Pearl: I have so much more free time now that I must finish this story!
Sasuke: You must be joking if you call this a story….
Pearl: …you really want a part, don't you?
Sasuke: …No! I don't want to have anything to do with this so called "story" of yours!
Pearl: (shrugs) Okay, moving on with our lives now.
Sasuke: W-wait!
Disclaimer: I have Naruto stickers! What else? …a key chain, baby! Woo!
Chapter Eight: Past
As the weeks passed by, Naomi became more and more familiar with Konoha. Nowadays, not much training was scheduled from Kakashi, but after Naomi's first mission, the team accomplished many more. Naruto even told Naomi how they had completed a rank B mission.
"It was all teamwork!" Naruto announced proudly.
Still, Naomi was assigned, whenever she had the chance to, to practice defending herself against ninja stars thrown toward her.
With the little training selected from Kakashi, Naomi had the time to advance with her job as healer of Konoha and gather more herbs for her supply. Even so, that day, Naomi had the chance to practice her defense against the ninja stars. The scene of where Naruto throwing the stars toward Naomi, and Naomi easing out from the stars in her foolish position replayed itself again and again. The only thing that changed were Naomi's ridiculous poses forming into even more ridiculous positions.
Sighing, Naruto said with a small hint of frustration, "To be honest with you, Naomi, I don't think you're ever going to get it."
"Hey! At least have some faith in me, Naruto!" Naomi said light-heartedly and laughing afterwards.
"Well…Kakashi-sensei said that you're not allowed to jump out of the ninja stars' way so you have to block them with that kunai." Naruto stated as he pointed at the kunai in Naomi's hand.
"Yeah, yeah…I know." Naomi uttered.
"Just concentrate harder this time, Naomi." Naruto advised.
"Uh…I'll try." Naomi said nervously.
"Here I go!" Naruto called out as he ready himself to throw the stars.
It was only Naruto and Naomi (and always Naruto and Naomi) training together in the field whenever Naomi had the chance to practice. Time passed by, and soon, there was someone else in the forest. A man walked out from behind the bushes and smiled broadly at the two weary from their training. A hat made of straw shaded his head and eyes, and his clothes were a rough, tan colored cloth made from wool. Brown boots covered his feet, and some facial hair was present around the man's chin, cheekbones, and above his lips. He was a man of his thirties.
"Hello there!" he greeted kindly.
There was a small hesitation before Naruto and Naomi greeted the man.
"Are you a traveler?" Naomi asked.
"Yes I am. The name's Toshakatsu, Jiro!" he exclaimed in his brightly manner.
"Uh…I'm Naomi and this is Naruto." Naomi replied gesturing toward Naruto, who gave a small wave.
"Can you please direct me to the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha?" Jiro asked. At this, both Naruto and Naomi's hand rose in unison and pointed in the same direction. "Thank you very much! You know, I have a feeling that I'll see you guys again. Well, carry on with your business!" Jiro said as he walked off with a bounce in his step.
For a moment, Naomi was paralyzed. He knew what Jiro meant by seeing them both again or just plain seeing her again. Jiro knew who Naomi was and vice versa. As Naomi turned her eyes onto a patch of dirt, she whispered, "Jiro-sensei."
"What was that about?" Naruto asked as he pondered Jiro's last statement.
"Uh…we shouldn't think about things like that, Naruto. Besides, we need to get back to this training." Naomi said quickly, and the two returned to the training they previously exercised.
Sunset came and Naruto finally gave up on Naomi. "Ah, Naomi…can we stop now?"
"Yeah, sorry, Naruto. I'm just…I just can't seem to get it." Naomi apologized.
Fatigued, Naruto collapsed to the ground and gave Naomi an automatic response. "Oh…that-that's okay, Naomi."
With a small smile on the outside and guilt overwhelming her on the inside, Naomi said, "Hey, Naruto. I'll treat you to some ramen as thanks for helping me."
Almost immediately, the blonde haired boy bolted upright with energy from nowhere and excitement. "Okay! Come on! I know the best place to eat!" he exclaimed. With that said, Naruto grabbed Naomi's wrist and pulled her quickly away.
Five empty bowls of ramen stacked on top of one another sat in front of Naruto, who belched. "Excuse me." he said with a broad smile. Shortly afterward, Naomi finished her one bowl of ramen, chuckled at Naruto, and then raised her hand to the man behind the counter to pay the bill. As they walked out of the ramen stand, Naruto slowly pat his full stomach and said with satisfaction, "Ah, that was great."
"Well, I'm glad you liked it." Naomi said.
"Hey, Naomi." Naruto suddenly said, "Want to go to the roof of the that building?" He pointed upwardly at a tall building on the far side of Konoha. "I heard it's got an awesome view of the village from there."
Unsure of herself, Naomi replied weakly, "Uh…sure?"
"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, and once again, he snatched at Naomi's wrist and off she flew with him.
The vast village spread below them, and the pathways were walked by few people. Here and there, some stores began closing. The streetlights blinked on, illuminating buildings and shadows. Above them, the night sky's blanket of stars stretched over Konoha, and the half moon present gave a glow that was both warm and mysterious.
