NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

Masks

Late afternoon…

Sunset…

The Genin teams had stopped outside of town inside of the forest in a clearing. After walking for the whole day, they had gotten quite tired, and were now resting under the orange glow of the sunset on the horizon, the clouds disappearing as the sky dimmed, and the birds flying back to their roosts.

Within the clearing, the carrier containing the mistress had been set down close to the middle of the clearing, not too far from the glow of the fire Sasuke had set up with the help of Shino and Shikamaru, who had also helped gather the firewood. Choji, Ino and Kiba had added their contributions to the group by gathering some fruits, while Asuma and Kakashi set up some traps and alert wires around the perimeter of their campsite. Sakura, along with Hinata and Kurenai, had prepped each of the group's tents and sleeping bags for everyone, just quick ones that could be easily collapsed and packed away in seconds, just in case a rush was in need.

While everyone else had the setting up camp privileges, the Naruto clones had gone off to find some fresh water for them all, and soon came back carrying a large gourd of water with them. The teams watched as the Narutos brought it to the center of the clearing, and set it down a few feet out of the fire, and begun filling up everyone's drink canisters. Once everything was done, the groups gathered at the center of the campsite, with Kakashi taking up post beside the Jiao containing their charge-of-charge.

While everyone sat around and prepared for the night, Sakura caught someone approaching out of the corner of her eye and looked up.

"Hey, they're back!" Sakura said, waving towards the approaching Anko and real Naruto. Everyone looked up to see the pair enter the clearing, with the purple haired Jonin sealing up the only opening with her own traps on her way in, tossing a cluster of kunai down onto the ground, wrapped in tags and trip wires.

"What took you guys so long?" Asuma asked, watching as Naruto and Anko walked up to them. However, instead of stopping, Naruto walked by, carrying the girl away in his arms to the tent he recognized as his team's, and laid the girl down onto his pillow. Pulling out a small carrier scroll, he tossed it open, and while he was accessing its contents, was approached by his teammates. The rest of the Genin had also taken great interest in the new member Naruto had brought along with him.

"Who is this, Naruto?" Sakura asked, crouching down beside the girl as Naruto drew a blanket from his scroll, and laid it over her. His clones, following the telepathic orders from their host, got a cloth and socked it in water, before bringing it over to the tent and handing it to the real Naruto.

"Someone I freed from a life of chains and whips," Naruto replied, looking up at Sakura. "I found her in cage beside dozens of other slaves. I bought her out of there, so she could come and live with me…"

"T-That's very kind of you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"I just wish I could have helped all of them out, though," Naruto replied, ripping the cloth he had in half, and placing the half he folded up onto the girl's forehead. He took the other one, and started wiping away the dirt and stains on her face. "You wouldn't believe the conditions…"

"So she's going to be living with you then, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yup…"

"Do you have the proper accommodations for such a thing?"

"I've got a big apartment… I guess," Naruto thought. "She can use my bed… I don't use it anyway, and I've got the money. I'm not just going to abandon her just like so many others have."

"Well then, if that's going to be the case, I'll help you out," the pink-haired girl stated, shuffling over and checking the girl's pulse. At the same time, she did a full body scan, pumping chakra into her right hand and using it to check on her condition, placing it just over the girl's chest.

"That's… really not necessary…Sakura-chan…"

"But I want to!" Sakura replied, smiling up at the boy. "You're still a kid yourself, Naruto, and you've only ever really looked after yourself your entire life. You wouldn't really know how to take care of someone younger than you, especially a girl…"

"I'll help too," Hinata stated, smiling up at Naruto with a light coloration of red in her cheeks. "We're all friends, so we help each other out when somebody's in need…"

"We're also a team," Sakura said with a smile, looking up at the spiky blonde. "Supporting each other is one of the things we do…"

Naruto looked between the two faces of his teammates, seeing the sincerity of their statements and their offerings of help. This made his heart flutter, and he smiled at them. He reached up and lowered his hood, giving them all a few view of the gratefulness in his eyes.

