Jiraiya led them through the village as if he knew it like the back of his hand. Passing villagers greeted him and bowed respectfully, but as soon as their eyes fell upon the twins, they quickly backed away and gawked at them.
What the hell was their problem?
Kitsune felt slightly uncomfortable with all the attention that seemed to span from wearing the mysterious cloak and wished more than anything that she could just fling it off and walk freely in her normal clothes. But Jiraiya was almost insistent that they wear it, and that they also keep their hair concealed at all times.
What a bummer... Kitsune thought, clutching the straps of her bag even tighter.
That didn't stop the bubble of excitement she felt as she moved through the village though. Shop windows were decorated with the strangest of things, things Kitsune had never seen before in her life. A passing window display revealed carefully placed books with a sign in the window saying "SIXTH SANCTUM SUPPLY"
Sixth Sanctum. That was their school if she wasn't mistaken. Those books must've been what she was required to have as soon they got to school.
She wasn't able to get a decent look at the books as she had to keep up with Jiraiya's fast pace. They were probably going to go into that store later anyway, so she shoved aside the thought and ran after her grandfather and brother.
She collided with something solid and fell back onto her backside. Her backpack thudded against her, a canister of deodorant jabbing into the small of her back. A groan slipped past her lips.
"I apologize. Are you alright?" a deep voice asked with sincerity.
Kitsune opened her mouth, a snarky comment waiting to bite back but her words quickly died on the tip of her tongue. A young boy, no more than seventeen or eighteen, kneeled in front of her. His long black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, reaching just past his neck. His pale face showed his embarrassment, his eyebrows stitched together in a worried frown. Long tear troughs travelled from his eyes downward and suddenly vanished somewhere by his cheeks. Pale onyx eyes stared at her, awaiting an answer.
An embarrassed blush kissed her cheeks as Kitsune realized she had been staring.
"N-No, that's alright. I-I-I should've been looking where I was going," she stammered. She looked everywhere but at his face, let alone his eyes. Something about his eyes seemed to pierce through to her soul and stir something within her.
The boy stood up slowly. His figure shadowed hers and allowed a cooling chill to travel across her cloak. He extended his hand to her.
Why was she suddenly feeling so nervous around this person? Usually when a stranger bumped into her, she found her dictionary of insults and threw it at them. But now she felt tongue-tied and wanted to run away from this captivating boy.
Kitsune's eyes widened as she felt her hand move on its own accord. All sense in her right arm had left her and she couldn't pull her hand away. By the time she could twitch a finger, the boy was holding onto her hand tightly and pulling her to her feet. Despite his rather thin arms, he was a lot stronger than he looked. Which was probably why she felt her heart wrench when she saw the lean muscle under his sleeve bulge with the sudden force.
She felt all her weight balance evenly out onto feet and sighed. As if this day wasn't weird enough.
"Are you sure you're alright? Your face is turning as red as your hair," the boy asked, bending down a bit to look her over.
Crap, her heart was going to explode and probably the logical part of her brain that told her when to make a run for it.
"I-I-I-I'M FINE!" Kitsune screamed, quickly dodging out of his alluring stare and sprinting down the lane. Her legs had never moved that fast in her life and now she could feel why. Her sides stung burned and her throat became dry. She was really becoming an unfit slob.
Spotting Naruto's blue bag amongst the crowd, Kitsune quickly dived for it and latched on. Naruto yelped and spun around, ready to slam his fist into the intruder. "Baka! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I-I was- There was-"
"Gross! You're sweating from your armpits like a waterfall here!" Naruto groaned, pushing her away.
Kitsune turned around and looked for the strange boy in the crowd. Her reaction was weird, and highly uncalled for. Even she knew it! That boy was just trying to be nice and here she was, acting like a lunatic in front of him. With that deranged attitude, she wasn't going to make any friends here.
After a brief scolding from Jiraiya for straying, and for letting her hood fall off, they walked on through the village. The twins had to walk in front of their grandfather since he didn't trust them not to wander.
He took them to an underground bank that didn't look that suspicious from the outside. A set of stairs led down to a wooden door with luminescent lights twinkling overhead the words "WELCOME". The light for the C however, had been reduced to a dull flicker and the flicker line of the M was completely out; so the sign technically read "WEL ONE". It turned out that the underground bank was in fact a large vault teeming with well-dressed men. Men and women bustled about, approaching tellers and requesting to either make loans or access their private accounts.
The vault was dim with only a few candles perched in the corner of each wall. The light casted out was barely enough to show the teller's faces, let alone how much money they were actually giving out.
