How do you cope with the death of two parents in the space of a month? The emotional strain that it would have on the normal person would pretty much destroy them, mentally and physically. So that really made people wonder:
How were Naruto and Kitsune coping?
The possibility of death because of grief had never occurred to the twins. Mainly because with each passing day, they were learning to cope with the grief of losing their mother. But the undeniable fact was that Minato was not as fortunate as they were; and his grief seemed to run deeper than theirs had. For weeks he fought it, told everyone he was alright. His masquerade was almost pulled off until...
The serious talk he had with the twins should've been a tip-off but they had been convinced he was just trying to reassure them that he loved them. Never would they have dreamed that he was saying his last words to them.
Which was how Naruto and Kitsune came to live with their grandfather in Osaka. It wasn't that far out from Tokyo but still a ways out that they couldn't attend Musashi High anymore. Thankfully, it was already school holidays which left them with enough time to scour the internet for a decent high school to complete their final schooling years before college.
They couldn't help but wish that they remained in Tokyo. Where the bustle of city life distracted you from the worries of reality. When was something interesting that wasn't tragic going to happen?
OoOoOoO
"Good news, you lazy bums! I got you a scholarship at the school where I'm working!" Jiraiya's enthusiastic voice shook the walls of the small apartment.
The apartment was nothing fancy. Just a regular two bedroom, one bathroom, one living room and one kitchen kind of place. It was cosy though, and was decorated just enough that it didn't make the twins feel completely poor. The only decoration that was completely overrated was the bookcase filled with pornographic books written by Jiraiya himself.
Who knew a man who had written several pornographic works could actually land a job at a school?
Presently, Naruto and Kitsune had been in the kitchen. Naruto was making himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Kitsune laying on the floor near the kitchen counter, complaining to her brother about the dangers of online game shopping. She stopped her rambling to look up at her grandfather, her thin eyebrows narrowed into a scowl. Slowly, she wormed her way out of the kitchen, glaring at Jiraiya each slug of the way. What made matters worse was the fact Jiraiya moved out of the way to let her worm past.
Turning to his grandson, Jiraiya expected him to at least feign enthusiasm but he was met with the same response. Naruto picked up the bread board and walked out of the kitchen, but quickly back peddled as he went to retrieve the peanut butter jar.
Once Kitsune was out of view of Jiraiya's line of sight, she stood up and plodded to hers and Naruto's shared room, which was at the end of the hall. As she passed Jiraiya's room, she noticed the DANGER: DO NO ENTER sign on his closed door. She always noticed it as she went pass but it disturbed her that a grown man needed to leave that boarded to his door when he was the only one who lived there. Maybe he put it up before they arrived but still, who would want to go into that filth bunker anyway.
Kitsune kicked open the door and examined the plain room. Its white walls depressed her. It seemed so sterile, so devoid of personality. Since she shared the room with Naruto, they still hadn't come to an accurate decision of what posters should be hung up. All his Linkin Park posters would give off the impression that she was a Rock kind of girl and all her digital artwork would give off the impression that he was an anti-social nerd. So for now the walls were left bare.
A small part of her wished she could have stayed in Tokyo - at least until she finished the school year. It was going to be dreadful starting off at a new school in the middle of the year when everyone already knew each other and had already set their little clusters.
It had already been hard enough having to fit in a school to begin with. Her reputation had formed from elementary school upwards and had taken years to perfect it. She probably sounded like a snob, being worried about her status in school ranks but it got to your head once were you exposed to it. Seeing all the popular people and suddenly wishing to have something in common with them.
But now she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she'd gone from being popular to being completely friendless - at least she would be once she got to the new school. She'd been forced to leave the house she'd grown up in and move into one where she felt like a guest. She'd left behind a city where she knew every single shortcut and where to get the best ramen, to come to this place, where she wasn't even sure where the nearest convenience store was.