"Thank you… Sakura-chan… Hinata-chan…"

They smiled back at him, before looking back down at the girl to continue checking on her. When Sakura had finished her checkup, she retracted her arm, the glow of chakra in her hand dissipating.

"She's fine," the girl stated. "She just has a few bruises, and is really tired…"

"She also must be hungry," Hinata said. "Look at how pale and thin she is…"

"Don't worry about that," Naruto said with a smile, looking up at the two clones he had managed to maintain these past several hours. "Go fetch us some fish… bring Sasuke and Choji with you. Disperse if something goes wrong…"

The two clones nodded and left the vicinity of the tent. With some arguments, they managed to drag Sasuke along with them, but had little trouble bringing Choji with them. Knowing where the traps were laid, they headed for the nearby river without much hassle.

"So, has the young lady got a name?" Asuma asked, arms folded and leaning lightning against the secured branch used to hold up the entrance to the tent. Naruto looked up and shrugged.

"I don't know… she fell asleep while I was carrying her here…"

"Well, we just can't be calling her 'that girl' or 'you' the whole time," Ino said, walking over and kneeling by the girl's head. She looked down at the sleeping girl, the sight of her sleeping so peacefully making her smile. "But she looks so adorable!"

"She sure is," Asuma said.

"That's not the only thing special about her," Naruto said, looking up at the Jonin with a small smile. "I'll tell you later when she wakes up…"

"Sure," Asuma replied, stepping aside a bit to let some of the other Genin through. Kiba and Shikamaru joined them, while Shino was staying back, keeping an extra eye on their client still inside of the Jiao.

Akamaru yipped and leapt out of Kiba's jacket, walking over to the girl and taking a sniff of her. The young pump then barked happily and licked her face. Kiba quickly picked him up before Akamaru woke her up.

"Whoa… down boy," the boy laughed, patting Akamaru to keep him quiet, while smiling up at Naruto and Hinata. "He says she's a nice girl…"

"How can he tell?" Sakura asked.

"He's got a really good sense of smell," Kiba replied, and shrugged. "Plus… dogs have more then just five senses. They can come in real handy when getting information on a particular person…"

Shikamaru sat down on the grass outside of the tent, looking at the dozing girl with a considerate look on his face. "Still, it's amazing that she's doing so well in her condition."

"They don't give them much," Naruto replied, he said, looking up at the whole crowd around him. "No medicine, very little food and water…their slaves are treated worse than cattle. I never want to go back to that port town ever again…"

"Neither does us," Sakura stated, with Hinata nodding in agreement.

"Well then that's decided," Asuma said. "Strong motion against returning to the town, our trip back will be diverted around it… though it would take a few extra hours longer…"

"It doesn't really matter, if we just avoid it altogether, no one else will have to become corrupted," Naruto explained.

After checking to make sure the girl was comfortable, warm and okay, Naruto pulled the blanket back over her and stood up, exiting the tent. His friends and those scattered around the clearing, watched as the blonde headed over to the very edge of the clearing and leapt up into the treetops, vanishing from sight. The rustling of branches, and the light fall of leaves indicated that he was headed into the forest at tree top levels, but for what reasons was unknown. It was quite an unexpected move…

Asuma blinked. "Well… that was a little bit strange…"

"Leave the boy be, Asuma," Anko called over from the fire, where she was roasting a marshmallow beside Kurenai and Shino. "He prefers being a mysterious character, and will often wordlessly leave for some place unknown. I've given up trying to adopt him and change his personality to fit normal society…he's just… like that…"

"He's not like anyone I've ever met before, I tell you," Asuma said, walking over to the group by the fireplace, leaving Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Ino and Shikamaru to watch over the sleeping girl. "Kakashi is one such person, but he just goes off to read books and is always late, and Anko yo-u…" The Jonin looked at the woman by the fireplace, who was watching him patiently for him to complete his sentence. Asuma gulped, and decided it for the well-being of himself and his nads that he didn't finish. "Anyway, out of all of the ninja I know… he's the one with the biggest amount of questions surrounding him…"

"What? Like his history or something?" Anko asked, smiling at the Jonin who stopped right by the fire and crouched before it, warming his hands at its hearth. "Here's something for you to mellow over; I've only ever been able to witness brief glimpses of his past, mostly because I was involved in it. But even though I was assigned to protect him for a lot of his life, I was often called away on missions or to perform other duties for Konohagakure…"

"Protect him?" Sakura asked, looking up at her sensei.