Maybe that was how they scammed people here.
Jiraiya moved toward a well-dressed man waiting near a heavily locked door. Before they could either set another foot near him, the man looked up. He smirked at Jiraiya, revealing his shockingly white teeth. "Jiraiya-sama! Here for another loan for Tsunade-sama?"
"No, nothing like that," Jiraiya laughed. "But you know me so well. I've actually come to access Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina's personal vaults."
"Their vaults?"
Jiraiya nodded and turned to Naruto and Kitsune. He beckoned for them to step forward. Hesitantly, they stood before the man, staring down intently at the ground. Kitsune felt her hood slip away slightly and heard a surprised gasp. She looked up and saw the shocked look on the man's face. His already pale face turned a shade paler, as if all the blood in his body had evaporated.
"It's extremely important that I gain access to their vaults immediately," Jiraiya said in a hushed whisper.
"I understand that, Jiraiya-sama, but I can't let you through without proper authorisation from the manager. Even if they are..." the man suddenly stopped speaking and looked around nervously. He leaned closer to Jiraiya and whispered quickly. "If word gets out that they're back, you know what will happen."
"Which is why they need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. The vault is just step number one."
The man and Jiraiya stared at each other silently, creating an uncomfortable tension. Sighing in defeat, the man looked around once before straightening up. "Your permits seem to be in order, sir. If you will, please follow me."
Kitsune and Naruto both exchanged a confused stare. The man's change in voice went from friendly to polite and obedient in mere seconds. Jiraiya nodded and followed him, gesturing with his head that they had to follow.
The heavily bolted door were opened with the light touch of the man's wand. Gears groaned to life and locks unclipped until it swung open on its own. A gush of wind expelled from the passage way, blowing into the vault. The dim candles wavered and Kitsune worried that they may just blow out, but to her surprise they prevailed. The customers in the vault were unaffected, as if it were normal for something like that to happen.
"This place is weird," Naruto whispered to her as they followed Jiraiya.
"Tell me about it," Kitsune whispered back.
Just like the entrance, they went down a longer flight of stairs. The air grew cold despite the candles flickering on their wicks. Kitsune shivered in her cloak and clutched it closer to her. Something about this place didn't sit right with her. Ever since Tsunade's name was mentioned, Kitsune could feel her blood boil and her teeth grind against one another.
That wound hadn't healed yet and she doubted it ever would.
Just as she got used to walking, they stopped in front of another bolted door. Both her and Naruto peered around Jiraiya at the door and felt the equal rush of curiosity. The man tapped the door again with his wand and the same process repeated. Bolts crunched and metal shrieked; the common sound of rusted metal that hadn't been used in years.
The door swung open and another gush of air collided with them, this one stronger than the previous. Jiraiya stepped in and looked around.
It was far too dark to see from where they were so both of them stepped inside. The room was cloud with the heavy smell of dust and iron. Kitsune used the corner of her hood to cover her mouth and nose, and looked around through the gap that didn't cover her eyes.
Jiraiya dug around in his pocket and pulled his wand out. With a delicate sway, he aimed its tip at something in the darkness.
"Fire style: Fireball!"
A magnificent spiral of scorching fire protruded from the end of the wand, spiralling until it was large and pulsing with uncontrollable energy. It burst forth from the wand and spilt up into smaller flames, lighting up each candle wick in the room.
Kitsune felt her mouth dry up. Had she really just seen that?
Things like that only existed in fairy tales. Never before had she seen it with her very own eyes. Turning to Naruto, she saw the same dumbfounded expression as hers.
Just what had they gotten themselves into?
"This seems a lot more than what I had seen a few years ago... Are you sure this is all they had?" Jiraiya's voice sounded into the lit room.
"It seems Minato-san was depositing a generous amount each month to keep it at a stable value. This must be the ending result."
"I don't remember it being this much, Reno. Are you sure we're in the right vault?"
"Positive, Jiraiya-sama."
As if her mouth wasn't already dry, Kitsune felt her mouth drop as she stared at the shelves stacked around her. Shelf after shelf, were bricks of gold and stacks of coins, towering up to the next shelf. The bottom shelves had coins flooding over the edge, laying in a cluttered mess across the floor.
"Holy crap!" Naruto yelled, reaching down and picking up a handful of coins.
"This is some McDuck money!" Kitsune yelled, pulling her hood down completely and tilting her head back to see how far the ceiling was.
They ran up and down the large vault, screaming at the sight of so much money. They had only ever seen such money in movies or when they completed a heist on all those robbing video games. But this... this was a whole 'nother thing.
