Piercing the Shroud

Chapter 2

Grrrraobrihweogl. Naruto's stomach grumbled in hunger. It had been over six hours since his entrance into the forests of the Land of Fire and he had yet to meet a single soul. He wove underneath branches and through brushes, all resting underneath the towering canopy of the forest. The thick undergrowth made it difficult to traverse the terrain, but there wasn't anywhere he needed to be or anywhere he needed to go; the current amount of progress was perfectly acceptable. Except for his stomach.

"Kyuubi, I need food." The boy spoke aloud. He had learned he could communicate with the fox through thought, but opted to break the silence of the forest with his own voice. Regardless, the boy opened conversation with the Kyuubi. Throughout the course of his brief journey, Naruto had spent his time speaking with the fox. The boy narrated the past three – he could only remember three – years of his life and the fox listened to it every minute. At least it seemed like he was listening. Despite its detached attitude, the Kyuubi responded to Naruto with brief responses and rarely questioned the boy. The fox liked to talk. Just not very much.

"Good observation." The fox seemed to love teasing the boy with his sarcastic remarks.

"You know, it would help it if you stopped making fun of me." The boy mentally glared at the fox, only to produce a laughter that echoed in his mind.

"You know what else would help? You not dying in the middle of the forest from starvation!" The boy stopped and mentally gaped.

"I think that's the longest thing I've heard you said all day!"

"And it's going to be the last thing you hear if you don't find some food!" What the Kyuubi said was true. He already had a weak body from all the ramen he had eaten, and now coupled with the starvation, it was probable that his soul would disappear within a few days.

"Well, where can I get food?" It came as no surprise. A child has no knowledge of the wild. Stick a random child in the wilderness and he'll die. Luckily for Naruto, he was not just a random child.

"Listen. Observe. And maybe, you'll learn." The first two words were all it took. Naruto promptly stopped moving through the forest and ignored the rumbling in his stomach. He carefully tuned into his surroundings. It came alive in his ears; he could hear the crickets on the trees, the birds in the air, the water splashing against rock. Water.

"Thanks." Naruto walked towards the direction of the water: a stream around 4 meters wide. Torrents of water splashed on the rocks as the river flowed at a rapid rate. Fish could easily be seen swimming through the water. "Food."

He started to grasp wildly at the water, missing every single fish that passed by. Luckily, the Kyuubi intervened.

"Stop you fool! Focus! Find a fish and trace its movement. When it passes by, reach for it." While it was easy for the fox to say it, actually executing it was difficult. The fish had unpredictable movements, sometimes darting to the left and sometimes darting to the right. Eventually, the boy was able to focus in on a single fish: a sleek black one the length of the boy's arm. He plunged his arms in and his hands wrapped around the fish's body as he tried to lift it out of the water, only to have it slip out of his grasp. The water on the scales had made the fish as slippery as a bar of soap. Only, nobody commented when you drop the fish.

He tried again. This time, he managed to grab the fish but the constant chaotic flopping of its tail quickly dislodged it from the boy's grasp. He tried 5 more times before letting out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't catch fish with his bare hands.

"You need grip."

"And how do I get that?"

"Use your chakra." This was the first time anyone had told him to use chakra. When the Sandaime told the boy about being a ninja, one of the most important things he mentioned was the idea behind chakra. The physical energy in one's being and bending it to one's will. That was chakra. How to use it, however, was a completely different story.

"How?"

"Feel it. Then move it through your body." Naruto sat down concentrated on feeling his chakra. He closed his eyes and felt the energy through his body. There were two pools: one that was calm and full of life, the other, fiery and uncontrolled. He tried to draw his energy from the calm pool and move it through his body albeit with no success. Manipulating chakra was more difficult than he expected.

"Do not force it. The fish do not swim against the current and neither should you." The Kyuubi's advice seemed to work as Naruto stopped trying to force chakra through his body and merely allowed it to flow. He focused on his hands and felt the calm energy rushing into the palms of his hands while the uncontrolled one stayed at the pit of his stomach. He maintained the flow of chakra as he opened his eyes. To his surprise, a blue glow enveloped his hands, starting from his wrist and ending at his fingertips. Maintaining the flow was difficult as the amount of chakra flowing into his hands at any given moment was erratic and uneven. At times, his hands grew an opaque blue and at other times, it was a translucent tint. Regardless of control, it seemed to serve his purpose. The next time he targeted a fish and grabbed it, the chakra adhered to the scales and he could easily bring the fish out of the water. It flopped for a minute before stopping, obviously dead from lack of water.

"Wow that was hard." Despite his overly large reserves, Naruto was exhausted from all the concentration. He could feel a mild headache building from the back of his head. Manipulating chakra was difficult, and he would need extra practice before mastering the ability. Nevertheless, there was a perfect piece of fish to consume and regain his energy. A perfectly raw piece of fish.