With her mind clouded over, she didn't hear Naruto enter, carrying a bread board while trying to balance two jars on top of it. He roughly placed the board down on their small bedside able and yawned, stretching his limbs. "Man, I am beat! I could sure do with a little R&R once I'm done here."
"You've done nothing but R&R, dummy," Kitsune groaned, staring at her phone's live wallpaper of cherry blossoms falling across the screen.
"I'm storing up mental energy for a time when it will be extremely valuable. You never know in today's circumstances."
Kitsune wasn't sure if he was referring to their current parentless situation, or maybe their housing environment but she really didn't want to think about it. All she ever did nowadays was think.
Naruto proceeded with making his sandwich, using their bedside table as a counter. He had to kneel on the floor and tilt his head back a bit to see what he was doing. Kitsune couldn't help but smirk at the scene. Not wanting to forget it, she quickly opened her camera and recorded the whole thing before Naruto could notice. It would be comedy gold on Youtube, especially since he was singing "Pocketful of Sunshine" and using the butter knife as a microphone. Who knew he was capable of such humour when he wasn't even focused?
Just as she saved the video into her folder labelled "Naruto LOLS", the door to their bedroom was pushed open. Well, pushed even further open since Naruto never bothered to close it behind him anyway.
"Okay, you two. Living room. Now," Jiraiya ordered, jerking a thumb towards said room.
The two shared similar glances but followed Jiraiya nevertheless. Naruto still carried his butter knife and even had some strawberry jelly smeared across his chin. Kitsune opened her mouth to reprimand him but then remembered she was the one who taught him how to make a sandwich. A devious smirk inched over Naruto's lips as he looked at her, as if reading her thoughts.
That son of a-
"Sit," Jiraiya ordered, pointing at the three-seater couch. The two sat wordlessly.
Kitsune felt the need to comment on the weather, maybe it was because for the first time in a good long while, it was actually sunny. Well, there were clouds and the ground was still soaked but the sun was making its presence known.
Opening her mouth, instead of her words falling out, Jiraiya beat her to it. "Now I know you two have just gotten used to living here and have just gotten used to the flow of high school life; so I apologize that I couldn't keep you at Musalimi High."
"Musashi," Naruto corrected.
"Bless you. But I want you guys to be excited about this. You guys have a scholarship at the boarding school where I'm working. Come on! Show me your happy faces!"
The twins stared at him with the same deadpan expression. They glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Boarding school? Out of the city? They didn't need another reason to be moved further away from civilization. At the rate Jiraiya was going, they'd be living in the desert with only a camel for company.
"Wait... Boarding school? As in: sleep in a dorm with other slackies and share melodramatic stories about our homelives? As in, waking up to find multiple other kids instead of the knife I hid to protect myself? As in, waking up and going to a hall to have breakfast where I have to watch other kids eat?" Naruto spoke up first and seemed to voice all of Kitsune's worries in a heartbeat. "No thanks! I'd rather deal with the mouse that's trapped under my mattress."
"Why would we want to go to a boarding school? Those types of education systems create introverts!" Kitsune groaned, slumping into her seat.
That wasn't necessarily true. In fact, a high number of boarding schools created an impressive number of scholars who ended up owning large companies. She only knew that because both Minato and Kushina had gone to a boarding school. That was how they met. But Kitsune still wasn't sure what boarding school it was. For some reason, her parents had never spoken about their school lives much.
Thinking about her parents were saddening, and made her want to curl in a ball underneath her blankets and sob her eyes out but she had done enough of that a week ago. And to her amazement, she hadn't shed a tear in four days. Each day that passed was a friendly reminder that she hadn't cried and gave her the determination to go one more, no matter how much she really wanted to.
She had reached the point where she could talk about her parents and not hiccup her way through every sentence.
"It's co-Ed," Jiraiya teased in a sing-song voice.
It didn't have much of an effect Kitsune but Naruto, he dropped the knife onto the carpet. "Co-Ed?" He quickly looked down at his hands. "My hands just got clammy..."
"Oh for - Naruto, we went to a co-Ed school before! How is this any different?"