The hordes of gold were genuine, that much was certain. Kitsune carefully picked one up and examined it. The gold had been carefully made, not a slither of a scratch on it.
Had Minato really left this behind? Kitsune knew he made a lot of money but this... This made it look like he robbed a bank.
But she knew her father. He would never do something as trivial as that.
Turning around, Kitsune watched Jiraiya has he began to count the money out before placing them into a leather bag. "Grandpa, what are you doing? You can't just take this! It's not even ours!"
Reno frowned at Jiraiya. "Grandpa?"
Jiraiya leered at her, his eye twitching. "What do you mean 'It's not even ours'? All of this is yours and Naruto's."
Kitsune dropped the brick of gold in her hands. Naruto stopped his rummage of coin searching and stared at Jiraiya. The twins shrieked. "WHAT?!"
Slightly annoyed with their constant yelling, Jiraiya explained everything to them. How Minato and Kushina were originally from this world and not the Earth they grew up on. How Kushina had been from a very wealthy clan that possessed a rare ability, the contents of which Jiraiya did not explain. He even mentioned that both of them had been born here, and that at the age of four, Minato and Kushina took the two of them to the realm they knew as Earth to raise them without the complications of magic and chakra.
This left them both dumbfounded. It sounded crazy, and Kitsune was certain when she bumped into that boy something in her brain must've triggered some kind of wizard fanfiction fetish. That seemed more logical than what Jiraiya had told them.
He continued with his collection, and went back to counting out the coins. He left all the large bricks of gold though, working around them and instead going for the gold coins.
Kitsune wanted to sit down but found she couldn't move from where she stood. "Why didn't Mom and Dad tell us about this? Why keep this a secret?"
"Their reasons are still unknown. All I know is that before Minato died, he asked that I take both of you to this school instead of the one you were going to on Earth," Jiraiya shrugged simply, examining a coin before dumping it in the leather. He stood back and let out a triumphant sigh. "There we go! That should be enough!"
"Enough for what?" Naruto questioned, scratching the back of his head. Now that Kitsune saw him do it, she suddenly realized how itchy the cloaks really were. She had ignored it up until now but it was starting to itch like a rash was about to form.
"Enough for your school supplies, of course! Just because this isn't Earth with all their credit and debit cards, doesn't mean we pay in shells. We have so much to do in so little time," Jiraiya tied a knot around the coins and stuffed it into his pocket. He grabbed both of Naruto and Kitsune's suitcases before turning to Reno. "Thanks again. This means a lot."
"Of course, Jiraiya-sama. You are a valued customer here. Well... at least, your wife is," Reno stated, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck.
"Former lover, Reno. Former lover. Marrying her would've been the same as trying to put out a pretentious fire."
The two males had a good laugh while the twins became increasingly uncomfortable. They both pulled on their hoods and started the trek up the stairs. Jiraiya nodded once at Reno, before rushing after them, taking that as his cue to leave. But he wasn't lying though; they had a lot to do in so little time.
OoOoOoO
They strolled out of the dodgy bank and down the cobblestoned lane. With no sense of direction in this new town, Naruto and Kitsune stuck close to Jiraiya and made sure their hoods were pulled securely over their heads. There were stares, sure, but it was better than the stares they got when the hoods fell off. Naruto couldn't comprehend it. What was so shocking about him that it deserved a surprise and slightly disturbed stare?
Was it his whisker birthmarks? Those weren't his fault. He had been born with them and it wasn't like he wanted them gone. They actually looked kinda cool.
Jiraiya dragged them to countless different stores, all strangely decorated and strangely crowded. Children around the same age as them scurried about with their parents, shouting orders about what to buy. Naruto had never seen such weird hair and eye colours in his entire life. A girl with pale pink hair and apple green eyes pushed past with a girl that had long, pale blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and jade coloured eyes. They giggled and clung to each other, ignoring their parents' exhausted calls.
"Have you see him today?" the girl with pink hair asked.
The blonde haired girl sighed and looked up dreamily at the ceiling. "No. I suppose since school is starting tomorrow he needs all his rest but I can't help but worry that something might have happened to my Uchiha prince."
"You're so lucky! I'd give anything to be with him!"
"Too bad, Billboard Brow! He's with me!"
Naruto cringed at the hostility in the two girls' voices and rushed after Jiraiya. They were inside a small bookstore that was cramped with children and parents alike. Naruto felt terribly out of place with his dark cloak on and he knew he must've stood out like a sore thumb. The stares he got from passing parents made him uncomfortable.