"Augh! Now I have to cook it!" The boy ran back into the forest and grabbed bundles of dead sticks, leaves and grass. It was easy to find wood in a forest. He brought the two sticks together and quickly rubbed them together. In time, the pile began to smoke and a small fire was created. He blew softly on it and fanned the flames as he saw the fire grow into a decently large size. He could feel the heat radiating from the fire.

"Now where did you learn this?" The Kyuubi was genuinely curious for the boy's survival skills. He had not expected the boy to know how to produce a fire.

"My apartment used to break down a lot. Gramps taught me how to do this when my stove wasn't working." The old man had taught Naruto quite a few little tricks. Despite its location in the middle of an urban village, Naruto's apartment was prone to "failures" and more often than not, his survival skills were required to scavenge some food to eat. Whenever the ignition on his stove broke, he would go outside, find some trees and leaves, and create a small fire. He'd use a stick to bring the fire into the house and light up the stove, making sure to put it out lest he burnt his house down. Luckily enough, that had yet to happen.

"Good. Less work for me." Naruto pierced the dead fish with a stick and began roasting it on the open fire. Within minutes, the once live and wet fish was now dead and dried. He could eat. He took a bite out of the side, enjoying the taste of food in his mouth. It was slightly burnt but not enough to pose much of a problem. He quickly finished the entire fish, throwing the bones onto the side before approaching the river to catch another one. It seems like he was going to have a feast.

"How did you learn to use chakra?"

"I am chakra. Born from it and bred by the Sage of Six Paths. Moving my form is manipulating chakra itself." It explained how the Kyuubi could explain how chakra feels and how it can be manipulated through the body; Kyuubi did it every day for the past millennia.

"Could you teach me?" Perhaps if the Kyuubi would teach him, Naruto could become a ninja after all. He imagined himself battling against enemy ninja and claiming victory. He could use amazing techniques and –.

"Why? It's more work for me." Naruto slumped in disappointment. He had never thought about exactly why he wanted to become a ninja. He had always idolized the Hokage; the old man had the appreciation of the entire village. Naruto had always thought that if he became a ninja, he could emulate the old man's accomplishments. Perhaps all he wanted was to fit in. But now? He had nowhere to fit into. Not that it mattered; the Kyuubi wouldn't teach him anything. "Do not mistake me. I never said I won't teach you. Just give me a good reason to."

Then he remembered his incident with Souza and how he was the doorstep of death when the Kyuubi intervened. The fox defeated his enemy; chakra had the power to destroy. Why would the boy want to live with the power to destroy? He had caused enough problems in Konoha as it was. Yet he looked at the remains of the fish and realized chakra had saved his life. Chakra helped him catch fish so he could eat and evidently, the fox had saved his life as well.

"I want to go on adventures, to meet new people and see new things. Chakra will let me live long enough to do so." The Kyuubi remained silent, weighing the choices. If the fox assisted to boy, it would mean he could live without the Kyuubi's interventions and the skill could be used as some leverage when the fox asked for freedom. On the other hand, if he refused the boy, then his intervention may be necessary more often than he would like. The choice was obvious. Spending 10 minute now was better than wasting an hour later.

"Well said. Your first lesson will be to go and catch some more fish." Who knows? Perhaps the boy's adventures may prove entertaining for a while.

Much to Naruto's disappointment, the fox had no knowledge of any special techniques he could learn. He recalled the howling laughter that echoed in his mind when he first asked Kyuubi to teach him some moves. 'Stupid boy! Do you think I need any ninja techniques?' Despite the fox's inability to teach the boy any form of jutsu, the boy was able to understand the explanations on the nature of chakra. It was only a matter of practice before he could easily manipulate the flow of chakra in his body.

As the only thing he could do, Naruto practiced manipulating chakra every day under the guidance of the Kyuubi. He learned to adhere to different surfaces: climb trees and scale cliffs. The fruits that were high in the canopy of the forest were easy to achieve, once he could walk up the sides of the trunk. Every day, he would gather broken twigs, dried leaves and dead grass from the forest and start a little fire. Staying close to the river, he would take a few steps into the shallow water and trace the paths of a few select fish who would become his breakfast, lunch and dinner. As the fish roasted over the open fire, the boy would climb to the tops of the highest trees and pluck their delectable fruits before descending to his campfire and serving himself a decent meal. As each night approached, he would put out the fire, relocate a small distance, and scurry up to the tops of the trees to rest in their branches for the duration of the night. He could survive for years. But years was too long.

"Wake up and be silent." Kyuubi had been a great asset over the past two months. Tutoring the boy in chakra manipulation and control, the ancient demon always seemed to have knowledge and wisdom tucked within its mind. If the Kyuubi ordered him to do something, it was within his benefit to do so.