"This is completely different! It wasn't like Musashi where you saw the girls for seven hours a day then not see them for the weekends. At a co-Ed boarding school, you wake up and see the girls everywhere! As if they're deliberately trying to show off!"
Rolling her eyes, Kitsune feigned annoyance. But, she had the sneaking suspicion he was right. The idea of waking up and finding your roommate instead of the silence of your own room was daunting. However... Kitsune felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought of waking up to see boys. And not the scrawny boys she saw all over Tokyo. Real boys. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest and she couldn't help but let out a short, jagged breath.
"This will be a good experience for you. For both of you. You can get along with others kids around your age, maybe find your soul mate. It was the school where Minato and Kushina went after all and they fit in quite nicely," Jiraiya added, seating himself in his own chair near the balcony window.
Both Naruto and Kitsune lifted their heads at this. Just the day Kitsune was actually wondering about her parents' long lost school and their grandfather casually mentioned it.
"Mom and Dad went there?" Naruto picked up his knife and held it firmly in his hand.
"Of course. It was how they met each other. They had the same classes, were in the same house, similar group of friends. Well, not similiar, but their friends interconnected occasionally."
Jiraiya continued to ramble on about his late son and his wife as if forgetting the twins were actually still present. But that gave them time to lean over to each other and whisper out their concerns.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Naruto whispered,watching Jiraiya out of the corner of his eye.
"Me too. Maybe there was a reason Mom and Dad never told us about this place? What if something happened that they were scared would hurt us?" Kitsune whispered back.
"Or maybe they wanted to cover up how cool this place is? We could probably have Grandpa for one of our lessons and have an advantage."
"Or he uses us for examples for every lesson. Or worse yet, he uses those embarrassing nicknames in front of the class and we have no choice but to answer."
The two glared at Jiraiya as if he had already used their childish nicknames in front of a class of twenty odd students. Feeling their heated stares, Jiraiya stopped and frowned at them. "What's with the staring?"
"Nothing!" The two exclaimed in unison.
Raining an inquisitive eyebrow, Jiraiya shook off the glare and instead focused on the more serious topic. "This is a once in a life-time opportunity, you guys. Not only will you be able to complete your high schooling years, I'll also be able to keep a close eye on you without intervening as a legal guardian, but rather as your superior."
It wasn't like they were receiving total freedom; but it was a start.
With no other options, Naruto and Kitsune agreed to go to the mysterious boarding school Jiraiya worked at, otherwise known as Sixth Sanctum. It sounded like an asylum and from what Jiraiya had revealed about it, it was nearing the border of one.
The school had been around for centuries but had first started out as an academy for those of royal blood. Back then, royalty numbers drew close to the hundreds so the academy was small and rather basic. That was until a few hundred years later when new rules were added. A new headmaster took over and decided to expand the school to commoners. The numbers then grew and that meant they had to find a suitable way to manage the students. So the school was divided into six houses, each with a different set of values. Sounded like heavy Harry Potter crap but apparently that was how it worked.
Another mystery was what subject Jiraiya taught since he didn't want to reveal anything. All he did was grin as if it was the best subject in the world.
Sixth Sanctum was far out, away from Osaka and far away from Tokyo. Kitsune wasn't sure what kind of cycle this school ran on, but Jiraiya had informed them that it was only the start of school year there and that duo their age, they would be part of the first years.
That aroused enough suspicion between the twins. They would be first years? When they were turning fifteen? That made the twins question a lot of what whether Jiraiya was saying was true or not.
But their suspicions didn't stop them from following Jiraiya's orders and packing their suitcases.
Kitsune pulled out all the articles of clothing she had from her bedroom drawer, tossing them onto her bed. The very suitcase she had used to bring her things in was the very suitcase she was using to take her stuff out. Everything she owned that was valuable and couldn't be left behind in an abandoned apartment was piled up on her bed. The same could be said for Naruto. He sat on the floor surrounded by a circle clothing, posters and random items he had kept from his old bedroom in Tokyo.