All the way up to the ceiling were shelves packed with ancient and fresh books. A crooked staircase led upstairs to a second level where the upper shelves could be better accessed. Even the top level was crowded with people. The floorboards gave off an agonizing groan with each step Naruto took.
He was actually beginning to feel sorry for the place...
"Watch where you're going!" an irritable-looking man hissed, glaring at Naruto.
"Oh, sorry," Naruto quickly apologized. The man was much shorter than he was so it wasn't necessarily his fault.
He quickly caught up to Kitsune and grabbed onto the sleeve of her cloak. This way he knew he'd be able to catch up to Jiraiya if he ever got separated.
"Careful, you two. We'll be out in a minute," Jiraiya said in front of them, not even looking back to see if he was actually talking to them. "Just need to get a few more stuff on the list."
Peering around his arm, Naruto saw that Jiraiya was holding a large basket filled with books. The amount of books caused the wooden basket to strain under its weight. But surprisingly it held on. Looking closely, Naruto stared at the titles of the books.
Survival Handbook and Study Guide, Top Class Transfiguration, Complete guide to Charms, History Behind our Stars, Luminescence, Swordplay and Weapons Training, Animal Communication: Notes and Rules.
What the hell was this?
There were two copies of the same book, one for him and one for Kitsune. His mind rattled for an answer as to what the hell had he stumbled into. These couldn't possibly be books for normal students. Maybe Jiraiya was buying them for pleasure. He read crap a lot.
After retrieving a few more books, Jiraiya paid for them using the gold he had taken from the vault. The cashier and him spoke just as he had with Reno; as if long lost friends. Hell, the man even gave him a discount on all purchases.
They went around to a few more stores where Jiraiya bought notebooks, pencils, and other daily necessaties that they might need at school. Since he was already on a shopping spree, he decided to stop for a little to rest their aching legs. They stopped at a small but cosy looking stand where a light plume of smoke exited from its narrow chimney. Naruto sniffed the air once and instantly his stomach rumbled.
Ramen!
He almost forgot that he hadn't eaten in nearly three hours. The heavenly aroma of roasted pork churned up mouthfuls of saliva. How had he gone that long without eating? Even a snack would've been understandable.
Jiraiya pushed back the small curtains of the stand and stepped through, holding it up for Naruto and Kitsune to step under. Upon entering, Naruto saw that they were the only ones inside the small restaurant. The kitchen could be seen over the long counter but Naruto couldn't see or hear anyone. What he could hear was the bubble of noodles in boiling water.
God, his stomach was burning!
"Oi, Teuchi! You here?" Jiraiya called, setting the two pulley suitcases by the left-side wall.
For a moment there was no response. Jiraiya took a seat and removed his jacket, resting it on the seat beside him.
Naruto and Kitsune however, stood awkwardly by the curtain and examined the small stand. This whole world was foreign to them and being here seemed to tip the balance in its favour. Not that it was anything unusual. It was just that everything had already been strange enough; it wouldn't be surprising if something even stranger happened now.
The echo of footsteps travelled to his ears and Naruto looked up quickly. A middle aged man wearing a white apron exited the kitchen and stood before the counter. He wiped his hands on said apron and smiled at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-san! What brings you here?"
"Work, my friend. And the blonde haired beauty that will have my head if I don't get back to that work," Jiraiya laughed. He looked back at Naruto and Kitsune. "And also to introduce these two lovelies to their long-lost heritage."
Teuchi turned his gaze to the twins. His stare should've unsettled Naruto, but he felt oddly calm all things considered. The older man smiled at them. "Have a seat! Any friend of Jiraiya's is a friend of mine!"
"Teuchi, I'd like you to meet my two grandchildren; Namikaze Naruto and Kitsune," Jiraiya smiled.
Teuchi's eyes suddenly shot open and he stared at Jiraiya. "Namikaze? Grandchildren?"
"You did say that any friend of mine is a friend of yours. Surely you should've expected my grandchildren to be in the mix?"
"It's just that... I was told that Minato-kun and Kushina-chan had moved to Earth to raise their kids."
Jiraiya's expression went blank and his voice took on a sombre tone. "Things have changed."
Sensing the tension, Teuchi nodded and turned to Naruto and Kitsune. A welcoming smile spread across his lips. "A pleasure to meet you, Naruto and Kitsune. I'm Teuchi, as you've already heard. Please, have a seat and make yourselves at home."