'What's going on?' The boy spoke mentally. Only on rare occasions would the boy have to speak with the fox within his own mind. He cracked open an eyelid and saw that dawn had approached; the sun's rays just reaching over the horizon, shinning bright beams of light from the east.

"What was the first thing I taught you?" Naruto tried to recall the day that he had almost starved to death and was saved due to the Kyuubi's assistance.

'To catch fish?' Naruto could hear a mental slap as he imagined the fox burying its head in its paws.

"No you dimwit. Before that." The boy pondered for a moment.

'To listen.'

"Correct." Naruto opened his ears and allowed chakra to flow within them, amplifying the sounds of the forest and allowing them to pervade his mind. Birds, crickets, wind, water. It seemed everything was natural in the forest; the morning was no different from any others. Almost. He could barely make out the audible sounds.

" – come find us?" It was a rough sound. Most likely owned by a grown man who smoked a little too much with the way the words were wheezing through his lungs.

"No shit. But I reckon we've got one day before we make it over the border to Wave. Those old bastards won't catch up tonight. We'll stay here for the night. We're as good as home boys!" Rambunctious laughter ran through the air. How many were there? 5? Maybe 6? Naruto turned his head to the source of the laughter.

They were decently far away: almost 20 meters. The vantage point from the branches of the trees allowed him to clearly see their encampment. It was based on a small clearing surrounded by the forest. Four bright white tents were set up in a circular pattern, their entrances facing an unlit fire pit in the center. Bags were leaning against a log where Naruto could see 6 men sitting and laughing. They were wearing light brown leather armor with tattered civilian clothes underneath. Naruto's attention, however, was caught on the various weapons strapped to their back. Some had large scimitars, others sleek katanas and still others with axes and hammers. Their faces were nothing special; each one looked like another man in his 30's or 40's with grime and dirt on their laughing faces.

"Bandits." Naruto eyed them warily. It was evident they had not noticed his presence in the treetops or else they would have probably confronted him by now. He wondered what they were doing in the middle of the forest. He tuned in to listen.

"Get me some grub!" One of the men spoke out, the large gash on his face twisting and moving with his facial expressions. He seemed to be the leader of the little pack. "And feed the prisoner while you're at it."

His order rang across the encampment as two of the other men standing beside him stood up and entered one of the tents.

'Prisoner?' The boy stared in interest. He wouldn't take any action. Merely observe the scene unfold before him.

The two men who entered the tent brought out a young girl, seeming no older than Naruto. The boy's eyes widened. Her legs and arms were bound behind her back with another rope digging into her jaw, rendering her gagged and unable to speak. Her dark purple hair sat messy and dirty down her back and remnants of tears could still be seen on her pale face.

One of the men was holding two plates of food: one with a slab of meat and the other with a few bits and pieces of leftover fish. It was obvious which was going to who. The leader bit the meat and ripped a chunk out before quickly swallowing as the two men untied the gag at her mouth.

"Daddy's going to find you! You're going to pay!" The girl's high pitched voice screeched at the leader who only winced at the shriek. He rolled his eyes and motioned for his subordinates to feed the girl. Obviously, they had gone through the situation many times already. The men stuffed the leftover fish into the girl's mouth and placed their hands over it, waiting until she had swallowed. Despite the glare of resentment and rebellion in her eyes, the girl eventually swallowed the food. The men placed the rope over her jaw again and dragged her back into the tent.

'Kyuubi, what should we do?' It was evident that Naruto wanted to rescue the girl. He had remembered the fear that consumed his body when he first saw Souza in his room, and later when he awoke in the cave. He could see the fear was present, despite her defying gaze.

"Nothing."

'Why?!'

"It does not concern us." The fox was right. He could sit back and let the entire event pass by and his life would remain the same as it had always been, yet there was this aching in his heart that told him to fight against the injustice.

"Out of all the ones you picked, you had to grab the one with the attitude?" The leader addressed one of the other men sitting on the bench.

"Hey, whatever man. The Boss is going to like the attitude. More fun for him when he breaks her. If the boss is happy, we get more money, am I right?" Murmurs of 'yep' were heard.

"Just a pain in the ass for us. Whatever, she can't talk much anyways. The deal goes down tomorrow afternoon. We'll be rid of her in a little over a day."

'More money.' Those were the only words that Naruto repeated in his head, over and over again. They were going to sell this innocent little girl for a sack of gold. 'I'm going to save her.'

"Do you truly expect to win against 6 armed fighters?"

'No, I'll wait here until tonight. I'll sneak in, rescue her, and get out before the sun rises tomorrow morning.'

"It's a terrible idea. You're only 6 for god's sake. Worst case scenario you're dead." Was he really willing to risk his life to save this little girl he never even knew?

'I'll never forgive myself if I don't do anything. You saved me Kyuubi, now somebody needs to save her. And plus, I'm sure the Kyuubi no Kitsune won't die to a few bandits.''