"Should I bring all my pyjamas or just these three pairs?" Naruto held up the three pairs he spoke of and rose an eyebrow at his sister.
"We're gonna be spending all our time there, Naruto. I don't think those will be enough," Kitsune mumbled as she began to fold all her clothes into neat piles before placing them into her suitcase. She was going to need a smaller rucksack to carry bathroom necessities and odd loose ends. She stopped her packing and looked around at the sterile room.
Why did they always have to move from place to place?
OoOoOoO
A warm ray of sunlight heated up the old, black Audi Jiraiya drove as they made their way through the traffic filled streets of Osaka. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon, so it was probably the lunch rush before break ended for workers. But as crowded as the streets were, the traffic still flowed at a reasonable place.
Kitsune plugged in one of her headphones and blasted the volume to its highest. She was going to miss the city, that much was for sure. She was even going to miss all the people at school who she used to hang around when she had no choice but to associate herself with them.
"Now when we get there, you will address me either as Jiraiya-sensei or sir. Or professor, whatever makes you feel comfortable. As long as it's none of those embarrassing nicknames that you placed on me; like Grandpa or Perv," Jiraiya told them, as he moved from the main road onto a gravel path.
"But you are our Grandpa. Shouldn't we make that fact known?" Naruto asked, leaning over the back of Jiraiya's seat.
"No. It's not professional. And your surname will make the fact known that we related in some way."
Kitsune rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat. She glanced down at her phone to change it to a different song but her eyes widened in shock. Bar by bar, the signal icon went down and staggered as it struggled to find a clear line of signal. She sat up and looked around.
Dangerous looking weeds tangled their sickly fingers around misshapen trees. Hordes of trees barricaded them in and blocked view of the outside world. Scattered on random spots along the pathway were blends of unique flowers, varying in colours. Flashes of purple, blue, red, pink and many other shades flew past the window, mixing into its own form of a rainbow. As the car turned a corner, a miniature concrete house was built on top of a smoothed out rock, standing out amongst the thicket of brambles and ivy.
Where in the world were they?
"Grandpa, where are we? And where the hell is this school?" Kitsune turned to him, frowning her thin eyebrows.
"Are we there yet, much?" Naruto leaned against his door and pretended to snore. "Okay, I'm really gonna sleep now."
"You do that. It's gonna be a long ride," Jiraiya answered, not taking his eyes off of the "road".
Kitsune eyed Jiraiya out suspiciously. What wasn't he telling them about this school? Other than the fact he needed to divert from the main road and go down a clearly unidentified one, Kitsune felt like this school was either not real or classified under government records. But still... Her nerves were on edge and her blood tingled with uncertainty.
Out of general curiosity, she had searched up this Sixth Sanctum Academy. The only results that turned up were for mental institutions under a similar name but nothing directly named "Sixth Sanctum". That aroused even more suspicion and even more anxiety.
"Hey, Grandpa," Kitsune started, turning to the window and pretending to be focused on the scenery. "Is there something about this school that you feel might be valuable for us to know? Like, where this place is, for instance?"
There was supposed to be a change in atmosphere but it remained undoubtedly the same. Jiraiya simply chuckled. "Let's just say it's rather... unique."
"Unique how?"
Jiraiya said nothing more and hummed away to a song on the radio. Huffing out an annoyed breath, Kitsune folded her arms across her chest and glared at the concrete houses decorating the pathway. They had increased in numbers and were almost squashed together to fit in to one specific spot.
She sat up, her seatbelt pressed against her stomach and made her wince from the slight discomfort. "Hey, what are those houses?"
"Hmm?" Glancing briefly at what Kitsune spoke of, Jiraiya turned back to the road once he figured out what it was. "Oh, those are shrines. Some believe that spirits live in them. How can you be Japanese and not know what those shrines are? It's basic tradition!"
"I'm from the city! This kind of stuff is considered myth or made-up fiction," Kitsune huffed out an annoyed breath but stared at the figures regardless.