Hesitantly, Naruto and Kitsune sat down beside Jiraiya. They removed their backpacks and left it on either side of them before placing their hands in front of them.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You can take the coats off. No need to hide when you're here."
Now? Now they could take the coats off? Naruto had sweated through his shirt and was certain it had left a stain on his tracksuit jacket. He sure as hell didn't want a new acquaintance to see his pit stains .
Glancing at his sister, he watched as Kitsune slowly removed her cloak and placed it over her lap. She had been smart enough to wear a black crop top with a white tank top underneath so she wouldn't get too warm. Being the idiot he was, he went ahead and wore a black t-shirt underneath an orange tracksuit jacket. He didn't even want to know how he smelt to the opposite sex at the moment.
"Otou-san, we're gonna need more pork if we're gonna have enough for tomorrow. Should I go to Baba-san and ask for another delivery?"
Oh crap...
A brown haired girl came out of the kitchen, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyebrows were raised into a questioning frown.
"Ayame, we have customers," Teuchi said, chuckling softly.
Ayame turned to the three of them and grinned at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-san, you came back!"
"You know I can't stay away from you for too long, Ayame-chan," he smiled, running a hand across his forehead.
"Eww," Naruto and Kitsune muttered, rolling their eyes at their grandfather's stupidity.
Hearing the unknown voice, Ayame turned to the twins. Her eyebrows rose further. "Hello. I'm Ayame, nice to meet you!"
"Likewise. I'm Kitsune, and this is my brother, Naruto," Kitsune replied, smiling sweetly at Ayame. Naruto gave a small wave and smiled.
"Naruto... Like the fishcake!" Ayame exclaimed, her brown eyes brightening.
Naruto went scarlet and stared down at his removed cloak. "It's not like I had a say in it..."
His name had come from some book that Minato had apparently liked. After that, it was decided that Naruto would be named after the main character in the book. But which book it was still remained a mystery to Naruto himself.
"You guys must be going to the Sixth Sanctum orientation, right?" Ayame asked, seating herself on a stool that was behind the counter.
"What makes you think that?" the twins replied.
"You and about every other teenager rushing about trying to get everything in order. Plus, the books and supplies kinda give it away. And your suitcases."
It was true though. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of kids just shoving past and screaming at each other. Honestly, Naruto was beginning to feel claustrophobic just thinking about it. He had seen enough teenagers with weird haircuts to last him a life time. But still, he would lying if he said he wasn't excited. The atmosphere was new to him and enticed a side of him he never existed. Hopefully, he'd get used to it once he found out where this school was. And why it was such a big deal to all the other students.
"Are you going?" Kitsune politely asked, leaning forward in her seat.
"No, too much excitement for me. I am very contempt with my simple life here. Sixth Sanctum is just a story book waiting to be opened by a restless child. Besides, I don't have the 'special' gift all other students have," Ayame answered, shaking her head.
"Special gift?" Kitsune echoed.
"What special gift?" Naruto asked.
"It's hard to explain. Every child there has some special ability that makes them unique and it's never the same. Well; sometimes it ranges around the same ability but it's not exactly the same. You know what I mean?"
"No," the two answered. Everything she said just seemed to fly over their heads and disappear into the folder labelled "Crap I will never understand".
"Ahh, no matter. You'll find out soon enough. Now; who wants some ramen?"
As confused as Naruto was, he wasn't going to argue with the idea of food; which ended up being free of charge. Four bowls of pork ramen really hit the spot, especially after a long morning where he understood nothing.
Once they finished up their meal, their cloaks were slipped back on and they left the ramen stand, greeting Teuchi and Ayame as they left. Naruto wanted to complain again as soon as they continued the long walk down the winding lane. His feet ached from the constant trek and his back cried for release. How much longer were they supposed to go on for?
Jiraiya led them through the crowds and turned left down a dark alley. The buildings shadowed over the alley, casting it in a fog-like darkness. The air was stiff with the heavy smell of wet cardboard and moss. An unexpected chill swept over them.
"Last stop," Jiraiya said.
In what context? Last stop as in after this they would go to this school or last stop as in they weren't going to leave this alleyway. The questions rose inside of Naruto, choking him from the inside out.
Wait... He still had Minato's knife or whatever it was in his bag. Maybe if he was quick enough...
They stopped outside of a worn out building, its window cracked and on the verge of shattering into a million fragments. The sign overhead was flaked and covered in mold but Naruto could still make out what was written on it.
Uta's Wand Observatory.
A warmth enveloped his hand and he looked down to see Kitsune's small hand over his. She didn't look at him. Her gaze was focused entirely on the suspicious looking building before them.