"What do you mean 'protect him'?" Ino also asked. "He wasn't in danger, was he?"

"Best not for me to answer that," Anko replied, pulling up her marshmallow and sniffing it. "You can try asking him yourselves, but I for one wouldn't. He's had a really hard life. Perhaps even harder then that girl you see lying beside you…"

Sakura looked down at the sleeping girl, seeing that she had turned over and wrapped the blankets tighter around her, snuggling into whatever warmth she could unconsciously conjure up from it. All the ninja sitting around her had turned their attention back to the girl, and were eyeing her with thoughtful looks of concern. It wasn't just the thought of this girl's unimaginable, tragic past, but also one of Naruto's…

"Could it be…?" Ino murmured.

"That Naruto's life was worse?" Sakura finished.

"I mean… he's always smiling, and laughing, and acting like a total goof-ball," Ino said, looking up at Shikamaru and Kiba. "You two have known him longer, what do you know of him?"

"Not sure?" Kiba said, furrowing his brow in thought. "I mean… my dad always said for me to stay away from him for some odd reason, saying that he was a bad influence. For a long time I actually did what I was told, and believed what my dad told me, but…now that I look at Naruto for myself, he's not such a bad guy…"

"H-He's so kind, and is always happy," Hinata said with a smile. "I remember… he helped me out so many times, when I was training… encouraging me, believing in me, saying I should keep on trying. He encouraged me to do better and even helped me when I hurt myself…"

Sakura's head lowered at this, and she reached up with her hand, placing it on her forehead at the sudden ache she felt zipping down her body. It made her sick in the stomach, and feel ill, emotionally and mentally.

"Damn it…" she thought. "I was such a moron…"

Flashback…

An eight-year-old Sakura Haruno was sitting on one of the park benches, away from the rest of the children playing on the swings, slide and play structure, and the parents watching over them from afar. With her face in her hands, she sobbed quietly, her body trembling as she shed tears of hurt and rejection.

Though this hadn't been the first time she was rejected by one Sasuke Uchiha after so many attempts of gaining his affection, the way he rubbed her off was much more hurtful then any of the times he had done so before. It felt like she had been struck full-on in the chest by a fist or a blade.

Sakura had been sitting here for a while now, her crying now turning into sniffs and red eyes, as she tried her best to hide it. It wasn't long till someone, who had taken notice of her hurt, decided to act upon it in the most appropriate way possible, and approached her.

"Hey there… Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned around, and was met by the kind, friendly and lovable grin of Konoha's knuckle-headed trouble maker, Naruto Uzumaki. The boy grinned at her and held up eagerly with two hands a bunch of flowers. When the young pink haired girl looked down, she saw that it was a cluster of Cherry Blossoms, all neatly trimmed and tied into a beautiful bouquet with a pretty red bow holding it all together. She looked at it for a moment, and then looked back up at the boy, where she saw him beaming at her with hope and happiness gleaming in his eyes.

"You don't need to be sad, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. "Here… I got you flowers! I know you'll like them because they're pretty like you, and they are the same color as your hair!"

To the boy's surprise, the girl's look changed to one that reflected her immediate annoyance of the boy, and snatching the flowers away from him, glowered.

"Leave me alone, Naruto!" she shouted. "I said before that I don't like you! Now go away!"

"B-But… but Sakura-chan!" Naruto stammered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I-I got them… just for you…"

"I don't care!" she shouted, turning her back on him, wiping away her tears. "You're annoying! Now leave me alone! I don't want to see you again!"

"S-Sakura-chan…" the boy looked down defeated and, hiding his own tears as best as he could, ran away crying. He only turned back once to see what Sakura did with his flowers, and found to his utter dismay that she had thrown them into the garbage.