Eventually, the ride came to a close and Jiraiya parked the car. Kitsune frowned and looked around at where they were.
They definitely weren't in the city anymore. They were in a small clearing, a large clump of thick trees surrounding the path they originally took. In front of the was a large boulder reaching up into the canopy of leaves.
"W-Wait... G-G-Gran-" Kitsune didn't even finish her sentence as the driver's door swung open. Jiraiya stepped out and straightened his clothes out before making his way to the large boulder. Completely confused and utterly speechless, Kitsune turned to her brother and shook his roughly. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"
"I'll have a three-piece special and all the fries you can give me," Naruto mumbled into his sleep, shoving his hand into Kitsune's face as if he was holding money out to her.
"You idiot! We're here."
His eyes fluttered open slowly. Blinking twice, Naruto looked out the window and nodded. He turned back to Kitsune and opened his mouth to speak but did a double-take and sat up. "Nani?!"
His use of pure Japanese was an indication that he was confused. Sometimes Kitsune knew him for speaking Japanese when he was angry or when he used to act like his favourite superheroes as a kid but it wasn't that much of a surprise that he was using it to voice his confusion.
His head spun around and he gawked at the narrow pathway that they had come down. "How far from Osaka are we? Maybe we can run it?"
"Oh God..." Kitsune opened the door and let her sneakers hit the lush grass. The soft grass curled around the rubber lining. The one passing thought that ran through her mind was that if this cursed grass stained her shoes, she was going to curse the very soil Jiraiya trampled on.
Jiraiya stood before the large boulder and ran his hand across its moss covered exterior. The large boulder was within another boulder almost like a doorway; well, the old doorways that were used in caveman times. The Uzumaki twins stood in front of the car and watched Jiraiya curiously. Naruto's eyes dragged to where a small statue, of what he assumed was a gremlin, stood staring back at him with it's pupilless eyes. He shuddered and quickly looked away.
Kitsune watched Jiraiya with suspicion filled eyes. "Grandpa, where are we?"
"We're here... Well, nearly there," Jiraiya reached into his trenchcoat and slowly began pulling something out.
"Oh, God! I knew you were gonna kill us! You're too good looking for your age!" Naruto cried, stamping his feet into the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. "I'm too young to die! I wanna live a fruitful life without actual fruit!"
Jiraiya frowned at them and fully pulled his arm back. In his hand was a thin, white and red wooden stick, delicately smoothened out and pointed at the tip. The end he held onto curled out into an intricate shape, resembling that of a cup handle. The item itself was shaped almost exactly like a...
Like a wand.
"If I wanted to kill you I would do it in public to create a diversion. Besides, what would I gain from killing you two?" Jiraiya raised and lowered one shoulder nonchalantly
"Our inheritance?" Kitsue suggested. They had inherited a lot of money from both parents which was only accessible to them once they turned eighteen. An additional bonus was as soon as they proved their management skills were up to par, Minato's company would become theirs. Teenage stockholders would seem interesting.
Jiraiya shook his head. "If you die, the bank keeps that money. So I'll get nothing from killing you. Might as well keep you around."
The twins shared an equal look of confusion, both of their left eyebrows raised to their hairline. Naruto pointed at the "wand" in Jiraiya's hand. "Then what's with that?"
A mischievous grin spread its way across Jiraiya's lips. He turned his back to them and knocked his colourful stick against the moss boulder. At first nothing happened. The rock remained immovable. The twins watched him blankly.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled like the undead. The rock began to vibrate heavily until eventually, it moved. A blue glow emanated from behind it and the boulder began to slide across. Kitsune and Naruto screamed and clung to each other, .
What the hell changed when they woke up that morning? Did they literally wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Did that wake up some other messed up reality that they didn't know about until now?
As if on impulse, Naruto and Kitsune pinched each other and yelped at the same time.
Nope, they weren't dreaming it. They were really awake and they were really seeing this.