Jiraiya moved forward and pushed open the door. A soft bell rang out, echoing around the empty store. Reluctantly, the twins stepped inside.
This store was larger than the bookstore they had previously been in and was dimly lit. The shop window was covered in thick layers of dust and held nothing for display purposes. Cabinets decorated the room and shelves covered the walls. Naruto had seen enough of shelves to make him wonder if there was anything fascinating in this world other than the invention of a wooden compartment that could hold objects.
He felt Kitsune grip his hand tighter. How could he forget. Kitsune hated dark places and anything surrounding mysterious. It was probably why she couldn't stand to go to the kitchen at night or to even walk outside just to go around the corner.
The heavy clump of boots caused Naruto to look up. A withered old man appeared from behind a shelf, staring at Jiraiya questioningly. "Long time no see, Jiraiya. What brings you here?"
There was something rather odd about this man and Naruto couldn't place a finger on it. He was hunched over as all the stories of hunchbacks spoke of and his hair was a ghostly white, giving off a pale blue shine in the dim store.
"I see you're still keeping the business afloat, Uta-san," Jiraiya chuckled, walking up to the old man. They exchanged a firm handshake.
"Not many business still craft wands these days. Especially wands that have had time given into their procedure. All those impudent artisans with only the root to all evil in their eyes. The meaning behind true craftsmanship has long since been forgotten," Uta replied, stooping away from Jiraiya and walking to one of the many shelves in the store.
"Speaking of, I was wondering if your expert wands could be sold to two new proteges in this world?"
"Selling wands simply out of request isn't how the game works, Jiraiya."
"Yes but the game starts with skin to wood contact."
Uta let out a tired sigh. He turned around and examined Naruto and Kitsune.
His cold grey eyes held years of brutal experience, the likes of which Naruto had only heard of from years of military games and books about war.
Uta's eyes narrowed as he stared them both up and down. Naruto wondered if this was what a slab of meat felt like under a butcher's hungry gaze. The old man then turned his back to them and rang his bony fingers lazily across the shelves. He then drummed his fingers against a black box and pulled it down. Dust followed its departure, creating a choking cloud of smoke around the black box.
Instead of handing it to one of them, Uta then went down another aisle and gathered more boxes. Eventually the boxes towered over him and threatened to crash to the dusty floor.
"That can't be safe," Kitsune muttered, watching Uta under her careful gaze.
Naruto nodded.
Uta dropped the boxes in front of them and handed one to them each. Naruto frowned at the small box. It was the same size as that of a shoe box, maybe a few inches smaller and thinner. The black box was a cloudy grey from all the years (or months) of built up dust. Running his finger across it, Naruto watched as the black shade beneath its covering awoke.
Sheesh! How long has this guy not been working? He wandered in amazement.
"Don't just stand there. Open it," Jiraiya said sternly, his arms folded across his chest.
Exchanging glances, Naruto and Kitsune slowly opened the box and peered inside. Laying within a red cushioning was a white wand, delicately carved. Around the middle was a gold intricate design added in after its carving, as well as two small bands of gold around the end of it where the user's hand had to go.
"Who am I? Harry Potter?" Naruto commented, picking up the wand and twirling it around. He held it firmly in his grip before giving it a dramatic swirl and thrusting it outward. "Lumos!"
"Don't play around with it like that, you fool!" Uta snapped, snatching the wand from him.
Naruto shrugged defensively. "I don't see what's the problem. A wand's a wand, right? Yell out random words that end up being real spells and watch as sparks or light comes out of the end of the pointy dildo. I watched a few wizard movies to know the drill already."
"D-Dil... Where did you hear that word?" Jiraiya's cheeks flared a deep red, his eyes expanding nervously.
"You might want to keep your dirty time books somewhere more secret," Kitsune sighed, lifting up the wand and turning it around in her fingers.
Uta opened his mouth but then quickly closed it. He turned to Jiraiya and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "You're still writing those novels?"
"N-Not the point! Naruto, Kitsune, what do you two feel when you hold those?"
The question sparked more confusion than an actual answer. Naruto gazed down at the white wand in his hand and thought back to when he went through a wizard faze where he was certain Minato and Kushina had been hiding his Hogwarts acceptance letter. Was he just dreaming like he had all those years ago?
"Wood," Naruto answered.
"Dust," Kitsune muttered, wiping her hand off.