"If you are adamant with your decision, then I will not stop you. But do not ask me for any help when you're caught. Unless you're about to die, you alone will face the punishment of your failures." With that last statement, the Kyuubi had ended the conversation. The Kyuubi was the boy's safety net, his back up when all else failed. Without it, Naruto felt as vulnerable as any little child would be when he or she first entered the wild. He wouldn't fail. No, he couldn't fail.

With his mind set on his decision, Naruto stared blankly at the camp. He could neither move from his location nor speak to the fox. Ignoring the building hunger, he opted to close his eyes and wait until the sun disappeared and the sky turned dark.

Naruto's body was stiff and rigid from sitting on the tree branch for so long, yet the night sky had finally come. His patience was wearing thin but he knew he could not compromise his "mission" so rashly. Darkness had descended onto the camp and the only sources of light were the bright moon in the night sky and the remaining embers from the once-burning fire. Believing themselves to be safe from harm, the six men retreated into their tents to sleep for the night without a sentry as a night watch. Luck seemed to be in the boy's favor.

'Hey Kyuubi, are you ready?' Naruto had expected no response and he felt slightly lonely when his expectations were met. The fox had decided to hold to its declaration and ignore the boy on this mission.

The boy focused chakra onto his hands and feet and slowly climbed down the tree; his limbs adhering to the bark with every step down. His descent was silent and only a small noise was created when his feet made impact with the ground. He slowly made his way to the encampment, avoiding any twigs or leaves that could potentially threaten his endeavor. Step by step, he crawled through the trees and into the moonlit clearing; the dew that had accumulated on the grass shimmered underneath the moon's rays.

With baited breath, Naruto approached the assortment of bags that was left outside, leaning against the log. He opened one and muttered under his breath.

"I need a knife." He reached for the next bag, being careful to place the first one back where he found it. He reached into the new bag before his muscles tensed up as he let out a small whimper and retracted his hand. On his fingertip, a small trickle of blood oozed from an open wound. He expected the miniscule gash to be quickly surrounded by a red aura and promptly sealed, but blood continued to trickle down his finger. It seemed like Kyuubi was truly out of this one. He had hoped that the Kyuubi would silently support him physically, if not mentally or emotionally. The lack of high speed regeneration proved that the fox was not going to interfere. He was on his own.

Naruto reached back into the bag again, careful to avoid being pricked. He grasped a steel object and pulled it out. Success. The cold metal of a kunai reflected the moon's beams so that he could see the reflection of his brilliant blue eyes on the blade. The tip of it was still wet with blood. It must have been the same object he had pricked his finger on.

Placing the bag carefully back where it belonged, Naruto looked around for any sense of motion. Perhaps the small whimper that had escaped his lips were enough to waken the bandits. His eyes darted from one tent to the other for an entire minute, silent. Nothing moved.

Feeling his muscles relax, Naruto crept up to the tent he saw the girl be kept prisoner in. With one more look around, he lifted the flap and peered his head in. Within the tight confines of the tent, the girl laid on the ground alone, still bound in the same fashion since the morning. Her eyes were closed tightly as he heard a slight whimper escape her gagged lips. Her jaw was locked tightly around the rope, a clear representation of her stress and fear.

Naruto approached her and shook her shoulder. Instantly, her eyes opened and golden orbs peered straight into cerulean blue ones. Her eyes widened as she looked around, trying to gain her bearings. Her eyes locked onto the sharp metal kunai in his hand. Fear overcame her as she struggled and let out a cry.

He quickly placed his hand over bound mouth to muffle her cries. Her breathing was erratic and her gaze never left the kunai. He bent over and whispered to her.

"Hey, stop crying! You're going to wake them up!" His words hissed in her ear. He got up and poked his head outside, glancing left and right, ensuring that the occupants in the nearby tents were still asleep. To his fortune, they were. "I'm going to cut these ropes and free you. Stay quiet!"

He started with the ropes on her mouth. The rope was relatively thick and it took white a bit of effort before he could get through a single band. One down, several more to go. Once he had cut through the ropes that sealed her ability to speak, he started on her arms.

"What are you doing?" The girl hissed at him. Was she stupid? It was obvious he was saving her life.

"I'm saving your life, now hold still!" He hacked away at ropes on her arms. There were a fair amount more keeping her arms trapped than her mouth, and thus, it required a much longer time for him to cut through them all.

"Why are you helping me?" Was she serious? Was she really going to question his motives?

"Just shut up and be quiet! I'm helping you because you need it!"

"No I don't!"

"Fine! I'll just leave you he –"His voice was cut off by another. This time, unfamiliar and coming from behind his back.

"Well, well, well…I see we have a few children playing hero…"

Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it. Leave some comments in a review and let me know what you think.