The girl didn't look back or think twice about the boy and the gift he had given her, and simply stormed off to think about how to gain Sasuke's affections again, after the try and fail she just had today. Her resolve was replenished once again, but in that development, had broken the heart of the one who tried to cheer her up.

She completely missed the sight of Naruto running over to the garbage where she had thrown the flowers, where he picked them up, and ran off…

End Flashback…

Sakura lowered her head even more, her eyes overshadowing, and her hand fisting into the sheet of futon she had managed to grab.

"I was such a big… stupid… moron…" she muttered to herself, causing Ino to look up at her curiously.

"What was that, forehead?"

Sakura, who would usually get wound up by that nickname from her arch rival, just sat their, head-hung and silent. She shook her head exhaustedly, not even looking up when she answered.

"N-Nothing…" Sakura replied.

"Well… if I know Naruto," Shikamaru said, looking up at the group. "No matter how many times you look at him, whether it is deeply or not, you can always tell he's wearing a mask… to hide his real face…"

Kiba nodded in agreement, and Akamaru also yipped at this. "I know. These days… most of his smiles and stupid grins he puts on… you can tell they're fake! It's messed up, I tell yah!"

"But what can he possibly hide?" Ino asked, looking up at them. "I mean, sure… I've noticed something was slightly off about him. He always acted like a total goof back at the academy, even when I met him when we were nine. He wasn't anything special either; low grades, talentless… no genius at all," the girl described, before coming to her self evaluated question. "However, I always knew there was something more about him then smiles and pranks… something deeper…"

"Maybe it's something you won't like," Kiba said, giving the group a thoughtful look over. "I mean, I've seen stuff similar to a mask used like that before. My mother… though she seems a bit tough and scary at times, I know that she's just using that demeanor to set us straight, and to discipline members of my clan appropriately. She's especially strict towards me! But sometimes… when I'm wandering the house, I sometimes catch her in the lounge room looking at some pictures with this really sad look on her face… you know… like one of those expressions from years of being upset…"

"Naruto can't be like that," Ino replied. "He's got too much energy, and he's always training and focusing on his ninja career, and not to mention ramen. Face it; he's too busy to worry about something as tedious as a bad life…"

"Stuff like that is too complicated to explain," Shikamaru pointed. "A past isn't something you can get rid of. It's not like a broom to footprints. More like, these footprints have been made and set in concrete. It simply takes someone with the right tools to get a full imprint of what that footprint can tell you…"

"But this is Naruto we're talking about," Ino began again.

"That's precisely the point," Shikamaru said. "I don't know him as well as I want to, but when I look at him, I see he's got a lot of weight on his shoulders… burden and living…"

"Naruto's strong," Hinata said strongly, smiling up at the group. "I know that if we talk to him, we can help him…"

"Not now though," Kakashi said, appearing before the entrance of the ten so suddenly, looking down at the surprised group. Obviously, the man had overheard the whole conversation, and was now contributing his advice to the discussion, hands in his pockets, and standing casually. "Listen to Anko; don't get involved at the moment. If Naruto wants to talk about it, he will. We just need to give him some space…"

"Maybe it's the space that we have been giving him that's made him like this," Sakura said, walking out of the tent. Her statement surprised Ino, Shikamaru and Kiba, while impacting on Kakashi like a brick to the face, shooting him down. Sakura looked up at the silver-haired Jonin, eyes red, and tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've seen his face before… and it hurts just thinking about what that expression reflects…"

Sakura then walked off, leaving the rest of the group to contemplate what has been discussed, and what had been spoken.

Sasuke, Choji and the two Naruto clones eventually came back with a bunch of fish, and assembling around the fire along with the others, scaled them and roasted them over the fire. Along with steam rice, they had a nice, quiet dinner, at the same time, offering the Mistress some, leaving them outside of her Jiao.

When night fell, the teams cleaned up their plates and other assorted materials, before heading to their tents and hitting the sacks. Kakashi had first watch, sitting and tending the fire, watching over the Jiao closely, as well as checking on the new girl, who was still sleeping soundlessly.