Jiraiya and Uta both shook their heads and took the wands away from them. One after the other, Uta shoved boxes at them and ordered them to test each one out. They were all the same though. Wooden objects with no real purpose. A few times Naruto attempted to summon a ball of light or to cause something on the opposite end of the room to levitate but it was all for nought. He just earned an annoyed look from both Jiraiya and Uta.
Near the thirtieth box, Naruto yawned and stretched his stiff muscles. He looked out of the cracked shop window and stared at the vermilion sky. What were these old farts looking for? What was the agenda behind all these wands? Was there a specific reaction that they were looking for?
"This is pointless. Shouldn't we be looking for this Sixth Sanctum place before it gets too dark?" Kitsune mumbled, running a hand across her forehead. Her fringe brushed against her fingers and she tugged on a single strand, yanking it out.
Naruto glanced at the two older men. Their backs were turned to them as they mumbled to themselves. They went through the boxes themselves, not bothering to consult the two of them anymore.
His eyes drifted around the store. More boxes. More shelves. More gloomy corners. A half open door. A random cabinet.
His eyes shot back to the half open door. A single ray of dim light peeked out, almost inviting him in. He knew he shouldn't move from his uncomfortable spot on the floor but what would you do if you saw a door open and had no idea what was on the other side?
Okay, the average person would leave it the hell alone but he wasn't the average person.
Poking Kitsune, he pointed at the door. She glanced at it lazily, her eyes drooping. As soon as they fell upon the door, they widened ever so slightly. She looked to Jiraiya and Uta quickly and Naruto did the same. The older men still didn't acknowledge them.
That was their cue. They crawled across the floor quickly and ducked behind the counter. They listened for Jiraiya and Uta's mumbles before continuing, crawling faster toward the door. Ducking into the doorway, Naruto quickly grabbed onto the edge of the doorframe. A long staircase led downstairs.
The doorframe creaked under his weight and suddenly broke off. A chunk of wood was gripped in his hands.
Kitsune winced and almost cowered into the wall once she heard complete silence. Naruto held his breath and waited, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted the copper liquid.
Go back to work. Go back to work!
As if hearing his plea, Jiraiya and Uta continued murmuring. He let out a relieved sigh and carefully placed the wood down on the floor near the staircase.
Slowly, both he and Kitsune crawled down the steps. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs but this one was closed and gave off a "Do not enter" kind of energy. But that was even more alluring!
Reaching the last step, Kitsune reached up and grasped the handle. She looked at Naruto, her blue eyes wide. With fear or excitement or maybe both, Naruto could't tell but he knew he was on the same boat. He nodded and Kitsune turned the handle, pushing the door open.
They clung to each other as the door creaked open. A sting of fear snuck its way into Naruto and he could feel his heart thud wildly in his chest.
The room was shrouded in complete darkness. No light. Except for at the back of the room...
A single ray of light was casted over a glass cabinet. It wasn't an afternoon ray of light that came from the late afternoon sun. It was instead the light that Naruto expected to see when he died and was on his way to the afterlife.
Kitsune's grip on his lessened drastically and she got to her feet slowly. He found himself following her, completely unfazed by the dark objects cluttered in the room.
With each step they drew nearer to the cabinet. And with each step it became more clear what was laying within it.
Cushioned on a red satin cloth were three, rather ancient, wands. At least, there should've been three. The third imprint was bare and the wand that was supposed to be in its confines was gone, leaving behind only two.
Unlike all the previous wands which were standard and identical to the rest, the two before them were quite old and by the looks of it, fragile and beaten by the previous user and or users. The one on the left was a long, slightly skew, gold wand with intricate designs of copper suns drawn into its wood. The middle one was a milky white wand, its handle carved into a petal shape, as if something were supposed to be in the middle of it. Various specks of grey covered its surface, reaching all the way to the the point of the wand.
A rapid pulse beated in Naruto's ears as his eyes focused on the gold wand. He felt a strange pull drag him toward it, urging him to take it.
Slowly, his hand reached out. His fingers yearned for even a graze of what he knew was smooth wood. A faint tingle sparked to life his hands, fizzing uncontrollably.
Kitsune reached out and gripped Naruto tightly by the shoulder. "Naruto, everything about this screams not to touch it. Creepy cabinet under dramatic lighting, dramatic lighting that's coming from a rather interesting light source."
"What do you mean interesting light source? It's coming from the roof, isn't it?" Naruto looked up and squinted at the light. It was far too bright for him to see so he quickly averted his eyes.
"Nope."
Kitsune pulled him back and pointed at the light. From this angle, Naruto was able to see exactly what was casting the ray. It wasn't a hole in the roof like he had thought, but was a mosquito trap that attracted them just to burn them to a crisp.