"Wow!" Naomi gasped taken away by the scene.
Naruto, his arms behind his head, smiled down on the village. "See? I knew it had a killer view." he boasted.
"Heh…yeah, you were right, Naruto." Naomi agreed slowly.
Seeing the sudden change in her mood, Naruto asked Naomi, "Uh, are you alright, Naomi?"
Even after eating ramen and seeing this breathtaking view of the village, Naomi's mind couldn't waver off the thought of the man in the forest, Jiro. The urge of just knowing who he was, wanted to explode from Naomi's mouth. The box inside of her that carried this information seemed so frail.
"Naruto…" Naomi started, but suddenly she drifted off, and from behind her glasses, her eyes became empty.
It was a dark night and the panting of a little girl was heard. The horrifying silhouettes of the trees laughed at her as she ran past them, and the dark swallowed the girl who ran deeper and deeper into the foreboding stomach of the forest. Behind her and out of the forest, blinding white lights burst between the trees. Whistles and men shouting in the white light began fading as this small girl ran further and further away, but deeper and deeper into the ominous forest. Her cheeks traced the path of tears. Suddenly, her foot caught a root, and she tripped. She collapsed onto the dirt and bumped her head.
When she woke again, her eyes gazed at a ceiling. Hesitantly, they began observing the small hut she realized she was in. There wasn't much. A wooden table sat in the middle of this room, which happened to be the only one, and a desk rested in the corner. The door was in the other corner, and some tools hung on the walls. Then the door opened allowing a man to step in. He stopped shortly when he saw the little girl awake and then resumed his pace.
"I thought you would never wake up." He said with a comforting voice.
This man wore a rough, tan colored shirt made of wool, brown boots, and a straw hat that he placed on the table. It was Jiro, but he is much younger now and has no traces of facial hair yet. The small girl sat up in bed staring at the man with empty eyes.
The sadness radiated to Jiro who asked gently, "What's your name? Do you remember?"
Her eyes gave a small spark, and then it disappeared quickly. Slowly, she answered with a small crackle in her throat. "…Naomi."
"Hmm…Naomi, eh? What a beautiful name." Jiro said with effort to lighten the mood. "Well, I'm Jiro. Eh, why don't you come on outside, Naomi?" he gestured cheerfully. Naomi didn't move and only sat there staring into Jiro's gold eyes with her dead sapphire eyes.
"Alright, if that's how you're going to be then fine." Jiro said teasingly. He lifted Naomi out of the bed and carried her outside.
It was a beautiful day and the bright sun warmed Naomi's skin as she looked around. She looked up, down, left, and right. She just looked everywhere as if this world outside was new to her. Something in the air warmed her, and it rang loudly in Naomi's ears. It was laughter. As she turned her head back to Jiro, she realized it was he who was laughing. Jiro took a deep breath of the fresh spring air, and then his deep laughter exploded from him. His loud laughter made Naomi's heart leap a beat. A small smile brightened Naomi's face and her eyes sparkled with life. Soon enough, she joined in with Jiro's laughter, and she wanted that moment to last.
From then on, Naomi was interested in everything Jiro did. Later he became her sensei teaching Naomi everything he knew and everything she wanted to know. They were close like father and daughter, but back then, Naomi wanted to marry Jiro. This was a joke to Jiro, and he always laughed at it. He told Naomi that someday in her life, she would meet someone who would be her true love and that it would be a journey filled with tears and joy because Jiro had already traversed such a journey and found his true love.
"Naomi! Naomi! Hey!" Naruto shouted waving his hand violently in front of Naomi's face.
"Oh! Whoa!" Naomi said backing her face away and swapping aside Naruto's hand.
"You dozed off there for a second." Naruto said.
Realizing what happened, Naomi said, " Oh, I'm sorry. My mind…it kind of just wandered away for a moment."
"Yeah, I know it did." Naruto replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Ah well," Naruto said with a yawn, "It's getting kind of late, Naomi. You must be pretty tired too zoning out like that. I'm going to head home now."
As he turned to go, Naomi shouted, "Wait, Naruto!"
"Hmm?" Naruto wondered as he stopped in his tracks.
Sighing, Naomi asked, "Remember that man in the forest? Jiro?"
There was a small pause before Naruto finally realized who Naomi was talking about. Giving a nod, Naruto said, "Oh yeah. That weird guy that said he'll see us again. What's up with that?"
A sweat drop rolled down Naomi's head before she replied, "Yeah…that was kind of weird, but…I know the guy. I think he means that he'll see me again soon."
Interest showed in Naruto's face, but then disappointment. "Oh? And why doesn't he want to see me? After all, I am the Great Naruto!"
Naomi burst with laughter and said sarcastically, "Sure you are, Naruto." Then she continued on laughing and soon was accompanied by Naruto with a small chuckle.
"Ah well, I'm just trying to bring up the mood especially after you dozed off on me like that." Naruto said scratching his head.
Suddenly, a Jounin appeared on the rooftop and interrupted Naomi and Naruto. "Excuse me, Healer." he said with a light bow, "Lord Hokage needs to see you."