However, as good a ninja a Jonin seemed to be, he or she would always, at times like this, overlook something, and Kakashi failed to notice a faint shadow exit the Jiao, and dash into the bushes, leaving her post with no regard for the trouble she could get into while outside of the safety zone…

Meanwhile, Naruto was perched up in the treetops overlooking the clearing, hood pulled over his head and a calm expression on his face as he watched over his teammates, Sakura and Hinata, sleeping peacefully beside the girl he rescued. He watched the girl snuggle into her covers more, and fall into a deeper sleep, the smile she wore at finally being able to snuggle into a comfy futon making Naruto's heart flutter.

Chuckling, the boy looked around and up towards the tree tops above him, seeing the night sky high above in the heavens, glistening like a beautiful jewel. The stars Naruto gazed at twinkled brightly, and the faint trail of a shooting star streaking overhead made the boy smile even more, as he knew the universe was speaking to him. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Just like Pervy Sage said… 'The greatest gift to us is life itself, and it is our duty to protect it, to preserve it, and it is our privilege to enjoy it…'…"

It was then he suddenly became aware of another presence sitting nearby, and his eyes opened in response. He looked down at the corresponding branch to his left hanging over the campsite, and sitting on the branch just beside his, sat a new figure. It was a woman of course, and she sat up in the tree with him quietly, gazing at him solemnly and with great interest. It was only from a quick inspection, and a brief flash to the past, Naruto saw that she wasn't as old as he first thought…

The woman was a young priestess, around his age, with long black, silky hair, combed nicely, and she wore a white kimono with a bit of purple under it, and a red and yellow belt holding it up. She also wore the royal color of red in baggy pants, and wooden sandals. In her hair, she also had an ornament of bellflowers, which brought out her look magnificently. Her overall image was one of grace, beauty and distinction, and she also looked very stunning in Naruto's eyes. The only thing he could not see as yet was her face, which was covered by a white mask with a red snake on left hand side.

As she sat there gazing at her, Naruto chuckled and looked back up into the sky.

"Why did you change your name, Katsumi? It's a little bit funny hearing the name Haru Hashimoto…"

The girl giggle and, standing up, balanced her walk over to the boy and perched on the same branch right next to him, making him adjust his position a little so she could sit next to him.

"I know using that name is confusing, even for me too! But it's necessary for my own protection. The Hokage insisted upon it," the girl replied.

Naruto grinned at her, leaning over and poking her in the forehead of her mask with his finger tip gently, before moving his hand over in admiration of the mask she wore. He had immense familiarity with this mask, and smiled graciously at her.

"You're still wearing that mask I got you for your birthday…"

The girl nodded, and reached up, gripping the base of the mask and lifting it up onto her head. Underneath that mask, Naruto saw her real face, bright red eyes, a perfectly shaped nose, and an angel's smile. Of course, her whole look was angelic in appearance, and the sight seemed to brighten his day.

"It's got sentimental value," Princess Katsumi exclaimed, beaming at him. "You were my first best friend in Konohagakure, and you got this for me on my first birthday I invited you over…"

"I was the only one who showed up," Naruto said.

Katsumi's smile widened. "That's because I wanted to invite you and only you," she exclaimed, scooting over. "And that's why I want to keep the mask and wear it all the more…"

"That's nice, Katsumi," Naruto exclaimed, looking back up into the sky again. Katsumi smiled and crawled along the branch the rest of the way over to him. When she was right up next to him, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and snuggled into him. This movement slightly surprised Naruto, but he accepted her with a smile and a sigh.

"You were always so good to me," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I'm glad the Hokage assigned you to protect me…"

"And I'm happy to be guarding you too, Katsumi…"

"There is no one else I can trust more than you…"

Naruto chuckled. "I get that sometimes…"

Katsumi grinned up at him and nudged him in the shoulder ever so slightly. "I'm being serious, dummy…"

The boy grinned a bit, before glancing down at the campsite again, checking on his teammates in their tent, and the little girl lying in the folds of her futon, snuggled up and warm. He watched her for some time, with Katsumi following his eyes to the girls in the tent, and spotting his focus almost immediately. Nodding in understanding, she looked back up at the spiky blonde ninja and prodded him to get his attention.

