Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
I just changed the summary. I hope it's better. Don't cry yet. It's not what you think.
Or maybe you somehow have mind-reading abilities and it is what you think because it's what I'm thinking. That was confusing.
Oh, and by the way, Kitsaki is that village we visited in Chapter 2. Sugita is the village leader.
Oh yes, and this chapter is a flashback. Sort of. I'm not quite sure what to call it since no one is actually flashing back but it does go back into the past. Look, more confusion.
Anyway, it's the villager's point of view of the last few chapters, starting with the beginning of the Ten-Tails Festival.
Watchtower, Kitsaki, 8:34 AM
There was a bird perched on top of an evergreen tree, about twenty feet to the north of the watchtower. It was a pretty bird, the watchman thought. The top of its head and most of its body was a bright yellow. A wide band of black encircled part of its head. The watchman, being familiar with this species of bird, knew that on the underside of both of its wings was another semicircle of black. Its beak was a yellow-orange color. No, the watchman thought, more of a yellow color. But with some orange mixed in.
Just then, the bird opened its mouth and warbled a full-sounding note.
Tweeee...
The watchman began counting. One, two, three, four.
Tweeee...
He counted to four again. And again, and again, and again, until his head nodded to his chest. A thin line of saliva flowed down the side of his mouth, which was emitting a snoring sound.
Watchtower, Kitsaki, 8:59 AM
The watchman's eyes flashed open in the middle of a rather large snore. He suddenly sat up, limbs flailing, before he realized that the village was most definitely not under attack by bandits. He spun around. Was his shift over? He glanced at his wrist. He still had six hours to go. He grumbled in annoyance, and then froze.
The bird had stopped chirping.
The watchman's head snapped up and he saw the bird. Its head was turned away from him, facing north towards the mountains. Then it opened its wings, exposing the undersides so that the watchman could see the black semicircles underneath, and fluttered away.
Behind it, the watchman saw smoke rising from the mountaintop.
Kitsaki, 9:00 AM
"Master Sugitaaaaaaaa!"
"Be quiet," muttered a half-awake Sugita. "I'm trying to sleep here."
"Master Sugitaaaaaa! It's urgeeeeent!" The voice was louder now.
The village head flopped out of bed and hit the floor with a undignified thump. He'd been taking his afternoon nap, something that he rarely did, but ever since those two foreign shinobi had entered the village, he'd stayed up late worrying about what might happen. Speaking of which, where was the tall one with the dark hair from Konohoa?
It sounded like the voice of one of the watchman. Where had he gone? His eyes widened. Was that what this was all about? Were the bandits coming again?
Sugita jerked to attention, disentangling himself from the sheets and standing up just as the watchman burst into his hut.
"Master Sugita, they've started the ceremony."
Sugita almost breathed a sigh of relief before he realized what exactly the watchman had said.
"Get everyone into the shelter," he answered. "The underground one."
Kitsaki, 9:07 AM
Everyone was safely underground. They waited.
"It's okay," Sugita reassured them. "As long as we're done here, we're safe. We'll be perfectly fine." Guilt settled in his stomach as he finished the lie. He stared at his hands and slowly sat down.
Kitsaki, 9:10 AM
So far, so good. There hadn't been any major commotion yet.
Kitsaki, 9:20 AM
Still nothing.
Kitsaki, 9:27 AM
A horrible roar pierced the air and shook the shelter.
"It can't reach us here," Sugita lied again.
Kitsaki, 9:34 AM
The ground shook. Small tremors made Sugita's hands shake.
Kitsaki, 9:36 AM
Then it quieted.
Kitsaki, 9:40 AM
Sugita gave the all-clear signal. He lifted the hatch and ushered everybody else out before he himself climbed out.
"You can all go home now," he said at a whisper level. "But be careful. Don't turn your lights on. Don't cook anything. Don't make loud noises."
He smiled at them. "It'll be all right."
Kitsaki, 2:01 PM
The watchman was at his door again. "Master Sugita!"
"Yes?" Sugita answered. What now?
"It's the Konoha ninja. He's here. With a bandit."