The rock simply vanished behind the larger one. A dark tunnel became visible, a sandy pathway leading into its abyss. Flapping could be head inside, echoing around the possibly empty tunnel.
Jiraiya stepped back and let out a tired sigh. "The gate seems to be unsettled. We might need to go through the rough tunnel if we're going to get to Sixth Sanctum safely."
"We have to go through there? No way! There is no way I'm walking into my death!" Naruto yelled, attempting to crawl back into the car. The door slammed shut automatically, but not before all their luggage shot out. Kitsune's white suitcases crashed into her, pushing her over. Her back hit the hard ground and she groaned. Why did her bag suddenly feel so heavy?
Jiraiya's one rucksack flew at him but he caught it effortlessly and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on. We wasted enough time as it is."
"You can't be serious, Grandpa! That tunnel isn't safe!" Naruto yelled. He pulled the straps of his bag over his shoulder and held onto the handle of his rolling suitcase.
"If it's not safe then why are you getting your bags ready?" Kitsune glared at him then at the mystery tunnel.
Every bone in her body was telling her to run for it. Maybe she'd get lost in the woods, maybe she wouldn't. It was a chance she had to take.
"I've been taking this tunnel for nearly thirty years and it hasn't killed me or harmed me, not once," Jiraiya said, running a hand across his painted skin.
Naruto opened his mouth as if to comment but closed it. He then turned to Kitsune, his blue eyes twinkling. Kitsune knew well enough what he was thinking.
As frightened as he was, there was a part of him that wanted to explore the darkness that was supposed to lead them to their destiny. How did she know he was feeling this? Because she felt exactly the same way. As soon as Jiraiya took that wand out, Kitsune knew that it was either going to do something worthwhile or something really pathetic. To her amazement, it was between those lines. That rock moving had felt like stage art but for some reason, that blue aura screamed at her that none of this was fantasy.
But... why did that aura feel so familiar? She felt like she had seen it somewhere before.
"Fine. You can stay out here and get eaten by the bears. Your choice," Jiraiya turned and walked down the pathway. The way his legs moved were as if his feet had recognized the very path he treaded on.
"Wait, bears?" Naruto exclaimed, his head spinning in all directions. He looked at Kitsune and shook his head. With that, he took off running after Jiraiya. "I'm going with! Don't leave me here!"
Kitsune groaned. She saw no reason to stay behind but she saw no reason to followed. She glanced up. Naruto and Jiraiya's retreating figures were slowly fading into the darkness. Okay, she had to do a quick prons and cons list in her head before she lost them.
If she stayed: She'd be alone in Jiraiya's creepy, pervert apartment; that was if she could find her way through the forest. She only knew enough self-defence to get her through a week of being alone; after that she was going to need to learn to use a butcher's knife or anything that could be used as a weapon. She would need a job; one where she could have a fake age. Minato's company was out of the question. She had little to no experience in marketing, let alone investments.
If she went: She'd gain experience in all her academic subjects, marketing hopefully. That way she'd be able to take over Minato's company and keep it afloat. She'd be able to make new friends, like Kushina said she should. If her parents found each other at this school, then maybe... Just maybe there was a chance she'd be able to...
Okay, that idea was farfetched and almost gross now that she analyzed it properly. Nope, the last one was terrible.
Kitsune looked at the small statue. It looked like an egg shaped marshmallow with eyes. Shuddering, she looked back to the tunnel. Naruto and Jiraiya's figures were almost completely gone.
"Hey, wait a minute!" She grabbed her two bags and stumbled into the tunnel. "Wait for me!"
OoOoOoO
The tunnel was shrouded in darkness. The entrance they had come through had shut itself and their only source of light was a faint white ball further in front of them. Thanks to Jiraiya's keen memory though, the twins just had to stay close to him and avoid making too much noise. That or they face the wrath of the overhead bats.
Gravel shot its way into the wheels of his pulley suitcase, causing it to skid across the pathway. The loud shriek echoed throughout the cave, rattling the spiked rock above. Naruto held his breath and glanced up.