Naruto felt the excitement in his veins die down like a cold shower. He rubbed his neck nervously and instead focused on the wands. "Ok, major turn-off but come on! You can't deny that there's something about this that stands out unlike the other crap. There's no harm in just... poking?"
"Of course I want to poke it but there's a reason it's here and not with the other wands. It's probably really valuable."
"And the others aren't?"
"You know what I mean! Let's just leave before that old fart realizes we're missing!"
"Which old fart?"
Kitsune groaned and looked around at the room they were in. Aside from the glass cabinet, the entire room was dark. Shadows blended together to form one and something small scurried across the floor. She backed up into the cabinet, squeaking.
The cabinet shook on its cupboard, the glass casing shaking. Kitsune spun around and quickly grabbed onto the casing. The cupboard toppled over, crashing violently to the floor. Splinters of wood shot across the floor.
Naruto gawked at the mess. There was no explaining this away.
Kitsune stood amongst the mess, holding the glass casing tightly in her arms. She stared wide eyed at the rubble and almost released the case but quickly held on tighter. The glass creaked slightly and she loosened her hold.
"Oh crap! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Kitsune stomped her feet angrily, huffing out.
"You can't glue this together!" Naruto squeaked, pointing at the rubble.
"Shut up! I KNOW I CAN'T GLUE THIS TOGETHER!" Kitsune yelled, not even caring that they were supposed to be quiet.
"Ok, let's just calm down and not do anything crazy; especially since you have the case with the wands in it. Calm down, you're going to crease!" Naruto used his hand as a fan her. He wasn't going to admit anything though. He was scared out of his mind.
Jiraiya was going to have their heads for this.
"I'm doomed!" Kitsune cried.
She placed the case down and gripped her hair tightly, running circles around the rubble. Strands of hair broke out from the bun, falling around her shoulders in tangled curls.
Naruto turned around toward the staircase. Jiraiya and Uta must've heard them, unless they were completely deaf. But the chances were high that had.
And he was right.
There was a scurry of feet upstairs that drew nearer to the staircase.
"WHAT DID YOU TWO FOOLS DO?!" Jiraiya's voice boomed, the walls vibrating.
There has to be something here to cover it up! Naruto looked around for a blanket or anything that could act as a covering. The dark made it difficult to see anything and their time was running out. A long shadow appeared down the stairs, stretching out with each step.
They were right there!
His mind thought back to all the wizard games he had played over the years. Or, at least the wizard games where they used repair magic. He was going to need a wand. And fast!
Eyes falling on the case, Naruto stared at the gold wand twinkling in the light.
He quickly kneeled down and crashed the back of his elbow into the case. Glass shattered around the cloth and over the two wands. He grabbed the silver wand and tossed it at Kitsune then grabbed the gold wand, quickly getting to his feet.
"We only have a few seconds! Use that repair spell from Order of the Phoenix and fix this cupboard and case up!" Naruto hissed, pointing at the rubble.
"I never listened to the spells!" Kitsune hissed back, anxious tears glistening in her eyes.
Naruto scratched his forehead using the pointed end of the wand and stared at the glass fragments. Now that he thought about it; he didn't remember there being any words when they repaired crap in Harry Potter. It would've really helped at the moment.
"WHAT KIND OF FOOLS ARE YOU?!" Jiraiya screamed.
Both of them spun around and pointed their wands at the two older men. They knew no charms or curses, it was just dramatic all things considered.
Uta and Jiraiya stood at the foot of the stairs, staring at the two of them. Their eyes had been filled with anger but as soon as their eyes fell on the two, it was reduced to pure confusion and surprise.
Naruto opened his mouth, his tongue ready to spout out spells in a British accent. He closed his mouth though, his attention going to the gold wand in his hand.
The wand became warm in his hands, the copper suns glowing a powerful orange. Swirls of orange energy tangled around Naruto's arm, making its way over his shoulder and into his body. Waves of uncontrollable warmth sunk into him, heating up his veins. It pooled up in his stomach, the heat becoming unbearable and suffocating.
Spots of white flickered in his vision. His brain throbbed painfully until darkness overtook. Just before his eyes shut, Naruto saw Jiraiya and Uta rush toward him.
A calm and delicate voice sang out. The voice soothed his mind and released the warmth he had felt before. Naruto groaned and allowed himself to be pulled into the darkness by the mysterious voice.
"Unto the saviours alone, this voice is heard. To assuage the fears of the chosen world. Release this world from its endless sleep. Restore the light that is yours to keep..."