Still in shock from the sudden appearance, Naomi gathered herself together and scolded the Jounin. "Don't do that! You scared me! Where in the world did you come from anyway?"
"You can say that again!" Naruto said as he held his chest.
"Uh…my apologies." the jounin said as a sweat drop rolled down his head.
Naomi turned to Naruto and said "Ah well, looks like I'm needed now. I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto."
Naruto gave a nod and walked off towards his home. "See you, Naomi!"
After watching Naruto leave, Naomi asked the jounin why the Hokage needed her.
"And this late at night, too?" Naomi thought. To her disappointment, no further information was given to her because even the Jounin did not know, and so Naomi found herself back in Hokage's place again.
"I think I'm going to be visiting this place more often." Naomi thought with a small sigh. "I better get used to it."
She was lead to a different room this time and as the doors slid open, Jiro was sitting inside with the Hokage.
"Hello, Naomi." Jiro greeted with that same smile he wore the first time he met Naomi.
"Jiro…" Naomi said quietly as she hesitantly entered the room. Jiro's smile never faltered as he watched her.
"I'll take my leave now." Lord Hokage said standing up and closing the doors behind him. Naomi's eyes followed the Hokage, begging him to not leave.
The two sat in silence in front of one another. Naomi stared at the wood floors as she listened to Jiro whistle a familiar tune. When he stopped, he broke the uncomfortable air by asking curiously, "Why the funny disguise?"
Naomi raised her head and looked at the man before her. Then Naomi's fingers reached for her glasses, and she pulled them off revealing her sapphire eyes. Gazing for a minute, Jiro turned his head and examined Naomi's glasses.
"You don't need them do you? They're fake." he said tapping the plastic lens with his finger. Naomi nodded.
"Oh come on now, Naomi. Speak up! After all these years and not a single word yet?" Jiro urged.
With a smile, Naomi said, "How are you, today?"
Jiro flung his head back in laughter. It was the same laugh from long ago that boomed in Naomi's ears and reached into her heart. She missed it very much.
"Well, why are you here, Jiro…sensei?" Naomi asked with a feeling of nostalgia when the word "sensei" escaped her lips.
"Ah, Naomi, I am no longer your sensei so drop that name and call me…Jiro-kun!"
Naomi gave a look of disbelief at her former sensei who laughed and said
"Just kidding, just kidding."
With a finger, he scratched the prickly hair on his chin. The sound wasn't very pleasing to Naomi causing her to wince.
Finally stopping, Jiro said, "Well, obviously, I traveled all this way to find you, but…I need you to help me…assist me."
Puzzled, Naomi asked, "What do you mean?"
"All those years of training you, Naomi, the power inside of you has to come out now." Jiro said with a serious tone.
"W-why?" Naomi asked filled with worry and resentment at the thought of using her water powers. Naomi never liked to fight and learning ninja skills was a self defense for her and also, a way to help maintain her Kekai Genkai.
Jiro sighed and said, "You must understand, Naomi. I've somehow managed to trace a demon while on my search for Prince Katsuro."
"You still believe he exists?" Naomi interrupted.
"Shush, Naomi." Jiro whispered. "He definitely exists, Naomi. Here, I managed to steal this from that demon I encountered who just happened to work for that bastard Prince."
Reaching into a pouch that hung around his shoulders, he pulled out a scroll, and placed it into Naomi's hand. Naomi untied it and unraveled a painting inside. A man with long black hair, and emerald eyes looked back at Naomi. Thin blue and black armor covered is chest and dark pants covered his legs. A blood-red cape hung low to his feet, which were protected with boots. The title of the painting read "Prince Katsuro."
Naomi looked in awe, but quickly turned her attention back at Jiro and asked, "What would you need me for?"
"That demon I ran into…he killed…Yuri." Jiro slowly said in anger and sorrow.
This shocked Naomi causing her to drop the painting. It tumbled and crumpled on the wood floor. "I'm-I'm sorry, Jiro-sensei." Naomi stuttered to say. Yuri was Jiro's true love.
There was a small hesitation before Jiro said, "Please, spare me the grief. I need your answer, Naomi. Come with me to kill that wretched bastard!"
Naomi sadly shifted her eyes off the bearded man. "I'm sorry, Jiro. I can not do it for revenge." she said apologetically. Silence filled the room, and the two sat together.
Finally, Jiro stood up and said, "I've raised you well, Naomi. I understand…I must do this alone." With that, he left the room.
Naomi saw the tears that swelled up in his eyes and couldn't stop her own eyes from swelling with tears.
"It must hurt…to lose the love of your life," she whispered to herself. She couldn't imagine the pain and loneliness Jiro endures everyday of his life knowing that his wife,Yuri, is gone.
Sasuke: See? That is not a "story!"
Pearl: (pats Sasuke's back) It's okay, it's okay…
Sasuke: Hey! Don't act like you're feeling sorry for me! I don't need your pity!
Pearl: (shrugs) Okay, moving on with our lives once again.
Sasuke: …w-wait.