A few wings flapped but none moved from their perches. He was safe.
"Grandpa, how far is this place? My legs hurt and I'm pretty sure ants are crawling up my pants," Naruto groaned, staring down at his dust stained orange tracksuit pants. His blue sneakers were covered in mud. Turns out, there was an underground ravine on either side of the pathway.
Jiraiya could've warned them in advance...
"Don't worry. We're almost there; just a little further," Jiraiya chuckled. He was unaffected by the length of the walk and also failed to mention all the ditches and rocks creating dangers on the path. Kitsune had stopped a few times to try and unjam her suitcase wheels from all the rocks getting lodged in it.
The light at the end of the tunnel grew bigger and more distinct. Once they reached it, Naruto was able to make out more trees and bushes. He stopped just as they stepped out of the tunnel and frowned at the similarity of the clearing compared to the one they started at.
"Uhhh... Are we just in the same place we came to?" Kitsune asked, looking around. The very same statue was there but this one wasn't covered in moss. It looked almost brand new aside from the few scratches lathered over it.
Kitsune was right. It looked almost exactly like the clearing they had arrived to, except this time Jiraiya's car was nowhere to be seen. Naruto looked behind him at the boulder entrance and was surprised to see it was alos completely cleaned. It was like stepping out of an alternate universe. The trees surrounding them seemed more lush and alive, the leaves an enchanting emerald green. A strong aroma of herbs filled the air and cleared his sinuses.
Something about this place seemed more "magical"; more alive. Why was everything here suddenly so alive?
"Here."
Naruto turned just in time to grab a cloak. He released the handle of his suitcase and stared at the dark brown cloak in his hands. He rubbed the material between his fingers.
"What are these for?" Kitsune questioned. Naruto then saw that Kitsune had a similar cloak, only hers was a pale tan. She tugged at the material, her face twisting into one of disgust.
"Your clothes are filthy, you smell like sweat, and even if you had to walk around normally, your hair would stand out amongst the crowd. Put those on so you don't attract attention."
"Then what about you?" Naruto pointed at his grandfather's shockingly white hair.
Jiraiya's hair was the one thing that would stand out in a crowd. It's length and texture alone was enough to attract the attention of people living in the mountain. How could he possibly say that they would cause attention when both he and Kitsune had common hair colours. Well.. slightly common. From the corner of his eye, he eyed his sister's blood red hair pulled back into a braided bun.
Hers was safe, kind of.
"I've been here before, Naruto. People know me so why should I cover up?" Jiraiya said, flipping his long hair over his shoulder and grinning.
Kitsune rolled her eyes but complied and pulled the cloak on over her own clothes. She pulled the hoodie on and tugged on the middle section so a shadow was casted over her eyes. She then pulled her backpack over her shoulders and dragged her other suitcase behind. Looking up, she glared at Jiraiya with heated blue eyes. "I look like a drug lord."
"A pretty one?" Jiraiya suggested, pointing at her structure.
Naruto would've agreed if he felt alternative feelings toward his sister but he grew up with her. He came out of the same canal as her! He knew her better than anyone. But even he had to admit; she really looked like a drug lord with the cloak on and the way she dragged her bags behind her. That was sure to drag some attention.
Shaking his head, Jiraiya looked at them. "How about this; I will take your pulley suitcases so all you have to do is carry our backpacks? That way, you won't really stand out as much."
"So we're gonna stand out?" Kitsune yelped.
Turning away, Jiraiya began to walk off and not answer the question. The twins took that as a yes and both growled. However, they followed him, dragging their feet behind them.
The forest was filled with deep green trees, their scents intoxicating. Birds overhead sang a harmonic tune that blended into the nature around them. A gentle breeze snuck its way into their cloaks, sending a pleasing chill through their spines. Unlike the previous forest, the pathway they treaded on was untouched by human feet. The footprints of various animals littered it but none that of a human. Except for a distinct pair in the very middle.