"You did a great thing, you know…"

"Though it's not much, I can only hope to be able to fill in the missing piece in that girl's life," Naruto explained quietly. "I want to give her a better life… I want to be able to take care of her, and help her…"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine," Katsumi said, rubbing his chest gently and soothingly. "I understand what you've gone through… and what you're going through…"

"Really…?"

"Yes," the Princess replied with a smile. "Like you, I wear a mask to hide my face, mostly because I find serenity and peace inside of it. I was always alone like you… I lost my family in conflict… heck… I barely even knew them. I've lost a lot of people I could have called uncle, or grandma… or family, and I never had any friends…" She looked down a bit in hurt, and gripped his jacket in her fingers tightly, moving closer to him. Naruto blinked as she laid her head against his shoulder. "The only one I had was you. I wanted you to be my friend, for both of our sakes…"

"Drowning in pity and sorrow is a blatant reason for such actions," Naruto said in a whisper. "You followed your heart, and trusted yourself… you knew better, Katsumi-chan…"

"I did know better," Katsumi said, looking up at him. "I knew you were different from everybody else, but I never belittled you for it, or saw you as someone I wanted to stay away from. I never saw it, nor sensed it. You are kind, friendly, and always happy… even now, I can see it in your eyes…"

Naruto chuckled. "Always could read me better than anyone else…"

Katsumi smirked, and poked him in the chest. "You know it, buster…"

"So much for the graceful princess to start talking like a tomboy," Naruto commented, shrugging and putting his hands behind his head, and rested back into the tree. "You're strong… I can tell…"

"Like when I kicked your butt the last time we fought…"

"We were ten, and I was just playing…" Naruto replied casually. "Plus, kicking someone in the gonads isn't really fair…"

"Alright, it was a tie," Katsumi resigned, letting out a breath of air. "I can still defend myself now though. You weren't the only one training to get stronger and protect others…"

"You've been training…?"

"Everyday…"

"What jutsu do you know?"

"Genjutsu mostly, potent ones too, but I also know some good ninjutsu…"

"Well that shows just how different you and I are from each other," Naruto stated. "I'm abysmal at genjutsu, but I know tons of ninjutsu and taijutsu moves. However the what is and the how is a secret…"

"Phooey…" Katsumi mumbled.

"Hey… behave. OW!"

Katsumi giggled.

"Did you just pinch my butt?"

"What do you think?"

"That's it," Naruto exclaimed, and started tickling her. The girl laughed, and bit the sleeve of her kimono in a futile attempt to suppress it. It came out in muffled shrieks and shaking giggles. Soon, she was at his mercy, pinned and being tickled. It was in the midst of their little playtime as old friends that Anko was standing beside Sakura and Hinata's tent, hands in her pockets and looking up at the pair playing around with each other, laughing, joking and talking.

The Snake Jonin smiled at the pair, this being the first time she had really seen Naruto smiling, without the need of a mask.

"Hm… that's my gaki…" "It'll take some time, but by the time the other girls' hearts warm his up, I can be guaranteed a new Naruto…" the woman thought while glancing down at her other two Genin. She smiled at them. "I sense a change in the air. You two girls are sure to make him a happy husband…"

"I know that look… please don't use it," a new voice exclaimed and Anko glanced around, seeing Kakashi walk over and look up to where Naruto and their client were. He sighed and shrugged. "Never thought they knew each other…"

"You'd be surprised how many people Naruto does know," Anko replied, looking back up at the branches. "Give him some credit for being a very influential person…"

"That boy has the power to change people, and the world…"

"It's a blessing among us ninja, but you can expect tough times head," Anko evaluated, grinning at the silver haired Jonin. "And you can bet that I won't miss a single second of it!"

Kakashi smiled back at her through his mask. "You know, I think it will be fun…"

TO BE CONTINUED…