time with the ones being cast by the animals. Sharp turns going multiple ways and uneven flooring kept them at a relatively slow, but steady pace. Determination shown in their eyes, knowing they needed to arrive soon.
Eventually after two hours of traveling through the woods and an hour and a half of walking through tunnels, they arrived at a cavern that opened to the heavens with the boy. Spears of light pierced the sky, stabbing the darkness back so their master the sun could reclaim its territory.
The cavern was what could attract attention though, and not the battle the sun was having with its enemy. Tapestries hung on the walls, depicting scenes and tranquility, and also warfare. Three figures were always present on the tapestries, three humans. They varied from different sexes, but there was always something that was similar about them. Also, three animals were also always there. A wolf, a fox, and a dragon. These were constantly there, and nothing about them ever changed.
Other than the tapestries, nothing else decorated the room, except for a dais that rose in the middle of the area. A young woman sat in the center of the dais, her legs folded and her eyes closed in meditation. Her back faced the pair, so her only visible features were hair and the back of her robe. But they were interesting in themselves.
Her hair was midnight black, the color of night with no stars. But, her throughout her hair streaks that looked the color of true silver. Her robe was of the purest white, most likely silk. Nothing stained it, nothing interrupted the pureness. Except for one thing stitched into the fabric. It was hidden by her hair, and what could be seen was blurred. She didn't seem to notice the fox, wolf, and the boy until they made their presences known.
The wolf lowered its head, as did the fox. "Master," the wolf spoke to the young woman, "We have found someone that might be of… interest to you," The wolf laid down onto his paws, and rolled slightly to banish the young one from his back. But the little one had other ideas. He was very comfortable where he was, and didn't feel like moving. He clung to the fur coat of the wolf, not letting the constant shaking force him off.
Eventually, the wolf sighed and gave up. He allowed the boy to roll on him once again, and stood up. He walked over to the woman, along with his partner. They approached the dais, walking up a flight of stairs that were carved into the stone. They reached the top, the fox sitting down on his hindquarters, while the wolf stood so his charge would not fall.
Suddenly, the girl turned her head. With her face now in the relief of light, her features were shown to be young, thirteen at the most. Mischievous bright grey eyes shown with a type of maturity beyond her years. But also a childish trait lingered there, something that would never leave her. Her height could not be told, for she was still sitting. But with the twisting of her head, the stitching was now visible.
It was a dragon, leaning towards the style of the east. It was jet black, the color of the young girl's hair. Its two front claws were folded to its body, and its head was turned to the right with dignity. Its wings were open in flight. On one side of the dragon, a wolf prowled; its head near the crook of the dragon's wing. On the other side of the mythical creature, a fox stalked its prey. Its head originated at the tail of the beast.
"Oh?" Her voice was the same as her eyes. Too mature, but still young. "And that would be?"
-(.),(.)- Back in Konoha
Sarutobi rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Not only did he have tons upon tons of paperwork to do, but he now had a missing child. And not just any child. The jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He knew that any second now, his two council advisors and former teammates would barge in here demanding that he send a search party after him. But not because they actually cared for the boy's safety, no never that. But because he was dangerous. They wanted a weapon, and they knew he could be one. They would keep him contained, locked away, surrounded by guards twenty four seven.
Of course, he had already sent out a team to look for the boy. The unit consisted of ANBU that would often save Naruto from the group of drunks that would attempt to beat him. Even though they had lost family too, they knew better than the blame the boy. They were those special few that actually knew something about sealing. Or logic for that reason.
But now, he also had to deal with the interrogation of the villagers that had chased him around the village at night. It annoyed him to no end, especially since he heard some people whisper how the mob should be awarded medals for dispelling the demon from the village. His headache just intensified. He sighed. It was time to collect the reports on the villagers' interrogation.
-(.),(.)-
"So you have no idea at all? No clue as to where an eight year boy would run to in the middle of the night?" A man was being suspended by his wrists, his head hug low and his chest rising and falling rapidly in an attempt to bring in air. But his eyes were alight with accomplishment, as though he had just completed a great deed.
"That thing wasn't a kid. It was a demon," A sharp electric current ran through his body, causing his muscles to contract and his eyes to water. It left as soon as it came, but left after effects.
"Sure you don't want to rephrase that?" A man stepped out of the shadows, revealing who he was. He wore a long black trench coat, and what looked like army issued clothing underneath it. But it wasn't clothes that made him intimidating. No, it was his face.
His jaw was set in a square line, and eyes were sharp and quick to fit a person into their frame. A thin painful scar ran down his cheek and overlapped his lips. His leaf hitai-ate formed a bandanna over severe battle scars.
"You realize that that boy is essential to this village? How he could eventually pose a threat to Konoha? I hope you realize this," He looked at the man. The male's shaggy brown hair hung limply in front of his face, wet from sweating from the shocks. Green eyes smirked at his interrogator.
"Even if I actually knew, I wouldn't tell you," The man fell asleep on Ibiki, his head lolling on his shoulders. Ibiki sighed. So much for this person either.
His top interrogators were in other chambers interrogating other mob members. Some were more brutal in physical ways; some in more mental ways. Either way, it sounded like no one knew anything about the whereabouts of the young blonde boy.
-(.),(.)-
The sun had finally taken its sky back for the time being, and that meant people were running around, continuing their daily businesses. The place that we look at in particular though, is the Academy, nestled deep within Konohagakure.
Academy students walked through the front door, chatting with each other as they headed towards their classes to start the day. Stragglers ran through the door, not wanting to be late for the day.
One class, at the end of the hallway, was currently having attendance taken. The children sat quietly in their seats, shifting around, wanting to talk to the person next to them but also not wanting to get in trouble.
The teacher had reached the higher letters now. "Uzumaki, Naruto," The teacher already knew that the boy was gone, long gone from the village. But the Hokage had told him that he didn't want the class to wonder my he wasn't there, so he would have to call that hated name for a few days until the time expired and Naruto would be "dropped" from the program.
But unfortunately, the students did notice. Naruto had never been absent the entire year, even when the stomach bug had been going around and almost everyone in class was at home in bed. He had come to class to learn but the teacher had just ignored him the entire time.
Some looked around when they didn't hear Naruto yell out, or bang through the doors at the last second. One of the boys with triangles imprinted on his skin raised his hand and called out, "Oi! Where's Naruto? He's usually made me laugh by now!" The class laughed slightly at his joke, but it died quickly. When your class clown is the best of the best, its kind of hard to replace him.
The teacher at the front had to think fast. How was he going to explain to this group of kids that Naruto was gone and most likely coming back. Well, if he told them something, they'll probably forget about him in a month. Who cares about the dobe anyway?
"Naruto… Naruto has gone on a training mission of sorts. He needed some extra help, so he has been taken outside of the village for a while," When he said extra, he sneered slightly, insinuating that Naruto was definitely lower class.
And the group accepted it. The dobe was stupid, an idiot. Of course he would need help beyond that of a regular academy student. Little did they know, that was exactly what the young boy was receiving.
(.),(.)
And that's it for chapter two. I originally planned to make it a teensy bit longer, but I decided that since Konoha was not going to enter as a large part for a while, I'd finish it up with them. So yeah, in the next chapter we will find out more about this mystery woman, and someone else will be introduced. Thanks for reading!