It seemed Jiraiya had really been taking this path for years. His footprints were engraved into the soft soil and it seemed as Naruto walked, he was leaving his own unique print.
There was another thing that made Naruto realize just how long Jiraiya had been going through here. The late morning sun rays fell over Jiraiya as if they were welcoming him back. His shoulders moved briskly in his coat, his long ponytail swaying along with the breeze.
Jiraiya belonged here. At least, it looked like it.
They came to a large canyon, a ravine running in a zig zag pattern across the bottom. Peering across, Naruto saw the only way across was a fallen tree, twisted and deformed from years of neglect. The roots of the tree had curled themselves in the soil, desperate for a solid surface to keep itself turgid in. That didn't stop it from swinging dangerously side to side. The end of the tree that was meant to be blooming with beautiful leaves was crooked and brittle with its sickly twigs.
Naruto gulped.
"Do you think we can still go back? Maybe the tunnel is still open?" Naruto suggested, turning to walk back.
"Don't look at the black side of this. This isn't as bad as it seems. Trust me when I say, this branch has lasted years and countless people travel across it," Jiraiya answered. He stepped on the edge of a single root to prove a point. That very root snapped off and fell down into the ravine below.
Naruto's eyes widened as he waited for the splash. He waited. And waited... Until eventually the water repelled its treacherous echo.
Jiraiya watched as well then chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay; maybe one or two people had travelled across it."
"You mean one person," Kitsune muttered, glaring at the fallen tree.
"I'll walk across and prove that it's completely safe. Then we'll see who's laughing," Turning his back to them, Jiraiya cautiously stepped onto the tree and made his way over the branch. He went slowly, making sure to step exactly on the middle of the tree to avoid it tipping. The branch still swayed and creaked questioningly. That couldn't be safe.
Finally reaching the end, Jiraiya skipped off of the tree and held his arms out of either side of him.
An annoyed breath behind him caused Naruto to look back at his sister. Kitsune rolled her shoulders out and stepped up to the tree. "I made it this far and there's no way I'm staying here for the whole year. There are fourteen different kinds of animals out here that will try to eat us."
She was right and he knew better than to question it.
They continued on through the forest for a short while longer until the rooftops of a nearby village became visible. Naruto's heart thudded wildly in his chest They had finally reached civilization. It had felt like years, when it reality it was mere hours, since he had seen a normal looking building and not an odd shaped tree.
The trees parted and a blinding light fell across Naruto's eyes. He hissed and quickly pulled his hood over his eyes, hoping he wouldn't be permanently blinded. The immediate sting bubbled behind his eyes, leaving the nasty after-effect he hated more than banging his elbow into the corner of a desk.
Slowly and cautiously, Naruto removed the veil covering his eyes and stared in awe at where they were.
Small cottage like buildings continued on down the cobblestone pathway, neatly and accurately built. The roofs were different shades of red brings. Pale maroon, crimson, scarlet,vermilion, every shade of the blood associated colour could be seen being used as bricks. Every building differed in size, some wide, some thin, some tall, some short. An excited buzz travelled throughout the village, arousing a large wave of excitement within Naruto.
Villagers running by were dressed in ordinary civilian clothes but without all of the labels Naruto had grown up with. The children shoving past kicking a soccer ball wore bright coloured t-shirts with either simple embroidery on it or the silhouette of a random object.
"This is... incredible!" Kitsune gasped, her hood falling away from her eyes. She was just as in awe of the village as Naruto was.
It must've been a weird sight for Jiraiya; seeing as a village was something every teenager should've been to at least once. It showed how little the twins had actually left Tokyo to see the world they lived in.
Staggering back, Naruto swatted at colourful fly that flew past him. As it flew however, Naruto realized it wasn't actually a colourful fly but rather a butterfly with intricate pattern painted across its wings.
"Oh my God, country lice can fly!" Kitsune exclaimed, watching the very same butterfly.
Sighing heavily, Jiraiya turned to them and smiled as he indicated the village around them. "Welcome to my Earth!"